While the Pittsburgh Steelers lost OLB Alex Highsmith to an ankle injury that will cause him to miss Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, the team will get a reinforcement with OLB Nick Herbig returning. Herbig had been out since Week 6 with a hamstring injury that he suffered in Week 5, and he told reporters today that he’s ready to play on Sunday, per Chris Adamski of TribLive on Twitter.
Adamski tweeted an exchange Herbig had with 93.7 The Fan’s Jeff Hathhorn, where Herbig said he “felt awesome” in practice this week.
Herbig’s return couldn’t come at a better time with Highsmith down, and he and Preston Smith will likely split snaps opposite T.J. Watt. Herbig was having a fantastic start to the season with 2.5 sacks and three tackles for a loss in 142 defensive snaps before suffering the hamstring injury, and he’s proven that he can make an impact, as he started in Weeks 4 and 5 when Highsmith was out with a groin injury.
The addition of Smith, who had two tackles for a loss and a sack in his Steelers debut in Week 10, will help lighten the load for Herbig. That will be important as he gets back into game action for the first time in over a month. He won’t be asked to do too much, but he’s still going to play a key role with Highsmith down, and he’s going to need to step up if Pittsburgh wants to increase its division lead over the Ravens.
Herbig and Smith will be going up against LT Ronnie Stanley, who’s had a nice rebound year for Baltimore after dealing with injuries over the last few seasons. They’ll look to get pressure from the left while the Ravens will likely bring extra help for rookie RT Roger Rosengarten, who will be tasked with blocking Watt. If the Steelers are able to get pressure on Lamar Jackson and limit what he can do with his legs, then the game will be in their favor.
Historically, the Steelers have done a good job against Jackson, and even without Highsmith, they’ll look to continue their success against the two-time MVP. Herbig will be a key factor in making that happen for the Steelers if he can have a strong game in his return.
