Steelers' Cam Heyward Relives Embarrassing 2013 Performance: "There Were Players Falling Asleep During Warmups"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been fortunate enough to rarely be selected to participate in any of the NFL's overseas games. Playing a game overseas presents many challenges for a franchise, including travel and adjusting to new time zones. There is a lot of strategy that goes into deciding when a team will leave for a game out of the country, which determines how much a players' internal body clock can adjust to their new environment. Pittsburgh last played overseas in 2013, and the team was not well prepared in the slightest.

Cam Heyward is the only current player on the Steelers roster who was also a member of the 2013 team that travelled to London, aside from Cordarrelle Patterson who was on the opposing team. It was Heyward's third year in the league, but it was his first time playing internationally. Pittsburgh faced the Minnesota Vikings, and lost by a score of 34-27. Pittsburgh came out sluggish and failed to rally back late in the game. Heyward discussed the experience playing in London on the most recent episode of Not Just Football, emphasizing how poorly prepared the team was.

"The worst thing we did for that trip, we left on a Thursday night, got in Friday morning, and went straight to practice. That was the first time I've ever seen coaches sleep in a meeting. There were players falling asleep during warmup. It was rough. Our team likes to believe we don't need sleep, or we don't need to get adjusted to the time. That was the game Adrian Peterson stiff-armed somebody out of the way, then somebody else had the angle and he beat the angle."

The Vikings were clearly more prepared for the game than the Steelers were. Pittsburgh didn't do themselves any favors deciding to leave on a Thursday night for a game that was being played on Sunday. London is five hours ahead of Pittsburgh, so the Steelers were behind the eight ball before the plane even landed.

Pittsburgh was 0-3 going into the game, and certainly had no room to be complacent. The game brought Pittsburgh down to an 0-4 record going into their bye week. Minnesota took a 10-0 lead to begin the game, and carried a 10-point lead into halftime where the score was 20-10. They were never able to take the lead away from the Vikings, mainly due to a strong performance from Adrian Peterson.

Peterson averaged over six yards per carry on the day while scoring two touchdowns. The Steelers' defense couldn't find a stop for Minnesota's rushing attack, as Peterson racked up 140 yards on the ground. Had Pittsburgh given their players more time in London ahead of the contest, the result could have been different. 

Ben Roethlisberger was outperformed by Matt Cassel, as Roethlisberger was strip sacked on the Steelers' last possession of the game. The fumble sealed the victory for Minnesota, and left Pittsburgh with a long flight back to the states to think about what went wrong.

Steelers Still Want To Play Games Overseas

Heyward's future with the Steelers past the 2024 season is up in the air, but it looks like the organization has its eyes set on eventually playing a game in Ireland. Pittsburgh last played in Ireland ahead of the 1997 season during a preseason matchup with the Chicago Bears. Owner Art Rooney II and the Rooney family have strong ties with the country, and there is a strong desire to bring Steelers football back there.

The organization received its license to allow them to explore hosting a game in Ireland back in 2023, and it's something that has become a real possibility moving forward. The franchise has hosted various camps in the country, and their international fan base seems to be a major focus moving forward.

What do you think about Heyward's comments about his experience in London? Let us know in the comments below!

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