Life has been rough for the Pittsburgh Steelers since they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, losing three in a row and going through some conflict on the offensive side of the ball. However, the Steelers defense received some great news Thursday morning with the team confirming six-time Pro Bowl and three-time First-Team All-Pro defensive tackle Cameron Heyward was cleared by an independent neurological consultant and is out of the NFL's concussion protocol.
Heyward, age 34, entered the protocol after the team's 30-13 loss at the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. He was a limited practice participant on Tuesday, but he practiced in full on Wednesday. He couldn't be returning at a better time given Pittsburgh is set to face the rival Bengals once again in Week 16. The game is a pivotal one in the AFC wild card race with the Steelers at 7-7 just outside the top seven seeds while Cincy is 8-6 and entering Week 16 as the sixth seed.
Heyward totaled a sack and four tackles in the first meeting against the Bengals in backup quarterback Jake Browning's first career start. No pass rusher has dominated Cincinnati like Heyward as his 13.5 career sacks against them are the most by any player against the Bengals all-time. Week 16 would be as good as for Heyward to turn in another productive performance as a loss would cause the Steelers' playoff chances to take a nosedive.
