Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bengals' Joe Burrow downplays concerns about his latest injury

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Sep 11, 2024 10:43 PM ET

It's somewhat obvious that Joe Burrow isn't the same quarterback who took the NFL by storm and led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl a few seasons ago, and who could blame him?

He has suffered multiple injuries over his NFL career. From the season-ending ACL tear in his rookie season to the wrist injury that shut him down and forced him to have surgery last season — he's battled injury bugs more than most top quarterbacks in this era have.

That's why his performance against the New England Patriots in a 16-10 Week 1 loss was a bit concerning. He completed 21 of 29 passes for a 72.4% completion percentage, which is good, but he threw for only 164 yards with no touchdowns.

That's not the superstar we've grown used to. Throw in the fact that he was visibly flexing his wrist during the game and there could naturally be some concern among the fan base.

This video of Joe Burrow struggling to pick up a Gatorade bottle is going viral, and fans are scared that his wrist has not fully healed.

(h/t @jmthrivept)pic.twitter.com/Al151gar08
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 11, 2024

Burrow downplayed it when talking with the media on Wednesday, though.

"It feels better this week than it did last week, than it did the week before, so it's continually getting better," Burrow said, per Ben Baby of ESPN.

And as far as the in-game stretching?

"That's part of ligament injuries," Burrow explained. "If you don't move it, you're going to lose it, so I'm always moving it around, keeping it loose, keeping my mobility the way it's supposed to be, so it's going to continue to happen."

That explanation may not play well in Cincinnati if Burrow and the Bengals go out and have another listless performance, and things aren't going to be getting any easier.

Up next for Cincy is Arrowhead Stadium and the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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