Cardinals' James Conner Exits Game With Apparent Injury

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner exited Sunday's game and went to the medical tent to have his knee evaluated for an apparent injury, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The team officially announced Conner was questionable to return with a knee injury.

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Conner limped off the field to have his right knee checked by medical staff on the sideline. He appeared to awkwardly twist his knee after Panthers defender Josey Jewell tackled Conner.

Arizona had two starters depart on back to back plays in the third quarter. Along with Conner, right tackle Jonah Williams was helped off the field after sustaining a knee injury.

Conner scored Arizona's first touchdown of the day in the second quarter.Panthers linebacker Jacoby Windmon became the first player to be penalized for a hip-drop tackle after hitting Conner for a short gain on a pass reception.

However, Fox Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino said he didn't think Windmon's play featured all four necessary components needed to be considered a hip-drop tackle. But it remains to be seen whether Windmon will be fined next week. The 15-yard penalty moved the Cardinals near midfield and eventually set Connor to score on a run.

Conner surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark this season with a 40-yard run earlier in the matchup. It marks the second consecutive year he's reached the milestone. Prior to his injury, Conner recorded 15 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown against Carolina.

For the last two seasons, Conner has been relatively healthy in offensive coordinator's Drew Petzing's run-heavy offense.

Arizona is currently third in the NFC West, one game behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray spoke on whether the Week 16 matchup was considered a potential trap game by the team.

"I'm very confident that it's not a trap game because, mentally, that could never be a thing because of where we are," Murray said via the team transcript. "Our back is against the wall, we understand that. I think in order for it to be a trap game, our record would have to be better. We'd have to be feeling not humble. We understand what's at stake and we understand it's each week for us."

A win over the Panthers would be huge for the Cardinals, a team that is hoping to rise above .500.

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