Minkah Fitzpatrick coming up big for unbeaten Steelers

After a slow start, the ball-hawking Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is at it again.

Statistically, he was somewhat quiet in the early stages of 2020. But there was a reason that a year ago that the Pittsburgh Steelers dealt for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, the 11th overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Dolphins.

General manager Kevin Colbert sent a first- and fifth-round pick this year and a 2021 sixth-round selection to Miami for the former Alabama Crimson Tide standout, a fourth-round choice in 2020 and a sixth-round selection next year (via Spotrac).

A year ago, Fitzpatrick joined the team in Week 3 and made an immediate impact. The Pittsburgh defense became much more opportunistic than in recent years and when it was all said and done, Mike Tomlin’s team led the league with 38 takeaways

. The opportunistic defender played and started the Steelers’ final 14 games and finished with 57 tackles, nine passes defensed, five interceptions, one forced fumble and two fumbles recoveries. He returned two of his seven takeaways for touchdowns and earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors by year’s end.

Of course, Pittsburgh played all 14 of those games without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the end result was an 8-8 showing and a three-game winning streak to close the season.

But what a difference a year makes. Roethlisberger has been at the helm all season and the Black and Gold are off to an 8-0 start, the best in the history of the franchise. And after a quiet start to the year, Fitzpatrick has suddenly risen to the occasion multiple times and especially the last two weeks.

In the team’s first four games, the three-year pro accumulated 17 tackles. In the Steelers’ last four outings, there have been a combined 19 stops, to go along with two interceptions – including a return for a score vs. the Browns — four passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

The last two Sundays in victories at Baltimore and at Dallas, the heady defenders knocked down passes near the goal line that could have resulted in go-ahead touchdowns for the Ravens and Cowboys, respectively.

The Pittsburgh defense is loaded with talent and features standouts such as outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree and defensive ends Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. The club leads the NFL with 32 sacks and is tied for second in the league with 15 takeaways. The offense has been efficient and has had a penchant for slow starts and impressive finishes.

Minkah Fitzpatrick has been a difference-maker since his arrival in the Steel City. And after a slow start in terms of coming up with turnovers, he seems to have found his groove again.