Patrick Queen wants all the smoke. Whether it’s from the Washington Commanders or seeing his former team the Baltimore Ravens for the first time since signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s ready for the fight. Mike Tomlin knows it’ll be a 12-round sparring match Sunday afternoon when the Ravens visit Acrisure Stadium.
“He’s gonna have plenty of opportunity for that,” Tomlin said via the team’s YouTube channel when asked about Queen wanting to be a villain. “There’s a lot of villains on both sides of this rivalry.”
Queen wasn’t quiet about leaving the Ravens for the Steelers. He got loud. He praised Pittsburgh for being a strong football city with better food than Baltimore, needling Ravens fans and his former teammates, including trolling CB Marlon Humphrey when Humphrey questioned if the grass would be greener in Pittsburgh.
In March, Queen didn’t ignore the elephant in the room. Defecting from Baltimore won’t be forgotten by his now-former teammates when the Steelers and Ravens share the field.
“I wanna be that villain,” Queen said during his introductory press conference as a Steeler. “I wanna be that guy, so I’m looking to do some stuff to them.”
Queen is playing his best football of the season and coming off an impactful game against the Washington Commanders. He led the team with seven tackles, two for a loss, and a pass breakup over the middle. He showed the sideline-to-sideline range to handle the Commanders’ perimeter run game and QB Jayden Daniels’ legs, two things he’ll have to replicate against QB Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ potent rushing game.
Queen facing the Ravens will be one of the top storylines in a weekend full of them. But no matter the individuals, the team is what matters most. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are two of the conference’s top teams and this game has first place in the AFC North on the line. A Steelers victory would give them breathing room in the division with the Week 16 rematch likely becoming must-win for the Ravens.
Another quality game from Queen might make him the villain in Baltimore but the hero in Pittsburgh.
