On November 21, 2025, Joe Burrow was listed as questionable by the Bengals, creating buzz among the fans for his possible return. Even coach Zac Taylor told the reporters on Friday, "He's done everything he can to try to put himself and get ready to go. Now I have to make a decision on what we do." Before fans could celebrate, they were hit with a new update.

Well, the Bengals will face the New England Patriots in their Week 12 matchup on November 23, 2025, and it will not be Joe Burrow who starts at quarterback post-injury return in that game. He would not even be a backup option. Rather, as reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Saturday, it will be Joe Flacco taking the field. 

Burrow was injured in Week 2, in the second quarter of the Bengals-Jaguars game, when Arik Armstead sacked him. During that sack, his left foot planted awkwardly, and he ended up buried under other players. That forced hyperextension of his big toe, a classic cause of “turf toe,” led to a serious ligament injury that required surgery. On September 16th, he was placed on IR, and on November 10, the Bengals opened the practice window for him. 

While for Joe Flacco was brought in via trade in October since the team lacked a good enough QB, and it would not be wrong to say that he has done his job well with a passer rating of 96.2 with 1,453 yards, 12 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in 5 Games for the Bengals this season, not elite but not bad either and most importantly what the Bengals have to suffice with until Burrow’s return.

But when can fans expect Burrow’s return?

Joe Burrow Might Return by Thanksgiving

The Bengals started the season with two back-to-back wins, where Joe Burrow had a passer rating of 91.1 with 189 yards and 2 touchdowns. Interestingly, after he was injured, the Bengals went on a losing streak of 4 straight games, and after one win over the Steelers, they have again lost three games in a row. From 2-0 to 3-7, Burrow’s absence did hit them hard, so when does he return? 

Thanksgiving, maybe! The Bengals might be sitting Burrow in this game as just a precaution, protecting him against himself and saving for the Thanksgiving game. Earlier this month, when asked about his return, Burrow himself said, “Thanksgiving-ish”. He also added that returning from this injury wasn’t as bad as some of his other major injuries. 

“I was able to get back to my strength and conditioning routine pretty quickly, so my body’s in a good spot,” he said. He had his surgery on September 19th and was supposed to be out for at least 3 months, but if you look at the timeline, Burrow is already well ahead of schedule in his recovery, having practiced in full twice this week before logging a limited session Friday. 

So, the Thanksgiving game against the Ravens is when we might see him back. Or at least, one can hope!

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Joyita Das