The Cincinnati Bengals have been floundering since star quarterback Joe Burrow went down with a turf toe injury in the second game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bengals moved to backup Jake Browning in place of Burrow, but the results were disastrous.
Cincinnati then traded for Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, and while the Bengals’ offense was immediately improved by Flacco’s presence on the roster, the Bengals have only one game with him at the helm.
Cincinnati is 3-6, entering this weekend’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but got some major news on Monday, as Burrow returned to practice for the first time since going down.
“Bengals QB Joe Burrow will return to practice today,” reported ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter.
After his first practice back, Burrow spoke with reporters and was brutally honest about Cincinnati’s narrow path to the playoffs.
“Bengals QB Joe Burrow on if they are a playoff team: ‘Our division is wide-open. We play Pittsburgh this week. Everything is in front of us. It’s very rare our division looks like this, but it does this year.’
“Burrow says the only realistic path for them is winning the division,” reported Ari Meirov.
Unfortunately for the Bengals, as great as it is to have Burrow back on the field, he won’t be playing against the Steelers on Sunday.
“Joe Burrow takeaways from Monday: * Will not play Sunday vs. Pittsburgh * Will have a special instrument in his left shoe to support the toe. ‘I have to have a lot of hardware in there to protect it.’ * Burrow took first-team reps Monday with Jake Browning. Sean Clifford also threw during individual work. Joe Flacco (in attendance) only QB not to throw,” reported Mike Petraglia.
Joe Burrow takeaways from Monday:
* Will not play Sunday vs. Pittsburgh
* Will have a special instrument in his left shoe to support the toe. "I have to have a lot of hardware in there to protect it."
* Burrow took first-team reps Monday with Jake Browning. Sean Clifford also…
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) November 11, 2025
It’ll be interesting to see if Cincinnati can win without Burrow in Pittsburgh this weekend.