Pro Bowl edger Trey Hendrickson is on the verge of helping his Bengals make history Saturday night (8-Cincinnati’s Channel 9, ESPN) in Pittsburgh. Yet he’s looking at the history the Steelers achieved last month in Cincinnati.
Hendrickson goes into the regular-season finale tied for the NFL sack lead with Cleveland’s Myles Garret while teammates Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are poised to finish as the league-leaders in passing yards and receiving yards, respectively. No NFL team has ever finished the season with their players winning all three titles. “I’m much more excited about helping this team have a winning record,” Hendrickson said after Wednesday’s 33-degree practice. “That’s the thing we want to do. End on a high note and if I do what I’m supposed to do, everything will take care of itself.”
The 8-8 Bengals need it to have a shot at the playoffs and to finish with their fourth straight winning record under head coach Zac Taylor. When the Steelers beat the Bengals back on Dec. 1, it marked their 21st straight season without a losing record to tie an NFL record. “They’re well-coached. They’ve had winning seasons for a long time, as long as we’re on the subject,” Hendrickson said. “That’s the thing we want to continue for Zac and this organization. So we have a lot to play for Affecting the quarterback is what I need to do.”
Hendrickson has been doing that all year. He had the league lead by himself since Nov. 3 and his four sacks against the Raiders. Until Garrett racked up two against Miami last week to catch Hendrickson. Hendrickson also leads the league with 47 pressures, via Pro Football Reference.
Last year he went into the finale tied for the lead with Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt with 17. Watt ended up getting two and Hendrickson got a half against Garrett’s Browns.
Now it’s Hendrickson trying to best Garrett against Watt’s Steelers. Fitting, really. They’re the top three sackers of the 2020s with Watt sitting with 11.5.
“Anytime you’re in the conversation with a Defensive Player of the Year and a first-round draft pick in my (2017) draft who’s one of the most talented pass rushers in the National Football League, that’s rarified air,” Hendrickson said. “I give a lot of credit to Myles and what he’s done for his team, I’m blessed to have the opportunity to do things like that for Cincinnati.”
Hendrickson’s 53.5 sacks as a Bengals leaves him in sixth place on the all-time club list, eight sacks behind fifth-place Ross Browner’s 61.5.
He’d be the first Bengal to lead the league in sacks since it became an official stat in 1982, but he said the same thing before last season’s finale.
“If it happens, it happens,” Hendrickson said.
JA’MARR JAM
According to Bengals equipment manager Adam Knollman, it’s supposed to be 22 degrees at kickoff and it’s going to feel like 12.
No problem for Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, hot on the trail of the NFL receiving Triple Crown.
“We’re pretty good when it’s cold,” Chase said after Wednesday’s practice.
And he’s right.
In the five games quarterback Joe Burrow has played that started at 33 degrees and colder, the Bengals are 4-1 with the only loss coming against these Steelers back on Dec. 1 at Paycor Stadium. One of the wins came in 27 degrees at Pittsburgh in 2022. Chase didn’t play in that one, but Higgins did and he had nine catches for 148 yards. In the coldest of the five games, 21 degrees in Foxborough on Christmas Eve 2022, Higgins had eight catches for 128 yards. “I played pretty good in that one,” said Higgins on why he doesn’t mind the cold weather. Right again. Chase had eight catches for 79 yards that same day. His biggest day of 266 yards came in 33-degree weather against the Chiefs on this weekend three years ago, and he put up 97 yards in the 33 degrees of Paycor two weeks ago against the Browns.
ALL-TIME GREATS
Asked who he believes are the greatest receivers of all-time, Chase answered, “Jerry and Randy.” He wasn’t convinced on Jerry Rice until his father made him watch film of the NFL’s all-time leading receiver. What really drew him to Rice is how he struggled with drops early in his rookie year of 1985.
“I had that, too, but it was in the preseason,” Chase said. “I just didn’t know that until I looked into him. It’s funny how things work.” With the Triple Crown, Chase is on the verge of doing what Rice and only four other receivers have done in the last 55 seasons. He leads all three categories by healthy margins, so he says, “Make sure I catch everything thrown at me and make the contested catch.”
SLANTS AND SCREENS
Zac Taylor deployed his team outside for the biggest day of practice this week to get ready for a brisk Saturday night and running back Chase Brown (ankle) was nowhere to be seen …
Tight end Drew Sample (groin) didn’t go for the second straight day …
Tackles Orlando Brown Jr. (leg) and Amarius Mims (hand/ankle) were listed as limited …
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