Steelers' Jaylen Warren, Eagles LBs and more to watch in Thursday's preseason games

The final week of preseason action kicks off with a pair of games on Thursday evening.

Here's a look at the most important things to look out for as the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Atlanta Falcons (7:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network) while the Indianapolis Colts travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles (8:00 p.m. ET, Prime Video) in Week 3 of the preseason.

Pittsburgh running back Jaylen Warren

Warren had one of the top plays in Week 2 of the preseason when he broke off a 62-yard touchdown run. The undrafted second-year back spent his final collegiate season at Oklahoma State and put up solid numbers as a rookie. His 105 touches last season ranked ninth among all rookie running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. He averaged 4.9 yards a carry and added 28 receptions for a total of 593 scrimmage yards. 

Najee Harris is Pittsburgh's lead back but only averaged 3.9 yards an attempt through his first two seasons. His role diminished last year after he played 84 percent of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps as a rookie. He played on 66 percent of the team's offensive snaps in 2022 and recorded 68 fewer touches. With another strong performance against Atlanta, Warren could take an even bigger chunk out of Harris' role.

Falcons rush defense

Warren has a great opportunity in front of him against a suspect Falcons rush defense. Through two preseason games, Atlanta has allowed 251 yards on 46 carries, an average of 5.5 yards an attempt. 

The Falcons spent a lot of money to rebuild a defense that ranked 23rd against the run last season (and 27th overall). It's far too early to hit the panic button over the rush defense, but another weak outing will certainly raise Atlanta's level of concern. 

Eagles linebackers

The Eagles are the favorite in the NFC for a reason. The majority of last year's conference champion team is back, and few holes can be seen on the roster. One potential weakness could be at middle linebacker, however. 

T.J. Edwards joined the Chicago Bears in free agency after he was one of the best middle linebackers in the league last year, leading the Eagles in Pro Football Focus' defensive stops metric, which PFF defines as "tackles that constitute a 'failure' for the offense."

Training camp signings of Zach Cunningham and Myles Jack indicated the team wasn't satisfied with its options, and after Jack surprisingly retired earlier this week, questions remain about the team's depth at the position. 

Cunningham and Nakobe Dean, Philly's third-round pick in 2022, project to be the starters and might not see the field against Atlanta. That means more playing time in the finale for Christian Elliss, Nicholas Morrow and Ben VanSumeren, players who've had uneven preseasons.

PFF grades Morrow as the team's best coverage linebacker but also worst against the run, while VanSumeren is the third-best run-defending linebacker and worst in coverage. Ellis has as many tackles made as missed.

Anthony Richardson

Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced Richardson will play in the preseason finale, which will give him much-needed reps. He's been as raw as expected so far, completing 58.3 percent of his passes for only 5.6 yards an attempt. 

Richardson will have a ton of weight on his shoulders in the regular season with Jonathan Taylor potentially on the way out, and Indianapolis couldn't ask for better practice than against the defending NFC champs to see if Richardson's ready to shoulder the load.