Joe Burrow on return to 3-8 Bengals: Not sitting if healthy - ESPN

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow understands the logic.

After a turf toe injury sidelined him for the past nine games and with the Bengals having, per ESPN Analytics, a 1% chance of making the playoffs, it would make sense for Cincinnati's star quarterback to remain out and not risk further injury.

But Burrow doesn't see it that way.

«I'm not ever going to go to somebody and say, 'Yeah, I'm healthy, but I don't think I should go out there and play,'» Burrow said Tuesday, ahead of his anticipated return against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving. «That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not going to live my life and play this game scared of something happening.»

Burrow has suffered significant injuries in four of his six NFL seasons, including missing the final seven games of the 2023 season with a torn ligament in his right wrist.

Even though Cincinnati has a 3-8 record with six games remaining, Burrow said he didn't consider sitting out games when healthy and that he's not concerned about the risk of injury that is inherent with playing the sport.

«Yeah, I've had injuries,» Burrow said. «There's not a lot I can do about that. I worked really hard to have that not happen.

»But what I can do is when it does happen, I can control how I'm attacking my rehab and attacking practice and doing everything in my power to get back as quickly as possible. And that's what I did."

Burrow came close to making his return this past weekend against the New England Patriots. However, Bengals coach Zac Taylor opted to rest the Pro Bowl quarterback to avoid having him play two games in five days. While his surgically repaired left toe was fine, he was sore after two full practices last week. He could have been ready to play if needed, but