Joe Burrow is out for the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his throwing wrist, Bengals say

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will be out the rest of the season due to a torn ligament in his right wrist, the team announced Friday.

Burrow and coach Zac Taylor said the injury would likely require surgery. Burrow left the game during the second quarter of a 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night after he threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Joe Mixon that gave the Bengals a short-lived 10-7 lead. Burrow doubled over in pain and held his wrist after the pass.

He said Friday the injury likely happened on the play before, when he landed on his wrist on a hit by Jadeveon Clowney after throwing a 9-yard pass to Mixon. Burrow added he didn’t know he landed on his wrist until he saw a video of the play.

“I felt a pop in the middle of the throw. I tried to give it a go but couldn’t get it done and got the news today. I had a feeling before we got the official news (what the result would be),” said Burrow, who was 11 of 17 for 101 yards and a touchdown when he left the game.

Burrow’s insistence that his injury happened on that hit came after the NFL said it would investigate why he was left off the team’s pregame injury report, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the review was not being publicly discussed.

The Bengals had posted and later deleted a video on social media appearing to show Burrow wearing a soft cast before the game, but the star QB said he only had on a compression sleeve, which is something he had worn previously on flights.

After exiting the game, Burrow tried practice throws on the sideline but the ball slipped out of his hand as he winced in pain. Burrow then went to the locker room and looked frustrated.

This is the second time in Burrow’s four-year NFL career he has suffered a season-ending injury in Week 11. He tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee during a game against Washington in 2020. He came back the following year to lead Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl appearance since the 1988 season.

“I’ve been through stuff like this before so it’s nothing new. Like I said, it’s football, stuff like this happens. Just got to learn to live with it,” Burrow said.

Taylor also didn’t sound concerned about whether Burrow can bounce back.

“He’s programmed differently. That’s why we’re fortunate to have him. That’s why he’s achieved all the things in his lifetime he has, because he’s able to overcome setbacks and challenges and plays with a chip on his shoulder,” Taylor said.

Friday’s news also ends what had been an injury-plagued season for Burrow, who signed a five-year contract extension worth $275 million before the start of the regular season. The $55 million per season average was a record for an NFL player.

He suffered a calf injury on the second day of training camp and missed the preseason. He returned in time for the start of the regular season but struggled as the Bengals dropped three of their first four games. Burrow threw two touchdowns and two interceptions during that span and had a below-average 69.1 passer rating.

Burrow and the Bengals looked as if they had turned things around after that with a four-game winning streak that included victories against San Francisco and Buffalo. He threw three touchdowns and had a 134.8 passer rating in a 31-17 victory over the 49ers in Week 8 and followed that up with a season-high 348 yards and a pair of TDs against the Bills in a prime-time game.

The Bengals, however, have dropped their last two and are 5-5 with backup Jake Browning likely to be the starter for the rest of the season. They also have veteran AJ McCarron on the roster.

Browning was 8 of 14 for 68 yards and threw a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He spent the past two seasons on the Bengals practice squad before being elevated to Burrow’s backup this season.

Browning played at the University of Washington and went undrafted. He spent the 2019 and ‘20 seasons on Minnesota’s practice squad.

Taylor reiterated his confidence in Browning on Friday afternoon.

“A big part of the battle of playing quarterback is you’ve put in the work to have confidence. It’s not just you get out there and put on a brave face trying to trick everybody thinking you know what you’re doing,” Taylor said. “Jake has shown through his actions. I think guys think highly of Jake and respect the work he puts in. I can’t speak enough to the types of questions that he has asked in the meetings to make sure that he’s prepared.”