You either leave as a hero or watch yourself slowly turn into a villain. Well, the latter part doesn’t come anywhere close to what Tee Higgins is pulling off in his probable final season in Cincinnati. Playing on a franchise tag, Higgins will soon hit free agency. So Saturday’s clash at Paycor Stadium was probably his last in Bengals colors. And boy! did Joe Burrow’s receiver find himself enjoying a hero’s exit in front of his home support.

With only a few months left of the season, the Bengals management is yet to strike a deal with Tee Higgins. As time slowly runs out, the inevitable could happen anytime soon. But before Tee Higgins leaves Cincinnati, he may have got what he wished for, “It could be my last game playing here in this stadium with stripes on. I wanted to go out with a bang. Hopefully, it’s not, but you never know what the future holds. You can’t go out any better way.” Although winning a Super Bowl would have been much better, this also works.

The way Tee Higgins played with the Bengals’ playoff spot on the line will probably be remembered for a long time. It all started off with a 2-yard TD pass from Joe Burrow just before halftime. This gave the Bengals their first lead of the game, which they didn’t relinquish thereafter. His second TD came in the 4th quarter when the game still hung in the balance. Catching a 12-yard pass from Burrow meant the Bengals now had a 17-10 lead with less than 12 minutes to play.

Now, here’s the cherry on top. A 3-yard TD pass from Burrow during overtime meant Tee Higgins became the first Bengals player to ever score an offensive TD in the franchise’s history. When finally the dust settled, Tee Higgins finished with 11 receptions for 131 yards and three game-changing TDs. And guess what? He managed to pull those numbers, playing just 67% of their offensive snaps. Coming into the Broncos clash, there were doubts whether the 25-year-old would have made it.

Zac Taylor points out Tee Higgins never giving up attitude

The Bengals had to win against the Broncos to keep their playoff hopes alive. And Joe Burrow couldn’t have done it with his draft-class receiver Tee Higgins. But building up to Saturday’s clash, everyone was surprised when Higgins suddenly popped up on the Bengals injury report. And not one, but two injury designations (knee and ankle). He was questionable for the whole week while staying limited in the Bengals’ practice before the Broncos game. Higgins had already missed 15 games with injuries throughout his 5-year stay in Cincinnati.

So, those numbers have somewhat affected his chances of landing a lucrative contract after this season. But we all know that injuries are part of the game. And Higgins remains a crucial piece to the Bengals’ chances of securing a postseason spot. With the 25-year-old, the Bengals are 6-4, and without him, their records stand at a measly 1-4. Besides his knee and ankle issues before the Broncos clash, Higgins had already missed multiple games this season.

Going back to the start of this season, Higgins missed the Bengals’ first two games with a hamstring. Then, he went on to miss three games with a quad injury from weeks 8 to 10. However, when the Bengals needed him the most, Higgins stepped up to the occasion. As Zac Taylor shared after the game, Higgins personally texted him, saying, “I’m playing.” He even called him “a warrior” for the way he presented himself whenever the Bengals needed him.

Now, it all comes down to the Bengals’ hierarchy. Are they convinced enough to keep Tee Higgins on board after this season? Guess we will find out soon as the Bengals continue their charge for an unlikely playoff card.