Steelers' Mike Tomlin Down Plays Nick Herbig's Severe Lack Of Playing Time: "We Got A Lot Of Good Players"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have to put Week 7's loss behind them now as they prepare for a marquee matchup in Week 8 on Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers. Despite that need, there are still a lot of different issues lingering with the fan base, such as the cornerbacks playing so far off the ball and the front seven being unable to stop the run. The time to watch game film of that loss is over, and now they need to make sure that they have a much better gameplan coming up. 

During his typical Tomlin Tuesday press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was once again brought back to that upsetting loss. This time, the concern was around star edge rusher Nick Herbig and why he only saw 29 snaps in that contest. Tomlin explained by bringing up a major issue that the third-year player has. 

"Certainly, our inability to control the run and limiting one-dimensional passing circumstances probably limited his participation some," Tomlin said. "But again, we got a lot of good players. As I mention often, when you guys talk about playing time, just keep watching. We're going to utilize all our good players. Sometimes, games unfold, whether it's schematics or matchups or just how things unfold."

That is definitely not a great look for Herbig. His struggles with the run defense have been well-documented, but it's never good to hear a coach publicly speak about it like that. Tomlin had no hesitation putting Alex Highsmith in the game whenever he thought there was a solid chance that the Cincinnati Bengals were going to try and run the ball, although that didn't work well either. 

Taking away kneel downs, the Bengals attempted 20 run plays and 49 pass plays against the Steelers. Even with how well the rushing attack was rolling, Cincinnati opted to primarily pass the ball in the second half. Despite that, Herbig was still on the bench for most of the contest as the defense allowed 153 yards on the ground. 

Having Herbig in for the pass rush would not have likely helped much either. The Bengals' gameplan was the same as the Steelers' previous gameplan: throw the ball before the pass rush has any chance of collapsing the pocket. Joe Flacco got the pass off quickly and efficiently all throughout the night. Even with the speed rush of the third-year stud, the Bengals' offense was determined to get the ball out quick.

Steelers Have Tough Rushing Matchup Coming Up

When the Steelers host the Packers in Week 8, there will be a heavy dosage of Josh Jacobs in this offensive attack. Green Bay relies on him a lot, as he has had at least 16 carries in all but one game so far in 2025. He may not be the speed back that Pittsburgh just had to face, but his strength and power will keep this front seven on their toes throughout the contest. 

With the Packers' desire to pound the rock, it seems like Herbig may spend another night riding the bench as Highsmith will be tasked to keep the edge sealed, even though Jacobs is much better as a downhill runner than a guy that can bounce it outside. Hopefully, the team has made enough adjustments to keep holes from opening up as easily as they did against the Bengals previously.

What do you think about Tomlin calling out Herbig's inability to stop the run and using that to explain his lack of reps in Week 7? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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