CINCINNATI — Since returning from a toe injury, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been reflective at nearly every turn. That has included gratitude, happiness and appreciation for playing a kids’ game with his friends.
Wednesday, that reflection included a downtrodden news conference and offering thoughts about his objective in playing the sport.
“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing this,” Burrow said. “I have been through a lot. If it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for? That is the mindset I am trying to bring to the table.”
Burrow was asked about what could be bothering him during a news conference that started with him walking away in the first minute after a long pause without questions and a number of sullen answers.
“There are just a lot of things going on right now,” Burrow said. “A lot of things going on.”
Joe Burrow speaks to the media ahead of Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens.
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— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 10, 2025
Burrow was then asked whether those were football or personal things.
“All of the above,” he said.
Burrow returned ahead of schedule after missing two months after toe surgery. Before his return on Thanksgiving, Burrow acknowledged finding gratitude in returning to play with his teammates again. After the win against the Baltimore Ravens, he was emotional, expressing more gratitude for those around him who helped him get back to playing again and appreciation for having fun playing the game after so much time away.
Close friend Ja’Marr Chase said it was as emotional as he had seen Burrow following a game.
After this past Sunday’s 39-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills, against whom Burrow shone in a dazzling battle with Josh Allen, he continued his reflective attitude after being asked about handling another loss despite a remarkable offensive performance.
The Bengals are 4-7 over the last two seasons in games in which they score at least 33 points. Losing Sunday cut Cincinnati’s playoff chances to 3 percent.
“Certainly, the last two weeks has shown me a lot,” Burrow said. “I’m just happy to be out there. We want to win games and be in the playoffs and do everything that we say we are capable of doing, but when I came back, I knew it was going to be an uphill battle. We were 3-8 at that point, and that’s certainly not a playoff-caliber position to be in.”
Wednesday was Burrow’s 29th birthday. He shared laughs while talking about the Pokémon box he received from his offensive linemen, but it was largely a day in which Burrow was clearly bothered by whatever was on his mind.
In 2021, Burrow’s second season, the Bengals lost in Super Bowl LVI, then lost in the AFC Championship Game the following season. Most every other year has been full of tumult.
Burrow was hurt for long stretches in three of his first six seasons. Last year, he stayed healthy, but the Bengals missed the playoffs because of one of the league’s worst defenses. He ruptured the ligament in his toe in Week 2. He also saw his rookie season cut short because of an ACL tear and tore a ligament in his right wrist in 2023, after which he questioned his “football mortality.”
All of that provided a background to the tough day Burrow endured Wednesday and is why he says he has been focused on finding enjoyment in the game since returning.
“I think I’ve been through more than most,” Burrow said. “Certainly not easy on the brain or the body, so just trying to have fun doing it again.”