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CINCINNATI, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 13: Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals walks off the field during an NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium on September 13, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
Joe Burrow has developed into one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks since his time as the LSU Tigers‘ superstar QB.
There’s been only one real complaint about Burrow at the professional level: He gets hurt a lot. Injuries don’t seem to quite leave him alone.
It wasn’t something Burrow dealt with much in college, but behind an oft-porous offensive line in Cincinnati, things have gotten dicey at times.
There’s at least a little worry about Burrow heading into Week 2 of the NFL season, too. He’s on the Bengals‘ injury report as questionable.
Cincinnati has a tricky matchup lined up with the Houston Texans‘ potent defense, and Burrow will duel with Texans QB C.J. Stroud, the former Ohio State star.
It would obviously be a lot tougher for the Bengals if Burrow wasn’t available.
Is Joe Burrow Playing Today?
Burrow appears likely to play on Sunday, although his status won’t be official until inactives come out at about 11:30 a.m. ET.
The star QB is listed with a back injury.
He was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, then was again listed as limited on Thursday.
The best news of the week in Cincinnati came when Burrow returned to being a full participant on Friday. Every indication of that brings with it the idea that Burrow should be good to play, and that the questionable mark was more cautious than anything else.
It sounds like, via reports Sunday morning, that Burrow is good to go:
Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who is listed as questionable, is expected to start against the Texans, as coach Zac Taylor said Friday.
Burrow is listed as questionable and the team elevated Josh Johnson from the practice squad. But barring a setback, Burrow should be good to go.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 20, 2026
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Bengals’ QB Depth Chart
The Bengals do have a reliable backup quarterback behind Burrow, although they get old in a hurry.
Cincinnati’s QB2 is Joe Flacco, the long-time Baltimore Ravens standout. Flacco did play decently in 2025 when he had to fill-in for Burrow.
The Bengals also have a veteran QB3, the well-traveled Josh Johnson.
Joe Burrow Injuries Since LSU
Burrow’s only main injury was a rib fracture at LSU, but it didn’t cause him to miss any games.
In the NFL, he first sustained a brutal knee injury in his rookie season — tearing the ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus in his left knee.
Burrow has also dealt with a finger dislocation, a knee strain, an MCL sprain, a calf strain, a right wrist ligament injury (seven missed games) and turf toe (nine missed games).
There’s a famous saying about the best ability being availability.
Burrow is certainly a great player when he’s healthy, especially when he gets the chance to throw to his LSU buddy, Ja’Marr Chase.
The problem is that Burrow hasn’t been healthy often enough in the NFL (and the Bengals’ defense has often let him down even when he is available).
Cincinnati won in Week 1 in a tough battle with the Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield, and now they’ll try to keep their winning ways going in Week 2.
Billy Heyen Billy Heyen is a Heavy contributor with focus on the NFL and MLB. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim’s basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive work for The Sporting News, the Sandusky Register and Rochester’s Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men’s national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. More about Billy Heyen