CINCINNATI — Could Joe Burrow's return be even sooner than we imagined?
The Bengals' franchise QB was listed as a full participant in practice for the first time since he hurt his toe in Week 2 on Wednesday, taking part in 11-on-11 drills. That continued Thursday, with Burrow taking snaps from starting center Ted Karras.
So, which Joe will start Sunday against the Patriots — Burrow or Flacco?
"(Burrow) is gonna start," ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said on NFL Live Wednesday afternoon. "I mean, there's no way he's practicing fully today if he's not gonna start on Sunday."
700WLW's Thom Brennaman asked head coach Zac Taylor directly on Thursday if there's a chance Burrow plays.
"I'm not there yet," Taylor said.
The Bengals coach agreed this is a situation where Burrow could come to him and say he's ready to go, "and then that's my job — to balance all of the information and protect the player and make the best decision possible."
If Burrow did return, it wouldn't be the softest landing ever. The AFC East-leading Patriots are 9-2 with a great defense, and Cincinnati won't have superstar receiver Ja'Marr Chase due to his one-game suspension.
There's also a very real conversation about whether Burrow starting Sunday could hurt him more than help the team. Because his return would be significantly earlier than projected, the Bengals don't want their star player to re-aggravate his injury or hurt something else — and after a loss to the Steelers last week, their odds to make the playoffs sit at around 1%.
All of that, though, ignores a major factor here: As fellow AFC North quarterback Lamar Jackson said, Burrow's "got dawg in him." He loves football. He enjoys being out there. He wants to play.
And with Joe Flacco nursing a shoulder injury, that might be all Taylor and company need to let Burrow take the reins.
