One week before the Bengals are scheduled to host the Los Angeles Rams for “Monday Night Football” in Cincinnati, head coach Zac Taylor said he’s not sure quarterback Joe Burrow will be able to play.
Asked whether the Bengals might need to rest Burrow to get him healthy, Taylor said doctors would be critical to making that decision.
“Hard for me to say right now,” Taylor said to the question of Burrow playing in Week 3.
Burrow was injured in a training camp practice July 27 and didn’t participate in practice or preseason games for five weeks. He returned just in time to sign a five-year, $275 million contract and suit up for the regular-season opener.
Through two games, he’s 28th in the NFL in passing yards (310) and has one completion longer than 20 yards, a 32-yarder to running back Joe Mixon. Burrow is averaging 4.22 yards per pass attempt, down from 7.38 last season and 8.87 in 2021.
Taylor said Burrow was “still sore” on Monday.
Off to an 0-2 start, the Bengals lost 27-24 to the Ravens on Sunday, and Burrow said he will need a little time to determine the severity of his calf injury. Burrow said he “tweaked” his calf before the team’s second touchdown in the game.
Burrow said he will give his leg muscle a few days before assessing his status.
“I’ll give it a couple nights and a couple sleeps. We’ll go from there,” he said.
The Bengals have an extra day of preparation with a Monday game and will not fully practice until later in the week.
–Field Level Media