A Thanksgiving miracle isn’t coming early in Cincinnati, as the Bengals officially announced today that superstar quarterback Joe Burrow will not be activated for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
Burrow was a full participant in practice throughout the week, but head coach Zac Taylor kept cautious about the team not leaning toward activating their leader under center. Since his 21-day practice window opened from being on injured reserve, the target date for his return was Thanksgiving itself, when the Bengals travel to Baltimore in a divisional showdown with the Ravens.
While Burrow might still play on the holiday, there are questions about whether there will be anything to play for if he comes off IR. The Bengals sit at 3-7 and are on the verge of effectively being eliminated from the playoff race. A win over the 9-2 Patriots and then a short turnaround victory over the Ravens would thrust them back into the discussion, but they’ll need to topple the AFC East leaders without Burrow.
Joe Flacco, the veteran who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens, is projected to start against the Patriots on Sunday. Flacco’s run to the Super Bowl included a monumental win over New England in the AFC Championship game.
Bengals fans will be hoping he has one more upset over the Patriots in him to keep their dim postseason dreams alive into Thanksgiving.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Joe Burrow out vs. Patriots, possible return on Thanksgiving
