Joe Burrow is out for the season after the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback injured his wrist on Thursday in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The Bengals confirmed the bad news with a simple 10-word statement posted to social media.
Joe Burrow is out for the remainder of the season.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 17, 2023
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Burrow suffered a torn ligament in his right wrist and will likely need surgery.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow suffered a torn wrist ligament that will likely require season-ending surgery, coach Zac Taylor said.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 17, 2023
Based on a social media post leading up to the contest, it has been speculated that Burrow entered the game between the AFC North rivals with an existing injury.
TRENDING: The #Bengals deleted a post that featured QB Joe Burrow with a sleeve or brace on his right wrist.
(Via @CalebNoeTV)
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 16, 2023
That situation has reportedly prompted an investigation by the NFL regarding the team’s weekly injury report.
Burrow himself addressed the viral video on Friday.
#Bengals QB Joe Burrow says the device he was wearing off the plane was a compression sleeve, not a brace for an injury.
"It's not uncommon for guys to wear compression sleeves on the plane. When you go up to that altitude, things can swell up."
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 17, 2023
During the game’s broadcast, Burrow was seen on the sideline wincing when trying to throw and crouching in obvious pain. He left the field in the second quarter and did not return to the 34-20 loss that dropped Cincinnati’s record to 5-5.
The Bengals were considered among the favorites in the AFC after losing in the conference championship game and Super Bowl the past two seasons. But they now face a serious uphill climb to even reach the playoffs without their superstar quarterback, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
In September, the 26-year-old received a five-year contract extension worth $275 million. Its average annual value of $55 million is the highest in NFL history.
Burrow’s fourth NFL season ends with him throwing for 2,309 passing yards and 15 touchdown passes in 10 games. He suffered a calf injury very early in training camp and was visibly hindered by the injury during the early part of the season, which Cincinnati started with a two-game losing streak.
He seemed to be rounding into form lately as his health improved. On Thursday, he completed 11 of his 17 pass attempts for 101 yards and one touchdown playing less than one half.
Jake Browning replaced him and is likely to be the Bengals’ starter moving forward unless they sign another quarterback before the end of the season. It’s a disappointing outlook for a team that had such high hopes entering the campaign.
