The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in come-from-behind fashion in Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season, but they suffered a catastrophic loss during the contest.
Cincinnati’s star quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a serious-looking injury in the first half of the Bengals victory.
Burrow’s injury occurred as he was tackled from behind and grabbed by the foot while being twisted to the ground. The veteran starter remained down on the ground following the injury and needed help getting to the sideline.
Eventually, Burrow was taken to the locker room with assistance from Cincinnati’s medical staff. The 28-year-old was not carted off, but he was unable to put much weight on his injured left leg.
Burrow was quickly ruled out for the contest and it was later revealed his injury would be of the long-term variety.
Here’s what to know about the quarterback’s toe injury and when he may be able to return to action.
When will Joe Burrow return?
Burrow had surgery to repair a Grade 3 turf toe injury he suffered against the Jaguars. He is expected to miss a minimum of three months because of the injury.
That said, the exact timetable for Burrow’s return remains unclear. The Bengals have not provided one since the 28-year-old signal-caller got hurt, as Zac Taylor merely made reporters aware Burrow would need surgery to repair the malady.
That said, the three-month timeline would put Burrow on track to return at some point in December at the earliest – barring any setbacks.
Burrow’s return may also depend on whether the Bengals’ backup quarterbacks can keep them in the AFC playoff race. The Bengals enter Week 7 with a record of just 2-4 and having lost four consecutive games following Burrow’s injury.
Who is the Bengals backup QB?
Joe Flacco is the Bengals’ backup quarterback, and he is expected to be the starter as long as Burrow remains out.
The Bengals acquired Flacco in a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 7. The 40-year-old veteran managed to ready himself to start against the Green Bay Packers just five days later and completed 64.4% of his passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns in a Bengals loss.
Flacco began the season as Cleveland’s starter, posting a 1-3 record over four starts before being benched in favor of Dillon Gabriel. The 40-year-old has completed 59.5% of his passes for 1,034 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions entering Week 7.
Bengals QB depth chart
The Bengals currently have three healthy quarterbacks in their organization. Below is a look at the pecking order among those signal-callers.
- Joe Flacco
- Jake Browning
- Sean Clifford (practice squad)
Browning opened the season as the Bengals’ top backup behind Burrow. He helped lead the Bengals to a Week 2 victory over the Jaguars following Burrow’s injury, but he struggled across three starts and completed 64.5% of his passes for 757 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions before being benched in favor of Flacco.
Clifford, 27, is the youngest quarterback in Cincinnati’s organization. He signed to the team’s practice squad shortly after Burrow’s injury and beat Brett Rypien and Mike White for the team’s third-string job. The Penn State product was a fifth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL Draft but has never started an NFL game or attempted a regular-season pass.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Burrow injury update: When will Bengals QB return?
