Najee Harris, Steelers rushing offense has shown improvement in recent weeks
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Don’t look now, but the Pittsburgh Steelers — at long last — appear to have put together a respectable rushing attack.
After finishing among the bottom four in the NFL in rushing yards per game each of the past four seasons, the Steelers have climbed all the way up to 22nd in the league rushing rankings 11 weeks into this season.
That might not sound like much. But if that holds over the season, it would be the highest the Steelers finish since 2017 when they were 20th. Their 107.8 yards per game is the Steelers’ best since 2016, when the Le’Veon Bell-led attack averaged 110.0. That season (4.3 yards per carry) is also the most recent time the Steelers averaged more than the 4.2 yards per carry they have accumulated this season.
“Definitely, there have been improvements in the run game,” offensive lineman J.C. Hassenauer said. “It’s not necessarily where we want it to be currently, but every week we strive to improve that, and I think we are doing a good job so far.”
The Steelers have averaged 109.5 yards over the past two weeks, posting two of their five largest-gaining efforts of 2022 in that time.
“We’ve just got to keep stacking bricks,” featured running back Najee Harris said. “Keep getting better at it.”
Speaking after Sunday’s 37-30 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals that dropped the team to 3-7, Harris wasn’t in much of a mood to elaborate or to bask in glory about the improved numbers. But this two-game stretch followed an idle week during which Harris would have been able to rest a foot that was injured during training camp and as recently as late last month still required a steel plate inserted into his shoe during games.
While the “eye test” suggests Harris appears to have his best “burst” and acceleration of the season in recent weeks, the 2021 first-round pick himself denies that.
“No,” Harris said. “I feel the same.”
But Harris isn’t producing the same — and that’s a good thing for a player who through six games was averaging 41.0 yards per game and 3.2 per carry. The past two games, Harris is averaging 94.5 yards per game and 4.7 per carry.
The past two games have been Harris’ two best in regards to total rushing yards (99 and 90), carries (20 and 20) and yards per carry (5.0, 4.5). Per Pro Football Focus’ grades, Sunday’s game was Harris’ best of the season overall and in running the ball.
Najee Harris has had his best 2 games of the season by measure of @NextGenStats Rush Yards Over Expected (plus-16 vs. NO, minus-1 vs. CIN).
He still ranks dead last in the NFL in season total RYOE (minus-77) — but he's moved up to 4th-from-last in RYOE per carry! (minus-0.53)
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) November 21, 2022
Counting third-down back Jaylen Warren (who left Sunday’s game early because of a hamstring injury), quarterback Kenny Pickett and wide receiver runs, the Steelers have had three of their four best rushing yardage totals over their past three games. Extrapolated over a full season, the 154.3 yards per game the Steelers are averaging over their past three games would rank fifth in the NFL.
“The run game needs to be consistent in order for our offense to work the way it needs to be and the way it should,” Pickett said, “like it did in the first half (Sunday). So we know what it looks like, and we just have to execute at a higher level.”
Led by Harris’ 56 yards on 11 carries — including a 19-yard touchdown that to that point was the Steelers’ longest of the season — the Steelers averaged 5.1 yards per carry in the first half against the Bengals.
Consider that Harris had not rushed for more than 56 yards in an entire game during his first six appearances this season.
The Steelers’ offense, on whole, still ranks among the NFL’s bottom feeders in several relevant categories, but establishing a respectable and reliable running game would benefit their rookie quarterback and theoretically open up more opportunities in the passing game.
“I would say I feel like we are feeling way more confident in our run game,” starting left guard Kevin Dotson said. “It definitely still needs improvement, but if we can improve on that it just makes everything else easy.”
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