‘This Isn’t Madden’ — Ex-Ravens LB Brings Up Joe Burrow’s ‘Durability’ Concerns After Bengals Star’s High Ranking
· Yahoo Sports
Heading into his seventh NFL season, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow finds himself in a sweet spot, ranked as a top-four QB in the league. However, there have been concerns about his ability to stay healthy, especially as the team looks to make a deep postseason push.
Burrow’s unavailability last season from Week 2 to Week 12 has become a point of contention among experts, who claim the veteran passer was ranked way too high on the list. He is apparently drawing comparisons to veterans like Matthew Stafford over their proximity to injuries and getting away with it by winning games.
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Joe Burrow Catches Spotlight over Durability Concerns
While speaking about the latest ESPN rankings compiled by Jeremy Fowler, the “Get Up” crew argued why the Bengals quarterback was ranked No. 4, just above Lamar Jackson. According to former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Bart Scott, the quarterback’s proximity to injuries can be vital.
“I mean, this isn’t Madden,” Scott said. “We don’t get to just put them out there. Wear and tear is part of the game. Injuries. Durability. You can’t turn injuries off, it matters.”
In Week 2 of the 2025 season, Burrow incurred a severe turf toe injury, but still ranked as the 10th-best quarterback on PFN’s QB Impact Rankings. He underwent reconstructive surgery and got sidelined for nine games.
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In Burrow’s initial absence, backup Jake Browning struggled to an 0-3 record before the team traded for Joe Flacco to stabilize the offense. By the time Burrow returned, the team had a record of 3-8.
Burrow’s comparisons to Matthew Stafford make perfect sense now. The veteran QB also had a similar trajectory in the early phase of his career. However, he flipped the script by starting 136 consecutive regular-season games from 2011 to 2019.
Despite battling lower back injuries in the 2022 season, Stafford returned last season and led the Rams to the NFC Championship Game.
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Statistically, Burrow has also missed 16 games since 2023, primarily due to a wrist injury in 2023 and last season’s turf toe injury — on top of the ACL/MCL tear that ended his 2020 rookie season. Not to mention, a broken pass protection scheme played a big role in this setback. For instance, Burrow’s toe injury happened while taking a sack under heavy defensive pressure in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Things are expected to change in 2026 as the Bengals fortify their offensive line with targeted rookie additions.