Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals’ All-Pro edge rusher, demonstrated why he is all of that and more Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, recording six pressures on 30 pass rushes and a 32% win rate, according to Pro Football Focus.
That is ludicrous.
Fantastically good.
He improved as the game progressed, recording his first two sacks of the season and drawing two holding penalties on left tackle Kingsley Suamataia, which led to his benching. The second sack was immediately followed by the second hold, giving the Bengals a 25-23 lead with nine minutes remaining in the game.
Then, on what turned out to be the game’s final snap, Hendrickson drew a hands-to-the-face penalty on Suamataia’s substitute, Wayna Morris. That is how it came to be fourth-and-16.
Patrick Lavon Mahomes II, the man himself, called out Hendrickson in his postgame interview when asked about the man’s persistent pressure.
“He’s an utter beast. “It’s just his motor and his ability to rush the passer,” Mahomes explained. “I remember playing him in New Orleans, and he was like that, and then he moved to Cincinnati, and he’s still like that. He performed an excellent job today. He’s an unheralded player who excels against both the run and the pass. It was a good test for us, and we’ll need to improve for it.”
His own colleagues think he’s underappreciated. Joseph Ossai, the fourth-year edge who considers Hendrickson a mentor and trained with him this winter, was left shaking his head Monday after watching the tape.
“He’s phenomenal,” Ossai added. “Cannot be stopped. “Will not be stopped.”
It should be noted that, despite the fact that Hendrickson did not record a sack last week in the opener, the Patriots benched their left tackle because he was driving quarterback Jacoby Brissett out of the pocket. Lou Anarumo, the defensive coordinator, is not sure he has ever seen that.
“Trey’s an elite rusher,” Anarumo added. “He can energize you and speed rush you. He’s an issue for other crimes to consider.”
ALL IN.
With the Bengals defensive lineman dropping like trees since training camp, including third-round defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson’s knee injury, Anarumo had to resort to the well in Arrowhead. Kris Jenkins Jr., the other rookie tackle (thumb), as well as edge Myles Murphy (knee), were out. They lost starting tackles B.J. Hill and Sheldon Rankins to hamstring injuries on Sunday.
With left end Sam Hubbard sliding inside, Ossai played 35 snaps opposite Hendrickson, his most since the Ravens’ must-win regular-season finale in 2022.
“A bit harsh. “I’m tired,” Ossai said. “But we had players like (tackle) Zach Carter taking 15 snaps in a row. “I am not going to complain.”
Zac Taylor, the Bengals’ head coach, gave no update on Hill and Rankins’ status for next Monday night’s game against Washington at Paycor Stadium, but said he’s consulting with the front office about prospective replacements.
After the Commanders rushed for 215 yards against the Giants on Sunday, with running back Brian Robinson Jr. going for 133 yards on six yards per carry, Anarumo knows how Washington will protect rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
HIGGINS TRENDS UP
Taylor was positive about the improvement of wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring), who missed the first two games.
“I think this extra day really helps this week,” Taylor remarked. “I don’t want to make any proclamations on where he’ll be Monday night, but I feel like it’s trending in a positive direction.”
DAIJAHN DEJÀ VU.
Anarumo continues to believe in rookie safety Daijahn Anthony, despite the fact that he committed game-changing penalties on two of nine snaps. His unlawful contact with tight end Travis Kelce negated cornerback DJ Turner’s interception, and his pass interference on fourth-and-16 in the final minute allowed the Chiefs to kick the game-winning field goal.
But Anthony, rangy, impulsive, and bright, is still Anarumo’s man.
“He demonstrated his ability at training camp. He demonstrated the ability to go get the ball in both preseason games and to be where he should be,” Anarumo said. “He is athletic. He simply has a nose for that aspect of the game. “It would be foolish not to use him.”
Anthony, a seventh-round pick from Ole Miss, is playing in front of second-year safety Jordan Battle.
“There are two separate guys. “Totally different,” Anarumo explained. (Anthony) is a deep zone, rangy type of person. Jordan is more of an in-the-box type. That is not to say he is incapable of doing other things. Daijahn, in our opinion, was the right individual at the right moment. “It just did not work out.”
His teammates also rallied around him as he sobbed in the postgame locker room. Ossai, who eerily went through the same scenario in the same building after the 2022 AFC championship game, approached him and recounted how he overcame a roughing-the-passer penalty on Mahomes with 30 seconds left, resulting in another walkoff field goal. Ossai basically ordered him to file it, amend it, and then forget it.
His Ole Miss teammate, rookie edge Cedric Johnson, was also there to comfort him.
“I just grabbed him and came up and said, ‘Hey, you’ll come back and make a huge play for us, or more as the season progresses,'” Anarumo explained. “Don’t hang your head. You have nothing to do with one play. “That is not how you win or lose a game.”
Taylor still remembered the sight on Monday.
“Standing in the locker room after the game, you can see the emotion with the guys, how much they poured onto that field and how much that game meant to them and how disappointed they were, and it’s a strange thing to say but that puts me in such a positive mindset going forward, just where this team is at and how much they care to take that loss so personally,” Taylor told the media.
“And guys think, ‘Man, it was probably my play,’ when it wasn’t. That is not the larger picture, and I appreciate Daijahn’s willingness to compete as hard as everyone else, and I expect the same from him. I want that from Joseph Ossai. Guys play hard, and occasionally things don’t go your way. That will not disrupt our method, and we want boys who care so much that it impacts them in this way, and there are other guys who can lift them up. That’s what I enjoy about this team.”
