Nobody was happier to see Tyler Higbee back at practice than his quarterback, Matthew Stafford.
"I've loved every minute I've had playing football with Higs," Stafford said. "He's a special football player and has made so many great plays that I can remember off the top of my head. It's just the human being, too. The human being that celebrates for everybody. He has great celebrations himself… Everybody calls him a glue guy, probably an understatement."
Returning to the practice field last week for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week 11, Higbee's presence was felt immediately. In Sunday's win over Arizona, his veteran leadership, a boisterous spirit, proven production and shameless dance moves were all on display.
In the fourth quarter, Higbee got lost in the defense on a corner route. When Stafford threw him the ball, it hit him in stride and Higbee made sure to stretch it out inside the pylon for a 22-yard touchdown, putting Los Angeles up 30-20. And, of course, he capped the play with a buoyant gait into a celebratory spike.
"I always want to be out there and playing ball with the boys," Higbee said on Monday, "and yesterday I got the opportunity to do that. So it was fun. I tried to make the most of it."
He certainly did make the most of it, as Higbee set season-highs in receiving yards (91) and receptions (five) in the Rams' Week 18 victory over the Cardinals. That win gave the Rams the No. 5 seed in the NFC, guaranteeing them a date with the Panthers in the Wild Card round next weekend.
Head coach Sean McVay said Higbee was originally supposed be on the field for far fewer snaps than the 48 that he ended up playing. But after tight end Terrance Ferguson went on the injury report late in the week with a hamstring issue, Higbee stepped up.
"(For) Higs to come back and play as many snaps as he did was outstanding," McVay said.
Higbee's first catch back from injury was a sliding, 16-yard grab in the first quarter. In the following period, he converted a huge third down on a quick out route that went for 10 yards down to the Arizona six, setting up a Rams touchdown a few plays later.
Late in the third quarter, Stafford hit Higbee on a seam ball between two defenders. The veteran elevated, held on through contact from multiple players, and punctuated it with a dance move to. That's when it was really obvious: Higbee was all the way back.
The next play was a 22-yard touchdown to fellow tight end Colby Parkinson, and Higbee was the one who set the key block, allowing his fellow tight end to stay in bounds and leap over the goal line.
"It looked like he hadn't missed a day," said offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. "Let the physical stuff speak for itself... The coolest part for him and for me and for us as coaches and I would think for all his teammates is just the joy he brings."
This is the second time in as many seasons Higbee has worked his way back from injury in time for a playoff run. Last year, he missed the majority of the season while rehabbing a torn ACL and MCL, but he hasn't let that dampen his spirit.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua said that when he was rehabbing from an injury last season, Higbee brought the same exuberant energy as always, even in the midst of a grueling recovery process.
"He's what's right about this game. He's what's right about our team," Stafford said. "And for him to come back out and get his feet wet again, I don't know how many snaps he played. It felt like every single one... You can't bet against a guy like that, and to go out there and play the way he did, get in the end zone, do all the things he did for us today, it's a testament to him as a player, as a person, as a teammate."
