Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will not play in his team’s season finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday due to a knee injury, via Josh Alper of Pro Football.
This will be the third straight game Fitzpatrick has missed. He was initially listed as questionable, but apparently, he is not well enough to take the field this weekend.
It’s definitely a piece of bad news for the Steelers, who need to beat the Ravens to have any chance of making the playoffs.
Fitzpatrick has been banged up all season long, as he has played in just 10 games this year. During the time he had been on the field, he has logged 64 tackles and three passes defended. He still earned a Pro Bowl selection for his efforts.
The 27-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was originally selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 11th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He played in every game during his rookie campaign, finishing with 80 tackles, a couple of interceptions, nine passes defended and a defensive touchdown.
Early on that next season, the Dolphins traded Fitzpatrick to the Steelers, where he proceeded to break out with 69 tackles, five picks, a pair of forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, nine passes defended and a defensive score en route to a Pro Bowl appearance and a First-Team All-Pro selection.
Since then, Fitzpatrick has established himself as one of the best defensive backs in football, making four Pro Bowl appearances and notching First-Team All-Pro honors three times. Last year, Fitzpatrick led the league with six interceptions to go along with 96 stops, 11 passes defended and a defensive touchdown.
Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Steelers are 8-8 going into Week 18. Their clearest path to the playoffs is with a win over Baltimore coupled with a loss by the Buffalo Bills or Jacksonville Jaguars.
Pittsburgh has not had a losing season since 2003.
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