The general belief in football circles is that when the weather gets colder and the conditions worsen, you want a workhorse running back who is big, powerful, and a load to take down, allowing offenses to wear down defenses and impose their will.
Good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers: they have that running back.
Najee Harris was built for November, December and January football, and he was made to do it in the Steel City.
Based on the recent month-long stretch of performances in the run game for the Steelers’ offense, it’s setting up perfectly for Harris to unleash hell on opposing defenses down the stretch, battering his way through — and over — defenders in the cold temperatures, hopefully helping lead the Steelers to the postseason.
Over the last four weeks, the Steelers have rushed for 150-plus yards in each game. That’s the first time the Steelers have done that since 2004. Should Pittsburgh do it again on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at Acrisure Stadium, it would be the first time the Steelers have had 150-plus rushing yards in five straight games since 1977.
Harris is a big part of that and will continue to be down the stretch. He tends to put together some of his best performances when the weather gets colder and the punishment he dishes out as a runner takes on more of an effect on defenders’ psyche.
In this first two NFL seasons, Harris has rushed for 941 yards and five touchdowns on 225 carries in 12 games, according to Pro Football Reference. That’s good for 4.18 yards per carry. In December and January with Harris as the lead workhorse, the Steelers are 9-3 in the regular season.
Impressive numbers overall.
That trend with Harris should only continue this season, starting with one of the league’s worst run defenses in the Cardinals coming to town. Harris is coming off a season-best performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, rushing for 99 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He was a force throughout the day, bullying his way to the near-century mark.
Gone is the back that was dancing too much and running with too much patience behind the line of scrimmage early in the season. Over the last month or so, Harris has returned to the successful style he had in the second half last season, running hard downhill and leaning into his 240-pound frame as a brute running back.
As a rookie, Harris was dominant in December and January. There was the 20-carry, 94-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football. Then, there was a 19-carry, 93-yard performance the day after Christmas against the Kansas City Chiefs. One week later, Harris went off in January, recording a career-high 188 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries in a win over the Cleveland Browns in Ben Roethlisberger’s final home game.
Last season, Harris had another strong December and January. There was a 24-carry, 86-yard, one-touchdown performance on the road against the Carolina Panthers, followed by a 22-carry, 111-yard, one-touchdown game against the Baltimore Ravens on New Year’s Day on the road, Harris scoring the game-winning touchdown on a pass from quarterback Kenny Pickett.
After that, Harris had a 23-carry, 80-yard, one-touchdown performance in the season finale against the Cleveland Browns.
Though those numbers might not be eye-popping, they are rather telling based on the workload: teams do not want to deal with a player who is as big and as strong as Harris, especially in the cold. It can wear on defenses, and it’s why late in games in December and January Harris has some big runs.
The Steelers are looking for that to continue this season, especially as Harris seems to have found a successful style in recent weeks. He forms a dynamic duo with running back Jaylen Warren as the two bring different things to the table and complement each other. They both run hard as can be, too, which is a dangerous thing for defenses down the stretch.
If Pittsburgh wants to go on the run it envisions, Harris is going to need to be that driving force offensively. It’s time for him and the Steelers’ run game to unleash hell in December and January — again.
