With the Pittsburgh Steelers looking to make a statement in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders, the defense has to be ready to shut down quarterback Jayden Daniels. While the defensive unit has been struggling stopping the run game consistently so far this season, other concerns have been pointed towards the Steelers' All-Pro safety and his lack of big plays in 2024.
While Minkah Fitzpatrick's stats are not currently showing an All-Pro season like in the past, Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin isn't worried about that. He told the media that Fitzpatrick's presence is causing teams to second guess the middle of the field and believes that he is having a good season, despite the lack of turnovers he normally causes.
"He shores it up in the middle of the field for us 99% of the time," said Austin. "He makes teams think twice about going over the middle of the field. My goal is not to give up a lot of big plays. To me, if he's doing that, he's doing a great job."
Fitzpatrick, who was traded to the Steelers back in 2019 from the Miami Dolphins, has been a cornerstone for the Steelers' defense. He is a three-time First Team All-Pro during his time in Pittsburgh, making big plays on a weekly basis. In his first four seasons with the Steelers, Fitzpatrick has 17 interceptions, three forced fumbles, with four fumble recoveries. Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick hasn't had that big play moment in the last two years, recording zero caused turnovers.
While many fans are concerned that his production could be slipping, Austin remains content on what he has seen from Fitzpatrick so far. Others feel the same as Austin, like Ray Fittipaldo. While on 93.7 The Fan, he believes the turnovers are going to come for Fitzpatrick, it's just a matter of time.
Even without Fitzpatrick's impact in the turnover game, the Steelers' defense is tied for fourth in the NFL in takeaways this season. Obviously, Fitzpatrick would like to get more involved, but with teams respecting his abilities, the opportunities are slim.
The Steelers will still lean on Fitzpatrick during their tough stretch to make big time plays. Pittsburgh has not had to rely on him too much this season with the stellar play of others on the defensive side of the ball. With all of Pittsburgh's divisional games coming up, fans could see the old Fitzpatrick back making plays.
Pittsburgh is coming out of the bye week heading to Washington to play an electric offense led by the rookie sensation Daniels. While Mike Tomlin has a good track record when facing rookie quarterbacks, they are hoping to see some flashes of the 2022 version of Fitzpatrick starting Sunday.
With the Steelers sitting at 6-2, first in the AFC North and holding the three seed in the AFC heading into the toughest back half of a schedule in the NFL, they need all of their guys to step up their game. Fitzpatrick knows more than anyone how difficult AFC North matchups are, but has a history making big plays when Pittsburgh needs it (five career interceptions, taking two to the house against AFC North opponents).
Steelers Are Not Panicking Over Fitzpatrick
Austin is happy with Fitzpatrick's play so far this year, doing the right things to set up other players getting the glory. With teams trying to keep him out of the play as much as possible, it's leading to others like Beanie Bishop and Donte Jackson to reap the rewards. The coaching staff is not panicking about the lack of turnovers from Fitzpatrick, they know they have an All-Pro safety that can make a play when they need it and they will need those during this tough stretch of games.
Are you concerned with Fitzpatrick's lack of big plays? Do you believe Austin when it comes to teams respecting Fitzpatrick and not looking his way? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
