CB Joey Porter Jr. made the tackle. But DC Teryl Austin knows ROLB Nick Herbig made the play. Herbig was the man who disrupted the Baltimore Ravens’ plan to tie the game Sunday. Going for two on a sweep to the left, Herbig crashed through the line and occupied multiple blockers, freeing up Porter and the rest of the cavalry to make sure Ravens QB Lamar Jackson couldn’t find the end zone.
“He knocked three [blockers] off,” Austin said via a team-provided transcript. “To me that was the catalyst for Joey, sitting right there and having an opportunity to make a structured tackle on Lamar.”
As always, let’s turn to the tape. Here’s the play. Baltimore attempted to take care of Herbig by cracking a wide receiver down on him. He shot the gap, beat the block, and got the Ravens’ two pullers caught up in the wash. That allowed Porter to be free on the edge, making a strong wrap-up tackle near the sideline.
Herbig had an impactful day. On his second snap back after missing the last four games, he forced a Derrick Henry fumble, the running back’s first lost fumble in over 500 touches. The Steelers recovered and netted a field goal, giving them a 3-0 lead.
Not only was the turnover impactful, it may have saved a huge run. Looking at the end-zone view, Henry found the cutback lane. With the Steelers’ linebackers out of position, and LB Elandon Roberts potentially held, there was an alley for Henry to hit and only FS Minkah Fitzpatrick in his way.
Would it have been a touchdown run? Hard to say. Herbig guaranteed no one had to find out.
Herbig has a chance to make another impact against the Cleveland Browns. They could be starting third-string left tackle Germain Ifedi Thursday night. Starter Dawand Jones is out for the season while Jedrick Wills has battled a knee injury. In three games as Cleveland’s starter, QB Jameis Winston has been sacked 11 times. Pittsburgh could have a field day and pad its sack numbers.
One of the NFL’s most efficient players, Herbig’s always found ways to make impact plays. That should continue Thursday and for the rest of the season.
