FILM REVIEW: Geno Atkins quarterback sack against the Browns

According to Pro Football Focus, Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins was the worst defensive player on the field for Cincinnati. Go ahead... re-read the previous sentence. It took us a moment to accurately absorb something that's countered a five-year opinon. Not only is the world transforming into a crazy upside down representation of what it used to be, but according to the same company, Rey Maualuga was the BEST defender on the field Sunday.

What?

And that comes after a string of struggles against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he missed five combined tackles in those games. On the other hand, he's always played well enough as a run defender... the whole pass coverage has been suspect but he played well on Sunday.

Anyway, back to Atkins. He stunk, per PFF.

This comes after three straight performances where his accumulated overall score was +5.5, generating eight run stops (which constitutes an offensive failure), eight hurries, a quarterback hit, a shared sack and a safety against the Houston Texans.

Against the Cleveland Browns, Atkins scored a -1.3 grade as a run defender and -0.7 as a pass rusher without any pass disruptions, save for one.

There's 13:58 remaining in the third quarter. Cleveland has third and six from their own 24-yard line. The Bengals rush three, with Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and Robert Geathers. Wallace Gilberry, who played right defensive tackle, is shadowing/spying on Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel.

Eventually the pocket compresses (largely thanks to the team's coverage in the secondary), with Geno Atkins using his brute strength to shove Ryan Seymour aside for the sack.

Sack. Punt.

The sack gives Atkins three on the season.