Maybe the NFL knew what it was doing when it flexed Indianapolis Colts-Minnesota Vikings into prime time.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson’s benching has been a major talking point around the league this week. Another act of Joe Flacco’s career begins against the Vikings, who were once the hottest team in the league before losing their last two. Minnesota reinforced its offensive line by trading for Jacksonville Jaguars OT Cam Robinson.
Speaking of trades, the NFL trade deadline looms Tuesday. So, there is plenty more our NFL writers Jeff Howe, Mike Sando and Zak Keefer will discuss in this roundtable previewing Sunday’s Week 9 slate.
We’ll see more of the wide receivers who have already been traded to new squads — the Buffalo Bills’ Amari Cooper and Kansas City Chiefs’ DeAndre Hopkins among them. New Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson should make his debut against the Denver Broncos.
Elsewhere, we can’t seem to go a week without a big NFC North game. Also, is it time to gauge which head coaches are on the hot seat?
Read more below.
Another week, another big NFC North game. This time, it’s Lions–Packers. Green Bay has won four straight. Detroit has won five straight. What or who makes the biggest difference in this one?
Howe: The Lions are the best team in the league right now, but I think the Packers are in the neighborhood and capable of beating anyone if Jordan Love is healthy. I’ll focus on the Packers run defense, though. It’s been a top-10 unit so far, and the overall defense has been solid for the most part. The Lions are so successful on offense because they’ve been able to run it whenever they want and have kept Jared Goff on schedule. From what I’ve heard, teams want to see if Goff can play at this level if he’s forced into more of a standard drop-back game — essentially, if the Lions aren’t able to dominate on the ground and allow Ben Johnson to tap into his most creative plays. If Goff can handle such a test, the Lions will be more dangerous than anyone probably realizes. If not, it opens the door in the NFC for some of the teams at the Lions’ heels.
Keefer: I’m with Jeff — I think the Lions are the best team in football right now, even though the Chiefs are the squad with the spotless record. Love’s availability after leaving last week’s win with a groin injury remains paramount, and I wonder if he plays, how much that might limit some of his playmaking ability. But the key here, to me, is what Josh Jacobs can give the Packers offense. They’ve been leaning on him heavily. Jacobs has more carries in the first eight weeks of the season (145) of any Packers running back in the last 25 years other than Ahman Green (in 2003 and 2004). With Love likely less than 100 percent, Jacobs breaking one or two open might be the Pack’s best shot.
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Lions-Packers preview: Can Green Bay slow Jared Goff and the red-hot Detroit offense?
Sando: Love’s being less than 100 percent is the key variable and swings this game toward Detroit for me. My fear from a Green Bay standpoint is that we might see the worst of Love without the best, and that he simply won’t be efficient enough to keep pace with Detroit.
The Saints (at Panthers), Jaguars (at Eagles) and Cowboys (at Falcons) are each on the road Sunday and in dire need of a win. Which head coach’s seat is hottest among the three?
Howe: All three are in serious jeopardy regardless. I guess it depends on how you quantify hotness. As with anything involving the Cowboys, every situation is always the most extreme there, and the attention on Mike McCarthy’s job with Bill Belichick potentially waiting in the shadows is an unmatched situation this season. On the other hand, Doug Pederson has been under fire the longest because of the Jaguars’ bad start, and it seems like it’ll take a monstrous turnaround for him to get another chance in 2025.
Keefer: The Saints’ collapse this season after a blistering start has been staggering. It’s hard to see Mickey Loomis and ownership backing Dennis Allen again, especially after the two disappointing seasons that preceded this year. I think Mike McCarthy’s future in Dallas at this point is a fait accompli. The Cowboys have been far too uneven, and the roster isn’t nearly as deep as it was in the past, for this team to become a serious contender later in the season. Missing the playoffs would seal the end of McCarthy’s five-year run, and possibly open the door for Belichick to join the circus.
Would Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy be fired if his team misses the playoffs in 2024? (Kelley L Cox / Imagn Images)
Sando: I expect all three places to change in the offseason. Short term, I think Dallas and New Orleans are least likely to change in-season. Those franchises take longer-range views.
We’ll get a chance to see more of Amari Cooper (Bills vs. Dolphins on Sunday) and DeAndre Hopkins (Chiefs vs. Bucs on Monday). Diontae Johnson’s Ravens debut could come this week against the Broncos. Which of these three wide receiver trades are you most confident in moving forward?
Howe: I want to say Cooper because he’s already been through a midseason trade, and that experience should pay off when it comes to learning a new playbook. But with that said, I can’t overthink it. Hopkins has had the best career of the three, and he’s joining the best offensive situation. Plus, Hopkins may only need to catch three or four passes per game to be effective.
Keefer: Jeff’s right. Something tells me Hopkins is going to make a critical catch late in a playoff win for Kansas City in the next few months. He’s one of the best of his generation at not needing to be even remotely open and still finding a way to catch the ball. But I loved what the Bills did in adding Cooper to their young receiving unit; this team is going to need every bit of firepower against Baltimore or Kansas City in the playoffs. He’ll help Keon Coleman continue to develop as well.
Sando: Hopkins, with Cooper close behind him, and then Johnson. Hopkins seems like a good match for Mahones in the scramble drill. I think he can complement Travis Kelce in those situations and expect that to show in critical moments.
Considering a choppy NFC West race this year, should the Rams (at Seahawks) hang on to Cooper Kupp?
Howe: The only reason to trade Kupp, short of receiving a significant return, would be if the Rams believed Matthew Stafford was set to retire this offseason — or Kupp for that matter. I certainly understand other points such as an aging receiver who’s dealt with more injuries of late, but the Rams are still in play in the NFC. Executives and coaches around the league still view Sean McVay in the highest regard, so they’ve got a chance to hang with anyone if they can get into the playoffs. Are they a realistic Super Bowl threat? Probably not. But why remove Kupp from the equation if they think he’s still got some years left?
Keefer: This division is wide open at the moment, with the Rams just a half-game back. And if they beat the Seahawks on Sunday, there’s no way I’m trading Cooper Kupp. McVay will get the offense right with Kupp healthy again — and if that offensive line holds up. First-year coordinator Chris Shula has the defense playing much better than in the first month of the season. With Seattle and San Francisco both looking vulnerable and Arizona as unpredictable as it’s been, it wouldn’t stun me if the Rams made a late-season run with Kupp as a centerpiece.
Sando: I’d support the Rams getting value for Kupp because of his durability concerns and because of his contract. Those are also the reasons I’m not expecting teams to be lining up to acquire him. I’d think he stays with the Rams.
The Los Angeles Rams have shot down Cooper Kupp (10) trade rumors with Tuesday’s deadline approaching. (Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)
Colts–Vikings is the focus Sunday night. Is Anthony Richardson’s benching justified?
Howe: There’s no arguing Richardson’s performance has dropped off this season, but that’s a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Richardson isn’t going to improve from the bench. He needs experience. If he doesn’t play another snap this season, he’ll enter 2025 with 23 NFL and college starts over a five-season span. It’s like the Trey Lance conversation all over again. If you don’t give a raw, young QB a chance to gain the experience he so desperately needs, you’ll likely never get the return on investment.
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‘It’s so shortsighted’: NFL execs debate Colts benching Anthony Richardson
Keefer: That very question is still raging here in Indianapolis. I think it was. The Colts made it clear they aren’t giving up on Richardson, so what this is is a reset: This team wants him to earn back the starting job. His prodigious athletic talents were enough to get him where he is — the fourth pick in the draft after just 13 college starts and a dismal completion percentage at Florida — but they’re not enough for him to keep this job. He needs to catch up in every other area: preparation, leadership, performance. I wrote earlier this season that Richardson needed to become more than a highlight. So far, he hasn’t. And this benching, humbling as it might seem at this moment, will reveal if Richardson truly is the Colts’ QB moving forward.
Sando: Yeah, it’s clear Richardson is not ready to play and he’s not progressing. The tap-out showed a complete lack of understanding for his role on the team. Here is where my mind went: Think how many other ways this lack of understanding has surely manifested itself behind the scenes. The decision to bench him tells me the situation was untenable for the coaching staff.
(Top photo of Anthony Richardson: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
