Patrick Queen picked up his second sack as a Steeler on Sunday, but he had to improvise to do it. The sixth-year man took matters into his own hands, reading the play and deciding to rush. Luckily for him, he picked the right moment and finished the play.
On the Vikings’ opening drive, Minnesota kept the chains moving and pushed into the red zone. Facing a 3rd and 9, however, Patrick Queen saw his moment. QB Carson Wentz turned his back to him, and Queen chose to let the back release. He used his speed to close quickly and registered a sack for a loss of eight.
“The blitz”? Queen said of the play with a grin after the game, via talkSPORT USA. “Not [a] blitz. I took a chance. I gambled”. It’s reasonable to assume that the Steelers give him the freedom to make those determinations, of course. But the point is they didn’t have a blitz on during that play. Queen read the setup and reacted, taking the risk.
The Steelers signed Patrick Queen as a prized free agent last year, anticipating his playmaking abilities. In four seasons with the Ravens, he recorded 13.5 sacks, four interceptions, five forced fumbles, six recoveries, and a touchdown, plus 48 tackles for loss.
He hasn’t produced that kind of volume yet in Pittsburgh, but he is warming up. Against the Vikings, he recorded 11 tackles, three for loss, with a sack. He is still looking for his first takeaway of the season, but there’s plenty of time left.
Over the past two games, Queen has 21 tackles, including four for loss. He has 35 tackles on the season and has nearly matched his total last season in tackles for losses. Last season, he recorded six tackles for loss, and he is already up to five. Even if he slows down his pace, he is trending toward a new career high, currently at 10.
As the weeks wear on, the Steelers appear to be growing more and more comfortable on defense. They added a lot of moving parts this offseason, and they’ve also dealt with a lot of injuries. The more time they log together, the more comfortable they’ll be. And the more comfortable they are, the more freedom they’ll have to make plays like Patrick Queen did on that early third-down sack.
