Joe Burrow likely out for season

We now know the extent of Joe Burrow’s injury.

During the Cincinnati Bengals’ 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Burrow was forced from the game in the second quarter with some type of wrist injury. After the game, head coach Zac Taylor said it looked like a wrist sprain.

Now, The Athletic reporter Paul Dehner says Burrow’s season is likely over due to a ligament tear in his wrist that will require surgery.

Taylor has since confirmed the news.

And with that, the Bengals’ playoff hopes are now likely dust in the wind.

This is the second significant injury Burrow has endured this season. He suffered a significant calf strain on the second day of training camp, which sidelined him for over a month. And even when he returned for the start of the regular season, it was clear the calf was limiting him for several more weeks, which helped lead to the Bengals’ 1-3 start.

With Burrow out, backup Jake Browning took over in Baltimore and led the offense on two scoring drives, the last of which ended with a touchdown throw to Ja’Marr Chase with 1:08 left in the game. Browning finished 8/14 passing for 68 yards and one score with three sacks taken. He also had four runs for 40 yards.

Currently, the only other quarterback the Bengals have is veteran AJ McCarron, who is on the practice squad.

Trevor Siemian, who spent training camp with the Bengals this year, is currently on the New York Jets practice squad. Have to think he will be someone the Bengals look into signing if the Jets don’t block a potential move.

Now sitting at 5-5 overall and one game out of the Wild Card hunt, the Bengals will need a miraculous finish to make the postseason. In years past, it wouldn’t have seemed so daunting with how strong the defense was.

But this year, the Bengals defense has taken a major step back and has been getting gashed in recent weeks. That puts more stress on an offense that, for the time being, will be led by Browning, a former undrafted free agent who has never started a regular-season game.

Hopefully, Burrow’s injury isn’t something that will linger into the offseason. The last thing the Bengals need now is another offseason with Burrow being limited by an injury/recovery from surgery.