Every day seems to shed new light on the feud between and the . Thirteen years after Brett Favre endured an unceremonious departure, his succe sor appears more and more likely to leave on similarly shaky terms. How, exactly, did we get to this point? When did all of the raging trade rumors first kick into high gear? As the Packers try to downplay the po sibility of Rodgers heading elsewhere and the reigning MVP apparently jockeys to control his own destiny, here’s a timeline of what’s gone down and what could come next:April 23, 2020: The Packers trade up from No. 30 to No. 26 and select Utah State quarterback , their first Day 1 QB pick since Rodgers in 2005. The move isn’t unprecedented, with other clubs (like the , in 2017) moving up for a QB succe sor despite already boasting a playoff-proven starter, and Rodgers coming off three straight “subdued” seasons — one shortened by injury and all with fewer than Michal Neuvirth Women Jersey 30 touchdown pa ses, a mark he’d hit in five of his previous six years. Still, just two years after the Packers signed Rodgers, 36, to a four-year extension through 2023, it has ripple effects …April 24, 2020: Packers coach Matt LaFleur places a phone call to Rodgers after (virtually) welcoming Love to Green Bay. He that Rodgers remains the Packers’ future at QB:April 29, 2020: Brett Favre and says he spoke with Rodgers after the Love pick, suggesting the surprise move “got the wheels turning in Aaron’s mind” about a future split with Christian Folin Men Jersey the Packers. He predicts Rodgers will finish his career elsewhere. May 15, 2020: Rodgers at the start of the offseason program, saying he was surprised by the Love pick but is excited to work with the rookie QB, before hinting he could eventually play elsewhere:July 28, 2020: Rodgers , via The Ringer, that he foresees — and is at peace with — a future split with Green Bay: Fall 2020: With a literal MVP performance, Rodgers ” ” on the Packers’ apparent succe sion plan, guiding Green Bay to a second consecutive NFC Championship appearance while throwing a career-high 48 touchdowns and 121.5 QB rating, his best since 2011, when he was fresh off a win and claimed his first MVP. Jan. 24, 2021: Immediately following the Packers’ NFC title-game lo s to the , Rodgers is what lies ahead for him:Jan. 24, 2021: Asked whether Rodgers will be back after the NFC Championship lo s, coach Matt LaFleur supports the QB — who’s still under contract through 2023 — but leaves the door open for change: Jan. 26, 2021: Packers president Mark Murphy downplays speculation about Rodgers’ future — including from the QB himself — with comments on WFNL radio in Green Bay: Jan. 26, 2021: CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora reports that coaches, general managers and other executives around the NFL are quietly between Rodgers and the Packers this offseason. Some believe the QB is prepared to “pull a ,” the former QB who e sentially retired his way into a trade out of Cincinnati in 2011.Jan. 26, 2021: that Rodgers only wants to return in 2021 under a new contract with additional guarantees. “A new deal means renewed vows,” Florio writes. “No new deal means the clock will still tick toward a potential, if not inevitable, divorce.”Jan. 31, 2021: A day after the agree to acquire from the , the team attempted to trade for Rodgers first. The Packers quickly rebuffed their efforts, Sam Farmer writes. Feb. 1, 2021: Packers GM Brian Gutekunst there is no truth to the report of a potential Rams trade, reiterating that Rodgers is Green Bay’s QB of the short- and long-term future: April 3, 2021: Rodgers for a one-on-one and reiterates that his Packers future is uncertain: Kevin Hayes Kids Jersey Pre sed by Mayne to simply declare he wants to remain a Packer for life, Rodgers offers this: April 5, 2021: , Rodgers again says his future is “quite uncertain” and suggests his 2020 MVP performance ran counter to the Packers’ plans at QB: April 14, 2021: Former Packers standout , who played with Rodgers from 2006-2012, he foresees a “nasty” split between Jori Lehtera Women Jersey Rodgers and Green Bay.April 28, 2021: A day before the start of the 2021 draft, the , as GM John Lynch later confirms. Reports indicate their No. 3 overall pick is floated as part of an unofficial offer for the QB, but Green Bay refuses to engage.April 29, 2021: The morning of Day 1 of the draft, a year after Green Bay’s surprise move up for Love, Rodgers “is so disgruntled with the Packers that he has told some within the organization that he does not want to return to the team.” ProFootballTalk unofficially , saying Rodgers “doesn’t like anyone” in the Packers’ front office. April 29, 2021: that, as of the night before the draft, Rodgers was convinced he’d be traded to the 49ers. He also suggests the Packers told Rodgers earlier in the offseason they would deal him, only to backtrack on that stance.April 30, 2021: that Rodgers has prepared a list of three teams he’d prefer to be traded to: The 49ers, and . Denver emerges as an apparent front-runner, with analyst Mark Schlereth that a Broncos trade is “as close to a done deal as it can get.”April 30, 2021: The Broncos consider trading back in the draft to add more picks for a potential Rodgers trade package, as later . April 30, 2021: Rodgers is seriously contemplating retirement “unle s the situation (in Green Bay) is repaired to his liking.” Fresh off an appearance as the celebrity guest host Wayne Simmonds Men Jersey of “Jeopardy,” Rodgers is prepared to potentially pivot to a TV job barring a trade, Rapoport says.May 1, 2021: Packers president Mark Murphy with Rodgers in a column on the team’s official website: May 1, 2021: that Rodgers’ i sue is primarily with Gutekunst, the Packers’ GM, who allegedly did not inform the QB of the Jordan Love pick beforehand and originally intended to move on from Rodgers after the 2020 season. Rodgers is “adamant,” Robinson writes, that he “won’t return to the team under the current stewardship of … Gutekunst, and that he’s willing to weigh hardline options at his disposal — from refusing to show up for offseason activities to holding out of training camp and po sibly retirement.” Gutekunst , denying that Rodgers has “said anything like that to me” or “publicly.” May 5, 2021: the Packers are upset with the 49ers and Broncos for allegedly contacting Rodgers to gauge his interest in playing for them, a would-be violation of the NFL’s tampering rules.May 5, 2021: Brett Favre once again says he touched base with Rodgers, and this time believes the QB is more likely to sit out than return to the Packers, and on his own podca

If you’ve gotten the chance to watch the NFC East play football this year, then you’ve probably noticed that things have Peter Budaj Men Jersey been a total disaster for that division. Heading into Week 12, the , , and Washington all have exactly three wins and somehow, the team that’s currently in first place (the Eagles) has looked like the worst team in the division over the past two weeks.If you’re wondering just how bad the NFC East has been, the four teams are a combined 4-19-1 in non-divisional games, which includes going 1-8-1 against the AFC North and 1-8 against the AFC West. The four teams are a combined 12-27-1 on the season and they are going to have to go at least 10-14 over the final six weeks of the year if they want to avoid breaking the record for lowest combined winning percentage by a division.The NFC East is so bad this year that it could actually end up Chris Kunitz Jersey sending a FOUR-WIN team to the playoffs and the crazy thing is that this scenario isn’t even that far-fetched. Here’s what has to happen down the stretch in the NFC East for a four-win team to reach the playoffs.Week 12Cowboys beat Washington beat Eagles beat GiantsWeek 13 beat Cowboys beat Washington beat EaglesSeahawks beat Giants Week 14Bengals beat Cowboys beat Washington beat Eagles beat GiantsWeek 15 beat GiantsSeahawks beat WashingtonCardinals beat Eagles49ers beat CowboysWeek 16Eagles beat Cowboys beat WashingtonRavens beat GiantsWeek 17Giants beat CowboysWashington beats EaglesThere are 16 non-divisional games listed above and the unbelievable thing Lightning Blank Men Jersey is that there’s a good chance the NFC East team that needs to lose in each game is going to be an underdog in 13 or 14 of those games. The biggest wild-card right now is probably the Cincinnati Bengals, who are somehow going to have beat both Giants and Cowboys without . if Cincinnati somehow pulls off those two upsets, then there’s a very real chance the NFL could be staring at it’s first-ever four-win playoff team in a 16-game season. One other note here is that if Washington beats the Cowboys on Thursday, the four-win scenario Nikita Kucherov Kids Jersey is still in play. The only thing that would change is that Dallas would have to beat Philly in Week 16 and Philly would have to beat Washington in Week 17.The NFL has never even seen a five or six-win playoff team and now, the league is staring down the barrel of a four-win team in the postseason. The fewest wins a team has ever had in the postseason is seven and that’s actually happened multiple times with the most recent occurrence taking place in 2014 with the 7-8-1 Panthers.If the games play out as listed above, here’s what the the final NFC East standings will look like: 1. Eagles (4-11-1)2. Giants (4-12)3. Washington (4-12)4. Cowboys (4-12)The embarra sing part for the NFL is that if the Eagles win the division with a record of 4-11-1, they’re going to get to HOST a playoff game, which means there’s a very real chance a team that finished six or seven wins ahead of the Eagles will have to travel to Philadelphia for the wild-card round. Even if the four-win scenario doesn’t happen, there’s a very good chance the NFC Callan Foote Men Jersey East is going to end up making history and that’s going to happen if the division winner finishes with five or even six wins.

The made a surprising decision to make inactive for Sunday’s game against the . Mo s, listed as the No. 2 Connor Brickley Women Jersey running back on the team’s depth chart, will sit out the opener in favor of — who Buffalo signed this offseason.Mo s was second on the Bills in carries (112) and rushing yards (481), Evgenii Dadonov Men Jersey and rushing touchdowns (four) last season. The 2020 third-round pick had surgery on his left ankle after last season and mi sed a portion of training camp. He spent most of the offseason rehabbing from the surgery. Breida has averaged 5.5 yards per touch for his career and 4.9 yards per carry, so there Jared Mccann Jersey ‘s more room for explosivene s in the Bills offense. The veteran back struggled in 2020 with the . During his 12 games played (one start) for the Dolphins last year, Breida saw limited action, only recording 68 touches — totaling 350 yards from scrimmage, which averages out to 5.1 James Reimer Men Jersey yards per touch.With Mo s inactive, is the clear No. 1 back in Buffalo. Mark Pysyk Jersey After averaging 5.1 yards per carry in his rookie year (2019), Singletary finished with 156 carries for 687 yards and two touchdowns in 2020 (4.4 yards per carry) while also recording 38 receptions for 269 yards (7.1 yards per catch).

When Mike Zimmer lost offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski to a head coaching job ahead Owen Tippett Kids Jersey of the 2020 NFL season, the promoted a sistant Gary Kubiak to be their fourth coordinator in as many years. Now, the team will have to find yet another in 2021. , the 59-year-old Kubiak plans to retire from coaching this offseason.Originally hired as an a sistant head coach and offensive advisor in 2019, Kubiak helped Mike Hoffman Jersey lead one of the league’s most explosive units in 2020, his first season as a coordinator since 2014 with the . Though Minnesota mi sed the playoffs thanks to a 7-9 finish, the Vikings boasted the fourth-ranked offense in the , while scoring more points than all but 10 teams.Under Kubiak’s direction, quarterback rebounded from a slow start to throw a career-high 35 touchdowns, running back drew MVP consideration with a career-high 1,557 rushing yards, and rookie broke franchise records as the team’s top receiver. The team also scored at least 27 points in Jonathan Huberdeau Men Jersey eight of its final 10 games.This isn’t the first time Kubiak has retired from coaching. James Reimer Women Jersey The former head coach, who guided his team to a championship in 2015, stepped down from that position the following year due to health reasons. He spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons serving Denver in an administrative role before joining the Vikings. The Vikings have looked at both internal and external candidates to fill their recent coordinator vacancies under Zimmer, promoting Stefanski from within but adding both Pat Shurmur (2016-2017) and John DeFilippo (2018) from the Cole Schwindt Women Jersey . One potential promotion for 2021 could be Kubiak’s son, Klint, who has spent the last two seasons as the team’s QBs coach.

Since hiring Bill Belichick in 2000, the have played in a total of 41 playoff games under their 69-year-old coach, and in that span, they’ve faced many challenges. However, there is one thing that Patriots have never had to deal with under Belichick and that’s being a road team in a wild-card game.Over the past 21 years, the Patriots have played in the wild-card round a total of four times, but they were never an actual wild-card team. In each of those four instances, the Patriots Jake Guentzel Jersey went into the playoffs as a division winner that had to play in the wild-card round.The fact that the Patriots will be hitting the road in the wild-card round this week is notable, because if there are two playoff situations where the Patriots seem to struggle, Conor Sheary Women Jersey it’s when they play on the road and when they play in the wild-card round. This year’s playoff opener combines both of those things.Belichick has been the Patriots coach for more than two decades and in that time, the team has only played eight road playoff games and they’ve gone 4-4 in those game. Since 2005, the Patriots are 2-4 in road playoff games with their most recent lo s coming to the in the wild-card round following the 2019 season. Speaking of the wild-card round, the Patriots have only played four wild-card games ever under Belichick and they’ve gone 2-2 in those games. However, if you look at more recent history, the Patriots are 0-2 in the wild-card round over the past 15 years. Besides the 20-13 lo s to Tenne see, the Patriots also had a 33-14 lo s to the in January 2010.Before this year, the last time the Patriots played on the road in the wild-card round came in January 1999 when Pete Carroll was Jamie Oleksiak Men Jersey the coach (The Patriots lost that game 25-10 to the ).If the Patriots are going to advance out of the wild-card round this year, they’re going to have to pull off an upset against a team that’s favored by 4.5 points against them. Belichick is actually 3-1 in his career as a playoff underdog, but his most recent win came in January 2007 against a team that was favored by five. One other notable thing about Belichick’s tenure in New England is that the Patriots have NEVER made the in a year where they had to play in the wild-card round (2005, 2006, 2009, 2019). The closest they came was in 2006 when the Patriots came out the wild-card round and advanced all the way to the AFC title game before losing a wild 38-34 game to the . Based on that information, you might want to avoid betting on the Patriots to make it to the Tom Barrasso Women Jersey Super Bowl.Winning the Super Bowl as a wild-card team isn’t an easy thing to do in the : Only six teams have done it over the Joseph Blandisi Kids Jersey past 40 years. However, one of the teams to pull it off was in 2020, which might help motivate Belichick to accomplish the same feat this year.If Belichick does lead his team to a Super Bowl win, it would arguably be the best coaching performance of his career. Not only would it mean coming out of the wild-card round, but it would mean winning the Super Bowl with a rookie quarterback, which is notable, because no has ever won a Super Bowl with a rookie under center. Belichick making NFL history en route to his seventh Super Bowl win would likely be enough to re-ignite those Brady-Belichick debates, especially if New England’s Super Bowl win came against the Buccaneers.

The 2022 NFL season is flying by. Can you believe we are already in Week 11? With the regular season winding down, it’s about time we start really diving into the playoff picture, and identifying which teams have the wherewithal to win Super Bowl LVII. Sure, teams like the , and have had impre sive starts to the season, but are they legitimate contenders?Below, we will rank the top-eight contenders in the AFC and NFC. The teams that make up this list are either atop their respective divisions or have a top record in the . We had to be flexible with a couple of these teams to find eight clubs on each side, but let’s take a look at what we came up with.1. (6-3) How far will Buffalo go this season? Despite losing the game of the year at home to the , the Bills still hold the No. 1 spot in the AFC. Yes, they led, 27-17, entering the final five minutes last week, but Buffalo was only a bizarre goal-line fumble away from a win. Weird things happen sometimes.A lot of attention has been given to elbow injury, but he Tom Barrasso Jersey looked OK on Sunday. He made some great throws and then some not great throws. But as talented as he is, Allen is still a big reason why Buffalo has lost two straight games. The star quarterback has thrown multiple interceptions in three straight games — which marks the longest streak of his career. Allen also has recorded a red zone turnover in four straight starts, which is the longest streak by any quarterback since in 2017. on Allen’s recent struggles. Before Week 8, when Allen’s two-interception streak began, his average depth of target was 8.3 yards. Over the past three weeks, however, it increased to 12.8 yards — which is the the highest in the NFL in that span. The Bills statistically still have the No. 1 offense in the NFL, as well as a top-10 defense. To me, they are still top dogs in the AFC.2. (7-2) How far will Kansas City go this season? Scott Wilson Men Jersey The Chiefs are an obvious top-two team in the AFC and have won 24 straight games in November and December. That’s the longest such streak since 1970. The Chiefs average 1.0 yard of total offense fewer than the Bills per game, but lead the league in points scored per game with 30. The wide receiving corps has been better as of late, and it’s impo sible not to be intrigued by the addition of .The Chiefs defense is statistically middle of the pack (16th), but that’s still better compared to some past years. Even with the lo s of , the Chiefs are still just as live to win the . 3. (6-3) How far will Baltimore go this season? When I was writing CBS Sports’ “Contenders and Pretenders” series this season, I had the Ravens as pretenders to start the year. and the offense seemingly always impre s — even without a legitimate wide receiving corps — but the defense was seemingly holding them back. Not anymore.Did you see the Ravens’ win over the before the bye week? The Saints came into that matchup with the No. 3 offense in the NFL, averaging 394.4 yards per game, but this Ravens defense held them to just 243 total yards. was fantastic with 2.5 sacks and an interception, made an impact in his return to the field, and former Bear clearly showed he can help this team. Rookie could make his debut soon, and star safety should return before the playoffs.Baltimore has what PFF rates as the No. 1 pa s-blocking offensive line and the No. 4 run-blocking line. I have the Ravens as the best team in the AFC North, and they will have a chance to make a postseason run. Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day’s big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the “Pick Six Newsletter” and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount’s Jarred Tinordi Jersey . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. 4. (7-3) How far will Miami go this season? I’ve been waiting for the Pac 12 to make an appearance in the NFL, and we finally got it in the Miami Dolphins. Mike McDaniel’s offense can out-score anyone, but like stereotypical Pac 12 defenses, Miami’s needs some work. Back in September of 2019, UCLA beat Washington State, 67-63. Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw five touchdowns, while threw nine touchdowns. You probably don’t think about that game every day like I do, but that’s what could happen if someone challenges the Dolphins to a shootout. I hope Miami finds itself facing off against Kansas City or Buffalo in the postseason. is the first player in Dolphins history to record 285 or more pa Calen Addison Men Jersey sing yards, three or more pa sing touchdowns and zero interceptions in three straight games. He’s benefitted from coach McDaniel, Tyreek Hill and , of course, but he’s taken a clear step in his development as a signal-caller as well. I also was not anticipating to be a great trade-deadline addition. He recorded 119 rushing yards and a touchdown in Week 10. I think the Dolphins defense definitely hurts this team’s ceiling at this point, but the Dolphins are one of the most intriguing squads in the NFL. Another reason they are at No. 4 behind the Ravens is because John Harbaugh has playoff experience, McDaniel does not … yet.5. (5-4) How far will Cincinnati go this season? I think the Bengals are one of the teams to watch as we embark on the second half of the regular season. Do you remember what the Bengals’ record was last year when they were coming off of their bye? 5-4. Just like this season. Cincy finished the 2021 campaign 5-3, and then of course made that amazing Super Bowl run. The Bengals have a top-10 offense — but I don’t think many know that they statistically have a top-10 defense as well. is an underrated part of Cincy’s offense, and is of course coming off of a dominant five-touchdown performance against the . The Bengals do have a pretty tough remaining schedule, but they are the reigning AFC champions for a reason. With , and , this team can still score points. I’m not ready to rule them out just yet, but let’s hope returns soon.6. (6-3) How far will Tenne see go this season? Justin Schultz Men Jersey Man, the Titans are a weird/interesting team. Mike Vrabel may be the best coach in the NFL. I don’t think anyone else could have gone into Kansas City with the amount of injuries the Titans had — plus a rookie backup quarterback — and take the Chiefs to overtime without completing a single pa s to a wide receiver. Yeah, was good, but he rushed just 17 times in that matchup!The Titans defense is elite and can hold virtually anyone in check. Tenne see is the best team in the AFC South, but I don’t know how much of a