Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow went down with what appeared to be a serious knee injury during the 20-9 loss to the Washington Football team on Sunday, and unfortunately, a recent MRI confirmed what everyone was fearing. According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, the MRI confirmed Burrow tore the MCL in his left knee in addition to the ACL. He will now undergo reconstructive surgery, and rehab for 2021. Per La Canfora, the Bengals are hopeful he will be ready for the start of the 2021 season.
Mike Garofolo of the NFL Network also reports that this is a multi-ligament injury like Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a few years ago. Wentz was hurt in December and missed the first two games of the following year, so it's still up in the air if Burrow will indeed be ready to play in the 2021 season opener.
The injury happened with just under 12 minutes left in the third quarter on Sunday. On that play, Burrow dropped back to pass on a third-and-2 play from his own 10-yard line and just as he finished throwing the ball, a Washington defender fell into his leg. As soon as he took the hit, Burrow immediately grabbed for his left knee and appeared to be in a lot of pain. Despite the fact that nothing was official, the No. 1 overall pick tweeted out "see ya next year" nearly an hour after suffering the injury.
Burrow will finish the 2020 season with 2,688 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions while maintaining a completion rate of 65.3 percent. The former LSU star registered a 2-7-1 record as Cincinnati's starter this year, but didn't get much help from his offensive line as he was sacked a total of 32 times, which ranked third-most in the league. Despite the struggles from his offensive line, Burrow had still somehow managed to thrive this year. In nine full games, he threw for 300 or more yards a total of five times, which was tied for the second-most in NFL history by a rookie.
With Burrow now sidelined, expect Ryan Finley to take over as the Bengals' new starting quarterback. In limited action on Sunday, he completed 3 of 10 passes for 30 yards and an interception. Fantasy analyst Heath Cummings broke down the fantasy ramifications of the injury, which you can check out here.
