Joe Burrow's Calf 'Soreness' Continues To Be Issue For Bengals Ahead Of MNF Game Against Rams
The Joe Burrow calf injury is important topic No. 1 for the Cincinnati Bengals now because it probably will have the greatest say about what happens with important topic No. 2, which is whether the Bengals finally win a game.
Well, the Bengals are in "day-to-day" mode with the starting quarterback.
"I'm preparing like I'm going to go out and play a Monday night football game," Burrow told reporters after practice on Wednesday. "Whether that happens, I don't know. But I'm going to be prepared to."
That is a strong non-committal from Burrow which has been the Bengals company line throughout the process since the quarterback re-aggravated a calf strain on Sunday.
Burrow added "we'll see what happens" on his ultimate status.
Burrow also said that although he will be ready to play mentally and would like to compete, "It may not be my decision to make."
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Thursday afternoon that Burrow would be limited in practice on Thursday, the first day of preparations for Monday night's home game against the Los Angeles Rams.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - AUGUST 11: Head coach Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals is seen during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Paycor Stadium on August 11, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Bengals Taking Injury Day At Time
"Soreness is an issue right now so giving him some time is best," Taylor said. "That's all I'll say about today."
Taylor admitted it would be "ideal" if Burrow can practice between today and game day.
Burrow missed all of training camp after he injured his calf the first day of workouts. He rejoined drills late in the preseason and was fully cleared just prior to the start of the regular season. But he has not been right so far this season.
Burrow's 70.6 quarterback rating is 27th in the NFL.
That is lower than Justin Fields.
That is lower than rookies Anthony Richardson and C.J. Stroud.
His 56.9 completion percentage is also among the bottom 5 among starters.
Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals directs his team during the third quarter in the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium on September 17, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Joe Burrow Has Struggled At Start Of Season
So, be it lack of training camp, discomfort with the calf, whatever, Burrow has started slowly this season.
But Taylor said in the last game, a 27-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Burrow started to see the field "really good" and pointed to the Bengals scoring on three of their final five possessions of the game
"Aside from the interception, find me one bad ball placement, you're not going to," Taylor said. "So I thought he performed really well. You can't have the turnover, obviously, but aside from that I thought he gave us exactly what we needed."
Taylor's tone on Wednesday seemed somewhat more optimistic when he visited the Rich Eisen radio show and said, "It’s been an encouraging early part of the week,” when talking about the Burrow's status.
If Burrow does not play or has to come out of the game, the Bengals would go with backup Jake Browning at quarterback.
Browning has never started an NFL game and has one pass attempt in his career.
"We've invested time and effort into Jake," Taylor said. "The guy's on the 53-man roster on this team for a reason. We believe in him. We know we're going to call upon everybody at some point and the quarterback position is no different."