Bengals activate Joe Burrow ahead of Week 13 Thanksgiving matchup vs. Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been activated for the team's Thanksgiving matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. He is expected to start after missing the Bengals' last nine games.

Burrow started the first two games of the season before going down with a turf toe injury he suffered in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. After the game, Burrow was placed on injured reserve. Up to that point, Burrow had thrown for 189 yards with two touchdowns.

Despite Burrow's estimated recovery being three months, head coach Zac Taylor declined to rule his quarterback out for the season. The Bengals designated Burrow for return from injured reserve on Nov. 10.

The Bengals have struggled without Burrow. Taylor initially decided to go with backup quarterback Jake Browning. The Bengals struggled with Browning under center, going 0-3 in his starts. Browning threw for 757 yards, 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also failed to throw for over 150 yards in two of his starts.

Taylor decided to rip the cord out on the Browning experiment. In October, the Bengals traded a 2026 fifth-round pick and 2026 sixth-round pick to acquire Joe Flacco from their divisional rivals, the Cleveland Browns. Flacco started the same week of the trade with just four days to prepare.

Flacco started the last six games for the Bengals, going 1-5. Flacco has thrown for 1,636 yards, 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in his time with the Bengals. Flacco has battled a shoulder injury and has struggled in his last few games.

Despite not being concerned about being benched when Burrow is healthy, Flacco has expressed a desire to start next season. Flacco will be 41 in January and going into his 19th season.

The Bengals have struggled since Burrow went down. They rank 15th in passing yards per game and fourth in the most interceptions thrown, with 12 between the two backup quarterbacks.

The Bengals are 3-8, tied for last in the AFC North. The Ravens lead the division at 6-5 and are currently on a five-game winning streak.