Bengals captain cedes AFC North title after Joe Burrow’s injury

After their 34-20 loss to Baltimore, Cincinnati is now winless in divisional games this season, dropping its overall record to 5-5 on the year and placing them in last place of the AFC North. 

With Burrow's playing status in limbo and all seven of its next games coming against opponents with a .500 record or better, Cincinnati's chances of clawing to the top of the division are dwindling by the day — something team captain, cornerback Mike Hilton, is coming to terms with. 

"The division might be out of reach, but we still have a chance to get to the playoffs and that's our main goal," Hilton said after the loss via NFL.com. "I feel like if we get to the playoffs, we'll be a scary team to face."

Burrow's wrist injury is just the latest ailment in an injury-ridden season for the Pro Bowl signal-caller. At the start of training camp, Burrow suffered a right calf strain that lingered into the regular season. He re-aggravated the calf injury in a Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, greatly hampering his production over the first month of the play. 

From Week 1-4, Burrow averaged just 182 yards passing per game and totaled two touchdowns and two interceptions. Over the five games before Thursday night, Burrow was finally looking like his MVP-caliber self, averaging 296 yards per game through the air with 12 total touchdowns and four interceptions. 

With Burrow hobbled yet again, the Bengals could be in line for another dip in offensive output. 

Jake Browning, who would replace Burrow under center should the latter miss any time, completed 8-of-14 passes against the Ravens. Before Thursday's outing, Browning had just one NFL pass attempt to his name since entering the league in 2019.