Bengals Defense Hit with Major Loss Before Steelers Game

The Cincinnati Bengals could be without starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt against the Steelers on Sunday. According to Bengals reporters, Taylor-Britt was not at practice for a third straight day on Friday, meaning he will likely miss the team’s game. If he can not go, Mike Hilton, D.J. Turner, and Chidobe Awuzie will be the cornerbacks. He suffered a quad injury against the Ravens on Thursday Night Football, and while head coach Zac Taylor seemed optimistic about his potential inclusion, it does not appear that will happen.

Taylor-Britt has stood out as a massive boon to their secondary on the outside. He has four interceptions this season, and teams who have tested him so far have paid the price. Without him in there, it greatly changes how they will play on the defensive side of the ball, and they felt his loss after he went down during their game against the Ravens.

He is not the only one that they have to worry about. Wide receiver Tee Higgins has also not practiced for a third straight day. The Steelers have prepared for Higgins, but he very well may not play.

It appears that Higgins is heading for another week, where he will not play. Coming into the season, Higgins missed just two games with injuries but has now missed three games with several injuries. Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd will pick up the slack for the Bengals, with Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin likely filling in as capable backups. That will add to the injuries on the offense for the Bengals, who will already be without quarterback Joe Burrow.

Burrow will miss the rest of the 2023 season after tearing a ligament in his wrist. Cincinnati’s first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU, Burrow won NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2021 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022. Burrow had completed 244 of 365 passes for 2,309 yards, 15 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 91.0 passer rating before the injury this season.  He dealt with a calf injury from training camp that limited him in the early going of 2023. Burrow had a 100.8 passer rating in 2022 and a 108.3 rating in 2021, as the Bengals made it all the way to the Super Bowl.