Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Monday he expects that quarterback Joe Burrow will playing Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens.
Taylor stopped short of officially announcing Burrow will play but said the quarterback has done “everything he could” to work his way back from a turf toe injury that has sidelined him since September. Taylor told reporters that Burrow will continue to work through the week before he makes an official declaration that the star quarterback will return from his injury: “I anticipate him playing, but we will continue to work through the week. I’m not going to declare that definitively. … Coming off an injury, he’s done everything he could. He put himself in position to do his best to play yesterday. We will continue with that mindset. He looks like he’s in good shape right now to be ready to go.”
Burrow sustained turf toe in his left foot during a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 14. He landed on injured reserve two days later and missed the Bengals’ next nine games. The Bengals first turned to backup Jake Browning to replace Burrow before trading for Joe Flacco. Browning went 0-3 during Burrow’s absence, while Flacco led the Bengals to a 1-5 mark over his last six starts.
Burrow was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday last week, but was limited on Friday; Taylor went with Flacco as the team’s starting quarterback in Sunday’s 26-20 loss to the New England Patriots. Taylor said that if Burrow starts Thursday night, Flacco will be the backup.
Flacco completed 61.6% of his throws for 1,636 yards, 13 scores and four interceptions this season for the Bengals. Burrow, who led the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns in 2024, completed 58.3% of his throws for 189 yards and two scores through his first two starts of 2025.
In other injury news, Taylor ruled out WR Tee Higgins for Thursday night’s game after the wide receiver suffered a concussion in Sunday’s game. He also ruled out pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who has missed the past three games due to a hip injury, and running back Tahj Brooks (concussion) will also not play against the Ravens. DE Cam Sample (oblique) and running back Samaje Perine (ankle) will be assessed throughout the week.
The Ravens (6-5) will host the Bengals (3-8) at 8:20 p.m. EST Thursday in Baltimore.
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