The Stats Don't Lie, Week 10: Rashard Mendenhall vs. Cedric Benson

In recent weeks I have made frequent use of stats to try to draw comparisons between Steeler players and the opposing team's defense. So here goes Rashard Mendenhall against the Bengals defense and Cedric Benson against the Steeler's defense:

Rashard Mendenhall (11th in total rushing yards)

Carries    Rush Yds       Rush Avg    Runs of 20+ Yds      % Rush for 1st down  

Cincinnati's's Rush Defense (2nd rushing defense)

Rushing Att      Att/Game     Yds       Avg    Yds/Gm      TD      1st Down%

AND

Cedric Benson (2nd in total Rushing yards )

Carries       Rush Yds   Rush Avg    Runs of 20+ Yds      % Rush for 1st down  

Pittsburgh's Rush Defense (1st Rushing defense)

Rushing Att      Att/Game     Yds       Avg    Yds/Gm      TD      1st Down%

So who will have a better game?

A running back with a 4.2 yards per carry average against a top-ranked rush defense or Mendenhall with a 5.7 yards per carry average against the second-ranked rush defense?

For the record: Mendenhall's 5.7 yds per carry is second only to the Titan's Chris Johnson and his 6.7 yds per carry (Rushers with over 100 attempts).

It appears that the running games could be very evenly matched and it might come down to the stark differences in the passing game.

For more on that please see the upcoming: The Stats Don't Lie, Week 10: Big Ben Vs. Carson Palmer