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Now that we all have had a couple of days to recoup from Monday night’s emotional win against the division rival Cleveland Browns, it is time to kick things into a much higher gear going into the final game of the season, with playoff hopes still on the line. With a win on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers would still need a little bit of luck to get into the playoffs as they would need the Jacksonville Jaguars to defeat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in order to clinch a Wild Card playoff spot in the tight AFC playoff race.
Although it is never good to have to rely on another team’s success in order to guarantee a playoff berth, at this point, the Steelers are just happy to still have the opportunity to give Ben Roethlisberger one last chance at a Super Bowl run. They will do so with not only a defense who is coming off probably their best overall game of the season in which they tallied up a total of 9 sacks and two interceptions against a respected Browns offensive unit, but also with a running game that has started to hit its stride late in the season, but at a good time for a potential playoff push.
Over the past four games, rookie running back Najee Harris has seemingly accommodated himself more to the NFL game, rushing for a total of 393 yards and two touchdowns in that span of time and is coming off his best game as a pro following a 188 yard rushing performance on Monday Night Football. Although Harris has set Steeler rookie records already and just recently broke the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the season, there is no doubt the struggles he has seen throughout his rookie campaign. Despite his struggles early on, the rookie running back has still led the league in carries for a good amount of the season and currently holds onto that lead going into Week 18 with 366 total carries, having a 12 carry lead over Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts.
So far this season, Harris has not only caught 70 passes for a total of 440 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he also has rushed for 1,172 yards and 7 touchdowns as well so far. He has been the top offensive weapon on this football team since their first game against the Buffalo Bills, and although he has not always produced on a consistent level like this team had initially expected, that never shied offensive coordinator Matt Canada away from giving Harris the football more times than not. It was obvious that in drafting Harris with their first overall pick that he was going to be the main focus of the Steelers new offensive attack, and in my opinion, he has done an exceptional job keeping up with the game at the NFL level, even with all of the struggles on the offensive line.
With the future in mind, Harris has compiled an impressive rookie resume that will be looked at as a building block for his hopefully longtime career as a Steeler. That being said, this season is not over, and there is still a chance for this team to make the playoffs. Although there is just one game remaining on the schedule, this is the most important one so far. A win keeps them alive, that is all that matters to this team. Harris will be looked at as the workhorse in the backfield once again and the expectations are high coming off last week’s stellar performance. Steeler Nation can only hope the momentum built in the running game over the past few weeks will carry over, leading to a Steelers win and hopefully a playoff berth to follow.
Can the rushing game keep continuing to build momentum? Comment below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Although it is never good to have to rely on another team’s success in order to guarantee a playoff berth, at this point, the Steelers are just happy to still have the opportunity to give Ben Roethlisberger one last chance at a Super Bowl run. They will do so with not only a defense who is coming off probably their best overall game of the season in which they tallied up a total of 9 sacks and two interceptions against a respected Browns offensive unit, but also with a running game that has started to hit its stride late in the season, but at a good time for a potential playoff push.
Over the past four games, rookie running back Najee Harris has seemingly accommodated himself more to the NFL game, rushing for a total of 393 yards and two touchdowns in that span of time and is coming off his best game as a pro following a 188 yard rushing performance on Monday Night Football. Although Harris has set Steeler rookie records already and just recently broke the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the season, there is no doubt the struggles he has seen throughout his rookie campaign. Despite his struggles early on, the rookie running back has still led the league in carries for a good amount of the season and currently holds onto that lead going into Week 18 with 366 total carries, having a 12 carry lead over Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts.
So far this season, Harris has not only caught 70 passes for a total of 440 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he also has rushed for 1,172 yards and 7 touchdowns as well so far. He has been the top offensive weapon on this football team since their first game against the Buffalo Bills, and although he has not always produced on a consistent level like this team had initially expected, that never shied offensive coordinator Matt Canada away from giving Harris the football more times than not. It was obvious that in drafting Harris with their first overall pick that he was going to be the main focus of the Steelers new offensive attack, and in my opinion, he has done an exceptional job keeping up with the game at the NFL level, even with all of the struggles on the offensive line.
With the future in mind, Harris has compiled an impressive rookie resume that will be looked at as a building block for his hopefully longtime career as a Steeler. That being said, this season is not over, and there is still a chance for this team to make the playoffs. Although there is just one game remaining on the schedule, this is the most important one so far. A win keeps them alive, that is all that matters to this team. Harris will be looked at as the workhorse in the backfield once again and the expectations are high coming off last week’s stellar performance. Steeler Nation can only hope the momentum built in the running game over the past few weeks will carry over, leading to a Steelers win and hopefully a playoff berth to follow.
Can the rushing game keep continuing to build momentum? Comment below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
