Cam Heyward set the stage on Saturday by running through the tunnel of Acrisure Stadium carrying a No. 32 flag, honoring the late Franco Harris who was set to have his number retired at halftime.
When the actual game against the Raiders kicked off, he set the pace.
On Wednesday, Heyward was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 16. He had seven tackles -- three of them for a loss -- two sacks and a pass defended.
Heyward joked after the game Saturday that a good night's sleep and a nap helped his performance.
The win also kept the Steelers' playoff hopes alive, which also was quite the motivator.
"I think for me it was just we're still in the hunt," Heyward said Saturday. "We just got to take it one game at a time. But I like to think we just keep getting better and better as the weeks go on."
But as good as Heyward's night was on the field, him running onto the field will probably be more memorable:
— highlight heaven (@lowdarkhell) December 25, 2022
"You know, Coach T [Mike Tomlin], he doesn't like to get into dedicating a game to a certain person because it can go one or two ways," Heyward said. "But, I think for us it was just a tip of a cap to not only just a Steeler legend, but a great man, a person in this the community who you could always count on, a guy that even when he retired, he still wanted to be your teammate. I can say from my time being here, Franco was welcoming me with open arms. With everything building up to this and getting the chance to talk to Franco, I think there are so many joyous moments we've had with him, and it hurt so many in this community to lose a guy like that.
"But you knew he lived a full life, and you knew he was loved by so many people. There are so many outstanding men that love him, Mean Joe [Greene], Mel Blount, countless others, Terry Bradshaw, they talk to Mike T, myself, Najee Harris. Decades and decades go on, but we still cared for a man that brought so much to us. To just say that we loved him, we'll continue to love him, and we appreciate all that's done for us."
This is the third time Heyward has won Defensive Player of the Week, previously doing so in Week 4 and 12 of 2017. He is the third Steeler to receive the honor this season, joining Minkah Fitzpatrick (Week 1) and Alex Highsmith (Week 10).
