Joe Burrow ruled out for season as NFL investigates how Bengals reported the quarterback’s injury

By David Close, CNN

(CNN) — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will miss the remainder of the season after tearing a ligament in his right wrist during Thursday night’s 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

On Friday, Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor said Burrow will likely require surgery and that the QB is “very disappointed” with the prognosis.

Burrow left Thursday’s contest in the second quarter, shortly after throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass to Joe Mixon that put the Bengals ahead 10-7. Burrow was seen wincing in pain as he released the ball on the play.

Afterwards, Burrow was seen on the team’s sideline trying to throw a football. He was visibly upset as he could not grip the ball and shook his head in frustration before jogging off to the locker room.

“The play before it happened, I landed on the wrist a little bit, and the next play, the touchdown pass, just felt a pop in the middle of the throw,” Burrow said on Friday, according to the NFL. “Tried to give it a go but just couldn’t get it done, and obviously got the news today, so not great.”

Taylor said the QB likely hurt himself during a routine play earlier in the scoring drive when Ravens outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney landed on Burrow.

Burrow has suffered some serious injuries since being selected first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University (LSU). Burrow’s rookie season was derailed after he tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee.

Taylor was asked about the physical and mental toll the injuries were having on Burrow.

“I think if he was a normal human being, you’d worry about it. He’s not. He is wired differently, he’s programmed differently,” Taylor said Friday.

“He is just built a little bit different to be able to overcome setbacks and challenges and plays with a chip on his shoulder – all the things that you can say about a guy like that.

“That’s why I’ve got confidence that he’ll respond from this the right way at the right time. That’s just part of how Joe’s built.”

Burrow had reportedly been spotted on Wednesday wearing a type of brace or sleeve on his right wrist, but the QB was not listed on the Bengals injury list coming into Thursday’s game, and he told the NFL on Friday that the two injuries were unrelated.

In a statement released Friday, the NFL said it was looking into whether the Bengals were in compliance with the league’s injury report policy. The league said the investigation is “routine” in situations like this one.

Burrow, who led the team to the 2022 Super Bowl and last season’s AFC title game, became the highest-paid player in NFL history in September. The Ohio native signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with Cincinnati through the 2029 season.

The Bengals will now turn to undrafted, backup quarterback Jake Browning, who finished out Thursday’s game.

Cincinnati’s next game is against divisional rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 26.

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