Bengals

Joe Burrow Marks May For Injury Recovery

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Joe Burrow has laid out plans for his timetable to return from injury. “I think middle of May is when I am expecting to kind of be cleared for full contact and everything. Over the next month [to] month and a half, we’ll kind of decide all those things. I can lift basically normally now, which I’m excited about. So the next two months, I’ll basically be just doing what I’ve done for the last couple of years Just the 12 weeks of extra work in the rearview.” Burrow told ESPN on Sunday.

Burrow, who started the 2023 season with a lingering injury, was ruled out for the season after 10 games. It was later revealed that he had suffered a ligament tear. A once hopeful Bengals season fell apart without him and the team finished 9-8. They will pick at No. 18 in next month’s NFL draft. After tagging Tee Higgins, the Bengals’ biggest draft needs are on the O-Line and adding young depth at receiver.

Read More: Johnny Manziel To Boycott The Heisman Awards In Support Of Reggie Bush

Xavier Worthy Breaks NFL Combine 40-Yard Dash Record

Meanwhile, history was being made at the NFL Combine. Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy set a new record for the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, clocking in at 4.21 seconds with the final run of Saturday’s wide receiver and quarterback workouts. Worthy, who was expected to be the fastest man at the combine, ran a 4.24 in his first attempt. However, he was able to make John Ross III’s 2017 record by 0.01 seconds on his second attempt.

“I just broke the record. It still doesn’t feel real. Man, just a blessing to be able to do this in front of all these fans, with all these peers I’m with,” Worthy said. Worthy started 39 games in three years at Texas and left the school fourth in career receiving yards. Draft analysts rank him a low top-ten at his position and project him to be a late first-round or early second-round pick next month.

Read More: Caleb Williams Compares Himself To Aaron Rodgers, Haters Tear Him Apart

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The post Joe Burrow Marks May For Injury Recovery appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Joe Burrow Suffers Season-Ending Injury

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Joe Burrow has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his right wrist. Burrow would exit Thursday night’s loss to the Ravens in the second quarter and was officially ruled out by halftime. It’s not Burrow’s first injury of the season, as he spent the first weeks of the season battling a nagging calf injury. Furthermore, the Bengals faced heavy criticism for trying to play Burrow through his injury despite his evident discomfort.

With Burrow out, the Bengals will likely turn to Jake Browning as the full-time starter. Browning threw for 68 yards on 8-for-14 passing against the Ravens. The former Washington Husky went undrafted in 2019 and spent two years on the Vikings’ practice squad before joining the Bengals in 2021. It’s unclear if the Bengals will look to sign another quarterback, given that Browning is now the only healthy signal-caller on the team. The Bengals are currently 5-5 during what is very much a down season for them.

Read More: Travis Kelce Deemed “Illiterate” By Joy Behar Over Deleted Tweets

NFL Investigating Burrow Injury Situation

The NFL has reportedly opened an investigation into why Joe Burrow was not listed on the Bengals’ injury report despite being visibly injured prior to the game. Burrow was seen exiting the team bus with a soft cast on his throwing hand. Furthermore, According to head coach Zac Taylor, the injury has been confirmed as a sprained wrist. However, he denied any knowledge of the injury prior to the game. “That was the first I saw anything about it,” Taylor said of the mid-game evaluation.

Injury report compliance is something taken very seriously by the NFL. Teams are required to report any injuries, even if the player takes the field. In 2019, the Steelers were fined $75,000 and coach Mike Tomlin was fined a further $25,000 for injury report discrepancies surrounding the status of Ben Roethlisberger in Week 2. Severe enough discrepancies could result in punishments such as the loss of draft picks. However, this is a developing story and we’ll have any updates as and when they emerge.

Read More: Travis Kelce Deletes Old Tweets After Backlash

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Bengals’ Germaine Pratt Screams At Teammate Joseph Ossai For Late Game Mistake

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Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt was caught on video screaming at his teammate, Joseph Ossai, for a critical late-game error during the team’s 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Conference Championship. Ossai drew a flag for unnecessary roughness after a late hit on Patrick Mahomes. The penalty put the Chiefs in a perfect position for a game-winning field goal.

“It’s my fucking last year. Why the fuck you touch the QB!?” Pratt yelled at Ossai while the team was walking back to the locker room.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 18: Germaine Pratt #57 of the Cincinnati Bengals looks over the offense during a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on September 18, 2022 in Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Bengals 20-17. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Cowboys star linebacker responded to the clip on Twitter writing, “This lame asf!”

Later, Pratt clarified what he meant by it being his “last year.” He explained that this is the final season of his contract and, while he’d like to return, he’s not certain the team will want to resign him.

Despite Pratt’s outburst, many of Ossai’s other teammates were more supportive. Quarterback Joe Burrow emphasized that one play doesn’t determine an entire game.

“There were a lot of plays other than that that could have turned the tide in that game and won us that game,” Burrow told reporters. “So that’s not the only one.”

Ossai expressed gratitude for the teammates that had his back.

“It means the world to me,” he said. “These guys mean a lot to me. We come every day and we work hard for each other, and to know that they have my back — it’s giving me peace right now.”

Check out Germaine Pratt’s rant at Joseph Ossai below.

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Damar Hamlin Attends Bills-Bengals Playoff Matchup

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Damar Hamlin attended the Buffalo Bills’ divisional playoff matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The safety, who went into cardiac arrest on the field during the team’s Week 17 game, was at Highmark Stadium alongside his family.

The broadcast team showed Hamlin watching on from a suite during the second quarter.

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 13: Damar Hamlin #3 of the Buffalo Bills gestures towards the crowd during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Highmark Stadium on November 13, 2022, in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, Bills coach Sean McDermott said that Hamlin has visited the team’s facility “almost daily” since his injury three weeks ago. However, he’s not yet participating in team meetings and is instead taking it “one step, one baby step at a time.”

“It’s what he needs and how we can help him and how our training staff can help serve him and we can serve him, and as anyone would do, we’re just trying to be there for him and walk at his pace, so to speak, play on words,” McDermott said. “But we’re just there for him and want the best for him right now. So it’s been good having him around when he’s been around there.”

Josh Allen added of seeing Hamlin at the time: “A few hugs here and there; everybody’s chomping at the bit to talk to him and don’t want to overload him with too much right now. But it’s been good to see him, you know, the smile on his face, and guys love having him back in the building.”

After suffering cardiac arrest on January 2, Hamlin remained in the hospital until January 11.

Check out a clip of Damar Hamlin cheering on his team below.

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SOURCE SPORTS: NFL Announces Cancellation of Bills-Bengals Game and Reveals AFC Title Game on Potential Neutral Site

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NFL Announces Bills-Bengals Will Not Resume This Week & No Changes to Week 18 Schedule

The Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills will be canceled, the NFL announced Thursday night. The game was suspended in the first quarter on Monday after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrested.

“This has been a very difficult week,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Thursday. “We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin and are encouraged by the improvements in his condition as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and his family from across the country. We are also incredibly appreciative of the amazing work of the medical personnel and commend each and every one of them.”

The decision comes as the league decided the outcome does not change who qualifies for the playoffs nor alter their schedules and allows all teams to know postseason possibilities before Week 18 starts.

Buffalo (12-3) was tied for the top record in the AFC with the Kansas City Chiefs (now 13-3) entering Week 17 but held the head-to-head tiebreaker. Cincinnati (11-4) trailed both teams by one game, but a win over the Bills would have given them a three-way tiebreaker. In a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game, the Bengals, now the AFC North champions, defeated the Chiefs in Week 13.

Because of the canceled game, the league’s owners will vote Friday on scenarios approved by the competition committee Thursday that entail a neutral site for an AFC Championship Game, with 24 of 32 needed (three-fourths majority) to approve. You can learn about the scenarios here.

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