“Toe” Burrow

The jungle came falling down on September 14th. Hope for a Super Bowl ring died as beloved Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow fell to the turf during the second game of the season.

“Turf toe”, or metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint sprain, is the injury that has been haunting the Cincinnati Bengals. Don’t let its silly name fool you. Turf toe is no joke. Joe Burrow got turf toe when Arik Armstead of the Jacksonville Jaguars held onto Burrow’s foot as he tried to escape the pocket behind the offensive line. Burrow was in a running position, flat toe, when Armstead dove for his foot. His toe jammed into the turf, causing the extended toe to bend and tear ligaments in his toe. 

Joe Burrow is suffering from grade 3 turf toe. This is when the soft tissues in your toe are completely torn and severe swelling and pain. It’s difficult for him to move his toe, let alone play football. This means he is getting surgery and will be out for at least 3 months, missing most of the 2025 season. Some complications Burrow might face include persistent pain and joint stiffness, bunions, hallux rigidus (arthritis in toe), and the permanent sticking up of the big toe. These are all ifs, though. And hopefully they stay that way. All of these possible complications would make it hard to play football efficiently. 

After Burrow’s surgery that took place on Friday, September 9th, Burrow was seen in the Bengals locker room with a cast and roller 3 days after the surgery. He was also attending team meetings. Bengals Head Coach, Zac Taylor, is optimistic for Burrow’s return. But this all depends on Burrow’s recovery.

Burrow’s injury was a very big blow for the Bengals offense and them as a team. Burrow was one of the leading stars for the team and one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Everyone on the team (and in Cincinnati) has counted on him to make the big plays and lead the winning drives. We all believed he could do it, no matter what it was! Turf toe is a very common injury for pro athletes’, with studies showing that  45% of pro athletes have suffered from this injury during their career

Burrow is familiar with being injured, but he has not had an injury in the foot. He’s been injured 5 times, not including his current injury (Joe Burrow injury history now includes Week 2 turf toe ailment). His first injury was a torn left ACL in the 2020 season. His second was a dislocated pinky finger in the 2021 season. His third was a MCL sprain in the 2022 Super Bowl vs the Los Angeles Rams and they would go on to lose the super bowl. His 4th injury was a calf strain in the 2023 season. And his last injury before the toe injury was a season ending torn right wrist ligament in the 2023 season. It is very unfortunate, but that’s what comes with football. It’s a very injury prone sport. But as you can see, he is no stranger to injuries, and he has dealt with them throughout his whole career. We hope this means that he will know how to recover, and that he’ll once again be back in the jungle, leading us on to those sweet, sweet wins.