Steelers' Mike McCarthy Reveals Encouraging Payton Wilson Trend

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints 16-10 in a matchup that wasn't quite as close as the scoreboard led on. Pittsburgh played well on both sides of the ball as the run game took over, with Jaylen Warren rushing for 101 yards on 18 carries, and on defense, Patrick Queen showed up in a big way. He arguably played his best game all season. As a unit, the defense held the Saints to just 18 rushing yards, the group's best performance in that category in 2026.

Queen wasn't the only Pittsburgh linebacker to have a big game. Payton Wilson has quietly put together a string of good games in the past couple of weeks, and it continued once again in Paris, France. Wilson recorded six total tackles, one pass defended, and a huge interception that likely would have led to a Saints scoring drive. He started the season less than ideally, but has shown huge improvement as the season has gone on. 

The Steelers completely overhauled their coaching staff in the offseason and brought in new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Graham brings different concepts from his days under Pete Carroll, Brian Flores, and the great Bill Belichick. With so much new information thrown at the inside linebackers, it's clear Wilson struggled to adjust earlier in the season. After his play against the Saints, Wilson earned praise from his head coach, who sees improvement every week. 

In his postgame press conference, Head Coach Mike McCarthy pointed to Wilson's play and said it's getting stronger and stronger. McCarthy said Wilson's interception took points away from the Saints and that communication is getting stronger throughout the unit, with Wilson as a prime example of the improvement. 

"Payton just keeps getting stronger and stronger," McCarthy stated. "I think you see our defense, and Payton's a good example of it. The connection and the guys are more and more each week with our scheme adjustments."

Wilson has struggled to be consistent since being drafted in 2024. After playing in the Mike Tomlin system, there was hope he could leap under Graham's scheme. While it may not have happened early in the season, it's starting to show now. The Steelers have played poor quarterbacks lately, but they've still been able to shut down the opposing run game, forcing those bad QBs to throw. 

Tackling has been a major issue for the Steelers' defense, and the inside linebackers have been the main culprits. That wasn't the case in Week 7, as both Queen and Wilson shut down the Saints' running backs on the ground. Alvin Kamara had some explosive plays on underneath routes, but that's more a schematic issue, given the Steelers' heavy use of zone coverage. 

The organization signed Elandon Roberts to the practice squad, but if Wilson and Queen stay at this level, they may not need the thumping veteran. Roberts became a fan favorite in Pittsburgh because he prides himself on run defense, and the current inside linebacker group hasn't disappointed. Barring injury, Roberts is unlikely to see any snaps soon. 

Steelers' Wilson Needs To Keep This Play Up

Major questions have surrounded Wilson and whether he's really the man of the future at middle linebacker in Pittsburgh's defense. After a promising rookie season, he showed little improvement in year two, with the same issues consistently popping up. Now that he's playing under a much better defensive scheme, he's finally ironing out those kinks.

The Steelers haven't gotten the proper return on their investment, just flashy plays now and then. With Wilson's size and athleticism, he could easily be a top inside linebacker in the NFL. He's finally putting it all together in 2026, but he must keep it up, especially when they start to play legit NFL quarterbacks. Graham has gotten better play from linebackers who don't have Wilson's skill set. Hopefully for Pittsburgh, Wilson keeps thumping opposing running backs and using his speed in coverage.