Joe Burrow has gotten a ton of credit for Cincinnati Bengals wins through the years, yet one of his offensive linemen is taking the blame for Burrow’s potential season-ending injury.
Cincinnati right guard Dalton Risner took the blame for allowing the sack that forced Burrow to leave the game during the first half of the Bengals‘ come-from-behind 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Burrow reportedly will miss at least three months after having toe surgery as a result of his toe injury, which he sustained when he was sacked by Arik Armstead on a second-and-20 play during the second quarter.
Why Did Dalton Risner Take Blame For Joe Burrow’s Injury?
Trailing 14-7 midway through the second quarter, Burrow dropped back to pass but was pressured by Armstead — who was Risner’s man to block one on one on the play.
Burrow tried to escape the pocket yet found nowhere to go, and Armstrong brought him down. Burrow stayed down and exited the game — Jake Browning took over for him the rest of the game.
“It’s my job to protect him, and I wasn’t at my best on that play,” Risner said. “Part of it I take fault on — of course I know I didn’t actually injure the guy. But my job is to protect him, and I don’t think I did a good enough job on that play to keep him safe and healthy.”
Risner, who was only signed three weeks ago amid a rash of injuries to the Cincinnati offensive line, has only allowed the one sack and only been penalized while playing 105 offensive plays for the Bengals this year. But he has still been dreadful this season, ranking as the 81st guard out of 86 qualifying players at that position with a grade of 43.1 according to Pro-Football Focus.
The second-round pick of the Denver Broncos from the 2019 NFL Draft has been slightly better at pass blocking — earning a 51.5 overall grade, the 60th-best mark per PFF. But he has allowed four QB hits and one pressure in two games.
“Everything that happened with Joe is a super-tough deal,” Risner said. “We got to rally behind [Browning].”
What Did Dalton Risner Say About The Bengals’ Win?
The mood surrounding the Bengals has been somber since news broke of Burrow’s horrific injury. Yet, Cincinnati is still 2-0 and in sole possession of first place in the AFC North — arguably the best division in the NFL.
“To be 2-0 in this league and win in this league is important,” Risner said. “It doesn’t say it was a good win or an ugly win; it just says it’s a W or an L, and we’ve got two Ws.”
The Bengals are in that position, thanks to Browning, who threw two TD passes and ran for the game-winning score with 18 seconds in regulation in the second half in relief of Burrow.
“You’ve got to find a way to win these football games,” Risner said. “There’s a lot of really good things to take away from the game [Sunday]. The way that we finished the game, driving the whole field and putting 31 points up.
“We did rally, and we did support Jake and he did come through and help us win the football game.”
Bengals’ Dalton Risner Takes Blame for Sack That Led to Joe Burrow Injury