Joe Burrow brushes off injury concerns returning for 3-8 Bengals ahead of Thanksgiving showdown with Ravens

Danny Parkins, Willie Colon, and Coach Eric Mangini react to Joe Burrow’s return to practice and his message that the AFC North is still wide open as the Cincinnati Bengals sit at 3-6. The crew debates whether Burrow can rally the team and save th...

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will make his long-awaited return to the football field on Thursday night in an AFC North matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving Day. 

The Bengals sit at the bottom of the division alongside the 3-8 Cleveland Browns, but the team’s current standing was never a factor in Burrow’s decision to return, which came nearly a month earlier than expected. 

Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX News, Sports, and Entertainment at our lowest price of the year. The offer ends on Jan. 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)

"I’m a football player. I get paid a lot of money to go and play a game with my friends and we work really hard," Burrow said to reporters Tuesday. "It’s intense and there’s jobs on the line, but at the end of the day, it’s a game and I’ve worked hard to put myself in this position and get as healthy as I can be to go out and play with these guys and that’s something I wanted to do." 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Burrow was pressed further about the decision to return to play, and asked if his status as the team’s "franchise" player meant that he should be more cautious about his return with the next season in mind.

But for Burrow, his injury and rehab are just the nature of the sport. 

"I’m a football player and if I get hurt I’m going to go through the rehab process and then I’m going to let everybody know when I feel like I can go out there and play.