Bengals won't activate Joe Burrow from IR for Sunday's game against the Patriots
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow returned this week to 11-on-11 drills at practice. He won't be returning to 11-on-11 game action on Sunday.
Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Bengals won’t activate Burrow from injured reserve before Saturday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline for making pre-game roster moves.
Burrow suffered a toe injury in Week 2. Reports at the time indicated he would be out until the middle of December, at the earliest.
Currently, Burrow seems to be on track to play on Thursday night, when the Bengals visit the Ravens to cap the trio of Thanksgiving games.
Joe Flacco, who continues to play through an injury to his throwing shoulder will get the start against New England. A loss would drop the Bengals to 3-8, making it even harder to pull an inside straight on a division title.
Even if the Bengals can upend the Pats on Sunday, Cincinnati faces a stiff challenge. But with a 2-1 record in the division, two games to be played against Baltimore, and two Ravens-Steelers games still on the docket, the Bengals could finagle a two- or three-way tie atop the AFC North when the dust settles on Week 18. And a potential 5-1 record in division games could be the thing that ultimately makes the difference.
Step one is to beat the Patriots on Sunday. That's the toughest test left on the Cincinnati schedule, given that the Pats have won eight in a row — and that they had three extra days to rest and prepare. Throw in the fact that Burrow won't be back and receiver Ja'Marr Chase's spit-fueled suspension, Cincinnati beating New England on Sunday would be every bit as stunning as New England's win over Cincinnati in Week 1 a year ago.
New York Post keeps digging into all things Bill Belichick
We've tried in recent weeks to ignore much of the noise surrounding North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, especially when its comes to his personal life. (Even though he has deliberately intermingled his personal life with his professional life.)
We didn't post about Belichick's disrespectful (even by his usual standards) post-game diss of Wake Forest coach Jeff Dickert. We didn't post about former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel calling Belichick a "hypocrite" for allowing himself to become a distraction to his team. We took a pass on this week's Onion-esque account of Belichick showing up as a spectator at his girlfriend's adult cheer competition. (Did anyone even know adult cheer competitions were a thing?)
The New York Post ignored none of those. The New York Post has been relentless in its coverage of Belichick and Jordon Hudson. And while the Post is far from alone (for example, VICE TV announced this week a two-hour deep dive into the duo, which will debut next month), the New YorkPost has been at the leading edge of all things Belichick and Hudson.
On Friday, for instance, the New YorkPost reported (as an "exclusive") that Belichick's daughter-in-law "unleashed a nearly hour-long profanity-laced tirade" two weeks ago against Hudson, in Belichick's office after the Tar Heels beat Stanford. Jen Belichick, the wife of defensive coordinator (and Bill's son) Steve Belichick, reportedly said (among other things) that all Hudson “does is control shit.” Jen Belichick also reportedly called Hudson "batshit crazy," and Jen Belichick reportedly accused Hudson of "fucking twisting" Bill's brain.
Here's the point, as someone in a position to understand the dynamics explained it to PFT a week ago. The ongoing coverage of Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson by the New York Post is one of the many reasons for the Giants' complete lack of interest in the possibility of hiring Bill Belichick to coach the team. While the Giants hiring Belichick likely wouldn't have happened anyway, the Giants have no interest in hiring a coach who has become a lightning rod for relentless coverage due to his relationship with Hudson.
Some will continue to insist that nothing related to Belichick and Hudson is worthy of coverage, especially since Belichick isn't (and probably will never be) an NFL coach again. But everything about this situation is unprecedented. One of the greatest coaches of all times obliterated the lines between business and personal, and the person with whom the lines has been blurred has been, by all appearances, attempting to parlay the situation into a vehicle for advancing her own short- and long-term professional objectives, whatever they may be.
Starting with the reports regarding her role in derailing the Hard Knocks series and culminating in the disastrous CBS interview from early May, a pot that had been simmering for months (we heard as early as October 2024 murmurs of Hudson asserting herself aggressively within the offices of NFL Films) went straight to a boil that has been continuing to bubble over. Beyond every other factor that would make any NFL team disinclined to consider hiring Belichick, the Hudson angle clinches it.
Especially for a team in the market the New York Post primarily serves.
The Rams' famed defensive line of the 1960s, which featured ends Deacon Jones and Lamar Lundy and tackles Merlin Olsen and Rosey Grier, terrorized opposing quarterbacks.
During an October fashion shoot, Verse, the Rams' 25-year-old star edge rusher, met Grier, at 93 the only living member of the Fearsome Foursome.
“It was crazy, not just to see a living legend but somebody that played at a high level in the league,” Verse said. “To be able to meet him and sit down with him, it was cool.”
Grier also welcomed the opportunity to meet Verse, the reigning NFL defensive rookie of the year.
“I was very impressed with his countenance, courtesy and respect toward me,” Grier said in an email.
Verse, edge rusher Byron Young and defensive ends Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske showed their respect for the Fearsome Foursome over the summer.
Fiske said the linemen had seen a famous photo of the Fearsome Foursome in a social media post. During the Rams’ media day in June, the players made an impromptu request to recreate it.
The Rams' "Fearsome Foursome" of the 1960s (from left to right) Lamar Lundy, Rosey Grier, Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones. (Los Angeles Rams)
“The coolest part about it is we’re talking about that group 50 to 60 years later,” Fiske said. “I mean, that’s unbelievable. ... For a whole group to make their mark is something that is still considered one of the best is something we chase.”
The Rams' young front is making its mark.
Turner was a finalist for NFL defensive rookie of the year in 2023. Verse won the award last season, and Fiske was a finalist.
Young, a third-year pro, has nine sacks this season, tied for sixth most in the NFL.
“We know we’re in a group that’s feared and will continue to be feared because of the work we put in and what we show on Sundays,” Turner said.
During the offseason, to bolster the run defense, the Rams signed veteran nose tackle Poona Ford. The front also includes Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison, Nick Hampton and rookies Josaiah Stewart and Ty Hamilton.
“It’s a group that’s really connected,” coach Sean McVay said, adding, “The way they bring our style of play to life, it’s really fun to be around.”
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan noted before the Nov. 9 game between the teams that the Rams' “front five, the guys they keep on the line of scrimmage usually is probably the best in the NFL.”
Future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year for the Rams, will be honored before and during the Sunday game. Donald has been impressed by the young front’s play.
The Rams rank ninth in the league with 27 sacks, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. They are tied for sixth with 98 quarterback pressures and seventh with 37 quarterback hurries.
“It’s not just the sack numbers, it's the pressure they're putting on the quarterback, making them uncomfortable, getting quarterbacks off their spot, not allowing quarterbacks to step into their throws at times,” Donald said a few days after the line pressured Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold into four interceptions. “I think that's the way you want to impact the game as a pass rusher.”
Grier and his former linemates did that and more after he was traded to the Rams by the New York Giants in 1963.
Being a part of the Fearsome Foursome was “an incredible experience,” he said, noting that the players became close friends off the field as well.
Rams linebacker Jared Verse celebrates with defensive end Kobie Turner after a late defensive stand during a win over the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 28. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“We truly cared about each other and we wanted to see each one of us individually and collectively be successful as a defensive line, and again on and off the field ... that being one of our main strengths,” he said.
The Rams’ young group has played very well and is improving every game, said Grier, a minister and philanthropist who also has been a singer and actor.
As they move forward in their careers, it will be important to “stay in shape” in more than a physical sense.
“Mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally,” Grier said. “To remember that it takes each one of them.”
How long the Rams can keep the group together remains to be seen.
Unlike the 1960s, teams must adhere to a salary cap and players can take full advantage of free agency.
Young and Turner are eligible for extensions after this season. Fiske and Verse will be eligible after next season, though the Rams have a fifth-year option on Verse, the 19th player selected in the 2024 draft.
“We want to be able to take advantage of every moment that we get together,” Fiske said, “because, like it or not, this probably won’t always be the group that’s here forever.”
The group is motivated by that thought, Verse said.
“We go out to practice like, ‘We got to make this last. Don’t know how long this is going to go,’” he said. “Hopefully, we can play with each other our whole careers. But the more sacks [Young] gets, the more tackles Kobie gets, the more dominant plays Fiske has, the more I do, the chance goes lower.”
The Rams, however, have plenty of salary-cap space the next few years. They will have nearly $90 million in 2026 and are projected to have the second-most cap in the league in 2027, according to Overthecap.com.
Rams linebacker Byron Young (0) and defensive end Braden Fiske pressure Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold during a Rams victory on Nov. 16 at SoFi Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Receiver Puka Nacua is on track for a massive extension after this season, but the Rams have the budget to potentially keep the defensive line together.
“There’s no, ‘All right, I’ve made it,’” Turner said. “There’s still so much to prove, so much to show. You combine that hunger with the camaraderie, with the way that we just love being out there together and playing the game all together — that’s something that’s dangerous.”
In the tradition of the Fearsome Foursome and other legendary lines such as the Minnesota Vikings' "Purple People Eaters," the Pittsburgh Steelers’ "Steel Curtain" and the Dallas Cowboys’ "Doomsday Defense" among others, Rams linemen said they have playfully discussed nicknames of their own.
“They had their time, and now we have our time to make a name,” Young said.
There have been many suggestions, the players said. But none that has yet to be adopted.
“If one shows up that’s really nice,” Turner said, “then we’ll rock with it.”
