By: G.Stryker
Is it the offensive line, or is it the running back? The classic chicken or the egg scenario for the NFL ground game. Sunday, it looked like both were working together to create a beautiful performance by James Conner. Both of his touchdown runs were blocked so perfectly at the line of scrimmage, Conner only needed to use his speed to get to the end zone. At the end of the day Connor amassed 135 yards rushing on 31 carries with 2 touchdowns. At the end of the week’s games, James now leads the NFL in rushing by 27 yards and is tied for the lead in rushing touchdowns. Showing his improvement as a pass catcher, Conner added 57 yards receiving on 5 catches. His total yardage from scrimmage is 192, and also leads the league.
Though Conner had a poorly timed fumble in the 4th quarter, as the Steelers were starting a clock killing drive, he still showed that yes, he can handle the load. 36 touches in a game, being the only running back who played an offensive snap (outside of fullback Roosevelt Nix). It showed that Conner does have the toughness and ability to be a feature back behind this offensive line. For those who may have questioned Conner’s ability to handle the full load, those questions have been answered. He showed speed, agility, power, and even had a nifty one handed catch and run to move the chains.
Le’Veon Bell was not able to play this week, but still found time to visit a strip club and tweet out reactions to the game. Perhaps he should be worried that his legacy and bargaining power have both taken a hit this week, since his “backup” is now leading the league!
