Joe Burrow status: Who is will play in his place for the Bengals in Week 18?

Ian Rapoport shared that Bengals QB Joe Burrow has confirmed he’ll be sitting out for the Week 18 season finale in preparation for the 2022 NFL playoffs. The Bengals locked up their first playoff berth since the 2015 season this year after winning the AFC North division title.

The only quarterback listed on the Bengals depth chart behind Burrow is Brandon Allen. He’s been with the team since 2020 and started the final five games of the season after Burrow suffered a torn ACL to end his rookie year. In that five-game span with the Bengals, he completed 925 passing yards, 5 TDs and 4 INTs and the team went 1-4. He spent his 2019 rookie season with the Broncos, where he lost two of his three starts on the season, completing passes at just a 46 percent clip and another slim TD-to-INT ratio (3-2).

They could still clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed, including a first-round bye and homefield advantage with a win and some help. They’ll either need a Titans loss, Chiefs loss and Patriots loss or tie or a Titans loss, Chiefs loss and Bills win. They’ve been on a three-game winning streak thanks to a red-hot finish to the season by their second-year.