Why Joe Burrow's Knee Troubles Are Officially Behind Him

Joe Burrow - SIC Score 96

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow enters his 3rd NFL season with high expectations, and an SIC health score of 96. Burrow led his team to an improbable Super Bowl appearance last season, and was even in MVP discussions for much of the season.

Burrow completed a league-high 70.4% of his passes, and led the league in yards per passing attempt. However, Burrow was also sacked a league-high 51 times.

A franchise QB getting sacked over 50 times in one season is never a good thing, but in Burrow’s case, a positive sign did come from all the sacks. It showed that despite the lack of mobility, his knee held up quite well recovering from the torn ACL, MCL and PCL he suffered in Nov. 2020.

The Bengals drastically improved their offensive line this offesason by signing RG Alex Cappa, RT La’el Collins and drafting LG Cordell Volson. These roster moves will cut down on sacks, but Burrow being almost two years removed from the gruesome knee injury will also help him take less sacks.

There is no question that the offensive line underperformed last season, but Burrow’s lack of mobility also played a factor in the 51 sacks. The Pro Football Docs expect Burrow’s movement to be much improved, and paired with the new offensive line additions, it would not be surprising to see the Bengals give up half the amount of sacks they did in 2021.

Burrow did suffer an MCL sprain late last season, but it was to the opposite knee from the 2020 injury. Last season’s MCL sprain caused Burrow to sit in Week 18, although the Bengals' playoff position was already set at that point. He reaggravated the MCL injury in the 4th quarter of Super Bowl LVI. Our panel of Pro Football Docs noted in February that this injury would not require surgery and could heal naturally, that ended up being the case.

Burrow also suffered a right pinky dislocation last December, but it had no affect on him by the time the Super Bowl rolled around.

Burrow said he’s the fastest he’s been since the ACL tear, and he was clocked running at nearly 21MPH just this month at OTAs. Plus, he has a complete set of weapons on offense, throwing to WRs Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Ja’Marr Chase.

Burrow surpassed expectations last season with his play after such a gruesome knee injury, and with the knee even healthier going into this season, there is no ceiling for Burrow this season.