The Pittsburgh Steelers are facing a tumultuous period this early in the season. Star edge rusher TJ Watt suffered a serious injury after their Week 1 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. While they avoided the worst-case scenario with Watt, the team will still be without the star for a significant period of time.

Without TJ Watt, Cameron Heyward sent a strong message to his Steelers teammates. The defensive tackle preached the importance of a next-man up mentality for the team. That will be important for them as they navigate the next few weeks without Watt lining up for them. (via NFL.com)

Steelers' Cameron Heyward: “Obviously, you don't want to play without a guy like that [TJ Watt], but guys gotta step up. We're not reinventing the wheel. We're not going out there saying that we have to change up our entire scheme and stuff, but we just gotta make sure we do our jobs.”

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The Steelers defense did an excellent job in Week 1 in neutralizing Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense. In particular, it was Watt, Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick that stood out as the saviors of Pittsburgh that week. Without Watt, the defense will pack a little less punch, but they still have talent at all positions to make an impact.

The Steelers are facing a familiar foe in Week 2 when they host the New England Patriots. We'll see how the TJ Watt-less defense fares against an offense that didn't look too hot against the Dolphins last week. Can they keep up the hot streak?