Meet the Pittsburgh Steelers' Unsung Heroes Powering Playoff Push

Behind the Curtain: The Unheralded Steelers Driving Mike Tomlin's Latest Playoff Push

This is part of an ongoing series profiling the unsung heroes of each team as they clinch a berth in the NFL Playoffs. Each feature includes insight gleaned from conversations with sources across the league. To ensure you don’t miss out on any of the in-depth analysis, be sure to become a subscriber to Between The Hashmarks Today!

For the 1,150th season in a row, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers will finish above .500.

Thanks to the combination of leaning heavily into their organizational identity and combining it with some modernization of what has become an explosive offense, Pittsburgh has legitimate aspirations of winning a record seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Somewhat astonishingly, Tomlin has never won Coach of The Year.

However, that could change after this, Tomlin’s 18th consecutive non-losing season, especially after his big bet on changing quarterbacks from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson despite a 4-2 start to the season has sparked an offensive renaissance in the Iron City.

Since making the bold change at quarterback, Wilson and the Steelers’ offense are averaging 223 passing yards and 2.38 total touchdowns per game, while posting a 6-2 record with the veteran former Super Bowl champion behind center compared to just 166.8 passing yards and 1.83 total touchdowns per contest in games Fields started.

Tomlin’s Steelers still embody the identity that has been reinforced throughout the history of the franchise; playing dominant and stifling defense while leaning into a punishing ground game. However, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Wilson, and dynamic wide receiver George Pickens have added a field-stretching vertical passing game to Pittsburgh’s repertoire that is paying massive dividends for the current No. 3 seed in the AFC.

Here’s a look at the unsung heroes powering the Steelers’ latest charge to the postseason.

NFL General Manager’s Pick: OG Isaac Seumalo

“He’s just so steady, so smart, and in a lot of ways he stabilizes that offensive line.”

Nick Herbig, LB

Nick Herbig has spent his football life in the shadows.

Whether of his brother Nate, a veteran NFL offensive lineman, or arriving in Pittsburgh sharing a defensive meeting room with fellow Wisconsin alum, T.J. Watt, Herbig has consistently fought for his share of the spotlight.

Those battles have paid major dividends in his second NFL season.

Herbig is in the midst of not only a breakout campaign but also becoming an instrumental piece of the Steelers’ dominant pass rush. Despite only appearing in eight games so far this season, Herbig has already set a new career-high with 4.5 sacks while adding 19 total tackles after overcoming a hamstring injury.

Just how dominant has Herbig been? Well, Pro Football Focus lists Herbig as the outlet’s No. 7 ranked edge rusher in the NFL with an 89.6 overall grade, and an elite 92.4 pass-rush mark, while crediting him with 23 quarterback pressures.

For a franchise whose backbone for success is a swarming pass rush and opportunistic defense, Herbig has proven instrumental to this team’s success.

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Calvin Austin III, WR

While George Pickens commands the majority of the attention from opposing defenses, and for good reason, Calvin Austin III has carved out an explosive niche in Wilson’s target hierarchy.

Few of Pittsburgh’s playmakers have benefitted more from Wilson’s propensity for pushing the ball deep downfield than Austin, who in his third season is averaging a whopping 16.1 yards per reception.

So far, Austin has hauled in 28 catches for 452 yards and four touchdowns. Even Mike Williams’ arrival via a trade with the Jets hasn’t slowed Austin’s leap forward from an inconsistent rookie season.

Austin is gaining Wilson’s confidence, too, and for good reason.

Pro Football Focus points out that Wilson is posting an elite 122.7 passer rating when targeting Austin, who is averaging 4.9 yards after the catch per reception and boasts a 12.6 average depth of target underscoring how the Steelers are using him to attack defenses deep downfield.

Meanwhile, as if Austin’s field-stretching contributions to the Steelers’ new-found explosiveness weren’t enough, he’s also been a stalwart special teams including returning a punt for a touchdown and averaging 11.3 yards per return.

A versatile playmaker, Austin might not generate the buzz of Pickens or tight end Pat Freiermuth, but he’s an important piece of the Steelers’ success on offense.

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Darnell Washington, TE

A venerable Swiss Army Knife of a contributor, second-year tight end Darnell Washington has developed into a lethal blocker, and when targeted in the passing game a legitimate challenge for defenders to take down in the open field.

At 6-foot-6 and 264 pounds, Washington has been used sparingly in the passing game, but he’s caught 18 of his 22 targets for 192 yards and one touchdown.

However, where Washington has really shined, is when he’s deployed as a blocker. So far this season, Pro Football Focus credits him with four “elite” blocking performances while awarding him a 66.1 run-blocking grade and a 67.5 pass-protection mark.

As Washington continues to develop as a receiver, he could eventually become a worthy complement opposite Freiermuth allowing Smith to deploy even more two-tight end sets and utilize the intimidating rookie as a pass-catching option significantly more than he has throughout the 2024 campaign.

More Unsung Heroes from Between The Hashmarks

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• Detroit Lions

• Philadelphia Eagles