Internet commenters can sometimes get a bad rap.

If you sift through the dummies, sexists, racists, people who don’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re” and other assorted purveyors of claptrap, you can occasionally find a decent point. It’s true. I made a stop at Pro ProFootballTalk this morning and after scrolling past Mike Florio’s latest show of self-important gasbaggery, I checked out the comments.

And courtesy of commenter “icantstandwhitecastleanymore,” came this:

The Packers have become a rudderless ship floundering out to open sea.

They’re going to get crushed by Buffalo and seriously challenged by the Lions (don’t laugh, check the Washington score). Then later comes @Cowboys, @Eagles, @Dolphins. There’s 3 more losses. Titans won’t be an easy out at home. Add the Party Boat team from Minny and there’s another loss. Best the Pack can hope for is 8-9.

The season is over for GB and the future is not bright. Not bright at all.

Aside from the lame (and dated) party boat reference, I like the cut of this person’s jib. They feel the same way I do about Green Bay at the moment. That loss they had on Sunday at Washington wounded me. I’ve stuck up for Aaron Rodgers a lot over the years, made excuses for him and criticized team management for not putting the right guys around him. But last season’s playoff loss at home left a bad taste in my mouth. Sunday just made it worse.

Rodgers wasn’t good against the Commanders. Sure, he was playing with an injured thumb, but a thumb injury doesn’t make you miss open receivers. That same injury doesn’t mean you go 0 for 6 on third down or gain just 232 yards of total offense. Remember, the Packers lost 23-21 and 7 of those points came on a pick-six of Washington QB Taylor Heinecke (more on him later).

So Green Bay, now in the midst of a three-game losing streak, has a problem on their hands. And Rodgers, to his credit, did the right thing:

He stepped up and blamed it on everyone else.

“I think guys who are making too many mistakes shouldn’t be playing,” Rodgers said. “Gotta start cutting some reps. And maybe guys who aren’t playing, give them a chance.”

Not sure whose reps are getting cut, but it might have been nicer to see Aaron take some time for some self-reflection. A little mental inventory. But that aside, let’s break down what icantstandwhitecastleanymore’s point about the Packers’ upcoming schedule. Things aren’t getting any easier.

Four out of their next five opponents are above .500 and like our esteemed commenter said, the Lions might be 1-5, but their offense can move the ball. That’s not a slam dunk win.

I said last week if the Packers lost at Washington, I would freak out. So, if you’ll allow me:

“GAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”

Thank you. I feel better.

NFL’S TOP 10

  1. Bills – If the season ended today, Josh Allen would be the MVP. But Buffalo is coming off its bye week and now has 11 games in a row left on their schedule. Don’t be surprised if they run into a couple losses between now and then. If that does happen, it doesn’t mean the sky is falling like it is in Green Bay.
  1. Eagles – Look at that, the top two teams in my rankings have just completed a week of rest. Well deserved, as far as I’m concerned. And while the Bills have some challenging matchups ahead, Philly gets to face the 2-5 Steelers, the 1-4-1 Texans, the 3-4 Commanders and the 3-3-1 Colts over the next four weeks. Who knows, the Eagles could be in the top spot soon.
  1. Chiefs – What a second half performance that was in San Francisco. Hold on, I’m getting word that K.C. just converted another 3rd-and-long. If the Chiefs can get this kind of production out of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling at wide receiver on a regular basis, the rest of the league is in trouble. Hope the Bills are paying attention.
  1. Cowboys – I’m going to let you in on a little sports journalism secret: Dallas is good for business. I’ve heard people constantly ask why the media makes such a big deal about the Cowboys. It’s simple: They attract eyeballs. Nobody feels “meh” about this franchise. They are about as polarizing as you can get. What’s not polarizing is this team’s defense. It’s fun watching them get after opponents every week. Micah Parsons is a legitimate star and will become one of the faces of the league, like Aaron Donald.
  1. Giants – That was a gutsy win in Jacksonville. And it’s time to give some credit to Daniel Jones. As Ryen Russillo pointed out in his podcast this week, his turnover rate has improved. So has the team as a whole, as the Giants rank sixth in the league with just 6 giveaways. In fact, the Cowboys are tied with them with just 6 of their own while the Eagles lead the league with two. No wonder I’ve got three NFC East teams in my top five.
  1. Bengals – I was waiting for Cincy to break out and they finally did at home against the Falcons. Joe Burrow threw for 481 yards and had four total touchdowns, Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd both had more than 100 yards receiving and the Bengals moved above .500 after starting the season 0-2. This is among the most talented teams in the league and are now looking like the squad that reached the Super Bowl last season. I’m excited to see them ride this momentum.
  1. Vikings – Minny got to sit back on their party boat (ugh) last week and watch the Packers fall even further behind them in the NFC North. Must be nice. If you had told me in August that the Vikings would be 5-1 and the Packers 3-4 at this point of the season, I would have laughed at you. I am dumb.
  1. Ravens – They have two road games coming up before their bye: at Tampa and at New Orleans. Both are winnable games. Let’s take a peek at who they have after their week off: Panthers, Jaguars, Broncos, Steelers, Browns, Falcons, Steelers again and the Bengals. Anyone else think Baltimore can go on a run here? I like their chances.
  1. Dolphins – Did anyone else feel nervous every time Tua Tagovailoa dropped back to pass on Sunday night? If a pass rush got anywhere near him, my instinct was to yell at him to hit the ground and curl up in the fetal position. But he didn’t, of course, and Miami looked normal again. If they can keep him upright, this will be a playoff team.
  1. Jets – To be honest, the Titans deserve to be in this spot after more or less wrapping up their division title last week. But New York is 5-2 after winning on the road and that has to count for something. Robert Saleh has a good thing cooking up there and he should enjoy it. While it lasts. They just lost talented rookie running back Breece Hall and offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker for the season due to injuries. The bottom might fall out soon.

WHAT’S THE CHATTER?

Give him the gig: I’m a Taylor Heinecke guy. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, but it seems the Commanders offense runs better when he’s under center. There’s more fire. And while I’ve been a Carson Wentz apologist in addition to being an Aaron Rodgers apologist over the years, my eyes don’t lie. Give Taylor the starting job the rest of the way.

The tough (and correct) move: The Colts benched Matt Ryan. I’ve admired what he’s done in the league. He’s a former MVP and has been to a Super Bowl. By all accounts, he’s had a very nice career. Nothing to be ashamed of. But it’s time. It’s been ugly to watch him float passes and take a beating in the process.

What did White Castle do?: I’m sorry, I can’t get past our beloved commenter. I grew up in Southern California, which doesn’t have White Castle, so the only time I get to have it is when I’m in Las Vegas. There’s one off Fremont Street downtown and one on the Strip located in the Casino Royale, which if you’ve never been, is a grim place. I’ve eaten at both because I view White Castle as a treat since I can’t get it where I live. I’m assuming our commenter did enjoy the burger chain once upon a time. But then at some point he was wronged so greatly that he not only swore off White Castle, he decided he can’t stand it anymore. And if that wasn’t enough, he made it his username to comment on Pro Football Talk. I don’t get it. You can’t tell me that at 3 a.m., with a day’s worth of booze in your belly, those sliders aren’t the best thing you’ve ever tasted.

Ditching Donda: Aaron Donald made news on Tuesday when he announced that he was cutting ties with Donda Sports, the agency tied to the artist formerly known as Kanye West. We all know the latter’s recent exploits, so there’s no need (or desire) to rehash them. I had also totally forgotten that he had a sports agency. Oh well. Moving on!

APPOINTMENT VIEWING FOR WEEK 8

Ravens at Buccaneers: I could have spent time talking about the ineptness of the Bucs, but I passed on that. We all have eyes. Things are bad down in Tampa. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they win this game. That’s how annoying the NFL can be. It’s up to the Ravens to not screw this up. Your opponent is flailing. Don’t throw them a life preserver.

Broncos at Jaguars: I’m calling my shot: The Jags will win this game. And when they do, there’s a decent chance that Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett gets Lane Kiffin’d and left on a tarmac in Duval.

Bears at Cowboys: Justin Fields is in trouble. Micah Parsons will likely be in his face all day. Here’s hoping the Bears can get Fields on the move and keep him from being a sitting duck in the pocket.

Cardinals at Vikings: I saw a fun stat from Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. Apparently the Cardinals have lost their last 10 games in Minnesota. They haven’t won there since 1977, when yours truly was just a year old. That means absolutely nothing when it comes to who will win on Sunday, but here we are.

Patriots at Jets: This was a one-sided rivalry for years. But now the tables have turned and it’s the Jets who are higher in the AFC East standings. Big win for Gang Green, right? Nah. Bill Belichick just got pantsed on Monday Night Football. He’s going to take it out on Zach Wilson.

Steelers at Eagles: The battle of Pennsylvania! That’s all I got. The Steelers stink out loud. Should be an easy win for Philly, but worth watching nonetheless.

49ers at Rams: San Francisco got dominated at home last week. But I saw enough to know that they’ll steamroll the Rams again.

Giants at Seahawks: A 6-1 team takes on the NFC West leader. Again, never thought I’d say that about these two teams.

Packers at Bills: This game could get out of hand fast. I think Buffalo wins this one easy, especially coming off a bye.

Bengals at Browns: Some hard-hitting AFC North action on a Monday night? Nothing wrong with that.

Sid Saraf
Sid Saraf

NFL Analyst

Currently a Mobile Editor at Yahoo, Saraf spent 5.5 years (Oct. 2010 – Feb. 2016) working for FOX Sports as an NFL Editor and Writer. Prior to that, Saraf worked for CBS Interactive for 4.5 years (May 2006 – Oct. 2010) as a Staff Editor.

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