The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 33-31 on Thursday night, getting punctured for 470 total yards and allowing 40-year-old Joe Flacco to throw for 342 yards and three touchdowns.

The Steelers' defense has been a point of contention all season long, which is wild considering how much everyone associates the franchise with a strong defensive unit.

But now, Pittsburgh ranks 28th in the NFL in yards allowed and 17th in scoring defense, so things are clearly not right on that side of the football.

You would think the Steelers would then want to do everything they can to get their best players on the field, but they missed the boat there against the Bengals, particularly when it comes to edge rusher Nick Herbig.

Herbig played just 29 of Pittsburgh's 72 defensive snaps on Thursday evening, and Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live took the Steelers' coaching staff to task for it.

"[Alex] Highsmith returned from a high ankle sprain and Herbig actually outsnapped him against the Cleveland Browns a week ago. This week, however, Herbig’s snaps were drawn back significantly," Farabaugh wrote. "If the Steelers want to continue being a great pass rush, Herbig has to be on the field more, and his snap count on Thursday is a coaching indictment."

Herbig has been the Steelers' best pass rusher this season, leading the team with 4.5 sacks to go along with 14 tackles and a hefty 13 quarterback hits. He also boasts a 90.5 overall grade at Pro Football Focus, which ranks fifth among 174 qualifying edge rushers.

The 23-year-old was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and logged 27 tackles and three sacks during his rookie campaign. Then, last year, Herbig showed marked improvement in the pass rush, finishing with 22 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits in 13 gamse.

It's certainly understandable that the Steelers wanted to get Highsmith back on the field considering everything he has meant to Pittsburgh's defense over the years, but it should not have come at the almost complete expense of Herbig.

Herbig is playing in 69 percent of Pittsburgh's defensive snaps overall this season, so to not even play in half of them against Cincinnati is inexcusable.

We'll see if the Steelers get Herbig on the gridiron more against the Green Bay Packers next Sunday.