It seemed like just another day at the yard after Wednesday's practice.

A relaxed Joe Burrow met the press and then sat with his offensive line around center Ted Karras' Wild West card table. It wasn't just another day, of course, because Burrow (back) threw lightly in individual drills and was listed as limited on the injury report the Bengals issued early Wednesday evening.

But there were no alarm bells sweeping Paycor Stadium.

"He's the most physically and mentally tough guy on the team," said left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.  "I'm not even worried about it. It's like anything. Sometimes you just need an extra day. It can be like that sometimes."

Burrow calls it "back tightness," and said it won't "preclude," him from playing Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) in Houston. There is no part of him, he says, that wants to sit out as a precautionary move.

"That's ridiculous," Burrow said. "I feel good. Some normal game day soreness, that's for sure. But I'll be all right … I'll do what it takes to be out there. If I'm not having surgery, I'll be out there.

"I don't know specifically what play. I didn't really start feeling it till after the game. That's typically how it happens."

He also said the injury won't stop him from running. Burrow called his own number Sunday in the win over the Bucs on a draw and drew a late hit, but if Burrow isn't having any second thoughts, neither is head coach Zac Taylor.

"You want the first down. He wants the first down. You want a guy who fights for every yard," Taylor said. "I think that's what he's proven to us. He's willing to use his legs to get us everything he can to put us in great scoring position with a quarterback draw at the end of the half. That's a weapon he's got and he uses it. I'm not going to second-guess every decision he makes. That's easy to do. He understands the moments. When he needs to get down. When he needs to fight for the extra yardage. That was the situation where he did that."

Certainly the 29-year-old Burrow doesn't mind. But maybe more than the 22-year-old Burrow.

"I was comfortable with it. It was either that or kick a field goal. It's a decision that I made," Burrow said of the hit. "Maybe seven years ago I liked that more than I do now."

Burrow says he's not sure if he'll work Thursday, but he's comfortable with his "mental reps."

"You're not dropping back full-speed and throwing it, but you're still figuring out where the ball goes," Burrow said. "Calling the play, getting in and out of huddles. So we'll be ready to go."

Slants and Screens

Burrow is right there with Taylor and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher when it comes to getting All-Pro receiver Ja'Marr Chase more than last Sunday's two catches.

"I think that sentiment was echoed from a lot of different fronts after the game," Burrow said. "You can't come out of a game like that and have Ja'Marr Chase touch the ball two times. That'll certainly be an emphasis.

"If we lost, it probably would have been different because he feels like he would have helped us win that game had we lost. But if we win, he's as happy as everybody else." …

Orlando Brown Jr., and right tackle Amarius Mims prep this week for blocking Houston's elite sack tandem of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. They'll end up getting both, at times, but Brown may end up primarily on Hunter, the NFL's sixth-most prolific active sacker with 114.5.

He's got a wide variety of things to watch," Brown said. "He's really good with his hands, he's really good with his bull rush, and he gets off the ball pretty well when he needs to situationally. I've got a lot of respect for his game." …

Like everyone else, Burrow is raving about Mims.

"I feel good about both of those guys against just about anybody in the league," Burrow said. "Mims has been playing so well over the last year. He just continues to get better and better and better. He's so big and strong. There's not going to be a single defensive end who's bigger than him, and he uses it to his advantage." …

Burrow practiced against Texans Pro Bowl cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., when Stingley was a freshman at LSU, so Burrow won't be surprised Sunday.

"You could tell right away. He's a big, physical corner, understands stems and splits, route concepts and, really, in my opinion, has the best ball skills in the league at corner," Burrow said. "So you have to be aware of where you're throwing it and how you're throwing it against that guy." …

Burrow always says it's a big game, but he's a big-game quarterback, and he can smell them a mile away on the hunt. Sunday is one of those. The Texans have made it to the playoffs each of the past three seasons and last year rode a 10-game winning streak into the AFC Divisional before losing to eventual AFC champ New England.

"AFC opponent. A team we know is going to be in it at the end," Burrow said. "So whenever you have opportunities like this to have an early lead in the playoff race, you've got to take advantage of it." …