While the Cincinnati Bengals are undoubtedly an extremely talented football team, they fell for the trap gain this past week when they lost to the colossal underdog New England Patriots. Cincinnati was more favored to win than any team in the NFL and were likely already looking ahead to their Week 2 matchup with their loathed rival Kansas City. In that circumstance, the focus simply wasn’t where it needed to be for Cincinnati to execute at a high level against the Patriots and they stumbled tragically.
Cincinnati Bengals in Desperate Need of Offensive Firepower against Bitter Rival
One of the reasons that this team lost the opening matchup was that the usually explosive offensive juggernaut led by elite quarterback Joe Burrow simply couldn’t build any momentum against a stout defense. While part of that is a typical slow start under head coach Zac Taylor, some of that was caused by contract drama with All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Chase was on-and-off at practice all week leading up to the game with New England and even classified himself as a ‘gameday decision’ as he took all of the focus off of game prep and put it all on finances.
Additional Struggles by Talented Wideout Room
On top of the drama with Chase, superstar secondary receiver Tee Higgins has also had his fair share of drama this offseason after his first foray into free agency was rapidly ended by a franchise tag. While it does seem like Higgins has accepted that he is going to play one last season for the orange-and-black, a nagging hamstring sprain has sidelined his season after he was officially ruled out of the teams disappointing loss against the Patriots.
Higgins is a difference-maker when healthy as he has proven himself to be one of the best target men in the entire league with a combination of size and athleticism that allows him to high-point the ball over any defender in the NFL. While the team certainly didn’t seem focused during any point of the game on Sunday, part of that offensive ineptitude was likely due to the absence of Higgins as a red zone target.
To make matters worse, NFL Insider Adam Schefter recently went on the Pat McAfee show and said that he would be surprised if Higgins is capable of playing against the Chiefs in Week 2. According to Schefter, Higgins is still experiencing pain in his hamstring and would experience a massive recovery if he were able to suit up for Cincinnati in just four days.
“Tee Higgins has a hamstring injury..
We’ll see how the week plays out but I’ll be surprised if he plays on Sunday against the Chiefs” ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/75bWQwiQqf
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 9, 2024
Higgins is a huge part to the offense and if he really isn’t able to play, young and inexperienced wide receivers will need to make huge plays in order for Cincinnati to not suffer another major letdown this weekend.
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