After missing Week 1 against the New England Patriots, there was some expectation that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins would suit up for Week 2. But earlier this week, it was noted that his hamstring injury may be more serious than originally thought and his status for Week 2 was up in the air.
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While it remains to be seen if the star will play against the Kansas City Chiefs, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor provided an update on his status. He said that Higgins is day-to-day but is making “good progress” in his recovery.
Zac Taylor said Tee Higgins is “making good progress” and is officially day-to-day.
No word on his practice availability this week.
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) September 11, 2024
While this is better news than Higgins being ruled out completely, it does put doubt into his status for the game. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said earlier this week that he would “be surprised” if Higgins suits up against the Chiefs.
“Hamstring injury. He has a hamstring injury. We’ll see how the week plays out but I’ll be surprised if he plays on this week against the Chiefs,” Schefter said.
In all likelihood, Higgins will probably miss the game against Kansas City. He has dealt with injuries throughout his career and the Bengals likely don’t want to risk this getting any worse than it already is.
Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images
Hamstring injuries can be tough to be rid of and the last thing anyone wants is for this to linger throughout the season. If Higgins can’t go once again, the emphasis on offense will go completely toward co-star Ja’Marr Chase.
Chase missed the majority of training camp while participating in a hold-in over a contract dispute. There was thought that he wouldn’t play in the season opener as well but Chase ended up playing. He hauled in six catches for 62 yards but it wasn’t enough as Cincinnati fell to the Patriots at home.
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The Bengals’ offensive attack didn’t look the same without Higgins on the field, giving some level of concern if he were to miss again. Cincinnati has been notorious for starting seasons out slowly but falling to 0-2 to open the year would be tough to come back from, especially in the loaded AFC Conference.
Both Kansas City and Cincinnati will be motivated to beat one another after multiple highly contentious playoff matchups in recent years. But if Higgins is ruled out, the advantage only gets pushed more toward the Chiefs for the game.
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