The Bengals watched their playoff hopes go up in smoke as the season unfolded, but they were able to win for the second straight week when they faced the Browns last Sunday.
Defensive tackle Geno Atkins played a big role in the 23-10 victory. Atkins welcomed Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III back to the playing field with a pair of sacks and four quarterback hits.
Atkins added five tackles, two for losses, in a performance that led the league to name him the AFC defensive player of the week.
Atkins had gone three games without a sack before rebounding against Cleveland. He now has 6.5 sacks on the year, which leaves him behind the pace he’d need to match the 11 he recorded last season. He’s still been an effective and sometimes disruptive player in the middle of the line for the Bengals, though, and figures to be a big part of the rebound plans in Cincinnati come 2017.
