Bengals QB Joe Burrow explains why he’s returning from injury amid Cincinnati’s brutal season

Joe Burrow is expected to make his return to the field this Thanksgiving when his Cincinnati Bengals travel to take on Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Burrow suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury back in Week 2 that required surgery, but he returned to practice two weeks ago and will return to help Cincinnati dig out of a 3-8 hole.

There are plenty of people out there questioning Burrow’s decision. The franchise quarterback has a history of injuries but is returning to the field for a team that is considered a significant longshot to reach the postseason (+2500 at FanDuel). But Burrow doesn’t see it that way. His job is to play football, and if he gets hurt, his job is to rehab and get back to playing football.

“I understand why people feel that way, but if you look at it from my perspective, I’m a football player and if I get hurt, I’m going to go through the rehab process and then I’m going to let everybody know when I feel like I can go out there and play,” Burrow said, via CBS Sports’ John Breech. “I don’t really know what else to say about that. I’m not ever going to go to somebody and say, ‘Yeah, I’m healthy, but I don’t think I should go out there and play.’ That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. 

“I’m not going to live my life and play this game scared of something happening. Like, yeah, something is going to happen, it’s football. Guys are going to get hurt, guys are going to get concussions, you’re going to break bones, tear ligaments, it’s a physical, intense game. That’s part of this. Yeah, I’ve had injuries, there’s not a lot I can do about that. I worked really hard to have that not happen, but what I can do is when it does happen, I can control how I’m attacking my rehab and attacking practice and doing everything in my power to get back as quickly as possible and that’s what I did.”

Burrow completed 58.3% of his passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns before going down with his toe injury. It was unfortunate, as Burrow had a magnificent season in 2024, leading the NFL in both passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43) while winning Comeback Player of the Year for the second time in his career. 

When Burrow went down, Jake Browning took over as the Bengals’ starting quarterback. However, after a disastrous 0-3 stretch, Cincinnati was forced to consider other options. In the first week of October, the Bengals sent a fifth-round pick to the rival Cleveland Browns for Joe Flacco and a sixth-round pick. While Flacco did jump-start the offense, the fact of the matter is he’s 1-5 as the starter, and the Bengals have lost four straight. 

It may be too little too late for the Bengals, but Burrow is going to suit up if he’s able.