Perhaps the biggest story in the NFL this week was the return of Joe Burrow to the practice field for the Cincinnati Bengals.
It’s news that certainly registered in New England, as the Patriots are set to travel to Cincinnati next week.
Ever since Burrow went down with his toe injury in Week 2, the Patriots’ Week 12 trip to Cincinnati appeared to be much less of a challenge than initially believed. Does the return to the practice field change the outlook for the Patriots?
According to Albert Breer, probably not.
“He is a complete psycho competitor, so I wouldn’t rule him out when it comes to anything,” Breer said on Arbella Early Edition while noting that the Bengals essentially have a three-week plan to get Burrow back into game action.
“My understanding is, what they’re gonna do with him this week is they’re gonna have him basically in 7-on-7 work. While they manage Joe Flacco’s shoulder injury, he’s gonna be seeing some action there, and they’ll ramp him up,” Breer said. “The idea, I think, is to see where you’re at. Their next three games, it’s wonky because they play on Thanksgiving night. So they have the Steelers this week, the Patriots next week, and then they have a short week to play the Ravens.
“So the idea would be, can we win two of those three games? And now we’re 5-6 and we’re playing relevant football, and here comes Joe Burrow to help save us.”
As Breer explicitly stated, a “psycho competitor” like Burrow can’t ever be definitively ruled out.
“I wouldn’t rule it out — psycho — but probably not,” Breer reiterated.
The Patriots are 8-2, and they’re hosting the 2-7 Jets before getting a mini-bye preceding that Week 12 trip to Cincinnati. Playing on the road against an elite quarterback like Burrow could certainly help beef up the Patriots’ experience before the playoffs, but picking up a victory any way possible would also boost the Patriots’ chances of earning the all-important playoff bye in the AFC.
