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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will make his long-awaited return to the football field on Thursday night in an AFC North matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving Day.
The Bengals sit at the bottom of the division alongside the 3-8 Cleveland Browns, but the team’s current standing was never a factor in Burrow’s decision to return, which came nearly a month earlier than expected.
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“I’m a football player. I get paid a lot of money to go and play a game with my friends and we work really hard,” Burrow said to reporters Tuesday. “It’s intense and there’s jobs on the line, but at the end of the day, it’s a game and I’ve worked hard to put myself in this position and get as healthy as I can be to go out and play with these guys and that’s something I wanted to do.”
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Burrow was pressed further about the decision to return to play, and asked if his status as the team’s “franchise” player meant that he should be more cautious about his return with the next season in mind.
But for Burrow, his injury and rehab are just the nature of the sport.
“I’m a football player and if I get hurt I’m going to go through the rehab process and then I’m going to let everybody know when I feel like I can go out there and play. I don’t really know what else to say about that. I’m not going to ever go to somebody and say, ‘Yeah, I’m healthy but I don’t think I should go out there and play.’ That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow unable to put weight on his ankle after getting injured against the Jaguars. (IMAGN)
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“I’m not going to live my life and play this game scared of something happening. Like yeah, something’s going to happen – it’s football. Guys are going to get hurt, guys are going to get concussions, you’re going to break bones, tear ligaments – it’s a physical, intense game that’s part of this. And, yeah, I’ve had injuries there’s not a lot I can do about that.”
Burrow suffered turf toe during the Bengals’ Week 2 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jake Browning took over as starter, but after three straight losses, the Bengals traded for veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco.
With him under center, Cincinnati has gone 1-5, including four straight losses.
Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals looks to pass during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium on Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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Burrow will look to prove himself on Thanksgiving night against the Ravens, who have won five straight despite an ugly start to the season.
“It’s a division rivalry. You got respect for them. It’s intense out there. I wanted to be out there for playing on Thanksgiving. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, that I pushed for in the past, and the NFL gave it to us. Then, you know, the injury happened, and thought I wasn’t gonna be able to play. And then as we got closer, I felt like it was a real possibility. So that’s exciting to me. It’s a national stage to go out and prove yourself again after not playing for several weeks,” Burrow added.
The Ravens host the Bengals at 8:20 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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