3 reasons Steelers should make Anthony McFarland their starting running back

James Conner isn’t getting the job done

Though his first five games of the season, Steelers starting running back, James Conner, impressed. He topped 100 yards on the ground on three different occasions and he was on track to have his best rushing performance of his career in year four. However, things have since turned around full-circle.

Over his last three contests, Conner has carried the ball 37 times for 105 yards (2.8 yards per carry). Conner now has 4 games this season in which he has carried the ball for 2.9 yards per carry or fewer, and his worst games have come most recently.

It’s gotten to a point where Steelers fans don’t even want to waste plays running the ball because they have seen how ineffective it has been over the past month of football. It seems like the only time Conner has been able to pick up any sort of chunk yardage is when there’s a gaping hole created by the offensive line. However, those have been few and far between this year.

Conner has earned upwards of 14.5 carries per game on the season. No other Steelers running back has recorded more than 5.5 carries per game (Benny Snell), while Anthony McFarland has seen less than 2.0 carries per contest.