While the Houston Texans are dealing with an injury scare to one of their best players, the same could be said for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow was limited in practice on Wednesday with what was called back tightness. The former No. 1 overall pick
made no significant throws during the open portion of practice. When asked after practice about the overall reps, he called them "mental reps."As for his status on Sunday, could he be out because of the back strain?
"That's ridiculous," Burrow said when asked if he could miss Week 2.
In Sunday's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Burrow was given a clean pocket. The Bengals only allowed three pressures all game and gave up just a lone sack in the third quarter.
During a second
in the second quarter, Burrow took a hard hit while scrambling for a first down. Nothing changed in terms of his play and the drive ended with a touchdown pass to tight Mike Gesecki.
This weekend, Burrow and the Bengals will have a new task at hand: going up against Houston's Pro Bowl edge rushers, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. Last week, the Bills were able to keep them at bay, allowing just nine pressures and two sacks.
"We certainly have our work cut out for us," Bengals coach Zac Taylortold reporters Wednesday. "They have elite talent across the board on their defense, and it poses a lot of challenges for you."
"It's back tightness, and it's Joe Burrow."
— ESPN (@espn) September 17, 2026
Adam Schefter with an update on Joe Burrow ahead of the Bengals vs. Texans matchup 🏈 pic.twitter.com/70K1F3W1qV
Burrow, who looks to be a contender for the MVP in 2026, mentioned that one thing he's been trying to work on is his ability to keep drives alive without putting his body in harm's way. Last week, he threw an interception while on the run, but also completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 24 yards and a touchdown.
Barring spending a month on the injured reserve, Burrow doesn't care about a little pain. He's strapping up and playing on Sunday at Reliant Stadium.
"I think every game is important," Burrow said. "I'll do what it takes to be out there. If I'm not having surgery, I'll be out there."
Kickoff is scheduled for Noon. The game will be televised on CBS.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Bengals vs. Texans: QB Joe Burrow calls injury report 'ridiculous,' will play in Week 2
