NFL investigating why Joe Burrow wasn't on Bengals injury report

The source of the investigation is a video that was originally posted on the Bengals' social media account (and since deleted) that showed Burrow arriving in Baltimore with some sort of wrap on his wrist, leading to speculation that he was already dealing with some sort of an injury. The Bengals made no mention of that on their weekly injury reports.

Burrow exited the game late in the second quarter after being shown on the sidelines unable to grip or throw the football. He did not return to the game and was replaced by Jake Browning.

If the NFL finds that the Bengals intentionally left Burrow off of the report knowing that he was injured, it will almost certainly result in a significant fine. There is also the chance that the punishment is something more severe, like the forfeiture of a draft pick.

Burrow did not speak to the media after Thursday's games.

He missed the entire preseason and most of training camp with an unrelated calf injury that limited his productivity early in the season. This contributed to a slow start for a team that was supposed to be a top Super Bowl contender in the AFC.

Following Thursday's loss, the Bengals are now 5-5 and on the outside of the AFC Playoff picture. Worse yet, they have an extremely tough schedule the rest of the way. If Burrow is unavailable or even limited for a few weeks it would significantly alter what is remaining of their playoff chances.

Browning has never started a game in the NFL. The Bengals now have a 10-day break before their next game next Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home.