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In the wake of the Cincinnati Bengals winning the AFC North via Sunday’s victory over the visiting Kansas City Chiefs, one lingering thing is probably nagging at the minds of fans:
The health of star quarterback Joe Burrow.
Burrow went down with an injury on the team’s final fourth-and-goal attempt with time nearly expired in a tie game. A flag reset the downs, meaning the Bengals could kneel it out and let Evan McPherson kick the game-winning field goal.
They did just that, but it was backup Brandon Allen, not Burrow, lining up in victory formation.
After the game, Burrow had an on-field interview and seemed to jog off the field just fine. But we are talking about an MVP contender who started his season by coming back early from a torn ACL and other damages.
Naturally, reporters asked Zac Taylor about this almost immediately, as noted by Jay Morrison of The Athletic:
Zac says no predictions on Burrow. “Just got his knee twisted up” and knew we were kicking FG
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) January 2, 2022
Taylor also made it sound like yanking Burrow from the game was a move made out of precaution, and that he could have re-entered if need be.
Burrow also said this during a post-game interview:
Joe Burrow on his right knee: “It’s good enough. Sore after Chargers game. Nothing serious. Would have come back in, knew just knee it and then clock it. Let Brandon do it.”
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) January 2, 2022
And indeed, seemed to be walking good enough:
The new King of the North @JoeyB leading the #Bengals to the postseason pic.twitter.com/Vw7wJ5DBsU
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) January 2, 2022
The Bengals have clinched the AFC North and a playoff berth, but there’s a chance the AFC’s No. 1 seed will still be in play next weekend when they visit the Browns. Meaning, this isn’t an ideal spot to miss a star quarterback despite what they’ve secured already.
Rest assured Burrow’s knee will be the focal point of the coming hours, days and better part of a week amid the celebrations and end-of-season prep.
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