Sports

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is questionable for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots, head coach Zac Taylor said Friday. The Bengals have until 4 PM ET on Saturday to activate Joe Burrow to the 53-man roster.

Burrow has missed the last eight weeks after being placed on injured reserve with a turf toe injury he suffered in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his first two starts, Burrow threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

Despite Burrow's estimated recovery time being three months, head coach Zac Taylor declined to rule his quarterback out for the season. The Bengals designated Burrow for return from injured reserve on November 10. While Burrow was targeting a Week 13 return, he began practicing fully and started taking snaps with the starting offense, leaving the possibility of playing this week open.

The Bengals have struggled in Burrow's absence, going 1-7 in the games he has missed. Taylor initially replaced Burrow with Jake Browning. After Browning went 0-3 in his starts, failed to throw for 150 yards in two games and threw eight interceptions, it was time for Taylor to make a change.

In October, the Bengals traded a 2026 fifth-round pick to acquire Joe Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick from their divisional rivals, the Cleveland Browns. Flacco started the same week as the trade, with just four days to prepare. He has thrown for 1,453 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions with Cincinnati this season.

Flacco is coming off arguably his worst game as a Bengal against the Steelers in Week 11. He completed 23 of 40 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and a pick six. The 40-year-old quarterback is dealing with a shoulder injury that has limited him in practice this week.

Despite Flacco's low turnover rate, the team has continued to struggle, especially on defense, yielding a 1-4 record with Flacco as a starter. The defense has not made it easier on the offense. The Bengals have allowed a league high 334 points to opponents through 10 games this season and are tied for allowing a league high 6.3 yards per play.

Whichever quarterback starts will be without their top pass catcher. Ja'Marr Chase will be serving his one-game suspension for spitting on Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Chase is first in the league with 79 receptions despite playing with three different quarterbacks.

While the Bengals have struggled, the 9-2 Patriots are surging. The Patriots are on the longest current winning streak, having won the last eight games.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, who ranks second on the team with 40 receptions this season and is a key part of what's been a 12 personnel-heavy offense, is unlikely to return from injured reserve this season, according to head coach Dan Campbell.

Campbell told reporters Friday that the third-year standout had back surgery, a procedure that went "really well long-term" but will sidelined him "for a while."

"I think we would be fortunate to have a chance to get him back for the rest of the season at some point," Campbell said. "I think that's very, very slim."

LaPorta went on IR last week ahead of a 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

LaPorta hadn't practiced all week leading up to the trip to Philly. The 2023 second-round pick had logged at least five receptions in four of the Lions' previous five games, scoring all three of his touchdowns in that span.

At the time, his 489 receiving yards were the second most on the team. He had hauled in all seven of his contested targets and was averaging a career-high 2.00 yards per route run, per PFF.

Brock Wright stepped into the TE1 role against the Eagles and will continue to see an uptick in usage. Detroit will also lean on Ross Dwelley.

As for added support in the run game, tackle Dan Skipper has been called upon in the Lions' jumbo package. Campbell mentioned him Friday as well as practice squad tight end Anthony Firkser, who could get promoted to the active roster this week against the New York Giants.

"Losing Sam hurts cause he's a hell of a football player," Campbell said. "He can do it all: run block, obviously the receiver that you get. 

"But, yet, we still got Brock, and there's things he can do. We've got Ross Dwelley, we got [Skipper]. There's a good chance we may bring [Firkser] this week. And, so, we've got some versatility."

Campbell, a former tight end and tight ends coach, is perhaps best fit to handle this kind of situation. He explained that he still wants the Lions to be able to "dabble" in 12 personnel, or two-tight end packages, because he sees it as a help up front and something that sets the table offensively. That said, there's no doubt the loss of LaPorta is a blow to one of the most potent offenses in the NFL.

LaPorta's back injury interrupted what was another strong season from the Iowa product. He earned second-team All-Pro honors as a rookie, and he caught 60 passes for 726 yards and 7 touchdowns during the 2024 campaign. 

It looks like his 2025 run has ended prematurely.