Hunter Henry’s heartfelt Jahlani Tavai gesture during Bengals win

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Hunter Henry’s heartfelt Jahlani Tavai gesture during Bengals win

Conor Roche, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Mon, Nov 24, 2025 ·

3 min read

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The post Hunter Henry's heartfelt Jahlani Tavai gesture during Bengals win appeared first on ClutchPoints .

The New England Patriots came away with a 26-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals , and tight end Hunter Henry gave linebacker Jahlani Tavai a bit of a gift.

After Henry scored on a receiving touchdown in the second quarter, Henry found a nearby camera and gave a heartfelt gesture to let Tavai know he was top of mind.

"That's for you, Lani. That's for you, Lani," Henry said to WBZ-TV's Tom Bravo.

Tavai missed Sunday's game against the Bengals due to a personal matter. The personal matter hasn't been made public. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters on Friday that Tavai would miss Sunday's game after missing practice earlier in the week. So, Tavai's absence wasn't unexpected.

"I'm not going to get into details on his situation," Henry told reporters. "Obviously, he's not here with us, and we just wanted him to know how much we love him, how much we care for him, and how much we care for everything he's got going on, so I'm going to take a lot of pride. We're brothers. I've been playing with him for a few years now and gotten close with him. Just wanted him to know he's loved."

As for Henry, he had a pretty strong day himself on Sunday. He had seven receptions for 115 yards, with one of the grabs being his 28-yard score in the second quarter. Not only were Henry's receptions and yards both game highs, but receiving yards were also a season-high. His seven receptions were the second most he's had in a game this season.

Tavai, meanwhile, missed the Patriots' first four games this season due to injury. He's been more of a rotational linebacker this year, with Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens taking on big roles at the position in their first season in New England . Tavai has 19 total tackles this season.

Patriots salute Jahlani Tavai after win vs. Bengals

While Henry made a heartfelt gesture for Tavai during the game, some other members of the Patriots' organization sent some positive thoughts to Tavai after the game. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye reverted his attention to Tavai when he was asked about the injuries left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson suffered.

"You feel empty. You're playing so hard for everyone around you. My thoughts are with Jahlani and what he's going through," Maye said. "I love Jahlani. There are so many different things coming at you. That's what's cool about this game. It's such a team sport. Guys rally around each other and play for one another. We'll laugh, create good times and realize how blessed we are, and thank the good lord for the chance to play this game and go out there and battle."

Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez also sent some positive thoughts Tavai's way, sharing that the team spoke with him via FaceTime after the game.

"He came in, and everybody got in on the FaceTime, and just talked to him," Gonzalez said. "It's been great to be able to talk to him, see his face, see the smiles, and (we have) just continuous praise for him and his family, and we love him like a brother. So we're just continuing to pray for him, and asking everybody to pray for him as well."

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