The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to secure their ninth win of the 2023 season in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks. The game was hard fought as both teams needed to win the game to help their playoff chances, and Pittsburgh came out on top with a score of 30-23. A big reason the Steelers won was because of the success of the running game, which was led by the offensive line and rookie tackle, Broderick Jones. Jones happened to also be the center of a lot on-field beef between the Steelers and Seahawks according to Cam Heyward.
Joe Nicholson / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' George Pickens (14), Broderick Jones (77), and Pat Freiermuth (88) against the Seahawks in 2023.
Steelers' Broderick Jones Loves To Get Chippy On The Field
On the most recent episode of Heyward's podcast, Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, Heyward was joined by long snapper Christian Kuntz and the two discussed the win over the Seahawks. One of the major talking points throughout the episode was how good the offense looked, as well as the rookie offensive lineman for the Steelers getting into a few fights with the Seahawks defenders.
Heyward and Kuntz were asked about Jones getting into it with defenders during an extra point attempt and how it seemed that Kuntz had to talk Jones down from getting into a fight. Heyward gave his thoughts on the situation based on what he saw from his perspective.
"Broderick was barking at everybody. Yeah, we know Kuntz wasn't the one that was going to fight that battle. All I know is that I saw Broderick. He was on the other side of the formation and we were trying to get lined up, and I know it takes a little bit of time sometimes to get from offense to field goal. But I was like, 'Broderick, just chill.' He was like, 'Nah, they gotta know!'"
This was the extra point attempt following a rushing touchdown for the Steelers, so of course Jones had a lot of adrenaline going after he and the rest of the offensive line cleared the way for a touchdown. Maybe a Seahawks defender said something to him first, but Jones wanted to make sure the defense knew they were just dominated. Heyward spoke more about loving the fire from the rookie, but also noted that Jones needs to be careful in those situations.
"Like, you love that for him because he is a young guy, but like, you know, once you start doing it more than once, you become a target. They keep looking for you. But Broderick was going downhill the entire game."
Jones has been very good for the Steelers since he entered the starting lineup at right tackle, and the running game has improved dramatically with him on the field. With that being said, he still is a rookie who has a lot of learning to do and sometimes giving the opposition some trash talk will just fuel and motivate them. Kuntz chimed in on the matter and spoke about how his trash talk effects the field goal unit.
"We talked about how, the real s*it talking after a touchdown from our offense, and our offensive line is chirping, it really tees it up for our field goal team to get really messed up. Broderick p***es a lot of people off, and like we are just trying to have a smooth extra-point and like dude, those dudes rush on extra-points. People don't get it, it's probably one of the most brutal plays for some positions."
In what is already a brutal play for the field goal unit, Jones adding fuel to the fire sure doesn't help. The defense is already angry for giving up points, and Jones just gets them more angry by talking trash to them. Heyward and Kuntz, who are both on the field goal unit, didn't seem too pleased about Jones actions following the score.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers rookie offensive tackle Broderick Jones has earned rave reviews for his first few career starts.
Despite his teammates not loving his trash talking due to them having to deal with the repercussions on the field, Jones certainly had good reason to be chirping at the defense. Him and the offensive line played one of their best games this season, which led to the Steelers having over 200 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. They also held up well in pass protection, as they only allowed one sack.
What do you think about Jones trash talking on the field and Kuntz and Heyward's comments on it? Let us know in the comments below!
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