Nothing went right for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 against the Eagles. With no George Pickens, Russell Wilson struggled to move the ball through the air and Calvin Austin III was the only wide receiver who seemed to get open.
Wilson finished with just 128 passing yards and a touchdown on 5.8 yards per attempt. But as bad as the passing offense was, the rushing offense was even worse. On 17 carries, the Steelers managed just 56 rushing yards. This included Wilson and backup quarterback Justin Fields chipping in an eight-yard run.
It was easy to point the blame in the backfield this week.
Najee Harris had an evening he would love to forget. The 2021 first-round pick carried the ball six times against the Eagles but turned his team-high opportunities into a mere 14 rushing yards. Najee also fumbled away the Steelers' shot at a comeback when he couldn't secure the on-target toss sweep from Wilson. This resulted in a turnover for Pittsburgh and points the other way for the Eagles.
Steelers showing why they were right to decline Najee's fifth-year option
Heading into the bye, Harris was coming off the best three-game stretch of his career. Unfortunately, the tides shift quickly in the NFL. In his last six games, Najee has been among the least efficient running backs in the league.
Since the Week 9 bye, the Steelers starting running back has carried the ball 93 times for just 299 yards. This equates to a dismal 3.2 yards per carry.
Najee Harris since the Week 9 bye:
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) December 16, 2024
93 carries
299 yards
3.2 yards per carry
Najee is averaging 3.9 yards per carry in 2024 and 3.9 YPC for his career. He has 1,063 NFL carries, and it looks like the wheels might be starting to fall off. #Steelers
There isn't any reason to believe things are going to get better in 2025 and beyond. The veteran back already has 1,063 NFL carries under his belt. Before that, Harris recorded 638 carries in four seasons at Alabama. This equates to 1,701 carries between college and the NFL.
Back in May, the Steelers took a lot of heat for declining Najee's fifth-year option that would have tied him to the team for the 2025 season at under $5 million. Now the front office is showing they were wise to let the sun set on the option.
There have been studies done on running back shelf life, and most good running backs begin to drop significantly in efficiency and production after age 26. Harris, meanwhile, turns 27 early in the 2025 offseason and has seen an absurd number of touches in his first four seasons. Though he doesn't have a lengthy injury history, we are already seeing a stark decline in efficiency.
Najee Harris' performance against the Eagles reminded us that the 2021 first-round pick doesn't have a lot of gas left in the tank and hasn't warranted a new contract. The Steelers running back is averaging just 3.9 yards per carry in 2025 (which also happens to be his career average).
The Steelers were justified in passing on Najee's fifth-year option, and it only took one game against the Eagles to remind us why 2024 should be his last season in Pittsburgh.