The Pittsburgh Steelers came out of the hostile environment at Lumen Field with a win over the Seattle Seahawks. It was the team’s first win in Seattle since 1983, and a timely play made by OLB Nick Herbig was one of the keys to victory. Late in the fourth quarter, the Steelers had just taken a 27-20 lead over the Seahawks. Seattle had been moving the ball well all game with just over 300 yards of offense up to that point. The game was still very much up for grabs, but on the first play of the Seahawks’ next drive Herbig logged a high-quality sack that ended in a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for the rookie.
Former NFL offensive lineman and current NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger broke down the play on X and called it the “play of the day” for the Steelers.
On this play, Herbig was aligned as a wide-9 pass rusher. He was lined up nearest to OT Charles Cross and the ninth overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft had RB Kenneth Walker III aligned on his side to help. Herbig demonstrated a number of good techniques on this play. Cross actually lands a nice punch to the chest plate of Herbig, but he is able to recover and gets skinny swimming over Walker to get the edge. From there, he strikes down Cross’ punch with his outside hand and shows great bend, turning the corner low with great leverage and ripping his inside arm through. He has an open path to the quarterback from there and has the savvy to swing for the ball rather than just take the sack.
“Is this T.J. Watt or Nick Herbig?” Baldinger said offering lofty praise to the rookie. “Look how low he is. Now, the strip sack, the sack, the fumble, the fumble recovery, the trifecta. He turns that into a field goal right there. Nick Herbig with the play of the day.”
This turnover gave the Steelers the ball back in the red zone and ensured they could make it a two-possession game with just a handful of minutes left to play. Herbig only logged two defensive snaps in the game but one of them was a game-changer. For the season, Herbig has played 178 defensive snaps and has seven total pressures and three sacks, including two strip-sacks. Many were unsure of his ability to play outside linebacker due to his stature and wondered if the Steelers would move him inside after they drafted him in the fourth round. He has clearly demonstrated the type of pass rusher he can be, even in the limited role he has been afforded this season.
