The Cincinnati Bengals are close to getting superstar quarterback Joe Burrow back from injury after designating him to return from injured reserve last week.
While Burrow said he's targeting the Thanksgiving Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs for his return, the door is open for him to make it back sooner.
Burrow turned in a full practice on Wednesday, which was his first since being designated to return from IR.
When asked about Burrow's Week 12 status on Thursday morning, head coach Zac Taylor didn't say no to a possible return for the Bengals' starting quarterback this week.
Taylor told Thom Bennaman of 700 WLW that "we don't know yet" if Burrow is going to play.
"I'm not there yet. One day at practice isn't going to lead to that decision yet," Taylor said, per The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr.
That is obviously not a yes, but it's not a no, either.
If Burrow is able to make it back this week or even next, he would be well ahead of the initial mid-December timeline that was given upon his suffering the injury.
Whenever Burrow makes it back, he's going to have a hole to climb out of in terms of the Bengals making the postseason. Cincinnati enters Week 12 with a 3-7 record, and the New York Times gives the team a less-than one-percent chance to make the playoffs.
That means the Bengals are almost certainly going to have to run the table in order to make the playoffs. Getting Burrow back gives them a chance to do that.
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