When this season began, it felt like the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to once again be led by their incredible defense. For the most part, that’s been true. However, the past few weeks have seen that once strong unit crumble to pieces. Miscommunication has really killed them, which is surprising considering the season is almost over. Patrick Queen did share a little insight into why he thinks that’s been an issue for the Steelers.
“I think it’s just a part of us going out there and doing it,” Queen said Monday via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s YouTube channel. “I think it’s just been a little second guessing here and there. Just not having full faith. I think that’s the biggest thing.
“I think if we just go out there, trust each other, go out there, just play freely, play like us, just play, have fun, play fast, play physical, do the things that the Steelers do, I think we’ll be fine.”
It’s unclear what Queen is saying the players don’t have full faith in, but that lack of trust in general would explain why they have looked so dysfunctional. It’s not like players have been shy about how they feel about their performances either. Multiple defensive starters have come out and torn their unit to shreds.
It doesn’t seem like anyone is running from responsibility. Anyone that has spoken up has owned the fact that they haven’t been good enough as a whole. It’s probably hard for the Steelers to trust each other when they so frequently turn around and find receivers wide open.
Losing can make everyone frustrated, though. No one likes losing, especially during this time of year. The Steelers were so close to winning the AFC North, but now, it seems unlikely that will happen. That’s partly because their defense hasn’t been as stout as it usually is.
However, it does sound like the Steelers addressed those issues during this small break. Hopefully, that leads to better results on the field. Based on what Queen is saying, it seems like he believes the team has sorted things out. They’re talking the talk, but they still have to walk the walk.
They’ll face a good test too. In their final regular-season game, they’ll play the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals’ offense is one of the NFL’s best, which means the Steelers’ defense is staring down a quality stress-test. Performing well this week would go a long way to getting them back on track.
