Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson had 3.5 sacks on Saturday night against the Steelers, giving him a league-leading 17.5 on the season. And Joe Burrow thinks Hendrickson has earned the Defensive Player of the Year award.
After the game Burrow cited the Bengals’ defense as key for keeping them alive in the playoff hunt heading into Sunday, and he said Hendrickson in particular was the difference-maker.
“Trey Hendrickson, after tonight, I don’t know who else is gonna win Defensive Player of the Year other than him,” Burrow said. “He was incredible tonight. Any time they didn’t have chip help, he was getting to the quarterback.”
The betting odds say Hendrickson is a long shot: Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain is the favorite at -200, and Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt is next at +350. Hendrickson is one of three players at +2000, along with Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and Lions safety Kerby Joseph.
In four seasons since the Bengals signed Hendrickson as a free agent from the Saints, Hendrickson has 57 sacks. He’s been one of the best free agent signings in recent NFL history, and if a couple games go the Bengals’ way and they sneak into the playoffs today, Hendrickson could make life miserable for Josh Allen and the Bills in the wild card round of the playoffs.
