Ahead of their Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin made it a point of emphasis to introduce Nick Herbig as the “12th starter” to show how big a part of the Steelers’ defense the third-year OLB has become.
Four days later against the Cincinnati Bengals, Herbig disappeared.
He played just 29 snaps in the Steelers’ 33-31 loss on Thursday Night Football, and Bengals QB Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards while facing very little pressure.
Tomlin stated Tuesday that Herbig’s lack of playing time wasn’t anything to read into, other than game situation with the Steelers struggling to stop the run.