Steelers News: James Conner Out Against Raiders, Return Unknown With Difficult Schedule Looming

james conner Pittsburgh steelers — James Conner #30 of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks off the field with trainers after an apparent injury in the fourth quarter during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Heinz Field on December 2, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Joe Sargent/Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without one of their best players when they visit the Oakland Raiders in Week 14. Running back James Conner has been ruled out with an ankle sprain he suffered against the Los Angeles Chargers on “Sunday Night Football.”

It was initially thought that a leg contusion forced Conner to miss the final the final few minutes of Pittsburgh’s most recent loss. Conner ran 15 times for 60 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-30 defeat that cut the Steelers’ lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North to just a half-game

Conner has exceeded all expectations this year as the replacement for Le’Veon Bell, who can’t play in 2018 after refusing to show up to Pittsburgh for the first three months of the season. He's run for 909 yards on 4.5 yards per carry. The second-year player has also caught 52 passes for 467 yards.

#Steelers RB James Conner is out this week, coach Mike Tomlin tells reporters. The tests came back and showed it was more serious than their initial read. He now describes it as a sprain, not a contusion.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 4, 2018

The absence of Conner really shouldn’t hurt Pittsburgh’s ability to win in Oakland. The Raiders are tied for the NFL’s worst record at 2-9, though they did put up a fight last week at home in a 40-33 loss to the No.1 seed Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers are laying 11 points in Oakland, according to OddsShark, making them the biggest road favorites of the week.

Pittsburgh has a good chance to extend their lead over Baltimore in the division Sunday. While the Steelers play the Raiders, the Ravens will visit Kansas City, where the Chiefs haven’t lost all season long. Kansas City is favored by nearly a touchdown.

The Steelers’ upcoming schedule makes getting a win Sunday even more important. Pittsburgh could easily lose in both Week 15 and Week 16 when they host the New England Patriots and visit the New Orleans Saints. The Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals in the season finale.

It's unknown when Conner will be available to return. The Steelers could certainly use him against the Patriots and Saints, who are scoring a combined 62.5 points per game.

The Week 13 loss marked Pittsburgh’s second straight defeat. The Steelers lost on the road to the Denver Broncos in Week 12.

Baltimore has caught Pittsburgh in the win column by putting together a three-game winning streak.

National Football League