Steelers RB Najee Harris has the perfect response to recent criticism in win against Raiders
The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the desert and put the heat on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, winning by a score of 32-13. Easily their most complete game of the season, the offense and more specifically RB Najee Harris had been under scrutiny as of late. Well, he and the rest of his teammates […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the desert and put the heat on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, winning by a score of 32-13.
Easily their most complete game of the season, the offense and more specifically RB Najee Harris had been under scrutiny as of late.
Well, he and the rest of his teammates on that side of the ball quieted the noise, or at least for the upcoming week.
Najee Harris erupts for his best game of the season
"No I just felt like we had to get a win, we lost two in a row," Harris told the media when asked if he was playing with an edge. "Sorry I can't make every game like that, I know y'all [Media] just waiting to type or write something about me. Im going to try and do it next game. Maybe it will be something good. It was just one of those games where things were working good."
Harris hit two big milestones against the Raiders on Sunday. He totaled over 100 rushing yards for the first time all season, and he found the endzone on a play that left many wondering where this version of Harris has been all year.
His 106 yards on 14 attempts netted him an average yards per carry of 7.6. That is more than double what he's averaging on the season coming into Sunday at only 3.3 yards per carry. Not to mention he had only attained 270 yards through five games and no scores.
After the Indianapolis Colts game, some pindered whether or not Harris should even be the lead back when factoring in Cordarrelle Patterson's impressive outing before he went down with injury.
So Harris' performance is noteworthy because other than a different opponent, nothing really changed for the Steelers offense. Roman Wilson made his debut, but he played sparingly and had little to do with the run game.
And while Harris did most of his work prior to the Zach Frazier injury, the line was even worse if you consider his departure.
For Harris, and the rest of the Steelers offense, it's all about building upon Sunday's win in a myriad of ways.
A win is a win in the NFL, but this one came against a rebuilding Raiders team plagued by injuries.
Next week, Sunday Night Football returns to Pittsburgh for a Steelers vs. New York Jets matchup, and one that could be much harder.
