Cincinnati Bengals fans will have something extra to be thankful for on Thanksgiving this year.
After missing the last nine games of the season due to turf toe, star quarterback Joe Burrow is set to return to game action for the Bengals when they take on the Ravens on Baltimore on Thursday night. Joe Flacco, who has been starting in Burrow's absence, will be relegated to a reserve role.
Joe Burrow will play vs. Ravens on Thanksgiving
The Bengals have managed to win just one game without Burrow, so his return will be an extremely welcome sight, although it's likely too little, too late when it comes to Cincinnati potentially making a postseason run.
Some have questioned the logic in having Burrow return to a team that basically has no shot of making the playoffs, but Burrow doesn't see it that way. If he's healthy, he wants to play.
"I'm not ever going to go to somebody and say, 'Yeah, I'm healthy, but I don't think I should go out there and play,'" Burrow said of his return. "That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not going to live my life and play this game scared of something happening."
Plus the allure of playing on Thanksgiving has some pull for Burrow. Like many, he has fond memories of watching NFL games on Turkey Day growing up and now he's excited about the opportunity to be the one out on the field.
"Just like a lot of kids, you grow up going through Thanksgiving, you have your meals with your family and then you go and sit on the couch, and typically, there's not a lot on except football," Burrow said. "... Those are memories that you have, so I always wanted to kind to be the person out there. "
The matchup with the Ravens will be the second Thanksgiving game in Bengals franchise history. They last played on the holiday back in 2010.