The romance between Ricky and Chad feels inevitable. The way their hands brush during a walk is already a clue. But their moment is “interrupted” by a visit from former player Willie Cameron, whose son, Dex — battling leukemia — is a huge Chad Powers fan. Chad tries to give an autograph (accidentally signing as Russ) and ends up sketching the entire football instead, just to cover it up.

In “The Fifth Quarter,” Chad is now the star of the season, leading an undefeated team. Reporters, eager for more, dig into his past — and his answers become increasingly odd and awkward.

Tricia loses her patience and insists he needs to improve his media game. In the middle of their argument, Chad suddenly feels sick. For real.

At the new house he shares with Danny, she’s living her fantasy of luxury and happiness. Russ, however, is on edge: things are going too well, and he knows that means a fall is coming. Danny suggests he reach out to his father, who’s filming in Atlanta — but of course, he dismisses the idea.

Tricia then pressures Coach Jake Hudson to help Chad give better interviews. He agrees, saying he’ll ask Ricky to guide him — which Tricia takes as an opportunity to build a romantic narrative between her and Chad.

Apparently unaware of any of that, Ricky asks Chad to do one more interview. But Russ, behind the mask, spirals. He’s terrified of losing control — and even more afraid that Ricky won’t accept him once the truth is revealed.

For the first time, the coaching staff starts to believe they might actually win — and that only makes Russ’s panic worse.

Without the makeup, he goes out drinking alone and is recognized by a fan. He lies again, claiming he’s in town because he’s thinking about going back to college. But something’s different about him this time: looking back, Russ starts to believe he deserved all the bad things that happened to him. When the fan tells him he deserves to be happy, something shifts inside him.

The next day, he makes a dangerous choice — to “erase” Russ completely and live as Chad Powers for good. He even considers plastic surgery to become Chad physically, maybe even share that life with Ricky. His psychotic break worries Danny more than seeing him depressed ever did.

At Coach Hudson’s house, Chad is ready for another interview when he realizes the fan he slept with the night before is none other than Wendy — the coach’s wife and Ricky’s mother. So much for safety. Everything starts to unravel.

Wendy suspects something. She and Chad are both uncomfortable. To make matters worse, during the shoot, Wendy decides to confront her husband — who prioritizes the game over everything, including their marriage. Jake fires back, accusing her of sleeping around. The argument escalates until Wendy admits she slept with Russ Holiday — in his car. The same car Chad has been hiding from everyone.

Ricky vents to “Chad,” saying Russ has been “stalking her family.” Jake also rants about Russ, calling him “a cancer,” even as he admits the guy was talented. The tension rises until the coach collapses from a heart attack — leaving Russ/Chad in a panic.

So yes: Chad Powers is anything but predictable. And now?