Le'Veon Bell might be ready to head back to work. The star running back tweeted "Farewell Miami" on Monday Womens John Sullivan Jersey , possibly indicating the end of his months-long standoff with the club. Bell hasn't been inside the Pittsburgh locker room since last January, opting to stay away rather than sign his one-year franchise tender. The two-time All-Pro has sacrificed half of the $14.4 million he's due this season but needs to report by Nov. 13 to make sure he accrues enough service time to reach free agency in March.Bell's extended absence initially created a furor inside the locker room. Now, it seems almost like an afterthought. The Steelers (5-2-1) have ripped off four straight victories heading into Thursday night's visit from Carolina (6-2), relying heavily on James Conner 鈥?Bell's replacement 鈥?to surge into the lead in the AFC North.Conner topped 100 yards rushing for a fourth straight week during a 23-16 victory over Baltimore on Sunday, and caught his first career touchdown pass when he took a short flip from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and bulled past Baltimore safety Eric Weddle at the pylon."He's showing that no challenge is too big for him, against the No. 1 defense or whoever it might be," Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva said of Conner. "You know when you're so close to him, and he lowers his shoulder, and you see him get a couple yards, it's extremely motivating."Conner is second in the league in all-purpose yards and touches behind Los Angeles Rams standout Todd Gurley and tied for fourth in total touchdowns. The second-year back hardly seems bothered by the heavy workload, saying he's built for it. So does his coach."I agree with James," Mike Tomlin said Monday when asked about Conner's personal assessment.Tomlin smiled as he answered, mirroring the considerably lighter mood around his team these days. The problems that plagued the Steelers during September have vanished Womens Andrew Whitworth Jersey , though Tomlin is reticent to point to any one area where his team has improved."I'm not trying to look for specific areas, I just try to challenge these guys to get better every day," Tomlin said. "That's what we're focused on. I think that if we do that daily that will give us a chance to produce consistent performances that are on the rise. Not only in the second quarter (of the season) but as we continue through this journey."It's a pattern that's become well established during Tomlin's 12 years on the job. The Steelers have been traditionally slow starters under his watch, then get it together as the days grow shorter.Pittsburgh hasn't allowed more than 21 points during its four-game run and the secondary that was torched regularly in the opening month has settled in. Coty Sensabaugh has taken over for Artie Burns at the cornerback spot opposite Joe Haden and rookie safety Terrell Edmunds has filled in capably while veteran Morgan Burnett heals from a series of injuries that have slowed him since training camp.The Steelers aren't exactly overwhelming opponents but considering the firepower on offense, overwhelming teams isn't required. Pittsburgh gave up at least 327 yards in each of its first four games. The Steelers haven't surrendered more than 324 yards over their last four."Our defense is working in the right direction," safety Sean Davis said. "We held the Ravens to 16 points ... and I feel like we're putting together winning performances. As long as the defense continues to do that, and with our offense playing the way they're playing, we're just going to continue riding the roller coaster. Our trajectory is high."Considerably higher than it appeared while getting repeatedly torched during the opening month. Yet the job is still only halfway done. The schedule remains daunting. If Bell 鈥?whenever he shows up 鈥?can return to at least some semblance of the form that made him an All-Pro last season, Pittsburgh could be a tough out. If he can't, they like their chances anyway."It's still going to be a long ride," linebacker Bud Dupree said. "It was great that we got the win to get on top of the division again. We've got another game against the Bengals. We just need to be sure to dominate everywhere." ESPN's "Monday Night Football" crew is under the spotlight every week, but attention will be further magnified when the Los Angeles Rams host the Kansas City Chiefs in a matchup of 9-1 teams.This week's game carries more storylines than usual. It's the first Monday night game in Los Angeles since 1985. It's also just the second time that teams meeting on Monday night in Week 11 or later have each had one or fewer losses.While most of the attention will be focused on quarterbacks Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes, it is also an opportunity for the crew of Joe Tessitore Authentic John Johnson Jersey , Jason Witten and Booger McFarland to show improvement in what has at times been a trying first year.That is especially true for Witten, whose transition from the playing field to the booth has not gone quite as well as former teammate Tony Romo's move to CBS. Witten has had some noticeable flubs but has owned up to them."Hell, I'm not perfect," Witten said during a teleconference last week. "Certainly with Tony and the success that he had, I really try not to live in that world and fully embrace it and continue to get better and evaluate it. I think with the flubs, I certainly do not deny it, I don't try to hide it and as you said, that's really all you can do in those moments is self-deprecate and move forward."Three-man booths can take time to develop, but time has not been on the side of recent announcing teams. The last three "MNF" booths with two analysts have lasted two or three seasons.The challenge of developing chemistry is tougher since McFarland is down on the field hovering above the action instead of next to Tessitore and Witten. "MNF" producer Jay Rothman said there are cameras set up where the announcers can see each other and that interruptions have been rare."I think it's going to be something unique and different that no other, no other broadcast can offer, which is offense, defense, young Authentic Cooper Kupp Jersey , old, I consider myself old, guys talking about football and having a conversation that pulls the viewer in," McFarland said.Tessitore said the group's biggest improvement has been late in games when they have been close."I think that's when the three of us are at our best," he said. "I never doubt our ability to document, assess, talk strategy, scheme, players, in the moment quickly and just let it happen. Where I think this crew has gotten better in recent weeks, and I think it's going to continue to get better, is having really good cohesive conversation that flows and finds a rhythm."Both teams already have wins on Monday night this season. The Rams defeated the Raiders in Week 1 and the Chiefs rallied to beat the Broncos in Week 4. Witten said while everyone is looking at the matchup between the quarterbacks, the chess match between coaches Sean McVay and Andy Reid is even more interesting."The Rams having a season that they had last year with a young head coach Authentic Rob Havenstein Jersey , a lot of hype, a lot of expectations and they have met that," he said. "On the other side, it's kind of the opposite. I mean, Andy Reid has really reinvented himself offensively in Kansas City, making a decision to trade Alex Smith who had taken that team to multiple playoff appearances, and Patrick Mahomes, I mean, he's worth the price of admission.""Monday Night Countdown" analyst Louis Riddick said the game moving to Los Angeles from Mexico City might make it even better."If this doesn't grab your attention, I don't know what does. Now with it being played stateside, a lot of people will be lucky to go to this game," he said.ESPN has not been fortunate with great late-season matchups in recent years, but that isn't the case this season. Monday's game is part of five straight weeks of games with playoff implications. The network is also pleased with the ratings Womens Robert Woods Jersey , which are up four percent from last season, averaging 11.4 million viewers.This week's matchup has a chance to be the most widely-watched "MNF" game on ESPN. The record is the 2009 game between the Vikings and Packers, when Brett Favre's return to Green Bay drew 21.839 million viewers."There are those teams from a ratings perspective that are just global teams that move the meter ?the Steelers, Packers, Patriots and Cowboys," Rothman said. "Historically, Kansas City has not been one of those that move the meter ... and L.A. is sort of getting there, but it's going to be interesting to see."