With Chase Blackburn expected to miss Sunday’s showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers with a hamstring injury, cancer survivor Mark Herzlich will start at linebacker for the New York Giants.

Herzlich, a former Boston College standout, was struck with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, prior to his 2009 season. He had been coming off of a 2008 campaign in which he was voted a third-team AP All-American and the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Herzlich returned to the Eagles’ linebacking corps in 2010 and started all 13 games. He finished third on the team with 65 tackles, first with two forced fumbles, and second on the team with four interceptions. He won the Rudy Award and the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award for his effort.

Herzlich filled in for Blackburn when he went down against the Cowboys Sunday. Last year, he started two games for the Giants.

The Giants signed him as an undrafted free agent last year. After his second start, a high-ankle sprain ended his season.