Steelers player of the week vs. the Cincinnati Bengals

Week 3 was a rough week for the Steelers, as the team suffered a loss to the Bengals, and Najee Harris was one of the lone bright spots in the loss.

In a divisional matchup against the underdog Bengals, the Steelers dropped to 1-2 on the season after a 24-10 loss in a game that was never close. The Steelers are dealing with several injuries on both sides of the ball, so the loss was another blow during a difficult stretch for the team.

First-round pick Najee Harris was one of, if not the only standout in the lopsided loss to their division rival Cincinnati Bengals. Harris flashed the talents as a receiver this week that he teased in week 2. He received 19 targets on the day and turned that massive target share into 14 receptions for 102 yards, which is a rare day for a running back.

Harris continued to make things happen after the catch and made it clear that the team needs to find ways to get him the ball in space. However, as can be expected in such a lopsided loss, even Harris had some struggles as he dropped a couple of passes, including a fourth-down pass on the Steelers’ final offensive play of the game.

Harris continues to flash as a receiver, while the Steelers running game remains nonexistent

Despite his success as a receiver, Harris continued to struggle to move the ball on the ground as a rusher. The offensive line continued its early-season struggles this week, not only failing to generate much running room but also negating many of Harris’ big plays due to penalties. On the day, Harris totaled 14 carries for 40 yards, while averaging a measly 2.9 yards per carry.

While Harris has looked better than advertised as a receiver thus far, the team was undoubtedly expecting better production as a runner from their first-round selection. Thus far, on the year Harris has 40 carries for 123 yards through three games, which comes out to 3.1 yards per carry. It is not Harris’ fault because there has been very little room to run, but the Steelers spent a first-round selection on Harris in order to gain some balance on the offensive side of the ball, yet the running game remains pretty ineffective.

As for balance, this is something the Steelers offense still has lacked, as Ben Roethlisberger attempted 58 passes in this game. This lack of balance is no recipe for success, and if the Steelers have any aspirations for making a run at the Playoffs this is something that must change. Granted it’s still early in the season, and the offensive line still has time to gel, but there are definitely reasons for some moderate concern thus far. With Zach Banner eligible to return next week, maybe that is the spark the offensive line needs.

If the Steelers are going to have any success this season there are a few things that will definitely need to happen. First, Harris will need to remain a big piece of the offense, but he will need to be able to do damage both on the ground and through the air. Second, the offensive line will need to massively improve their play and cut down on the penalties in order to help Harris out.

And finally, while Harris impressed as a receiver, Roethlisberger must work to move the ball downfield, and can’t force the ball to Harris on check-downs like he did this week, because this is how the offense becomes predictable.

The Steelers will have the tough task of traveling to Lambeau Field next week to vs. the Green Bay Packers on the road. They will look to improve their play on the offensive side of the ball, get healthy and get back in the win column.