INDIANAPOLIS -- The Steelers lost their starting running back halfway through Monday night's game at Lucas Oil Stadium. However, the Steelers still managed to rack up 172 yards rushing in their 24-17 win over the Colts.
Najee Harris was ruled out of the game with an abdominal injury at halftime, which could have been detrimental to the Steelers' rushing attack as they were already without Jaylen Warren due to a hamstring injury.
However, Benny Snell Jr. and Anthony McFarland Jr. stepped in and carried the load the rest of the way. Snell wound up as the team's leading rusher with 62 yards on 12 carries. McFarland added 30 yards on six carries and caught two passes for 11 total yards.
Harris had 10 carries for 35 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game.
Snell didn't do most of his damage until after Harris left the game. But, in the end, he was the one who took on the bulk of the load in the second half, with eight of his 12 carries coming in the final two quarters.
While the offense struggled at the start of the second half with two straight three-and-outs, Snell had two very crucial carries on the drive where the Steelers scored the game's deciding touchdown. Snell hit the hole hard on second and 1 and pulled off a 13-yard gain to get the Steelers within field goal range.
But, the most important carry came on a read option on third and goal, and Snell scored the deciding touchdown with just under 10 minutes left in the game.
"Sometimes you get battlefield promoted," Mike Tomlin said after the game. "A guy like Benny Snell became a central part of what we were doing offensively. And, he was still on punt return team. He was still on kickoff."
On the other hand, McFarland was part of the game plan from the very beginning, despite being elevated from the practice squad earlier in the day.
The first time Harris needed a breather early in the game, McFarland was the first one to step on the field. His quickness and speed is a nice change of pace from Harris, and it best filled the void left in Warren's absence.
"(McFarland) is a guy who's always working and always waiting for his opportunity," Tomlin said. "He did some things that we saw in team development during the preseason that make him a little but different than some of the backs. The things he's able to do in space. The screen game, the draw game. I thought he was an asset to us."
However, it's not easy to be an asset when he's spent the entire season on the practice squad, and then be ready to go at a moment's notice.
"It can be difficult at times, but it's a professional business -- a man's business," McFarland said. "You have to know how to overcome it and just handle your business."
Tomlin did not provide any further updates on Harris' health moving forward, saying that he's still being evaluated. Tomlin will more than likely have some sort of update during his noon press conference Tuesday afternoon on the South Side.