Injury-filled Bengals vs. Ravens game is latest example of Thursday Night Football's vile greed
For as long as it's been around, Thursday Night Football has been an unnecessary danger in an already dangerous sport. The concept of football players having to play two full games in just over 100 hours, especially late in the season-long grind, is asking for problems to occur. So what happens when you take this […]
For as long as it's been around, Thursday Night Football has been an unnecessary danger in an already dangerous sport. The concept of football players having to play two full games in just over 100 hours, especially late in the season-long grind, is asking for problems to occur.
So what happens when you take this paper factory made entirely out of dry wood and drench it in kerosene? You get the latest installment of TNF, in which the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens beat each other up.
Because this wasn't just two teams playing on short rest, it was two teams in the most physical division in the NFL. All you need is a spark, and the flames will reach the sky.
Every AFC North team can agree on one thing: Playing division games are absolute wars. 15-round boxing matches with hundreds of body blows. Fans of all four teams can create a laundry list of injuries purely from aggressive or line-crossing tackles and hits.
And these happen on weeks when standard amounts of rest are given leading up to kickoff.
Forget the Bengals for a minute, look at this year's Cleveland Browns. They lost their entire identity on two separate plays against two separate teams in two different weeks. Running back Nick Chubb and quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered season-ending injuries against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, respectfully, putting their promising 2023 campaign in complete ambiguity.
Four days following a heartbreaking loss to the Browns, the Ravens took the field against the Bengals, a team they've played four times in the previous 13 months, and suffered the first blow: A season-ending ankle injury to tight end Mark Andrews. He would be the first of six players to suffer notable injuries in this game.
But don't worry, other important players would feel the wrath of this Hellmouth. How about both quarterbacks?
Lamar Jackson was next as he appeared to injure his ankle throwing the ball away. He never exited the game, but showed on multiple occasions a limp and even seemed to slip a handful of times running the ball.
Then there was the big one.
Joe Burrow threw a touchdown pass to Joe Mixon to give the Bengals their only lead of the night late in the second quarter. Burrow couldn't quite celebrate the play because he was writhing in pain with his throwing hand swelling up before his eyes.
The previous play involved Burrow taking a sack from Jadeveon Clowney, causing him to land on his right wrist that is now considered sprained by head coach Zac Taylor.
Body blows. But not everything comes with contact.
Shortly afterwards during the final drive of the first half, B.J. Hill took two steps in his pass rush and went down holding his knee. A non-contact injury following a game in which he took a season-high 57 snaps.
Let's stay hot, shall we? Later in the drive, cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt is covering Rashod Bateman in the end zone and comes up a step too slow to deflect away what ends up being a touchdown. Taylor-Britt limps off the field with a quad injury that also takes him out for the remainder of the game. He played 71 snaps four days ago.
We were spared for the most part in the second half until Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. went down after Logan Wilson chased him down and tackled him hard to the ground. OBJ went out with a shoulder injury.
Six players, all very notable might I add, were victims of an already detrimental environment cranked up a notch by simply greed. Each season for both teams completely altered due to rivals beating each other up while still not fully recovered and rested from their previous games.
Thursday Night Football is already a crime that we indulge most weeks because we're hypocrites. Throwing two AFC North teams into the equation might as well come with a nuclear logo you can stamp on the promo ads.
Nothing's going to change, of course, because the money will continue to flow in. The salary cap will continue to increase as revenue sharing becomes more lucrative by the year. It's the bottom line that matters more than player safety, no matter how many rule changes the shield imposes against defenders.
So the next time you see two teams from this division face off on a short week, expecting the worst is the safest bet to make.
Bengals’ Zac Taylor shuts down rumors surrounding Joe Burrow’s wrist injury
Burrow missed most of Thursday night’s loss to the Ravens.
