The one avoidable mistake Bengals must dodge in Week 5 vs. Dolphins

The Cincinnati Bengals are a breath away from hitting the panic button. If the winless Miami Dolphins weren't their Week 5 opponent, things would really be looking dire.

Ja'Marr Chase is still in the concussion protocol as of Wednesday and didn't practice. Fellow star wide receiver Tee Higgins' adductor injury had him strolling around practice in street clothes.

Meanwhile, safeties Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger were held out of Wednesday's practice as well, per head coach Zac Taylor's press conference.

The last thing the Bengals need is a setback for any of these players, so proceeding with caution this early in the week makes sense. However, that should extend to game day, because the Week 6 bye is just on the horizon.

There's zero need for Cincinnati to press star players back into action

Concussions are nothing to mess around with. Ja'Marr Chase is too important to the Bengals' season and playoff hopes to pass up the golden opportunity there is for him to get, in essence three full weeks of rest and recovery.

Tee Higgins suffered multiple concussions last season. Thankfully he's OK from those as of now, but he also has a history of groin injuries. As capable as he's proven to be of handling a WR1 workload, the dude could barely move once he went down in Week 4. Again, he's too important to risk against the 0-4 Dolphins.

I was saying all offseason Higgins was due for a fully healthy year and the best of his career to date. He's clearly on that type of pace. Alas, he's on the injury report yet again. But that's OK. Better now than later.

As for Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger, well, despite Jordan Battle's best efforts to sabotage, the Bengals' safety group of Battle, PJ Jules and Russ Yeast did well enough this past Sunday to keep Cook and Dugger on ice for one more week.

Cook has an ankle injury, and Dugger is dealing with a quad issue. Those soft-tissue ailments are notoriously finicky. Surviving another week with Battle and Jules feels feasible against an anemic Miami offense that no longer has De'Von Achane in the backfield.

Week 7's post-bye road trip to Baltimore is far more important than whatever happens this Sunday. Even if the Dolphins pull off an unthinkable upset, it's not the end of the world.

Better to take the short-term loss over the potentially catastrophic Pyrrhic victory that would be if Chase, Higgins, Cook, or Dugger suit up, ball out for a quarter or two, only to reaggravate their injuries.

Yes, the Dolphins look more formidable than I believed them to be before the season. Their opponents have lost one game combined between them, and save for their Week 2 loss at San Francisco, they've been competitive in every contest.

Doesn't mean the Bengals have to be a full strength to get a "W" in Miami. In fact, winning whilst shorthanded is a confidence boost for their less-heralded players.

I've forecast a three-game winning streak for Cincinnati heading into the Madrid game against the Falcons. I called the loss to the Jags. Let's hope the other projections hold up!

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