For the Pittsburgh Steelers, running the ball is a part of their franchise DNA. They’ve long been a smashmouth football-based team (or have aspired to be), and even though they had some prolific passing offenses in the past, running the ball was always an important aspect of who they were.
In 2023, that concept was off to a rough start. The Steelers didn’t even combine for 100 yards rushing over the first two weeks of the season and failed to post a 115-yard game through their first seven games.
However, some sort of switch must have flipped during the team’s Week Nine bout against the Tennessee Titans because since then, they’ve been a lot better on the ground, rushing for at least 150 yards in four consecutive contests. The Steelers haven’t achieved that since 2004, and if they extend the streak to five next week, it’ll be the first time since 1977.
So what changed? Najee Harris weighed in during his team-provided interview today.
“A lot of linebackers aren’t shooting the gaps. Earlier in the year, a lot of linebackers were shooting the gaps to stop the run. It’s another way of just stopping the run, loading the box.” Harris noted. “Some teams haven’t been able to do that. We’re able now to work up to the second level and, the linemen are able to work up the second level and get us more space to work.”
Harris’ season has been a bit of a mixed bag. For those who just check their fantasy scores and don’t watch the games, he’s been very underwhelming. But watching him week in and week out, he’s run better than his box score stats say. And now that these linebackers aren’t shooting the gaps as effectively, he’s fighting to turn a 7-yard run into a 10-yard run, instead of fighting for a 1-yard run into a 4-yard run.
When asked about the Steelers’ offensive identity, Harris simply replied “Running the ball.” And he’s not wrong by any means.
Dating all the way back to 2007, the Steelers are an astounding 40-1 in regulation games where they run for 150 yards or more. The one exception? That would be two weeks ago against the Cleveland Browns. When the Steelers establish the run, they are nearly impossible to beat.
And that’s a real good sign for a team, that right now, has their running game absolutely humming. Warren has been going for a few weeks now, but with Harris seeming to find his stride, Pittsburgh employs arguably the best 1-2 running back punch in football right now. And if it can buy the passing game some time to figure things out before the playoffs, this offense could be dangerous come the end of the season.
