Pittsburgh Steelers DL Cameron Heyward had it rough trying to decide who to root for in the NFC Championship Game between two former defensive line teammates; Tyson Alualu recorded a sack for the Detroit Lions while Javon Hargrave continued his strong season for the San Francisco 49ers.
He played with Hargrave from 2016-2019, Alualu from 2017-2022. They still remain good friends, and both have guested on Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast.
He discussed the conundrum of his rooting interests yesterday on said podcast, going back and forth between the two. The Lions led for nearly 40 minutes, up by as much as 24-7 by halftime. Would Alualu at age 36 finally reach the title game? He never experienced a playoff victory while with the Steelers. He never even made the postseason with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I got to shoot a text out to Tyson, Javon, just saying proud of both of those guys for making it”, Heyward said of Alualu and Hargrave. “It was kind of rough watching the Lions and 49ers game because you’re like, ‘Man, Ty might get a chance to go to a Super Bowl’. And I’m like, ‘Shoot, now Javon might get a chance to go to the Super Bowl’”.
Sadly for Alualu, Hargrave’s 49ers ultimately came out on top, tying the game late in the third. They led by as many as 10 points with under a minute to play and held on to win. That means Hargrave will be playing for a Super Bowl title for the second year in a row. He lost in 2022 as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles to the Kansas City Chiefs. Now he hopes to beat the Chiefs as a member of the 49ers.
Unlike Alualu, Hargrave did win in the playoffs while with the Steelers, along with Heyward. In fact, they reached the AFC Championship Game in his rookie season in 2016. But he didn’t experience another postseason victory until the Eagles’ run a year ago.
He has reached at least the conference finals three times in his eight-year career. This is his second trip to the Super Bowl. Does his first ring await? If he should win, it would come at the expense of yet another teammate of both, Isaiah Buggs. Drafted in 2019, the three of them only had one season together on Pittsburgh’s defensive line.
Buggs is on the Chiefs’ practice squad, though he has not dressed for a game. He played with Heyward for the Steelers for three seasons and has spent most of the past two years with the Lions. Detroit only waived him on Jan. 2, a month after signing Alualu in December.
The sad thing is that they have all now experienced more playoff wins than Heyward has—sort of. While the Steelers have won three playoff games since drafting Heyward in 2011, he did not play in two of them while on the Reserve/Injured List. The only time he was on the 53-man roster for a playoff win was in 2015.
Alualu has now won two playoff games in which he has played. Hargrave has won six, two each with the Steelers, Eagles, and 49ers. Buggs has not played in a playoff game, but he has been on the practice squad for the Chiefs’ two wins in 2023.
Still, I think it’s clear who the elder statesman will be rooting for, at least on a personal level. Heyward knows Hargrave deserves his ring, especially with Alualu eliminated. He has had a great yet still underrated career. While he’s been handsomely rewarded financially, it’s time to crown that career with a ring. A fate that seems increasingly unlikely for Heyward.
