Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins' status up in the air ahead of Week 5 road game vs. Dolphins

Having dropped back-to-back contests, the Cincinnati Bengals entered Week 5 with a potential get-right game on the horizon. The 2-2 Bengals can return to the win column on Sunday in Miami against the rebuilding, 0-4 Dolphins.

But Cincinnati may have to get creative offensively in order to get back on track, considering that its top two wideouts are navigating injuries.

Ja'Marr Chase is still going through the league's protocol after suffering a concussion in a 22-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend, head coach Zac Taylor told reporters on Wednesday. Tee Higgins, who's dealing with an adductor injury he sustained down the stretch of that defeat, will be limited in practice .

Chase and Higgins — two of the 15 highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL, in terms of average annual value, according to Over the Cap — have recorded more than 200 receiving yards this season.

Higgins, a 2020 second-round draft pick out of Clemson, leads the team with 25 catches and 401 receiving yards. Chase, the 2021 No. 5 overall pick, is tied for second with 21 grabs, and his 212 receiving yards are good for the second most of any Bengal this season. The three touchdown receptions Chase has made are tied for first on the team.

They are quarterback Joe Burrow's go-to targets in an offense that just attempted 54 passes and ran the ball only 15 times versus the Jags.

At the moment, Cincinnati ranks second to last in the NFL with 74.3 rushing yards per game. It's tied for 26th with 3.6 yards per carry.

While Burrow told reporters postgame this past Sunday that he's open to throwing even more , doing so will not only further compromise the team's offensive balance, but it will also be more difficult given the Bengals' depleted receiving corps.

Andrei Iosivas is on injured reserve with a thumb issue that required surgery. Rookie Colbie Young went down with a knee injury in a Week 3 setback to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the absence of Chase and Higgins over the weekend, attention turned to wide receivers Mitch Tinsley and Dohnte Meyers, as well as tight end Mike Gesicki.

Tinsley, who reeled in a pair of touchdown passes for Cincinnati last season but most recently was on the Houston Texans' practice squad, snagged three balls for 49 yards against the Jaguars. Meyers, a former CFL standout , finished with seven receptions and 82 yards. Gesicki went for three catches, 40 yards and one score.

Fortunately for Burrow, the Dolphins are allowing passers to complete 77.9% of their attempts. Only the Dallas Cowboys (8.0) and Arizona Cardinals (8.0) are giving up more net yards per pass attempt than Miami (7.7) this season .