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The Baltimore Ravens may already be assured of a playoff spot, but that doesn't mean their players are just ready to phone it in. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers definitely took advantage of the Ravens' complacency, particularly towards the end, as they completed a 16-13 comeback victory on the back of quarterback Kenny Pickett's heroic fourth-quarter efforts.
And the Ravens defenders were not pleased (as they shouldn't be) following the defeat. Speaking with reporters following their first loss of 2023, linebacker Patrick Queen did not mince words when he expressed his disappointment with their substandard performance.
“We got our [butt] whooped; we didn’t play good football. We didn’t communicate enough; we didn’t play physical enough. We got whooped,” Queen said, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.
Patrick Queen, the third-year pro out of LSU, knows how capable the Ravens are of mustering a better defensive effort. After all, the Ravens did not make the playoffs with a 10-6 record (thus far) while sporting a defense as soft as a wet blanket, with Queen being a huge part of their efforts. In 16 games, Queen has played in 94 percent of his team's defensive snaps, a crucial fixture.
Moreover, defensive tackle Broderick Washington, who has also featured in all 16 games for Baltimore, was extremely hard on himself following their collapse.
“To be honest, I’m really just embarrassed. I just feel like, myself, presently, I didn’t play up to our standard. I’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and get better,” Washington said.
Nevertheless, things could be worse for the Ravens. It's not as if the Steelers blew them out of the waters. Still, with the postseason approaching, it's hard to fault both Patrick Queen and Broderick Washington for feeling this way, especially as they try to claim the franchise's second Super Bowl win in 10 years.