Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner left Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers with an injury that was initially described as minor, but that early optimism has not held up as the week progresses.
On Tuesday, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Conner has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Conner has been diagnosed with an ankle sprain that originally looked like a contusion.
James Conner out this week for the #Steelers, Mike Tomlin says. More serious than they thought. Sprain, not contusion. (Mike Tonkin, as I initially tweeted, was not available for comment.)
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 4, 2018
Conner’s injury looked like more than a minor bruise with the way he needed to be helped off the field, so it’s not a shock that he will be unable to play on Sunday. Fortunately, the Steelers should not need him against one of the worst teams in the NFL. Getting the star running back healthy for the stretch run will be the team’s priority.
