Just when the Cincinnati Bengals’ season seemed lost, Joe Burrow is rewriting his own recovery script once again, potentially accelerating a return that could change the AFC North landscape. Coming off turf-toe surgery, everyone expected the Bengals to slow-roll him. But it sounds like he’s ahead of schedule again.

“Safe to say, the original plan was he came back after two months from that turf toe surgery, it’s gonna take the full 21 days to get ready, maybe play early December against the Bills,” Ian Rapoport said on TNF Nightcap.

“It certainly feels like plans have changed. He was a full participant both days yesterday and today. Zac Taylor had a couple of opportunities to say ‘nah, he’s not starting. Sunday, it’s too early.’ He has not said that. More information coming tomorrow, but it truly seems like the direction this is going is Burrow starting against the Patriots,” he added.

According to the insider, Burrow’s latest progress could put him back on the field as early as this Sunday vs. the Patriots. If that’s where this is heading, the timing couldn’t be better for a Bengals team hanging onto postseason relevance with the tips of their fingers.

At 3–7, Cincinnati needs every lifeline it can find. And hearing Ja’Marr Chase will miss the Patriots game because of suspension felt like the worst possible way to start the week. Burrow’s return would flip the mood instantly.

Zac Taylor didn’t commit one way or another when he was asked on Nov. 20 whether Burrow or Joe Flacco would start. That’s notable. Taylor tends to be direct, not vague, so the non-answer feels more like a door cracked open than one slammed shut. And Burrow participating in full 11-on-11 for the first time since the surgery only adds fuel.

The Bengals went 1–7 without him. No team has ever made the playoffs after starting 3–7, and Cincinnati’s odds are somewhere between slim and imaginary. But Burrow’s return still matters. It matters for the locker room, for the remaining AFC North schedule, and for two matchups with Baltimore that could shape how the division finishes.

They may not climb out of the hole they dug, but they can absolutely influence who wins the North. In its own way, that’s still meaningful.

And with Burrow edging closer to taking back the job, Joe Flacco seems to know what’s coming.

Joe Flacco wants a starting opportunity next year

It looked like a panic move at the time. But pulling Joe Flacco off the Browns and dropping him into a sinking Bengals season ended up being one of the few things that actually worked. The wins didn’t pile up, mostly because Cincinnati was giving up 33 points a week, but Flacco played far better than anyone reasonably expected.

Since arriving, he’s thrown for 1,453 yards, 12 touchdowns, and only three interceptions in five games. Compare that to his short run in Cleveland earlier this year – two touchdowns, six interceptions – and it’s obvious he found something in Cincinnati. Enough, at least, to convince him that he’s earned another shot to start somewhere.

“Hopefully it reinforces it in somebody’s mind that I can do it,” Flacco said to ESPN. “I do still want to do it. I still feel like I can do it. This obviously does help with the confidence of being able to do it and all that stuff. I would like an opportunity, but you just never know.”

He’s right: he has shown he can still play. But the reality is unchanged. He’s not taking Joe Burrow’s job. And that means if Flacco wants a starting gig, it’s almost certainly going to have to happen somewhere else.

The problem? There aren’t many doors likely to be open. The Jets are expected to move on from Justin Fields. Arizona might hit reset with Kyler Murray’s contract getting messier by the year. Beyond that, it’s hard to find a clean runway for a 40-year-old quarterback who still thinks he’s got a season or two left in him.