Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow Expected to Return on Thanksgiving vs. Ravens
Joe Burrow plans to spend Thanksgiving night playing against the Ravens.
Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor told reporters Monday that he "anticipates" his franchise quarterback will return to action Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium against Baltimore. Burrow has not played since Week 2 when he suffered torn ligaments in his toe that required surgery.
Burrow made his intentions clear with a post on Instagram.
After falling to 3-8, the Bengals have slim odds to make the playoffs, but Burrow has attacked rehab to accelerate his return. He has lost his last four games against the Ravens. The Bengals were 1-8 in the nine games he missed.
Taylor also said star wide receiver Tee Higgins (concussion) and Pro Bowl pass rusher Trey Hendrickson (hip/pelvis) have been ruled out for Thursday.
Higgins took a scary-looking fall during Sunday's 26-20 loss to the New England Patriots. The back of Higgins' head hit hard on the turf after he attempted to make a leaping catch, and he did not return after being carted off.
Burrow's return means former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will move into a backup role and won't make his second start against his former team this season. Flacco made his first visit to Baltimore in Week 2 when he started for the Cleveland Browns in a 41-17 loss. The 40-year-old Flacco has played well since being traded to the Bengals, but their struggles on defense have made it difficult to win. Flacco sounded philosophical after Sunday's loss, knowing that his future after this season was uncertain.
"As a competitor, you always want to be out there on the field," Flacco said via the Bengals website. "This is what I live to do, is to go out on that field and play football. At the same time, I feel fortunate to be in this situation. As much as I would have loved to have seen us win games, I still have had a lot of fun here with these guys in the locker room."
Burrow will be helped Thursday night by the return of star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who served his one-game suspension for spitting.
Cleveland Browns: Shedeur Sanders Will Remain Starter
It took 13 weeks, but Shedeur Sanders has been named the Browns' starting quarterback, Head Coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Monday.
"Obviously, the No. 1 job for a quarterback is to win, so excited to get that first win under his belt," Stefanski said. "The next thing is improvement. That's what young players do, certainly young quarterbacks do. You get one game better and that's just from working at it. That will be our focus."
Sanders had a memorable first NFL start on Sunday during Cleveland's 24-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. With his Hall of Fame father Deion Sanders in attendance, the rookie quarterback completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Sanders replaced fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel (concussion), who had started the previous six games. The Browns' pass rush was devastating, led by Myles Garrett, who had three sacks to reach a franchise record 18 for the season. Garrett needs five sacks in six games to break the all-time NFL record (22.5) shared by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021).
Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his first start since 1995. After the game, Sanders soaked in the moment after falling to the fifth round in the draft and waiting more than half the season to play.
"The last six or seven months have been extremely hard," Sanders said, via Tiffany Blackmon of CBS.
"Going into the game, I didn't feel nerves. I did as much work as I can during the week so on Sundays it would be fun. I love how the offensive line embraced me when I came in that role. They understood I'm nothing but business. Thankful to get the win for the Browns, [with] my pops here, my moms here."
Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers Expected to Return vs. Bills
The Steelers (6-5) fell into a first-place tie with Baltimore after a 31-28 loss to the Chicago Bears. Mason Rudolph took over at quarterback in place of Aaron Rodgers (wrist), but the Steelers expect Rodgers back for their next game when they host the Buffalo Bills.
"I anticipate him being ready," Tomlin said via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. "It was a prudent decision to make, [not playing Rodgers Sunday]. Certainly, it wasn't a fluid week for him. It was a fluid week for Mason in terms of reps and so forth, and so I think it'll be in our rear view as we move forward. I'm hopeful of that."
Entering Week 7, Pittsburgh held a 2 ½ game lead in the AFC North, but it has disappeared. Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen said the Steelers are determined not to fade down the stretch.
"It sucks," Queen said of Pittsburgh losing its division lead. "Definitely sucks. But at the end of the year, there's going to be a lot of implications. More intense football, so can't wait."
