Bengals Wide Receiver Tee Higgins left the Week 4 matchup against the Tennessee Titans with a rib injury and did not return in the second half.
“Higgins said that he landed wrong and fractured one rib and not multiple ribs,” said Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer
Higgins recorded two catches for 19 yards in the Bengals’ third-season loss, falling to the Titans 27-3. Following the game, Higgins told reporters that he does not expect to be sidelined for a significant period and is considering playing in the Bengals’ Week 5 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
The injury to Higgins is a huge loss for the Bengals, who are already struggling with their passing game this season. Bengals’ WR1, Jamar Chase, has recorded an underwhelming season with 284 yards and has yet to score a touchdown. His counterpart, Tyler Boyd, has also yet to find the endzone, which has left Higgins to be able to catch the only two touchdown passes thrown by Joe Burrow this year.
With possibly the most significant turnaround from the 2022 season, the Bengals, whom the NFL projected to be one of the better teams in the league, are currently trailing the AFC North, even behind teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who recorded a single-yard of offense in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers’ before scoring their first touchdown of the season on a 95-yard drive lead by Kenny Pickett to close out the half.
Going from Superbowl contenders to tied for last in the AFC, the Bengals have a lot of soul-searching to do if they want to turn their season around, and that must start with making sure their highest-scoring wide receiver is healthy to play.
