Bengals’ Joe Burrow out for the rest of the season. What does the team do now?
There is no way to deny the idea that the Bengals’ hopes of making a trip to the postseason just took a massive blow with the loss of their quarterback.
Not only do the Bengals now face a dire situation where their quarterback is concerned, but they were already struggling to keep themselves in the playoff picture which is to say the team now faces a monumental task.
Bengals’ Joe Burrow to miss the remainder of the season
Following his first-quarter exit during Thursday night’s 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, alarm bells were already ringing about Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. The 26-year-old signal caller suffered what appeared to be a non-contact wrist injury and was promptly removed from the game. Adding further weight to the situation is the fact that the NFL itself is now investigating the circumstances around Burrow’s injury, a move that is based on the suspicion that the Bengals failed to list Burrow on the injury report prior to the game.
Regardless, the reality is that the worst has now come to pass. According to an announcement on Friday from the Bengals on X - formerly known as Twitter - Burrow is now expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his wrist, according to head coach Zac Taylor.
How did Joe Burrow’s injury occur?
Following a touchdown pass to Joe Mixon in the second quarter, Burrow grabbed his wrist immediately in visible pain. Minutes later, the 26-year-old playmaker could be seen attempting to throw on the sideline, but with very little success. Burrow was then taken to the team’s locker room and as we know, was eventually ruled out of the game with a wrist injury. Burrow would later say he “felt a pop” after landing on his wrist during the play right before after he was under pressure from Ravens pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney. Following the game, Taylor seemed to indicate that Burrow had suffered a sprained wrist.
Joe Burrow’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time
Truthfully, there is no way to ignore the fact that just this past September Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract and then, unfortunately, went on to sustain a calf injury in training camp, which in turn led to a shaky start to the season. Indeed, during that time the Bengals stumbled to a 1-3 record. The former Louisiana State star would find form and fitness again as he carried the Bengals to four wins in a row, but a loss to the Texans in Week 10 followed by this most recent defeat to the Ravens has left their playoff hopes on shaky ground, injury notwithstanding. So, the question now is ‘How will the Bengals cope?’ It may be that dipping into the market is the only option at this point.