CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow’s return will have to wait.

The Bengals decided not to play Burrow on Sunday against the New England Patriots, despite the quarterback being close to returning from his toe injury, league sources said.

Joe Flacco will earn his sixth consecutive start since being acquired from the Cleveland Browns, but there are eyes toward Burrow potentially returning on Thanksgiving night in Baltimore against the Ravens.

When asked about the decision on Friday, coach Zac Taylor said he’s had “full transparency” in conversations with Burrow and “absolutely” sees it as his job to protect the franchise quarterback from himself.

Unknowns of how Burrow will hold up to contact, plus dealing with the short week ahead, were chief among the factors in the decision.

“He looks healthy,” Taylor said. “You expect it to respond great when he’s out there getting tackled — you don’t know. So every day that you can take matters with any injury, two games in five days, you have to count for that. You have to take that all into consideration.”

Joe Burrow (toe) will not play against the Patriots.

League sources say that the Bengals made the decision Friday to roll with Joe Flacco for another week, with the hope that Burrow will return to the lineup Thanksgiving night against the Ravens. pic.twitter.com/HDgPySbOYo

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) November 22, 2025

Flacco was limited in practices this week while managing a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder, but that has been the case in recent weeks since injuring it at the end of the Oct. 26 loss to the New York Jets.

Burrow, who sustained a turf toe injury on his left foot in Week 2 that required surgery, practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday this week before being limited Friday, splitting reps with Flacco. Those full practices would be necessary to play next Thursday regardless of his status for the Patriots game, because the short week only features lighter practices on the tight turnaround.

“Joe has done everything he can to put himself in a position to get back,” Taylor said. “I have to take into account what I think is best for him. He’s coming back off an injury. He’s been out for a long time. I know he’s of the right mindset and has done everything physically, and then I have to take into account what’s the best thing for him, what’s the best thing for our team.”

The Bengals rank fourth in the NFL in points per drive since Flacco took over in Cincinnati.

Burrow hinted that his goal was to return by Thanksgiving in a news conference the day he was cleared to come back to practice on Nov. 10. Players and coaches consistently agreed Burrow looked ready to play in practices this week and moved well in the pocket, displaying little issue throwing from any angle or distance in the portions open to the media.

The initial diagnosis for recovery from this type of surgery was three months in the most aggressive timeline, which would have placed a return in mid-December. Burrow will be 65 days removed from surgery on Sunday.

Cincinnati is 3-7 on the season and lost seven of eight games in Burrow’s absence. It boasts the worst defense in the history of the league by DVOA through 10 games. The Bengals are three games back of division-leading Pittsburgh and now face the Patriots without Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, suspended for a spitting incident in last Sunday’s loss in Pittsburgh.

The 28-year-old Burrow was coming off a 2024 season where he played at an MVP level, won NFL Comeback Player of the Year (for the second time) and went to the Pro Bowl after throwing 43 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. He experienced his first fully healthy and uninterrupted training camp and preseason this year, only to see his season stopped after trying to avoid a sack against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 14.

The Bengals have seven games left in the season. After playing the Patriots and Ravens, they travel to Buffalo, then take on the Ravens at home again before finishing against Miami, Arizona and Cleveland.

Cincinnati was 4-8 last season after 12 games and went on to rip off five consecutive wins to close the year, but narrowly missed making the playoffs. Given the state of the team, the schedule and return after two months off, Burrow returning the Bengals back into relevancy would be an unprecedented development, regardless of when he returns.

Burrow and Taylor have made clear that the quarterback’s desire is to play, no matter the team’s playoff status. When he’s fully healthy and deemed ready to play, he’ll do just that.

“Winning is important,” Taylor said. “Obviously, he is who he is, and he gives us an outstanding chance to win games. … He wants to play football. He’s a football player.”