Report: James Conner Has Realistic Chance to Play vs. Bengals After Ankle Injury

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin provided some encouraging remarks to reporters Tuesday regarding the Week 17 status of running back James Conner, who has been out with a sprained ankle suffered against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 2.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided the quotes and also contributed his thoughts:

The Steelers play the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and need a win and a Baltimore Ravens loss to the Cleveland Browns to make the playoffs.

Conner has gained 1,373 yards from scrimmage and scored 13 touchdowns this season, so his contributions would certainly be welcome.

If Conner can't go, however, the Steelers may be fine for a few reasons.

First, Jaylen Samuels has done well in Conner's absence, gaining 328 yards from scrimmage in three games. He's a dual threat who can catch the ball out of the backfield, as evidenced by his 12 catches for 105 yards.

Second, the Steelers are playing at home against a shorthanded, 5-10 Bengals team. Per OddsShark, the oddsmakers clearly have no faith in the Bengals as evidenced by the 14.5-point spread in favor of Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati previously lost starting quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green for the season with injuries, and wideout Tyler Boyd is battling an MCL sprain that held him off the field for Week 16 and could conceivably keep him out Sunday as well.

Although the Steelers have to go all out for a win to have a playoff chance, they may be better off if Conner takes another week to rest and comes back in better shape for the wild-card round.

That being said, the Steelers aren't a lock to win this game, so if Conner is good enough to go, he'll be out there.

The Steelers' game against Cincinnati and the Browns at Ravens matchup both take place Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.