Steelers Defender Issues Condemning Statement On Coaching Staff's Preparation Ahead Of Matchup With Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a disappointing contest to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7 as the defense struggled to slow down the Bengals. Cincinnati was able to make the Pittsburgh defense look foolish on the ground and through the air, which is not a good sign for the unit as they've been playing better in recent weeks. The defensive side of the ball certainly took a step back in Week 7, and the group will look to rebound in Week 8 on Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers in a game that will be full of storylines.

Joe Flacco was traded to the Bengals less than two weeks before his matchup with Pittsburgh, and he was still able to dice up the Steelers' defense. The game seemed to come easy for the veteran quarterback, and the running game being effective for Cincinnati only helped the newly acquired signal-caller. The Bengals averaged over six yards per carry in the game, which is a number that Pittsburgh's defense should never be giving up. 

Inside linebacker Patrick Queen spoke to the media on Monday, and he was asked what went wrong in defending the run. His response came as a shock to many.

"I think we just wasn't on it," Queen said. "I don't think we were physical enough. I don't think we were expecting the run. Because you know, the whole rankings, and this and that. Thought they'd only run the ball this amount of times. We got pretty complacent with thinking they weren't going to run the ball a lot. They kind of didn't run a lot, but definitely can't have that. Got to get better at that."

The Bengals finished the game with 142 rushing yards, and Chase Brown ran the ball 11 times for 108 yards -- that was by far his best game of the 2025 season. The running back hadn't eclipsed 50 yards in a game before playing the Steelers, which is part of why the Pittsburgh defense did not expect the Bengals to utilize the running game as much as they did.

These comments from Queen are fairly concerning. It was a short week ahead of this game, and the Bengals having both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins obviously makes the passing game extremely daunting to go against. Pittsburgh's priority was probably stopping the pass, but the defense couldn't even do that. Assuming a team will not attempt to use the run in a meaningful way during a game is a wild example of coaching malpractice, as both sides of the ball should be prepared for anything that could be thrown out at them going into any game.

Pittsburgh's defense has had trouble stopping the run earlier in the 2025 season, and it was an issue that essentially ended the organization's season in 2024. A lot of focus was put on fixing that problem during the 2025 offseason, but the problem still pops up every once in a while. The team better find a way to figure things out, because the Packers' rushing attack is scary with Josh Jacobs leading the way.

Steelers' Patrick Queen Has Stepped Up In 2025 Despite Defensive Struggles

Queen looks more comfortable within Pittsburgh's defense during his second season with the team, and he has been having a great season so far. The linebacker seemed to fail to meet some people's expectations during his first season with the team in 2024, but he has made a name for himself in Pittsburgh during the 2025 season. He is playing near an All-Pro level, which is something that was expected of him after he signed.

The veteran has racked up 48 tackles and a sack in 2025, and he has been much better in coverage. He needs to continue playing at a high level while Pittsburgh tries to turn things around on the defensive side of the ball.

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

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