Bengals' Joe Burrow Says He Tweaked Calf Injury at End of Loss to Ravens

The Cincinnati Bengals have started 0-2 after Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. And that wasn't the only bad news on the day.

After the contest, superstar quarterback Joe Burrow told reporters he tweaked the calf injury that kept him out for a major chunk of the summer:

Burrow, 26, had his training camp get off to a tough start when he suffered a non-contact right calf injury.

Thankfully, the injury didn't end up being as serious as it initially appeared, though Burrow missed the rest of training camp and the preseason.

It was a huge relief for the Bengals, as their Super Bowl hopes rest squarely on Burrow's right shoulder.

The fourth-year quarterback was brilliant again for Cincinnati in the 2022 season, throwing for 4,475 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 68.3 percent of his passes. The Bengals were 12-4 in his starts, and he led the team to its second consecutive AFC Championship Game, though Burrow couldn't guide his team past Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs this time around.

Nonetheless, he cemented his place as one of the NFL's best quarterbacks. Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus ranked Burrow as the third-best player in all of football last season, behind only Mahomes and Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.

He was one of only two players from the Bengals' offense to make the list, joining wideout Ja'Marr Chase (No. 39), who had 87 catches for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns in just 12 games last season. There's little doubt that Burrow and Chase are one of the NFL's best young passing-game duos.

Without Burrow, Cincinnati would be a far less dangerous team. If he's forced to miss time, the Bengals will turn to Jake Browning under center.