Even if not all cylinders are firing yet, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense is humming better than it has before in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. RB Najee Harris has been here for every Steelers’ stall and breakdown and tow along the way. Now, he’s enjoying an offense that feels fun. Speaking to reporters postgame, he was honest about where the team stood.
“One-hundred percent man, this is the most efficient that I think my years being here,” Harris said via the team website. “And usually we turn it around, I guess we’ll say later in the season. But to happen so early and to have this momentum going, I think that that’s just a sign of, of what’s to come in the future.”
The slow-starting Steelers haven’t completely faded away. They had their fits early on as QB Russell Wilson knocked off the rust, Pittsburgh falling behind 15-6 with 5 minutes to play in the second half. But CB Beanie Bishop’s interception was a game-changer and helped cut the margin to just 2 points going into halftime.
From there, it was all Pittsburgh. Najee Harris and the run game got going as the Steelers’ lineman imposed their will and wore down the Jets in the second half. Harris registered his second-straight 100-yard rushing performance, capping the win with a 10-yard score. The Steelers’ 37 points are the most during a win in four years, and they’ve now posted 30-plus points in back-to-back games.
“Coming in early and starting fast this early in the season, this is the best my four years here, us starting off,” Harris said. “The best we started off. I think that’s the dedication to the guys we’ve got in the quarterback room and to the o-line and the coaches too that we have.”
As Harris alluded to, the Steelers normal mantra is to get going in the final month of the year. That’s what they did in 2023 when Mason Rudolph salvaged the team’s playoff hopes and ripped off three final wins. The Steelers are showing they can be a team capable of scoring and putting opponents away. There’s still a lot of season left to be played. Odds are, there will be ebbs and flows, but the flashes are there. Harris can see them.
