Major injury news has emerged from the Cincinnati Bengals, with Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson ruled out for Thursday night’s showdown with the Baltimore Ravens. Neither announcement comes as much of a surprise, with Higgins suffering a concussion after a frightening fall while attempting to high-point a pass, and Hendrickson — who has been battling a hip injury for much of the season — sitting out and attempting to rest to avoid surgery.
How Do These Injury Announcements Affect the Bengals’ Showdown With the Baltimore Ravens?
For those who believe the Bengals can still make the playoffs this year, the Ravens game is a must-win. However, the likelihood of Cincinnati reaching the postseason is 1.1%, according to PFSN’s NFL Football Playoff Meter.
That said, this is the NFL, and teams aren’t going to tank, especially with players’ and coaches’ jobs on the line. Higgins and Hendrickson will have a significant impact on the Bengals’ outlook, but we saw how the team performed in the fourth quarter against the Patriots this week.
Hendrickson’s absence will not substantially alter the defensive game plan. He has missed a large portion of the season, and the defense has experience operating without him. Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai will continue as the starting edge rushers.
Murphy has played well over the past two games, posting scores of 80.8 against the Chicago Bears and 82.8 against the Steelers in PFSN’s EDGE Impact metric. He also delivered another strong performance against the Patriots. If the Bengals hope to beat the Ravens, they will need him to sustain that level of play. Cedric Johnson will continue to rotate in at edge as well.
The loss of Tee Higgins is a significant setback. Having him opposite Chase opens up the offense and prevents defenses from focusing solely on stopping Chase. The Bengals will need Andrei Iosivas and Mitch Tinsley to step up substantially, along with Chase Brown and Mike Gesicki. The potential loss of Tahj Brooks, who is also in the concussion protocol, bears watching — particularly with the team already missing Samaje Perine.
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The biggest question for the Bengals remains Joe Burrow’s status. Will he return and attempt to play against the Ravens? Will the Bengals risk him potentially reinjuring himself this year when their playoff hopes are slim and multiple key players are sidelined? We know Burrow will want to play, and reports indicate he will return this season, but whether the risk outweighs the reward is unclear. We will learn more about the Bengals’ and Burrow’s plan as the week progresses.
