Bengals avoid nightmare scenario after latest Joe Burrow injury update

The Cincinnati Bengals and their fans held their collective breath as quarterback Joe Burrow collapsed to the Paycor Stadium turf on Sunday with another devastating injury.

Or at least it was devastating in real time. And it still is to some degree, to be clear. There's one positive to take away from the grisly scene, however: Burrow's newest ailment could've been a heck of a lot worse.

That's right. Based on the team's latest announcement, Bengals fans don't need to panic and feel the entire 2025 season slipping away just yet.

Joe Burrow injury revealed to be left toe

Much to the relief of the Bengals faithful and football purists everywhere, the team announced that Burrow had suffered a mere left toe injury. There was even an indication that his return to Week 2's contest was questionable.

Not that a toe injury or any setback of any kind is anything to take lightly. The picture painted behind the scenes ain't a pretty one.

We're talking about a player in Burrow who can't afford much more in that department, given his history of knee, calf, and wrist injuries — not to mention an exploded appendix.

This training camp marked the first fully healthy one of Burrow's career. I don't think you can count his rookie season, because that camp was marred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

My concern is the Bengals have often failed to adequately protect Joe Burrow. Their offensive line couldn't pass off a four-man rush on Sunday, and it led to virtual disaster.

The only reason this situation isn't a total disaster is because the injury isn't as severe as initially feared.

Burrow is a heck of a tough player. It takes a lot to remove him from the field. San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy is out for Week 2 with a toe injury, and if it turns out to be turf toe for Burrow, that's a notoriously painful thing to play through.

At least Burrow's plant foot for when he drops back is intact. It's also helpful that the Bengals run so much out of the shotgun and attack defenses in the quick game very often. Burrow can take some ginger shuffle dropbacks and take some pressure off his ailing foot. That should expedite his timeline for a return.

Then again, if Burrow's mobility is significantly hampered, he won't be able to make those special off-schedule plays he's capable of, nor will he be able to navigate the pocket as well as he's accustomed to. Doesn't bode well that he looked like this heading into the locker room:

Scary times in Cincinnati indeed.

At least there's hope that Burrow can be back in action within a month or so as of now. The Bengals will need him, especially if Jake Browning's two interceptions against the Jaguars through the middle of the third quarter are any harbinger of what's to come from him.

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