There is no such thing as a must-win game in Week 3, but this is pretty close to one for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a tough home loss to the Seahawks in Week 2, the Steelers desperately need a road win against the Patriots to stabilize the ship. And to do so, they are going to need a much better performance out of their offense.
One player whose performance could decide the outcome of this game is Jaylen Warren, who has struggled to get going in the run game. Warren has just 85 rushing yards on 25 carries (3.4 yards per rush), but that’s only a part of his game. He’s had a lot of success in the receiving game, and the Steelers would be wise to utilize more there this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers' Jaylen Warren should have a huge performance against Patriots
The Patriots have a lot of talent on their defense, and the belief around the league is that this could be one of the top units by the end of the season. But that hasn’t been the case in the first two weeks as they’ve allowed 6.6 yards per play, which is the second-most in the NFL. One of the ways the Patriots have been gashed is through the air to opposing running backs.
Just last week, De'Von Achane caught eight passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, with most of his receptions coming in the middle of the field. Miami’s running backs totaled 110 receiving yards against the Patriots as they attacked Robert Spillane and the rest of the linebackers.
.@ffvmousvon_ was ON A MISSION 💥 pic.twitter.com/hho3pAg020
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 14, 2025
Warren is one of the top receiving backs in the league and just put together a huge day in the passing game last week. Aaron Rodgers has been vocal about getting Warren more touches in the passing game, and this feels like a perfect week to get him even more involved.
New England has done an excellent job of stopping the run through the first two weeks of the season, and while Pittsburgh will want to stay balanced, there is no sense in wasting too many plays in this contest. Instead, look for Arthur Smith to use Warren in the passing game as an extension of the run game to get him in the open field, matched up against New England’s lumbering linebackers.
If Warren can produce like he did last week and take advantage of this huge mismatch, the Steelers should have no problem moving the ball up and down the field. Expect Mike Vrabel to do his best to take away D.K. Metcalf, which should lead to plenty of opportunities for Warren. And with Kaleb Johnson still not a factor on offense, don’t be surprised if this is a 20+ touch game for Warren and for Kenneth Gainwell to see a much bigger workload in Week 3.