Can Najee Harris lead a battered Steelers ground game to success against the Cowboys?
While the Steelers eventually managed 122 rushing yards, they struggled for much of the game, with Najee Harris front and center. He totaled just 19 yards on 13 carries, and they could not move the ball early on. Cordarrelle Patterson sparked some life with 43 yards on just six attempts, but he is injured.
Both Patterson and Jaylen Warren are injured, in fact, and have not practiced so far. The way things are trending, neither may play on Sunday. That would mean it’s all on Najee Harris, along with Aaron Shampklin and Jonathan Ward. Is that enough for the Steelers to run effectively?
The Steelers elevated Shampklin from the practice squad last week, but he is now currently on the 53-man roster. But with Patterson added to the injured list along with Warren, they would likely need to elevate Ward, as well. Under those circumstances, you can obviously expect a lot of Najee Harris.
Through the first three games, Harris rushed for 209 yards on 55 carries at 3.8 yards per carry. He had been totaling almost exactly 70 rushing yards per game before that plummeted to just 19 in Indianapolis.
Harris has done most of his damage in the first quarter, accounting for 103 rushing yards. That is more than he has had in the first half combined, managing 72 in four eight first-half quarters. For my math majors, that’s an average of 36 yards per four quarters. In contrast, he is averaging 78 yards per four quarters in the second half.
But the Steelers need to get to the second half first, or can they find a way to start faster? And can Najee Harris be a part of that faster start? Historically, his first- and second-half splits are actually pretty even. The only quarter that stands out from the others is the third. His scoring is also pretty evenly distributed as a runner, so this current trend is more of an anomaly.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Will Russell Wilson regain his job when he is healthy, or is Justin Fields stealing it? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
