Ajax took the lead after 38 minutes thanks to Mika Godts, who rewarded Ajax for a creatively poor first half. The Amsterdam giants created zero big chances and attempted just four shots on Bernt Klaverboer's goal, half the number Heerenveen produced in the opening 45 minutes.
Despite the poor showing, John Heitinga spoke of a good first half in the team's own Johan Cruyff ArenA. "The first half was very stable and you started well in the second half," Heitinga told ESPN.
"I think we were close on top of it. After the interruption, you could see that we wanted to move forward faster, especially with Oscar (Gloukh) and Youri Regeer."
The record Eredivisie champions conceded the equaliser after 68 minutes, when 41-year-old goalkeeper Remko Pasveer dropped a shot from distance from Mees Willemsen and allowed Vaclav Sejk to score an easy goal with no Ajax defenders rushing back to defend.
Asked about whether or not it was a bad sign that his defenders did not rush at the ball once Pasveer had dropped it, Heitinga was quick to deflect the question.
"I think we should focus on the match," Heitinga said. "You made a personal mistake there. Of course, you want your defenders to react faster than the attackers. The first half wasn't great, but I think there was stability. We scored a good goal and then, of course, you want to get your second win in a row."
All in all, Heitinga wasn't unhappy with his team, who produced nearly half the total shots (9) as Heerenveen (17) in his team's fifth draw of the Eredivisie season.
"I think a lot has been said, and that we just have to see what suits us best. I think it was pretty solid in the first half without creating many big chances," the former Liverpool assistant said.
"I think you scored an excellent goal with Mika (Godts). You don't give away much, but you certainly create several opportunities from that transition. You have to take advantage of those opportunities."
Ajax play their fourth UEFA Champions League game next Wednesday, when they host Turkish giants Galatasaray in an attempt to win their first points of the European campaign.
Check out all the match and player statistics of Ajax-Heerenveen on Flashscore