Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Powerful Steelers Guard Could Start vs. Colts

Originally posted on Steelers Now | By Nick Farabaugh | Last updated 12/15/23

The Steelers could turn to backup guard Nate Herbig against the Indianapolis Colts in a critical matchup for both teams. Whoever loses the game is essentially out of the playoff race, while the winner has a much better chance of powering through to the dance.

Guard Isaac Seumalo is questionable with a shoulder injury and did not practice all week. He did end up playing against the New England Patriots for a short week under similar circumstances, but it is unknown if the injury worsened, and he may not be able to go. But the team could use him, even if Herbig is a capable backup.

Herbig has played right and left guard, starting two games when James Daniels missed two games with a groin injury earlier this season. In those games, Herbig has allowed ten pressures and one sack, but almost all of those were from a six-pressure-allowed game against the Houston Texans. In his last action against the Cardinals, Herbig allowed just one pressure in 18 pass-blocking snaps. In the run game, Herbig brings the juice there and should be trusted to continue that level of play against the Colts.

But it will be a tough matchup for Indianapolis with Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner on the other side. Those guys can force the Steelers off the rails if the team does not properly prepare for them, and that is before getting Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam off the edge, who have legitimate juice to make an impact.

But Herbig is a guy who they signed to become a plug-and-play guard. So far, he has done just that, and he is playing at a fine level. Certainly, his versatility is something that makes him extremely valuable moving forward in situations such at this one when injuries come on.

This article first appeared on Steelers Now and was syndicated with permission.

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