The Pittsburgh Steelers played strong defense for a third consecutive week Sunday. In the NFL’s first regular season game in Paris, France, the Steelers held the New Orleans Saints to just one touchdown and 281 yards.
The Steelers defense also generated a key turnover in the 16-10 victory.
Linebacker Payton Wilson jumped a route in the flat while the Saints were driving on the first possession of the third quarter. At the time, New Orleans’s offense was at the Steelers 10-yard line. A field goal would have tied the game.
But while getting in front of a route on second-and-7, Wilson intercepted Saints quarterback Tyler Shough. After the win, McCarthy couldn’t say enough about how important the play was.
“That was huge. Took points off the board,” said McCarthy to reporters after the game. “Big play. They were doing a very good job with the underneath completion game.
“Payton just keeps getting stronger and stronger.”
The interception was Wilson’s first of the 2026 campaign. As McCarthy said, the pick took away a scoring opportunity for the Saints.
Additionally, Wilson had six total tackles and a pass defense in the victory.
Payton Wilson Makes Huge Interception in Steelers Win
The interception didn’t appear to just take away a scoring opportunity for the Saints. The second half seemed to change after it.
New Orleans’s offense didn’t have another long drive after Slough’s third quarter pick. Granted, the Saints only had the ball two more times following the interception, but the Steelers defense clamped down on those possessions.
The Saints gained just 53 yards after Wilson’s game-changing play. New Orleans missed a field goal and punted on those two possessions.
Pittsburgh’s other starting inside linebacker, Patrick Queen, also shined in Paris. Queen led the Steelers with 10 total tackles, including one tackle for loss. He sacked Slough on the final third down New Orleans faced during the game as well.
McCarthy credited Wilson and the defense’s success to getting more acclimated to new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
“Payton is a good example of it,” said McCarthy. “The connection and the guys are more and more comfortable each week with our scheme adjustments that we are doing.
“Obviously, it was a huge play in the game.”
Prior to the interception, Slough was having success finding open receivers in the flat. That could have been why Slough assumed Chris Olave would be open on the play where he committed the turnover.
Wilson was there for the pick instead.
Wilson Credits Coaching Staff, Teammates for Interception vs. Saints
Wilson referred to his coverage against Olave on the play as a bit of a gamble. But Wilson said he felt comfortable taking the risk with Queen and Jaquan Brisker behind him to cover the deeper routes on the play.
“They were on the move there,” Wilson told reporters in Paris. “They were working a little bit, so it was just a good opportunity and a good spot to be in.”
Rodgers joked in his postgame press conference he indirectly helped Wilson interception the pass too. Rodgers told reporters Wilson intercepted him on a similar play in practice, so he was already familiar with the passing concept the Saints were trying to run.
Wilson came into Sunday leading the team with 55 combined tackles. But from the Steelers perspective, it was nice to see the linebacker make a game-changing play.
With the win Sunday, the Steelers improved to 5-2. At the very least, the team will remain in a first place tie in the AFC North at the conclusion of Week 7.
Next week, the Steelers will host the Cleveland Browns.
Steelers’ Mike McCarthy Speaks out on Payton Wilson After Key INT vs. Saints