5 things we learned: Chance for 1,000-yard season shows how far Steelers’ Najee Harris has come
Share this post:
Five things we learned from Steelers 16, Ravens 13:
1. Finishing kick
Rushing for 1,000 yards isn’t the feat it used to be considering that it boils down to an average of 58 yards per game over an expanded 17-game season.
In 2021, the first year of the 17-game schedule, Najee Harris rushed for 1,200 yards to rank fourth in the NFL. After a sluggish first half of his second season, Harris is within reach of 1,000 if he has even a below-average game against Cleveland in the season finale.
After rushing for a season-high 111 yards against the Ravens — the first time he has cracked triple digits this year — Harris is 46 yards shy of 1,000.
Again, it might not be such a prestigious event these days, but it’s a testament to how far Harris has come in the second half of the year. Consider that when the Steelers entered the bye week, Harris had 361 yards rushing on 108 carries, averaging 3.34 yards per attempt.
In the eight games since the break, Harris has carried 141 times for 583 yards — an average of 4.13 yards per attempt. Harris also has scored five rushing touchdowns as opposed to one in the first half.
Harris helped fuel a 198-yard rushing game against Baltimore, the most rushing yards the Steelers have enjoyed against the Ravens since 1997.
2. Flagged down
Cam Heyward’s unnecessary roughness penalty had the biggest impact in the game as the Ravens scored a touchdown on the next play after seemingly preparing to kick a field goal late in the first half.
It wasn’t the only costly flag against the Steelers, who were penalized six times for 43 yards. On the opening drive, with the Steelers facing a first-and-goal from the 2, tight end Pat Freiermuth was called for a false start. The drive fizzled, and the Steelers settled for Chris Boswell’s 20-yard field goal.
On the next series, George Pickens ran out of bounds before returning to catch a third-down pass. That illegal touching call negated the play and led to a punt.
The punt return unit was penalized twice — once on a hold by Minkah Fitzpatrick that moved the ball from the 36 to the 26. The other was against Elijah Riley, pushing the Steelers back to the 5.
And for the second week in a row, the Steelers were penalized when a player not in uniform ran onto the field to celebrate a late interception.
Related:
• Mark Madden: There are still warts, but the Steelers have proven something
• Feats of Strength: Another late Kenny Pickett TD drive, Najee Harris’ exploits ‘push’ Steelers to victory in Baltimore
• Steelers’ playoff hopes still kicking after dramatic victory over Ravens
• Steelers’ path to the playoffs now clear: beat Browns, have Patriots, Dolphins lose
• ‘The kid’s growing before our eyes’ — Another winning drive led by Steelers’ QB Kenny Pickett
3. Off the mark
Boswell has missed four field-goal attempts in four games since returning from a groin injury. That equals the number of misses he had in the seven games prior to his absence.
Boswell’s latest misfire was a 48-yard attempt in the second quarter that ticked off the right upright and bounced into the end zone. Taking over at their 38, the Ravens drove for a touchdown with 0:07 left in that half that gave them their first lead 10-3.
That miss was his fourth in a span of eight attempts. To Boswell’s credit, he made a 51-yarder in the third quarter and converted again from 33 yards in the fourth.
4. Second helpings
Whatever adjustments defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is making in the second half of games lately have been working.
For the fourth game in a row, the Steelers haven’t yielded a touchdown after halftime. The Ravens managed Justin Tucker’s field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter and no other points against the Steelers after taking that 13-3 lead.
The last time the Steelers permitted a touchdown in the second half was at the end of the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13.
The Steelers held the Ravens to 240 total yards, marking the third game in a row an opponent hasn’t reached 250.
The biggest stand against the Ravens came after Boswell’s third field goal cut the deficit to 13-9 with 9:44 remaining. Justice Hill had a 56-yard kickoff return, setting up the Ravens at the Steelers 40. But a J.K. Dobbins run lost 2 yards, and Tyler Huntley threw two incomplete passes. Tucker wasn’t about to be sent out for a 60-yard attempt, so the Ravens punted.
The next time the Ravens touched the ball, Dobbins was stopped for no gain on third-and-2, and Baltimore punted again.
5. Third time’s the charm
The offense continues to have its warts as evidenced by the Steelers scoring zero touchdowns in the opening 59 minutes the past two weeks.
One late TD drive has been enough to secure wins over Las Vegas and Baltimore.
A key for the Steelers moving up and down the field — whether it produces a field goal or that rare touchdown — has been the offense’s success on third down.
The Steelers converted 10 of 16 third downs against the Ravens to continue a second-half trend. In the past eight games, the Steelers have converted 53.5% of their third-down opportunities. In the first eight games, that success ratio hovered at 33.6%.