Where Would Bengals QB Joe Burrow's 70+ Day Span Between TD Passes Rank in Franchise History?

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow returned to practice Monday and said it would be “very” meaningful for him to suit up for his first game Thanksgiving night in Baltimore.

If that happens, and if he throws a touchdown pass, it will be 74 days since the last one he threw.

That came in Week 2 on a 4-yard strike to Ja’Marr Chase late in the first quarter of a 31-27 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Burrow would leave the game six minutes later with a turf-toe injury that required surgery.

If he returns against the Ravens and completes a pass for a score, the 74-day span between touchdown passes in a season will be the second longest in franchise history, falling just three days shy of the record.

The longest drought between touchdown passes in a season was set by Jeff Blake in 1998.

Neil O’Donnell beat him out for the starting job in training camp, but the veteran suffered bruised ribs on a sack in the third quarter of the Bengals’ Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football.

Blake came on in relief to face third and 17 and was sacked.

On his next series, he threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Carl Pickens to get the Bengals within 28-24 with 11:18 remaining in the game. But the Ravens went on to win 31-24.

O’Donnell returned to the starting lineup the following week.

Though Blake appeared in four more blowout losses in mop-up duty, he didn’t throw another touchdown pass until he re-entered the starting lineup in Week 15 at Indianapolis after O’Donnell was benched following an eight-game losing streak.

Blake and the Bengals lost to the Colts 29-16, but his 6-yard touchdown pass to Pickens in the third quarter ended the 77-day drought.

Below are the other longest droughts between touchdowns passes in a season in Bengals history.

70 – Ken Anderson, 1982

The 57-day player strike made up the bulk of Anderson’s lengthy span between touchdown passes.

63 – David Klinger, 1993

After throwing a touchdown in Week 3, Klinger went three starts in a row without one and then missed two games due to injury. He replaced the ineffective Jay Schroeder in a Week 11 loss to the Oilers but didn’t throw a TD.

The following week he was reinserted as the starter and hit Jeff Query with a 4-yard score to end the skid in a 17-12 loss to the Jets that dropped the Bengals to 0-10.

63 – John Stofa, 1968

Stofa threw a pair of touchdown strikes in the team’s Week 2 win against Denver – the first home game in franchise history – but he went five consecutive games without another scoring strike and was benched in favor of Dewey Warren.

In Week 11 in Miami with the Bengals sitting at 2-8, Stofa came off the bench to replace Sam Wyche and threw a 55-yard touchdown to Warren McVea in the fourth quarter of a 38-21 win.

56 – Virgil Carter, 1971

After throwing three touchdowns in a season-opening win against the Eagles, Carter went back-to-back games without one and then got hurt. He returned in Week 8 and failed again to throw a TD pass in a 9-6 loss to the Falcons.

But the following week at Denver, he threw two to snap the streak.

55 – Turk Schonert, 1984

With Anderson dealing with back spasms in a Week 5 game against the Steelers, Schonert came in and threw a 38-yard pass to Stanford Jennings in what would be a 38-17 loss.

Schonert went back to the bench until he started in a 26-6 loss to the Seahawks in Week 12.

The following week he completed 20 of 23 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns to snap his 55-day drought.