The Bengals did not place Burrow on the injury report this week before their game against the Ravens. The video showed him wearing what appeared to be a brace on his right hand and wrist after the Bengals arrived in Baltimore on Wednesday.
An NFL spokesman said Friday that the league “will review the matter with the club,” declining to comment further.
It was not immediately clear what penalties, if any, the Bengals would face if the league is found not to have disclosed Burrow’s wrist injury entering the game. The NFL’s injury reporting policy requires teams to include on injury reports all players who have “reportable injuries,” even if those players are fully participating in practice and the team is confident they will play in the upcoming game. The rules emphasize that this is particularly important in the case of key players and players whose injuries have been discussed in the media. These rules state that some injuries are automatically reportable if they affect a player’s availability, and others may be reportable if they affect a player’s performance.
Taylor said during Thursday’s postgame press conference that “it looks like it [Burrow] He sprained his wrist.” Taylor said Burrow fell on his wrist early in the game and felt discomfort after making a second-quarter pass to tailback Joe Mixon. Asked if Burrow suffered a wrist injury entering the game, Taylor replied: “No, I don’t know about that.”
Burrow appeared to be unable to hold the ball as he attempted to throw passes to the Bengals sideline after leaving the field.
“I saw it,” Taylor said.
Taylor said he was previously unaware of the existence of video footage of Burrow’s right hand and wrist guard he was wearing on Wednesday. He said he was pleased with Burrow’s performance before he left the game.
“Look at how he played in the first half,” Taylor said. “He did everything we asked of him.”
There is a lot of talk about those removed #Bengals a post of Joe Burrow wearing some sort of brace or sleeve on his right wrist.
🎥 Here’s a video of Burrow getting off the team bus in Baltimore.
It’s not a perfectly clear shot, but you can definitely see it in his hand.@WCPO pic.twitter.com/XcqX6oMODA
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) November 16, 2023
Substitute Jake Browning replaced Burrow late in the first half and finished the match. With the loss, the Bengals’ record dropped to 5-5. They lost two straight games after a four-game winning streak that coincided with a period in which Burrow appeared to be fully healthy after being plagued early in the season by a calf injury suffered in training camp.
“We’re not going to let one game define us,” Taylor said late Thursday night. “It was definitely an important match for us [that] our boys were excited on the way. It didn’t go our way. In a season as long as this, we need to regroup. …We’ve dealt with this type of situation before. We need to unite here.”
Wide receiver Tyler Boyd said in the Bengals locker room after the game: “In this league, the next man up always wins. The guys are here for a reason. I believe in every one of these guys.”
But Boyd also said of Burrow’s injury: “It hurt. … Joe gives us the best chance to win football games.”
Burrow’s latest injury adds to the growing list of serious injuries suffered by prominent NFL quarterbacks this season. Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in his left leg after four snaps during his first game against the New York Jets in September. Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture. Indianapolis Colts rookie Anthony Richardson underwent shoulder surgery that likely ended his season. The New York Giants lost Daniel Jones to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The Cleveland Browns announced this week that Deshaun Watson will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
Burrow’s 2020 rookie season was cut short by a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season. They returned to the AFC Championship Game last season, but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. In recent weeks, they have clearly been getting back into shape to fight for the championship. But then came a disastrous five days that began with Sunday’s home loss to the Houston Texans, followed by Thursday’s loss and Burrow’s early exit.
“It’s part of the league, man,” Bengals winger Ja’Marr Chase said in the locker room after the game. “I’m not used to losing. I’m not a loser. That’s why I love winning. When I lose, I don’t like the feeling. You know what I’m saying? So for now we just have to adapt, make changes and move forward.
Taylor said he noticed “some positive things” about Browning in his relief appearance. After Thursday’s game, the Bengals said goodbye to the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 26.
“I know we’re disappointed to lose,” Taylor said. “But I’m not discouraged about where this team is going after this game. … We’ll take a long weekend here, regroup and get ready for next week in Pittsburgh.”
