2022 NFL: Week 3 Preview

If you’re a Steelers fan and you’re frustrated, it’s understandable.

With their opening week win over the Bengals already becoming a distant memory, the Steelers stumbled to a second straight loss on Thursday night, this time to their division rival Browns, 29-17. And while starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky didn’t have a particularly bad performance, the Black and Gold faithful could be getting restless, especially with first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett waiting in the wings.

So, will the Steelers hand the keys to the offense over to the kid? What does head coach Mike Tomlin think?

“I’m not in that mindset,” Tomlin said (h/t to CBSSports.com). “I’m interested in reviewing this tape and looking at the totality of it and figuring out how we collectively get better. So, the answer to that question is definitively no.”

If there’s one thing Tomlin is amazing at, it’s giving a straight answer. And you heard the man, it’s a definitive no. All the Pickett people will have to wait … for now. Rest assured, the rookie’s day is coming. But if you look at Pittsburgh’s upcoming schedule, you can understand why Tomlin would want to hold off.

After a home game against the Jets next week, here is who they play before their bye: At Buffalo, vs. Tampa, at Miami and at Philadelphia. Yikes. That’s quite the murderer’s row of opponents and not the best testing ground for a first-year quarterback. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Steelers could be 2-6 after that stretch.

And with reigning defensive player of the year T.J. Watt out with a significant injury, this is quickly turning into a lost season for Tomlin’s bunch. So, as hard as it may be, the best path forward is to preach patience.

Pickett will get his shot. Just not yet, and that’s probably for the best.

NFL’S TOP 10

1. Bills – This group has looked like motivated Marines in wins over the Rams and Titans. The defense is solid, Stefon Diggs is a beast and while Josh Allen is still exposing himself to hits, he’s young enough to withstand the punishment for the time being. They have a fun stretch of games over the next month before their bye week and it will be interesting to see how this team develops.

2. Chiefs – No Tyreek Hill, no problem. Despite not having a reliable deep threat, Patrick Mahomes is spreading the ball around and is still putting up points in bunches. Circle Oct. 16 on your calendar because that’s when Kansas City gets a playoff rematch against Buffalo at home.

3. Eagles – They’re first in total yards per game, second in rushing yards and Jalen Hurts seems to have taken another step forward as a passer. This has been an impressive group over the first two weeks of the season and with Dalas dealing with personnel problems, Philly has an open path to an NFC East crown.

4. Buccaneers – I don’t know what’s going on with Tom Brady’s personal life and quite frankly, I don’t want to know. I’m also not particularly worried that through two games, the Bucs are 25th in the league in yards per game. They’re 2-0, their defense is the best in the NFL in points allowed and they just snapped a regular season losing streak against the Saints. That’s good enough for me.

5. Rams – A comedy of errors against the Falcons in the fourth quarter almost left them with a second straight loss to start the season. Matthew Stafford is turning the ball over at an alarming rate, the running game is second-to-last in the league and L.A.’s defense doesn’t look sharp. Am I being overly negative? Probably. It’s still early and there’s plenty of time for head coach Sean McVay to figure things out.

6. Packers – They had a bad loss to start last season and pulled it together. They began 2022 with an ugly performance, too. But Aaron Rodgers looked like his usual self in last week’s win over the hapless Bears and it appears Green Bay has a frightening two-headed monster at running back with Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. It will be interesting to see how the ground game does against Tampa’s tough defense on Sunday.

7. Dolphins – Is it time to buy into the hype? After what they did in the fourth quarter against the Ravens last Sunday, it would be hard not to. With Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle becoming a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, Miami’s offense is leading the league in passing. I was hesitant to take out the anointing oil for Tua Tagovailoa, but it might be time to open that bottle.

8. Chargers – They were in a great position to steal a Thursday night win in Kansas City last week, but a costly Justin Herbert pick-six (which wasn’t all his fault), cost them. And now Herbert is dealing with a rib cartilage injury. He’s listed as day to day, but if he ends up missing time, that’s going to be a problem.

9. Ravens – A lot of people might want to jump off their bandwagon after their secondary got torched against the Dolphins, but don’t do it. There’s still time for Baltimore to tighten things up defensively. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson is playing about as well as a quarterback can. That has to count for something.

10. 49ers – They lost young quarterback Trey Lance for the season after he suffered a devastating leg injury. Good thing they kept Jimmy Garoppolo around, huh? Call me crazy, but I think their Super Bowl chances will improve with the veteran under center.

WHAT’S THE CHATTER?

Feeling that hangover: The Bengals were in the Super Bowl in February. Now they’re 0-2, their offensive line is struggling, they’re turning the ball over a lot and making mental mistakes. I picked Cincinnati to miss the postseason and so far, the Bengals are making me look smart.

Yikes: The Colts brought in Matt Ryan to be the missing piece that would take this team deep into the postseason. It’s safe to say that nobody thought they’d be 0-1-1 at this point, but here we are. What’s more, their best wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is dealing with a quad injury. This isn’t the best news to hear with a matchup against the Chiefs coming on Sunday.

Brett Favre: Man, I don’t know what this guy is up to, but if the reports about him being a part of misappropriating welfare funds in Mississippi are true (and there are text messages that don’t paint a pretty picture), the Hall of Famer is kind of a bad guy. It’s not fun to say things like that, but what other conclusion can one come to?

Unpopular take: Steelers rookie receiver Georgie Pickens set social media on fire with his one-handed grab on Thursday night. Ever since Odell Beckham Jr. came down with that amazing catch several years ago, plays like that have almost become commonplace. I’m not saying I don’t appreciate the talent, I’m just saying I’ve seen it before. I’m the worst, right?

Jerry, no: If there’s one thing that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones loves to do, it’s stir the pot. After Dallas’ big win last week over the Bengals without injured starting quarterback Dak Prescott, Jones intimated that maybe history would repeat itself. If you remember, Prescott took the starting job from the injured Tony Romo in 2016 and never gave it up. Is there a world where backup Cooper Rush keeps the gig if Big D keeps winning?

“Wouldn’t it be something if the same thing happened? This is the way I think,” Jones said. “Wouldn’t it be something if you had a dilemma as to which way you go? You do that if [Rush] gets 10 wins. Same thing that happened with Prescott.

“I think like that.”

Would he like paying $40 million a year for Prescott to hold a clipboard on the sideline? No, he wouldn’t.

APPOINTMENT VIEWING FOR WEEK 3

Raiders at Titans: We have a pair of 0-2 teams who will be desperate to avoid a third straight loss. Expect to see both sides playing with a lot of emotion. This should be fun.

Chiefs at Colts: Like I said before, Indy is in quite a bind here. Kansas City won’t have any sympathy for their opponent’s early season struggles. If the Colts lose badly here, head coach Frank Reich’s job security will take a hit.

Bills at Dolphins: Grab your popcorn, this will be a doozy. This is about as telling of a test as the developing Dolphins will face. If Tua can light up Buffalo’s defense, the doubters will be silenced for a while. Myself included.

Lions at Vikings: Don’t look now, but Detroit might actually be a contender for a wild card spot. Meanwhile, I still don’t know what to make of Minnesota. I’ll probably be saying the same thing come Week 18.

Ravens at Patriots: Baltimore will be eager to wash the sour taste from last week out of their mouths. The good news is, the Patriots don’t have the same deep threats as the Dolphins.

Bengals at Jets: If Cincinnati bungles this game on the road, it’s panic button time. That won’t happen though, right? Right?!

Eagles at Commanders: With every game, my respect for Philly head coach Nick Sirianni grows. His team looks motivated and ready to play every week. They should roll to a somewhat easy win here.

Jaguars at Chargers: It’s fun to see how this young Jacksonville squad is improving. You can argue that they should be 2-0 right now. They have a good chance to steal a road win here, especially if Herbert doesn’t play or is limited due to his injury.

Rams at Cardinals: NFC playoff rematch. The Cardinals were lucky to escape Vegas with a win last week and will at least have some momentum at home against a division rival.

Packers at Buccaneers: Rodgers vs. Brady. If this is the last time we see these two quarterbacks face each other, savor it.

49ers at Broncos: It was interesting to see Denver’s home crowd boo their boys after a listless first half last week. Head coach Nathaniel Hackett needs to stop with the mental mistakes. You don’t want that reputation going forward.

Cowboys at Giants: It’s Monday night, what else are you going to watch?