4 burning questions the Steelers must answer vs. Raiders

Can Steelers’ Najee Harris get on the right track?

To say that Najee Harris had a disappointing rookie debut would be an understatement.

Expectations weren’t through the roof for the first-round NFL Draft pick, but most expected him to make some key plays and be more of a critical feature in the offense. Instead, he only gained 45 rushing yards, averaged a paltry 2.8 yards per carry, and only added one reception for four yards.

All in all, it was far from an ideal start for the rookie.

The offensive line is deserving of some of the blame here. The line barely opened any holes all game, and as a result, Harris was constantly being met close to the line of scrimmage. He gained half of his rushing yards after contact and met a defender, on average, only 1.4 yards past the line of scrimmage.

Joe Mixon, who led the league in rushing yards in Week 1, was met with contact at 2.6 yards past the line of scrimmage. The fact that Mixon had over an extra yard before he was met with contact is telling of the lackluster line play the Steelers had.

It was tough sledding for Harris in Week 1.

That all said, the Pittsburgh O-line realistically won’t see any major improvements until Zach Banner returns. Even then, this group will need a few weeks to get used to playing next to each other.

That means Harris will have to do more to make more of an impact. As a first-round running back, the expectation is that he can be a difference-maker no matter what line he is running behind. He should expect the line to have similar struggles this week. He needs to find a way to be more effective despite that.