The trio of T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick has played just four total defensive series together this season.
That is soon to change with the return of Fitzpatrick, who practiced in full this week for the first time in a month and said after Friday's practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex he will suit up when the Steelers oppose the Cardinals Sunday at 1 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium.
"You don't know (about hamstring injuries) until you go," Fitzpatrick said. "It's one of those injuries where you could feel great and then you could go out there and run and you're at 110 (percent) and feel great, and then you might pop some scar tissue or tweak it a little bit. Especially as a DB, a receiver, or a running back or something like that, you don't want to be out there until you're 110 percent and you can play at full go. It's one of those things you've got to take your time with, be patient -- which is annoying."
Heyward sustained his groin injury in Week 1, and that sidelined him for six games. Over that stretch, the Steelers went 4-2 and allowed 19.5 points per game.
He returned to face the Titans on Nov. 2, but that was the first of four games Fitzpatrick would miss because of his hamstring injury sustained early in the first quarter against the Jaguars the week prior.
Over Fitzpatrick's four-game absence, the Steelers went 3-1 and allowed 14.5 points per game but faced Will Levis, Jordan Love, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Jake Browning at quarterback.
But, they don't want to hear about who they have faced. Teryl Austin has had to navigate through losing two starting inside linebackers for the season, his defensive captain missing six games, and one of the best safeties in the league missing four games. Having Watt, Heyward, and Fitzpatrick on the field together again will only boost what has already been accomplished.
"I think it helps our defense when we have three quality players like that, and I think we've got to get those guys better and playing, and if we get them all together and we're playing well and we continue with an upward trajectory, I think we're going to like it," Austin said Thursday. "Because I think we have outstanding players, and those guys are three at the best at their position in the league. If we have all three of them on the field together, we can only hope we play better."
The Steelers' 18.6 points allowed per game is good for fifth in the NFL, but they have allowed 354.4 yards per game to rank 25th in the league. Part of that correlates to time of possession from their offense, as the Steelers have possessed the ball for more than 30 minutes just twice this season -- at Las Vegas and at Cincinnati, both of which resulted in wins. The offense's 37:17 of possession time Sunday was their season high, and that affords a defense missing key pieces opportunities to rest. The Bengals ran just 41 offensive plays Sunday.
"It's huge. The best defenses spend a lot of time on the bench," Watt said Friday. "The offense, obviously, was able to move the ball and allow us to stay on the bench a good amount. We're still preaching the three-and-out song, we're going to continue to do that as the season goes on, and really good defenses stay on the bench and that's what we're going to try to continue to do."
Fitzpatrick's return will be a major boost to that battle cry. The Steelers are set for two home matchups against the Cardinals' 25th-ranked offense Sunday and the Patriots' 31st-ranked offense Thursday. Watt said getting Fitzpatrick back will help in a major way with communication aspects.
"The communication was huge," Watt said. "I thought we did a great job over the last two weeks and being on the road was a factor in allowing us to communicate appropriately and obviously getting Mink back helps significantly in the back end with some communication. Being back home is going to be awesome for an environment but it's also going to be a challenge for us when it comes to communication as a defense."
While Fitzpatrick has been out, Austin has leaned on Patrick Peterson at spots at safety, but Trenton Thompson gave the Steelers a boost Sunday against the Bengals. With Keanu Neal and Elijah Riley on injured reserve, more opportunities could be coming for the second-year pro out of San Diego State.
"I think all the guys that had to step up, I think they did a great job," Fitzpatrick said. "I think Elijah, he's a guy that is smart, he knows where to be, he's physical, he provides a lot of splash for us on special teams, and when you've got a guy like that on defense, there was no surprise in the way that he played, what he provided. Trent, the same thing. He's a guy that, as soon as I went down, I knew he was going in and I knew that he was going to go out there and make plays. Both of those guys have earned themselves helmets from here on out, so it's a big deal when you've got guys that are stepping up like that, and it's good for the DB room, for sure."
Austin has also been pleased with Thompson's work. Thompson racked up five tackles and secured an interception in the red zone on the Bengals' first drive of the second half Sunday. Austin teased more opportunity could be coming Thompson's way going forward.
"We'll see about that," Austin said. "I think he has. He's really -- I think the last two weeks, talk about a guy, for some people say come out of nowhere, but he was given his opportunity, and I think he thrived in that opportunity. If he's a good football player and he can continue to help us, we need to find a place for him."
