Ravens Get Big Joe Burrow News

Burrow was largely expected to contend for some of the NFL's highest honors this season, entering the fall with more hype than just about any of his positional peers. The Bengals' frontman has led successful teams before, trucking his way all the way to the Super Bowl in just his second season, and currently holds the all-time completion percentage record at 68.5% after just starting his sixth NFL season.

He didn't look like the sharp pocket-passing surgeon he's developed into through those first two games, putting up sub-par numbers for his league-leading standards with 189 yards on 58.3% success. The Bengals hung on for the weekend win, just as they'd barely done in their season-opener, but must now brace to trek on without their star field general for the majority of 2025.

This wouldn't be his first stint on the IR, having missed substantial time as a rookie and again two seasons ago. The Bengals' brief window as contenders closed quickly when the roster's depth starting dwindling a few years ago, with Cincinnati's porous offensive line doing Burrow few favors.

They looked to challenge the Ravens for divisional dominance, though the Ravens have spent the last two seasons with a consistent hold over the AFC North. The Cleveland Browns, the division's punching bag who's already taken two northern losses, isn't scaring anyone, and the Aaron Rodgers-led Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of work ahead of them before they're taken seriously.

Burrow's chances of carrying Cincinnati's underwhelming defense back into the playoffs seemed idealistic to begin with, but his odds of challenging Lamar Jackson for a run at MVP looked plenty realistic before the season started. Burrow is generally considered a tier-one quarterback right alongside conference rivals in Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, and stands as the lone member of that class who's yet to hold the award despite sporting the Super Bowl trip that Jackson and Allen still lack.

Yet another season without Burrow is a major loss to the NFL, let alone to his team and their division, but the Ravens' road to a third straight AFC North title looks a lot smoother going forward.