Before he left Pittsburgh to enjoy his bye weekend in Atlanta, Najee Harris sat down to watch film of the Steelers running game through the first five weeks.

He had a similar routine last year when he presented his findings to offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

This time, Harris wasn’t alone. The third-year running back invited center Mason Cole to watch with him so they could find ways to help improve the team’s stagnant running game.

“I wanted to bring a lineman in to talk about what I’m seeing, what those guys are seeing,” Harris said, “what it is exactly we all can work on to help the team and the offense and our identity.”

The identity of the Steelers offense this season has been about as transparent as a brick wall. And, at times, has looked like it keeps running into one.

Heading into their game Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, the 3-2 Steelers possess the NFL’s No. 28-ranked running offense, averaging 80.4 yards per game. They are slightly better at No. 27 by averaging 3.4 yards per rush, and the next rushing touchdown the Steelers produce will be their first.

Cole planned to remain in Pittsburgh for the five days the Steelers players had off for the bye, so he agreed to meet with Harris and dissect the running plays.

“It wasn’t like we changed concepts,” Cole said. “It was more like looking at different details, whether it’s splits, alignments, aiming points, landmarks. I think we found some tweaks, some things we can work on, some things we can change.

“Hopefully, it will make us better.”

It is the second year in a row the running game fell under the microscope at the bye week. Last year, the changes made, combined with Harris being fully healthy after a foot injury limited his effectiveness in the first half, helped produce one of the NFL’s top running games. The Steelers averaged 146 yards over the final nine games, winning seven to nearly sneak into the AFC playoffs.

The anticipation is to replicate that kind of result with 12 games remaining, including four against AFC North competition.

Cole and Harris then presented their notes to the coaching staff.

“He was really receptive,” Harris said about Canada. “It’s going to be in his game plan. Stuff we talked about is happening now.”

Canada, though, said what took place in the film study was not unlike the analysis the Steelers did collectively the year before.

“That’s not uncommon for us,” Canada said. “We all have a strong desire to be better in the running game, the passing game — all of it.”

Unlike a year ago, the Steelers have suffered some injuries on the offensive line. Right guard James Daniels missed the past two games, and left tackle Dan Moore didn’t suit up for the 17-10 victory against Baltimore.

The Steelers expect to be at full strength up front against the Rams. Having wide receiver Diontae Johnson back from injured reserve and Pat Freiermuth back after a one-game absence should help the passing game, which by extension figures to open up more running lanes for Harris and backup Jaylen Warren.

“We’re going to tweak things,” Canada said. “If we see something that can help us, we’re going to do that. We’ve got to be better at a lot of different things. It’s not one area of the run game. We try to look at all of it and where there are some positives and where there are negatives and some things here and there that can get it to be a positive.”

One thing the Steelers are aiming to eliminate is the number of running plays that gain zero or negative yards. That has happened on 25% of their runs, the highest percentage in the league.

Harris has gained 247 yards on 63 carries for a 3.9 average, which falls in line with his career numbers. He’s ahead of his rushing pace last year, when he used the strong second half to surpass 1,000 yards. Through five weeks in 2022, Harris had 222 rushing yards on 69 attempts.

Warren has carried the ball 34 times for 124 yards (a 3.6 average). He’s been more effective in the passing game with 21 catches (second-most on the team) for 166 yards.

Although Harris’ research didn’t unearth anything groundbreaking, Canada appreciated the effort that went into the film study.

“There is no question about Najee’s desire to win, his desire to be great, his desire to be a leader, his desire (for us) to be on the same page,” he said. “But that’s not anything new from what he did a year ago.”

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