Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Joe Burrow Return Timeline – Is Bengals’ QB Set for a Surprise Return in Week 12 Following Full Participation in Practice?

The Bengals have a crucial Week 12 game against the Patriots!

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

A lot had gone right for the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason with the contract extensions of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The management also managed to hold on to Trey Hendrickson for another season.

Yet, despite all that, so much has gone wrong for the Bengals in the regular season. Cincinnati is currently 3-7 on the season, with its downfall starting from Week 3 once Joe Burrow sustained a turf toe injury the previous week. But should fans be getting excited with the latest development in the Bengals’ camp?

Burrow Full Participant for First Time since Week 2

As per the Bengals’ injury report of Wednesday, Joe Burrow was listed as a full participant for the first time since Week 2. Cincinnati had opened Burrow’s 21-day return window from the injured reserve around 9 days ago. Easing his way back to practice, yesterday was a markedly huge step in the right direction.

Joe Burrow was a FULL participant in practice today. pic.twitter.com/OKjGwaeynL
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) November 19, 2025

Last week, Burrow managed to partake in non-contact 7-on-7 drills during practice, following which he reportedly felt good. Head coach Zac Taylor laid out a plan that involved ramping up Burrow’s practice sessions to a proper 11-on-11 on Wednesday. But the most important question is whether the Bengals’ franchise QB will return for the game against the Patriots.

Will Joe Burrow Play in Week 12 against the Patriots?

Despite the obvious excitement of seeing Burrow up and about in practice and being listed as a full participant, there are still a couple of things the team needs to consider before deciding on Burrow’s return.

First of all, having him suit up and start the Week 12 game against the Patriots if he is not 100% healthy could be detrimental for the upcoming weeks. At the moment, Cincinnati is still in with a chance of making the playoffs, however small that may be.

And secondly, the Bengals take on the Ravens in 5 days as part of the Thanksgiving Day triple-header. Playing him in back-to-back games on a short week would not be ideal.

Why Burrow Could Play against the Patriots

Having said that, the decision may not be that simple. Backup quarterback Joe Flacco has been suffering from a shoulder injury since Week 9. Ever since then, Flacco has been limited during the week’s practice sessions.

"[Joe Burrow] is gonna start. I mean there's no way he's practicing fully today if he's not gonna start on Sunday."@danorlovsky7 is confident Joe Burrow will be under center for the Bengals during Week 12 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4QeNVKJ98O
— ESPN (@espn) November 19, 2025

The upcoming game against the Patriots is a pivotal one for the Bengals. New England is on a tear this season and will pose a tough challenge. Furthermore, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is suspended for the game after he was caught spitting on Jalen Ramsey in last week’s game against the Steelers.

There is plenty at stake for the Cincinnati Bengals heading into Week 12 of the season. Having Burrow under center once again could prove to be the turning point this team desperately needs at this juncture, but head coach Zac Taylor remains non-committal at least for now.

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow injury update

NFL

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!