Who Should I Start? Tee Higgins or Dameon Pierce

Sunday, January 5, 11:16 AM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (ankle) said on Saturday that he has been playing through a left high-ankle sprain and will continue to do so if the Bengals make the playoffs. "I have no choice," Higgins said. The 25-year-old pass-catcher was forced to leave in the second half of Saturday night's win over the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers with his ankle issue and never returned. The Bengals need both the Broncos and Dolphins to lose on Sunday to get into the postseason, but if it all comes to fruition, Higgins will try to continue playing through his injury. Higgins has 11 catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns in the Week 17 win over the Broncos but only had four catches for 53 yards on Saturday before leaving early. If the Bengals advance, Higgins could carry a questionable tag into wild-card weekend.

Sunday, January 5, 4:02 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce set a new career high in rushing yards Sunday in a 23-14 win at Tennessee, finishing with 176 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The third-year pro did the most damage on a career-long 92-yard touchdown run in the first half, after Houston had pulled key offensive starters from the game. Sunday was the Florida product's first 100-yard game since midway through his rookie season in 2022. Though Houston already had locked down the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs and didn't have anything to gain with the win, Pierce certainly made use of his additional playing time. He and the Texans will be back in action with a to-be-determined Wild Card home game next week.