The Facts: Conner, who is out Sunday because of an ankle sprain, has a chance to return next week to play the New England Patriots, a league source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Diehards Line: Schefter's source added that if this were the Super Bowl this week, he believes Conner could have and would have played, giving the Steelers some hope that the NFL's fifth-leading rusher has a reasonable chance to play in next Sunday's big AFC matchup against the Patriots. The Steelers will rely on a combination of Jaylen Samuels, Stevan Ridley and Trey Edmunds, who was signed off the practice squad, at running back on Sunday against the Raiders. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport advised his viewers this morning that Samuels will handle the bulk of the workload.