PITTSBURGH - Indications before Monday night's game were that left guard Michael Jordan was back in the starting lineup against the Steelers after missing last week's game in Buffalo.
Third quarterback Jake Dolegala and back-up running back Trayveon Williams were on head coach Zac Taylor's inactive list along with five injured players that didn't practice at full go last week: wide receiver A.J. Green (ankle), left tackle Cordy Glenn (concussion) and defensive linemen Ryan Glasgow (thigh), Kerry Wynn (concussion) and Carl Lawson (hamstring).
Lawson, a rush end, was active last week but didn't play and hasn't practiced since injuring his hamstring Sept. 15 against the 49ers.
Jordan's matchup against the Steelers' always formidable front comes in an uncharacteristic moment in the rivalry where the Pittsburgh defense is ranked 28th against the run and 31st against the pass. The Bengals came into Heinz trying to jump-start their offense (ranked 25th in scoring) by resurrecting the league's last-ranked run game.
That may be all in the attempts. Since running back Joe Mixon's rookie season in 2017 the Bengals are 6-1 when he gets at least 20 carries. In the last 16 years the Bengals have rushed it against the Steelers 25 times in nine games and they are 5-4.
