CINCINNATI (AP) -Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson smiled at the suggestion that the Cincinnati Bengals could use him as a tailback in their next game.

Why not? The way teams have been running on the Indianapolis Colts' defense, there's almost no reason to throw.

The Bengals (8-5) are next in line to try to exploit those big holes in the Colts' defense. They play at Indianapolis (10-3) on Monday night, a game that will have a big effect both teams' playoff outlook.

Most likely, it will be decided more by Rudi Johnson's runs than by Chad Johnson's catches.

``I know we're going to get a lot of Rudi,'' Colts coach Tony Dungy said Thursday during a conference call. ``But it won't be all Rudi because No. 85, he won't let that happen. Unless they put him at tailback, it won't be all run. He may ask to play tailback if that's the game plan.''

The Bengals aren't saying. There's really no need to.

Last Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars showed everyone how to beat the Colts. They ran for an astounding 375 yards in a 44-17 victory, repeatedly gashing the NFL's worst run defense for long plays.

Rudi Johnson watched the film and smiled.

``There was a lot of space, you know what I mean?'' Johnson said. ``A lot of space, a lot of room to run. Hopefully, we can get that same thing going on. If we can, it will be a long day for somebody.''

The Bengals' running game hasn't been up to its usual standards. Johnson is on pace to gain 1,297 yards, which would be less than his totals for each of the last two seasons. He set a club record with 1,458 yards last year.

``I definitely wanted to do better,'' Johnson said. ``But the year's not over with. We still have a lot of football to play. The situation we were in as far as the offensive line - that plays a big part of everything. So you've got to take that into consideration. I've had to learn to be patient and work with what I've got.''

Left tackle Levi Jones and center Rich Braham have been sidelined with knee injuries, and right guard Bobbie Jones had an emergency appendectomy. As a result, the line has been in flux for much of the season.

The offense has gotten back in form during the last five games, helping the Bengals get back into playoff contention. They had two 100-yard receivers (Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh) and a 100-yard rusher (Rudi Johnson) during a 27-10 win over Oakland on Sunday, a franchise first.

On Monday, the focus will be on Carson Palmer handing off.

``Obviously, there's going to be some emphasis on the run game,'' Palmer said. ``We're expecting and leaning on Rudi to make big plays and move the ball for us. But we're still going to attack (by) throwing the ball.''

Johnson had a season-high 30 carries for 117 yards against the Raiders, extending his streak of leading the Bengals to wins when he gets the ball a lot. During his career, he has 17 games with at least 25 carries. The Bengals are 17-0 in those games.

When the offense was struggling earlier this season with the line in flux and Palmer still regaining his touch after knee surgery, several players grumbled about the play selection. Chad Johnson said the Bengals needed to challenge defenses with the pass more often, and Rudi Johnson grumbled that they had been neglecting the run.

Now that the offense has regained its balance, everyone is happy.

``It's been balanced for a while now,'' said Chad Johnson, who leads NFL receivers with 1,247 yards. ``I think a reason for our success is we're not forcing anything. Whatever you give us, that's what we're taking. If you give us the run, we run it. If you give us the pass, we pass.''

So far, the Colts have allowed just about everyone to run.

``I'm sure they're going to come out and try to play their best game against the run this Monday night,'' Rudi Johnson said. ``They're going to come out with a chip on their shoulder, knowing what they went through last week. It's not going to be easy.''

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