Bengals' Joe Burrow Says Calf Injury Still Impacting Ability to Run, Move in Pocket

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has struggled this season after missing nearly all of training camp with a calf strain, which he re-aggravated on Sept. 17 against the Baltimore Ravens.

On Wednesday, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer asked Burrow how the calf ailment is affecting him the most, and he provided this response:

Burrow has completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 728 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions through four games. His 69.1 quarterback rating ranks last in the NFL among 34 qualifiers.

Burrow, who has led the Bengals to two AFC Championship Game appearances (and one Super Bowl berth) over the past two years, is obviously capable of far better play.

Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Burrow completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 69 touchdowns (26 interceptions) for 9,086 yards (8.1 yards per attempt) and a 104.2 quarterback rating. The former LSU star and Heisman Trophy winner finished fourth in the NFL MVP voting last year as a result of his excellent 2022 campaign.

The calf ailment has clearly hampered Burrow, and now the question is how the Bengals will move forward. Cincinnati sits last in the AFC North with a 1-3 record, and the team is second-last in points per game (12.3 PPG).

The problem is the schedule isn't favorable. A road date with a feisty Arizona Cardinals squad looms, and the Bengals may be without wideout Tee Higgins (broken rib). Four of the next five teams on the Bengals' ledger are either 3-1 (Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills) or 4-0 (San Francisco 49ers).

Those defenses are also ferocious: Seattle is coming off an 11-sack game against the New York Giants, while the 49ers, Bills and Ravens are all top four in scoring defense.

Ultimately, it's hard to see things getting brighter for the Bengals if Burrow's calf continues to bother him. Thankfully, a bye week is coming up after the Cardinals and Seahawks games, so maybe some extra rest could help Burrow for the back half of the year.

For now, the Bengals look to right the ship versus Arizona. Kickoff on Sunday will be at 4:05 p.m. ET.