Watch: Payton Wilson grabs freak INT against Ravens
Steel City Underground will pick an exceptional play of the game as a highlight each week of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 NFL regular season. Stay tuned as we hand-select the very best from the Black and Gold!
The NFL Week 11 division rivalry game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens was yet another close match. The Steelers won, 18-16, but it wasn’t the offenses that really stood out as much as the defenses of both teams.
There were several plays we could have chosen to highlight; T.J. Watt‘s or Dean Lowry‘s sacks of Lamar Jackson, Nick Herbig‘s early strip of the ball from Derrick Henry, Patrick Queen‘s forced fumble and recovery, or Joey Porter Jr’s stop on the 2-point attempt that would have allowed the Ravens to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.
Instead, we focused on the freakish play that resulted in Steelers rookie linebacker Payton Wilson‘s interception.
Pittsburgh had marched down the field in the 4th to get inside the red zone only to have a connection between Russell Wilson and Darnell Washington end up in the hands of a Ravens defender for a pick in the end zone. That put the Steelers right back on the field with their defense.
Jackson kept the ball on 1st & 10 at the Baltimore 20 for a 25-yard gain. On 1st & 10 at the 45, Jackson dumped the ball off to Henry for a 15-yard gain, but the Ravens were penalized for an ineligible player downfield on the pass.
After an official time out, the Ravens lined up on 1st & 15 and Jackson took the snap from shotgun. He threw the ball deep, targeting Justice Hill. Payton Wilson shadowed the running back and was able to get an arm inside Hill’s as the ball arrived. As the pair went to the ground, that arm was able to knock the ball loose and Wilson was able to secure it for the takeaway. Wilson attempted to hand the ball off to Minkah Fitzpatrick to keep the play alive, but officials whistled the play dead.
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It was Wilson’s first NFL career interception and helped set up Chris Boswell‘s sixth successful field goal kick. The Steelers defense, as a unit, held Jackson to his lowest overall grade and lowest passing grade so far this season, per PFF.
