Joe Burrow has been out with a toe injury since the Cincinnati Bengals' 31-27 Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the midway point of the regular season approaching, it appears the franchise quarterback received a possible timeline to return.

Reports indicate that Burrow, who is 28 years old, is on track to return as the Bengals' starting quarterback sometime in December, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. That means Joe Burrow has not experienced any setbacks so far in his road to recovery.

“He is one month into a three-month recovery for a Grade 3 turf toe,” said Rapoport about Burrow. “He had surgery. He is on track, doing well, and has had no setbacks. Which means that if this continues, his trajectory should be back on the field by mid-December.”

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If that's the case, then Joe Burrow could return by Week 15 when they take on the Baltimore Ravens on December 14. But as Rapoport claims, that is assuming no setbacks occur between now and then. Either way, the Bengals will have to continue relying on Joe Flacco at quarterback for the majority of the season.

Burrow played in two games before sustaining the injury. In those contests, he recorded 189 yards and two touchdowns while owning a 58.3% completion percentage. This is the third season out of his six years in the NFL where the former first-round pick will play in 10 or fewer games due to injury.

Despite the injury woes, Cincinnati is still very much in contention in the AFC North. The Bengals enter Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 2-4 record. A victory on Thursday night closes the gap in the division and keeps the club's playoff hopes alive.