After a busy offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers are turning their attention towards their season-opener against the New York Jets in Week 1. All eyes will be on Aaron Rodgers as he faces off against his former team, but fans may want to watch the defense if Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen‘s latest comments are anything to go off of.
In his first season with the Steelers, Queen emerged as a key figure at the center of their defense, racking up 129 tackles, one sack, seven pass deflections, and two fumbles forced. That helped him earn the second Pro Bowl selection of his career, and it’s clear he has no intentions of slowing down in 2025.
With Pittsburgh, Queen was used less as a pass-rusher, as his single sack was the lowest figure of his career. However, with the Steelers boasting arguably the best defense in the league, Queen could be used more as a blitzer this upcoming season, and it sounds like he has his eyes set on New York quarterback Justin Fields with Week 1 right around the corner.
“They call it ‘Blitzburgh’ for a reason and we’re getting back to that. I’m excited,” Queen said of the Steelers defense in a post made on the team’s official X account.
Beyond Queen, Pittsburgh is loaded up front on defense. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are one of the top pass-rushing duos in the league, with Cameron Heyward also factoring into the mix (assuming his contract drama doesn’t keep him off the field). If Queen can find his way to the quarterback a bit more, that makes the Steelers all the more dangerous.
Story continues below advertisement
It’s going to take some time for Pittsburgh to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, but things are looking up for them heading into the new season. If they can figure things out quickly, they could end up throttling the Jets when they take the field for Week 1 on Sunday.
More NFL: Steelers’ Front Seven Faces Big Week 1 Test
Featured image via Barry Reeger/Imagn Images