CINCINNATI — Decision made. Joe Burrow won't be put on the 53-man roster ahead of Saturday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, which means Joe Flacco will start on Sunday against the Patriots. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was the first to report the news.
The Bengals had until Saturday at 4 p.m. ET to activate Burrow. They'll at least give him a few more days, with the Bengals playing the Ravens on Thursday in Baltimore.
Burrow has participated in seven-straight practices dating back to Nov. 10 when he was cleared to practice. That includes two full practices on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
“I think Joe has done everything he can to put himself in a position to get back," Zac Taylor said onFriday. "We are just going to keep taking our time on this one. No decision has been made. I feel comfortable waiting as long as we can to make this decision.”
Burrow will likely make his return on Thursday against the Ravens. That gives him an extra four days to heal before playing a division rival.
"We are still talking to doctors and everything," Taylor said. "He’s done everything he can. Everything is moving in a great position. Now we just have to make a decision. You play a game Sunday, you play a game Thursday, you got to factor in all that stuff. He has tried to put himself in a position to be ready to go, and we’ll try to make a decision later.”
Burrow will wear a carbon fiber plate in his left cleat whenever he does return, which seems inevitable at this point. Is there a significant risk of re-injury? Is there a big difference between returning Sunday and Thursday?
"I don’t see a significant difference between playing Sunday versus waiting until Thursday," Dr. Brandon Bowers told us in an exclusive Q&A. "Playing Sunday would let him get his feet wet before the Thanksgiving game. At this stage of his recovery, an extra three days of rest isn’t likely to make a meaningful difference. If the Bengals’ medical staff believes he is ready, they should feel comfortable letting him go on Sunday against the Patriots."
If the Bengals are willing to put Joe Burrow out there on Thursday in Baltimore, he should just suit up and play on Sunday against New England⬇️
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— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) November 21, 2025
Instead, the Bengals made the decision to keep Burrow sidelined and play Joe Flacco. At 3-7, the Bengals have no margin for error if they want to turn their season around.
The Bengals won't have any real practices next week because of the quick turnaround. Maybe there was some concern about Burrow being able to recover on a short week, but playing him on Sunday wouldn't appear to be any less risky than putting him out there on Thursday.
Regardless, Bengals fans will have to wait a few more days to see Burrow on the field.
For more on what Taylor said on Friday, go here. For our conversation with Dr. Bowers, go here.
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