The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have much time to do anything but move on to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs after falling to the Baltimore Ravens on December 21. But Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen did have time to be highly critical of his defensive teammates in front of the media.
Queen “had strong words” for his unit, which gave up 400 offensive yards for the second consecutive game. Both of those contests were losses, as the Steelers have fallen to 10-5 and into a first place tie in the AFC North.
“Guys gotta take a long look in the mirror and get better,” Queen told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko. “If you’re supposed to be in a certain position, you gotta be in that [expletive] position.
“It’s that simple.”
The Steelers defense allowed 417 yards in the 34-17 loss to the Ravens. In Week 15, the Steelers yielded 401 yards to the Philadelphia Eagles.
It was the first time since 2019 that the Steelers allowed 400 yards in back-to-back games.
Steelers Fall to Patrick Queen’s Former Team
Queen played the first four seasons of his career with the Ravens, so the Week 16 contest likely held extra meaning to the inside linebacker.
The Steelers knocked off the Ravens in Pittsburgh during Week 11. Queen recorded 10 combined tackles and a forced fumble in that victory. Overall, the Steelers defense recorded 3 takeaways in the 18-16 win.
But with a chance to secure the AFC North title, the Steelers defense came up short on December 21.
For a second straight game, the unit’s tackling was subpar. But in Week 16, it was the Steelers run defense that was most porous.
Pittsburgh yielded 220 rushing yards to Derrick Henry and the Ravens. Quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 3 touchdowns.
Against the Eagles, the Steelers allowed 270 passing yards.
Steelers Defense Dealing With Multiple Injuries
There’s one logical explanation for the subpar play from the Steelers defense the past two games — injuries.
The unit was missing three starters in Week 16 — safety DeShon Elliott, cornerback Donte Jackson and defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi. Elliott and Ogunjobi also missed the Eagles matchup.
In the first half against the Ravens, other starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. left with a knee injury. He tried to return during the third quarter and then was downgraded to out.
So, the Steelers played a majority of Week 16 with three-quarters of their starting secondary.
Head coach Mike Tomlin downplayed that impact against Henry and the Ravens ground game. But on two of Jackson’s touchdown passes, Ravens receivers were wide open due to communication issues from the Steelers secondary, perhaps caused by the usual depth defensive backs on the field.
Now is not the time for the Steelers to be dealing with a lot of injuries on defense. The team will play its third game in 11 days versus the Chiefs on Christmas Day.
After two straight losses, the Steelers must beat the Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18 to win the AFC North. The Steelers have clinched a playoff spot, but if they lose one of their last two games, then they will need the Ravens to lose a contest too to capture the division title.
If there’s any good news on the injury front, Jackson and Ogunjobi were both questionable ahead of Week 16, so they had a chance to play. Elliott also practiced in limited fashion on December 19.
Those players, and the rest of the Steelers, have three days to rest before hosting the Chiefs.
