James Conner
James Conner did it. He proved he can run even against the best defenses.
While he didn’t have the most explosive statistical game, when the Steelers’ relied on the run game to establish balance, he provided it. After all, the Steelers’ third touchdown of the game was all James Conner.
He finished with only 13 carries on the night, but ran for 65 yards, averaging five yards-per-carry. His carries were cut down because of the Steelers’ large lead, where Mike Tomlin wanted to get in some work for some of the other running backs like Steven Ridley and Jaylen Samuels, who scored his first professional touchdown. He also exited early going into the locker room for a potential concussion.
Conner ran incredibly well against a stout Carolina front-seven. If there were any doubts before that he was a legit starting running back, there aren’t any now.