A segment on Cameron Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast involves him giving “game balls” to players who performed well in the team’s prior game, and this week, it is hardly a surprise who received the first game ball from Heyward.
“First game ball goes to a guy who got multiple footballs on Sunday: Beanie Bishop. We call him Lil Bow Wow, because he’s a young kid playing in the pros, and he performed like it,” Heyward said. “He wore his Like Mike sneakers, and he was all over the place, had a lot of success.”
The Lil Bow Wow nickname stems from the rapper who gained mainstream success at the age of 13, and it’s a fitting one for a rookie in Bishop, who might not be that big in stature but came through with some big-time plays last Sunday night. Bishop had struggled a little bit in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys, but started doing film work with Mike Tomlin. The nickelback stepped up to the plate in a big way against the Jets, turning the tide with an interception of Aaron Rodgers late in the first half.
The Steelers outscored the Jets 31-0 after Bishop’s first interception, and he had a second one that he almost took to the house but was brought down at the 1-yard line to set up a Steelers touchdown. While CB Cameron Sutton will return from his suspension after the team’s bye, which could eat into Bishop’s role a little bit, Bishop’s performance last Sunday proved that he could be someone who could stick in the league and even continue playing a key role for the Steelers this season.
It’s rare to see an undrafted rookie step up so early in his career, especially in a primetime environment in Sunday Night Football. But the moment wasn’t too big for Bishop, and in addition to this “game ball” from Heyward, he got two actual game balls that he picked off and will have Rodgers sign for him to commemorate the moment.
Bishop will have a nice opportunity to build off his game with another primetime matchup in Week 8, when the Steelers play host to the struggling New York Giants.
