UPDATE, 5:17 p.m.: According to Burt Lauten, the Steelers’ senior director of communications, Fitzpatrick is expected to return to the game after having his shoulder checked.
UPDATE, 5:15 p.m.: According to The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo, trainers are working on the shoulder/neck area of Fitzpatrick with a massage gun.
On a defense that is already banged up across the board, the Pittsburgh Steelers saw another piece go down, this time in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick came up lame after a play in the second quarter on a throw to tight end Harrison Bryant, taking a knee on the Las Vegas Raiders’ sideline. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin came all the way across the field to check on Fitzpatrick, who walked off under his own power and headed into the blue tent.
It appears that Fitzpatrick injured his right arm/shoulder on the play and was seen shaking his arm coming off the field.
The Steelers were already down one safety entering the game as veteran Damontae Kazee was ruled out earlier in the week due to an ankle injury suffered during warmups against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 on Sunday Night Football.
Two plays after Fitzpatrick exited with the injury, the Steelers forced a fumble as T.J. Watt punched the ball out from Raiders RB Dylan Laube, leading to a recovery from nose tackle Keeanu Benton.
After being in the blue tent to get checked out, Fitzpatrick was seen sitting on the bench talking to Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and special teams coordinator Danny Smith, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
