Through five games of the 2024 NFL season, a group of former Wisconsin defenders have wreaked havoc on opposing offenses.
Among those top playmakers are Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig. The duo put on quite the show against the Dallas Cowboys during Week 5 on Sunday Night Football.
Despite losing 20-17 after Cowboy quarterback Dak Prescott engineered a game-winning drive with under 30 seconds to spare, the duo made their presence felt throughout the game. Watt finished with eight tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, one tackle for loss and three quarterback hits while Herbig recorded two tackles, 1/2 sack, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Their spectacular outputs also impressed some folks at ProFootballFocus. Herbig reeled in an overall grade of 91.0, the highest among any qualified edge rusher this week, while Watt finished with a grade of 90.3, tied for second only behind his teammate.
The most notable play for each Badger alumnus occurred on the same sequence. Facing a critical third down sequence, the two converged in the Cowboys’ backfield to strip-sack Prescott to prevent Dallas from scoring and to flip possession back in Pittsburgh’s favor.
While Watt has morphed into the heartbeat the Steelers’ defense, Herbig has just dipped his toes into his NFL career. After selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft, he put up 27 tackles, 3.0 sacks, five tackles, three quarterback hits and two forced fumbles as a rookie.
In just five games, he already boasts eight tackles, 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. If he continues to play at this pace, Steelers fans will see much more of him alongside Watt throughout the season.