Following each game in the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers season, I will highlight the event or string of events in the game that was the turning point. Not all turning points will be earth-shattering but are meant to give a unique look at how we arrived at the outcome of the game, one that may be hard to see during the live watch.
In the Pittsburgh Steelers’ win over the Seattle Seahawks, the player who changed the tide of the game barely logged any snaps. If you blinked, you may have missed his time on the field. That player is rookie OLB Nick Herbig. He logged just two defensive snaps but managed to make a huge impact on the game. If pass rushing is an art form, then Herbig just debuted his first masterpiece.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, the Seahawks had just gotten the ball back after a Chris Boswell field goal made the score 27-20. The very first play of the drive, Herbig sacked Geno Smith, knocked the ball loose, and recovered it by himself. The manner in which he achieved the strip-sack is even more impressive. He was lined up as a wide-9 pass rusher across from OT Charles Cross, who was selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, and RB Kenneth Walker III was in the backfield to provide help. Herbig beat them both on his way to the quarterback.
He showed multiple impressive traits on the play. Right off the line, Cross landed a punch with his outside arm to Herbig’s chest. This knocked Herbig’s upper body upright, but he kept his feet moving toward the objective. Walker lowered his shoulder to try to route Herbig back inside towards Cross, but Herbig got skinny and swam over Walker, using him as leverage to get back on the path to the quarterback. Cross tried to re-engage with another punch, but Herbig swatted it down with perfect timing and displayed great bend around the corner. Then it is all about the finish. Smith had no clue he was coming and Herbig knew it. He went right for the ball, knocked it out and recovered the fumble himself.
Herbig has made a habit out of making big plays with little playing time. He has only logged 178 defensive snaps and has seven pressures, three sacks, and two forced fumbles to his name. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are two of the top-paid edge rushers in the league, so it makes sense that they play a majority of the snaps. Regardless, the Steelers have got to find more ways to get Herbig on the field rushing the passer.
The Steelers got the ball back inside the red zone and kicked a field goal a few plays later to make it a two-possession game. The Seahawks were moving the ball well all afternoon and the majority of their drives ended in points. Herbig’s turnover ended any possible comeback before it had a chance to develop.
