Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Three must-watch players for the Steelers in Week 3

By Aaron Becker | Last updated 9/22/23

The Steelers (1-1) head to Las Vegas to face the Raiders (1-1) on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 3. Here are three must-watch players who must make a difference for Pittsburgh.

Kenny Pickett, quarterback

Pickett has looked like anything but his preseason self when he threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns and had a perfect passer rating of 158.3. In the Steelers' first two games, Pickett has completed 46-of-76 for 454 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. The second-year quarterback has missed wide-open targets and has yet to throw two or more touchdowns in a game, which has fans starting to get worried.

Pittsburgh's 2022 first-round pick must turn things around with a favorable matchup on Sunday night. The Raiders have allowed the 11th-most yards per game (355) and seventh-most points per game (27). If Pickett and the Steelers offense can get things going in Week 3, it feels as though they never will.

Joey Porter Jr., cornerback

Porter Jr., the No. 32 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, hasn't seen the field as much as many had hoped, but it has nothing to do with what he has or hasn't done. The rookie cornerback impressed in his limited preseason action where he made his first NFL interception and then had the game-winning deflection in Week 2.

Joey Porter Jr. in coverage on the game-winning stop! #CLEvsPIT pic.twitter.com/yPY5EFISDP
— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2023

Porter Jr. has played just 25 snaps in the first two games as the third cornerback behind Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace. That would be fine if Peterson and Wallace were playing well, but that isn't the case. Pittsburgh needs to get Porter Jr. on the field more, but it's easier said than done.

"We'll continue to see if he can continue to do things well. There's a possibility of expanding his role," defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. "As he gets better and gets more snaps, if he earns it, then we'll give him more reps."

Jaylen Warren, running back

There have been rumblings of a running back controversy for the Steelers, although it has been continually denied. The Week 2 performances by running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren didn't help. Warren made an impressive play on third and long to earn a first down and Pittsburgh scored on the following play.

The Steelers don’t win Monday without Jaylen Warren. He turns this nothing play into a first down. The next play, George Pickens goes 71 yards for a touchdown. #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/en3bkTegYZ
— Jarrett Bailey (@JBaileyNFL) September 21, 2023

Warren has already said, "It's not at all a competition," but he has looked far more explosive, starting with a 62-yard touchdown against the Bills in Week 2 of the preseason. If Warren continues to make splash plays in Week 3, there may be a changing of the tides.

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