What is turf toe? Bengals’ QB Joe Burrow’s injury explained
Burrow quit Sunday’s game against the Jaguars in the first quarter and was seen leaving Paycor Stadium on crutches with a boot on his left foot.
The Cincinnati Bengals posted their second win of the 2025 regular season on Sunday, defeating the Jaguars 27-31. The bad news was losing starting QB Joe Burrow to injury.
Burrow was sacked by Jaguars DT Arik Armstead for a 5-yard loss at the Bengals 35-yard line with 9:02 left in the first half. He hobbled off the field to be assessed in the medical before heading straight to the locker room. Later, the player was seen leaving Paycor Stadium on crutches with a boot on his left foot.
After undergoing an MRI scan on his foot, Burrow was diagnosed with a Grade III turf toe sprain.
What is turf toe?
Turf toe is the colloquial term for a metatarsophalangeal joint sprain, - an injury affecting the big toe joint. Trauma occurs when ligaments, tendons and soft tissues in the joint are stretched or rupture.
It’s a complex injury has it affected other parts of the foot, not just the big toe - such as adjoining metatarsal bones, tendons and ligaments as well as the ball of the foot.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has little information to share about Burrow’s injury during his postgame press conference. But on Monday, it was confirmed that the QB will undergo surgery and will be sidelined for around three months.
With Burrow out until December, Taylor will be relying on Jake Browning to step up. Browning replaced Burrow in Sunday’s game, completing 21 of 32 passes for 241 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He also scored the go-ahead touchdown with 18 seconds remaining on a 1-yard leap.
The Bengals top the AFC North and return to action on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings (1-1) at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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