The Cincinnati Bengals put themselves in a massive hole with an 0-3 start and now they have little to no room for error if they want to have a chance to compete in the postseason.
If the Bengals were to start strong, they could afford to drop a couple of games when key injuries inevitably happen throughout the season. Bad injury news that could put any given game in doubt can now put the whole season in doubt.
Two key offensive pieces did not practice for the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday
According to Ben Baby of ESPN, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. did not practice Friday. That means both players did not practice at all this week, which typically doesn’t bode well for Sunday availability.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins and OL Orlando Brown not practicing today. Set for a full week of DNP.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 1, 2024
After injuring his quad in practice, Higgins missed last week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Brown, who injured his calf/lower leg a week before the game against the Eagles, re-aggravated his injury in the loss.
Orlando Brown Jr.’s presence will be missed as the Cincinnati Bengals will try to thwart Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.
While the offensive line for the Bengals has drastically improved this season, depth has become an issue for them. Veteran tackle Trent Brown was lost for the season forcing rookie first-round draft pick Amarius Mims to step in at right tackle.
That means the next tackle up, who was originally the fourth tackle on the depth chart, is Cody Ford. The steep drop-off from Brown to Ford could cause problems for the Bengals considering they are taking on one of the most-feared pass rushers in the league.
Crosby has 6.5 sacks on the season despite being a focal point for opposing offenses. Pro Football Focus gave Ford a staggeringly low grade of 3.9 when he filled in for Brown in the game against the Cleveland Browns.
Crosby’s pressure rate of 11.1% is the lowest of his career is he is garnering more attention from opposing offenses, yet his 6.5 sacks account for nearly 40% of his team’s sacks, which is the 2nd-highest rate in the NFL.
The Cincinnati Bengals have struggled without Tee Higgins
The Bengals are 1-6 in their last seven games without Higgins. The Bengals have limited depth at the WR position if they continue to keep rookie WR Jermaine Burton off the field.
Higgins is seen as the No. 2 receiver to Ja’Marr Chase due to Chase’s league-leading statistics, but his role is just as significant. Since coming back in week three, Higgins has led the Bengals in target share and air yard share at rates of 28.5% and 39.7%, respectively.
Without the presence and threat of Higgins, especially as a vertical receiver who can take the top off of a defense, opposing teams can use multiple guys to lock down Chase.
Burton has shown the ability to have that effect on opposing defenses in limited snaps this season with two massively explosive plays. If the Bengals use him, they could find the ever-elusive success without Higgins. If they don’t, the Bengals could quickly see their season slip away into the abyss.
According to an article from MSN, star quarterback Joe Burrow even vouched for Burton to get more playing time when talking to the press this week.
“It was nice to see Jermaine (Burton) make a play today. I think Jermaine is going to be a good player,” Burrow said. “He continues to get open, and we’re going to continue that dialogue that quarterbacks and receivers have to have. I think he played well today and I think the guys that stood in for Tee played pretty well today.”
If there is a team that the Bengals can beat with a lackluster offense that has giant holes, it is a 2-6 Raiders team that just traded away their best player on offense.
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