He doesn’t see the field defensively all that often, but when he does, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie outside linebacker Nick Herbig is quite impactful.
That was the case Sunday in Seattle for the former fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin. Herbig saw the field for just two defensive snaps, but on one of those snaps he made a game-changing play, forcing a fumble on a strip-sack of Seahawks’ quarterback Geno Smith, recovering the fumble and helping set up the Steelers for a field goal on a short field.
Herbig’s impressive pass rush and play made on the ball earned plenty of praise after the game. That continued Tuesday morning as Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager highlighted Herbig as one of the five best rookie performances of the weekend.
He did it all on just two defensive snaps, too.
“Lemme tell you something: Nick Herbig played two defensive snaps on Sunday. Two defensive snaps. But in the biggest moment of the Steelers’ season playing in Seattle, Nick Herbig made the play of the season,” Schrager said, according to video via Good Morning Football. “…That was when the game was a seven-point game. Strip sack, fumble recovery. They would then put another [field goal] in to kind of put this thing away.
“The Steelers are getting it from obviously T.J. Watt and [Alex] Highsmith all season. The biggest play of the season is not from our guy Cam Heyward. …It is from Nick Herbig. You make the list. I don’t care if you played one snap, two defensive snaps and in one of those two snaps he makes the very most of it strip sack of Geno Smith.”
Herbig has made the most of his time this season when on the field. He’s played just 178 defensive snaps this season, providing depth behind Watt and Highsmith, not to mention veteran Markus Golden.
In those 178 snaps he’s been impactful. Herbig’s sack on Sunday was the third of his first NFL season. It was also his second forced fumble of the year as he had one in Week Eight against the Jacksonville Jaguars on a run play.
It was arguably the best pass rush of his young career, too.
Lined up across second-year left tackle Charles Cross, Herbig shot upfield quickly, right into help from Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III, who attempted to chip Herbig. Herbig was able to beat the chip and then knocked Cross’ hands away, allowing him to turn the corner.
From there, it was instinctual from Herbig. He knocked the football free from Smith’s right hand before he could throw the football and then found himself on the bottom of the pile with the football, creating a significant splash play for the Steelers.
After Herbig’s strip sack and recovery, the Steelers tacked on another field goal to take a 30-20 lead, giving them just enough cushion. It was a huge play for the Steelers, especially late in a must-win game. That’s why Schrager sees it as the play of the season for the Steelers.
“We love seeing when the rookies step up and it’s actually a really great play here. Walker’s blocking him. He fights two defenders, and he goes and he swims, and he gets it mentioned earlier,” Schrager added regarding the play. “…Nick has been a special teams demon all season, but he gets on the field and makes the biggest play of the Steelers’ campaign. They’re alive and well. And one of the main reasons is because of plays like this.
“We see you, Nick Herig. You make the fabulous five with plays that matter.”
