Bengals avoid disaster with Trey Hendrickson's ankle injury
The Cincinnati Bengals' 31-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers was nearly damped by edge defender Trey Hendrickson's ankle injury. The two-time Pro Bowler briefly exited Sunday's game after a 49ers player incidentally stepped on his right ankle. Hendrickson played extremely well despite having his ankle heavily taped up, and according to head coach Zac […]
The Cincinnati Bengals' 31-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers was nearly damped by edge defender Trey Hendrickson's ankle injury. The two-time Pro Bowler briefly exited Sunday's game after a 49ers player incidentally stepped on his right ankle.
Hendrickson played extremely well despite having his ankle heavily taped up, and according to head coach Zac Taylor, the expectation for next Sunday night is that he will play against the Buffalo Bills.
"I think he's one of the guys we'll manage during the week," Taylor said of Hendrickson "But expect him to be good to go on Sunday."
Hendrickson spent a good amount of time on the 49ers' field right after the injury occurred and had to be helped getting to the sideline only for him to have one of his best games of the season. He graded out at 90.5 for Pro Football Focus as a pass rusher and finished with eight total pressures and a strip-sack in the fourth quarter.
Playing through injury is not a hurdle Hendrickson hasn't already overcome during his prolific three-year run with the Bengals.
"He spends a lot of time managing it during the week," Taylor said of Hendrickson's recovery process. "He does all the right recovery things, doesn't skip any steps that way in terms of going through his routine, and I think it serves him well."
Don't expect that process to change this week. Hendrickson played 39 snaps on Sunday, most of them coming after the injury, and will likely be limited when practice begins this week. It's a far better outcome than Hendrickson suffering a more devastating injury that would've sidelined him for weeks to come.
The Bengals dodged a bullet with one of their best players, who should be on the field for an important Week 9 battle against a top AFC contender this week.
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