category
Dec 9, 2025
Steelers Linebacker Gets NFL Punishment Ruling on Two Plays After Bills Loss
Heavy
The Steelers' Week 13 loss to the Bills proved especially costly for standout linebacker Payton Wilson.
On Saturday, the nfl.com/inside-football-ops/rules-enforcement/gameday-accountability/">NFL fined Wilson not once, but twice for unnecessary roughness on a pair of special teams plays in the 26-7 defeat.
Both infractions came on special teams plays. On the first play that was penalized, Wilson blocked through the whistle, and on the second he delivered a blindside block on Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen.
A fixture on defense, Wilson, 25, leads the Steelers with 109 tackles (64 solo) to go with five tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception.
The 2024 third-round pick matched a season-high with 14 tackles in the loss to the Bills and followed that up with six tackles in a Week 14 victory over the Ravens. The 27-22 win moved Pittsburgh atop the AFC North at 7-6.
The Steelers defense has allowed the fifth-most yards in the NFL (369.3 per game) but ranks 19th in opponents' scoring (23.9 points allowed per game).
Wilson wasn't the only Steeler fined. Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward was fined $11,593 for a third-quarter taunting penalty, while wide receiver DK Metcalf was docked $14,491 for an unsportsmanlike conduct call in the second quarter.
The Steelers led Buffalo 7-3 at halftime but allowed three unanswered touchdowns in the second half, including a 17-yard Christian Benford fumble recovery, and finished with just 10 first downs and 166 total yards.
