Harris was dominate in Steelers win over Cincinnati
by Bo Marchionte
Published November 26, 2023, 05:51 pM
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: In Steelers 16-10 win over Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH – Pittsburgh improved to 7-4 on the season with a 16-10 win over Cincinnati their second straight over the Bengals. The Steelers first game since their firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada resulting in a massive improvement in terms of the team moving the football.
The Steelers would finish with 421 yards of total offense snapping a 58-regular season game drought, that coincides with their last 400-plus effort in their home playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns when they registered 553 yards from scrimmage in the 48-37 loss.
“Excited about getting the victory,” Mike Tomlin said postgame. “I don’t know if the score was reflective of how we were operating. But that’s football, that’s how things go.”
Tomlin was talking about a Steelers first quarter drive that netted zero points after Diontae Johnson’s catch was ruled a non-catch. Then the following play, running back Jaylen Warren fumbled on the third and two resulting in a 28-yard return to the Bengals 39.
“I thought maybe Diontae (Johnson) scored on that one,” Tomlin said of the catch being voided in the end zone. “Then we fumbled a few plays later. We need to take care of the football – we lost some points there.”
The 16-10 final looked like another lousy offensive game but despite the points, Pittsburgh controlled the time of possession 37:17 to 22:43. Heading into the game Pittsburgh ranked 29th in the NFL in the crucial category with a 27:37 average through ten games. This afternoon the offense was able to add nearly another ten minutes to controlling the flow of the game.
THE GOOD
PAT FREIERMUTH CAREER DAY
“Was very appreciative of the involvement in the offense,” Freiermuth said after the game. “Felt like I was rolling today, especially with the coverages the Bengals were throwing at us. Going into the game I knew it was going to go that way and we just needed to execute, and the offense did a great job.”
Pittsburgh’s first offensive play was Kenny Pickett to Freiermuth for 24-yards. It set the tone for a career-high 120 receiving yards and tying his career high nine receptions in a game. Heading into the game, Freiermuth had nine catches for 60 yards and exceeded his yardage (89) by halftime.
NAJEE HARRIS HITS THE CENTURY MARK (ALMOST)
“He doesn’t get a lot of credit,” Tomlin said postgame of Harris’ contributions to the offense. “But that attrition component is significant and we’re always appreciative of his efforts.”
Harris carried the Cincinnati pile of players for a 20-yard gain early in the game. Harris then ate into the Bengals defense late with back-to-back runs of 22 and 13 yards to push the football inside Cincinnati territory.
Harris did go over the century mark to reach 100-yards but had a negative carry that brought him under the century mark. His impact from beginning to end was a big factor in the Steelers ability to control the clock.
RUSHING DEFENSE
Pittsburgh lost to Cleveland last week but was able to hold the Browns 96 yards rushing on 29 carries and one touchdown. Cleveland has averaged 142 yards per game which ranks second behind the 49ers who played Thursday night.
“That’s what we aspired to do, playing against a young quarterback (Jake Browning),” Tomlin said. “It really puts the emphasis on the run game.”
Today, the Steelers defense limited Joe Mixon to just 16 yards rushing in eight carries. There remains the residue of Mixon’s 165-yard performance on 28 carries and two touchdowns in the Bengals 41-10 win over Pittsburgh in 2021 that serves as a healthy reminder of the Steelers are facing in the seven-year veteran.
THE BAD
Despite the win, the mood in the locker room from Geroge Pickens was a little lack luster. He left the game briefly after getting the “wind knocked out of him” according to Tomlin. He would come back and make a 43-yard catch to put the football deep inside Cincinnati territory.
Three plays later Pickett would throw an incomplete pass intended for Diontae Johnson. What followed was some bizarre behavior from the second-year receiver. From the press box view, Pickens appeared upset walking off the sidelines.
He was talking to one of the coaches before heading toward the benches. There he was talking with Pickett who was seated next to Coach Mike Sullivan. Again, from the press box it’s not easy to figure out exactly what was going on but human interpretation would lead me to think Pickens’ wasn’t a happy camper as Sullivan looked to motion Pickens’ along.
Tomlin and Pickens then began to talk, and they went back to the bench, where another coach and receivers were sitting. It’s hard to say what the entire ordeal (if any) was about and surely no one from the team is going to go out of their way to validate what looked to transpire on the sidelines.
A locker room after a win is a joyous place full of happiness and Pickens didn’t appear to be very happy after a divisional win over the Bengals.
THE UGLY
THE RED ZONE
Pittsburgh was 1-of-4 in the red zone efficiency against Cincinnati. To play Devil’s advocate in the topic, Pittsburgh was playing a quarterback with 15 career passing attempts and making his first start in the league.
Pittsburgh relied once again on the foot of kicker Chris Boswell to complete the drives that fell short of six points by going 3-for-3 on field goals. Against the stronger offense with a proven quarterback under center, the Steelers won’t be able to sneak by with 16-points for the win.
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
