NFL Week 5 Bills and Bengals: Cincinnati’s Unsung Hero of the Week

In the Cincinnati Bengals’ 20-16 win over the Buffalo Bills, many of Cincinnati’s big stars stepped up in big ways, but a lot of other players also made critical plays to help the cause. The “Unsung Hero of the Week” award acknowledges Bengals players who have gone above and beyond in a number of different ways.

Whether it’s in a role player stepping up huge, someone coming in and playing well for another injured player, or just other regulars who have gone overlooked, we like to honor those players in this series. Cast your vote and sound off on your vote for the Bengals Week 5 Unsung Hero of the Week!

Tight end Tyler Kroft: There’s no doubt the Bengals have missed Tyler Eifert the past three weeks. However, Kroft has stepped up in a big way—especially the past two weeks. After notching two touchdown catches against the Browns, the backup tight end had 38 receiving yards on four catches and was a nice ancillary weapon for Andy Dalton.

Punter Kevin Huber: After having some struggles last year, Huber has seemed to return into Pro Bowl form in 2017. He had four punts on the day with three of them landing inside Buffalo’s own 20-yard line. This was a relatively big reason as to why the Bills only scored 16 points on the day.

Defensive tackle Geno Atkins: Michael Johnson stole the show with his performance on Sunday, but Atkins grabbed another one of his own on Tyrod Taylor. He had four total tackles as well and is showing that he is still one of the premier defensive linemen in the NFL.

Defensive end Jordan Willis: Fellow rookie edge rusher, Carl Lawson, has received the lion’s share of the attention this year, and rightfully so with 3.5 sacks on the year (including another one on Sunday), but Willis made his own mark against the Bills. He had three solo tackles and his first sack of his NFL career on Sunday.

Linebacker Nick Vigil: In his first year as a true starter, Vigil has grown into a solid player in this defense. He was flying around once again on Sunday, grabbing nine total tackles. There wasn’t a “wow play” by him, per se, but he has been in on tackles to stop first down conversions and remains an athletic player in pass coverage.

Safety George Iloka: It’s been a relatively quiet year for the Bengals’ safety duo this year, but Iloka had five total tackles and the game-clinching interception at the end of the game. The defense, in general, has been the strong point of the Cincinnati team this year.