ATLANTA -- Sunday was an emotional and special day for the Heyward brothers.
Of course, the main objective in Atlanta was helping the Steelers secure their first winning streak of the season, which was accomplished with a 19-16 victory over the Falcons. And their lone touchdown was scored by Connor Heyward in the second quarter.
Turns out that touchdown was worth much more than six points, and it took just about every bit of Heyward's size and athleticism to pull down the 17-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett:
For starters, this was Heyward's first career touchdown catch. That moment is always special for an NFL player. But what made the moment mean so much more was revealed later by Connor's older brother and stalwart of the defense, Cam Heyward.
Early Sunday morning, Cam and Connor paid a visit to the grave of their father, Craig 'Ironhead' Heyward, who passed away in May 2006 at the early age of 39 in Atlanta. 'Ironhead' played three of his 11 years in the NFL with the Falcons, which included his lone Pro Bowl season in 1995.
As he often does, Cam fulfilled his duties as captain and went to the podium after the game. Only this time, he wore his father's Falcons jersey and later informed everyone why his brother's touchdown meant so much to him, Connor and the rest of the Heyward family:
"This morning, me and him went to my dad's grave. We got to share a moment there," Cam said. "I was pretty emotional when he got the touchdown. I don't like to be Mr. Soppy, but that really hit me. Luckily there wasn't a camera on me because I was a mess."
For Connor, scoring a touchdown is special, but his mentality is consistent with what we've come to expect from anyone who bears the Heyward name on the back of their uniform.
"Being from Georgia, born and raised, it means that much more," Connor said. "If I didn’t score and we just won, I would’ve been just as happy. I’m glad it was a team win, and on to the next one."
The Steelers struggled in the red zone throughout the day, having to settle for field goals when they would much rather have had touchdowns to put the game away. Earlier in the quarter, Pickett misfired on a pass to Pat Freiermuth that would have resulted in a touchdown. It goes without saying in a three-point game, but Heyward's first career score was absolutely needed in order for the Steelers to improve to 5-7 on the season.
And the team rallied around the Heyward brothers today, knowing just how special that moment ended up being for them.
"It was special. Cam talked to the team before, and I talked to Connor when we were walking out to the tunnel," Pickett said. "I said we were going to get the win for his pops today. Then for him to go out there and get his first touchdown in this building, it’s incredibly special. It’s not a coincidence. I think everything happens for a reason. I’m incredibly proud of him and I’m really glad we got the win for both those guys."
Cam had a hand in the victory as well, recording four tackles, a pass defensed and a sack that came in a big moment, forcing the Falcons to settle for three points in the red zone -- something the Steelers have struggled with in recent weeks.
Overall, it just seemed like a day the Steelers were destined to win. The crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was dominated by supporters of the black and gold. Matthew Wright, once again, made a field goal by grazing the inside of one of the posts. In the fourth quarter, shortly after the Falcons had scored to pull within six points, Diontae Johnson had a catch-and-fumble that was recovered by Atlanta in Steelers territory reversed to an incomplete pass.
I mean, seriously, this is just a bad, bad call:
Leave it to the NFL to not know how to properly define a catch.
Either way, regardless of whatever divine powers or luck that had a hand in the game, the Steelers found a way to win. That's what Connor wanted, regardless of whether or not he scored a touchdown. That's what Cam wanted, and I highlighted that prior to Sunday's kickoff -- that this team was dead set on stacking some wins.
"It was long overdue," Cam said after the game. "If you want to be a good team, you've gotta stack good performances on good performances."
Sunday wasn't the prettiest performance. But, it's one the Heyward family will treasure for a long, long time.
"It was one of those moments," Cam said. "I think God and my dad are always working together."
