Patrick Queen was a part of the No. 1-ranked Baltimore Ravens defense in 2023, which allowed just 280 total points, but he still feels this year’s Pittsburgh Steelers defense can be the best of his career. Even after a shaky start in Week 1, Queen sees his defense rounding into form.
He was asked if this could be the best unit he’s played with on The Jim Rome Show this afternoon.
“Without a doubt,” Queen said. “I think starting with this practice today, we look better. But like I said, you gotta practice the way you wanna play, and then when you get to the game, you gotta turn that up a notch. And I think that we are more than capable of doing that this coming Sunday. I love what we saw in practice today.
“…When you look at the front, we got an incredible front. When you look at the back end, we got an incredible back end. I think our linebackers are really, really great. I think we just gotta go out there and showcase.”
One game doesn’t make or break a unit, but it certainly threw cold water on Mike Tomlin’s “historic” defense comments he made leading up to the season.
To be clear, Queen wasn’t excusing their play in Week 1. He was blunt in his assessment that they “played like shit.”
The New York Jets scored 32 points on them, which will result in a loss more often than not in the NFL. That is the fifth-most points allowed in the league for Week 1. The 182 rushing yards against them were the fourth most in the league, and they still allowed an additional 212 yards through the air.
The secondary that was supposed to be able to match up with any team in the league allowed far too many big plays, and the defensive front got pushed around and outclassed by a young offensive line in New York.
Maybe the Jets end up surprising the league this year with a new quarterback and coaching staff in place, but that was a five-win team last year that nearly beat the Steelers.
This week is an opportunity for the Steelers’ defense to prove that Week 1 was an anomaly. If they can’t, then it might be time to start worrying.
