When the Detroit Lions head to Cincinnati on Sunday, they'll likely be without their two starting cornerbacks, D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold. The prospect of going up against two elite wide receivers sounds terrifying.
The Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are one of the best WR duos in the league. Chase himself is arguably the league's best WR after his triple crown performance last season, which earned him the Offensive Player of the Year award.
That is with quarterback Joe Burrow. Barring a miracle of science, Burrow will not be starting Sunday's game, thanks to a severe turf toe injury paired with significant ligament damage. Instead, Jake Browning will be making his tenth career start.
Chase has played in eight of Browning's starts, and his numbers have not been impressive. Chase has averaged 6.63 targets and 4.88 receptions for 57 yards receiving across those Browning starts, with only one touchdown reception. Chase's best performance with Browning starting was a 149-yard effort in an overtime win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13 in 2023. 76 of those yards came on his lone Browning TD reception.
A visibly frustrated Chase had a visibly frustrating game on Monday Night Football, catching five of his eight targets for a paltry 23 yards in the Bengals' 28-3 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Asked Ja’Marr Chase if the Bengals have a true sense of urgency after back-to-back blowout losses “Urgency is there but you’ve got to want it. Today, it didn’t look like we wanted it.” pic.twitter.com/cRqNrClEvg
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 30, 2025
Tee Higgins hasn't fared much better
This is a similar story for Higgins. Higgins has only played in seven of Browning's starts, averaging 4.71 targets and 2.71 receptions for 54.14 yards. Higgins has had better luck in the TD department, with three receiving TDs in Browning's starts.
Higgins did have a good 140-yard game in a 34-11 Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023. Like Chase, a bulk of that yardage came from a lengthy TD reception, in Higgins' case, an 80-yarder.
Higgins had a slightly better performance on Monday, catching three of his six targets for 32 yards. Neither Higgins nor Chase saw the endzone.
READ MORE: Lions are staring down the perfect Riq Woolen trade they can’t deny
Lions fans will happily take a combined 111-yard game out of the Bengals' star WR duo, but they should not be taken lightly. Both Chase and Higgins have proven that they are still capable of big yardage plays with Browning under center. The Lions' secondary has been prone to giving up big plays, whether through receptions or penalties, even before the injuries to Reed and Arnold.
If the Lions' reformed pass rush can get to Browning, he'll have difficulties getting the ball to Chase and Higgins. Browning has taken seven sacks since coming in relief of Burrow in Week 2, while also throwing five interceptions, which led the league entering Week 4. Browning has yet to post a passer rating above 70 this season and has only rushed for eight yards total.
Chase and Higgins are still a major threat and will be a big test for the depleted Lions' secondary. Worst-case scenario in that regard, Jared Goff and the Lions' offense should have little difficulty piling on the points on a Bengals' defense that has given up an average of 29.75 points per game. If the Lions' defense can continue to limit Browning's ability to get the ball to Chase and Higgins, it should be an easy Sunday for the 3-1 Lions. Then again, this league is full of surprises.