Mark Madden: Steelers should follow lead of Cam Heyward, Ben Roethlisberger

Refreshing sports notes are the Thanksgiving dinner of journalism: Something for everybody, and a lot of it. Dig in!

• Cam Heyward and Ben Roethlisberger were the primary factors in the Steelers rallying to almost win Sunday at Los Angeles. They’re focused professionals and real Steelers. Heyward was double-teamed all night and kept going ‘til he made plays. Roethlisberger’s stats (28 for 44, 273 passing yards, three touchdowns, zero picks) speak for themselves, and he never says die. Heyward and Roethlisberger are big-time leaders on a team that could use more followers.

• Not everybody was a focused professional. That’s how you concede a 53-yard touchdown pass 75 seconds after seizing an improbable lead even as the foe appears to be collapsing. The Chargers’ Mike Williams could have run all the way to Tijuana. The Steelers defense was absent three of its four best, but that lapse was extraordinary.

• After Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert gashed the Steelers for 382 yards passing and 90 yards rushing, critics said the Steelers’ defense should have put a spy on Herbert. Somebody to trace his every move. OK, but who’s the spy? Devin Bush can’t handle the fundamentals, let alone that. Terrell Edmunds isn’t much better. And when you use a spy, it changes the job of everyone else on defense. Given the sketchy group that had to play due to injury and illness, that smacks of overcomplication. (Maybe Herbert is just great.)

• Did Heyward intentionally punch Herbert when the latter was on the ground? I bet Mean Joe Greene loved it regardless.

• Bush and rookie center Kendrick Green are so profoundly bad, it’s easy to spot on the network feed. If Green tried to block Bush, both might vanish into thin air. The offensive line is getting worse, not better. The Steelers got just 55 yards on 18 carries against the NFL’s worst rush defense. Najee Harris isn’t blameless, either. He might be hitting the rookie wall. Or maybe he just keeps running into Green being pushed backward.

• Bush is so rotten, I find myself clamoring for Robert Spillane to be inserted. Spillane’s a ham-and-egger, but at least he can tackle.

• The red-zone play-calling of offensive coordinator Matt Canada stinks. When he finally ran Harris behind fullback Derek Watt to score a touchdown, I wondered who put a gun to Canada’s head. But going for it on fourth-and-goal from the Chargers’ 2-yard-line on the Steelers’ second possession made sense despite not working. The Steelers were never going to win that game by scoring three points at a time.

• The Steelers had first-and-goal at the 5-yard-line or closer once vs. Detroit, thrice against the Chargers. In their first 11 plays in those situations, the Steelers passed eight times, handed off to Chase Claypool twice and to Harris once. The second time that circumstance occurred this past Sunday, the Steelers got new downs thanks to an interference call. Only then did Canada insert Zach Banner at tackle-eligible and run Harris behind Watt, resulting in a touchdown. It took Canada 12 plays to do the obvious. Where does stubborn leave off and stupid begin?

• At day’s end, Sunday’s stirring comeback meant nothing. It’s just a loss. If this coming Sunday at Cincinnati isn’t must-win, it’s close.

• Tristan Jarry saved 80 of 81 shots as the Penguins won three straight road games in Canada. He made several huge stops in Toronto and Winnipeg, stifling a third-period breakaway against the latter on Monday to preserve a one-goal lead. Jarry’s rebound control, sometimes a weakness, has been excellent. He’s arguably playing better than ever. But I can’t trust him ‘til he wins in the playoffs, not after last postseason’s debacle against the New York Islanders. If that’s being unfair, it’s also being honest.

• Jake Guentzel is listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds. Those are exaggerations. He looks as threatening as a glass of milk. But Guentzel got out of a slump by bravely jamming himself into tight spaces and using his silky hands to score in five straight games. Guentzel is even running over goalies. The Penguins’ bigger forwards should take note: The smaller guy is making you look bad. Follow his lead.

• Center Teddy Blueger plays a terrific, complete, nuanced, hard-nosed 200-foot game. He’s also got five goals in 18 games. Not bad. If Blueger becomes a 20-goal scorer, his recognition and value will go through the roof.

• Kasperi Kapanen questioned his own effort. He and I agree on that.

• Sidney Crosby has two points in six games but is still shaking the effects of covid. He’s going to be fine. Imagine when Crosby, Danton Heinen (six goals) and Evan Rodrigues (six goals) get hot at the same time. It will be a shooting gallery.

• Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett deserves legit consideration for the Heisman Trophy. But the most he can hope for is inclusion among the finalists. They won’t give the Heisman to a player from a program that’s been marginal for decades.

• The ACC stinks, but Pitt can’t be faulted for that. You can only win the conference you play in. Pitt’s biggest accomplishment might be getting to a New Year’s Six bowl. It would be a nice change from the Schmuck Bowl vs. Schmuck Tech at Schmuckville. (It might also expose Pitt.)