Bengals will try to move ahead without injured Burrow

The energy drained out of the Cincinnati Bengals when rookie quarterback Joe Burrow was carted off the field Sunday with a seasonending knee injury.

The 23-year-old Heisman Trophy winner went down early in the second half when he was hit high and low by two Washington linemen after throwing a pass. His left leg bent awkwardly.

Leading 9-7 at that point, Cincinnati lost to Washington 20-9.

Burrow’s tweet after the game indicated he already knew he was done for 2020: “Thanks for all the love. Can’t get rid of me that easy. See ya next year.”

Coach Zac Taylor said Monday only that Burrow will have surgery and be ready to play in 2021. Burrow was placed on injured reserve by the team on Monday.

With Burrow out, the chances of the Bengals (2-7-1) winning another game this season get slimmer. No disrespect to backup Ryan Finley, but Burrow was the key to the moribund team’s improvement this year and its future.

Taylor’s dejection was palpable in his postgame Zoom session.

“It’s not fun,” Taylor said. “He was making improvements every week, and we were getting the offence headed in a direction that we thought was exciting.”

Keeping Burrow upright and healthy had been a challenge this season with multiple injuries to offensive linemen. But the quarterback mitigated the deficiencies in pass protection by getting the ball out more quickly and extending plays with his legs. He put up some fine numbers and was being talked about as a candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

He completed 65.3 per cent of his passes for 2,688 yards and 13 touchdowns, while running for three more.