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Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow went down with a toe injury that required surgery in Week 2, and his team has been scrambling to stay alive in his absence. Trading for Joe Flacco provided a bit of relief and helped the team keep its head above water after Jake Browning struggled, but losing eight of nine games now has the Bengals sitting at 3-8 and nearly out of the playoff picture for good.
With every game now being a must-win scenario, Burrow is slated to return ahead of schedule on Thanksgiving to take on the Baltimore Ravens. The star quarterback has been practicing in full this week and recently spoke about the idea of sitting out even if he is healthy.
Yahoo Sports shared a quote from Burrow on this topic on Wednesday. As expected, the idea of sitting out due to the team’s record doesn’t sit right with him.
“I’m not going to ever go to somebody and say, ‘yeah, I’m healthy, but I don’t think I should play.’ That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I’m not going to live my life and play this game scared of something happening,” Burrow said.
Joe Burrow spoke on still wanting to play despite the Bengals’ 3-8 record this season 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/myG9sIPgR3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 26, 2025
Sitting a healthy Burrow would be fully punting on the rest of the season and would send a bad message to the roster and the fans. Of course, Burrow’s long-term health is the most important thing, but if he is 100 percent and ready to go, he isn’t the type to pack it up and wait until next year.
Cincy was 2-0 before Burrow got hurt, and as daft as things look, the Bengals would only be two games behind the Ravens if they win on Thanksgiving. There is still a path to the Bengals winning the AFC North if they get hot, especially considering they have another game against the Ravens in two weeks.
Burrow’s return couldn’t come at a better time, and while his injury history has been concerning, it sounds like he is ready to roll. We’ll see if he can lead this team on an improbable run back to playoff contention.
NEXT: Joe Burrow Reveals His Thoughts About Playing On Thanksgiving
