3) Can Shedeur Sanders show enough in his tryout to convince the Browns not to draft a quarterback in the spring? Sanders will get a third start this week, and there’s an obvious path for him to keep the job the rest of the season. Sanders was fine Sunday in the Browns’ loss to the 49ers — he was 16-of-25 for 149 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions in windy conditions — but the offense couldn’t convert third-down opportunities and never got into the red zone. The Browns have two first-round draft picks in April, so they’ll have the ability to get into position to draft a top quarterback if they want to. Sanders has these next few weeks to make it a difficult decision. Then there is the latest twist in the team’s QB saga, with the team designating Deshaun Watson, whose disastrous play after being acquired at a massive cost helped sink Cleveland to the AFC cellar, to return from practice, though head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that getting Watson into games again is “really not my focus” at this time.

4) Is any quarterback safe from Myles Garrett? Maybe only Sanders, since he’s on Garrett’s team. Everybody else is at risk from the league’s best defensive player, who is in pursuit of the single-season sack record. Garrett has 19 sacks — 15 in the last six games — with five games to go. The record is 22.5, shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. Up next: Cam Ward, who has already been sacked a league-high 48 times this season.

5) What becomes of Geno Smith in Las Vegas? This two-win season has been a debacle, already costing two Raiders coordinators their jobs and placing Pete Carroll on the hot seat. Smith was Carroll’s handpicked quarterback, and the Seahawks gave him an extension that, theoretically, ties Smith to the Raiders through 2027, although the dead money would be manageable if the Raiders release Smith at the start of the next league year. Smith has thrown a league-leading 14 interceptions and been sacked 46 times. The Raiders have the second-worst scoring offense and in nine of their games have scored 20 or fewer points. At age 35, Smith was never going to be long-term solution, but he could be even more short-term than expected.

6) Is there any way this isn’t it for Aaron Rodgers? Earlier this season, when the Steelers were rolling, it was suggested Rodgers might decide not to retire after this season and the Steelers would want to keep him. Things have changed dramatically. The Steelers have lost five of their last seven games, have dropped out of first place in the AFC North, are currently outside of the AFC playoff field and on Sunday, could barely move the ball against the Bills. Rodgers’ own performance has gone downhill in recent weeks — his completion percentage in the last five weeks is under 60 percent — has multiple fractures in his left wrist and is clearly frustrated with his pass catchers. And on Tuesday, he turned 42. Because every other AFC North team has its own issues, because the Steelers have also beaten teams like the Colts and Patriots and they still have both games against the Ravens ahead of them, they still have a very realistic shot to get into the playoffs. Even then, would Rodgers want to play on? And even if he does, would the Steelers consider running it back in 2026? Only a very dramatic turnaround on the field would seem to be enough to extend what was originally forged as a one-year experiment.