James Conner will not return for the Week 17 loss

Conner (knee), who left Saturday’s game against the Rams in the second quarter and was considered questionable to return, never entered the contest despite wanting to regain the field, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports. Conner finished the loss with four carries for four yards along with two receptions on three targets for four yards.

According to Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon, Conner may have aggravated the knee injury he initially suffered last Sunday against Carolina by getting “twisted up” at the end of a carry early in the second quarter. After the Cardinals announced that the veteran running back was questionable to re-enter the contest, Conner spent much of the rest of the game with his helmet on the sideline and was never formally ruled out, although he was watched by trainers . Gannon mentioned that the plan going into the game was for Conner to be “full on,” and the head coach suggested that the talented tailback “wasn’t healthy enough to go back” after being pulled despite Conner’s desire to do so. Arizona has already been eliminated from postseason contention, which could be a factor in Conner’s status for the team’s regular season finale next weekend against San Francisco.