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The Cincinnati Bengals took a 15 point lead into the fourth quarter against the previously winless New York Jets in Week 8. Joe Flacco led Cincinnati’s offense to a season-high 38 points. But it was not enough. New York came roaring back for the 39-38 win as the Bengals’ defense choked.
Trey Hendrickson was forced to exit Sunday’s matchup with a hip injury and he sat out the second half. Flacco suffered an AC joint sprain but was able to finish the game. Now the Bengals are facing the unsavory prospect of losing both players for Week 9’s showdown with the Chicago Bears.
Both Flacco and Hendrickson landed on Cincinnati’s injury report, earning DNP tags for Wednesday, per the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway. Flacco is considered day-to-day and head coach Zac Taylor called his chances of playing in Week 9 “probably 50-50,” per Ben Bay of ESPN.
The Bengals landed Flacco in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. The move became necessary after four Jake Browning starts made it clear the team wasn’t competitive with the backup under center. Flacco became Cincinnati’s savior by jump starting a dormant offense immediately upon his arrival.
The Bengals went from averaging 17 points per game with Browning to 30 points per contest with Flacco. But with the 40-year-old quarterback questionable for Sunday, Browning could once again be under center for Cincy.
While the Bengals’ have been competitive with Flacco at the helm, the results have largely been the same. Browning went 1-4 as the starter. And Flacco is now 1-3 after the gut-punch loss to the Jets.
Taylor heaped praise on Flacco after the 18th-year veteran played through a sprain in his throwing shoulder against New York. But Ja’Marr Chase criticized the offense for failing to capitalize on opportunities Sunday. Chase, who was targeted 19 times in Week 8, will likely be even less enthusiastic about the Bengals’ offense if Flacco is forced to sit against the Bears.
Hendrickson, who played all 17 games each of the last two seasons, was forced to miss Week 7’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was cleared to play against the Jets but re-aggravated his hip injury mid game and was ruled out. His absence coincided with New York’s comeback, which included a 23-point fourth quarter.
Henderson remains the subject of trade rumors. It’s unclear if the 3-5 Bengals will deal the star defensive end by the November 4 deadline. However, the team could hold him out of Sunday’s matchup with the Bears and allow him two weeks to heal with the bye coming in Week 10.
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