Cedric Benson: Why the Cincinnati Bengals RB's Suspension Isn't All Bad

With Cincinnati Bengals fans suffering with bye-week boredom last night, it proved a perfect opportunity to assess the NFL season as a whole thus far and what seems to be trending throughout the league, and then to go ahead and compare the common themes to the Bengals.

One thing that struck me by the end of Sunday night was injuries—in particular, running back injuries.

Here's just some of the RBs suffering following Sunday's action: Darren McFadden, Adrian Peterson, Earnest Graham, Marshawn Lynch, Tim Hightower...the list goes on.

This is not to say that Cedric Benson would be hobbling off the field if he were to be playing, but it has become clear that, as the league as a whole gets better at stopping the run, running backs are getting injured earlier and more often as a result.

So, why is this good for Cedric Benson?

Well, by the time the Bengals travel to Tennessee on November 6th, it will have been 20 days since Benson has taken hits on a football field (outside of practice). 

The positive aspect that I am gesturing towards here is that Benson will have a long period of time in which to rehab any bumps and bruises he has sustained thus far this year. And he will have a significant amount of time in which to get stronger in the meantime.

The negative aspect that you can counter this with, of course, is the fact that Benson may be rusty when the Bengals travel to the Titans, and that may well be the case. But for the majority who have followed Benson's story, he is someone who thrives off of setbacks, which might suggest a big return game on November 6th.

While the significance of this break might not be visible right now, it may become much more appreciated towards the end of the year when Benson is that little bit fresher as the weather gets colder.  

The Bengals will be pleased that they only lose Benson for a game against the struggling Seattle Seahawks and not against a division rival such as Pittsburgh. Whether Andy Dalton can lead a Cedric Benson-less team to victory at Qwest Field remains to be seen, but Benson's presence will not be as much of a necessity as it will be when divisional points are on the line.