Patrick Queen would have every right to feel resentment to his former team, the Baltimore Ravens. The club that declined his fifth-year option, didn’t offer him a contract extension in free agency, a coaching staff and front office he hasn’t spoken to since leaving Baltimore and defecting for Pittsburgh.
But reflecting on a hard-fought Steelers win in which Queen played a key role, highlighted by an end-of-half forced fumble, Queen didn’t show anger. He wasn’t emotional. Happy, for sure. But there wasn’t a grudge to hold or ax to grind.
“I think at the beginning I probably thought back then I would be a little bit more pissed off,” Queen told reporters via Steelers.com. “I woke up this morning. I didn’t feel any anger. I just felt content with life and the game and just being in where I’m supposed to be at.
“I think…in the past, I wasn’t thinking God put me in this place for a reason. I was just heated at the situation that occurred. So I just gave my faith to God and just trusted Him that I was in the right place for a reason.”
Queen polished off Sunday’s win with a team-high 10 tackles, one of which was for a loss. But his biggest play was ripping the ball out of TE Isaiah Likely’s hands in the final seconds of the first half when Baltimore was trying to make a “safe” call on a tight end screen.
It served as one of the stories inside the headline of a marquee battle between Pittsburgh and Baltimore, a game that decided who would exit the weekend leading the AFC North. The Steelers won to build a two-game lead to over the Ravens. Though Pittsburgh is just beginning AFC North play with five games to go and three-straight matchups in the next three weeks, this was a critical cushion for any missteps should they happen along the way.
Queen was one of several role reversal players in this game. LB Jeremiah Moon is also a former Raven and picked up a handful of defensive snaps in this game with EDGE Alex Highsmith sidelined. For Baltimore, WR Diontae Johnson was playing in his first game against Pittsburgh. He had no impact, failing to catch either of his two targets.
Now, Queen will enjoy the night before setting his sights on the Cleveland Browns for Thursday night. A win over them will have Pittsburgh threatening for the No. 1 seed with a mini-bye into next weekend.
