With the Pittsburgh Steelers down safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee the last three weeks due to a knee injury for Fitzpatrick and Kazee’s suspension, the team relied on Eric Rowe to stabilize the position alongside Patrick Peterson. Rowe has been a standout performer over the last three games, picking a pass off in Week 16 and forcing a key fumble in Week 18, and he’s been around the ball constantly. With Fitzpatrick and Kazee returning this week, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Rowe will play and have a role in the Steelers’ Wild Card Round matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
“Yeah, I think we will kind of figure that out as we go in terms of what we think is best for this game. But I think they’re all going to play; they’ll all have a role. What that role is, we’ll have to wait and see on Sunday,” Austin said via transcript provided by the team.
Rowe is on the practice squad still, but there are no rules regarding elevations for the playoffs, so despite already being elevated three times during the regular season, he will be again for Sunday. Peterson’s role at safety might be a little bit reduced as well with Fitzpatrick and Kazee returning, but he’ll likely see some time there as well as he’s also performed well since transitioning from cornerback.
Rowe was signed to Pittsburgh’s practice squad following Week 12 and made his season debut in Week 16. Along with forcing the two turnovers, Rowe has 29 tackles, 22 of them solo, and two passes defensed. He’s really popped off the screen and has become an important piece of Pittsburgh’s secondary, and it’s going to be interesting to see how the Steelers utilize him on Sunday with Kazee and Fitzpatrick returning.
Fitzpatrick is going to see the field a lot and likely play every snap if he remains healthy. He’ll have an important role trying to take away TE Dalton Kincaid, who’s a key piece of Buffalo’s passing attack. Kazee is the guy who may lose some reps to Rowe/Peterson as the Steelers look to mix and match and get their best players onto the field. They can get creative with three safety packages as well, which is something they’ve done in the past.
No matter how he’s utilized, if Rowe can continue to play the way he has over the past three games, he’s going to make an impact on Sunday. His teammates have praised his play and he’s come from off the couch to becoming a true impact player for a playoff team. I’m excited to see how he’s used and how he performs on Sunday in Buffalo.
