Steelers' AFC North Lead Over Ravens Shrinks With Loss, Positive News On James Conner's Injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers had two key losses in Week 13. The team was defeated by the Los Angeles Chargers 33-30 on “Sunday Night Football,” and running back James Conner was lost for the remainder of the game when he suffered an injury in the fourth quarter. The team hopes that neither loss will have much of an impact going forward.

It looked like Pittsburgh would cruise to a victory when the team took a 23-7 lead into halftime. Los Angeles mounted a second-half comeback that concluded with a last-second field goal, dropping the Steelers to 7-4-1 on the season.

With the Baltimore Ravens’ Week 13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh’s lead in the AFC North was cut to a half-game. The Steelers were 2.5 games ahead of the Ravens a couple of weeks ago, but they were also defeated by the Denver Broncos in Week 12. Both the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns are out of the division race with losing records.

Pittsburgh doesn’t exactly face a friendly upcoming schedule. They are set to play two bad teams with a trip Oakland next week and a home game against Cincinnati in the season finale. Sandwiched in between those contests are games with the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints, who are the No.2 seeds in the AFC and NFC, respectively.

The Steelers will have a more difficult time finishing the season strong if Conner isn’t healthy. The running back has 1,376 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns in Le’Veon Bell's absence.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said Conner suffered a lower leg contusion. PennLive.com’s Jacob Klinger reported after the game that Conner walked out of the locker room without a limp.

Baltimore will face a couple of tough opponents of their own to end the season. They’ll play on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs next week, in addition to a road game with the Chargers in Week 16. The Ravens will also host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns.

The Ravens have a one-game lead over four teams for the AFC's second wild-card spot.