Middling skill player is the key to a Steelers win in Week 5 vs. Cowboys

The Steelers face a tough task this week against the Cowboys. Despite Dallas underperforming and having a slew of major injuries, they are still a talented team. Their offense, in particular, can go off at any moment because of the elite play of CeeDee Lamb.

The Steelers are coming off their first loss of the season in bitter fashion, but they hope to get back on track on Sunday Night Football. It is a winnable game, but don’t expect this to be any sort of a cakewalk for Pittsburgh as they look to keep their hot stretch going. My pick last week for key player had a good game, although he didn’t do enough to secure the win.

There are three players I have underlined as key difference-makers this week. Joey Porter sticks out on defense as he is coming off a bad game and will see a lot of Lamb. He needs to get back to his shutdown ways. Justin Fields also put the team on his back last week and may have to do that again this week. However, one name stands out as someone who needs to elevate their game this week against Dallas.

The Steelers need to get this former first-round pick going

It has been another forgettable start to the season for Najee Harris. Despite an offense seemingly built around him and the numerous investments in the offensive line, he continues to be one of the most inefficient runners in the league. While he has a healthy amount of total rushing yards, his average per carry is mediocre. These inefficiencies cost the Steelers against the Colts.

I won’t act like everything is his fault. The offensive line has lost quite a few key players to injury this year and that has muddied their effectiveness. That said, other backs have found better success, and Harris has the pedigree of being a former top pick. You should expect more out of him.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, have the 27th-ranked run defense. They were consistently getting gashed until the Giants game where they seemingly sold out to stop the run. You can get away with that based on how Daniel Jones has been playing, but Fields should keep them more balanced. This means that Harris shouldn’t always be running into stacked boxes.

He is also going up against a very injured front seven, so the opportunity is there for a massive game. He needs to step up given the rash of injuries in the running back room as well. While Jaylen Warren, assuming he plays, will see some snaps, the team should rightfully keep him limited to avoid re-aggravating his injury.

Harris has the chance to reset the narrative of how his season is going. If he steps up and has a good game, it will get him back into the conversation of being a decent back. With him likely entering free agency next year, he needs to have some good games. Dallas presents him with a huge opportunity, he just has to seize it.