Cedric Benson Will Start On Sunday Vs. Lions

Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis says running back Cedric Benson will be back in the starting lineup for the Bengals when they host the Detroit Lions in Week 13, according to the team’s official Twitter feed.

Benson has sat out the last two weeks due to a hip injury. With backup Bernard Scott likely limited or out the next few weeks with mild turf toe, Benson and recently acquired Larry Johnson — who went off for over 100 yards last week — figure to carry the load from the Bengals from here on out.

In the Bengals first game against Cleveland this season, Benson averaged 4.1 yards per carry for 74 total in a 23-30 victory.

Rookie Bernard Scott, Brian Leonard, and recently signed Larry Johnson figure to fill in for Benson if he cannot play.

Via the Bengals official Twitter feed comes news that running back Cedric Benson did not participate in practice on Thursday. Benson left last week’s game against the Steelers with a hip injury, and had sounded confident about his prospects of playing this weekend immediately afterwards.

The fact that the Bengals signed former Chief Larry Johnson seemed to indicate that the team was less sanguine about Benson returning so quickly. The Bengals also might figure that they can afford to rest Benson this week when they take on the woeful Raiders, allowing Benson to get closer to full strength.

Despite only rushing for 22 yards in Week 10, Benson still ranks sixth in the league in rushing.