Joe Burrow Injury Update: Latest News Surrounding Bengals’ Star Quarterback

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said quarterback Joe Burrow is dealing with a sprained wrist after being forced out of Thursday night’s 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Burrow reacted in pain and grabbed his right wrist after throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to Joe Mixon to give the Bengals a 10-7 lead in the second quarter Thursday night at Baltimore. Here is the latest we know.

Editor’s Note (Nov. 17): Joe Burrow is likely to require surgery and be out for the season per Bengals head coach Zac Taylor.

Latest Joe Burrow Injury Update

On the play before, Burrow was hit in the elbow by Jadeveon Clowney after releasing a pass to Mixon. Clownley also landed on Burrow’s right hand as they went to the ground.

Here's the play where #Bengals QB Joe Burrow was injured — he's now in the locker room being evaluated.pic.twitter.com/ANIw0v3LvO

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 17, 2023

After a short stint in the blue injury tent, Burrow came out and tried to throw on the sideline and shut it down after two passes before jogging into the locker room.

The Bengals had listed him as questionable to return with a right wrist injury. Backup Jake Browning took over for Burrow on the Bengals’ next drive. Shortly after halftime, the Bengals ruled Burrow out.

Head coach Zac Taylor did not have any information about the severity of the injury other than to say, “it looked like he sprained his wrist.”

There will be tests on Burrow’s right wrist on Friday, and they should provide clarity on whether his absence will be long term, short term or none at all, although the latter seems to be a long shot after Burrow could not even hold onto the ball while attempting a few warmup throws after exiting the game in pain.

Burrow strained his calf early in training camp but returned in time for the season opener, although he clearly wasn’t 100% in the team’s 1-3 start. He began looking more like himself in a Week 5 triumph at Arizona, kickstarting a four-game winning streak.

Burrow has not missed a game due to injury since suffering the ACL tear in Week 11 of his rookie season, and that streak is now in jeopardy. That means backup quarterback Jake Browning would be in line to make his first NFL start a week from Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the league’s No. 1 defense.

Running back Joe Mixon said he addressed the team in the locker room after the game. He didn’t want to get into details of what he said, but theme was him urging everybody to  stick together.

“I know we have the guys in this here locker room,” Mixon said. “They all made of the right things. I mean, that’s why they here. We’ve got to figure out a way to get everybody on the same schedule and the same wave and pick up where they (the injured players) left off.”

“It hurt because I always say Joe gives us our best chance to win any football games, but moving forward, Jake got us, and we’ve got to rally him up and rally around him,” wide receiver Tyler Boyd said.

“It’s just tough seeing that happen in a game like this,” wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase added. “Next man up is what I’ve always heard and been told, so the new guy’s gotta step up and we’ve got to adjust and make plays.”

Fantasy Implications of Joe Burrow Injury

(Fantasy analysis provided by PFN’s Jason Katz) Burrow’s absence would be an abject disaster for everything Bengals. We would obviously see a whole lot more Mixon, but Bengals opponents will know that. Browning has just one pass attempt in his young career.

With Tee Higgins already out with a strained hamstring, defenses can key in on Ja’Marr Chase, who would go from an elite WR1 to likely a middling WR2.

Checkdowns to Tyler Boyd might be more frequent, but it’s difficult to envision this offense looking anywhere near as potent without Burrow. All fantasy assets would need to be significantly downgraded.