The Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Chicago Bears in Week 9, and it was a game that the Bengals had no right winning or losing. Between a miraculous onside kick and Joe Flacco’s best game of his NFL career, the Bengals took a late lead.
But the defense couldn’t get one final stop, allowing Caleb Williams to connect with Coleston Loveland for a 58-yard game-winning touchdown. After the game, Bengals running back Chase Brown expressed his frustrations with the defense in an NSFW complaint.
The next day, Joe Danneman of Fox 19 shared Trey Hendrickson’s reaction to Brown’s comments. Despite being a member of the defense that Brown was critical of, Hendrickson defended Brown for his NSFW comments on the defense.
Trey Hendrickson defends Chase Brown’s NSFW Bengals defense comments
“You want competitors in the NFL,” Hendrickson said, “you want tough guys, and Chase embodies all that stuff. I think there are some things we can address together, but it was his decision; he’s a very emotional player, we want that.”
“You want competitors in the NFL, you want tough guys, and Chase embodies all that stuff. I think there are some things we can address together, but it was his decision, he’s a very emotional player, we want that.”
Trey Hendrickson on Chase Brown’s comments after Sunday. pic.twitter.com/jC9mmTspIb
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) November 3, 2025
While Hendrickson isn’t outright agreeing with Brown, he is defending the running back from scorn for his NSFW rant on the defense’s collapse against the Bears.
Brown said, “What the (expletive)… Finish the (expletive) game.” The defense has been the worst in the NFL this season, and Brown’s frustrations aren’t likely from just this loss.
The week before, against the New York Jets, the defense couldn’t get one last stop, as the Bengals dropped a must-win game to a winless Jets team.
More: Bengals’ Joe Flacco destroys previous career high in stat against Bears
Cincinnati lost back-to-back weeks where the offense scored at least 38 points. It’s an unfathomable feat, but the Bengals’ defense has struggled too much this season, leading to this brutal collapse against the Bears.
Hendrickson’s defense of Brown comes a day just before the NFL trade deadline, where he could be on his way to a new team. It’s not likely or expected, but his name has come up in trade rumors often this season.
While Hendrickson wasn’t on the field for the defensive collapse against the Bears, as a leader on the defense, his defense of Brown is still a noteworthy stance to take.
The Bengals are 3-6 and have a lot of questions to answer during their Week 10 bye. Addressing Brown and the offense’s frustrations with the defense will also be paramount for Zac Taylor to bring the team together coming out of the bye week.
