PITTSBURGH -- Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward said Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen purposefully kneed him in the stomach during the first half of Pittsburgh's 26-7 loss, leading to jawing between the two players throughout Sunday's game at Acrisure Stadium.
"[I was] ticked off the entire game because, as a quarterback, they're protected, but I'm not," Heyward said. "It just pisses me off."
The incident appeared to happen with less than six minutes remaining in the first half as Heyward tried to get up after tackling Allen on a short run.
Heyward said he believes the action was intentional by Allen because the quarterback made a comment about it.
"He even said after, 'I had to do something to get you off me,'" Heyward said.
Heyward's assertion of Allen's actions came in the Steelers' locker room after the quarterback concluded his postgame interview, but Allen spoke about the chippiness that existed between the pair throughout the contest. Heyward was even flagged for taunting after Allen found wide receiver Keon Coleman for a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter to go up by two scores.
"Maybe [got me going] a little bit," Allen said of Heyward. "We love the competitiveness out of this game. He's such a great player. Sometimes, you need fire like that to get you going."