Entering Week 13, the Pittsburgh Steelers were vying to continue to lead the AFC North. On the other hand, the visiting Buffalo Bills were trying to stay in the league’s top seven to keep their Wild Card hopes alive. The stakes were high. As the game continued, one thing was clear: the pressure was mounting on both sides. Consequently, the Steelers’ veteran lineman Cam Heyward made some costly decisions that the NFL has now put a price tag on.

According to the latest GameDay Accountability reports, the NFL fined the Steelers’ defensive player $11,593 for “taunting” under the “unsportsmanlike conduct” category.

The incident in focus occurred with 8:49 remaining in the third quarter after Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed a short middle pass to his wide receiver, Keon Coleman, for a 1-yard touchdown. Flags came down after the score as the referee warned him of disqualification and announced a 15-yard penalty for Heyward going face-to-face against the reigning league MVP.

But penalties are rare for a player of Heyward’s stature.

For some perspective: The defensive tackle has been fined just twice in his 14-year NFL career.

The first instance occurred in 2014 when he was fined $22,050 for unsportsmanlike conduct for verbally abusing a referee. The second incident happened during the 2015 season due to a uniform violation. And according to the veteran Steelers player, it was all Josh Allen’s fault.

“Being kneed in my stomach and then just jawing back and forth,” Heyward told reporters after the game. “And then ticked off the entire game because as a quarterback, they’re protected, but I’m not. It just p-sses me off.”

There’s no denying that the game was chippy. For Heyward, such situations usually occurred with Allen, who, according to the 15-year vet, kneed him to get him off of him.

Take their second quarter squabble, for instance…

During a 3rd & 3, almost six minutes before halftime, Allen faked a pass to his running back, Ty Johnson, but then made a run for a first down. However, Alex Highsmith and Heyward stopped the QB. But as the three got off the ground, Heyward got into a verbal altercation with Allen over something that no one understood until the Steelers veteran clarified it after the loss. 

Allen, on the other hand, was playing it cool.

During his press conference, which preceded Heyward’s, Allen didn’t hesitate to address the incident to the reporters.

“Maybe (got me going) a little bit,” Allen said. “We love the competitiveness out of this game. He’s such a great player. Sometimes, you need fire like that to get you going.”

On the flip side, Heyward’s fine was just the tip of the iceberg in a game marred by penalties.

The Bills-Steelers battle brought financial troubles for both sides

In the second quarter, receiver DK Metcalf scored a touchdown. He pulled off the “too small” celebration on cornerback Christian Benford. But the league deemed it a “violent gesture” and fined him $14,491 under the “unsportsmanlike conduct” category. The referees also enforced a 15-yard penalty.

Metcalf has been fined $12,172 previously. It was after he poked Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker’s eye in Week 8. His total in fines this season is $26,663.

Linebacker Payton Wilson also received two more fines of $7,066 each. The first one was for “unnecessary roughness” in the second quarter. It cost the Steelers 12 yards. The second fine was for a blindside block a few seconds after the third quarter.

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The Buffalo Bills also received two fines.

Buffalo’s wide receiver Gabe Davis used his helmet against the cornerback James Pierre, who got injured before returning later. The NFL fined him $6,500 for the use of the helmet under “unnecessary roughness.”

Around the 13:57 mark in the third quarter, defensive end AJ Epenesa punched the ball out of DK Metcalf’s hands with no play in action. The referees saw it and enforced a 15-yard penalty. The league also fined him $11,593 for taunting. The total fines from the game reached $50k.

Considering the game had quite high stakes for either team, a little back-and-forth was expected. However, with Allen and the Bills winning 26-7, the Steelers were 6-6 and officially in an AFC North battle with the Baltimore Ravens. Next, the Steelers will fly to Baltimore for a crucial divisional matchup that will significantly impact the playoff picture.