The pain of the Bengals' loss to the Ravens Thursday night got worse Friday when an MRI confirmed that quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending injury.
Burrow has a torn ligament in his wrist, per multiple reports, and Bengals Head Coach Zay Taylor said his season is done. Burrow will likely undergo surgery.
Jake Browning will take over as the Bengals' starting quarterback for the final seven games of the regular season, with Cincinnati sitting at 5-5 and facing the NFL's toughest remaining schedule.
Browning, an undrafted University of Washington product who spent the past three years on the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad, went 8-of-14 for 68 yards and a touchdown in the second half against the Ravens. He also ran four times for 40 yards and took three sacks.
Two AFC North teams have now lost their starting quarterbacks to season-ending injuries this week, shaking up what has been the league's best division. The Cleveland Browns announced earlier in the week that Deshaun Watson's season is over due to the shoulder injury he suffered Sunday against the Ravens.
The Ravens are well-versed in operating without your franchise quarterback down the stretch. Lamar Jackson missed the last five regular-season games, plus one playoff game, last year and the final four regular-season games in the 2021 season.
"It's tough when you lose your quarterback," Head Coach John Harbaugh said Thursday night after the Ravens' 34-20 win. "We've had some experience with that especially against this team. So, that's part of it."
Ravens players said the Bengals didn't change all that much without Burrow and neither did their defensive stance.
"Losing a guy like Joe is tough on them," safety Kyle Hamilton said. "Obviously, he's one of the best in the league, no offense to the backup. He did a really good job, but I don't think it changed a lot for us. We ran everything we usually do, and I thought we ran it very well."
