Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters on Monday that although it's not official, he anticipates Joe Burrow playing on Thanksgiving night against the Baltimore Ravens.

Burrow started the first two games of the 2025 season before going down with a turf toe injury he suffered in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. After the game, Burrow was placed on injured reserve, missing the last nine games. 

Despite Burrow's estimated recovery being three months, Taylor declined to rule his quarterback out for the season. The Bengals designated Burrow for return from injured reserve on November 10. Last week, Burrow began practicing fully and started taking snaps with the starting offense before being ruled out for Sunday's game against the Patriots the day before.

Taylor initially decided to go with backup quarterback Jake Browning. Browning has gone 0-3 in his starts, throwing for 757 yards, 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also failed to throw for over 150 yards in two of his starts.

Taylor decided to end the Browning experiment. In October, the Bengals traded a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder to acquire QB Joe Flacco from their divisional rivals, the Cleveland Browns. Flacco started the same week of the trade with just four days to prepare.

Flacco started the last six games for the Bengals, going 1-5. Flacco has thrown for 1,636 yards, 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in his time with the Bengals. Flacco has battled a shoulder injury and has struggled in his last few games.

Despite not being concerned about being benched when Burrow is healthy, Flacco has expressed a desire to start next season. Flacco will be 41 in January, going into his 19th season.

The Bengals have struggled since Burrow went down. They rank 15th in passing yards per game and fourth in the most interceptions thrown, with 12 between the two backup quarterbacks.

The Bengals are 3-8, tied for last in the AFC North. The Ravens lead the division at 6-5 and are currently on a five-game winning streak.