The Cincinnati Bengals are set to take on the 6-8 Miami Dolphins. Both teams have been officially eliminated from playoff contention, but the Bengals have said publicly that they are going to try and win their remaining three games. Head coach Zac Taylor said, “These types of games are good character games.” Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase shared a similar sentiment, saying “We can’t go out there embarrassing ourselves or the organization.”
Fortunately for the Bengals, they may be with star receiver Tee Higgins, who has been dealing with a concussion since losing to the Bills on Sunday, December 7. Higgins was unable to clear concussion protocol in time for Cincinnati’s game against Baltimore, which the Bengals lost 24-0. He is yet to clear protocol, but did practice all week. ESPN reporter Ben Baby said he saw Tee Higgins catch a pass from Joe Burrow in the team’s red zone drills.
Tee Higgins’ Status
The Bengals officially listed Higgins as questionable for Sunday’s game in Miami. Head coach Zac Taylor said there is “Still a hurdle to clear.” Higgins will have to clear concussion protocol by Saturday if he will be able to play.
Higgins’ playing would represent his fourth game with quarterback Joe Burrow this season. In the three previous games he has 181 yards and three touchdowns. The Bengals are 2-1 in those games. Their lone loss came against the Bills, as the Bengals blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter despite scoring a total of 34 points in the game. Higgins would face a Dolphins defense that allowed four straight touchdown drives against the Steelers in their previous game.
Higgins would provide an offensive boost to the Bengals as his nine touchdowns lead Cincinnati. The star wide receiver is one shy from matching his career-high for touchdowns in a season.
Bengals vs Dolphins
The matchup on Sunday features two teams that underperformed their expectations heading into the season. With both teams under .500, NBC opted to flex them out of their Sunday Night Football slot. Their prime time game would have represented their second consecutive matchup that the two teams had played against each other. They last played on Thursday Night Football in 2022, a game the Bengals won 27–15, in which quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion and was carted off the field.
They will not face off against Tagovailoa as previously expected. Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel made the decision this week to bench their quarterback as he deemed his play “not good enough.” Instead, the Bengals will go against rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers, who was selected in the seventh round of this year’s NFL Draft. It will mark the first NFL start in Ewers’ career. The former Texas Longhorn started 37 games in his college career, where he threw 68 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
The Bengals defense is fresh off their best performance of the season as they allowed a season-low 24 points against the Ravens. Against an unproven starter, Cincinnati will look to build on last week’s performance.
Bengals Get Great News on Tee Higgins Before Dolphins Game