The Cincinnati Bengals have a delicate balance to strike over the final few games, beginning with Week 16's showdown in Miami against the Dolphins.
Now that the playoffs are officially out of reach, the Bengals are in evaluation mode with veterans and young players, and are also trying to get to the end-of-season clubhouse with their most critical players intact.
That's already proving more difficult than is optimal. Joe Burrow popped up on the injury report with a knee injury. Tee Higgins is still working through the concussion protocol after suffering two head injuries in recent weeks.