Jonathan Dwyer bent on returning Steelers to old ways

• Dwyer is coming off a 122-yard rushing performance last week, Pittsburgh's first of the season.
• "I know what I'm capable of. I just had to prove it to everybody else," Dwyer says.
• Dwyer can become the first Steelers RB in more than four years to rush for 100 in consecutive games.

PITTSBURGH -- It is always about proving something in the NFL, which goes hand-in-hand with winning games and keeping a job.

Jonathan Dwyer, fresh off a 122-yard rushing performance in his first NFL start last weekend for the Pittsburgh Steelers, embodies that sentiment about now.

The third-year pro was inactive for the previous two games -- which not coincidentally followed a loss at Oakland in which he contributed a pivotal fumble -- but when the Steelers really needed a jolt for an injury-riddled backfield he responded with the team's first 100-yard rushing game of the season in the 31-24 victory at Cincinnati.

Nice comeback, kid.

"I knew what I could do," Dwyer said Friday, as the Steelers prepared for Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins. "I know what I'm capable of. I just had to prove it to everybody else."

Mission accomplished?

"Somewhat," he said. "I'm not done."

With starter Rashard Mendenhall officially ruled out with an Achilles injury and backup Isaac Redman (ankles) listed as questionable, Dwyer is poised make his second start on Sunday at Heinz Field.

And get this: Dwyer can become the first Steelers running back in more than four years to rush for 100 yards in consecutive games.

That drought (take a bow, Willie Parker) surely says something about the transformation of the Steelers offense to a pass-heavy operation riding Ben Roethlisberger's arm. Yet it also hints at the inconsistency in the backfield that has provided a subplot as the offense adapts to a new scheme installed by new coordinator Todd Haley.

Coming into the season, the Steelers knew they would have to develop some fresh legs while Mendenhall rehabbed from a torn ACL. Dwyer, a sixth-round pick from Georgia Tech in 2010, was inactive for all but the meaningless regular-season finale as a rookie and appeared in just seven games (16 carries) last season. Rookie Chris Rainey, who had an impressive 11-yard TD run against the Bengals, and second-year pro Barron Batch are also in the mix. Rainey was a fifth-round pick; Batch a seventh-rounder last year.

"They're young guys, but we felt we had enough horses in that group," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told USA TODAY Sports on Friday. "We were uncertain about the division of labor, but usually competitive men will sort that out on the grass. I think that's still in the process of unfolding. Obviously, Jonathan showed us a little something last week."

Dwyer (5-11, 229) sealed Sunday's win with a 32-yard burst that was Pittsburgh's longest run of the season. It matched the self-description he offers about his style. He sees himself as an old-fashioned runner, a one-cut-and-go slasher with little wasted motion.

"I like to be physical early in the game," he says. "Later in the game, if those guys are not willing to take those hits, I can beat them with my feet."

With his 17 carries at Cincinnati, he raised his season rushing average to 4.7 yards. That's more significant when considering that as a team, the Steelers are gaining an NFL-low 3.5 yards per rush.

Last in the league in rushing average? So un-Steeler-like.

"I don't worry too much about it," Tomlin said. "Early in the season, you can write whatever. At the end of this season, we'd better have a body of work that's representative of who and what we desire to be. It's not that at this point, but we're not going to push the panic button. When you've got multiple starters in street clothes, you're going to do what's required to win games."

Dwyer, though, sees himself as an option for re-establishing the Steelers' identity as a hard-nosed rushing operation.

He proved capable last week. Now do it again.

"My role has always been to get ready for my opportunity while backing up Mendenhall and Redman," he said. "It's an unfortunate situation when those guys aren't able to play, but I'm also a guy looking forward to making some plays."