By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals running back Rudi Johnson is expected to make his third start Sunday against the Texans in place of injured Corey Dillon.

Johnson, a third-year pro from Auburn, has averaged 85 yards rushing in his two starts.

The Bengals need to establish the running game to keep their defense off the field and take some pressure off quarterback Jon Kitna and the pass game.

Houston can be run upon. The Texans rank 22nd in the NFL in rush defense with an average of 124.1 yards a game. The leader of the Texans' defense is middle linebacker Jamie Sharper, whose 76 tackles are the most on the club.

Sharper plays what is considered the middle in the Texans' four-linebacker defense. Houston is one of five NFL teams using the 3-4 defense as their base scheme.

Sharper also played for five seasons in Baltimore, where Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was defensive coordinator.

Sharper is strong against the run, and he has five games this season in which he has reached double digits in tackles.

The Bengals are No. 31 in rush offense, gaining an average of 85.5 yards a game. Dillon's lingering groin strain is one of the reasons for the bad ranking, and so is inconsistent blocking from the offensive line.

Sunday at Arizona, Johnson looked quicker and stronger than Dillon and showed more ability to bounce off tackles. He scored his third rushing touchdown and had a 4.3-yard average on eight carries.

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