'Big-time player': Steelers OLB Nick Herbig provided big bookend plays to beat Ravens

Never mind it was his first game in five weeks and only the third start of his NFL career. Nick Herbig wasn’t about to wait to make his presence felt against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ second-year outside linebacker stripped running back Derrick Henry, causing the NFL rushing leader to do something he rarely does: lose a fumble.

Herbig might have saved his best play for last as he provided a powerful edge rush to blow up Baltimore’s 2-point conversion attempt in the Steelers’ 18-16 win Sunday in their AFC North opener at Acrisure Stadium.

No wonder coach Mike Tomlin called Herbig a “big-time player.”

“He’s a young guy, but even in a small sample size, I think we all recognize his playmaking capabilities,” Tomlin said Monday at his weekly news conference. “Any of us that are around him are not surprised when he makes significant plays, particularly in significant moments. He trains under the lights of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, man. He’s got some great role models, and he’s got a great work ethic and mindset, to boot, so I’m not surprised by it at all.”

After missing four games with a hamstring injury, Herbig stepped into the starting lineup to replace the injured Highsmith (ankle) and didn’t miss a beat. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Herbig, a 2023 fourth-round pick from Wisconsin, recorded two tackles, forced a fumble and had a team-best five pressures, per NextGen Stats.

“I really feel like when the defense is out there on the field together, it’s like I’m playing backyard football with my brothers,” Herbig told TribLive on Monday. “That’s how I grew up playing football. We played in the backyard with my brothers and my cousins. That’s how I feel out there, that we’re all family and we’re all feeding off the energy. We’ve got each other’s back.”

In case you forgot how good Nick Herbig was doing:

???? Two 90+ PFF Grades in Weeks 1-5
???? 89.9 Season Grade
???? 90.7 Pass Rush Gradepic.twitter.com/jld4CXuR8Y

— All-22 (@All22_PFF) November 17, 2024

Where Herbig attributed his success to the Steelers’ culture of emphasizing takeaways, he needed a nudge to acknowledge that forcing Henry to fumble was a special moment in his young career. Henry ran for 3 yards on his first carry and 4 yards on his second before Herbig ripped the ball away from his grip. It was recovered by strong safety DeShon Elliott at the Baltimore 42 only 49 seconds into the first quarter, setting up the first of Chris Boswell’s six field goals.

What made the play even more significant was its rarity. Told that it was the first lost fumble in 538 touches for Henry, Herbig grinned and paid homage to the 247-pound back who entered the game leading the league in rushing yards (1,120) and touchdowns (12).

“Derrick Henry is Derrick Henry, bro,” Herbig said. “He’s a Hall of Famer. He’s one of the best to do it. Just being able to make a play like that for my team against a guy like that, it’s awesome.”

The Steelers’ ability to hold Henry to 65 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries — with almost half coming on a 31-yard burst in the second quarter — and limit the big-play ability of two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson allowed Herbig to stay on the field. He played 50 defensive snaps (82%) in place of Highsmith, as newly acquired veteran edge rusher Preston Smith was limited to 17 snaps (28%).

“Alex is an elite player who plays at a high level. He’s an awesome guy, on and off the field,” Herbig said. “The standard is the standard, so I’m keeping that standard up to where it has been and will always be.”

Hope Nick Herbig got a game ball for what he did on Sunday. Forced an early fumble and then blew up the two-pointer to win the Steelers the game.

The Ravens two-point attempt looked pretty good on paper and mostly got what they wanted. Baltimore wanted to use the jet motion to… pic.twitter.com/c0GtFh94FZ

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) November 18, 2024

Herbig made another key play when Baltimore went for 2 with 1:06 remaining. He lined up on the left edge, beating wide receiver Nelson Agholor and a pair of pulling linemen — left guard Patrick Mekari and center Tyler Linderbaum — to put pressure on Jackson.

Herbig got a hand on Jackson in the backfield, allowing cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to cut him off near the sideline and force an incomplete pass. It proved to be one of the biggest defensive plays, a perfect bookend to his forced fumble that put the finishing touches on their division archrival.

“I don’t really look at it like that,” Herbig said. “We got a ‘dub.’ I was able to contribute any way possible. That’s all that matters.”