The what's-wrong-with-the-Green Bay Packers crowd has been asking that question on a weekly basis, sometimes without merit.
Now it has merit.
Who the hell are these Green Bay Packers?
They are a mess, and after getting blown out in Tennessee by the Titans on Sunday they are also under .500 at 4-5. Can this really be the preseason Super Bowl favorite with the game's best quarterback?
They hardly resemble even a playoff team now, which is why the questions about coach Mike McCarthy's job status are now in play. This team is in big trouble, so much so that you have to wonder if they can turn it around.
In the past, quarterback Aaron Rodgers would bail out the Packers when things went wrong, but he has been part of the problem this season, even if that wasn't the case against the Titans.
The Green Bay defense was awful in the 47-25 loss to the Titans. Yes, the Packers have injuries on that side of the ball, but they didn't offer any resistance as they fell behind 21-0 and then trailed 35-10. It was hard to believe that was a team that had so many expectations before the season.
Rodgers threw for 371 yards, two touchdowns and two picks, but this wasn't about his issues, which have been plenty, but more about the defense -- or lack of it.
Trying to right things won't be easy either. They play at Washington this week and then play at Philadelphia the next week, and they will be underdogs in both games. They are staring 4-7 in the face -- unless things change.
That brings us to McCarthy. It's hard to believe he will be fired if they don't make the playoffs -- I wouldn't fire him -- but you can understand the heat and the talk that it could happen. Then there's general manager Ted Thompson. Shouldn't he take some blame here as well?
Thompson is a big believer in drafting and developing, which is the right approach, but this roster is his baby and he deserves some of the heat.
The Packers are in trouble right now and have to be considered the biggest flop of the season so far.
Even Rodgers can't fix this right now -- but he better try like hell, or there could be changes coming in Green Bay.
More musings from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons lost to the Eagles on Sunday and I thought coach Dan Quinn made a bad decision to contribute to it. With the Falcons trailing by six, he decided to go for a fourth-and-5 from his own 40 with 2:24 left in the game and three timeouts in his pocket.
When Julio Jones dropped Matt Ryan's perfect throw, the Eagles only needed 6 yards to kick a field goal to make it a nine-point game, ending it.
Why not punt the ball deep, hold them on defense, use the timeouts, and then get the ball back with a chance to win? That was a bad decision by Quinn, not just in hindsight either. If the Eagles gain 6 yards after he punts them in, the Falcons could have had the ball with over two minutes and one timeout or the two-minute warning. That's a better situation for Ryan to go win it. Why put it on one play?
Dallas Cowboys
When the Cowboys drafted Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick, I graded it as a D. There is an entire Twitter cottage industry out there now that reminds me of that every time Elliott runs wild and the Cowboys win, which they did Sunday. I gave the pick a D because of the value of the running back over time.
Talk to me in four years.
For now, the pick is great value. If they win a Super Bowl in the next few years because of Elliott, it will be even greater. But backs fizzle out and corners and pass rushers stay relevant a lot longer. That's why the pick got a bad grade.
I love the player. Elliott is a heck of a runner and showed against the Steelers why he should be in the MVP conversation. Elliott has 1,005 yards on the season and it was his 32-yard touchdown run through a gaping hole that led the Cowboys to a 35-30 victory at Pittsburgh.
Elliott also had an 83-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass, making him the difference in a good game. He is clearly in the MVP battle for the 8-1 Cowboys.
As for keeping rookie Dak Prescott in as the starter with Tony Romo back, I get it.
Prescott has been playing good football for a team that is rolling. His touchdown pass to Dez Bryant was a thing of beauty as he sidestepped the Steelers rusher and threw a dart for the score.
For now, staying with Prescott is the right thing -- even if I didn't think so a month ago. Even owner Jerry Jones thinks it's the right thing, saying as much after the game.
Miami Dolphins
It's time to start to take the Miami Dolphins seriously as a playoff contender. The Dolphins have won four straight, beating the Chargers in San Diego on Sunday. They did so with a big-time defensive effort. They had four interceptions, including the winner in a pick-six by linebacker Kiko Alonso.
The Dolphins also had an interception in the end zone as Philip Rivers threw four on the day.
This Dolphins team fought back all day, coming back after trailing three times, including 10-0 to open the game.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill made some of the best throws of his career, especially a 39-yard touchdown throw to Kenny Stills. Tannehill was 17 of 24 for 240 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The past four games he has played really good football.
It's time to give coach Adam Gase some props in the Coach of the Year race. His team is definitely a viable playoff contender.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs could have folded up and gone home down 17-3 in the fourth quarter to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. But they rallied with an interception for a score by Eric Berry to turn it around and ended up with a 20-17 victory on a last-second field goal.
The Chiefs are now 7-2 and winning the way they did speaks volumes about them as a team. It wasn't pretty, but they found a way on the road. That's the sign of a good team.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers choked away a game that could have brought them back into playoff-talk relevance. It was a terrible decision by Cam Newton to throw the pass that Berry picked off. Up 17-6 with 10:32 left, with pressure in his face, he made a throw off his back foot that Berry picked off and took back 42 yards for the touchdown.
It ruined what was a pretty good day for Newton, and puts the Panthers in jeopardy of missing the playoffs a year after winning the NFC and going to the Super Bowl.
New Orleans Saints
Did Will Parks step out when he returned the blocked extra point to give Denver a victory over the Saints? Who knows. Maybe, but the call was made on the field that it was a good return, so it couldn't be overturned on replay. There was no good angle to do so. That's a tough way for the Saints to lose, thinking they would go ahead late with an extra point after a Drew Brees touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks, only to have it blocked and returned for two points by Parks.
The Broncos won that way, the first team in league history to do so. I thought the way the kick was blocked should have drawn a penalty. It looked like Justin Simmons, the player who blocked the kick, got help from Jared Crick to pull down the center.
