5 NFL teams that must win in Week 3

CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 9, 2018: Wide receiver Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks off the field after a game against the Cleveland Browns on September 9, 2018 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The game ended in a tie 21-21. (Photo by: 2018 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

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CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The game ended in a 21-21 tie. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

Nobody heading into Week 3 needs a win more than the Pittsburgh Steelers. The first two weeks of the season have been absolutely brutal for the Steelers, and the issues don’t look to be subsiding anytime soon. It all started with Le’Veon Bell holding out, which is still ongoing. After an embarrassing tie with the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, the Steelers followed it up with a shoot-out loss against the Chiefs.

The frustration has bubbled over with Antonio Brown yelling at offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner on the sidelines during the game. Brown also skipped Monday’s and Tuesday’s meetings and practices, returning to the team on Wednesday.

With the teams two most talented attacking options either holding out or unhappy, a win would go a long way in restoring team morale. A record of 0-2-1 after three weeks would be very difficult to recover from as the top teams in the AFC begin to pull away.

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Things don’t get any easier as the Steelers will travel to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been a revelation for the now 2-0 Bucs and has them playing their best football in years. Will the Steelers be able to rally the troops and end the Buc’s hot start while ending their own skid? A prime time victory would be huge, and one could argue this is a turning point in their season. A win completely changes the trajectory of their season, while a loss sends them skyrocketing into dysfunction.