Will Joe Burrow play in Bengals vs. Patriots game? Everything we know

As Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow continues to work his way back onto the field, he took another positive step forward during practice on Nov. 20.

Burrow fully participated in practice two days in a row. The Bengals will hold one final practice on Nov. 21 and Bengals coach Zac Taylor will provide an update on Burrow’s status for the upcoming Nov. 23 game against the New England Patriots following practice.

Prior to the start of practice Nov. 20, Burrow went through his typical quarterback-center exchange drills with starting center Ted Karras.

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When do the Bengals have to activate Joe Burrow from injured reserve to the 53-man roster?

If the Bengals activate Burrow from injured reserve to the 53-man roster at any point before Nov. 22 at 4 p.m., it will be another sign that he will play against the Patriots.

Right now, Burrow is on the injured reserve list and will stay there until he’s officially ready to come back so he doesn’t take up an open roster spot. The NFL gives each team the ability to open a 21-day window for an injured player to decide if they are healthy enough to be promoted to the active 53-man roster.

The Bengals opened Burrow’s 21-day window on Nov. 10 when he returned to practice for the first time in a limited capacity. His window to return from injured reserve closes on Dec. 1. This means the team must decide if Burrow is able to play in a game by then or he’ll be out for the remainder of the year.

A big decision is looming in Cincinnati.

What is the latest update from Bengals coach Zac Taylor on Joe Burrow?

Prior to practice on Nov. 20, Taylor provided the latest update on whether Burrow will play in Cincinnati’s Week 12 game against the New England Patriots (9-2) on Cincinnati radio station WLW.

Here’s the full Q&A between Thom Brennaman of WLW and Taylor:

Thom Brennaman: Is there a chance Joe Burrow plays Sunday?

Zac Taylor: “Well, I'm not there yet. One day at practice isn’t going to lead to that decision yet. We will use the time we have at our disposal and come up with the best decision we can."

TB: Will this be a situation where Joe (Burrow) might come to you and says he’s ready to go?ZT: That’s my job to balance all of the information and protect the player and make the best decision possible.

TB: You can tell us right now, Burrow is playing, isn’t he?

ZT: I wish I had that decision today, honestly. I’m going to take in all of the information I can and make sure it’s the best one for Joe and our team.

Joe Burrow's return impressing players in the Bengals locker room

Since Burrow returned, there’s been a noticeable energy boost in the Bengals’ locker room. If Burrow is able to return against the Patriots, he won’t have his Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase to target. Chase is serving a one-game suspension for spitting on Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey.

Wide receiver Tee Higgins will be Cincinnati’s top target against New England. Higgins and Burrow practiced both days and have plenty of banked reps with one another over the years.

According to Higgins, Burrow looks sharp in his return and appears ready to go.

"He's practicing like he was Week 1," Higgins said. " He looked good last week when he was practicing. I'm happy for him just to get his feet back wet and it's been good... Joe's been looking outstanding. He's slinging it deep, short routes − everything's been pretty good."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Will Joe Burrow play in Bengals vs. Patriots game? Everything we know