The Cincinnati Bengals are facing the New England Patriots in Week 12 in what is essentially a must-win game for Cincinnati. At 3-7, the Bengals are in danger of being too far back from a playoff spot in the final six weeks of the season.
Getting Joe Burrow back would be a huge boost, and his full participation at practice leading up to the Bengals-Patriots matchup led to a belief he could start. But Burrow wasn't activated off Injured Reserve, and is out for another week.
But why would the Bengals give him a full week of first-team practice reps and not start him? The answer is a bit clearer thanks to the Bengals' Week 13 matchup.
Why Joe Burrow isn't starting despite a full week of practice for the Bengals
Cincinnati has a tough matchup against the Patriots in Week 12, but a much more important matchup comes the following week on Thanksgiving night. The Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens meet for the first time this season in Week 13 on Thanksgiving.
That matchup, while it won't determine the AFC North division winner, is a massive game for the Bengals this season. If they can win that game, even if the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers win in week 12 and the Bengals lose, their playoff hopes will still be alive.
With such an important matchup in Week 13, on a short week, holding Burrow out of a less-important Week 12 matchup makes a lot of sense.
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If Burrow played in Week 12, he would be playing two games in five days coming off a two-plus-month absence. That's a major risk, and one the Bengals aren't willing to take even with their season in jeopardy.
As Dianna Russini of The Athletic noted, giving Burrow an extra week of practice, getting him "valuable time with the starters," before his eventual Week 13 return is a great way for the Bengals to get Burrow the reps he needs to shake off the rust.
Burrow is not playing in Week 12 despite practicing in full all week, and it's a smart move from the Bengals. Instead of a short week of practice before a huge Thursday night game, Burrow will have those extra days plus his full week of practice before Week 12, before what's shaping up to be the biggest game of the season for the Bengals.
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