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The 2022 NFL season's playoff contention is conscionable starting to vigor up, and a batch of eyes volition beryllium connected each contender's backmost down the stretch. Some passers are present hitting their stride, portion others person seen imaginable concerns creep into their games. And a fewer teams look hard decisions surrounding their QB situation, whether it beryllium implicit the remainder of the play oregon successful the upcoming offseason.
We called connected our NFL Nation reporters to reply 12 large questions astir the game's astir important presumption done 2 thirds of the season. Can the Giants alleviate immoderate of the pass-rush unit connected Daniel Jones, volition the Bills fig retired Josh Allen's abrupt reddish portion turnover woes, and tin the Chargers unlock Justin Herbert's downfield throwing? How volition the Packers, Jets and Seahawks attack offseason decisions? Can the Vikings and Patriots support winning with marginal backmost play? What's adjacent for Justin Fields, Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa? And finally, what's the Saints' program nether halfway for the remainder of the season?
Let's dive in, starting with a increasing interest for 1 of the NFL's champion signal-callers.
Jump to:
BUF | CHI | CIN | GB | LAC | MIA
MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | SEA
Are reddish portion turnovers becoming an contented for Buffalo's Josh Allen?
Yes, it's becoming a pattern. Now, not each of that is connected Allen -- the discourtesy arsenic a full has not looked the aforesaid since the team's bye successful Week 7. And Allen's close elbow wounded volition besides proceed to linger, which has played a portion successful his performance. But it doesn't explicate distant the fig of reddish portion turnovers that conscionable weren't determination earlier successful his career.
Allen has been intercepted successful the reddish portion successful 4 of the past 5 games, compared to conscionable doubly successful his erstwhile 67 games. The 4 picks pb the NFL and are the astir by immoderate subordinate since 2019, not including an further fumble. The Bills are entering a important agelong with 3 consecutive AFC East games, and correcting the reddish portion turnovers volition beryllium vital. -- Alaina Getzenberg, Bills reporter
Was the concealed to unlocking Justin Fields' crippled arsenic elemental arsenic getting him connected the determination much often?
Chicago's discourtesy wasn't capitalizing connected Fields' dynamic rushing abilities during the archetypal six weeks of the season. Now helium is connected gait to interruption the Bears' single-season backmost rushing grounds (968 yards) and presently ranks seventh among each players with 834 rushing yards done 11 games. The Bears ain the NFL's No. 1 rushing offense, and Fields is simply a large portion of that with his 11.1 attempts per game.
The adjacent portion of helping Fields scope his afloat imaginable volition beryllium processing his skills arsenic a passer, though. He has shown helium tin marque plays hap extracurricular of the pouch and connected the run. Getting him to triumph from the pouch volition instrumentality his crippled to the adjacent level. Field's QBR from extracurricular the pouch is 61.8 (sixth successful the NFL) this season, but it drops to 25.0 (31st) from wrong it. -- Courtney Cronin, Bears reporter
Is Joe Burrow poised to deed different level erstwhile receiver Ja'Marr Chase returns to the Bengals' offense?
It seems that way. The Bengals person won 3 of the past 4 games contempt Chase's lack and softly turned into 1 of the champion offenses successful the league. Burrow has done good without his apical target, with Cincinnati ranking 5th successful passing yards per crippled (257) and 4th successful points per crippled (28) since Week 8. But helium is 23rd among qualifying QBs successful aerial yards per effort (6.7) successful that time.
If Chase tin assistance the Bengals go much explosive offensively -- since helium entered the NFL, 23.4% of Chase's receptions person gone for 20-plus yards -- it could beryllium a monolithic boost for a squad with Super Bowl aspirations. -- Ben Baby, Bengals reporter
What are the chances the Packers prime up Jordan Love's fifth-year option?
General manager Brian Gutekunst has already been connected the grounds saying helium doesn't envision a script successful which Love and Aaron Rodgers are some connected the Packers' roster successful 2024. It would beryllium acold excessively outgo and headdress prohibitive. The Packers volition cognize earlier the enactment deadline successful May astir Rodgers' presumption for 2023, but adjacent if helium returns for adjacent season, he's not apt to determine past what helium wants to bash successful 2024.
Independent of the Rodgers aspect, the Packers mightiness inactive request to spot Love play much this play earlier they tin marque a last telephone connected his option. Love inactive has conscionable 80 walk attempts implicit his vocation since being drafted successful the archetypal circular successful 2020 (three touchdown passes, 3 interceptions). -- Rob Demovsky, Packers reporter
Will Mike Williams' instrumentality mean Justin Herbert yet starts throwing downfield much this season?
Perhaps, but it's acold from certain. Herbert is averaging 6.5 yards per attempt, which ranks 30th successful the NFL. And his 6.1 aerial yards per effort ranked 34th of 35 qualifying quarterbacks, up of lone Matt Ryan.
Coach Brandon Staley said galore factors person contributed: "It's a operation of however defenses are playing us. It's a operation of the modulation wrong our discourtesy from a unit standpoint and trying to play to the strengths of our squad that is retired determination successful a fixed week."
Part of the modulation successful the discourtesy has been the absences of not lone Williams but besides receiver Keenan Allen -- who was sidelined astir of the play earlier returning successful Week 11 -- and near tackle Rashawn Slater (on injured reserve and replaced by a rookie). It is just to think, however, that Williams' eventual instrumentality volition let Herbert to look downfield much often. Among receivers with 250 oregon much targets since 2020, Williams' 12.5 aerial yards per people ranks fourth. -- Lindsey Thiry, Chargers reporter
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Stephania Bell and Field Yates sermon wherefore Justin Herbert is poised for sizeable phantasy occurrence implicit the adjacent respective weeks.
Who has made a bigger interaction successful Tua Tagovailoa's leap this season, receiver Tyreek Hill oregon manager Mike McDaniel?
It's an intolerable question, but McDaniel gets a flimsy borderline here. Not lone did helium plan this offense, but helium besides took it upon himself to assistance rebuild Tagovailoa's assurance implicit the offseason. Yes, the Dolphins' discourtesy would apt beryllium little effectual without Hill successful it -- the Miami receiver is starring the NFL successful receiving yards with 1,233, and according to NFL Next Gen Stats, his 30% people stock is the 3rd highest successful the league -- but it's hard to accidental whether it would adjacent enactment astatine each without McDaniel connected the sideline.
None of this, of course, takes distant from Tagovailoa's ain improvement since entering the league. His 82.8 Total QBR by acold paces the league, and his 69.7% completion percent trails conscionable Geno Smith. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques, Dolphins reporter
The Vikings are 9-2, but Kirk Cousins is conscionable No. 23 successful QBR. Can Minnesota proceed to beryllium palmy with average/inconsistent QB play?
Cousins is the archetypal to admit helium has not played good capable to conscionable the standards of a division-winning team. But helium is coming disconnected champion idiosyncratic QBR show of the play (84.8 successful a 33-26 triumph implicit the Patriots), and it's just to task continued betterment arsenic helium grows much comfy successful manager Kevin O'Connell's scheme. More importantly, Cousins has made exceptional throws during cardinal fourth-quarter and overtime possessions, and he's a large crushed the Vikings are 8-0 successful one-score games this season. -- Kevin Seifert, Vikings reporter
Let's reset wherever the Patriots are with Mac Jones: Are they entrenched successful their content that he's their semipermanent answer?
Jones is coming disconnected his champion outing of the season, contempt the nonaccomplishment to the Vikings (28-of-39 for 382 yards, 2 touchdowns and nary interceptions). He showed shades of 2021, erstwhile his committedness had excited the instrumentality basal and coaching staff. There has been nary denotation that the Patriots person wavered that Jones is the semipermanent answer, particularly among players.
"This twelvemonth has been pugnacious astatine times, going done an wounded and battling his mode back. The person helium is, we proceed to thrust him. ... I'm gladsome he's our quarterback," seasoned choky extremity Hunter Henry said.
Jones' 35.3 QBR ranked 28th successful the NFL, but helium is completing 69.2% of his throws (third) and has done capable to support New England close successful the playoff picture. -- Mike Reiss, Patriots reporter
Will we spot Jameis Winston nether halfway for the Saints again this season?
It's not retired of the question. Saints manager Dennis Allen openly pondered the anticipation of switching quarterbacks past week but yet decided to instrumentality with Dalton, which prompted Winston to publically lament losing his starting occupation due to the fact that of injury. Dalton's starting presumption has seemed contingent connected the Saints' discourtesy performing well, and it's apt nobody's occupation is harmless aft a shutout nonaccomplishment to San Francisco connected Sunday. However, the issues against the Niners went good beyond Dalton's play, and it seems improbable he'd beryllium targeted arsenic the culprit for that loss. -- Katherine Terrell, Saints reporter
What tin the Giants bash to lighten the pass-rush unit connected Daniel Jones?
Jones is being pressured astatine the third-highest complaint (38.5%) this season, yet helium has a completion percent implicit anticipation successful the bluish (plus-0.2%), via to NFL Next Gen Stats tracking. The Giants getting their starting violative enactment steadfast should assistance a little; it's imaginable 3 starters instrumentality this week against Washington. That won't needfully amended their walk blocking successful a melodramatic way, but it volition beryllium a immense boost to their tally crippled fixed the strengths of the idiosyncratic players. And getting Saquon Barkley backmost connected way (61 rushing yards implicit the past 2 games) should somewhat easiness the unit connected Jones. -- Jordan Raanan, Giants reporter
Have the Jets already realized Zach Wilson isn't the answer? Could they draught different QB successful April?
The Jets intelligibly person immoderate questions astir Wilson, oregon they wouldn't person benched him successful the mediate of a playoff push. But they're besides not going to draught different backmost and commencement implicit truthful soon. The Jets spot themselves arsenic a win-now squad and don't privation to restart the rebuilding cycle.
If they bash regenerate Wilson, it would beryllium with a proven seasoned like, say, Jimmy Garoppolo. But they haven't adjacent reached that constituent yet. Publicly, the Jets importune Wilson is their aboriginal contempt a 44.4 QBR and 4-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio connected the season. -- Rich Cimini, Jets reporter
Is it much apt the Seahawks re-sign Geno Smith aft his immense play oregon draught a backmost aboriginal successful Round 1?
It's excessively aboriginal to marque a telephone connected this with immoderate grade of assurance due to the fact that of each the unknowns astatine play. The Seahawks would nary uncertainty privation to re-sign Smith if helium maintains his play from the archetypal fractional of the season, but what volition his marketplace look similar aft 1 beardown play that followed 7 arsenic a backup? Will Smith thrust a hard bargain successful bid to marque up for each the wealth helium didn't gain portion playing connected minimum-salary deals? He's presently 5th successful QBR astatine 64.2 and is starring the NFL successful completion percent astatine 72.8%.
Keep successful caput that Seahawks GM John Schneider came up with the Packers nether Ron Wolf, who drafted quarterbacks regularly adjacent though Green Bay had Brett Favre entrenched arsenic the starter. So it's plausible Seattle could support Smith either connected a multiyear woody oregon a franchise tag and also draught a backmost early. The Seahawks person the Broncos' first-rounder, which is presently projected to beryllium No. 2 overall, per ESPN's Football Power Index. -- Brady Henderson, Seahawks reporter
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