Behind the Steel Curtain
It seems that when the Steelers lose, a lot of their worst qualities come to light.
Their defense was tumultuous against the Cincinnati Bengals, allowing 33 points, marking the third time a Steelers’ opponent has topped 30 points in their first six games. Additionally, their defense couldn’t stop the passing attack of Joe Flacco, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, nor could they get pressure on Flacco.
A lot of that could have to do with the fact that Nick Herbig was only on the field for 29 snaps, and he didn’t play a down on the Bengals’ final drive. Keep in mind, Herbig had 4.5 sacks in four games before Thursday, including two against the Browns, in which he was the best pass rusher on the field.
The stubbornness of falling back into Alex Highsmith being the No. 2 guy is mind-boggling when it’s clear Herbig has surpassed him. While playing far more than Herbig, Highsmith tallied a grand total of one solo tackle and didn’t register a sack. Those roles need to be reversed, with Herbig being on the field for 75-80 percent of snaps. He shouldn’t be an afterthought for guys he’s better than, and he certainly shouldn’t be watching in obvious pass-rush situations as the defense gets carved up in the biggest moments.
Per Next Gen Stats, Herbig has a pressure rate of just over 16 percent, which is higher than Myles Garrett, Aidan Hutchinson, and Jonathan Greenard. He also has more sacks than Garrett, T.J. Watt, and Trey Hendrickson, despite playing in just five games. The Steelers continue to get in their own way when it comes to making the obvious decision, which hurt them on Thursday, and will continue to hurt them if they don’t make the necessary adjustments.
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