The Cincinnati Bengals are having a very rocky season. Standing 3rd in the AFC North with a 3-6 record, the team still seeks stable ground. One reason might be that the Bengals have been playing without one of their best players for two months now.
Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and while it seemed that he was going to be out for the remainder of the year, that may not be the case anymore.
Joe Burrow Is Eyeing a Comeback Later This Season
Burrow returned to practice on Monday in a limited capacity, and the team opened his 21-day window. Moreover, he informed Fox NFL insider Jay Glazer of his target return date. Glazer took to X to correct his previous report about Burrow targeting Week 13 as a potential return. However, it’s still around that date.
“‘Thanksgiving-ish’, not ‘by Thanksgiving’. My bad, Had to go back and re-check,” Glazer clarified.
“Thanksgiving-ish”, not “by Thanksgiving”. My bad, Had to go back and re-check. https://t.co/ZR93p8o2gf
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) November 10, 2025
That’s similar to what ESPN insider Adam Schefter echoed in a virtual meeting with Dan Stanczyk. Even so, it will all depend on how he feels during and after practice these weeks:
“Joe Burrow has gotta get back to practice here, and see how his foot is feeling during practice eluding rushers; how it feels simulating game conditions, and just as important, he has to feel how his foot is feeling after he gets done. How sore is it? Can he work through it? He’s already done an incredible job to get to this point,” Schefter said. “I would’ve thought that it was more likely than not that he would play this year.”
Schefter added that it probably wouldn’t have made sense to bring Burrow back this season, given his team’s 3-6 record. Still, with the AFC North still up for grabs, they might have a chance. With that in mind, he could be back on the field for the final three games of the year, with Week 14 against the Buffalo Bills as a realistic date:
“Again, I think he’d like to target that Thanksgiving night game, which is at Baltimore, to come back,” Schefter said. “I personally think the more realistic target is the next week at Buffalo.”
A potential return date for Joe Burrow could be Week 14 at Buffalo.
This and more with @DanStanczyk:
🎧 https://t.co/Gl2WBjuKsG pic.twitter.com/TzO4EwFmUD
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 11, 2025
Of course, that will also depend on whether the Bengals can win enough games to stay in contention. Joe Flacco has done a great job of holding down the fort, but the defense has let back-to-back games slip away in the final drive. According to PFSN’s Defense Impact metric, the Bengals rank last in the league.
This team is no stranger to late-season runs, and with head coach Zac Taylor potentially coaching for his job, all eyes will be on Cincinnati as Burrow continues to work towards an early return.