The Cincinnati Bengals are hoping to get their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, back in time to make a playoff push. Burrow has been sidelined since Week 2 with a turf toe injury that has completely derailed the Bengals’ since.
Cincinnati has won only one game since Burrow went down, and Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped the team to 3-7 on the year. Although Burrow returned to practice last week, he isn’t expected to get any game action until closer to Thanksgiving.
This means the Bengals are going to have to stay afloat on their own until he’s ready to return. Frustratingly for Bengals fans, the only real path they have to the playoffs is winning the division, which Burrow admitted after returning to practice.
“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.
#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… https://t.co/5LKSbYHvHV pic.twitter.com/QTApt6M4CS
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 10, 2025
Unfortunately, many fans assumed that with the Bengals’ defense being so bad this season, it wasn’t even worth letting Burrow return to the field this season.
“Can he play the deep 3rds or cover 2 shell look? Is he a good blitzer?? If not, nothing changes,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
An absolutely terrible stat after Sunday’s loss has confirmed that those fans were right.
“The Bengals have now given up 27+ points in nine consecutive games. That is the new NFL record,” reported Sleeper Bengals.
The Bengals have now given up 27+ points in nine consecutive games.
That is the new NFL record.
(stat via @ByJayMorrison) pic.twitter.com/RZRRXbT5Dj
— SleeperBengals (@SleeperBengals) November 16, 2025
At this point, it’s probably best to let Burrow focus on getting healthy for next season.