The Cincinnati Bengals fans must be losing sleep worrying about whether their camp got hit with deja vu. Ever since there has been news of Joe Burrow suffering from back tightness, fans are curious about receiving updates on the quarterback’s health. His long-time teammate, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, broke his silence on the situation.
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“I mean, it don’t matter what Joe do,” said Chase, on the Chasing No. 1 podcast on September 24. “Joe could say he could be jumping off the field with one leg and his cleat ripped, and everybody gonna think it’s something. It’s everything’s always blown out of proportion at the end of the day with bro, but I can’t really speak for him and how he feels at the end of the day. I just know he just played in the game and got through the game at the end of the day. So that’s what matters at the end of the day.
“He’s a pro. He knows his health. If he says he’s fine, he’s fine. But can’t speak for him, man. He said he was good and got to keep going from there. All it is is just treatment from here.”
Worries started to pile up before Cincinnati’s face-off against the Houston Texans. The Texans defense left no stone unturned to push Burrow to the corner. They sacked the Bengals quarterback five times. Yet Burrow completed 20 of 31 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, both to Chase. The fans were happy over Cincinnati’s 20-6 win over the Texans. But still, they could not sleep in peace.
During the Bengals’ practice before their face-off against Houston, Burrow didn’t do much throwing during the open portion. He tried to address the issue back then and said he was dealing with back tightness and “normal game day soreness.”
Burrow dismissed the idea of missing Sunday’s game against Houston as “ridiculous.”
Although it has not been revealed when he suffered the injury, fans began to panic even more after Cincinnati listed him as a limited participant during the September 16 session.
But Burrow played Sunday and led Cincinnati to a 20-6 win over the Texans. Knowing very well it would not be enough to calm the fans’ fears, he gave an update during the post-game presser.
“I’m good to go,” Burrow said (h/t CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia). “It’s a little sore after the game but no problems. There are a lot of people across this league playing with tight backs. No big deal.”
Well, can the Bengals fans be really blamed for being too anxious about Burrow’s health? The answer is no, because ever since Cincinnati drafted him as the No.1 overall pick, injuries have followed him like a shadow.
Burrow missed six games in his rookie season after an ACL and MCL tear. In 2023, because of a hand/wrist ligament injury, he was sidelined for seven games, followed by missing nine games in 2025 because of a pedal toe turf injury.
This season, too, the fans got an injury scare after an update from the Cincinnati camp.
“We have elevated LB Joe Giles-Harris and QB Josh Johnson from the practice squad to the active roster for #CINatHOU,” confirmed the Bengals on X on September 19.
The Bengals have started the season 2-0, but their early momentum faces a major test Sunday when they visit Pittsburgh for a Week 3 divisional showdown. Head coach Zac Taylor’s update on the Week 3 lineup still leaves a question mark for Burrow.
“B.J. Hill will continue to work him through the week and see where he ends up for this game as we manage him,” said Taylor. “Jonathan Allen will be out today, load management. (Burrow) is sore, so we’ll see how he gets through practice today. But we’ll see when he gets out there what he can do.”
Fans will now have to wait till September 27.