Tee Higgins' standout production is no surprise to Burrow and Bengals

CINCINNATI (AP) — Through six games this season, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is on pace to set a career-high in receptions, first down catches and receiving yards. And yet when Bengals coaches evaluate his game this season, they don’t see a completely different player than they’ve seen over the course of his seven-year career.

“I never really am aware of the statistics with him and Ja’Marr (Chase),” coach Zac Taylor said. “I just know if something doesn’t go well the game before, it’s going to even itself out. I’ve said that a lot to myself, it’s going to even itself out. The production has really been there with Tee.”

Going into Sunday's game against Tennessee, Higgins ranks 14th in receptions per game and fourth in yards per game. He caught six passes for 148 yards against the Ravens in a 35-13 win last weekend.

Higgins and Dallas' CeeDee Lamb are the only players this season to have multiple games with at least 145 receiving yards. He also has four games with at least 90 receiving yards after having only three all last season.

“I just go out there playing my ball,” Higgins said. “Zac was calling plays for me to get open, and I was able to get open.”

Higgins has had stretches like this over the course of his NFL career. In 2021, he topped 100 yards four times in a five-game stretch during the stretch run of the season. In 2022, he proved he was capable of being a No. 1 receiver with the way he played when Chase missed time with a hip injury. In games in 2024 against the Chargers and Broncos, he played like one of the best receivers on the planet.

His terrific start to the 2026 season is a continuation of some of the flashes that he has shown in his career.

“He has been so aggressive and as good as I’ve seen him in contested-catch situations, and he understands what we’re trying to do and the plays that we’re calling, and he’s just made some big-time plays for us,” quarterback Joe Burrow said. “That’s who he is, that’s who he’s always been, and we just have to keep giving him more opportunities to go and do it.”

In last Sunday’s win, Higgins didn’t have a single catch in the first half.

Taylor said, “At halftime, I’m like, ‘Hey, Tee, we’re going to get (you the ball).’”

Higgins responded, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go score and win.‘”

It was another example of Higgins’ patience and leadership. Then in the second half, he took over the game.

The game changed with a 19-yard strike to Higgins over the middle of the field on the Bengals’ first series of the second half.

“The thing you really see there is trust from Joe,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said about the play. “When the ball leaves his hand, Roquan (Smith) still has four or five yards of inside leverage on Tee. He doesn’t necessarily see Tee. Tee does a really good job of shaping the route. Usually, you shape out cuts to the boundary and come back to the ball. The same is true on in cuts. Normally, the guy doesn’t come back from behind the defender.”

It was the first of many special moments from Higgins, who also delivered an explosive catch on a scramble play and a contested catch on a deep ball down the sideline.

“We were just playing team football,” Higgins said. “I was able to get open in some of those voids and make plays.”

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