Linebacker Payton Wilson isn’t excusing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ lackluster defensive performance. He does have an explanation, though. In the one month of the football calendar where every team is figuring themselves and their opponents out, Wilson thinks the defense will bounce back with more reps and quicker adjustments.
“Week One, just a lot of new guys around,” Wilson said via the team website when asked why 2024’s problems carried over into 2025. “We have to continue to communicate. Continue to make adjustments on field and not wait so long to make them. I think that it’s just all about getting back in the film room and be able to correct those things.”
Pittsburgh turned over large chunks of its 2024 roster, replacing more than 10,000 snaps from a year ago. Defensively, that included new branches of the secondary. Safety Juan Thornhill and cornerback Darius Slay came in free agency. The Steelers also acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey via trade. Defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, though he didn’t play due to injury, DL Yahya Black, and EDGE Jack Sawyer were also drafted defensively.
The Steelers struggled to slow the New York Jets’ physical running game. Whatever adjustments that were needed either didn’t come at all or came slowly. That’s concerning following the end of 2024, where Pittsburgh played one step behind. Tightening up in the second half, the Steelers held the Jets to only 13 points and made key stops on New York’s final two drives. But that model can’t sustain to consistently win over a 17-game season.
Wilson thinks the issue isn’t personnel or coaching.
“I think we have the pieces,” he told reporters. “We have the people calling the right plays. We just have to execute what they’re calling.”
Wilson finished the day with five tackles but had a quiet performance, struggling as much as anyone upfront to stuff the run.
No matter the reason, Pittsburgh must correct things in a hurry. Sunday’s opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, doesn’t have the NFL’s most potent offense but presents its own challenges. There’s talent at running back in Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp at receiver, and a solid offensive coordinator from the Kyle Shanahan tree in Klint Kubiak. He helped bring in quarterback Sam Darnold, the two working together in San Francisco.
Seattle posted just 13 points in a Week One loss. Like Pittsburgh, the Seahawks will be dialing in on making corrections for better Week Two results.
Recommended for you