Bengals playing on 'Monday Night Football' may help them get their injured star player back on time

The season is already two weeks old, and the 0-2 Cincinnati Bengals still aren't at full strength on offense.

Wide receiver Tee Higgins has been out since the final practice leading up to Week 1 with a hamstring injury. The fifth-year wideout's on-field presence has been missed after he dominated throughout the entirety of training camp. The result of Sunday's loss could've been different if he was healthy.

Head coach Zac Taylor and his staff have always opted to give players more time to heal rather than hurry them back to work. This week, timing is on the Bengals' side thanks to how their schedule turned out.

Tee Higgins to get additional rest this week

The Bengals have an extra day of rest this week before playing on "Monday Night Football." The team's first full practice won't be until Thursday.

During his press conference Monday afternoon, Taylor mentioned that having an extra day of rest leading up to the normal practice schedule should benefit Higgins and his prospects of returning.

"I think this extra day really helps this week," Taylor said of Higgins' recovery . "I don't want to make any proclamations on where he'll be on Monday night, but I feel like it's trending in a positive direction."

There was a small glimpse of hope that Higgins could play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. After missing practice all week, Higgins was out on the field going through warm ups and running routes with other receivers before the team revealed him to be inactive.

Taylor attributed this to his willingness to come back as soon as possible rather than a clear indication that he's close to coming back, but it's a positive nonetheless.

"I think his attitude is, you know, he's doing everything he can to take it back out there," Taylor said. "And so our job will be to manage that, make sure we're putting them into a good situation before he's out there and asked too much of him. But I think everything's moving in a good direction."

Taylor is consistently careful when speaking on injury updates, especially for players of Higgins' caliber, but a hint of positivity was able to sneak through the cracks here.

If a Thursday night game was on the docket, this probably wouldn't even be a conversation. A Sunday afternoon tilt may also put it in jeopardy. One day can make such a huge difference.

Since the Bengals get that extra 24 hours to rest up this week, Higgins does seem to have a real chance at making his season debut next Monday evening.

Related: NFL official confirms why Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase lost his cool during loss to Chiefs