Nick Herbig
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Nick Herbig was punished for his actions in the Steelers' Week 10 loss to the Chargers
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have much go their way in Week 10 when they faced off against the Los Angeles Chargers. After beating the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9, the vibes surrounding the Steelers were high, but they didn’t carry over to this contest, as Pittsburgh was handed an ugly 25-10 loss by Los Angeles.
It’s clear that the Steelers have some things to clean up moving forward if they want to get back on track. Before they can fully turn their attention to Week 11, though, the NFL looped back around to their loss to the Chargers to hand out a punishment for linebacker Nick Herbig after his dangerous play in this game.
Nick Herbig Gets Punished by the NFL
Pittsburgh has been one of the more confusing teams in the NFL so far this season. Some weeks, it looks like a de facto playoff contender, but other times, it looks like the team belongs nowhere near the postseason. In Week 10, they appeared to be closer to the latter, as the offense was completely shut down for the majority of this one. That put the defense in a tough spot, and the unit was unable to deliver the goods.
To this point, the Steelers’ defense has been incredibly reliant on turnovers when it comes to finding success. If Pittsburgh isn’t forcing turnovers, its defense is typically struggling, and that isn’t exactly a recipe for success. Sure enough, they were unable to force L.A.’s offense into any mistakes, and the end result was a loss.
Losing in the NFL is always bad, but for Herbig, things got even worse on Saturday night. During this game, Herbig was in pursuit of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, and he eventually snuck up behind him and dropped him to the ground. The problem is that it was deemed to be a hip-drop tackle, which the league is looking to eliminate. As a result, Herbig saw a fine of $6,656 come his way thanks to this hit.
“Steelers OLB Nick Herbig was fined $6,656 for Unnecessary Roughness (Hip-drop tackle) versus Chargers in Week 10,” Steelers Depot shared in a post on X.
Steelers Hoping to Get Back on Track in Week 11
Steelers fans call for Mason Rudolph to replace Aaron Rodgers vs Chargers.
GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Herbert wasn’t injured as a result of Herbig’s tackle, but this style of tackling has frequently resulted in injuries across the league. With the NFL looking to protect its players at all costs, Herbig is going to pick up a fine for this hit, even though Herbert managed to walk away from it unscathed.
With this incident in the rearview mirror now, the Steelers have to focus on finding a way to get back in the win column in Week 11. They draw a tough matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who took them down in stunning fashion back in Week 7. Pittsburgh will be looking for revenge, and with the competition heating up in the AFC North, it will need all the wins it can get. Kickoff for this important divisional clash is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.