Posted: 1 a.m.
Sound familiar?
The Steelers No. 1 rush defense has gone 26 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher (Jacksonville's Fred Taylor) and the last AFC North running back to do it was the Bengals' Rudi Johnson (Oct. 3, 2004).
Bengals running back Cedric Benson broke Baltimore's streak at 39 last month and he became the first division back to do it since Johnson in 2005.
"Streaks are meant to be broken; records are meant to be broken," Benson said Thursday. "Why not be the guy? That is somewhat motivation, but this season has been motivation."
After pounding it 34 times against the Ravens, Benson says he's not sore and doesn't dread another 30 or so pops against the Steelers. Going against No. 1 has Benson's attention.
"Their philosophy of how they want to be successful on defense is that Pittsburgh wants to put their big guys on smaller guys to guarantee wins in the matchups," Benson said. "I think Baltimore just feels that they're better.
"You always enjoy the competition, the toughness of going against the No. 1 defense. It makes for a fun day."
WEATHER CHECK: The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio is calling for partly sunny skies in Pittsburgh with no chance of rain and a high of 62 degrees accompanied by a five-mile-per-hour wind out of the south.
