Sad. Disappointed. Frustrated. Angry.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow felt all of those emotions on Sept. 14 when he learned his toe injury was severe enough that he would need to undergo surgery for a third time in six seasons.
This year was supposed to be different for Burrow. He got through training camp and preseason with no issues. He wasn’t limited in any capacity starting a season for the first time in his career.
And then 1.5 games into the season, Burrow’s big toe got stuck in the turf at Paycor Stadium and he would later find out he was going to have to go through a process of recovery he knows all too well.
“I knew it wasn’t great when it happened,” Burrow said on Nov. 10. “I typically have a good feel for those when it’s going to be fine and when it’s not. You let yourself feel sorry for yourself a little bit. It’s easy when a couple of days leading up to surgery and the couple weeks after, when you can’t do much. And then it’s time to get back at it.”
Fast forward 57 days, Burrow practiced for the first time on Nov. 10 and his 21-day window to return the active roster is now open. He wants to play on Thanksgiving night when the Bengals travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens for the NBC primetime game to close out the holiday.
“We have 21 days to figure that out,” Burrow said of his timeline. “Could be early, could be late in that window. We are still pretty early post-surgery for this injury, so we have couple weeks of practice to figure that out and see how it goes.”
He said it would be “very” meaningful to play against the Ravens given his history at M&T Bank Stadium and the opportunity to play in one of the most viewed games of the NFL season.
There are a lot of factors Burrow and the Bengals will weigh when deciding when he can start and play a game again. If Burrow can’t make it back for the Thanksgiving game but is close, he could make his return against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 7.
“We’ll see how the next couple weeks feel, to see how it feels, and we’ll make a decision,” Burrow said. “There’s a lot of variables that are going to go into this, and the No. 1 is how it’s feeling and my health. So, we’ll just take it day by day like we have been throughout the rehab process.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor made it clear Burrow won’t play against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 16. They’ll monitor Burrow weekly and weigh their options.
The Bengals’ record will likely play a role in his timeline for return. If the Bengals can beat the Steelers in Week 11, the Week 13 game against the Ravens in Baltimore becomes a massive game for Cincinnati despite having a losing record.
If there’s a chance the Bengals can win the division, it would be hard to imagine Burrow not playing against the Ravens on Thanksgiving if he is feeling well enough and the medical staff clears him.
Winning the AFC North is the only realistic shot the Bengals have to get into the postseason this year. Burrow acknowledged as much and said the division is “wide open.” The Steelers lead the division at 5-4 with Baltimore now closing in at 4-5. Cincinnati beat Pittsburgh once this season. If they can sweep the Steelers and Ravens, they give themselves a chance to win the division.
The team with the best overall record in each division at the end of the season wins it and automatically gets to host a playoff game at home.
“I think it’d be very difficult for us to be a wild card team at this point,” Burrow said. “Obviously, a lot of football to be played but I think that’s difficult. I think our best path would be winning the division.”
Burrow attacked rehab as one would expect him to. He’s one of the most competitive, relentless players in the NFL and once he got past the initial shock of the injury, he focused on returning as fast as he could.
Life as a starting quarterback in the NFL hasn’t been an easy one for Burrow. His rookie season in 2020 was halted by a torn ACL. He took the Bengals to the Super Bowl the next season (2021) and back to the AFC Championship a year later in 2022.
Burrow’s fourth season came to an abrupt stop in November 2023 when he tore the scapholunate ligament in his throwing wrist and underwent surgery, ultimately ending his season for a second time in four years.
It’s why Burrow’s toe injury was a bigger deal than it would be for most. Burrow said he spent time thinking about how much his injuries have started to pile up and it’s weighed on him.
“I’ve been juggling the injury mindset where you kind of take a deep breath, then get back to it, then juggling that with the idea I could potentially still play this year and we could still be in it and all of those things,” he said. “Been a lot going on in my mind with those things. It’s a difficult thing to juggle. Now that we are getting closer and closer, it’s more of a season mindset.”
Burrow said this is a different situation than his previous two injuries because he has a chance to play again. He also said the recovery for his toe injury was less grueling than his knee and wrist injuries.
Only time will tell what will happen with Burrow this year, but he’s hoping he can turn the frustration he’s felt recently into fuel.
“It was frustrating … they’re all frustrating,” Burrow said. “I was really happy with where I was at, so that part was obviously incredibly disappointing. The amount of work you put into it and then that to happen in that spot, it’s tough. But that’s life in this business.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joe Burrow speaks on recovering from toe surgery, his plans to play this season and more
Reporting by Kelsey Conway, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
