While the Steelers struggled to get Najee Harris going on the ground Sunday in Indianapolis, Cordarrelle Patterson found success. So, too, did QB Justin Fields, having his most successful day with the Steelers as a runner. While nobody tore the turf up, the run game did look effective in spots. Harris just didn’t happen to be in those spots.
Najee Harris finished Sunday’s game with just 19 rushing yards on 13 attempts. He only had four or five successful runs, and none in the first half, with a long gain of five. Before Cordarrelle Patterson checked out with an injury, he rushed for 43 yards on just six carries. Chris Hoke had some thoughts on why we saw that dichotomy for the Steelers against the Colts.
“[Teams} prepare for Najee getting the bulk of the carries, preparing for one type of running back, and then you have a guy that cuts and runs and cuts back and accelerates quicker Najee Harris”, Hoke said Sunday on KDKA Nightly Sports Call. “You saw where Najee Harris caught that big screen what you saw was a guy who cannot get to that top speed really fast; Cordarrelle Patterson might have scored on that play”.
Harris did take one pass 32 yards, tied for the third-longest play of his career. And if you didn’t know better, perhaps you might have thought he was in slow motion. Every Steelers fan knows that he lacks top-end speed, but that’s not his game. It is, however, Patterson’s game, and he still looked fast at 33 years old.
“The reality is this when Cordarrelle Patterson had success, he was able to cut back”, Hoke said. “He would take the ball to maybe not the defined hole and that’s why he was able to catch these holes sometimes. He was able to take it front side and cut it back and hit a different hole. Najee Harris, that’s one of his weaknesses. He doesn’t have the ability to put his foot in the ground and take it to another place. He has to hit the hole. So if it collapses, it’s tough”.
While the Steelers signed Patterson to return kicks, he hasn’t had a chance to do so yet. But he showed over the past two weeks that he can still contribute on offense. Yesterday, he rushed for 43 yards, and he also caught two passes for 19 yards. Last week, he caught three passes and rushed for 33 yards on four attempts.
This is Patterson’s fourth year running in Arthur Smith’s scheme, even if it is the first in Pittsburgh. He is only getting this current opportunity because Jaylen Warren is sidelined, but his style is working. And the Steelers will still use him with Harris and Warren. He carried the ball four times in the opener and twice in Week 2, so he’s not sitting and watching.
