The off-ball linebackers have been an issue for the Pittsburgh Steelers for years now. Since the Ryan Shazier and Vince Williams days in 2017, this team has struggled to find linebackers who could play at a high level without being liabilities on the field.
But in Week 7, we witnessed one of the best performances from a pair of Steelers linebackers that we've seen in a decade.
Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen have each had their struggles over the past few seasons—and both have been downright awful at times in coverage. However, in Paris against the New Orleans Saints, we caught a glimpse of what Pittsburgh's defense can look like when Wilson and Queen are on the same page and firing on all cylinders.
And it was glorious.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense can reach the next level if Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen can keep it up
Let's start with Wilson. All the signs were there before his spectacular game against the Saints in Paris. Wilson has been flying to the football all season. However, he still had too many missed tackles and lapses in coverage. His game in Week 7 was nearly perfect.
Wilson had a pair of run stops at the line of scrimmage while practically using jet propulsion to make his way to the football. In coverage, Wilson allowed just 27 yards on five targets. His play of the game was a diving interception in the red zone, which, after sumersalting, got back up and returned the ball for another 18 yards.
What's shocking is that Queen was just as impressive.
For perhaps the first time since his performance against the New England Patriots, Queen had a truly good game. This was a welcome sight after three straight duds against the Browns, Colts, and Buccaneers. Fans were even beginning to question Queen's effort on the field.
But he silenced doubters in Week 7. Against the Saints, the veteran was credited with racking up 10 total tackles while earning a pass breakup and a sack. Most importantly, Queen had one of his best games in coverage that we've seen in his career, as he was credited with allowing just 12 receiving yards on two targets all game.
This tandem witnessed the fruits of their labor in their PFF grades. Pro Football Focus gave Wilson an incredible 89.8 overall grade for his performance against New Orleans, while Queen came away with an 84.5 overall grade [$]. This was the highest-graded collective showing we've seen from these two players in Steelers uniforms.
And it showed on the field.
The dominance of Wilson and Queen in run support aided the team greatly and resulted in the Saints rushing for a dismal 18 yards on 17 carries. And against the pass, they were hardly the issue. When second-year quarterback Tyler Shough found success, it was mostly against defensive backs Jalen Ramsey and Jamel Dean, while safety DeShon Elliott also allowed a 24-yard completion in limited action.
Thanks largely to the dominance of Wilson and Queen in this contest, the Saints not only couldn't run the football with any sort of success, but they also finished the game with just three rushing first downs, 4.9 yards per play, 281 total yards, and—most importantly—just 10 points on the scoreboard.
Queen and Wilson were objectively two of the best players on the team in Week 7. We knew what they were capable of all along from an athletic standpoint, and if they can start to stack performances, it could help take the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense to new heights in the second half of the season.
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