Are the Cincinnati Bengals back? Fans sure hope that's the case after they demolished the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. There were some hiccups along the way, but they were able to destroy the Cardinals eventually. They were able to do that even without their WR2 Tee Higgins, partly due to the heroics of Ja'Marr Chase.
Still, Bengals fans would want to see Tee Higgins back for Week 6, especially against a stingier Seattle Seahawks defense. Higgins has been out due to a rib injury he suffered during their brutal Week 4 loss to the Titans. According to head coach Zac Taylor, both Higgins and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie will be game-time decisions, while being designated as questionable, per Paul Dehner Jr.
“Zac Taylor says Chidobe Awuzie and Tee Higgins will both be questionable and game time decision. Akeem Davis-Gaither will be out. Myles Murphy will play. Returning this afternoon from personal issue.”
Much was made about Chase' incredible performance in Week 5, and for good reason. Chase set a Bengals record for receptions while nearly tallying 200 yards for the day. However, equally as important to the win was the rest of the Bengals WRs stepping up. Trenton Irwin tallied eight catches for 60 yards, while Tyler Boyd had six catches for 39 yards. Cincinnati was able to keep the Arizona defense honest while still feeding Chase.
A big part of the Bengals' huge win against the Cardinals was Burrow looking much better. Unlike the last few games, Burrow wasn't just confined to the pocket as a stationary passer. We saw shades of what the Cincinnati QB did best: extend plays and push the pace with his passes. It remains to be seen how well he'll play against a much more tenacious Seahawks defense. Those legs will be tested once again.
As for Higgins, the Bengals WR is in line to sign a massive extension with Cincinnati this season. However, the signs seem to point towards the team potentially not signing the former first-round pick to a new deal. For now, Higgins, Burrow, and Chase are focused on righting the ship and making it back to the Super Bowl once again.