Joe Burrow Reveals Why This Injury Return Was 'Special' Compared to Past Ailments

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow is used to dealing with injuries, but this one is special for a positive reason that he revealed on Wednesday ahead of the Bengals-Bills matchup.

It's pretty simple, Cincinnati's passer got to return and see that hard work get him back on the field mid-season as opposed to having to wait all offseason like his prior two major ailments (torn knee ligaments, torn wrist ligaments).

Cincinnati's top player is cherishing every NFL moment he can be a part of.

"I've been through a lot of these, and haven't had the chance to come back in the middle of the season like this from any of the other ones that I've had," Burrow said. "And so this one has been special to me. I worked really hard to come back and try to allow myself to get out there, not just me. A lot of people worked hard for it, and to be able to have a moment like that in front of the world on Thanksgiving, that was special."

He also gave a quick breakdown of how he played during Thursday's 32-14 win.

Burrow posted 261 passing yards via a 24-46 completion mark, threw the air for two TDs and one sack. It amounted to a 59.4 ESPN QBR and 83.7 passer rating, marks Burrow is used to flying past.

"I think second half, I was pretty lights out, really," Burrow noted. "Last half of the first half, too. The first couple of drives, I missed some that I normally hit, but when your O-Line protects like that, you get back into the groove pretty quickly."

Burrow is rocking steel-plated shoe, which makes it impossible to bend his injured toe back to a dangerous point. He will wear it the rest of this season and maybe longer as the Bengals try to make sure he plays more than five games the rest of this campaign.

That playoff push continues on Sunday against Buffalo, where Burrow has won before and can keep building on a 13-3 career record in December/January (third-best win rate all time among NFL QBs).

Best QB winning pct. (min. 12 starts) in December/January since 1970 merger: pic.twitter.com/QLvYJ8VNNd
— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) December 1, 2025

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and watch the video below as part of our in-depth coverage of the team. Prefer to listen? Check out Cincinnati Bengals Talk on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Podcasts.

Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, insight, film breakdowns and so much more!

Also, check out the podcast, Locked On Bengals, wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple: bit.ly/BengalsApple

Spotify: bit.ly/BengalsSpotify

YouTube: bit.ly/LOBengalsYouTube

-----

Follow us on X: @BengalsTalkSI

Like Our Facebook Page

Follow on TikTok