The first pass Aaron Rodgers threw at Steelers training camp fluttered through the humid Latrobe air like a wounded duck. Patrick Queen, the newly minted linebacker patrolling the middle like a hungry shark, snatched it with effortless grace. Social media exploded. “Was the four-time MVP washed? Had Father Time finally claimed his most elusive target?” The ‘digital peanut gallery’ sharpened its knives, forgetting the cardinal rule: Never count out a ‘gunslinger,’ especially one with a chip on his shoulder and the black and gold on his chest.

Meanwhile, deep in the defensive war room, Queen was sounding the alarm. The Steelers’ once-fearsome inside linebacker pass rush? It’s gone missing like a fumble in a pileup. The numbers are a brutal indictment:

• 2024: 2 sacks (Queen: 1, Roberts: 1, Wilson: 0)
• 2023: 3 sacks
• 2022: 1 sack
• 2021: 2 sacks

Contrast this with the glory days: 10 sacks from the ILB group in 2017, 8 in 2018. Adding up the last four years combined (8 sacks) barely surpasses a single season from that era. Queen, a two-time Pro Bowler known for his burst and nose for the QB, managed just 79 pass-rush snaps in ‘24—a stark drop from 123 the year before in Baltimore. Roberts saw only 49, rookie Payton Wilson just 39. This unit, packed with three capable blitzers, is generating less pressure than a deflated football.

Queen isn’t mincing words. He sees the loaded secondary—arguably the best in years—as the key to unlocking the defense’s dormant fury. Trust those DBs to lock down receivers, and the linebackers can finally cut loose. “I sure hope so,” Queen fired back when asked if more pressure packages are coming, his voice crackling with anticipation on Pittsburgh DSEN.

“We still ain’t got everything in, but I definitely do feel like there’ll be a lot more pressure going in; just with all the tools and pieces that we got. You can play man across the board; you can play zone.” Then, the kicker, delivered with the grin of a predator spotting weakness: “Y’all know I love to blitz, so I’m hoping for it.”He’s not just hoping; he’s demanding the blitz. It’s a call to arms for the heart of the Steelers’ defense.

Rodgers, the playbook, and the power shift in Pittsburgh

Fast forward, and Rodgers, mic’d up on The Pat McAfee Show amidst roaring chants for ‘Ring Number Seven,’ faced the noise head-on. McAfee reminded him of that viral camp interception, the whispers doubting the magic in his right arm. Rodgers leaned in, eyes steely behind that familiar California calm: “I don’t give a s— about that.” Silence. Statement made. The critics weren’t just silenced; they were dismissed like yesterday’s game tape.

Rodgers wasn’t just embracing Pittsburgh’s sky-high expectations; he was weaponizing them. “Pittsburgh is one of the cornerstone franchises in the NFL,” he declared, acknowledging the weight of history woven into every thread of the Terrible Towel. “Everybody knows who they are… There’s a level of expectation based on the excellence that’s happened here.” He’s here not just to play, but to reignite a legacy.

And the playbook? He swiftly ended any whispers of takeover: “It’s Arthur’s playbook. I’m finding ways within it to add little stuff here and there, but, it’s Arthur’s playbook and I like it. I like it a lot.” Collaboration, not coup.

This is the high-stakes duality defining Pittsburgh’s 2025 season. On one side, Rodgers, the aging maestro carrying the hopes of a franchise and silencing doubters with a veteran’s icy resolve. His arrival isn’t just a quarterback change; it’s a seismic cultural shift, demanding excellence.

On the other, Queen, embodying Mike Tomlin’s defensive ethos, pushing for a return to the brutal, quarterback-hunting style that built the Steelers’ legend. Tomlin himself stands squarely in the ‘pressure cooker,’ his unprecedented streak of ‘non-losing seasons’ (18 and counting) now overshadowed by an eight-year playoff win drought. He’s assembled a ‘win-now’ arsenal—Rodgers, Queen, DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey.

The message is clear: Adapt or perish. As Harvey Dent grimly noted in ‘The Dark Knight’, ‘The night is darkest just before the dawn.’ For Tomlin and these Steelers, the dawn must break with playoff victory. The Lombardi Trophy isn’t just a goal; it’s the only currency that matters in the Steel City. The Terrible Towel is waving, but it’s trembling with the weight of expectation. Pressure isn’t just coming; it’s the entire game plan