I expected more from Pittsburgh’s running game in 2021. They used a first-round pick on Najee Harris and talked about wanting to run the ball more, but it just didn’t happen. Only two teams ran for fewer yards.
There’s nothing with Harris himself. He’s a big, strong who can break tackles. He’s also an asset in the passing game. He’s definitely one of the top dozen players at the position, and that might be a conservative estimate.
But he needs a better line in front of him, and he needs the team to make more of a commitment to running the ball.
In the last four years, only 17 teams have averaged fewer than 94 rushing yards per game in a season. The Steelers have done it in all four of those seasons.
It’s start-over time in Pittsburgh now, with a new quarterback, and I imagine there will be a couple of new offensive line starters. We’ll see how things transpire, but I expect come August that Harris will be one of the top half-dozen running backs on my board.
| AVERAGING UNDER 100 RUSHING YARDS PER GAME (last 4 yrs) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | YPG | Pts/G |
| 2019 | Miami | 349 | 1,156 | 3.3 | 10 | 72.3 | 10.98 |
| 2019 | NY Jets | 383 | 1,257 | 3.3 | 6 | 78.6 | 10.11 |
| 2021 | Houston | 420 | 1,422 | 3.4 | 8 | 83.6 | 11.19 |
| 2018 | Arizona | 355 | 1,342 | 3.8 | 9 | 83.9 | 11.76 |
| 2020 | Pittsburgh | 373 | 1,351 | 3.6 | 12 | 84.4 | 12.94 |
| 2019 | Atlanta | 362 | 1,361 | 3.8 | 10 | 85.1 | 12.26 |
| 2021 | Atlanta | 393 | 1,451 | 3.7 | 11 | 85.4 | 12.42 |
| 2018 | Pittsburgh | 345 | 1,445 | 4.2 | 16 | 90.3 | 15.03 |
| 2019 | Pittsburgh | 395 | 1,447 | 3.7 | 7 | 90.4 | 11.67 |
| 2019 | LA Chargers | 366 | 1,453 | 4.0 | 12 | 90.8 | 13.58 |
| 2019 | Chicago | 395 | 1,458 | 3.7 | 8 | 91.1 | 12.11 |
| 2020 | Houston | 344 | 1,466 | 4.3 | 10 | 91.6 | 12.91 |
| 2021 | Miami | 442 | 1,568 | 3.5 | 12 | 92.2 | 13.46 |
| 2021 | Pittsburgh | 411 | 1,583 | 3.9 | 10 | 93.1 | 12.84 |
| 2018 | Minnesota | 357 | 1,493 | 4.2 | 9 | 93.3 | 12.71 |
| 2020 | Detroit | 367 | 1,499 | 4.1 | 17 | 93.7 | 15.74 |
| 2019 | LA Rams | 401 | 1,499 | 3.7 | 20 | 93.7 | 16.87 |
| 2019 | Cincinnati | 385 | 1,517 | 3.9 | 9 | 94.8 | 12.86 |
| 2020 | Jacksonville | 337 | 1,519 | 4.5 | 9 | 94.9 | 12.87 |
| 2020 | Tampa Bay | 369 | 1,519 | 4.1 | 16 | 94.9 | 15.49 |
| 2019 | Tampa Bay | 409 | 1,521 | 3.7 | 15 | 95.1 | 15.13 |
| 2021 | Las Vegas | 414 | 1,617 | 3.9 | 14 | 95.1 | 14.45 |
| 2018 | Tampa Bay | 389 | 1,523 | 3.9 | 11 | 95.2 | 13.64 |
| 2020 | Atlanta | 409 | 1,532 | 3.7 | 13 | 95.8 | 14.45 |
| 2021 | NY Jets | 380 | 1,667 | 4.4 | 14 | 98.1 | 14.75 |
| 2019 | Kansas City | 375 | 1,569 | 4.2 | 16 | 98.1 | 15.81 |
| 2018 | Philadelphia | 398 | 1,570 | 3.9 | 12 | 98.1 | 14.31 |
| 2018 | Atlanta | 351 | 1,573 | 4.5 | 11 | 98.3 | 13.96 |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay | 385 | 1,672 | 4.3 | 18 | 98.4 | 16.19 |
| 2019 | Washington | 356 | 1,583 | 4.4 | 9 | 98.9 | 13.27 |
| 2021 | LA Rams | 420 | 1,683 | 4.0 | 10 | 99.0 | 13.43 |
| 2021 | NY Giants | 419 | 1,688 | 4.0 | 8 | 99.3 | 12.75 |
—Ian Allan