Bengals going the extra mile to help Tee Higgins paid off in a colossal way during blowout win over Dolphins
Cincinnati’s offense exploded after Tee Higgins reminded everyone what he can do.
It was not a given for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins to play against the Miami Dolphins. Higgins was questionable due to suffering two concussions in a 14-day span and had missed two of Cincinnati’s previous three games. There were even questions about whether or not he should play for the remainder of the season.
The Bengals made sure that if he played, there would be no doubt he was healthy. That’s why they sent him to Pittsburgh during the week to be evaluated by concussion specialist Dr. Micky Collins.
Higgins not only got the green light, but he also got the added layer of assurance he needed to show why his involvement in Cincinnati’s offense can make a world of difference.
Joe Burrow credits Tee Higgins for sparking Bengals’ blowout win over Dolphins
The Bengals emphatically took care of business against the Dolphins with a 45-21 victory. Forty-five points is the most scored by Cincinnati’s offense in Zac Taylor’s tenure, and a galactic improvement over being shut out the previous week at home.
Higgins had a modest day from a box-score perspective, recording three receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown, but two of those receptions and the touchdown came on the second drive of the day.
He hauled in Joe Burrow’s first deep shot for 35 yards in a true one-on-one go-ball to start the possession, and capped off the drive with a toe-tapping score six plays later for the first score.
Burrow threw the ball 24 times after that touchdown, but those two throws specifically to his longest-tenured wideout defined how the game went in his mind.
“Tee set it off, set the tone for the day,” Burrow said after the game. “Those two big plays early, that kind of set the tone for, number one, how the day was going, and number two, how they were going to play us. [I] think they had a plan, and then those two plays happened, and then they had to change their plan.
“That’s why he is who he is, and why we value him so much. He just makes plays like that.”
Both plays further proved why Ja’Marr Chase isn’t the only major threat running routes for Burrow, and leaving Higgins isolated with just one defender is dangerous business. It’s been that way for years, but Higgins’ continued consistency in jump-ball situations has not been lost on his quarterback, and a reason why the ball will continue going his way when he’s on the field.
“He’s big, long, strong, physical, and he’s grown up over the last [six years],” Burrow said of Higgins. “First year, he wasn’t making a ton of those plays, and then we come back in 2021, and he’s made most of them since. That’s a credit to how serious he takes it, how much he works and likes to improve.”
Tee Higgins credits Bengals for meeting with concussion specialist
Higgins could only further prove his improvement by being on the field and playing without limitations. The idea of taking the field again after multiple concussions within the last month is a scary thought, but Higgins confirmed after the win that the Bengals encouraged him to meet with Dr. Collins.
The result was Cincinnati gaining its third head of the offensive hydra that can take over any game on any Sunday. Higgins only caught one more pass for the rest of the day, but with Miami taking note of the sixth-year receiver torching them on the second drive, Chase had his typical game with nine receptions and 109 yards.
Sunday’s win won’t magically get the Bengals back in the playoff race, and it won’t erase the mistakes made by the team during the first 15 weeks of the season. It’s just another bullet point of evidence for how special they can be when Higgins, Chase, and Burrow are healthy and playing with confidence, and why the decision-makers need to capitalize on having all three together in their primes.
Cincinnati supported Higgins with above-and-beyond assurance. Let it be a reminder of how successful the team can be when its stars get the support they deserve.
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