One of the biggest and most positive news stories of the week in the NFL came this past Monday, when the Cincinnati Bengals opened a 21-day practice window for Joe Burrow’s return from the injured reserve list. The quarterback practiced in a limited fashion after suffering a Grade 3 turf toe injury on his left foot during Week 2 of the 2025 season.
Burrow underwent surgery on September 19, and the 21-day window means the Bengals now have that amount of time to activate him to the 53-man roster-or, if he’s not ready, move him back to injured reserve for the remainder of the season. According to reports, Burrow’s goal is to return in Week 13, on Thanksgiving, when the Bengals face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There’s no doubt Joe Burrow is one of the best players in the NFL, but injuries have constantly set him back. The key for his return will be whether the Bengals can win their next two games against the Steelers and the Patriots. Only then would it make sense to risk putting the former LSU star back on the field.
Joe Flacco joined the Bengals in Week 6
Before Week 6, Joe Flacco was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Cincinnati Bengals. After four rough performances with the Browns, he has done fairly well in Cincinnati. Even though his record as a starter for the Bengals is just 1-3, his play has been impressive-especially in the recent games that ended in narrow losses to the Jets and the Bears.
It’s clear that fans are pleased with Flacco’s performance so far. However, the face of this team is Joe Burrow, and once he’s medically cleared and ready to return, he will reclaim the starting job. Regarding Burrow’s return to practice, Flacco said he’s staying focused on his own responsibilities: “I’m honestly not really thinking about it… I’m just worried about my job.”
Meanwhile, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was impressed by how well Burrow has bounced back after a couple of months of rehab-especially since the initial recovery timeline was expected to be around three months: “Really sharp. I had not watched him throw – he’d been doing that with the trainers – so seeing him live on Monday … he was really sharp.”
Everyone would benefit from Joe Burrow’s return, especially in a primetime Thanksgiving game. But for that to happen, the Bengals must first take care of business this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s worth noting that they’ve already beaten the Steelers once this season, when Joe Flacco had a great night with 342 passing yards and three touchdowns against Mike Tomlin’s squad.
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