CINCINNATI – Tee Higgins knew what Saturday night meant for him and the Cincinnati Bengals.

With his contract expiring after this season, the wide receiver knew that the game against the Denver Broncos might have been his last home game with the team that drafted him. He also knew Cincinnati had to win to keep its playoff hopes alive.

Additionally, Higgins struggled with an ankle and knee injury. So Higgins sent coach Zac Taylor a quick text message during a team meeting earlier in the week that set the tone for the rest of the week: “I’m playing.”

With the season on the line, Higgins turned in a career performance. He had the game-winning touchdown that sealed a 30-24 overtime victory over the Denver Broncos, keeping Cincinnati in postseason contention entering Week 18.

“I hope not, but this might have been my last game in the (Bengals) uniform here,” Higgins said afterward. “This game meant a lot more to me. It was definitely a surreal feeling.”

His tally that night: 11 catches on 12 targets for 131 yards and three touchdowns, his most in his five seasons in the NFL.

He also ensured that the Bengals (8:8) avoided a significant defeat.

Cincinnati had two chances to win. First, the Bengals allowed the tying score with :08 remaining in regulation when Denver quarterback Bo Nix threw a 25-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 to Marvin Mims, who made the catch despite being sandwiched between two defenders. Then, in overtime, kicker Cade York kicked a potential 33-yard field goal from the left upright, extending the game.

After Cincinnati’s defense forced a three-pointer, Higgins made sure the Bengals put the game away for good. With 1:14 left, he caught a 31-yard pass that put the Bengals just a few yards from the goal line. On the next play, he caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Burrow that ended the game and sealed Cincinnati’s fourth straight win.

When the Bengals began that series with a win over the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 9, Burrow said he was confident the team could re-sign Higgins, which seemed unlikely after two failed negotiations.

On Saturday night, Burrow was a little less emphatic about including Higgins in the team’s long-term future. But he acknowledged how valuable Higgins is to the team’s offense.

“Everyone can see what kind of player he is,” said Burrow, who completed 39 of 49 passes for 412 yards and touchdowns to Higgins. “He takes us to another level when he plays like that and it’s lucky to be part of what’s happening here.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Higgins. 2020 second-round pick Clemson had a fumble in the fourth quarter that turned a potential first down into the Broncos’ possession.

Higgins praised rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton for encouraging him as he returned to the sideline after the turnover.

“Don’t worry about it,” Burton told Higgins. “You will come back and win the game for us.”

That’s exactly what happened. Taylor repeatedly called Higgins “a warrior” in his post-game press conference, revealing the text from earlier in the week.

The Week 17 tilt was the type that demanded a lot from the players.

Offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. told reporters he was fine despite breaking his fibula in two different places. Running back Chase Brown suffered a sprained ankle when he slipped at the 1-yard line in regulation, which would have led to a potential game-winning field goal. Instead, the Bengals scored a successful touchdown, giving Denver a chance to tie the game and force overtime.

The severity of Brown’s injury was unclear immediately after the game.

“I’m just going to take it one day and see how I feel from there,” Brown said when asked about his availability for the regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The same goes for Higgins, who will play at least one more game with the Bengals, depending on whether Cincinnati can snap losses to the Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins and beat Pittsburgh next week. His one-year franchise tag expires at the end of the season.

But when it’s the end for him in Cincinnati, he’ll know that his last game at Paycor Stadium ended with a game-winning touchdown.

“It’s the best feeling ever,” Higgins said. “It couldn’t turn out better.”