Bengals' Tee Higgins Doesn't Expect to Miss Extended Time with Rib Injury

Not much has gone right for the Cincinnati Bengals during their 1-3 start to the season, but they received some welcome news Monday.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tee Higgins suffered a fractured rib during Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans, but the wide receiver told reporters he does not expect to miss significant time and may even play in the upcoming Week 5 game against the Arizona Cardinals depending on his pain tolerance.

Higgins had just two catches for 19 yards in the 27-3 loss to the Titans, but the entire offense struggled once again. It was the second time in the first four games the Bengals managed just three points, and they are last in the league in points per game at 12.3.

Some of it can be explained by quarterback Joe Burrow playing through a calf injury, but there was clearly some frustration Sunday when wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase told reporters, "I'm open. I'm always f-----g open."

Losing Higgins would only make things more difficult, as he and Chase make up one of the best one-two pass-catching punches in the NFL.

The Clemson product is coming off back-to-back seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards, and he figures to eventually find his stride despite a slow start to the 2023 campaign.

Perhaps a game against Arizona's secondary will help him do just that. After all, the Cardinals just gave up 35 points in a 19-point loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was unstoppable with six catches for 148 yards.

If Higgins and Chase can find some holes in the secondary like Aiyuk, the Bengals can improve to 2-3 and feel better about the overall outlook of their season. They started 2-3 last year before correcting course on the way to an AFC Championship Game appearance, and they have the personnel to do the same this year.

Keeping Higgins on the field is important if they are going to have a similar turnaround.