The media and Steeler fans were left with thinking what the hell happened to the Steelers after losing to the Browns last Sunday? It's a fair question because the Browns walked into Heinz Field without a head coach, certain players from Covid-19 missing, and the Browns have not won at Heinz field in seventeen games. The Steelers ended up finding themselves down 28-0 in the first quarter and just couldn't catch up to the Browns.
Minkah spoke with the media during a zoom call today. He outlined the Steeler's issues during the Browns game and spoke about the Steelers going into the offseason. He said he is not worried about how many guys are heading into free agency this offseason with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Minkah understands the NFL is a business. The only thing Minkah is going to miss will be the relationships he has built-in Pittsburgh. Fitzpatrick says it is what it is in regards to losing many free agents in the offseason. "It is part of the job in the NFL," said Minkah.
The Steelers were expected to keep playing this week heading into the Divisional round. Minkah explains the Steelers have had very high expectations for the Steelers heading into the Playoffs. Especially for the Veterans in the Steelers locker room who do not have many years left. Fitzpatrick says it was very disappointing, but he does not want to try and get too emotional about it because it is part of the game of football.
Leaving people wide open was one of the causes that Minkah brought up for losing to the Browns. He said they lost for a reason. He didn't feel like the Steelers were outplayed physically, but he felt guys were out of their gaps throughout the game. He said there were several issues during the game that made the Steelers lose, but it was mostly 100 percent mental. Fitzpatrick says TJ Watt and Cam Heyward were right in saying the overall execution was the issue why the Steelers lost to the Browns.
The turning point for Minkah Fitzpatrick was the Washington Football Game during the 2020 season. He said the team couldn't fully recover from that loss. That loss sparked a 3 game losing streak and the Steelers ended up winning 1 out of 6 games. This offseason the Steelers will have to make a lot of changes to their coaching staff and players if they want to get back into contention. It could possibly take a couple of years to overcome their losses this offseason, but eventually, they will get the train back on track.