Joe Burrow injury update: Zac Taylor reveals Bengals QB 'expected to play' against Ravens on Thursday

It’s a Thanksgiving miracle for the Bengals. As they cling on to any semblance of hope for getting to the playoffs, head coach Zac Taylor revealed quarterback Joe Burrow will return to the starting lineup.

“From Zac Taylor: Joe Burrow is expected to play Thursday for the Bengals,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo posted on X. “WR Tee Higgins and DE Trey Hendrickson are out.”

Burrow has been sidelined since exiting with the injury of turf toe in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bengals have lost eight of nine since then, now sitting at 3-8 overall.

While he was thought to be lost for the season, Burrow returned to practice at the start of last week and has been trending toward a potential return this season. Now, it’s known it’ll come on Thanksgiving night.

In two games played, Burrow has thrown for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Those were both games the Bengals wound up winning, meaning they are 1-7 in his absence. Not everything can be blamed on not having Burrow, as Cincinnati is also home to one of the NFL’s worst defenses.

Heading into the 2025 season, Burrow, the former No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, was coming off a phenomenal 2024 campaign in which he passed for 4,198 yards, 43 touchdowns, and was named Comeback Player of the Year for the second time.

The Bengals initially turned to back-up quarterback Jake Browning at the position in Burrow’s absence. With Browning as its starter, Cincinnati dropped four consecutive games to drop to 2-4 on the season. They then traded for former Super Bowl Champion Joe Flacco to take over the position, which quickly turned into a 33-31 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football.

Although the Bengals would score 39 points and 47 points in their next two games with Flacco at the helm, both games were lost due to poor defense. He’s been solid, but the rest of the team hasn’t played their part on the other side of the football.

As for the Ravens, they’ve dealt with their own injures in 2205, including quarterback Lamar Jackson missing valuable time throughout the year. Baltimore has won five in a row though, and their record is 6-5 heading into this all-important divisional showdown.

This is also the first of two games against the Bengals in three weeks for the Ravens, so Burrow is returning at an opportune time for Cincinnati. If they get the win on Thanksgiving, perhaps there’s some hope for their season after all.