Injured Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) walks the field shaking hands after the NFL Week 7 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. The Bengals won, 33-31.

When Joe Burrow went down with turf toe back in Week 2, the then-undefeated Bengals were hoping to stay alive in the playoff hunt for Burrow's return later in the season.

And though the Bengals have largely seen the season fall apart in Burrow's absence, they got some encouraging news about the star quarterback's potential return.

Burrow returned to practice on Monday as a limited participant, marking the beginning of Burrow's 21-day window. During the next 21 days, Burrow will be able to practice without counting towards the 53-man roster. He can also be activated to the roster at any time during the 21 days. The Bengals will either have to activate him or shut him down for the season when the window expires.

What was initially looking like a December return is now sounding more like Thanksgiving, according to Jay Glazer.

So while Joe Flacco is still slated as the starting quarterback against the Steelers (and likely the Patriots), we could be seeing Burrow's return for the Thanksgiving night matchup at Baltimore.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Joe Burrow injury update: Bengals QB could return sooner than expected

Reporting by Andrew Joseph, For The Win / For The Win

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect