Steelers' Mike Tomlin Admits He Was Completely Lost At A Point During Win Over Ravens: "Uncomfortable"

The Pittsburgh Steelers came off one of their most tumultuous weeks in recent memory and responded with a key divisional win to take back the AFC North lead, which gave the team full control of its own destiny. That 27-22 win over the Baltimore Ravens got very ugly and there were worries in the second half, but the collective held on to take what it needed. Now, the franchise have to make sure it doesn't get too comfortable again, or else Baltimore can and will take full advantage of that, especially with the rematch in the final week of the season. 

That was not a comfortable win by any means, and even Head Coach Mike Tomlin had some concerns. While expressing those worries in his postgame press conference, he admitted that losing his green dot on defense for a point was not fun.

"We started having linebackers go down; that period of time when Patrick Queen was unavailable was uncomfortable," Tomlin said. "That's just the component of it. That's why it's the ultimate team game. I'm just appreciative of the collective efforts."

Linebacker Patrick Queen is the defensive quarterback for Pittsburgh, and so he has to be on the field for every snap, or things get complicated. His performance has been very up-and-down throughout the 2025 season, and he has struggled with handling criticism from outside the organization. However, Tomlin clearly holds him in a high regard with how uncomfortable he felt with having someone else wear the green dot on the field. 

With that, Tomlin essentially said that he was uncomfortable with the other linebackers that were expected to step up for Queen, with the primary worry being Payton Wilson. The second-year starter had some practice reps with the green dot while the former Raven healed up from a previous injury, so he was called upon to call out the plays and make sure everyone was where they needed to be while playing at a high level.

Queen was only out for parts of one drive, but when he was on the sideline, Wilson and the Steelers held firm and prevented the Ravens from scoring a touchdown. The veteran came back and helped shut down the drive, which forced a field goal, and it was the last time Baltimore scored in the contest. Tomlin seemingly took a sigh of relief when his defensive quarterback ran back onto the field to finish what the team started.

Part of that nervousness came from the fact that run specialist Malik Harrison suffered a concussion earlier in the game, and the linebacker core got even lighter when Queen went down. However, the Steelers do have a lot of talent at the position, as well as a lot of depth. That core may not have gotten any love from the national media, but for the most part, it stepped up and did its job throughout the game. 

Backup linebacker Cole Holcomb stepped up for Harrison and led the team with nine tackles. Wilson was tied for fourth with six tackles, with both of those players having four solo stops. They proved that they can step up and do what they're asked to. Holcomb had to do that back when Harrison was on Injured Reserve (IR), so Tomlin should have total faith in that veteran to do what he needs to.

Steelers Still Have Some Trust Issues

There have been many reports about the Steelers being unable to trust that each guy will be where they need to be. That didn't seem to be a problem, but those issues may stem from Tomlin, who seemed to not trust the linebackers when Queen was out. He needs to have more faith in his guys to do what's right, and then it will be easier for them to have trust in each other.

What do you think about Tomlin's little shot at the linebacker core? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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