Burrow’s Back just in Time for Thanksgiving Feast in Baltimore

The Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens are clashing this Thursday night, and the script couldn't be juicier if it were written by a daytime soap opera team. After weeks of watching from the sidelines with that nagging turf toe, Joe Burrow is officially back. He dropped a cryptic "He's back" on Instagram, and Zac Taylor basically confirmed it—Joey B is suiting up for the Bird War. It’s a desperate, last-gasp moment for Cincy, who are clinging to a 1% playoff prayer, but getting their QB1 back changes the vibe instantly.

However, it’s not all gravy for the Bengals. While Burrow returns, the offense is missing a massive piece: Tee Higgins is out with a concussion. That puts a ton of pressure on Ja’Marr Chase to play hero ball against a Ravens secondary that can be exploited. On the flip side, Baltimore is riding a five-game winning streak, sitting pretty at 7-4, but let’s be real—Lamar Jackson hasn’t looked like himself. He’s been battling knee and ankle issues for weeks, and now there’s a toe thing? The guy is a warrior, playing through pain, but the explosive run game has looked a bit more pedestrian lately.

The trenches are where this gets ugly for Cincy. They’re missing their best pass rusher, Trey Hendrickson, due to a hip injury. That’s a nightmare scenario when you’re trying to contain Lamar, even a banged-up version. The Ravens' offense, averaging a healthy 25 points per game, might just feast on a defensive line that can’t generate pressure. Expect Baltimore to pound the rock early to test that Cincy front, keeping Burrow on the bench as long as possible.

Betting Picks & Predictions

The oddsmakers aren't buying the Burrow hype train just yet, installing the Ravens as solid 7-point favorites at home. It makes sense. Baltimore is a different beast at M&T Bank Stadium, and Cincy’s defense is leaking oil without Hendrickson.

But the real money here is looking at the scoreboard. The total is sitting tall at 51.5 points, and for good reason. Both squads are 7-4 to the Over this season. The Ravens put up 25 points a night, and even with a backup for weeks, the Bengals are scraping together 22.8. With Burrow back to sling it and the Bengals' defense likely unable to stop a nosebleed, this has "shootout" written all over it.

Prediction: Ravens win a high-scoring thriller, 34-28. The Play: Take the Over 51.5. Both defenses have holes, and Burrow is going to be throwing haymakers to keep up.