After 11 mostly painful weeks, the Cincinnati Bengals and their fans have received an early Thanksgiving gift: The return of Joe Burrow.
On Thursday, the Bengals announced that Joe Burrow has been removed from the injured list, officially confirming he’ll start Thursday night’s Thanksgiving game against the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens:
Burrow has been sidelined since Week 2 with a turf toe injury that was initially feared to be potentially season-ending. But Burrow’s recovery went smoother and faster than expected, and he hinted at a Week 13 return after posting a hilarious photo on Instagram with a two-word message.
The 3-8 Bengals won’t make the playoffs this year, but Joe Burrow’s return will help them play spoiler in the AFC playoff race. They have two games against the AFC North-leading Ravens and a Week 14 road tilt with the Buffalo Bills.
Joe Burrow’s Return Gives Bengals Fans Something To Smile About
To his credit, Joe Flacco actually played well after coming over via trade with the Cleveland Browns. The reason the Bengals are 3-8? A historically bad defense that’s allowing a league-high 32.7 points per game, per Pro Football Reference.
Still, Burrow’s return is a welcoming development for a Bengals franchise that hasn’t had much to celebrate since their last trip to the postseason three years ago. Nothing has gone right for Cincinnati this year, so it’ll be nice for Burrow and company to get the opportunity to take out their frustrations on the opponents over the last six weeks.
