Bengals QB Joe Burrow out for season, likely needs surgery

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow’s season is over.

An MRI showed that the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback suffered a torn ligament in his right wrist during Thursday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The team called the issue an acute injury that may have occurred in the second quarter. On the next play, Burrow threw a 4-yard touchdown pass in what will likely be his last throw of 2023.

“It’s tough,” Burrow said Friday afternoon. “You work really hard during seasons and times like these. Anytime you get injured and it ends early, it’s hard to deal with. It’s part of the game.”

Burrow said he landed on the wrist after being hit by Ravens defensive end Jadeveon Clowney on a 9-yard play in Baltimore’s red zone. On the next play, Burrow suffered after throwing the touchdown pass to Mixon.

“I felt a pop in the middle of the throw,” Burrow said. “I tried to give it a shot, but I couldn’t.”

After initially suspecting it was a serious injury, he received confirmation Friday morning. Jake Browning, the team’s backup quarterback who finished the game in Burrow’s absence, will be the starter for the foreseeable future.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Friday that early information shows that players who suffer this type of injury are capable of making a full recovery. However, Taylor had no immediate timetable on when Burrow would have surgery or when he might return. Taylor and Burrow said they are still gathering more information about the injury.

This is the second time Burrow has suffered a season-ending injury in his four-year career. The top pick in the 2020 draft had his rookie year cut short when he suffered multiple torn ligaments in his left knee during a Week 11 loss to Washington.

Taylor said it was unfortunate to see a player like Burrow, who works especially hard to ensure he is as healthy as possible on the field, see another season end prematurely.

“It kills you to see someone have to go through that, you know, multiple times now,” Taylor said.

On Wednesday, photos and videos surfaced of Burrow wearing something on his right wrist before the game against Baltimore. One of them was posted by the team on social media and quickly deleted.

Burrow said it was a compression sleeve, something he has worn in the past when dealing with minor issues during the season.

“It’s not uncommon for guys to wear a compression sleeve on a plane, because when you go up to that altitude, things can swell,” Burrow said Friday. In football you get a lot of bumps and bruises. It’s a whole new injury.”

However, the NFL is investigating why Burrow was not listed on the team’s injury report ahead of Thursday’s game, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Taylor said he hasn’t spoken to the league about the matter.

This isn’t the first time Burrow has been injured this season.

On the second day of training camp, Burrow suffered a right calf strain that forced him to miss several weeks. He returned for the start of the season but reinjured his calf in Week 2 against Baltimore. However, he did not miss any matches despite the problem.

Much like the wrist, Burrow was seen wearing a compression sleeve on his calf before coming down. Taylor said he saw no commonality between the situations.

The Bengals invested in Burrow as their franchise quarterback after he helped them reach the Super Bowl after the 2021 season and the AFC Championship Game after the 2022 season, where Cincinnati lost both times. He got a five-year extension worth $275 million, with $219.01 million guaranteed. The deal’s average annual value of $55 million is an NFL record.

The Bengals (5-5) will turn to Browning as they look to stay in the playoff race after the loss to the Ravens currently puts them out of the postseason. Browning completed 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and a late touchdown with the game out of reach.

The former Washington star has been in Cincinnati since the start of the 2021 season and won the team’s backup job in training camp over veteran Trevor Siemian. Browning said he was “disappointed” when he found out Burrow was going to be out for the season, but added he was looking forward to being able to show what he could do.

“He’s obviously an important part of this team,” Browning said. “But I’m not going to hide the fact that I’m excited about this opportunity. I think everyone here, including Joe, kind of knows that.”

The Bengals, who were 12-1 odds to win the Super Bowl heading into Thursday’s game, are listed at 150-1 on ESPN BET as of Friday afternoon.

Burrow said he would continue to be a part of the team. As he continues to recover from the end of his season, Burrow said he’s not going to wallow in his latest injury.

“A lot of guys in there [locker] “A lot of guys across the league, it’s part of the job we do. [It’s] expected. This won’t be the last time something like this happens in my career either. This is only part of it. »