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.
Assuming everything goes perfectly, Burrow might get back by mid-to-late December, and somewhere around Week 15 or 16.
But we have to remember he was given a timeline of at least three months, so that estimation is the 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.
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