"Among Rashard Mendenhall's latest beliefs is teams who run the ball can still win in the pass-oriented NFL.

Never mind that most of the top teams in the league still believe the path to the Super Bowl is through the air.

Crazy, huh?

Not to Mendenhall, the Steelers' top running back.

"I still think that's the formula to win," Mendenhall said. "I feel like the successful teams, when you look at the Broncos and what they're doing and the Texans and teams like that, teams that are able to run the ball, they have balance on offense and it does nothing but help them. Plus it gives your defense a break."

The Steelers (8-3) are like most of the NFL's top teams: They have leaned heavily on the pass in 2011, more than they did last year.

And the person most affected is Mendenhall, who has seen his workload -- not to mention his impact on the offense -- diminish.

Heading into Sunday's 1 p.m. game against the Cincinnati Bengals (7-4) at Heinz Field, Mendenhall is well below the pace of last season when he set career highs for yards (1,273), carries (324) and touchdowns (13).

In the 10 games he has played, he has a team-high 574 yards on 153 carries, an average of 3.8 yards per attempt. That is nowhere close to the impact he had on the offense at a similar point in 2010.

Mendenhall had 811 yards on 202 carries, an average of 4 yards per carry, after 10 games last season. As the offense has become more pass-oriented, Mendenhall is averaging just 51 yards rushing per game in the past five games."