Joe Burrow Returns to Play After Missing 9 Cincinnati Bengals Games: What Exactly Is Turf Toe?

Joe Burrow is back in action with the Cincinnati Bengals after missing nine games due to a turf toe injury.

The quarterback, 28, returned to the football field at M&T Bank Stadium in Maryland for the Bengals’ Thanksgiving night game against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, November 27.

The Bengals ultimately beat the Ravens in the Thanksgiving game, winning 32-14 as the football star made his long-awaited return.

Burrow was sidelined after a week 2 turf toe injury — which occurred during the Bengals’ September 14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars — that required surgery.

According to Cleveland Clinic, turf toe is “an injury in [the] big toe joint when ligaments, tendons and soft tissues in the joint stretch or tear.” It is a common problem for football players and other athletes who frequently sprint or jump while playing sports. Turf toe can be treated with rest, ice and over-the-counter pain medicine, but severe forms of the injury can necessitate surgery.

Amid the Bengals’ 3-8 record for the 2025-2026 NFL season, head coach Zac Taylor teased Burrow’s return on Monday, November 24. That same day, Burrow confirmed the news in an Instagram Story post of a mirror selfie he first shared via Snapchat in 2014 to celebrate LeBron James’ return to the Cleveland Cavaliers after a four-year stint with the Miami Heat. In the photo, the Cavaliers fan wore a fitted No. 23 jersey from his childhood, adding the caption, “He’s back.”

Earlier this month, Burrow hinted at his plans to play in the Thanksgiving game, which he described as “meaningful.”

He also noted that he struggled to watch from the sideline as his teammates lost games, calling the experience “lonely.” (The Bengals held a 1-8 record in Burrow’s absence.)

“You try to do what you can and just grind by yourself in the weight room and in the training room when trying to get right,” he told reporters in a November 10 press conference. “There’s not much more you can do. You’re not out there with the guys, you’re not at practice, so return from injury is pretty lonely.”

Meanwhile, Taylor, 42, assured fans that Burrow was “in good shape” and “ready to go” leading into Thursday’s game.

“He’s worked really hard to get himself back,” Taylor told the media of Burrow on Sunday, November 23. “He’s a football player. He wants to play football. We want to win football games, so that will lead into that decision.”

Taylor noted that Joe Flacco would serve as Burrow’s backup quarterback when he returned to the field.

“There’s a balance there of obviously him coming off of injury,” he said. “You want to be very mindful of that. And a lot of that will be up to him as he feels his pocket movement and his play style. Those are decisions that he’s gonna have to feel out as he goes forward. Sure, I’d love to say let’s be productive and not put him in an environment where that’s gonna happen. You get out there on the football field and that’s the way it’s gonna take shape. … It’s the NFL. You can’t go out there with kid gloves on and say we’re never gonna let this happen. Some things are gonna happen naturally. It’ll be in his hands to take care of it if he’s out there.”

Since being drafted by the Bengals in 2020, Burrow has missed a handful of games due to injuries. In 2020, he suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus that required surgery. Three years later, Burrow tore his wrist ligament in 2023 and was out for the rest of the season as he recovered from an operation to fix the problem.