PITTSBURGH — For Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris, it doesn’t matter if Russell Wilson or Justin Fields is the starting quarterback on Sunday night against the New York Jets. It’s about the entire offense.
“We got to execute the game plan. I mean you guys focus so much on the player as if it’s the thing,” Harris told reporters on Thursday. “It’s all 11 of us. You guys are worried about the quarterback, but I am worried about all 11, the quarterback and the line and the receivers and the running back. You know what I mean?”
Without outright saying it, Najee Harris basically said Wilson will be the starter. All signs point to that. Fields also talked about the starting opportunity in the past tense on Thursday when speaking with the media.
“So Russ being out there, I mean he got to do the same thing that Justin’s doing. Justin’s been doing a great job for us. This is the best start I had throughout my years being here,” Harris said.
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Fields stated on Thursday that “he hasn’t played good enough” in his six starts to secure the starting position. Like offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Harris thinks Fields is being too hard on himself.
“So I saw some comments that Justin said about him not doing the best that he can, but I think he did the best he possibly can,” Harris said. “I think he did a really good job, and he shouldn’t, well I know what he was trying to do, but just, me saying publicly that we’re all proud of him. Don’t be so hard on yourself. We got your back. I got your back. But I think that all 11 of us got to pitch in and be in there. We need both of them for sure.”
Fields struggled as a passer in the last two games, but he was impressive with his legs, recording two touchdown runs in Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas. He’s also thrown just one interception this season, so he’s not turning the ball over. Fields leads all quarterbacks with five rushing touchdowns and is fourth among QBs with 231 rushing yards. His one interception in six games ranks second-fewest in the NFL among QBs with at least 1,000 passing yards.
“Justin has been really good, and we’ve been really good at times, but not to be confused with great,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday. “This is a competitive league. We’re trying to position ourselves to be that team, and we got to play with talent with which we haven’t had an opportunity to play. So we’re going to potentially explore those things.
“Sometimes it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what Justin has done or has not done. Justin has been an asset to us. Last week, for example, his ability to utilize his legs, by design and by ad lib, was a significant component of that game. He rushed for 50-plus yards and two touchdowns in game, and so we’re appreciative of that. We’re appreciative of how he’s taking care of the ball, but we’re just looking at all the people at our disposal the same way that we do at any position.”
Fields has been dynamic as a runner, leading all quarterbacks with five rushing touchdowns and is fourth among QBs with 231 rushing yards.
“Justin’s legs are an X-factor,” Tomlin said, insinuating that both quarterbacks could be used on Sunday night.
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.