There was plenty of motivation for the Steelers and Ravens with the AFC North lead on the line, but perhaps a little extra for ILB Patrick Queen. He had his fifth-year option declined by Baltimore ahead of the 2023 season, then wasn’t offered any contract by the Ravens in 2024 free agency. The Steelers made him their prized signing of the offseason, and Sunday was his first time playing against his former team.
He made one of the biggest plays of the day giving the Steelers the ball back before the half by ripping it out of TE Isaiah Likely’s grasp for a forced fumble. According to Queen, that was his response to Likely taunting him a bit on the previous drive, which resulted in a Ravens touchdown.
It was 1st and 10, and Likely gained 18 to give them a goal-to-go scenario that they eventually punched in with Derrick Henry. Queen was one of a few Steelers in on the tackle on that play, but Queen came flying in to deliver a big hit. Likely barely budged and got up after the play to jaw with Queen a bit.
Queen took that personally.
“He had a play on the sideline over there where he caught the ball and I tried to hit him and he kinda shrugged it off and he was looking at me up and down, so I was like, ‘Ok, I got something for that,'” Queen told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe in an on-field interview after the game. “So the next play I saw him, I said ‘You come outside, I’m gonna cut you.’ And he went back inside, just made a play on the ball.”
The Steelers had just punted on a quick three-and-out. The half was essentially over, but Queen forced the fumble and recovered it himself on the first play of the Ravens’ drive to give his offense a scoring opportunity. They weren’t able to punch it in for a touchdown, but they tacked on a field goal and ended up winning by just two points in the end.
Here is Queen’s turnover play.
Queen said shortly after he was first signed that he wanted to play the villain as he switched sides in one of the NFL’s best rivalries. His first attempt at that was a resounding success with one of the plays of the day.
