James Conner runs for season-high 145 yards on Monday Night Football

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins met at Heinz Field on Monday night, and although the Steelers fell behind 14-0 early in the game, they managed to score 27 unanswered points and come away with their third win of the season. Former Pitt running back James Conner played a pivotal role in securing that outcome, as he ran for a season-high 145 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

Conner had most of his success in the second half, as he amassed more than half of his yardage and his only touchdown in the final 30 minutes of play. His score came on a nine-yard run that ended with a dive to break the plane, and it served as the centerpiece of the second-best rushing performance of Conner’s career. The only time he gained more yardage on the ground was in his team's 33-18 win over the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 28, 2018.

The Pitt product continued to see heavy use even after the Steelers had pulled out to a 27-14 lead, and that proved to be a controversial decision, as he came down awkwardly on his right shoulder and left the game in apparent pain with just over two minutes left on the clock. During his postgame press conference, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed that Conner had suffered a sprained AC joint.

That leaves the Steelers in a tough spot, as the team is currently without Jaylen Samuels, who underwent knee surgery, and Benny Snell, who also left Monday’s game. If Conner’s injury is serious enough to sideline him for the team’s next game, that will leave only Trey Edmunds. So far, there has been no word on Conner’s status beyond the nature of the injury.

As for Conner, the injury comes at an inopportune time, as he finally appeared to be hitting his stride after a slow start to the 2019 season. After seven weeks, the former Pitt running back has 380 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 97 attempts.