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The Steelers will rest several key players on Sunday, but the players who will be playing with the reserves are not viewing the game against the Browns as a meaningless dispute.
Running back James Conner, who will dispute what will be the final game of his rookie contract, is looking forward to the challenge – and to playing with quarterback Mason Rudolph.
“Just play a full game and do our best,” said Conner, through Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “This is what we preach. We have standards. It doesn’t matter who the QB is there. I know Mason is going to give us some energy on the spot. I know he is ready to play. We are excited to play with him too. Line does what it does, defense, ball placement, strong run, receiver has to make plays. That’s really all that matters, making jokes. “
Rudolph, who played a lot in 2019 after Ben Roethlisberger suffered an injury at the end of the season in the second week, has been preparing each week to take the field.
“He comes to practice with the same mindset every day,” said Conner. “We measure our improvement in the work week and how we perform on the day of the game. His approach to practice since I saw him, he prepares himself as if he were the initiator. That’s how it works. Making plays. When we are in a practice environment, we see guys making moves. This is the time when we improve ourselves. I saw him being consistent with his approach to work. “
The Steelers relied heavily on the passing game for most of the season. With Roethlisberger out for Week 17, the racing game becomes even more important than before.
“We definitely need the racing game,” said Conner. “These are adversities, things that we deal with. It is not a lack of effort, it is nothing like that. Football is a humiliating game. We will not continue to try to find answers and this and that. We will keep trying to play our football. That’s what we’re going to do this week. It’s always about the next opportunity. It is the journey you take up and down. I am familiar with adversity. I like it. I look forward to the next challenges and to start the game in progress and more important victories. “
A victory in Pittsburgh along with a loss in Buffalo would give Steelers second place in the overall AFC standings, which would guarantee at least two home games in the playoffs.
Whether they can win in the wild card round. Which is a bigger “if” than it seemed to be a few weeks ago.