Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro pass rusher doubtful for Week 14 vs. Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati has already announced one of their top defensive players likely will not play in this weekend's matchup with the Bills.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) watches a replay as the Detroit Lions celebrate a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 5 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Detroit Lions. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills will get a reprieve when they line up to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon.

Cincinnati has already declared Trey Hendrickson doubtful to play in this weekend’s conference tilt against Buffalo, as the 2024 first-team All-Pro edge rusher continues to deal with a pelvis injury. Head Coach Zac Taylor said on Monday that Hendrickson remains week to week due to the ailment that has kept him sidelined since Week 9.

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Nov 5, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) pushes against Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) in the second half at Paycor Stadium. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Before his injury-induced absence, Hendrickson was off to a solid start to the season, having recorded four sacks, eight quarterback hits through seven games played. He is a nine-year NFL veteran, racking up 81 career sacks and 74 tackles for loss throughout his career. Hendrickson finished second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year a season ago, when he recorded a league-high 17.5 sacks. Hendrickson has been held without a sack in two career games against the Bills.

In their first game playing without Hendrickson, the Bengals’ defense recorded three sacks during a Week 9 loss to the Chicago Bears. Since that game, Cincinnati has totaled just three sacks over its last three contests.

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Jan 22, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) throws the ball away as he is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) in the first quarter of the NFL divisional playoff football game. | Sam Greene-Imagn Images

Hendrickson remains second on the team in sacks, trailing only fellow edge rusher Joseph Ossai, who has recorded five sacks this season in 12 games played. Myles Murphy has seen his defensive snap share increase as a result of Hendrickson’s injury and the third-year pro has performed well with an increased opportunity, recording 2.5 sacks, which is .5 sack away from matching a career high.

The Bills are coming off of a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in which they had to deploy two backup offensive tackles. Ryan Van Demark and Alec Anderson came on and delivered strong performances in replacement roles, preventing Josh Allen from being sacked a single time during the victory. Entering Week 13, the Bills ranked second in the league in pass block win rate (73%), per ESPN.

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