The NFL is the greatest collection of football talent on planet Earth, but boy, did it seem like most of that talent was concentrated on the defensive side of the ball on Sunday afternoon. Yes, there was inclement weather affecting much of the Midwest and Northeast. Yes, there were some exceptions. For the most part, though ... yikes, was offense hard to come by.
For some teams, those struggles are probably best shrugged off, the product of a bad week. For others, though, things were so bad that some changes almost have to be in order — starting under center.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
At the start of the fourth quarter, Rodgers had accumulated 104 yards on his 28 pass attempts against the New England Patriots. If that doesn't sum up the current state of his game, and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense as a whole, I'm not really sure what does.
Rodgers still has a decent amount of physical ability left despite his 42 years of age. And to be clear, Sunday's debacle was hardly all on him: The conditions and the Patriots defense played a role, as did a lack of separation on the part of Pittsburgh's pass-catchers.
Still: What are we doing here, exactly? It's clear that this team isn't good enough to meaningfully contend with Rodgers at the helm, so what exactly is the argument for not turning this offense over to either Drew Allar or Will Howard and seeing what you have before you potentially draft a new quarterback in 2027? Are you really that committed to going 8-9?
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Yes, Watson turned back the clock a bit in Week 2 against the Bucs, delivering the ball on time and on target while playing with in Todd Monken's system. No, that will not save him from inclusion on this list on what will likely be a weekly basis, because no individual game can make this situation make any more sense.
Everyone knows that Watson is not the quarterback of the future in Cleveland. Fans know it, Monken knows it, heck, Watson himself seems to know it based on how grumpy he's been with the media. Every snap he takes from this point on serves to only make evaluating the young QBs currently on the Browns roster and earning a high draft pick in 2027 more difficult, and that alone should be reason enough to bench him no matter how much money he's guaranteed.
Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings
Wentz technically did enough to get a win on a wet, windy Sunday afternoon in Chicago in which Caleb Williams left the game with a potentially serious injury. But it's hard to come away particularly impressed, and Minnesota only survived 1) because of their defense and 2) because their offensive line was able to push the Bears around in the trenches.
Wentz is a gamer who can at least manage you a game, take some shots down the field when needed and give you a chance to win. But it's pretty clear how limited he is at this point in his career, and the Vikings can't count on the elements doing them any favors moving forward. No matter what Kyler Murray's injury status is moving forward, it's hard to imagine the Vikings mounting an NFC North push with Wentz under center for a meaningful period of time.
Cooper Rush, Atlanta Falcons
For all of the ugly offensive football that was played on Sunday afternoon, no doubt the ugliest came in Atlanta, where the Falcons — despite playing in a dome that shielded them from the elements! — got absolutely boatraced by the Carolina Panthers. Cooper Rush threw two picks with less than 100 yards passing, eventually getting benched for Jack Strand ... who threw a pick of his own.
This one is likely already decided, as Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. get closer to full health and push Rush and Strand to the bench. But man, if neither of them can go in Week 3, Atlanta needs to make alternative arrangements, because you risk losing the locker room if you turn to Rush again. It's been that bad, and the rest of this roster is too talented.
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