Rodgers' brutal reality check after blockbuster trade; 'bulls ...

Another week of NFL action is almost behind us, with Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson suffering what appears to be a season-ending injury.

Elsewhere, the San Francisco 49ers look to have also been dealt a serious blow to their Super Bowl hopes while a superstar trade did little to save the Jets.

Read on for all that and more in our Week 7 recap!

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SUPERSTAR TRADE DOES NOTHING TO SOLVE JETS’ WOES

Jets owner Woody Johnson has made dramatic moves after the last two Jets losses but nothing is working.

The Jets lost their fourth straight game, this one a 37-15 loss to the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.

The loss drops the Jets to 2-5 and desperation time has arrived before Halloween for the Jets. In a year when they entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, they are now clinging to very slim playoff hopes.

This comes after Johnson fired coach Robert Saleh two weeks ago following a loss to the Vikings in London and one week after the Jets traded for wide receiver Davante Adams following the loss to the Bills.

Pressure continues to build. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

The arrival of Adams did not have much impact for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets in his first game. Adams had three catches for 30 yards on nine targets in the game. Rodgers threw two interceptions in the game and the Steelers turned both into touchdowns. Rodgers was 24-of-39 passing for 276 yards with one touchdown.

Russell Wilson made his first start for the Steelers and after some early struggles, he found his stride and the Steelers scored 31 unanswered points in the win that improved the Steelers to 5-2. Wilson was 16-of-29 passing for 264 yards and two touchdowns.

— New York Post

TEARY QB CARTED OFF AS TEAMMATES SOUND OFF AT FANS

Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson was carted off the field in the second quarter of the Browns’ 21-14 loss to Cincinnati with an Achilles tendon injury.

Watson had dropped back to pass when he crumpled to his knees, the team later confirming he was “out with an Achilles injury”.

Watson remained huddled on his knees as Browns medical staff attended him and he was then taken to the locker room.

It’s yet another setback for Watson, who through the first six weeks of the season had thrown for just over 1,000 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

He was helming one of the worst offences in the league and was booed by home fans during the team introductions, while cheers even rang out when he went down injured.

Deshaun Watson is taken off the field on a medical cart. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

Off the field, the NFL said in September it was reviewing new allegations of sexual assault against Watson, made in a civil lawsuit filed in Texas.

The allegations came just over two years after Watson was suspended for 11 games and fined $5 million in August 2022 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy following accusations by some 25 women of sexual misconduct during personal massage sessions.

He subsequently reached settlements with 23 of his accusers but did not face criminal charges.

Watson left the Houston Texans for Cleveland in a blockbuster trade two years ago that made him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.

The crowd’s reaction was not well received by Watson’s teammates, with Myles Garrett calling him a “model citizen” and declaring fans who booed him “should be ashamed”.

“We don’t boo guys who are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out,” Garrett said.

“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. (Watson’s) not perfect, he doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect.

“Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field, because I can’t throw stones from my glass house, but we need to do better. Do better on the football field and do better as fans for having some empathy for a man who’s doing the best he can and did the best he can up until this point. We have to be better.”

Cleveland cornerback Greg Newsome II described the reaction as “bulls***” while back-up quarterback Jameis Winston was highly emotional when giving his thoughts.

Deshaun Watson falls to the ground after being injured. Nick Cammett/Getty Images/AFP )Source: AFP

“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years and he put his body and his life on the line for this city every single day,” Winston said.

“Regardless of your perception, regardless of what you thought should happen with him, he committed every single day that I’ve been here to be the best that he can be for this team.”

Back-up quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson also failed to finish with a finger injury, although it is not thought to be serious, with Winston stepping in as the emergency quarterback to play out the game for Cleveland.

BRUTAL INJURY LEAVES $120 MILLION HOLE IN CONTENDER

The San Francisco 49ers fell short in the Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, going down 28-18 — but they have far bigger problems than that result.

Already without superstar running back Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers are now facing the prospect of being without top wideout Brandon Aiyuk after he suffered a suspected torn ACL in the defeat.

Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension with San Francisco in late August after a breakout season which saw him led the 49ers in receptions (75), targets (105) and receiving yards (1,342) while he was tied for first in receiving touchdowns (7).

The 49ers were already without Deebo Samuel (illness) and Jauan Jennings (hip), leaving San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy without three of his top targets.

Brandon Aiyuk went down injured. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

And against a stout Chiefs run defence, the 49ers struggled to get their usually effective ground game going until late in the piece and even still it wasn’t enough to ease the pressure on Purdy, who threw three interceptions including a back-breaking one in the end zone.

Kareem Hunt turned back the clock for the Chiefs with 22 carries for 78 yards and a pair of scores while Patrick Mahomes also rushed for a touchdown in the win that leaves the defending champions as the NFL’s only undefeated team.

LIONS WIN THRILLER, WALK-OFF FG SEALS THE DEAL FOR TEXANS

Elsewhere, in the game of the day the Minnesota Vikings’ unbeaten start to the season ended as they fell 31-29 to divisional rivals the Detroit Lions.

Jahmyr Gibbs ran in two touchdowns and put up 116 yards on 15 carries for the Lions, who take over at the top of the NFC North and the conference, sharing a 5-1 record with Minnesota.

The Vikings were up 10-0 at the end of the first quarter after Aaron Jones ran in a 34-yard touchdown and Will Reichard made a 57-yard field goal.

But Detroit grabbed control of the game with three touchdowns in an explosive second quarter.

Gibbs rushed 45 yards to get the Lions on the scoreboard before quarterback Jared Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown on a 35-yard touchdown pass.

Gibbs finished off a 72-yard drive with an 8-yard rush to send Detroit in with a 21-10 lead at half-time.

Jahmyr Gibbs starred in the win. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

The Vikings got back in the game through a familiar route -- quarterback Sam Darnold finding Justin Jefferson with a 25-yard pass into the end zone.

Goff responded, finding Kalif Raymond with a pass short-left which the receiver grabbed before powering in for a 21-yard score to put Detroit up 28-17.

The Vikings cut the Lions’ lead to five points with a pair of field goals from Reichard in the fourth quarter before normally reliable Detroit running back David Montgomery fumbled and Ivan Pace recovered and raced 36 yards for the touchdown.

Detroit failed in a two-point conversion attempt, leaving the Lions ahead by a point and Detroit sealed the win with Jake Bates’ 44-yard field goal.

Minnesota had one last chance to save their unbeaten record but Trevor Nowaske sacked Darnold to end the contest.

The Green Bay Packers are third in the NFC North but they are far from out of the picture after a thrilling 24-22 win over the Houston Texans.

Brandon McManus celebrates after kicking the game-winning field goal. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

Brandon McManus’ 45-yard, walk-off field goal ensured the Packers moved to 5-2 after a game in which quarterback Jordan Love threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud managed just 86 yards on 10 of 21 passing with running back Joe Mixon doing the heavy lifting with two touchdowns and 115 yards on 25 carries.

ROOKIE SENSATION GOES DOWN INJURED

Elsewhere, all eyes will be on Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels after the rookie sensation went down with a rib injury in the team’s 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Daniels, who has made an electric start to his first season in the NFL, suffered the injury on the first offensive series of the game but that didn’t stop the Commanders from marching to a 27-0 lead at halftime.

Washington was gifted the first touchdown after an inexplicable pass from veteran Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton was picked off and it all went downhill from there for Carolina.

Despite that, Panthers coach Dave Canales said after the game that he is committed to Dalton, having turned to him in Week 3 after second-year QB Bryce Young also struggled.

Meanwhile, Commanders coach Dan Quinn was not able to provide an update on Daniels’ condition. Marcus Mariota threw for two touchdowns filling in for Daniels.

Jayden Daniels walks off the field into the tunnel. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

SUPERSTAR HAS LAST LAUGH AS GIANTS QB BENCHED

The boos at the start were loud. The fans had spoken and they were not welcoming back Saquon Barkley.

The jeers thereafter were even louder and directed not at the former Giants running back but at their own team, their own shabby, downtrodden offence and their own sagging quarterback. The fans had spoken. They had seen enough of this nonsense.

Once again, the Giants saved their worst for their paying customers. Their defence came out strong and spirited but were pretty much out there alone.

Daniel Jones was swamped from start to finish in another unproductive, listless and inept MetLife Stadium showing that got him benched.

Barkley as an opponent had a grand old time out there, churning and burning for 176 yards (only 17 rushing attempts) and one touchdown. As usual, the Giants took a dive against the Eagles, losing 28-3 to continue their descent into the depths of the NFC East.

It was so bad that Jones, with 11:26 remaining, was replaced by backup Drew Lock.

Daniel Jones struggled. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Jones completed 14 of 21 passes for 99 yards and was under fire, getting sacked seven times behind a shaky offensive line playing its first game this season without left tackle Andrew Thomas, who is on injured reserve following foot surgery.

Jones has now failed to throw a touchdown pass in six consecutive home games and the Giants have a total of 10 points in the past two games. That he was sent to the sideline by head coach Brian Daboll on the same day Barkley returned to torch his erstwhile team is some sad Giants symmetry.

The return of rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who missed the past two games in the concussion protocol, did nothing to enliven the attack. Nabers caught four passes for 41 yards. He cannot throw it to himself.

Barkley got the last laugh in this one. He wanted to remain a Giant for Life but the franchise that selected him No. 2 overall in 2018 would not match his contract ideas.

He said earlier in the week that he did not expect to get booed, which was either wishful thinking or a case of him being untruthful. Either way, he was a marked man. The Giants had him bottled up — 17 yards on his first seven rushing attempts — before he did what he often does — erupt.

Saquon Barkley breaks off a big run. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

Barkley early in the second quarter raced around the left side for 55 yards, with Deonte Banks pushing him out of bounds to save a touchdown. Backup Kenneth Gainwell got the ball the next two plays but no one other than Barkley was getting to put it in the end zone. Barkley did it with a 3-yard run to put the Eagles up 7-0.

Barkley added a 41-yard jaunt in the third quarter and they helped propel Jalen Hurts into the end zone on a Tush Push to make it 28-3 early in the fourth quarter.

— New York Post

‘WE’RE A SOFT FOOTBALL TEAM’: PATRIOTS COACH’S WAKE-UP CALL

There had already been warning signs — a 1-5 record the most glaring one of all — that the Patriots’ season had already started to spiral in the first year of the post-Bill Belichick era.

But after their latest loss, coach Jerod Mayo, who inherited the team from Belichick, didn’t hesitate to call his team “soft” following their 32-16 defeat against the Jaguars in London on Monday.

“Look, disappointing game,” Mayo said.

“Disappointing game. We came out. We started fast. What I would say is, look, we’re a soft football team across the board. You talk about what makes a tough football team, that’s being able to run the ball. That’s being able to stop the run. And that’s being able to cover kicks. And we did none of those today.”

Mayo has already tried using a quarterback change to spark the offence, flipping from Jacoby Brissett to Drake Maye last week.

Jerod Mayo did not hold back. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

But while he threw three touchdowns and topped 300 yards in Week 6 against the Texans, he threw a pair of interceptions and the Patriots still lost by 20 points.

Monday’s game in London had a promising start for the Patriots, too, as Maye led an 11-play, 68-yard drive that ended with a touchdown on the opening possession.

The Jaguars, though, ripped off 22 points in the second quarter and took a double-digit lead into halftime.

Running back Tank Bigsby rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns, while Trevor Lawrence — whose mediocre play through the opening five games played a critical role in the Jaguars’ winless start — only threw five incompletions.

Near the end of the second quarter, Parker Washington returned a Patriots punt 96 yards for a touchdown, too.

And while Maye collected 276 yards and two touchdowns, while not turning the ball over, it wasn’t enough when paired with a New England running game that managed just 38 rushing yards — including just 20 by their running backs.

“They controlled the ball for most of the day,” Mayo said.

“Their run game averaged over 4.5 yards per carry. Our run game, not sure what the average was but it wasn’t good. Look, back to the drawing board. I mean, we can’t sit here and pout. We just gotta put a game together.”

The Patriots will host the Jets — who’ve also struggled this season, dropping three consecutive games entering their contest against the Steelers later on Monday — next week, before travelling to face the Titans and Bears.

— New York Post

NFL WEEK 7 SCORES

Saints 10 Broncos 33

Jaguars 32 Patriots 16

Vikings 29 Lions 31

Bills 34 Titans 10

Colts 16 Dolphins 10

Falcons 14 Seahawks 34

Packers 24 Texans 22

Browns 14 Bengals 21

Giants 3 Eagles 28

Rams 20 Raiders 15

Commanders 40 Panthers 7

49ers 18 Chiefs 28

Steelers 37 Jets 15