The Pittsburgh Steelers can take a sigh of relief as it relates to one of their key pieces on defense. After leaving Monday’s eventual 26-22 win over the Cleveland Browns due to a chest injury that sent him to a local hospital, Minkah Fitzpatrick has since been released, according to NFL Media.
The star safety underwent precautionary scans for what is believed to be a chest contusion. Those scans were negative and there’s optimism that Fitzpatrick will be fine going forward. After a two-game home stint in Pittsburgh to begin the year, the Steelers will now head on the road for a game in Las Vegas against the Raiders in Week 4 and then travel to Houston to play the Texans in Week 5.
Fitzpatrick initially was shaken up on the same play as Nick Chubb’s gruesome injury, appearing to suffer a lower body injury while tackling Cleveland’s running back. The play was a direct hit by Fitzpatrick, causing Chubb to be carted off the field. Fitzpatrick left the game, and no injury diagnosis was immediately revealed. He was seen on the sidelines and was not initially given an injury designation by the Steelers.
Fitzpatrick ended up reentering the game, as he was the player that prevented Jerome Ford from scoring a 70-yard touchdown to give the Browns the lead in the third quarter. The Steelers safety tripped up Ford and stopped him just shy of the goal line. However, Fitzpatrick left again halfway through the third quarter with an injury to his chest.
By that point, Fitzpatrick already had a game-changing play in this contest. On the first play from scrimmage, Fitzpatrick tipped Deshaun Watson’s pass that ended up into the hands of Alex Highsmith, who completed the pick-six to give Pittsburgh an early lead. He finished the game with six tackles (five solo) and two pass breakups.
