Full Cincinnati Bengals Midseason Awards
It's midseason award time for the Cincinnati Bengals, although the biggest award of all for the team is going down in franchise history as the first to ever reach 7-0.
For coach Marvin Lewis and his team, it's been an incredible ride so far littered with blowouts, a pair of epic come-from-behind victories and a sense of resilient calm the team so sorely lacked in each of its previous postseason losses.
So now it's time to hand out awards at the halfway point of the season. There's improved players, underachievers, gaudy stats and great moments, so let's get right to it.
Most Improved Player: Darqueze Dennard
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One season ago, the Bengals didn't trust first-round pick Darqueze Dennard to play significant snaps, instead deferring to others.
This year he's already surpassed his snap total from 2014 with 129, per Pro Football Focus, a sign the coaching staff trusts him to spell Dre Kirkpatrick and Adam Jones well when necessary.
Dennard has played well in those chances, too, posting mostly positive coverage grades at PFF. After his first career interception against Buffalo, he revealed the learning process in an interview.
“The last couple weeks I’ve been in good coverage but haven’t had my eyes around to make the play, but this time I got around and got to see the ball,” Dennard said, per the Cincinnati Enquirer's Jim Owczarski.
On a team with little room for improved players to break through as starters, Dennard stands as an example as to how it's done.
Biggest Underachiever: Jeremy Hill
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This wasn't hard to see coming, was it?
It's hard to complain about any Cincinnati player right now, but this is a staple of award season and it's hard to see how it goes to anyone other than Jeremy Hill.
After all, Hill ran for 1,124 yards and nine scores a season ago, averaging better than five yards per carry. This season he's averaging just 3.3 yards on 89 attempts, although he's found paydirt five times.
Fumbles, game flow and a surprising outburst from Giovani Bernard have Hill in a statistical nightmare right now. It's not the end of the world by any means, but it does make him the top candidate for the award.
First-Half Top Comeback Player: Tyler Eifert
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Sorry Geno Atkins and Vontaze Burfict, this one goes to Tyler Eifert.
Burfict looked great in his first action back since being activated, but he doesn't have a big enough sample size just yet. Atkins isn't really a comeback player, per se, but it feels like it with how much he struggled last year after knee rehab and how elite he looks this season.
Eifert might be the biggest difference on this Cincinnati team. He's received 48 targets this year, second only to A.J. Green (67). Of those 48, he's caught 32 for 381 yards and six touchdowns to lead the team in scoring.
It's no wonder Andy Dalton looks like a new player under center with such a big, consistent threat in the middle of the field, up the seam and in the end zone.
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Top Moment: Andy Dalton's 5-Yard Touchdown Run Against Seahawks
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The win in Pittsburgh this past weekend was great, but borderline expected of these new-look Bengals, in large part because of the season's top moment so far.
Back in Week 5, the Bengals took down a popular preseason Super Bowl pick by storming from behind to erase a 24-7 deficit to upend the Seattle Seahawks in overtime.
Dalton's frantic five-yard run through the heart of the Seahawks defense, putting his body on the line, brought the Bengals within three. From there, a win seemed like the obvious conclusion, as Mike Nugent knocked in a field goal at the end of regulation to force overtime, where he'd wind up nailing the game-winning kick.
The play itself personifies the tough, calm Bengals well this year. It might not wind up being the best play of the season, but it's the winner right now.
Top Stat: 20 Sacks
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Does that number look familiar?
For those who don't get it, one of Cincinnati's biggest weaknesses last season was its inability to pressure quarterbacks. With Atkins struggling, Michael Johnson gone and Margus Hunt not stepping up to help, the Bengals mustered just 20 sacks over the entire 16-game slate.
The Bengals have now hit the 20-sack mark in seven games.
Atkins looks healthy this time around and Johnson is back, so it's no wonder the unit as a whole looks mostly like those dominant units of the past.
There are plenty of great stats flying around about the Bengals, but this one might be the most important.
Most Underrated Contributor: Adam Jones
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In the broad scope of the NFL, cornerback Adam Jones has never received the proper amount of credit over the past few seasons.
All folks seem to remember about Jones is his getting torched by Houston in the postseason a few years back, but in reality, he's been the team's best corner for years now.
Last year, Jones ranked as the 38th corner in the NFL at PFF. This year he's sitting at No. 7 and coming off a game in which he left his comfort zone on one side of the field to shadow Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown to great effect.
To top it all off, Jones remains one of the league's most dangerous return men on punts. Cincinnati fans know a little better than most about Jones, but by and large, he's once again the most underrated player on the team.
First-Half MVP: Andy Dalton
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Surprise, right?
Dalton turned heads throughout the league early this season, making adjustments at the line, remaining calm in a collapsing pocket and taking care of the football. Perhaps most impressive, he wasn't missing wildly like he has in the past.
What changed? It's hard to say, although this past weekend in Pittsburgh it looked like things were set to come crashing back down. Dalton threw several erratic passes, rushed out of clean pockets and threw a pair of horrific interceptions.
Instead of the collapse everyone seemed to be waiting for, though, Dalton rallied and led the team to a win.
ESPN.com's Coley Harvey described the newfound trend well: "After Andy Dalton's second INT you may have been thinking, 'Here we go again.' With another comeback, though, 'Here we go again' has [a different] meaning."
It's a long season and things could go either way from here on out, but right now the first-half MVP goes to the new-look Dalton, who has the Queen City buzzing, his team on a historic tear and onlookers scratching their heads.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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