One could argue that Cedric Benson won the FedEx Ground Player of the Week award because he did it against a team that hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 39 straight games. With 27 carries, Cedric Benson recorded 120 yards rushing and a 28-yard touchdown. The touchdown, in the closing minutes of the third quarter, gave the Bengals a 10-7 lead over a heavily favored opponent. In Baltimore, no less.
Benson, the NFL leading rusher, has recorded two 100-yard rushing performances this season, three touchdowns with a season-average of 4.4 yards-per-rush. In five games this year, Benson hasn't recorded less than 74 yards rushing, and fell below 4.0 yards-per-rush in one game (Denver). Rudi Johnson holds the franchise record for most yards rushing in a season, rushing for 1,458 on 337 attempts and 12 touchdowns in 2005. Below, we compare Rudi Johnson's franchise setting season to Cedric Benson's season this year.
| Cedric Benson (2009) | Rudi Johnson (2005) | |
| Yards | 487 | 464 |
| Carries | 111 | 110 |
| Touchdowns | 3 | 5 |
| Yards/Rush | 4.4 | 4.2 |