Joe Burrow Returns To Starting Lineup With Intentions To Rally The Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are throwing a figurative Hail Mary by setting Joe Burrow as their starter for Thursday's game against the Baltimore Ravens, just before the timeline for his return from surgery to repair a turf toe injury.

Joe Burrow on Instagram announces his return from injury (Joe Burrow Instagram)

(Joe Burrow (Instagram))

Burrow Announces His Return

Coach Zac Taylor announced he "anticipates" Burrow will play on Thursday. Burrow seems much more confident and announced as much on his Instagram account.

Multiple variables are at play that have led to this return:

• Burrow is a football player. He wants to play football. End of story, as far as he's concerned.
• Burrow is such a fierce competitor that he didn't merely accept his season was over when experts were saying having surgery to repair the Grade 3 injury meant he'd be out for the season.
• That's how it is when a 3-8 team basically needs to merely win out to merely hope it can salvage a playoff berth, even if eight losses seem too many to make the postseason this year.
• Burrow, 2-0 in his starts this season, is the club's most important player and if anyone can rally them, he's the guy.

Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

(Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Burrow Not 100 Percent Yet

All of those things, to some degree, have factored in the decision to bring Burrow back even though, one source said last week, Burrow is able to play but is still not completely 100 percent healthy.

The original timeline for Burrow's return was December at the earliest.

Burrow returned to the Bengals practice field on Nov. 10. No, he wasn't practicing fully at that point, but it was an encouraging moment that suggested Burrow's progress was ahead of the expected timeline.

Last week, Burrow was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, per the Bengals' practice participation report. The Bengals are not fully practicing this week because they play in three days but Burrow is expected to participate in on-field walkthrough sessions.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) and defensive end Rashan Gary (52) rush Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won the game, 27-18. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Burrow A Shot In The Arm

Burrow's return is so impressive that he was on the verge of playing last week before Taylor held him out against the New England Patriots out of caution. 

The quarterback's return is a much-needed lift to a team that has lost eight of its last nine games. 

"I do know that when he's out there, there's a certain tightening up that everyone needs to do," center Ted Karras told reporters last week. 

When Burrow initially went down, the Bengals turned to Jake Browning as their starter – a move that failed early in the season. Then the club traded for Joe Flacco and, well, that hasn't exactly worked out either in the standings.

The Bengals have a 1-6 record in the games Flacco has started.