The Cincinnati Bengals were dealt an all-too-familiar injury blow when the team lost superstar quarterback Joe Burrow to a serious toe injury.
The injury occurred in the first half of the Week 2 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Burrow was later diagnosed with a Grade 3 turf toe issue.
Unfortunately, that means a lengthy absence for the Cincinnati signal-caller, who is no stranger to suffering significant injuries during his career, as the Bengals have routinely failed to protect him.
But will Burrow miss the rest of the season?
Here's what we know about his status moving forward.
Will Joe Burrow be back in 2025?
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Burrow needed surgery on his toe and is expected to miss at least three months.
However, running counter to that, FOX Sports' Jay Glazer is skeptical three months will be enough for Burrow to get right and back on the field. Instead, Glazer thinks Burrow will only have a chance to return if the Bengals make the playoffs.
“They’re saying three months, I don’t see three months being an actual timeline,” Glazer said. “I think more so [Burrow has] a chance [to return] if they make the playoffs, but only because it’s Joe Burrow. Somebody else, I’d say no. But he has that Mamba Mentality, maybe yes. It’s such a difficult injury to return from.”
If we stick with the more optimistic timeline and everything goes perfectly, Burrow might get back by the third week of December. Three months from his Sept. 19 surgery is Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins (Dec. 21).
But we have to remember he was given a timeline of at least three months, so that estimation is the absolute best-case scenario. It is very possible Burrow could be back later than that, and we can't rule out him being done for the season, either.
Of course, if the Bengals are out of contention by the time Burrow is able to return, they might opt to just keep him out, even if he's healthy enough to play.
The Bengals have confidence that Jake Browning can keep them afloat until their star quarterback returns, but Browning has not been good over his first two games, so that's far from guaranteed.
MORE NFL NEWS
- Boise State trolls UNLV after Jeanty's first NFL TD at Allegiant Stadium
- Kevin Stefanski not ruling out Browns QB change in Week 5
- Micah Parsons didn't hold back on Jerry Jones after Cowboys-Packers tie
- Jerry Jones shares true feelings on Micah Parsons return ending in tie
- Odell Beckham Jr. sends clear message to Giants, NFL after Nabers injury
- Why Liam Coen, Robert Saleh got into heated exchange after Niners-Jags