Some members of the Baltimore Ravens told Patrick Queen on social media this offseason that the grass isn’t always greener, a clear reference to him leaving Baltimore for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would appear that he set out on Sunday, in his first game against his former team, to prove them wrong.
“We talk about being petty and embracing that part of the game. There’s always a measure of get back for every player that goes anywhere. You’re always gonna feel that anytime you play the team you were at,” Cam Heyward said via his Not Just Football podcast on YouTube. “PQ [Patrick Queen] was on fire. PQ’s been on fire the last couple weeks. We need it.
“That group is continuing to grow, but it’s gonna require guys like him and Elandon Roberts to keep doing what they’re doing, leading that group and showing young guys like Payton Wilson and Mark Rob[inson] because they could be a deadly force with as much as they have in that room.”
Queen had a slower start to the season than many anticipated, but he’s come on very strong since roughly the Las Vegas Raiders game about a month ago. Since then, he’s averaging 8.4 tackles and almost one tackle for loss per game.
Against the Ravens, he had his best performance yet. Ten total tackles, one tackle for loss, zero missed tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. His forced fumble gave the Steelers a scoring opportunity before halftime. They settled for three points, but they won 18-16, so it could have been critical to the outcome.
The slow start can likely be attributed to learning a new defense, and he also has the added responsibilities of wearing the green dot. He is the quarterback of the defense and takes calls from the sideline. He did it a little with the Ravens but before he was fully ready for that type of role. It seems like he is finally settling into those responsibilities in Pittsburgh, and it is showing with both his play on the field and the communication of the defense as a whole.
Earlier in the season, Justin Fields talked about Russell Wilson getting a “petty game ball” when the Steelers beat the Denver Broncos. It’s a locker room tradition that Mike Tomlin seemed to prefer be kept behind closed doors, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Queen got a petty game ball Sunday, along with DeShon Elliott and Jeremiah Moon.
