Najee Harris says Steelers wanted to avoid Aaron Donald in the run game

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a close win against the Los Angeles Rams. Despite that win, running back Najee Harris and the running game as a whole struggled against a talented Rams defensive line.

For the game, Harris rushed for 53 yards on 14 carries. He also had a touchdown. As a team, Pittsburgh only had 86 yards on the ground. Those struggles were there despite what seemed like a smart game plan, to avoid running the ball at future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald.

“Yeah, we wanted to run away from that motherf*****,” Najee Harris said.

It doesn’t take an offensive genius to run away from Aaron Donald. He’s one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the NFL and he’s been that way for his entire career. So, avoiding him when possible to try and take him out of the play makes sense.

Now, whether or not that strategy ended up working for the Steelers is up for more debate. Najee Harris didn’t put up great numbers despite the game plan and it was quarterback Kenny Pickett who had the late game heroics that Pittsburgh needed to win.

After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin praised Pickett for that final drive, saying, “His ability to rise up in moments, we valued that in the draft process. That was one of the things that made him attractive to us. I’ve watched him do it when he was a Pitt Panther. And so I don’t know that any of us are surprised by his ability to make the plays that he makes when it really gets thick.”

Now, the Steelers are going to hope to get the running game and passing game going at the same time to spark an offense that has struggled this season.

Najee Harris says Steelers teammates shouldn’t blame coaches for offensive woes

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has struggled mightily this season and many people are looking to blame the offensive coaching staff. In particular, they’re blaming offensive coordinator Matt Canada. However, Najee Harris doesn’t think players should be blaming coaches.

“We can’t just keep pointing fingers,” Harris said. “We’ve got to point at ourselves. It’s the man in the mirror, really. This is the NFL. Everybody runs the same damn plays. Everyone disguises them differently. It’s how we play it. Honestly, I don’t think we’re playing with that edge right now.”

Next week, Pittsburgh will take on a tough Jacksonville Jaguars team, looking to stay in the hunt for the AFC North.