The Pittsburgh Steelers are riding a two-game losing streak heading into another tough matchup this weekend with one of their defensive leaders openly challenging his team to step up
10:59 ET, 31 Oct 2025
Cameron Heyward has challenged his Steelers teammates
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Cameron Heyward has challenged his Steelers teammates
Pittsburgh Steelers star Cameron Heyward has challenged his teammates to improve in order to capture the AFC North, where they have a huge advantage amid the struggles of other teams to begin the year.
The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals both have 3-5 records after suffering injuries to their quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. This has left the door wide open for the Steelers to go on a run and dominate the division.
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And while they are the only team with a winning record in the AFC North, they find themselves just one win ahead of both the Bengals and Ravens, with the latter seeing Jackson return to the team this week.
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Pittsburgh has lost their last two games, one of them being a defeat to the Bengals and Joe Flacco - who came in for the injured Burrow and struggling Jake Browning after a shock trade from the Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers have also lost to the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks at their home stadium, leaving them with a 4-3 record.
If they are to win the north, they know they need to improve, with Hayward not being afraid to say it how it is.
Heyward is still playing at an elite level aged 36
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Heyward is still playing at an elite level aged 36
Heyward told reporters that as a leader, he is not afraid to call out his teammates and demand they stick to the standard that has seen them go without a losing record in almost two decades.
He told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Anything I'd say to you, I'd say to them first. I just think we all have to get better. I challenge everybody, and I challenge myself first and foremost.
"That's the way I was raised. You can't look at anybody else. You have to look at yourself. The way to get this bad taste out of our mouth is to play better football."
He added: "I don't worry about it. I'm worried about the guys in the room. I worry about attacking it, trying to get better. If I paid attention to all that, I would have too much on my plate.
"The goal is to win. I don't care how it's done. I take a lot of pride in what I do. Hopefully, everybody else does, too."
Heyward knows the defense must step up around him
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Heyward knows the defense must step up around him
For the past five years, the Steelers defense has been amongst the best in the league - carrying the offense to the playoffs for multiple years. This year though, the defense has mightily struggled.
"I'm not going to shy away from it," Heyward said of the defensive struggles. "I think we have to play better ball. If we have a problem with it, let's handle it on the field. Everybody has been open to me. I'm not running from it. Just know it's coming from a good place, and I want our defense to be successful."
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The Steelers will face the red-hot Indianapolis Colts in a game that will really test how strong the team is - looking to avoid a third straight loss.
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