Raiders' Next Opponent Could be Without Two Key Players

The Las Vegas Raiders' Week 9 opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals, could be down two offensive starters on Sunday.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (85) runs downfield as Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Desmond Trufant (10) goes to tackle him after he got a first down in the second half the AFC wild card game on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Cincinnati Bengals defeated Las Vegas Raiders 26-19. Las Vegas Raiders At Cincinnati Bengals Playoff Ac 201 / Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Las Vegas Raiders have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries this season, but every team has health issues of their own to varying extents.

This holds true for the Raiders' next opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals, who are at risk of being without two of their top offensive players this weekend.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor said on Wednesday that wide receiver Tee Higgins and offensive tackle Orland Brown Jr. are day-to-day.

Higgins did not play in Cincinnati's Week 8 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, as he has been dealing with a quad injury. It was the third game he has been inactive for this year.

Brown, meanwhile, left Sunday's game against Philadelphia with a knee injury.

Higgins is one of Cincinnati's top receivers, having finished third in receiving yards last season and second the year before when he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards.

That was his second straight season reaching the mark, as he did so in 2021-22 when he helped lead the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI.

Brown, who joined Cincinnati in 2023, is quite familiar with the Raiders, who faced him four times in his two years with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The four-time Pro Bowler has only missed one game since his rookie season. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He would spend three seasons in Baltimore before being traded to Kansas City in April 2021.

The Bengals come off a loss of their own, having fallen to Philadelphia, 37-17. They sit at 3-4, and just like the Raiders, are desperately searching for wins.

As Raider Nation is well aware, when key players are out, it comes down to who wants it more. Las Vegas could very well still be shorthanded at some positions this week, and if Cincinnati is without Higgins and Brown, that's what Sunday's game could boil down to -- who wants it more.

Effort hasn't been an issue for the Raiders. Execution has. If the effort is there again this week, that's one piece of the puzzle Las Vegas will have already checked off in its endeavor to pull off the road upset.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.