The 2025 season was supposed to be a bounce-back year for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Instead, it’s been another chapter in the ongoing saga of Burrow battling through adversity. After suffering a turf toe injury in Week 2 that required surgery and sidelined him for nearly three months, Burrow returned in late November-but by then, the Bengals’ playoff hopes had already slipped away.
Still, don’t expect Burrow to shut it down early. Despite being eliminated from postseason contention, the Bengals have made it clear he’ll be under center for the final two weeks of the regular season. That decision speaks volumes about who Burrow is-not just as a quarterback, but as a competitor.
And he’s earning respect across the league for it.
Just ask Fred Warner. The All-Pro linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers didn’t hold back when asked about Burrow during a recent appearance on The Ryen Russillo Show. Warner called him “the toughest QB in the league,” and it wasn’t just lip service.
“He’s just a dog,” Warner said. “For whatever reason, his makeup is different than a lot of these guys in this league.
My hat’s off to him. You talk about competitive spirit-he’s got it through and through.
You can see why guys rally around him, and it’s something that makes him special.”
That’s high praise coming from one of the fiercest defenders in the game, and it’s well-earned. Burrow doesn’t just play through pain-he absorbs it, processes it, and comes back stronger.
That turf toe injury? Just the latest in a long line of physical setbacks that would’ve derailed most careers.
Let’s rewind the tape.
In 2020, his rookie season, Burrow tore his ACL, MCL, PCL, and meniscus in a brutal Week 11 injury. That ended his year, but he returned in 2021 and didn’t just play-he led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance and earned Comeback Player of the Year honors.
In 2021, he dislocated his pinky. In 2022, it was an MCL sprain.
Then in 2023, another major blow: a torn ligament in his throwing wrist, suffered in Week 11, which again ended his season early. He came back in 2024 and earned a second Comeback Player of the Year award.
It’s not just about returning to the field-it’s about how he returns. Burrow doesn’t limp back into action; he storms in with the same poise, accuracy, and command that made him a star at LSU and a franchise cornerstone in Cincinnati.
His absence this season was felt in a big way. The Bengals started 2-0 with Burrow under center.
Without him? They went 1-8-a stretch that effectively ended their postseason hopes.
Since his return on November 27, the Bengals have gone 2-2, including a dominant 45-21 win over the Dolphins in Week 16. That kind of offensive explosion is a reminder of what this team looks like when No. 9 is healthy and in rhythm.
Now, with two games left, Burrow and the Bengals will host the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday at Paycor Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
ET. The playoffs may be out of reach, but don’t tell that to Burrow.
For him, every snap still matters.
And for a Bengals team looking to reset and reload in 2026, having their leader on the field-even in a lost season-sets the tone for what’s next.