T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick anchored a 2019 Steelers defense that ranked top-five in the NFL across the board.
The Steelers finished fifth in yards-per-game allowed (304.1), fifth in points-per-game allowed (18.9), first in sacks (54), second in interceptions (20) and second in forced fumbles (22), good for a plus-eight turnover differential despite some horrific quarterback play (multiple four-interception games, anyone?) down the stretch.
Now, Pro Football Talk (PFT) is rewarding the play of Watt and Fitzpatrick with a little end-of-season hardware, as they've both been named to PFT's 2019 All-Pro team.
Unlike the official Associated Press All-Pro teams, PFT simply assembles one team of the best players from across the NFL for its year-end project. Other notable selections include Ravens quarterback (and likely NFL MVP) Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey (who became just the third player in NFL history to record 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season) and Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas, who set an NFL record with 149 receptions.
Watt and Fitzpatrick certainly earned their spots among the NFL's elite this season. Watt could well be named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, although the Steelers missing the playoffs ultimately hurts his chances there. Still, Watt's numbers and his impact are all there, a point I've held even before he capped off his stellar 2019 campaign.
Watt tied for fourth with 14.5 sacks, tied for first with eight forced fumbles, tied for second with four fumble recoveries and added two interceptions, becoming the first Steelers player in franchise history to register back-to-back 13-sack seasons in the process. He was dominant every time he took the field. For his part, though, Watt isn't too concerned about the award:
"No. Not really. I want to win games,” he told our lead Steelers reporter Dale Lolley in mid-December when asked if he paid attention to the Defensive Player of the Year race.
Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, was acquired before Week 3 in a rare midseason trade. The Steelers snagged Fitzpatrick, a 2020 fourth-round pick and a 2021 seventh-round pick from the Dolphins in exchange for their 2020 first- and fifth-round picks and a 2021 sixth-round pick.
It took exactly one game for Steelers fans to see why Kevin Colbert and company accepted such a high buying price. In his first appearance as a Steeler, Fitzpatrick tallied five tackles (four solo), a quarterback hit, an interception and a forced fumble, playing 100 percent of the defensive snaps despite a shortened week to learn a new playbook and a new system in an eventual loss on the road to the 49ers.
“It was tough at first, but obviously the more you practice at it and the more reps you get at it, the more comfortable you get,” Fitzpatrick was telling me in early November of digesting the Steelers’ defensive scheme on short notice. “I’m good now, but at first — football’s football — but learning the little differences and the little nuances that are different was challenging."
Later in the year, Fitzpatrick did stuff like this, too:
MINKAH FITZPATRICK: 96-YARD PICK 6!
3 INTs in the last 6 days ? @minkfitz_21 #INDvsPIT
?: CBS
?: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/GjhTr4sGG6 pic.twitter.com/aEfxFO842N
— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2019
In all, Fitzpatrick finished with 68 tackles (43 solo), a tackle for a loss, a quarterback hit, five interceptions, nine passes defended, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two touchdowns.
Both Watt and Fitzpatrick were also selected for this year's Pro Bowl, so now the question becomes: Will official All-Pro selections follow?
