Steelers Fans Finally Get A Great Message About The Defense Heading Into Week 5

The Pittsburgh Steelers have begun the 2025 season with a 3-1 record, despite some shaky performances on both sides of the ball. The defense has struggled to get going, and the offense has been trying to find its identity throughout the first four weeks of the season. The group played its most complete game of the 2025 season in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings. The defense was able to stop the run while applying significant pressure in the passing game, and the offense moved the ball through the air and on the ground.

Going into the season, most fans were worried about the offense, but the play of the defense quickly changed that. Pittsburgh rosters the highest-paid defense in the league, and the group has underperformed so far in 2025. The defense gave up 32 points to a putrid New York Jets offense, and it then struggled to stop the opposing offense from moving the ball in both Week 2 and Week 3. The performance against Minnesota provided some optimism, and inside linebacker Patrick Queen spoke to the media on Tuesday, sharing some inspiring messages.

"There's a standard here," Queen said. "There's a standard in the league that we weren't obtaining, or upholding, I can say. We wanted to get back to having fun. Coming in on meetings and giving up what we were giving up, it's never fun. So it kind of feels good coming back to a meeting and have fun."

According to Queen's comments, it sounds like the defense is having fun again after forcing five turnovers against the New England Patriots in Week 3 and then putting up its best performance of the season in Week 4. The first two weeks were not that way as the group got shredded, which certainly made the vibe within the facility a little rough.

Pittsburgh gave up over 100 yards on the ground in each of its first three games of the 2025 season, which is exactly what cannot happen. A successful running game from an opposing offense sets up its passing game for success, especially in play-action. It also hurts the Steelers when it comes to time of possession, which is a good metric to determine the tone of a game. 

The Steelers were able to shut down the run against the Vikings, and this put Minnesota in more passing situations. This allowed Pittsburgh's pass rush to really tee off, and that showed as the group totaled six sacks in the win. This kind of play needs to continue as Pittsburgh moves its way through the 2025 season, especially with the inferior opponents the group has coming up on the schedule. Pittsburgh's next two games after its bye week come against the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals, and they have been two of the worst offenses in the league with uncertain quarterback situations.

Steelers' Patrick Queen Is Living Up To Expectations

The organization signed Queen during the 2024 offseason to the most lucrative contract given out by the franchise in free agency. The expectations were high for him as he came off of an All-Pro season in 2023, and he didn't quite meet those expectations in Pittsburgh during the 2024 season. He still played like an above-average linebacker for Pittsburgh, but there was more to be desired. 

Queen has gotten off to a much better start in 2025. He seems to be better in coverage and he has also been a force when it comes to making plays in the backfield. If he can continue to improve as the season moves along, he might find himself in the All-Pro conversation at the end of the year.

What did you think about Queen's comments on the defense? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation