The Cincinnati Bengals lost both starting wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase to injuries during a 22-17 defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 4, 2026, at Paycor Stadium, leaving Joe Burrow’s offense short-handed as the team fell to a 2-2 record.
Tee Higgins Leaves Paycor Stadium with an Adductor Injury After a 157-Yard Performance
Tee Higgins posted one of the most productive outings of his career before an adductor injury forced him to the sideline late in the fourth quarter. He caught 11 passes for 157 yards against the Jacksonville defense, marking his second-highest single-game receiving yard total.
The wide receiver came down slowly after a 19-yard catch near the sideline from quarterback Joe Burrow. Although he briefly returned to the field and caught another pass, the discomfort proved too severe, and he spent the final minutes watching from the medical area.
This latest setback arrives after previous injuries sidelined Andrei Iosivas and Colbie Young during Cincinnati’s preceding two games. Higgins previously encountered durability challenges last fall, which included missing two games due to numerous concussion scares throughout the 2025 season. During that campaign, he was inactive for a Week 15 matchup against Baltimore and earlier dealt with a concussion in Week 12 against New England at Paycor Stadium. Those medical evaluations also included a Week 14 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium, where head coach Zac Taylor noted Higgins returned to concussion protocol following multiple hits to his head that required blue medical tent evaluations twice.
Entering his seventh NFL season after being selected by Cincinnati in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, Higgins agreed to a four-year contract extension with the organization in March 2025. He also recently surpassed the 5,000 career receiving yards milestone during his 79th professional appearance earlier in his career.
Ja’Marr Chase Exits Early With a Concussion as Jacksonville Capitalizes on Bengals Mistakes
The wide receiver room took its first major blow in the second quarter when Ja’Marr Chase was ruled out of the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Chase absorbed a helmet-to-helmet hit from linebacker Ventrell Miller while cornerback Jarrian Jones held his facemask, according to game coverage from Yahoo Sports.
With both star wideouts sidelined, Joe Burrow leaned on backup targets Dohnte Meyers and Mitchell Tinsley—who was signed off the Houston Texans’ practice squad earlier in the week. Despite Burrow throwing for 428 yards, the offense stalled due to two interceptions thrown by the quarterback, including a first-half pick by Jourdan Lewis and a fourth-quarter interception by Foyesade Oluokun.
Jacksonville capitalized on the turnovers and steady scoring from kickers Cam Little and Evan McPherson. Little connected on a 54-yard field goal in the third quarter and added points to help build a 22-17 lead with 3:28 remaining in the contest as reported by WHIO-TV. Trevor Lawrence also contributed to the visitors’ offensive output by tossing a seven-yard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr. before halftime, while Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Joe Burrow exchanged rushing touchdowns in the closing frames.
Roster Depth Tested as Cincinnati Prepares for Week 5 Trip to Miami
The double injury leaves the Bengals with significant questions about their receiving corps heading into the next matchup. Chase Brown was ultimately stopped on a fourth-down conversion attempt during that final sequence, allowing the Jaguars to run out the remaining game clock.
Cincinnati dropped to a 2-2 record overall following the home loss. The team’s immediate schedule features a road trip to Florida, with kickoff set for October 11 in Miami at 1 p.m.
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