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          Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow doesn't expect to miss time after dislocating pinkie finger

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterDec 5, 2021, 06:18 PM ET
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said he doesn't anticipate a finger injury to force him to miss any playing time.

          Burrow said he dislocated his right pinkie in Sunday's 41-22 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at Paul Brown Stadium. Burrow said the injury occurred on a sack suffered on the team's first drive of the game.

          He finished the contest and was 24-of-40 for 300 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Burrow said that since he completed the game and doesn't expect the injury to get any worse, he anticipates playing against the San Francisco 49ers next weekend.

          "It's just something I'm going to have to deal with," said Burrow, who also had a rushing touchdown. "I'm not going to miss any games because of it. That's not something that's going to happen."

          Burrow helped Cincinnati (7-5) nearly climb out of a 24-0 deficit the team faced early in the second quarter. Burrow, who was clearly in discomfort, remained in the game and helped the Bengals get as close as 24-22 in the fourth quarter. Chargers safety Tevaughn Campbell returned a fumble for a 61-yard touchdown with 13 minutes, 43 seconds remaining, giving Los Angeles (7-5) some breathing room after Cincinnati scored 22 straight.

          Burrow said that at first, he didn't notice what happened to the pinkie because of his adrenaline at the start of the game. But as the half progressed, the issue became significantly worse.

          Cincinnati's training staff tried to tape the pinkie and offered Burrow multiple gloves to place on his right hand. Eventually, he tore off the tape and discarded the gloves on the sideline.

          "It was a decision to make it feel better or continue to somewhat throw the ball," Burrow said. "I decided to be able to throw the ball."

          Bengals coach Zac Taylor and wide receiver Tee Higgins both said Burrow threw the ball well despite the injury. Taylor noted that Burrow didn't have any accuracy issues because of the injury, which shouldn't hold him out as the Bengals chase their first playoff berth since 2015.

          "It's just something I have to play through," Burrow said. "That's what football is. You gotta play through some injuries sometimes."