By CNN
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The new NFL season couldn’t have started much worse for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
A disappointing home defeat to the previously unheralded New England Patriots meant the season began on an low note for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
But after the Week 1 loss, it wasn’t the result which was the main talking point. It was Burrow’s right wrist.
The quarterback missed the end of last season with a wrist injury to his throwing arm, requiring surgery and a spell on the sidelines.
After briefly appearing in the preseason, he returned to regular season action against the Patriots, throwing 21-of-29 for just 164 yards without a touchdown or an interception in the 16-10 home defeat.
But clips of the 27-year-old from the game sparked debate on social media about the health of his wrist. Burrow could be seen flexing and rubbing his arm on the sideline throughout the game, and a video of him carefully picking up a bottle of water was the main topic of conversation, with some questioning the strength of his wrist.
But Burrow on Wednesday scrapped any concerns that he was dealing with an injury.
“I picked (the water bottle) up weird?” he said during a press conference, also explaining that his wrist feels “great.”
“I don’t know. I drank water. Can’t say I have seen that (video) or know what anyone is talking about.”
The quarterback added that the flexing of his wrist is all part of his recovery process. “If you don’t move it, you’re going to lose it, so I’m always moving it around, keeping it loose, keeping my mobility the way it’s supposed to be, so it’s going to continue to happen.”
Burrow was listed on Cincinnati’s injury report on Wednesday with a right wrist injury – the same wrist which ruled him out last season – but was a full participant in practice.
The Bengals travel to face the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday to set up another titanic battle with Patrick Mahomes.
The two star QBs have met four times before, with Burrow holding the overall record 3-1; Burrow is the only active quarterback to have three wins over Mahomes.
And the Bengals signal-caller is expecting a much improved performance in Week 2.
“The more football you see throughout the season, the better you’re going to get,” Burrow said after Wednesday’s practice. “There starts to become trends here and there, and certain formations in certain looks about how deep the teams play you.
“It’s just that I learn a lot from my mistakes, learn a lot week-to-week, game-to-game and usually I’m able to apply that pretty well. So I’m excited about where we’re at, the practice we had today.”
