As the Cincinnati Bengals started preparations to play the Houston Texans, they did so without the full participation of star quarterback Joe Burrow.
Burrow on Sept. 16 did not practice with his teammates ahead of the Sept. 20 game against the Texans at Reliant Stadium in Houston. He was listed on the team's daily injury with a designation of limited participant with a back injury in practice.
During his regularly-scheduled Wednesday news conference following practice, Burrow said he was dealing with back tightness and wasn't sure if he'd practice the rest of the week, adding he took "mental reps" and anticipated playing against Houston.
Burrow said any suggestion of not playing versus the Texans was ridiculous.
During the 30-minute window for media
members to observe practice, Burrow didn't participate in the team's pre-practice stretching on Sept. 16, and was observed by The Enquirer to have thrown just one pass.
Burrow not participating was an unexpected development after Bengals coach Zac Taylor didn't suggest any changes to Burrow's availability, although he did say Monday, Sept. 14 that a couple players could be limited during the week. Few injury concerns resulted from the Sept. 13 season-opening win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If for some reason Burrow ended up not playing at Houston, his designation on the Friday, Sept. 18 injury report would shed some light on his status. The Bengals also have a backup option in former Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco.
During Burrow's absence in the 2025 season due to a turf toe injury, Flacco went 1-6 in six starts for Cincinnati. The Bengals, who faced Flacco during Week 1 in 2025 as the Cleveland Browns starter, acquired Flacco in a midseason trade with the Browns.
Flacco, who appeared in one play during this year's Week 1 victory against the Buccaneers, said Sept. 16 he wasn't altering his normal routine ahead of the Texans game even with Burrow not participating in practice.
"Just take it day by day," Flacco said. "That's why you get in a good routine and as the season goes along, you stay in that routine."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What to know about Joe Burrow being on Bengals injury report
