The Pittsburgh Steelers captured their biggest victory of the 2024 season when they took down the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The relationship between the two teams is considered one of the biggest rivalries in the NFL, and this installment saw some extra motivation both ways. There were players who switched sides of the rivalry during the 2024 offseason, and the winner of this game was going to take the lead in the AFC North. Pittsburgh had the lead going into the matchup, and the franchise was able to grow its lead in the division with the victory.
The biggest storyline going into this game was Patrick Queen, who was one of the players that switched sides of the rivalry. He signed with Pittsburgh during the 2024 offseason after spending the first four years of his career with the Ravens, and there was some animosity towards Queen from Baltimore even though they didn't offer him a second contract.
The linebacker has been heavily criticized since signing with Pittsburgh, and former Ravens linebacker Bart Scott took a shot at him on Friday morning by saying he made a mistake switching sides. After Pittsburgh's narrow victory over Baltimore, Queen took to social media to fire back at Scott, even calling out the former player's production.
Queen certainly remembered what he heard from Scott, as he took to social media just a couple hours after the game went final to fire back. The linebacker made a huge impact as Pittsburgh's defense was able to contain Lamar Jackson and Baltimore's offense. Queen made one of the biggest plays of the game when he forced a fumble at the end of the first half and recovered it himself. This set Pittsburgh up in good position to kick a field goal going into the half and take the lead.
The Steelers linebacker clearly had a chip on his shoulder while playing against his old team. He was an All-Pro while playing for Baltimore during the 2023 season, but for some reason wasn't offered a new contract ahead of free agency. Head Coach Mike Tomlin even defended his linebacker and took a shot at the Ravens after the game, stating how much he loves having Queen in Pittsburgh.
Steelers' Patrick Queen Is On Pace To Have A Much Better Career Than Bart Scott
Scott had a great career as a player, especially as someone who was undrafted. He made one Pro-Bowl and was named an All-Pro once during his 11-year career. Despite all of that, Queen is on pace to blow Scott's production out of the water. Queen is only in his fifth season in the NFL and the linebacker already has the same amount of interceptions as Scott. He has about half of the tackles that Scott did, and there is a narrow gap in nearly every other statistical category.
Queen will likely have a much better career than Scott, especially if he continues to play at the level he has over the last two weeks. Scott will probably remember Queen's performance the next time he thinks about calling out the linebacker or Pittsburgh's defense.
