Bengals inadvertently gain an advantage over Jaguars for Week 13 matchup
It's not been the best year for the Cincinnati Bengals' defense. The unit coached by esteemed coordinator Lou Anarumo has been heavily reliant on edge defender Trey Hendrickson carrying the pass rush up front. Hendrickson's life for this week just got easier as the Jacksonville Jaguars placed left tackle Cam Robinson on the Reserve/Injured list, meaning […]
It's not been the best year for the Cincinnati Bengals' defense. The unit coached by esteemed coordinator Lou Anarumo has been heavily reliant on edge defender Trey Hendrickson carrying the pass rush up front.
Hendrickson's life for this week just got easier as the Jacksonville Jaguars placed left tackle Cam Robinson on the Reserve/Injured list, meaning he will miss next Monday's game against Hendrickson and the Bengals.
Robinson, whom the Jaguars signed to a three-year, $52.75 million contract two offseasons ago, suffered a knee injury early on in Jacksonville's 24-21 victory over the Houston Texans Sunday afternoon. Further tests showed it was enough to force him off the field for at least the next four weeks.
The injury forced third-year player Walker Little to move from left guard to left tackle, though Little started the first four games of the season at left tackle while Robinson was serving a suspension. Little was originally drafted as a tackle out of Stanford back in 2021.
Per ESPN's Michael DiRocco, Little will start in Robinson's place again starting Monday night. The former second-round selection fared well in the role during the first four weeks, allowing just five pressures according to Pro Football Focus. He dealt with his own knee injury that kept him off the field from Weeks 6-9, and he returned to play left guard for the past three weeks. His production at that position has not been as favorable. PFF graded him at a lowly 42.3 during that stretch.
The sample size for Robinson at left tackle has been larger and more promising. Robinson has graded out higher than he ever has at the position at 79.6. Despite Little playing fairly well previously, going from Robinson back to him is a relative downgrade.
Little's first game back at his natural position will also be his toughest. Hendrickson is on pace for a third-straight Pro Bowl nod this year with 10.5 sacks through 11 games played. He's on pace to break his current single-season high of 14 he racked up back in 2021. Only four other edge defenders with at least 300 pass rushing snaps have a higher pass rush win rate than Hendrickson's 20.1% clip.
The Bengals need all the help they can get at this point. If Hendrickson can take advantage of the Jaguars' misfortune, it may keep the game close for their struggling offense led by Jake Browning.
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