‘Always Good to Talk (Crap)’: Najee Harris Enjoys Beating Ravens
BALTIMORE — Najee Harris ran hard and caught the game-winning touchdown to become one of the more critical players in Pittsburgh’s 16-13 thrilling victory over Baltimore that kept the Steelers’ playoff hopes alive.
Harris has found a renaissance of sorts in the second half of the season, and after an abysmal first half of the year, Harris racked up 111 yards against the Ravens on Sunday night. His 16 rushing yards over expectation proved his worth to the team, too, as an efficient runner on 22 carries. It took him a while to find his footing, but Harris is finally hitting his stride. He helped impose the will of the team against the Ravens front.
“They’ve got a great rush defense, great defense in general,” Harris said. “So, we know if we can control the line, then we’ll be able to win the game. Last week, we didn’t do that and this game, we were able to do that. So obviously, that helped us with the outcome.”
Harris became a catalyst for the offensive line to rally around when watching him. So did Jaylen Warren, who continued to prove himself as a valuable backup for Harris in his games. Harris continued to prove his worth throughout the night, and by the end of it, his linemen were hyped up anytime he got the ball.
“Our running backs were so great tonight,” center Mason Cole said. “Najee, he ran decisive and ran hard. You could see his confidence growing. Then, Jaylen, was great, too. Those guys really maximized every yard they could.”
After the domination up front, Najee Harris decided to trash-talk some Ravens fans near the field after the game. It turned out to be part of the fun that Harris experienced in the rivalry as he kept up the spirit of it after Pittsburgh ended up victorious in Baltimore.
“It was good man, to come in here and win,” Harris said. “It’s a tough environment, to come in here and win with the rivalry and everything. I came in here and it’s always good to talk a little shit, man.”
Against the Browns, the Steelers will have yet another opportunity to pull together a big win. More importantly, the ground game should be more important, with the Browns struggling to stop the ground game. If Pittsburgh is to win and make it into the playoffs, expect the big running back out of Alabama to be featured heavily.
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