National Football League

Joe Burrow won't need surgery on knee, Bengals coach says

Updated Feb. 16, 2022 2:33 p.m. ET

Joe Burrow took a beating in the Cincinnati Bengals' Super Bowl LVI defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.

In fact, the seven sacks he endured tied Roger Staubach's Super Bowl "record" for most times sacked in the season finale.

And the hits visibly affected him.

After one jarring collision, Burrow yelped in agony, clearly feeling some lower body distress, and had to limp off the field.

He remained in the game for Cincinnati as the final stretch ensued, but he was clearly bothered.

Luckily for the Bengals, though, MRIs have revealed that his ailment is not severe.

According to Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor, Burrow aggravated a knee sprain that he sustained against the Chargers in Week 13 but will need only rest, not surgery, to repair any damage.

Burrow was also dealing with an apparent finger stinger that had bothered him since midseason. Taylor revealed that his star wouldn't require surgery on that, either.

Burrow was sacked 70 times this past season, 22 more than any other QB. Those numbers, plus his health, have brought about a slew of questions surrounding Cincy's offensive line.

Burrow tore both his MCL and ACL during his rookie season of 2020, missing six games. But he didn't miss a game this season and won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award for his show of resilience.