Game recognizes game, and for Pittsburgh Steelers star fifth-year safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, that’s the case as on Wednesday Fitzpatrick was named the inaugural winner of the 33rd Team’s Ed Reed – Dominating Player of the Month Award, presented by the legendary safety himself whose name adorns the award.
In the month of September, Fitzpatrick was a menace for opposing offenses, recording 32 tackles, three interceptions, four passes defensed, a pick-6 and a blocked extra point that eventually helped the Steelers win in overtime on the road in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, earning the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week award.
After a tough 2021 season in which the turnovers were way down and he was asked to work downhill to support a putrid run defense, leading to a career-high 124 tackles, Fitzpatrick is back to his ball-hawking ways, leading to Reed heaping praise on the Steelers star Wednesday, announcing the winner of his inaugural award through the 33rd Team.
“This man has been making plays, though his team hasn’t been winning, he’s been putting them in position to win,” Reed said of Fitzpatrick, according to video via the 33rd Team’s Twitter page. “The Pittsburgh Steelers is a defensive minded team. Minkah Fitzpatrick has displayed the dominance in September, the first month of the season. He’s dominated, he’s demonstrated that. He’s one of those players, you can tell he does his homework. This guy has been making plays, putting his team in position to win football games, though they haven’t been coming out on that side of the table.
“They’ve still been in games to have a chance to win, and that’s all you can ask for from your defense. Though they haven’t been winning, Minkah Fitzpatrick is making plays. He blocked a kick, he’s got three interceptions, and he’s making teammates around him better. …Minkah, keep doing what you’re doing man, keep dominating, it’ll pan out.”
Reed is no stranger to knowing just how dominant a safety can be for a defensive minded team, having put together a Hall of Fame career as one of the greatest safeties the NFL has ever seen with the Baltimore Ravens. Reed was everywhere on the field, much like Fitzpatrick has been for the Steelers this season.
Without Fitzpatrick patrolling the backend of the defense, who knows where this team is right now. Since he came over from the Miami Dolphins via trade early in the 2019 season he’s been a game-changer and helped take Pittsburgh’s loaded defense to a new level.
This season, he seems to have found a new level to his game, which is a scary thought for opposing offenses. He’s dominating week after week, and no doubt earned Reed’s respect in winning the inaugural award.
