He may have played just 21 snaps Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens, but those 21 snaps were quite impactful from Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie linebacker Payton Wilson.
Wilson, according to Pro Football Focus’s grades, turned in an “elite” performance against Baltimore, earning the highest grade of any Steelers player coming out of the 18-16 win for the Black and Gold to seize full control of the AFC North.
The third-round draft pick graded out at a 92.4 overall, leading the charge for the Steelers in the grades department. In fact, he was the highest-graded player in the game overall.
Wilson’s 92.4 overal grade from PFF was boosted largely by his 90.8 overall grade in coverage. Against the Ravens, Wilson allowed just two receptions for three yards on four targets and had a spectacular interception downfield in the fourth quarter, ripping the football away from Baltimore running back Justice Hill before falling to the ground. It changed the game in the blink of an eye.
On the play, Wilson lost on a wheel route, slipping underneath the pick play rather than going over the top. That left him in chase mode, but the rookie is relentless and never quit, fighting to get back into the play and make a spectacular play on the football.
That helped change the game for the Steelers, because three plays prior, Steelers’ QB Russell Wilson threw an ill-advised interception in the end zone to Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey, keeping points off the board for the Steelers. Payton Wilson came up large later, ripping the ball from Hill and giving the football back to the Steelers offense, which led to another Chris Boswell field goal.
Outside of Wilson’s performance, the four other Steelers players in the top five as the highest-graded included cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (86.4), defensive end Cameron Heyward (85.7), tight end Darnell Washington (84.8) and kicker Chris Boswell (83.9) in the win against the Ravens.
Porter had a strong day that was capped off by his tackle in space on Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson on the 2-point conversion. Not only did he play the 2-point try perfectly, staying patient and attacking downhill on the designed run to Jackson to make the stop and keep it an 18-16 game, Porter was lockdown in coverage.
Seeing three targets against him, Porter didn’t allow a single reception and had two passes defensed in the win. After struggling on the road against Washington last week and getting called for three penalties, Porter was very clean and dominated against the Ravens, which was a great sign of growth.
Heyward continues to play at a high level, too. Against the Ravens, Heyward drew two holding calls defensively, added three run stops and generated four pressures in the win. He also had two passes batted at the line of scrimmage and played a sound game in the rivalry matchup.
Washington was the highest-graded offensive piece for the Steelers. He played 44 snaps offensively and hauled in two passes for 42 yards, serving as a weapon in the fourth quarter in the middle of the field while catching some bullets from Russell Wilson up the seam.
As a run blocker, Washington was steady, too, grading out at a 76.2 in that area of the game. However, he did have one gaffe in the game, not making a play on the ball in the end zone on the throw from Wilson that resulted in a Marlon Humphrey interception.
Finally, Chris Boswell rounded out the top five highest-graded Steelers. In a monster game for Boswell, in which he hit six field goals on six tries, including three of 50+ yards, accounting for all the points for the Steelers, it’s a bit puzzling that he grades out at just an 83.9.
Boswell’s day was historic, and he remains well on pace to set a new NFL record for made field goals in a season.
It was a complete performance from the Steelers, even with some of the offensive struggles in the red zone. The defense was dominant, the offensive possessed the football and controlled the clock, and special teams won the day again. The Steelers are now 8-2 on the season and rolling with full control of the AFC North for the time being.
It’s a great spot to be in.
