Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow Returning to Practice on Limited Basis
The Bengals returned from their bye with good news regarding Joe Burrow.
Cincinnati's franchise quarterback is returning to practice on a limited basis, the team announced Monday.
According to FOX Sports' Jay Glazer, Burrow's goal is to return by "Thanksgiving-ish." The Ravens host the Bengals on Thanksgiving night. That would be considerably ahead of initial medical projections.
Burrow's return to practice begins his 21-day period where he can practice with the team without counting against their active roster. He underwent surgery on his left big toe after being injured Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Since being placed on injured reserve Sept. 16, Burrow's goal has been to return at some point this season. The Bengals traded for Joe Flacco, who's played very well in Burrow's absence, but Cincinnati has the NFL's lowest-ranked defense and has fallen to 3-6.
The Bengals would need a major late-season surge to make the playoffs, but Burrow seems determined to be back as quickly as possible.
Cincinnati visits the Steelers this week and hosts the Patriots in Week 12. The Bengals are not expected to have star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson against Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Third Loss in Four Games Tightens Division Race
Midway through October, the Steelers had a 3 ½ game lead over the Ravens.
However, Pittsburgh (5-4) has lost three of its last four and leads the AFC North by just one game after Sunday night's 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
According to the New York Times playoff simulator, the surging Ravens (4-5) have a 65% chance to win the division, compared to 34% for the Steelers.
Aaron Rodgers had one of the worst games of his career against the Chargers, throwing two interceptions and completing just 16 of 31 passes for 161 yards. He was sacked three times, including once for a safety, and the 41-year-old quarterback was 0 for 5 on passes of at least 15 yards downfield.
The Steelers trailed by 22 points before scoring their only touchdown in the fourth quarter. Head Coach Mike Tomlin didn't hide his dissatisfaction when asked how he would assess Rodgers' performance.
"How would you?" Tomlin said via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. "Next."
Rodgers blamed himself for Pittsburgh's offensive struggles against the Chargers.
"I got to play better than this for us to win," Rodgers said. "Whatever it takes... if it's better checks, if it's better throws, whatever it is, I got to play better. I will. ... We got to play better on offense, for sure. But this is part of the season. There's ebbs and flows, there's ups and downs, and we can't ride the wave."
The Steelers signed Rodgers and traded for wide receiver DK Metcalf during the offseason, hoping they would be a lethal offensive combination. However, the Chargers held Metcalf to three catches for 35 yards, and over the last four games, he has averaged just three catches and 36.5 receiving yards with one touchdown.
The Steelers will try to get back on track when they host the Bengals in Week 11. The Bengals are coming off a bye.
"I'm not lacking confidence," Tomlin said. "I don't need a pat on the back. We stunk it up tonight. We'll be back."
Cleveland Browns: Dillon Gabriel Will Start vs. Ravens
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski said rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel will remain Cleveland's starter in Week 11 against the Ravens.
"We're gonna stick with Dillon," Stefanski said to reporters after Cleveland's 27-20 loss to the New York Jets via the Browns’ website. "Obviously this is a young player, you're always trying to get one game better and those types of things. We have to play better as an offense, we have to coach better, all of the above."
Against the Jets, Gabriel was 17-of-32 for 167 yards with two touchdown passes, but he was sacked six times and under duress much of the game. Cleveland backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders has yet to play, and the Browns fell to 2-7 with Sunday's loss.
Joe Flacco opened the season as Cleveland's starter before he was traded to the Bengals and Gabriel took over. Gabriel has started five games and has seven touchdown passes with just two interceptions. Lack of accuracy (58.6% completion) by Gabriel has been an issue that continued to plague him against the Jets.
Gabriel is glad he will have another opportunity to start against the Ravens.
"When things aren't going well there's always going to be change," Gabriel said at his postgame press conference. "That's part of it. If you keep doing the same thing and don't change, it's insanity. At certain times, we didn't execute, and that starts with me. We've got to create consistency to have more efficient drives."
