Giovani Bernard officially ruled out; Jeremy Hill will start against Saints

Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard has been officially ruled out for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints. Bernard is dealing with a hip injury he sustained against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8, and has missed Cincinnati's past two games. It's a significant loss for the Bengals, as Bernard has been running well this season.

He's carried the ball 109 times for 446 yards and five touchdowns. He's a big part of the offensive gameplan, and also has 22 catches on the season. The Saints have a tough rush defense, ranking 11th in the league with 106.8 rushing yards allowed per game, so losing Bernard hurts even more. That said, Jeremy Hill has filled in well over the past two games.

Hill, a rookie second-round pick, put up 154 yards and two touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9 and managed 55 yards off of 12 carries against the Cleveland Browns in Week 10. He'll get the bulk of the touches against the Saints and can be expected to do well, but the Bengals will be a better team when Bernard is back in the lineup. Hill has probably earned himself some playing time even when Bernard eventually returns, too.