After the Steelers beat the Bengals, Cameron Heyward gave Mason Rudolph the game ball as an early Christmas gift.

Christmas came a bit early for Mason Rudolph and the Pittsburgh Steelers when they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16. As Rudolph led the way, Cameron Heyward felt the quarterback deserved to play in the reindeer games.

Heyward gave Rudolph the game ball after the Steelers beat the Bengals, 34-11. The quarterback was overjoyed to be recognized, but admitted it wasn’t the best Christmas gift he has ever gotten, via Brooke Pryor or ESPN.

“I don’t know,” Rudolph said on if the game ball was the best Christmas gift he has received. “I got a tree house when I was like 12, which was pretty cool. But this is definitely up there.”

Christmas jokes and puns aside, Heyward was seriously impressed by Rudolph. The quarterback completed 17-of-27 passes for 290 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. With the Steelers ending their three-game losing streak, Heyward said Rudolph was exactly what the doctor ordered.

“Mason was ready for the moment,” Heyward said. “Three games we’ve lost in a row. Personally, I just felt like with everything going on, Mason attacked. There wasn’t any sitting back and letting things happen.”

“He went out there and attacked the game,” Heyward continued. “You saw a couple times with third-and-one throwing it deep and giving guys a chance.”

The win elevated Pittsburgh to 8-7 on the season, keeping them in the middle of the playoff hunt. Even if it isn’t Christmastime, both Cameron Heyward and Mason Rudolph are hoping more game balls are passed out after wins as the regular season ends.