The Pittsburgh Steelers have pushed things back in the right direction after securing a 17-10 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon.

It was also the second contest that the Steelers were without the services of second-year running back James Conner due to an ankle injury. According to Jacob Klinger of Pennlive.com, head coach Mike Tomlin has voiced optimism around Conner's health eyeing a “productive Wednesday” practice in hopes he can return to the field this week against the New Orleans Saints.

“Hopefully that sets the stage for a productive Wednesday and we’ll go on from there,” Tomlin said. “And we’ll let the amount of work that he’s able to do and the effectiveness of that work be our guide. And we’ll make those decisions at the appropriate time as we push toward game time.”

It has been a fluid situation for Conner over the last several days as he continued to work his way back from the ankle injury that he suffered against the Los Angeles Chargers. In his absence, it has seen rookie running back Jaylen Samuels more than picked up the slack as rushed for a career-high 142 yards along with hauled in two catches for 30 receiving yards against the Patriots.

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If Conner is unable to give it a go, Samuels will once again assume the primary duties in the backfield while Stevan Ridley will be his backup. He has shown to be a dual asset in both the running and passing game that has given the Steelers much stability at the position.

When healthy, Conner has proven to be a highly dependable and productive as he’s currently 10th in the league with 909 rushing yards along with being second with 12 rushing touchdowns along with hauling in 52 catches for 467 receiving yards and a touchdown. He has notched more than 100 rushing yards five times while becoming the first player in league history to post four games within a single season of 100-plus rushing yards, 50-plus receiving yards, and a touchdown.

There should be more clarity on this situation in the next couple of days that should get a clearer picture of his availability this week's game.