Minkah Fitzpatrick’s appendicitis recovery is nothing short of a Steelers miracle

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick miraculously recovered from appendix surgery after just one week. 

Minkah Fitzpatrick is expected to play against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon, a game the Steelers need to win should they wish to hold onto any slim remaining postseason hopes.

At 3-6, Pittsburgh is closer to clinching the No. 1 pick than a playoff spot, but a win on Sunday would change that ever so slightly.

When healthy, Minkah is one of the best safeties in all of football. There’s a reason Pittsburgh traded a first-round pick for him several years ago. He makes up for what is otherwise a lackluster Steelers secondary on the back end.

Pittsburgh’s defense looked better last week with T.J. Watt in tow. With Fitzpatrick back in the fold, as well, they have no excuse against a Bengals team minus Ja’Marr Chase.

Steelers: How did Minkah Fitzpatrick recover so quickly?

Per Ian Rapoport, Minkah Fitzpatrick identified his appendix issues quickly, rather than after it ruptured. So, he was able to recover from his surgery in nearly a quarter of the expected time for most.

“The worry is when they cut you open, they cut through muscle, obviously to get into your stomach,” Fitzpatrick said, per ESPN. “So you just want to make sure that that’s healed properly before you get out there and go.”

In Minkah’s first matchup against Joe Burrow this season, he intercepted the second pass of the game and returned it for a touchdown. It’s safe to assume he didn’t want to miss this one.

“That’s the dog in him, man,” fellow safety Damontae Kazee said. “I always tell Minkah, when I go home, I’ll be watching film. I gotta steal certain techniques of his that he does at practice. So I think it’s pretty cool.”

It’s those techniques, and the high expectations he sets for himself, that will lead to another outing on Sunday afternoon.