Steelers Star Made Troubling Admission About Team's Locker Room

01/13/2025 05:58 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris faced a familiar situation of responding to an early playoff loss.

For the fourth time in five years, the Steelers got booted from the Wild Card Round. They allowed 299 rushing yards in a 28-14 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens. 

Following a promising start to the 2024 season, Pittsburgh lost four straight games before its opening-round defeat. Harris, who registered 58 yards on nine touches Saturday, wondered if media criticism affected the team's mindset.

"There's stuff that I just don't wanna say on camera. There's some [things] that we've talked about on the team that I feel like we need to do," Harris said, via Steelers Now's Brendan Howe. "But, you know, really just staying together as a team. Not listening to too much of the outside noise and outside attention. You know, that's the fastest way to break up a team.

"I think that, on this losing streak, I think [we were] paying attention too much of what the media say rather than just doing what we gotta do."

Harris exceeded 1,000 rushing yards for the fourth straight season, but the 2021 first-round pick has already witnessed three Wild Card losses. He gained a combined 83 rushing yards in those double-digit defeats, each decided by at least 14 points.

Despite always finishing .500 or better under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers haven't won a playoff game in eight years.

"I know that in the past we've played well in the beginning of the season, and then we just s--- the bed at the end, and same s--- happened this year," safety DeShon Elliott said after Saturday's loss, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "Closed the season out on a five-game losing streak, including the playoffs. So we got to figure out what's the problem. We got to figure out how to get better. We got to figure out how to get past that point."

Amid increased outside speculation, the Steelers don't appear likely to make a coaching change. Pending free-agent quarterback Russell Wilson also expressed interest in returning to Pittsburgh.

Harris, on the other hand, wasn't considering his future after concluding his rookie contract.

"I haven't given that much thought at all," Harris said after the game when asked about staying with the Steelers.

Related: T.J. Watt Announces Preference For NFL Future After Playoff Loss