{"id":206873,"date":"2024-12-28T23:23:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-29T04:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=206873"},"modified":"2024-12-28T23:23:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-29T04:23:06","slug":"tee-higgins-proved-his-worth-yet-again-will-he-be-rewarded","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/12\/28\/tee-higgins-proved-his-worth-yet-again-will-he-be-rewarded\/","title":{"rendered":"Tee Higgins Proved His Worth Yet Again…Will He Be Rewarded?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals had a number of decisions to make. Joe Burrow<\/a>‘s extension was already taken care of but there were a handful of stars who needed to either be re-signed or extended. D.J. Reader<\/a> left for the Detroit Lions. Chidobe Awuzie<\/a> and Tyler Boyd<\/a> went to the Tennessee Titans. The team traded Joe Mixon<\/a> away in a move that has, realistically, worked out for the team. Easily the most anticipated potential contracts were Tee Higgins<\/a>‘ and Ja’Marr Chase<\/a>‘s.<\/p>\n

Now, through 17 weeks, the decision to not extend Chase has continued to age like milk. He’s in contention for Offensive Player of the Year and is in the driver’s seat to win the triple crown. The unfortunate Robin to Chase’s Batman has been Higgins over the last four seasons and thus, the Bengals continue to see him as a WR2 and have planned to pay him as such.<\/p>\n

If Higgins is a WR2, he’s the top WR2 in the NFL and, yet again, he proved that he will be worth every penny of whatever contract he signs after this season. Higgins has missed five games this year but has amassed 858 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the win over the Denver Broncos, Higgins led the way and helped preserve the team’s incredibly slim playoff hopes<\/a> with 131 yards and three touchdowns including the game-winner in overtime.<\/p>\n

Will the Bengals do the right thing and bring him back or is that sweet, sweet day-two compensatory pick going to be worth more than what Higgins brings?<\/p>\n

Tee Higgins Proved His Worth Yet Again…Will He Be Rewarded?<\/h2>\n

A Force to Be Reckoned With<\/h3>\n

With the full arsenal of weapons, Burrow has his pick of who he wants to make the play. Defenses have to respect Chase, Higgins, and even Mike Gesicki<\/a> and Chase Brown<\/a>. Even if he is not the go-to receiver on a given play, he affects what the defenses have to do and allows Chase to go one-on-one with a corner or allows an Andrei Iosivas to find the soft spots in the zone as the young receiver did in this win.<\/p>\n

This year, the Bengals have averaged 368.75 yards per game on offense. With Higgins, they average 384.8 yards. Without him, they averaged 333.4 yards and they were 1-4. Only one of those games resulted in over 250 passing yards and that was the 35-34 barnburner with the Ravens.<\/p>\n

His impact on the game is not just recorded on the scoresheet. Higgins is incredible at finding the soft spot in the zone on one play and then can just Moss a defensive back in the back of the end zone on the next. Defenses know this and have to prepare accordingly, thus opening things up for Chase.<\/p>\n

The win over Denver was Higgins’ seventh multi-score game (if you count Super Bowl LVI) and his first-career three-touchdown performance. What better way to show his worth to the front office than to step up, put the team on his back in a pseudo-playoff game where the offense had to be perfect, and score the game-winner with just over a minute to go.<\/p>\n

\n

Tee Higgins today:<\/p>\n

11 catches
131 yards
3 TD
40.1 fantasy points pic.twitter.com\/iVHKKA6a3t<\/a><\/p>\n

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n