Bengals' Joe Burrow: Critical turnover sullies solid day
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Burrow completed 28 of 37 passes for 282 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions while adding two rushes for 13 yards in the Bengals' 30-27 loss to the Steelers on Sunday. He also lost a fumble.
Burrow was impressive throughout the majority of the afternoon, taking just one sack from Pittsburgh's aggressive defense and connecting with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Mike Gesicki for his trio of scoring tosses. Burrow spread the ball around to nine different targets overall on an afternoon he entered already down Andrei Iosivas (IR, thumb) and during which he then lost promising rookie Colbie Young (knee). However, a would-be game-tying or game-winning drive was also short-circuited by the franchise signal-caller, as he lost the handle on the ball on a sack with under a minute remaining, snuffing out any chance of Cincinnati being able to at least force overtime. The highly untimely turnover aside, Burrow has looked comfortable with an offensive approach that has him under center more often than previous seasons, and he'll next take aim at the Jaguars in a Week 4 home matchup next Sunday.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Solid, mistake-free effort in win
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Burrow (back) completed 20 of 31 passes for 207 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding one rush for minus-1 yard in the Bengals' 20-6 win over the Texans on Sunday.
Burrow's workmanlike stat line underscores the type of road upset victory it was for the Bengals, who didn't need to be overly aggressive against a Texans offense missing Nico Collins (hamstring). Burrow, who came into the game dealing with back tightness, took his share of lumps in the form of five sacks, but he delivered dynamic 32- and 18-yard touchdown passes to Ja'Marr Chase. Burrow also notably avoided any turnovers despite being consistently under duress, and through his first two games, he's completed a solid 68.2 percent of his passes and posted three touchdowns versus one interception while operating under center more often than in recent seasons. Burrow will look to continue his solid early-season play in a Week 3 divisional road matchup against the Steelers next Sunday.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Active status confirmed
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Burrow (back) is officially listed as active ahead of Sunday's Week 2 matchup against the Texans.
A back injury surfaced for Burrow during the week, leading to back-to-back limited practices before a full session Friday. Coach Zac Taylor and other top sources consistently indicated Burrow would be "good to go," and Sunday's final inactives reports confirmed that sentiment. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Burrow will have no limitations in this road matchup. He'll look to lead the Bengals to 2-0 against a Houston defense that allowed the fewest total yards and second-fewest total points in the 2025 season (though it did allow Buffalo to put up 36 points in Week 1).
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Still on track to play Sunday
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Burrow (back) remains listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Texans, but he "should be good to go" barring a setback, Tom Pelissero of Netflix reports.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor indicated Friday that Burrow -- who was limited in practices Wednesday and Thursday before finishing the week with a full session -- was "good to go" for Week 2, and the quarterback remains on track to play. Burrow's availability for Sunday's game will be confirmed when the Bengals reveal their inactive list at 11:30 a.m. ET.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Throwing passes Friday morning
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Burrow (back) was on the field in uniform and throwing passes at the start of Friday's practice, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Listed as a limited participant the previous two days, Burrow told reporters that he plans to play this Sunday at Houston. His continued participation, even if it's in a limited capacity, suggests he's still on track to suit up.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Gets in another limited session
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Burrow (back) was listed as a limited participant on Thursday's injury report, Jay Morrison of SI.com reports.
Burrow was limited for the second time in as many days, but he was able to throw passes and take part in positional drills during the portion of Thursday's session open to the media, which is more than he was able to do the day before. Burrow said Wednesday that he is planning to play in Week 2, and he seemingly remains on track to do so.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Returns to drills Thursday
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Burrow (back) threw passes and participated in positional drills Thursday, Jay Morrison of SI.com reports.
Burrow was limited Wednesday due to back tightness, but he was seemingly able to increase his activity level a day later. it remains to be seen whether he will ultimately go down as a limited or full participant, but Burrow looks poised to suit up this weekend, barring a setback.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Dealing with back tightness, expects to play
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Burrow is dealing with back tightness but says he will play Sunday against the Texans, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Per Conway, Burrow threw only one pass during media viewing and was primarily working on handoffs at Wednesday's practice. Burrow later spoke with the media and mentioned dealing with back stiffness, but he added that he'll play Week 2. He didn't confirm whether he'll practice for the remainder of the week, however. Joe Flacco figures to get increased work with the starters in practice, but at this stage it appears Burrow will be able to suit up Sunday.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Working under center more
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The Bengals are spending more time working on their under-center offense more this offseason, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
The Bengals have been slow to adapt the growing trend in the NFL of working under center, and using more play-action from that set-up to initiate explosive plays. It's always been Burrow's preference to work out of the shotgun and survey the field, but the evidence suggests that the Bengals, while being successful in that format, are leaving explosive plays on the table as a result.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Tosses three TDs in Week 18 loss
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Burrow completed 29 of 39 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in Sunday's 20-18 loss to the Browns. He added 17 rushing yards on two carries.
The star quarterback hit all his biggest targets -- Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown -- for scores, but Evan McPherson had a rough day, getting one PAT blocked and missing his second before the Bengals failed to convert a two-point attempt on their final TD. Burrow wraps up a tough 2025 season with a 17:5 TD:INT in only eight games, the second time in the last three years he's missed significant time due to injuries.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Confirmed starter for Week 18
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Coach Zac Taylor confirmed Monday that Burrow will start next Sunday's regular-season finale against the Browns, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Neither the Bengals nor Browns have anything to play for besides pride and personal statistics, so there was a small chance Burrow could sit for Week 18. However, the Bengals are trying to end the season on a high note after beating the Dolphins and Cardinals in Weeks 16 and 17, respectively. Since returning to the field in Week 13, Burrow is fantasy's overall QB5 with a pair of 300-yard passing games and a 12:4 TD:INT.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Tops 300 yards in Sunday's rout
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Burrow completed 24 of 31 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 37-14 win over the Cardinals. He added two rushing yards on three carries.
In a battle between two of the league's worst defenses, it was Burrow and the Bengals that took the most advantage. The superstar QB hit Ja'Marr Chase for a 13-yard score in the first quarter to get the rout started, then connected with his top downfield option again for an eight-yard TD just before halftime. Burrow has topped 300 passing yards in back-to-back games with a 6:0 TD:INT, and he'll look to finish the season on a high note while avoiding having Myles Garrett set the all-time sack record at his expense, in Week 18 against the Browns.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Will start rest of regular season
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Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Monday that Burrow will start the team's remaining three regular-season games despite having been eliminated from playoff contention, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Taylor dismissed the notion that Cincinnati might consider sitting Burrow to preserve his health, in spite of the fact that the team's 24-0 loss to Baltimore in Week 15 closed the door on any chances of a playoff berth. "We want to win," Taylor said. Burrow missed nine games due to a turf toe injury before returning to action on Thanksgiving Day, when he earned a win against the Ravens, but the Bengals then lost to the Bills before he struggled mightily during the team's most recent matchup against Baltimore. He'll work to both close out the year strong and avoid any injuries during Cincinnati's next three matchups, beginning Sunday on the road against Miami.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Struggles in shutout loss
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Burrow was held to 225 passing yards in Sunday's shutout loss to the Ravens. He connected on 25 passes on 39 attempts, was picked off twice and sacked three times.
Time after time, the Bengals moved the ball in the middle of the field, only to stall out when reaching Ravens territory. The final insult was a pick-six thrown by Burrow after they had driven the ball inside the Ravens' 10-yard line. With the loss, the Bengals have been eliminated from the playoffs and have some hard questions to answer for the long run. In the short term, they may even question whether it makes sense to risk Burrow re-injuring his toe in three meaningless season-ending games against Miami, Arizona and Cleveland.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: QBs to Start
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Burrow had a successful return in Week 13 at Baltimore from his nine-game absence with a toe injury with 24-of-46 passing for 261 yards and two touchdowns, and he scored 23.2 Fantasy points. He doesn't have an easy matchup in Week 14 at Buffalo, but I still like Burrow as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback. The Bills are No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Lamar Jackson in Week 1 has scored more than 20 Fantasy points against this defense, including matchups with Drake Maye, Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield. That said, this is more about having faith in Burrow, who should be throwing a lot. His player prop on FanDuel is 35.5 attempts, and in 13 games over the past two seasons with at least 36 attempts, he is averaging 29.8 Fantasy points, with only two games under 21.2 points over that span.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Activated from IR
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The Bengals activated Burrow (toe) from injured reserve Wednesday.
Reports a few weeks ago said Burrow was targeting the Thanksgiving Day game at Baltimore for his return to action. It's now playing out that way, with Burrow having been officially activated after being listed as a full practice participant Monday and Tuesday. He may not have his usual mobility, and definitely won't have Tee Higgins (concussion), but Burrow nonetheless remains a weekly candidate to lead the league in pass attempts and yardage. He said Tuesday that he plans to continue playing down the stretch this season even if it becomes clear that Cincinnati's slim playoff hopes have dwindled to nothing, ESPN's Ben Baby reports.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Full participant at practice
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Burrow (toe) was a full participant at practice Tuesday.
Burrow has now been listed as a full participant on four of the Bengals' last five practice reports. The quarterback remains on injured reserve for the time being, but assuming his surgically repaired toe holds up well coming out of Tuesday's session, the Bengals could confirm Wednesday that he'll return to action Thursday against the Ravens. Burrow has sat out Cincinnati's last nine games following surgery.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Not playing Sunday
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Burrow (toe) won't be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game against the Patriots and has been downgraded from questionable to out for the contest, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Joe Flacco will start against New England as a result. After undergoing surgery Sept. 21 to address a Grade 3 turf toe injury, Burrow was expected to face a three-month recovery, but he's now turned in two straight weeks of practice since being designated for return from IR on Nov. 10. Assuming Burrow continues to make good progress during the Bengals' practice sessions during the upcoming week, he should be ready to return to the lineup for a Thanksgiving Day game in Baltimore on Nov. 27.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Week 12 status TBD
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Burrow (toe) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Coach Zac Taylor noted that at this stage the Bengals have yet to determine their Week 12 starter at QB. In any case, in order for Burrow to have a chance to face New England on Sunday, he would have to be activated from IR by Saturday afternoon. If Burrow isn't ready to return to the lineup, however, Joe Flacco (right shoulder) would be in line to get the nod versus the Patriots, assuming he's available after being limited at practice Wednesday and Thursday.
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Bengals' Joe Burrow: Status up in air for Week 12
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Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was unwilling to make a firm commitment Thursday when asked whether Burrow (toe) will play Sunday versus the Patriots, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. "I'm not there yet," Taylor said.
Burrow was listed as a full participant at practice Wednesday and took part in 11-on-11 drills. Rapoport relays that Burrow's activity level Thursday will be crucial in determining his availability for Sunday. If Burrow is able to log two straight full sessions without any soreness or setbacks, it will be a strong sign that the star quarterback's recovery from Sept. 19 surgery to address a Grade 3 sprain of the big toe on his left foot has gone smoothly enough for him to return to game action. Cincinnati's coaching staff has explicitly refrained from ruling Burrow out for Sunday, but it sounds as though more information on his chances of returning may not arrive until after the team's final practice of the week Friday.
