COLUMBUS, Ohio — If it wasn’t bad enough already, 2020 took a terrible turn for the Cincinnati Bengals and their prized rookie quarterback Joe Burrow.

The Heisman Trophy winner and top draft pick brought excitement and hope to the franchise and its long-suffering fans that was drained in an instant when Burrow’s left leg was bent in an unnatural angle in the second half of Sunday’s game against Washington.

Cincinnati lost Burrow for the season, then lost the game.

“It just kind of tore everybody apart,” receiver Tyler Boyd said.

Shortly after the game, Burrow tweeted: “Thanks for all the love. Can’t get rid of me that easy. See ya next year.”

The quarterback reported suffered a torn ACL, MCL and other structural damage to his knee.

Coach Zac Taylor would say only that Burrow will have surgery and should be ready for the 2021 season. Burrow was placed on injured reserve on Monday.

“He was a tremendous leader for us, and he gave us a lot of energy the way he led the unit,” Taylor said. “I can’t be robot coach and say that we’re not going to be missing that, because we will.”

Boyd said he saw Burrow on Monday and reported the quarterback’s mood to be “positive.”

“His spirits are up,” Boyd said. “He’s not walking around with his head down. He’s a true believer, and he knows he’ll be back ready and better than ever.”

The esteem felt for Burrow in his southeastern Ohio hometown, and in Louisiana where he won a national championship at LSU, and in Cincinnati was displayed in an uptick of donations to an Athens, Ohio, hunger relief fund that was inspired by his Heisman Trophy speech and now bears his name.

It started shortly after he was taken off the field. Many people were donating $9 to match his uniform number, and dozens left messages on the website wishing him well.

“We are proud of you Joe,” an anonymous donor wrote Monday. “We know you are a Super Bowl champion in the making. Every great story has adversity.”

Taylor, whose first season in 2019 ended at 2-14, could see the progress and potential with Burrow, who was on track to break several rookie passing records and already had thrown for 300 yards five times.