Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick ruled out against Colts

Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will not return in the second half against the Colts, the team confirmed as the third quarter kicked off in Indianapolis.

Fitzpatrick injured his knee in the first half. His initial injury status was questionable.

UPDATE: Fitzpatrick will not return to today's game with a knee injury.

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 16, 2023

Minutes after Fitzpatrick was ruled out, his replacement went down with an injury. Trenton Thompson was shaken up while tackling Colts running back Tyler Goodson.

Meanwhile, officials ejected starting Steelers safety Damontae Kazee early in the game. That was after an illegal hit on Colts receiver Michael Pittman. The medical staff checked out Pittman, the Colts top receiver, for a concussion. He then was ruled out for the rest of the game.

Fitzpatrick, who battled hamstring issues earlier in the season, has 64 tackles and a tackle in his nine games of action. He still hasn’t grabbed an interception after pulling down a career high six in 2022. He injured his knee as he was defending Colts receiver Alex Pierce. Instead, he collided with teammate Patrick Peterson.

UPDATE — With the Steelers having so many issues in the secondary, the Colts stormed back. Pittsburgh owned a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter. But Indy reeled off 30 straight points.

No doubt, a second-half Colts drive put a stake in the Steelers’ heart. Indy used 15 plays and took almost nine minutes off the clock to drive 70 yards for a field goal. The Colts ran the ball on 13 of the 15 plays.