With a torn ligament in his right wrist, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will miss the rest of the 2023 campaign.
The turbulent 2023 season for Joe Burrow has ended too soon.
The head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, Zac Taylor, announced on Friday that the quarterback will miss the rest of the 2023 season due to a torn ligament in his right wrist. According to Taylor, an MRI verified the injury, which will probably need surgery.
Burrow was hurt during the first half of the Bengals’ game against the Ravens on Thursday night. He left the game after throwing a touchdown pass to running back Joe Mixon, which gave Cincinnati a 10-7 lead. He tried throwing on the sideline to test the injury, but when he saw that he was unable to throw without pain, he became clearly irritated.
I kind of landed on my wrist on the play before it happened, and then on the touchdown pass play, I felt like there was a pop right in the middle of the throw, Burrow said on Friday. I attempted to complete it, but I was unable to, and I received the news today, which was unfortunate.
Burrow added that the injury that ended his season had nothing to do with the fact that, prior to the game on Thursday night, there appeared to be a brace on his right wrist.
According to Burrow, men frequently wear compression sleeves when flying because things can swell up at that altitude. “You get a lot of bumps and bruises playing football. This injury is entirely new.”
NFL Network Insider As is customary in situations concerning adherence to the league’s injury report policy, Tom Pelissero revealed on Friday that the NFL is investigating why Burrow was left off the injury report.
Due to Burrow’s injury, a season that started similarly must end early. Due to his limited athletic ability due to a calf injury, Burrow struggled during the season’s first three games, going 1-3. In Week 5, Burrow showed signs of recovery, dominating the Arizona Cardinals in a way that was all too familiar to fans who had grown to love his NFL play.
The Bengals, who had defeated Houston in Week 10 and had clawed their way back to 5-4 with four straight victories, appeared to be building toward a second-half surge. Then, Burrow’s season abruptly ended while Cincinnati was trying to overcome the Ravens and get back into a very competitive AFC North race.
Burrow finishes the 2023 season with a stat line of 244 of 365, 2,309 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions, which isn’t quite up to his usual level of play. Nevertheless, given the injuries he sustained during the campaign, it merits an asterisk.
For the time being, Jake Browning is still Cincinnati’s best option.
In the final two minutes of a double-digit loss, the Bengals’ backup quarterback completed 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and an insignificant touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase. Despite playing in just two NFL games, the former standout from the University of Washington will be expected to lead the Bengals (5-5) through the end of the season.
“Watching your starting quarterback, Joe Burrow, go down is tough,” Taylor remarked on Friday. However, I’m proud of how the guys handled themselves and how they responded. We obviously benefit from the longer weekend, which will give us time to recover, get healthy, and prepare to take on Pittsburgh the following week. We have a lot of talent on this roster, and the season is far from over, so I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from these guys.”
Naturally, the Bengals couldn’t be in worse shape at this time, undermining a season that was just starting to look promising and following Burrrow’s signing of the biggest contract extension ($275 million guaranteed) in NFL history. He’ll watch his Bengals teammates struggle to survive without him while he spends the next few months or so recovering.
