Will Joe Burrow play Sunday? Patriots unsure as they prepare for Bengals

FOXBORO The short answer is they don t know Joe Burrow might return Sunday in an attempt to begin saving what s left of the Bengals season when the Patriots visit for a p m kickoff Or Cincinnati could turn again to -year-old Joe Flacco who s started the Bengals last five games while Burrow recovers from a turf toe injury Either way the Pats know they won t learn which quarterback they ll face until Cincinnati makes an official announcement So in the meantime they will continue keep busy by preparing for both quarterbacks It s more about things we can control We can t control that Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins disclosed Thursday We ve got to control what we can and stay locked in stay poised and ready As a spot starter Flacco is - with a completion percentage touchdowns and three interceptions He s sustained the deep passing element of Cincinnati s offense in Burrow s absence though the Bengals will take a hit Sunday without star wide receiver Ja Marr Chase who s been suspended one contest for spitting on Steelers safety Jalen Ramsey last week If Flacco plays the Patriots understand the importance of applying pressure on Flacco whose performance under duress has been dramatically worse than when he s afforded a clean pocket You re not going to trick him Pats coach Mike Vrabel commented this week You re going to have to cover him beat him rush him The ball comes out quick He doesn t seem to get rattled very easily It s not something that s going to happen Burrow a top- quarterback when healthy also prefers to play from the pocket He s long ranked among the majority accurate passers and fastest processors in the league It s unclear how much rust Burrow will have if he does play Sunday four days before his broadcasted target date of returning on Thanksgiving night when the Bengals will play at Baltimore Before he was injured in Week Burrow went -of- for yards two touchdowns and zero interceptions in Cincinnati s first two games But whether it s a rusty Burrow or an aging Flacco the Patriots aren t taking either lightly while they run out the clock until kickoff Flacco s been around for a long time so he has a lot of experience And Burrow plays at a high level Hawkins noted They both have different parts of their games that make them great