On Sept. 14, Joe Burrow suffered an injury during the second quarter of the matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow sits on the field after being tackled during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 14, 2025, at Paycor Stadium.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow sits on the field after being tackled during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 14, 2025, at Paycor Stadium.
On Sept. 14, Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury during the Cincinnati Bengals' game against the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jake Browning stepped in as quarterback during the second quarter and led the Bengals to victory
Burrow will reportedly have toe surgery that could put him on the sidelines for a minimum of three months
With Joe Burrow's latest injury, the Cincinnati Bengals may have lost their star quarterback for the remainder of the season.
On Sept. 14, the Bengals played the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium for week two of the 2025 NFL season. During the second quarter, Burrow suffered a toe injury that put him out for the rest of the game.
In Burrow's absence, Jake Browning stepped in as quarterback and led the Bengals to a 31-27 comeback victory against the Jaguars.
"They just looked each other in the eye in the second half and said, 'We're going to figure out a way to win this game,' and that's exactly what they did," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said after the win, per ESPN.
Burrow's latest setback doesn't mark his first career-disrupting injury, as his rookie season ended early in 2020 after he tore his ACL, MCL, part of his PCL and meniscus, according to ESPN. More recently, he bounced back from a 2023 wrist injury and surgery, finishing a record-breaking 2024 season by winning the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year for the second time.
So, will Joe Burrow return to the football field this season? Here's what we know about his injury.
What happened to Joe Burrow?
Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is helped off the field following an injury in the second quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium on Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati.
Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is helped off the field following an injury in the second quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium on Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati.
During the second quarter of the Bengals game against the Jaguars on Sept. 14, Burrow was sacked by Jaguars' defensive end Arik Armstead, per ESPN. As a result of the play, Burrow ended up under other players who had fallen on top of him.
Burrow attempted to limp off the field, but ended up down on the turf after a couple of steps. He was evaluated in the blue injury tent before attempting to make his way to the locker room. But after a few steps, he also needed assistance from trainers to make it back inside.
When Burrow left the locker room toward the end of the game, he used crutches to leave the stadium.
According to the outlet, his injury was diagnosed as turf toe.
What is turf toe?
Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals looks to pass during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium on Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati.
Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals looks to pass during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium on Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati.
Turf toe — otherwise known as a metatarsophalangeal joint sprain — is an injury in the big toe joint when ligaments, tendons and soft tissues in the joint stretch or tear, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Turf toe is common among football players and other athletes who sprint or jump. It occurs when your toe remains on the ground and your heel lifts, leading your toe to hyperextend.
While the Cleveland Clinic notes that the injury can heal with rest, ice and over-the-counter pain relievers, severe circumstances may require surgery.
Will Joe Burrow return this season?
Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals walks off the field after the game against the Cleveland Browns during the game at Huntington Bank Field on Sept. 7, 2025, in Cleveland.
Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals walks off the field after the game against the Cleveland Browns during the game at Huntington Bank Field on Sept. 7, 2025, in Cleveland.
According to ESPN, Burrow will need toe surgery to address his injury. The recovery will keep him on the sidelines for at least three months.
With Burrow out, Browning is expected to step up as the starting quarterback, per the outlet, which reports that leadership has also been contacting other free-agent quarterbacks. Browning previously stepped in as the starting quarterback in 2023, when Burrow suffered a torn ligament in his right wrist, per ESPN.
After Burrow's 2023 season ended prematurely, he opened up about the mental toll his injuries had taken on him.
"Whenever the injuries start to stack up, your football mortality kind of comes into the back of your mind," he said following a minicamp practice in June 2024, per NFL.com. "So that's definitely something I've thought about and something I have had to fight through."
At the time, Burrow also spoke about the difficulties of "coming back" from injury — especially mid-season.
"There's always peaks where you're like, 'I'm feeling great,' and then a couple of months later you have a couple of days where it's like, 'Man, I'm not feeling that great,' " he said. "In the past I pushed through that and caused problems for myself, and this year I'm not doing that."