Steelers’ Najee Harris Sends Blunt Message to Justin Fields Critics After Loss to Colts

Screengrab on Twitter/ @BrianBatko
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Amid ongoing speculation surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback job this year, running back Najee Harris appeared to be tired of the media’s narratives.

The Steelers ate their first loss of the NFL season in Sunday’s 27-24 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, and after the game Harris was asked about Justin Fields’s quarterback play specifically in the second half.

Harris cut the reporter off and spoke instead of the importance of winning and losing together as a team.

“I think we as a team showed what we can do,” Harris said. “Not just one player. Y’all always keep putting it on one person. It’s a whole team, all 11 of us. Stop making it one player. Y’all keep saying Justin, as if he’s the one that’s throwing, catching and running. Come on bro, it’s all of us. So what did we do, what did we see? I saw us all fight. Us as a team.”

After being held to a field goal in the first half, Fields and the Steelers’ offense outscored the Colts 21-10 in the final two quarters to try and muster a comeback, with Fields rushing for two scores and recording one passing touchdown to tight end Pat Freiermuth. However, it was too little too late as Pittsburgh couldn’t climb out of the early deficit and saw their six-game regular-season win streak come to an end.

Despite the loss, Fields still made a strong case for the Steelers’ starting quarterback job, finishing with 312 passing yards and one passing touchdown along with 55 rushing yards and his two scores on the ground. 

The Steelers (3-1) will look to bounce back under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football when they host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. With Russell Wilson nearing full health, expect Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to provide an update on the starting quarterback job later this week.


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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.