Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin talked quite a bit of smack leading up to Sunday’s Week 4 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium between the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers, stating he wanted to snatch a Terrible Towel.
Franklin continued that smack talk Sunday after the Colts’ 27-24 win over the Steelers, taking to Twitter to take a shot at Steelers running back Najee Harris.
The linebacker called Harris soft and said that veteran running back Cordarrelle Patterson runs harder, quote tweeting a photo of Harris from a fan on the Jumbotron running onto the field flipping Colts fans the double birds.
“Kid is soft. 84 run harder,” Franklin tweeted.
Franklin, to his credit, backed up the talk on Sunday with his performance. He recorded nine tackles in the win and was a hammer coming downhill all game long as the Colts bottled up the Steelers’ run game.
Harris, who entered the Week 4 matchup having played well early in the season, was held to just 19 yards rushing on 13 carries and often found himself running against stacked boxes.
For one drive in the second quarter, Patterson was a weapon for the Steelers. Patterson rushed for 43 yards on six carries before exiting with an ankle injury, which knocked him out of the game for good. Though Harris made some plays through the air, hauling in three passes for 54 yards, including an impressive 32-yard catch and run to set up a Justin Fields rushing touchdown, the Colts largely took Harris out of the game.
That led to Franklin taking to social media and talking some additional trash, feeling good after the win.
If I’m lying I’m flying
— Zaire Franklin (@ZiggySmalls_) September 29, 2024
It’s a stretch to call Harris soft. He’s one of the more physical, powerful backs in the NFL. He’s proven it time and time again. Sunday was not a good performance from Harris though, that much is certain.
He’s not a soft running back by any stretch of the imagination. Franklin has to know that, and it’s likely he’s just having some fun and looking to stir up some controversy. But if these two somehow meet again this season in the playoffs, that will be quite the matchup to watch.
