Player: ILB Patrick Queen
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The Steelers’ prized offseason signing, Patrick Queen, played one of his best games with the team. In addition to two tackles for loss among seven total, he also recorded a pass defensed. In general, he made his presence felt throughout the game and limited a dangerous Washington Commanders offense.
The Pittsburgh Steelers knew going into Sunday’s game that they had to prioritize neutralizing Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels’ mobility. Through nine games, he had already rushed for 459 yards with four touchdowns. Thanks in no small part to Patrick Queen and the inside linebackers, he rushed for five yards against the Steelers.
The Steelers limited the Commanders to under 60 offensive plays, dominating time of possession. The Commanders had the ball for under 24 minutes, though that was partly due to a muffed punt by Washington the Steelers recovered, stealing a possession. But Patrick Queen and the defense also held them to five three-and-outs on their 12 possessions.
In fact, this game looks very different if you take away the Commanders’ bookend touchdown drives to end the first half and start the second. Of their 242 total yards for the game, they picked up 148 during that seven-minute span. And Queen helped keep them punting.
The Commanders went three-and-out on their first two possessions, and he made key tackles on both. On 2nd and 7 on the opening drive, Queen combined with Minkah Fitzpatrick to stop TE Zach Ertz after a five-yard gain. They got off the field on the next play. On the following drive, after a nine-yard gain on first down, Queen stuffed Austin Ekeler for a loss of two. Cameron Heyward finished the drive with a sack, and suddenly the Commanders’ punter had to work.
Now, the Commanders still scored on five of their 12 drives, though their first touchdown came on a drive that started on the Steelers’ 15 following a busted fake punt. There wasn’t too much Patrick Queen and company could have done with that one. But he helped force a third-down incompletion at the end of the first quarter and registered another tackle for loss that helped hold them to a field goal.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
