MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Early on, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow saw that the Miami Dolphins’ plan against the high-powered Bengals’ offense was to send pressure. Then, on Burrow’s second drive of the game, he saw two one-on-one matchups between Tee Higgins and undersized cornerback Jack Jones and made the Dolphins regret their game plan dearly.
Following Higgins’ deep catch on a go ball and a touchdown on a fade a few plays later, the Dolphins scrapped what they were doing.
It was because they were intimidated by Higgins’ catch radius.
“Tee’s big plays early set the tone for how they were going to play us,” said Burrow, who couldn’t say enough about Higgins postgame. “Those two plays happened, and they had to change their plan. That’s why Tee is who he is and why we value him so much.”
Because the Bengals still have a 5-10 record, they’ve deservedly faced a lot of criticism for decisions that didn’t work out. It’s true that the defense wasn’t nearly good enough this year. It’s also true that Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins are one of the highest-paid trios in the league.
But Sunday’s 45-21 win over the Dolphins was a reminder that Higgins is worth it. Higgins’ value is at the core of the Bengals’ identity, and the team would be much worse without him. Take aggressive moves to fix the defense going forward, but don’t mess with what brought you here.
On the Bengals’ offense, the standard couldn’t be any higher than it already is.
“It’s what we’re supposed to do every game,” Ja’Marr Chase said. “Put up 30-plus points and execute.”
The Bengals’ offense was beautiful to watch in Miami. Everyone had his moment. The game turned for good in the Bengals’ favor on an off-schedule throw from Burrow to, of all people, Drew Sample.
Burrow was going to dirt the ball and live to fight another day, but then the elite processor caught a friendly face in his peripheral vision. It was 500-level stuff and another example of the level the Bengals can reach because of their continuity.
“How they chose to play us today felt a lot like 2021,” Burrow said. “We hit our plays down the field when they came. But for the most part, we were getting (the ball) out quick, getting it underneath and our guys were making plays after catch. That really was critical. When we get the opportunities, we have to hit to scare defenses that are playing those kinds of coverages. And then we can start to get our pass game going with all the zones that we like to attack.”
Following Sample’s big play before halftime, the Bengals were rolling. They finished that drive with a touchdown, took a 17-14 lead into halftime and then were off to the races in a third quarter that included three turnovers and three touchdowns.
As the Bengals pulled away, Chase leapt over two defenders for a deep contested catch. Chase Brown scored three touchdowns, including one out of the slot on a route that he ran like a receiver. Mike Gesicki reeled in a physical touchdown catch on a seam over the middle.
The Bengals also have the best offensive line of the Burrow era.
The highs from recent performances against the Bills and Dolphins feel as dangerous as this offense has ever looked.
“You can say that,” Andrei Iosivas said. “It’s just a bunch of guys who have played together for that much longer.”
Orlando Brown Jr. said, “We’re healthy. We’ve got a great game plan. We’re physical up front and are winning our one-on-one matchups. Great things happen. Our playmakers are one of a kind. They get open quick, they stay open and they catch the ball even when they aren’t. A lot of things have gone right for us.”
As many weapons as there are, the Jenga board isn’t nearly as stable without Higgins. The offense didn’t have quite the same gear recently, especially in the red zone, without him. Even the Bengals’ 24-0 loss last week against the Ravens could have been an entirely different game had Higgins been available as a target on some key third downs in a game where the Bengals were terrible in those moments.
Higgins has suffered two concussions since the bye week, and he had missed two of the Bengals’ previous three games.
Last week, he went to Pittsburgh to consult with a concussion specialist.
“I’m praying that I come here, get positive news, come back and help the team,” Higgins said. “That’s what it was.”
Higgins could have easily shut it down for the season with the Bengals eliminated. Or, he could have returned to the field but played a bit more tentatively and a bit less physical.
That’s not who Higgins is. His performance in Miami was up there with Higgins checking himself back into the game in Kansas City in Week 17 of the 2023 season even though he had a strained hamstring.
Higgins isn’t the rah-rah guy. His leadership style is driven by his reliability. That and his clutch gene are as impressive as his catch radius.
“Tee means so much because he’s a big direct reflection of what our team is,” Orlando Brown Jr. said. “We love the game of football and play for each other. Those things shine bright in these types of moments. It raises the standard for everyone.”
Heading into the game, Zac Taylor knew he had an explosive play that no coverage from the Dolphins could stop.
“I told Ja’Marr to punch me in the stomach if we hadn’t thrown double go by the middle of the second quarter,” Taylor said. “We got to it a little earlier than I had initially planned. Tee did what Tee does.”
Double go resulted in a 35-yard gain, and it was the first of two explosive plays from Higgins that resulted in the Dolphins changing their plan.
Following Higgins’ touchdown catch on a fade against Jones (6-foot-4 vs. 5-foot-11) for a 9-yard score, he only had one more catch the rest of the way. But the damage was done. The Bengals’ offense was in runaway train mode.
On the field, Higgins’ presence helps protect Burrow. The Dolphins couldn’t blitz as much because of the fear Higgins provided. Higgins also opens things up for every pass catcher around him. There’s nothing more demoralizing to a defender than getting posterized by Higgins, and that possibility is always in a defender’s head.
“That’s my job, to go up there and catch the ball,” Higgins said. “It’s either me or nobody.”
The only thing that’s been in Higgins’ way in his career has been injuries. He has had struggles staying healthy, and he has adjusted with changes to his process that have helped him stay on the field.
The concussions that he has dealt with recently were a different type of injury. They were completely out of his control. Very quickly, concussions went from unfamiliar to top of mind.
“For sure, if you’re having the symptoms, for sure, you need to come forward because of the brain injury, that’s nothing to play with,” Higgins said. “It’s serious and affects you for a long time. I see everything everybody’s saying, I see all that, trust me. But I went to see a specialist and the specialist said that it was okay for me to go back out there and play my game, and that’s what I did.”
To get some peace of mind, clarity and solutions, Higgins met with the specialist in Pittsburgh. He started wearing some new equipment in his helmet, which Higgins said arrived just in time.
It’s this type of stuff that has fans chanting “Teeeeeee.” It’s this type of stuff that makes Higgins a locker room favorite.
It’s this type of stuff that makes him indispensable.
“He wants to be on the field and be on the team with us,” Iosivas said. “That’s why we have him in this building.”
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