Bengals

Bengals WR Tee Higgins was checked multiple times for a concussion in Week 14, two weeks after suffering a concussion. Higgins had no intentions of coming out of the game as long as he was cleared, despite the concussion just two weeks ago. 

“I’m a soldier,” Higgins said, via Gabi Sorrentino of Fox19. “Soldiers take hits. You know, it happens. It’s football. It’s the name of the game. But you’ve got to get up. Next play mentality.”

“I didn’t think about that at all. I’m a team-first guy. You know what I mean? My team needed me, you know, I feel like they did. So I went out there and played. Tried to dog it out with my team.”

• Higgins had concussion symptoms after the game. He will go back in the protocol, according to HC Zac Taylor. (Paul Dehner, Jr.)
• Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery for core muscle surgery. Albert Breer of SI writes that Hendrickson has likely played his last down for the team, given the organization has grown “frustrated” with the drama surrounding his contract situation.  

Ravens

The Ravens are 6-7 but still in the hunt for the AFC North title, but are coming off a disappointing 27-22 loss to the Steelers in a game that would’ve given them the division lead. Baltimore RB Derrick Henry said he’s not thinking about the postseason just yet and is focused on finishing the season strongly. 

“I really am not trying to think about the playoffs, just because we just lost. I am just trying to focus on watching film, figuring out [what] I can do, and do better. [I want to] finish the season strong, and then see where we land. We still have time, but I’m just trying to focus on this game, learn from it and move to the next one,” Henry said, via RavensWire. 

Henry reiterated that they need to turn things around and that every game is important. 

“I just think we need to win. It’s the most important thing; win these games [and] play complementary football in all three phases. [We need to] take advantage of the opportunities when they are given, and just execute, which we’ve been saying every week. [We have] another divisional game [next week]. Every game now is important for us to be able to get a chance at the playoffs. But, like I said, it doesn’t matter right now. [We need to] learn from this one to get ready for the Bengals next week.”

Steelers

The Steelers traded WR George Pickens to the Cowboys over the offseason, which ended a tumultuous time for Pickens in Pittsburgh. ESPN’s Todd Archer and Jeremy Fowler cite an anonymous source within the Steelers who said the receiver shows a lack of maturity during his time with the team. 

“He’s a child,” the Steelers source said. “The playmaking is breathtaking. You can’t take that away from him. He just really struggled with the maturity part [in Pittsburgh]. You didn’t know what you were going to get day to day.”

Another Steelers’ source said that Pickens showed a lack of coachability when he was having a bad day. 

“When he was having a good day, he’s really fun to be around. Funny, cracking jokes, huge smile,” a Steelers source said. “When he wasn’t having a good day, he didn’t want to be bothered or coached. I could never put my finger on why. When the ball was in the air, I never worried whether he was going to catch the ball and get his feet in bounds.”

Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer said he mostly got positive reviews of Pickens before he arrived in Dallas, but mentioned that he was cautioned about the receiver occasionally being late. 

“Different things,” Schottenheimer said. “How much he loved football, that he loves to play the game. You might have to deal with him being late occasionally and some things like that, which sometimes we all oversleep. But for the most part it was all positive. The minute I sat down with George Pickens in my office, and we shot some hoops, it was very clear to me, this guy was fired up to be a Dallas Cowboy and excited to help us go win games.”