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Speaker 1: Welcome to The Insiders, the Monday Podcast for week fourteen.

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Speaker 1: I'm Judy Batista in a hotel room in Dallas. I

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Speaker 1: have no idea what happened to Tom, Mike and Ian,

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Speaker 1: but this is like one of those holiday shows where

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Speaker 1: they bring in the A list guest stars. I have

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Speaker 1: the A list guest stars, Steve Reich, Sarah Walsh, Omar

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Speaker 1: Ruiz joining us for the podcast today. I want to

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Speaker 1: just hit some headlines before we get into it. The

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Speaker 1: Chiefs last night clinched their ninth straight AFC West title.

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Speaker 1: Just insane started by Alex Smith, continued by Patrick Mahomes.

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Speaker 1: The Eagles clinched a playoff spot. Josh Allen had six

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Speaker 1: touchdowns and still lost, but probably won the MVP with

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Speaker 1: that performance. This is new. Derek Carr suffered what is

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Speaker 1: being called a significant fracture of his non throwing hand,

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Speaker 1: that is his left hand. Darren Rizzy said he's not

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Speaker 1: going on ir it's a non surgical situation, but he's

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Speaker 1: also in the concussion protocol. Zough, look at the calendar.

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Speaker 1: Maybe we saw the last of Derek Carr for this season,

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Speaker 1: although Darren Rizzy would not rule him out. On the

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Speaker 1: other hand, Aidan O'Connell who left the field, the Raiders'

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Speaker 1: quarterback who left the field with his leg in an aircast,

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Speaker 1: which usually means a terrible injury, escaped a bad injury,

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Speaker 1: bone bruise on his knee. They're not ruling him out

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Speaker 1: for Monday's game against the Falcons, So that is tremendous

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Speaker 1: news for Aidan O'Connell. Really unusual when you see a

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Speaker 1: guy in an air cast. All right, we're going to

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Speaker 1: start the show. We're going to hit all of the

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Speaker 1: big topics, but we're going to start the show with

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Speaker 1: the last game we saw last night, Chiefs winning the

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Speaker 1: division yet again. I feel like the Chiefs are the

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Speaker 1: litmus test for whether you are a glass half full

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Speaker 1: or glass half empty kind of person, because if you

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Speaker 1: are a glass half empty kind of person, you have

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Speaker 1: to be looking at the way they are playing this

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Speaker 1: year and saying they are way too close to the

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Speaker 1: edge every week. They have a fifteen game winning streak

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Speaker 1: in one possession games. And this is even more incredible.

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Speaker 1: They have twelve wins this year. Half of them have

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Speaker 1: come on the final play of the game, including last

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Speaker 1: night with the doink kick the opener. Zaiah likely's toe

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Speaker 1: was out of bounds instead of a touchdown. They are

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Speaker 1: living so close to the edge. I think if you're

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Speaker 1: a glass half empty person, you say, they can't keep

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Speaker 1: going like this. This is going to catch up with them.

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Speaker 1: It might catch up with them in the playoffs. If

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Speaker 1: you're a glass half full person, I think you look

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Speaker 1: at this and say, well, they're winning in all kinds

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Speaker 1: of ways, and it's sort of affirms what we've always

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Speaker 1: suspected about them, which is if you have Mahomes Kelsey,

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Speaker 1: you know, Chris Jones, Andy, they can find a way

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Speaker 1: to win any game. I probably right now the glass

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Speaker 1: half full. I am in awe of how they have

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Speaker 1: gone through the season. Steve, I wonder what your takeaway

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Speaker 1: is from watching the Chiefs.

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Speaker 2: Well, the glass half empty people are otherwise known as haters, right,

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Speaker 2: so I'm a glass half full person. Because you talked

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Speaker 2: about how they won nine straight AFC West titles. This

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Speaker 2: is the Patriots, right. The Patriots got in those runs

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Speaker 2: where they were tested, Remember when the Texans would come

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Speaker 2: in and really give them hell, And some of these

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Speaker 2: seem to give them problems, and they still find ways

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Speaker 2: to win. They won their third game with a different kicker.

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Speaker 2: They are doing things where Patrick Mahomes is rarely throwing

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Speaker 2: above two hundred and twenty five yards per game, yet

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Speaker 2: at the end of games he makes the incredible dodge

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Speaker 2: of two defenders in the backfield approaches line of scrimmage,

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Speaker 2: findes Travis Kelcey out of position running a bad route,

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Speaker 2: and they get a first down to get in a

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Speaker 2: field goal positions.

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Speaker 3: They do this week after week.

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Speaker 2: I can tell you this, there are about twenty eight

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Speaker 2: teams in the NFL that couldn't do that in back

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Speaker 2: to back games simply because they don't have the hooyse experience.

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Speaker 2: They may have the talent, but they don't have.

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Speaker 3: The get to.

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Speaker 2: And before I send this down to Sarah, to me,

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Speaker 2: that was a takeaway from the overall weekend. It's December football.

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Speaker 2: And there were some teams like the Chiefs and the

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Speaker 2: Buccaneers and Seattle and the Rams and a couple others

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Speaker 2: who understood the urgency. Minnesota understood the urgency of what

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Speaker 2: December football is. And there were some other teams like

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Speaker 2: Atlanta and Arizona and the Bears who are unserious. They

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Speaker 2: don't understand what this point of the season means. But

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Speaker 2: to get back to the Chiefs. They do. They're the

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Speaker 2: hunted and they keep on winning their ten to zero

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Speaker 2: and one possession games this season. That to me says

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Speaker 2: something like there's nothing they can face, whether it's snow

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Speaker 2: and buffalo or whatever, that's going to deter them from

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Speaker 2: getting the w's era.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: Well, what doesn't show up on the stat sheet ever,

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Speaker 4: is belief, right, and to have belief that you can

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Speaker 4: do it when the game is on the line, you

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Speaker 4: have to have done it. And I saw that change

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Speaker 4: here when Tom Brady came to town. Right, This is

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Speaker 4: there's not a lot of teams that are in the

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Speaker 4: position and you and you just mentioned you guys at

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Speaker 4: the top that like this is a dynasty like the Patriots,

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Speaker 4: and the Patriots always felt at the end of the

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Speaker 4: day in that in that timeframe of theirs that they

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Speaker 4: were going to win. And we've seen the same thing

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Speaker 4: with the Chiefs. And how many teams on the flip

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Speaker 4: side of it this year can go, oh, but we

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Speaker 4: were like this close, right, and it doesn't it doesn't

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Speaker 4: work out. And I think a lot of that and

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Speaker 4: I know from talking to the Buccaneers that were in

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Speaker 4: the locker room that changed when he was there. I mean,

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Speaker 4: they could be down by a significant amount and they

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Speaker 4: were like it's fine, Like it just changes, right. And

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Speaker 4: the Chiefs, obviously they had that momentum. I have seen

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Speaker 4: several of their close games recently. The Bucks took them

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Speaker 4: to overtime with a depleted receiving core. I mean they

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Speaker 4: went into Arrowhead, they didn't have Mike Evans, they hadn't

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Speaker 4: had Chris Godwin. I'm not sure I could even name

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Speaker 4: the receivers that they had that game, and and you

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Speaker 4: look down and they were in overtime with them, right,

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Speaker 4: But at the end of the day, isn't matter. Win

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Speaker 4: is a win, and they did it there. I saw

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Speaker 4: them a couple of weeks ago in Carolina. Now this

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Speaker 4: is a Carolina team that where are they drawing their

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Speaker 4: source of belief from? Right, It's been a real, really

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Speaker 4: rough season. They were seconds away from going into overtime

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Speaker 4: against the Chiefs and they pulled one out there. So

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Speaker 4: that's stuff snowballs. Obviously. I don't think you can teach

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Speaker 4: it in the set, like you have to live it,

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Speaker 4: and they have lived it. And it's so funny that

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Speaker 4: you guys said that the glass half full, half empty

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Speaker 4: because it reminded me Travis Kelceer Owler this year to

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Speaker 4: quote I believe this was People magazine, which I don't know, goodbye,

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Speaker 4: that the glass is all the way full.

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Speaker 3: He said.

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Speaker 4: There's it's some things that the effect that there's half empty,

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Speaker 4: there's half full, and he's like, my my glass is

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Speaker 4: all the way full. Right for various reasons, but I

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Speaker 4: think that's just sort of how this Chiefs team lives life.

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Speaker 4: And you can look at it. I think early in

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Speaker 4: the year in fairness, like I remember being a GMFB.

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Speaker 4: This wasnt September, so it was early in the year,

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Speaker 4: and it's like, I don't know, like they've lost so

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Speaker 4: many people, They've had so many injuries, Like I don't

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Speaker 4: know how they can keep it up. I'll fully say,

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Speaker 4: like I said that, I was like, I don't know

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Speaker 4: how they can keep it up. And now I'm over

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Speaker 4: on judy side, because when you do it enough, I mean,

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Speaker 4: at what point I don't I wouldn't bet again them

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Speaker 4: under the worst circumstances, I would not. I cannot bet

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Speaker 4: against them because of what they've done time and time again.

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Speaker 4: And there is a degree I think you guys all

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Speaker 4: know that this isn't to take away from talent anywhere

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Speaker 4: and in sports, in any sports, there's a degree of

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Speaker 4: luck that comes with some things, right, and things have

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Speaker 4: bounced their way a lot. But like you know, people

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Speaker 4: will say, you make your own luck, and I think

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Speaker 4: that that's obviously what this Chiefs team has done. And

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Speaker 4: a lot of things have gone their way, but I

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Speaker 4: think they make things go their way. So yeah, I

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Speaker 4: think there's there's a little bit of luck in those

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Speaker 4: close games, right, But a lot of it has to

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Speaker 4: do with the fact that when Mahomes is your quarterback,

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Speaker 4: you just feel like you're never.

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Speaker 3: Out of it and real quick.

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Speaker 2: The reason why Travis Kelsey's cup is full, yeah, is

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Speaker 2: because when it gets empty, there's someone in there putting.

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Speaker 4: It back in.

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Speaker 5: Let me tell you how they make that luck. Little

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Speaker 5: how they make this sausage in the factory. Had an

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Speaker 5: interesting conversation with their offensive coordinator Matt n Aggy a

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Speaker 5: couple of weeks ago, and you know, you talk about

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Speaker 5: making your own, Sarah, it's they drill the two minute situation.

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Speaker 5: Not only do they have so much experience from doing

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Speaker 5: it year after year after year to essentially perfect how

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Speaker 5: they operate in that mode, and obviously they demonstrated the

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Speaker 5: success and the execution to do it. But they they

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Speaker 5: create just like they would every other offensive strategic game

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Speaker 5: plan for an opponent, specifically in the two minute situation.

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Speaker 5: They come up with the plays, they go over them

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Speaker 5: in the meetings, then on Fridays they practice them on

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Speaker 5: the field, they go over them in the situation they're

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Speaker 5: you know, physically in the walkthroughs and in practice. And

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Speaker 5: then on Saturday, Andy Reid gathers with Naggie, Joe Blameyer,

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Speaker 5: the past game coordinator, Matt Frazier, the analytics guru, and

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Speaker 5: those four get together and they go over all the

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Speaker 5: different scenarios that can play out in the last moments

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Speaker 5: of the game. And they and they're playing these scenarios,

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Speaker 5: they're making the decisions, walking through them, strategizing all of that.

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Speaker 5: So when it comes down to those things happening in

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Speaker 5: the game and it's all chaos and the crowd's going

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Speaker 5: crazy and it's loud, they're able to make those decisions

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Speaker 5: calmly because they have the confidence that they did it

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Speaker 5: the night before.

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Speaker 3: They talked through that. And then of course Patrick.

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Speaker 5: Mahomes make sure that he in the huddle is able

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Speaker 5: to articulate that decision the reason behind it to the players,

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Speaker 5: and they have the confidence to go execute it.

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Speaker 3: So it's why.

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Speaker 1: Football. It's situational football, which is the same thing that

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Speaker 1: the Patriots were great at during the great Patriots years.

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Speaker 4: Practice that field goal bouncing the right way, they sail

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Speaker 4: a couple off the upright. We just wanted to make

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Speaker 4: sure that the bounce goes the.

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Speaker 5: Right way, but in general, to have the confidence and

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Speaker 5: the poise to be able to execute.

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Speaker 3: Time after time after time after time again.

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Speaker 5: And it's so funny because in preparing for the Cardinals

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Speaker 5: Seahawks game last week, I was in Kyler Murray's press

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Speaker 5: conference and he sort of alluded to the fact that

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Speaker 5: when they were in their last possession against the Vikings

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Speaker 5: where they could have put the game away and instead

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Speaker 5: they had to settle for a field goal and allow

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Speaker 5: of the Bikings to come all the way back and

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Speaker 5: score the game winning touchdown. But he had mentioned a

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Speaker 5: little bit that you know, maybe guys were, you know,

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Speaker 5: not necessarily poised in that huddle and not having been

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Speaker 5: there before, and so not only did like I said,

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Speaker 5: did we have you know that the sort of system

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Speaker 5: that they have to make sure that they are ready

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Speaker 5: for those situations. It's having the backlog of games and

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Speaker 5: situations previously where they've messed up in those in those

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Speaker 5: times and so to have a kind of perfected year

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Speaker 5: after year. And it's their last five wins, four of

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Speaker 5: them have come on the last play of the game.

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Speaker 5: You mentioned the whole season total, you know, coming out

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Speaker 5: like that, Judy and the other game that they did

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Speaker 5: not win on the last play of the game, it

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Speaker 5: was the second to the last play of the game,

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Speaker 5: literally when the when the Raiders screwed that, you know,

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Speaker 5: the snap, and so for them to do it again,

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Speaker 5: and obviously Patrick ma Holmes a different me and the

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Speaker 5: big takeaway here for me in this yesterday not only

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Speaker 5: the Chiefs doing it a game wrapping up the AFC

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Speaker 5: West title, but the Bills losing allow them to have

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Speaker 5: that two game cushion. Now for the why the number

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Speaker 5: one seed, the home field advantage, which you know, the

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Speaker 5: way we were all looking at the Bills and sort

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Speaker 5: of juggernaut fashion that if they were to host the

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Speaker 5: AFC championship game this season would be an ultimate difference

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Speaker 5: difference maker. But if the road of the AFC title

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Speaker 5: goes through Arrowhead. Then I would like the Chiefs chances

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Speaker 5: even more this season than I normally do. But it's

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Speaker 5: so funny how the NFL seasons. You know, we're talking

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Speaker 5: about Rachie Rice and Hollywood Brown coming to the Chiefs

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Speaker 5: and oh, the explosive passing game is going to return

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Speaker 5: to Arrowhead and the Chiefs are going to be high

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Speaker 5: flying once again. And then but Checko gets hurt. You know,

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Speaker 5: for most of the season early on, you're like, what

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Speaker 5: the heck is going to happen with this team? And

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Speaker 5: Andy Reid and they all figure it out, Patrick Mahomes,

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Speaker 5: and now here we are talking about another division championship.

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Speaker 1: All right, let's turn to the Steelers, who are very

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Speaker 1: much in the AFC race. Sarah, you were at that

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Speaker 1: game later on, I want you to explain your tweet

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Speaker 1: about that you had a heated microphone.

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Speaker 4: Leading the show.

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Speaker 1: Yea, that is definitely the headline. But they have a

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Speaker 1: very tough schedule coming up ahead that's going to test them.

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Speaker 1: They are two games ahead of the Ravens right now

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Speaker 1: in the AFC North. But what did you see from them?

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Speaker 1: What did you see from Russ? They look like a

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Speaker 1: Druggernaut right.

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Speaker 4: Now, Yeah, they really do. What I saw is, let

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Speaker 4: me go back a week ago, right, RUSS had insane numbers.

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Speaker 4: They put up more than five hundred yards in Cincinnati,

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Speaker 4: forty four points on the road in Cincinnati. That was

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Speaker 4: the most they've had on the road in two decades.

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Speaker 4: You didn't see a crazy, crazy output yesterday, but what

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Speaker 4: you saw as a team make adjustments when their star

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Speaker 4: receiver was ruled out sort of at the last minute.

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Speaker 4: George Pickens only shot up on the injury report on

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Speaker 4: Friday with the hamstring that popped up late. I think

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Speaker 4: the belief was that he was still going to try

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Speaker 4: to play. Didn't, so he was ruled out on Sunday.

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Speaker 4: So you took out Russ's top target, leads in receiving yards,

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Speaker 4: leads in receptions. He's out of there. And what was

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Speaker 4: interesting about that is Russ specifically, and I don't think

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Speaker 4: this was calculated specifically. Early in the week, talked about

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Speaker 4: what he likes so much about this offense is the

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Speaker 4: versatility that they have there. He said, the best thing

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Speaker 4: that his offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, allows them to do

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Speaker 4: is really go after it. And he said, with so

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Speaker 4: many weapons, and he talked about how his running backs

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Speaker 4: can catch and how many different options he has. Okay,

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Speaker 4: well you say that, now we're going to take your

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Speaker 4: best guy off the field when it comes to your

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Speaker 4: offensive weapons, and we'll see if it really mean it.

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Speaker 4: And he did right Like they just had an answer

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Speaker 4: for everything. Miles Garrett was a nightmare for them the

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Speaker 4: last time they played, which was one of the steelers

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Speaker 4: very few losses on the season. They were able to

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Speaker 4: contain him, they were able to make adjustments, he was

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Speaker 4: able to spread it around and it was sort of

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Speaker 4: it was sort of textbook like, Hey, here's who's going

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Speaker 4: to need to step up, and they did. And one

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Speaker 4: of those guys, Pat Fireman's who I talked to after

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Speaker 4: the game, their tight end. He now leads the team

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Speaker 4: in touchdowns five receiving touchdowns. He been very good as

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Speaker 4: of late. He's got touchdowns in back to back games.

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Speaker 4: The guys that they needed to step up. And then

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Speaker 4: their defense obviously is very very good. And then the

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Speaker 4: one thing that the Steelers do as good as anyone

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Speaker 4: in this league, I think they're tied with the Bills

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Speaker 4: when it comes to that turnover differential. He does not

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Speaker 4: turn the ball over. He does not turn the ball over.

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Speaker 4: And that's a Steelers defense that forces fumbles left and right,

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Speaker 4: forces fumbles, picks the ball. They obviously took advantage of

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Speaker 4: Jameis Winston yesterday and Cleveland had another three giveaways in

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Speaker 4: that game, two interceptions by Winston. So you see a

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Speaker 4: Steelers team rolling. Russ has been really efficient. He's six

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Speaker 4: and one is their starter. He's never lost at home,

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Speaker 4: so you better believe they want the terrible towels at

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Speaker 4: home throughout the playoffs that they can get it. They

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Speaker 4: are really good the schedule that you mentioned, and they

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Speaker 4: just finished a tough stretch. Actually, they just finished facing

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Speaker 4: all their division opponents in a row in a straight

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Speaker 4: stretch there and went three to one. And that one

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Speaker 4: loss was in Cleveland two games prior. That was a

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Speaker 4: snow game. It was kind of a mess. But they

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Speaker 4: have two AFC North games now, which one of them

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Speaker 4: is at Baltimore, which you mentioned, Judy. That's tough. They

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Speaker 4: play Cincinnati. They host Cincinnati this week and I'll be

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Speaker 4: with them again this week. They're going to the Eagles

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Speaker 4: this week, so okay, now you want to test. They're

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Speaker 4: going into Philadelphia and then they closed at home. We

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Speaker 4: were just talking about it the Chiefs. So they have

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Speaker 4: a really difficult stretch ahead of them, but they looked

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Speaker 4: really good. They just looked you know, it wasn't that

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Speaker 4: they were so flashy. But again, you took George Pickens

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Speaker 4: off the field, who's a huge piece of what they

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Speaker 4: can do in terms of stretching the field, and they

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Speaker 4: just seem to have an answer for everything.

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Speaker 3: Steve and Judy, I'm gonna say this, we'll get the Judy.

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Speaker 2: All I have to say is you look at all

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Speaker 2: the teams in the AFC and you say, are they

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Speaker 2: definitely going to beat Pittsburgh And the answer is no, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: the Steelers are right there a top of it because

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Speaker 2: they can beat anybody in the AFC.

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Speaker 1: All right, Judy, all right, let's talk. I want to

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Speaker 1: talk to you Steve about the Vikings and Falcons game,

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Speaker 1: which I was asked Sam Donold is making himself ton

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Speaker 1: of money in his upcoming free agency. Five touchdowns. He

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Speaker 1: looked so happy. It was so great to see him

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Speaker 1: be so successful. Kevin O'Connell has done a spectacular job

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Speaker 1: with them. They are for real. Yeah, they are a

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Speaker 1: team that nobody's going to want to see in the

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Speaker 1: NFC field, that's for sure. But this was a game

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Speaker 1: that was all about Kirk Cousins. Two more interceptions, no touchdowns,

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Speaker 1: four game losing streak, more questions about whether Michael Pennock

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Speaker 1: should be the starter. Raheem Morris said, no, Kirk is

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Speaker 1: our quarterback. Steve, what do you make of what is

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Speaker 1: happening to the Falcons? It reminds me so much of

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Speaker 1: the Eagles collapse last year and what should they do

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Speaker 1: about Kirk Well?

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Speaker 2: First off, Raheem Morris's insistence on keeping Cousins at the

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Speaker 2: starter sound that Kevin Stefanski early in the year saying

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Speaker 2: Deshaun Watsons are started when it was clear he was

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Speaker 2: not playing good football. Kirk Cousins wasn't terrible yesterday. He

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Speaker 2: had the two ill timed picks which came with a

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Speaker 2: Ray Ray McLeod fumble on the kickoff return. That's what

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Speaker 2: changed that game, right, That's what changed. And Floyd was

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Speaker 2: nip and tuck. Kirk was playing well. Even on his

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Speaker 2: second interception, he drove them all the way down the

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Speaker 2: field and then there was an awful pick in the

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Speaker 2: end zone. The thing is, if you keep doing the

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Speaker 2: same things over and over and you're not getting the results.

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Speaker 2: You got to make a change otherwise you're making mistakes.

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Speaker 2: It is time for them to put Michael Pennix in there,

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Speaker 2: if for nothing else, to revitalize things and let Kirk

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Speaker 2: take a step back. I get that they're all in

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Speaker 2: the playoff hunt and all them, but they're not going

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Speaker 2: to go beat Philadelphia. They're not going to be something

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Speaker 2: that he needs to playoffs. So I think that is

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Speaker 2: an issue. I think the biggest juxtaposition before I send

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Speaker 2: it back to you, Judy Sam Darnold, Right, the guy

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Speaker 2: who no one knew about. He's winning ball games at

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Speaker 2: the end of games. Look at their last five games.

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Speaker 2: He's throwing that ball at thirty three to thirty four

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Speaker 2: times a game a game, and he's winning them in

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Speaker 2: the final minute or two. He didn't have yesterday. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: Kirk Cousin's not doing that. That's the issue when it

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Speaker 2: comes time to win games. And that's what I talked

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Speaker 2: about before. Some team's got the memos December football. Others didn't.

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Speaker 2: Atlanta didn't, Minnesota absolutely does.

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Speaker 1: There was that one touchdown that Donald through that I

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Speaker 1: thought just encapsulated the whole This is what Kirk Cousins

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Speaker 1: can't do anymore, and this is what Sam Donald can

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Speaker 1: do where no. Sam Donald has always been an athletic

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Speaker 1: guy and he's got a cannon for an arm. But

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Speaker 1: that was the play where he had to go to

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Speaker 1: the left. He was scrambling to the left to avoid pressure.

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Speaker 1: Then he had to come back to the right to

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Speaker 1: avoid pressure, and then he leaves his feet like and

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Speaker 1: just heaves the ball because Justin Jefferson is just like

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Speaker 1: over here, like nobody's anywhere. The defender falls down touchdown,

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Speaker 1: and I just thought, whoa like that they were? He

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Speaker 1: was creating big play after big play with Addison and

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Speaker 1: Justin Jefferson. It was really a tremendous performance by Sam Donald. Again,

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Speaker 1: Kevin O'Connell is probably not going to be the coach

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Speaker 1: of the Year. He deserves some consideration for the work

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Speaker 1: he has done.

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Speaker 3: Donald. It's just so fun to see Donald. You shine.

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Speaker 1: It's so I mean, I saw him at the Jets,

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Speaker 1: which was obviously not the same kind of experiences he's

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Speaker 1: having right now, and it's I was so happy to

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Speaker 1: see him, so happy. Omar, I want to go to

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Speaker 1: you on the Seahawks and the NFC West Seahawks lead

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Speaker 1: the NFC West now, but what has happened to the

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Speaker 1: Arizona Cardinals three game losing streak.

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Speaker 5: Well, the Cardinals post buy, you know, I think Steve

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Speaker 5: mentioned it kind of the unseerious nature. It's, you know,

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Speaker 5: it's a young team that's trying to figure it out,

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Speaker 5: playing meaningful football.

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Speaker 3: And and yesterday I think.

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Speaker 5: Their win, you know, was was you know blown, you know,

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Speaker 5: their sales were blown on the on the back to

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Speaker 5: back passes by Kyler Murray that were intercepted, and all

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Speaker 5: were the intercepted, but the Seahawks certainly took advantage and

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Speaker 5: then scored touchdowns on the ensuing possessions.

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Speaker 3: And in fact, that Jackson Smith and Jigbu.

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Speaker 5: Touchdown nineteen yard was literally one play after the interception

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Speaker 5: by Ernest Jones.

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Speaker 3: So, you know, but the big.

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Speaker 5: Takeaway there is this is the Seahawks, you know, really

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Speaker 5: taking a firm grip grasp of the NFC West, taking

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Speaker 5: that lead, having no the tiebreaker over the Cardinals, you know,

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Speaker 5: winning twice in three weeks. There the growing confidence that

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Speaker 5: they seem to have every single week, and a lot

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Speaker 5: of the talk post game was just how Mike McDonald's

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Speaker 5: defense similarly to two years ago with the Ravens, you know,

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Speaker 5: really kind of found it splitting the first half of

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Speaker 5: the year and then surged there in the second half

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Speaker 5: and became one of the obviously premier defenses last year.

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Speaker 3: And they're on their way to doing that now. We've seen,

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Speaker 3: you know, just.

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Speaker 5: How well individually they've played, with you a couple of

434
00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:32,440
Speaker 5: defensive Player of the Week honors here in the last

435
00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:37,760
Speaker 5: couple of weeks. But but really, you know, to play

436
00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,200
Speaker 5: complimentary football is what they're talking about. It's like I mentioned,

437
00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:44,720
Speaker 5: creating those turnovers on defense, punching it in and taking

438
00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:47,040
Speaker 5: control of the game. And then we talk about special

439
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:51,359
Speaker 5: teams a lot. You know, the Cardinals Blake Gillikin Hunter

440
00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:55,320
Speaker 5: gets hurt, Chad Ryman, their kicker steps in, shanks the punt,

441
00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:58,840
Speaker 5: Michael Dixon hunts one down on the ensuing session down

442
00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,720
Speaker 5: inside the two, and then the Cardinals come back and

443
00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,199
Speaker 5: miss a field goal, and so you know, whatever momentum

444
00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,200
Speaker 5: that the Cardinals might have had to get back into

445
00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:10,359
Speaker 5: the game, special teams stuffed it for the Seahawks, just

446
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,800
Speaker 5: like this Seahawks defense stuff the Cardinals offense and then

447
00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:16,359
Speaker 5: and then when the Seahawks offense had a chance to

448
00:21:16,359 --> 00:21:18,520
Speaker 5: put the throat on the Cardinals defense, they did so.

449
00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,680
Speaker 5: Really that complimentary team football. As I'm growing with confidence,

450
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,000
Speaker 5: I'll say I've covered many a games inside State Farm

451
00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:28,640
Speaker 5: Stadium by now, including many Cardinals Seahawks games over the years.

452
00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:31,760
Speaker 5: And if you guys know you've been there, the visiting

453
00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:36,840
Speaker 5: media area is right outside the media the visiting locker room,

454
00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:40,160
Speaker 5: and it was as loud yesterday after that Seahawks win

455
00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:42,960
Speaker 5: as I've ever heard it, including some of those Legion

456
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,760
Speaker 5: of Boom teams, some of those Legion of Boom victories

457
00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,399
Speaker 5: that they've had there. So this the Seahawks team seems

458
00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:50,879
Speaker 5: to be rolling. They found their stride and really look

459
00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,159
Speaker 5: to be playing their best football down the stretch.

460
00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:54,400
Speaker 3: Here and quickly on the Seahawks.

461
00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:58,080
Speaker 2: Quickly have we seen a team change as much after

462
00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:00,240
Speaker 2: a mid season move as the way the Seahawks have

463
00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:04,080
Speaker 2: after they acquired linebacker Ernest Jones. Their whole defense has changed,

464
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,760
Speaker 2: their whole attitude has changed. And what it's a very

465
00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:10,760
Speaker 2: under the radar move, but since they acquired him, that

466
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:12,000
Speaker 2: is a different ball club.

467
00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:13,120
Speaker 3: And that's a great point.

468
00:22:13,119 --> 00:22:16,760
Speaker 5: See because everyone's talking about how Rokwan Smith was the

469
00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,879
Speaker 5: mid season trade three years ago with the Ravens. Ernest

470
00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,919
Speaker 5: Jones is Mike McDonald's piece for the defense in this

471
00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,800
Speaker 5: Seahawks team, and they've charged ever since.

472
00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,080
Speaker 1: All Right, let's talk about the Buffalo Bills, who that

473
00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:32,159
Speaker 1: game against the Rams. I was watching it in the

474
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:35,280
Speaker 1: airport and people were screaming in the airport with every

475
00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,200
Speaker 1: play because it was such a bunkers game. Again, Josh

476
00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:43,720
Speaker 1: Allen probably put a stranglehold on the MVP. Six touchdown performance,

477
00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:50,080
Speaker 1: three rushing, three passing in a losing effort. Steve, I'll

478
00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:53,520
Speaker 1: start with you on the Bills, who I really thought

479
00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:57,600
Speaker 1: up until yesterday had a chance to seize the AFC

480
00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:01,760
Speaker 1: number one seed from the Chiefs. That loss probably dings

481
00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,440
Speaker 1: them and probably means that everything goes through our it.

482
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:07,280
Speaker 2: Yeah, real quick, I'm not giving Josh Allen the MVP

483
00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:09,600
Speaker 2: because I think Lamar Nasson still has four games to

484
00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:12,600
Speaker 2: possibly get back into the hunt. Still too early, But

485
00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:14,200
Speaker 2: but this game here was it was a track meet,

486
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:18,000
Speaker 2: right and here we saw the Rams when they decided

487
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:19,920
Speaker 2: to dial it up on offense there as good as anybody,

488
00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,240
Speaker 2: but they're just inconsistent and I give the Bills a

489
00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:25,160
Speaker 2: lot of credit because I thought, you know, coming off

490
00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:27,800
Speaker 2: the game short, we coming across country getting the playoff,

491
00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:29,919
Speaker 2: or they would due for a kind of a letdown.

492
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:31,120
Speaker 3: And they did not play that way.

493
00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,000
Speaker 2: They started slowly, but then the way they got it back,

494
00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,840
Speaker 2: they just got caught by Pooka Nakua. I mean, Puka

495
00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:39,679
Speaker 2: just was insane. They got out physical and the you know,

496
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,840
Speaker 2: in the secondary, and that was that. But Buffalo's going

497
00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:45,200
Speaker 2: to be there, probably going to host the first round

498
00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,280
Speaker 2: playoff game. I don't feel any worse for the Wear

499
00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:50,119
Speaker 2: about them taking a loss like that yesterday.

500
00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:53,320
Speaker 4: I feel bad for I just feel bad for Josh Allen.

501
00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:54,720
Speaker 4: And you heard the stuff that he set up for

502
00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:57,679
Speaker 4: the game of it. There's like a quote and you know,

503
00:23:57,720 --> 00:23:59,040
Speaker 4: it's like the right thing to say. He's like, I

504
00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:00,719
Speaker 4: just didn't do enough. I just needed to make one

505
00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:03,480
Speaker 4: play more. And I mean you read it and you go, yeah, Like,

506
00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:05,400
Speaker 4: I mean, I guess it's a it's a you want

507
00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,160
Speaker 4: your guy to have that attitude, right, I'm like the guy,

508
00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:10,840
Speaker 4: the guy had six touchdowns, like he needs to do more.

509
00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,359
Speaker 4: But I think that's just like obviously who he is,

510
00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:17,200
Speaker 4: which is a really great person, a really great teammate.

511
00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,199
Speaker 4: But I just sort of like, inwardly when I'm reading

512
00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:22,320
Speaker 4: that he said that, it's just like, I think Josh

513
00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:25,560
Speaker 4: did everything he could do, massive showdown for them when

514
00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:27,639
Speaker 4: you look at the rest of their schedule next week,

515
00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:31,280
Speaker 4: but then it's New England, the New York Jets New

516
00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:35,000
Speaker 4: England twice actually to the last three weeks of that season.

517
00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:38,159
Speaker 4: It could be, you know, the lines are really the

518
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,760
Speaker 4: last really tough tests that they have to set themselves

519
00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:43,760
Speaker 4: up for this postseason run, which should be like a

520
00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:47,120
Speaker 4: huge showdown and should be an incredible game. And then

521
00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:49,359
Speaker 4: you know, when you look at what they have left,

522
00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,440
Speaker 4: this idea of like okay, home field or not home field,

523
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:54,560
Speaker 4: I mean, it hasn't worked for them right going against

524
00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:57,159
Speaker 4: the juggernaut, which is the Kansas City chief So I

525
00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,480
Speaker 4: think I don't everyone on obviously once to be home,

526
00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:03,000
Speaker 4: but the Chiefs have done it every which way that

527
00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:04,919
Speaker 4: you can do it right, So I'm not sure that

528
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:08,000
Speaker 4: that even matters anymore in terms of this mission that

529
00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:10,280
Speaker 4: the Bills are on and what they like to be home.

530
00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:13,560
Speaker 4: I'm with you, Steve, like that probably really hurts them

531
00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:15,120
Speaker 4: in that sense. And then you have another really tough

532
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:18,439
Speaker 4: game again next week against the Detroit Lions team. But

533
00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:22,240
Speaker 4: it feels like I always feel too when you're on

534
00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:24,880
Speaker 4: a stretch. This is again, there is nothing that backs

535
00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:26,879
Speaker 4: this up. This is just like my own feeling. I

536
00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:28,760
Speaker 4: feel like these teams that want to run, you kind

537
00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:30,320
Speaker 4: of got to get one out of the way, right, Like,

538
00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,000
Speaker 4: I don't know that I want to roll into the

539
00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,920
Speaker 4: playoffs again. I don't have the data lind this because

540
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,520
Speaker 4: I don't want to necessarily lose a game, But I mean,

541
00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:40,000
Speaker 4: the Chiefs have just been ripping these off, right, Like.

542
00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:41,960
Speaker 4: I feel like a lot of times when these teams

543
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:46,040
Speaker 4: go on these postseason runs, there's like one loss before

544
00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:48,080
Speaker 4: you get there and it sort of resets things. And

545
00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:52,159
Speaker 4: maybe that was the Bills loss to reset them, to

546
00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:54,480
Speaker 4: send them into this postseason because there's no question they're

547
00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,359
Speaker 4: going to be there, whether they're the one seed. I

548
00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:00,320
Speaker 4: don't think you like it. I don't think that that

549
00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:02,479
Speaker 4: means that they can't go all the way right if

550
00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:04,320
Speaker 4: they don't have it. I certainly don't think that at all.

551
00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:07,240
Speaker 4: And I think that that could have been last week,

552
00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:10,360
Speaker 4: this one little loss that like sets up a very

553
00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:12,240
Speaker 4: very deep run for the Omar Omar.

554
00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,399
Speaker 1: I want to ask you before you get to this.

555
00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,399
Speaker 1: I want to ask you about the Rams, because you

556
00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:20,280
Speaker 1: see the Rams as much as anybody, and I know

557
00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:23,160
Speaker 1: you said the Seahawks are sort of pulling away from

558
00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:25,840
Speaker 1: the NFC West. Do you count out the Rams, because

559
00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,919
Speaker 1: I don't count out the Rams the run they are

560
00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:28,800
Speaker 1: going on right now.

561
00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:30,119
Speaker 3: No, now, certainly not.

562
00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:31,880
Speaker 5: And I think we can look at that Week eighteen

563
00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,679
Speaker 5: Rams Seahawks showdown at SOFI Stadium as perhaps being for

564
00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:38,200
Speaker 5: the division. Yeah, I just look at the Rams schedule,

565
00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:40,480
Speaker 5: you know, having to go cross country here in a

566
00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:42,199
Speaker 5: couple of weeks, going on the short week to San

567
00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:45,760
Speaker 5: Francisco here. I think the road to this, you know,

568
00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:48,280
Speaker 5: may not be as easy, given that they're one game

569
00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:51,360
Speaker 5: behind the Seahawks right now, and given how much confidence

570
00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:53,720
Speaker 5: the Seahawks have. But no, I think the Rams are

571
00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:55,640
Speaker 5: going to be, you know, right there at the end

572
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:59,040
Speaker 5: for this NFC West title. It's so fascinating to see

573
00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:02,000
Speaker 5: because we've seen Sean mcvay's teams win a Super Bowl. Obviously,

574
00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:03,880
Speaker 5: we've seen them have a buy in the first round

575
00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:06,920
Speaker 5: of the playoffs, but these last two years to rally

576
00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,200
Speaker 5: from three and six last year from one and four

577
00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:13,000
Speaker 5: this year. The way they consistently improve and they stay

578
00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,879
Speaker 5: in a moment, they stay weak week. We see that

579
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,080
Speaker 5: mental toughness that they have throughout the course of a season.

580
00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,760
Speaker 5: We saw on display yesterday, and that comeback every time

581
00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:24,399
Speaker 5: the Bills, you know, charged back, here comes Matthew Stafford

582
00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:27,479
Speaker 5: and the Rams to counter and to continue to answer

583
00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:30,200
Speaker 5: and to hang tough in that department. And we've seen,

584
00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:34,200
Speaker 5: you know, Matthew Stafford time and time again just play

585
00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:37,119
Speaker 5: so heroically. And you mentioned Steve Coup and Akua, you know,

586
00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:40,960
Speaker 5: just playing awesome. It's been a fun team to watch,

587
00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:43,960
Speaker 5: to see come together, to have those young players continue

588
00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:46,439
Speaker 5: to grow with confidence. And I think the Rams, you

589
00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:48,560
Speaker 5: know again just like last year, they gave the Lions

590
00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,280
Speaker 5: all they could in that first round. If they can

591
00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:53,800
Speaker 5: get into the playoffs, they'll be a tough out. You know,

592
00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:56,320
Speaker 5: obviously it's a it's a you know, tough tough week

593
00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:57,600
Speaker 5: this week on the short week to go to San

594
00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:01,000
Speaker 5: Francisco and play that Niners team that just enough with confidence.

595
00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:04,000
Speaker 5: But again, just getting back to Josh Allen though, just

596
00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:06,199
Speaker 5: when you think you couldn't be more impressed, and for me,

597
00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:11,399
Speaker 5: getting his turnovers in control this year, asserting himself as

598
00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:14,720
Speaker 5: the MVP candidate the way he has. But really it's

599
00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:17,240
Speaker 5: the leadership to me that he shown with you know,

600
00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,399
Speaker 5: so much leaving on that side of the football, you know,

601
00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:23,080
Speaker 5: with the players and the hides and the captains that

602
00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:25,720
Speaker 5: you know left the team and and you know, I

603
00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,119
Speaker 5: know I came back, you know, recently, but you know,

604
00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:30,119
Speaker 5: for Josh Allen to be the leader that he is,

605
00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:33,439
Speaker 5: to carry that team without Gabe Davis and Stefan Diggs,

606
00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,320
Speaker 5: you know, for the first time this year, and really

607
00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:38,160
Speaker 5: get those contributions from those young receivers and to put

608
00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:39,360
Speaker 5: them in position like this.

609
00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:41,760
Speaker 3: And then he goes out and has six touchdowns. It's

610
00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,640
Speaker 3: just a tremendous, tremendous season for him.

611
00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:48,120
Speaker 5: And you know, I know we all as football fans

612
00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:50,400
Speaker 5: are enjoying the show that he puts on every single week.

613
00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:53,480
Speaker 1: It was supposed to be a bridge season in Buffalo, right,

614
00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:56,000
Speaker 1: We thought this was a bridge season to the future,

615
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,800
Speaker 1: and instead the future is very very bright and it's

616
00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:02,600
Speaker 1: here right now, all right. That does it. For Part

617
00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:06,280
Speaker 1: one of our podcast and YouTube show on week fourteen,

618
00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,000
Speaker 1: there will be a part two. We're going to talk

619
00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:13,560
Speaker 1: about Bill Belichick, not even in the NFL. What we're

620
00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:15,560
Speaker 1: going to talk about the Philadelphia Eagles who quenched a

621
00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:19,160
Speaker 1: playoff spot, and we are going to talk about Sarah's home,

622
00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:23,040
Speaker 1: the NFC South, the Bucks making a run at the

623
00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:25,040
Speaker 1: NFC South. Stay with us,