Like it or not, Josh Allen has a knack for putting defenders in a tough spot. When he takes off and runs, he’ll wait until the last possible moment to slide. By then, the linebacker has already committed to finishing the tackle. The contact looks rough, flags come out, and Allen walks away with 15 yards. Risky for him, maddening for the defense. He did it again vs the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Allen tucked it and took off, then hit the brakes into a late slide. Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen was already barreling in and delivered a hard shot he couldn’t pull up from. The officials called it, and now Queen will likely see a fine in his locker later this week.

The broadcast didn’t disagree.

“When Josh Allen does slide in and is down by contact, Patrick Queen kinda has not committed to the tackle yet. But I think it’s a late hit because Josh Allen is already clearly down before Queen makes a committed tackle to him, so I think there’s something there for a late hit,” the commentator said.

It came on a second-and-three, with Allen picking up a yard to the right before sliding. Queen arrived a beat too late, but somehow there was no penalty on the field. For a play that usually draws automatic laundry, the non-call surprised everyone.

Under league rules, a first late-hit offense can carry a fine of up to $11,593, jumping to $17,389 if it’s the second one of the season. So Queen could be staring at a decent bill from the league office. Most analysts thought Pittsburgh should’ve been hit with 15 yards on the spot.

Queen avoided the in-game punishment, but the league rarely overlooks these on Saturdays. And to make the night worse, he didn’t even finish the game after leaving with an injury.

Patrick Queen exits the game due to injury

A few snaps after the hit on Josh Allen, Patrick Queen found himself on the wrong side of another collision. Midway through a Bills drive, the Steelers linebacker came up hobbled after what looked like a routine run stop. He tried to shake it off, took a few steps, then went down and stayed there.

Trainers hurried out, and after a minute on the turf, Queen was able to get up and make his way to the blue tent under his own power. The team called it a hip injury, and Steelers senior director of communications Burt Lauten said Queen was questionable to return. Malik Harrison slid in at linebacker, but it was obvious what Pittsburgh was losing.

Queen had been active since the start of the game. He racked up six tackles, a hit on Allen, and even a fumble recovery before exiting the game. Then came the update the Steelers didn’t want: he was done for the day.

“UPDATE: Patrick Queen (hip) has been downgraded to OUT for the rest of today’s game,” Lauten posted.

For a defense that’s already been stretched thin, losing its defensive captain in the middle of a game like this is a gut punch. They needed Queen for the second half of this matchup, and they’ll need him even more for whatever comes next. For now, all they can do is hope the injury doesn’t turn into a long-term problem.