Running back Najee Harris can use the stiff arm like no other, and it was how he did it against the Seattle Seahawks that paid off in more ways than one.
First and foremost, the play of the ground game helped lead the Steelers to a Week 17 win over the Seahawks in a game that was needed for the team's playoff hopes.
It also earned Harris the Week 17 'Angry Run' of the week, and Harris won the 'Angry Run of the Year,' presented by FedEx, at the NFL Honors.
The award is the brainchild of NFL Network's Kyle Brandt, who crowns a weekly 'Angry Runs' winner in season and sends them a scepter for their efforts.
Harris had 27 carries for 122 yards, a 4.5-yard average, and scored two touchdowns in the game.
But two of his runs were among the four nominated that week for the honor, the other two being teammate Jaylen Warren's runs, and it was the stiff arm felt around the NFL that was the icing on the cake.
Harris' first run that was nominated is a nine-yard touchdown run where he willed his way into the end zone, planting his hand three times as he almost crawled in there.
The second run was one that had eyes popping out of their heads when Harris stiff-armed Seahawks cornerback Traiq Woolen, sending him to the turf without a chance.
"That is not a stiff arm," said Brandt. "That is a throw. He is bouncing him like a basketball."
The weekly award winner is sent a scepter they take a photo with and send back to NFL Network. Harris took it to the next step. Instead of being in the photo, he sent one of his entire offensive line and tight ends holding the scepter, a shoutout to the job they did on a day the offense put up 468 yards.
"It shows the progression we have shown, the grit that we have, the resiliency," said Harris in the days after the game. "It just shows a lot about the offense."
