WEBVTT - 2018 Week 16 Preview 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:06.360 Be Around the NFL Podcast. It's recognized by no one 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:10.200 in the United States. Welcome back to another edition of 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:13.920 the Around the NFL Podcast. My name is Dan Hansis. 0:00:14.120 --> 0:00:17.520 I'm joined the roof field with some heroes, Mark Sessler, 0:00:18.160 --> 0:00:23.000 Nick Shuck, Yeah you heard me, and Greg rosehal what 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:28.840 is up? Boys? This is me Dan. I mean, you 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:33.519 don't have to just try to take his spots and 0:00:33.560 --> 0:00:36.640 he's not gonna let go. This is definitely gonna be 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:42.880 a Colin Kaepernick replacing Alex Smith type scenario potentially ruined. Man. 0:00:43.800 --> 0:00:47.239 I'm just saying because Nick and you just heard that 0:00:47.320 --> 0:00:49.159 he jumped in with the Hey, Dan, he's got the 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:54.000 eye of the tiger. I mean, let's be honest. Thank 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:56.880 you Wes Is you know, out having a very important 0:00:57.160 --> 0:00:59.080 minor procedure today. We wish him well. And it's the 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:01.400 idea that he would post cancer, that he would be 0:01:01.400 --> 0:01:04.640 benched like during what a very thing. We all feel 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:07.800 sympathetic towards him. That did you feel sympathetic for Alex 0:01:07.840 --> 0:01:10.680 Smith when he suffered a brain Yes, I did. When 0:01:10.720 --> 0:01:13.959 his team was surging like this team, and then the 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:17.640 new guy came in, the younger guy, the buffer guy, 0:01:17.720 --> 0:01:20.479 and then just went nuts. I'm just I'm not wanted 0:01:20.560 --> 0:01:24.720 to happen or the fans in and the NFL gets 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:27.000 so angry about it, it becomes more of a Colin 0:01:27.080 --> 0:01:30.360 Kaepernick getting boycotted from the NFL. So that version of 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:35.040 scenario I was gonna say, can't even do that. I 0:01:35.040 --> 0:01:38.440 don't want to be completely shut out here well the outside, 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:41.480 Well then for then, just sitting for today's show, and 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:43.520 we thank you for all your help all season, and 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:46.440 you're helping us out again today, Nick, And nothing that matters. 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:49.320 We're gonna get We're gonna get into week sixteen, all 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:51.800 the games. But I don't care. The only thing I 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:56.320 care about is the tweet that came out a nerness 0:01:56.400 --> 0:02:01.880 dot com put together an expert um study of podcast popularity. 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:03.600 And you heard at the top of the show that 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:05.840 comment about you know, the United States, we doesn't care 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:10.720 about our pocket Well, how about this according to nerdice 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:14.480 dot com, and this is this is indisputable. The results here. 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:20.440 The most popular podcast in the state of Rhode Island, 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:41.560 The Thing for Everyone r some people, The Around the 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:47.160 NFL Podcast, the most popular podcast in Rhode Island, according 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:52.480 to the celebrated podcast website nerdiced dot com eat it. 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:56.400 I have two questions here, Yeah, how does one become 0:02:56.440 --> 0:03:00.640 an expert on podcast popularity? And how many counties are 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:04.280 in Rhode Island? Mm hmm, I don't know, but I 0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:07.720 do have Rhode Island fun facts for you. Did you 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:10.919 know it's the home greg to the Tennis Hall of Fame? Yeah? 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:14.639 They did, haven't been pretty good right Newport Also they 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:17.320 have a small tournament. That's funny you bring up Newport 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:20.640 because it's the first circus in the United States was 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:23.079 held in Newport. Great Jazz Festival. I feel like tam 0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:26.520 Posty deserves some credit here. I know she's from New Hampshire, 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:31.920 but it's like, what's the difference there is between New 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:35.839 England's kind of like, I'm not even I'm serious. She's 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:38.240 bringing in the locals. It's quite a stretch. They're like 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:41.200 state revelries. There no New England. We sort of all 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:43.680 kind of keep ourselves together. You know. I almost went 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:47.280 to the United from New Hampshire much more like and 0:03:47.520 --> 0:03:50.160 much of Rhode Island is much more Boston than where 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:53.600 than Western Massachusetts where I'm from. It's all like me, 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.960 you would think all my hatred over the years towards 0:03:56.960 --> 0:04:00.280 the Patriots would actually lead to maybe lesser none. But 0:04:00.280 --> 0:04:02.920 I guess they enjoy the suffering that the Patriots have 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:06.560 rained down on me until this season. Also one other 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:09.080 reason why I think we connect Mark with Rhode Island. 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:14.600 It never ratified the Eighteenth Amendment prohibition. No, they said, no. 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:17.120 I like that, Like, we're out by the sea. We 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:18.880 do what we want to do. We're not signing up 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:23.560 for your hideous laws to try to truncate fund Again 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:25.320 that that was good. We have so much to get 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:45.840 for everyone. Road. When I learned to drive when I 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:47.640 was you know, when I got a licensed, I was 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:50.320 sixteen or so. Back then, like um, took a road 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:52.760 trip from Rhode Island is very close to where I 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:56.080 grew up in Like on the way back, well, let's 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:58.159 just be shut off. There was there were no maps 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:00.000 back then, like you there was no like phone map. 0:05:00.040 --> 0:05:01.800 I got so lost I did not get home to 0:05:01.880 --> 0:05:05.720 like four thirty in the morning. Some hideous highway. Surprising 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:09.040 because it's a state that only covers one thousand, two 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:12.200 d and fourteen square miles. It's wild to consider that 0:05:12.279 --> 0:05:15.200 we managed to colonize and then move all the way 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:18.200 West across America with no maps. And it's funny that 0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:21.200 you mentioned colonize because Rhode Island was the final colony 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:27.000 of the original thirteen. All right, great state, my favorite state. 0:05:27.680 --> 0:05:29.400 I always knew I like that state. Now I know 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:32.200 for sure I have a reason for it. Let's get 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:36.760 to the games. We'll start with the Saturday games. The 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:41.760 Washington Redskins, who um you know, for all tents and purposes, 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:45.440 their season ended when Alex Smith broke his leg. Uh, 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:47.480 and it was starting to trend in a wrong, wrong 0:05:47.800 --> 0:05:51.520 direction even before that. I'm a little surprised. It's a 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:53.920 little bit maybe this is where West would have jumped 0:05:53.920 --> 0:05:56.560 in no offense, shook and been excited about this Rhode 0:05:56.600 --> 0:06:00.520 Island thing, but a muted response. Overall, I feel the 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:04.320 number one podcast in that whole state. I think we're 0:06:04.360 --> 0:06:06.640 just we're humble. We're like looking to get forty nine 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:12.040 other states on that list. Right, was angry? Does Greg's annoying? 0:06:12.040 --> 0:06:13.680 I know why Greg's annoyed. I'm gonna tell you right now, 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:17.719 because calling it the most popular podcast Rhode Island is 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:20.680 not technically what their nerves was claiming. And Greg was 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:23.799 all over this. I actually only checked that because you asked. 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:25.960 Dan asked the question on Twitter, but you were like, 0:06:26.360 --> 0:06:28.359 so I went, technically, I went what I went, and 0:06:28.440 --> 0:06:31.479 I read the article. Yeah, and they said and he 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:33.760 was holding back from trying to reign on the parade 0:06:33.800 --> 0:06:36.960 with more factual nuance to the to this, to what 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:41.240 we present. You're right, I I could give to it 0:06:41.400 --> 0:06:44.560 about that. You've got a whole another podcast you care 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:47.599 about more so are you Are you debunking this this award? No, 0:06:47.680 --> 0:06:50.440 I'm not debunking it. I'm surprised Gregg held up this 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:52.960 long before bringing the rain. This is the true rainmaker 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:57.160 right here. I think it's fine. I mean, it's it's good. 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:00.360 I read it was a strange way they measured it. 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:03.000 It was just like which state are you more popular 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:07.520 in compared to all other states? It wasn't necessarily Yeah, 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:10.160 that's cool too. That that the road it's it means 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:13.200 the same. That's still Yeah. The Rhode Island people love 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:15.240 us well. I mean, if you think about it, this 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:18.720 is the New England area you're carrying this podcast right now, 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:22.840 that's you. I just figured like there's only like sevens 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:26.080 live in Rhode Island that this news is exciting too. 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:31.240 We have a bunch of game previews to get with 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:35.040 this thing. The Washington Redskins, they won sixteen thirteen over 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:38.800 the Jaguars, uh and with a bunch of other teams 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:42.680 in the wild card picture, losing with the Dallas Cowboys, 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:44.520 losing all of a sudden seven and seven with two 0:07:44.520 --> 0:07:46.800 to play gives you a faint pulse. And now they 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:51.160 travel to Tennessee to face the tight Tunes. Mark Sessler. 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:54.520 This is a Titans theme that's been impossible to figure 0:07:54.560 --> 0:07:57.240 out all season. But one thing we do know for sure. 0:07:57.600 --> 0:08:01.000 Three straight wins, including their last two victories by a 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:05.880 forty seven to nine margin. Are you now believing in 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:08.680 this Tennessee outfit in the final weeks of the regular season. 0:08:08.680 --> 0:08:11.480 I mean they've been hyper streaky. I like that they 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:14.160 the old Titans team of old we thought was just 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:16.840 gonna run the ball thirty times a game and try 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:19.440 to beat you up physically with their offensive line in 0:08:19.480 --> 0:08:22.360 their power sets and multiple tight ends and just you know, 0:08:23.040 --> 0:08:25.600 squeeze the life out of you. And the last the 0:08:25.680 --> 0:08:27.680 last two games. And I realized that that game against 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:29.880 the Giants last week, there was some a weather aspect 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:32.600 to that as well. But The split for Derrick Henry 0:08:32.679 --> 0:08:37.479 is simply unbelievably insane. Four eight yards and six touchdowns 0:08:37.480 --> 0:08:40.880 in his last two games before that, four hundred and 0:08:40.880 --> 0:08:44.880 seventy four yards and five touchdowns all season, So very 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:48.520 got hot. He they're hot. They they isn't just a 0:08:48.559 --> 0:08:50.360 fluke too. I know he had the long run against 0:08:50.360 --> 0:08:53.840 the Jaguars, but their offensive line put it to the 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:56.520 Giants last week, to the point where even Marcus Mariota 0:08:56.520 --> 0:08:59.040 on one play through a killer block to take out 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:03.079 a Giants defender. It was whoa well for a quarterback, 0:09:03.120 --> 0:09:06.199 it was he leveled him. Well, don't downplay this. This 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:09.079 is awesome. Well you're not. You're not a Titans guy, 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:10.760 so this is not a good development for you. But 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:15.360 put out his favorite team, the Giants last week. They 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:17.160 have a little bit of identity, and they're playing the 0:09:17.160 --> 0:09:20.600 Redskins at the right time. The Redskins have allowed four 0:09:20.679 --> 0:09:22.800 hundred yards rushing over the last two weeks and a 0:09:22.880 --> 0:09:24.480 hundred and thirty on the ground and six of the 0:09:24.559 --> 0:09:27.120 last seven games, so it's good timing. And if they 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:29.240 beat the Redskins, and if they ever found a way 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:32.680 to knock off the Cults next week, According to the 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:36.840 New York Times whole analytical business, they have a chance 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:39.360 of making the playoffs, so they yeah, they just basically 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:41.959 need the Ravens or the Steelers to lose one game 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:43.760 between the two of them. Too. Along with the possible 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:48.080 very possible, they're also a team that seems capable of 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:50.520 of being in the fourth quarter of this game, and 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:52.760 it's being way too close against Josh Johnson. I mean, 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:55.320 Josh Johnson winning last week a game on the road. 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:57.920 It was. It's kind of one of the more amazing 0:09:57.960 --> 0:10:00.920 things that's happened in the NFL this year for real. 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:03.360 I mean this Redskins team, like the Browns didn't win 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:06.840 a game period last year. Josh Johnson just won won one. 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:09.480 And I don't know, this Titans team just seems capable 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:11.679 of anything, Like I want this to be like an 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:15.320 ugly game that actually means something in the fourth quarter 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:17.959 and you start thinking like, could the Redskins actually enter 0:10:18.000 --> 0:10:20.120 Week seventeen with the pulse. But they're gonna be without 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:23.080 Jordan Reid, he's out, Monty Nicholson, their safety, was put 0:10:23.080 --> 0:10:25.600 on injured reserve this week. There's not really much reason 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:27.960 to believe they could do it. Other than that, the 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:30.120 Titans are as inconsistent as any team in the league. 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:32.720 Did you know that Josh Johnson was the fourth oldest 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:36.520 quarterback to ever win his first part? Read that in 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:40.800 our statistical manual who also finished ahead? And I don't 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:43.280 recall that, So you don't know everything? Do you know what? 0:10:43.320 --> 0:10:47.240 Maybe Vince Evans, Peter Brock, Stan Gelball Ball of Seattle 0:10:47.240 --> 0:10:51.760 Seahawks and Jamie Martin remember the old St. Louis Rams 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:54.200 in two thousand five. You know how you like, I 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:57.800 haven't heard of anything. You hear that phrase like this 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:00.000 is the team no one wants to see in the playoffs, 0:11:00.360 --> 0:11:02.760 like because they're dangerous. This is the game between the 0:11:02.800 --> 0:11:05.160 teams no one wants to see in the playoffs, just 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:07.959 because like they don't want to watch them, to watch 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:11.679 these teams, I mean, especially for the right and and 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:15.000 Derrick Ken you mentioned I haven't like Tennessee Titans haven't 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:18.080 carried people to fantasy championships out of nowhere since the 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:22.400 old Billy Vola Drew Bennett run of four out of nowhere. 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:25.840 Some something going on with the Titans were a bunch 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:28.680 of peoples of game that helped pay for a ticket 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:32.679 for me over to Japan where I met my wife. 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:36.240 Bullock and uh, I was in a highway. How did 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:39.280 you meet your wife in Japan? That's she was friends 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:41.600 with my best friend growing up. She was like in 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:44.200 his small circle of friends, you know, friends of college 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:45.960 and stuff. She went to college in the States. She 0:11:46.080 --> 0:11:50.120 was there, Billy Voi the matchmaker, Bam, I would I 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:52.880 wouldn't go with this. If I had to pick the 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:56.360 Titans in this week or the next week moving forward, 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:57.640 and had to put my life on it, I'd rather 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:03.360 fly a plane blind. Wow, that's the Titans. Absolutely not. 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:05.880 I mean you'd probably die. I would say. The Titans 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:08.280 at home against the Redskins doesn't seem that crazy. No, 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:10.680 that that's how a little confidence I have in the Titans, 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:13.360 just because they burned men that they have that. That's 0:12:13.360 --> 0:12:15.319 what West would say too if he was here, because 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:18.240 just they have a way of reeling people in and 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:20.160 then and laying a stink bomb. Let's see if it 0:12:20.160 --> 0:12:22.720 happens this week. Moving on the Baltimore Ravens. This is 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:25.440 the Saturday night game. Oh and it's a gorgeous Saturday 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:27.760 night game. Greg, I know you love it. You love it. 0:12:27.960 --> 0:12:30.840 This is the most interesting Ravens team I can remember 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:35.200 versus like the chance that Philip Rivers to become a legend. 0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:39.200 Eight and six, the Ravens are took care of business 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:43.360 against Tampa uh, and they are in playoff position. Uh. 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:45.760 They just need to close strong here and they have 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:48.080 to go to l A now to face the Chargers. 0:12:48.120 --> 0:12:50.680 And Nick, we know the last time we saw the Chargers, 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:52.000 who were coming off a little bit of a mini 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:55.600 by here, they had that tremendous um come back against 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:58.960 the Chiefs with the two point conversion. Phil Rivers waving 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:02.360 taunting the Chiefs fantasy jogged into the tunnel so high 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:05.720 times in Chargers Land. How do you see this one? 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.160 High times for a potential let down. And I'm one 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:10.880 of the biggest Charger proponents you'll find this year. They 0:13:11.040 --> 0:13:13.320 were my Super Bowl pick before this season because I 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:15.680 like to be I like to be wrong, and I 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:18.120 thought I'd be pretty wrong there. But no, I think 0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:20.439 this is a Charger team that got a huge win 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:23.000 last week and is facing a team that looks vastly 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:24.640 different than it did in the first half of the season, 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:28.000 and they might get caught just a little bit off guard, 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:29.480 but it is the biggest game the history of stuff 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:31.840 up center. I will say one thing that the Ravens 0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:36.160 galaxy and had some big games. Beckham brought a title 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:41.120 to the UH one year. It's also not even a 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:44.200 home field for the Chargers on any level. But despite that, 0:13:44.840 --> 0:13:47.520 I believe that they are going to take this and 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:50.720 I'm locking this up for the Chargers. It wasn't allow 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:52.520 to pick from. I feel good about that. The Ravens 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:55.480 are an interesting team now. I like I actually had 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:56.800 to look at a bunch of these games and say, 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:58.240 you can't lock this up, you can't lock this up. 0:13:58.280 --> 0:14:00.480 This one I feel good about. I think this is 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:03.480 um Why why wouldn't you pick against the Chargers the 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:06.280 way they're playing? All this good mojo? But I'm kind 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:07.800 of with shook a little bit here, Greg. Do you 0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:10.559 see the possibility of a little bit of a letdown 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:13.000 the Charges still going to the playoffs either way, they 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:15.600 could still take care of business next week at Denver 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:18.360 and and solidify themselves as a twelve and five teams. 0:14:18.360 --> 0:14:19.840 I don't even think it's a letdown. I just think 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:22.160 they're too relatively even teams. I mean, the Ravens just 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:25.000 went to Kansas City and took them to overtime. They 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:28.080 have a very defined style. The Chargers have the edge 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:30.240 that they had more days to prepare for this game, 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:32.520 and I think that's important because I think that Ravens 0:14:32.560 --> 0:14:35.000 are maybe the toughest team in the NFL to prepare 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:38.320 for right now. If you look at the offense is 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:41.160 certainly running a different scheme than just about anyone else 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:42.640 in terms of the way they run the ball and 0:14:42.680 --> 0:14:44.480 the way you have to prepare and the way Lamar 0:14:44.560 --> 0:14:48.160 Jackson's running ability gets receivers open, but even more on 0:14:48.320 --> 0:14:51.920 offense where the Chargers offensive line has been if he 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:54.440 I would say over the last few weeks, this is 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:57.560 a tough defense to prepare for all the protections. And 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:00.440 we don't know if Keenan Allen's gonna play, Melvin is 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:03.080 expected to be back, but I see these two teams 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:06.360 as playoff quality teams. Marlon Humphrey is playing unbelievable for 0:15:06.400 --> 0:15:08.880 the Ravens right now, and I don't know. I I 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:10.760 think it's a coin flip game. I give a little 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:13.120 edge to the Chargers, but not much. And you wonder 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:17.280 if the nature of not just this Charger season, which 0:15:17.400 --> 0:15:21.280 eleven and three and playing incredible ball. But also that 0:15:21.360 --> 0:15:24.600 prime time win is if there are Chargers fans in 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:28.080 this region where we're doing this podcast. Dude right now, 0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:31.480 will there will be Chargers since in that building filling 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:33.360 out that building? Or is it going to be an 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:36.440 invasion of Baltimore fans? They're not really like, yeah, that's 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:38.640 a good question. Two days before Christmas or the race 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:42.880 Ravens gonna travel anyways, think then it will then the 0:15:42.960 --> 0:15:45.680 Ravens fans will turn into maybe some empty seats, which 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:47.600 is even worse. But I mean there's no team with 0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:52.040 a more complex, you know, in relationship with a fan 0:15:52.080 --> 0:15:54.320 base that really is only two hours away, but many 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:56.240 of them would have no interest at this point. I 0:15:56.840 --> 0:15:58.680 I want to see the Chargers make the super Bowl 0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:01.160 just for that reason. One thing on the letdown, don't 0:16:01.280 --> 0:16:04.040 the letdown could have come after they beat the Steelers, 0:16:04.040 --> 0:16:05.680 the game that I thought they were gonna drop and 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:07.520 not show up to. They showed up to that, then 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:09.880 they showed up again. And so this one to me 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.800 is like they the Ravens have not dealt with a 0:16:12.880 --> 0:16:16.440 great run defense during this showy stretch and the and 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:18.480 the Charges onlike a lot of these other teams in 0:16:18.520 --> 0:16:21.480 the playoff by situation are very balanced. This is this 0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:23.680 is the biggest test for Lamar Jackson. I'm fascinating to 0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:26.280 see him, but I've seen in West has talked about it. 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:28.560 They've played a bunch of cupcake run defenses. Like I 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:31.720 get it, but they also aren't just okay, they're good 0:16:31.720 --> 0:16:34.680 at right destroying them. They're the best running teams you know, 0:16:35.040 --> 0:16:38.120 by some measures, in thirty years over the last five weeks, 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:40.040 so that's a lot. I mean it comes down to 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:42.680 from the point of a defender who's playing against the 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:45.160 Ravens is if you read pass and also Lamar pulls 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:48.080 it down to run. He's hit a surprising amount of 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:50.560 third and long passes, don't that many passing yards, but 0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:53.280 has a number of third and long conversions when teams 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:56.160 are just preventing looking to stop there. Is it unfair 0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:58.480 that Rivers is not getting pulled into the m v 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.120 P race at all. I'm putting him in there. I 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:03.040 think if he wins this, I don't think he's gonna win. 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:05.359 I think if he wins this game and Mahomes struggled 0:17:05.359 --> 0:17:08.080 in Seattle, I think he's got a real shot. Jared 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:10.520 Goff has limited himself from the running, so you take 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:14.040 the one more player out. I think it's Breeze, Rivers 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:17.439 and Mahomes And I mean and if if Philip and 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:20.440 in the Charges got the one seed after this closing stretch, 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:23.240 I think he gets it. Uh, let's move on to 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:25.679 a game. These are the Sunday games now in a 0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:28.680 game that had no business meaning nothing in Week six 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:30.680 team but that's just the way things shook out this year. 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:35.000 The five and nine Atlanta Falcons, who finally uh snapped 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:37.600 a five game losing streak by beating up on the 0:17:37.640 --> 0:17:41.280 wretched Cardinals, travel to Charlotte to face the Panthers, and 0:17:41.320 --> 0:17:46.720 it will not be a game that features Cam Newton Um. 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:50.480 The Panthers announced they were shutting down their star quarterback 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:53.120 at least this this week and most likely next week 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:56.480 as well, of course, with Taylor Heineke getting the start 0:17:56.520 --> 0:18:00.679 Greg So this is not a game the babe and glory. 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:02.880 I know, I feel like I want to like email 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:06.080 or you know, DM some you know what Panthers beat right, 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:08.440 and just think what they think of Taylor. Maybe Tyler 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:11.479 Heineke is gonna do some things. I don't know, I mean, 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:13.639 because I don't think this Panther's team has been that bad, 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:17.119 and and you hear some reports this week there's conflicting 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:20.479 reports about Rivera's future, But I know that defense played 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:23.560 their hearts out on Monday Night football. It is a 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:27.399 division game, and the Panthers winning with Tyler Taylor Heineke 0:18:27.920 --> 0:18:30.320 wouldn't shock me at this point. The way Kim Newton 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:33.520 was playing, I don't know, maybe better, and I know 0:18:33.680 --> 0:18:36.600 Ron Rivera is mostly in danger of losing his job, 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:41.479 but that team on defense played its ass off and 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:43.639 they kept you kept on thinking that then the Panthers 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:45.399 will come out and go three and out and the 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:48.080 Saints are that pretty good field possession position to be like, Okay, 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:49.879 now the Saints are gonna pull away, But no, the 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:53.479 Panthers kept on making stops, kept on putting pressure um 0:18:54.119 --> 0:18:57.399 on Drew Brees, and the offense just could not carry 0:18:57.440 --> 0:19:00.320 their side of this. So yeah, why I get a 0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:01.960 look at what a team can do with at least 0:19:02.000 --> 0:19:04.480 a healthy quarterback. Heineke's look like six ft one in 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:07.560 a totally different physical specimen than Cam Newton, so let's 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:10.400 see what that means. But the one thing about the Falcons, 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:13.440 like they've been utterly disappointing. And I know they played 0:19:13.480 --> 0:19:15.919 the Cardinals, maybe the worst team that we've seen in 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:20.280 half a decade. So put put all that pretty well. 0:19:20.400 --> 0:19:23.199 I actually think last year's Brown's team would wipe the 0:19:23.200 --> 0:19:25.840 floor with the Cardinals team that we see half the time. Honestly. 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:28.440 I mean, we find out that Hugh Jackson probably took 0:19:28.480 --> 0:19:31.400 five wins away from last year's Brown Steve Wilkes, that's 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:35.159 that's that is not something that we need and we're 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:37.040 not going to get it. But I think the Falcons 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:39.240 finally ran the ball with some huge players from Tevin 0:19:39.240 --> 0:19:42.159 Coleman last week, and so can they keep that going otherwise? 0:19:42.240 --> 0:19:44.320 I mean, we're two weeks away from putting both of 0:19:44.320 --> 0:19:46.960 these teams into the into a coffin and we'll see it, 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:49.200 you know, at the owner's meeting. So if I feel 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:51.320 like this Panther's team has been we're still talking about 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:54.520 this guy. We're going on. But that was good, Tevin Coleman, 0:19:54.600 --> 0:19:57.040 nugget Mark, and you have a nugget on. I just 0:19:57.200 --> 0:19:59.399 I'm really interested to see what Taylor how did he does? 0:19:59.440 --> 0:20:01.320 He hadn't started a games and fourteen when he was 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:04.800 at Old Dominion let's do it especially interesting. But I 0:20:04.800 --> 0:20:07.679 could also think of like twenty five things that are 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:10.520 more of a fascination to me than watching time. You know, 0:20:10.560 --> 0:20:12.440 Heineke played football and Sunday. But you know what, I'm 0:20:12.440 --> 0:20:15.080 sure we'll be quite intriguing. It'll be nice for everyone. 0:20:15.840 --> 0:20:18.159 Dan was thinking, like, that's where we can catch up. 0:20:18.200 --> 0:20:23.200 We've been pretty heavy and nah, there's some trash baggers 0:20:23.240 --> 0:20:26.640 coming up to The Cincinnati Bengals are six and eight, 0:20:27.240 --> 0:20:30.400 and uh, they beat the Raiders last week, but they're 0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:32.920 playing out the string again and maybe this is the 0:20:33.000 --> 0:20:36.560 end of Marvin Lewis. And since he well here, he 0:20:36.760 --> 0:20:39.600 is now traveling with his team to Cleveland to face 0:20:39.960 --> 0:20:45.040 the Browns Mark Sessler, who got Delta setback. They took 0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:48.720 care of business against the Broncos on Saturday, but then 0:20:48.800 --> 0:20:52.040 the Steelers beat the Pats, which really kind of closed 0:20:52.040 --> 0:20:56.040 the door, most likely on magic and a potential week seventeen. 0:20:56.200 --> 0:21:00.520