The NFL's regular-season finale between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens certainly lived up to the hype. It was a defensive battle at the start that became a shootout, with the Steelers coming away with a 26-24 victory to secure the AFC North crown.
There were several standout performances, including Jaylen Warren's bruising 99-yard day, Zay Flowers' monster receiving totals, and Derrick Henry's spirited efforts on the ground. The best player on the field, however, was Cam Heyward.
Heyward was a force of nature from start to finish, wreaking havoc in the Ravens backfield and even leading the Steelers in tackles as a defensive lineman. Despite being in his 15th NFL season, he made it clear on Sunday night that he is still one of the league's elite players.
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to be spoiled by the play of Cam Heyward
Heyward's stats this season don't really jump off the page, as he has just 3.5 sacks compared to the eight he had a season ago. Don't be fooled, though: he is one of the hardest players to block in the entire NFL. He showed that in Week 18, routinely shedding the blocks of Ravens interior lineman and blowing up run plays before they could get going.
The numbers don't look great for the Steelers run defense on the surface, allowing 137 yards on 27 carries. But outside of a few big runs from Henry, the Ravens struggled to run the ball consistently.
Heyward is the reason why they couldn't lean on the ground game the way they wanted to. Ravens fans will want to blame the coaching staff for not giving Henry even more than the 20 carries he received, but Heyward was relentless in his pursuit to keep him from having the space to hit his stride. Maybe it still would have worked out better, but it's not like scoring ended up being the issue for Baltimore.
Yes, the Steelers got away with letting up a big play on fourth down late in the game, thanks to a miss from rookie kicker Tyler Loop. And yes, the defense absolutely could have blown the game multiple other times due to issues in the secondary. But Heyward left it all on the field Sunday night, and Steelers fans should appreciate what he is doing while he is still around.