James Conner has proclaimed himself ready to go for Sunday's Week 3 matchup against the 49ers, and that's welcome news for the Steelers.
With a first-time starter at quarterback, the Steelers (0-2) are going to need all of their weapons at the disposal of Mason Rudolph in this game.
Whether or not they use those weapons, well, that's another question completely.
After having the lowest run-pass ratio in the league in 2018 (67 percent pass to 33 percent run), the Steelers have run the ball just 29 times in their first two games, both losses. Only the Dolphins, who have been outscored 102-10 in their first two games, have run it less with 27 attempts.
"We’ve just got to convert on third downs," Conner said Wednesday. "We have too many three and outs. It’s tough to run when we’re not converting on third downs. There are no worries."
There were some worries about Conner after he left Sunday's 28-26 loss to the Seahawks last Sunday with a knee injury. But the Steelers' lead runner said his knee is feeling much better and he'll be good to go against the 49ers.
What makes him so confident?
"The way it’s feeling right now," Conner said.
Getting him back would be a welcome addition to a young unit that features second-year back Jaylen Samuels and rookie Benny Snell.
The Steelers are just 6 of 23 on third downs this season and have had six three-and-outs on 23 possessions this season. Last season, they had the fewest three-and-outs in the NFL.
"We get behind the sticks and we can’t run the ball," Samuels told me. "We’ve got to go down the field. We’ve got to do better on first and second downs, and then maybe we can run the ball on third downs. If we run the ball, we’re going to get yards. We’ve just got to get to it."
The running game has averaged 3.9 yards per carry -- in large part thanks to a 23-yard run by Snell on a third-and-1 play against the Seahawks -- but it's had too many carries that have not produced positive results.
With Rudolph now taking over at quarterback for injured Ben Roethlisberger the remainder of the season, the team could choose to lean more on its running game. That's what the Steelers did in 2004 when Roethlisberger took over as a rookie for injured starter Tommy Maddox.
Roethlisberger never threw more than 28 passes in a game that season, leaning on Jerome Bettis. The Steelers ran the ball 618 times that season, compared to just 358 pass attempts.
The NFL rules have changed since then to open up things in the passing game even more, but two teams -- the Seahawks and Ravens -- have shown running the ball more than you throw it can still be effective in 2019.
"We can handle anything," Samuels said. "If they need us to carry the load, we’re definitely willing to. Me, James and Benny, that’s what we worked all offseason and training camp for. It was for these moments. We knew there were going to be some times throughout the season where they would need us. We’ve just all got to have each other’s backs and just go out there and get a victory."
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