Table of Contents
Each week of the NFL season brings a host of new questions…and answers some old ones, too. Let’s review what we learned in Week 7… and what we’ll be asking ourselves in Week 8 and beyond.
QUESTION: When will we stop waiting for “the real” Aaron Rodgers to return?
At this point, it’s time to consider that the New York Jets’ version of Aaron Rodgers is less “Jared Goff on the Lions” and more “Matt Ryan on the Colts.” In seven games, he has thrown almost as many interceptions (7) as touchdowns (10) and has yet to surpass 300 passing yards. There’s chaos in every direction in New York, from the front office to the field, and if Rodgers isn’t at the center of it all, he’s certainly not calming any anxiety. The Jets will face the New England Patriots next week, which should provide a decent barometer for Gang Green’s status. But it is increasingly clear that we are not in a period of aberration, but rather we are facing the real Rodgers.
ANSWER: Yes Russ can still cook
Admit it, you thought Russell Wilson was done. After his unspectacular and disastrous stint in Denver, it sure seemed like the mid-2010s version of Russ would only exist in NFL Films documentaries going forward. And when the Steelers sidelined him with a calf injury for the start of the 2024 season, well, it sure seemed like his days as a starter were over. But lo and behold, Mike Tomlin bet that Wilson still had the game, and on Sunday night, Wilson repaid that faith with . Pittsburgh now appears to have a good kind of problem: two competent NFL-level starters at quarterback. How this will resonate in the AFC snake pit remains to be seen, but the Steelers have a fighting chance… which is more than could be said for the other teams we’ll discuss today.
QUESTION: Is Anthony Richardson the future in Indianapolis?
The Indianapolis Colts won on Sunday, but if ever there was a victory “won despite” instead of “won because,” it was this one. Anthony Richardson was 10 of 24 for 129 yards that day, the kind of numbers that can only beat a team that has its fourth quarterback of the year, like Miami did. This can’t continue. Richardson, out for the last two games with an oblique injury, has the future of the franchise in his uncertain hands, and the fans (who booed him and the Colts on Sunday) don’t exactly seem happy about it. There’s a long way to go this season and a long way to go in Richardson’s career, but the plane is still rolling and it’s time to take off.
ANSWER: The Seahawks are a legitimate threat
Maybe it’s the fact that they play most of their games in the afternoon slot on Sundays, or maybe it’s that they don’t have waves of dynamic, headline-grabbing playmakers on their roster, but the Seattle Seahawks often They tend to be overlooked when thinking about the best teams in the NFC. But no more. After easily handling the NFC South-leading Falcons on the road, and with the rest of the division in disarray, the Seahawks are now the class of the NFC West. Geno Smith isn’t scaring anyone, but he is leading a winning team. However, the Seahawks’ defense should scare the hell out of everyone; Kirk Cousins will see green neon while he sleeps for some nights. Seattle will test its mettle next week against Buffalo, and then go all the way down the division in the next three games. By then we’ll have a good idea of how seriously we should take this team, but so far, the answer is: a lot.
QUESTION: Is Deshaun Watson done as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback?
When Deshaun Watson left Sunday’s game in a stroller, cheers echoed through the Cleveland stands. It was an ugly scene, one of many ugly scenes in Watson’s erratic tenure in Cleveland, but if this is the last time we see Watson starting for the Browns, it wouldn’t be surprising. The cost of freeing Watson would be immense; Watson is still owed $46 million for each of the next two seasons, and no other team will foot that bill. But the cost of continuing to initiate it could be just as punishing; He hasn’t proven he’s worth what he’s being paid, even without all the accusations surrounding him, and a comeback from a torn Achilles isn’t a sure thing. If this is the end of the Deshaun Watson era, it will be nothing more than an ugly warning to all other franchises.
ANSWER: If John Mara is sleeping these days
Memorable moment from this year’s “Hard Knocks,” when Giants co-owner John Mara discussed the possibility of Saquon Barkley jumping to the Eagles:
“I’ll have a hard time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I tell you that,” Mara said.
Well, Barkley ran for 176 yards on 17 carries Sunday in Philadelphia’s demolition of the Giants. Like the Jets, the Giants are looking for answers…and watching your former best player get torn apart by a division rival hurts so much it doesn’t even hurt anymore.
