(Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
Anthony McFarland Jr. finally got his first touches of the season and he capitalized on the opportunity, rushing for 42 yards on six carries, an average of 7 yards per carry and a long of 20 yards.
"Good to get Anthony McFarland involved," Tomlin said. "I thought our utilization of all of the backs was a good element of play for us. He was ready last week. That is why we had the hat on him. Sometimes game circumstances don't allow certain roles to develop. We like the overall trajectory of his game. He has been working hard, practicing hard and having professional detail in his work. We had trust in his abilities. It was good to get him in the mix.
McFarland brings a different dimension to the running backs group, as he is elusive and possesses great speed. James Conner is still the "bell cow" as Tomlin likes to say, but a talent like McFarland complements him well.
He brings a different skill set than others and they complement each other well.
"(James) is our feature runner. It doesn't mean we won't play others. It does mean as we distribute carries and particularly as we find our rhythm in the game that will include him unless somebody else has an unusual hot hand. And we don't care who gets the credit or who make makes the plays, that's just the approach that we take."
Moving forward, it wouldn't be a surprise to see McFarland gets more playing time and touches, as he has showcased more than Jaylen Samuels so far this season.