Speaker 1: Welcome to the NFL Daily, where we're ready for eight
Speaker 1: days of football out of ten.
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1: I'm Greg Rosenthal in the Chris Wesley podcast studio. I'm
Speaker 1: with my friend Cynthia Freeland, and yes, it's your favorite
Speaker 1: time of the week. Cynthia, we're gonna make three picks
Speaker 1: against the spread.
Speaker 2: Well today we're matching. Yeah, so, I mean we.
Speaker 3: Got our producer pointed it out to us, so I
Speaker 3: had to point it out too. But I'm wearing the
Speaker 3: hat because I haven't been a makeup yet, and I
Speaker 3: big ZiT on my phone.
Speaker 2: Oh you look beautiful. But I like the look with
Speaker 2: the hat a little, you know, but it's fun.
Speaker 3: It's a fun like you know, holiday hat. It's a
Speaker 3: little soft, and you know, it works. I think I
Speaker 3: feel like it really adds to the ambiance.
Speaker 1: Yes, and you know, most of our listeners are as podcasts,
Speaker 1: you know listeners. But the YouTube numbers are growing. We
Speaker 1: appreciate you. Always saw the subscribers went over fifty k.
Speaker 1: Let's get up numbers game at ten K numbers game.
Speaker 1: Let let's go, oh get that going. Everyone follow Cynthia
Speaker 1: there and let's throw the records up from last week.
Speaker 1: Another successful week of man versus machine. We both went
Speaker 1: too and one. I'm at twenty six and nineteen on
Speaker 1: the season. You're a couple games back, but you're well
Speaker 1: in the green and so we're doing well.
Speaker 2: Let's keep it rolling. Let's have you go with the
Speaker 2: first pick? All right? Right now?
Speaker 3: What are you seeing as the line for the Cincinnati
Speaker 3: Bengals against the Browns?
Speaker 2: Seven and a half was the last time I saw it?
Speaker 3: Yep, I think even though I hate that number seven
Speaker 3: and a half just because it feels like, you know,
Speaker 3: a little bit of disaster is annoying, I still really
Speaker 3: like it. So I'm gonna go with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 3: I have a nine point win, and you know, my
Speaker 3: model's pretty conservative, so if I'm going that high. We
Speaker 3: just saw reports Miles Garrett like not fully healthy, that's
Speaker 3: also good news. So if you're on my side of
Speaker 3: this equation, so I'm going I'm going with that one. First,
Speaker 3: How do you feel about that one?
Speaker 2: I like that. It scares me.
Speaker 1: I don't know bline would be with Jamis, but the
Speaker 1: fact that it's Dorian Thompson Robinson DTR makes.
Speaker 2: You feel a lot better about it.
Speaker 1: I would imagine, is Jamis really worth like two or
Speaker 1: three points over dtr That's crazy because to me, actually
Speaker 1: he would be I'm good with the Bengals. Now, if
Speaker 1: it was Bengals minus six even and Jamis was involved,
Speaker 1: I wouldn't want to get involved, just just because of
Speaker 1: the variants factor.
Speaker 3: Well, I've also got possibly no David in Joku, so
Speaker 3: it does make it a lot easier to defend Jerry
Speaker 3: Judy if he's pretty much the only pass catching threat.
Speaker 3: So that's the other thing to potentially know David and
Speaker 3: Joku some beannged of defensive points. I think Joe Burrow
Speaker 3: wants to He's out there trying to prove something. So
Speaker 3: again I don't love that number as like a number
Speaker 3: seven and.
Speaker 2: A half the hook woof.
Speaker 1: But right in a team I'm in that at times
Speaker 1: they've had some trouble with and yet I do think
Speaker 1: it matters when you get this late in the season
Speaker 1: and you have one team that is playing for something. Yep,
Speaker 1: the Bengals have a very realistic chance to be alive
Speaker 1: in the playoff un in week eighteen. Now, whether whether
Speaker 1: they could get everything to work out for them, we'll see.
Speaker 1: But if they can win this week, they get they
Speaker 1: get Denver next week, and they could basically stay alive
Speaker 1: by beating Denver, and then you get to week eighteen
Speaker 1: and you never know. So I like a pulse. I
Speaker 1: just yeah, Okay, one of my favorite picks of the
Speaker 1: year year right here. Okay, it's your Lions minus six
Speaker 1: and a half.
Speaker 2: Oh, there's so much concern about what they don't have. Oh,
Speaker 2: they don't have this, they don't have that. Well, yeah,
Speaker 2: they're sixteen defensive players on IR you know it a lot.
Speaker 2: You know what.
Speaker 1: I'm concerned about that winning when they play other good teams. Correct,
Speaker 1: The Detroit Lions are one of the best regular season
Speaker 1: teams I've ever seen. Now they're not exactly that team anymore.
Speaker 1: The two losses they had last week weren't just regular players.
Speaker 1: Alien McNeil was the most valuable player on their defensive
Speaker 1: line that was still healthy. And Carlton Davis is really
Speaker 1: important for what they do. I worry about that a
Speaker 1: little more longer term. But let's not get carried away.
Speaker 1: Allie McNeil and Carlton Davis are not moving the line
Speaker 1: x amount of points. Great teams, respawn, they're a great team.
Speaker 1: They're playing a dead Bears team like Thomas Brown unfortunately
Speaker 1: got put as a head coach, where he would be
Speaker 1: better off probably just calling the plays. There's too much
Speaker 1: going on. I've watched the Bears offense last couple weeks,
Speaker 1: and the progress that they were making under Thomas Brown
Speaker 1: seems to have backslid. Caleb Williams is a little lost.
Speaker 1: I actually think the Lions have enough upfront still to
Speaker 1: be very competitive defensively in this game, and they're plenty
Speaker 1: healthy on offense. I miss David Montgomery, but in this game,
Speaker 1: it's not gonna matter that much. I would say my
Speaker 1: over under for Lions offensive points in this game is
Speaker 1: about thirty seven. They are gonna want to shut everyone up,
Speaker 1: They're gonna have the best pregame speech, They're gonna be
Speaker 1: as focused as possible after that loss. I just think
Speaker 1: we get the very best of the Lions, So I
Speaker 1: honestly would We can't do this on this show, but
Speaker 1: like you know, if you're out there and you're actually
Speaker 1: the world can make alternate Lions on your own. I
Speaker 1: would jack this thing up, okay and see if we
Speaker 1: can go way over it, because that's how I feel
Speaker 1: about this Lions team. I'm going about thirty seven to seventeen.
Speaker 1: That feels great to me.
Speaker 3: Well, your lips to whoever's in charges Ears, and I
Speaker 3: hope that plays out like that. I am not putting
Speaker 3: them as one of my favorites, okay, I do have that.
Speaker 1: Hand has nothing to do with you being a Lions fan.
Speaker 1: This was really the one when I was like, okay,
Speaker 1: who are the one? Oh? I was like, oh, Bears,
Speaker 1: that's going to be minus ten, right, and it's like, no,
Speaker 1: it's minus six and a half.
Speaker 2: I love that. I think that's a great number. That's
Speaker 2: an incredible one. Okay, I'm sticking to my theme.
Speaker 3: I have a theme this week, and that's play teams
Speaker 3: that are hungry for a playoff against teams that maybe.
Speaker 2: Aren't got it. I love it.
Speaker 3: Well, this team's already in the playoffs, they've already won
Speaker 3: their division. But they're looking at the one seed. That's
Speaker 3: the Bills. They are fourteen. Wow, at least that four?
Speaker 3: Was it fourteen or fourteen or four fourteen? Okay, for
Speaker 3: I don't care. They're playing at home, they're playing the Patriots.
Speaker 3: I'm not saying that I don't think the Patriots are good.
Speaker 3: I'm saying I think the Bills need to figure some
Speaker 3: things out with their passing game, and I think this
Speaker 3: will be the game that they're not gonna, like, you know, experiment,
Speaker 3: but I think they're going to experiment. I don't think
Speaker 3: this is gonna be a Josh Allen Rushes for sixty
Speaker 3: yards type of game. I think this is gonna be
Speaker 3: a game where they hand the ball off to James Cook,
Speaker 3: but they get in the end zone. They pass the
Speaker 3: ball to the intermediate level, but they get in the
Speaker 3: end zone. I know that Christian Gonzalez is really, really good,
Speaker 3: don't get me wrong, I love him, But there's other
Speaker 3: places where you can pass the ball that aren't Christian Gonzales.
Speaker 3: And this is a situation where if these Bills want
Speaker 3: to potentially kind of make up the ground, they if
Speaker 3: the and if there's any way that the Texans knock
Speaker 3: off the Chiefs, which I don't have happening, but we
Speaker 3: will already know that result by the time the Bills play,
Speaker 3: then I would expect big time by the Bills.
Speaker 2: Wow, fourteen, that's a lot. Sometimes I'm only going by
Speaker 2: the math. Man. Yeah, I love it. The Bills offense.
Speaker 1: Yeah, if I said thirty seven was about my over
Speaker 1: under for Lions points. That's about the same for Bills
Speaker 1: against the Patriots. The risk would be Jake may is
Speaker 1: playing at a high level, not getting not getting a
Speaker 1: lot of help.
Speaker 2: But could they could they get some, but they need
Speaker 2: to play and this is at home. I like it.
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't love it, but I like it.
Speaker 1: I like it because you did it, and I like
Speaker 1: whatever you do, Cynthia, even if you're going against my Patriots,
Speaker 1: I see what you did.
Speaker 2: Not going against your pageos.
Speaker 1: I have three other games written down and I'm struggling
Speaker 1: with which to pick. But over the course of this season,
Speaker 1: fading the Cowboys has been a winning.
Speaker 2: Proposition for that. That's been the move.
Speaker 1: Now lately, I haven't been for the most part, and
Speaker 1: their defense is really playing better since Michael Parsons is back.
Speaker 1: But I think the Bucks indoors. I know it's in Dallas,
Speaker 1: but I'm not giving them much credit for home fields advantage.
Speaker 1: I'd rather I'd rather have a climate controlled environment for
Speaker 1: an elite offense, and that's what the Buccaneers are with
Speaker 1: Liam Cohen in Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans going for
Speaker 1: a thousand yards and the way their offensive line is playing.
Speaker 1: So I think this is the rare team that have
Speaker 1: big Buccaneers who are favored by four in Dallas, that
Speaker 1: they can.
Speaker 2: Really slow down what the Cowboys do well.
Speaker 1: And the numbers would say the Cowboys are actually one of,
Speaker 1: if not the best pass rush team in the league
Speaker 1: since Parsons got back. They are that good and that's
Speaker 1: kept them in games that helped them win last week
Speaker 1: against Carolina. But Tampa's offensive line is kind of a
Speaker 1: story that hasn't been talked about that much. Geta Key
Speaker 1: and Wurfs are as good as a tackle duo as
Speaker 1: there is. They might have some Pro bowlers on the
Speaker 1: inside with Cody mock Like, they're really good, and so
Speaker 1: I think they can mitigate the one thing Dallas is
Speaker 1: special about. Cowboys have figured some things out offensively. So
Speaker 1: it's why I was saying, I'm struggling between these three.
Speaker 1: I don't love love any of my other picks, but
Speaker 1: I do think Tampa Bay minus four when I go
Speaker 1: to bed Saturday night, I'm feeling easy that that's one
Speaker 1: of my three man versus model picks. And you might
Speaker 1: have to stay up late, you know, on the East
Speaker 1: Coast to watch this because I don't think it's going
Speaker 1: to be some sort of blowout. But I think they
Speaker 1: win by seven or eight and they get it done
Speaker 1: for me and get me another win. All right, give
Speaker 1: me your third.
Speaker 2: I was I like that one a ton, but you
Speaker 2: could do that as well if Okay, I think we should.
Speaker 2: I think we like. I don't love love it, but
Speaker 2: I like it a lot. You're trying to catch up,
Speaker 2: I see. Yeah.
Speaker 3: So in an interesting turn of events, I know that
Speaker 3: it's always you know, divisional games got to throw out
Speaker 3: the record, but this could potentially be the eagles last
Speaker 3: away game until the freaking Super Bowl.
Speaker 2: Think about it. If they go into whatever they you know, Bedexfield,
Speaker 2: but it's where where is it? Landover? Where does it?
Speaker 2: It's in Landover marya Landover Maryland?
Speaker 3: Because I know there was a big like fight over
Speaker 3: you know, they wanted to move back to DC. Elon
Speaker 3: Musk said no, it's not gonna do it. But I
Speaker 3: was reading about that earlier. But ultimately they go into Landover,
Speaker 3: they take the win by at least three and a
Speaker 3: half points, by more than three and a half points,
Speaker 3: and then they don't play on the road again.
Speaker 2: Until a potential Super Bowl. That is bananas.
Speaker 1: That is scary for the rest of the NFC. They
Speaker 1: are a team that knows how to win games like
Speaker 1: they won against the Commanders the first time around. Now,
Speaker 1: if you remember, Jalen Hurts was quite sloppy.
Speaker 2: In that game.
Speaker 1: In the beginning of the game was not great, and
Speaker 1: then by the end just the physical dominance that they
Speaker 1: had on both lines just overwhelmed it.
Speaker 2: And they didn't even need great quarterback play.
Speaker 1: They have such a huge margin for air that I
Speaker 1: don't am I allowed to join you as as my
Speaker 1: third pick, so you will see I had two more
Speaker 1: picks written down.
Speaker 2: I like it, and I.
Speaker 1: Just wanted to get more like another game in I
Speaker 1: just feel comfortable, yeah with that not amazing because I
Speaker 1: think that line three and a half, everyone loves that.
Speaker 2: The way that the Eagles have looked it like looks
Speaker 2: too easy.
Speaker 1: And yet show me the good game that the Commanders
Speaker 1: have played against quality competition. Actually show me like the
Speaker 1: great Commanders game that they've played period over the last
Speaker 1: couple of months.
Speaker 2: Oh, okay, it was the Titans. I mean, they did
Speaker 2: what they needed to do, But I don't know if
Speaker 2: I think that was a great team, like.
Speaker 1: The fact that they stopped moving the ball against the
Speaker 1: Saints in the Superdome and let them back in that
Speaker 1: game coming off of thereby, I just don't think they're
Speaker 1: ready for this moment. And quietly, they've had some injuries
Speaker 1: on the offensive side that I think hurt them, Noah
Speaker 1: Brown and Austin Eckler being and zach Ertz may not play.
Speaker 1: It sounds like zach Ertz is probably out for this game.
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna go with you, Philly minus three and
Speaker 1: a half. I only have one Greg stra As. Our
Speaker 1: producer Hite them would say this week. The Greg Stras
Speaker 1: did well the last couple times they did him.
Speaker 2: I do like the Giants plus eight and a half
Speaker 2: in Atlanta. Agreed.
Speaker 1: It was actually my number two pick until I looked
Speaker 1: at the injury report and they're not gonna have burns
Speaker 1: or okaake in this game. It appears they haven't been
Speaker 1: at practice this week, and if those guys get healthy,
Speaker 1: I actually like that one better than Philadelphia. But as
Speaker 1: of this taping, they're not at practice, and that's just
Speaker 1: too much. They are already so in on the defensive
Speaker 1: side of the ball, and now you're taking away two
Speaker 1: of their best three remaining players. I hate taking like
Speaker 1: a Falcons team with a rookie quarterback eight and a
Speaker 1: half is just so much.
Speaker 2: It seems ridiculous to me.
Speaker 1: So if I had to choose a side, I'm still
Speaker 1: on the Giants, but it's just not one of my
Speaker 1: three favorite picks of the week.
Speaker 2: I jump just over to your side.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry for doing that and taking your Eagles dine,
Speaker 1: but that is how I feel.
Speaker 2: You're the one who has the box with the extracy.
Speaker 1: When I was talking about sleeping at night, like when
Speaker 1: I go to sleep at night on Saturday, if I
Speaker 1: know Burns and Okara Kate aren't there on top of
Speaker 1: all the other problems that the Giants have, I just.
Speaker 2: Like, I don't want to bother with it.
Speaker 1: Although I do think they'll probably cover eight and a
Speaker 1: half with Drew Locke.
Speaker 2: I like lock being in there better than Devido.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, but I also think like the I mean,
Speaker 3: if Pennock surprises them with some stuff, it could be
Speaker 3: nine points, you know what I'm saying. Like I'm not
Speaker 3: saying it'll be like some crazy thing like last minute.
Speaker 3: You know they're trying some things at the end instead
Speaker 3: of like a gate trying to do a like a
Speaker 3: two minute drill in the middle of the second half.
Speaker 3: It's supposed to try to learn some stuff, right, Like,
Speaker 3: I don't understand this move necessarily you were still a
Speaker 3: playoff contender.
Speaker 2: Oh I love the move. I don't hate the move,
Speaker 2: but I don't understand.
Speaker 3: I guess I just don't quite Why not put him
Speaker 3: in there a couple of times for a few change
Speaker 3: of pace drives, kind of like the Steelers do with
Speaker 3: Justin Fields as opposed to full tilt, being like you down,
Speaker 3: you up, because.
Speaker 2: And he's a lefty versus a righty like that stuff
Speaker 2: all matters.
Speaker 1: Just because Kirk gave him no choice in my mind
Speaker 1: that he start. Last week was the week that he
Speaker 1: just played like a guy with zero confidence that like
Speaker 1: it was almost begging to be taken out. I'm not
Speaker 1: locked into this game because I think Pennox brings some
Speaker 1: real variants that you could tell me that they win
Speaker 1: by they win by twenty five, and like that wouldn't
Speaker 1: totally shock me because they are a better team, their
Speaker 1: defense has been playing better. They could blow him out.
Speaker 1: But because of the variants, he's a rookie quarterback. And
Speaker 1: they're not that great a team either, Like they could
Speaker 1: lose the game outright, So I just I just.
Speaker 2: Ultimately didn't want to go there on this show. Giants,
Speaker 2: please listen to me. Don't win this game. Okay, yeah,
Speaker 2: you're right. Don't get that one pick because you know what,
Speaker 2: they don't win this game.
Speaker 1: Oh hell, let's go for another Greg Strap. I'm going
Speaker 1: to take the Raiders too, minus one. Just in your
Speaker 1: support because the Raiders they're going to help you out. Giants,
Speaker 1: they're going to mess up this draft pick and they're
Speaker 1: going to beat the Jaguars Raiders because they're playing. They're
Speaker 1: playing so hard for Antoni appears every week. It's a
Speaker 1: it's a very competitive spirited team. I don't know if
Speaker 1: but an ap former Giant there we go. Yeah, but
Speaker 1: he can help out his own team.
Speaker 2: Don't win the game.
Speaker 1: Numbers Game is the YouTube show, the channel the show
Speaker 1: game debut. It's the other show on NFL Network where
Speaker 1: we'll be picking all the games. You can catch that
Speaker 1: too on YouTube. The NFL feed sends it out as
Speaker 1: Week sixteen picks. I believe and what look enjoy Enjoy
Speaker 1: your family. Like I said, we got eight days of
Speaker 1: NFL action out of ten. That is a wild stretch.
Speaker 1: Let's go thirt stretching. We got a lot of work to.
Speaker 2: Do, a lot of work to do, all right for
Speaker 2: the old pencil.
Speaker 1: When Cynthia is burying my Patriots two touchdown underdogs on
Speaker 1: the road in Week sixteen, that's when you know football
Speaker 1: is back because they're done.