Why Joe Burrow wasn't activated for Week 12 after getting first-team reps in practice

The Cincinnati Bengals were one of the most fascinating teams to follow along with this week, leading up to Week 12. The week began with Joe Burrow getting full participation during Wednesday's practice.

After more full participations at practice with the first-team offense, there was a lot of speculation that Burrow would return in Week 12 against the New England Patriots. But the Bengals aren't activating him from IR, giving Joe Flacco one more week.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic highlighted why this decision - to give Burrow the first-team reps in practice but not start him - was a smart decision for the Bengals to make.

Why Bengals not starting Joe Burrow in Week 12 after full practices makes sense

"By letting Burrow work with the first-team offense, he could build up valuable time with the starters." Russini writes. "Flacco, who is nursing a sprained AC joint himself, is a veteran who doesn't need the same practice time as a younger understudy."

Flacco doesn't need the first-team reps, as he's been the starter for the last four weeks. Instead, Burrow getting the work with the offense is setting him up for success once he does return.

The reason this decision from the Bengals makes even further sense is thanks to the Bengals are facing the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving Night.

A Thursday night matchup on a short week would be a quick turnaround for Burrow after his first start back from injury.

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If it were another Sunday game or a Monday game, then Burrow might've been more likely to return in Week 12. But, with the short week, and Flacco being a great alternative, the Bengals could play it cautious with Burrow for one more week.

Burrow is likely to play in Week 13 after these full participations in practice ahead of Week 12. Due to a combination of Flacco's injury and his experience, this strategy made the most sense for the Bengals.

Burrow gets an extra week's worth of practice with the first-team offense before his return on a short week. The Bengals now will get an extra week of rest for Burrow, and still have an experienced quarterback in the lineup for a matchup against the Patriots.

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