Bengals should resist urge to bring Joe Burrow back, plus game balls from Week 11

The Cincinnati Bengals need to fight the urge to bring Joe Burrow back in 2025. Frankly, they haven’t played well enough in his absence for it to make any logical sense to put him back under center. 

This week, the superstar quarterback made his return to the practice field as the organization opened up his 21-day practice window. This comes after he landed on injured reserve due to a turf toe injury he suffered in Week 2. CBS Sports’ Melanie Collins reported amid Cincinnati’s Week 11 contest with the Pittsburgh Steelers that Burrow did 7-on-7 work during practice last week, and is expected to throw 11-on-11 against the scout team this upcoming week. 

As for when the Bengals are aiming for him to get back under center in a regular-season game, here’s what Collins had to say: “I was told by the Bengals this morning that Week 13 against the Ravens is a possibility, as is Week 14 against the Bills. But as of now, no definitive return date for Joe Burrow.” 

In a vacuum, it’s encouraging to see Burrow making progress from a nasty injury like turf toe. But when we look at the current state of his team, they aren’t good enough for it to make sense to activate and start him down the stretch, and Sunday’s 34-12 loss to Pittsburgh was the latest example of why. 

The club continues to be a turnstile on defense, allowing the Steelers to log 343 yards of total offense. That came even as Aaron Rodgers left the contest midway due to a left wrist injury. In fact, career backup Mason Rudolph was even more efficient than Rodgers, coming in under duress, completing  12 of his 16 throws for 127 yards and a touchdown. 

The Bengals are allowing the most points per game (33.4) in a season since the 1966 New York Giants. Cincinnati has allowed at least 27 points and 340 yards of offense in nine straight games, which is the longest streak in the NFL since 1970. 

Since beginning the year 2-0 with Burrow as the starter (he left midway through Week 2), the team has lost seven of its last eight games in his absence. Cincinnati is 3-7 on the season, which has them three games behind the Steelers in the loss column for first place in the division, and they are three games behind the Jaguars in the loss column for the final wild-card spot. They could lose even more ground this time next week after they visit the New England Patriots, who are seven-point favorites at the moment. If that plays out like the oddsmakers expect it will, you’re looking at a 3-8 team that is firmly on life support just as it gets within the range of bringing Burrow back. 

It makes little sense to ask Burrow to shake off the rust immediately, throw it all over the yard in hopes of scoring into the mid-30s just to maybe inch closer to .500. Even if Burrow does get Cincinnati’s offense scoring at a high degree, this defense has shown us that they can’t be trusted to help hold up its end of the bargain. Over the last two seasons, the Bengals are 1-4 when they’ve scored at least 38 points. 

On top of the team not being equipped to compete even in his return, Burrow’s injury history is another reason to keep him on the shelf. The only way this season can get worse for Cincinnati is for it to bring Burrow back amid an already lost season, only for him to endure another injury that could dent his availability for 2026. 

Had the Bengals held down the fort and been sniffing .500, there’s a case to be made to welcome Burrow back with open arms, but that’s not the reality, and the team shouldn’t bring back its golden goose just for the heck of it.

Game balls

• Week 11 stats: 19 of 30 passing, 317 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs; 6 carries, 40 yards rushing, 3 TDs

In a wild back-and-forth matchup against Tampa Bay, Josh Allen was able to help his team to a 44-32 victory. The Bills quarterback had some questionable interceptions in the winning effort, but was also a force. Allen tallied six total touchdowns. It was just the third time in NFL history that a player had three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in a game (Allen in 2024 vs. Rams and Otto Graham in the 1954 NFL Championship Game). 

• Week 11 stats: 19 carries, 106 yards rushing, 2 TDs; 2 catches, 34 yards receiving, 1 TD

If you started Sean Tucker in fantasy this week, can I borrow your crystal ball for Week 12? Who saw this explosive day from the Bucs back coming? Tucker became just the fourth player in franchise history with two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in a game. Naturally, this was career day for Tucker in the touchdown department, and it was just his second 100-yard rushing day of his career. 

• Week 11 stats: 21 carries, 120 yards rushing; 5 catches, 45 yards receiving

Achane has been on a tear over the past two weeks and was a key cog in Miami pulling out the win over Washington in Madrid. The Dolphins back had 165 scrimmage yards on 26 touches on Sunday. What was most impressive was that 78 of those scrimmage yards came in the fourth quarter. 

• Week 11 stats: 31 of 45 passing, 448 yards passing, 3 TDs

Young’s 448 yards through the air are the most by a Panthers quarterback in a game in franchise history. What makes that even more impressive is that Young did this in an overtime win for Carolina against the No. 1-ranked pass defense in the NFL. The former top pick’s three passing touchdowns were also a career high. 

• Week 11 stats: 8 catches, 130 yards receiving, 2 TDs

Young’s go-to target on his career day was first-round rookie Tetairoa McMillan, who also made some history. He set single-game career highs in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in the overtime win over Atlanta. McMillan also became just the second rookie in Panthers history with at least 100 yards receiving and two receiving touchdowns in a game, joining David Gettis in 2010. 

• Week 11 stats: 5 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, four sacks

Garrett was once again a menace and nearly spearheaded an upset win over the Baltimore Ravens. He already has 15 sacks on the year, which is one shy of tying his career high. Garrett is the first player in NFL history to record at least 12 sacks in six consecutive seasons, and is the third player in NFL history with 10 or more sacks in a three-game span. 

• Week 11 stats: 15 catches, 185 yards receiving

Have a day, Michael Wilson! While it came in a losing effort, Wilson was a monster for Arizona, hauling in 15 of his 18 targets. His 185 receiving yards are the most by any Cardinals player since John Brown in 2015. It’s also the most receiving yards by any player in a game this season. 

Notable Week 11 gaffes

Mike McDaniel makes puzzling goal-line decision

It ultimately didn’t matter because Miami went on to win in overtime over the Commanders, but Mike McDaniel was playing with fire in the final minutes of regulation. The Dolphins got the football down to the goal line, but were unable to cross for a touchdown on a third-and-goal rush by Achane. That failed attempt on third down came after the two-minute warning, and Washington had already burned all of its timeouts, so a logical train of thought would point to Miami kicking a field goal to break the 13-13 tie with 1:44 left on the clock. 

Instead of taking the lead with a go-ahead chip-shot field goal, McDaniel left his offense on the field, and it failed to convert on fourth down. 

The Commanders were able to drive down the field to set up what would’ve been a game-winning 56-yard field goal for Matt Gay, but it sailed wide right. Had that gone through, McDaniel’s seat likely would’ve been even hotter than it already is, so he was fortunate to pull out the overtime victory. 

Jalen Ramsey ejected after alleged spit from Ja’Marr Chase

Jalen Ramsey was ejected in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh’s matchup against the Bengals. The Steelers defensive back was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty and thrown out of the game for throwing a punch at wideout Ja’Marr Chase. 

It was revealed after the game that Ramsey threw the punch in retaliation after he claimed Chase spit on him. In a field-level video from Fox 19 Sports, it does seem to show Chase spitting at Ramsey, and then the scuffle sparked from there. 

It should be noted that if the NFL confirms that Chase did spit on Ramsey, the star wide receiver could be subject to punishment from the league office. Earlier this season, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was suspended for a game (with credit for time served) for a similar instance against Dallas. 

Sean Payton flagged for unsportsmanlike penalty

The Denver Broncos head coach didn’t have the best awareness in the second half of Denver’s AFC West matchup against the Chiefs. While watching the play from the sideline, Payton was too close to the playing field and in the way of the official as he was running upfield. The two then collided and hit the deck hard, which triggered the penalty on the head coach. 

Two-minute drills

Here are some of my quick-hitting takeaways/notes from Week 11: 

• The Chiefs’ bid for 10 straight division titles likely went up in smoke Sunday. At 5-5, this was the first day I truly wondered if they’d miss the playoffs. 
• Denver might win the AFC West and get into the playoffs, but I have my doubts about them making a significant run. 
• Yes, Sam Darnold looked awful Sunday with his first four-interception day since the infamous “Seeing Ghosts” game with the Jets back in 2019. However, are we just going to ignore the fact that Seattle had a shot to win in the final seconds despite all that? That feels like an underrated piece to Los Angeles’ win. 
• Matthew Stafford has thrown 24 straight touchdowns without an interception, which is the second-longest streak of all time.
• It was an ugly win, but Baltimore is suddenly 5-5 and a winner of four straight. The Ravens take on the Jets in Week 12, and with Aaron Rodgers injured, the door may be open to climb atop the AFC North standings. 
• Because of ineptitude on offense, Cleveland’s all-world defense isn’t getting nearly enough love. While Myles Garrett’s four sacks garnered most of the attention, don’t sleep on rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger. The second rounder was everywhere on Sunday with 11 tackles and a pass breakup. 
• While he came in under duress, Shedeur Sanders didn’t exactly impress in his debut. The game felt a little too quick for him. 
• Jacoby Brissett’s 47 completions are the most in a game in NFL history (47), beating the previous record of 45 held by Drew Bledsoe and Jared Goff. 
• With Brock Purdy back under center, San Francisco scored a season-high 41 points. At 7-4, the 49ers are still very much alive in the NFC West race. 
• All eyes will be on Michael Penix Jr. after he left Sunday’s loss with a knee injury. However, this defensive regression is concerning. Atlanta is allowing 27.8 points per game and 399.6 total yards per game over this five-game losing streak. 
• Injuries seem to finally be catching up to the Chargers, who scored just six points on offense and let the Jaguars drop 35. 
• Bhayshul Tuten and Travis Etienne combined for 147 yards rushing and three touchdowns for Jacksonville. 
• J.J. McCarthy is the first quarterback with an interception in his first five starts since … Zach Wilson (2021).
• The Bears are 5-3 this season when down in the final two minutes. 
• It didn’t burn them this week, but the Packers once again played down to their competition, which has me questioning their ability to live up to their Super Bowl caliber talent. 
• Philadelphia’s defense was all over the place Sunday night, but Jared Goff also missed a number of layup throws. A rare dud for the Lions quarterback, albeit against a stellar defense.