Cam Heyward had Franco Harris on his podcast the day he died. As a Pittsburgh native and the longest-tenured Steelers player, he has a deep understanding of what Harris meant to the franchise, the city and the NFL.
So there was no better person to honor Harris by running out of the tunnel with a No. 32 flag than Heyward on Christmas Eve.
And there was no better player to will his team to victory that night against the Raiders.
"In our hearts, we felt like we [couldn't lose]," Heyward said Thursday.
They didn't, mostly because of Heyward and the dominant effort put forth by the defense in the 13-10 victory. Heyward looked like he was shot out of a cannon when he ran out of the tunnel, and he didn't throttle down until the Steelers had secured victory.
Heyward had seven tackles, two sacks and a pass defended as the Steelers limited the Raiders to just 201 yards. It was the latest in a string of dominant games for the veteran defensive tackle.
Heyward didn't get voted to the Pro Bowl, but at 33, he's still playing at a high level. He needs 1 1/2 sacks in the final two games to reach double-digit sacks for a second consecutive season and the third time in his career.
Joe Greene won NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1979 when he was 33 years old, but it's rare for players in the trenches to produce at the level Heyward does.
"He's a unicorn," defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. "I say that all the time. What allows him to do it is he keeps himself in great shape. The wear and tear, it's hard to explain because the guy just seems to play at a high level all the time. But I think a lot of it is conditioning. A lot of it is he has a great desire to be a great player.
"You factor all of that in and the fact that he's a durable player, it's amazing. The amount of plays he plays, you don't see that very often. It's his mental makeup, how he keeps himself in great shape — that's why he's able to do what he does."
When Heyward signed a five-year contract worth more than $75 million before the 2020 season, there was some concern about the length of the deal because of his age. But he's outplayed the contract and isn't slowing down as his 12th NFL season winds down.
Heyward has 4.5 of his 8.5 sacks in the past four games after registering just two sacks in the first seven games of the season.
"Just trying to get better," Heyward said of his late-season surge. "I got my ass kicked in certain games and wasn't happy with it. I'm trying to make do with that."
What's most impressive is Heyward's ability to play hard with a high volume of snaps. He was on the field for all but six snaps against the Raiders. He's played 85% or more of the defensive snaps in the past three games.
Heyward not only takes care of himself during the season, but he spearheads extra treatment for all of the defensive linemen every Thursday night during the season. Players can get massages and any other kind of treatment they need. Heyward also brings food while they watch the Thursday night NFL game.
"He's a hell of a leader and a hell a teammate," defensive tackle Montravius Adams said.
When Heyward chases down a receiver 30 yards down the field and lays a big hit on him, Adams doesn't blink. When Heyward benches presses a 330-pound guard off his feet and pushes him into the quarterback's lap, Adams doesn't think twice.
Why?
Because he's witnessed the same thing in practice day after day after day.
"When you're at practice with a guy like that and you see what he does at practice, it's not surprising," Adams said. "It shows you why. Everything he has done, his practice habits, his off-the-field efforts and taking care of his body, it's unbelievable."
