Aaron Rodgers’ injury, NFL power rankings and more
The Green Bay Packers are tied atop the NFC North, but all is not well after Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone in a devastating moment.
In the NFL, not all losses are created equal. Some sting, but ultimate fade by Monday depending on the standings. Some hurt horribly, with the disappointment of an opportunity gone by staring a team in the face.
Then there is the kind of loss that not only drops you in the standings, but changes the entire complexion of your season.
The Green Bay Packers sustained such a defeat on Sunday, with All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers breaking his collarbone in a 23-10 loss at U.S. Bank Stadium to the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota moved into first place in the NFC North via tiebreaker, with both the Packers and Vikings sitting at 4-2.
However, Green Bay has to be far more concerned about Rodgers, who could be out anywhere from a few months to the remainder of the season. Rodgers was hit hard — and legally — by outside linebacker Anthony Barr in the first quarter, driving his right shoulder hard into the turf. After a brief stay in the medical tent, Rodgers was carted off the field and into the locker room, where he was diagnosed.
Without Rodgers, it seems impossible for the Packers to win the division, let alone earn the home-field advantage they were on pace to fight for. Green Bay was hoping to make its second trip to the Super Bowl in the Rodgers era, but now seem destined to either fight for a wild card spot, or miss the playoffs altogether, depending on the timetable.
In 2013, Rodgers broke his left collarbone and missed seven games. If that were the case this time around, he would return in Week 14, playing the bulk of the December docket. At that point, it could be too late for the Packers, who looked lifeless with backup Brett Hundley. Hundley came in and threw for 157 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions while going 18-of-33.
Looking at Green Bay’s upcoming schedule, it isn’t easy. The Packers host the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions before traveling to take on the Chicago Bears. After that, it’s a Sunday night foray into Pittsburgh to face the Steelers before returning to Lambeau Field for a date with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Rodgers, that’s likely a 4-1 stretch. Without him, it could easily be the inverse.
The Packers may still be tied atop the North, but being without Rodgers for at least a few months if not the remainder of the season is a borderline death nell for a team once grandiose with Super Bowl visions.
Power rankings
Top 12 unrestricted free agents in 2018
1. Le’Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington Redskins
3. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
4. Ezekiel Ansah, DE, Detroit Lions
5. Sheldon Richardson, DT, Seattle Seahawks
6. Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, New England Patriots
7. Sammy Watkins, WR, Los Angeles Rams
8. Malcolm Butler, CB, New England Patriots
9. Sam Bradford, QB, Minnesota Vikings
10. Trumaine Johnson, CB, Los Angeles Rams
11. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals
12. Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Quotable
"“There’s no question that the commissioner has the authority to make these suspensions. “The question was ultimately going to be … Does he have to follow the practice [in] a fair way? And, so, Zeke, his team and the Cowboys do not think it was done in a fair way. And we’re trying to get that looked at and we got a setback yesterday.”"
– Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, stating his disappointment on the Ezekiel Elliott situation
Jones has been vocal on his dissatisfaction throughout the Elliott findings, dating back to August. With the NFL now holding the upper hand in the legal battle, the Cowboys have to begin thinking about life without Elliott. Dallas is 2-3 and coming off its bye, but has a brutal stretch ahead.
Should the Cowboys see the suspension upheld, they will play the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins without their All-Pro. Not ideal for a team that already has dimming playoff hopes.
Podcast
Matt Verderame and Josh Hill break down the week that was and preview the weekend ahead with a new episode of Stacking The Box every Monday. Subscribe on iTunes to have it automatically downloaded on your Apple devices!
Random stat
The 49ers are 0-6, something they have not been since 1979. That year, San Francisco has a rookie head coach and quarterback in Bill Walsh and Joe Montana, respectively. The Bay Area can hope that Kyle Shanahan and C.J. Beathard turn into that pairing … or even half of it.
Info learned this week
1. NFC South looks upside down
What is going on in the NFC’s craziest division? The Falcons were supposed to handle business out of their bye, drawing the Miami Dolphins at home. After taking a 17-0 first-half lead, that looked to be the case. Instead, the Dolphins stunned the crowd with 20 straight points to end the game, dropping Atlanta to 3-2.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers were thoroughly handled by the Arizona Cardinals, losing by a deceiving score of 38-33. Tampa Bay was down 21-0 before the anthem ended, leaving it 2-3 and looking for answers from last place.
Then there were the Saints, who scored 52 points in a blowout of the Lions. New Orleans was able to win despite Drew Brees throwing for 186 yards and a score, instead relying on 193 rushing yards and two pick-sixes.
But the Saints don’t own first place, with that distinction going to the Carolina Panthers. Carolina fell 28-23 at home against the Eagles on Thursday night, dropping it to 4-2. The Panthers should be most concerned about middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, who had to leave with a concussion.
The South has all four teams within 1.5 games. Don’t expect things to thin out anytime soon.
2. Steelers make statement in Kansas City
The Kansas City Chiefs have fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten, meaning the ’72 Dolphins can pop the champagne. Pittsburgh thoroughly handled the Chiefs, at one point outgaining them by 250 yards. In the end, the Steelers held on after a furious Kansas City rally, winning 19-13 to improve to 4-2.
Le’Veon Bell got on track, rushing for 179 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries. Ben Roethlisberger was competent as well, throwing for 252 yards with a score and an interception. Meanwhile, Kansas City was bottled up on the ground, with Kareem Hunt rushing for 21 yards on nine attempts.
If nothing else, the Steelers regained control of the AFC North while the Chiefs prove mortal.
3. Browns have Deshaun Watson remorse
The Cleveland Browns were on the clock. With the 12th-overall pick, the Browns could have chosen Deshaun Watson, just as they could have taken Carson Wentz with the second-overall selection the year before. Instead, general manager Sashi Brown traded back and eventually took his quarterback in the second round, tabbing DeShone Kizer.
On Sunday, the Browns watched as Watson lit them up in a 33-17 win for the Houston Texans. Watson threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns while Kizer rode the bench behind Kevin Hogan, who threw three interceptions. It was predictably ugly for the Browns, who now sit at 0-6.
4. Bears, Ravens play wild overtime game
Joe Flacco threw for 180 yards and two interceptions on 41 attempts. Mitchell Trubisky went 8-of-16 for 113 yards. Somehow, the Ravens and Bears combined for 51 points anyway, with special teams and defense scoring at will.
In the end, it was Chicago walking out with a 27-24 overtime win over the Ravens, lending to questions about what Baltimore is. The Ravens are 3-3 but appear lost without a competent quarterback and a bevy of injuries. Meanwhile, the Bears can’t be happy with Trubisky through two games, but the defense is coming into its own.
5. Jaguars need more from their offense
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a terrific defense. The unit held Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff to 11-of-21 for 124 yards and a touchdown. Todd Gurley went for 116 rushing yards but didn’t find the end zone. The problem is that Blake Bortles and Co. can’t find a way to consistently move the balls and Leonard Fournette, who was forced to leave the game early with an ankle injury.
Outside of a 75-yard touchdown run on their first play from scrimmage, the Jaguars stalled repeatedly while scoring another 10 points over the final 59 minutes. That is not going to be enough against most teams, as is wasn’t against the Rams in a 27-17 defeat.
History lesson
The American Football League was founded in 1960 and by the time of its merger with the NFL in 1970, bugled to 10 teams. Of those teams, only the Cincinnati Bengals are without a championship. The Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans (formerly the Houston Oilers) and Los Angeles Chargers have never won Super Bowls, but all won AFL titles.
The Chiefs and New York Jets each won the Super Bowl as AFL teams, but have not returned to Super Sunday since the merger. All of the other franchises have won multiple Super Bowls, including the New England Patriots (5), Denver Broncos (3), Oakland Raiders (3) and Dolphins (2).
Parting shot
The Chiefs may have lost on Sunday, but it was the Broncos and Raiders coming away from Sunday as the biggest losers in the AFC West.
Kansas City dropped to 5-1 with their aforementioned loss to the Steelers, but it remains in prime position for both the AFC’s top seed and the Western Division crown. Part of that is due to two brutal losses from its top rivals, with the Broncos losing a stunner at home to the previously-winless New York Giants, and the Raiders losing on a last-second field goal — at home — to the Chargers.
The results have the Chiefs leading the Broncos by 1.5 games, while the Raiders and Chargers both sit a comfortable three games back. Considering Kansas City has already played the hardest part of its schedule, and the Broncos have already had their bye and four home games, Denver is facing long odds of catching the Chiefs.
In short, Kansas City lost to the Steelers, but lost little else on a day when it should have been surrendering ample ground in the West.