17 September 2023 , 21:33
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow injured his calf as he tried to evade pressure during Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The tweaked muscle appeared to take place while he threw a late touchdown pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins, with linebacker David Ojabo closing in on him in the pocket.
After making the pass, Burrow skipped awkwardly and limped to the sideline. He sat on the bench grimacing with a massage gun powered on his right leg.
Burrow acknowledged to reporters that he was experiencing calf discomfort following the defeat, which dropped the Bengals to an 0-2 record. He has struggled in the early going this campaign after battling a calf problem throughout training camp.
"We're going to have to wait and see," Burrow said. "I'm not sure how it's going to feel in the next couple of days. It's pretty sore right now but no telling how it's going to feel. I think we're going to take it day by day."
The 26-year-old began the NFL regular season by completing just 14-of-31 passes for 82 yards in a 24-3 loss to the Browns. Burrow fared a little better against Baltimore, throwing for 222 yards and two touchdowns, but committed an inexplicable red zone turnover when he tried to force a pass to Higgins.
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Head coach Zac Taylor expressed optimism at how Cincinnati's season will develop from here, hopeful Burrow's injury isn't serious and his players can regroup.
"The beauty of this team is we know it's a 17-game season," Taylor said. "We're in a very difficult division. If we'd come out of it 2-0, it would have been a great opportunity. 1-1 would have been nice too. But this is exactly where we were last year.
"This team is only going to continue to get better and better. And like I've said, when you stumble early, you've just got to learn from it. So many times we've won from losses and that really propelled us in November and December. This will be no different, I'm very confident in that."
The Bengals have started the 2023 season with an 0-2 record. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Meanwhile, Higgins claimed the Bengals are "not letting these losses get the best of us." He enjoyed a positive personal outing, catching two touchdowns after being blanked in Week 1, though co-star Ja'Marr Chase remained quiet with only 31 receiving yards against the Ravens.
"Obviously, nobody likes to lose," Higgins said. "But we've just been talking, trying to figure out how to get over that hump. ... We're gonna come back in tomorrow, watch film, try to make corrections."
Burrow is one of several NFL quarterbacks who have dealt with early-season injuries. New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles on his first drive of the campaign, while Indianapolis Colts rookie Anthony Richardson missed most of Saturday's game with a concussion after banging the back of his head on the turf.