In the days leading up to this season’s first matchup between the Steelers and Ravens, Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen’s desire to beat his former team was enough of a storyline that head coach Mike Tomlin sent him out for the coin toss in order to make sure the team’s level of motivation was as high as possible.
The Steelers got an 18-16 win that day and that victory helped put them in position to clinch the AFC North by beating the Ravens again this Saturday. On Tuesday, Queen said that securing the division title has replaced beating his former teammates as his primary focus.
“I’m over it,” Queen said, via the team’s website. “We clinched a playoff spot. There are bigger things to look at down the road. Right now, this is a big game. It’s a division game. A chance to get t-shirts and hats. I’m all for it, all for the rivalry, but I’m over my old team.”
A Steelers win would mean the Ravens miss out on a division title, but they’d still be in position to make the playoffs and that could mean a third meeting between the divisional foes come January. Queen’s history with his opponents would mean even less against those stakes.
