PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A week after he started his first practice back from missing everything but the first few snaps of the season, Cam Heyward returned from a groin injury and made an immediate impact as the Steelers beat Tennessee 20-16.
Heyward was third on the team with six tackles and had a tackle for loss as the defense held Tennessee to 105 rushing yards and only one touchdown.
"It felt good," Heyward said after the game. "A lot of reps, just glad to be out there."
He then laughed when asked if played more reps than he thought he would in his first game back.
"Definitely worth it," Heyward added. "Coach T had said last week, I want to take the wrapper off you and see if you could go next Thursday. I've just been working my tail off to get here. Just excited to be back and with the guys."
"Cam Heyward was back," Tomlin said. "Cam's presence is significant guys, particularly in terms of defending the run. You better put four hands on that guy or you're not going to have a day. I'm appreciative of his presence."
"I don't know how many tackles he had, but I know he played his butt off tonight, and he definitely is a difference-maker for us," said linebacker and defensive co-captain TJ Watt.
"Ahh, it was huge," said linebacker Alex Highsmith. "You know he's our leader. Having him back, you could feel him when he's out there. He was out there making plays tonight. For me, I'm on the right side ballin' with him. It was awesome to have him back."
It wasn't a clean start for Heyward on Thursday night. He said before the game he was a mess. Before the game he lost his pregame workout and was worked up and had to grab some flip flops and run back out to his car to find it.
"You don't take this game for granted," Heyward said. "I miss times like this. I miss being in the rotation, those in-and-out plays. I got more and more comfortable as the game went on."
LBs stepping up
With the injury to Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts finished with a team-high nine tackles and Kwon Alexander had the game saving interceptions along with a pair of tackles.
"They're all alphas in the middle," Watt said. "They all want to be out there as much as possible. When those guys stepped in, we didn't skip a beat."
"We introduced three inside linebackers for a reason," head coach Mike Tomlin said. "We just feel like we got three starter capable guys. Elandon, we've got a great deal of confidence in."
"I was zoned in," Alexander said. "I wanted to make a play and get off the field. That's what I did for real. It was amazing. It was legendary to get the ball and get it back for the squad. That's all I wanted."
