4 Steelers that must play better for the rest of the season

Steelers Minkah Fitzpatrick

While Dotson not making a big jump has been a disappointment, Minkah Fitzpatrick failing to play at his normal elite level has been a detriment to this team. There has been a lack of splash plays by the free safety, as he has failed to record one this season. Considering his ball-hawking nature, him not grabbing an interception yet is a letdown.

Beyond just his turnovers, Fitzpatrick has been playing a little worse overall just as a safety. His missed tackles are slightly up (nothing substantial though). His coverage has been significantly worse though. Quarterbacks have completed 73.3 percent of their passes when targeting Fitzpatrick and have posted an average rating of 122.8. Neither of those numbers are good enough.

With Fitzpatrick hoping to become the highest-paid safety next offseason, he hasn’t done enough to warrant that this season so far. Perhaps the loss of so many pieces in the secondary has forced Fitzpatrick to do too much. No, Fitzpatrick isn’t a bad player even in a down season, but he needs to get his season back on track this year. If he wants to earn his big new deal, his play has to get better this year.