Steelers' Najee Harris Calls Out Media; Detailed How Team Can't Break Or They Lose

On Wednesday, Harris spoke with reporters about where the team and the players were leading up to their Week 13 battle with the Arizona Cardinals. Harris didn't hold back, speaking not only about the team's cohesion, but about the media's impact on what they are trying to accomplish.

"There's a bond, and, you know, if we break up as a team, then we lost, you know. If you guys, you know, write the stuff that you guys write, then... it can be whatever it wants, but, you know, if we lose each other, then we lost. So, it's more of just the trust in each other and knowing that nothing can break what we got in the room, rather than what you guys write on social media."

Those are strong words coming from a player who understands his role on the team. The media will always write what they do, but to know that the Steelers have players like Harris standing up for the locker room speaks volumes. The Steelers find themselves in a very enviable position with a 7-4 record, putting them in the midst of a heated AFC playoff race. They will need more of Harris' leadership if the positive forward motion is to continue in 2023.

Steelers Can Rush Into Playoffs With Dual Backfield

When the 2023 season began, the understanding was that Harris would be the starting running back, and then he would get supported by Jaylen Warren when needed. As the weeks went by, though, it was becoming apparent that something was wrong with the Steelers offense.

After an incredibly successful 2023 preseason, the expectations went through the roof, and Steelers fans truly believed the team would storm into 2023 and take the NFL by storm. Despite putting together a winning record after 11 weeks, the Steelers were doing so with last-minute victories and unsustainable gameplay on offense. Harris was struggling, Warren was giving the team much-needed energy, and behind it all was Canada. Even though the team only had a few days to piece together an offensive game plan between Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan, the immediate results proved how much Canada had been holding back the offense as a whole.

Rather than the tense energy that had surrounded the Steelers' offense, Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals displayed a Steelers team with new life and a firm belief in their two-headed backfield of Harris and Warren. Between them, they combined for 153 yards rushing, with Harris compiling 99 of those yards. What had looked like a squad stuck in the mud for the previous 11 weeks seemed fluid, on the same page, and the result was their seventh win of the 2023 season.

The Steelers bring a 7-4 record into their 2023 Week 13 clash with the Cardinals, who are currently dealing with their own struggles with a record of 2-10. After that, Pittsburgh will play the also-floundering New England Patriots who are sitting at the bottom of the AFC East at 2-9. If the Steelers' offensive energy can continue to trend upwards, those are two very winnable games that could have the Steelers entering the home stretch of 2023 with a brilliant 9-4 record. Of course, they still have to play those games.