The Pittsburgh Steelers sorely missed EDGE Nick Herbig after he exited the game in the second half with a hamstring injury, causing him to miss roughly the last 20 minutes of action. Herbig has already been ruled out for this week’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Still, he shined in his second start before leaving the game, logging 41 defensive snaps (54%) and posting two total tackles, one tackle for loss, 0.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery.
THE FILM
Nick Herbig was a headache for rookie first-round pick LT Tyler Guyton in pass protection, playing with his patented relentless motor combined with his arsenal of pass rush moves to get to the quarterback. We see Herbig put pressure on QB Dak Prescott in the pocket in the clips below, with the first clip showing Herbig crossing Guyton’s face inside, forcing Prescott to spin out and throw the ball away as the rest of the defense closes in. In the second clip, Herbig performs the dip move perfectly, rounding the arc into the pocket to hit Prescott as he throws. However, Herbig is just a second late as Prescott completes the pass to TE Jake Ferguson for first down yardage.
Nick Herbig won with speed and quickness against Guyton as a pass rusher and displayed his strength and awareness. On this rep below, watch as Herbig uses the long arm to keep Guyton off his chest, attempting to walk him back into the pocket. Herbig then chucks Guyton down to the side like a rag doll as the offensive lineman starts to lose his balance. He gets into the pocket and forces the arid pass by Prescott, which goes out of bounds.
Nick Herbig did most of his damage Sunday night as a pass rusher, but he also showed some effectiveness as a run defender, holding his own at the point of attack and shedding the block on this jet sweep play to the right of your screen, resulting in a six-yard loss. Herbig splits the block between Guyton and WR CeeDee Lamb and blows up WR KaVontae Turpin in the backfield.
Nick Herbig manages to team up with T.J. Watt to get to the quarterback on two separate occasions. The first clip shows attempting to spin inside of Guyton, getting caught, and standing up as he and Cameron Heyward run into each other. However, Herbig spins back outside and meets Watt at the quarterback, with Watt forcing the fumble and Herbig getting off Prescott fast enough to recover the ball. The second clip shows Herbig utilizing an inside rip move on Guyton to get into the pocket. Watt is credited for the full sack, but Herbig is right there aiding in the assist.
When he was in the lineup, Herbig played a quality game, consistently pressing Prescott as a pass rusher while holding his own as a run defender. His presence was greatly missed down the stretch as Pittsburgh failed to generate the same level of pressure from the likes of DeMarvin Leal and Jeremiah Moon, who played in his place.
Nick Herbig is slated to miss at least one game due to his hamstring injury, but the length of his absence has yet to be determined. This loss only increases Pittsburgh’s need for Watt to continue to produce at a high level, as they will be without Herbig and Alex Highsmith this weekend in Las Vegas. Unless they make a move, it appears that Jeremiah Moon could be in line to start across from Watt this Sunday.
