Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins missed last week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, since he was a game-time decision, there was some hope that he might be able to play in Week 9 when Cincinnati faces the Las Vegas Raiders. Let’s examine the latest injury update on Higgins.
What Is Tee Higgins’ Injury?
Higgins is dealing with a quad injury that he suffered during practice last week. The injury occurred during last Friday’s practice — just two days before the Bengals’ game against the Eagles.
This is the latest injury for Higgins, who also missed Weeks 1 and 2 with a hamstring issue. Early in the season, some fans were confused about Higgins missing games right after telling reporters that despite his hamstring injury, he was “physically fine and mentally ready” and that this was “definitely the best I’ve felt going into Week 1.”
Some fans questioned if Higgins was faking the injury, which understandably frustrated the wide receiver.
“I just don’t understand why fans think I’m faking an injury, when for me to get an extension for a contract, the deadline is over,” Higgins told ESPN’s Ben Baby early in the season. “I just don’t understand why they think I’m faking an injury. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Is Higgins Playing in Week 9?
Unfortunately, it’s looking like Higgins will miss a second consecutive game due to this quad injury.
Higgins has missed practice all week and is officially listed as doubtful for this week’s matchup against the Raiders.
On Sunday, check the Bengals’ injury report to see if he’s officially ruled out, but it seems very unlikely that he’ll be able to play this week.
Last Sunday, there was a report that Higgins was feeling better and that there was a “real chance” he might be able to play against the Eagles, so it’s somewhat surprising that he’s now poised to miss his second game in a row one week later.
How Might Higgins’ Absence Impact the Bengals if Ruled Out?
Not having Higgins for a second straight game would be a big blow to the Bengals, as he’s a major part of their passing attack. From Week 3 through Week 7 when both Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins were on the field, they actually had very similar stats.
Ja’Marr Chase:
- 37 targets (two in the end zone)
- 29 catches (six on third downs)
- Two drops
Tee Higgins:
- 45 targets (three in the end zone)
- 29 catches (nine on third downs)
- Zero drops
Chase is the highlight-producing receiver and the player who can change a game with a single play, but this is truly a 1A and 1B situation.
Tee Higgins slant touchdown pic.twitter.com/KnYRx5GX0N
— mike (@bengals_sans) October 21, 2024
This season, Higgins has been targeted on 37.3% of his routes when Joe Burrow wasn’t pressured, a rate that far exceeded Chase’s 22.3% rate.
It’s worth noting that Week 8 is Higgins’ third missed game of the season and eighth over the past two years, introducing more health risks than the star receiver had through his first three NFL seasons (when he missed four total games).
If Higgins is out, expect Chase to get more targets. Early in the season, Andrei Iosivas stepped into the WR2 role in Higgins’ absence and was used as a red-zone weapon. However, last week, Iosivas didn’t record a single catch on three targets with Higgins out.
Jermaine Burton had a big 41-yard reception, but receivers not named Ja’Marr Chase finished with just two catches for 45 yards in the blowout loss to the Eagles.
This season, Higgins has 29 receptions for 341 yards and three touchdowns in five games.