The Cincinnati Bengals suffered a significant scare at training camp — involving franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. During Thursday’s practice, Burrow was carted off the field after he went down with a non-contact injury. He grabbed at his lower leg before being removed from the session. Head coach Zac Taylor said after practice Burrow is dealing with a calf injury and the team confirmed to ESPN Burrow suffered a strained calf.
The timetable for Burrow’s return is uncertain.
Burrow sat on the ground for a few minutes with Bengals running back Mixon next to him before the cart came and took him in. The injury occurred as Burrow was flushing out of the pocket.
The Bengals are taking a “wait-and-see” attitude on Burrow, but Taylor admitted the quarterback was experiencing some soreness.
“I think a lot of guys after the first day have some soreness,” Taylor said to reporters, via Fox 19 Now in Cincinnati. “He was just scrambling. This is football. Guys go down with an injury. This could be a day thing, who knows. There’s a lot of guys that had soreness today that had their reps cut down a little bit. That’s just part of football in training camp.”
While there’s no official word on the severity of the injury just yet, wide receiver and good friend Ja’Marr Chase told reporters why he thinks Burrow will be OK.
“We always give each other that nod,” Chase said after practice, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “He gave me a nod [to say] he’s all right. He’s a strong dude.”
Chase added that he felt better after receiving the nod from his quarterback.
“I wasn’t really worried,” Chase said. “I believe he’s all right.”
Taylor confirmed after practice Burrow was wearing a sleeve on his injured leg, which is something the quarterback doesn’t normally wear. Taylor won’t panic on the situation regarding his franchise quarterback.
Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and the key toward the franchise capturing its first Super Bowl title. He has taken the Bengals to consecutive AFC Championship game appearances, after finishing a season tied for second in the NFL in passing touchdowns (35), while ranking fifth in completions (414), fifth in passing yards (4,475) and sixth in passer rating (100.8). Over the last two seasons, Burrow leads the NFL in passer rating (104.8) and his third in the NFL in touchdown passes (69).
If Burrow were to miss the season, SportsLine Data scientist Stephen Oh crunched the percentages for the Bengals with him out.
If Burrow missed the season
| Cincinnati | Wins | Win% | Division | Playoff | Conference | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burrow 100% | 10.1 | 59.4% | 41.3% | 67.9% | 12.2% | 6.4% |
Burrow Out | 7.8 | 45.9% | 11.1% | 25.2% | 2.4% | 1.1% |
Difference | -2.3 | -13.5% | -30.2% | -42.7% | -9.8% | -5.3% |
The AFC North would look significantly different as well.
Joe Burrow healthy
| Burrow healthy | Wins | Win% | Division | Playoff | Conference | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 10.1 | 59.4% | 41.3% | 67.9% | 12.2% | 6.4% |
Ravens | 9.8 | 57.6% | 31.8% | 61.3% | 7.5% | 3.5% |
Steelers | 8.6 | 50.6% | 17.1% | 40.1% | 2.9% | 1.2% |
Browns | 7.9 | 46.5% | 9.8% | 24.4% | 1.3% | 0.4% |
Joe Burrow out
| Burrow out | Wins | Win% | Division | Playoff | Conference | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | 10.2 | 60.0% | 47.8% | 70.7% | 9.8% | 4.9% |
Steelers | 9.0 | 52.9% | 26.7% | 48.9% | 3.8% | 1.5% |
Browns | 8.1 | 47.6% | 14.4% | 30.5% | 1.7% | 0.6% |
Bengals | 7.8 | 45.9% | 11.1% | 25.2% | 2.4% | 1.1% |
The Bengals are Super Bowl contenders with Burrow. Without him, Cincinnati is in serious trouble of repeating as division champions.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
July 27, 2023 | 6:57 pm
