Subscribe
Follow Us
The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to secure their second win of the 2018 NFL season thanks to a stellar performance from running back James Conner. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger feels all the talk about the looming return of running back Le'Veon Bell may have had something to do with it.
The Bell saga in Pittsburgh is reportedly set to be coming to an end at some point midway through the season. Roethlisberger says Conner's stellar outing was just a reminder of what he is capable of, via Bryan DeArdo of 247 Sports:
“It was awesome,” Roethlisberger said. “I thought we were really balanced today. It was one of those games that we could be. And it starts with the O-line. They were fantastic today. They opened up holes for James and [Stevan Ridley] and protected me in the pass game. So, I thought they had such a phenomenal game. I think they were tired of hearing all the, “what’s going on,” [and], “we can’t run it.” I think James was tired of hearing about Le’Veon so much, so he put on a heck of a performance today.”
Conner finished the game with 110 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Of course, this is not his first big game of the year. The second-year back kicked off the season opener with a 135-yard, two-touchdown performance. However, his production quickly tailed off over the next three games.
Conner's lackluster performance during that stretch was magnified by reports about Bell's return. As a result, it appeared as though his efforts had already been forgotten. Fortunately, he gave Steelers fans a reminder of what they already have in their backfield.
Regardless, it remains to be seen what will come of Conner's workload once Bell makes his return. It would make plenty of sense for Pittsburgh to ease the latter into his workhorse role. This could result in Conner becoming a complementary option at some point this season.
