5 reasons why the Bengals need to consider sitting Joe Burrow

5) The Future

The Bengals need to protect Burrow for both the present and the future.

Right now, the Bengals quarterback has a calf injury. However, as we saw on Sunday, that calf injury could quickly become an elbow injury if he tries to throw a ball with the defenders crashing down on him mid-throwing motion.

Also, as we famously saw with Kevin Durant when he played with the Golden State Warriors, a calf injury can lead to other things. The first thing we would think about is the Achilles, as was the case with Durant.

If something catastrophic like that were to happen with Burrow’s Achilles, the rehab would not only go for the rest of this season but well into next season, perhaps. We should all hope beyond hope that that situation will not happen with the star quarterback.

While most people don’t seem overly concerned with this possibility, there are other things to consider. For example, how much pressure and tension is he putting on the other extremities? How much more is he relying on his other leg to compensate for his injured calf?

How much is his calf injury affecting his throwing mechanics? From his shoulder, elbow, back, and anything else we’re not considering regarding throwing a pass in the NFL, unorthodox movements and added stress to other body parts can lead to issues elsewhere.

Sometimes, we take for granted being able to throw a spiral, shoot a basketball, throw a baseball, or simply run. However, when throwing a ball, because many of us have done it most of our lives, do not think about planting a foot, pushing off, the torque generated from the core, and how that affects the shoulder, back, and elbow.

Let’s hope that how Burrow is compensating for his injured calf to get through an NFL game is not negatively affecting other areas of the body that we have yet to consider. After all, no one would like to hear that their favorite quarterback will need Tommy John surgery because his mechanics are off due to an injured lower extremity.

The decision has been made on whether Burrow will play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. He will.

Now, we can only continue to hold our collective nacho cheese and favorite adult beverage-coated breaths every time the franchise quarterback scrambles or gets hit. That is until he demonstrates, on the field, that he is healthy and back to being the Burrow of the previous two seasons.