Throughout the 2023 season, much of the talk regarding the backfield for the Pittsburgh Steelers has centered on second-year sensation Jaylen Warren.
Warren has taken the league by storm this season, leading the league in yards per carry and looking like a star seemingly every time he touches the football. That’s left third-year running back and starter Najee Harris overlooked at times.
Not on Sunday.
Harris was very clearly the Steelers’ best running back in their 16-10 win over the Bengals. He ran hard, finishing with 99 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. He had his first 100-yard game since Week 17 last season against Baltimore, but then lost a yard on his final carry, dropping him below the century mark in the process.
Still, he was a force against the Bengals. Harris had two explosive runs, one of which should put him in consideration for the “Angry Runs” scepter from Good Morning Football. That had Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt praising Harris Monday morning following the win over the Bengals.
“They need Najee to do what they want to do this year, which is win multiple playoff games. They need that guy,” Brandt stated, according to NFL Network.
The Steelers have visions of making a run here in the second half, putting together a strong season in general. Currently, Pittsburgh sits at 7-4 on the season. They have a favorable stretch of football coming up with matchups against the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts ahead before a tough stretch to end the season.
To do what they want to do, they need Harris to be on top of his game. He was on Sunday, and he ran very hard, too, setting the tone for the Steelers’ offense on the ground.
Brandt has been rather supportive of Warren in the past, calling him the better running back and the best offensive piece on the Steelers. He’s also called Warren the hardest runner in football, which might be true. But Harris is no slouch. He proved that again Sunday and showed that the Steelers are at their best when both running backs are rolling.
“I’m very happy Najee Harris played well. I’m happy George Pickens played well. They can eke out all these one-point wins and everything. If they’re gonna do something in the playoffs where they beat Baltimore or they beat Miami or whoever the hell, they need those guys,” Brandt said regarding Harris. “They need Jaylen Warren, and they need all of them. Najee was great yesterday. Really great.”
Harris was great. He was arguably the best player on the Steelers’ offense Sunday outside of tight end Pat Freiermuth and quarterback Kenny Pickett. Every time Harris touched the ball it felt like it was at least a four-yard gain. The Steelers did a great job in the first game post-Matt Canada of making sure Harris got the football with a head of steam working downhill, running out of the pistol formation at times to ensure they got that downhill track.
It was a great showing from Harris overall. He has to build on it now and truly help form that dangerous 1-2 punch in the backfield alongside Warren.
