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How long will it take for newly acquired tailback Cedric Benson to become a central part of the offense?

"Well, it's going to take a little bit of time," Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis said. "There will be some things he'll be a little bit unsure of, which will cause me to be a little anxious about how much he's in the game.

"Now I will tell you, he's a very diligent worker and hopefully he'll continue to be a diligent learner at what he has to do so that we become more comfortable with those things."

Like blocking in pass protection and catching passes out of the backfield.

"The natural part of carrying the football — that's the easy part," Lewis said. "It's the other things that come with it that tax you a little bit more and can be just as important."

Browns rested, ready

The bye week gave Cleveland time to heal for its Monday night showdown against the New York Giants.

Outside linebacker Willie McGinest (hamstring), wide receiver Donte Stallworth (quadriceps) and backup right offensive tackle Ryan Tucker (hip) are ready to perform. Tucker is finally healthy after fracturing a hip bone this summer.

It'll be interesting to see if there's any residue from the Browns' preseason disaster against the Giants, who scored 30 unanswered points in the first half — 16 in a span of 1:16.

Hopefully, the Browns have burned the ugly brown pants they wore that night in the worst fashion faux pas since the Bengals uniforms were unveiled in 2004.

"They embarrassed us," Browns linebacker Andra Davis said. "So that's going to give us a little extra fire."

Steelers Firm grip on first

Say goodbye to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are running away in the AFC North.

They're tougher, smarter and better than the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and cellar-dwelling Cincinnati Bengals.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger — bruised, battered, but not beaten — is nominated for the FedEx Air NFL player of the week after completing 26-of-41 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns in the Steelers' 26-21 victory over Jacksonville.

Linebacker LaMarr Woodley (6 solo tackles, 2 sacks) is nominated for NFL defensive player of the week after helping limit the Jaguars to 213 yards.

And Mike Tomlin is nominated for NFL coach of the week.

With tailbacks Willie Parker, Carey Davis and Rashard Mendenhall out, the Steelers leaned on Mewelde Moore, who rushed 17 times for 99 yards (a 5.8 average).

"He probably endeared himself to some guys in the locker room," Tomlin said. "You know how it is when you are the new guy. You have to earn your stripes, particularly a team that is built through the draft the way we are. He did that a little bit. He got some new friends in there."

Week 6 Schedule

New York Giants (4-0) at Cleveland (1-3), 8:30 p.m. Monday (ESPN)

Cincinnati (0-5) at New York Jets (2-2), 1 p.m. Sunday

Baltimore (2-2) at Indianapolis (2-2), 1 p.m. Sunday

Pittsburgh (4-1) has a bye

Week 5 Star — Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger's 3 TD passes triggered Pittsburgh's 26-21 victory at Jacksonville.

Week 5 Goat — Bengals TB Chris Perry, whose fumble ruined Cincinnati's upset bid in a 31-22 loss at Dallas.

Quote of the Week

"It was definitely a show-and-prove type of deal. On other teams, your resume would speak for itself and how you accept people into your locker room. Here, that is not the case. It is 'what have you done lately' and then we'll move on from there." — Steelers TB Mewelde Moore, who filled in Sunday night and rushed for 99 yards against Jacksonville

Ravens Harbaugh 'encouraged'

Even with nose tackle Kelly Gregg scheduled for season-ending microfracture surgery on his left knee, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh is optimistic about the season despite two straight losses.

"I'm encouraged in the sense that we have a tough, hard-nosed, clean, disciplined football team — guys that play the right way, the Raven way," Harbaugh said. "And, we're building on that.

"I can't wait to play the next 12 games-plus. I can't wait to see what this team becomes going forward because of the way they play — how they play — Raven football."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.