Trey Hendrickson missing the Cincinnati Bengals' critical AFC North clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night is not the type of new Who Dey Nation was looking for. However, it does give the entire locker room something larger to play for.
Hendrickson's ailing hip that knocked him out of Week 6's 27-18 loss to Green Bay at Lambeau Field proved too troublesome to get him to suit up on a short prime-time turnaround. Rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart is back for the first time since Week 2, though, so he should help the cause on defense in a big way.
But beyond the potential impact of Stewart's return, there's a certain buzz in the air tonight as kickoff approaches at Paycor Stadium. We have the makings of something special, and I couldn't help but be inspired by an admittedly unscientific sports hypothesis that applies to the Bengals this October eve.
Double dose of Bill Simmons' Ewing Theory in play for Bengals without Trey Hendrickson & Joe Burrow vs. Steelers in Week 7
So we already know that the Bengals are trotting out 40-year-old Joe Flacco at quarterback to face his 41-year-old counterpart Aaron Rodgers on Thursday. That's because Joe Burrow is nursing yet another major injury.
In games started by non-Burrow QBs this season, the Bengals are 0-4. They're on a four-game losing streak. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler then broke the news that Hendrickson will miss Week 7's matchup with the Steelers, too.
Through the weeds of the day-to-day grind of sports media and the toxicity of the Internet in general, it can be easy to lose sight of one's why. As in, "Why did I choose to do this with my life?" Kierkegaard would get a huge kick out of this brief paragraph.
Sports media legend Bill Simmons served as the main catalyst for pushing me into this line of work. I even got to meet him by chance out in Los Angeles about a decade ago. I say meet your heroes, because sometimes they're really freaking cool, as was the case then.
Among the many words of his that I've read, Simmons' Ewing Theory stands out. Here's a brief explanation of the weird phenomenon, via Simmons' linked Page 2 column from the ESPN dot com archives:
"The theory was created in the mid-'90s by Dave Cirilli, a friend of mine who was convinced that Patrick Ewing's teams (both at Georgetown and with New York) inexplicably played better when Ewing was either injured or missing extended stretches because of foul trouble."
Although the Ewing Theory has proven untrue with Burrow in 2025, two seasons ago, Jake Browning went on a Linsanity-esque run to keep the Bengals in the playoff race till Week 17. A loss at Kansas City ultimately doomed Cincinnati's hopes, yet Browning took a lead into the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium in that contest.
I'm here to suggest that two wrongs might make a right tonight. The offense showed signs of life with 18 second-half points this past Sunday as Flacco got adjusted to his new digs. When Hendrickson was banged up, Cincinnati's defense played inspired football to keep the score close enough.
That all sets the stage for Thursday evening. Here come the division-leading Steelers. Visiting the Queen City as prohibitive favorites. Mike Tomlin working his magic again amid a determined effort to avoid a losing single-season record as he's done his entire Pittsburgh tenure.
Burrow out. Hendrickson out. Bengals have no chance, right?
Well, we've got home-field advantage. The far more desperate team. A Joe Flacco who is more comfortable in his brand-new system. And are the Steelers that good? Are we certain?
Divisional matchups are often squirrelly. Thursday night games are notoriously squirrelly. Flacco's many battles versus Tomlin and the Steelers as the Ravens' QB gives him unique insight to this particular opponent.
I'm telling you. This generational theory postulated by Simmons has the chance to be proven correct yet again. At least I'm going to tell myself until proven otherwise that the 2025 Cincinnati Bengals have a date with destiny in Week 7. And it just might spark a swift surge back into the AFC playoff picture.