PITTSBURGH —On Sunday, Payton Wilson looked a lot like the guy the Pittsburgh Steelers were hoping they'd get when they selected him in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Therefore, Daniel Jones better resembled the quarterback he was before entering this season.
"I think I'm just really gaining confidence, really trusting myself, trusting these guys," said Wilson, who picked off one pass and tipped another into Jack Sawyer 's embrace during the Steelers' 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts . "Obviously, the trust that TA (Teryl Austin) has in me to move me around a lot. It's been really cool. I think a lot of it's just been confidence. The player that you've seen for the last few weeks is the player that I am."
Wilson had a game-high 14 stops on the day, playing a large part in tracking down and limiting Jonathan Taylor , who entered as the NFL's leading rusher. T.J. Watt described Wilson as "a hard-working guy who's the 'first in, last out' type of guy." Much like the star outside linebacker, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin wasn't taken aback by what he saw out of Wilson.
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, left, stands beside inside linebacker Payton Wilson during Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. Ed Thompson/Steelers Now
"It's a reasonable expectation, a second-year player who played a lot last year, made some plays last year," Tomlin said. "It's a natural progression (when) you've got a good relationship with the game, you work the way that he works and you have the talent that he has, I don't think anybody is surprised by the impact and the general trajectory."
Fellow inside linebacker Patrick Queen was impressed by his partner-in-crime's breakout performance.
"When he plays like that, he gets the whole team going," Queen said. "He was just a fucking animal today. … I'm so hype for him. Every single time I see him make a play, bro, I get excited."
Wilson stepped in front of a Jones throw in the second quarter, a play so smooth it looked as if the Colts' passer meant to fire it at his chest.
"It's funny, because when we do our Saturday night meeting, Denzel, Coach Martin, he has a great presentation he does for linebackers, D-line, DBs across the league getting (turnovers)," Wilson said. "And some of them, I'm like, 'I need one of those. Just throw it right to me.' Me and PQ talk about it every week, so it's cool that I got one of those gimmes."
During the next frame, Wilson jumped up to bat a pass into the air while blitzing. It fell right into Sawyer's hands.
"It's just something we say around here, 'Tips and overthrows,'" Wilson said. "If you say that around GA (Gerald Alexander), he'll lose his mind like, 'Gotta get those!'"
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Payton Wilson Takes 'Animal' Form in Steelers Statement Win vs. Colts
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