Quarterback Lamar Jackson and tight end Mark Andrews are off the final injury report for the Ravens.
Jackson sat out Wednesday’s practice for a rest day, but he has no injury designation after a pair of full practices to close out the week. Andrews was added to the report as a limited participant on Thursday due to a glute injury and also has no designation.
Running back Keaton Mitchell (knee) and cornerback Nate Wiggins (foot) are also good to go for the Ravens.
Wide receiver Rashod Bateman (ankle), linebacker Tavius Robinson (foot), and safety Ar’Darius Washington (Achilles) are all listed as questionable. Robinson and Washington remain on injured reserve and will need to be activated by Saturday at 4 p.m. ET to play against the Bengals on Sunday.
The Bengals activated linebacker Shaka Heyward back to the active roster from injured reserve, the team announced Friday.
He returned to practice Dec. 3 and was a full participate all three days this week.
Heyward, a second-year player, landed on injured reserve on Oct. 28 with a fibula injury.
He has 10 tackles in eight games this season, seeing action on seven defensive snaps and 130 on special teams.
Heyward appeared in six games last season, playing 12 defensive snaps and 102 on special teams.
Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins will not play against the Ravens this weekend.
Higgins suffered a concussion in last Sunday’s loss to the Bills and he was out of practice on Friday after returning for a limited practice on Thursday. Head coach Zac Taylor announced that he’s been ruled out during his Friday press conference. It’s the second time in the last three weeks that Higgins has been ruled out due to a concussion.
Higgins was evaluated for a concussion twice during the loss to Buffalo after hitting his head on the turf, but he was cleared to return to the game both times. Taylor announced Higgins was in the concussion protocol on Monday because he reported symptoms after the game.
Taylor also told reporters on Friday that defensive end Shemar Stewart (knee) is doubtful to be activated from injured reserve.
Tee Higgins may have suffered a setback.
According to Ben Baby of ESPN, Higgins is not on the field for practice on Friday.
Higgins is in concussion protocol for the second time in recent weeks. He missed the Week 13 win over the Ravens before returning for Sunday’s loss to the Bills. There were multiple instances in Week 14 when Higgins appeared to hit his head on cold turf.
Higgins was listed as limited on Wednesday and Thursday’s injury reports.
In 12 games this year, Higgins has recorded 46 receptions for 667 yards with nine touchdowns.
The Ravens got their quarterback back on the field, but had to add two players to the injury report.
After a rest day on Wednesday, Lamar Jackson was a full participant in Thursday’s session, confirming he’s on track to start against the Bengals on Sunday.
But tight end Mark Andrews (glute) and receiver Rashod Bateman (ankle) were both added to the report on Thursday.
For both, Friday’s participation level may be a key indicator of their Sunday availability.
Andrews is second on the team with 38 catches, 341 yards, and leads Baltimore this season with five touchdowns.
Bateman has 18 catches for 217 yards with two TDs in 11 games.
Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (shoulder) was upgraded to a full participant after he was absent from Wednesday’s practice. Running back Keaton Mitchell (knee), outside linebacker Tavius Robinson (foot), and cornerback Nate Wiggins (foot) were all upgraded from limited to full.
Safety Ar’Darius Washington (Achilles) remained full.
Bengals receiver Tee Higgins continues to make his way through concussion protocol and was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice.
Higgins returned to action last week after missing the Week 13 win over the Ravens while in concussion protocol. But after taking some significant hits in the loss to the Bills, Higgins again reported having concussion-like symptoms.
In 12 games this season, Higgins has 46 receptions for 667 yards with a team-leading nine touchdowns.
Notably as he returns from injured reserve, defensive end Shemar Stewart (knee) was again a full participant in practice on Thursday after receiving the same designation on Wednesday.
Safety PJ Jules (ankle) did not practice for the second consecutive day. Defensive end Joseph Ossai (shin) and linebacker Shaka Heyward (fibula) remained full participants.
As expected, Lamar Jackson is back on the practice field.
According to multiple reporters on the scene, Jackson is practicing on Thursday after he wasn’t on the field for Wednesday’s session.
While Jackson has been listed with various lower-body injuries during the second half of the season, he received a rest day this week.
At this point, Jackson is expected to play Sunday’s game against the Bengals.
In 10 games this season, Jackson has completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 2,060 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 307 yards with two TDs.
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s regular season is over.
The Bengals put Hendrickson on injured reserve on Thursday, which means he will miss the final four games on the schedule. Hendrickson had core muscle surgery earlier this week that’s expected to sideline him for around six weeks, so there’s not much chance of a return should the Bengals make a miraculous run to the top of the AFC North before the year is out.
Hendrickson’s time with the Bengals may be up as well. Hendrickson is not under contract for 2026 and has had a longstanding impasse with the team about his desire for a long-term deal to keep him in town beyond the 2025 season.
Hendrickson had 16 tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble for the Bengals this season. He ranks sixth in franchise history with 61 sacks for the team.
On Wednesday, Joe Burrow seemed to be the embodiment of Jerry Seinfeld’s deliberately dark attitude about birthdays.
Burrow, who turned 29 today, seemed to be dejected throughout much of his weekly press conference.
Initially, he thanked reporters and left after answering a couple of questions and a lull emerged. He returned to take more questions. And that’s when it got very interesting.
“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it,” Burrow said at one point. “You know, I’ve been through a lot. And if it’s not fun, what am I doing it for?”
He then was asked whether it’s currently difficult to have fun.
“Yes, certainly,” he said.
He was asked when it changed from being fun.
“I’m not sure there was a singular moment or time,” Burrow said. “It’s just reflection. Reflection on a lot of things that I’ve done and been through in my career, I think. You know, I’ve been through more than most, and it’s certainly not easy on the brain or the body, so I’m just trying to have fun doing it again.”
Burrow later was told that he seems to have something on his mind, and that he seems to be frustrated.
“There’s just a lot of things going on right now,” Burrow said. “A lot of things going on right now.”
Football related or personally?
“All of the above,” Burrow said.
The Bengals obviously should be concerned about all of the above. It’s hardly a stretch, based on his words from Wednesday, to wonder whether he’s thinking about walking away from the game, or perhaps whether he’s thinking about trying to join a new team.
Maybe it’s just a temporary thing. Or maybe he’s doing some soul searching about his past journey, and his future path. Regardless, he said what he said on Wednesday. It was stunning to hear the words being spoken, and it’s even more jarring to see them reduced to writing.
The NFL announced Friday that the Bengals-Cardinals game in Week 17 will be played Sunday, Dec. 28, at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
The game was originally scheduled as a TBD/flex game.
It is one of several schedule changes the NFL announced for the final weeks of the season.
The Bengals hold a 7-6 all-time edge on the Cardinals, and it marks the first time the Cardinals will play in Cincinnati since 2019.
The Cardinals have been eliminated from playoff contention, while the Bengals are close to being eliminated.
