Usually when a quarterback goes down with an injury, the reason is obvious. It’s rare to see a non-contact injury to a quarterback’s hand or wrist.
When Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw a touchdown in the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens, he immediately clutched his right arm in pain. He was not affected by the play. But he held his hand near the wrist, clearly in pain. After coming from the stadium, he went to the medical tent.
When the Ravens had the ball, Burrow broadcast trying to throw to the sideline, but he couldn’t catch the ball and returned to the locker room. Burrow never returned. Early in the second half, he was sent off. Burrow’s replacement, Jake Browning, only passed for 68 yards, and the Bengals lost 34–20. Most of that came in a pointless final drive.
The broadcast team noted a social media video of the Burrow team getting off the bus on Amazon Prime Video. Brace on his right arm. It’s unclear if this was a precursor to his odd injury.
After the game, Bengals coach Zach Taylor told the media that Burrow looked like he sprained his wrist. Taylor said he had no prior injuries. He would not comment or speculate on whether it was a long-term injury.
Earlier in the drive, Burrow was taken down the field by Ravens edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney and his hand got caught in the turf.
Browning took over for Burrow on the Bengals’ next drive. He had thrown just one NFL pass in a regular season game before Thursday night. The Bengals said Burrow’s return was questionable, but Browning started the second half. Shortly into the second half, the Bengals ejected Burrow from the game.
Burrow played through a calf injury early in the season, though his performance suffered. This time, he couldn’t catch the ball on the sideline, and Bengals fans had to fear the worst.
