CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow continues to have throat issues ahead of Sunday’s big showdown against the Baltimore Ravens.
For the second straight week, Burrow did not participate in his weekly Wednesday media availability because of lingering effects from a throat contusion. According to a team spokesperson, Bengals doctors advised the quarterback to stay on voice rest because of throat soreness.
Despite the issue, Burrow is expected to play Sunday.
“The doctors said he should rest a little bit more, so that’s what we’re going to do,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said when asked about the severity of the issue that has bothered Burrow for several weeks.
Burrow played in last weekend’s win over the Detroit Lions. After the game, he spoke for nearly 10 minutes in his first media appearance since the throat became a problem. Burrow was taken to the hospital following the Bengals’ overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 10.
The second-year quarterback said he felt he didn’t need to go to the hospital but followed instructions as part of the precautionary measures.
The Bengals didn’t have Burrow do any voice cadences in the buildup to the Week 6 game at Detroit, he said. Burrow said Cincinnati didn’t employ a silent cadence at Ford Field in the team’s 34-11 victory.
“It’s still a little bit sore, but we powered through it today, so another week of rest will do good for us,” Burrow said after the game.
Cincinnati (4-2) is looking to continue its best start since 2018 against an opponent that has bested the Bengals for years. Baltimore (5-1) is riding a five-game winning streak against Cincinnati, which hasn’t reached the postseason since 2015 and hasn’t won a playoff game since January 1991.
Taylor said preparing for Baltimore’s M&T Stadium and the anticipated decibel levels will actually help take a load off of Burrow’s beleaguered throat.
“Whether we’re doing crowd noise [at practice] or periods we don’t, those guys gotta be locked in in the huddle and really intent, looking at his lips,” Taylor said. “Because it’s going to be noisy on Sunday.”
The third-year coach said he wasn’t aware of any other restrictions Burrow will have because of the voice rest, outside of skipping his media availability because of doctor’s orders.
Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah said he didn’t notice any difference in Burrow’s voice in the three days between Cincinnati’s last game and Wednesday’s practice.
“It’s the same,” Uzomah said.