The Pittsburgh Steelers anticipated to have among the finest operating video games within the NFL this 12 months with their two headed-monster within the backfield of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Nonetheless, regardless of Warren coping with accidents all season slowing him down, Harris has been in a position to carry the run sport.
Harris has ran for 478 yards and two touchdowns, a mean of for 4.1 yards per carry. These numbers have helped the Steelers have the ninth-best speeding offense within the league. Resulting from his robust play by the primary seven weeks, Steelers beat reporter Gerry Dulac was requested if Harris was having his greatest 12 months since his rookie season.
“Nicely, Wealthy, I might say most positively,” mentioned Dulac on Steelers Kickoff posted to the Steelers YouTube web page. “And when it’s not simply speeding numbers, it’s his huge play runs. Whenever you watch Najee Harris, he’s operating extra free. His good buddy Pat Freiermuth had talked about that to me the opposite day, and you may simply see it. And it’s evident by that indisputable fact that because the begin of final season he has 13 runs of 20+ yards…Solely 4 operating backs within the league have extra 20 yard runs than Nate Harris in that point.”
In Harris’ rookie season, by seven video games he ran for 479 yards and three touchdowns on 3.7 yards per carry. However, in Harris’ rookie 12 months he additionally caught 37 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns because the offense that 12 months concerned QB Ben Roethlisberger getting the ball out shortly.
As a runner, this has in all probability been Harris’ greatest season. He’s notoriously been a gradual starter, however this 12 months he has began the season on hearth as he’s in search of a contract this offseason. One other means he has been higher than his rookie season is explosive performs. In 2021, Harris had six whole runs of 20 or extra yards whereas by solely seven video games this 12 months that quantity is 5.
With the Steelers nonetheless to play 10 extra video games, Harris ought to obliterate these explosive run numbers from his rookie season. Even with all its accidents, the Steelers’ offensive line is means higher this season than it was in 2021, however it nonetheless looks like Harris is having a significantly better 12 months. His imaginative and prescient appears higher than it was when he was a rookie and the explosive performs are occurring extra often.
Even with QB Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh’s id can be operating the soccer. If Harris can proceed enjoying like this, good issues will come as it’s going to assist the Steelers management time of possession, hold the protection recent, and open up the play-action sport for the likes of TE Darnell Washington.
