Ultimately, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor stood true to his word when it comes to the Joe Burrow return.
The Bengals made roster moves on Saturday before Week 12 against the Patriots, confirming that Burrow would not be activated to the 53-man roster for the game.
Albert Breer of MMQB noted that Taylor made the call:
“The call to give Bengals QB Joe Burrow another few days to heal up came on Friday after practice—with Zac Taylor prioritizing protecting Burrow, who’d pushed to play. Initial plan was never to play him vs. NE (tho he made a run at it) so going back to that isn’t too complicated.”
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So, Burrow pushing to play won’t shock fans. What might, though, is Taylor and the Bengals apparently pulling back on the idea, despite how important it is to the team’s playoff chances to pick up a win this weekend.
Alas, the Bengals will have to attempt it without Burrow. The turnaround from a Sunday game to a Thursday game on short notice was deemed too much for Burrow’s current situation.
Now, most interesting is how the Bengals proceed with Burrow if the team loses to the Patriots on Sunday. Everyone knows he wants to play no matter what, but the team stepping in could be a possibility.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Zac Taylor protects Joe Burrow with tough return decision for Bengals
Reporting by Chris Roling, Bengals Wire / Bengals Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
