The Pittsburgh Steelers racked up their third-straight win to start the regular season against the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday, winning their home opener 20-10. Pittsburgh’s defense was dominant throughout the contest, holding Los Angeles to just 166 total yards on the afternoon.
LB Patrick Queen has managed to improve his play since an underwhelming regular season debut against the Atlanta Falcons a few weeks ago, doing a better job of working around and through blocks, as well as finishing his tackle attempts. Queen led the Steelers with 8 total tackles (4 solo) along with a pass defection.
The Film
Patrick Queen showed more aggressiveness against the Chargers than he did to start the season, getting downhill quicker to fill gaps and be a thumper against the run. We see that in the clip below as Queen keeps his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage, works off the block of the fullback, and manages to gather himself as he drives on the ball, shooting his hips through the ball carrier as CB Donte Jackson takes out his legs, resulting in a big hit.
Queen proved to be an effective blitzer as well against Los Angeles, getting into the backfield in a hurry to put pressure on QB Justin Herbert. Check out this rush attempt below as Queen hits the gap between the blockers and accelerates to the quarterback, giving Herbert a big hit as he releases the ball under pressure, resulting in a low pass to his tight end on the check down.
Queen was quick to rally to the football when in coverage, making his zone drops then driving on the underneath pass when it was caught to tackle at the catch. Watch the clips below as Queen makes his drop, then transitions quickly downhill when he sees the ball getting checked down, quickly wrapping up the receiver to make the stop.
There were points in time during the contest where Queen was put in a bind, having to cover opposing wide receivers due to the personnel Pittsburgh had on the field, as well as the defensive alignment. Take, for example, this rep where Queen is following the fullback on the motion and has his eyes get stuck in the backfield for a split second on the play action fake, giving the slot receiver just enough time to uncover over the middle of the field, Queen’s coverage responsibility. Queen manages to reroute quickly to make the tackle at the catch, but that split second on the play action fake led to him not being in-position to better cover his area.
Queen almost did come away with a splash play in coverage, nearly having an interception when dropping back into coverage down the middle of the field. Watch as Queen fluidly makes his drop, effortlessly turning his hips as he changes directions to adjust to Herbert, getting in perfect position to catch a desperation pass Herbert throws under pressure, but has the ball go through his arms and fall incomplete.
Last Sunday wasn’t a fantastic game by Patrick Queen in any sort, as he still had a tough times stacking and shedding blockers, and showed a tendency to overrun plays. However, he has shown improvement, making the stops he struggled to make earlier while also showing his speed and burst as a run-and-chase defender.
Right now, Patrick Queen is operating as that three-down linebacker Pittsburgh paid him to be this offseason. However, he does need to bring more splash plays to the table and do a better job of evading blocks to prove he’s worth the heavy contract Pittsburgh signed him to, making him the team’s highest-paid free agent acquisition in franchise history. We’re only three games into the regular season, but it will be important to keep an eye on Queen and see if his play improves the more he gets acclimated to the Steelers’ defense.
