‘My team needed me’ — Tee Higgins shares his mindset following concussion scares during Bengals’ loss to Bills
Tee Higgins showed incredible toughness for the Bengals.
Rarely do the Cincinnati Bengals lose when Tee Higgins finds the end zone twice. Higgins led Cincinnati in receiving with six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns in the Bengals’ 39-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 14.
The loss was crushing as it took Cincy down to 4-9 on the season, but the offense nearly lost Higgins as well, the same way he was taken out two weeks ago.
Higgins returned to the field this week after suffering a concussion in Week 12. His head hit the cold Buffalo ground hard late in the second quarter and was taken out for the remainder of the drive. Another fall with his head banging the turf occurred right before halftime, and he was still in the locker room at the start of the second half.
The hits kept coming when Higgins returned again, and despite multiple trips to the medical tent on the sideline, he gave the Bengals a chance at winning the game.
Even in defeat, that toughness can’t go unnoticed.
Tee Higgins toughs out the hits for Cincinnati
Higgins didn’t clear the concussion protocol until late this week. It wasn’t a given he would suit up Sunday, and based on how the game unfolded with so many hard falls with his helmet contacting the ground, it wasn’t a given he would play all four quarters. The 26-year-old was determined to do just that.
“I’m a soldier,” Higgins told reporters. “I mean, soldiers take hits. It happens. It’s football. It’s the name of the game. You got to get up next play mentality.”
Higgins clarified he passed the standard concussion testing conducted by the Bengals’ training staff. That was enough to come back without a thought of preserving himself amid the blows.
“I’m a team-first guy,” Higgins said. “My team needed me, and I felt like they did, so I went out there and played. Tried to dog this out with my team.”
It was certainly noticed by another guy who’s had to tough out the pain this year.
Joe Burrow credits Tee Higgins’ grit
When finding Ja’Marr Chase past the line of scrimmage wasn’t so easy, Joe Burrow leaned on the large frame of Higgins in their first game playing together since Week 2. Two of his four touchdown throws found Higgins’ ever-reliable hands, but Higgins’ ability to shrug off the hits has caught Burrow’s attention.
“Tee’s a tough guy,” Burrow said after the game. “I think he’s gotten tougher over the years. You know, back in the day, he would get hit, and I’d hold my breath because he would lay there for a second, and then he’d pop back up. I think everybody remembers that. Now, his pop-up game is pretty good, so that’s good to see, doesn’t scare me quite as much.
“He’s as tough as they come, and he’s going to continue to make big-time plays and big-time spots. That’s who he is.”
It’s a scary sight when a player fresh out of the concussion protocol looks so close to going back through it, but Higgins seems to have caught a break. We’ll find out for sure in the coming days when the Bengals get back to work for their Week 15 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
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