There was a time in his Pittsburgh Steelers career that S Minkah Fitzpatrick went an entire season—sort of—without intercepting a pass. From Week 12 of the 2020 season to Week 11 of 2021, not a single pass that found the All-Pro’s hands actually stayed there. In that context, his absence of an interception through the first five games of this season doesn’t feel quite as dramatic.
Then again, the 2021 season was arguably the worst of Fitzpatrick’s career, though his worst tends to look pretty similar to the best that most players experience. And even in that year, his play improved over the second half of the season. Part of the reason is that he was put in more positions to make plays. But as always, he’s willing to do whatever’s required of him for the team.
“I’m happy just being out there on the field”, he said following one practice session recently, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Big plays come when they come. I don’t think I really had any opportunities to have big splash plays. It’s not like I’ve been missing them. It’s just having the opportunity. When they come, they come”.
To that point, it’s not as though he has dropped any would-be interceptions. The reality is that he has not been around the football this year when it is in the air nearly as often as might otherwise be typical for him. That’s partly due to the Steelers lining him up closer to the line of scrimmage.
But playing in more three-safety looks with shared responsibilities is another. Playing with a pair of cornerbacks that has been doing more sinking than swimming contributes to that. Teams have not exactly been going out of their way to test him in coverage.
Or are they? According to Pro Football Focus, he is facing his highest volume of targets in his career. He is averaging just 9.3 snaps in coverage per target, among the 10 highest rates of targets for safeties in the league so far this season. That number was 31.7 back in 2020, and 14.8 last year.
He is allowing a reception once every 13.5 snaps in coverage in 2023. That number also ranks in the bottom 10 of the league amongst safeties, a group that includes Cincinnati Bengals DB Mike Hilton. And they do charge him with a dropped interception.
The truth is that part of the story is Fitzpatrick simply hasn’t been playing at his best so far this year. I think we all know that, given what we have seen him do before, including the very recent past. And there is every season to expect that can change at any moment. But when his moment comes to make the next play, he’d better make it.
