The Week one opponent of the Buffalo Bills, the Pittsburgh Steelers, surged to an 11-0 start last season with help from a smothering defense, one which finished the year in the top five of most stat categories. While Buffalo wasn’t one of them, several teams struggled against the talented units featuring All-Pros Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt.
Now, though, the defense has seen a few changes. Edge rusher Bud Dupree, who had eight sacks last season, is now a Tennessee Titan. That promoted Alex Highsmith (two sacks, five TFLs) to a starting role. The Steelers also have 32-year-old Melvin Ingram, who missed nine games with a knee injury last year, as their primary backup.