With the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Los Angeles Rams this week, they are hopeful starting running back James Conner can return from the shoulder injury that sidelined him last week. Head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media on Tuesday and sounded surprisingly optimistic about Conner’s status for this week.
Conner suffered an AC joint sprain on one of the final plays of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week Eight. Conner was replaced in the starting lineup last week by a combination of Jaylen Samuels and Trey Edmunds. Edmunds filled in admirably with 73 rushing yards but is dealing with a rib injury of his own this week.
Samuels caught 12 passes last week but struggled to gain any yardage on the ground. Against the Rams this week, Pittsburgh cannot afford to struggle in the run game. Los Angeles has a potent passing attack and the Steelers do not want to get into a shootout with them.
