Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow made his return for the first time since September in the team’s Thanksgiving clash against the Baltimore Ravens.

His response? Two touchdowns and over 250 passing yards as the Bengals took home a 32-14 victory and snapped a four-game losing streak.

Burrow, who was playing in only his third game of the season after suffering a toe injury in Week 2’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, went 24 for 46 in completions during the victory.

“[It] hasn’t been easy on me through six years from a lot of different angles, but I’ve worked really hard to put myself in a position to be back out there,” Burrow said after the game. “And a lot of people around me have done the same.”

Following Burrow’s long-term injury, the Bengals acquired veteran quarterback Joe Flacco in hopes of keeping the team in playoff contention. Flacco went 1-5 as starting quarterback but recorded 13 passing touchdowns and only four interceptions.

Defensively, however, the Bengals’ defense suffered. At the start of this weekend, the team ranked last in the NFL with defensive yards per game (410) and touchdowns allowed (45). Since Week 3, the Bengals have given up 331 points and allowed 25 points or more in every game, leading up to the win against the Ravens.

Cincinnati will play five more games to close out the 2025 regular season. Burrow looks to help the Bengals finish the year strong after a long journey to recovery.

“There’s no better feeling than that, putting in work for a long time and going out and it paying off,” he said.

The Cincinnati Bengals will be without their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, for a significant amount of the 2025 season.

The Bengals confirmed Burrow was diagnosed with a Grade-3 turf toe injury and torn ligaments requiring surgery. The procedure is expected to sideline the quarterback for at least three months, forcing the team to adjust its playoff aspirations.

Burrow sustained the injury during the second quarter of Sunday’s 31-27 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was sacked by defensive lineman Arik Armstead and appeared to land on his foot awkwardly as he went down.

The quarterback attempted to walk off the field, but was visibly limping. He returned to the sidelines with a boot and left the stadium with crutches.

Backup quarterback Jake Browning kept the Bengals afloat on Sunday in Burrow’s place. Browning completed 21 of 32 passes for 241 yards, three total touchdowns, and three interceptions, taking advantage of what could have been a game-ending incident.

Sunday was not the first time Browning took over for Burrow due to an injury. In 2023, Browning played the last seven games of the season after Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury.

Browning’s efforts secured a Week 2 win for the team and helped the Bengals overcome a detrimental slow start in previous seasons. After the game, Browning admitted that jumping in on such short notice was not easy.

“Preparing without taking reps is a challenge,” Browning said in the winning team’s locker room. “My most recent game wasn’t too long ago. The way the NFL works is preparing the starting quarterback to be ready, and it’s on the backup to stay ready. If you get to Sunday and you aren’t prepared…”

In short, it is on the backup if they aren’t ready, but Browning showed he was. Although he wasn’t perfect in the game, throwing three interceptions, Browning appears capable of taking on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3.

The Bengals’ biggest challenge is to stay afloat in the playoff hunt without their star quarterback. The team will face the Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 21, at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ first-string offense played two series in Thursday night’s preseason opener, and both series ended with Joe Burrow touchdown passes. But Burrow wasn’t satisfied afterward.

“It’s good to play football again,” Burrow said. “I could’ve been better, I missed the first throw. I threw all the other ones where I wanted to put them but I could have spun it a little better … We got to be better. Too many procedural penalties, too many errors. Things like that are gonna happen, but I think it just wasn’t clean enough, across the board.”

After an incomplete pass to Tee Higgins on his first throw of the night, Burrow went 9-for-9 for 123 yards the rest of the way. In addition to his two touchdown passes, Burrow had another touchdown pass negated by a chop block penalty.

The Tanner Hudson touchdown capped the opening possession and came just two plays after the chop block penalty against Lucas Patrick. It set up first and goal at the 21, but Burrow hit Charlie Jones for nine yards before connecting with Hudson on the touchdown. Hudson later caught a touchdown pass from backup quarterback Desmond Ridder.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase picked up right where he left off last season, catching four passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

“Just the threat of being hit is a big reason we want those guys on there. He knows he’s not going to get hit in practice,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “So I think just for it to feel real in a game, whether he’s getting hit or not, I think just him having the knowledge that it’s possible, you know, someone can lose a one-on-one and you hit on the backside, a free runner can come in,… you can’t simulate that rep in practice.”

It’s hard to judge much when the Bengals played all their starters on offense and the Philadelphia Eagles did not play all their starters on defense, but Burrow and Chase looked sharp. If Burrow is right that the Bengals’ offense will get better, that’s a scary thought for the Bengals’ opponents.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson did not report to training camp, continuing to stick to his game plan throughout the offseason until he gets a new contract.

Hendrickson said in May he will not suit up under his current deal, which is set to pay him a $15.8 million base salary in 2025. The Bengals came to the table with several offers for last season’s NFL sack leader, including a new one in the last week, but nothing materialized.

“It has been a long negotiation. Trey Hendrickson is a fine player, he’s a good guy, we want him here,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said Monday. “Dealing with him is sometimes not so easy, and that’s alright, he’s got the right to argue his case. We’ll try to make sense of it from our perspective, and we’ll see. I’m not persuaded that it isn’t going to get done, as far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.”

Reports that Hendrickson plans to skip the start of training camp apparently came as news to Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin, who said this week that the team expects the four-time Pro Bowler to be present.

“He’s an important part of our team,” Tobin said. “He’s under contract, and we expect all our guys under contract to be here. He’s a guy who has been very valuable. He has earned a raise and extension. We’ll see if we can come together on something.”

Hendrickson registered a league-best 17.5 sacks last season, equaling his 2023 numbers as one of the NFL’s top edge rushers. He also accumulated 46 combined tackles, including 33 solo tackles, which were career bests in both categories. Hendrickson has been an impact player and headliner for the Bengals’ defensive efforts since joining Cincinnati in 2021.

The Cincinnati Bengals and rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart have yet to agree to a contract, as the rookie remains unsigned.

The Bengals’ front office, which is notorious for frustrating players, added new language to Stewart’s deal that was not in the contract of the team’s last two first-round picks.

The language would allow the Bengals to forfeit future guarantees if Stewart were to get into trouble, including a suspension, off-field conduct issues or an arrest.

“I’m 100 percent right,” Stewart said. “I’m not asking for nothing you all have never done before, but in you all case, you all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games.”

This is the longest holdout by a first-round pick since the collective bargaining agreement in 2011. The previous longest was Joey Bosa in 2016 with the San Diego Chargers.

Stewart has more leverage than rookies in the past due to the NIL money he earned in college and his options outlined in the CBA.

If Stewart doesn’t ever sign with the Bengals, he would be eligible to re-enter the NFL Draft in 2026. Any team, except for the Bengals, would be eligible to draft him.

A team can also trade an unsigned rookie for up to 30 days before the start of the regular season. If Stewart and the Bengals can’t agree on the language of the contract, he could be on the market.

Stewart isn’t the only Bengal sitting out. Star defensive lineman Trey Hendrickson hasn’t participated in offseason activities as he holds out for a contract increase.

“Last year, we had two. This year, we have one,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said of the holdouts the Bengals have dealt with. “So we do have less. You’d love to have none, but that’s life in the NFL.”

Cincinnati Bengals rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart left the Bengals’ mandatory minicamp amid a contract dispute.

The Bengals’ first-round draft selection did not participate in any of the team’s offseason workouts. According to a source, the dispute is centered on the interpretation of language in the contract that could affect guaranteed money.

“He wasn’t here today, so we just focused on the guys that were here,” coach Zach Taylor said after the Bengals completed their three-day minicamp.

Taylor had mixed comments regarding the former Texas A&M star.

The seventh-year coach said he has had “positive conversations” with Stewart amid the dispute, adding that Stewart attended meetings, has been positive in that aspect of his approach and has done a good job of learning ahead of the upcoming season.

“For all the rookies, you’d like them to be on the field,” Taylor said. “But certainly there’s things that happen over the course of an NFL career, and this is one of them right now.”

Taylor indicated, however, that he wasn’t particularly happy with Stewart’s comments earlier this week.

When asked by ESPN about how long he thought the contract dispute might last, Stewart indicated that he isn’t seeking anything different or unique from previous Bengals draft picks.

“In my case, I’m 100 percent right,” Stewart said. “I’m not asking for nothing that’s never been done before. But in [the team’s] case, y’all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games, in my opinion.”

“Number one, we want to protect our team in our locker room,” Taylor said. “I understand when there’s frustration there. That’s how he chose to do it, and that’s his prerogative. And we look forward to getting him back in the fold.”

Stewart isn’t the only Bengals pass rusher trying to sort out a new contract.

Star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, a four-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro selection last season, skipped the entire mandatory minicamp as he seeks a long-term contract extension. He has stated that he has no intention of playing out the final year of his current contract.

“The main thing I want to say is I don’t think, to either of our defensive ends, that there’s not any harboring resentment in this locker room to them,” Bengals center Ted Karras said to the media. “I really hope that both camps can figure this out because we have a really good team. We’ve had a super productive spring, and you just don’t want this to carry over into the summer.”

Still, this week the team remains high on Stewart. “It’s a lesson for him in the NFL – control what you can control,” defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “From our standpoint, he’s done a good job in terms of the learning. We are as excited as anybody to get him out there.”

The Cincinnati Bengals had one of the most up-and-down seasons, going 9-8 in 2024. The team missed the playoffs for back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2020. Despite missing the playoffs, the Bengals had one of the best offensive seasons in NFL history, with quarterback Joe Burrow leading the NFL in passing yards with 4,918 and 43 passing touchdowns.

All-Pro wide receiver Jamar Chase also had a historical season, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to lead the league in catches, touchdowns and yards as a receiver. While the offense was historic, the defense struggled heavily, ranking 25th in yards allowed per game, with an average of 348.3. The Bengals ended their season on a five-game winning streak but missed the playoffs due to a 4-8 record to start the season.

Cincinnati came into the offseason with huge question marks surrounding key players like Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins. The team made huge moves, resigning both star wide receivers Chase and Higgins to four-year extensions. Higgins’ extension was worth $115 million, and the Bengals made Chase the highest-paid wide receiver in the league with a $161 million contract. The Bengals also re-signed other key players like defensive tackle BJ Hill, tight end Mike Gesicki and offensive tackle Cody Ford.

The most significant question mark left for the Bengals is whether or not All-Pro defensive end Hendrickson will be traded or get a new contract with the team. Hendrickson led the league with 17.5 sacks last season and is seeking a new contract with the Bengals after requesting a trade during the offseason. His future remains unclear, as there has been a lack of communication between the team and him regarding an extension.

The Bengals also brought in new faces, including middle linebacker and Super Bowl champion Oren Burks, who was a key part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl run from last season as well as former Packer defensive tackle TJ Slaton and running back Samaje Perine, who are returning to the team after two seasons with the Chiefs and Broncos. The only notable loss this offseason was offensive tackle Trent Brown, who only started three games before suffering a torn patellar tendon, which ended his season.

Cincinnati went defense in the first two rounds of the draft to help improve their unit from last season, selecting Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart in the first round and linebacker Demetrius Knight from South Carolina in the second. Both players will need to add to a struggling defense if the Bengals hope to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

With the 14th most demanding schedule, according to Fox Sports, the Bengals will need their defense to step up to return to the playoffs in 2025. The Bengals have been notorious for starting the season slowly over the last few seasons. Still, they will have a relatively easy first three weeks against the Browns, Jaguars and Vikings with an unproven quarterback in JJ McCarthy. The Bengals’ biggest games will come against the Lions in week five, the Packers in week six, and the Bills in week 14.

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Playing in the AFC North is no easy task, as teams must face the Ravens, Steelers and Browns twice throughout the year. If the Bengals hope to get back to the Super Bowl after making it in 2022, it will require another MVP-level season from Burrow and a much-improved defensive season, hopefully with Hendrickson back on the team.

CINCINNATI BENGALS SCHEDULE & TICKET DEALS

• Week 1: Sept. 7 at Cleveland Browns
• Week 2: Sept. 14 against Jacksonville Jaguars
• Week 3: Sept. 21 at Minnesota Vikings
• Week 4: Sept. 29 at Denver Broncos
• Week 5: Oct. 5 against Detroit Lions
• Week 6: Oct. 12 at Green Bay Packers
• Week 7: Oct. 16 against Pittsburgh Steelers
• Week 8: Oct. 26 against New York Jets
• Week 9: Nov. 2 against Chicago Bears
• Week 10: Bye week
• Week 11: Nov. 16 at Pittsburgh Steelers
• Week 12: Nov. 23 against New England Patriots
• Week 13: Nov. 27 at Baltimore Ravens
• Week 14: Dec. 7 at Buffalo Bills
• Week 15: Dec. 14 against Baltimore Ravens
• Week 16: Dec. 21 at Miami Dolphins
• Week 17: against Arizona Cardinals
• Week 18: against Cleveland Browns

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CINCINNATI BENGALS SEASON & GAMES ODDS

The Bengals open the season with +2000 odds of winning the Super Bowl and a +950 to win the AFC North. They also open up the season with -140 odds to win their first game vs the Cleveland Browns and are favored in 10 of their games to start the season. The Bengals will be favorites to make the playoffs after missing them last season after a disappointing end to the season last year.

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Last season, Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow played at an MVP level last year, but the Bengals missed the playoffs due to a lackluster defense. Many sports media pundits either thought he was the best quarterback in the league due to him leading the league in completions, yards and touchdowns, or they put the blame for the Bengals’ problems on his shoulders.

Burrow himself offered his own take on the Bengals’ situation months after the Bengals were officially eliminated from the playoff picture.

“If I had played even better, we wouldn’t have been in that spot that we were in,” Burrow said, via Bengals.com. “I just focus on getting better myself, and I feel like everyone in the locker room feels the same way. If I go out there and play better than I did last year, then it doesn’t matter what goes on anywhere else.”

It is hard to argue with Burrows’ point because every player in history could say the same thing and have a ring. Most quarterbacks in the NFL put the pressure of the team on their shoulders, so they get the credit when the team is doing well, but on the flip side, they get the blame when the team does not meet expectations.

In 2024, Burrow had 4,918 passing yards, 43 touchdown passes and a 70.6% completion percentage while only throwing nine interceptions. Burrow had almost 300 more passing yards than the quarterback who was second in yards, which was Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, and two more passing touchdowns than Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Burrow will be looking to lead the Bengals to their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history this year as they will face the Cleveland Browns in week one of the NFL regular season.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson has told the team that he won’t play under his current contract, leaving the relationship open-ended.

Whether Hendrickson continues to play in a Bengals uniform is up to Cincinnati’s front office.

Hendrickson, 30, is set to earn $15.8 million this season in the final year of his contract. The four-time Pro Bowler is coming off of back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons and accounted for about half of the Bengals’ sacks last season.

Hendrickson spoke to the media on Tuesday for 25 minutes about his situation. He revealed his disappointment with the team’s communication and contract situation.

“I think both parties should understand a long-term contract with guarantees that know that I can continue to play at the level that I have been,” Hendrickson said. “It’s a mutual respect. That’s where my values lie.”

In comparison to other top edge rushers in the league, Hendrickson is making considerably less than his apparent value.

Myles Garrett is the highest-paid edge rusher in the league, making $40 million per year. Danielle Hunter and Maxx Crosby both make just over $35 million per season.

Over the past two seasons, Hendrickson has more sacks than all three of those players.

If the Bengals don’t sign Hendrickson to a new contract, there will be a trade market for him. After signing Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in the offseason, the Bengals could decide there isn’t enough room for Hendrickson.

Since star quarterback Joe Burrow‘s sophomore season in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals have been preseason contenders each year – including, of course, a Super Bowl run in 2022.

Although Burrow receives the most attention, other players have been fundamental in elevating a Bengals squad that too often has had offensive-line and defensive deficiencies. A Bengals squad, notably, that is backed up by a stingy pocketbook; they have the least amount of money earmarked for non-quarterback players in the entire league.

Now, following a disappointing season where Cincinnati barely missed the playoffs despite a late-season revival, three important players are in need of a deal.

Ja’Marr Chase, who claimed the triple crown after leading the NFL in receptions, yards and touchdowns in the 2024 season, was the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2021. He’ll likely receive the richest deal ever for a wide receiver – possibly by a wide margin. Chase’s signing is not an if but a when.

More controversially, wide receiver Tee Higgins is up for a new deal for the second time in two years after the Bengals franchise tagged him last year. Higgins will hit free agency on March 12.

The Bengals are reportedly looking to sign Higgins long-term, which may be difficult with the batch of deals they’re tasked with constructing this year. Sources say they’re likely to opt for a second franchise tag if the sides aren’t able to reach a deal by March 4, the tag deadline, which would allow an additional four months to work on one. If a deal isn’t signed by July 12, Higgins would play on a salary of $26.17 million in 2025.

Finally, despite the failures of the Cincinnati defense this past season, there was one significant bright spot that nevertheless flew under the radar. His name is Trey Hendrickson, and he was named first-team All-Pro at defensive end for the 2024 season, recording a league-high 17.5 sacks and concluding as the runner-up Defensive Player of the Year.

Hendrickson has played out a four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals that started in 2021, but the team is reportedly anxious to keep him as the cornerstone of their defense.

Burrow, meanwhile, has been clear on his wish to keep his teammates, up to and including restructuring his own contract.

“You could convert some of the money to a signing bonus, which will lower the cap hit,” Burrow said. “You can push some of the money to the back end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. And then when you get to the back end of the contract, you can restructure it and convert it to a signing bonus. You can also just take less money.”

Burrow signed his own extension last offseason, at a whopping five years and $275 million. It’s no surprise the Bengals are looking to win with him – and soon.

The Cincinnati Bengals, at one point at under a 5% chance to make the playoffs at 4-8, stormed back with a 5-0 run to end the season. Their shoddy start to the season, though, meant that their destiny came down to two outcomes: a Jets win over the Miami Dolphins and a Kansas City Chiefs win over the Denver Broncos.

The more unlikely of those, at least on paper, did happen: the New York Jets improved to 5-12 on the season and knocked the Miami Dolphins to under .500 with a 32-20 win. Aaron Rodgers threw for 274 yards and four touchdowns in what was by far his most productive appearance with the Jets.

Coming into Week 18, the Chiefs were 15-1, with one loss to the dominant Buffalo Bills. The Broncos, meanwhile, were 9-7, led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

The only problem: the Chiefs had already locked down the top seed in the AFC in Week 17. The Bengals’ fate, then, would come down to the Chiefs’ backup quarterback Carson Wentz and a less-than-stellar supporting cast of all backups.

It wasn’t surprising that the Chiefs lost. But losing 0-38, with Wentz contributing under a hundred passing yards and the defense surrendering nearly 500, led to accusations of intentional failure.

“Chiefs didn’t want us, plain and simple,” wrote one Bengals fan on X. “They threw the game. Prove me wrong.”

“When the announcers say “we are gonna take you to a more competitive game” [because] a 15-1 team is throwing the game, that’s bad. And beyond shady,” contributed another user.

Even Bengals superstar receiver Ja’Marr Chase implied he thought the Chiefs lost on purpose while on Instagram Live following the game.

Many of these accusations come from the viewpoint that Bengals superstar Joe Burrow is the only quarterback who can outduel Patrick Mahomes in the postseason. The Chiefs, after all, have made the Super Bowl in four of the last five seasons – all except 2022, when the Bengals bested them in overtime.

Chiefs fans, though, point to the backups’ incentives to display themselves well on a national stage as proof that the team couldn’t intentionally fail, and point out that the Chiefs’ most recent postseason clash with the Bengals was a successful one.

Regardless of the Chiefs’ performance, though, the Bengals lost eight games this season, including a Week 1 loss to the last-place New England Patriots. Just one more win would have guaranteed them the playoffs over the Broncos.

The Chiefs, as the first seed in the AFC, have a first-round bye. The Broncos will play the two-seed Buffalo Bills in the first round – a game promising a stiff uphill climb against presumptive MVP Josh Allen.

Meanwhile, the Bengals go home to lick their wounds despite Burrow’s performance, a triple-crown season from Chase, and a fantastic season from Trey Hendrickson, who leads the NFL in sacks. Some years just aren’t yours.

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After sitting out of off-season programs, Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins signed his franchise tender, which guarantees $21 million from the franchise tag as Higgins stays in Cincinnati for another season.

Higgins missed all of the mandatory minicamp with hopes of a new deal. He did not want to receive the franchise tag, but he and the Bengals are clearly far apart with a long-term extension. Higgins requested a trade a couple of months ago, as he hoped that another team would offer him the long-term offer, but no deal ever transpired or appeared close.

The deal expects Higgins to be in black and orange when training camp comes around, although he would be fined if he did not participate.

Cincinnati is beginning to feel the cap crunch after signing QB Joe Burrow to a five-year $275 million deal at the beginning of last season. The team moved off of RB Joe Mixon this offseason as they traded him to an in-conference rival, the Houston Texans. Along with the new deal for their star quarterback, Jamar Chase will look for an extension soon. His deal should mirror similar to what Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson just made with a record-breaking four-year $140 million contract. With those contracts at the top of GM’s Duke Tobin‘s mind, Higgins has felt frustrated with the lack of extension talk in the last couple of years.

Higgins has been a mainstay in the Bengals’ reinsurance since being drafted to Cincinnati in the second round of the 2020 draft. However, he struggled last season, playing in just 12 games while dealing with a hamstring injury. His health concerns and Burrow’s season-ending injury caused the WR to have the lowest yard total of his career, 656, and the fewest receptions.

With the departure of #3 WR Tyler Boyd and a new contract on his mind, Higgins hopes to prove his worth in the upcoming season.

On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs ensured that they won’t be making the playoffs.

However, the loss didn’t keep wideout Ja’Marr Chase from manhandling the Chiefs, continuing his long-standing feud with the organization.

In the second quarter, Chase was called for unnecessary roughness after he and Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed shoved each other after a play.

Chase took credit for beginning the fight.

“I started it off,” he said. “Their whole defense was mad at me. It started at the beginning of the game. You’ve seen it. Everybody’s seen it. That’s just what I like to do.”

Regarding his conflict with Sneed, Chase said, “I just be under people’s skin sometimes. Motherf—– won’t fight me.”

He finished the game with 41 yards and three catches.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor confirmed Thursday that star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will not play against the Steelers in Week 16. Chase exited a game against the Vikings last weekend with a shoulder injury.

Instead of giving Chase more time to try and recover ahead of the game Sunday, Taylor made the early call, simply saying that he was not trending in the right direction. Taylor did not provide a firm timetable for Chase’s return but indicated that he could be ready in Week 17.

“We’ve got significant length before the next game from where are today,” Taylor said. “So we’ll just continue to go from there.”

In Chase’s absence, wide receiver Tee Higgins is expected to receive more looks from quarterback Jake Browning. The team will also presumably lean on their running game, led by Joe Mixon with Chase Brown coming in for support. Higgins told reporters Thursday that he was prepared to step up as the team hunts for a playoff berth.

“I still gotta go out there and be the receiver I am,” Higgins said.

The Bengals have had to deal with a number of key injuries this year, chiefly a season-ending setback for Joe Burrow. But while the team has been banged up all year, Cincinnati still has an 8-6 record and could make the postseason with a strong finish.

Browning has performed well in Burrow’s stead and led the team to wins over the Jaguars, Colts and Vikings. The next few games could be similarly challenging, however, as he will have to maintain this hot streak against the Steelers, Chiefs and Browns.

The two NFC North rivals always have the potential to cause problems while the Bengals’ recent history against the Chiefs (with Burrow under center) are well documented. The team is almost certain to benefit from Chase’s potential return by season’s end.

During the Cincinnati Bengals’ Thursday Night Football 20-34 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, quarterback Joe Burrow exited the game with an injury to his right wrist. 

Burrow did not speak to reporters and is due to undergo further evaluation on Friday.

Zac Taylor, the Bengals coach, said that Burrow’s injury is a sprained wrist. 

Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase commented on the situation.

“It’s not something I was expecting,” he said. “I didn’t know he had any problems or anything. It’s just tough seeing that happen during the game like that. But I hope he gets well.”

Burrow had issues holding and gripping the football during the second quarter, and he ended up having to leave the field.

He has been dealing with several injuries this season, including a calf injury that ruled him out early in the season. 

Prior to leaving the game, Burrow completed 11 of 17 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. With Burrow sidelined, the Bengals will have to look to Jake Browning for the time being. Browning completed 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and one touchdown against the Ravens. 

The Bengals, who are 5-5, play the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 26.

According to Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, star quarterback Joe Burrow will miss a couple of weeks with a calf strain and didn’t suffer a major injury last Thursday in practice.

The 26-year-old will likely miss all of the preseason to make sure he is fully healthy for the opener Week One against their divisional opponent, the Cleveland Browns.

The former number-one overall pick from LSU back in 2020 was spotted in the locker room during the media access period, and Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports that Burrow walked normally with a compression sleeve on his right calf.

The Bengals franchise signal caller was rolling to his right during drills when he pulled up short and suffered a noncontact injury, as he was carted off the field.

“He was just scrambling,” Taylor said to reporters, via Fox 19 Now in Cincinnati. “This is football. Guys go down with an injury…. That’s just part of football in training camp.”

Cincinnati dodged a potentially massive blow for their team and organization, as Burrow is also the last big-name quarterback to get a massive extension to join the likes of Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts (who all signed earlier this offseason). One that would likely make him the highest-paid player/ quarterback in the NFL, so it’s not a matter of “if” but “when.”

On Wednesday, one day before Burrow suffered a calf injury, he was asked about being healthy and having a normal training camp for the first time in his career, but unfortunately, this statement was short-lived.

“Knock on wood – I feel great,” Burrow said. “This time last year I was sitting in a hospital bed. It’s good to be out there with the guys. Excited about where we’re at.”

With Burrow missing the remainder of training camp, it will be his third in a row that he has not been able to participate fully due to injury.

In 2022, the Pro Bowl passer had a ruptured appendix that required surgery days before the start of training camp. In 2021, the former NFL Comeback Player of the Year and NFL Completion Percentage Leader was recovering from a torn ACL and MCL, one that ended his rookie campaign.

It is unknown if this injury could linger, as the Bengals didn’t specify what degree of calf strain Burrow suffered. If he were to miss any sort of time during the regular season, the backup quarterbacks behind him on the Cincinnati roster currently are veteran 31-year-old Trevor Siemian and journeyman 27-year-old Jake Browning. NFL Media’s Steve Wyche mentioned Browning is taking most of the first team reps in camp so far.

On Sunday, the Bengals did make a move for another camp arm to compete for the backup quarterback job and signed XFL’s Reid Sinnett, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, as the 26-year-old was with the Miami Dolphins for most of his 2022 tenure in the NFL. Cincinnati also worked out 25-year-old XFL and former Bengal quarterback Drew Plitt but opted for the more experienced Sinnett.

“It’ll be good to get another arm in there because that’s a lot of throws for these two guys,” Bengals head coach Taylor said on Friday.

Veteran quarterbacks, like Carson Wentz or Teddy Bridgewater, are still available in free agency if Burrow somehow suffers a setback or isn’t ready for Week 1, as their signing of another camp arm is likely to show that his injury isn’t serious enough to warrant panic his early.

With Burrow, the Bengals have a chance at repeating as AFC North Champions, but without him, if he misses any sort of meaningful time, it will hurt their playoff chances.

Bengals star wide receiver and Burrow’s good friend Ja’Marr Chase told reporters last Thursday why he thinks Burrow will be fine.

“We always give each other that nod,” Chase said after practice, via Dehner Jr. “He gave me a nod [to say] he’s all right. He’s a strong dude.”

“I wasn’t really worried,” Chase said. “I believe he’s all right.”

It sounds crazy, and Vegas might tell bettors otherwise. But based on every storyline going into this weekend’s AFC Championship game, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will be underdogs against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Role reversals abound in this high-profile rematch.

Even before last weekend, the Bengals would have been a challenging, vexing matchup for the Chiefs. In three attempts, Mahomes has not yet managed to defeat Burrow in a rivalry that has already cost him a trip to a Super Bowl.

Though the Bengals were dangerous going into last year’s AFC Championship game, one could argue that they’re even stronger this year. The team has won 10 straight games, with its last defeat coming on Halloween. Burrow and Cincinnati are easily the hottest team in football and dismantled the highly touted Buffalo Bills in the divisional round to reach this game. The Chiefs’ momentum cannot compare.

Though Mahomes has repeatedly said that he’s fully prepared to play, anyone who watched him against the Jacksonville Jaguars would justifiably question those claims. After suffering a high ankle sprain in the first quarter, the star quarterback eventually returned but was noticeably limited in the pocket. He still mustered enough to secure a victory over Jacksonville and intends to do so against Cincinnati as well. But high ankle sprains take a notoriously long time to heal, suggesting it could be a serious issue moving forward in the postseason.

Between an injury to Mahomes and prior struggles against the Bengals, the Chiefs are now just one-point favorites, an advantage likely granted to them because the game will take place in Arrowhead Stadium. But with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Kansas City seems like the team with everything to prove. It would be foolish to call them outright favorites in the matchup, but it would be just as foolish to claim that Mahomes is incapable of overcoming the obstacles ahead.

In a profoundly talented generation of quarterbacks that includes Burrow, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Jalen Hurts and others, Mahomes still manages to stand out for many fans. In addition to a golden arm and superb field vision, his improvisational skills and penchant for risk-taking have made him a different kind of NFL star.

Early in his career, Tom Brady became known as a dynasty maker — he set out to crush his opponents and establish a legacy. Peyton Manning was a master tactician, a player with a militant playing style who could simply prepare and adjust better than nearly anyone he faced. Aaron Rodgers has always been an angrier, grittier type of competitor, one who wanted to own opponents on every play if he could.

Because of his unique skill set, Mahomes has always been different. Many have tried to find a comparison for him, but there isn’t one. Instead of a tyrant or general or student, he’s the closest thing the NFL has to a performer. He looks good regardless of the final score more often than not. The opponent feels inconsequential when he’s directing the Chiefs’ offense at the highest level, and though he plays in America’s roughest game, his victories never feel malicious or cruel. To put it simply, he’s Patrick Mahomes and they’re not.

This theatrical reputation that the Chiefs’ star quarterback has developed may make some people forget that he is also the type that refuses to sit with a high ankle sprain. He has emphatically removed any doubt that he would not appear under center for Kansas City this weekend. Behind all the talent, Mahomes is also a fierce competitor hell-bent on finishing the job he started. But an unexpected test lies ahead, and it may prove to be the biggest of his career.

In an interview Wednesday, Los Angeles Rams star defender Aaron Donald downplayed the severity of his actions in a joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals last week. During an altercation between the two teams that resulted in a halt to the practice, Donald was seen swinging a Bengals player’s helmet near other players.

“It was just a practice. It was football,” Donald told the AP Pro Football  podcast. “I don’t really wanna go back to nothing negative that happened and talk about something that happened in a practice. My main focus is Buffalo.”

Donald was not the only one implicated, as a number of players on both teams were involved in multiple skirmishes across the field. Photos and video of Donald during the fight gained the most attention, however, as the seven-time All-Pro is a leader on the Rams as well as the league.

Donald said that he had already come to terms with Head Coach Sean McVay and his teammates since the skirmishes.

Because teams, not the league, are typically responsible for player conduct at practice, it is unlikely that Donald or others involved will face disciplinary action for the incident. The two teams played against one another in their final preseason game last weekend without incident.

Following the altercation, McVay did not seem concerned with disciplining his players, but instead expressed concern about self-inflicted setbacks for players.

“You just never know what can occur,” McVay told reporters. “And my biggest concern is just unnecessary injuries for people that we’re counting on.”

Tension between the two teams likely stemmed from their Super Bowl matchup last year, when the Rams defeated the Bengals 23-20. Both teams are widely considered postseason contenders as the regular season approaches, though their paths won’t cross again this season unless both teams make it to the Super Bowl.

Addressing his main focus going into the season, Donald told AP that he was looking to make the most of the time he has left in the league.

“Being an older player, 31 years old, being able to have the work ethic I got, the one thing that I needed to do a lot better is recover and take care of my body,” Donald said. “That’s my main focus. I’ve got the work ethic and now making sure I have the recovery part so I can play at a high level.”

As Donald mentioned, the Rams will take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 on September 8.

Following a surgery on July 27 to remove his appendix, quarterback Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals did not release an official timetable for his return. Though he still appears to be on track to play in Week 1 of the regular season, Burrow’s father, Jimmy Burrow, said that his son will likely require a few more weeks to recover.

Jimmy commented on his son’s progress on the In the Trenches podcast. He told host Dave Lepham that Joe was affected by the surgery but was making his way back to the field gradually.

“It set him back,” Jimmy said. “But he seems to be getting better everyday, and hopefully, here in a few weeks we’ll be back on the field.”

Though Joe’s father expressed optimism, he also seemed to confirm that the quarterback will miss more time than many hoped immediately following the appendectomy. The original expectation from the team and others was one to four weeks, but it has already been nearly two weeks and could take longer.

At this point, Joe’s first appearance of 2022 will likely come in the regular season, as his current recovery schedule overlaps with most of the preseason. It is doubtful, however, that this time has been taken by the quarterback in an attempt to skirt his duties on the field. The Bengals have confirmed that he returned to the facility on Aug. 1, five days after he was released from the hospital. His father noted that the difficulty has been preventing his son from rushing the healing process.

“Joe’s just got to listen to his doctors and trainers over at the facility and take it easy,” Jimmy said. “He’s not one to kind of take it easy, but he’s got to and it will be best for the long run if he makes sure he does what he’s supposed to.”

After reaching the Super Bowl last year, Burrow has firmly stepped into the role of a franchise quarterback for the Bengals. His surgery in the offseason was unexpected and may have scared fans, but it seems like he is still prepared to start in the regular season without further complications.