PITTSBURGH — The Steelers are preparing to head into Houston without starter James Daniels. Daniels has a groin injury that could keep him out for the game. Meanwhile, the team has a capable backup in Nate Herbig, who they signed away from the New York Jets, and they plan for Herbig to be the guy who slots right into the lineup without missing much of a beat. Herbig has more power than the athletic, finesse-based Daniels. That could change what the team looks to do against the Texans coming up this week.
The team has toyed with running more gap concepts with pulling guards, but they’ve never actually run the ball off that action. Instead, the team has employed play action to mess with defenses on those plays, but they have yet to pull out an accurate counter or power run. But that might just change this week with Herbig in the lineup, who fits those gap concepts all that much more.
Pittsburgh’s run game hopes to find its footing this week after eclipsing 100 yards against Las Vegas. The team has primarily run out of 12 and 13 personnel and condensed sets, even out of 11 personnel; changes could be coming on that front. The Steelers saw plenty of success running out of spread looks against the Raiders, averaging nearly nine yards per carry on those runs.
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