If Steven Jackson proved nothing else last Sunday, he did show all his doubters that he's still the St. Louis Rams' No. 1 option. Jackson took 21 carries for the Rams against the Detroit Lions--out of the 23 the team had--and caught four balls while he was at it. Isaiah Pead was basically invisible. Unfortunately, he was awful; the Lions stuffed him for just 53 yards, and his silence left the Rams' offense moribund until the Sam Bradford they drafted back in 2010 made a sudden cameo in the fourth quarter.

The Lions, facing the 49ers on Sunday, were gunning for him. But the Redskins will do the same thing on Sunday, unless Sam Bradford can push them out; when facing a Jeff Fisher team it's generally a good idea to gun for the big running back unless forced to do something else. And Jackson will also have to deal with the loss of free-agent center Scott Wells, whose fractured foot will cost him a third of the season.

So one question from the offseason is answered: Steven Jackson is still the No. 1 running back, and rookies Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson won't fit right into the offense right away. But now we have a new question: Does Steven Jackson want the carries, when they come like this?