Tyler Boyd scores first NFL touchdown at Heinz Field

Former Pitt receiver Tyler Boyd faced the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on Sunday afternoon as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals receiving corps, and he achieved a career milestone of sorts, as he scored a touchdown at Heinz Field for the first time since entering the NFL in 2016.

The touchdown was the 20th of Boyd’s NFL career and his first of the 2021 season, and it came with just under three minutes left in the first quarter of Sunday’s AFC North tilt. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow dumped the ball off to Boyd about two yards past the line of scrimmage, and Boyd collided with Steelers linebacker Melvin Ingram. Boyd bounced off Ingram, broke toward the goal line and dove in for the score to put the Bengals up 6-0.

The touchdown would be the first of three for the Bengals, who handily defeated the Steelers 24-10 at Heinz Field on Sunday. And as for Boyd, the Clairton native would finish the day with 36 yards and one touchdown after leading the team in targets, with six, and reeling in four receptions in his sixth trip back to Pittsburgh as a member of the Bengals.

Three games into the 2021 season, Boyd has accrued 141 yards and one touchdown on 14 receptions. During that span, he has dealt with a diminished role, as Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have ascended into the team’s top receiver spots and become Burrow’s primary targets. But with Higgins out due to a shoulder injury on Sunday, Boyd capitalized on the opportunity and reminded Burrow of what he can do when given the ball in the red zone.

Now, with Higgins’ status unclear moving forward and the Bengals set to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, Boyd could continue to play a more prominent role in the Cincinnati offense moving forward.