With James Conner's status up in the air for next Sunday's critical game at Oakland, the Steelers find themselves in a situation not unlike the one the 1976 team faced heading into an AFC Championship against the Raiders.
In that game, the Steelers had to rely on Reggie Harrison and Frenchy Fuqua to generate a rushing attack against the Raiders because of injuries to Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier.
It didn't work, as the two combined for 19 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown in a 24-7 loss.
This time around, it likely will be rookie Jaylen Samuels and veteran Stevan Ridley carrying the load against the Raiders in place of Conner, who suffered a lower-leg injury in Sunday night's 33-30 loss to the Chargers at Heinz Field that dropped the Steelers to 7-4-1, a half-game ahead of the Ravens (7-5) in the AFC North standings.
Those 19 rushing attempts the Steelers got from their two running backs in that AFC Championship might be a welcome sight to this year's team.
The Steelers haven't broken that meager total in any of their past three games — in which they've gone 1-2 — running the ball 11 times in a win at Jacksonville three weeks ago and 16 and 17 times, respectively, in losses at Denver and to Los Angeles the past two games.
Despite that, Conner still ranks second in the AFC with 909 yards rushing. His teammates hope he's not out long-term, and Conner left the locker room Sunday night walking under his own power. But the Steelers could choose to be cautious with their budding young star, who has scored 13 touchdowns this season.
That could mean a combination of Samuels and Ridley against the Raiders (2-10).
Samuels had been inactive early in the season but has taken a more extensive role in the offense since Ridley fumbled in an Oct. 28 win against Cleveland. Since then, he has gotten the bulk of the work behind Conner — who himself opened the season subbing for a franchise-tagged Le'Veon Bell.
Since then, Samuels has run the ball 12 times for 31 yards and caught seven passes for another 54 yards with two touchdowns.
That's more akin to his college work, where he never got more than 12 carries in a game, serving more as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Some teams even considered the 6-foot, 225-pound N.C. State product a tight end heading into the draft and had him work out with that position at the NFL Scouting Combine.
"I can," Samuels said when I asked him if he's ready for a 20-touch game. "I've never got it 20 times carrying it. If it presents itself, I'm ready."
That would be where Ridley might fill more of a role.
The veteran has bounced around the league since gaining over 2,000 yards combined in 2012 and 2013 for the Patriots. But he did step in for Bell in a meaningless regular-season finale against Cleveland last season and gained 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
This season, Ridley's most extensive use came a month ago in a blowout win over Carolina, when he had 26 yards on eight carries.
The Steelers will likely go with a combination of Samuels and Ridley in the backfield if Conner can't play.
"It will be different, preparing for the week, knowing I have more on my plate, knowing I have more runs and catches, and I'll be involved in the run game a little more," Samuels admitted. "I'll do more film study and detail my work throughout the week.
"When my number is being called, I go in there and try to do what I can do, make sure there's not a dropoff when James comes out. I just try to be prepared, know my stuff and know what I've got to do."
The Steelers certainly have become more of a passing team. After all, Conner has produced 52 receptions to go along with his 201 carries for 909 yards.
The Steelers like what they've seen out of Samuels in that part of the game most recently. He had two catches immediately after Conner was injured, including a 10-yard touchdown reception.
"I thought he played well," Ben Roethlisberger said. "He got to the spots where he needed to be and made plays with the ball in his hands."
He'll need to continue to do that. But he's prepared for it, knowing he was just one play away from being in the lineup.
"We take a lot of hits on every play. It's a toll on our bodies on every play," Samuels said. "Playing in that running back position, we've got to always be ready. I always come prepared, because you don't know what's going to happen. I didn't know he was going to get hurt."
