The Pittsburgh Steelers' 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns Thursday night is a situation the franchise is all too familiar with. They were looking to buck the trend of their Thursday night divisional road game woes, but came up just short of being able to do that. Head Coach Mike McCarthy and his staff will look to regroup with a longer game week ahead of their home matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on October 11th. There were issues on both sides of the ball that they will look to correct. One can be quickly fixed on defense.
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Oct 1, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy reacts in the first half at Huntington Bank Field.
Linebacker Payton Wilson had a great start to the 2026 season for the Black and Gold. However, on Thursday night, he had some playing time taken away from him by Cole Holcomb. This is one issue that defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will need to adjust ahead of the matchup next Sunday against Indianapolis.
On Friday, team insider Mark Kaboly joined 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh to discuss several different aspects of the showdown in Cleveland. During the segment, he made sure to point out that it was a real concern seeing Holcomb on the field several times instead of Wilson. It was even more of a problem seeing Browns running back Jaleel McLaughlin bouncing off of tackle attempts by the Pittsburgh linebacker.
“What concerned me was how well Payton Wilson played the first couple of games and you’re looking out there and you’re seeing Cole Holcomb out there instead,” Kaboly said. “That’s a little concerning to me, as to why Payton Wilson is not playing more and why they felt the need to throw Holcomb in there.”
The defense was a strong unit through the first two weeks of the 2026 season for the team. However, it has now given up 27 points in back to back weeks following their strong start with some old habits starting to show up again. With the longer break in between games, the defense will now have a chance to rest and reset before their Week 5 matchup. Through four games this season, Wilson has 34 tackles as well as four tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
The third year linebacker from NC State started to emerge last season for the franchise. In 17 games in 2025, he had a total of 126 tackles and six tackles for loss. He is already well on pace to surpass those numbers this season, proving again that he is a stalwart at the position for the Black and Gold. It would be wise for the coaching staff to reassess their usage of Holcomb and get back to using the more reliable player in Wilson as they move forward this season.
Steelers Defense Eagerly Needs A Reset After The Past Two Weeks
The defense allowed an average of just 16.5 points through the first two weeks of this young campaign. As the offense is starting to find some more rhythm and score more effectively, Graham and his unit desperately need a reset to get back to what they were doing in those first two contests.
The offense has proven that allowing less than 20 points per game will be enough for them to find ways to win games throughout the year. However, the past two performances from the defense are not going to be sustainable in the long run.
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Payton Wilson warms up for the Steelers before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium.
The Pittsburgh defenders allowed Cleveland quarterback DeShaun Watson to look more like signal-caller he was when with the Houston Texans. He had struggled a bit in 2026, especially in terms of yardage, but put up his best game to date with 268 yards through the air.
The Steelers must correct things quickly when welcoming in Indianapolis, who gave the Kansas City Chiefs all they could handle in Week 2 as they came up just short in overtime on the road. They can start by going back to their young linebacker in Wilson more frequently throughout the game.
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