The Cincinnati Bengals’ season has been a storm of setbacks, injuries, and unexpected turns, but Thanksgiving brings a moment the franchise has been waiting on for months. The Bengals finally get their leader back under center, and the timing carries weight for both the standings and the spotlight surrounding one of football’s biggest figures.
How Does Joe Burrow’s Madden Rating Stack Up in This Matchup?
EA Sports’ latest Madden update places Joe Burrow at a 96 overall, keeping him firmly among the game’s elite. He sits just below Lamar Jackson’s 97, edges out Derrick Henry at 95, and trails only his own star receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who holds a rare 99 overall. That digital hierarchy mirrors a season defined by injuries, shifting roles, and standout performances across both AFC North rivals.
Burrow’s limited availability shows why his rating remains untouched. He has played only two games, posting 189 passing yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and completing roughly 66% of his throws for a 91.1 passer rating. His absence dates back to a Week 2 sack against Jacksonville, which resulted in a Grade 3 turf toe sprain confirmed by post-game scans and followed by surgery in September. The injury derailed Cincinnati’s rhythm instantly.
Without him, the Bengals crashed to 1-8, a slide highlighted in the NFL Network’s Nov. 24 breakdown. Their lone high point came in a chaotic win over Pittsburgh, sparked by Joe Flacco’s 342-yard, three-touchdown outburst. Everything else leaned toward misfires, defensive leaks, early deficits, and an offense that could not stay ahead of the sticks. Wednesday’s activation returned Cincinnati to its structure for the first time since Sept. 14.
Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson continues pacing the Ravens to a 6-5 record, as detailed by The Athletic on Nov. 25. His passing production, 1,595 yards, 15 touchdowns, and three interceptions, remains sharp, even if his rushing totals have dipped to a career-low rhythm of 30 yards per game. His reduced ground threat has not slowed Baltimore’s efficiency, largely because Derrick Henry has powered the offense without hesitation.
Henry’s numbers underline that impact. In Baltimore’s Week 12 update, the veteran back sits at 871 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, including a two-score performance against the Jets that reminded the league he is still a force on early downs and inside the red zone. His workload continues to stabilize Baltimore’s identity.
For Cincinnati, the lifeline all season has been Ja’Marr Chase, who maintains his production despite rotating quarterbacks. Updated team stats from Nov. 26 show 79 catches, 861 yards, and five touchdowns through 10 games.
His history against Baltimore is even louder, with 58 catches, 962 yards, and eight touchdowns in eight matchups. With Tee Higgins ruled out due to concussion protocol, Chase becomes the centerpiece of Burrow’s return. Curren
Now, at 3-8, the Bengals are no longer playing for playoff math. They are playing to regain credibility, rhythm, and the punch their offense lacked for nine straight games. Burrow’s 96 Madden rating is not the headline; his comeback is.