By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Tight end Reggie Kelly (foot) and cornerback Jeff Burris (concussions) are expected to miss Sunday's game at San Diego, coach Marvin Lewis said Monday.

"Hopefully we will have a chance to get them back a week or so from now," Lewis said.

Tailback Corey Dillon (abdominal strain), who ran six times for 21 yards and had two receptions for 15 yards against the Chiefs, weathered his activity well.

"It was good to get him some live contact and work through it like he did," Lewis said.

Tight end Matt Schobel, who has recurring hamstring problems, left the game but did return.

TRUE TO THEIR SCHOOL: It will be the first game between Lewis (age 45) and Marty Schottenheimer (age 60). They are both graduates of Fort Cherry High School in McDonald, Pa., and share the same birth date (Sept. 23).

WHAT A RUSH: The Bengals' ranking in rush offense has climbed 17 spots in two games, 31st to 14th. They have rushed for 440 yards in the past two games and are now averaging 112.5 yards a game.

Rudi Johnson has 247 yards on the ground in the past two games, giving him 607 on 138 attempts. Johnson needs to average 65.5 yards in the final six games to reach 1,000. When and if Dillon returns at full strength, whom does Lewis play - Dillon or Johnson?

"I'll deal with that when we get to it," Lewis said. "That will be something that I will deal with, and I won't have to talk about."

BAD DEFENSE: San Diego is last in the NFL in scoring defense at 28 points a game, headed into the Monday night game. The Chargers are 30th in total defense at 369.5 yards a game and 31st in pass defense at 235.4 yards a game.

SOD STORY: Workers started to replace the sod in the middle of the Paul Brown Stadium playing field Monday. The Bengals don't play at home again until Dec. 14.

MEDIA DARLINGS: The Bengals received some 25 specific requests for player interviews Monday alone from national media outlets following their upset of the Chiefs.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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