Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward will not be fined for his roughing the passer penalty on Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, as the NFL ruled the hit legal despite a flag being thrown during the game.
The play occurred early in the second half of the Week 17 matchup, when Heyward used his signature bull rush to collapse the pocket but landed on the rookie quarterback, drawing a penalty for violating the NFL’s “body weight” rule.
Cleveland pulled off the upset in Week 17, defeating Pittsburgh 13-6 to snap a four-game losing streak and improve to 4-12. Heyward’s roughing the passer call had put him at risk of a $17,389 fine, but the league ultimately declined to issue one.
The roughing the passer penalty on Steelers DT Cam Heyward for his sack of Browns QB Shedeur Sanders. Pic.twitter.com/idtwozwez2
— René Bugner (@RNBWCV) December 28, 2025
Cam Heyward critical of refs on his podcast
Heyward addressed the penalty on his Not Just Football podcast and took the ruling in stride.
“Can’t bitch about it,” Heyward said. “I’m not going to get every call I want in this game. He still had the ball when I wrapped up. Sometimes, you just don’t see it. Refs are put in a hard spot. It’s hard to dictate what is and what isn’t. You kinda gotta move on in those situations.”
Heyward finished the game with five tackles. He enters Week 18 with 71 tackles, the most among interior defensive linemen, along with six pass deflections and 3.5 sacks.
Week 17 marked the second career win for Sanders, though his numbers were modest. Sanders completed 17 of 23 passes for 186 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and a 75.6 passer rating.