Not just the awful weather for their Sunday regular-season finale in Baltimore, but the Pittsburgh Steelers also braved the storm to make it to the NFL playoffs.
After winning only once in their previous five games, the Steelers turned things around and won their final three games to secure a wild-card berth in the AFC playoffs.
Minkah Fitzpatrick, a safety for Pittsburgh who did not participate in any of the three wins, stated, “I think that we’ve been winning games, playing at a high level, stacking good performances.”
Damontae Kazee, the other starting safety for the Steelers, didn’t either. Fitzpatrick sustained a knee injury, and Kazee’s illegal hit resulted in an NFL ban.
For the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Monday, both will be back.
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Fitzpatrick and Kazee were sidelined, so cornerback Patrick Peterson shifted to safety, and Eric Rowe joined him at the back of the secondary from the practice squad. Following Joey Porter Jr.’s selection in the second round as a backup cornerback in the seventh game of the season, former Alabama standout Levi Wallace returned to the starting lineup.
Coach Mike Tomlin of Pittsburgh expressed gratitude for the Steelers’ winning streak, citing the efforts of his makeshift secondary. However, we’re also appreciative of the guys like Kazee and Minkah coming back. That being said, it is an excellent problem to have if it leads to a talent or personnel bottleneck. In terms of attempting to determine who and how to play, it’s a better dilemma to have than some of the ones we’ve encountered. So while we’re planning the game, we’ll sort through some of those things.
T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh’s outside linebacker, won’t play against Buffalo, though. The NFL’s leading sack player was hurt on Sunday during the 17-10 triumph over the Baltimore Ravens.
Fitzpatrick remarked, “Obviously, we’re disappointed that T.J. isn’t out there with us.” “However, we still have work to do, and it’s important to us to have most of our components back. We have chemistry, we can do more, and we can be more flexible, so I think we’re in a fantastic place.
