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Speaker 1: All right, guys, before we get started, a big thank

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Speaker 1: you to our partner Microsoft, Windows eleven, the official operating

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Speaker 1: system of the NFL and the exclusive sponsor of the

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Speaker 1: La Chargers the all new Windows eleven. You're here to

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Speaker 1: bring you closer to what you love, like the Chargers

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Speaker 1: and the Final Drive. Learn about all the awesome new

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Speaker 1: features of Windows eleven at Windows dot com and welcome

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Speaker 1: into another winning edition of the Final Drive. For Haley Elwood,

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Speaker 1: I'm Chris Hayry. Chargers beat the Giants thirty seven twenty

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Speaker 1: one at SOFI Stadium. They approved to eight and five,

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Speaker 1: and Haley, it feels like this was the most comfortable

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Speaker 1: win of the season. This one never really felt in doubt.

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Speaker 1: They were up big last week in Cincinnati. I think

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Speaker 1: they were up big against the Raiders on Monday Night Football.

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Speaker 1: Those got a little interesting in the second half. This

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Speaker 1: one felt comfortable really the whole way through. Yeah. Brandon

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Speaker 1: Seeley said something really interesting on Friday that I took

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Speaker 1: note of, where he said he was looking really for

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Speaker 1: the signature win. We're all three phases crush it together,

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Speaker 1: because he felt like that hadn't really happened. You had

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Speaker 1: games where sometimes the offense would light it up or

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Speaker 1: it was the defense's day. This was one of those days,

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Speaker 1: and he said he called it a pretty close to

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Speaker 1: a complete performance for about three and a half quarters

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Speaker 1: because there was some stuff at the end and the

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Speaker 1: fourth that defensively he wasn't a fan of, and I

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Speaker 1: know some defensive players also said they could clean up. Overall,

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Speaker 1: this was a game where an offense without Keenan Allen

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Speaker 1: was clicking, a defense without Derwin James was doing its thing,

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Speaker 1: and so you were able to put all of these

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Speaker 1: parts together to come out with a very convincing victory,

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Speaker 1: a very comfortable victory. Staley said he felt like this

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Speaker 1: entire team played with purpose on Sunday, And the biggest

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Speaker 1: thing is you get two wins in a row, which

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Speaker 1: is something that this team hadn't done since they started

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Speaker 1: the season four and one, and I believe is more

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Speaker 1: important than ever to kind of start stacking those right now,

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Speaker 1: especially when you head into a short week against the Chiefs.

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Speaker 1: But overall, just a really big game and really really

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Speaker 1: huge for this team to get to eight and five,

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Speaker 1: Like you said as well, yeah, you like I give

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Speaker 1: coach Daley a lot of credit for keeping the eye

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Speaker 1: on the Giants because now it sets up a first

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Speaker 1: place matchup in the AFC West against the Chiefs, and

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Speaker 1: you would think a struggling four day Giants team coming

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Speaker 1: into Sofi Stadium, it could be easy to overlook and

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Speaker 1: look ahead to your rivals in the AFC West. But

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Speaker 1: you know, without Darwin, like you said, without Keenan, let's

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Speaker 1: start on offense, because I think this was the most

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Speaker 1: balanced game of the year. I really wanted to see

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Speaker 1: the Chargers run the football, especially as we get into

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Speaker 1: December and approach the playoffs. You may be in a

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Speaker 1: cold weather city where it will be required to run

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Speaker 1: the football, and I was just impressed with what they did.

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Speaker 1: If you take out Justin Herbert and Chase Daniels carries,

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Speaker 1: you know those guys thirty one carries between Kelly Eckler

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Speaker 1: and Jackson, and you know they were they were running

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Speaker 1: at a high clip, especially in that first half. So

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Speaker 1: that was probably the thing I was most courage by Haley,

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Speaker 1: is it. We saw that running game and obviously maybe

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Speaker 1: it was a product of not having Keenan in there.

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Speaker 1: They wanted to be a little bit more balanced as

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Speaker 1: far as running the football. And then you know, we'll

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Speaker 1: get into justin Herbert what can be said about everything

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Speaker 1: he's done this year. The throw to Jay link Giton

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Speaker 1: was the best throw I think I may have ever seen.

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Speaker 1: I know DJ said on the broadcast it was the

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Speaker 1: best throw he's ever seen. There aren't many people on

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Speaker 1: the planet that can make that throw. No. I laughed

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Speaker 1: so hard post game because we're in the press conference

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Speaker 1: room and almost every single offensive player who comes up

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Speaker 1: to the podium got asked how far can he throw it?

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Speaker 1: Like really though, like legitimately, how far do you think

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Speaker 1: he can throw it? I happened to be in the

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Speaker 1: tunnel because I was doing something for halftime at that game,

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Speaker 1: and the loud, just the volume that came from so

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Speaker 1: Fi Stadium on that play was just absolutely incredible. I'm

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Speaker 1: so bummed because from my vantage point, I couldn't totally

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Speaker 1: see what was happening. But then you go back and

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Speaker 1: watch the highlights and you're like, that was just absolutely insane.

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Speaker 1: I think the balance that you talk about finding that

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Speaker 1: run game is also extremely important. Like you mentioned, at

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Speaker 1: this point in the year, where this team hasn't had

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Speaker 1: to I mean, they're pretty much done with cold weather

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Speaker 1: regular season games and if they make the postseason, which

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Speaker 1: it looks like they're on their way to doing that,

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Speaker 1: you might have to go on the road somewhere and

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Speaker 1: play where it is cold, and so running the football

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Speaker 1: is extremely important. But to end up with I think

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Speaker 1: it was one two total. Yeah, one hundred fifty two

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Speaker 1: rushing yards total. I mean, that's just really great. And

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Speaker 1: I know there's been a lot of conversation on who

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Speaker 1: is the second running back, and I think this team

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Speaker 1: is probably just trying to figure it out week by

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Speaker 1: week as they go, maybe play the hot hand, who

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Speaker 1: is in there who can have the most production. But

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Speaker 1: they certainly found that yesterday. And it wasn't like, you know,

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Speaker 1: this was a game where Justin Jackson rips off like

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Speaker 1: a sixty five yard run or something like that. There

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Speaker 1: were chunks, there were chunks that were having that this

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Speaker 1: offense was having and rushing for. And I think that

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Speaker 1: is really important, especially when you know you're down arguably

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Speaker 1: your best offensive weapon and keenan Ellen in the security

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Speaker 1: blanket for Herbert and everything like that. But then the

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Speaker 1: flip side is you turn it and you have this

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Speaker 1: emergence of these two young receivers and Jalen Guyton and

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Speaker 1: also Joshua Palmer, and you and I have been around

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Speaker 1: this team since the beginning of this season, and there's

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Speaker 1: been a lot of talk with Palmer and you know,

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Speaker 1: for being a third round pick, and everyone just kind

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Speaker 1: of talking about waiting to see his emergence and waiting

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Speaker 1: for him to get that opportunity. And he got it

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Speaker 1: yesterday and he certainly made the most of it. And

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Speaker 1: I think, you know, if you go out and you

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Speaker 1: go out to practice, and he truly is the last

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Speaker 1: guy who's out there on the field. He has this

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Speaker 1: whole routine that he works through after practice is over,

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Speaker 1: and he told me it was something that he's done

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Speaker 1: back since he was at Tennessee. But he really really

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Speaker 1: puts in the work. And just like Herbert too, you know,

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Speaker 1: Jalen Guyden said he puts in the work as well.

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Speaker 1: And the throws that you can make after practice on

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Speaker 1: Tuesdays and or Wednesday's, Thursdays and Friday's, sure, but do

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Speaker 1: they pay off on Sunday. That's when it counts. But

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Speaker 1: I think what we saw yesterday was just a culmination

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Speaker 1: of really the work that this team is putting in

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Speaker 1: on the side that's paid dividends and paid dividends, certainly

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Speaker 1: yesterday against the Giants. It's a great point of somebody.

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Speaker 1: You mentioned the fact that he and Herbert are throwing

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Speaker 1: the ball after practice all the time. You know, they're

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Speaker 1: getting that extra work in. And I asked Joshua yesterday

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Speaker 1: what advice and Keenan give you this week? And he goes,

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Speaker 1: you know what, not much this week, but it's been

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Speaker 1: all year, you know. Just having a guy like Keenan

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Speaker 1: Allen in the wide receiver's room with Joshua Palmer, I

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Speaker 1: think is invaluable. And I think you saw the flashes

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Speaker 1: throughout training camp. I think he had a touchdown against

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Speaker 1: the Patriots, but just having to step up. And I

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Speaker 1: don't think number thirteen can really be replaced. You know,

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Speaker 1: you can't. You can't replace that production. But the way

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Speaker 1: Palmer played yesterday five for sixty six a touchdown, and

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Speaker 1: Jalen Guyton back to back games the two best games

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Speaker 1: of the year of Comben each the last two weeks.

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Speaker 1: I think he had four for ninety and a touchdown

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Speaker 1: against the Bengals three for eighty seven and a touchdown.

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Speaker 1: Obviously the touchdown we just talked about from Herbert to Guitan,

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Speaker 1: So to see those guys step up and to know

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Speaker 1: that in addition to Mike and to Keenan, you have Guiton,

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Speaker 1: you have Palmer. Jared Cook had a touchdown. There has

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Speaker 1: been games, specifically that Philadelphia game where it was a

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Speaker 1: tight end game where Steven Anderson and Parham and Cook,

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Speaker 1: We're all making plays. Justin has no shortage of weapons

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Speaker 1: on the outside at the tight end position. Eckler's having

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Speaker 1: just a special season as a runner and a pass catcher.

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Speaker 1: So I look at this offense, They're they're humming right now.

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Speaker 1: I think they're peaking at the right time and it

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Speaker 1: just sets up perfectly. Haley, for Thursday, I'll ask you

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Speaker 1: for any final thoughts on the Giants before we just

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Speaker 1: may kind of do a quick preview to this Chiefs game,

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Speaker 1: because this is really the biggest game of the year.

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Speaker 1: Thursday Night Football is really happy. I'll tell you that

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Speaker 1: Fox Box is thrilled. Mamma was like, they are just

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Speaker 1: thrilled because this is exactly I don't think you could

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Speaker 1: you could ask for a better matchup. I know that

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Speaker 1: sometimes Thursday is okay, Well, I'll just before we get

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Speaker 1: too far ahead. Final thoughts on the Giants. I just

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Speaker 1: thought overall, just the complete performance that this team put

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Speaker 1: up and the fact that you you also referenced this earlier,

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Speaker 1: but it didn't kind of speak to it. The fact

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Speaker 1: that Daley guided this team to not have this be

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Speaker 1: a trap game, a trap week, or anything like that.

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Speaker 1: He has this mantra and you and I have heard this.

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Speaker 1: Chargers fans have heard it. They tune into his pressers

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Speaker 1: treat every week like it has a life of its own,

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Speaker 1: every game like it has a life of its own.

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Speaker 1: And that is absolutely what they did this week to

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Speaker 1: not lay down, to also not play down to the

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Speaker 1: level of the Giants either. They just went out, they

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Speaker 1: did their thing for three and a half quarters, as

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Speaker 1: they alluded, and I thought that that was something that

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Speaker 1: was extremely positive to see for sure. Now let's talk Thursday. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: let's talk Thursday. You know it just one final note

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Speaker 1: it is it relates to the AFC and the conference.

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Speaker 1: And I know you hear, oh the Charges they win one,

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Speaker 1: they lose one, they win when they lose one. Guess what,

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Speaker 1: guys is that everyone this is hard, This isn't easy.

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Speaker 1: And if the Chargers beat the Patriots, right, it was

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Speaker 1: a three point game, Yeah, they would be. Would they

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Speaker 1: be the one seed right now? I think they are

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Speaker 1: a game back of the Patriots Right now. The Patriots

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Speaker 1: of nine to four, the Charges are eight and five.

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Speaker 1: So I think, just in the first year of this program,

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Speaker 1: with coach Staley coming in, establishing a new culture, a

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Speaker 1: new offense, a new defense, to have a quarterback in

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Speaker 1: his second year performing the way that he's performing in

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Speaker 1: back to back seasons, and to be eight and five

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Speaker 1: and to essentially have a game for first place in

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Speaker 1: December at your place, I mean, what more can you

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Speaker 1: ask for out of this program right now? I think

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Speaker 1: Charges Fins should be really excited about not only the future,

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Speaker 1: but just what Staling company have been able to do

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Speaker 1: in this first year as they're figuring things out. And

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Speaker 1: keep in mind, I think we're seeing the defense start

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Speaker 1: to figure things out a little bit more as we

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Speaker 1: get towards December. As you learn more, you learn more

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Speaker 1: about each other, you learn more about the system. I

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Speaker 1: think the offense is hitting its stride. So I don't

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Speaker 1: know what December is going to bring. I'm just saying

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Speaker 1: eight and five in the AFC right now is pretty good.

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Speaker 1: Pretty good. One thing about the defense too, and Stalia

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Speaker 1: is spoken to this. They've had so many different lineup changes,

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Speaker 1: just whether it's been injuries that have been faced, whether

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Speaker 1: it's guys on the COVID list. So they work through

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Speaker 1: a lot of different lineups, as he has mentioned, and

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Speaker 1: so you're trying to find that consistency. You're trying to

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Speaker 1: get those wins. Some weeks it might not have been

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Speaker 1: as good just because of the cards that they were dealt,

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Speaker 1: which is really what everyone is dealing with right now

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Speaker 1: in the NFL. We're still dealing with COVID, We're still

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Speaker 1: dealing with injuries and everything like that. But it is encouraging.

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Speaker 1: And Stalia said all along he wants this team to

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Speaker 1: be playing their best football at the end. This is

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Speaker 1: an entirely new operation. You and I have talked about

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Speaker 1: this on wins, on losses, whatever it might be, that

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Speaker 1: everything is new for this team this year. So to

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Speaker 1: that point, to be at this, you know, to have

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Speaker 1: this record right now, to have a chance to really

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Speaker 1: clinch the AFC West, to have a chance to make

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Speaker 1: some noise down the stretch, is really really huge for

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Speaker 1: a brand new team, a brand new operation with a

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Speaker 1: brand new head coach as well. Yeah, you know, I

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Speaker 1: didn't want that to get lost because I just I

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Speaker 1: feel like sometimes we live in this twenty four hour

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Speaker 1: news cycle where we live and die with each win

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Speaker 1: and each loss, and sometimes you're like, well, what's happening here,

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Speaker 1: what's happening? You know this week, you know, you lose

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Speaker 1: to the Vikings or you get blown up by the Ravens. Well,

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Speaker 1: you know what, it's the NFL. And the Ravens look

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Speaker 1: like a much different team than they did earlier in

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Speaker 1: the year because of injuries and this Chief's team. You know,

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Speaker 1: let's just push it forward to Thursday. They look very

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Speaker 1: different right now. They look very different right now. That

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Speaker 1: defense is much different than the defense that the Charges

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Speaker 1: saw in Week three. The offense, it is the offense,

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Speaker 1: right you know, Mahomes isn't having his typical season, but

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Speaker 1: they're playing complimentary football right now and it's showing. And

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Speaker 1: they destroyed the Raiders on Sunday forty eight to nine. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I think that's the biggest thing when you look at

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Speaker 1: this matchup. You know, that game in Week three ended

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Speaker 1: up being close the Chargers one thirty to twenty four

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Speaker 1: because the Chiefs did kind of surmount that furious come

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Speaker 1: back despite turning over the ball four times that day.

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Speaker 1: But it really is the defense that is making the

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Speaker 1: biggest difference for that team right now. Frank Clark was

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Speaker 1: not active in that game against the Giant That excuse me,

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Speaker 1: the Chargers, the Giants. We're just mentioned everything. Then for

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Speaker 1: Angelina here, Frank Clark was not active in Week three

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Speaker 1: against the Chargers. Chris Jones I believe was not one

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Speaker 1: hundred percent healthy. I think he was banged up coming

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Speaker 1: into that game. You have those two guys who are

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Speaker 1: healthy now, oh in a very familiar face is now

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Speaker 1: coming back into SOFI Stadium. We're in a different number

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Speaker 1: twenty four. But Melvin Ingram, who I believe, and you

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Speaker 1: read different articles and you listen to what's going on

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Speaker 1: in casey has been a huge difference maker for them

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Speaker 1: because he's freed up Chris Jones allow him to kind

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Speaker 1: of do what he does best. This defense for them

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Speaker 1: is clicking right now, and so that to me is

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Speaker 1: going to be the biggest factor. Can they get pressure

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Speaker 1: on this Chargers team in justin Herbert or is this

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Speaker 1: just kind of going to be a shootout, you know,

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Speaker 1: in terms of sort of what we've seen from these

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Speaker 1: two teams. When you throw everything out the window because

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Speaker 1: it's a divisional game, but I would argue they are

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Speaker 1: a much better team than they were in Week three.

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Speaker 1: They won sixth straight, so there's a reason for that.

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Speaker 1: And even if the offense isn't clicking and we're not

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Speaker 1: seeing the typical Patrick mahomesy stuff, the Mahomes magic that

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Speaker 1: we've seen in years past and games past, they're finding

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Speaker 1: ways to win, and they've found a way to the

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Speaker 1: top of the AFC West, and they've found a way

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Speaker 1: for a date with the Chargers this Thursday night. That

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Speaker 1: really is going to decide a lot in terms of

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Speaker 1: how the rest of the season will play out. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: a couple of things from that Week three matchup. Herbert

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Speaker 1: was lights out. They had some really key fourth down conversions.

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Speaker 1: But I think really the reason they won that game, Hailey,

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Speaker 1: was they forced four turnovers. Yea, they did that against

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Speaker 1: the Bengals last week. I think they forced two this

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Speaker 1: past week. Bosa had a sack and four quarterback hits.

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Speaker 1: That's gonna be the key to me is forcing turnovers,

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Speaker 1: getting a few from Mahomes and having Herbert and company

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Speaker 1: played clean football now. I really do think turnovers could

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Speaker 1: decide this game, and just that pressure. We have seen

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Speaker 1: the pressure that they put on Burrow without Bosa ten

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Speaker 1: quarterback hits in six sacks last yesterday. Rather I think

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Speaker 1: they had they hit Glennon seven times para sacks, so

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Speaker 1: he was feeling pressure throughout the game. That's what you're

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Speaker 1: gonna have to do. I really think that that's what

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Speaker 1: you're gonna have to do. And you're gonna have to

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Speaker 1: keep Melbourn, Ingram and Chris Jones off of Justin Herbert,

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Speaker 1: you know, because that's another big deal. These games are

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Speaker 1: so weird because Thursday night, short week, late December, you

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Speaker 1: really don't know what to exp respect because both teams

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Speaker 1: have such a quick turnaround, specifically the Chiefs traveling to

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Speaker 1: LA for Thursday night football, I really don't know what

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Speaker 1: to expect, and like just going back to that AFC

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Speaker 1: conversation and just appreciate where the charges are. I think

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Speaker 1: they're in a really good spot. I don't know what

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Speaker 1: the rest of this month is going to hold, but

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Speaker 1: I don't think you can ask for much more that

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Speaker 1: you have a game for first place in your house,

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Speaker 1: right and you know you look at the schedule. After

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Speaker 1: you got you got Houston, you got Denver, and you

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Speaker 1: got Vegas. You got three important games afterwards. But if

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Speaker 1: you win this one, you improved to nine and five.

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Speaker 1: You're looking really, really good in the playoffs, and you're

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Speaker 1: writing that conversation for a whole playoff game. You're looking

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Speaker 1: really good. And it really is all about controlling your

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Speaker 1: own destiny, excuse me, and doing what you can, not

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Speaker 1: worrying about anyone else, not paying attention to the outside noise,

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Speaker 1: but really really doing what you can. Look, this team

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Speaker 1: has a win against Kansas City already, which is great

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Speaker 1: and sets them up for a much better position if

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Speaker 1: they are to win this Thursday. But it really is

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Speaker 1: just taking care of your business, just just worrying about yourself,

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Speaker 1: which is something that again we have heard this team

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Speaker 1: to talk about all season long, focusing on themselves, treating

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Speaker 1: every week like it's a game of its own, and

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Speaker 1: just really kind of going from there. It is. It

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Speaker 1: is funny when you mentioned you know, you're not sure

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Speaker 1: what to make it this one, because then it is

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Speaker 1: so true. Anytime any divisional matchup happens, it's just like

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Speaker 1: do we throw records out the window? Like it's just

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Speaker 1: it's bananas. There's so much that can happen too. It

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Speaker 1: is nice to have one of these Thursday games at

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Speaker 1: home because this Chargers team has gone on the road. Hey,

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Speaker 1: the Thursday is the last like four years or something

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Speaker 1: like that. I believe four seasons or so, so it

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Speaker 1: is nice to have that. But this is a really,

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Speaker 1: really a huge matchup. I mean, I think guys in

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Speaker 1: this locker room we're talking about the last couple of

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Speaker 1: weeks as being must win games. Uchenna or someone. Maybe

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Speaker 1: it wasn't him. Some player on Instagram said, you know,

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Speaker 1: like playoffs start now. This is the mindset that this

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Speaker 1: team has. It is we just have to win now.

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Speaker 1: We are treating every game like it is a playoff game,

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Speaker 1: like it is that vibe. So this is a big one.

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Speaker 1: But it should be a lot of fun. I mean

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Speaker 1: that's one thing this is. This is like you said,

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Speaker 1: Fox has got to be happy, Amazon has got to

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Speaker 1: be happy. This is one of those games that is

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Speaker 1: just just every you know, it's got all the star

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Speaker 1: power you want in a Thursday night matchup, and it

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Speaker 1: should be just really really electric, no pun intended. I'm

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Speaker 1: so far on Thursday You know what for fans, you

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Speaker 1: guys should be excited, man, this is a fun week.

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Speaker 1: You know to be excited for this game on Thursday night.

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Speaker 1: It's the it's the only show in town. It's probably

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Speaker 1: the best Thursday night game that Buck and Akber are

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Speaker 1: going to have this year. And it's for first place

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Speaker 1: in the AFC West. You know what more can you

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Speaker 1: ask for? And well? Have you covered on on Playmakers

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Speaker 1: and Chargers weekly on this short week. We'll have you

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Speaker 1: covered every day as we get closer to Thursday night,

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Speaker 1: Chiefs Chargers for Haleyo what I'm Chris Harry. This has

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Speaker 1: been the final drive. We're putting the Giants in the

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Speaker 1: rear view. It's all about the cheeks. M h m

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Speaker 1: hm hm