The Pittsburgh Steelers’ game plan this season is to win the game on the ground, and they got off to a solid start on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. While it wasn’t the two-headed monster we expected with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, Harris took most of the snaps and played well, running for 70 yards and adding another nine yards after a reception. He also showed some attitude and power running through defenders, and Chris Long said on his Green Light podcast that Harris was “possessed” against the Falcons.
“Justin Fields can win you some games because you got a damn good defense, and you can run the ball because Najee Harris was possessed. They love Najee Harris. Arthur [Smith] loves him,” Long said.
While the numbers don’t necessarily pop out at you, Harris ran hard and angry, as A.J. Terrell found out early in the game.
He fought for every yard, showed good patience waiting for holes, and helped the Steelers move the chains and stay on schedule. It was the type of game expected of Harris, and he delivered when called upon against the Falcons.
While Warren’s involvement was limited, that may have been due to his recovery from his hamstring injury. Once he gets more involved in the offense, he and Harris could take the Pittsburgh offense to another level.
Harris and the run game will also get a boost when OG Isaac Seumalo returns from his injury, and Seumalo should also help upgrade the offense as a whole. But the Steelers saw what they needed to see out of Harris yesterday, and if he can keep up that level of play throughout the season, Pittsburgh’s rushing attack will thrive under Arthur Smith.
Harris has always been a physical runner, but he seemed to play with even more of an edge and feistiness yesterday, which was a lot of fun to watch. Even when Warren does return, Harris will likely remain the lead back for the Steelers, especially if he runs with the same ferocity he did on Sunday.
The ground game should only get better throughout the year as defenses wear down and guys get more comfortable, and that’s been the case recently for the Steelers. But it was nice to see the rushing attack and Harris get off to a quick start this season, and it’ll give them plenty to build on going forward.
