The Steelers are the center of jokes on social media. From the Super Bowl winner and offensive guard Trai Essex to the hardcore fans, everyone is roasting them hard. The players tried to take it and move forward, but linebacker Patrick Queen just couldn’t take it anymore and started pushing back on the naysayers.

“Oh right cause only fans are allowed to tweet got it! Haven’t missed a tackle in 3 games and it’s part of the game your favorite players off all time missed them too. 🤝,” Queen replied to a fan’s tweet, who raised questions about his talent.

The origin lies deeper. Earlier, the Super Bowl winner Trai Essex took shots at the linebacker after a 26-7 loss. To his credit, Patrick Queen hasn’t started any game off the bench. In all ninety-five games (all starters), he has four interceptions, twenty-six passes defended, 15.5 sacks, and 666 tackles (395 solo). Even against the Bills in Week 13, Patrick Queen recorded six tackles (two solo) and one fumble recovery. But Essex wasn’t convinced.

“He’s hurt, but I’m over the Patrick Queen experiment. Simply put, he’s not a Steelers LB,” Essex tweeted.

The player might have watched the guard playing, as this is his second year in the Black and Gold. But that didn’t deter him from clapping back at the former Steeler.

“Never was a pro bowler or all pro, but get on here yappin. Got carried your whole career back n forth from the bench stfu!,” he replied.

On an individual level, Patrick Queen’s words are true. Essex won two Super Bowls, but he didn’t win any awards or set any records. Overall, he played 77 games (28 starters) in his eight-season career. Queen has already played more games in six years. Yet, he hasn’t won a trophy.

However, that doesn’t shift the focus from the Steelers’ bad performance to any social media fight. The linebacker also needs to ask himself about their poor season.

Patrick Queen should display accountability

The message from the top is simple. Head coach Mike Tomlin clearly said that there were no wonderful plays in today’s game. All they did was perform “awfully.” These aren’t good signs. Fans even yelled Fire Tomlin from the Acrisure stands, revealing their choices. But they first need to calm down and prepare a strategy for the future.

Patrick Queen also needs to look inwards. They have good players on defense, but they couldn’t stop the Bills from rushing the ball for 249 yards. It showed the imbalance between the offense and defense as the Black and Gold only ran for 58 yards. That’s heartbreaking!

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers also has similar advice for the locker room. He wants everyone to prepare hard the entire week and practice every move so that they don’t make mistakes during critical moments. This has become a regular phenomenon in their games. If they can really focus, they can still qualify for the playoffs. But every game matters.