Joe Burrow stayed down on the turf after a rough fall on a sack in Week 18 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. What’s the latest injury update on the Cincinnati Bengals’ MVP candidate?
What Happened to Joe Burrow?
Burrow was driven to the ground on a sack by Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig in the third quarter. Cameron Heyward was also in on the play, with both Herbig and Heyward landing on Burrow as his head hit the ground.
Joe Burrow went down on the field after this. He was in pain, but he ran off of the field. He’s OK, Bengals fans. pic.twitter.com/RloBJtOPV7
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) January 5, 2025
Burrow remained down, with trainers and head coach Zac Taylor coming out to check on their franchise quarterback. Although he popped up after a few moments and ran off the field, he entered the blue medical tent for further evaluation.
The Bengals need a win on Saturday night to remain in contention for a playoff berth. Cincinnati would earn the No. 7 seed with a win and losses by both the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Burrow leads the league in both passing touchdowns (43) and passing yards (4,841) at the time of his injury. He had 200 yards, one touchdown and one interception at the time of his departure.
He returned to the game on the next drive with 4:33 left in the third quarter after a three-and-out by Pittsburgh.
Potential Fantasy Fallout From Burrow’s Injury
Jake Browning’s last game with the starters featured none of his teammates reaching 45 passing yards. The previous game, however, Tee Higgins had a big day, so all hope is not lost for playoff fantasy football managers shoulder this situation linger into the playoffs.
That said, asking multiple pass catchers to produce would be an uphill battle. This widens the range of outcomes while lowering the ceiling for all involved, including a running game that won’t carry the same level of scoring equity