Getty Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward pleaded for help in Week 18 from a former rival's quarterback.
As the longest tenured member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, defensive end Cameron Heyward’s career nearly dates back to the beginning of the Steelers-Ravens rivalry. That rivalry started in earnest with the arrival of quarterback Joe Flacco with the Baltimore Ravens in 2009.
But in Week 18, Flacco is a new friend of Steelers Nation, and Heyward couldn’t be more on board with it. Heyward delivered a message to his new friend, pleading with him to lead the New York Jets to a victory on January 8 against the Miami Dolphins.
“Joe, you were at Pitt for a year,” Heyward said on the latest episode of his podcast, Not Just Football. “You know about the Steelers. You played against the Steelers. Now, it’s time you helped the Steelers.
“Let’s get it done, Joe.”
The Steelers need Flacco and the Jets to knock off the Dolphins in order to make the postseason.
Flacco’s Relationship With Pittsburgh
Flacco started the first three games of the 2022 season. He threw for 307 yards and 4 touchdowns in a comeback victory against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. But Flacco hasn’t started since the, giving way to Zach Wilson and Mike White.
In the season finale, though, the Jets will turn to Flacco again with White injured. So the Steelers are left rooting for a quarterback that at one point was their most bitter rival.
Including the playoffs, Flacco has started 24 games against the Steelers, which is the most starts he’s made against any NFL opponent in his career. Flacco won 11 of those contests; the only team he beat more often in Baltimore was the Browns.
Flacco also has a connection with Pittsburgh through college football. He spent two seasons (he redshirted one of them) at Pitt as a backup quarterback to Tyler Palko before transferring to Delaware, where he became a star.
The Ravens drafted Flacco 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. In his first season, he led the Ravens to the AFC Championship, where they met the Steelers. It was the first of three playoff matchups for Flacco against Pittsburgh.
Flacco’s rookie season coincided with coach John Harbaugh’s first year in Baltimore. The Steelers and Ravens were rivals prior to 2008, but the arrival of the coach and quarterback, along with three hard fought Steelers-Ravens showdowns that season, added an intensity to the rivalry and helped make Steelers-Ravens what it is today.
Steelers Ironically Need Flacco’s Help in Week 18
The irony, of course, in this situation is the Steelers now need Flacco’s help. It’s even more ironic that Heyward was the one to publicly ask the quarterback for assistance. As the longest-tenured Steelers player, no one understands better than Heyward how much Steelers Nation once hated Flacco.
It’s hard to say for sure, but in all likelihood, the feeling was mutual.
Flacco could use the Week 18 start to prove he belongs in the league once again in 2023. But as far as this season goes, the Jets have nothing to play for except eliminating the Dolphins.
To make the postseason, the Steelers must beat the Browns. Then in addition to a Dolphins loss, the Steelers also need the New England Patriots to fall to the Buffalo Bills.
Flacco is 1-2 with a 58.7% completion percentage, 901 passing yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in three starts this season. He is 6-2 with 12 touchdowns versus 4 interceptions in 8 career games against the Dolphins.