"Dolphins would’ve been canceled from the league" - Fans call out NFL over findings from Joe Burrow injury report investigation

Back in Week 11, Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow hurt his right wrist against the Baltimore Ravens. While throwing a touchdown to Joe Mixon, he tore his ligament and needed season-ending surgery.

But a week before this, the Super Bowl LVI runner-up was reportedly seen wearing a cast in a since-deleted social media post. This made many wonder if he and the Cincinnati Bengals had violated policy by hiding his injury.

On Saturday, however, both parties were exonerated by the league after a thorough investigation:

But fans remain unconvinced, with one even comparing it to the NFL's failure to address Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's concussion last season:

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With Joe Burrow out, top target Ja'Marr Chase assumes bigger leadership role

The Cincinnati Bengals' current run of success has been defined by Joe Burrow's leadership both on and off the field. But with him ruled out, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, Burrow's favorite target dating back to their college days at LSU, is expected to step up.

On Thursday, during practice for the game against the Indianapolis Colts, Chase said:

"I've been more talkative than I've ever been... Joe's not here on the offensive side to speak up as vocal as he is. That's not something I do. I just lead by example and my game. (But) in the huddle I was speaking up a little more."

His body of work speaks for itself when it comes to leadership. In 12 games so far, the 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler has caught 86 passes for 1,063 yards and seven touchdowns.

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Bengals secondary taking a liking to Joe Burrow's stand-in Jake Browning

All hope is not lost for the Bengals, however. In their most recent outing, they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-31 in overtime after the defense forced a punt on the first drive of that period.

And backup QB Jake Browning did a stellar job - 32 of 37 passes completed, including a 76-yard touchdown to Ja'Marr Chase. But surprisingly, his biggest supporters are actually from the other side of the ball.

Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who played against him in college, said he was very active in team meetings:

"We realized how passionate he is about football, how much he knows. We thought it would be a winning advantage having an offensive mind like his in our meeting room... He'd shut out suggestions. Give us pointers on certain things."

Meanwhile, safety Michael Thomas said:

"He can say, 'No way (is the offense) looking at this guy. They're not even thinking about throwing it. This is what they want. If you can show this, it will mess them up. Or just play this route.' That helped us make some plays and get some big-time picks."

The Bengals-Colts game can be watched on CBS beginning at 1 PM ET.