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Patriots injury updates: Could Joe Burrow end up playing against New England on Sunday?
Bengals QB Joe Burrow was listed as a full participant during Wednesday's practice.
The good news for the Patriots? After enjoying a “mini bye” weekend after beating the Jets last Thursday night, a banged-up New England roster was much healthier during Wednesday’s practice at Gillette Stadium.
The bad news? New England’s defense might be thrown a curveball on Sunday in Cincinnati, as Bengals franchise QB Joe Burrow might be well ahead of schedule in his projected return to the gridiron.
On Wednesday’s injury report, the Bengals listed Burrow as a full participant in practice, presenting a possible scenario where the franchise QB is cleared for game action for Sunday’s game against New England.
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Burrow has been sidelined since Week 2 of the 2025 season after suffering a turf toe injury that required surgery.
He was expected to be sidelined for three months, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting on Sunday that Burrow had “eyes on a return for either Cincinnati’s Thanksgiving night game against the Baltimore Ravens or more likely the Bengals’ Dec. 7 game against the Buffalo Bills.”
But, with Cincinnati now 3-7 on the season and their playoff hopes dwindling, Burrow might be accelerating his timeline in an effort to get Cincy back on track.
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Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was noncommittal speaking to reporters on Wednesday afternoon before practice about Burrow’s availability.
“Joe Burrow hasn’t practiced 11-on-11 yet,” Taylor said. “So like I said the other day, until we get through some practices there is no reason for me to even speculate on that.”
Granted, Taylor might be changing his tune on Friday when the next injury report comes out. By being a full participant, Burrow has now been cleared in both 11-on-11s and other full drills.
While Cincinnati will have to take on a 9-2 Patriots team without top wideout Ja’Marr Chase, the return of Burrow would be a major boost for the Bengals. Last season, Burrow completed 70.6 percent of his passes — throwing for 4,918 yards, 43 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
As New England awaits to see which QB it will match up against at Paycor Stadium, the state of the Patriots’ depth chart seems to be improving after a few days off.
New England had zero non-participants during Wednesday’s practice, with three starters who were sidelined last Thursday in wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, linebacker Christian Elliss, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson all taking part in practice.
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Boutte and Elliss were full participants, while Stevenson — sidelined over the past three weeks with a toe injury — was limited.
The Patriots have been able to stay afloat without Stevenson due to rookie TreVeyon Henderson’s emergence, with the rookie running back scoring five total touchdowns in New England’s last two games.
But, the return of Boutte should be a welcome sight for Drake Maye and the Patriots offense, with Boutte emerging as Maye’s top deep threat so far this year.
Prior to missing the last two games with a hamstring injury, Boutte reeled in five touchdowns across nine games — with his 18.7 yards per reception good for second in the NFL.
“They’ll all work today, we’ll see how they respond after today, and kind of keep moving from there. But no real update,” Mike Vrabel said ahead of practice on Wednesday about the status of Boutte, Stevenson, and Elliss. “They haven’t done anything that we’ve pushed through other than that. So, hopefully they’re out there and they will be ready to go, and then we’ll see where they go.”
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Here’s a look at the full injury reports for both the Patriots and Bengals on Wednesday evening:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Did Not Participate
None
Limited Participation
DT Christian Barmore – Not Injury Related / Other
LB K’Lavon Chaisson, Ankle
TE Austin Hooper, Concussion
LB Harold Landry, Knee
OT Morgan Moses, Not Injury Related / Rest
RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Toe
LB Jahlani Tavai, Not Injury Related / Personal
Full Participation
WR Kayshon Boutte, Hamstring
LB Christian Elliss, Hip
DL Joshua Farmer, Ankle
RB Terrell Jennings, Knee
CINCINNATI BENGALS
Did Not Participate
DE Trey Hendrickson, Hip/Pelvis
HB Samaje Perine, Knee
G Jalen Rivers, Knee / Ankle
DE Cam Sample, Oblique
CB Cam Taylor-Britt, Foot
Limited Participation
QB Joe Flacco, Right Shoulder
DE Cedric Johnson, Ankle
Full Participation
Daijahn Anthony, Hamstring
QB Joe Burrow, Toe
WR Jermaine Burton, Illness
TE Mike Gesicki, Pectoral
DE Joseph Ossai, Ankle
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