Joe Burrow’s Wrist: A Cause for Concern or an Overreaction?
Joe Burrow’s Wrist: A Cause for Concern or an Overreaction?
By Jay Postrado September 16, 2024 06:07
Joe Burrow was very close to completing the major accomplishments in football back in 2022. He had just won the College Football Playoff with LSU three years prior and was on pace to win the Super Bowl. However, the Los Angeles Rams led by Matthew Stafford set him back quite a bit. Now, it looks like the dream of getting atop the mountain of champions is looking slim for the Cincinnati Bengals signal caller because of his injury history.
Will Joe Burrow be able to bounce back and head to the Super Bowl again or has his chance passed because of a nagging wrist injury? Let's find out.
The Bengals quarterback's injury history
If you're thinking that Burrow's wrist is the only problem with his body then you'd be terribly mistaken. He had torn ligaments on his knee, his calf was in a bit of trouble for a while, he tore his ACL, and even had an appendectomy. These are all the ailments that he suffered before but the injury to his wrist perhaps is the worst one.
Zac Taylor shut him down after learning of this wrist injury back in the 2023 season. As a result, he had career-low numbers of 2,309 passing yards on a 66.8% completion percentage. His passer rating clocked in at around 91 too which is the second worst of his career, only trailing his rookie output of 89.8.
Joe Burrow gets real on his football mortality
With all of these injuries, it is not far cry for most quarterbacks to consider shortening their career. Burrow is no exception. He acknowledges that these have been lingering thoughts in his head as he went through injury recovery for his wrist.
"Whenever the injuries start to stack up, your football mortality kind of comes into the back of your mind. So that's definitely something I've thought about and something I have had to fight through. We have to be ready to go early September through February. That's how we're attacking this offseason and this rehab plan and these practices and training camp. We're attacking it like I want to be out there playing in February," he declared.
Now, he is also insisting that the very same injured wrist is not at all bothering his ability to throw the ball.
So, has the Bengals signal caller been effective in this pursuit?
Despite being at a 0-2 season record after losing narrowly to the Kansas City Chiefs, Burrow has put up very respectable numbers. Through just two games, he put up 422 passing yards on a great 67.7% completion percentage. He also notched two touchdowns without having thrown a pick too.
It is safe to say that he has been fairly optimal on the field but the wins just are not reflective of it yet. Nonetheless, the Bengals have also been in good in retaining his health for the long-term. Burrow is a football mortal but that does not mean that he won't have a great career regardless of how many years he plays.