Joe Burrow injury untimely for networks as Bengals scheduled for marquee windows

Cincinnati Bengals fans aren’t the only ones reeling from an injury to star quarterback Joe Burrow.

With news that Burrow will miss at least three months after undergoing surgery to repair a turf toe injury, several NFL broadcast partners are also licking their wounds looking at how many Bengals games feature prominently on their schedule. Starting in Week 4, the Bengals are scheduled for four consecutive primetime or national window games.

Week 4 has the Bengals traveling to Denver to take on the Broncos during Monday Night Football. The following week, the Bengals host the Detroit Lions for Fox’s America’s Game of the Week in the late-afternoon Sunday window. After that, the Bengals are scheduled to play the Green Bay Packers during the late-afternoon Sunday national window on CBS. And just four days later, the Bengals will once again play in front of a national audience on Thursday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It’s an unfortunate run for the NFL and its broadcast partners who were betting on Burrow to keep the Bengals a compelling television draw through this middle portion of the schedule.

Even more unfortunately, the Bengals are scheduled for a primetime game against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving. What would’ve been an elite quarterback matchup between Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson to cap off the holiday will now feature a backup quarterback for the Bengals.

There are a couple of silver linings for the NFL and its broadcast partners, however. For one, Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning has looked decent in relief of Burrow in the past. Despite the injury to Burrow, the Bengals are 2-0 and can still reasonably compete for a playoff spot. And given the timetable for Burrow’s injury, he could be back in time for a playoff run if everything goes well.

Then, for Fox and CBS in Weeks 5 and 6 respectively, the networks can limit distribution of the game as they see fit. For instance, in Week 5, Fox can put the Washington Commanders-Los Angeles Chargers game in more markets than originally planned, and put Lions-Bengals on the back-burner.

For those wondering if Burrow’s injury presents some flex scheduling possibilities, the one likely candidate comes in Week 16 when the Bengals are scheduled to take on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football. Given how poor the Dolphins have looked through two weeks this season, this already had “flex” written all over it. And if Burrow is still recovering, or the Bengals are out of the playoff picture come Week 16, expect this game to move out of the Sunday Night Football slot.