Cincinnati Bengals rule out Tee Higgins, Sam Hubbard for Week 10 vs Texans

The Cincinnati Bengals announced two key scratches on Friday for Sunday’s Week 10 game against the Houston Texans. The team ruled out wide receiver Tee Higgins and defensive end Sam Hubbard due to injury. Higgins injured his hamstring during the week, while Hubbard is nursing an ankle injury.

Higgins sat out Thursday’s practice as he dealt with the injury, and NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported he’ll be “week-to-week” going forward. It’s quite the blow for Cincinnati considering Higgins ranks second on the team with 328 receiving yards.

Last week against Buffalo, he hauled in eight catches for 118 yards in the 24-18 victory. His absence will likely lead to more opportunities for players such as Tyler Boyd and Andrei Iosivas, not to mention leading receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

Hubbard didn’t practice on Wednesday for the Bengals and is now officially out for Sunday’s game after missing last week against the Bills. In his last outing, a win against San Francisco, he posted six tackles, including a sack. So far this season, he has 37 tackles with four sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss. He’s also recovered a fumble for the Bengals defense.

The former Ohio State standout provided steady production for Cincinnati last season, totaling 60 tackles and 6.5 sacks. That came after a 7.5-sack performance in 2021 during the regular season.

Ja’Marr Chase returns to Bengals practice

The Bengals have had a few injury concerns at wide receiver this week. Chase injured his back in that victory over the Bills last week, and he missed practice on Wednesday as he recovered. He was back on the field Thursday — albeit in a limited capacity — and said he intends to play against Houston.

“In my head, I’m playing, you know what I’m saying?” Chase said after Thursday’s practice, via ESPN’s Ben Baby. “So until further notice and anything else, then we’ll see.”

Cincinnati got off to a rough start to the year, especially on offense, as Joe Burrow worked his way back from a calf injury. After a 1-3 record through four games, the Bengals have rattled off four straight wins, including victories over the Bills and San Francisco 49ers over the last two weeks.

Now 5-3, it looks like Cincinnati is gearing up for another push toward the playoffs. The Houston Texans, meanwhile, are having a rollercoaster of a season with wins and losses every other weekend. Houston is 4-4 heading toward the back-half of the season.