PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - They are two of the brightest young stars at their respective positions, and Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will go head-to-head for the fourth time in their football careers Sunday at Heinz Field.
Only one of the previous three meetings came in the NFL. In 2018, Fitzpatrick was a rookie with the Dolphins when Watson, in his second season, led the Texans to victory, throwing five touchdown passes.
"Deshaun Watson is a great player," Fitzpatrick said Thursday. "Everything he's received he definitely deserved, for sure. He can make all the throws across the field. He's accurate. He can use his feet. He extends plays. He breaks tackles in the backfield and just crazy stuff that not a lot of quarterbacks can do across the league, maybe one of two other guys across the league."
Fitzpatrick, while at Alabama, faced Watson, who was at Clemson, in the 2016 and 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship games. The Crimson Tide won the first meeting, 45-40, despite four Watson touchdown passes.
"I just remember he was a player that I respected, man," Fitzpatrick said. "He was a tough, gritty guy, which you don't see a lot at quarterback. We were putting it on him. We were hitting him. He was escaping the pocket, and we were still beating him up. You could tell he was hurting, but he was getting back up."
Watson and his Tigers teammates got revenge the following year, beating Alabama, 35-31. Fitzpatrick was no less impressed.
"He definitely earned my respect after those two games," Fitzpatrick said. "Then when he got to the league, while I was still a junior, he was just making plays and doing what he does. He's a great player. I have the utmost respect for him. He's a good guy off the field, as well."
