Bengals 2017 season awards: Offensive Most Valuable Player

It was a rough year for the Bengals’ offensive unit in multiple facets. Underachievement from players the team had high hopes for, an in-season change at offensive coordinator, free agency attrition and injuries all played roles into the issues.

Still, there were some solid individual performances from some mainstays and new faces in the lineup. And, even though the team had issues on the line, these players made the best of the situation.

Which star on offense was the most important to last year’s Cincinnati squad? Cast your vote and sound off on your winner for the Bengals’ 2017 Offensive Most Valuable Player!

Quarterback Andy Dalton: At first blush, Dalton had a pedestrian year. But, taking into account all of the aforementioned issues, one has to be impressed with his resiliency and production.

He tied his third-highest passing touchdown total with 25, while also throwing the third-lowest amount of interceptions in his career with 12. Though his completion percentage and rating weren’t the best of his career, he was sacked the third-most times in his career.

Wide receiver A.J. Green: The superstar receiver wasn’t immune to some issues this year, as we witnessed a couple of costly drops in 2017. However, Green also had the most explosive plays of the year and remains the most consistent weapon in the offense’s artillery.

He notched two touchdowns of 70-plus yards this season, en route to another Pro Bowl berth. Green finished 2017 as the team leader in receptions (75), yards (1,078) and touchdowns (8).

Tight end Tyler Kroft: When Tyler Eifert went down with more injury issues, many wondered where the team would find any semblance of that type of production from the players behind him on the depth chart. In his third season, Kroft stepped up huge and became a great red zone target for Dalton.

He finished with 42 catches, 404 yards and seven touchdowns. The latter statistic was the second-highest on the team, only behind Green.

Running back Joe Mixon: The rookie running back didn’t get heavy work until the season wore on, but flashed that big-play capability the team loved from him as he entered the draft. Though the stats aren’t eye-popping when looking at them from a macro perspective, but he really ground out tough yards with limited running space.

He finished as the team leader in attempts (178), yards (626) and touchdowns (4). The highlight of his season was an electric 67-yard reception against the Colts.

Offensive lineman Clint Boling: The offensive line was the Achilles Heel of the 2017 Bengals squad, but Boling played well throughout the year. Cincinnati’s team stats won’t directly show his contributions, but Boling was a much-needed presence after the departures of Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth.

Aside from being valuable as the team’s right guard, he was pushed out to left tackle because of production and injury problems in the group. While he let up a couple of sacks in that time, the offense played some of its best overall football, thanks in large part to his work.