The past three weeks the pressure has been on the Steelers, facing three teams that at the time were leading their division.
First, it was the AFC South leading Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers man-handled them, winning 45-10 at Heinz Field.
The following week it was a battle of wills in Cincinnati, where the Steelers came out on top of the AFC North leading Bengals 33-20.
And this past Sunday, the Steelers fought back tooth and nail to defeat the AFC West leading Denver Broncos 34-27.
This week, the record is a little different. The 9-5 Steelers play the 4-10 Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at 1 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium. And while some might be concerned there could be a letdown on the part of the black and gold after going against three division leaders, defensive end Cam Heyward sees no reason to worry about that.
"We understand if we want to get to where we want to get to, we have to win these games," said Heyward. "We are going to go to Baltimore, in a hostile place, and their main focus is going to be to upset us. We have to focus on the task at hand, continue to have good practices, and understand we didn't play a perfect game this week. There is so much we can work on and get better at. That is going to work as an advantage in the future.
"The thing we embrace is that we are in control. If we continue to win, continue to do the things we have been accustomed to doing, then we put ourselves in good spots. You can't look at what's going on here, what's going on there. You take care of your business and you are all right."
The Steelers lost to the Ravens, 23-20, on Oct. 1 at Heinz Field. Nobody is making excuses for the loss, but quite honestly it was a different team then. Mike Vick started at quarterback for Ben Roethlisberger, who was sidelined with a knee injury. Martavis Bryant was sitting out due to a suspension. And Josh Scobee was the team's kicker, missing two pivotal fourth quarter field goals that could have been the difference-maker.
"We lost to Baltimore the last time we played them," said Heyward. "There shouldn't be a letup. Everybody knows we are going against Baltimore. Any time it's the Ravens it's a tough game. We didn't have our quarterback, we had some guys injured. It left a sour taste in our mouth so we want to improve on that.
"You have to be ready."
