DB’s Steelers Dudes & Duds: Queen Stacks Impressive Games, Russ Struggles
DB's Steelers Dudes and Duds: Patrick Queen stacks his second impressive game. Russell Wilson has his first struggle.
The Pittsburgh Steelers offense wasn’t able to get into the end zone on Sunday but thanks to six field goals from Chris Boswell, they were still able to come away victorious versus the Baltimore Ravens, 18-16.
Once again, the defense proved to be Lamar Jackson’s kryptonite, suffocating the opposing offense all day long with few exceptions. It wasn’t a pretty game by any means but very few of these contests usually are. With the win, their stronghold on the AFC North lead has further increased and they control their own destiny in their pursuit of a home playoff game opportunity.
Let’s take a look at some of the notable performances that led to this result.
Dude: ILB Patrick Queen
The past two weeks should have silenced any lingering concerns surrounding the contract that the Steelers gave Patrick Queen at the beginning of free agency. He led the defense with ten tackles, including blowing up a screen pass to Justice Hill early in the first half. His signature play was a strip and subsequent fumble recovery right before the halftime break which set the offense up for a chip shot field goal. Overall, he looked like one of their best players on the afternoon, one in which they held Lamar Jackson and the potent Ravens offense to just 16 points and a lousy 40% success rate. Mike Tomlin decided to send him out there for the coin toss knowing how important this game was to him and he delivered with a big-time performance that cemented his place on the right side of this rivalry.
RELATED: Patrick Queen Gets Revenge on Ravens
Dud: QB Russell Wilson
The Steelers offense has been more explosive with Russell Wilson under center and with how porous the Ravens pass defense had been this season, this was a prime matchup for him and the passing game. However, Wilson and his receivers struggled to get much of anything going on the afternoon. He finished the game with an underwhelming 31% success rate, turned the ball over in the red zone and didn’t lead a touchdown drive despite being handed great starting field position on multiple occasions. His best play was a beautiful deep to George Pickens on a double move down the left sideline. Wilson’s touch down the field is still very much a strength but he’s going to need to find a second pitch to keep them on schedule in games like this moving forward.
Dude: CB Joey Porter Jr.
The Steelers game plan was a little different today than it has been in years past versus Jackson but when they needed to run man coverage, Joey Porter brought his A-game. The second-year cover specialist bounced back nicely from a tough outing last week versus the Commanders, forcing multiple incompletions with tight coverage at the catch point on Zay Flowers, even following him into the slot on third down. On the Ravens final two-point conversion attempt, Porter was the one who came up to hit the quarterback before he could find an open target allowing the Steelers to run the clock out on the very next possession. Porter’s competitiveness and physicality can be a real weapon and when he’s locked in, this defense feels that much tougher.
Dud: OT Broderick Jones
Coming off his best performance of the 2024 season, Broderick Jones wasn’t quite able to build on that outing today. He accumulated three more penalties, albeit one of those was a highly questionable offsetting call that looked like he was the victim more than anything else. Kyle Van Noy beat him outside to bring down Wilson for a sack and he allowed a total of five pressures on the day. Jones’ hands continue to be a major issue, whether in the run game or in pass protection and until his technique improves, there’s going to be days like today. He’ll look to bounce back on a short week.
RELATED: Mike Tomlin Backs Broderick Jones after Poor Outing: ‘He and I Will Not Blink’
Dude: K Chris Boswell
There’s a very real argument to be made that Chris Boswell is the best kicker in the NFL right now. In a game that was decided by two points, he was the difference in this one. He knocked home all six of his kicks while Justin Tucker hooked two of his own on the other end. Through the first 11 weeks of the regular season, Boswell is now 29-30 and having arguably the best year of his entire career. Pittsburgh’s struggles in the red zone continue but he’s as automatic as they come right now. Having this reliable of a kicker is a luxury that not every team is afforded.
Dude: ILB Payton Wilson
In recent weeks, Payton Wilson’s playing time has been sliced but he made a massive play today when they needed it most. With the Ravens driving down the field in a one-score game, Jackson launched a floater down the left sideline his tailback running a wheel route and despite being beaten early in the rep, the linebacker was able to recover beautiful to get himself back into position to make a play on the ball. Not only did he play through the hands, he straight up jacked the ball from the receiver in mid-air. Wilson’s still very much a work in progress, particularly in coverage, but his natural athleticism is really impressive for the position and that alone is worth getting excited about.
Dud: Secondary Pass Catchers
It’s to parse out the responsibility for why the pass game was so inefficient on Sunday but the complimentary pass catchers didn’t seem to have a positive impact on the day. Calvin Austin couldn’t haul an early fade down the left sideline. Van Jefferson dropped a pass on third down. Mike Williams was mostly a sideline resident. Pat Freiermuth doesn’t seem to be nearly as much of a focal point of the game plan as he should be. This group really needs someone to step up and take some pressure off Pickens.
Dude: HC Mike Tomlin
Mike Tomlin’s teams have won eight of the last nine matchups against John Harbaugh’s Ravens squads. These rivalry games matter just a little bit more and when things get tight in the end, Even when Baltimore has more perceived talent on paper, Pittsburgh has made a habit on coming out on the winning side. He deserves credit for that.
