3 biggest overreactions to Steelers' Week 3 win over the Chargers

The Steelers kept their winning ways alive in week 3, and suddenly they find themselves on top of the AFC as a whole and in a great spot so early in the season. Their victory over the Chargers was easily their most complete performance all season. This team looks good through three weeks, and while the offense will need to score more points sooner than later, they are on the right track.

Unfortunately, week 3 also gave Steelers fans some major overreactions that we need to correct. Some fanfare is natural, case in point it looks like the team got a good one in Zach Frazier. That said, I saw three players who saw significant action have their overall games completely overhyped. Here are three performances that the Steelers need to cool their jets on.

Steelers didn’t get answers from Mason McCormick

While seemingly unintentional, the Steelers opted to begin rotating in rookie guard Mason McCormick this week. Spencer Anderson had been very average through the first two weeks, and it seemed like the hope was that McCormick would open up some running lanes. To an extent he did, and fans were losing their minds over seeing him play.

Unfortunately, his film isn’t all that impressive. In particular, it was extremely unbalanced. McCormick is a violent player with an explosive first step, but sometimes that left him blocking air and being completely ineffective. He looked like a project in his first action, and that should be expected as a fourth-round rookie.

What will be best for him is to get Issac Seumalo back and have him sit and learn for his rookie season. That said, you did see enough good to warrant playing him if Seumalo is still injured next week. Just don’t mistake his debut for anything concrete about him quite yet. He has a long way to go and a lot to prove as a professional.

Calvin Austin needs to stack good weeks for the Steelers

The next player getting completely overhyped is Calvin Austin. I like him as much as the next guy, and his speed and shiftiness are a welcome fit in this offense. That said, one good game early in the season doesn’t guarantee he has suddenly made it as a starting receiver.

Austin had his best game as a career, including a long touchdown pass late in the game where he got to show off his jets. Unfortunately, that was where the majority of his nearly 100 receiving yards came from on the day. That isn’t to say he was struggling before that, but it was a lukewarm performance that turned great because of his final catch.

We saw him have a huge catch early last season before fading for the rest of the year. I hope he can settle in as the second receiver, I just need to see him do it over multiple weeks first. Until then, the rotating cast of playmakers will likely continue.

Steelers fans are overreacting to Nick Herbig

I jumped aboard the Nick Herbig train later than some, but he has completely exceeded expectations as an undersized pass rusher. His jump off the snap and pure athleticism make him hard to block off the edge, and he has been extremely efficient with his pass-rushing reps. He once again showed off that ability against the Chargers with two sacks.

Let me be clear, this is a good thing. I love that the Steelers have three capable edge rushers right now, as it keeps the pass rush on it at all times. Following his big performance though, fans are going a bit extreme with their overreactions. In short, the team needs to start Herbig and trade Alex Highsmith.

For a wide variety of reasons, this is dumb. For starters, Herbig still has played most of his snaps as a rotational player, meaning he gets to play extremely fresh. That benefits his style of play against worn-out tackles. If he was tasked with the starting role, that efficiency would almost certainly decrease.

Highsmith’s contract was also restructured this offseason, so trading him would amount to a massive dead cap charge for the team. Unless the Steelers got an insane trade package for him, trading him is illogical. Instead, let's enjoy having the best trio of edge rushers in the league and keep using Herbig fresh, as he has proven to be effective in that role.