Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson is reportedly expected to return to a full workload Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport. While the Broncos expect one of their key players to return to form Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals will continue to wait on one of theirs. Cardinals running back Andre Ellington is not expected to play Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, per Rapoport.
The Broncos are coming off a tough loss to the AFC West rival Oakland Raiders last Sunday, and only managed 34 rushing yards in the game. Ronnie Hillman averaged just 1.7 yards per carry and the Broncos ground game struggled to move the ball. After Hillman's struggles last weekend, Denver will look to feature Anderson on Sunday. He has rushed for 538 yards with three touchdowns on the year.
Denver is currently sitting as the third seed in the AFC playoff picture, and will need to win out and have the Bengals or Patriots lose to claim one of the two first-round byes.
While Denver is trying to regain one of the first round byes in the AFC, the Cardinals sit as a second seed in the NFC playoff picture and head coach Bruce Arians will look for his team to continue their successful 2015 with a win over the Eagles on Sunday night.
Ellington has not played since Nov., but is reportedly likely to return to the Cardinals for the final two games, according to Rapoport. The electrifying Cardinals running back is currently averaging 6.9 yards per carry this season and has scored three touchdowns.
With Ellington ruled out, look for rookie running back David Johnson to get the bulk of the carries against Philadelphia. Johnson is coming off back-to-back 90-plus yard rushing performances, and has proven to be a legitimate starting running back in the absence of Ellington and Chris Johnson.
