The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. After starting the season slow and limping out to a 1-3 start, they have won four in a row with a couple of impressive wins over formidable opponents. Joe Burrow is looking like his usual self after dealing with a leg injury throughout the preseason, and the team is in the thick of the race for the ultra-competitive AFC North.
Higgins Out For Bengals, Chase Status Unknown
#Bengals WR Tee Higgins, who did not practice today after injuring his hamstring in practice yesterday, is expected to miss this Sunday’s game vs the #Texans, sources say. He’ll be evaluated on a week-to-week basis going forward. pic.twitter.com/LTfChAXOA6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 9, 2023
The Bengals have a tough stretch of games coming up, starting this Sunday with a contest against the CJ Stroud and the upstart Houston Texans. They are currently listed as a comfortable 6.5 point favorite, but they may be dealing with some injury issues to key players come Sunday.
In last week’s Sunday night matchup with the Bills, Ja’Marr Chase went up for a deep pass and came down on his back with full force, causing the game’s commentators to remark about how sore he’d be in the morning. That assumption rang true, as Chase is now dealing with a back issue, and was held out of practice on Wednesday.
Cincy Needs All Hands On Deck To Continue Surge
Bengals’ WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both now have arrived at practice. Chase has a jersey, Higgins does not. https://t.co/PxWkI4fwgp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 9, 2023
But that wasn’t the worst injury news. In that Wednesday practice, fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins suffered a hamstring injury, and was reportedly walking gingerly in the locker room afterwards. There was hope that it was simply a scare, but the news coming out of the Bengals facility on Thursday is that Higgins has been downgraded to out, and will miss the game against the Texans entirely.
It was also reported that Chase did return to practice on Thursday, but was listed as a limited participant and his status is still unknown.
The Bengals need all hands on deck in order to pick up some much-needed wins. The race for the AFC playoffs is going to be a bloodbath given the talent in the conference, and the AFC North is just about as packed up as they come. The Ravens lead the division by a game and a half with a 7-2 record, but each of the Bengals, Steelers, and Browns are sitting at 5-3 and within a weekend or two of taking the top spot away from Baltimore.
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