Former Baltimore Ravens ILB Patrick Queen spent a lot of time losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Earlier this season, he helped the Steelers beat the Ravens but is now on the other end. And while he isn’t happy, he insists it’s not because of who the Steelers lost to. Rather, it’s how they lost.
“It’s not even Baltimore”, Queen said of his emotions after the Steelers’ loss to the Ravens, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It’s just sloppy football. I love the game too much for the shit that happened today to fly by past. It’s just simple stuff that shouldn’t be happening happening. Whatever we’ve got to do, coming in this week, we’ve got to do. There’s no looking back. There’s only looking forward”.
A former Ravens first-round pick, Queen decamped to the Steelers as a free agent this offseason. He admitted that initially he had some hard feelings about how his time in Baltimore ended, but that he was over it. While that may be somewhat less than entirely true, his claim above does check out. The Steelers had one of their worst defensive games of the year when they needed one of their best.
And Queen certainly didn’t excuse himself in his harsh postgame critique. While he did lead the Steelers with eight tackles, adding one pass defensed, he didn’t have a great game. In particular, he mentioned their work in man coverage, and he allowed a big catch or two for the Ravens in such situations. I suspect he was talking about himself as much as about anybody there.
The Steelers allowed 34 points to the Ravens, though the defense only allowed 27. That’s still tied for the second-most they’ve allowed all season. Their 418 net yards allowed was also the second-most all season, and the second week in a row allowing 400-plus.
They are trending in the wrong direction at the worst possible time, though to no great shock. The Steelers are in the midst of what people were calling a gauntlet back in May. Losing to the Eagles and Ravens on the road isn’t exactly a mark of shame, but it’s no less aggravating. Especially for Patrick Queen, who is the quarterback of the Steelers’ defense.
Outside of Fitzpatrick’s interception, the Steelers’ impact plays were few and far between. Alex Highsmith recorded a strip-sack, but the Ravens recovered the loose ball. Truth be told, Patrick Queen had a very low-impact game. Of his eight tackles, seven resulted in a successful play for the offense. And that doesn’t even get into coverage.
But this isn’t just about Queen because nobody on the Steelers really played a particularly good game. Sure, as always, they had their plays here and there, but their impact quickly diminished. The Ravens showed great resilience and just kept coming, overpowering the Steelers. For a prideful player like Queen, it’s no surprise why he feels livid today.
