Injury Update: Colts’ Next Rival Loses a Quarterback for the Rest of 2023 Campaign

There are fourteen teams in the AFC playoff race that are all within one game of the final playoff spot. But for the Indianapolis Colts, things might have just gotten a lot simpler.

Zac Taylor, the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, revealed on Friday that quarterback Joe Burrow tore a ligament in his right wrist during the team’s game against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night. Burrow will thus miss the remainder of the 2023 campaign.

After suffering the injury in the second quarter, Burrow was seen by an Amazon Prime camera attempting to pass along the sidelines. Burrow attempted to throw, but was unable to deliver the ball, so he shook his head.

After halftime, the Bengals declared Burrow out of the game.

Burrow suffered a sprained wrist, according to Taylor during his postgame press conference. However, additional testing turned up a much more serious injury that might alter the AFC playoff scenario.

In the AFC, the Bengals were already outside of the top seven seeds. But in the previous two years, they have been a team that excelled in post-Thanksgiving football. This season, Cincinnati seemed to be headed back in that direction. In early November and into October, they won four games in a row.

However, the Bengals have now dropped two straight games, and Jake Browning, a rookie, will probably start in center field for the remainder of the campaign. After taking over for Burrow against the Ravens, Browning completed 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.

In Week 14, the Colts and Bengals will play. The Bengals play the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers before that.

Those two teams have successful records. In the NFL, nothing is guaranteed, but it’s reasonable to assume the Bengals will lose both of those games without Burrow.

Then, trailing 5-7, they will enter the game against the Colts limping.

For the remainder of the season, the Colts may only play two more opponents with winning records if the Bengals lose both of their upcoming games.

Burrow is not the only excellent player in Cincinnati. The Colts and Shane Steichen will not be able to take them for granted.

With Browning at the controls, though, the Bengals will be much less formidable opponents, and by then, they might be in the thick of the AFC wild card race.