Steelers key defender ripped apart after brutal defensive performance vs Jets: 'Needs to make more plays'

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to take down the New York Jets during the first week of the 2025 NFL season. The offense surprised a large portion of the fan base with the way it played on Sunday as the Aaron Rodgers-led unit was able to muster up 34 points. The unit was efficient and even exciting at times, which is something fans in Pittsburgh have not been used to in recent years. The Steelers won the game, 34-32, and while the offense was fun to watch, the defense was painful to see as the group struggled to get off of the field.

"No-show by Payton Wilson in the tackles," former Steelers DL Chris Hoke said during an appearance on KDKA's "Nightly Sports Call," according to Steelers Depot's Matthew Marczi. "You're an inside linebacker, you've got to be one of the top two or three guys in tackles in the game. Didn't see a lot of him. I think that's what he meant at halftime when Coach Mike Tomlin was talking about guys getting on, getting off blocks, shedding blocks, making plays. He's one of those guys. He's got to look at the film and improve. I believe that he did not get off blocks enough and needs to make more plays for this Steelers defense."

Wilson has switched into an every-down type of linebacker during his second season with the Steelers, as he was more of a coverage player during his rookie season in 2024. It was his first time being on the field for the majority of the defensive snaps during his NFL career on Sunday, and he played efficiently, but could have done a better job getting off of blocks in an effort to help stop the run.

New York was able to run for 182 total yards on Sunday, which is completely unacceptable for Pittsburgh. The group struggled at the end of the 2024 season when it came to stopping the run, and that trend continued against the Jets. Wilson and the rest of the defense need to do a better job, as Pittsburgh could have easily lost that game had the offense not played as well as it did.

Wilson finished the game with five total tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. It was not an awful game by any means, but Pittsburgh is going to want to see more out of its second-year player in the near future.

Pittsburgh Steelers' Payton Wilson is expected to make a leap

Throughout the 2025 offseason and training camp, a ton was talked about how Wilson is expected to take a major leap during his sophomore season in the league. That was not evident on Sunday, but it can still come to fruition as the season moves along. Pittsburgh's defense did not have an easy job on Sunday against the Jets as they were playing a mobile quarterback that is operating in a new regime. That is hard to scout for, as Pittsburgh's defensive staff essentially had to guess what New York wanted to do based off their coaching staff and what was seen in the preseason.

Pittsburgh's Week 2 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks should be more telling about Wilson and the defense as a whole. The Steelers are going to have to stop the run while covering some pretty good wide receivers, so it is a good test for the defense.