Cincinnati Bengals: Geno Atkins the unsung DPOY candidate

With the fourth-most points per game and the second-most net yards per pass attempt, the Cincinnati Bengals 11-4 record has largely been attributed to their work on the offensive side of the ball, and their numbers would be even more impressive if Andy Dalton never suffered an injury a few weeks ago.

Dalton soaked up plenty of MVP attention and was a huge reason for the Cincinnati Bengals 8-0 start, as he finished the regular season with a 25:7 TD:INT ratio to go with 8.4 yards per attempt and a 66.1% completion percentage. However, Dalton, A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert, and the rest of the Bengals impressive offense have overshadowed the equally praise-worthy work accomplished by the defense this season, and defensive tackle Geno Atkins is once again at the heart of it.

Veteran safety Reggie Nelson is tied for the league-lead with eight interceptions, cornerback Adam Jones has been one of the best at the position this season, and explosive defensive end Carlos Dunlap is tied with Ziggy Ansah for third with 13.5 sacks. But if you ask me, Atkins is, once again, clearly the most valuable player on the Bengals defense, and, in fact, he’s a huge reason why Dunlap has been able to rack up so many sacks after an uneven 2014 season.

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Atkins showed some rust last season in his first year back from an ACL tear, but he’s been back to his elite self here in 2015. 10.0 sacks is a total that nobody will dismiss at the 4-3 defensive tackle position, and Atkins is also tenth in tackles for loss and fifth among interior defensive linemen in stuffs in the running game, per Sporting Charts.

Although he makes the most of every opportunity in the running game, the Bengals can afford to limit Atkins’s snaps against the run, meaning that he can better focus his efforts on getting after the quarterback. When it comes to consistency, there might not be a better pure pass rusher up the middle in the league than the explosive Atkins, who is working on the second season of his career with double-digit sacks.

According to the NFL Network’s observant Rand Getlin, Atkins put pressure on the quarterback ten more times than any other defensive tackle in the league, prior to the Bengals Week 16 loss to the Denver Broncos. I highly doubt things have changed significantly on the leaderboard after just one week, especially since Sporting Charts has Atkins tabbed with 33 hurries, which means that only elite 3-4 OLB Justin Houston of the Kansas City Chiefs has more. In fact, J.J. Watt and Fletcher Cox are the only other interior DLs in the NFL with at least 24 hurries, though I’m sure this is a total that varies depending on who tracks the statistic.

However, since two outlets have Atkins on top in the hurries department, it’s safe to say that the man is bringing the heat at a higher rate than anyone else up the heart of offensive lines. He’s freeing up others around him, and his ability to disrupt opposing passing attack’s in such a quick and profound manner has been a huge boost to a ball-hawking secondary.

The Bengals, after all, are third in the league with 19 interceptions, seventh in net yards per pass attempt, and, yes, first in points per game allowed. Atkins is the biggest reason for this, and the four Bengals DBs with at least eight passes defended have him to thank for their opportunities to make plays on the ball.

Sep 20, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins (97) looks on before the game against the San Diego Chargers at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated San Diego 24-19. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Despite Atkins’s gaudy numbers as an interior pass rusher and impressive sack total, he remains underrated.

Even though he should be considered a bona fide Defensive Player of the Year candidate on one of the NFL’s top five defenses, Atkins has been an afterthought. Sure, he’s a Pro Bowler, but not many people talk about him as a candidate behind the likes of Josh Norman and J.J. Watt.

While my DPOY vote would indeed go to either one of those two players, Atkins needs to be in the discussion.

Maybe he’s being overshadowed by the work Green, Dalton, and others on this excellent Bengals team have done, but just as Norman’s candidacy shouldn’t be softened by Kurt Coleman, Luke Kuechly, and MVP favorite Cam Newton, Atkins shouldn’t be penalized by the players around him.

This is mostly because it is Atkins who elevates those around him, as the big seasons enjoyed by Jones, Nelson, and Dunlap have been both unprecedented and thoroughly impacted by the work started up front, in the middle.

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Atkins wreaks havocs on offensive lines and QBs every week, and it’s almost impossible to remember the last time he was effectively neutralized.

He’s been one of the best in the business ever since recording eight sacks in the 2011 season, and the 27-year-old Georgia product is back to his 12.5-sack form in 2012, playing some of the best ball of his career.

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