The Pittsburgh Steelers officially entered the second half of their season with a 28-27 win over the Washington Commanders. It's no secret that they have a rough road ahead with all of their divisional games looming. The Steelers will get through this gauntlet one game or even one play at a time. The first game is against the Baltimore Ravens, whom the Steelers face in Week 11, and the key might lie in someone very familiar to them.
The Ravens might be a half-game behind the Steelers, but they are still one of the best teams in the NFL, led by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. As if it isn't tough enough to stop Jackson's legs, he has elevated his passing game and has become a threat through the air. The Ravens also made one of the biggest offseason acquisitions when they signed running back, Derrick Henry.
Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show recently spoke with the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show about the upcoming game. There are concerns about how the highest-paid defense in the league gave up 27 points to the Commanders. Show host Adam Crowley pointed out that the Steelers' defense didn't play as poorly as 27 points might indicate. They handed them seven points when the fake punt failed and still held them under their season average in yards. The defense only allowed 242 total yards, 60 of them rushing. They managed to minimize the impact of Jayden Daniels and didn't give up a single point in the fourth quarter.
"Going to provide an interesting challenge this week," said Kaboly. "The way that the Ravens have been successful in the past against the Steelers is by running the ball. People you've never heard of run for decent yards and now you've got some horse with 10 days off coming into town."
The Ravens played their Week 10 game on Thursday night, so they will get a few extra days of rest, which makes some uneasy. Kaboly said regardless, he isn't worried about this defense. He thinks they need to tighten up so they stop getting gashed with long plays like the one right after halftime against the Commanders.
Otherwise, Kaboly believes they have all the talent necessary to stop them. Kaboly noted that a former Raven, Patrick Queen, could be critical to minimizing Jackson's ability to move the ball.
"Speaking of a guy who will be absolutely jacked up for this game and has been playing very well lately is Patrick Queen," added Kaboly. "There's no bigger trash talker in the world than Patrick Queen, and he's starting to really play well. Can you imagine how fired up he's going to be for this Ravens game? He could be that X-factor that keeps Lamar in check. You see how quick he is from sideline to sideline. You hear it, but then you see it, oh my goodness. You haven't seen that since [Ryan] Shazier."
The Steelers made their biggest free agency signing in history when they brought in Queen, a linebacker, during the 2024 offseason. Queen has gotten off to a slow start, but has steadily shown improvement and was a difference-maker against the Commanders. He was all over the field and added to the pressure the defense exerted with seven tackles.
Steelers' Patrick Queen Will Be Put To The Test
Kaboly isn't wrong about the amount of trash-talking Queen has done since arriving in Pittsburgh, and it hasn't been all on the field. Queen likely had some feelings about the Ravens choosing to pay Roquan Smith over him and wasted no time in making his former team his new rival.
Queen has been very open about the experience and about professing his love of the Steel City—praising everything from the fans to the food. While some of those players will always be like brothers, he has embraced the city of Pittsburgh, saying he was born for Renegade.
The fans have wasted no time embracing him. The Steelers have been desperate for consistency at the inside linebacker position ever since Ryan Shazier was injured, and Queen feels like he could be that guy.
