Bengals Suffer Brutal Injury Blow for Patriots Game

The Cincinnati Bengals have suffered a brutal injury blow ahead of their matchup with the New England Patriots.

Aug 10, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half at Paycor Stadium. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Bengals will head into this week's season opener against the New England Patriots without one of their key stars.

According to a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Bengals will be without star wide receiver Tee Higgins, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. He also reported that Ja'Marr Chase is still questionable as he continues negotiating a new contract.

With Tee Higgins (hamstring) expected to miss Sunday's opener vs. New England and Ja'Marr Chase still listed as questionable amidst contract talks, the #Bengals have elevated Kendrick Pryor from the practice squad.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 7, 2024

Missing Higgins will be a big loss for Cincinnati. Joe Burrow can only hope that Chase is able to play this week or the Bengals' offense could be in a bit of trouble.

Playing without Higgins could give the team a preview of what the future might look like. They have had no success in contract discussions with the star wideout. Higgins seems likely to be playing elsewhere next season unless the two sides can find some common ground.

During the 2023 season with Cincinnati, Higgins ended up catching 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games. With Tyler Boyd no longer on the team, his role is even more important behind Chase.

It will be interesting to see if the Patriots are able to miss having to face both Higgins and Chase. That would be a huge help towards winning their first game of a new era of football in New England.

Gone are the days of Bill Belichick patrolling the sidelines. Jerod Mayo will be coaching his first game with the team and a win would feel really good for everyone involved.

More news will become available about Chase in the near future. We'll make sure to have that update as soon as it's out.

For now, the Patriots have gotten a big-time break with the news about Higgins. Barring a major change, Higgins won't be on the field tomorrow afternoon.

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