"If it's not fun, then what am I doing it for?": Joe Burrow unable to celebrate his birthday with major frustrations "on and off field"

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has spent most of the 2025 season on the sidelines due to a turf toe injury that saw him miss almost 10 weeks of action.

Although Burrow threw four touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills in his last outing, the Bengals quarterback said he wants to have "fun again" during a press conference on his 29th birthday on Wednesday.

"If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it," Burrow said on how he views the game after returning from his injury. "I have been through a lot. If it's not fun, then what am I doing it for?"

While Burrow didn't specify any particular incident that decreased his interest in football, the star quarterback said he has been reflecting on his career of late.

"I'm not sure there was a singular moment or time," Burrow said. "It's just reflection. Reflection on a lot of things that I've done and been through in my career, I think. You know, I've been through more than most, and it's certainly not easy on the brain or the body, so I'm just trying to have fun doing it again."

While Burrow was pensive for most of the interview, the Bengals star shared a few laughs while talking about the Pokémon box he received from his offensive linemen.

Joe Burrow reflects on Bengals' results since his return

The Bengals are 4-9 for the season, with their playoff chances taking a massive hit after the 39-34 loss against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who had a stellar game, reflected on the disappointing result.

“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.”

Sunday's loss has left the Bengals with a 3 percent chance of making the postseason. Cincinnati is up against divison rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, on Sunday.