Steelers news: Injury updates, Patrick Queen returns to Baltimore, Pittsburgh a second-half juggernaut

It’s going to be interesting watching how drama-free the Pittsburgh Steelers will be on HBO’s Hard Knocks: In-Season with the AFC North. The games are scintillating, but between Monday and Saturday, this roster has all the weekly drama of an episode of Mr. Rogers. Since Russell Wilson put to bed the lingering quarterback controversy storyline, they’ve been in a Kumbaya era. Wilson and Fields look like pals from afar. Mike Williams is already a smash hit. George Pickens saves his antics for Sundays. Nothing phases them or unmoors their focus.

However, it’s Ravens week, which has raised the tension. Not only is it chock-full of juicy storylines — Diontae Johnson’s return to Pittsburgh; Patrick Queen facing his Ravens teammates as the enemy —but it has immense ramifications for the winner. But before we get there, let’s round up the most pressing stories of the Steelers' mid-week. 

Has anyone ever seen Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith on the same field? 

During the second-half of the Steelers' win over Washington, Alex Highsmith’s ankle turned at an unnatural 90-degree angle, leaving him writhing on the turf. Thankfully, it sounds like Highsmith dodged a bullet on Sunday.:The prognosis is that he suffered a significant ankle sprain and is expected to miss just a few weeks while recovering. 

And he'll be missed for sure. Highsmith’s pressure on Jayden Daniels was a critical factor in holding him to under 10 yards rushing for the first time this season. While they’ll miss his impact against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers' defense will benefit from the return of his understudy, Nick Herbig.

Herbig and Highsmith have been tapping out for each other all season. Herbig saw an increase in his volume of snaps after Highsmith strained his groin in Week 3, but he hasn’t played since pulling his hamstring on Sunday Night Football in Week 6. Meanwhile, Week 7 is when Highsmith returned to action.

However, according to Mike Tomlin, the second-year outside linebacker was “knocking on the door” of returning against the Commanders last week. There were reports that Herbig would be active for Week 10, but the Steelers ultimately held him out as a precaution. The presence of Highsmith and Preston Smith made Herbig a luxury. Given how susceptible to reinjury hamstrings can be, it made sense. Now it appears that Herbig will return to his previous role as the Steelers' primary pass rusher opposite TJ Watt for the foreseeable future.

Steelers are a second-half juggernaut

The Steelers are a fumbled snap against the Indianapolis Colts and a fourth down touchdown in Dallas away from being undefeated. This is not a team that’s been scraping by. They have the NFL’s fifth-best scoring differential and are first in a crowded division. However, this isn’t a team running up first-half leads and cruising. This season, second-half performances have been the secret sauce to the Steelers' resurgence. Russell Wilson raised the bar, but the Steelers' defense has also met the moment. 

Second-half adjustments are often used as a barometer for coaching acumen. Pittsburgh’s second-half numbers are a testament to Mike Tomlin’s Coach of the Year-worthy process this season. He was right about benching Fields for a healthy Wilson. In the fourth quarter, Wilson has been magnificent. 

His explosive playmaking turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. Since Week 7, Wilson’s average depth of target is 10.8, which ranks second in the NFL among QBs with at least 50 attempts since the start of Week 7 and he has completed the second-most passes that travel at least 30+ yards in the air. Prior to Week 10, Wilson saved his best for last. We saw that again with his game-winning deep shot to Mike Williams on Sunday. The Steelers are banking on the same being true for the second half of the Steelers season.

Patrick Queen's return to Baltimore is more than just a storyline

This weekend is personal for Patrick Queen. The Ravens' acquisition of Roquan Smith essentially made him expendable as his rookie contract neared its expiration date. A year ago, he was a rabid antagonist of the Steelers. 

Now, his allegiances have done a 180. Last weekend against the Commanders was a demonstration of his value to the Steelers. Against the Commanders, Queen led the Steelers in tackles and logged two tackles for loss, including seven stops, which Pro Football Focus defines as a tackle that is kept to less than 40 percent of the line to gain, less than 50 percent of the line to gain on second down and any third- or fourth-down play kept without a first down or touchdown.

He was constantly closing in gaps that Daniels would typically scramble through to extend drives and making plays from sideline-to-sideline by choosing great pursuit angles.

Yet, Daniels was merely a warm-up for the main event: the 2-time MVP, Lamar Jackson. Jackson is a superior runner, the Ravens offense is perfectly calibrated, and more importantly, he has never been this lethally accurate throwing the football.

Queen will have to worry about Jackson, and the NFL’s leading rusher Derrick Henry. Seemingly every Steeler has had their day in the sun this season. However, Queen will have help. The Steelers can bring pressure to disturb Jackson’s progressions, but this is where Queen can work his way into Steeler lore by making a handful of game-changing plays.