Joe Burrow entered Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season as close to 100 percent as he had been all year long.
The Bengals quarterback spent the early portion of the campaign nursing a calf injury that had pestered him since he suffered it in training camp. It clearly impacted him over the first few weeks of the season, but he was gradually getting healthier as the season progressed.
That makes it easy to understand why Bengals fans were scared after Burrow suffered an apparent finger injury in the first half of the Bengals' "Sunday Night Football" game against the Bills.
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The injury was revealed after the Bengals called a timeout and Burrow came to the sideline with his finger in his mouth. The broadcast later showed an image of his right index finger, battered and bloodied.
Joe Burrow is bleeding from his finger. pic.twitter.com/loBFRhU0cy
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 6, 2023
Burrow played the remainder of the first half despite the finger injury, and he showed no ill effects from it. He didn't miss a snap and was still able to lead the Bengals on a touchdown drive with their final possession of the half.
Even so, Burrow was seen receiving treatment on his injured finger on the sidelines. The broadcast said that the team was working on disinfecting his wound and also revealed that Burrow was wearing a heating pad on his right calf as well.
Joe Burrow is getting his right hand/fingers looked at on the bench. Certainly something to monitor for the #Bengals pic.twitter.com/chMFNWqTIq
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) November 6, 2023
Both of those measures appear to be precautionary. And he certainly wasn't impacted much, as he finished the game 31-of-44 for 348 yards with two touchdown passes in Cincinnati's 24-18 win over the Bills. Asked after the game, he described it simply as a "little cut, nothing much," per The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr.
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Even so, the injury will be worth monitoring because it's on Burrow's throwing hand. Thus, Cincinnati fans will be hopeful that the quarterback can avoid absorbing much contact on that side of his body as he looks to finish out the game.
