PITTSBURGH STEELERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 27, 2025

Patrick Queen

Packers 35, Steelers 25

Q. What do you think are some of the big issues that you guys are having in defending the pass, whether it be man stuff, stuff up the middle, or Tucker Kraft? It was repeating over and over again. What are some of the issues you are seeing?

PATRICK QUEEN: I think it just comes down to understanding situations, doing your job, and doing it at a high level. Just playing with a sense of urgency. I think when you understand the situations and understand the formations, at the end it's details is keys. I think that's the part that we got to be better at.

I think when it's man-to-man, you just got to -- it's man-to-man. Like, you got to eat. I think we got the best guys to cover in the world. I think we just got to go out there and do it. We just got to lock in on the details, do what we do, and just be better.

Q. How do you fix the issue with sense of urgency? How do you get guys to play with more of that?

PATRICK QUEEN: I think you just got to do it at practice. We do it at practice. I think when you get to the game and something goes left, you kind of get a little timid or whatever you want to call it from that. I think you just got to hone in, lock in, and just be ready for the next play and the next play and the next play. Just keep going.

It's a warrior's game. Things ain't going to always be perfect, but you got to battle back.

Q. Have you seen guys maybe getting frustrated and compounding problems on defense?

PATRICK QUEEN: Yeah, I think sometimes when you get beat, you kind of get frustrated. Especially, like, maybe you knew the situation or maybe you just got beat man-to-man. Whatever it is I think when it comes to that, I think you kind of get frustrated as a human, you know, and as a player, because you want to be great. You're competitive.

I think every subject guy on our defense is competitive and doesn't want to lose a rep. I think that's we just got to be hone in on the details and just be better. Just be honed in. Just have a sense of urgency and be physical, be fast, be aggressive.

Q. What do you think changed from the first half to the second half today?

PATRICK QUEEN: They were better, and we weren't. I think it's simple lack of play. I think they won their reps, and we lost ours.

Q. When you talk about compounding issues, how much did DeShon's injury snowball and impact the rest of the defense?

PATRICK QUEEN: It hurt. DeShon is a one-of-a-kind player. We know what he brings to this defense, but at the same time I think the guys that we got are good players. They can step in and do the job. It definitely hurt. I got emotional about it, but I think at the end of the day, we get paid to play the sport. We're good at the sport. We're competitive. I think it shouldn't be no fall-off. I think we should come in and dominate, and that starts with me. I got to be better. That's what it is.

Q. When you zoom out, what do you feel like are some of the biggest recurrent issues that are plaguing this defense?

PATRICK QUEEN: Situations. I think we just got to understand situations and understand formations and know what they're about to do. I think that's the biggest thing. Just us honing in on that detail and being better.

I think every time on third down, no matter what the distance is, we kind of fall short of that. So I think we got to be better. Definitely think we got to be better at third downs, for sure.

Q. Pat, the issue of covering the tight ends continues. What needs to happen to get that issue resolved?

PATRICK QUEEN: It's going to be resolved. It's going to be resolved this week.

Q. This is the third straight game the defense hasn't forced a turnover. Is there anything you can attribute that to?

PATRICK QUEEN: I think we just got to hunt it, hunt it more. I think there's opportunities there. I think we just got to be more -- I think when we have a more level of comfort and we had a sense of urgency pre-snap, I think post-snap would be better. I think that would lead to turnovers.

I think guys' eyes in the right spot. Guys flying to the ball, doing the things that we do at a high level. Get back to that and I think we will get the ball.

Q. You were playing against the team that Aaron played for 18 years. Did you get a sense of what this game meant to him, and did he address the locker room after the game?

PATRICK QUEEN: He did not address the locker room, but we all knew what it meant. That's the stuff that kind of stings the most. You want to go get that for him.

Obviously with me last year (indiscernible), got the win the first time. You kind of get to the next year, and he's in that situation. You want to go get it for him, so that definitely stings. Definitely stings.

Q. It got chippy on the field a couple of times. Was that because of the heightened emotion knowing you want to win this game for Aaron or being frustrated at yourself?

PATRICK QUEEN: Just football. You get chippy every game. I think at the end of the day, we're competitive. Emotions are high. We're guys, so I think at the end of the day it's going to be chippy. It's football. It's a competitive sport. It's a contact sport. It's going to get chippy. It's going to be rough. It's football.

Q. When you are giving up YAC the way you were and Kraft had over 100 by himself, what do you attribute that to?

PATRICK QUEEN: I think we just got to be better. Honestly, I don't think it's no certain thing. I think it's just being better.

I think understanding who he is and knowing what he can do, you're watching the film. You know what he can do. You know what routes he runs, certain formations, certain situations what you're going to get from him. I think we have to hone in on that. It's nothing more than knowing situations, knowing personnel, knowing who is in the game, what they do, how they do it. You know, it's that simple.

Q. As a defense, you frustrating is it you guys were able to stop the run and only (indiscernible) outs? How do you kind of describe that feeling?

PATRICK QUEEN: It sucks. It sucks. You want to put it all together in games. You go through practice all week and have a good practice, and it don't work out in the game. So it definitely sucks, but I think at the end of the day, we're going to get better.

It's a long season. We're just going to keep building, keep stacking, learn from these and just get better.

Q. Coming into the season, a lot of guys on defense weren't afraid to talk about potential this group had. What gives you confidence at this point in the year after a lot of struggles that you can still reach your full potential?

PATRICK QUEEN: I know what we are. I know who I am. I'm not one to shy away from things. Any time there's fire, I'm willing to go run in it. I don't care.

Starting with me, I got to be better, and every single day these guys are going to get whatever they need from me... energy, focus, whatever it is, sense of urgency. I'm going to be there for them. I'm going to get there. I'm going to get to the ball. I'm going to do whatever I got to do to help this team win. The best way I can do that is lead by example. It's just one thing to talk, but I'm going to try to lead and do that for them.

Q. When you have two straight games giving up this many points, this many yards, do you worry about losing confidence as a group and even as individuals?

PATRICK QUEEN: Yeah, I think from time to time. We're human, so that happens, but at the end of the day, we got to pull each other back as a brotherhood, as a family, and just try to battle back from these things.

Always keep your family close. Always try to do the best you can to keep everybody locked in and close with each other so we can battle back from these things.