Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was unable to grab the ball on the sideline after injuring his wrist. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
When a quarterback goes down with an injury, the reason is usually obvious. It is rare for a quarterback’s hand or wrist to be injured without physical contact.
When Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter, he immediately grabbed his right arm in pain. He wasn’t hit by the piece. But he grabbed his arm by the wrist and was obviously hurting. As soon as he left the field, he went to the medical tent.
While the Ravens had the ball, the broadcast showed Burrow attempting a throw on the sideline, but he couldn’t grab the ball and went straight back to the locker room. Burrow did not return. He was eliminated at the start of the second half. The Bengals lost 34-20 as Burrow’s replacement, Jake Browning, had just 68 yards passing. Most of it happened on a meaningless final trip.
On Amazon Prime Video, the broadcast team pointed to a social media video in which Burrow can be seen exiting the team bus Support on his right hand. It’s unclear if this was a precursor to his freak injury.
After the game, Bengals coach Zac Taylor told the media that it “looked” like Burrow had sprained his wrist. Taylor said he was unaware of any previous injury. He did not comment or speculate on whether it was a long-term injury.
Early in the drive, Burrow was tackled to the ground by Ravens edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney and his hand became trapped in the turf.
Browning took over for Burrow on the Bengals’ next drive. He had thrown just one NFL pass in a regular-season game before Thursday night. The Bengals said Burrow’s return was questionable, but Browning started the second half. Shortly after the start of the second half, the Bengals ruled out Burrow for the game.
Burrow suffered a calf injury early in the season, but his performance was affected. This time he couldn’t even hold onto the ball on the sideline and Bengals fans had to fear the worst.