The Pittsburgh Steelers ran all over the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive front Sunday on their way to a 30-23 victory. Both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren had success with the ball in their hands as the team combined for 202 rushing yards. Harris led the way with 122 yards on 27 carries and tacked on two touchdowns. He would have had a third touchdown to end the game, but he made the selfless decision to slide after picking up a first down to ensure the Seahawks wouldn’t get the ball back.
For his efforts, Harris was nominated for Week 17’s FedEx Ground Player of the Week, per the NFL communications page on X. This award nominates three players each week and the winner receives a $2,000 donation on his behalf to Historically Black Colleges and Universities via the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Harris is up against RB Kahlil Herbert of the Chicago Bears and RB James Conner of the Arizona Cardinals. Herbert gained 124 yards on 18 carries (6.9 YPC) and scored one rushing touchdown. Conner had a similar stat line to Harris with 128 rushing yards on 26 carries (4.9 YPC) and a touchdown. The last member of the Steelers to win the award was Warren in Week 11 after a nine-carry, 129-yard, and one-touchdown performance against the Cleveland Browns. Harris has been nominated a couple times in the past but has never taken home the award.
Harris was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Steelers. His overall production has slightly regressed in each season, but after his first 100-yard rushing performance of the year he has a chance to surpass his 2022 totals in the final week. He has 923 yards on 229 attempts compared to 1,034 yards on 272 attempts last season. He is more efficient than he has ever been but has received less carries, which explains the dip in raw output. This is because of the emergence of Warren and the number of touches he is getting per game. You can vote for Harris to win this week’s award here.
