LAS VEGAS — — Najee Harris broke free down the left sideline, reached the 5-yard line and dove for the pylon, getting the ball just over the goal line for a Steelers touchdown.

Harris shook off a slow start to the season and didn’t let anything get in his way, even if it meant penetrating a swarm of tacklers for a big gain.

Harris rushed for 106 yards and the 36-yard touchdown to lift Pittsburgh to a 32-13 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

“I don’t know what he ate last night, I don’t know what he did, but he definitely came out today,” Steelers quarterback Justin Fields said.

Harris surpassed 100 yards with back-to-back performances for the first time since the end of last season. He rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons, but averaged 3.3 yards per carry this year.

Harris had a 15-yard run early in the second quarter in which he was nearly stopped at the line of scrimmage but fought through multiple tacklers.

“When the drives aren’t going well, you need a play that ignites the spark,” Harris said. “I always try to be that person who gets the piece going.”

Fields added 59 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, although he only passed for 145 yards. Fields’ starting position had been called into question following recent underperformance and after Russell Wilson was activated for the first time this season after missing out with a calf injury.

Pittsburgh (4-2) stopped a two-game skid with its highest-scoring game since beating Cincinnati 34-11 on Dec. 23. The Steelers came in ranked 26th in scoring offense, averaging 18.4 points.

Their defense, which gave up 803 yards in losses over the past two weeks, returned to early-season form as their first three opponents combined for just 687 yards. Pittsburgh held the Raiders (2-4) to 275 yards, and four-time All-Pro TJ Watt forced two fumbles and had two tackles for loss.

Watt, who had no sacks after entering the game at 4 1/2, said he knew he had to find other ways to make a difference as the Raiders were determined to keep him away from their quarterback.

“I’ve done punchouts in Wisconsin,” Watt said. “I carry that with me, and it’s something I continue to try to do. When you have a defense that flies around like that, you can take more risks. I don’t always understand football, but when you do, it’s great.”

Sophomore Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell, making his first start in place of the benched Gardner Minshew, opened the game 4 for 4 for 55 yards to lead a touchdown drive. But O’Connell failed to build on that, finishing 27 of 40 for 227 yards, and his interception midway through the fourth quarter set up a Pittsburgh TD and a 29-7 lead, to the delight of thousands of Terrible Towel- waving fans that made this look like a Steelers home game.

“It was a great first drive for us to go down and get points and a touchdown,” O’Connell said. “It was huge for the momentum, but it’s 60 minutes.”

The Raiders played without their top two receivers – Davante Adams (hamstring) and Jakobi Meyers (ankle) – and with running back Zamir White (groin). Adams could be traded this offseason, although coach Antonio Pierce said Wednesday he still considered Adams a Raider.

Pittsburgh let a victory slip away a week ago when the Dallas Cowboys scored with 20 seconds left. This time, no such drama would occur, thanks in large part to the Raiders’ mistakes.

“Winning is our business,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “We weren’t doing business yet, so it’s good to be doing business again. This is a normal situation for us. It must be so.”

A fumble gave the Steelers possession deep in Raiders territory late in the second half. A third-down stop by Las Vegas was then negated by a passer penalty, leading to Fields’ 3-yard touchdown run that put the Steelers ahead 12-7.

In the third quarter, a blocked punt set up a Steelers field goal and another rough call led to Harris’ touchdown and a 22–7 lead.

O’Connell’s fourth-quarter interception that led to Fields’ second TD run and ended all doubts.

Injuries

Steelers: C Zach Frazier (ankle) left in the third period.

Raiders: G Dylan Parham (foot) was injured in the first half.

Next

Steelers: Host the New York Jets on Sunday night.

Raiders: Visit the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl