After suffering a toe injury in Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will make his much-anticipated return on Thursday in one of the Thanksgiving games the league has scheduled for this year.
The Bengals will visit the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in their first regular-season matchup. Burrow was ruled out for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, which many saw as a sign he would prepare to face Lamar Jackson and Co. four days later.
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Joe Burrow put all the speculation to rest about his status for Thursday. NFL reporter Andrew Siciliano shared the quarterback’s one-word message when a reporter asked him whether he was planning to start on Thursday.
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“Correct,” Burrow said.
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The Bengals enter this game with a 3-8 record, amid a four-game losing streak. Jake Browning started three games before the Bengals traded for Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns. Flacco won one of six games, recording 1,636 yards and 13 touchdowns with four interceptions.
Cincinnati lost a couple of games due to the defense’s performance, which raised eyebrows among fans and players, such as Ja’Marr Chase.
They are still in playoff contention, but Burrow will have to bring his best game again to give his team a chance to squeeze into the big party.
Joe Burrow shares his thoughts on playing his first holiday game
This will be Joe Burrow‘s first holiday game since he made it to the league in 2021. While he’s excited to get back on the field, the quarterback reminded people that he will do everything to beat the Ravens.
“A lot of respect for the people on the outside of the ball, but you play people twice a year, you get tired of them, you don’t like them,” Burrow said, via Sports Illustrated.
“It’s a division rivalry. You got respect for them, but intense out there, something I wanted to be out there for playing on Thanksgiving, something I’ve always wanted to do, that I’ve pushed for in the past, and the NFL gave it to us, and then the injury happened, and thought I wasn’t gonna be able to play.”
This could be the turning point of a season that hasn’t been favorable for the Bengals. Burrow went down after going 21 of 36 for 189 yards and two touchdowns in one and a half games.
Edited by Orlando Silva
