Najee Harris broke away down the left sideline, reached the 5-yard line, and dove toward the pylon, barely getting the ball over the goal line for a touchdown for the Steelers.
After a slow start to the season, Harris pushed through challenges, even battling through a crowd of defenders for a big gain.
He rushed for 106 yards and a 36-yard touchdown, helping Pittsburgh secure a 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
“I don’t know what he ate last night, I don’t know what he did, but he sure did ball out today,” Steelers quarterback Justin Fields said.
This was Harris’s first time going over 100 yards since finishing last season with two consecutive such games. He had rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons but had been averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this year.
Harris had a notable 15-yard run early in the second quarter, where he nearly got stopped at the line but managed to push through several tacklers.
“When drives aren’t going well, you need a play that will spark it,” Harris said. “I always try to be that person to spark the play.”
Fields added 59 rushing yards and two touchdowns, although he only passed for 145 yards. His role as the starting quarterback had come under scrutiny due to recent poor performances, especially with Russell Wilson returning after a calf injury.
Pittsburgh (4-2) ended a two-game losing streak with its highest-scoring game since defeating Cincinnati 34-11 last December 23. The Steelers had been ranked 26th in scoring offense, averaging 18.4 points.
Their defense, which had allowed 803 yards in losses over the past two weeks, returned to form like they had earlier in the season when their first three opponents combined for just 687 yards.
Pittsburgh limited the Raiders (2-4) to 275 yards, and T.J. Watt, a four-time All-Pro, forced two fumbles and recorded two tackles for loss.
Watt, who had no sacks before this game but entered with 4 1/2, said he knew he had to find other ways to make an impact since the Raiders were focused on keeping him away from their quarterback.
“I’ve been doing punchouts back to (college at) Wisconsin,” Watt said. “I carry that with me, and it’s something I continue to try to do. When you have a defense that flies around like this, you’re able to take more chances. I don’t always get the football, but when you do, it’s big.”
Second-year Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell, starting in place of the benched Gardner Minshew, began the game completing 4 out of 4 passes for 55 yards, leading to a touchdown drive.
However, O’Connell couldn’t maintain that momentum, finishing 27 of 40 for 227 yards. His interception in the middle of the fourth quarter set up a Pittsburgh touchdown and a 29-7 lead, much to the joy of many Terrible Towel-waving fans who made the game feel like a Steelers home game.
“It was a great first drive for us to go down and get points and a touchdown,” O’Connell said. “It was huge for momentum, but it takes 60 minutes.”
The Raiders were missing their top two receivers — Davante Adams (hamstring) and Jakobi Meyers (ankle) — along with running back Zamir White (groin). Adams could be traded this season, but coach Antonio Pierce said Wednesday that he still viewed Adams as a Raider.
Pittsburgh let a win slip away last week when the Dallas Cowboys scored with 20 seconds left. This time, there was no such drama, mainly due to the Raiders’ mistakes.
“Winning is our business,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “We hadn’t been handling business, so it’s good to get back to taking care of business. This is a normal state for us. It needs to be.”
A fumble gave the Steelers the ball deep in Raiders territory late in the second half. A third-down stop by Las Vegas was nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty, which led to Fields’ 3-yard touchdown run that put the Steelers ahead 12-7.
In the third quarter, a blocked punt set up a Steelers field goal, and another roughing penalty resulted in Harris’ touchdown, extending the lead to 22-7.
O’Connell’s fourth-quarter interception led to Fields’ second touchdown run, sealing the game.
