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Joe Burrow is nearing a return to the field after missing significant time with a turf toe injury suffered in Week 2. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback practiced fully throughout the week, positioning himself as a potential option against the New England Patriots this Sunday.
His absence has weighed heavily on Cincinnati’s offense, which has struggled without him in the lineup. However, analyst Andy Hart believes the Bengals may delay Burrow’s return by one more week, opting instead to have him debut on Thanksgiving night against the Baltimore Ravens.
“I don’t believe Joe Burrow’s playing. I think Joe Burrow is practicing because he’s gonna play on Thursday night, and when you play on Thursday night, you don’t practice during the week. So, if he was going to practice fully, it had to take place this week in preparation for Thanksgiving night against the division rival Ravens,” Hart said on WEEI 93.7 radio.
"Joe Burrow will NOT be playing Sunday against the Patriots" – @JumboHart pic.twitter.com/ViE5aPLLBu
— WEEI (@WEEI) November 21, 2025
Hart’s reasoning centers on avoiding a compressed turnaround. Asking Burrow to play Sunday and then suit up again five days later against an AFC-leading opponent would be impractical. Instead, skipping the Patriots game allows Cincinnati to protect Burrow and have him return under brighter circumstances in a divisional matchup.
Burrow underwent surgery after his Week 2 injury and was placed on injured reserve by September 16. The Bengals have posted just a 1-7 record without their star quarterback. He gradually returned to limited practice participation earlier this month before advancing to full participation this week.
Cincinnati has until 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to activate Burrow onto the 53-man roster. Initial expectations suggested he would remain sidelined until mid-December, but his rapid recovery trajectory has accelerated that timeline considerably. The team now faces a decision on when to bring their franchise player back into action.
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