When the Steelers defense took the field on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, they got a little help from their injured teammate Ryan Shazier.
The Steelers linebacker suffered a season-ending back injury against the Bengals in Week 13 and has been on the minds of his co-workers since being carted off the field against the Bengals. After undergoing back surgery a week-and-a-half ago, Shazier was well enough by the time the Patriots came to town to attend the game.
According to CBS, many teammates didn't know he would be in attendance. Neither did the crowd. But when he was shown on the stadium's video board before New England's first offensive series, they went crazy to show their support.
The Steelers defense proceeded to allow a six-play touchdown drive, but it will be interesting to hear if Shazier's presence provded them any sort of emotional boost.