If you, a Vikings fan, have been locked in to this surprising 7-2 season and haven't been paying attention to some of the teams and/or players you really don't like in the NFL, let's pause for a moment to recognize that a lot of them are really doing poorly.

Maybe I didn't fully appreciate it until this ESPN piece about four coaches on the hot seat, which I talked about on Tuesday's Daily Delivery podcast.

Here is a quick rundown:

  • Bears: Just a few weeks ago, Chicago was 4-2 and in the midst of a three-game winning streak. The Bears had scored 95 points in those games, and it seemed like Caleb Williams was really turning a corner. And then, well, the corner turned on the Bears. They lost on a last-second Hail Mary to Washington and followed with two putrid offensive displays against the Cardinals and Patriots. Williams is regressing, head coach Matt Eberflus almost certainly will be fired at the end of the season (If not sooner!), and they will be starting over yet again because that's what the Bears do.
  • Cowboys: Things have reached both their on-field nadir and their comedic peak in Dallas. After CeeDee Lamb lost a potential touchdown catch because the sun was in his eyes — apparently a common problem for late afternoon fall kickoffs in Dallas — owner Jerry Jones went on a rant about the sun. The upshot is that he has no interest in installing curtains during football games. But the team has no problem blocking the sun for news conferences!

On the field, it's been even worse! Everybody is hurt, lame duck coach Mike McCarthy is feeling the heat, new defensive coordinator/old Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has no answers, and the team is 3-6.

  • Aaron Rodgers: OK, he's not a team. But he is Packers-adjacent (more on them in a minute) and he is failing miserably with the Jets. They're 3-7, and the only reason they weren't part of that ESPN hot seat story is that Robert Saleh was already fired. Almost all of Rodgers' hand-picked friends/teammates have been granted, and none of it has helped. The Jets are a mess, Rodgers (who will be 41 soon) is out of excuses and people are starting to hold him accountable. All of this just sets up the inevitable Rodgers retirement, only to come back with the Vikings.
  • Packers: OK, they're doing fine. They're 6-3 with a good foundation and coach. However: Jordan Love has regressed this season, essentially having Sam Darnold's season for $10 million MORE than Patrick Mahomes makes. Love is probably better than what he's shown this season (10 interceptions) as he's battled through nagging injuries, but at this point, he's expensive and doesn't look like the third coming of Rodgers/Brett Favre.