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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers have developed a connection over their shared experiences with calf injuries.
During his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said that Burrow reached out to him after playing through a calf injury during Monday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Burrow told reporters this week that he reached out to Rodgers last week to use him as a resource given the number of calf injuries the Jets signal-caller has sustained over his career.
“He’s dealt with calf issues his whole career and wanted to use him as a resource and get his thoughts, what he might have done,” Burrow said this week of his conversations with Rodgers. “He’s been through it, done that. And he was great about it.”
Burrow initially injured his calf during training camp and was sidelined for about one month before returning to the practice field. He re-aggravated the ailment during a Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and played through the injury on Monday against the Rams.
Whatever advice the future Hall of Fame signal-caller gave Burrow ultimately helped him push through and deliver for Cincinnati. In a 19-16 win over L.A., Burrow threw for 259 yards to help the Bengals secure their first victory of the season.
“For him to tough it out, I don’t think that people realize how much pain and limited mobility he was in,” Rodgers said on the Pat McAfee Show. “But for him to gut it out last night and to make enough plays to win, like I texted him, that’s what great competitors do. They show up and play through the pain and don’t make it a big deal.”
Rodgers, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles, has suffered his fair share of calf injuries since making his NFL debut in 2005 and taking over as the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers in 2008.
While Burrow wouldn’t reveal what advice the four-time MVP gave him, he told reporters Wednesday that he will continue to use Rodgers as a resource moving forward.
“[I’m] going to continue to use that as a resource,” Burrow said. “He’s a great guy. Whenever you have a guy like that that’s willing to help, you’re going to use it.”
Burrow and the Bengals are slated for a matchup against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday and will be looking to even their record at 2-2.