3 stats from the Bengals Week 3 win that were reprehensible

It certainly feels better to talk about areas of improvement after a win than in the wake of a loss. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 on Monday Night Football but victory did not come without bumps in the road.

Like your next fit before hitting the club or a fancy restaurant, several things must be ironed out before their next outing. These issues are highlighted by three statistics that were unacceptable in Week 3.

3) Two drops

Tee Higgins had a rough evening, to put it mildly. The wideout had two catches on eight targets. He finished the evening with 21 yards and two drops.

This was an underwhelming performance by his standards but it did not cost more than a few completion percentage points for his quarterback. Nevertheless, it is not ideal for a wideout seeking a number-one receiver-type contract next off-season. The best thing for Higgins to do is to go out and ball out to receive the best contract offer from the Bengals or perhaps another team next off-season.

Unfortunately, the receivers are not off to the hottest of starts for the 2023 campaign. This year, Higgins has 10 catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns over three games. His catch percentage of 35.7 is well below his career average of 63.4.

Of course, this is not all of his own making. Not all of his targets are on target. Higgins has a limited quarterback with a calf injury, which his agent will undoubtedly bring up in future negotiations if his client's numbers are less prolific than in seasons past. However, when the ball is on target, he must be able to come down with the catch.

Monday’s outing was far from what we have come to expect from Higgins who has spoiled us with excellent play since his arrival in the Queen City. We should anticipate this being a Mile Morales-like anomaly and look forward to the star receiver looking like one of the best in the NFL in short order.