Sports

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins said he asked Joe Burrow Wednesday if he was going to play Sunday against the New England Patriots.

The two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year gave Higgins a side-eyed look. 

"I don't know what that look meant, but I assume good," Higgins told reporters Thursday, Burrow's second straight day practicing in full ahead of a Week 12 home game versus an AFC title contender.

When the Bengals opened Burrow's 21-day practice window on Nov. 10, he said returning for Cincinnati's Thanksgiving game against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens would be "very" meaningful.

But he might be back on the field before then. Higgins thinks Burrow is back to 100% from the turf toe injury he suffered in the second game of the season.

"He's practicing like he was Week 1," Higgins said, via Bengals reporter Mike Petraglia.

Burrow was the first quarterback to throw during position drills in the portion of Thursday's practice open to the media, according to ESPN's Ben Baby, who also reported that Burrow took snaps from starting center Ted Karras in a quarterback-center exchange drill.

Joe Flacco, whom Cincinnati traded for last month following Jake Browning's struggles in Burrow's absence, has started the past five games. While the Bengals have won only once in that span, Flacco has often done his part, throwing for 1,453 yards, 12 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions along the way. 

Flacco practiced Thursday, however, he was limited with a right shoulder injury.

Burrow, who had surgery on his toe on Sept. 19, is still on injured reserve, so he'd have to be moved to the active roster if he's to start Sunday's game against the Patriots.

"I'm not there yet," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said on WLW radio earlier Thursday when he was asked about Burrow playing. "One day at practice isn't going to lead to that decision yet."

How about two? Or three? 

Taylor will meet with reporters Friday after the Bengals' third and final practice of the week. Their season is on the line. Cincinnati has lost three games in a row and will be without suspended wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase versus the Patriots.

At 3-7, the Bengals are slipping behind in a manageable AFC North that's led by the 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens are in the mix at 5-5.

Higgins said Burrow's been looking outstanding in practice this week.

"He needs to take as much time as he needs, but, I mean, he looks good," Higgins said. "If he's ready, then I'm ready. Take as much time as you need to get back to 100%, which I think he is now."

Keon Coleman will once again be conspicuously absent for the Buffalo Bills this week.

The second-year wide receiver is a healthy scratch for Buffalo's "Thursday Night Football" game against the Houston Texans, a week after being ruled inactive due to reported disciplinary issues. With Curtis Samuel also inactive and Mecole Hardman Jr. hitting injured reserve, the Bills again elevated Gabe Davis from the practice squad.

The issue with Coleman last week was the 22-year-old reportedly missing a team meeting on Friday. It's unclear if anything else happened in the time since, though Bills head coach Sean McDermott indicated earlier this week that earning the team's trust back won't be an automatic process.

From ESPN:

"I'm aware of how he handled it more publicly, and I appreciate that and respect that," coach Sean McDermott said on Tuesday. "And now it's again, one day at a time, and earning the trust and respect of the teammates. And that takes time, so that each day that goes by, you check 'em off as wins, trust builds. So, that's the important piece of it."

The Bills offense barely missed a beat without Coleman in a 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Josh Allen posted 317 yards on 19-of-30 passing with 3 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions and 0 sacks taken, plus 40 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. However, only about half of those passing yards were delivered to wide receivers, with Tyrell Shavers the only member of the group to post more than 40 receiving yards.

The 33rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, Coleman was selected with the idea that he could develop into a classic X receiver, a big-body target for Allen to look for on every down, especially in the red zone. He got off to a decent enough start as a rookie starter, with 556 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 13 games, but has so far taken a step back this year.

Disciplinary issues also aren't new with him, as this will be the fourth time he's missed at least part of a game for such reasons. He was held out of the first series for a game earlier this season and missed the first quarter of another last year.