Bengals star defensive end Trey Hendrickson ruled out with back injury

Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson has proven to be an outstanding signing for Cincinnati.

During Sunday's Week 14 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Hendrickson injured his back - and was ruled out during the third quarter for the rest of the game at Paul Brown Stadium.

Hendrickson has starred as a pass rusher in his first season with the team. During the first half, he extended his streak of games with a sack to nine by increasing his season total to 12.5.

Social media reactions, including a potentially encouraging update from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler: