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The Steelers survived one week without Le'Veon Bell.

Maybe they can do it again.

Making his first NFL start Bruce Irvin Jersey , James Conner helped Pittsburgh forget that Bell 鈥?the team's disgruntled star running back 鈥?isn't around and may not be back anytime soon.

Conner scored two touchdowns, rushed for 135 yards and added 57 more on five catches as the Steelers escaped Sunday with a 21-21 tie against the Cleveland Browns, who ended their 17-game losing streak without winning.

Conner was more than an adequate fill-in for Bell, who remains separated from the Steelers in an ugly contract dispute.

While his teammates slopped around in the rain at FirstEnergy Stadium, Bell continued his holdout in South Florida as his replacement gave the Steelers hope they'll be able to withstand not having one of their biggest stars.

Conner could be their newest one.

The anti-Bell.

"I'm so tired of Le'Veon," Steelers right guard David DeCastro told reporters. "I'm so tired of it. Let's just worry about the guys that are here. I know you guys have stories to write and what not. I love Le'Veon, but we have to worry about the guys that are here. That's the only people that matter."

Conner scored on a 4-yard run in the second quarter and added a 22-yarder in the fourth as the Steelers opened a 21-7 lead that appeared safe.

However, as Pittsburgh appeared on the verge of putting the Browns away, Conner had his lone blemish on an otherwise stellar day.

Running right, Conner got stripped by Browns end Myles Garrett and his fumble led to the Browns quickly scoring two touchdowns in the final 7:32 to force overtime.

Cleveland had a chance to win it, but linebacker T.J. Watt added a blocked field goal to his four-sack game by getting a hand on Zane Gonzalez's 43-yard field-goal attempt with 9 seconds left.

Bell's messy situation cast a shadow over the Steelers all week, bringing a distraction to a team that usually avoids drama. The stand-off could last for a while, and if it does Kyzir White Jersey , Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin, his staff and the Steelers have to feel better about what Conner can provide.

"He did some really great things," said superstar receiver Antonio Brown. "He ran well and brought great energy all day. I was excited to see him make some plays, not only in the run game, but in the pass game as well."

On a day when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger struggled throwing three interceptions and fumbling twice, Conner was solid and steady.

"Pressure is always there," said Conner, who survived a cancer scare while he was at Pitt. "You're either feeling pressure or applying pressure. I was trying to apply the pressure today. There were no nerves or nothing. Just playing football."

It looked that way. Conner patiently looked for running lanes, taking what Cleveland's defense gave him and never trying to do too much.

The 23-year-old finished with 192 total yards, matching Bell's best game from last season.

"I thought he played well," said Roethlisberger, who struggled from the outset. "Ran hard, caught the ball well. Made plays for us. I'm proud of the way he played for this team."

Conner took it all in stride. Following the game Sammy Watkins Jersey , he casually accepted congratulations while dressing and came across as composed off the field as he was on it.

"It is what I expect," he said of his performance. "It's the mentality of our offense. We feel like we're going to run the ball when we want to run the ball so I know the mentality of those guys up front. I knew the lanes were going to be there. I knew today was going to be a good day on the ground, just not enough to win.

"I have confidence in myself and the guys in front of me blocking, so it's what we expect to do."

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay has been more cautious than most of his peers in how he has used his starters during the preseason.

The starting offense, save for right guard Jamon Brown, will not play at all in the four exhibition games. The starting defense, save for outside linebacker Samson Ebukam, made a brief appearance in the third preseason game Saturday.

Whether that approach will cause problems once the season starts remains to be seen. It's worked out in at least one respect, as McVay said Monday the Rams are on track to be healthy for their season opener at Oakland on Sept. 10. And players have been happy with McVay's caution, with running back Todd Gurley saying he was living "everyone's dream" by not playing in the preseason.

McVay seemingly felt so comfortable about the strength of his team that he made an unprompted reference to defensive tackle Aaron Donald's ongoing holdout.

"We're right on track with guys like (linebacker) Mark Barron that we have talked about. Everybody else we anticipate that we're kind of projecting as a starter is ready to go. Obviously, the big question is will 99 (Donald) be a part of that thing or not? But we're in a good place right now. Certainly we've got a lot of work to do in the meantime," McVay said.

The Rams, who are seeking to defend their first NFC West title since 2003 Vinny Curry Jersey , will continue to hold out starters and key reserves for their preseason finale at New Orleans on Thursday.

McVay put defensive lineman Dominique Easley and outside linebacker Matt Longacre in that group. Easley did not play last season because of a torn ACL in his right knee, and Longacre missed most of training camp because of a biceps injury after undergoing back surgery last season.

Both Easley and Longacre are expected to play major roles this season with the Rams still unsettled on the edge opposite Ekubam in their 3-4 defense. McVay was glad to see both get on the field against Houston because it was a milestone in their recoveries.

"It was good for both those players to get some snaps, and now we'll implement a program that we feel like is going to be sustainable throughout the course of the season, but we won't expect to see them this week," McVay said.

Tight end Gerald Everett, who sustained the most notable injury of training camp when he hurt his shoulder, is in line to play against the Raiders. McVay said Everett is running routes again, and the second-year South Alabama product was able to maintain his conditioning despite being in a sling for several weeks.

The only lingering question in terms of health is the status of outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. McVay said the fifth-round pick from Oklahoma is likely to start the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list after sustaining a foot injury during offseason workouts that required surgery. Starting the season with that designation would prevent Okoronkwo from practicing or playing for the first six weeks.

"I would say not anything that he can control, but I think just the way the foot has responded hasn't been ideal. It doesn't have anything to do with the way that he has worked," McVay said.

Without major injury concerns, McVay has been able to focus on how to construct the 53-man roster and the 46-man game day roster. Putting together contingency plans in case of injury during the regular season is also a priority for McVay, whether that comes from the composition of the practice squad or from identifying players that could return as free agents.

"Unfortunately, like we've talked about K.J. Wright Jersey , injuries are an inevitable part of this thing and we've always got to have those contingency plans in place, but we feel good about a lot of the spots right now," McVay said.

While the Rams look to have their starting lineups set, McVay said many of his conversations with general manager Les Snead at this time of year center on players around the league that could be cut by other teams and how they might fit in.

"If they end up hitting the waiver wire, do they give us an upgrade or do we feel good about the spots? And, fortunately, most of the spots and situations and positions that we're in, we feel good about the guys that we have in our building," McVay said. "Hopefully we'll stay healthy and be able to work with those guys."

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