With Alex Highsmith set to miss his second consecutive game due to a groin injury, the Steelers must get better run support from second-year standout Nick Herbig. A painful loss in Week 4 was made all the more difficult to stomach by the fact that the defense stumbled. Can the shifty young linebacker rise to the challenge in Week 5?
Steelers Missed Highsmith
For all the focus on how Highsmith is an excellent complement to TJ Watt in pass-rush situations, the fifth-year linebacker is fantastic at stopping the run. Specifically, Highsmith has become one of the better players in the league when it comes to sealing the edge. Since most opponents will avoid running toward Watt at all costs, Highsmith’s ability to crash the former Defensive Player of the Year’s opposite side is invaluable to the Steelers’ rushing defense.
In Pittsburgh’s first three games, the rushing defense only allowed an average of 71.3 yards a game (89, 64, and 61 yards, respectively). In Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts, the first 2024 game Highsmith missed, Pittsburgh couldn’t stop the run, allowing 133 yards and one touchdown on the ground. The Colts’ offensive strategy was to expose that weak area of Herbig’s game, which Jonathan Taylor and Indianapolis did while holding him to two total tackles on the day. Unless the Steelers want to play from behind again, Herbig’s success on that defensive edge has to improve quickly.
Quality Not Quantity
Herbig has been a whirlwind of production since his rookie season. Despite seeing a small number of snaps, the former Wisconsin Badger made the most of every single one. Except for Pittsburgh’s 2023 Week 14 loss to the New England Patriots, where Herbig played 45 snaps (79%), he was never on the field with the defense for more than 17 snaps in any other game. With that handful of opportunities, he had 19 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and three quarterback hits. Expectations were high coming into Herbig’s second season in the NFL.
With generally the same time on the field over the first three weeks of 2024 (17.6 defensive snaps per game), Herbig already has two sacks and a forced fumble. He played 73% of the defensive snaps against the Colts in Week 4 but didn’t come close to making the same impact – on or off the stat sheet. Pittsburgh doesn’t need the same kind of splashy production from Herbig while Highsmith is out; they need containment, responsible run support, and focus. If the Steelers’ passionate linebacker can find a way to make a splash and still shut down that edge against the run, Sunday night should be a fun ride.
Herbig Poised For a Better Week 5
Indianapolis had found success running the ball in 2024 before Week 4 (394 rushing yards in three games), but that won’t be the case in the Steelers’ Sunday night primetime clash with the Cowboys. Dallas has struggled on the ground so far, coming in dead last with only 301 yards and the second-least rushing attempts in the NFL (85). Rico Dowdle, a fifth-year running back, leads the team (134 yards), with Ezekiel Elliot coming in second with 81 yards. Neither poses the same threat that Pittsburgh faced in Week 4 during the unexpected loss.
Herbig was thrown into the fire against the Colts, and despite getting beat up a bit in both play and ego, he has shown himself to be the kind of player who can learn quickly. While the game against Dallas is in primetime, Herbig will be under the lights at home. Week 5 should be the ideal get-right game for the Steelers in a 2024 season where every early win is essential, considering the second-half gauntlet that awaits. After being punched in the mouth, the black-and-gold defense will demand a better performance against the Cowboys, and Herbig’s improvement should be a big part of that.
Conclusion
Becoming a well-rounded NFL defender means learning from the low points and celebrating the big plays. Herbig has already made a mark with Pittsburgh Steelers fans in a supporting role, so the transition to having a full-time defensive spot doesn’t happen overnight. This is where the Steelers see if Herbig’s ceiling is higher than expected or if the linebacker is better suited to a rotational, splash-moment role in the future. The key to a successful NFL career is discovering where you make the most impact, and Pittsburgh will learn a great deal about that aspect of Herbig’s game on Sunday Night Football.
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