WATCH: Najee Harris and Nick Chubb destroy defenders with NASTY stiff arms on Monday Night Football
Week 17's Monday Night Football battle between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns pitted two of the league's best running backs, Najee Harris and Nick Chubb, against each other.
Harris came out on top, rushing for a career-high 188 yards, while Chubb was limited to just 58 yards on the ground. Harris may have won the individual battle, but Chubb had the highlight play of the night.
Harris and Chubb's disrespectful stiff arms
Najee Harris broke through for a big play, finishing it with a nasty stiff-arm on the Browns' M.J. Stewart. The Steelers running back left the safety flat on his back before being tackled down after a big gain.
Here's a video of the play:
: #CLEvsPIT on ESPN
: bit.ly/3HNyqQ3NOT NICE NAJEE. @ohthatsnajee22
📺: #CLEvsPIT on ESPN
📱: bit.ly/3HNyqQ3 https://t.co/JaaLl0ArvU
During the run, Najee Harris broke the Steelers' rookie rushing yards record set by Hall of Famer Franco Harris during the 1972 NFL season.
Franco rushed for 1,055 yards in just 14 games during his debut season with the Steelers and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year. Najee now holds the record with 1,172 yards and counting.
While Najee Harris' stiff arm was pretty brutal, Browns running back Nick Chubb delivered an even more vicious one just minutes later. With his team down 13 points more than halfway through the third quarter, Chubb, who was having a difficult game, took out his frustration on Miles Killebrew, pounding the safety down into the ground with the most disrespectful stiff arm of the season.
Watch the play here:
That was mean, Nick Chubb 😤
(via @NFL)
https://t.co/dLKJ0am781
Chubb gained about three yards on that run, but the stiff arm will live long in the memory of fans and players, especially Miles Killebrew.
Ben Roethlisberger bids adieu to Pittsburgh with another win over Browns
The game was touted as Ben Roethlisberger's swansong in Pittsburgh, as the quarterback is expected to retire at the end of the current season.
The Steelers can still make it to the playoffs provided they beat the Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts lose in Week 18. But the playoff seeding scenario meant that Monday night's game was the Steelers' last at Heinz Field this season.
The Steelers controlled the game from start to finish and won 26-14 to keep their playoff hopes alive. Roethlisberger completed 24 of his 46 pass attempts for 123 yards and a touchdown. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough for the Steelers to secure a much-needed win in what many presume to be the quarterback's final game in Pittsburgh.
The win was Roethlisberger's 98th at Heinz Field, tied for third-most with Brett Farve (Lambeau Field) on the list of most victories for a quarterback in one stadium. A fitting end to a legendary career.