Steelers' Najee Harris Sets An Exciting Milestone For Himself

Heading into the bye week at 6-2, the Pittsburgh Steelers are showing that they can be real contenders in the AFC. The 26-18 win against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football continued to exhibit that the Steelers not only have a defense, but an offense. Despite multiple touchdowns called back, Pittsburgh's offense proved that they can drive down the field and score. During their past two games, the Steelers' offense has put up over 400 total yards of offense, something that wasn't even imaginable in previous seasons. Russell Wilson continues to manage well in Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith's scheme by creating a passing threat, which has allowed the run game to blossom.

Injuries have haunted the Steelers' offensive line this season, but they have still played well together despite the circumstances. Najee Harris has looked the best he's been so far during his time in Pittsburgh these past few games. On The Rich Eisen Show, Rich Eisen gave praise to Harris and speculated that the Alabama product "has been born again."

Eisen pointed out Harris has rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games for the first time in his NFL career since getting drafted in 2021. The Pittsburgh running back has generated 592 yards on the ground this season, which ranks sixth in the NFL. Harris has had some up and down games the past few seasons and fans didn't know if he was worth the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Steelers declined Harris' fifth-year option during this summer, leading to questions about the future of Harris in Pittsburgh. Harris is averaging 74 yards per game through Week 8. If this continues, it's putting him on track for a career high 1,258 rushing yards on the season. The Steelers may be regretting their decision now to decline Harris.

Harris has also shown his ability to make crazy plays. Against the Giants on Monday night, Harris hurdled over a defender to get the first down. Harris is known for his hurdles, but it's still crazy to see a big running back like him do that. He's also tough to take down, sometimes carrying multiple defenders on him as he fights for more yards.

The Steelers had the third toughest schedule coming into the 2024 season and face the worst of it after their bye week this week. Pittsburgh will face all of the AFC North teams twice and will have to travel to the Philadelphia Eagles, along with a showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas day in Pittsburgh. Harris will need to continue to be consistent in his running game in order for the Steelers to win some of these big games. In previous seasons, these games seemed unwinnable, but now they can go either way.

Steelers' Offensive Line Continues To Shine

There were questions on whether backup Ryan McCollum would be able to slow down NFL sack leader Dexter Lawrence Monday night. McCollum seemed to do just fine against Lawrence, not letting him take over the game like TJ Watt can do. Rookie Mason McCormick also had a few plays where he'd double team Lawrence with McCollum. Head Coach Mike Tomlin said last week that they'd scheme around Lawrence to limit his abilities and they did just that. 

The offensive line did give up a few sacks Monday night, but overall Wilson had enough time to throw and the holes were there for Harris and Jaylen Warren. Dan Moore Jr. has also been great on the left side, cleaning up a lot of the mistakes he was making last season. The bye week comes at a good time as Zach Frazier could potentially come back for the Washington Commanders game Week 10. There's a lot of positives about the offense and on the defense, but it remains to be seen if they can continue to prove why they should be a team at the top of the AFC.

Should the Steelers sign Harris after this season? Do you think he'll continue to put up big numbers in 2024? Let us know in the comments below!

#Steelernation