Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) is attended to by medical staff in the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.

For the second time in three weeks, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is in the NFL's concussion protocol.

In Week 14, Higgins was making his return from his first stint through the league's standardized recovery process from a head injury he suffered in Week 12. During the Dec. 7 meeting with the Buffalo Bills, Higgins hit his head hard on the ground at least two different times. He was evaluated on the sideline twice after two particularly hard hits and cleared to return both times.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters on Monday, Dec. 8, that Higgins began experiencing concussion symptoms after the game on Dec. 7. He was placed into the concussion protocol after a post-game evaluation by the Bengals' medical personnel, the NFL and NFLPA said in a joint statement.

Higgins' second stint in the NFL's concussion protocol this year will also be the third stint in his six-year NFL career. His first time dealing with a head injury was in Week 1 of the 2022 season, and he did not miss any time.

Here's the latest injury update for Higgins:

Tee Higgins injury update

Higgins is back in the NFL's concussion protocol for the second time in three weeks. As of Dec. 8, it is unclear how much time he might miss, if any.

The Bengals' No. 2 wideout hit his head on the ground hard at least two times in Week 14's loss to the Bills. Trainers evaluated Higgins twice after two especially hard hits, but they cleared him to return to the game both times. After the game, Higgins told reporters he had no second thoughts about returning after each evaluation.

"I'm a team-first guy," he said. "My team needed me – I feel like they did – so I went out there and played. Tried to dog this out with my team.

"I'm a soldier. Soldiers take hits. It happens, it's football, it's the name of the game. Got to get up. Next play mentality."

Taylor, the Bengals' head coach, announced that Higgins was entering the protocol on Dec. 8. The wideout told Cincinnati's medical staff that he was experiencing concussion symptoms in a postgame meeting, and the team placed him in the league's concussion protocol.

It's the third time in his career that Higgins has landed in the NFL's concussion protocol. The first time, in 2022, he missed no games. After Higgins suffered a second concussion in Week 12 of this year, he missed Week 13 – one game – with the head injury.

What is the NFL's concussion protocol?

The NFL breaks its concussion protocol down into five distinct steps. The process is designed to break up the recovery process from a head injury, ensuring a player's safety.

A player in the protocol must clear all five steps before they're cleared to play. Higgins already had to clear the league's concussion protocol once this season after he sustained his initial head injury in Week 12 and missed his team's Week 13 game.

Here are the five steps of the protocol, according to the NFL:

  1. Symptom-limited activity
  2. Aerobic exercise
  3. Football-specific exercise
  4. Club-based non-contact training drills
  5. Full football activity/clearance

Tee Higgins stats

Through 14 weeks, Higgins is the Bengals' leader in receiving touchdowns and 20+ yard catches.

  • Targets: 81
  • Receptions: 46
  • Receiving yards: 667
  • Yards per reception: 14.5
  • Touchdowns: 9

After missing Week 13 with a concussion, Higgins returned with a bang in Week 14. He tallied six catches on 11 targets for 92 yards and two touchdowns. It was the wideout's second multi-touchdown game of the season and eighth of his six-year career.

Higgins is now one touchdown shy of matching his career-high mark of 10 receiving scores that he set last season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How long is Tee Higgins out? Latest injury updates on Bengals WR

Reporting by Jack McKessy, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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