James Conner will likely miss another week of action as he recovers from COVID-19.
Another week of Steelers football will once again feel slightly odd.
Pittsburgh is playing its game against the Washington Football Team on Monday afternoon, less than a week after it played a game on Wednesday afternoon which was almost a week later than the game was originally scheduled.
Having trouble keeping up? So are the Steelers, who despite having three of their kickoff times drastically altered, remain undefeated and atop the AFC playoff table. But as Pittsburgh tries to finish the season without a loss and march towards a third Super Bowl ring for Ben Roethlisberger, they’ll have to notch the next win without James Conner.
According to Adam Schefter, Conner is eligible to return to the team after being on the COVID-19 list, but likely won’t play until Week 14.
“James Conner is eligible to come off the Reserve/COVID list on Monday, but it still considered unlikely that he will play against the WFT, per sources. It’s looking like another week of Benny Snell Jr,” Schefter reported on Sunday morning.
James Conner is out Week 13, Benny Snell is going to be the starter again
Snell filled in admirably for Conner against the Ravens, rushing for 60 yards and helping form a useful dump with Anthony McFarland Jr. Obviously, the Steelers would probably prefer to have Conner in the lineup, but his absence gave Mike Tomlin a chance to remind everyone how tightly knit his roster is and how taking even a critical piece of the machine out won’t stop the whole thing.
As the Steelers barrel towards history and a No. 1 seed in the AFC, the flexibility of the roster in Pittsburgh should be something that makes even the most formidable opponents second-guess wanting to play the Steelers in January.