Bengals QB Joe Burrow addresses incident during Bears joint practice

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals held a joint practice with the Chicago Bears on Thursday. Things became heated during the session, with a multiple scuffles between both teams. The quarterback addressed it during his media availability.

Burrow is coming off an injury-riddled 2025 season. He suffered a turf toe and significant ligament damage, limiting him to just eight games. The three-time Pro Bowler finished the campaign with 173-of-259 completions for 1,809 yards and 17 touchdowns.

He aims to lead the Bengals back to the playoffs after missing it last year with a 6-11 record. They ended at third place in the AFC North, but the quarterback healthy again and raring to go.

Chicago Bears, Rome Odunze, Jahdae Walker — Chicago Bears wide receiver Jahdae Walker (9) stands on the field during Training Camp at Halas Hall.

Joe Burrow opens up on scuffle against Bears at joint practice

Reporters asked Burrow to share his thoughts about the skirmishes. He downplayed it by highlighting that scuffles happen often during joint practices as the sessions are emotionally charged.

“You know, s*** happens,” Burrow said. “That’s how practice goes sometimes. I asked Ja’Marr (Chase) about it. He said, ‘We better actually protect Joe.’ I think the urgency is really high this year. I think, not just me, but everybody wants to protect each other and be intense and go and win a lot of football games. So, it’s emotional out there.”

“S**t happens, s**t happens. Everybody wants to protect each other.”

Bengals QB Joe Burrow on the scuffle during the joint practice with the Bears.

Burrow said the last time he was involved in a practice fight himself was college, joking that he missed it a little. pic.twitter.com/tV6ScwLIjg

— Joey DeBerardino (@JoeyDeBerardino) August 20, 2026

Meanwhile, the Bears also have their sights set for more success in the upcoming season. They reached the Divisional Round last year after winning the NFC North with an 11-6 record. The front office added key additions to address positional needs and brought in more talent to around Caleb Williams.

Cincinnati and Chicago will face each other on Saturday in a preseason game at Paycor Stadium. The Bears’ regular season will begin on Sept. 13 versus the Carolina Panthers. The Bengals, on the other hand, will commence theirs on the same day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.