Cincinnati Bengals

If one positive came out the Bengals' 20-17 loss at Oakland, it was that they learned they have depth at running back.

With Cedric Benson inactive due to a hip flexor strain, rookie Bernard Scott had 151 yards from scrimmage (119 rushing, 32 receiving), which is the team's second-best total this season. Brian Leonard also had his most carries in two years (13 for 36 yards).

Combine various other runs, including two 1-yard touchdown plunges from Carson Palmer along with two carries for 5 yards from Larry Johnson, and the Bengals ran 43 times for 177 yards, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.

That helped them rack up 348 yards of total offense and 38 minutes, 24 seconds in time of possession.

"I was pleased with Bernard and with Brian as well," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "Bernard did a good job. Obviously Bernard is adjusting to a difference in his opportunities, and so he'll be much better at it this coming week than he was last week."

Johnson, who was signed by the team on Nov. 17, was in for only one series, but Lewis sees the former Kansas City back being worked more into the offense if Benson is unable to play for a second straight game Sunday against Cleveland.

"Depending on Ced's health. we'll see how it is, and how much Larry is involved this week," Lewis said. "Larry got only two snaps (Sunday) because of how the game went, and if indeed we get a similar situation this week, I suspect we'll feel more comfortable with him in doing more things. I would expect he'll get an opportunity to play more if Ced is down."

The status of Benson will again be one of the focal points of the week. The fifth-year back did do some running on the field two hours before the Oakland game, but the coaching and training staffs do not want to rush Benson back at the risk of this injury nagging him for the remainder of the season.

If Benson is out for this game, expect to see the same rotation as last week, with Johnson being worked in a little more.

"I know Ced is itching to get back in there. I imagine if he can go, he'll go," offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said. "You want to make sure he's 100 percent so the thing doesn't re-aggravate and linger for a couple weeks. When they say they're nagging, you can make them nag if you rush it."

—Defensive tackle Domata Peko suffered an MCL sprain to his right knee and says that he is day-to-day heading into Sunday's game against Cleveland.

Peko suffered an injury to his left knee in the Oct. 18 loss to Houston, but was able to come back the next week to face Chicago. In the week leading up to the Bears game, Peko didn't practice on Wednesday, did some individual workouts on a side field on Thursday and then had full participation on Friday.

"I have a chance of playing. I'm just happy the ligament wasn't torn or anything," Peko said. "It hurts when I do some change-of-pace direction and stuff like that. It's a little sore and feels like the last time I got hurt."

• The Bengals didn't get a sack in Oakland. It was the first time this season they went sackless in a game.

  "You've got to give credit to (the Raiders)," defensive end Jonathan Fanene said. "They threw a lot of short passes (and made it work). They were movin' the ball. … They were doing a good job sliding the protection."

• Bengals ticket manager Andrew Brown said that less than 1,000 tickets remain for the Cleveland game, which means odds are good that it won't have to go down to the wire for a blackout extension from the league.

  The Bengals have sold out 49 consecutive regular-season and postseason games. The only games to sell out in advance this season were Pittsburgh and Chicago, while the games against Denver, Houston and Baltimore needed a 24-hour extension from the league in order to lift the local TV blackout.

Player Notes

• RG Evan Mathis is expected to be able to practice more this week and might be back in the lineup for Sunday's game against Cleveland. Mathis has missed the last two games with an ankle injury but was limited in practice late last week.

• LB Keith Rivers is expected to return to practice after being out the last two weeks due to a calf injury.

• WR Andre Caldwell fumbled his second kick return of the year in the loss to the Raiders. He was returning kicks due to Bernard Scott having leg cramps.

• OT Andre Smith continues to go through practices and might be a game-day active during one of the next three games.

• WR Maurice Purify saw limited action against the Raiders and was in as the fourth receiver.

Report Card Vs

. RAIDERS

Passing Offense:

C-plus—After starting 7-for-8 for 121 yards in the first quarter, Carson Palmer was 7-for-14 for 86 yards the rest of the way. The offensive line, though, did struggle in pass protection, as Palmer was sacked three times. Chad Ochocinco was good during the first quarter but then was non-existent in the last three. Laveranues Coles had a nice 40-yard reception on the last play of the third quarter, but that was one of only two catches for him on the day. Andre Caldwell was targeted six times but had only three receptions. Coles also should've done a better job coming up with a fumble during the second quarter, and Ochocinco did have two costly false-start penalties.

Rushing Offense:

C-plus—The Bengals were able to run the ball for 177 yards. Bernard Scott got his first 100-yard game (119 yards on 21 carries), but take away his 61-yard gain in the third quarter and he had just 58 on 20 carries. He also had 32 yards on three catches. Brian Leonard also showed that he can pick up the slack with 36 yards on 13 carries. The negatives were nine carries that resulted in negative yardage. Jeremi Johnson's fumble in the red zone was also costly.

Pass Defense:

C—The Bengals had no sacks and didn't get a lot of pressure on Bruce Gradkowski. The cornerback duo of Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall gave up only one completion, a 7-yard reception to Darrius Heyward-Bey, but Morgan Trent was burned a couple times in single coverage, including Louis Murphy's game-tying 38-yard reception in the fourth quarter. The safeties were also inconsistent in the run and pass games. There was a questionable pass-interference call on Hall during the third quarter that did not prove costly.

Rush Defense:

C—Some of the problems of the first four weeks of the season came back, like missed tackles and not a lot of penetration in the backfield. If DT Domata Peko is lost for any games, that is big because he is one of the primary run stoppers on the line.

Special Teams:

D—Kevin Huber did have a good day punting the football (49.8-yard average gross, 40.5-yard average net), and Quan Cosby had a nice 18-yard punt return, but Shayne Graham missed a 37-yard field goal, and Caldwell's fumble on a kick return led to Sebastian Janikowski's game-winning field goal. Every time you think the unit is back on track, two or three things go wrong to blow it up.

Coaching:

C-minus—The offensive staff never found a way to counter or defend Oakland's pressure, while the defensive staff couldn't dial up anything to get pressure. We're 11 weeks into the season, and many of the offensive woes—as in long periods of flux and stalls—remain. Consistency remains a problem and continues to prevent the Bengals from making that next step to bona fide contender in the AFC.