Burrow participated fully in practice two days in a row. The Bengals will hold a final practice on Nov. 21 and Bengals coach Zac Taylor will provide an update on Burrow’s status for the upcoming Nov. 23 game against the New England Patriots after practice.
Before the start of practice on Nov. 20, Burrow went through his typical quarterback-center exchange drills with starting center Ted Karras.
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When do the Bengals have to activate Joe Burrow from injured reserve to the 53-man roster?
If the Bengals activate Burrow from injured reserve to the 53-man roster anytime before Nov. 22 at 4 p.m., it will be another sign that he will play against the Patriots.
At this time, Burrow is on the injured reserve list and will remain there until he is officially ready to return so as not to take up an open roster spot. The NFL gives each team the ability to open a 21-day window for an injured player to decide if he is healthy enough to be promoted to the active 53-man roster.
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The Bengals opened Burrow’s 21-day window on Nov. 10 when he returned to practice for the first time in a limited capacity. His window to return from injured reserve closes on December 1. This means the team must decide if Burrow can play in a game by then or will be out for the rest of the year.
A big decision is looming in Cincinnati.
When asked on November 20 if Joe Burrow would play against the New England Patriots on November 23, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said, “Well, I’m not there yet.”
What’s the latest update from Bengals coach Zac Taylor on Joe Burrow?
Before practice on Nov. 20, Taylor provided the latest update on whether Burrow will play in Cincinnati’s Week 12 game against the New England Patriots (9-2) on Cincinnati radio station WLW.
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Here’s the full Q&A between WLW’s Thom Brennaman and Taylor:
Thom Brennaman: Is there a chance Joe Burrow plays on Sunday?
Zac Taylor: “Well, I’m not there yet. One day of practice isn’t going to get us to that decision yet. We’ll use the time we have at our disposal and make the best decision we can.”
TB: Will this be a situation where Joe (Burrow) could come to you and tell you he’s ready to go?ZT: My job is to balance all the information, protect the player and make the best decision possible.
TB: You can tell us right now that Burrow is playing, right?
ZT: I wish I had made that decision today, honestly. I will take all the information I can and make sure it is the best for Joe and our team.
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Joe Burrow’s return impresses players in Bengals locker room
Since Burrow returned, there has been a noticeable increase in energy in the Bengals locker room. If Burrow is able to return against the Patriots, he won’t have his Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase as a target. Chase is serving a one-game suspension for spitting on Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey.
Wide receiver Tee Higgins will be Cincinnati’s top target against New England. Higgins and Burrow practiced both days and have plenty of reps accumulated between them over the years.
According to Higgins, Burrow looks sharp in his return and appears ready to go.
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“He’s practicing like Week 1,” Higgins said. “He looked good last week when he was practicing. I’m happy for him just because he got his feet wet again and he’s been good… Joe’s been looking great. He’s running deep, short routes; everything’s been pretty good.”
This article originally appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer: Will Joe Burrow play in Bengals vs. Patriots? everything we know