Bengals QB Joe Burrow Aggravates Calf Injury

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow aggravated a calf injury that flared up and knocked him out for the entirety of training in Cincinnati’s 27-24 loss to the Ravens, he said in his postgame press conference.

The original injury, a calf strain, kept Burrow out from just about the start of training camp to the end of it. He returned just in time for Week 1, but the aggravation could force Burrow to miss time. Burrow noted that the calf felt sore and flared up already, but they would not know more about the injury until they saw how it responded during the week.

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The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee during his rookie season, missing the final four games. Since then, he has started all but two meaningless final-week games for Cincinnati, twice leading the team deep into the playoffs and earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2021 and a Pro Bowl nod in 2022.

Last season, he finished fourth in MVP voting after throwing for 4,475 yards, 35 touchdowns, and maintaining a 100.8 passer rating. Before the season, Joe Burrow signed the richest contract in NFL history for $275 million throughout the contract in Cincinnati.

Jake Browning is Burrow’s backup if he is forced to miss games. The Bengals offense shut down the Browns in Week 1, with Burrow struggling to hit any of his top receivers. However, the Ravens did much of the same in Week 2. Burrow started to get going to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at times in the game but still did not look thoroughly in sync like one of the NFL’s top offenses from a year ago. Cincinnati fell to 0-2 on Sunday, with both losses coming in the AFC North.