Burrow’s season officially ends with a confirmed torn wrist ligament: the team’s win percentage dropped 14.1 percent

Joe Burrow Press Conference

The Cincinnati Bengals will proceed in the remainder of the 2023 season without their franchise cornerstone, Joe Burrow. Head coach Zac Taylor confirmed last week that Burrow had a torn wrist ligament that required a season-ending surgery. On Saturday, the team officially placed Burrow on injured reserve.

Burrow exited the Bengals’ Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens due to a right wrist injury. Midway through the second quarter, the Cincinnati quarterback left for the locker room, grappling with a setback to his throwing hand.

Initially questionable to return, he later spent the rest of the night on the sidelines. The Ravens then secured a 34-20 victory. Following the game, Taylor labeled Burrow’s injury as a sprained wrist.

Within 24 hours, however, a more severe diagnosis came to light. On Friday, Burrow addressed the nature of his injury to the media, citing that he has had “a lot of aspirations for what the season is going to look like.”

“We were in a good spot. We are in a good spot,” Burrow said. “Things were starting to take a turn. You’re starting to play really well and then something like this happens. Nothing you can do about it. Just got to grind it out.”

Mid-game injury

Burrow’s wrist had become a pre-game topic due to a circulating social media post in which he was seen with a wrap. However, Coach Taylor confirmed that the post was unrelated to his latest injury.

The real injury occurred on the fourth drive against the Ravens, disrupting Burrow’s throw but not stopping him from a touchdown pass. Despite evident discomfort, he attempted sideline throws, with the second revealing his struggle to grip the ball.

“The play before it happened, I landed on my wrist a little bit and the next play, the touchdown pass, I just felt a pop in the middle of the throw,” Burrow said. “Tried to give it a go, but just couldn’t get it done. Obviously, got the news today, so not great.”

Plummeting playoff chances

Burrow, who was already recovering from a calf injury, had shown improvement. He boasts a 74.1 percent completion rate since Week 5. Even so, injuries have plagued him since 2020, including a torn ACL/MCL, dislocated finger and sprained MCL.

Burrow’s absence dealt a blow to the Bengals, with a 4-19 record without him under Taylor. In the Ravens game, he completed 11 of 17 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

His backup, Jake Browning, who stepped up to fill his place, struggled with only eight of 14 passes completed for 68 yards. For the rest of the game, Browning had a completion percentage of 57.1 percent, 26 attempts, one interception and one touchdown.

The loss to Baltimore dropped Cincinnati to 5-5 and Burrow’s injury further diminished playoff hopes. The team will be facing the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12 and the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13.

However, without Burrow, the Bengals’ playoff chances plummeted from 37.6 percent to 1.3 percent. The team’s win percentage dropped 14.1 percent and their odds of winning the AFC or the Super Bowl now stand at 0.0 percent.