Throughout his 14 NFL seasons, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward has racked up the sacks and made some highlight-reel plays rushing the passer.
Typically when he makes the highlight reels for his jaw-dropping sacks, it’s due to his brute strength, and last Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals that was once again the case.
Heyward, who is putting together another All-Pro-caliber season, landing his patented long-arm bull rush against Cody Ford, putting the Bengals left guard on skates, leading to a key takedown of Bengals QB Joe Burrow for his sixth sack of the season.
Here’s the bull rush, in case you missed it.
That’s classic Cam Heyward. Power has always been a massive part of his game, and even at 35 years old that power isn’t going anywhere. Of course, it helps that Heyward was studying power lifters this offseason to try and figure out how they have such longevity.
It’s hard to truly get that power to show up in a big way like that in a football game, but Heyward hit the long-arm bull rush for the sack.
Appearing on the latest episode of the “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast that dropped Thursday morning, Heyward talked about the long-arm bull rush against Ford.
“It’s very fun. Is it, it’s very fun,” Heyward said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “You look for forward to doing what you practice, getting off blocks, trying to make plays. But, you know, [it] is part of the game.
“They have a job to do, and I have a job to do. It’s just about seeing who can win the matchups.”
On that particular play last Sunday, Heyward won the matchup in emphatic fashion. In fact, Heyward won the matchup throughout the game, dominating from start to finish with five tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one tipped pass that led to an interception from cornerback Donte Jackson. He added five pressures in the Steelers’ ninth win of the season.
Power has always been a huge part of Heyward’s game. It’s what makes him Cameron Heyward. He’s a powerful specimen on the interior of the defensive line, one who can throw linemen around with the best of them. Ford found that out the hard way last Sunday.
That display from Heyward was a great reminder of just how great a player he is and how phenomenal of a season he’s putting together at age 35. The six-time Pro Bowler is answering a ton of questions about his long-term viability for the Steelers after signing a two-year extension a few days before the start of the 2024 season.
Check out the full episode of the “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast below.
