Joe Burrow dealing with back tightness but insists he will play vs. Texans

If there's one thing that could quickly derail the Cincinnati Bengals' Super Bowl hopes this season, it's an injury to Joe Burrow. The Bengals quarterback has dealt with multiple serious injuries in his career, so it raised a few eyebrows on Wednesday when he didn't really participate in the portion of practice that was open to the media.

According to multiple reports, Burrow didn't take part in the stretch before practice, and he wasn't really throwing the ball during the normal warm-up period with the other quarterbacks.

So is it panic time in Cincinnati? Not quite yet.

For one, Burrow did throw the ball with Joe Flacco before the team's stretching period, according to Paul Dehner of The Athletic. Also, the Bengals sent Burrow out for his normal weekly press conference after practice.

During the regular season, Burrow holds his weekly press conference every Wednesday. If he were dealing with a serious injury, the Bengals would likely have canceled it, but instead, the QB answered every question he was asked about the injury.

Details on Burrow's injury

During the press conference, Burrow noted that he's currently dealing with some "back tightness." The Bengals star also added that he feels "good" and that he's simply dealing with "normal game-day soreness."

Although he admitted that he's dealing with a back issue, Burrow made it as clear as possible that he plans on playing Sunday in Houston. The veteran QB was asked if he might consider sitting out the Texans game as a precaution and he gave a three-word answer.

"No, that's ridiculous," Burrow said.

Although he plans on playing this weekend, he's not so sure if he's going to be able to practice. He was limited on Wednesday and he's not sure if he'll be back on the field as full participant for Thursday's practice.

"We'll see how we feel tomorrow," Burrow said.

With the Bengals going up against a tough Texans defense, it obviously wouldn't be ideal if he has to miss the entire week of practice, but even if that happens, Burrow doesn't think it will impact his ability to start on Sunday.

"It shouldn't really, we get a lot of mental reps, and we walk through a lot of plays, so I'll be alright," the three-time Pro Bowler said.

Burrow, who threw for 254 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers in Week 1, wasn't exactly sure when he got injured in the Bengals' 33-27 win.

"I don't specifically know what play," Burrow said. "I didn't really start feeling it until after the game. That's typically how it happens."

If Burrow can't play on Sunday, then the Bengals would turn the offense over to Joe Flacco, but it doesn't sound like that's going to happen.

"If I'm not getting surgery, I'll be out there," Burrow said.

Burrow's injury history

Any time Burrow misses practice, it's certainly notable, and that's because he's missed nearly two dozen games in his career due to injury.

Here's a quick rehash of what he's dealt with over the past seven seasons:

2020: Burrow missed the final seven games of the season after tearing his ACL

2023: Burrow missed the final seven games of the season after tearing a ligament in his wrist

2025: Burrow missed nine games after suffering a toe injury in Week 2

Overall, Burrow missed a total of 23 games in those three seasons combined. When Burrow is healthy, he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and if you need proof, you just have to look at his track record. In 2021, he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl. In 2022, he followed that up by leading them to the AFC title game for the second straight season. In 2024, the 9-8 Bengals didn't make the playoffs, but Burrow did lead the league in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43).

Burrow views this Bengals' team as a Super Bowl contender, but for that to happen, they're going to need him to stay healthy.