The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback suffered a torn ligament and will not play again in 2023.
For the second time in five days, a second AFC North rival lost their franchise quarterback for the rest of the year due to an injury they suffered playing against the Baltimore Ravens.
According to the Cincinnati Bengals’, Joe Burrow will miss the remainder of the 2023 season with a torn ligament in his throwing wrist.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow is out for the season with a torn ligament in his wrist. pic.twitter.com/PLQfLGgwwN
— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2023
The team announced the unfortunate development during a Friday afternoon press conference after further tests revealed the devastating diagnosis.
“He tore a ligament in his rest that will likely require surgery and require him to be out for the rest of the season,” Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor said. “We’re still gathering more information on that but that seems to be where we’re headed right now.”
They believe that the initial sprain occurred in a hit he took from Ravens outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney on the play just before the ligament tear happened. He was in noticeable pain after throwing a touchdown pass to running back Joe Mixon in the second quarter that gave the Bengals their first and only lead of the game at 10-7.
“The play before it happened, I landed on my wrist a little bit and the next play, the touchdown pass, I just felt a pop in the middle of the throw,” Burrow said. “Tried to give it a go, but just couldn’t get it done. Obviously, got the news today, so not great.”
After he went down, the Bengals turned to fifth-year veteran Jake Browning to finish the game on Thursday and be played admirably, going 8-fo-14 for 68 passing yards and a garbage time touchdown in the final two minutes of the game. He also showed some decent mobility by scrambling four times for 40 rushing yards with a long of 19 on a fourth-and-three on the team’s final drive.
The former undrafted free agent out of the University of Washington in 2019 will likely be the Bengals starter for the remainder of the season as they try to cling to their dwindling hopes of making the playoffs.
“This season is far from over,” Taylor said.
Cincinnati also has 10-year veteran A.J. McCarron on the practice squad who they originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of the University of Alabama. He has started five games in his career including the playoffs, four of which came with the Bengals in 2015 during his second year in the league are former franchise quarterback Andy Dalton suffered a hand injury.