Slowly but surely in recent weeks, the run game for the Pittsburgh Steelers has gotten back on track, looking like the rushing attack that the Steelers were accustomed to late in the 2022 season.
A big part of that is the emergence of third-year running back Najee Harris, who has really come on strong in recent weeks and is looking as good as he ever has in his Steelers tenure.
Of course, Harris hasn’t done it alone. Second-year running back Jaylen Warren has formed quite a formidable 1-2 punch with the former first-round pick, and the Steelers’ offensive line has responded to a challenge from the coaching staff, starting to play much better in the trenches overall.
But right now, the attention is focused on Harris, who had a superb game in Week 17 on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. In the 30-23 win, Harris rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, dishing out punishment time and time again to the Seattle defense.
That performance earned Harris a bump back into the top 15 of former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew’s RB Index, which was released Wednesday night.
“Najee Harris went off last week, rushing for a season-high 122 yards and tying a career high with two rush TDs in a game. The third-year back has been a huge asset for a Steelers offense that’s again shuffled through quarterbacks,” Jones-Drew writes regarding Harris’ climb back into the top 15. “He has steadily produced in 2023 and is nearing his third straight 1,000-yard season, with his team on the doorstep of the postseason.”
Harris has been a true workhorse and a huge asset for the Steelers down the stretch, especially with Pittsburgh shuffling through Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and now Mason Rudolph under center. That type of change under center can be hard on any team, but the steady presence of Harris has helped the Steelers manage it in recent weeks.
Now, with Rudolph having grabbed the job and run with it, the offense is in much better shape and has more balance than the Steelers have had in a few years. Harris is a big part of that on the ground.
The raw numbers might not look all that great (just 4.0 yards per carry), but he’s closing in on a third-straight 1,000-yard season and has scored seven touchdowns on the ground for the third straight season.
To date in his career, Harris has rushed for 3,157 yards and 21 touchdowns on 808 attempts. Though he’s averaged just 3.9 yards per carry in his career, Harris has been a steady presence for the Steelers, one who runs extremely hard and sets the tone for the Steelers. That makes him a huge asset, and the Steelers are seeing that once again late in the season.
