Week 3 NFL players to watch: Jordan Love continues to impress; T.J. Watt takes down another QB

Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season is underway. Here are the must-see players on Sunday:

SUNDAY’S POST-GAME HEADLINE TODAY | Browns drive Ford to a win over Tennessee

Cleveland lost star running back Nick Chubb to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 loss to the Steelers, which means Jerome Ford is the next man up. The 24-year-old ran for 106 yards on 16 rushes against Pittsburgh, averaging an impressive 6.6 yards per carry, and added three catches for 25 yards and a touchdown in relief of Chubb in a Week 2 loss to Pittsburgh. The Titans defense, which has allowed the fourth-least rushing yards per game (65), won’t be easy to run on, but Ford gets to run behind one of the best offensive lines in the league.

SUNDAY’S POST-GAME HEADLINE TODAY | Packers ‘Love’ what they see versus New Orleans

QB Jordan Love has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2023 season, throwing three touchdowns in back-to-back weeks to give him a league-leading six. Green Bay seems to know what it’s doing at quarterback, going from Hall of Famer Brett Favre to future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, and Love might just turn out to be the latest example. The Saints defense will not be an easy challenge, however, as it has allowed the fifth-fewest yards per game (262) and fifth-fewest points per game (16) in the league. However, Love should continue to find success through the air and with his legs this week.

SUNDAY’S POST-GAME HEADLINE TODAY | Justin Herbert outduels Kirk Cousins

Chargers vs. Vikings could be the game of the week with two of the NFL’s highest-powered offenses going toe to toe. Los Angeles enters the matchup with the fifth-best offense in yards per game (387.5) compared to Minnesota’s 371.5, which ranks eighth. Some may lean toward the Vikings because Cousins has arguably the best wide receiver in football in Justin Jefferson (20 catches, 309 yards), but Herbert has the all-around better offensive weapons and a new mastermind at offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore.

SUNDAY’S POST-GAME HEADLINE TODAY | Belichick’s defense dismantle Jets offense

The Jets offense has struggled mightily since losing QB Aaron Rodgers in Week 1. New York is averaging just 252 yards per game, the fourth-worst figure in the NFL, and now has poor performer Zach Wilson at quarterback. Meanwhile, Bill Belichick’s Patriots defense continues to be stout in the pass game, allowing an average of under 200 yards. This matchup will likely be a low-scoring affair, so the edge must go to one of the greatest head coaches of all time in Belichick.

SUNDAY’S POST-GAME HEADLINE TODAY | T.J Watt (again) spearheads Steelers defense, makes Tomlin look good

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has never won on the road against the Raiders — he’s 0-3 — and has struggled against them in general, with an unimpressive 3-5 mark. Both teams have struggled to begin the season, and it will be Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt-led defense, which has the second-most sacks (nine) in the league, that is the difference in this one.

Many will tune in to “Sunday Night Football” hoping for an shootout, but it will likely be the opposite of that in this prime-time matchup. Watt, in his seventh season, already holds the team record for sacks (81.5). Jimmy Garoppolo has yet to be sacked this season. Watt & Co will end that streak early.