"That was a play Troy Polamalu would have made."

That was the thought of Steelers fans who watched new Pittsburgh starting free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick turn Sunday's home game against the Colts on its head. With the visiting Colts threatening to run away with the game early, Fitzpatrick jumped in front of Brian Hoyer's pass and returned it 96 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown. 

The pick, Fitzpatrick's third in six days and fourth since joining the Steelers two weeks into the regular season, helped Pittsburgh rally to win their third straight game and fourth game since trading next year's first round pick to the Dolphins. Speaking of the Dolphins, it was Fitzpatrick's two interceptions that made the difference in Pittsburgh's come-from-behind victory over Miami in Week 8. 

In fact, Fitzpatrick's presence has helped make the Steelers relevant at the midway point in the regular season when their season appeared all but over after Ben Roethlisberger sustained a season-ending injury two weeks into the year. But just hours after it was determined that Big Ben's elbow injury would be a season-ender, the Steelers sent shockwaves across the NFL after trading for Fitzpatrick, who, for various reasons, wanted a fresh start with a new team a year after being the 11th overall pick in the draft. 

While the trade was debated by fans and media members alike, Bill Cowher, who won a Super Bowl near the tail end of his 15-year run as the Steelers' head coach, immediately saw what Pittsburgh was trying to do. 

"Football is the total team game," Cowher said on CBS Sports HQ shortly after the Steelers acquired Fizpatrick. "When you look at it from that standpoint, I actually do like what they did in going out and getting Minkah Fitzpatrick, because what they've done now is they've kind of shored up their defense and filled a little bit of the void they had at safety. 

"Sean Davis hasn't been able to stay healthy there, and Minkah Fitzpatrick is a very good football player, a proven player who has been in this league for a year now," Cowher continued. "He's young, he has multiple years on his contract. He gives you a lot of versatility from the standout of that he can play a lot of different positions and lot of different roles. 

"So, I think at this point, you kinda go back to a little bit of the onus that when Ben goes down, everyone talks about the offensive side. Now, the onus goes back on the defense and shoring that up and taking the responsibility of keeping the games close, creating opportunities for their offense. Kind of like last week. They gave up some big plays, but they also created some big plays in terms of getting two fumbles that led to scores for their offense."

With Big Ben out, and with Fitzpatrick in the fold, the defense has undoubtedly become the Steelers' strength. Through eight games, Pittsburgh's defense is a respectable 11th in the NFL in yards allowed and 13th in points per game allowed. They are third in the league in interceptions and have already recorded more picks (11) this season than they did in the entire 2018 season (eight). 

The Steelers are also second in the league with 22 forced turnovers, ninth in pass defense, and fifth in the league with 29 sacks through eight games, Pittsburgh's highest total at the midway point since 2008, the last time the Steelers won the Super Bowl. This is a defense, mind you, that allowed 61 points and 890 total yards in their two games before trading for Fitzpatrick. 

Fitzpatrick leads the Steelers with four interceptions and six pass breakups. When asked about his new safety's impact, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin has a simple answer. 

"The tape is his story teller," Tomlin said following Pittsburgh's win over the Colts. "He's been really rock solid." 

The tape shows a young safety who has made significant strides after joining the Steelers. While he made an immediate impact after coming to Pittsburgh (he recorded an interception and a forced fumble in his first game as a Steeler), Fitzpatrick has been even better following the Steelers' Week 7 bye. Fitzpatrick, who used the bye week to learn more of the intricacies of Pittsburgh's defense, has recorded three interceptions in the Steelers' two games following their bye while only reinforcing the team's decision to trade for him. 

Yes, Fitzpatrick hasn't been the only Pittsburgh defender is who playing well. Outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who has 7.5 sacks thus far and is on pace to eclipse his 2018 sack total of 13 sacks. Fellow OLB and 2015 first round pick Bud Dupree is having a career year, as he is second on the team with six sacks and two forced fumbles. Defensive captain Cam Heyward, a Pro Bowler each of the last two years, is third on the team in sacks. Defensive backs Joe Haden, Mike Hilton, Cam Sutton and Terrell Edmunds are also having solid seasons, while inside linebacker Devin Bush, the team's 2019 first round pick, is enjoying an exceptional start to his NFL career, as he leads the team with 66 tackles and four fumble recoveries while also recording two interceptions through eight games. 

While other members of the Steelers' defense are enjoying strong seasons, Fitzpatrick is clearly the straw the stirs the drink. Since week 3, the Steelers have allowed just three deep pass completions on 15 attempts after allowing four deep completions in the season's first two weeks, according to Next Gen Stats. Pittsburgh's defense has also recorded three interceptions and have not allowed a touchdown pass on such pass attempts during that span after allowing three deep touchdown passes without an interception without Fitzpatrick. The opposing quarterback's passer rating on deep passes with Fitzpatrick on the field is a putrid 10.8 compared to the 141.4 rating the Steelers allowed in the season's first two weeks. 

"No matter how many times we're on the field, no matter how many points are on the board, we just gotta go out and execute," Fitzpatrick told reporters following Sunday's win. "That's what defenses are meant for. If they don't score, they don't win. If we kick one field goal, and they don't score any points, we win." 

Fitzpatrick is also excited to have played a significant role in Pittsburgh's climb back to relevancy when it comes to the AFC playoff conversation. 

"I think 4-4 is a good spot to be at," he said. "Could be better, it's not where we want to be at, but it's all we could be right now. Just gotta keep fighting. The Colts are a great team. We proved we can compete against good teams."