RB James Conner basks in glow of homecoming and stars in Cardinals' win over Steelers
PITTSBURGH — The path to the locker room was littered with happy and smiling Arizona Cardinals, coming off the field at Acrisure Stadium after a 24-10 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
James Conner spoke two words, to no one in particular.
"All God," he said, repeating it.
Conner celebrated a 25-carry, 105-yard day on which he scored a pair of touchdowns with at least 20 family members and friends in the stands watching him, later earning a game ball for his efforts in the Cardinals' 24-10 win. The Erie, Pennsylvania native who played his college ball at Pitt and later played the first years of his NFL career with the Steelers had a game to remember, the Cardinals turned to him to help burn time off the game clock with the Cardinals in the lead in the second half.
Conner effectively performed that task.
"I had this vision of just coming home and just trying to play my best football and let God do the rest and let us have a day," Conner said. "A very satisfying team win just to fight through the elements you know, two rain delays for like 20 minutes each. I'm just proud of this group for resilience that they showed and kept the enthusiasm high, energy high. So a heartfelt win."
Conner scored both of the Cardinals' second-half touchdowns, his physical running style giving the Steelers a dose of how they like to pound away at opponents. The Cardinals turned the tables on that.
"That's how they play but that's how we play, too, you know, so offensive line brought it, our defense brought it today. Everybody was on point," Conner said.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said getting Conner a lot of touches was something the team wanted to do.
"Coming into this game we had a goal of getting him a lot of carries, because he's such a great player. He's a great leader for this team," Murray said. "We know how much it means for him to come back home and do his thing. So I was super excited for him."
Left tackle D.J. Humphries said it was "amazing" to be part of helping Conner take over the game.
"It doesn't take much to get the guy going, but when he is, it's a problem for the other team," Humphries said.
Being back at what was once known as Heinz Field, as it was called when Conner was a Panther and Steeler, meant a lot to Conner.
"Yeah, everything about this place, man, is special. I was a baby, University of Pittsburgh, 18 years old with a goal in mind to get to the NFL," Conner said, "not knowing how I was going to do it but just trying to figure it out as I got here to Heinz Field, or Acrisure now which is where it started. So special energy here for sure."
Conner was able to tell those he reconnected with how much he appreciated them all, from former teammates to former coaches to stadium workers he knew.
"They were huge for me and my journey, you know, the lessons that I've learned being a Steeler, so valuable. I've tried to take them with me to this day," Conner said. "But a lot of love from everybody."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: James Conner helps Arizona Cardinals defeat Pittsburgh Steelers
