Former Player Says Joe Burrow Could Achieve ‘Greatest Season Of All Time’

The Cincinnati Bengals may be playing with fire right now. Quarterback Joe Burrow is back from his toe injury much sooner than anticipated, and he might be in line to start in Week 12 against the New England Patriots.

The risk is tremendous, but so is the benefit. That’s why former player Dan Orlovsky said Burrow could achieve the “greatest season of all time” if he leads the Bengals to the postseason.

“If somehow they pull off what would be one of the, if not the, biggest upset of the season, Thanksgiving would be a playoff game, and that’s awesome. They would play Baltimore on Thanksgiving. It would be outstanding. If Joe gets this team to the playoffs, it won’t be one of his best season ever, it would be one of the greatest seasons of all time when it comes to storyline,” Orlovsky said.

If Joe Burrow gets this team to the playoffs, it won't just be one of his best seasons ever — @danorlovsky7 thinks it would be one of the great seasons of all time when it comes to the storyline. pic.twitter.com/APocBPsvIe

— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) November 20, 2025

That sounds like a bit of a stretch. As impressive as it would be, you can’t have one of the greatest seasons of all time if you only play a handful of games. That being said, it would certainly be a legacy-defining achievement for Burrow.

However, the Bengals might not want to put him in that position. It’s not like they’ve struggled to score since Joe Flacco replaced Jake Browning at quarterback.

Cincinnati can’t keep opposing teams out of the end zone, especially in the fourth quarter. That is what has doomed the team, not Burrow’s absence.

Flacco has proven to be more than capable of leading the offense. The Bengals have one of the worst lines in the entire league, and they may not want to put their most valuable asset in a position to get injured again so soon.

Zac Taylor might be coaching for his job, so he will probably take the chance. Hopefully, the Bengals and Burrow won’t come to regret that decision.