While it came in a loss, Najee Harris nonetheless made some history during the Steelers' Christmas Day showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In the 29-10 loss, Harris ran for 74 yards on 13 carries. In the process, he became the first player in franchise history to run for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons. Harris, who entered Wednesday's game with 933 rushing yards this season, is also the only NFL player who has run for more than 1,000 yards in each season since 2021.
Only Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Jonathan Taylor have run for more yards since the start of the 2021 season than Harris, who was the only running back selected in first round of his year's draft.
On Wednesday, Harris and fellow Steelers running back Jaylen Warren combined to run for 145 yards on 24 carries as Pittsburgh out-rushed the Chiefs, 202-69. But despite their sizable advantage in the running game, the Steelers couldn't overcome two costly turnovers (one in the red zone, another leading to a Chiefs touchdown) and a torrid passing performance from Patrick Mahomes, who threw three touchdown as the Chiefs clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed.
Wednesday's loss marked the third consecutive defeat for the Steelers, who have fallen behind the Ravens in the AFC North division standings. But if there is a positive to be taken out of their recent loss, it's that the Steelers have arguably the NFL's best running duo in tow with the playoffs on the horizon. However, Pittsburgh needs to iron out a few other things (specifically the passing game and pass defense) before the playoffs begin two weeks from now.
