Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris was nominated for the NFL’s Week 11 FedEx Ground Player of the Week following his performance against the Cincinnati Bengasl on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
Fans will vote between Harris, Las Vegas’ Josh Jacobs, and Detroit’s Jamaal Williams for the award.
Harris rushed for 90 yards and a pair of scores on 20 carries in a losing effort.
His inclusion in the Ground Player of the Week poll is another good sign that he’s trending upward, being that it was his second 90-yard game in a row after he went for 99 against New Orleans.
Prior to that, Harris hadn’t run for more than 74 yards in a contest this season, that one coming on 18 carries against the New York Jets.
It’s been a promising two weeks for the second-year ball carrier out of Alabama. He had a fantastic rookie campaign, going for 1,200 yards on 307 gives. In part because of a foot injury that hampered him in training camp, it seemed Harris was low on steam for the first half of this season.
Now, however, he’s looking more like the Harris Steelers fans expect.
Harris faces some stiff competition if he wants to take home the award this week.
Jacobs went for 109 yards on 24 attempts as his Raiders downed division-rival Denver, 22-16, in overtime. Meanwhile, Williams hit paydirt three times as he went for 64 yards on 17 totes. His Lions beat the New York Giants, 31-18, for their third consecutive win.
It was Jacobs’ fourth 100-yard effort this schedule. In October, he posted 144 yards against the Broncos the first time the teams met. Jacobs ranks third in the NFL in rushing attempts (183) and yards (930). Williams leads the league in ground scores with 12. He’s taken the sixth-most carries to this point.
Last week’s awardee was Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, who scampered for 147 yards on 13 carries and scored twice. Other winners this year include the Bengals’ Joe Mixon, Dallas’ Tony Pollard, Seattle’s Kenneth Walker, the Jets’ Breece Hall, the Saints’ Taysom Hill, and the Seahawks’ Rashaad Penny.
Vote for this week’s winner on NFL.com.