Steelers' Cameron Heyward Unburdened About Roughing The Passer Call Against The Browns: "Can't B**** About It"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to rebound after an embarrassing display against the Cleveland Browns, losing 13-6 in Week 17. The performance on both sides of the ball left something to be desired, however this is less of a case on the defensive side. The Steelers' defense made some impactful plays throughout the game, along with missing on other opportunities, but overall, they did everything they could to win the game and ultimately couldn't make the crucial stops when needed to ensure victory. Now, all eyes turn to the Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens to see if the Steelers can win the division.

Throughout the game, there were also plenty of flags thrown by the referees that many people thought were questionable calls. Particularly, a flag was thrown against Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward with 10:53 remaining in the third quarter. The roughing the passer penalty set the Browns up on their own 25-yard line, and many were wondering if this call was objectively correct to make considering the circumstances. Heyward himself addressed this penalty on the latest episode of his Not Just Football With Cameron Heyward podcast, and gave a remarkable answer on how he felt in the heat of the moment.

"Can't b**** about it," Heyward said. "Like, I'm not gonna get every call I want in this game. He still had the ball when I wrapped up. And, you know, sometimes you just don't see it. Refs are put in a hard spot, it's hard to dictate what is and what isn't, you kind of got to move on in those situations. Yeah, I would love for more clarity on that, but, man I wish he had held onto that ball. They said I put full weight on him."

Heyward definitely attempted to ask the official why he drew this penalty during the game, seeing as there was no way he could stop himself from finishing the tackle once he followed through. While the penalty drawn on this play didn't necessarily change the outcome of the game for the Steelers, no flag being thrown here likely pushes the Browns back to their own one-yard line, if not giving the Steelers a safety which would have made the score 13-8.

Heyward's comment about wishing Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders had held onto the football stems from the fact that he likely doesn't draw a penalty in that instance. His tackle becomes a sack, and potentially gives the Steelers a safety, along with much better field position after a free kick. Unfortunately, that outcome didn't occur, and Sanders threw an incomplete pass before being tackled by Heyward. Heyward displays the veteran mentality of being able to move on from situations such as these, as he went on to continue having a stellar performance against the Browns offense. 

Heyward had five combined tackles and one tackle for loss against the Browns, continuing a string of performances that continue to show how underrated of a player he is in the eyes of the national media. His performance, combined with the overall effort of the defense, was one of the more outstanding displays in the game against the Browns, but unfortunately, the offense could not put up a similar performance of their own, and now the division and playoff hopes are all on the line in Week 18 against the Ravens.

Steelers' Defense And Offense Need To Get On The Same Page

Throughout the season, there have been moments where the Steelers' offense performs well while the defense underperforms. Other times, like in the Browns game, the defense puts up an outstanding performance while the offense can't do the same in kind. If the Steelers want to succeed against the Ravens and in the playoffs moving forward, both sides of the ball need to be on the same page and put up a complete game, something that has been rarely seen this season.

What did you think about Heyward's comments about the roughing the passer penalty he was assessed? Let us know in the comments below.

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