Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow insisted that, barring an unforeseen surgical procedure, he will play in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers amid what he called back tightness.
However, not everyone is as convinced as Burrow that the issue is not a concern.
Burrow has battled injuries in his career, and facing a Texans team with a formidable pass rush is certainly a spot where a back injury could flare up or be made worse with one hit in the right spot.
That is true for every player in any game, but Burrow’s history looms large.
“Missed some time early in his career, does not want to let that happen again,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on “Good Morning Football” on September 17.
“Now, he has been clear: he’s going to go play. But what you do wonder is how much does this affect, just being on the same page with Ja’Marr Chase, with Tee Higgins, with all of these Cincinnati Bengals past catchers. If he’s not going to throw much, if he’s not going to practice much, then we’ll see where they are at execution wise on game day.”
Rapoport continued, saying, “This is a situation we are monitoring for Burrow.” However, the insider offered a glimmer of hope, too, noting that it is “not something that everybody should be panicking” over at this point.
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Rapoport added more to his take on Burrow and the Bengals later in the show, saying the situation still “bears watching.”
“His availability has been the most determining factor for the Bengals, based on how good they are the last five or so years, however long it’s been with Burrow at the helm. So, we’re going to keep monitoring that, but I expect him to be out there.”
Burrow playing may not be in question, but the decision to do so certainly is.
“Well, it’s a back, it’s back tightness, and it’s Joe borough. So when you combine all those factors together, it has to be a concern,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on “The Insiders” on September 17, noting the QB’s confidence. “One year ago, Burrow missed the nine games with a turf toe injury. The team didn’t recover without him.
Schefter said that the Bengals are an “entirely different team” with Burrow on the field.
“If he’s good, this team is good. If he’s not healthy, and he’s not right, this team isn’t healthy and right. And backs are unpredictable. You just don’t know how they’re going to go.”
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The Bengals’ situation is not as dire as most around the league would be if their starting quarterback went down. Cincinnati has a Super Bowl champion with 201 starts in 210 career games played in Joe Flacco.
“Should also note that Joe Flacco returns as the backup quarterback. We have seen, certainly, far too much of Joe Flacco for what Cincinnati Bengals fans found, and fans want. But if Burrow can’t go, something happens during the game–if Joe Flacco needs to be out there, you know that he can handle it.”
That is as much reassurance as fans can hope for.
Still, after seeing how Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills were able to move the ball against the Texans, Burrow surely wants to be out there for the Bengals.
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