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Najee Harris discusses how Ben Roethlisberger impacted him as a rookie

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•01/04/22•

Jonathan Wagner

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Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

Monday night was an emotional one inside Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Steelers took on the Cleveland Browns, but that was far from the biggest storyline of the night. It was the final home game of the season for the Steelers, also marking the final home game of longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger‘s career. Following the game, rookie running back Najee Harris discussed the impact Roethlisberger had on his rookie year with the Steelers.

“Yeah, I get asked that question a lot,” Harris said when asked about Roethlisberger’s impact on him during his rookie year with the Steelers. “But Ben, me coming in as a rookie, he took me under his wing to know the small things about the game that fans don’t see, people don’t see on TV. Just about the defenses and techniques and just reading coverages too and placing the ball where it needs to be at and the mentality to run. He taught me a lot with those types of things.

“And even just the smaller things too, like if I’m on a certain level the linebackers can see that too. Just all the small things that I guess people don’t see. Taught me everything, so I appreciate everything he’s done.”

The Steelers beat the Browns 26-14 on Monday night. Roethlisberger completed 24 of his 46 passes for one touchdown and one interception. Harris had a monster game, rushing 28 times for 188 yards and one touchdown. In addition to Monday serving as Roethlisberger’s final game in Heinz Field, Harris also broke the Steelers rookie record for most rushing yards in a single season.

Roethlisberger had an emotional embrace after Harris found the end zone for the Steelers

On a third down play late in the game, the Steelers were trying to put the game away. Harris took the handoff, and found a path to the end zone to extend Pittsburgh’s lead. As some Steelers players followed Harris to celebrate the score, others stayed behind to share an emotional embrace with Roethlisberger.

After that, the Steelers crowd began chanting a thank you to Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger was understandably emotional after the game, where he called Pittsburgh home.

“This is home,” Roethlisberger said. “I was born in Ohio but I live here and I’ll always be here. These fans, and this place, mean so much to me and my family and always will. I’ve always said that they’re the best fans in all of sports, and I’ll stick by that until the day I die. To see all the signs and the jerseys and the towels and to hear them cheer for me coming out of the towel, I don’t know that I’ll ever put it into words.”

The Steelers are still alive in the playoff hunt, although it is unlikely. Pittsburgh needs to win against the Ravens, plus the Steelers need the Jaguars to beat the Colts and the Chargers and Raiders to not tie.