Each week of the NFL season brings a host of new questions… and answers some old ones, too. Let’s recap what we learned in week 7… and what we’ll be wondering about in week 8 and beyond.
ASKED: When will we stop waiting for ‘the real’ Aaron Rodgers to return?
At this point, it’s time to remember that the New York Jets version of Aaron Rodgers is less “Jared Goff on the Lions” and more “Matt Ryan on the Colts.” Through seven games, he has thrown nearly as many interceptions (7) as touchdowns (10), and has yet to top 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 allaying the fear. The Jets draw the New England Patriots next week, which should provide quite a barometer for the Gang Green State. But it is becoming increasingly clear that we are not in an aberration period, but that we are getting the real Rodgers.
ANSWER: Whether Russ can still cook
Admit it, you thought Russell Wilson was done. After his unspectacular, disastrous stint in Denver, it seemed like the mid-2010s version of Russ would only exist in NFL Films documentaries. And when the Steelers sidelined him with an injured calf early in the 2024 season, it seemed like his days as a big starter were over. But lo and behold, Mike Tomlin gambled that Wilson still had game, and on Sunday night Wilson repaid that belief with . Pittsburgh appears to have a good kind of problem now: two competent starters at the NFL level at quarterback. How this will play out in the AFC’s snake pit remains to be seen, but the Steelers have a fighting chance… which is more than can be said for other teams we’ll discuss today.
QUESTION: Is Anthony Richardson the future in Indianapolis?
The Indianapolis Colts won on Sunday, but if there was ever a “won despite” victory instead of a “won because” victory, this was it. Anthony Richardson was 10 of 24 for 129 yards that day, the kind of numbers that only a team sitting on its fourth quarterback of the year, like Miami was, can beat. This cannot continue. Richardson, who has played out the last two games with an oblique injury, has the future of the franchise in his uncertain hands, and fans — who booed him and the Colts on Sunday — don’t seem particularly happy about it. There’s still a long way to go this season and a long way to go in Richardson’s career, but the plane is still taxiing and it’s long past time for takeoff.
ANSWERED: The Seahawks are a legitimate threat
Maybe it’s the fact that they play most of their games in the late afternoon on Sundays, or maybe it’s that they don’t have waves of dynamic, standout playmakers on their roster, but the Seattle Seahawks often tend to be ignored when thinking to the NFC’s best teams. But not anymore. 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 doesn’t scare anyone, but he leads a winning team. However, the Seahawks’ defense should scare everyone; Kirk Cousins will see neon green in his sleep for a few nights. Seattle will test its mettle next week against Buffalo, then make a run across the division in the next three games. By then we’ll have a good idea of how seriously to take this team, but so far the answer is: very.
WANTED: Is Deshaun Watson ready as the Cleveland Browns starting QB?
When Deshaun Watson left Sunday’s game on a cart, cheers rang out in the Cleveland stands. It was an ugly scene, one of many such ugly scenes in Watson’s erratic tenure in Cleveland, but if it’s the last time we see Watson start for the Browns, it wouldn’t be surprising. The cost of letting go of Watson would be enormous; Watson is still owed $46 million for each of the next two seasons, and no other team will pick up that tab. But the cost of continuing to start him could be just as punishing; he hasn’t proven he’s worth what he’s paid, even without all the accusations swirling around him, and an Achilles injury return isn’t a certainty. If this is the end of the Deshaun Watson era, it will be nothing more than an ugly cautionary tale for every other franchise.
ANSWER: Whether 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 can tell you that,” Mara said.
Well, Barkley rushed for 176 yards on 17 carries in the Giants’ demolition in Philadelphia on Sunday. Like the Jets, the Giants are looking for answers… and watching your previously best player tear it up for a division rival is so painful it doesn’t even hurt anymore.
