Former Wisconsin linebacker Nick Herbig gives Packers help in playoff push with his huge play for Steelers in win over Seahawks
Mason Crosby didn't provide the help that the Green Bay Packers needed.
But a former Wisconsin Badger playing nearly 2,000 miles away provided the assistance Packers fans were hoping for when the day began.
If the Packers go on to win their final two games to advance to the playoffs, they can send a belated Christmas card to Nick Herbig, a rookie for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Herbig and the Steelers held a one-score lead on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, who entered today with a one-game lead over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC playoff standings.
The Packers needed the Seahawks to lose one of their final two games to have a chance at the playoffs. Herbig came through for the Packers.
With the Steelers ahead 27-20, the linebacker pushed his way toward Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and forced a strip sack midway through the fourth quarter. He also recovered it.
Nick Herbig is him. https://t.co/2ieL54ULC9
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 31, 2023
The Steelers would go on to make a field goal to push their lead to 30-20. Pittsburgh went on to win, 30-23. The Packers would later do their part as well. They trounced the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, 33-10, to keep their playoff hopes alive. If the Packers win in their season finale over the Chicago Bears they'll qualify for the playoffs.
Who is Nick Herbig?
Herbig played three years with the Badgers, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2022. The Steelers selected him in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.
Herbig joined fellow former Badger and defensive player of the year candidate TJ Watt on the always formidable Steelers defense.
Herbig, who has played in every game this season, entered the game with 26 total tackles (18 solo and eight assisted), two sacks and one forced fumble.
Mason Crosby missed field goal for Giants early in the day, hurting Packers' playoff chances for the time being
A few hours earlier, Crosby couldn't help the Packers in their playoff push.
The Packers legend, signed by the Giants nine days ago, missed a late go-ahead field goal in the New York Giants' game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams were one of the teams ahead of the Packers in the playoff hunt. The Rams' win and Seahawks' loss sent Los Angeles to the playoffs.
NFC playoff picture after Week 17
San Francisco 49ers: 12-4 (clinched the No. 1 seed)
Dallas Cowboys: 11-5 (clinched a playoff berth and can win the NFC East with a win next week)
Detroit Lions: 11-5 (clinched the NFC North, can move up to No. 2 with a win and Cowboys loss next week)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-8 (a win in Week 18 over the Carolina Panthers clinches the NFC South)
Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5 (clinched a playoff berth and can win the NFC East with a win and a Cowboys loss next week)
Los Angeles Rams: 9-7 (clinched a playoff berth and will finish in the sixth or seventh spots)
Green Bay Packers: 8-8 (they clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Bears in Week 18)
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NFC teams in the hunt for a playoff berth
Seattle Seahawks: 8-8
New Orleans Saints: 8-8
Minnesota Vikings: 7-9
Atlanta Falcons: 7-9
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Steelers' Nick Herbig's strip sack helps Packers' playoff chances
