NFL preseason Week 3 action is here. Teams are looking to figure out their rosters ahead of final cuts, leading to multiple players being under a microscope.
Unlike previous preseasons, some teams will end up playing their starters a lot with the regular year getting going here soon. What are the top storylines for those teams?
Without further ado, we provide you with the top notes and storylines for each NFL preseason Week 3 game below.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons
Desmond Ridder completed 7-of-9 passes for 80 yards in his 2023 preseason debut last week. However, the youngster’s start was clouded by an ugly red-zone interception. He simply can’t afford to make those mistakes if the Falcons are going to contend in the NFC South. Meanwhile, veteran free agent signing Taylor Heinicke completed 13-of-21 passes for 162 yards against Cincinnati. We’re not saying this is a competition. It isn’t. But these two performances were a bit eye-opening for different reasons.
An undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State last year, Jaylen Warren performed well as a rookie (593 total yards, 5.6 yards per touch). In limited playing time during last week’s win over the Buffalo Bills, he put up a highlight-reel 62-yard touchdown run. Warren is someone to watch as yet another talented young playmaker on a Steelers offense now seemingly filled with them.
Indianapolis Colts at Philadelphia Eagles
With the Colts having already named rookie Anthony Richardson their starting quarterback, veteran Gardner Minshew heads into NFL preseason Week 3 potentially trying out for other teams. The underrated signal caller completed 13-of-15 passes for 107 yards in a tremendous all-around performance last week against the Chicago Bears. If he plays well in what promises to be extensive action this week, some team may call up Indianapolis about a potential trade.
On the other side, Philadelphia’s backup quarterback situation is coming into focus in a big way. Rookie sixth-round pick Tanner McKee (10-of-18 passing, 147 yards, 1 TD) vastly outplayed veteran Marcus Mariota (9-of-17 passing, 1 INT) last week against Cleveland. There’s now a real chance that McKee will be QB2 behind Jalen Hurts once Week 1 comes calling. What we see this week will play a huge role in the decision-making process.
Related: 2023 NFL power rankings
Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers
Protection has not held up in front of rookie No. 1 pick Bryce Young for the Carolina Panthers during the preseason. It has directly led to the former Alabama star tallying a mere 56 passing yards on 12 attempts through two games. We’re fully expecting head coach Frank Reich to play his starters against Detroit during NFL preseason Week 3. He simply can’t be confident about this dynamic heading into Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.
The backup quarterback situation in Detroit came into focus last week with veteran Teddy Bridgewater making his Lions debut. He threw for just 34 yards on 11 attempts while completing less than half of his passes. Meanwhile, Nate Sudfeld’s mistake-riddled summer continued with yet another interception. Starter Jared Goff has proven he can remain healthy throughout an entire season. But should he go down to injury, the Lions need someone to step in. This week’s action will be telling.
New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans
We’re not sure if Ezekiel Elliott will make his Patriots debut this week. What we do know is that the Patriots’ backup running back position will come into central focus. Last week saw Kevin Harris lead New England with 31 yards on 10 attempts. Fellow youngster J.J. Taylor put up 29 yards on four attempts. With RB1 Rhamondre Stevenson and Zeke guaranteed roster spots, this battle will be interesting come Friday night in Tennessee.
As for the Titans, it’s also about a backup battle. Rookie Will Levis is going up against fellow youngster Malik Willis to be QB2 behind Ryan Tannehill. Willis (16-of-25 passing, 189 yards) outplayed Levis (9-of-14, 85 yards) in the NFL preseason opener. The second-year quarterback then got all the snaps this past week, completing a mere 10-of-17 passes for 85 yards in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He did add 91 yards on 11 rush attempts.
Related: What we learned from NFL preseason Week 2
Los Angeles Chargers at San Francisco 49ers
Third-year quarterback Trey Lance led San Francisco back to defeat the Denver Broncos last week. The former No. 3 pick showed some promise in the process. However, opportunities are limited when it comes to Lance for a championship-contending 49ers team. Some have been calling for Lance to get every rep Friday night against the Chargers given that QB1 Brock Purdy showed enough last week. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this is going to happen. Kyle Shanahan is expected to play his starters at Levi’s Stadium. How much of an opportunity will Lance get as he competes with Sam Darnold for the primary backup duties?
Chargers first-round pick Quentin Johnston is someone who has drawn rave reviews in Southern California this summer. The wide receiver continued that last week, catching all three of his targets for 37 yards from backup Easton Stick. We’re not expecting Justin Herbert to play much, if at all, Friday evening against the 49ers. However, it will be interesting to see if Johnston can continue to show he’s prepared to make an immediate impact behind starting receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears
Bills star wide receiver Stefon Diggs pushed back against a report that he wants out of dodge after an offseason filled with drama between the two sides. This is a major storyline as Buffalo prepares for a season with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. It remains to be seen if Diggs or fellow star Josh Allen will suit up Saturday afternoon in Chicago. But it’s going to be a talking point around the league.
Third-year quarterback Justin Fields completed all three of his passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears’ NFL preseason opener. None of those three completions went beyond the line of scrimmage. Apparently, this was enough for head coach Matt Eberflus as Fields did not suit up last week. We’re not 100% sold. We really want to see Fields and the rest of Chicago’s starting offense get some play Saturday against the Bills. Whether that happens remains to be seen.
Related: Ranking all 32 NFL starting QBs in 2023
Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson got most of the play for Green Bay at wide receiver leading up to training camp. But it’s been fellow 2022 draft pick Romeo Doubs who has shown out through the first two games of the NFL preseason. The fourth-round pick from Nevada has caught all four of his passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. If he’s able to continue this against a good Seahawks secondary, it will only lend credence to the idea that young quarterback Jordan Love has the necessary weapons to succeed as a first-year starter.
Seahawks rookies continue to show out as they look to compete with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West moving forward. Rookie first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba from Ohio State has pretty much been uncoverable (three catches for 58 yards on three targets last week). Unfortunately, he suffered a shoulder injury last week and is expected to miss multiple weeks of action. What other Seahawks receivers will step up this week?
Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs
Cleveland’s backup quarterback situation behind Deshaun Watson will come into focus this week. Rookie fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson has vastly outplayed Kellen Mond and Joshua Dobbs through three preseason games. While Dobbs seems to be a lock to be QB2, Mond and Thompson-Robinson could be battling it out for a spot on the 53. This week’s game will be telling.
Interestingly, the Chiefs’ backup QB job also has not been decided. Veteran Blaine Gabbert is battling it out with youngster Shane Buechele for the gig. “Those two are really close,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said ahead of NFL preseason Week 3. Gabbert completed 7-of-8 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns last week against Arizona. Buechele came in to complete all 10 of his passes for 105 yards.
Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings
Arizona has not played its starters through the first two preseason games. However, depth becomes a major issue heading into Week 1 against the Washington Commanders. The Cardinals were blown out by the score of 38-10 by Kansas City last week. In the process, their defense yielded north of 500 total yards. Who will step up for this team against Minnesota? Will any of the starters play? It’s a major storyline.
Minnesota sat all 22 of its projected starters last week against the Tennessee Titans. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is not expected to play in the preseason finale, either. We certainly saw a talent vacuum in said game with the rushing attack struggling. With Alexander Mattison slated to replace Dalvin Cook at RB1, someone needs to step up behind him. Ty Chandler (22 yards on 11 attempts) and rookie DeWayne McBride (18 yards on six attempts) didn’t do that last week.
Related: Updated NFL offense rankings
New York Jets at New York Giants
Aaron Rodgers in a New York Jets uniform. We’ll see it for the first time in live-game action when these two Jersey rivals go up against one another. We’re not too sure how long Rodgers will take to the field. But we’re intrigued to see how he looks in New York’s offense. That’s especially true with the Jets’ offensive line struggles this summer and the Giants’ talented defensive line.
On the other hand, it remains to be seen if Daniel Jones will suit up for the Giants. The recently extended quarterback was absolutely brilliant last week, completing 8-of-9 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown. We’d love to see Jones get some play against the Jets’ starters to open Saturday’s game.
Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Commanders
The Commanders’ offense under new coordinator Eric Bieniemy has been humming along all summer. That was no more true than last week when Washington put up north of 400 total yards of offense in ending the Baltimore Ravens’ 24-game preseason winning streak. We have no idea how much, if at all, Sam Howell and the starters will play in this one. But we’re intrigued to see this new offense work against the Bengals.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to be ready for Week 1 after suffering a calf injury early in training camp. With their franchise guy sidelined throughout the exhibition slate, veterans such as Jake Browning and Trevor Siemian have struggled big time. It leads us to believe that Cincinnati might look to the free agent or trade market for a backup should things continue to spiral during NFL preseason Week 3.
Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It now appears that Tyler Huntley has earned the top backup quarterback job behind Lamar Jackson heading into Week 1. Veteran journeyman Josh Johnson got the start last week against Washington, performing well in the process (10-of-12 passing, 2 TD, 1 INT). Anthony Brown also threw two touchdowns in relieving him with Huntley sitting the game out. Johnson and Brown should continue to battle for the QB3 job in Baltimore’s preseason finale.
In what has to be seen as somewhat of a surprise, Baker Mayfield has beaten out Kyle Trask for the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback job. We’re not too sure who will actually see the field in the preseason finale. But it would make sense for Mayfield to get more run with the ones before the regular season opens up.
Related: 2023 NFL defense rankings
Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars
There’s renewed talk about the Dolphins’ running back situation after they were linked to Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook throughout the offseason. Rookie second-round pick Devon Achane is now week-to-week after suffering a shoulder injury. We have not seen much of veterans Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson this summer. It’s in this that rumors about Miami going after Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor continue to pop up. Whether this preseason finale plays a role in the decision-making process, it will be a major storyline.
Rookie third-round pick Tank Bigsby has been brilliant all preseason long for Jacksonville. The former Auburn running back has put up 122 rushing yards on 22 attempts. We fully expect to see him get a ton of run against Miami in the preseason finale. Could it be that the Jags have found a two-headed monster in the backfield with Travis Etienne and Bigsby?
Las Vegas Raiders at Dallas Cowboys
Jimmy Garoppolo did his thing in the quarterback’s NFL preseason debut with Vegas last week, completing all four of his passes for 39 yards while leading the Raiders on a game-opening touchdown drive. We’re intrigued to see if Josh McDaniels gets his new quarterback even more playing time against a really good Cowboys defense to conclude the exhibition slate.
On the other side, most of the talk in Big D has surrounded 5-foot-6 rookie sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn. He’s scored a touchdown in each of his first two preseason games. The running back will also see extensive action to conclude the NFL preseason. Could he potentially earn the RB2 spot behind Tony Pollard with the Cowboys?
Related: 2023 NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Los Angeles Rams at Denver Broncos
Sean McVay’s squad has been outscored by a combined 34 points in the first two preseason games. While he has not played the starters during this span, it certainly is a troubling trend. Los Angeles lacks depth to make up for injuries. The backups have struggled on both sides of the ball during the summer. Further evidence of this in the NFL preseason finale will not be a good sign for the Broncos.
As for Denver, we’re intrigued to see how much play Russell Wilson gets in this one. He struggled to the tune of 3-of-6 passing for 24 yards against the 49ers last week. It has not been a great two-game sample size for the Super Bowl winner under first-year head coach Sean Payton. Could this lead to Wilson seeing more action as the preseason wraps up?
Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints
C.J. Stroud or Davis Mills? First-year Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has yet to commit to either for Week 1 of the regular season. Stroud has had his ups and downs through two NFL preseason games but did play better last week in comparison to the opener. Meanwhile, Mills completed just 10-of-22 passes for 94 yards last week against the Miami Dolphins. Who will see QB1 reps this weekend?
Speaking of quarterbacks, Jameis Winston has played himself into a situation in which other teams might end up calling the Saints up ahead of Week 1. The veteran former No. 1 pick has completed 24-of-34 passes for 261 yards with a touchdown in the preseason. Another strong performance to close the NFL preseason could lead to renewed interest in the veteran.