Ian Rapoport gives injury update on Bengals' Joe Burrow for Texans game

Thursday updates indicated that Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow would not be 100 percent for the Bengals' game at the 0-1 Houston Texans this coming Sunday after he developed "back tightness" ahead of Wednesday's practice. 

During a Friday afternoon appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," league insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network/ESPN insisted that Burrow "is gonna play" at Houston's Reliant Stadium. Rapoport also suggested that Burrow was truly struggling earlier in the week. 

Joe Burrow was "pretty tight" earlier in the week

"I didn't view it as an abundance of caution," Rapoport said about Burrow not being a full participant in Wednesday's practice. "It felt like he was pretty tight." 

Burrow's issue is presumably linked to a hit he took during the Bengals' 33-27 Week 1 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 13. He passed for 254 yards and a touchdown in that victory, but he also had an interception returned for a score that afternoon. 

"It sounded like Wednesday was not great," Rapoport continued during his Burrow update. "Thursday, he did throw a little bit. So that was a little bit better. Then [Friday, he] threw, and from the reporters on the scene...he was as close to 100 percent as you could ask." 

Joe Burrow's issue is "not a great thing"

The Texans are coming off a 36-31 Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 13. Per ESPN stats, the Houston defense tallied two sacks and four quarterback hits in that contest. 

"It's not a great thing," Rapoport added about Burrow's latest setback. "You know, he's a rotational athlete. Like, [this is] definitely something to keep watching. He's going to play, but how close to 100 percent is he going to be? ...We'll see if he's actually 100 percent, and hopefully he is."

Burrow's worrisome injury history makes it noteworthy anytime he is dealing with an issue that typically may not seem like all that big of a deal. Veteran Joe Flacco, who tossed 13 touchdown passes and four interceptions across six starts for Cincinnati last season when Burrow was sidelined with a serious toe injury, will be the Bengals' backup against Houston.