‘You play to win the game’ … except when you don’t.

It’s been nearly 22 years since former New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards uttered those six memorable words. And, like the current edition following Sunday night’s 37-15 blast furnace meltdown of a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, those Jets were 2-5, their playoff aspirations just a flicker.

However if the 2024 Jets are going to do what the 2002 Jets did – hit the afterburners en route to a rare AFC East crown (or at least a postseason berth) – they’ve got a steep climb ahead to avoid being the same old Jets.

And that must start with the person upon whom all eyes are trained: Aaron Rodgers.

The four-time league MVP, who will not win a fifth this season at age 40, needs to stop looking for outside answers – and what more can he ask for after Tuesday’s acquisition of wide receiver and BFF Davante Adams and Sunday’s news that linebacker Haason Reddick is finally inbound? – and look in the mirror … or at least within if he finds himself on a mini darkness retreat in the coming days. The Jets have lost four in succession – and the common denominator is not fired coach Robert Saleh, or kicker Greg Zuerlein, or a banged-up defense or vilified wideout Mike Williams.

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It’s Rodgers.

“I gotta play better, that’s the key,” he admitted Sunday.

“We just don’t do the little things well enough, consistently enough, myself included.”

To recap:

In Week 4, his legendary arm failed to negate the East Rutherford, N.J., elements on a day when the Jets only needed 11 points to beat the Denver Broncos, who managed all of 186 yards. “The weather sucked, but so did some of my throws,” acknowledged Rodgers.

In Week 5, he matched his career worst with three interceptions – including a killer pick-six – and missed too many open receivers in a 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London.

In Week 6, Rodgers threw an INT on his final pass for the second straight week, though shifted blame to Williams’ route running in the Jets’ first game following Saleh’s ouster and removal of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett from play-calling and game-planning duties. In a 23-20 defeat to the injury-racked Buffalo Bills, the Jets were 4-for-12 on third down and 1-for-4 in the red zone – areas where a quarterback of Rodgers’ station is supposed to elevate an offense.

Then the bottom all but dropped out in Western Pennsylvania.

Adams disappeared in the second half of his Jets debut. A M*A*S*H unit defense was incapable of corralling 35-year-old Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, who was making his first start in nearly a year and behind a patchwork O-line. The NYJ running game was again MIA, posting a meager 54 yards.

Yet the game turned just before halftime with the Jets up 15-6. With little more than a minute left, Rodgers tried to thread a pass deep down the middle to Garrett Wilson, who was seemingly surrounded by half of Pittsburgh’s defense, but instead found undrafted rookie corner Beanie Bishop for the first of two interceptions on the night. Four plays later, Russell Wilson hit George Pickens for a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining in the half to completely alter the game’s complexion and momentum as the Steelers began an unimpeded 31-point blitz.

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“Bad throw,” said Rodgers, who’s on pace for a career-worst 17 interceptions and 82.2 passer rating. ‘Changed the entire energy, changed the game.”

So now what?

The Steelers are sitting pretty at 5-2 atop the AFC North despite the unconventional switch from Justin Fields to Wilson. The Jets have no such card to play – as they did in 2002 when the move from fading veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde to untested Chad Pennington played massive (if belated, after Edwards’ famous rant) dividends.

Rodgers isn’t going to advocate for a headset next to interim coach Jeff Ulbrich so his team can see what backup Tyrod Taylor might do with an offense teeming with playmakers. (And, in fairness, a team implementing so many fundamental changes on the fly probably needs time before it can actually fly.) The four upcoming games (Patriots, Texans, Cardinals, Colts) before a Week 12 bye are certainly winnable – yet it’s a much tougher assignment when they’re virtually must-winnable.

“You’ve got to have culture changers in the midst of the talent to steer things in the right direction,” Rodgers lamented.

Unfortunately, the culture seems essentially status quo for a flight plan careening toward a 56th straight landing short of Super Bowl glory and NFL-worst 14th in a row without a playoff destination at the arrival gate. And that’s a shame, because the ability on New York’s roster is decidedly playoff-caliber – at minimum.

“This season ain’t over,” said Garrett Wilson, whose failure to corral an on-target throw from Rodgers midway through the third quarter led to a deflection that also wound up in Bishop’s hands before a 41-yard return … and then to another Pittsburgh TD one play later.

“We still got everything out in front of us. Feel like we got everything we need here. Time to go play on Sundays, on game days – whatever it may be – and it’s time to go win games. At the end of the day, that’s got to be it.”

But barring a massive course correction – and without a fiery navigator like Edwards to map the way – no one will wear the blame more than the unquestioned pilot in the No. 8 jersey who seems to have all the answers midweek but keeps failing to find them on Sundays and Mondays.

And Rodgers knows there’s no more time to R-E-L-A-X to salvage this J-E-T-S season and only one thing left to say in the face of so many questions.

“Just gotta win,” he said before heading to the bus Sunday night.

“Starting this week.”

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

Say what you will about the current state of collegiate athletics in the United States of America. But it’s indisputable that there are few other sporting endeavors that generate the same level of emotions, be they positive or negative, from fans.

That was on clear display over the most recent college football weekend, which featured everything from jubilant field rushes to angry debris tossing. Overreactions are therefore inevitable given such passion. We’re here once again to sort through a few involving the biggest-name programs, and hopefully provide a modicum of big-picture perspective.

Here are the top five overreactions from Week 8.

Alabama’s playoff chances are cooked

It’s true that the Crimson Tide’s SEC championship hopes are likely gone with a second league loss. There might, however, still be a path to the expanded 12-team playoff.

Alabama’s last three games in November are quite winnable. One is a tune-up against Championship Subdivision member Mercer, and the final two league contests are against Oklahoma and Auburn, teams in an even greater state of disarray at this writing.

It’s the pair of games over the next three weekends that will tell the tale for Alabama – a home date with Missouri next Saturday and a Nov. 9 trip to LSU. Should the Tide win both, they’ll have a fairly clear route to 10-2 with the win against Georgia also in the bank, a resume that would almost certainly be deemed playoff worthy. A split of those two and a 9-3 finish would leave matters in a much more ambiguous realm.

Whether Alabama could actually win the title should it be included in the at-large pool is a discussion for another day, but for now we must wait and see where things are in a few weeks. We understand that patience is not an abundant quality for many fan bases, but don’t write the Tide off just yet.

Texas is back – to mediocrity.

It didn’t take long for the college football universe to move from anointing the Longhorns as title favorites to wondering aloud if they’re not ready for this new conference after all. As with many such discussions, the truth probably lies somewhere between those extremes.

As has been pointed out, the foundation upon which the Longhorns’ No. 1 ranking had been constructed wasn’t as sturdy as we might have believed given the ongoing struggles of Oklahoma and Michigan (more on the Wolverines below). It is equally true, however, that Texas is hardly the first team to be humbled by an encounter with a motivated Georgia squad. Remember how post mortems for Clemson were being written after Week 1?

In short, we’ll wait and see how Texas responds to its first taste of adversity, starting next week with a visit to a suddenly frisky Vanderbilt.

Indiana is going to win the Big Ten

Most people probably didn’t believe Curt Cignetti when he made that bold pronouncement upon accepting the head coaching gig in Bloomington. But lo and behold the Hoosiers have steamrolled everything in their path en route to a 7-0 start that now has everyone’s attention.

There’s just one teensy weensy problem though. The penultimate week of the season involves a trip to Ohio State. We are in no way saying a win in Columbus isn’t possible. But if the Hoosiers do come up short there, they would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Buckeyes for a spot in the conference title game, assuming both teams win the rest of their games. There is no Penn State or Oregon on Indiana’s schedule, which is a plus in that all their other contests are winnable but a minus in that there is no opportunity to offset a potential loss to the Buckeyes.

Now with all that said, the Hoosiers do very much have a strong at-large case for the playoff should they make it to the finish line at 11-1. That might seem overly ambitious for a program that has enjoyed limited gridiron success in its history, but we shouldn’t be surprised now if it comes to pass.

Michigan could miss a bowl

On the opposite end of the Big Ten’s expectations meter we find the Wolverines, the defending national champions in name only now flailing to find any kind of offensive identity.

Aside from a home date with Northwestern, Michigan’s November slate is a veritable murderers’ row in the new-look conference. The Wolverines will be heavy underdogs against Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State, even with the Ducks and Buckeyes coming to Ann Arbor. This makes next week’s rivalry game against Michigan State a virtual must-win if the Wolverines hope to reach the six-victory threshold for bowl eligibility. Of course the Spartans aren’t likely to be terribly sympathetic having their own challenging second-half schedule ahead of them. But Michigan State has made progress under coach Jonathan Smith in recent weeks, and the Spartans will come into the Big House with confidence after showing they could solve a tough defense like Iowa’s. It won’t top the must-watch list for next week, but it’s a game to keep an eye on, especially if you’re the organizer of a bowl game with a Big Ten tie-in.

The Cougar Conundrum

30 for 30 voice: What if I told you there’s a team currently without FBS conference affiliation with an excellent chance to go 11-1 – and it’s not Notre Dame? Sure, the Fighting Irish could get there as well. But there’s another non-affiliated team that could provide the CFP with an interesting test case.

Washington State, of the once-and-future Pac-12, has made it to 6-1 with its lone blemish coming against Boise State. That would be the same Broncos’ squad that came within a field goal of the current No. 1 team. In addition to a hard-fought Apple Cup win against former league foe Washington, the Cougars also have another Power Five victory against Texas Tech in their column.

But now comes the bad news for the Cougars. That Texas Tech result lost some value over the weekend when the Red Raiders were thumped at home by Baylor for their first Big 12 loss. None of Washington State’s remaining opponents figure to add much to its schedule strength calculation. It would help the Cougars’ cause if Boise State made the playoff field, but that might require help from Notre Dame in the form of knocking both Navy and Army from the ranks of the undefeated. Those results would in turn enhance Fighting Irish’s credentials as an at-large candidate, at the expense of the Cougars and others.

As things stand, Washington State would need a whole lot of breaks to go its way to earn consideration. But complete chaos always seems to be right around the corner in this sport, so fans on the Palouse should stay tuned.

The best players find other ways to contribute.

The New York Liberty had little business winning their first-ever WNBA title on Sunday night. Not when Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu were a combined 5-for-34, the basket looking as small as a thimble for the two stars.

But it was everything else they did that made the difference. Ionescu had eight assists, two of which were on Nyara Sabally buckets in the third quarter that gave New York its first lead of the game. Stewart had a game-high 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

 She also had a steal with less than a minute left in OT and New York clinging to a three-point lead.

“I came in with a game plan of, it doesn’t matter,” Stewart said after the game. “I want to play defense. I want to rebound. I want to do the little things, and I’ll continue to be aggressive and shoot my shots. But if they are not falling, they are not falling. I’m not going to let that affect the way I do things.”

Stewart did go 5 of 8 from the foul line, including two makes with five seconds left in regulation that forced overtime, and two more with 10 seconds left in OT that sealed New York’s 67-62 win.

“Before I made the free throws (in regulation), I missed two free throws. I was like, no, I can’t do this again, I can’t,” Stewart said. (Assistant coach Olaf Lange) and I have talked about being a python, where it’s like you know your moment when to strike.

“At that moment, I was just thinking about being a python.”

Whatever works. Whatever it takes to get the job done.

Every player wants to win a title, but this one was deeply personal for both Ionescu and Stewart.

Ionescu was the rock star of college basketball in the spring of 2020, leading Oregon to the top of the rankings and, she hoped, a national title. Then the COVID pandemic struck. There was no title. No NCAA tournament, even.

Stewart already has titles. Four when she was in college at UConn and two when she played with the Seattle Storm. But she’s a New York kid. Her first exposure to the WNBA was a Liberty game at Madison Square Garden way back when.

Leading the Liberty to its first title, bringing the city of New York its first basketball championship in half a century, it was a weight they carried. A weight that got even heavier with last year’s loss in the Finals to the Las Vegas Aces.

“I was just thinking about today, and it’s like whether we win or lose, we want to put it all on the line,” Stewart said. “Because last year when we lost, there was more in the tank. And this year, that wasn’t happening.”

So she and Ionescu kept shooting. And as the misses piled up, they found other ways to hustle. Scrapping for rebounds. Threading passes to their teammates who did have hot hands. Cranking up their defense so the Lynx never got an easy shot. Calling out screens and yelling encouragement at teammates.

Any little thing they could do that could make a difference.

Both Stewart and Ionescu have been clutch throughout this five-game series. No one will ever forget Ionescu’s dagger three-pointer that gave New York the win in Game 3. Or Stewart’s monster effort in Game 2, when she had 21 points and a Finals-record seven steals.

But their performances Sunday night were no less impressive. With the go-to parts of their games not working, they could either accept it as a bad night to have a bad night or they could figure out a workaround.

“I’m really proud of how resilient we were,” Ionescu said.

Good players win championships. Great players earn them.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

How lucky has your fantasy football team been after the season’s first seven weeks? Unless you’re undefeated, you’ve likely suffered a few bumps and bruises along the way. But heading into the second half of the fantasy season, a few minor tweaks can make a major difference.

If you’re thinking about trading and are willing to go out on a limb, you can build a stronger roster that won’t wilt under pressure. Remember, there’s always a way to make your team better.

Here are some players whose values are trending upward (or downward) as a result of their performances in Week 7:

Fantasy football players to buy for Week 8

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WR Cedrick Wilson, Jr., New Orleans Saints: The Saints are in a bad way with injuries right now, with Chris Olave in the concussion protocol and big-play machine Rashid Shaheed out for the year. Wilson stepped up with six catches for a team-best 57 yards and a score against Denver, and he is likely to continue seeing a meaningful role even when Olave returns.

WR Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills: Coleman exploded for 125 yards on four receptions against the Tennessee Titans. When the Bills traded for Amari Cooper this past week, the thinking was that Coleman and Khalil Shakir would take a back seat. Instead, with defense focusing on the new star receiver, Coleman had a lot of one-on-one situations with lesser players covering him.

Fantasy football players to sell for Week 8

WR Tank Dell, Houston Texans: Dell was blanked on four targets in Green Bay. With Nico Collins down, it was expected Dell would see more work, but he has been unable to get on the same page with QB C.J. Stroud.

RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets: For a while, the rookie appeared to be pushing Breece Hall a little bit. Since the coaching change, the Jets’ new offensive philosophy is to lean hard on Hall, with Allen simply picking up crumbs.

WR Darius Slayton, New York Giants: Slayton was a standout when super rookie Malik Nabers was down for two games with a concussion. But Nabers is back, Wan’Dale Robinson is the high-volume guy, and Slayton is left with just a couple of targets at most on a team with a bad quarterback.

WR Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns: After moving on from Cooper, the Browns were expected to give Jeudy a much bigger role. The team traded for him in the offseason and paid him handsomely. But against the Bengals, Cedric Tillman and Elijah Moore ate up the wideout targets, with Jeudy seeing very little work.

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Joe Mixon might not have completed his Lambeau Leap in the first half, but it prevented one Green Bay Packers fan from watching the rest of Sunday’s 24-22 victory over the Houston Texans.

Or at least that was the plan.

With 11:52 left in the second quarter, Mixon scored on a 2-yard run to give the Texans a 10-7 lead. Trying to mimic the Packers’ fabled leap, Mixon jogged over to the stands where a lone Texans fan waited. A Packers fan dressed in a team ballcap with green-and-yellow overalls pushed Mixon away twice, grabbing the running back’s face mask on his second attempt.

Police officers arrived in the corner end zone section to eject the fan soon after. The fan was ejected for ‘excessive’ force, violating the team’s code of fan conduct, per the team. It isn’t uncommon for fans to mix it up with opposing players who try to leap into the stands, occasionally leading to physical contact or spilling beer on a player, but Sunday’s altercation led to an ejection because it was deemed to cross a line.

Mixon and the fan exchanged words on the sideline after the altercation. The fan appeared to flip off Mixon as he headed back for the Texans sideline.

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The fan was not facing any legal consequences for the altercation, only the ejection.

But the same fan appeared to have returned to his seat by game’s end. The fan appears in photos next to Packers kicker Brandon McManus, who executed a much more welcomed Lambeau Leap after making his game-winning kick Sunday from 45 yards. It’s unclear how the fan returned to his seat.

When asked if the fan was allowed to reenter, a team spokesman said the Packers were under the belief the fan had been ejected.

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The 32 things we learned from Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season:

0. The number of points scored in the first quarter this season by the Philadelphia Eagles. But they found 28 over the final three periods Sunday while pummeling the NFC East-rival New York Giants.

0. The number of quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) not to start their team’s seventh game after a 4-2 start or better for a reason other than an injury, per NFL Media. Looking at you, Justin Fields.

0. The number of wins by San Francisco 49ers HC Kyle Shanhan in five games against Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Niners’ 28-18 defeat Sunday wasn’t nearly as painful as their losses in Super Bowls 54 and 58 … the knee injury suffered by WR Brandon Aiyuk notwithstanding.

0. The number of TD passes Mahomes and 49ers QB Brock Purdy combined for Sunday … though they did serve up a collective five INTs while also combining for a trio of TD runs.

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1. The number of undefeated teams remaining in the league, the Chiefs elevating to 6-0 on the same day the Minnesota Vikings lost for the first time this season.

1a. Career touchdown receptions by Green Bay Packers RB Josh Jacobs, who finally recorded one Sunday. A first-round pick of the Oakland Raiders five years ago, Jacobs’ 211 catches without a TD were the second-most to start a career after Thomas Jones (242), per OptaSTATS. Before breaking the hex, Jacobs had the most grabs in league history without a TD. “It was long overdue,” he said. “We talked about it all week at practice that, ‘Man, this is the week that we’re going to get (it).’ We had like three or four plays in the red zone for me.”

2. Average number of yards Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb managed (on 11 carries) in his first game in more than a year after suffering his latest gruesome knee injury. No matter. In a lost season for his team, Chubb, who also scored his first TD since the 2022 regular-season finale, is a huge silver lining and inspiration to teammates and fans who are going to need some in the coming months. His clamorous pre-game ovation tells it all.

3. The number of Browns to throw at least 10 passes Sunday, the first time one team had had as many players in a game in 16 years. With QB1 Deshaun Watson’s season apparently over after he went down with an Achilles injury, the Browns will move forward with Jameis Winston and/or Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

3a. The Browns were 5-4, including playoffs, after losing Watson to a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023 but won’t have the option of turning to Joe Flacco, now an Indianapolis Colt, this year.

4. The number of quarterbacks to post a passer rating of at least 140.0 in three consecutive games, Jared Goff joining their ranks Sunday in the Detroit Lions’ statement-making 31-29 defeat of the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The Lions moved into first place atop the hypercompetitive NFC North by handing the Vikes their first loss of the season.

4a. The number of sacks – by four different players – the Lions had in their first game without injured DE Aidan Hutchinson. And Detroit might have to replace its injured superstar in a “by committee” approach after New York Jets LB Haason Reddick ended his holdout Sunday morning and – presumably – his stint on the trade block.

4b. The number of NFC North teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended today (it doesn’t). The Lions would be the conference’s No. 1 seed, with the Vikings, Packers and Chicago Bears all in wild-card slots. Every team in the division but the idle Bears has five wins.

4c. The number of catches made by Miami Dolphins wide receivers in the club’s 16-10 loss to the almost equally offensively impaired Colts. Injured Fins QB Tua Tagovailoa, assuming he’s healthy, can’t get back fast enough from his most recent concussion … and that could be in Week 8 if he’s activated in the coming days.

5. Number of seasons it took Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow to notch his first win in Cleveland.

6. Number of consecutive losses by the New England Patriots after getting smoked by the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday. It’s the Pats’ longest skid in 31 years.

7. Number of starting offensive line combinations the Pats have used this season … i.e., a different one each week.

7a. The number of interceptions thrown by Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, putting him on pace for a career-worst 17 after he served up two more in Sunday night’s loss to Russell Wilson and the Fields-less Pittsburgh Steelers.

8. Number of sacks racked up by the Eagles in their 28-3 walkover against the Giants, who were without injured LT Andrew Thomas. Five of those sacks came from University of Georgia products Jalen Carter, Nakobe Dean and Nolan Smith Jr., Carter and Dean each collecting a pair.

9. The number of consecutive games Los Angeles RB Kyren Williams has posted a rushing TD, tied for the fourth-longest streak in the NFL since 2000 … but only halfway to Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson’s run between the 2004 and ’05 campaigns. Williams found the end zone twice in Sunday’s defeat of the Las Vegas Raiders.

10. Number of completions by Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud in Sunday’s 24-22 loss to the Packers. It was Stroud’s fewest number of connections in a game he started and completed in what’s otherwise been an illustrious season-and-a-half for the budding star. His 86 passing yards were also a career low.

11. The jersey number of Jaguars WR Parker Washington, whose 96-yard punt return for a TD in London set a new Jags record. It was also the longest scoring play in the history of the NFL’s International Series and the first punt taken to the house on foreign soil.

12. Raiders TE Brock Bowers caught 10 passes in Sunday’s loss to the Rams. He’s the first rookie tight end ever to record at least nine catches in three of his first seven career games.

13. The number of games Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has rushed for multiple TDs after getting tush-pushed twice Sunday against the Giants.

14. Yards covered on Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.’s first completion. He’s the final passer taken in the first round of this year’s draft to make his debut this season – doing so in garbage time of a 34-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks – though the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy isn’t eligible to play until 2025 after going down with a torn meniscus in preseason.

15. WR Amari Cooper scored a TD in his first game with the Buffalo Bills in their 34-10 defeat of the Tennessee Titans.

15a. The last time Cooper was traded at midseason, from the Oakland Raiders to the Dallas Cowboys six years ago, he also scored for his new team.

16. WR Davante Adams did not score in his Jets debut.

17. The number of plays, covering 84 yards and more than 11 minutes, of Jacksonville’s drive spanning the third and fourth quarters against New England. The Jags eventually turned the ball over on downs – not the ending they wanted to the league’s longest possession of the season.

17a. Also the number of consecutive times the Jaguars ran the ball at one point, a stretch that started on the aforementioned march.

18. For all that’s been written about the league’s rookie offensive stars this season, keep an eye on Rams freshman OLB Jared Verse. His 29 pressures easily lead all first-year players after he racked up nine more Sunday against Las Vegas – and against a quality left tackle.

19. Marcus Mariota won Sunday’s “battle” of quarterback has-beens as the Washington Commanders dismantled the Andy Dalton-led Carolina Panthers 40-7, hardly missing injured rookie QB Jayden Daniels.

20. Mariota’s 205-yard, two-TD passing day was his best since he was benched by the Falcons late in the 2022 season.

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21. Number of yards gained (on three receptions) by 49ers rookie WR Ricky Pearsall in his NFL debut. Really good to see him out there two months after he was shot on the streets of San Francisco.

22. Number of wins by Reid (against just four losses) in games following a bye week.

23. Reid’s Chiefs are actually the seventh reigning champions since 2000 to start a season 6-0 on the heels of a Super Bowl triumph. Of those clubs, only the 2004 Patriots leveraged such a hot start into another Lombardi Trophy.

24. Number of consecutive games Patriots P Bryce Baringer has boomed at least a 50-yarder, including a 66-yarder in Sunday’s loss. It’s currently the longest streak in the league.

25. Four teams (Buffalo, Detroit, Indianapolis and Jacksonville) overcame double-digit deficits Sunday, the first time that’s happened this season.

26. Still the jersey number of Eagles RB Saquon Barkley, who reminded the Giants – he played his first six NFL seasons with them after being the No. 2 pick of the 2018 draft – how good he is by rushing for 176 yards, the second-highest total of his career, despite resting late in the game. With 189 yards against the Bears 15 years ago, Cedric Benson is the only player to rush for more yards against his former team than Barkley.

27. Barkley’s 187 total yards were 68 more than Giants had in total.

27a. Barkley’s 187 total yards were 166 more than Devin Singletary, the tailback the Giants signed to replace him while putting “Motor” in Barkley’s former No. 26 jersey.

28. Maybe Giants fans should be burning something other than Barkley’s jersey …

29. Quote of the week? How about a rare admission from Patriots rookie coach Jerod Mayo, who said of his squad: ‘We’re a soft football team across the board.’

30. Uniform note of the week: Sunday was the first time in the Packers’ 104-season history that they sported all white, their new helmets included. Green Bay is now 1-0 in the ‘winter warnings’ kit … 803-600-38 in anything else.

31. Second uniform note of the week: The New Orleans Saints threw it back Thursday … and by the end of their 33-10 rout at the hooves of the Denver Broncos, their fans were throwing paper sacks onto their heads again.

32. Third uniform note of the week: If you look closely – like at the facemasks and font of the jersey numbers – you’ll notice the Steelers went retro Sunday night to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first team in franchise history to win the Super Bowl.

33. Bonus item! Had to commemorate Mahomes’ 33-yard run, the longest he’s ever managed in the regular season, which set up his 1-yard, fourth-quarter TD run four plays later in Silicon Valley.

This story has been updated to include new information.

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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.