The Pittsburgh Steelers will be hosting the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium. With the Cardinals coming to town, former Steelers RB James Conner will be making his first return to the stadium that he played in for four years as a member of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and four years with the Steelers. Western Pennsylvania is home for Conner, as he grew up just 125 miles north of Pittsburgh in Erie, Pa. He was always a beloved player in the organization because of his ties to the area and for beating cancer. Although Conner is the opposition on Sunday, expect a big applause from the crowd when Conner is introduced.
On Wednesday afternoon, Conner was available to members of the Arizona media to talk about his homecoming and the matchup against his former team. He was very complimentary of the Steelers’ defensive playmakers calling T.J. Watt unstoppable. On Thursday morning before practice, Cameron Heyward spoke about Conner and what he brings to the Cardinals’ offense.
“Always battling, no nonsense,” Heyward said of his former teammate in a clip posted by 93.7 The Fan on X. “Just north and south. He’s got a mean spin move, but he’s an energy bringer for the group, and that’s one thing you’ve gotta be aware of during this game is he’s going to continue to just keep going and be the energizer bunny.”
Conner has rushed for 526 yards on 104 attempts this season, scoring two touchdowns and adding on another 36 yards on 14 receptions. A knee injury kept him out of four games earlier in the season, but his yards per carry are actually the highest of his seven-year career at 5.1. He also has multiple seasons with double digit touchdowns and has excelled at scoring from the red zone. With Kyler Murray back in the picture at quarterback, the Steelers are going to have to respect both Conner and Murray on the ground.
