Familiar face became an unlikely obstacle for Bengals' pass rush to overcome vs Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles proved that the Cincinnati Bengals still do not have a competent defense. The previous two weeks of playing the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns proved to be an indictment on those teams rather than a sign of progress for Cincinnati.Defending against the Eagles' 1-2 receiver duo of A.J. Brown and Devonta […]
The Philadelphia Eagles proved that the Cincinnati Bengals still do not have a competent defense. The previous two weeks of playing the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns proved to be an indictment on those teams rather than a sign of progress for Cincinnati.
Defending against the Eagles' 1-2 receiver duo of A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith was already going to be a challenge. Brown and Smith combined for 11 receptions and 169 yards. This task was made harder by the fact that the Bengals' pass rush was non-existent for the entire game.
I'm only slightly exaggerating there. Per Bengals on SI's Jay Morrison, Cincinnati's three pressures on the day were the second fewest a defense has generated in a game this season.
Three pressures in four quarters of football is an embarrassment that multiple players have to be accountable for, and that includes Trey Hendrickson. The three-time Pro Bowl edge defender failed to touch Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts even once and only registered two pressures according to Pro Football Focus.
What makes this even more shocking is the fact that Hendrickson went against a backup left tackle for the entire game; a backup left tackle whom the Bengals are very familiar with.
Former Bengals player put the clamps on Trey Hendrickson
Fred Johnson, who played three years for the Bengals from 2019-21, returned to Cincinnati for the first time Sunday as a starter. Johnson took over the left tackle position back in Week 6 due to an injury to Jordan Mailata.
The Bengals kept Johnson as a backup for three years for good reason. He's an imposing run blocker who's played multiple positions along the offensive line. He's also an inconsistent pass protector and couldn't win a starting gig because of that. The Bengals opted to waive him following the 2021 Super Bowl run, and he ended up in Philly during the 2022 season.
When Johnson returned to face his former team, he was thought to be on the wrong side of a mismatch. Hendrickson entered the week with two sacks in each of his last two games. Not only did he fail to beat Johnson for a sack on Sunday, he only beat him once for a single pressure. Most of his reps looked a lot like this:
Hendrickson being held in check by Johnson had predictable consequences. The Bengals have had trouble all season generating a pass rush outside of their star on the edge, and no one else stepped up with Hendrickson being bested by his former teammate. Joseph Ossai and B.J. Hill were the only other defensive lineman to record a single pressure, and they each had one.
A one man show without the one man performing is not a show at all.
Sunday was a rude awakening in many facets for the Bengals, and their pass-rushing woes have certainly not dissipated.
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