Being an offensive lineman in the NFL can be a thankless job. Nevertheless, it's one of the most crucial positions in football because it protects the most important of them all, arguably in all sports even. It's largely for this reason why it took Cincinnati Bengals guard Michael Jordan quite some time to get over the devastating injury Joe Burrow suffered in the 2020 NFL season.
It was Jordan who got ran over by Washington Football Team pass rusher Jonathan Allen in a play during a Week 11 road game that resulted in Burrow's injury, which ultimately led the then-rookie quarterback to miss the rest of the season.
Via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic:
Jonathan Allen bullied him back, landing squarely on the left knee of Joe Burrow along with a punishing sandwich hit coming off the opposite edge. Jordan rose and looked down at his friend writhing in pain.
“I took it really personal,” Jordan said. “It took me about a week to get out of my own head.”
The Bengals were not contending for even a playoff spot at the time Burrow got injured, as they entered the Washington game with just a 2-7-1 record. But Burrow's injury certainly made things a whole lot worse for Cincinnati and its fanbase, as Burrow had just been drafted prior to the season first overall.
The good thing for the Bengals is that Burrow is expected to be back in the 2021 NFL season once he completes his long road to full recovery. Hopefully for Jordan and the Bengals' O-line, they will put up a much better job in protecting Burrow.
The Bengals will open the 2021 NFL season at home in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings.
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