For a majority of NFL fans, the most convenient place gauge a player’s performance is from the stat sheet. But that can oftentimes be misleading or at least be missing a great deal of context. Especially for defensive backs, who can be avoided by the opposing team throughout a game. One might have three passes defensed while the other has little to no stats in a game, but that could be because one is getting targeted way more than the other. Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is a perfect example of a player who isn’t lighting up the stat sheet but is still making a large impact on a weekly basis.
“Quarterbacks legit don’t throw it his way,” said LS Christian Kuntz via his podcast on Thursday. “And then people bitch, like people say shit on Twitter…I see the tweets and all the rat poison that they put out there. But people saying Minkah doesn’t have an interception in whatever, how many games. People are so clueless about how much he does for our team and how good that dude is.”
If he doesn’t register an interception on Sunday, it will be Fitzpatrick’s 17th straight game—a full season’s worth—without a pick. The Steelers, and Fitzpatrick himself, talked about the new personnel this offseason and the scheme allowing him to get back to “Minkah Ball”. It hasn’t exactly worked out that way so far, but the defense as a whole is taking the ball away. With eight takeaways, the Steelers are tied for the seventh most in the league.
Fitzpatrick is still playing at a very high level and provides the Steelers with a safety blanket on the back end of their defense. He is second on the team in tackles with 35 and leads the team in solo tackles with 26. For a defense that thrives on the bend-but-don’t-break style, he is the perfect safety to help limit back-breaking plays.
According to Pro Football Focus, Fitzpatrick only has had 11 passes thrown into his coverage area so far this season. That is only 2.2 opportunities to get an interception per game, so it is no big surprise that he doesn’t have one yet. They will come. But for now, rest assured that Fitzpatrick is still making a large impact on the Steelers’ defense.
