Oct 10, 2016 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – When your father had the nickname Ironhead, you’d better be an ironman.

That’s been the case for Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward.

Since joining the Steelers as their first-round draft pick in 2011, Heyward hasn’t missed a game, appearing in 85 consecutive contests, the third-longest active streak among NFL defensive ends. His streak of consecutive starts is at 45, the fifth-longest in the league.

Heyward didn’t miss a game while playing at Ohio State, appearing in 52 consecutive.

That streak will come to an end Sunday when the Steelers (4-1) play at Miami (1-4).

Heyward, who had been playing through a high ankle sprain since the third week of the preseason, suffered a hamstring injury in the Steelers’ 31-13 win Sunday over the New York Jets. He is expected to miss two or three weeks because of the injury.

Heyward, who is the son of former Pitt record-setting running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, sounded resigned to the fact he’s going to miss a football game for the first time in more than a decade.

“I’d rather be out there, but other guys have to step up,” Heyward said. “We have guys like James Harrison, William Gay and Lawrence Timmons to provide that. We’re going to need them all as long as I’m out.”

The Steelers also need more out of some young defensive linemen, Stephon Tuitt and Javon Hargrave.

Tuitt is in his second season as a starter in his third year in the league, while Hargrave is the starting nose tackle as a rookie.

Though the Steelers are still considered a 3-4 defensive team, they play their nickel defense – five defensive backs and just two defensive linemen – more often than any other alignment.

Against the Jets, that largely meant Tuitt and Hargrave were on the field the most of the plays after Heyward exited the game in the first half.

“We know Cam is one of the leaders on our defense, but the next guy stepped up and stepped up big,” said Tuitt. “We communicated well as a defensive front.”

Tuitt and Hargrave were a big part of a defensive effort that limited the Jets to 100 total yards, five first downs and, most important, no points in the second half.

Pittsburgh’s defense also had three sacks, giving the Steelers seven in the past two games after failing to get to the quarterback in their first three contests. Heyward was a big part of that, recording three sacks two weeks ago against Kansas City. The Steelers will get some opportunities to get to the quarterback against Miami.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been sacked 17 times this season, tied with Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton for the second-most in the league. Dalton’s 17 sacks have come on 187 pass attempts. Tannehill has been sacked 17 times on 156 pass attempts, meaning he has gone down once every nine times he drops back to pass. That’s easily the highest percentage in the NFL.

Tuitt, who had 6 1/2 sacks last season, has been very good at pressuring the quarterback but has yet to get a sack. Hargrave, who had 37 sacks in college, is looking for his first in the NFL. He played sparingly as a nose tackle in Pittsburgh’s first four games.

Much more will be expected of Tuitt.

“He better be ready,” Heyward said. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be out. He was telling me he was talking a lot more. We need him to do that. When I come back, we can do it twice as much. He’s only going to grow in this situation and I can’t wait to see him step up.”

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger leads the NFL with 15 touchdown passes. … Antonio Brown (447 yards) and Sammie Coates (421) are just the second duo in Steelers history to have more than 400 receiving yards through five games. John Stallworth and Louis Lipps were the first in 1984.