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With a preseason game against the Detroit Lions looming, all eyes will be on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here, we'll make our Steelers preseason Week 3 predictions ahead of the Lions-Steelers game.
The Steelers won their Week 2 NFL Preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Saturday night. The 16-15 triumph in Duval County didn't seem like a thrilling victory, though. Instead, it was more of a wake-up call.
Keep in mind that almost every time Pittsburgh's quarterbacks dropped back to pass in that game, they were under siege. In addition to pass protection issues, the Steelers were unable to run the ball as effectively as they did in Week 1 of the preseason against the Seattle Seahawks. This was just one of the many ways their offense struggled against the Jaguars.
On the other side of the field, the Steelers' defense did have some shining moments. They forced a turnover via a Justin Layne interception, limited the Jaguars to under 100 yards rushing, and constrained the Jaguars' starters to field goals rather than TDs.
Despite that, the Steelers clearly have a lot to work on before Week 1 of the regular season.
Enter their preseason finale against the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. How the Steelers approach this game will be interesting. How many starters will play? Who will start under center? Will their offense finally hum?
Let's try to answer one or two of those questions as we move on to our Steelers preseason Week 3 predictions for this game against the Lions.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Preseason Week 3 Predictions
4. Jaylen Warren rushes for a TD
Before Master Teague's injury and subsequent release, many Steelers fans were all aboard the Master Teague hype train. With Teague now a free agent, however, Jaylen Warren's chances of making the team have skyrocketed.
The Steelers found a real gem in Jaylen Warren. https://t.co/ktvixFtoTn
— Steelers Wire (@TheSteelersWire) August 26, 2022
The undrafted rookie has had a fantastic summer, exhibiting a terrific blend of power and flexibility. The fact that his only real opponent is Benny Snell, who had a fantastic touchdown reception versus Jacksonville but struggled otherwise, also works in his favor.
The success each runner has in pass protection versus Detroit on Saturday might be the deciding factor. To that end, the advantage should go to Warren.
Beyond that, however, Warren should also record one rushing TD for good measure.
3. Tyler Vaughns will get a receiving TD
Wide receiver Tyler Vaughns has stepped up in the final portions of the Steelers' first two preseason games. Coach Mike Tomlin recently talked about Vaughns and what he appreciates about him.
“Boy, how about the playmaking at the end of games? I can’t say enough about that,” Tomlin said, per Steelers.com. “He’s a capable and willing worker out here. He’s versatile from a positional standpoint. I like some of the things I’m seeing for sure.”
Vaughns scored a 24-yard touchdown with 12 seconds remaining in their opening 32-25 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Then he had three receptions and 51 yards from scrimmage on the Steelers' go-ahead drive in the final minutes of Saturday's 16-15 triumph against the Jaguars.
Even fan-favorite QB Kenny Pickett had good things to say about Vaughns.
“Tyler is a great player,” Pickett said after he threw the winning pass to Vaughns in the Seattle game, per Chris Adamski of TribLive. “I gave him a chance, and he made a move and scored.”
Watch Vaughns score again this weekend against the Lions.
2. George Pickens continues to impress
Rookie receiver George Pickens has been a breakout preseason standout for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With the 52th pick in the NFL Draft, the Steelers chose Pickens, and they haven't looked back since. After making his NFL debut in Week 1 of the preseason, Pickens appears to be the new star in Pittsburgh football's backyard.
Take note that Pickens caught three of five receptions for 43 yards and a score against the Seahawks.
Recall, too, that Pickens was the Georgia Bulldogs' 2020 Sugar Bowl MVP, catching 12 catches for 175 yards and a score. Unfortunately, he was sidelined by an injury for much of 2021.
He certainly appears to be the next in a long line of outstanding Steelers wide receivers. Whoever wins the QB battle will surely have a terrific troika of WR weapons at his disposal. Just think about it: Pickens with Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson. That's deadly.
Pickens should continue to get a lot of receiving yards against a Lions D that has not been super impressive in the preseason.
1. Mitch Trubisky puts QB spot beyond doubt
Ben Roethlisberger was the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback for the last 18 years. When games began, there was no question about who would be the team's quarterback.
That is not the case in 2022 after Big Ben called it quits.
This season's stiff quarterback competition has been between Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and newcomer Kenny Pickett.
From SC:AM: the Steelers' quarterback competition is getting tighter with Kenny Pickett hot on the heels of Mitch Trubisky. pic.twitter.com/Lfpk3sIJSo
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 24, 2022
Throughout it all, Trubisky has been the favorite. He has earned the vast majority of reps with the starters at minicamp, OTAs, training camp, and the preseason.
Following the team's 16-15 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, though, there has been talk of an open battle for the starting quarterback position because of Pickett's rapid development. Mike Tomlin believed Trubisky performed well after the game, especially given he was under a lot of pressure in the first half.
“I thought Mitch [Trubisky] played well.” Tomlin said, per Steelers.com. “I thought he created and extended some things when there wasn’t much there. We’ve got to do a better job in protecting him and having some semblance of a running game if you want a fair evaluation, and I’m just being bluntly honest.”
Trubisky is set to start the Steelers-Lions Preseason Week 3 matchup on Sunday, and a strong performance will be required for him to establish himself as the starter for the regular season.
He should have no problems doing that, assuming he gets good pass protection, of course.
