Joe Burrow’s turf toe required surgery, sidelining him for most of the regular season and reshaping Cincinnati’s MVP chatter. The Bengals must navigate without their star while Baltimore’s steady, run-first attack presses the AFC North edge. The landscape shifts as top-tier QBs—Mahomes, Allen, Jackson—remain dominant, and Rodgers anchors an unconventional Pittsburgh leadership arc. Betting and fantasy value shift in real time as Burrow’s timetable stays murky.