Steelers Get Brutally Honest Admission From Nick Herbig After Browns Loss

The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 18 facing a do or die situation in their matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers must win to get in to the 2025 NFL playoffs and secure an AFC North division title. This all comes following the Steelers' disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. The Steelers fell short to the Browns 13-6 and the excitement around the team that was on a three-game winning streak has since faded. Pittsburgh now must quickly put that recent loss behind them, and shift their attention to the Ravens to clinch a playoff spot.

The Steelers' struggles on Sunday mostly were on the offensive side of the ball, as the team that averaged almost 30 points per game in their three-game win streak, scored just 6 against the lowly Browns. However, one member of the Steelers' defensive unit spoke up and took accountability for the loss on the road in Cleveland. Linebacker Nick Herbig spoke with the media about the lack of executing and making big plays on defense on his end. 

"Obviously, that changes the game," Herbig admitted. "You just, you got to make plays. Big time players make big plays in big time games. And I didn't. You know and obviously that's the stuff that keeps you up at night. I got to be able to move past that and prepare for this week."

The Steelers now will have to quickly shift their focus to the Ravens and their bell cow running back Derrick Henry. Henry went off in the Ravens' Week 17 game on the road against the Green Bay Packers, running the ball 36 times for 216 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground in the Ravens win. The Steelers will need to gameplan for Henry defensively, and Herbig stepping up would be a huge contribution if the Steelers want to come out on top and clinch the AFC North to send Pittsburgh to the 2025 NFL postseason. For what it's worth, the Steelers did hold Henry to less that 100 yards in their Week 14 victory at Baltimore, as Henry ran the ball for 94 yards.

Steelers Facing Massive Pressure Entering Week 18

The Steelers are facing a ton of pressure entering Week 18. They do not want to be sent packing by their division rival Baltimore and they want to break through and win a playoff game for the first time in almost a decade. They'll have to do so without several players on both ends of the ball. On defense, the Steelers will most likely be without TJ Watt, who Herbig helps to make up for the missing presence of. On the offensive side of the ball, the Steelers will yet again be without wide receiver DK Metcalf, as he serves a two-game suspension from the NFL for an altercation in Week 16 with a Detroit Lions fan. 

On Sunday, tight end Darnell Washington sustained a fracture in his arm and is expected to be out for the foreseeable future. The Steelers, especially offensively, will need to look for other ways to gameplan against the Ravens if they want to win the North and punch their ticket to the 2025 postseason.

Herbig has been a tremendous asset to the defensive unit, even without Watt in the starting lineup. The 2023 fourth-round pick out of the University of Wisconsin has 20 solo tackles, 6.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and an interception in his 2025 season. He has helped to mask the absence of Watt, and will look to do so again in a do or die game Sunday against the Ravens at Acrisure Stadium. 

Do you think Herbig can bounce back and have a big game against the Ravens to help the Steelers clinch a playoff berth? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation