NFL Week 7 Bengals at Steelers: Goat of the week

This feature almost always features players only, but because of both reader comments and the way this important Week 7 game played out, we had to include some coaches. Cast your vote and leave your comments on who should be the Bengals’ Week 7 “Goat of the Week”!

Geno Atkins: The best player on the Bengals’ defense has had an outstanding year, but completely disappeared in what very well could be the most important game of the Bengals’ 2017 season. Atkins had just two total tackles, zero sacks and was seen lazily jogging off of the field to incur a 12-men penalty.

Vontaze Burfict: Yeah, the star-crossed linebacker was around the football on Sunday, but he only amassed four total tackles. He was also seen doing something that only plays into his nationwide reputation, which doesn’t sit well with those who were happy to see him get re-signed long-term.

Andy Dalton: Rarely does a player get nominated for the weekly MVP, as well as one of our goats, but so goes with the territory of a starting NFL quarterback. Those who adhere to the “Good Andy/Bad Andy” argument were validated on Sunday.

Dalton had a first half that included two touchdowns and 109 yards. He only had 31 yards and two interceptions in the final two quarters of a very important game.

The offensive line: While most can point at Dalton’s performance as one of the major reasons for a loss on Sunday, the big boys up front let him down. They allowed four sacks and couldn’t open holes for backs in the second half, as the offense only netted 19 total yards in the final two quarters.

Josh Shaw: Shaw seemed to get abused on the somewhat-rare occasion Ben Roethlisberger made a clutch throw. The former fourth-round pick has been a nice utility player for the Bengals, but he just seemed to be a step behind on many pass plays on Sunday.

Marvin Lewis: You’re off of a bye, supposedly getting healthier and are going against a familiar foe. It should be a recipe for success, right? Well, Lewis’ team still found a way to allow Pittsburgh to be more physical and have their way against his team.

With a second half implosion, the defense’s inability to make any impactful plays and a failure to get his team to be as motivated as the Steelers, Lewis’ job has to continue to be in question. But, second half adjustments are just a ruse, right, Marv?

Paul Guenther: Roethlisberger only had 224 passing yards and a 58 percent completion percentage, but his unit didn’t step up in the run game, nor did they in a number of clutch situations. Yes, they managed to stifle the Steelers’ offense in a number of third and fourth down situations, they bent with the allowance of five Jeff Boswell field goals.

Bill Lazor: We can blame a lot of folks, but the offense’s collapse after the halftime gun was staggering. After garnering almost seven yards per carry in the first half, Joe Mixon didn’t have a carry in the final two quarters.

The offense also allowed four sacks and committed to turnovers in a game that was tight in the third quarter. Things got so bad in the third quarter, in fact, Cincinnati went punt, interception, interception in their possessions after the halftime gun.