Smash-mouth football. Pittsburgh style.
Sunday's 20-10 win over the Saints should make every Steelers fan feel good inside, even if it wasn't exactly like one of those games when Jerome Bettis singlehandedly beat the Bears in 2005.
The Steelers racked up 217 yards on the ground and controlled possession for nearly two-thirds of the game, at 38:56. For the cherry on top, Pittsburgh possessed the ball for 11:29 in the fourth quarter.
"We need more of it, especially coming from me," Najee Harris said after the game. "Me being the type of guy on the team, I've gotta provide more like that. We've just gotta build off of it."
That "type of guy" is a first-round running back that has been getting a lot of heat for an underwhelming performance in his second year. Harris answered that criticism by leading the way on the ground with 99 yards on 20 carries, which was far and away his best performance of the season.
And, it couldn't have come at a better time to see Harris pull off this 36-yard run early in the game:
"That play really sparked the offense, and we were getting behind Najee and felt great with how he's been practicing and everything," Kenny Pickett said. "He came to the game with a lot of confidence. It showed."
It was evident from the start that Harris was on a different level. After Harris only had one carry out of the six plays run during the first drive (that ended with a punt), Matt Canada opted to go straight to Harris at the outset of the second drive, and Harris delivered with a first down on two straight carries that gained 12 total yards:
Whether it's the confidence Pickett spoke of or whatever the belief is about how his foot injury was affecting performance, Harris showed up in a way that hasn't been seen all season.
Entering Sunday's action, more and more fans had been questioning whether or not Harris should start, or that he even might be a first-round bust. That flame was later fanned when Mike Tomlin this week didn't say no to the idea of Jaylen Warren possibly entering a feature-back role at some point.
The most common comparison I've seen in my -- for my own sanity -- brief survey of social media is that Harris is "Trent Richardson 2.0."
Meanwhile, in having conversations with those who share the locker room with Harris, it's easier to see why this type of performance was due to happen sooner than later. In a conversation I had with Mason Cole last week, he praised Harris' communication with the rest of the offense and how much he pours himself into the game. Harris confirmed that communication increased over the bye week.
"We had a conversation about some stuff where me helping out the offensive line could help out a lot more," Harris said after the game. "I took that into consideration in practice and throughout the week."
For someone as talented as Harris is, a breakout was due to happen. But, not just because of his talent. Harris' attention to detail and the work he puts in to communicating with his teammates, that all pays off eventually -- especially when that's coupled with first-round talent.
It didn't surprise me one bit when Cole told me last week, "This is all Najee does." After every single game -- especially after losses -- Harris is one of the last ones to take his equipment off. He sits at his locker and he reflects on the previous three-plus hours of football. And when the losses were piling up, that demeanor -- as I previously reported in Friday Insider -- had recently shown a man carrying a heavy burden.
"We're in the business of winning, especially me," Harris said. "I wear my emotions a lot. I try not to, but I do that a lot."
Of course, with a good running performance typically comes a solid performance by the offensive line. Pass protection has been pretty good this season, but the run blocking remained inconsistent throughout the first eight games.
With everything that happened during the bye week and all of the attention put on streamlining communication between position groups on offense, all that was left was putting everything together on the field.
And, as leaders and captains tend to do, Harris put the burden on himself.
"The offensive line is always taking good steps. It’s just me. I’ve got to do better," Harris said. "The offensive line played their asses off, but they do every week. Especially in practice, too. I think with what we did in practice this week, looking forward to this game, we changed a couple of things. We’re finishing a lot more, but it all starts with them. The line did the best so far this year."
Harris' big day on the ground wasn't the only way the Steelers established the run and controlled the clock. Pickett contributed 51 yards to the rush effort, including a 1-yard quarterback-sneak touchdown to capitalize on a Damontae Kazee interception and extend the fourth-quarter lead.
"Quarterback mobility is a component of it. I thought Kenny did some good things with his legs," Tomlin said of the running game. "The runners ran hard, and we came off the ball as bigs up front. We ran off the ball, and so we'll just keep building."
While Pickett made things happen with his legs, having Harris and the offensive line working in the running game allowed some things to open up through the air.
"Yeah, of course it compliments the passing game," George Pickens said. "If you run the ball fifteen times, the safety isn't just going to keep dropping back, they're going to come up. So of course, they helped us a lot with those guys pushing in the box."
The Steelers needed a successful running game to secure victory. Pickett missed several throws throughout the game, and too often failed to find open receivers downfield. However, sticking with the run game, Pickett was able to overcome some of those struggles and make some key throws that led to points, including this 36-yarder to Diontae Johnson:
Harris' performance might have even made some fans forget about Warren as a possible feature back — he was limited to 12 yards on seven carries before he broke off a 21-yard gain late in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice:
Instead, Warren showed exactly what he is, and it's something the Steelers haven't had since DeAngelo Williams backed up Le'Veon Bell: A legitimate and productive No. 2 back.
Warren's work on third down and as a pass-catcher continue to be a great asset for this offense, and that was epitomized on this third down conversion that led to Pickett's touchdown run:
"Jaylen made probably two of the most important plays of the game," Harris said. "I'm glad as hell to have Jaylen right now. For somebody to come in and do what he did, to help me out and spell me, man, he's a good player. ... As a running back, we've got one of the hardest and violent positions in the NFL. You need somebody like that. I've never really told Jaylen before, but in my head, I'm like, 'I appreciate what you do.' That's me getting emotional."
As Tomlin said would happen, Warren's rep count increased, but that coincided with Harris having a productive day on the ground. In the weeks to come, that would ideally be the model for this offense. It takes pressure off Pickett, who is still adjusting to the speed and complexity of the NFL game. And, it kept the defense fresh -- a group that just welcomed back T.J. Watt -- which made them more effective on their side of the ball.
This one felt good for the team, the players, the coaches and the fans. But, it's just one step in the right direction. The progress must continue.
"It was good, but we’ve got like seven or eight left maybe. So I’ve got to just keep building off of it," Harris said. "I go home and I enjoy the win for 24 hours, and then I’m going to come back Monday and find ways to do better."