MINNEAPOLIS — When team president Art Rooney mandated in the offseason that the Pittsburgh Steelers run the ball more effectively and efficiently this year, perhaps he had the game last weekend against the Baltimore Ravens in mind.
Despite trailing at halftime and also entering the fourth quarter, the Steelers remained committed to the run, and the balanced strategy helped them come back for a 20-19 victory that snapped an 0-2-1 skid.
The Steelers called running plays 19 times in the second half compared to 18 passes. The persistence of keeping rookie running back Najee Harris involved led to several big runs after halftime and helped the Steelers piece together two long scoring drives in the fourth quarter.
“I thought our continued commitment to running the ball was significant,” coach Mike Tomlin said afterward. “Although we didn’t have a lot of success early, I thought we were able to gain a little bit of rhythm and success in that area due to the commitment.”
Relying on Harris, particularly in the second half, was to be part of the gameplan Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings have the NFL’s No. 29-ranked run defense, allowing opponents to run for 131.5 yards per game. That’s a worse ranking than the Steelers, who check in at No. 27.
The Steelers are averaging 86.9 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 29 in the league but is a slight improvement over 2020 when they finished last at 84.4 yards per game. After the Steelers began the season with a 1-3 record, they reeled off five consecutive 100-plus rushing games, and by no coincidence they won the first four and tied the Detroit Lions in the fifth.
The totals dipped to 55 and 51 rushing yards in losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals. Then again, there’s little reason to keep running the ball when you trail by 17 and 31 points, respectively, entering the fourth quarter.
The deficit was a more-manageable four points at halftime and seven points entering the fourth quarter against the Ravens. Still, Harris had just five carries at intermission, whereas quarterback Ben Roethlisberger attempted 13 passes.
That approach changed in the second half. Harris carried three times on each of the first two series in the third quarter. In the fourth, he carried 10 times for 36 yards and finished with 71 on 21 attempts. Benny Snell had runs of 5 and 8 yards on the late go-ahead touchdown drive.
“We got to it,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. “I think they were ranked second in the league against the rush. There’s a reason for that. Early on, we didn’t have too much success or as much as we would want, but we tried to stay with it, tried to believe in it. Over the course of the game, there were some larger holes, bigger cracks. Najee did a great job running.”
On the drive that produced Chris Boswell’s 43-yard field goal, Harris had an 8-yard run, and he also gained 2 yards on a second-and-1. When the Steelers got the ball back with 6 minutes, 21 seconds to play and trailing by a point, Harris opened the drive with an 8-yard gain. He also had a game-high 13-yard gain that put the Steelers in field position.
Harris’ 21 carries were more than he had in the previous two games combined. Still, he is second in the league with 274 touches, averaging 22.8. Only Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts, with 277, has more.
“I want to win, so if it takes me getting 30-40 carries to win, so be it,” Harris said. “I know it’s a long season, and I know I was leading the league in touches (a few weeks ago). If we win, we win. It doesn’t really matter. I take care of my body really well, and if it’s a concern, I’ll say something to the coaches, but it hasn’t been a concern.”
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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