The Bengals have been with out certainly one of their hottest gamers when huge receiver Tee Higgins was declared out of Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Eagles at Paycor Stadium.
After grabbing 159 yards on 11 catches in his final two video games, Higgins surfaced as restricted on Friday’s damage report with a quadricep concern. On Sunday morning he was listed as certainly one of their 5 inactives.
Since he has returned to the lineup following a hamstring damage within the Thursday observe earlier than the opener worn out his first two video games of the season, Higgins averages 68 yards per sport and has three landing catches.
Final week in Cleveland, he completed the scoring on a 25-yard landing off a slant on third-and-four to cap off an 82-yard day.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, 3-4 with out Higgins, discovered weapons early this season when he was out. Tight finish Mike Gesicki had seven catches for 91 in Kansas Metropolis, the place huge receiver Andrei Iosivas had two red-zone landing catches.
BROTHERLY SHOVE
It truly is a sport of brotherly shove Sunday not even making an allowance for twins Chase (Bengals) and Sydney (Eagles) Brown.
There may be former Bengals backup left sort out Fred Johnson drawing a begin for the Eagles in opposition to the NFL’s hottest sacker, Trey Hendrickson. Two of the most effective gamers out of the College of Toledo, Bengals particular groups ace Tycen Anderson and Eagles beginning cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, return to Ohio to fulfill. Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, each Staten Island natives, deliver a slice of the Large Apple of the banks of the Ohio.
And there’s Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, a fifth-round choose of the Bengals in 2017 returning for the sport he by no means obtained to play at Paycor. Elliott misplaced a coaching camp battle that yr to Randy Bullock, however has been the kicker in Philly ever since and develop into one of many league’s most constant kickers.
From 2017-2020, Bullock had a field-goal proportion of 85% whereas Elliott was at 82.2. Then in 2021, the Bengals got here again to the fifth spherical choose Evan McPherson, who has had the best begin to a profession of a kicker in franchise historical past.
Whereas Elliott had the 2 longest discipline objectives by a rookie to assist the Eagles win a Tremendous Bowl, McPherson kicked the Bengals right into a Tremendous Bowl with two walk-offs within the playoffs and hasn’t had a miss in 19 postseason field-goal makes an attempt. Whereas Elliott got here into this season tied for the second-highest discipline proportion (90.9%) since 2021, McPherson has the third most 50-yarders for the reason that begin of 2021.
It shapes up for an intriguing kicking derby Sunday of Bengals’ fifth-rounders.
SLANTS AND SCREENS
Additionally inactive for the Bengals is rookie security Daijahn Anthony for the primary time this yr …
Additionally out have been three others who’ve been often inactive: edge Cedric Johnson, tight finish Tanner McLachlan, defensive sort out Jay Tufele…
With Anthony down, defensive sort out Lawrence Man is up because the Bengals play working again Saquon Barkley for the primary time …
The sport is almost 15 years to the day (10/25/09) Bengals working again Cedric Benson set the report for many yards in opposition to his outdated group when he went for 189 in opposition to the Bears at Paycor. Barkley got here shut final week in opposition to the Giants with 176 …
Good contact by the coaches. They despatched out Chase and Sydney as certainly one of their captains they usually hugged earlier than the coin toss.
After which there’s the actual “Brotherly Shove,’ in any other case often known as “The Push Tush,” that controversial rugby scrum of a short-yardage play the Eagles have run the previous three years to virtually perfection.
Even with the retirement of Professional Bowl heart Jason Kelce this yr, the Eagles have been utilizing it nicely sufficient to get two one-yard landing runs out of it by quarterback Jalen Hurts final week in New York.
“It is a kind of issues that has stood the take a look at of time already,” Anarumo mentioned final week. “Large level of emphasis for us is we wish to keep out of these downs if we are able to. However even when it is a third-and-six, or an extended third-and-12, 14, you may’t let it’s fourth and two as a result of they are not going off the sector, they’ll go for it. We have talked about how we’ll method these issues, nevertheless it’s very troublesome. They do not get stopped fairly often. “
Even with Kelce, it is nonetheless breaking dangerous for foes.
“He was nice, however these different guys are nonetheless mauling you in there. It is a rugby scrum to the nth diploma,” Anarumo mentioned …
Offensive sort out Andrew Stueber is energetic for the Bengals and turns into the primary participant ever from Darien Excessive Schol in Darien, Conn., to play in an NFL sport …
