Joe Burrow Gives Details on Rehab: 'Every Workout to Me was Life or Death'

The Bengals' star is hoping to bounce back from a brutal knee injury.

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow is hoping to helped resurrect a Bengals' franchise that has had five straight losing seasons. 

The 24-year-old seemed like he was on his way to doing just that in 2020, but he suffered a devastating knee injury after just 10 games. 

Burrow tore his left ACL and MCL, which put the plan on hold—at least for a few months. 

He had surgery less than two weeks later and made it his goal to be ready for the start of the 2021 season. 

Burrow was cleared for the start training camp last month and while he hasn't played in the preseason [yet], he's expected to be on the field for the regular season opener against the Vikings on Sept. 12. 

Getting to this point wasn't easy. Burrow talked in-depth about his recovery with Kevin Clark of The Ringer. 

“Every workout to me was life or death,” Burrow said. “Go in there, no matter what you’re feeling. Knee hurts, body hurts, mind not up to it—you’ve got to get the work done. If you don’t get the work done, it’s not going to show up on the field. And I want it to show up on the field.”

It's shown up on the field over the past 10 days of practice. Burrow got off to a slow start in camp, but he and the Bengals' offense has found its' stride. 

He connected with rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase for three touchdowns on Monday. Burrow followed that up by completing a deep ball to C.J. Uzomah on Thursday for a score. It was his best throw of camp—an absolute dime that he threw on the run 40+ yards downfield. 

Burrow continues to show flashes of the guy that was brought in to help save the Bengals. 

Clark's piece on Burrow is a must-read for Bengals fans. Check it out here.

Make sure you bookmark AllBengals for the latest training camp news, including exclusive interviews, highlights and so much more!

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