The Cincinnati Bengals are currently sitting at 2-1 on the season, but the vibes around them are much worse than that at the moment. Of course, a lot of that has to do with the injury to Joe Burrow that will keep the star quarterback out for most, if not all of the regular season.
After Jake Browning came in for Burrow in Week 2 and led a heroic comeback to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, there was some optimism around the longtime Cincinnati backup heading into his first start of the season in Week 3. However, that quickly fizzled out as the Vikings crushed the Bengals 48-10 in a game that was never competitive.
In that game, Browning threw for just 140 yards on 27 attempts and threw a pair of interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. The Bengals finished with just 171 total yards as a team and turned the ball over five times, so it was a nightmarish performance all the way around.
Things aren't getting any easier for Browning, even with an extra day to prepare for a Monday night game. He will take on another one of the best defenses in football in the Denver Broncos in a hostile environment in the Mile High City, so the team will have to play much better than it did in Week 3 to get back in the win column.
The Broncos are going through some struggles of their own, as a pair of losses on the last play of the game have dropped them to 1-2 on the season. However, this is still a team with a fearsome defense and a great play caller in Sean Payton that should be a factor in the AFC playoff picture.
In order for the Bengals to beat the Broncos, they need one player to step up, and it's someone that has haunted Denver in the past.
Tee Higgins needs his best game of 2025 on Monday night
The Bengals passing game is always explosive with Joe Burrow slinging the rock, but it has been a little but tougher with Browning behind center in recent years. That was no different last Sunday in their brutal loss to the Vikings.
No matter who is at quarterback, football fans know that Ja'Marr Chase is going to get his. Through three games this season, Chase has racked up 241 yards and a touchdown on 21 catches. However, the Bengals have not been getting Tee Higgins involved nearly enough.
That could change on Monday night. Higgins has just 104 yards and a score on seven catches in three games, but this is the kind of game where he could see a lot of action.
First, the Bengals will likely be forced into a pass-heavy game script. Cincinnati cannot run the ball at all, and that should continue against a very good Denver front that just dominated a Chargers offensive line that is much better than Cincinnati's.
Denver also has the best cornerback in football and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Patrick Surtain II, so he will be matched up with Chase for most of the night. The two will trade blows, but it will be hard for Browning to go there over and over against such an elite cover guy.
That leaves Higgins, who is still one of the best wideouts in football when he is at his best, matched up against Riley Moss on the other side. Last season, the Broncos and Bengals played an epic game late in the regular season where Higgins absolutely torched Moss to the tune of 11 catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns.
Moss has had some rough moments to start this season as well, so Higgins clearly has the advantage there. He can use his size and physicality at the catch point to win balls over Moss both at the top and bottom of the route, and that can be a safety valve for Browning as the pressure closes in on him.
For a Bengals offense, and a Cincinnati team as a whole, that is in limbo at the moment, a spark is needed to pull off an upset in prime time. Higgins could be just the man for the job, and he may need to be if the Bengals want any chance at keeping pace.
