The Cincinnati Bengals had a winning start to their 2026 NFL season with a 33-27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the back of Joe Burrow’s 254 passing yards and a touchdown. But as it has often happened with the Bengals, an early celebration has quickly turned into a worrisome update heading into Week 2.

According to Adam Schefter’s latest update, “Bengals are listing QB Joe Burrow, who said he would play, as questionable for Sunday’s game at Houston due to his back injury.”

What makes his back issue so strange is that Burrow couldn’t even point to a specific hit against Tampa Bay, admitting that the tightness only showed up hours after the game ended. But in Wednesday’s practice, things looked concerning as the Bengals QB skipped training entirely and didn’t throw a single pass in drills. 

Week 2 already brings back some pretty uncomfortable memories for the Cincinnati Bengals. Just last season, Cincinnati was thrown back after Joe Burrow sustained a turf toe injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, sidelining him for 9 games. The injury triggered a 1-8 collapse that effectively ended any postseason hopes.

Now, that early-season anxiety is creeping right back in, as was visible across the Who Dey Nation on social media.

Under Schefter’s update, a fan commented, “Bengal fans right now,” with a picture of the famous GTA Vice City meme: “Ah s***, here we go again.”

Joe Burrow has missed 7 or more games in two of the last three seasons with Cincinnati, prompting a fan to comment, “Burrow can’t catch a break.”

Joe Burrow’s inconsistencies across this stretch have kept Cincinnati out of the playoffs for the last 3 years. 

“I think he will still play. But a player that has a history of injuries, it’s still concerning. The best ability is still and always will be availability,” a fan commented, knowing Joe’s injury history.

Meanwhile, another X user took a dig at Joe, “Burrow already in mid-season form, I see.”

However, some fans were also concerned about their QB, noting, “If he’s questionable now, imagine how he’ll be in a month. Gotta protect that back for when the games actually matter.”

Earlier, Head coach Zac Taylor insisted Burrow was “good to go,” noting, “He feels good” after Friday’s full practice. The QB himself had shrugged off benching fears, declaring, “I’ll be all right,” adding, “If I’m not getting surgery, I’m going to be out there.”

Irrespective of everything, the Bengals fans will be hoping that star QB Joe Burrow takes the field on Sunday, or at least doesn’t have to sit out for an extended period.