For Minkah Fitzpatrick’s 28th birthday, no gift would be sweeter than breaking his interception drought against the Baltimore Ravens. Without a pick since 2022, Fitzpatrick evidently had a fantastic week of practice against QB Justin Fields and the Steelers’ scout team offense that simulated Lamar Jackson. Fields had success and gave Pittsburgh’s defense good looks, but Fitzpatrick won his battles.
“One guy who is not mad is Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had several interceptions of Justin Fields this week,” ESPN’s Brooke Pryor said Sunday morning on SportsCenter. “Had another time where he chased him down after a play. He said Fields couldn’t do much trash-talking after that.”
To his credit, and as pointed out by Pryor, Fields said he loves playing scout-team quarterback. After giving the defense good looks for Washington QB Jayden Daniels, he did the same for Jackson this week.
A Fitzpatrick interception against the Ravens would come full circle. His last pick occurred against Baltimore in Week 17 of the 2022 season, a game-sealing takeaway in a 16-13 win.
Since then, Minkah Fitzpatrick hasn’t gotten his hands on another pass. His 2023 season could be excused, one defined by repeated injuries and being miscast, playing in the box, and supporting the run more than ideal for him or the team. Healthy in 2024, he’s resumed his free safety role but hasn’t ended his drought. His game still has intangible benefits, such as dissuading quarterbacks from throwing deep and over the middle, but he admitted he could be more aggressive on the football. There’s a balance that’s difficult to neatly walk.
Still, what he’s done has worked for the Steelers’ defense. They’re the No. 2 scoring defense, allowing less than one passing score per game and a respectable 10 interceptions as a unit. Fitzpatrick’s play has still been solid as a tackler and communicator, and he’s flashed plays in coverage, including a big-time pass breakup against the New York Giants in Week 8.
But a playmaker like Fitzpatrick has to be eager to celebrate an interception. In college and for his first five NFL seasons, he picked off at least one pass. Now, he’s closing in on two full calendar years without one. There’s no better time than the present, on his birthday, and against a Ravens’ offense that has to be slowed down.
