Bengals Lose Chase to Concussion Protocol and Higgins to Adductor Injury in Week 4 Loss

Cincinnati's receiving corps took a beating Sunday, and it wasn't just the scoreboard. The Bengals fell 22-17 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, their second straight loss, and lost both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to injury in the process.

Chase went down in the second quarter after catching a pass along the sideline. Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones grabbed his facemask, a penalty was called, and linebacker Ventrell Miller then finished the tackle as Chase hit the turf. He stayed down for several seconds before being helped to the sideline medical tent, according to TheScore and Sportsnet. He did not return, finishing with three catches for 27 yards.

Head coach Zac Taylor confirmed Monday that Chase remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, according to NFL on Prime's James Palmer. Sports Injury Central reported this marks the first time in Chase's five-year NFL career that he's gone through concussion evaluation. His previous injury history has been orthopedic, not head-related. He's appeared in 78 games across five seasons, a durability track record that cuts both ways: encouraging for his long-term health, but it means there's no recent precedent for how fast he clears protocol.

Higgins got hurt late, and differently. He left the game briefly after an apparent injury on an earlier drive, per Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp, then returned and kept playing. He suffered the adductor strain in the fourth quarter on a toe-tapping sideline catch, re-entered for one more snap and caught one more pass, then was pulled for good and evaluated in the medical tent, according to Sports Injury Central. He finished with 11 catches for 157 yards on 16 targets, his best yardage total of the season.

Taylor labeled Higgins day-to-day. "We'll take them day-to-day," Taylor said, according to Cincy Jungle. "Ja'Marr is still in concussion protocol." Taylor would not commit to either receiver playing in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins.

Why the timeline isn't terrible

The Bengals have a Week 6 bye, which changes the outlook for both injuries.

Chase's concussion protocol is governed by the NFL's return-to-play process, which requires clearance from both team medical staff and an Independent Neurotrauma Consultant. There's no fixed number of days; it depends on how quickly symptoms resolve. If Chase needs more than this week to clear protocol, the bye gives him a second week to recover before Cincinnati's Week 7 trip to Baltimore, according to Cincy Jungle, which reported his outlook "shouldn't miss more than one game so long as there aren't any setbacks."

Higgins' adductor strain is a soft-tissue injury, not the kind that typically sidelines a player for multiple weeks barring a severe tear. Cincy Jungle reported the injury "isn't a week-to-week injury" and that Higgins has "a good chance" of being ready for the Baltimore game even if he sits out Miami.

The opponent makes this easier to stomach

Miami is 0-4 entering the matchup. Yahoo Sports and The Sporting News's Matt Sullivan noted that Cincinnati's offense, led by Joe Burrow and running back Chase Brown, "should be able to beat the 0-4 Dolphins" even with a depleted receiver room.

That room is thin. Andrei Iosivas is on injured reserve with a thumb injury, and Colbie Young was inactive Sunday with a knee issue. That leaves Dohnte Meyers (seven catches, 82 yards against Jacksonville) and Mitchell Tinsley (three catches, 49 yards) as the healthy options. Burrow threw for 428 yards Sunday despite the depleted corps, according to Sports Injury Central.

What's unresolved

Taylor has given no hard timeline for either player, and both will be evaluated throughout the week based on practice participation. Whether Chase clears protocol in time for Sunday, whether Higgins' adductor responds well enough to game speed, and whether Cincinnati opts to rest both anyway given the bye week cushion remain to be seen. The Bengals sit at 2-2, tied with Pittsburgh for last in the AFC North, and can't afford a third straight loss regardless of who's on the field.