Joe Burrow to play on injured calf vs. Rams on Monday
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is active and expected to start Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams, despite a calf strain that has hampered him through the first two weeks of the season.
The Bengals made the decision as they weigh Burrow's injury recovery vs. the realities of an 0-2 start that has already blunted their postseason hopes. Jake Browning is Burrow's backup, and the 27-year-old has thrown a single NFL pass in his career.
Burrow injured his calf in July on the second day of training camp and was diagnosed with a strain. He sat out the rest of training camp and didn't play in the preseason. He has played the first two weeks of the regular season but has clearly been hobbled by the injury amid the 0-2 start.
In losses to the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, Burrow completed 41 of 72 (56.9%) passes for 304 yards (4.2 yards per attempt) with two touchdowns and one interception. This is from a quarterback who entered the season with MVP buzz on an offense expected to be one of the NFL's best.
Instead, the Bengals were held out of the end zone in a 24-3 Week 1 loss to the Browns and needed a special-teams touchdown to reach 24 points in last week's 27-24 loss to the Ravens. All-Pro wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has seen his production dip dramatically while tallying 10 catches for 70 yards without a touchdown through two games.
The 0-2 hole is made worse for Cincinnati by both losses coming in AFC North games. The Browns, Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, meanwhile, are all off to 2-1 starts, putting a division title in jeopardy for Cincinnati just three weeks into the season.
At his best, Burrow is a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback with MVP upside. He completed 68.3% of his passes for 279.7 yards per game (7.4 yards per attempt) with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 16 starts in 2022. He led the Bengals to the Super Bowl and the AFC championship game in his first three NFL seasons.
The decision to continue to play Burrow is a gamble the Bengals must believe is worth taking with their season already in peril.
