One factor was very clear coming into the 2024 season. The Pittsburgh Steelers needed to be a bodily, run-first soccer offense.
They introduced in Arthur Smith, identified for his excessive run charges as an offensive coordinator, they usually chosen offensive linemen with their first two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft. Mike Tomlin stated that weekend that their purpose is to roll folks.
By way of the primary two video games, their dashing assault has been okay, however not the dominant drive that many hoped it could be given the offseason adjustments. The Steelers rank twelfth within the NFL with 139 dashing yards per recreation. Groups with cellular quarterbacks like Justin Fields are typically a little bit larger on the record anyway, so their true dashing assault with the operating backs is common proper now.
Ben Roethlisberger nonetheless likes what he’s seeing, particularly from RB Najee Harris.
“I assumed they had been bodily [Sunday]. I assumed the Pittsburgh Steelers put their will on the Denver Broncos operating the ball. Naj ran like a madman,” Roethlisberger stated through his Footbahlin podcast on YouTube. “Seventeen carries, 69 yards. I assumed he had a buck 20 the best way he ran. ‘Trigger his 69 yards, the opposite group felt prefer it was 150 as a result of he was operating with anger, with physicality.”
That physicality was on full show in Week 1, too. At the start of the sport, Harris delivered a punishing hit on the finish of considered one of his runs that set the tone for the day.
Harris fell one yard in need of matching his Week 1 manufacturing on the bottom in Week 2 towards the Broncos. He was barely extra environment friendly with three much less carries, and he didn’t have a 20-yard run like he did in Week 1 to assist buoy the common. His 4.1 common nonetheless surpassed what he was capable of accomplish towards the Atlanta Falcons.
Having 69 or 70 yards per recreation from their lead again isn’t what everyone hoped to see from the Steelers’ floor recreation, however it’s nonetheless an enchancment over the primary two weeks of final yr. In actual fact, Harris’ 139 dashing yards by two video games is similar whole he had by the primary three video games final season, and he nonetheless managed to complete with over 1,000 yards dashing for the third time in his profession.
He’s on tempo to have a profession season, and the offensive line remains to be in flux with the current adjustments at proper deal with and Isaac Seumalo lacking from the lineup for an additional week or two. There are nonetheless loads of causes to be optimistic concerning the floor recreation and Najee Harris having a breakout season.
