Bengals have more than just Joe Burrow’s return to worry about entering short week of rest before matchup against Ravens
Cincinnati has new injuries to monitor entering Week 13.
The Cincinnati Bengals have four days to recover from their loss to the New England Patriots before taking the field against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving night. It’s a short turnaround from another loss, but the Bengals have more to worry about than their record.
Joe Burrow’s potential return will dominate the headlines for good reason. He was close to returning for Sunday’s game, but Cincinnati opted to give him a few more days to rest after he practiced in full for two days. Burrow is coming back to a 3-8 team, and losing to the Ravens is essentially putting the final coffin in the 2025 season.
Burrow isn’t the only player who will be on the injury report, and the Bengals may very well be shorthanded in more ways than they expected to be.
Tee Higgins, Tahj Brooks enter concussion protocol
Tee Higgins is the player to keep tabs on aside from Burrow. Higgins suffered a concussion late in the fourth quarter of Cincinnati’s loss to the Patriots. The 26-year-old wide receiver attempted to catch a deep pass from quarterback Joe Flacco and landed on his back, causing the back of his helmet to hit the ground hard. He stayed down on the field for several moments before being carted off.
Rookie running back Tahj Brooks also suffered a concussion much earlier in the game. Brooks had seen an uptick in snaps in the backfield, giving starter Chase Brown breathers throughout the first half.
Higgins and Brooks will now enter the concussion protocol, and without a full week of practice before their next game on Thursday, it would be highly unlikely for either player to be cleared in time to play in Baltimore.
Joe Flacco’s finger injury shouldn’t prevent him from playing if he needs to
If Burrow can’t play against the Ravens, then the Bengals may need Flacco to play through another injury.
Flacco had to have his right index finger popped back into place on the same drive Higgins suffered his concussion. He hit his finger on former Bengals defensive tackle Eric Gregory while attempting a pass to tight end Mike Gesicki. Jake Browning came in for one play while Flacco’s finger was popped back into place.
“Hurting your throwing hand’s not easy,” head coach Zac Taylor told reporters after the game. “To go out there and push through that, and Jake [Browning]’s response, he goes out there one pass for 15 yards with not a moment’s notice. Just a lot of examples. The guys just want to do whatever it takes to find a way.”
Flacco confirmed following the loss that his finger was dislocated, but affirmed he could play if needed.
Cincinnati will not have any full practices ahead of Thursday’s game, and injury reports will mostly be estimates.