SI

Cam Heyward Did T.J. Watt's Sack Celebration in Sweet In-Game Moment vs. Dolphins

Watt missed Monday's game as he recovers from a collapsed lung.

Brigid Kennedy

Heyward had five total tackles and one sack on Monday night.
Heyward had five total tackles and one sack on Monday night. / ESPN / Screensho
In this story:

Steelers star T.J. Watt was out for his team's primetime match-up vs. the Dolphins on Monday night thanks to surgery on a collapsed lung, his return from which is still TBD.

And while Watt's absence is more than understandable, it also couldn't be coming at a worse time. The black and gold are fighting to hold onto their lead in the AFC North, with the Ravens trailing slightly behind, and they'll need to play better defense than they have all year if they hope to finish the season strong. Will that be possible without the unit's star player?

On Monday, it seemed like the answer was a resounding yes. Although they allowed two late touchdowns, the Steelers' defense managed to stop Miami's flourishing run game (something Pittsburgh has struggled to do with other teams all year) and limited the Dolphins to just 63 rushing yards in the 28–15 win. Fins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, meanwhile, was sacked four times.

One of those sacks came late in the fourth quarter, at the hands of veteran defensive tackle Cameron Heyward. But it was what he did next that really captured our attention:

Heyward kicked his leg in the air, leaned back and screamed, mimicking Watt's signature celebration.

Take a look at that below:

Speaking after the contest, Heyward said that he, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig had all agreed prior to the game to pay homage to Watt if they sacked Tagovailoa at any point.

“I don’t think I got my leg up high enough,” Heyward quipped of his attempt. “But we all wanted to shout out T.J.”

Very sweet.

The Steelers are no doubt excited to have Watt back, whenever that may be, but it sounds like Heyward, Highsmith and Herbig are prepared to hold both fans and the team over until then. The defense will need their efforts, anyway—next week, the Steelers will hit the road to face the 8–6 Lions in Detroit.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

feed

Published
Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

Home/NFL