Quarterback Injuries Decimate the AFC North Through Week 4

Getty Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett suffered a knee injury toward the end of the third quarter against the Houston Texans in Week 4.

Going into the 2023 season, the AFC North had the potential to be the quarterback division. Joe Burrow going toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes. Lamar Jackson healthy, signed and once again ready to rip through opposing defenses. Kenny Pickett on the rise, and DeShaun Watson ready to return to form after a full training camp with coach Kevin Stefanski.

Guess again. A month into the season, and Burrow, Pickett and Watson are all either hobbled by injuries or out completely. The process of elimination is always Darwinian in the NFL, but this is extreme, even in a division that’s always been known for brutal hits and bitter rivalries.

Is Joe Burrow Broken?

Of all the injury situations in this division, Burrow’s is the worst by far. His calf injury seemed innocuous enough in training camp, but Burrow’s decision to play through it now looks misguided at best.

Simply put, he’s a shell of himself at the moment. Burrow can’t move and can’t throw down the field, and he’s now under siege from opposing pass rushers. His postgame quote that the Bengals “have a lot to get fixed” might be the understatement of Week 4, although there were plenty of other band-aid quotes in a lot of postgame pressers.

DeShaun Watson: Worst QB Investment Ever?

Everyone knows Browns owner Jimmy Haslam took a big risk in signing Watson, and he ticked off the rest of the league by completely guaranteeing Watson’s $230 million deal.

The worm looked to be turning early in the season, though. Watson was starting to appear comfortable in Stefanski’s offense, and his numbers were beginning to reflect that comfort factor.

Now, however, Watson is wounded, with a shoulder injury. His prognosis remains murky, and without Watson — , at least short-term — there’s a solid chance the Browns could once again become a league-wide punchline when it comes to how not to run a franchise.

Kenny Pickett’s Problems Now Include Injury Recovery

Steelers fans thought Kenny Pickett was poised to make that second-year leap that often happens with talented young quarterbacks.

But Pickett’s performances have been uneven so far, and now he has to add injury recovery to his to-do list of problem fixes. Meanwhile, Mitch Trubisky will be thrown into the breach, and last year his early struggles helped cost Pittsburgh a playoff berth.

Lamar Jackson: Last QB Standing in the AFC North

Throughout most of the offseason, Jackson’s status going forward with the Ravens seemed tenuous at best. He was unsigned and without an agent, which seemed to be producing all sorts of mixed messages in the back-and-forth between Jackson and the Ravens.

Fast-forward to October and all is well, and then some, in Baltimore. Jackson, 26, leads NFL quarterbacks in rushing and rushing TDs and is second in the league in completion percentage, and Todd Monken’s new offensive system is garnering boffo reviews in Ravenland.

Jackson’s style of play will always make him an injury risk, especially as he gets deeper into his five-year deal. If he can stay healthy, though, the dominoes have lined up to make a Ravens run feel somewhat inevitable — at least until he takes some of those crunching hits the Steelers defense is known for delivering as part of their ongoing rivalry.