The Pittsburgh Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin have almost always been a one-running back team. This might be the first time since 2012 that the team will go to more of a system to share the load.
In 2021, the team used a first-round pick to select Najee Harris from the University of Alabama. During his rookie year, he was the most-used running back in the NFL with a total of 381 touches.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Najee Harris participates in 2022 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. | Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO
The 24-year-old has had a tough start to his second campaign. He’s failed to reach 100 yards from scrimmage in a game this year after doing it 9 times last season. There were calls from fans and media to elevate undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren, who started the season hot, to the starting job.
In Pittsburgh’s Week 10 20-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints, things began to look up for the running attack. By getting more players involved on the ground, the team was able to turn in their best rushing game since 2016.
The 217 rushing yards by the #Steelers today is the most they've had since 240 vs Buffalo on December 11, 2016. First 200-yard team rushing performance since then. @937theFan
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) November 13, 2022
The Martinez, California native turned in a 99-yard rushing game averaging a season-high 4.95 yards per carry per Pro Football Reference while playing 63% of the offensive snaps, carrying the ball 20 times. Warren, playing in 43% of snaps, rushed 9 times for 37 yards. Kenny Pickett also added to the team's running attack on the Saints with 51 yards on 8 attempts.
Early in the year, offensive coordinator Matt Canada had used Chase Claypool in the ground game on the jet sweeps. This week, it was Steven Sims getting two attempts amounting to not much, but,rookie George Pickens was able to pick up 21 yards on a sweep and got his first career rushing score punching in the Steelers' first score of the afternoon.
Harris is still getting the bulk of the work of the group, but there is a concerted effort to take some of the pressure of being 'the guy' off his plate.
Najee Harris on splitting carries pic.twitter.com/90jdQ862Wt
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) November 13, 2022
Steelers Lessening the Load on Star Back
The 2021 Pro Bowl nominee told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor the organization came to him at the start of the year and let him know this would not be a repeat of last year, and he’s seeing the benefit. The Oklahoma State product came in and helped seal the game with a 21-yard carry and a 4-yard carry to force the Saints to take their last time out and allow Pittsburgh to bleed time off the clock late in the fourth quarter.
“Jaylen, he made probably two of the most important plays of the game in the end,” Harris told Pryor. “'We're gonna try to take off some pressure off of you. We can't put you on the field whatever amount of plays I did last year. You need some help if you wanna be here long enough.' So, him coming in there, making those two plays, it helped out a lot.”
Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back Jaylen Warren (30) during a regular season game against the Cleveland Browns on Thurs., Sept. 22 at Cleveland, OH. (Abigail/Pittsburgh Steelers)
It was a positive day for the offensive line too, helped by the running attack. 3rd-year guard Kevin Dotson told The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly that Harris’ 36-yard run, his longest of the season and second longest of his career, really helped boost morale for the unit.
“It was finally a game that we wanted to play,” he said via The Athletic. “We felt after that, we can run this. They kept calling the run. We have been down this year, so they couldn’t keep calling the run.”
A ground game by committee whether it is Warren or others taking some of the work away from Harris seems to be the way for the team to move forward out of the bye and keep the football away from opposing offenses. It was a recipe for success against a Saints team that had only allowed more than 200 yards rushing once this season. The question for Pittsburgh is: can it be replicated?
So, Steeler Nation, do you think it’s a good thing to take some work off Harris’ plate? Do you like the team’s more diverse running approach? Is it a recipe for more wins in the second half of 2022? As always, let us know in the comment section below or on our social media feeds.
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