After the second game of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a huge trade to bring safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the team. It cost Pittsburgh their 2020 first-round pick and this raised questions about whether or not Fitzpatrick can have an impact worth what could easily be a Top 10 pick.
Before we offer up some statistics to defend just how good Fitzpatrick has been for the team, we fully acknowledge there are many factors that impact these numbers. But in terms of the roster, Fitzpatrick is the one change for the last three games.
Through the first two games, the Steelers defense was allowing 445 yards per game. Since Fitzpatrick joined the team, that number has dropped to 296 yards per game. In terms of just passing yards the number fell from around 320 yards per game to 170 yards per game.
The Steelers had two takeaways in their first two games and have had eight in their last three. Pittsburgh is also allowing almost 13 fewer points per game. Yes, the level of competition does figure into this but it’s hard to deny how much better the Steelers defense has been since Fitzpatrick joined the team.
