James Harrison is one of the best pass rushers in Steelers’ history, but it took him a bit to really burst onto the scene. Harrison was in the midst of a strong year in 2007, heading into a Monday Night Football matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9, but he was still more or less an unknown to the public. After a 3.5-sack performance with 10 tackles, three forced fumbles, an interception, and six quarterback hits, the league knew Harrison’s name. With the Ravens on tap for the Steelers in Week 11, Nick Herbig wants to make the same impact Harrison did against the Ravens.
“That’s how you make a name for yourself like James Harrison. That’s how the world got introduced to James Harrison, prime example of that, so I’m excited,” Herbig said via 93.7 The Fan.
The performance from Harrison is one of the best individual performances in a single game of all time. It’s not something that can be easily replicated. Still, you gotta love Herbig shooting for that level of play and also harkening back to a Steelers legend ahead of a rivalry matchup with the Ravens.
Herbig suffered a hamstring injury in Week 5 and hasn’t played since, but he will return against the Ravens on Sunday and will likely split snaps with Preston Smith across from T.J. Watt. Herbig was having a solid season before suffering an injury, with 2.5 sacks, three tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble in 142 snaps, primarily working as the third outside linebacker behind Watt and Alex Highsmith. He did start two games with Highsmith out due to injury, and Highsmith will also miss Sunday’s game, meaning that Herbig will have to step up in his place.
Nick Herbig only played 18 snaps in two games against Baltimore last season, so this will be his first real opportunity to make a big impact against the Ravens. If he can burst onto the scene the same way that Harrison did, then Pittsburgh will have a good chance of pulling off the win and extending their AFC North lead over the Ravens.
The key for Pittsburgh will be limiting what Lamar Jackson can do. He enters the game coming off some of the best football of his career, and getting pressure on him will be important. We’ll see if Herbig can step up and make us all think back to the game where Harrison introduced himself to the world with a big performance against the Ravens.
