CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is liking the energy level he’s seen from his teammates this week after a bit of a lull heading into the Pittsburgh matchup.
It should tick up even more on Monday night as Tee Higgins plays for the first time in weeks.
“I wish I could answer that. I don’t know,” Chase said on Friday about the lacking energy last week. “Maybe somebody didn’t want to be at work that day. I don’t know. Maybe we didn’t want to be in the cold.”
Ted Karras noted he’s trying to play with an edge as Cincinnati is projected to lose a fourth consecutive game for the first time since either Chase or Karras have been on the team.
Cincinnati is getting Higgins back this week after a three-game absence but will be without starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (ankle).
“It still shows us that we have hope,” Chase said about Higgins’s return. “That’s what it really is about. Getting ourselves, our foot in the door for the playoffs. I think that’s the first thing on our mind right now.”
They currently hold a 2.5% chance to make the playoffs as the 11th seed in the AFC.
