Joe Burrow’s Shocking Sack Numbers Mirror Andrew Luck’s Injury-Plagued Path

Joe Burrow is now ruled out for at least 3 months after opting to undergo surgery to repair the injured toe in his left foot.

Joe Burrow’s Shocking Sack Numbers Mirror Andrew Luck’s Injury-Plagued Path

Joe Burrow has been sacked more than Andrew Luck in fewer games (Image via Imago)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

It is not common for a franchise to stumble upon an elite quarterback prospect in the draft. Many have tried and failed, but some seldom turn out to be as talented as Joe Burrow.

The Cincinnati Bengals landed the 1st overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft after going a miserable 2-14 season in new head coach Zac Taylor’s stint with the franchise.

That was the last time they had Andy Dalton under center, who led the team to 5 straight playoff appearances in his first five seasons with them. After that, their form nosedived, and first their head coach, Marvin Lewis, and then Dalton were shown the door.

In the new era, Burrow’s talents were unmistakable, and the Bengals decided to help him by bringing in his LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase, which saw them race to their first Super Bowl appearance in more than three decades.

They followed it up with another run, which ended at the AFC Championship game. But since then, the Bengals have again become a mediocre franchise, even though Joe Burrow is still himself when healthy.

That last phrase is what has now become a major problem for the franchise, as the 28-year-old will now miss 3 months after suffering a turf toe injury on his left foot.

This marks the third straight season when the star QB has struggled to stay healthy, and one statistic involving former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck paints a horrific picture.

The Stanford graduate retired after struggling with injuries he sustained from the 174 times he was sacked in the 86 games he played. In contrast, Burrow has been sacked 201 times in just 71 games.

Bengals’ consistently bad pass protection stopping Joe Burrow from excelling

In the 6 seasons Joe Burrow has been with the Cincinnati Bengals, their offensive line has never been ranked higher than 27th in the league. That is an alarming statistic, considering it means the line has never been good at blocking for him.

Any franchise worth its weight would fix the issue after the first signs of trouble. But the Bengals have not addressed that problem. Instead, they go about paying star players in other positions.

One might argue that Burrow led the Bengals with similarly bad O-lines to the Super Bowl and then to the AFC Championship. But as with any sport, there are two factors that statistics do not show.

NFL defenses learn their opposition’s tendencies and act accordingly. That is why the O-line has contributed to the 201 sacks in just 71 games the LSU star has played.

Secondly, as those sacks rack up, so does the impact of injuries on his body. Eventually, the toll on his body might become too much to bear. That is what Andrew Luck faced, and now there are concerns these injuries might impact Joe Burrow similarly.

Ex-Super Bowl champion details concerning Bengals trend amidst Joe Burrow’s injury

Ever since Joe Burrow had to be helped off the field after injuring his toe, analysts have been calling out the Cincinnati Bengals organization for failing to protect him. Former Super Bowl champion Chris Canty was on First Take, and he brought up the franchise’s history to make his point.

Joe Burrow helped off the field after injuring his toe
Joe Burrow helped off the field after injuring his toe (Image via FOX19 NOW/X)

We saw it with Ken Anderson, won an MVP, and got to a Super Bowl, and never got back. Boomer Esiason won an MVP and got to a Super Bowl, never got back. Carson Palmer had to retire because the organization wouldn’t put the right pieces around him to have success, and he ended up getting traded.

Chris Canty said

He is referring to the long line of quarterbacks that have played for the Bengals who could not fulfill their potential. He fears that Burrow might end up with a similar career.

Also Read: