‘Just another challenge’: How Tee Higgins bounced back in a season that has tested him

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins shook off the cornerback and broke toward the sideline, and everything was normal again.

Higgins entered this year with lofty goals and big expectations. Then, he fractured a rib in Week 4. He missed a game and powered through the injury, but then Higgins pulled his hamstring in practice. After missing three more games, Higgins returned for Monday Night Football and only had two catches heading into overtime.

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Then on 3rd and 10 with the Bengals on the brink of field goal range and 3:22 left in overtime, Higgins ran one of his favorite routes. He burned the cornerback, cut toward the left sideline and high-pointed the ball for a first down catch at the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 42-yard line.

“When things get bad, it’s just another challenge in the way,” Higgins said. “My goal when I start facing challenges is to treat it like it’s a contested catch. I’ll go up there and make that and do what I do. These injuries have been nothing but challenges. It’s one step on the road to get back. I’ve been able to do that.”

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins returned from a hamstring injury on Monday and made the biggest catch of the game in a win over the Jagaurs.

Higgins is in a contract year, and he’s having the quietest statistical season of his NFL career. Last year, Higgins caught 74 passes for 1,029 yards and averaged 64.3 yards per game. The Bengals planned to line Higgins up more in the slot this year, expand his role and feature him even more in 2023.

Injuries have kept Higgins from producing big

But entering Week 14, Higgins only has 30 catches for 364 yards and is averaging just 45.5 yards per game. Instead of having the type of season that could lead to his first Pro Bowl nod, Higgins has spent most of the season trying to get healthy.

“We have a resilient group of guys, and he’s a great example,” Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. “Maybe things haven’t gone his way or the way he hoped this year. He has dealt with some adversity and some frustration physically. To come back, he probably wants the ball to show that he’s back and ready to play. He has a little bit of a quiet game until the biggest moment in the entire game.”

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins had a shot to be a Pro Bowler this year, but he has spent most of the season battling injuries.

Before Monday, every time Higgins felt some momentum this season, he had it ripped away from him.

Higgins played a great game in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens, catching eight passes for 89 yards. The following week, he dropped two passes that nearly turned the entire game. One week later, Higgins cracked a rib and tried to play through it.

He eventually missed a game-and-a-half, but Higgins pushed to return as quickly as possible. He was back in Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks even after he aggravated the ribs injury that week in practice. Higgins only played 54% of the Bengals’ offensive snaps that day as the Bengals tried to ease him back in.

Higgins returned to playing like Higgins

Over the next two weeks, Higgins played his best football in wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow decided he was going to feature Higgins against the Bills, and Higgins caught eight passes for 110 yards.

Four days later, Higgins sprinted for a deep ball in practice and pulled his hamstring. It was another disappointing blow in a frustrating season, but Higgins tried to not make too much of it.

“Adversity is going to hit no matter what,” Higgins said. “I’ve always had my goals, kept my eyes forward and kept looking down the road. I never look back.”

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is averaging 3.8 catches for 45.5 yards in 2023.

Higgins returned against the Jaguars, and he stayed patient. Even though he only had two catches during regulation, he was locked in.

Higgins recognized how the Jaguars defended him when he ran an out route against man coverage earlier in the game. Even though he didn’t get the ball on that play, he had a good feel for what the Jaguars’ coverage was going to look like when the Bengals ran a similar play for Higgins in overtime.

After the snap, Higgins recognized the coverage he was expecting and ran a perfect route to break free from Jaguars No. 1 cornerback Tyson Campbell.

“Tee has been fantastic this year all the way around,” Callahan said. “He just hasn’t had the production that he has wanted. The injuries have been things he had to battle through. That speaks more to him and his character and his toughness than if he were healthy and playing really well. It’s one of the understated things that you really appreciate about guys. His demeanor has never changed. He has been awesome.”

Higgins has won on this out route for dozens of first downs during his Bengals’ career. His size, physicality and quickness gave quarterback Jake Browning as much confidence as he could possibly have that Higgins would be open.

After Higgins waited all game and all season to make a catch as big as this one, he provided another reminder of what makes him a standout receiver.

“That was one of those classic plays,” Higgins said. “Zac (Taylor) trusted me, and Jake gave me a great ball. That’s what I do.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has bounced back this season