The Cincinnati Bengals outlasted the Dallas Cowboys for a narrow 27-20 victory on Monday Night Football.
The game was tied until a blocked punt, compounded by another special teams blunder on the same play, gave Cincinnati the ball in great field position with less than two minutes to play. A few plays later, the Bengals were in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow currently leads the league in passing yards (3,706) and passing touchdowns (33). That level of performance typically results in playoff berths and accolades, but that hasn’t been the case for Cincinnati this season.
With the Week 14 victory, Cincinnati kept their playoff hopes alive — barely. The Bengals have a three percent chance of making the postseason after improving to a 5-8 record, per NFL Next Gen Stats. With the season effectively over, the win will prove to be nothing more than a moral victory.
Joe Burrow wants to keep Tee Higgins, but it would be a mistake
During his postgame press conference, Burrow was asked about cherishing his final few games playing with standout wide receiver Tee Higgins, who is expected to leave in free agency this upcoming offseason. Burrow, however, isn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.
“We don't know, but those discussions are ongoing and I'm confident that I think we're gonna be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back,” Burrow said, per Sports Illustrated. “I know that I'm gonna do what it takes to get him back, and so is he. We've had those talks. Those are gonna be offseason discussions, but we're excited about that opportunity.”
When he was asked about what gives him confidence in Higgins’ being able to return, Burrow simply said, “We’ll see.”
While retaining Higgins would allow the team to continue producing fireworks on offense, it’s not a wise decision. Ultimately, Burrow has to prioritize wins over touchdowns. To do that, Cincinnati will need to invest in their defense. After all, neither the New England Patriots nor the Kansas City Chiefs sustained their dynasties by over-investing in one position group.
The Bengals’ woes this season have been well-documented: The defense is so atrocious that Burrow has to play a perfect game for the Bengals to win. Cincinnati has allowed 27.6 points per game, fourth-most in the NFL. They’ve struggled to stop the pass or the run, and their top-ranked passing offense has only managed to lead the team to five victories in their weekly shootouts.
For years, the Bengals have had the luxury of fielding the most talented wide receiver duo in the league for pennies on the dollar. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins carried a combined salary cap hit of approximately $12.37 million in 2023, and that figure was only lower in the year before. That luxury began to dissipate as Burrow, Chase and Higgins started negotiations for new contracts.
Keeping both Chase and Higgins would cost Cincinnati over $50 million per season, which would undoubtedly erode talent across their roster even further. With Burrow’s $46.2 million cap hit in 2025 already accounting for 16.9 percent of the team’s total salary cap, new contracts for Chase and Higgins would chew up at least a third of the team’s total salary cap space.
That leaves little room to fill out the remaining 50 roster spots with talented players — particularly on defense. To keep Higgins, Burrow would have to sacrifice some of his own salary or settle for missing the postseason on an annual basis. If not, the Bengals will have to eventually part ways with Higgins.