Minkah Fitzpatrick says he was not trying to end Nick Chubb's season when his goal line tackle resulted in a devastating injury ... defending himself and claiming the controversial hit wasn't a dirty play.
The three-time Pro Bowler broke his silence on the incident with reporters on Thursday ... clapping back at critics who say the result could have been prevented.
"You can tell me how to tackle him low, but it's a fast game," Fitzpatrick said. "It's a game where you make decisions in milliseconds."
"Can't really control what happens after you choose to make your decision. I already chose to go low. Somebody got on his back when I was going low, and what happened happened. There's nothing I really would do differently."
Chubb will be sidelined for the rest of the season ... and his football career remains up in the air as a long road to recovery awaits him.
Fitzpatrick said it's still unfortunate what happened and he hopes Chubb gets well soon.
"Nick Chubb's a great player," Fitzpatrick said. "He makes the game a lot better when he's playing."
Not everyone is criticizing Fitzpatrick for the tackle ... Steelers legend James Harrison told us the blame for the hit falls on the NFL's shoulders due to its restrictive tackling rules.