Cam Heyward's play remains ageless at 36. The Steelers captain still knows the clock is ticking

Still, Heyward learned long ago that opportunities like the one that arrives Monday night, when the AFC North champion Steelers (10-7) host the Houston Texans (12-5) in the opening round of the playoffs, don't come around that often.

The 15-year NFL veteran didn't think he'd be this deep into the twilight of his career still looking for his first Super Bowl appearance. Yet lingering over the one hole on a resume that figures to receive Hall of Fame consideration whenever the time comes will do him no good.

Yes, he's aware the Steelers haven't won a playoff game in nearly a decade. And yes, he knows Pittsburgh will be an underdog every step of the way, including at home against a Texans team that will walk into Acrisure Stadium searching for the first road postseason victory in franchise history.

But Heyward knows he can't control the past. He has no idea what the future holds beyond Monday night. All he can do is “take the biggest bite” of an apple that might not have many bites left.

“I’m trying to prep for one game," Heyward said. “That’s it there. And just put the most amount of effort I can in that game.”

Effort has never been an issue for a player who never met a whistle he didn't try to play through. For proof, look no further than the first snap of last week's thriller against Baltimore. There Heyward was, chugging 30-plus yards downfield in an effort to chase down Ravens star running back Derrick Henry.

Heyward's journey ended when teammate James Pierre crashed into him, sending Heyward briefly to the bench. By the next series, he was back out there on a night he tied for the team lead with seven tackles and shoved younger brother Connor into the end zone for a touchdown while filling in as the pusher in Pittsburgh's version of the tush push.

“He cares hard,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “Got big shoulders. He wants the responsibility of leading.”

A Steeler ‘through and through’

It's something Heyward has never run away from. Considering the legacy of both his family — his father is former NFL running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward — and his predecessors in black and gold, he didn't have a choice.

The wide-eyed rookie who once sat rapt in meetings absorbing what he could from mentors Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith, is now quite literally the graybeard doling out those same lessons to rookie Derrick Harmon, who was in second grade when the Steelers selected Heyward in the first round of the 2011 draft.

Tomlin called Heyward a Steeler “through and through,” even if there were some who openly wondered about that during training camp, when Heyward skipped some — but not all — of the 11-on-11 sessions in search of a reworked contract. He even threatened to sit out some regular-season games before agreeing to an amended deal on the eve of the opener against the New York Jets.

“Hold-ins” like the one Heyward staged have become increasingly common in recent years. The mixed reaction for a player so firmly entrenched in Pittsburgh — Heyward's 228 regular-season games with the club rank second to former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger — was not.

Asked Friday if his remarkably consistent performance on a defense that at times ran hot-cold around him was his way of silencing his critics, Heyward shrugged.

“(If) you've got to question (my loyalty), that's something that has to do with you rather than me,” he said. “I can’t really concern myself with that. In the midst of what we’re doing, I think the focus has just got to be on the team. And whatever is made of what happened in the past or what was going on, I care a lot about this team, and I’m going to do whatever is possible for this team.”

Namely, leading from the front. If that means throwing his little brother around in search of a first down, so be it. If it means thrusting his black-glove clad hands into the air to swat away a pass — something Heyward has done 64 times in his career — so be it. If it means imploring everyone else on the field goal protection unit to block better so kicker Chris Boswell can do his thing, so be it.

High stakes

If that means being the frequent butt of jokes for his age, that's fine, too. Star outside linebacker T.J. Watt jokingly called Heyward "45 years old” in the euphoric aftermath of Pittsburgh's division-clinching win over Baltimore. It's not unusual for Tomlin to lob a good-natured verbal grenade in the general direction of Heyward when pointing out the generation gap between Heyward and some of his teammates.

“Those two are getting up there in age, too,” Heyward said. “Let’s not act like there’s just some spring chickens.”

No, they're not. Tomlin is only 53 but is 19 years in, and his job status is a perpetual topic of conversation. The 31-year-old Watt has never been on the field for a Steelers' playoff victory. All three and this particular chapter of the franchise's storied history will be linked forever. All three will have something personal at stake on Monday night, perhaps Heyward — dubbed a “unicorn” by defensive coordinator Teryl Austin for his unique makeup — most of all.

“It’s everybody versus me, that’s just how I am,” Heyward said. “You know, I’m always looking for an extra notch and extra gear.”

On Monday night he’ll try to find it one more — though he hopes not one last — time.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl