Joe Burrow injury update: Bengals QB goes to medical tent after scary sack

With 8:36 left in the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow left the game after suffering an apparent ankle injury. Burrow entered the injury tent after walking to the sideline with minimal assistance.

Jake Browning replaced Burrow after he left the game. Before suffering the injury, Burrow completed seven passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. According to the broadcast, Burrow headed to the locker room to be further examined by the Bengals’ medical staff.

Burrow was sacked twice while playing. The injury occurred on the second sack of the game, when Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead rolled onto Burrow’s ankle.

The injury is far from Burrow’s first. In 2020, Burrow suffered a season-ending ACL tear. More recently, Burrow missed the final seven games of the 2023 campaign after suffering an injury to his right wrist. Last year, Burrow revealed the impact the injuries had on his mindset.

“Whenever the injuries start to stack up, your football mortality kind of comes into the back of your mind,” Burrow said. “So that’s definitely something I’ve thought about and something I have had to fight through.”

When Burrow’s been healthy, he’s routinely been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Last season, Burrow led the league in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns. In 2022, Burrow led Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl appearance since 1988.

Despite Burrow’s standout season last year, he had a subpar showing in the Bengals’ season-opener against the Cleveland Browns last week. In the win, Burrow completed just 14-of-his-23 pass attempts for 113 yards and a touchdown.

Joe Burrow was far from content with the performance. After the game, Burrow openly criticized his own performance.

“You got to go and prove it,” Burrow said. “You got to go out and make those plays… We have to go prove once again, just like every year, every week that we can beat those kinds of players to make big-time contested plays in those situations, myself included. So, I’m looking forward to going out and proving it on Sunday.”

While the Bengals would love to have Burrow back on the field, Browning is an experienced backup option. In 2023, Browning completed 70.4% of his pass attempts for 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns, compared to seven interceptions.

Now, the Bengals will need Browning to step up again. With a win, the Bengals would start a season 2-0 for the first time since 2018.