Quick hits: LBs Rey, Vigil dinged; Lawson gets assist in chase with Dunlap

The Bengals are low on linebackers as they continue to prepare for Monday night's game (8:25-ESPN, Cincinnati's Channel 12) against the Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium.


Outside backers Nick Vigil (ankle) and Vincent Rey (hamstring) weren't the field Thursday and neither  was starting strong safety Shawn Williams (hamstring) …


Right end Carl Lawson added to his NFL rookie sack lead without taking a snap this week. The NFL awarded him half a sack after reviewing tape of the Nov. 19 win in Denver. Lawson requested a review on a play two minutes into the second quarter and they gave him half sack on a play WILL linebacker Vontaze Burfict originally got a full sack.


But he can't get back the fourth-and-10 sack he lost in Cleveland, not to mention his two front teeth, because the Bengals wanted to get the game over instead of challenge, or the sack he lost in Green Bay via penalty.
"I turned it in a while ago. I didn't think I was going to get it because I hadn't heard anything," Lawson said.  "Hopefully everything will be definitive the rest of the way."


It means Lawson has 7.5 sacks, just two away from left end  Carlos Dunlap's club rookie sack record of 9.5. But they're not talking about it. Certainly not Lawson.


"Everyone keeps asking me about it. I keep saying I'm not really worried about it," Lawson said. "I feel like Carlos felt the same way when he broke the record. He wants to compete with the guys who have the most sacks in the league. I don't really see it as that big of a thing. As far as myself, I want to compete with the guys who are the best in the league as far as pass rushers. I'm not really worried about that sack record."

Ok, that number is 12, held by Minnesota's Everson Griffen and Arizona's Chandler Jones.

"I've come to realize that when you force things and stuff like that, it doesn't fall into place. We just work off each other and try to be as helpful as we can," Lawson said. "One guy rushes up high, another guy rushes low and that guy gets the sack. It's a group effort."