The Cincinnati Bengals got more than a loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. They also had to watch Tee Higgins leave with an apparent adductor injury late in the game, a development that immediately put his status in question.
Higgins tried to return late but couldn’t stay on the field, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. Baby reported that the Bengals wide receiver suffered the injury in the loss to Jacksonville and was unable to continue after giving it another shot.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins suffered an adductor injury late in the loss to JAX. Tried to give it a go late but couldn’t.
- Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) October 4, 2026
The injury is a notable hit for Cincinnati because Higgins had been rolling early this season and had already become a major piece of Joe Burrow’s passing game. His combination of size and downfield playmaking has made him one of the offense’s most important weapons.
That’s part of what makes the timing sting for the Bengals. Higgins entered Week 4 without an injury designation, practiced fully all week, and was active for the matchup with Jacksonville. There was no warning sign heading into the game.
He also came in with momentum. In Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Higgins caught six passes for 90 yards and a touchdown, helping set the tone for his strong start to the year.
For now, Cincinnati has not given a recovery timeline. Higgins’ next steps will depend on further evaluation, and the Bengals should learn more once the adductor injury is assessed.
In Other News...
Ja'Marr Chase Update Carries Big Consequences After Jaguars Hit
The Jaguars left Cincinnati with a game that carried more than one ripple effect, and JaMarr Chase became one of the biggest after taking a concussion in the first half of Sundays meeting. Chase was ruled out for the rest of the game after catching three passes for 27 yards, a reminder of how quickly a matchup can turn when one of the leagues most dangerous receivers is forced to the sideline.
For Jacksonville, the immediate focus is on what comes next for the Bengals offense and whether Chase can get through concussion protocol in time for Week 5 against Miami. His availability matters not just because of his production, but because of how much the Bengals lean on him when the games start to tighten up. The next few days will determine whether that injury stays a one-game interruption or lingers into another important AFC matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Lawrence Faces An Early AFC Test Jaguars Fans Will Feel
The Jaguars head into Week 4 with a good early read on where they stand, and Sundays trip to Cincinnati figures to say plenty more. Jacksonville and the Bengals both sit at 2-1, which gives this matchup a little more weight than your usual September road game, especially with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET at Paycor Stadium and a national CBS audience watching Trevor Lawrence get another AFC measuring stick.
Lawrence has been steady enough to keep Jacksonville in the mix, but Joe Burrow and the Bengals bring the kind of quarterback test that can expose what still needs cleaning up on both sides of the ball. The numbers around each offense and defense point to two teams trying to separate from the pack, and for the Jaguars, this is the sort of early conference game that can shape how seriously the rest of the league takes them. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Got The Break They Needed As Burrow Meltdown Drew Heat
The Jaguars did not have to do much to feel the benefit of a Bengals collapse, but they were on the right side of it when Joe Burrows night unraveled late. Burrow threw two interceptions in the game against Jacksonville, including a costly red zone pick in the fourth quarter that kept Cincinnati from seizing the lead when it had the chance.
One takeaway for Jacksonville is that those kinds of breaks matter in a league where a single drive can change everything. Even with one interception wiped out by a roughing-the-passer penalty, the Bengals still left plenty of frustration behind, and the criticism that followed only added to the sense that the Jaguars escaped a game in which Burrow and Cincinnati handed them an opening. [Read more 🡒]