Joe Burrow starting at quarterback against the Patriots in Week 12 was not on anyone’s radar.

That changed in a hurry on Wednesday, when the Bengals listed Burrow as a full participant at practice. It was the first time Burrow was a full participant since he suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2 — an injury that required surgery.

With Joe Flacco limited in practice due to a nagging shoulder injury, the question now becomes whether No. 9 will actually be under center when New England visits Cincinnati on Sunday, a move that would significantly alter the scope of the matchup.

The Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi cited one key factor that could force the Bengals to rush Burrow back to the field.

“Desperation,” Giardi said on Early Edition. “There’s a head coach [Zac Taylor] who’s concerned about losing his job. And they’re not going to fire the GM, Duke Tobin, because he’s good friends with [owner] Mike Brown. And Mike Brown, as we know, that’s a family business. … Duke’s not going anywhere.

“So, if they’re gonna make a change, it’s going to be Zac. So, Zac’s got to be looking at this saying, ‘I gotta try to win out.’ And you know the player himself is gonna say, ‘I want to play.’ Like, this is our whole point. So, he’s gonna try to push this.”

Taylor is currently 49-59-1 as head coach of the Bengals, and he’s 21-23 over the past three seasons.

This year, the Bengals are 3-7, and by the metric of DVOA, they have the worst defense ever measured through 10 games.

The season may be lost, thanks to blown games at home to the Jets and Bears, but a respectable record with Burrow at QB could be enough for Taylor to keep his job. (The Bengals went 2-0 to start the year and have a number of winnable games left on the schedule.)

The Bengals activated Burrow’s 21-day practice window on Nov. 10, with all reports suggesting that the Bengals were targeting their Thanksgiving night game in Baltimore for the quarterback’s return. Considering star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (suspension) and pass rusher Trey Hendrickson (injury) won’t be playing against the Patriots, Sunday may not be the ideal time for Burrow to play if he’s not 100 percent.

Yet Burrow, by some accounts, is a “psycho competitor.” That, combined with a dire situation in Cincinnati, could lead to a much taller task for the Patriots’ defense to deal with on Sunday.