Though it happened six days and two games ago, the chippiness of the Week 11 Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Baltimore Ravens still has fallout. As announced by the NFL Saturday, Steelers FS Minkah Fitzpatrick was fined $11,255 for a late hit late in the first half.
LB Patrick Queen forced and recovered a fumble in the final minute of the first half, a huge play that allowed Pittsburgh to take a halftime lead. At the very end of the play is when Fitzpatrick’s infraction occurred, running over to the pile and mixing it up with Ravens OG Patrick Mekari late.
The skirmish continued well after Queen had run into the end zone to celebrate. Fitzpatrick and Mekari were both penalized with offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct fouls. But only Fitzpatrick was fined.
An aggressive moment from the normally quiet Fitzpatrick but it fit with how the game went. The first half of Sunday’s showdown felt like classic Steelers-Ravens. Intense and physical and pushing the boundary of what the refs were permitting. Pittsburgh’s offensive line set the tone with C Zach Frazier, RG Mason McCormick, and a more-aggressive RT Broderick Jones scrapping with any Ravens’ defenders they could get their hands on. CB Marlon Humphrey was the main combatant. They all avoided fines.
Even K Chris Boswell briefly entered the ring with some brief jawing after making a first half field goal. Cooler heads prevailed in the second half and Pittsburgh went on to win 18-16.
This was Fitzpatrick’s first fine of the season, giving him more of those than he has interceptions. He’s gone nearly two years without a pick. While he’s remained a strong tackler and trusted player in centerfield, he’s been unable to make the splash he became known for in his first several seasons with the team.
Fitzpatrick wasn’t the only safety on the field to be fined. Baltimore Ravens SS Kyle Hamilton had his pay docked $11,255 for taunting early in the second quarter. That came as he caught an attempted hurdle by RB Najee Harris and evidently, something he said during the skirmish was enough to draw the letter from the league. Hamilton was not penalized.
