Steelers finally unlock their run game with Najee Harris

LAS VEGAS — With his right arm outstretched and ball clutched in his hand, running back Najee Harris channeled Michael Jordan’s “Space Jam” dunk as he leapt from the 5-yard line, going airborne toward the end zone as Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones tried to shove him out of bounds.

By just a few inches, the ball broke the plane and not only extended the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ lead in an eventual 31-13 win against the Raiders, it also marked the first rushing touchdown scored all season by someone not named Justin Fields.

“[I don’t] care what people say or what they think is normal,” Harris said of his improbable leaping touchdown. “… When I had the opportunity, I just took it. I don’t care if I was however far away. I know I could make it when I really believe in myself.”

The score, a product of a 36-yard bulldozing run through traffic at the line of scrimmage and tightrope scamper down the sideline past the Raiders’ secondary as tight end Pat Freiermuth threw a block, was just part of the Steelers’ — and Harris’ — best rushing performance of the season.

“It was a collective effort,” coach Mike Tomlin said of their 183 rushing yards. “Not only the bigs but the perimeter people, and obviously Naj and everyone else, but I just thought anytime you have a run output like that, it’s not an individual, it is a collective. That breakout run, I think Muth sealed the corner and allowed him to go. When I look at it, I just felt the collective energy and effort that was necessary.”

Harris put it even more simply after the game: “It was just one of those games where s— started working good.”

Perhaps this performance should’ve been expected before the game kicked off. During warmups, former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch, a longtime friend and mentor to Harris, came out on the turf at Allegiant Stadium, carrying a pair of yellow and black cleats as he joked with the Steelers’ quarterbacks during their warmup. He even took a handoff from former teammate Russell Wilson.

Lynch, it seems, is Harris’ good luck charm. A year ago, Lynch was at the Steelers’ Week 17 win against the Seattle Seahawks, where Harris erupted for 122 yards in a must-win game. With Lynch in attendance, Harris has averaged 114 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry — both higher than his career averages of 63.2 yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry.

“Maybe that’s why he ran a little bit different,” safety DeShon Elliott said. “[Lynch] was here. He was toting that thing today. He definitely started running like beast mode today. I like to see it.”

Harris finished Sunday’s win with 106 rushing yards on 14 carries, averaging a career-best 7.6 yards per carry. He also had two catches for 18 yards.

“I told him after the game. I said, that’s the Najee Harris I saw at Alabama,” Elliott said. “Tote that [ball] like that. He’s been playing well, being physical, so I believe in our run game we just got to keep going, keep getting better.”

Harris set the tone early, gaining 25 yards and two first downs on the first two plays of the game, the first a reception over the middle on a short throw from Fields that he turned into a 12-yard gain. And on the second play, Harris picked up 13 yards on a run up the gut.

In part because of penalties and an ill-timed failed trick play, the Steelers’ run game — and offense as a whole — was largely stagnated the rest of the half, save for a 15-yard run by Harris early in the second quarter. It was aided by blocking from several offensive linemen and Freiermuth shoving Harris forward to pick up at least 5 extra yards despite a swarm of defenders.

“[It] sparks the offense,” Harris said. “You know what I mean? When drives aren’t going so well, you need a play that’ll spark it. I always try to be that person to spark the play. That was somewhat of ‘What can I do for the team to know that we got to keep pushing and this is a four-quarter fight, and we need plays and create some type of excitement to know that, Alright, Najee did that. Let me do mines now.’ And then it should be a domino effect. The receivers do that. Tights make plays, Justin make plays and it’s a domino effect.”

And it was. The Steelers outscored the Raiders 28-6 after that play, including two rushing touchdowns by Fields. Harris built on that run with 75 second-half rushing yards and a score of his own. In addition to the 36-yard touchdown, he also had a 26-yard run off the right guard earlier in the drive thanks to a big block by tight end Darnell Washington and another by Freiermuth.

It was the kind of unified performance by the offensive line and skill position players that showed the Steelers they have what it takes to be productive after an inefficient start to the season where they ranked third in rush attempts per game, but 13th in rushing yards per game through five weeks.

“If you want to be efficient on both passing and running, you got to get there and block,” Harris said. “There’s a dirty part of everybody’s job. For us it’s pass protection, getting a four-yard run or just doing things like that, and for the receivers it’s getting there and blocking. Sometimes you got to block a D-end and you’re not sized up well, but you just getting something on him creates a bigger play.

“So I think that when we go on film and we see that, that’s just going to be something to build upon.”