On Monday night, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick left the game against the Cleveland Browns and could not return after suffering a chest injury. You could see Fitzpatrick on the sidelines really struggling before being taken to the locker room. According to NFL reporter Tom Pelissero, Fitzpatrick was hospitalized briefly but has been released and looks to be okay.
Fitzpatrick suffered the injury in making a tackle on Browns running back Jerome Ford. Fitzpatrick chased Ford down and delayed the touchdown but at a cost.
#Steelers star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was released from the hospital Monday night after undergoing precautionary scans for what is believed to be a chest contusion, per sources. The scans were negative and there’s optimism Fitzpatrick will be fine moving forward. pic.twitter.com/4QAjMXmUAH
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 19, 2023
For the game, Fitzpatrick was strong but did find himself in the midst of some controversy early on. Fitzpatrick went in low to tackle Browns running back Nick Chubb and ended up taking out Chubb at the knees. Chubb suffered what has been characterized as a season-ending injury, opening Fitzpatrick up for criticism for the hit. There’s no way Fitzpatrick went low to injure Chubb. There is no back harder to tackle than Chubb in the NFL. Going low is the only option for any defender trying to bring him down.
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