Week 9 NFL Roundtable: Anthony Richardson, Lions-Packers, coach in the new seat

Maybe the NFL knew what it was doing when it sent the Indianapolis Colts-Minnesota Vikings into prime time.

The deployment of quarterback Anthony Richardson was an enormous topic of conversation across the league this week. Another act in Joe Flacco's profession begins against the Vikings, who were once the most well liked team within the league before losing their last two. Minnesota bolstered its offensive line by signing Jacksonville Jaguars OT Cam Robinson.

Speaking of trades: The NFL trade deadline is coming up on Tuesday. So there's quite a bit more our NFL writers Jeff Howe, Mike Sando and Zak Keefer will discuss on this roundtable previewing Week 9 on Sunday.

We'll see more wide receivers who’ve already been traded to latest rosters – including Amari Cooper from the Buffalo Bills and DeAndre Hopkins from the Kansas City Chiefs. New Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson is anticipated to make his debut against the Denver Broncos.

Elsewhere, we are able to't appear to go every week and not using a big NFC North game. Also, is it time to evaluate which head coaches are in the new seat?

Read more below.

---

Another week, one other big NFC North game. This time it's the Lions-Packers. Green Bay has won 4 straight. Detroit has won five straight. What or who makes the most important difference here?

How: The Lions are the very best team within the league right away, but I feel the Packers are close and able to beating anyone when Jordan Love is healthy. However, I’ll deal with the Packers' run defense. So far it's been a top-10 unit and the general defense has been solid for essentially the most part. The Lions are so successful on offense because they were capable of play at any time and kept Jared Goff on schedule. From what I've heard, teams wish to see if Goff can play at that level when he's forced into more of a normal drop-back play – essentially when the Lions are unable to dominate on the bottom and Allowing Ben Johnson to experience his most creative pieces. If Goff can pass such a test, the Lions shall be more dangerous than anyone probably realizes. If not, it opens the door within the NFC for a number of the teams nipping on the Lions' heels.

Keefer: I agree with Jeff – I feel the Lions are the very best team in football right away, although the Chiefs are the team with the unblemished record. Love's availability after he missed last week's win with a groin injury stays paramount, and I ponder if he plays how much which may limit his playing ability. But for me, the important thing here’s what Josh Jacobs may give the Packers on offense. They leaned heavily on him. Jacobs has more carries (145) through the primary eight weeks of the season than any Packers running back within the last 25 years except Ahman Green (2003 and 2004). With Love likely under one hundred pc, Jacobs breaking one or two of those might be the very best likelihood of the pack.

Shirt: For me, the love being lower than one hundred pc is the important thing variable and pushes this game towards Detroit. From Green Bay's perspective, I fear that we could see the worst of Love without the very best and that he simply won't be efficient enough to maintain up with Detroit.

The Saints (at Panthers), Jaguars (at Eagles) and Cowboys (at Falcons) are each on the road on Sunday and desperately need a win. Which head coach seat is the most well liked among the many three?

How: All three are still in serious danger. I feel it depends upon the way you quantify the spiciness. As with every thing involving the Cowboys, every situation there may be essentially the most extreme, and the eye being paid to Mike McCarthy's job while Bill Belichick could also be lurking within the shadows is an unprecedented situation this season. On the opposite hand, Doug Pederson has been under fire for the longest time for the Jaguars' poor start, and it looks like it is going to take an amazing turnaround for him to get one other likelihood in 2025.

Keefer: The Saints' collapse this season after an excellent start was shocking. It's hard to assume Mickey Loomis and the owners getting behind Dennis Allen again, especially after the 2 disappointing seasons before this 12 months. I feel Mike McCarthy's future in Dallas is a fait accompli at this point. The Cowboys have been far too inconsistent and the roster isn't nearly as big because it was up to now for this team to be a serious contender later within the season. Missing the playoffs would mark the tip of McCarthy's five-year tenure and potentially open the door for Belichick to affix the circus.

Shirt: I expect all three spots to alter within the offseason. In the short term, I feel Dallas and New Orleans will change the least over the course of the season. These franchises take a broader view.

We'll get a likelihood 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 those three wide receiver trades do you’ve got essentially the most confidence in moving forward?

How: I would like to say Cooper because he's already had a midseason move and that have should pay dividends on the subject of learning a brand new playbook. But with that said, I can't give it some thought an excessive amount of. Hopkins had the very best profession of all three and is featured in the very best offense. Additionally, Hopkins may only have to catch three or 4 passes per game to be effective.

Keefer: Jeff is true. Something tells me Hopkins will make an important catch in a playoff win for Kansas City in the subsequent few months. He's top-of-the-line of his generation at not being even near being open and still finding a method to catch the ball. But I liked what the Bills did after they added Cooper to their young receiving corps; This team will need loads of firepower within the playoffs against Baltimore or Kansas City. He may even help Keon Coleman proceed to develop.

Shirt: Hopkins, followed closely by Cooper, after which Johnson. Hopkins seems to suit well with Mahones within the scramble drill. I feel he can complement Travis Kelce in those situations and expect him to point out that in critical moments.

Given a troubled NFC West race this 12 months, should the Rams (with the Seahawks) follow Cooper Kupp?

How: The only reason to trade Kupp without getting a major return can be if the Rams believed Matthew Stafford would retire this offseason — or Kupp, for that matter. I actually understand other points, resembling an aging receiver who has been coping with more injuries recently, however the Rams are still in play within the NFC. Executives and coaches across the league still hold Sean McVay in high regard, giving them a likelihood to compete with anyone in the event that they make the playoffs. Are they a practical Super Bowl threat? Probably not. But why leave Kupp out of the equation should you think he still has just a few years left?

Keefer: This division is wide open right away with the Rams only half a game behind. And in the event that they beat the Seahawks on Sunday, there's no way I can trade Cooper Kupp. McVay will get the offense right when Kupp is healthy again – and if this offensive line holds up. First-year coordinator Chris Shula has the defense playing significantly better than it did in the primary month of the season. With each Seattle and San Francisco looking vulnerable and Arizona as unpredictable as ever, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rams end the season with Kupp under center.

Shirt: I’d support the Rams valuing Kupp given his durability concerns and his contract. These are also the the reason why I don't expect teams to line as much as sign him. I’d think he stays with the Rams.

Colts-Vikings is the deal with Sunday evening. Is Anthony Richardson's substitute on the bench justified?

How: There's no denying that Richardson's performance has declined this season, but that's only a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Richardson won't improve off the bench. He needs experience. If he doesn't play one other snap this season, he’ll enter 2025 with 23 NFL and college starts over five seasons. It's like talking to Trey Lance all yet again. If you don't give a raw, young quarterback a likelihood to achieve the experience he so desperately needs, you'll likely never get the return in your investment.

Keefer: This is precisely the query that also concerns us here in Indianapolis. I feel that was it. The Colts have made it clear that they may not hand over on Richardson. So it's a reset: the team wants him to get his origin back. His prodigious athletic talents were enough to get him where he’s — the fourth pick within the draft after just 13 college starts and a dismal graduation rate at Florida — but they're not enough to maintain this job. He must catch up in all other areas: preparation, leadership, performance. I wrote earlier this season that Richardson needed to develop into greater than only a highlight reel. So far he hasn't done it. And this sitting on the bench, as humiliating because it could seem on this moment, will show whether Richardson really is the Colts' quarterback of the longer term.

Shirt: Yes, it is evident that Richardson shouldn’t be able to play and shouldn’t be progressing. The tap-out showed a whole lack of know-how of his role within the team. Here's my take: Think about what number of other ways this lack of know-how has actually manifested itself behind the scenes. The decision to bench him shows me that the situation was untenable for the coaching staff.