Joe Burrow and the Bengals out-dueled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Sunday, but Cincinnati’s star quarterback didn’t finish the game after suffering a knee injury. Not to worry, Bengals fans. After assuring reporters Sunday night that his injury was “nothing serious,” Burrow reiterated on Wednesday that he’s OK, saying his knee is “sore but not bad,” and that he’ll sit out the Bengals’ Week 18 season finale solely to rest up for the playoffs.
“That wouldn’t play a factor,” Burrow told reporters when asked if his knee injury would affect his availability to start. “My knee is — I mean, it’s sore, but it’s not bad. I could play if I needed to.”
His comments come days after Bengals coach Zac Taylor basically said the same thing: “Joe’s good,” he remarked Monday.
That said, Burrow confirmed he’s not expected to play on Sunday against the Browns, who are already eliminated from playoff contention.
“I’m the backup quarterback this week, so I’m helping Brandon (Allen),” he said, adding that he’s not sure if he’ll dress as Allen’s official No. 2.
Burrow had his right knee twisted late in the Bengals’ win over Kansas City, and left the field in pain before walking to the locker room on his own strength. A year after a torn ACL in his left knee ended a promising rookie season, the former No. 1 overall pick has emerged as one of the NFL’s top signal-callers, seemingly finishing 2021 with 4,611 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while averaging 8.9 yards per attempt — the highest mark among all starters.
