The Pittsburgh Steelers escaped the Meadowlands with a two-point victory against the New York Jets. The Steelers scored more than 30 points behind four passing touchdowns from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
But it still wasn’t exactly a pretty performance, especially from the Steelers defense. Pittsburgh allowed 394 yards, including 182 on the ground against the Jets.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was diplomatic when addressing the team’s defensive deficiencies in Week 1. Tomlin stressed that the unit will make the proper corrections and pointed to the Jets lack of tendencies with a first-year head coach and new starting quarterback as one reason for the defensive struggles.
But Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen wasn’t as kind. When speaking to reporters, Queen ripped into his defensive teammates and delivered a harsh warning.
“We [defense] played like s***. I am not going to sugarcoat it. We played like s***,” Queen said, via Steelers insider Mark Kaboly. “And if we keep playing like that, we are going to get our face mashed in.
“It’s that simple. I call it like it is, and we played like absolute trash.”
Jets running back Breece Hall ran for 107 yards on just 19 carries, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. New York quarterback Justin Fields completed 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards with a score as well.
The Steelers sacked Fields once. But the Jets signal-caller also had 48 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
The Steelers, though, won 34-32 to begin the 2025 season with a 1-0 record.
Patrick Queen Puts Steelers Defense on Blast, Issues Warning Despite Week 1 Win