Is Joe Burrow playing tonight against the Lions? 

Joe Burrow is having a great second season with the Cincinnati Bengals, leading the team to a strong start to the season and making the Bengals a legitimate contender for the AFC North.

Burrow, who suffered a gruesome leg injury in 2020, has returned to lead a Bengals' offense that has surpassed expectations. His partnership with fellow LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is doing wonders for Cincinnati in the first five weeks, but it's not just the two of them: the group known as Fab Five (Burrow, Chase, Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins) is the biggest reason for the Bengals' fast start.

Burrow hopes to lead the Bengals to their first playoff appearance since the 2015 season. The game against the Detroit Lions will be another opportunity to gain some ground for the AFC playoffs.

Will Burrow play against the Lions?

The Bengals are hoping to win their fourth game of the 2021 season.

Last week, Burrow tried his best to produce an upset for the Bengals against the Green Bay Packers, but Cincinnati was unable to close the game out in their opportunities to do so (primarily with Evan McPherson's two game-winning field goal misses).

But this is the most exciting season for Cincinnati fans since 2015 when they were one of the biggest favorites to win the AFC. But, in that season, quarterback Andy Dalton suffered a hand injury in the latter stages of the season and the Bengals couldn't survive without him during the playoffs.

Ja'Marr Chase or Penei Sewell: Did the Bengals make the right choice in the 2021 NFL Draft?

The Bengals-Lions matchup will be a perfect reminder of the decision that Cincinnati made between drafting either Chase or Penei Sewell in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Minnesota Vikings v Cincinnati Bengals

Chase, the Bengals' pick, was Burrows' favorite receiver in the quarterback's final season at LSU. They were the biggest pieces for the Tigers' 2019 championship run.

Chase opted-out of the 2020 college football season amid COVID-19 concerns and proceeded to get ready for the 2021 draft.

Sewell wouldn't have been the flashiest pick for the franchise, but there's an argument to be made that he may have been more important. Burrow did suffer a gruesome injury in 2020 and the offensive line wasn't reinforced much in the off-season.

Perhaps having someone of Sewell's quality protecting his blind side would be the greatest thing for Burrow to progress.

Only the future can tell us whether the Bengals made the best decision or not. Meanwhile, the two draft picks face each other later today as the Bengals take on the Lions.