With star outside linebacker T.J. Watt likely going to miss Sunday’s Wild Card Round matchup between the No. 7-seed Pittsburgh Steelers and the No. 2-seed Buffalo Bills, all eyes are on the depth behind the All-Pro pass rusher and Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Watt, who suffered a sprained MCL in the Week 18 season finale win over the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, will likely miss a couple of weeks, so the Steelers will have to find a way to replace him. There’s no way to replace a guy like Watt 1:1, but the Steelers have the depth behind him to try and patch things together with rookie Nick Herbig and veteran Markus Golden.
Herbig is the guy who could get the lion’s share of the reps against the Bills in place of Watt. Though he’s had a limited numbers of snaps defensively this season, seeing just 191 defensive snaps, Herbig has been an impactful defender. He has the support of his teammates entering the Wild Card matchup, too, for which he is thankful.
“We kind of had a bond this whole year, and I think that they believe in me, which I appreciate,” Herbig said to reporters regarding his potential increased role, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “A lot of guys are just telling me, ‘Hey, we believe in you. It’s your time to step up for this team.’
“I know, obviously, T.J. too, is telling me that. So, just having that support from a bunch of the guys, especially guys in the room, my coaches, I’m just excited.”
Herbig certainly has the support from teammates and coaches. He’s proven, albeit in a limited number of snaps, that he’s an impactful defender, one who makes plays consistently for the Steelers.
During the regular season, Herbig had eight pressures and three sacks. One of those sacks came in Week 17 on the road against the Seattle Seahawks and was a key strip-sack of quarterback Geno Smith, setting up a Chris Boswell field goal that helped the Steelers hold on for a 30-23 win.
He also had a forced fumble on Jacksonville running back Tank Bigsby in Week Eight at Acrisure Stadium. Herbig’s three sacks all came on the road, with one against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in Week Seven and against Jake Browning and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12 in addition to the Smith takedown.
Herbig will get another chance to make some big-time plays on the road on Sunday against the Bills.
“He’s the one who’s been working all year, ever since he got here, from the first day of OTAs, he’s came in and he’s worked hard and everything,” Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith said to reporters Monday, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “Every time he’s come in, he’s made a play and he’s made some type of impact play.
“And so, for him to be able to come in and step up, he’s built for these moments and I’m just excited to see what he does.”
Despite the limited number of snaps on the season defensively, Herbig has made an impact every time he’s on the field. In those 191 snaps, Herbig graded out at an 80.7 by Pro Football Focus, including a 78.8 against the run and an 81.1 as a pass rusher. Though the pressures haven’t been there in abundance, Herbig is a consistent pass rusher with great athleticism off the edge.
He’ll get a chance to show that on Sunday, sharing snaps with veteran Markus Golden. There’s belief from his teammates, and that can go a long way for a young player, especially on the big stage.
