The Los Angeles Rams were without several key contributors in their Super Bowl LVI win over the Cincinnati Bengals, including tight end Tyler Higbee, who sustained a knee injury in the team’s NFC Championship matchup against the San Francisco 49ers two weeks earlier.
Higbee suffered the injury in the first quarter and was later ruled out for the rest of the game. It was later determined Higbee sprained his MCL, which ultimately kept him out of the Super Bowl.
After watching his teammates bring home the trophy, Higbee is now hungry to help the Rams return to the biggest game of the year, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I was definitely fortunate to have played in one already, but my mindset now is, we have to go back so that I can play and win this year because I missed out,” Higbee said during a video conference with reporters Tuesday.
Higbee’s injury came at an unfortunate time as he had emerged as one of the Rams’ most trustworthy options in the passing game. He was the team’s second-leading receiver with 61 receptions and their third-most targeted player with 85.
Higbee finished the regular season with 560 yards — good for third among his Rams teammates — and five touchdowns. In the playoffs, he added another nine catches for 115 yards in three games.
With Higbee unavailable in Super Bowl LVI, the Rams continued to lean on Kendall Blanton, who outperformed star 49ers’ tight end George Kittle in the NFC Championship game.
However, it was third-string tight end Brycen Hopkins who had the biggest impact against the Bengals as he hauled in all four of his targets for 47 yards.
