The Pittsburgh Steelers have suffered a number of key injuries on defense this season. It has mostly been up the middle of the defense as ILBs Kwon Alexander, Cole Holcomb, and more recently Elandon Roberts have missed time. The safety group has also been dangerously thin lately with Minkah Fitzpatrick, Trenton Thompson, Keanu Neal, and Damontae Kazee unavailable to the team. Guys were pulled out of retirement or off the practice squad like ILB Myles Jack and S Eric Rowe, but the team found a way to keep it together on defense.
Over the course of their three-game losing streak, the Steelers allowed 25 points per game, but despite missing additional players they managed to get that number down to 17 points per game over their last two wins. Now the Steelers could be getting back some of their injured guys. Roberts, Thompson, and Fitzpatrick were all limited in practice on Wednesday and trending in the right direction for the final game of the regular season.
Patrick Peterson, who was forced out of his natural cornerback position to fill in at safety, spoke about what it means to get a guy like Fitzpatrick back in the lineup.
“It makes my job that much easier,” Peterson said Wednesday via a video of his press conference posted on the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “When Mink was out, I kind of had to be the communicator because E Rowe was new to the defense. He hopped on the moving train. So now it’s kind of like I’m just back there playing free now.”
It is interesting to note that Peterson was not only playing out of position at safety the last two weeks, but he also had to take on the majority of the communication responsibilities for the defense. This is a role he has said he enjoys, but it wasn’t something he had to do as much out on the boundary as a corner.
“Mink is making all the checks, making all the adjustments,” Peterson said. “I’m just being that middle-field guy that’s making sure nothing gets past us…we can do certain things when he is in the lineup.”
Fitzpatrick was named to another Pro Bowl roster last night despite having a down year and missing time with injuries. That speaks volumes about the type of player he is to still command that type of respect from coaches and players around the league. If Peterson can play free safety and use his cover skills to make sure the Steelers don’t get beat deap, Fitzpatrick will be able to move around as a chess piece to create havoc for opposing offenses. The Steelers are getting healthier at the right time with a crucial Week 18 game ahead and a possible playoff berth if things break their way.
