The Cincinnati Bengals is all set to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7 contest. The Bengals desperately want to escape the four game losing streak, and stay in the competition for AFC contendership. However, it’s not going to be easy as the Steelers with 4-1, are at second spot in the division. On top of that the Bengals will be missing out on their star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson in this clash.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted on X, “Trey Hendrickson is officially inactive tonight.” The defensive end has been ruled out due to a hip injury. Hendrickson got injured during the first half of Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

His absence will be highly felt in the Bengals’ squad. Since last season, Trey has been part of 30.5% of Bengals pressure, and 45.7% of their sacks. For last two years, i.e. 2023, and 2024, he has been leading group with 17.5 sacks. Even in 2025, he has continued to dominate, and have been successful in doing so with 15 tackles, four sacks, and eight quarterback hits. Over the period of last three years, Hendrickson has recorded 39 sacks, more than any player.

Since he joined the Bengals in 2021, he has been named as Pro Bowl back-to-back for four seasons.

Earlier this week, the head coach, Zac Taylor, gave some updates regarding him. While talking about Hendrickson’s recovery, he said, “We’ll see.” He continued to say, “Early in the week, we’ll have to give it kind of a day-to-day listing here and see where they’re at.”

With their star defensive end out, it’ll not be easy for the Bengals. In the four losses, they have been outscored around 140-150. This is not their only concern. Their offense is struggling. Joe Burrow is out with a turf toe injury in Week 2, Jake Browning replaced him but failed to find the rhythm. Then he was replaced by Joe Flacco recently. They are the second last on the list when it comes to total yards per game as they allowed 394.2.

Now the question arises who can step up and help the Bengals.

Who can rescue the Bengals in Trey Hendrickson’s absence?

Even in all this chaos, the Bengals got a good news. The rookie Shemar Stewart is fit to make a return. Since his injury in Week 2, the edge rusher has missed four games. He got an ankle injury. Al Golden did drop some hints on Stewart’s availability earlier this week. He mentioned that the rookie will get some time against them.

They have also elevated Isaiah Foskey from the practice squad. Last year, with the New Orleans Saints, he had seven tackles. Other pass rushers, like Joseph Ossai and Myles Murphy, can also step up. They both have two-two sacks, so far in this season. Guard Lucas Patrick is also activated from the injured reserve. He was out with calf issues. And missed games since September because of the same reason.

The Bengals are preparing to go against the Steelers, but only the time will tell, how successful they were.