PITTSBURGH (AP) — Najee Harris caught himself mid-sentence and said what’s become readily apparent across the Pittsburgh Steelers running back’s three-plus seasons in the NFL.
Asked if he felt more “nimble” on Sunday than usual while running for 106 yards and a touchdown in a 32-13 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Harris did what he’s done from the moment he entered the NFL. He kept it real.
“I’m too honest,” Harris said.
Harris understood the narrative trying to be built after a back who slogs more than he sprints broke off a pair of lengthy runs, including a 36-yard race to the end zone in which he covered the last 15 feet in the air while stretching the ball toward the pylon.
It’s just that Harris wanted no part of it. So rather than offer some sort of tacit endorsement of the question, the 26-year-old bristled a little before censoring himself to keep things “PG-rated” as he put it.
Harris does not need to be reminded that his career yards per carry sits at a pedestrian 3.9. He does not need to be reminded that for all the times coach Mike Tomlin has referred to Harris as a “bell cow,” that didn’t stop the Steelers from declining to pick up his fifth-year option. He does not need to be reminded that for long stretches over the last two years, backup Jaylen Warren has looked like the more explosive option.
It’s one of the reasons Harris has evolved — publicly anyway — from a thoughtful rookie to a somewhat detached — again, publicly — veteran.
Yet underneath that outward churlishness is a competitor. A player who found himself attracted to Alabama in part because of the zero-sum game Nick Saban played, one focused on the team and not individual success. While Harris could be described as moody, the adjective is a misnomer.
When the Steelers win, Harris is a good mood. When they don’t, he’s not. Full stop. And so while he understood what reporters were getting at after his best game of the season, Harris was having none of it.
“I don’t put (any) type of restraints on what I can do,” Harris said. “I know what I can do. I don’t really care what people say or think … I know I can really make it when I believe in myself.”
It’s why Harris wasn’t surprised when he juked Raiders cornerback Jack Jones to the turf on his way to a 26-yard gain in the third quarter. Or when he dragged multiple Vegas players on his way to a first down in the opening half. Harris understands there are ugly parts of his job. He embraces the ugliness and believes that when his teammates do, too, Pittsburgh’s offense is the punishing menace Tomlin and first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith so desperately crave.
“There’s a dirty part of every job,” Harris said.
The reality for Harris is that he’s spent his career behind offensive lines that have struggled to generate room consistently. While his inability to see cutback lanes in traffic remains an issue at times, he doesn’t lack for fight. He hopes his effort can inspire his teammates.
It tends to work. Good thing, because with Pittsburgh’s passing offense failing to find any sort of consistent rhythm and Warren slowed by a knee injury, the Steelers need plenty of “so ugly it’s beautiful” work from Harris if it wants their promising 4-2 start not to turn into a mirage.
What’s working
Having T.J. Watt do T.J. Watt things. The All-Pro linebacker was his usual game-wrecking self. Though he was held without a sack, he forced a pair of fumbles, including a well-timed punch at the ball late in the second quarter that set up one of Justin Fields’ two touchdown runs that put Pittsburgh ahead to stay.
What needs help
The throwing accuracy Fields showed during the first four games has taken a step back over the last two weeks. Fields is completing just 57% (29 of 51) over his last eight quarters of work compared with 69% (77 of 111) over the opening month. With Russell Wilson now healthy, Fields can ill afford a regression if he wants to hold on to the starting job.
Stock up
Cornerback Donte Jackson was thought to be merely a placeholder when the Steelers acquired him in the trade that sent wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Panthers. Jackson instead has become a difference-maker. He has picks in back-to-back weeks and three on the season, just one off the career high of four he set as a rookie with Carolina in 2018.
Stock down
While wide receiver George Pickens appeared to keep his emotions in check — a departure from the previous week — he was mostly a bystander until the game was well in hand late. Pickens finished with three catches for 53 yards but let a potential touchdown pass smack off his facemask.
Injuries
Center Zach Frazier has been just as solid as advertised but exited in the second half with an ankle injury.
Key number
200 — The number of career games played by defensive tackle Cam Heyward, one short of the franchise record for games by a defensive player, held by Hall of Fame defensive back Donnie Shell.
Next steps
Begin a two-game prime-time homestand against New York teams when Aaron Rodgers and the Jets visit Acrisure Stadium on Sunday night.
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