Last November 16, the Bengals played the Ravens in Baltimore. During the game, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury.
This week, he slipped a tinfoil hat over his frosted tips and suggested that the league likes to recreate games that entailed a serious injury the prior year.
Regardless of whether there’s merit to that (the Jets and Aaron Rodgers did indeed host the Bills again on Monday Night Football, but in Week 6 not Week 1), Burrow will be back in Baltimore for another Thursday night game. And his wrist injury continues to appear on each and every injury report, nearly a year after it happened.
Of course, the Bengals might be disclosing the injury for the same reason the Patriots perpetually listed Tom Brady’s right shoulder injury. They don’t want to hear that they’re not disclosing the condition.
There was a dustup last year as to whether Burrow had a pre-existing injury. He was spotted wearing a wrap on his arm and wrist during the trip to Baltimore.
The league investigated and then exonerated the Bengals. Because that’s what the league is inclined to do. In an age of legalized gambling from which the NFL handsomely profits, the league won’t be blowing the whistle on a team hiding injuries that hamper prop bets and other wagers?
Despite the injury continuously showing up on the report, Burrow has been playing well. He had five touchdown passes on Sunday. He’ll need to play nearly as well tonight, if the Bengals hope to move to 5-5 through 10 games.
