The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first one-score loss of the 2023 NFL season on Sunday, falling to the Cleveland Browns 13-10.
The Steelers are still very much in the AFC playoff chase, but their division opponents’ victory exposed certain holes in Pittsburgh’s attack (77 yards through the air) that have been hard to patch.
Najee Harris, a running back, is over it all. Despite his diminishing output—Harris has only 499 running yards and three touchdowns this season—the former Pro Bowl pick appears to be aware that the way the Steelers are doing now isn’t going to result in a postseason trip.
Fractures behind the scenes
Despite the fact that the team has an unexpected 6-4 record and presently holds the final wild card spot in the AFC, Harris hinted to reporters after the loss at Cleveland Browns Stadium that there are competing interests at play in Pittsburgh.
The fact that Harris chose not to respond when asked if the players on the Steelers are more concerned with team goals than individual ones could be interpreted as concerning.
Head coach Mike Tomlin will need to talk to the players about it in the locker room before the Steelers travel to Cincinnati for a pivotal AFC North matchup the following Sunday.
Where is Pittsburgh among the NFL’s pretenders and contenders?
The realism Najee
In addition, Harris questioned the Steelers’ true level of excellence, even with their 6-4 record and capacity to compel errors on defense.
It’s a solid record, but keep in mind that this is the NFL, Harris said. “We won’t get anywhere by winning the way we did.
Indeed, Harris makes a point. The Steelers’ 6-1 record in one-score games has supported their 6-4 record; this is largely symptomatic of pure chance, but it also speaks to some extent of execution in crucial situations.
Pittsburgh’s passing offense is ranked 31st in the NFL, and the Steelers rank 28th in yards allowed despite having a top-10 scoring defense.
But if Pittsburgh finds itself in another close game against the Joe Burrow-less Bengals in Week 12, it might be foolish to bet against them finding a way to pull out a seventh win of the season.
