Bengals' Zac Taylor confirms Joe Burrow has MCL sprain, won't need surgery

The Cincinnati Bengals fell to the Los Angeles Rams 23-20 Super Bowl LVI but nearly suffered a worse loss when second-year quarterback Joe Burrow went down with an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter of the defeat. 

Burrow, who endured a serious season-ending knee injury in November 2020, toughed it out through the end of Sunday's matchup, and reports emerged Tuesday that the 25-year-old was dealing with an MCL sprain that wouldn't require him to go under the knife. Head coach Zac Taylor confirmed that positive news on Wednesday. 

"Joe had the sprained MCL, and that’s really a re-aggravation of something he did back in December," Taylor explained, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "But he’s a tough guy, he played through it. Rest is going to be the best thing for him. So that part’s encouraging. So, again, he’s going to get some much-needed rest here these next couple of weeks and expect him to come back fully healthy." 

Taylor added Burrow also won't need surgery to repair a lingering pinky injury he first suffered in early December. Meanwhile, the Bengals announced earlier in the day they had rewarded Taylor with a contract extension that runs through the 2026 season.