Pittsburgh Steelers
Najee Harris Sets Career-Best Mark vs. Giants
PITTSBURGH — His future in Pittsburgh following this season is foggy.
That must not concern Najee Harris — or maybe it motivates him.
On Monday night against the New York Giants, the fourth-year running back eclipsed 100 yards on the ground, marking the third straight game that former first-round draft pick has reached the century mark on-foot.
It’s the first time in his career that Najee Harris has accomplished that feat. The last Steeler to have three 100-yard ground games in a row was James Conner, who had four straight in 2018.
Harris has been tough for defenses to drag down all year. He trampled over the Las Vegas Raiders for 106 yards on the road three Sundays ago, then covered 102 yards in the Steelers’ last outing, at home in primetime against the New York Jets. He’s had nine 100-yard contests in his career, but no more than three in a single go-round.
In the second quarter of the clash with the Giants, Najee Harris surpassed his best rushing output through the first eight games of a season in spectacular fashion. On a give to the right side, he cleared New York cornerback Deonte Banks with a hurdle en route to a 14-yard gain, pushing him to 551 yards on the season.
NAJEE HARRIS HURDLE ALERT 🚨pic.twitter.com/iQtRDOxGmi
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 29, 2024
Before that, Harris’s best effort through the initial eight games of a campaign was 541 yards, during his rookie season in 2021. He registered a career-high 1,200 rushing yards that year.
The Steelers decided to decline Harris’s $6.7 million fifth-year option in May, essentially making him a free agent after 2024. Entering this season, he’d led the NFL with 978 touches over the three prior campaigns.
Before Monday night, Harris had the NFL’s fourth-most rushing yards (3,747) since 2021, behind Derrick Henry (4,588), Josh Jacobs (3,997), and Jonathan Taylor (3,867).