After a season full of misery, the Cincinnati Bengals might be seeing the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Star quarterback Joe Burrow has been out since Week 3 after suffering a nasty turf toe injury. During that time, the Bengals only won one game in their last seven games.
Now, Burrow is gearing up to return to the field soon. The Bengals have opened the quarterback's 21-day practice window. During that time period, Burrow will be able to return to action after a few weeks of practice. However, one question lingers: should the Bengals even field Burrow this season?
Well, if Burrow could have his way, he'd return to play no matter what. Ian Rapoport reported that the Bengals quarterback is itching to come back this season, no matter what his team's standing is at that time.
“Based on the way Burrow has explained it to those who know him well, his plan is to return to the field regardless of the team's record, which is 3-6 entering Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Rapoport reported for NFL.com. “Could the organization step in and stop it if the Bengals continue to lose? Perhaps. But Burrow is pushing to play.”
The Bengals have struggled mightily without Burrow this season. Their lone win in the Burrow-less stretch came against the Steelers. They've lost every other game since then, including losses to the New York Jets and the Chicago Bears in the previous two weeks before the bye.
Will Burrow be the solution to their woes? It's hard to say. Joe Flacco has done surprisingly well as the starter in Burrow's stead, leading the Bengals to three straight 30+ point games and even a 40-point outing against Chicago. However, those efforts were wasted due to their defense being unable to stop their opponents.
Given Burrow's competitive nature, the Bengals quarterback will want to return this season as much as possible. It's up to Cincinnati to assess whether the risk of injury is worth the extra repetitions he'll get.
