Steelers' Expensive Star Had A Very Rough Week 1 Game Against Falcons: "Got To Make The Layups"

The Pittsburgh Steelers loved what they saw out of their front four in their Week 1 win against the Atlanta Falcons. Star defensive tackle Cameron Heyward kept batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage while the starting edge rushers gave quarterback Cooper Rush nightmares in the pocket. TJ Watt reminded the world that he is a generational talent after wreaking havoc in all phases of defense, including jumping high up in the air to intercept a pass and running it in for a touchdown. That score ended up being the difference in the game. 

Not everyone had a great game, however. On a recent episode of Deebo & Joe, former linebacker James Harrison spoke about how one player kept missing the easy plays throughout the game.

"[Nick] Herbig, bruh, you got Bijan [Robinson] wrapped up in the backfield, and you lose him, and he go for 14 [yards]," Harrison said. "Then, Rush hits [Jahan] Dotson for 19. They done paid you $25 [million per year]. We got to make the ones that are sitting there free. We got to make the layups. Let's go, lock in, baby."

Edge rusher Nick Herbig saw an increase in snaps, despite being the third outside linebacker on the depth chart. He had 39 reps on defense, which was one more than what Watt had. There was a clear attempt to get him involved in the game as much as possible without outright benching one of the starters. There were some 3-OLB sets used throughout this contest as well. 

However, Herbig did not do much to separate him from the rest of the pack. He finished the game with just two tackles and one quarterback hit. There was also the play that Harrison brought up where running back Bijan Robinson broke free and ended up getting a big gain. Overall, for a player who is looking to force his way into the starting lineup sooner rather than later, this was a poor showing. 

Back when Mike Tomlin was the head coach, Herbig's snaps were limited due to his struggles on run defense. There is time to improve, but his performance against the Falcons only proved his former coaching staff right. He is an amazing pass rusher, but it's hard to justify putting him on the field for all three downs when he is arguably the worst run defender in the position group.

The Steelers have made it clear that they want to get Herbig involved more often in the 2026 season, and the Week 1 snap counts prove it. However, it's hard to justify doing that again when Watt and Alex Highsmith were way more impactful throughout the game. The fourth-year pass rusher is elite when rushing the quarterback, but he needs to learn to stop the run better if he wants 38 defensive snaps again.

Steelers Need To Take Win With A Grain Of Salt

A win is a win, but that doesn't mean the Steelers can't take a long look in the mirror. Overall, there were a lot of problems with the whole team, as they barely beat a team with a third-string quarterback starting on short notice. It is going to be very hard to win games like that against teams with much more talent on both sides of the ball.

Their Week 2 opponent, the New England Patriots, have a much stronger defense than the Falcons. Despite that, the Steelers will have to find a way to score touchdowns without the aid of turnovers. Meanwhile, the defense will have to play as great as they did against Rush when facing the 2025 MVP runner-up. This will definitely be a tough task for Pittsburgh, but it is doable.

What do you think about Harrison saying that Herbig needs to "lock in" and hit the "layups" after his Week 1 performance? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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