Ryan Clark certainly knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful in the physical rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. While many were focused on one big Alabama running back in Derrick Henry, another big Alabama running back was just as effective. Clark pointed to Najee Harris as a tone-setter for the Steelers.
“I thought the physicality in which the offense played with was encouraging. I thought Najee Harris ran the ball with a reckless abandon and intention to be physically violent when he got to the point of attack,” Clark said via ESPN’s NFL Live. “And I think that set the tone for the entire day…They knew, defensively, they had a great plan for Lamar Jackson, but I feel like it was also about limiting his possessions. And if you can get a Najee Harris going, it gave them an opportunity to do that.”
If you just glanced at the box score, Harris didn’t have a statistically excellent day. He had 63 yards on 18 carries with a long of 13 yards. But he also chipped in another four receptions for 30 yards to nearly put him over 100 total yards for the day. And this was all against the No. 1 rushing defense in the league entering the week.
According to Pro Football Focus, over half of his total rushing yards were gained after contact, with 2.06 yards after contact per attempt, and he forced four missed tackles. Harris is on pace to shatter his previous season high for forced missed tackles, which was on display against the Ravens.
Even when rushing for minimal gains, he hit the holes hard and ensured the Ravens’ defense felt it every time. Harris and Warren are a big reason why the Steelers managed to win the time of possession battle 36:22 to 23:38.
It may look like Henry outplayed Harris, but half of Henry’s production came on one run, and he also fumbled at the start of the game. If you factor in the receiving, Harris was the better of the two in this game and a big reason why the Steelers were able to grind out an 18-16 win.
Harris normally starts to round into form right now, given his history in past seasons. When the weather starts to cool off, Harris starts to dominate. If that happens again, Harris should comfortably beat his career-high in rushing yards. He is currently on pace to rush for 1,203 yards, which would narrowly beat out his rookie season. But if the ground game dominates down the stretch, he should set a new high for himself before he enters free agency in March.
