Brady wanted to argue a call, but Heyward didn't 'give him the chance'

If you were watching Sunday's Steelers game on TV, you might have missed it.

Immediately after the most pivotal play of Pittsburgh's 20-18 upset win over Tampa Bay, Cam Heyward stood up for the Steelers in a way that will satisfy any Tom Brady hater -- and there were a lot of them at Acrisure Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Trailing 20-12 with less than five minutes in regulation, Brady connected with Leonard Fournette for an 11-yard touchdown pass that threatened the Steelers' lead. All the Buccaneers needed was a two-point conversion to tie the game. Brady dropped back, tried to look off Devin Bush in the middle of the field and fired a pass to Chris Godwin, but the former 10th overall pick read it perfectly and swatted the pass away to preserve the 20-18 lead:

Now, did you notice Heyward after the play? Go back and watch it again. Look for big ol' No. 97 after the play is over.

Yep, that's him standing right in front of Brady. Turns out, the seven-time Super Bowl champion was pleading his case for a holding call on the play, but to no avail. Heyward sure thought he had a small hand in preventing that.

"He was trying to argue with the refs, and I was just trying to wall him off," Heyward laughed. "Having a little fun there. But he was talking about there was a hold there. And maybe there was or not, but I wasn't going to give him the chance to even talk to the refs. That was my blocking for the day."

Heyward and Brady met on the Steelers' logo at midfield after the game and were seen laughing while exchanging pleasantries. It's a fair bet that little instance came up during the conversation.

Of course, Brady pleading his case may not have done him any favors on the failed two-point conversion. But, any plea from a player to an official is typically meant to help point out something for future plays so officials might have a keener eye on any players trying to bend the rules a bit too much. Heyward didn't want Brady or the Buccaneers to have any advantages should they get the ball back and have a chance to ruin the Steelers' day.

However, Mitch Trubisky and the offense made sure Brady didn't see the field again until it was time to shake hands with the opposition. The Steelers got the ball back with 4:38 remaining and ran out the clock, converting a third-and-15 and third-and-11 on the drive.

At 45 years old while playing in the NFC, and considering a swirl of retirement rumors, this could be Brady's final game at Acrisure Stadium. Brady's played a lot of games against the Steelers, and he was 12-3 in those games heading into Sunday's action. He's plagued the Steelers for a long, long time -- especially Steeler Nation.

So, if this was Brady's final game in Pittsburgh, losing to the combination of Kenny Pickett and Trubisky while facing a defense that was missing T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and at least three other starters is one heck of a way to end what's been more than two decades of torment.

And that beat up defense helped make Brady at least a little mad Sunday afternoon.