At this point in his career, all second-year Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig does is make game-changing plays.
He’s a “big-time player” as head coach Mike Tomlin said a few weeks ago, and despite his smaller stature, teammate and star outside linebacker T.J. Watt says he’s a “young baller” who is playing some great football.
That was very apparent on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Herbig raced home for a strip-sack of quarterback Joe Burrow, leading to a 21-yard scoop and score from rookie linebacker Payton Wilson, putting the finishing touches on a 44-38 win over the Bengals that moved the Steelers to 9-3 on the season.
Herbig is up to three strip-sack fumbles this season, mimicking his mentor in Watt, who has made it a common occurrence when he gets to the quarterback himself. In fact, against the Bengals, Watt had a strip-sack of Burrow on his own, too, leading to another Steelers takeaway.
As Herbig has watched and learned from Watt, he’s picked up some great things. That includes knocking the football loose once he gets to the quarterback. Speaking to reporters after the Bengals game, Herbig credited the culture that Tomlin and the Steelers have built for his success when it comes to stripping the football loose while also praising Watt for being a great example to follow.
“He’s been doing it for what, seven, eight years now. Like, he’s a Hall of Famer,” Herbig said to reporters when asked where the mentality to get the ball comes from, according to video via Steelers.com. “I’m sure he leads the league since he’s been in the league in fumbles — forced fumbles. And I think that’s the culture that Coach Tomlin built in Pittsburgh, man.
“And these guys laid the foundation for guys like me, younger guys, looking up to them. And like I said, like the chemistry we have in the room is unbelievable.”
Having that type of impact player in Watt to learn from certainly has helped Herbig, but it’s his work and his preparation that has helped him develop into that game-changing piece for the Black and Gold.
On his strip-sack fumble Sunday, Herbig beat Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. off the line and won with a great ghost rush, dipping underneath Brown’s attempted punch. Herbig turned the corner with ease and got the ball out in the blink of an eye, leading to the splash play for the Steelers.
That turnover culture in Pittsburgh is real. Guys are searching for ways to get the football out and get the ball back for the offense. It starts at the top and trickles down. Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin have put an emphasis on takeaways since Austin took over as defensive coordinator in 2022.
Since Austin stepped into the fold as the DC, the Steelers have taken the ball away at an impressive rate, and that’s continued this season. The Steelers forced three turnovers on Sunday and have a league-leading 25 takeaways on the season. That is the second-best turnover margin in the NFL at +15, behind only the Buffalo Bills at +17.
The culture is real, and it’s thriving on the defensive side of the football. Herbig is a testament to that.
