Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Kyle Dugger’s 74-yard pick-six off Joe Flacco in the third quarter of Sunday’s game was a rare feat. Only two other Steelers safeties have had pick sixes over the last 22 years — Minkah Fitzpatrick and Troy Polamalu. To say the least, that’s pretty good company to join.
Duggar’s interception was the longest one since Fitzpatrick’s 96-yard pick-six against the Indianapolis Colts in 2019. It was also the first pick-six by a Steelers safety since Fitzpatrick in 2022.
KYLE DUGGER PICK-6 OFF JOE FLACCO.
CINvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/pMduSrhO1R
— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025
Dugger has turned heads since being acquired from the New England Patriots in a trade following DeShon Elliott’s knee injury in later October. With just three days of practice, Dugger started at strong safety in the Steelers’ Week 9 win over the Colts.
“This guy got on the moving train, man, and played a lot of defense for us today, and we needed it,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said afterward. “We were really short at the safety position. Coupled with D. Elliott’s injury. We have some illness and soft-tissue injuries. We’re running super thin, and that dude came in here … and gave us some quality work.”
After being shipped to his new team earlier this week, Dugger had to immerse himself in a different vocabulary. His days since arriving were jam-packed.
“Just a bunch of work,” Dugger said. “Bunch of work. Meetings with my coaches. Looking at film. Making calls, things like that. Communicating with them. So it’s just been a grind of getting in the playbook.”
He credited his teammates, including veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey and fellow safety Juan Thornhill, for helping him out during the victory and during his short time wearing black and gold.
“I think it had everything to do with my coaches and the team,” Dugger said. “My teammates (were) kinda making things (easier with) the terminology, as far as what I used to play and just kinda matching it up and laying it up for me and just kinda simplifying it in meetings and communicating on the field in practice. Every rep counted.”
Dugger played in 81 games and started 69 of them during his five-plus seasons with the Patriots.
Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Safety Kyle Dugger Joins Elite Company with Pick-Six vs. Bengals
