CINCINNATI — The moment Tee Higgins caught Joe Burrow’s game-winning 3-yard touchdown pass in overtime, he found it cathartic to get his third touchdown reception up in the air.
But for Higgins, surrounded by his teammates, shining in the twinkling Payco Stadium lights, diamonds in his teeth and a confident twinkle in his eye, the moment wasn’t just about Bengals 30, Broncos 24.
No, this moment was more than that. That’s what it’s all about.
“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever felt,” Higgins said.
deeper
Burrow keeps the Bengals’ playoff hopes alive with a 30-24 OT win over the Broncos.
This feeling lasted about a year when the Bengals placed the franchise tag on him instead of offering him a long-term deal. And instead of complaining, he dedicated himself to putting in the work, showing up on time and making a contract year that would prove his worth during the run for the title.
The feeling was that with the offers presented to Higgins at each negotiation along the way, there was an inferred devaluation of his skills.
It took him about five years to lift this franchise from dregs to the top and build a bond that moved his emotions on a regular basis.
One of the NFL’s great tandems, playing respectfully in the shadow of Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, never complains or selfishly petitions the football.
Joe and Tee did just that.@Joy B @tehiggins5 pic.twitter.com/cw3HFF2p2q
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024
About his conscious decision to avoid drama and the spotlight at almost every turn.
About playing through knee and ankle injuries after being told he was “injury prone” all year and questioning his toughness, but when everyone understood his decision to sit out the game.
For a city he never expected would grow to love him so much, one “Teeee!” Sometimes a song is sung, and a final chorus cuts through the triumphant pandemonium.
About the game where he walked through the building, through the tunnel, and into franchise lore knowing it could be his last game at his home in Cincinnati.
“Emotions are everywhere,” Higgins said, reflecting on the statement highlighting his NFL-wide 11 receptions, 131 yards and three touchdowns. “You don’t know what to feel. “It feels surreal.”
It’s surreal for everyone. Could this really be in Cincinnati? Financial issues are difficult and philosophy is worth discussing. At that moment, the smoke from the fireworks was still hovering over the celebration. It was truly surreal to think that this could be the last image for fans of one of the most electric trios in team history.
“I hope not, but this could have been my last game here,” he said. “This game meant more to me. That thought came to me as soon as I entered the stadium. There is a possibility. You never know what will happen in the future.”
“Who is it? I love you!” – @tehiggins5 pic.twitter.com/yWktRagrhD
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 29, 2024
The road to this moment began with a text message. Higgins suffers knee and ankle injuries, so his first meeting of the week Tuesday included contingency plans without him on the field. Higgins took out his cell phone and sent a text to coach Jack Taylor.
“I was in the back of the room and he texted me, ‘I’m playing,’” Taylor said. “So, since it’s early in the week, we’re just letting those guys have the space to do their job properly. But seeing the person on the screen was sending a pretty clear message: ‘No, I’m playing.’”
There was no way he would miss this. And if they do, there is no way the Bengals will win.
At almost every critical point Saturday as the season opened, Burrow turned to Higgins. Higgins turned into a mismatch as the offense struggled through several failed short-range and red zone opportunities. He offered up a slot matchup with Ja’Quan McMillian, then immediately rocked him inside for a pitch-and-catch 2-yard touchdown pass.
Once Pat Surtain II slowed down Chase, the Bengals found a matchup with Higgins. This included three receptions on three third targets.
With the game tied in the fourth quarter, Burrow saw Higgins matched up with corner Riley Moss, whom he had targeted all night, and believed his man would win. The 6-foot-4 athletic specimen took over the type of high-point and toe-drag catches you can’t teach.
.@joeyb X @tehiggins5 It must be hard 😤#EasyToCelebrate | @Bud Light pic.twitter.com/rOiEIoSHvN
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 28, 2024
“Everyone can see what type of player he is,” Burrow said. Burrow said after this first of four straight wins, he planned to keep himself, Chase and Higgins together for the long haul. “He takes us to another level when he makes plays like that. “We’re lucky to be a part of what we’re doing.”
Even when Higgins fumbled as Cincinnati crossed back into Denver territory in the fourth quarter, his resilience showed that his best moments still lie ahead of him.
So when Bam failed in his game-winning attempt with a fourth-down heave in a mismanagement of the game, Burrow and the Bengals were toying with the defense when it gave them one last chance to redeem themselves from an 0-7 record against the team. With a winning record.
Get the ball to Higgins.
Burrow was beating the Broncos all night long. The move to throw them off balance has gone too far. However, to throw that ball in that situation, you have to have someone who can snatch the 31-yarder over his shoulder and tap him on his toe to win the ball to seal the game. A game he finished one game later.
“I was waiting for the right moment to shoot there,” Burrow said. “Tee made a great catch. The tee came out big. “I just couldn’t believe him today.”
The owners’ suite didn’t need to be reminded why they paid the price and kept Higgins, but they certainly got a slap in the face on Saturday night. The cost of doing so also increases dramatically.
Chase stood 10 feet away from Higgins and inserted a brief message into numerous microphones after the game. “Pay that guy!”
Maybe so, maybe not. The challenging nature of the decision did not make the reality of the moment any easier to digest.
“I’ve made so many connections inside the building, outside the building and in the city,” Higgins said when asked to ponder the notion that money can take him places. “It will definitely hurt. But if there’s a business and that’s where it leads me, God has taken me and I’ll follow His lead.”
He admitted that as the celebrations progressed, the emotions of that night return. Players often say they don’t have time to reflect during the season. But on Saturday night there was no escaping it.
“At the end of the game, when they picked the game winner, he smiled and looked off into the distance and said, “I was like, ‘Hey, shout out to Cincy.’”
It’s an unquestionably surreal and emotional conclusion to a game that means so much more. A night that would be Higgins’ final and brightest moment in Cincinnati.
“Then go out with a bang. Do you know what I mean?”
Everyone knows very clearly what he means.
(Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
