Cincinnati Bengals: Are any players deserving of Pro Bowl nod?

Geno Atkins

Of any Bengal still able to suit up, none of them have had the level of positive impact Atkins has had this season.

He jumped out of the gate firing on all cylinders, bursting out to have six sacks in the first five games — a total not even Aaron Donald was able to reach so early in the year. He was well on his way to yet another great season for one of the best players in franchise history.

Unfortunately, much of those strong early totals may be more due to the competition than we want to admit. In those five weeks, Atkins got his sacks when the Bengals faced a Colts team where Andrew Luck played his first game in over a season and a half, a disjointed Baltimore offense still led by Joe Flacco, an Atlanta offense which was potent but vulnerable on their interior line, and a Miami team which has long been in rough shape along their blocking group.

Since that opening onslaught, Atkins has been silent on the stat sheet. The explosive offenses of Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, and New Orleans blew Atkins’ unit apart for a month straight; in that time, Atkins had three games with a single tackle, zero sacks, and forced no turnovers while his defense was run off the field in embarrassing, record-setting fashion. He got a sack against Baltimore in their second meeting, but that’s it in terms of impact plays made directly by him in the past couple months.

While he still ranks decently well among his position mates, he’s clearly not a shoo-in for one of the defensive tackle spots this year. Donald is obviously the top name, but there are multiple other interior players who’ve clearly hit a level beyond what Atkins has shown in 2018.

Fletcher Cox has been a stalwart yet again for the Eagles. Green Bay’s Kenny Clark has continued his steady rise as a player, and he’s one of eight defensive interior players to eclipse 90.0 in PFF (subscription required) grade this year. Grady Jarrett continues to prove his performance for the Falcons in the Super Bowl a couple years ago was simply a sign of great things to come. Akiem Hicks may be the most underratedly great player in the entire league.

Atkins is in the mix for the last spot, but he’s got clear competition. Jurrell Casey is a wall for Tennessee. Hick’s teammate Eddie Goldman has been really good himself. Kawann Short has continued to be a beast for Carolina. Pittsburgh’s Javon Hargrave and Cam Heyward each have a case.

Still, despite all the competition, there’s a decent argument for Atkins here. If he doesn’t get the call, the Bengals may have a tough time getting anyone on there.

As disappointing as that may be, it would fit right in with where the Bengals have mattered in the story of the season: very much so early on, but petering out as the season trekked forward.