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Not since 2007 have the Cincinnati Bengals had two receivers both hit the 1,000-yard mark in the same season.
Then, it was Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh accomplishing the feat, for the second straight season.
This year, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins have a chance to match the heroics of what was arguably the greatest receiving pair in Bengals’ history.
Higgins finished Sunday’s victory over the Titans with the most yards among Cincinnati’s receivers as he accounted for 78 yards on six catches. The Clemson alum now has 27 receptions for 410 yards and three touchdowns, and is on pace for 976 yards on the season.
However, over the last five games, Higgins is averaging 82.6 yards receiving per game, which would put him at 1,070 yards for the season if he can keep up the pace.
“He’s a great player,” Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow said of Higgins after the game, “and we’ve had a couple months now to really understand each other. We have a couple great players on this team, and I’m excited for the future with Tee.”
Of course, another of those great players that Burrow is referring to is Boyd, who was Cincinnati’s second-leading receiver Sunday with 67 yards on six catches and a touchdown. Boyd now has 584 yards on 54 receptions on the season, and is on pace for nearly 1,200 as he chases his third straight 1,000-yard receiving season.
Higgins and Boyd complimented each other well in the win over the Titans. Most of Higgins damage came during the first half, when he had five catches for 71 yards. Boyd, on the other hand, had four catches for 47 yards in the second half, two of which were good for first downs and another which resulted in a touchdown.
But Sunday was more than just the Higgins and Boyd show. Auden Tate, who has been relatively quiet so far this year after a stellar 2019 campaign, actually led the team in receptions with seven catches for 65 yards. And then there is A.J. Green, who contributed a diving 13-yard reception during the Bengals’ scoring driving that pushed the score to 24-7 early in the fourth quarter.
“Yeah. That’s what our offense does,” Burrow said. “We have a lot of great players who understand how to get open, so I’m going to throw it to the open guy when it calls for that. I’m never going to zero in on any one guy. Anyone can get the ball at any time.”