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The Cincinnati Bengals got a huge surprise on Monday with the return of Joe Burrow to practice. Burrow had been sidelined since Sept. 14 when he suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury during the first half of a 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The superstar quarterback, who underwent surgery on Sept. 19, has missed a total of seven games since being placed on injured reserve and Cincinnati has gone 1-6 in those games. However, his stint on IR will soon be ending because the Bengals have activated his 21-day practice window. What that means is that Burrow can practice from now until Dec. 1 without counting against the team's 53-man roster. NFL Week 11 picks and score predictions: Chiefs edge Broncos in thriller, Rams top Seahawks in NFC West clash John Breech Once Dec. 1 hits, the Bengals will have to make decision about moving him to the active roster. They can add him to the roster at any point before Dec. 1, but if he hasn't been activated by then, then he'll be out for the rest of the season. With that in mind, let's take a look at when Burrow might return. Week 11: Bengals at Steelers Although Burrow is practicing this week, he definitely won't be on the field for this AFC North showdown. Zac Taylor made that very clear during his press conference on Monday. "We're not looking at him playing Sunday," Taylor said of Burrow. "He's got the 21-day window that we've activated, so the timeline will be beyond this week." With Burrow out, that means Joe Flacco will get to make his fifth start of the season. Flacco is just 1-3 so far, but you can't blame the losses on him. The veteran quarterback has put up some huge numbers and that includes throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-31 win over the Steelers in Week 7. VERDICT: Burrow won't play vs. Steelers. Week 12: Patriots at Bengals It seems highly unlikely that Burrow will play against New England. Taylor said that Burrow will be "inching his way forward" over the next two weeks, which makes it sound like the Bengals have no plans to play him in Week 12. "This is just Day 1," Taylor said. "We'll start with Day 1, just get out there, at least throw routes on air to the receivers and then just start progressing that way. You got this great opportunity for these next couple of weeks for him to start inching his way forward." It sounds like the Bengals want to see Burrow practice for at least two full weeks before they even think about making any commitments about when he might play. "We'll get through this first week and then approach next week and then see where we end up after that," Taylor said. During a press conference on Monday, Burrow was asked when he thought he might be able to return to the field and he indicated that he would like to have a "couple weeks of practice" before making his official return to the field. "We have 21 days to figure that out," the quarterback said. "It could be early, it could be late in that window. We're still pretty early post-surgery for that injury. So we have a couple weeks of practice to figure it out, see where it goes." VERDICT: Burrow almost certainly won't play versus New England. Week 13: Bengals at Ravens This is the game you should circle on your calendar, because this is the game Burrow appears to be targeting for a possible return. This AFC North showdown is being played on Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) and based on what Burrow had to say on Monday, he would really like to be on the field. The Bengals QB gave a one-word answer when asked how meaningful it would be for him to return against the Ravens in this prime time game. "Very," Burrow said. Burrow has played some of his best games against the Ravens. Last season, he threw for 492 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-38 loss to Baltimore. In their second meeting, he was almost as impressive, throwing for 428 yards and four touchdowns. This is the prime time game on Thanksgiving and if Burrow is returning, it would suddenly turn into must-see TV. VERDICT: If Burrow's toe is cooperating, he'll likely be playing Week 14 : Bengals at Bills If Burrow isn't feeling comfortable enough to return in Week 13 against the Ravens, he could hold off one week and return against the Bills on Dec. 7. In this instance, the Bengals could use their full 21-day practice window and then activate Burrow on Dec. 1, which would be the week of this game. For Burrow to return in this game, the Bengals would have to keep their head above water for three more weeks, which would likely mean going 2-1 against the Steelers, Patriots and Ravens. It's not impossible, but it wouldn't be easy. Verdict: It's unlikely he makes his first start here, but not impossible Why Thanksgiving isn't a lock and why he might not return at all Although Burrow is back at practice, there's no guarantee that he's going to return this year. "There's a lot of variables and the number one is my health," Burrow said. One of the other variables is whether the Bengals still have a realistic shot at earning a playoff berth. It seems unlikely that the Bengals would let Burrow back on the field if they're out of playoff contention, and at 3-6, they're hanging on by a thread. Burrow was asked on Monday if the team's record would factor into his decision to possible return and he mostly sidestepped the question. "We'll see how these next couple of weeks go," Burrow said. "We'll see how it feels. We'll make a decision when the time comes." That makes this week's game against the Steelers a must-win for the Bengals. If they lose, they'll be three games out of first place with just seven games left to play. However, if they win, they'll be just one game out of first place in what would suddenly be a very wide open AFC North. One reason Burrow is itching to get back on the field is because he things the Bengals can still win the division. "Our division is wide open," Burrow said. "Pittsburgh is 5-4 and we play them this week. Everything is still there in front of us. It's very rare that our division looks like this, but it does this year. And so I think we'll be at least in it until the end." Based on those comments, it sounds like he plans on playing this season if his toe can handle it and if the Bengals have any chance at all to steal the AFC North.
