The Cincinnati Bengals are running out of time to make good on their early-season talk that they, and not the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, were the team to beat in the AFC. Right now, Ja'Marr Chase's bold proclamation looks like a swing and a miss, as the Bengals are 3-5, and the Chiefs have yet to lose a game. A Week 9 matchup with the Raiders should be a get-right game for Cincinnati, but they'll need to “get right” without a pair of key offensive weapons.
Per ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter:
“For a second straight week, the Bengals are likely to be without WR Tee Higgins, who is being listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders due to his quad injury. Bengals RB Zack Moss also is being listed as doubtful.”
Tee Higgins' absence shouldn't come as a huge surprise, as the 5th-year receiver has been limited to just five games this year. Higgins started the season on the shelf, missing Cincinnati's first two games with a hamstring injury that some speculated wasn't as serious as he was making it out to be, given the receiver's trade request ahead of the season.
Zack Moss entered the season as the presumptive lead back for the Bengals but has split the workload almost perfectly evenly with second-year back Chase Brown, who has had double-digit carries in each of the last five games. In that time, Moss has struggled to get anything going on the ground. He's averaged just 2.5 yards per carry in that span but has remained a factor in the Bengals passing attack.
Bengals Playoff hopes rest on shoulders of Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase
The deck is stacked against the Bengals, but if any team has the equivalent of pocket aces, it's Cincinnati. Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase have been terrorizing defenses since they were playing for the Bayou Bengals down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And this year, the duo has been as prolific as ever.
Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase have connected on a staggering 48 of 59 targets, an 81.4% catch rate, which is the highest of any player in the NFL with at least 50 targets. Heading into the week, Chase leads the league in both receiving yards (674) and receiving touchdowns (7).
This connection will need to continue running hot if Cincinnati has any chance of making a return to the postseason.
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