I love that you two stick with the fundamentals: this season is about evaluating JL10 to determine if he's the franchise QB, and priority #2 is continued individual player development out of TC and improving as a team, which is really one goal.

It might be that tonight's game makes seeing any of that impossible, and they just need to tough it out through a beat down. This is still a SB contender against a wildcard hopeful. It's also possible that if everybody does their best that it's at least a competitive game, and that'd be great to see win or lose.

The team culture of 100% effort from every player on every down is still a goal of its own, and that can be central to this roster becoming a dominant team for a decade. There's talent all over this roster, including those injured and on PS. I'm still very concerned with this coaching staff playing favorites even when they're injured and keeping talent on the bench. Zach Tom, JRJ, and Elton Jenkins are glaring examples of this. I don't know the extent of any of those injuries, neither do I know if they were aggravated by continuing to play. The fact that the O line was a weakness during that time demonstrates they were questionable coaching decisions at best.

Regardless what personnel decisions are made, after tonight the schedule is much more favorable. Not going at least 4-2 in the remaining 6 games could be lots of things besides just fizzling out. The eye test will still be really important, and I don't see any need to decide about JL10 before the end of the regular season at the earliest. Re-signing him mid-season next year is fine IMHO, but he really needs to make the easy layups. Consistently. Good teams have that, and TE draft picks are wasted without it.

Where I'll break with what Carmen said is GB historically keeps a veteran in every position group through the transition to younger players, to "keep the standard." Gutey has broken with that tradition and it remains to be seen if that will work. I agree that Big Dog was the #1 vet I would have liked to have been retained, but I also haven't heard that Bakh has been involved teaching this O line position group even though he's injured. That seems like a huge missed opportunity.

Pass rushers playing out of their mind again tonight would really help. Make Mahomes retreat and he can be beaten. GPG!!