Thursday's NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens was supposed to be a rare high-quality Thursday Night Football contest. Between the stars on display and the divisional stakes, everything seemed aligned for a marquee contest.
But, on Friday morning, there's not too much talk about the actual football. Instead, quarterback Joe Burrow and his unfortunate injury have stolen the spotlight. While we don't know the details yet, the sight of his inability to hold a ball through the throwing motion speaks volumes.
And given that this is the NFL, there's plenty of chatter about Burrow and the Bengals. Was he injured before taking the field? How will the team cope with this loss? Is there another quarterback, either on the roster or available as a free agent, who can fill the void?
Those are all valid questions, but they don't need to be answered right away. While it's fair to immediately get down to brass tacks, we can simply acknowledge that seeing a star player leave the game is bad for everyone involved.
Burrow Left With an Apparent Wrist Problem
Sometimes sports fans can get bogged down in conspiracy theories, latching on to the tiniest detail from a quote or video clip. On Thursday, though, it seemed as if the collective NFL community was onto something.
Eagled-eyed observers noticed that Burrow appeared to be wearing something on his hand and wrist when exiting the team plane. The clip was promptly pulled from social media, but that wasn't the last we heard about the signal-caller's wrist.
In the second quarter, he headed to the sidelines in apparent pain. Cameras caught Burrow trying—and failing—to hold on to a ball through the throwing motion, before heading to the locker room. He returned to the sidelines after halftime but didn't reenter the game. Jake Browning finished the game under center.
After the game, head coach Zac Taylor didn't provide too much detail.
"It looked like he sprained his wrist," he said. "Fell on it early in the game and then felt it on the touchdown pass."
Analysis Aside, Burrow's Injury Just Feels Bad
Given how little we know about the injury and the Bengals' precarious position on the playoff bubble, there are plenty of reasonable questions to be asked.
Will Burrow be able to play again this season? How serious is his injury? Can the Bengals pull a rabbit out of their hat and make the postseason? Is the quarterback, for all his talent, injury-prone?
The list goes on and on, and given Burrow's status, the questions are reasonable. That said, this is not where the focus automatically has to fall.
It's OK to just admit that Burrow's injury is a drag. Set aside the divisional standings, potential rivalries and analysis for a moment. This is a star player who, if the early signs are any indication, will at least be something less than his best during a crucial stretch of the season. It's possible he'll be completely out of the action.
For Bengals fans, the blow is obvious. Burrow is the franchise, and an injury will probably end any chances of a playoff push. Even if he can play, there's no guarantee that he'll be effective. Consider, for context, how bad the signal-caller looked while playing through an early-season calf problem.
And, as mentioned above, the Burrow injury will probably rob the neutral fan of some excitement. Part of the appeal of pro sports is watching the best of the best duke it out. There's nothing like seeing real-life superheroes work their magic on a regular basis. It's tough to argue that the Cincy QB doesn't deserve to be part of that group.
There's also the drama of the playoff picture. Beyond the AFC North—the quality of that division has shown through this year—the Bengals still have to play games against the Chiefs, Jaguars and Vikings. Those matchups looked like compelling showdowns that would affect postseason positioning. Now, they're probably a bit more mundane.
On the subject of fans of other teams, things are a bit more complicated. While there's probably some relief that the Bengals will be less of a threat, most NFL viewers aren't going to actively root for an injury, even to a fierce rival. And, not to be overly Pollyannaish, there's something to be said for going head-to-head against the league's best teams. Beating up on a backup might be fun at the moment, but it gets boring pretty quickly.
To be completely fair, this argument isn't unique to Burrow. His injury is only the latest addition to this year's list, and you could make similar assertions about Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins or your preferred player.
Again, that's not to say that we can't analyze what happened on Thursday night and parse through all of the related concerns. But, in this age of 24/7 news, especially on social media, there's something to be said for simply acknowledging that injuries aren't fun. They affect the livelihoods of real human beings, alter the course of seasons and, purely from a viewing perspective, make things a bit worse on Sundays. We don't have to turn the page immediately to "What comes next?"
Since the Bengals played on Thursday night, it will be more than a week until we see them retake the field. That will provide plenty of time to pick apart every facet of the situation. On Friday morning, though, it's fair to simply sit with the fact that Burrow's injury is bad news.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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