Through the first eight games of the season, Pittsburgh Steelers second-year running back James Conner has burst onto the scene as one of the rising stars in the NFL by taking advantage of the opportunity laid before him with star running back Le'Veon Bell still holding out.
This has garnered much high praise around the league that has seen the Steelers next opponent in the Carolina Panthers to speak highly of Conner with former Defensive Player of the Year linebacker Luke Kuechly boasting about his ability, via Steven Taranto of 247 Sports.
“He's a beast.”
Conner has stepped in firmly to the vacant starting role that he hasn't looked back ranking second in the NFL with 706 rushing yards and nine touchdowns this season along with hauling in 38 catches for 379 receiving yards and a touchdown. He holds the franchise record with 10 total touchdowns with at least 1,000 scrimmage yards through the first eight games of a season while he's on pace to record 2,170 total scrimmage yards with 20 total touchdowns.
The 23-year-old has proven to be a key piece of the offensive game plan that has seen him fuel the Steelers' current four-game winning streak that includes notching more than 100 rushing yards in each contest along with six rushing touchdowns along the way. This features him recording three of his four games this year toppling 100 rushing yards and recording a pair of touchdowns. The Steeler have one of the league's highest-scoring offenses ranking ninth with 28.4 points per contest
Pittsburgh will look to lean heavily upon Conner against the Panthers to continue to stay on the right track. It will be a challenge facing one of the better defenses in the league with Carolina ranking eighth overall that includes being sixth against the run while giving up just rushing touchdowns through the first nine weeks of the season.
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