There's nothing like being kicked when you're down. That's what Pittsburgh Steelers head coach just did to the Baltimore Ravens. Tomlin's team hosted their AFC North rival in Week 11. Despite the Ravens possessing the league's best offense, they couldn't find a way to put points on the board consistently at Acrisure Stadium.
Ultimately, this resulted in an 18-16 win for the Steelers. A big reason for Pittsburgh's defense in this game was Patrick Queen.
Queen, a 2020 first-round pick by the Ravens, was coming off the first Pro Bowl season of his career with a breakout campaign in 2023, which included 133 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, and 3.5 sacks. Queen also earned the highest grade of his career, per Pro Football Focus.
But despite his success, Baltimore didn't so much as offer the young linebacker a contract. This resulted in Queen hitting the free-agent market in 2024 and signing a three-year contract with the Steelers.
During the Steelers' game against the Ravens, Queen was playing like a man possessed. Just before the clock settled on the first half, Queen raked the football out of the hands of tight end Isaiah Likely and recovered his own forced fumble.
After the game, Mike Tomlin spoke to the media and was asked about Queen's performance. That's when he delivered a low-blow comment to the Ravens.
"One man's trash is another man's treasure, man," Tomlin said after the game. "I'm glad he is on our team."
Steelers LB Patrick Queen makes Ravens regret letting him walk
For financial reasons, it didn't make a ton of sense for the Baltimore Ravens to re-sign Patrick Queen before letting him hit the market in the 2024 offseason. The Ravens invested heavily in the trade for All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith and dished out a massive contract at the position.
Still, Baltimore has to hate the fact that Queen ended up with Pittsburgh. In Week 11, Queen reminded the Ravens of what they were missing in his departure from the team. He finished the game with a team-high 10 tackles to go with a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Queen made his presence felt early and often in this contest and even made passing windows close up quickly for Lamar Jackson.
Tomlin knows what poaching Patrick Queen from the Ravens met for this team, and the front office's decision to sign him to a big contract during the 2024 offseason has already paid for itself.
Though Queen is on his second contract, he's still just 25 years old with his best football ahead of him. The Steelers' Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens was the climax of their season, and Mike Tomlin isn't afraid to remind his arch-rival what they are missing out on with Queen not there anymore.