Pro Bowl linebacker Roquan Smith responded to Joe Burrow's early exit from Thursday night's game.
Burrow left the game in the second quarter after he threw a touchdown pass. The star quarterback doubled over in apparent pain almost immediately after the ball left his hand. The Bengals later ruled out Burrow before the start of the third quarter.
From Smith's perspective, injuries come with the territory, although he acknowledged that he holds Burrow in high regard.
"He's a great player. Got a lot of respect for the way he plays the game, but, hey, injuries are part of the game," Smith said during a postgame on-field interview.
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Smith then suggested that the Ravens defense could sometimes result in unfortunate things for opposing teams.
"So, when you play the Ravens' D, sometimes things like that happen," Smith added.
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Smith finished Thursday night's game with 10 tackles as Baltimore defeated Cincinnati 34-20 in a critical AFC North matchup. Patrick Queen led the Ravens with 11 tackles.
Smith's comments came before the Bengals announced that Burrow would be sidelined for the rest of the season due to an injury.
Burrow suffered a torn ligament in his right wrist during Thursday night's loss.
The Bengals initially believed that Burrow had possibly sprained his wrist, but additional testing showed that the Pro Bowl signal caller had suffered a more serious ligament injury.
Burrow said he wanted to continue to play on Thursday, but he simply was not able to return to the game. "I was just going to tape it up and give it a shot," Burrow said. "I just couldn't."
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor noted that the injury will likely require Burrow to undergo surgery.
Backup quarterback Jake Browning will likely handle the starter duties for the remainder of the season. Browning was forced into action on Thursday when Burrow exited the game.
It will take a total team effort for the Bengals to salvage their season and keep their playoff hopes intact. Despite currently sitting at 5-5 and holding an 0-3 record against AFC North opponents, Taylor is not giving up on the 2023 season.
"This season is far from over," Taylor said.
