One week after Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Warren took home Good Morning Football’s “Angry Run” award, the other head of the two-headed backfield has received a nomination. Najee Harris was a big part of the Steelers’ 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week Twelve and has been nominated for this week’s award for an old school, throwback run right up the middle. Here is the segment posted by Good Morning Football on X.
On the first play of the Steelers’ first field-goal drive, Harris took the ball up the middle. At first, it looked like the play would get stopped for a gain of about five yards as Harris ran into the thick of the rugby scrum. By my count, nine Bengals defenders were a part of that scrum and made some form of contact with Harris, yet he somehow emerged on the other side of the pile for a 20-yard gain. Harris covered the football with both hands to protect the football and then kept pounding his legs until he broke through the pile. Leading the way in the pile were rookie OT Broderick Jones and TE Connor Heyward, but the entire offensive line generated great push and played all the way through the whistle.
Also nominated for the award this week are WR Isaiah Hodgins of the New York Giants and RB Cordarrelle Patterson of the Atlanta Falcons. If Harris wins the award, he will have the second most Angry Run awards since they started the tradition with five, trailing just RB Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans.
Harris has caught a lot of flak since being drafted in the first round. There is a certain level of expectation for first-round draft picks and while Harris has back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard seasons to start his NFL career, people still question the first-round investment in him. Especially with the emergence of Warren, who was an undrafted free agent.
Against the Bengals, it was Harris—not Warren—who led the way. Harris finished with 99 yards on 15 carries, and he also scored the Steelers’ only touchdown of the game. He had two explosive plays of 20 or more yards. Being able to generate explosive plays on the ground has been a critique of Harris since getting drafted. He had seven explosive plays in 2021 and just three in 2022, but already has eight this season with six regular-season games left to play. He is tied for the league lead in explosive runs. While he may never emerge as a guy who can break away 60- or 70-yard runs like Warren, Harris has proven he can generate explosive plays with consistency.
Harris has 598 yards on 143 rushing attempts this season and has scored four rushing touchdowns. He has also added an additional 116 receiving yards on 19 receptions. There is a chance for Harris to reach the 1,000-yard mark for his third straight season, especially with the way the Steelers’ running game has been trending.
