Cincinnati Bengals Should Rest Cedric Benson Against the Oakland Raiders

After straining his hip against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the status of running back Cedric Benson is still up in the air on whether or not he will start this week against the Oakland Raiders.

As tempted as Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis may be to start Benson, who has rushed for 859 yards and six touchdowns on the season, he might want to consider resting the league's sixth-ranked rusher against the Raiders.

Benson sat the second half Sunday against the Steelers and was replaced by rookie running back Bernard Scott, who scored the lone touchdown of the game on a 96-yard kickoff return in the first quarter.

Against the Steelers No. 1 ranked rushing defense, Scott managed to gain 33 yards on the ground on 13 carries. While these numbers may not seem spectacular, Lewis should consider the potential Scott has against the Raiders rushing attack.

The Raiders have the fourth-worst rushing defense in all of football, ranking ahead of only the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Buffalo Bills. In Week Seven, the defense allowed 316 rushing yards to the New York Jets, allowing running backs Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene to each finish with over 100 yards on the ground.

While he may not be as effective as Benson, Scott is capable of providing the Bengals with enough production at running back to help the Bengals leave Oakland with a win. If they can beat the Steelers with just 55 yards rushing behind Scott and Benson, there's no reason why they can't do that against the Raiders.

Benson's hip strain may not be that serious of an injury. However, the last thing the team needs is to play him while the injury is minor and make things worse.

Nothing against the city of Oakland, but the Raiders are the perfect team for the Bengals to play in this type of situation. Lewis should rest Benson to avoid the chance of losing him later on in the season—especially come playoff time.

Dan Parzych is the Cincinnati Bengals Examiner for Examiner.com

He is also the founder of WhoDeyBengals.com