3 most important Cincinnati Bengals for Week 5 vs Packers

Trey Hendrickson needs to generate pressure on Rodgers

Getting Bates, Awuzie, and possibly Ricardo Allen back in the secondary will help slow down Rodgers. We could finally see Cincinnati’s full secondary on display with Bates, Vonn Bell, Allen, Awuzie, and Trae Waynes. That will surely be an exciting sight.

No matter what kind of talent you have in the secondary, Rodgers can still exploit your defense. That’s what makes him one of the best quarterbacks of all time. The only sure way to limit Rodgers is by generating pressure, consistently hitting him, and making his day rough.

The Bengals pass rush has been fearsome throughout four games. The addition of Trey Hendrickson obviously has a lot to do with that. Hendrickson has not disappointed as he has consistently pressured opposing quarterbacks so far.

Hendrickson is among the best in the NFL in pass rush win rate according to ESPN.

His stats also prove this with his 20 pressures and 2.5 sacks. Hendrickson will need to be a force against Green Bay, as he can alter this game on his own. Now doing that will not be easy, the Packers’ offensive line has been solid even without their left tackle David Bakhtiari.

This could be the best offensive line Cincy has faced at this point in the season. The Packers have played some really good defensive lines in the Saints, 49ers, and Steelers, so they have given up some pressure. The Lions, who have a mediocre pass rush at best, managed to get three sacks and seven QB hits on Rodgers.

There is some vulnerability there on Green Bay’s offensive line, but it is not perfect. Rodgers typically gets the ball out fast though, making the challenge even more difficult. The Bengals could have to blitz some to generate pressure, but do you really want to do that against an elite signal-caller?

This is why Hendrickson’s dominance could be a huge key for the game. Sacks are not the end-all-be-all, sure that is the ultimate goal but simple pressures and hits can be effective too. Hendrickson has the ability to make sure Rodgers has a rough day in the pocket.

How important this game is cannot be understated. Winning against the Packers will make people take the much-maligned Bengals seriously.

Between this defense and Burrow with his weapons, Cincinnati is going to be fighting for a playoff spot with a Week 5 win. Gear up for the Bengals and Packers clash, it is going to be a big one.

Who Dey!