Will Bengals' Joe Burrow return for Thanksgiving night game at Ravens?

Ahead of the weekend, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow seemed to be on track to make his return to the lineup for the club's home game against the New England Patriots on Sunday. However, the Bengals ultimately kept Burrow out of action, and Cincinnati then fell to 3-8 on the season via a 26-20 loss to the Patriots. 

It sounds like there's no guarantee that Burrow will take the field when the Bengals play at the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving night. 

Update on Joe Burrow's status for Ravens game leaves question unanswered

"It’s still not certain Burrow will play when the Bengals travel to Baltimore for the Thursday night game," Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio shared early Monday morning. "Per a source with knowledge of the situation, 'Nothing is set in stone.' Burrow’s status for the Week 13 game is 'TBD' based on his how body responds after recent and upcoming practice time."

Burrow was listed as a full practice participant last week for the first time since he had surgery to repair the toe injury he suffered in Week 2 of the season. He was listed as questionable heading into the weekend, but wasn’t activated from injured reserve for the matchup against New England. 

The Bengals acquired veteran Joe Flacco via a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 7. He has thus far gone 1-5 as Cincinnati's temporary starter, but those running the Bengals may still feel the club can sneak into the playoffs due to the overall state of the AFC North. 

The Cleveland Browns are also 3-8, while the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are both at 6-5. Cincinnati split its season series with Pittsburgh, and the Bengals will play Baltimore this Thursday and again on Dec. 14. 

Why Bengals could sit Joe Burrow for at least one more game

"Burrow 'wants to play,'" Florio added. "But there’s a bigger consideration at play. At 3-8, the Bengals are facing a very small chance of making it to the postseason. If there’s a significant risk of re-injuring torn toe ligaments that required surgery after a Week 2 injury, is the reward worth it?"

Specifically, the ESPN Football Power Index gave the Bengals just a 1.0 percent chance to make the playoffs as of Monday morning. At that same time, ESPN BET had Cincinnati as a seven-point underdog against Baltimore. In short, the math suggests the Bengals may want to think twice about risking Burrow's health if it's clear he won't be his old self until September 2026.