The Cincinnati Bengals' season is still salvageable at 3-5, but the injury report isn't pretty. Two big pieces of the offense may not be available against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Wide receiver Tee Higgins and offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. did not practice on Friday, completing a full week without practice for both players, via ESPN's Ben Baby.
Defensive end Sam Hubbard, though, did participate, via The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr.
“Updating Bengals from the injury report participating in today’s practice:
OT Orlando Brown – no
WR Tee Higgins – no
DE Sam Hubbard – yes
S Geno Stone – not stretching (in jersey)
WR Charlie Jones – no
OT Amarius Mims – yes,” Dehner reported.
Usually, players don't play on Sunday after not practicing the whole week. Will Cincinnati take down Las Vegas without Higgins and Brown?
Bengals have no excuses vs. Raiders
Make no mistake, Higgins and Brown are both essential cogs in Cincinnati's machine. Higgins is still the Bengals' second-leading receiver despite playing in just five games thus far, catching 29 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Brown is a four-time Pro Bowler and one of Joe Burrow's best pass protectors.
However, there's still no reason to lose to the 2-6 Raiders on Sunday. Las Vegas is one of the worst teams in the league, especially after trading star wideout Davante Adams. The Bengals also have home-field advantage.
Burrow has led Cincinnati out of the darkness before after slow starts, and the former No. 1 overall pick will have to do it again starting in Week 9. The Bengals are coming off a 37-17 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and have yet to beat a contending team. That leaves little margin for error against bottom-feeders from here on out.
The game will be broadcast on FOX at 1:00 PM EST.
Follow Us
Subscribe
