CINCINNATI -- Joe Burrow understands the logic.
After a turf toe injury sidelined him for the past nine games and with the Bengals having, per ESPN Analytics, a 1% chance of making the playoffs, it would make sense for Cincinnati's star quarterback to remain out and not risk further injury.
But Burrow doesn't see it that way.
"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 Tuesday, ahead of his anticipated return against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving. "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."
Burrow has suffered significant injuries in four of his six NFL seasons, including missing the final seven games of the 2023 season with a torn ligament in his right wrist.
Even though Cincinnati has a 3-8 record with six games remaining, Burrow said he didn't consider sitting out games when healthy and that he's not concerned about the risk of injury that is inherent with playing the sport.
"Yeah, I've had injuries," Burrow said. "There's not a lot I can do about that. I worked really hard to have that not happen.
"But what I can do is when it does happen, I can control how I'm attacking my rehab and attacking practice and doing everything in my power to get back as quickly as possible. And that's what I did."
Burrow came close to making his return this past weekend against the New England Patriots. However, Bengals coach Zac Taylor opted to rest the Pro Bowl quarterback to avoid having him play two games in five days. While his surgically repaired left toe was fine, he was sore after two full practices last week. He could have been ready to play if needed, but Burrow said Taylor made a good decision in withholding him for a few more days.
Burrow acknowledged Cincinnati likely needs to win its final six games to have a remote shot of making the postseason. The Bengals were in a similar position last season. They won their final five games and finished with a 9-8 record. However, they were unable to get help from other teams in order to secure a wild-card spot.
Taylor has come under fire, as the team is set to miss the playoffs for the third straight year, a stretch that followed back-to-back AFC North championships and a Super Bowl appearance in 2021.
Asked what the team needs to do in order to become a contender again, whether it's in 2025 or beyond, Burrow said players need to improve their performance and indirectly defended Taylor.
"There's not a scheme in the NFL that is so revolutionary that it's going to completely change the way a player plays the game," Burrow said. "Coaches work really hard, are smart and they work a lot of hours to put players in position to make plays.
"You have to go make plays and play great within the system. At the end of the day, players have to take some accountability and play really well."
The Bengals are looking to end a four-game losing streak against Baltimore in the AFC North rivalry.
Burrow said he grew up watching football games on Thanksgiving and dreamed of one day playing in one himself. But he also wanted to come back for an intense, intradivision matchup.
"Got a lot of respect for the people on the opposite side of the ball, but when you play people twice a year, you get tired of them," Burrow said. "You don't like them. It's a division rivalry. You got respect for them, but it's intense out there."
