Speaker 1: The Around the NFL podcast, two media insiders and.
Speaker 2: Mark Sesssler from the Chris Wesley podcast studio. It's Around
Speaker 2: the NFL, and my mania is I'm mad that Greg
Speaker 2: somehow is claiming to be a median inside and that
Speaker 2: hasn't broken anything in his life but some dishes in
Speaker 2: kitchen over here? What's the track record? But I also
Speaker 2: don't like how it went for me, Well it went
Speaker 2: for you. The worst is like the lock competition. I
Speaker 2: just win, I just win.
Speaker 3: All right, here we are week fourteen. Can you believe
Speaker 3: it? It's juicy? I can.
Speaker 4: It feels like a lot like another life that we
Speaker 4: were like getting ready to go to London, and that
Speaker 4: was week six.
Speaker 3: Got that expense report in just under the.
Speaker 5: Deadmark Bule, when is it? I have not filed yet.
Speaker 5: When is the deadline?
Speaker 3: You're taking the loss? You're taking the fin had I
Speaker 3: filed it?
Speaker 5: I can promise I was taking it a massive l
Speaker 5: to begin with.
Speaker 2: We have this is the last bye week and it's
Speaker 2: the Cardinals and it is the command Commandos on by
Speaker 2: which Tommy's interesting because those teams, there's very few teams
Speaker 2: that are out of it because of just the nature
Speaker 2: the bottom of the playoff fields. Here, everyone seems to
Speaker 2: be pretty much alive for the most part, but those
Speaker 2: two teams aren't. So we're going to talk about a
Speaker 2: lot of games that, well, not all of them are
Speaker 2: are gorgeous in terms of matchup, intrigue and a lore.
Speaker 2: They all have meaning for the most part. So I mean,
Speaker 2: does everyone have playoff Yes, every single game.
Speaker 5: I would say, looking up and down the roster, yes,
Speaker 5: because I you know, my concern is there, like there
Speaker 5: there's no way not to discuss each of these games
Speaker 5: at length. Like the film Gandhi Have if you've ever
Speaker 5: seen it was three hours and eleven minutes long, starring
Speaker 5: Ben Kingsley, I believe this show might equal that runtime
Speaker 5: based on the that no games included.
Speaker 2: It's a challenge, who stinkers, it's the challenge it used
Speaker 2: to be. It used to be you would use site
Speaker 2: Gandhia's a long movie. Yeah, but now like an Iron
Speaker 2: Man movie seven and just can we just yeah rain
Speaker 2: it in? Holly Weird? Got that one? All right, let's
Speaker 2: get into we have the draft coming up, but uh,
Speaker 2: let's start.
Speaker 3: Let's start with the best game of the week.
Speaker 2: Yes, there are two incredible games on the schedule, and
Speaker 2: I'm mean incredible, and I had to give a little
Speaker 2: pop to the AI schedule makers.
Speaker 3: You know, for years we heard.
Speaker 2: About the the sweaty men in the office and Park
Speaker 2: Avenue locked in there for months at a time.
Speaker 4: And actually I used to visit that room. There weren't
Speaker 4: any women. So that's a bad job at the NFL.
Speaker 3: That's a problem for them. I worked right next to
Speaker 3: is three men.
Speaker 2: They just stuck him in there. It was actually they
Speaker 2: sealed the door, they opened up a latch. It would
Speaker 2: slide in food and drink and come out when the
Speaker 2: schedule may sense. We don't need to do that. In
Speaker 2: a Peter King would write a glowing profile and a
Speaker 2: way we go. Now you got the robots handling it. Yeah,
Speaker 2: the robots have been doing to have anybody noticing the
Speaker 2: back end of this regular season schedule. There is a
Speaker 2: hammer drop of a game or two every single week. Robots. Yeah,
Speaker 2: give the robit the credit. It took that technology to
Speaker 2: handle this. So let's start with Sunday night football. It
Speaker 2: is the Philadelphia Eagles at the Dallas Cowboys. It is, yes,
Speaker 2: certainly one of the most important and impactful games on
Speaker 2: the schedule this season because it really and of course
Speaker 2: there's a big three here in the San Francisco forty
Speaker 2: nine ers who just did their business trouncing the Eagles,
Speaker 2: dropping them to ten and two and making this a
Speaker 2: real foot race now for the number one seed, the
Speaker 2: all important number one seed. I'm not going to get
Speaker 2: ahead of myself, but I think the number one seed
Speaker 2: that gets the home field advantage that might be the
Speaker 2: difference between these three great teams.
Speaker 3: It's that important to get that number one seed.
Speaker 2: So now it's the Eagles looking hold on to place
Speaker 2: in the NFC East and the Cowboys Gregy looking to
Speaker 2: tie him, which a couple of weeks ago didn't seem possible,
Speaker 2: but the way the schedule set up here we does
Speaker 2: it seem possible.
Speaker 4: On this podcast the night the Eagles lost, I actually said,
Speaker 4: keep an eye out when these two teams play again.
Speaker 3: It's not in that long they'll probably.
Speaker 2: We should I should have had that clip played just
Speaker 2: setun But yes, I'm just.
Speaker 4: Saying the Eagles the Cowboys chances of getting the division
Speaker 4: that are over if they don't win this. So this
Speaker 4: is as big a game as as any team has
Speaker 4: this week. And and The Cowboys are favored by by
Speaker 4: three and a half in this game. That's pretty spicy. Uh,
Speaker 4: the over under is fifty two and a half. That's spicy.
Speaker 4: And I think the Eagles. The Cowboys are favored despite
Speaker 4: their recent history against the Eagles because there's such clear
Speaker 4: concerns for the Eagles, the secondary and the linebackers. We've
Speaker 4: talked about that it's just not it's a it's a
Speaker 4: whole group of players on this Eagles team that's playing
Speaker 4: below average.
Speaker 3: All the defensive numbers over the.
Speaker 4: Last half a season basically eight games are below average.
Speaker 4: They're a mediocre defense, and it's all because of that
Speaker 4: back end, and that back end having a match up
Speaker 4: against Jake Ferguson and who played really well against them,
Speaker 4: and the guys for the Cowboys passing game, and then
Speaker 4: it's the offensive running game. They're just not a great
Speaker 4: running team right now. They're not consistent enough actually trying
Speaker 4: to run. Part of that is Jalen Hurts isn't doing
Speaker 4: it as much, but a lot of it is just
Speaker 4: not committing to it and not being as explosive with
Speaker 4: DeAndre Swift as they were early in the year.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, we have this recent evidence of Philly's defense,
Speaker 5: which you know last year was such a dominant strength,
Speaker 5: being completely shredded by the other premier team in this conference.
Speaker 5: And Dallas right now is playing at that level where
Speaker 5: if you had doubts about them before, I don't now.
Speaker 5: And I mean Dak Prescott in his chase for the MVP,
Speaker 5: has been the most effective downfield thrower over the past
Speaker 5: month plus. He's been the best quarterback on third down.
Speaker 5: I feel like the stars in Dallas, their top heavy
Speaker 5: elements of the roster have been shining. And it's like
Speaker 5: they if you look at home and road splits don't
Speaker 5: really matter for chunks of teams, but it does.
Speaker 3: They do matter for the Cowboys.
Speaker 5: They have just been simply dominant at home and I
Speaker 5: you know, I guess in another universe, back in the
Speaker 5: eighties or nineties, i'd be concerned that they're head coach Zaddy.
Speaker 5: Mike McCarthy has been out with a you know, appendicit I.
Speaker 3: Don't love that. I don't love it. But but the
Speaker 3: thing is he's already back.
Speaker 5: And because now you know one thing that weis told
Speaker 5: us about append you know, appendix operations. Now they just
Speaker 5: stick a little tube in you and suck that appendix out.
Speaker 5: It's much easier.
Speaker 3: He's got how many of them? He's home. He's already
Speaker 3: home on zoom. What's wrong with your inside?
Speaker 5: He's already exactly, He's already home on zoom. Meetings Like,
Speaker 5: it's like, how does that really matter?
Speaker 4: We've also got dan Quinn, Senheimer, Mike Salari, who is
Speaker 4: around with like the Cowboys in the Night, the very
Speaker 4: experienced coaching staff, is my point.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is the biggest game of the year for
Speaker 2: the Cowboys. The head coach, who's the head of the enterprise.
Speaker 2: He also he was doubled over in agony at some point.
Speaker 2: I'm sure on Tuesday, Well, they set the hospital, Quinn said,
Speaker 2: like he walked by at one point they encountered each
Speaker 2: other because you know, McCarthy went to the office and
Speaker 2: have you ever encountered someone that was about to get us?
Speaker 3: I have not.
Speaker 5: I have when I was a child in the and
Speaker 5: it's like it's a ghost. The person becomes a ghost.
Speaker 2: So I'm saying, like that doesn't sound it seems like
Speaker 2: a bit of a distraction. Yeah, but they also there's
Speaker 2: a reason why dan Quinn's making like ten million dollars
Speaker 2: a year or whatever. Like, they have a nice staff
Speaker 2: in there to hold it down, so I'm not too
Speaker 2: worried about that. The Eagles, despite their issues on defense,
Speaker 2: which are considerable, they have allowed over two hundred and
Speaker 2: sixty passing yards per game. They've already allowed twenty seven
Speaker 2: passing touchdowns to their opponents this year.
Speaker 3: That's bottom four in the league.
Speaker 2: And Prescott, even in that narrow loss to the Eagles,
Speaker 2: lit him up for three seventy four and three touchdowns.
Speaker 2: It really sets up well here for Prescott not only
Speaker 2: to have another big game and move his team into
Speaker 2: first place, but also really I think take with all
Speaker 2: due respect to your boy, brock Purty, I think he
Speaker 2: becomes the MVP favorite with a big game and a
Speaker 2: big spot here. The Eagles, though they hold it in
Speaker 2: their hands. We've been talking about it for weeks that
Speaker 2: this killer, killer slate of games for the past month.
Speaker 2: They home against Cowboys at Kansas City Home, Buffalo home
Speaker 2: forty nine ers at Dallas. If they win this game,
Speaker 2: bye bye Dallas, because they will have swept them the
Speaker 2: head to head and then they get they come out
Speaker 2: of that gauntlet they have at Seattle home, Giants home
Speaker 2: Cardinals at Giants. They can win out and win the conference,
Speaker 2: and that is what they're thinking right now. They don't
Speaker 2: even give San Francisco a chance, who already have their
Speaker 2: third loss at Seattle.
Speaker 3: Not an easy game, though, I mean, not as hard
Speaker 3: as it looks.
Speaker 4: I hear what you're saying, but we're saying how great
Speaker 4: the Cowboys are at home and they just gave up
Speaker 4: thirty five points and had to win at the buzzer
Speaker 4: against the Seahawks. The part of that schedule that worries
Speaker 4: me most for feat Philadelphia is just the fatigue. It's
Speaker 4: not just the fact that the Cowboys are on extra
Speaker 4: rest and I've been on the extra rest bandwagon all season,
Speaker 4: and they've got the extra rest in this game, which
Speaker 4: I think is important. It's more of the mental extra
Speaker 4: rest of the Eagles have been playing these great teams
Speaker 4: week after week after week after week, and different injuries
Speaker 4: have been stacking up for them week after week. And
Speaker 4: maybe Dallas Goddard's back for this game, but I need
Speaker 4: a little more out of their star pass rushers. That's
Speaker 4: who's looked fatigued to me, and they're playing a Cowboys
Speaker 4: offensive line that's been peaking because for all the attention
Speaker 4: on the back end, like the guys up front need
Speaker 4: to be special, and Jalen Card has been great and
Speaker 4: like it's not a single person that's been bad, but
Speaker 4: as a group, they've just been good and they need
Speaker 4: to be amazing.
Speaker 3: That's sort of how their team is built.
Speaker 4: And if they're not amazing, Dak's gonna have a ton
Speaker 4: of time. And I just have zero concerns right now
Speaker 4: about this Cowboys offense. I think I'm not gonna bring
Speaker 4: out the rain maker, but the over under to me,
Speaker 4: this is gonna be a score fist, just like both
Speaker 4: of these teams to score a lot.
Speaker 5: Can I ask a dumb question because I don't like
Speaker 5: I kind of hate this conversation.
Speaker 3: But it's like Dak Prescott.
Speaker 5: You can like look at EPA, you can look at
Speaker 5: all these stats and the stuff, and he and he
Speaker 5: lines up as an MVP, but like go back to
Speaker 5: the days of like Troy Ampion, like like quarterbacks from
Speaker 5: the past two would win these awards.
Speaker 3: It's like I don't think he ever won a.
Speaker 5: Well, but I mean, but I would talk about like
Speaker 5: Cowboys quarterbacks like in huge moments against division rivals, like
Speaker 5: Dak cannot go h to two against the Eagles and
Speaker 5: make a large argument to win MVP based off of
Speaker 5: metrics and stats and a bunch of pff. You gotta
Speaker 5: win this also for the story of the Cowboys, and
Speaker 5: it's not just on it's for the entire team.
Speaker 4: You cannot go if made the easiest schedule in the
Speaker 4: NFL according to d v o A so far the Cowboys,
Speaker 4: So yeah, they need they need a big time signature
Speaker 4: any and to it. You know, to his credit, he
Speaker 4: had to put up forty to beat this.
Speaker 3: Making a point. He had to score game.
Speaker 4: He had to score a touchdown in every drive against
Speaker 4: the Seahawks essentially, and he did it.
Speaker 2: He had to put a well he's been doing it, like,
Speaker 2: but this is kind of where it intersects.
Speaker 4: Can deron Bland respond a little bit too, by the way,
Speaker 4: after a disastrous game, because that's where the Eagles can
Speaker 4: put up thirty plus is I think they still have
Speaker 4: big time edges.
Speaker 5: He's getting killed this week and it's like, I'm sorry,
Speaker 5: what could he have not done more for this team
Speaker 5: this season?
Speaker 2: Hey, that's life with the Dallas Cowboys. Gregy revealed is
Speaker 2: an anti iron sharpens iron.
Speaker 3: Guy in a big spot.
Speaker 2: The Eagles time teams a little iron sharpens iron.
Speaker 3: I'm just saying, think not, they're like getting fatigued.
Speaker 4: I could see them losing this game and still making
Speaker 4: the super Bowl, but like this is the little part
Speaker 4: of their season where they're just a little.
Speaker 5: You don't think the Giants and their players are fatigued.
Speaker 5: Who they played twice? Like the Giants players are like
Speaker 5: get me to get me.
Speaker 3: To they're coming off a bay bye.
Speaker 4: I'm just saying, you play the best teams week after
Speaker 4: week and all these snaps.
Speaker 3: But just in term of physics, Yeah, would iron sharp
Speaker 3: and iron.
Speaker 5: I think it's I think that's technically true.
Speaker 3: Let them well leave it there. That's a good way
Speaker 3: to end the analysis of the game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, from a metal angle, like we nailed it, Yeah,
Speaker 2: buttoned it up all right.
Speaker 3: The two Monday night football games.
Speaker 2: So let's start with the one that doesn't look too
Speaker 2: good in terms of a competitive angle, the Tennessee Titans
Speaker 2: traveling to Miami to face the Dolphins.
Speaker 5: Miami.
Speaker 2: I think we mentioned, yeah, the Cowboys getting plenty of
Speaker 2: love from Vegas. The Dolphins are getting thirteen here, and
Speaker 2: they're getting thirteen here because of what they did to
Speaker 2: the Commanders. Now, Washington is a joke defensively and we
Speaker 2: know that, and they have a secondary that's as bad
Speaker 2: as any team in the league. So that was the
Speaker 2: perfect setup for Miami to get right and once again
Speaker 2: say look at us, we're the bad boys. We got
Speaker 2: to the MVP candidate, We got Tyreek the MVP candidate,
Speaker 2: two thousand yard contender. Can they do it again in primetime?
Speaker 2: Or does mister vrabel have something up his sleeve? Dark Sessler, Well.
Speaker 3: I don't care what's up his sleeve.
Speaker 5: Like, I think you've got major problems dealing with the Dolphins' offense.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 5: Sam Munson from PFF I loved what he said about
Speaker 5: watching that Commander's game and this happens to other teams too,
Speaker 5: that it looked as if the Commander's defense had never
Speaker 5: seen Tyreek Hill before that they they went out there
Speaker 5: to play a football game and had never accounted him
Speaker 5: on any level. And like, I think he does that
Speaker 5: to teams and it's like, well, yeah, this true. This
Speaker 5: they have a cheat code here, and I like, I
Speaker 5: think the Tennessee Titans, you know, at home, have been tough,
Speaker 5: but I don't like this situation at all for them,
Speaker 5: and you're talking about Actually, I think with Jalen Phillips out,
Speaker 5: I still think this Dolphins defense has been competent. It
Speaker 5: looked good last week. Guys like Andrew van Ginkel are
Speaker 5: like stepping up and firing off, and like, I think
Speaker 5: this is where the Dolphins kind of dig in and
Speaker 5: say we're not gonna relinquish this spot in the AFC.
Speaker 3: Weird spot.
Speaker 4: Two games at the same time, so different than the
Speaker 4: other Monday Night doesn't Is that.
Speaker 5: Only annoying to me? I know it annoys you a
Speaker 5: little bit dimptly. That kind of knocks it out. You
Speaker 5: got one screen there, and you got one screen on
Speaker 5: the TV, and the way we got now you're pro
Speaker 5: like double Monday night game.
Speaker 3: Well, now it's week fourteen.
Speaker 4: It's weird to drop it in suddenly in week fourteen.
Speaker 4: I think they're the ESPN has showing you they value
Speaker 4: Packers Giants high because that's where they're sending buck An Akman.
Speaker 4: We got Fowler, Riddick and or Labskian Ruttledge. I've liked
Speaker 4: this group too, this Dolphins offense, like we know who
Speaker 4: they are and this is the perfect matchup the Titans
Speaker 4: are a great example of Mike Rabele not having anything
Speaker 4: up as sleep by the way his defense is traditionally
Speaker 4: in Tennessee, a little disappointing and how useless it is.
Speaker 4: The Patriots are another one to have a great run
Speaker 4: defense because they're the number one run defense in the
Speaker 4: NFL and they're thirtieth against the pass, Like, where is.
Speaker 3: That going to get you? Overall? Like twenty fifth.
Speaker 4: It's not like it balances out to being average out
Speaker 4: to being terrible. They give up so many big plays.
Speaker 4: I think the Commanders are one of the only teams
Speaker 4: they give up more big plays. So it's a perfect matchup.
Speaker 4: Being able to stop the run doesn't really matter that
Speaker 4: much against the Dolphins.
Speaker 3: Who who's still all run? And I'm with you, the
Speaker 3: defense has been excellent.
Speaker 4: The numbers would say the Dolphins are one of the
Speaker 4: best defenses in the league over the last seven or
Speaker 4: eight weeks. That's largely, I believe, because of the matchups.
Speaker 4: But it just shows that they're a very good defense.
Speaker 4: That they've caught up with their guy Vick.
Speaker 2: And that's kind of a trait of Fangio defenses to
Speaker 2: take up take a little bit.
Speaker 3: Of time to season, and then they get rolling.
Speaker 2: Tyreek Hill leads the NFL with eighty one yards twelve tds.
Speaker 3: Already he is three hundred yards clear to.
Speaker 2: Ninety ninety be exact of the next closest receiver, which
Speaker 2: is Ceedee Lamb.
Speaker 3: So he is there.
Speaker 2: You have to have any chance, and it's happened, by
Speaker 2: the way. So let's not act like because the commanders
Speaker 2: are a joke. Let's not like no one has been
Speaker 2: able to take Tyreek Hill out of the game plan
Speaker 2: in any way. Like He's had games that where he
Speaker 2: wasn't completely out of control. So if you can do that,
Speaker 2: you force to to look elsewhere. But here's the thing,
Speaker 2: like the fact that you can now bring a chan
Speaker 2: out of the injury mix and he immediately goes over
Speaker 2: one hundred total yards with two more touchdowns. With all
Speaker 2: that speed, he might be the second fastest guy. It's
Speaker 2: almost unfair. So it's really Mike McDaniel has this, all
Speaker 2: these weapons, and the Titans have to find a way
Speaker 2: to just hold them down and hope Derek Henry has
Speaker 2: one of those turnback the clock games. I think that's
Speaker 2: what it comes down to, unless you think Will Levis
Speaker 2: has another big time game in him, but I'm not
Speaker 2: so sure.
Speaker 5: Now I see Will Levis is a very interesting watch
Speaker 5: and there's some hope there for the future. I just
Speaker 5: don't think it happens this week. And again to the
Speaker 5: Dolphins defense. They've allowed under twenty one points five games
Speaker 5: in a row, in under seventeen and four of those
Speaker 5: they're amping up. And so you're asking the tightens with
Speaker 5: a rookie quarterback and Derek Henry, you know, he's sounds
Speaker 5: like he'll play, but he was banged up last week
Speaker 5: in the protocol and all that business, and like.
Speaker 4: I think they sit very straight to not acussion. They
Speaker 4: said he was not in the product.
Speaker 3: But he played well last week, so they still have that.
Speaker 5: But it's like in general, like you're asking teams against
Speaker 5: Miami that leads the league with six point nine yards
Speaker 5: per play, which is the most by any team in
Speaker 5: the Super Bowl era outside of the Kurt Warner Rams.
Speaker 5: In two thousand, to keep up in a massive.
Speaker 4: Boat race housekeeping, they gave Austin Jackson the Dolphins a
Speaker 4: three year, thirty six million dollar extension with twenty point
Speaker 4: seven guaranteed. According to our guy Ian Rapport, a little
Speaker 4: surprising based on how his career started. But they're sort
Speaker 4: of splitting the difference of trying to get some good
Speaker 4: value as his career.
Speaker 3: That's up there with us as improved with Dan salary.
Speaker 2: It's in the in the ballpark, really, my agent, incredible work.
Speaker 2: The Dolphins also have destiny in their hands, certainly in
Speaker 2: the AFCEE.
Speaker 3: So if they just take care of business and they.
Speaker 2: Beat the Titans on Monday night, stump the Jets at
Speaker 2: home the next week, that gets them to eleven and three,
Speaker 2: and then you put it in a situation where the
Speaker 2: Bills basically have to go nuclear not lewing again and
Speaker 2: including that week eighteen. So just take care of your
Speaker 2: business in the next two weeks and you basically close
Speaker 2: off Buffalo from making Week eighteen dramatic. Okay, final game, Greg,
Speaker 2: you mentioned it. It's Packers favored by six.
Speaker 3: And a half.
Speaker 2: Demon this one's at the meadow Lands and they're a
Speaker 2: little bit We know the Packer side of things, and
Speaker 2: this is yes, as you mentioned Buck Akman Psalters, we
Speaker 2: know that the Packers are playing at a very high level.
Speaker 2: They are the team that kind of has arisen in
Speaker 2: the NFC.
Speaker 3: Is real interesting.
Speaker 2: Five hundred team, and they feel like a team that
Speaker 2: could just keep winning, and all of a sudden, they're
Speaker 2: the team you don't want to see in the playoffs.
Speaker 2: The Giants are the Giants. I'll just mention Greg that
Speaker 2: a little bit of surprise. Tommy DeVito, who was kind
Speaker 2: of a almost like the mascot of this lost Giant
Speaker 2: season and all those Italians in Jersey loving it, he
Speaker 2: kept He's keeping the starting job for another week, even
Speaker 2: though Tyrod Taylor is healthy.
Speaker 3: Taylor not thrilled about it. I get it.
Speaker 4: Kind of heartbreaking for Tyrod Taylor. He's just had so
Speaker 4: much bad luck through the years. You could see the disappointment.
Speaker 4: You know, he breaks his ribs right when he gets
Speaker 4: a chance to start, and then DeVito comes in. We
Speaker 4: might see Tyrod again, but Devido's played well enough that
Speaker 4: you can't kill them for just keeping it going.
Speaker 3: He's also going to be on the team next year.
Speaker 2: It's like a gift to the Giant fans, like, we
Speaker 2: know we botched the season.
Speaker 3: One more week.
Speaker 4: He's have to tell him, right exactly, he's a potential
Speaker 4: backup on this team next year, and Tyrod's probably not
Speaker 4: on the team this year. They did win two games
Speaker 4: before they'reby and they do have Saquon Barkley here against
Speaker 4: what's been a shaky, historicly shaky Joe Berry Packers defense defense.
Speaker 4: So if you were looking to keep it closer than
Speaker 4: six and a half, like that is your route to
Speaker 4: do it. The Giants have been a little feistier lately.
Speaker 5: I mean, I think the Packers are sort of like
Speaker 5: the story of the past two or three weeks in
Speaker 5: the NFL, and like this we talked about like the
Speaker 5: Texans being the AFC version of that, and the Packers.
Speaker 3: I think Matt Lafleur has coached the two.
Speaker 5: Best games I've ever really I give them more credit
Speaker 5: over the past two games than I would have at
Speaker 5: any other point in his career in terms of like
Speaker 5: coaching up a young quarterback about quarterback development, like Jordan
Speaker 5: Love is becoming this like star before our eyes, and
Speaker 5: they've found a way, like team building wise, to surround
Speaker 5: him with all these young players.
Speaker 2: People are ready to run him out of the building.
Speaker 2: Laflora about a month and a half ago.
Speaker 3: It's just that's how it works. Let's coach work with
Speaker 3: the young.
Speaker 5: I just I'm not quite certain what they can accomplish.
Speaker 5: I guess you worry about a young team like this.
Speaker 5: Could there be like a letdown game on the road
Speaker 5: on Monday night.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 2: I mean they keep going, they keep going left and
Speaker 2: right and like showing who they are over.
Speaker 3: You're not sure what they can't accomplish because I think,
Speaker 3: I don't say, because I think they could do.
Speaker 5: I think they could go win multiple playoff games in
Speaker 5: a weird NFC.
Speaker 3: You think that, you think they're in the neighborhood of
Speaker 3: the Big Three. I think, I think, I don't know.
Speaker 3: I can't go that far.
Speaker 2: I can't go there with I know, but like that
Speaker 2: multiple playoff teams, one of those Big three, I.
Speaker 3: Think that's possible. Maybe two. I think it's possible.
Speaker 5: Well I think you get no, you get into a
Speaker 5: like a wild card round game, but that one of
Speaker 5: these ham and Eggers and like I'm not and then
Speaker 5: they could beat the Lions for.
Speaker 3: That works, They're going to be playing one of those teams.
Speaker 2: I think they I think they can do it, Like
Speaker 2: they just beat the Chiefs. We're talking about the but
Speaker 2: we're talking about the Chiefs. It's a crazy team and
Speaker 2: they just beat the Chiefs.
Speaker 5: There is Also, it's not just Jordan Love and the
Speaker 5: wide receivers, like their defense, it's the whole team seems
Speaker 5: to be growing together at once. And it's like, I
Speaker 5: think that that's the kind of team in a weird NFL,
Speaker 5: in a bad NFL and a mediocre and a couch
Speaker 5: like they could It is like they could like go
Speaker 5: in and steal playoff game or two.
Speaker 3: No problem. My big problem with.
Speaker 4: That potential big loss that Christian Watson, that that hamstring
Speaker 4: injury did not look good to end Sunday Night football
Speaker 4: and he's not practicing. But they could get back Aaron
Speaker 4: Jones and JayR Alexander. So you're losing one of your
Speaker 4: best players, but you are getting back two of your
Speaker 4: best players, and you're right, Like Jordan Love to me,
Speaker 4: is one of the top five stories of the season
Speaker 4: right now.
Speaker 3: His arc.
Speaker 4: We actually talked about that contract the way it was
Speaker 4: locked in a couple of months ago, is like, no,
Speaker 4: they're not going to get rid of them probably no
Speaker 4: matter what, because the contract is sort of splitting the
Speaker 4: difference enough where it's really not that much. Now that
Speaker 4: contract looks like a bargain and there's actually talk of
Speaker 4: like do we want to extend him right now?
Speaker 3: Do we want to?
Speaker 4: Don't even don't even worry about keeping the bargain next year.
Speaker 4: You'll probably wait till the offseason. But that let's just
Speaker 4: get him signed up long term. It's kind of crazy.
Speaker 4: You're right, how much five weeks changes everything.
Speaker 3: I just make it clear.
Speaker 2: I am also enjoying this Packer rise, but I also
Speaker 2: think the NFC has the top three Super Bowl contenders
Speaker 2: like across the entire league, and so for them to
Speaker 2: get to that point would be surprising to me. But
Speaker 2: if they get a nice matchup in round one and
Speaker 2: they can they beat the Lions or something in the
Speaker 2: in the wildcard round, wouldn't stun me?
Speaker 3: Yeah, that wouldn't stun me. Get there, it would be
Speaker 3: shocking if.
Speaker 5: They knocked off the Cowboys or Niners or Eagles, it
Speaker 5: would be. But can they win a playoff game or
Speaker 5: they that? Are they that kind of team? Absolutely? Like that,
Speaker 5: like literally would be. That's what I'm saying, Like.
Speaker 4: We have five weeks to talk about it, But that
Speaker 4: Packers Lions end of the season matchup, just like last year,
Speaker 4: could set up up this time it would set up
Speaker 4: a potential rematch and again the Lions might have a
Speaker 4: chance to kind of knock the Packers out.
Speaker 3: And I think it matters that they're really well like
Speaker 3: they are.
Speaker 5: I think Matt Lafleur, who I always thought, like, are
Speaker 5: you just riding on the cotails of Aaron Rodgers in
Speaker 5: years past two MVP campaigns, Like, I think this is
Speaker 5: a good coach. Like I think he's proven this year
Speaker 5: the same way that Sean mcvadamie has that he's done
Speaker 5: a lot with what people thought wouldn't be much.
Speaker 2: Jordan Love getting hot in Philly in an early round game.
Speaker 5: I could see it the Jets beat Philly. I mean,
Speaker 5: crazy stuff can occur down the road.
Speaker 2: Absolutely one game. Let's take a break and then we
Speaker 2: will get to the draft. Yeah right, Welcome back to
Speaker 2: Around the NFL the Week fourteen preview. It is time
Speaker 2: now for the first overall pick presented by DraftKings.
Speaker 3: And I'll tell you what I have had bad luck.
Speaker 2: Whenever I'm up first, there never seems to be a banger.
Speaker 3: Finally that comes to an end because you picked a
Speaker 3: lot of Eric Fishers.
Speaker 2: I got a lot of Eric Fishers over the past
Speaker 2: few years, a lot of Luke Jogals. Now it's time
Speaker 2: to pick the Buffalo Bills traveling to Kansas City to
Speaker 2: face the Chiefs. The six and six Bills, who have
Speaker 2: had two weeks to just sit with an absolutely horrific
Speaker 2: thirty seven thirty four lost to the Eagles, a game
Speaker 2: they desperately, desperately needed, and somehow they find a way
Speaker 2: to lose that game in overtime. And it's a real
Speaker 2: test of Sean McDermott and that coaching staff and their
Speaker 2: ability to have this team locked in, prepared and ready
Speaker 2: to win this game.
Speaker 3: Because if you don't win in Arrowhead, you gown.
Speaker 2: You gotta find a way here, Greg, and I know
Speaker 2: you were saying, don't count out the Bills. I'm not
Speaker 2: counting out the Bills, but they can't keep losing every week.
Speaker 2: And then we're saying, oh, well, they got to run
Speaker 2: in and they at some point, you're gonna have to
Speaker 2: really show the world who you are. And I have
Speaker 2: to go, when's the last time, Greg, the Bills showed
Speaker 2: the world that they're the Bills. You might have to
Speaker 2: go all the way back to Week four against the
Speaker 2: Dolphins when they had a big time opponent and they
Speaker 2: said this is who we are. They need to do
Speaker 2: that here. And the good news here, Greg is that
Speaker 2: the Chiefs are vulnerable. We don't need to overstate it
Speaker 2: at this point because yes, their defense is very good,
Speaker 2: but Josh Allen is a cheap code. When he's playing
Speaker 2: at a high level, he can make the Chiefs look
Speaker 2: mortal on defense.
Speaker 3: And we know if this turns into a shootout.
Speaker 2: It's crazy saying this, but mahomes at home, I don't
Speaker 2: think he could keep up in a shootout. I'm challenging
Speaker 2: the Kansas City Chiefs to keep up in a shootout
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty three because at a certain point, you
Speaker 2: are who you are and that's what they've shown us
Speaker 2: all year. I just it just makes me feel uncomfortable.
Speaker 2: As my mother would say, the sky Yeah. Well, and
Speaker 2: again I'm not anti Chiefs.
Speaker 4: It just feels very strange like they're only favored by
Speaker 4: two and a half in this game over under his
Speaker 4: forty seven and a half. It's very low for these
Speaker 4: two teams in the past, and this is going into
Speaker 4: the season maybe the worst version of the game, this
Speaker 4: game that you would expect eight and four Chiefs aren't
Speaker 4: great on offense, six and six pills, and yet because
Speaker 4: of that, it actually puts more real weight on it. Yeah,
Speaker 4: like it's important to get seeding and all that, which
Speaker 4: this game would have been in previous years. But it's
Speaker 4: like the Bill season is on the line. They're disappointing run,
Speaker 4: they're lackluster defense with a ton of injuries. They're erratic offense,
Speaker 4: with Allen for five or six games of this season
Speaker 4: I think being the best quarterback in the league. But
Speaker 4: the other games obviously that not happening, including Philadelphia, which
Speaker 4: to me that was a sign of like, oh, is
Speaker 4: he going to do it?
Speaker 3: Is he just going to start running all the time now?
Speaker 4: And is he going to put this team on his
Speaker 4: back and just be the best quarterback in the league,
Speaker 4: Because about halfway through that Jets game, through that Eagles game,
Speaker 4: that's what I felt he was.
Speaker 3: And so I'm with you.
Speaker 4: Even though the Bills are underdogs by two and a
Speaker 4: half in this game. I like the Bills in their
Speaker 4: last stand. And every time I do this against the Chiefs,
Speaker 4: I get it wrong, you know, like whenever you doubt them,
Speaker 4: like in a home, big spot.
Speaker 3: Although they did lose to the Eagles, you know those
Speaker 3: only a few weeks ago in a big spot. You
Speaker 3: picked those Bills too, you were dying in that newsroom. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and I I still I'm not giving up on them.
Speaker 4: I'm I'm I'm still thinking that they can get it done.
Speaker 4: And again, an extra week arrest does not hurt at
Speaker 4: this time of year.
Speaker 5: It is interesting to think that, you know, coming out
Speaker 5: of out of this weekend of football, either the Chiefs
Speaker 5: will be eight and five or the Bills will be
Speaker 5: six and seven, that that wasn't something that we saw coming.
Speaker 5: So you're right, the stakes for this game are different
Speaker 5: than were they, Like Vine for that the buye, it's
Speaker 5: like the Bills are essentially executed if they can't win this.
Speaker 5: Maybe maybe not mathematically, and keep talking about the but
Speaker 5: it's like yeah, in a way in the sense for
Speaker 5: real for me, like you can't if they.
Speaker 3: But not for real, well, no, they would.
Speaker 5: They would continue to exist in Western New York. They're
Speaker 5: probably really nice speaking.
Speaker 2: Which I need to offer an apology. I called uh
Speaker 2: squid games? Is that what it's called? You had the
Speaker 2: wrong country attack? I called the Japanese It is a
Speaker 2: South Korean product.
Speaker 5: But also I'd say a good game, you know, and
Speaker 5: Greg has a lot of you know, he knows a
Speaker 5: lot about the Japanese culture. Didn't jump into correct, that's
Speaker 5: what people were saying. I'm not saying that. You know
Speaker 5: what people are saying. You know what people good?
Speaker 2: Call Greg, Come on, Bud, help me out. You've been
Speaker 2: to Japan many many times now? How many TV shows
Speaker 2: doing your wife is Japanese? You got to jump in
Speaker 2: and help me out there and say, well, I know,
Speaker 2: I know my Japanese exports and that's not one of them.
Speaker 3: But hung me out to dry, maybe on purpose.
Speaker 5: You're a diet American and we don't we don't doubt that.
Speaker 3: I don't know what's.
Speaker 2: Going on outside the borders, multicultural, and it would have
Speaker 2: been a nice you.
Speaker 4: To help I've I've last watched like a TV show
Speaker 4: that was not part of what Patrick Cleaban would be
Speaker 4: called The The Shavers on Netflix, like you know, about
Speaker 4: a year ago. So you can't ask me, I'm that
Speaker 4: means that's the ultimatum queer love, that's love is blind.
Speaker 3: You know those are the only shows you watch. I
Speaker 3: mean in terms of like TV shows lately, it's been
Speaker 3: a while. You know, if you just invite us over
Speaker 3: your house once, we could.
Speaker 2: Have a nice little sporting sports a little reality.
Speaker 5: You know, I don't know where to go with this. Well, no,
Speaker 5: I I think I was suggesting that the bills to me.
Speaker 3: Oh should be executed.
Speaker 5: Well yeah, because if you can't, if you can't handle
Speaker 5: this spot. Although like they are a different team on
Speaker 5: the road, Like how many weeks, I mean, it keeps
Speaker 5: saying Josh Allen's it's the best team in the AFC
Speaker 5: no matter what.
Speaker 4: Even if they win there, they have the Cowboys next week,
Speaker 4: so it's still it just stays very difficult.
Speaker 3: But I'm with you, they are We should know.
Speaker 4: Von Miller, who Dan you know mentioned last week on
Speaker 4: the show after his domestic violence arrest, is expected to
Speaker 4: play in this game. I'm a little surprised by Well, that's.
Speaker 5: The weird thing with the NFL because like the case
Speaker 5: is sitting in a place, right they haven't ruled on it,
Speaker 5: and it's awkward to have them go out there. But
Speaker 5: it's like from a football angle, purely, like the von
Speaker 5: Miller's kind of not really been a.
Speaker 3: Factor that precedent, right, And that's the problem.
Speaker 5: Like I think, like you you've got you're getting a
Speaker 5: good version of Josh Allen in some of these games,
Speaker 5: but not always the one you want. But I will
Speaker 5: say under Joe Brady, I don't know if it's because
Speaker 5: like we have no other choice to do this at
Speaker 5: this point, but what nine rushes for Josh Allen in
Speaker 5: their last performance, like he like they were trying to
Speaker 5: kind of shy away from that and not have that
Speaker 5: be an element of their offense.
Speaker 3: But you don't have a choice.
Speaker 4: Now it's mostly him because it's not like they're called
Speaker 4: then there's a design runner too, and they've worked. But
Speaker 4: he also, I think, is kind of like, Okay, it's
Speaker 4: go time. I gotta start running. Remember he did that
Speaker 4: his rookie year. Suddenly it was like, oh wow, Josh
Speaker 4: Allen is awesome, and it's like at the end of
Speaker 4: every season, Josh Allen's like, Okay, it's go time. I
Speaker 4: need to just start running. And I have I have
Speaker 4: concerned You mentioned the good Chiefs depens. Are they a
Speaker 4: good defense? Like they started a good they've been they
Speaker 4: have been bread They're they're twenty fifth in the league
Speaker 4: since thereby according to EPA. I mean that's only three games,
Speaker 4: it's a small sample size, but they haven't been a
Speaker 4: difference maker. Nick Bolton is expected to return, which I
Speaker 4: think is really big for them because they lost Drew
Speaker 4: Tranquil and they've been just injured at that position. But
Speaker 4: they might not have their left tackle Donovan Smith. A
Speaker 4: man named Janya Morris so I was not familiar with
Speaker 4: played forty two to make or something and graded out
Speaker 4: very well, So maybe they.
Speaker 2: Don't need Donovan's If the Chiefs defense isn't good, they're
Speaker 2: going ten and seven, they're going.
Speaker 3: Home in the middle of January.
Speaker 4: And are they like, you know, a huge difference maker.
Speaker 4: They haven't been against, Like the best office.
Speaker 3: Is the Chiefs? What are you?
Speaker 5: I think they are just what we're watching all right.
Speaker 3: By the way, this is for Eric producer Eric.
Speaker 2: The Bills have never lost after the bye under Sean McDermott.
Speaker 2: The Bills also have the fifth highest point differential plus
Speaker 2: one oh one.
Speaker 3: So those are positives.
Speaker 2: That's like, what's your fan confidence one to ten right now?
Speaker 3: Uh? Six? Okay, I take that on the road in
Speaker 3: Kansas City.
Speaker 4: I would take that Andy Reid sixteen and one in
Speaker 4: December with these Chiefs teams.
Speaker 3: So there's like ashing historical.
Speaker 2: Stats and finally they're gonna have to put Romo Josh
Speaker 2: Allen v.
Speaker 3: Patrick Mahomes in Arrowhead.
Speaker 2: You have to put him on a delay, like a
Speaker 2: two second delay, just because there's gonna be kids watching.
Speaker 2: And it's not like it's this is not silk stockings, right,
Speaker 2: this is yeah, this is in channel ninety nine.
Speaker 3: With the scrambler box.
Speaker 2: This this is this is America watching this game, and
Speaker 2: we need to be clean.
Speaker 3: Tony I even together.
Speaker 5: I will come out of this game giving Romo some
Speaker 5: credit because at this point he has covered I think
Speaker 5: roughly seven seventy five Patrick Mahomes games, and it's like
Speaker 5: you have to keep coming up with new things to say.
Speaker 5: He doesn't that that's the problem.
Speaker 3: But it's Jim. I think he's having a nice comeback season.
Speaker 3: I know you keep saying that, but I think he's
Speaker 3: actually you.
Speaker 2: Can see I think he saw everyone was getting on him,
Speaker 2: and you could see going into the games. He has
Speaker 2: these little nuggets where that showed he did a little
Speaker 2: bit of Jim.
Speaker 3: Jim. Look he's doing it only I mean get it,
Speaker 3: Chiefs fans.
Speaker 4: I had to watch Phil Simms do seventy five thousand
Speaker 4: Tom Brady games.
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Speaker 5: All right, second, overall pay we got to pick up
Speaker 5: the I like, I'm gonna go Seattle at San Francisco.
Speaker 3: Interesting, uh late game.
Speaker 5: I I kind of feel like we've talked so much
Speaker 5: about the Niners at this point that it's like, can
Speaker 5: you just keep it going? And you're kind of in
Speaker 5: a place where you could take Seattle almost completely out
Speaker 5: of the picture at this point. I what's happening to
Speaker 5: the Seahawks over the last couple, you know, the last
Speaker 5: month or so. Tells me they're just not a playoff team.
Speaker 5: Can they sneak in the NFC? Sure, but I just
Speaker 5: don't trust them on any level. Their defense has fallen
Speaker 5: completely off a cliff. They lost to baalt More thirty
Speaker 5: seven to three. They completely fell apart against the Rams
Speaker 5: when they should have taken that game. The Niners are
Speaker 5: essentially their kryptonite. They played hard, against the Cowboys, but
Speaker 5: it's like you still give up forty one points. It's
Speaker 5: like you're a Pete Carroll team and I don't trust
Speaker 5: your defense on any level. I think, really the situation
Speaker 5: is that Geno Smith versus the Niners, the Seahawks versus
Speaker 5: this version of the Niners last couple of seasons, they
Speaker 5: just haven't shown up. And I want to say one
Speaker 5: quick thing about the whole brock Purty MVP situation is
Speaker 5: that there is a lot of talk about that he's
Speaker 5: just simply riding on a sled down a snow hill
Speaker 5: with yards after the catch. His yards after the catch
Speaker 5: numbers for MVP winners are less than Aaron Rodgers the
Speaker 5: last two seasons, less than Patrick Mahomes the year before that,
Speaker 5: and less those three guys like they're less. So it's
Speaker 5: like that is a bit it's a bit of a
Speaker 5: phantom argument where it's like, this isn't the only reason
Speaker 5: he's see I don't have this conversation for the eighteenth time,
Speaker 5: but it's like it's not.
Speaker 3: I think it's this thing.
Speaker 4: Well, then people broke out the screen passes are like
Speaker 4: four times more effective for him than anything I was.
Speaker 2: Gonna say that the irony is that the game that
Speaker 2: allowed him to move to the top of the Vegas
Speaker 2: odds makers, which is this Eagles game.
Speaker 3: Came off of that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that this was a big yach game for the Niners.
Speaker 2: But I'm with you. Come on, yeah, I think, I mean,
Speaker 2: are we We don't have to make this case when
Speaker 2: he's now the number one.
Speaker 5: I will say, Seattle, the one problem they have two
Speaker 5: which is not you know, it's not on them in
Speaker 5: terms of their perform They're really banged up right now,
Speaker 5: right They're pretty banged up.
Speaker 3: By the way, Jamal Adams bro come back to us. Oh,
Speaker 3: I know what you mean. What an absurd thing for
Speaker 3: a human being to do.
Speaker 2: You have a Jets beat writer that you have beef with,
Speaker 2: who I hated this quote, tweets a shot of you
Speaker 2: failing to cover Jake Ferguson on any level, and then
Speaker 2: you reply by posting a photo of that reporter's wife,
Speaker 2: him and his wife and mocking her appearance. And then
Speaker 2: when you have a couple of days to sit with it,
Speaker 2: and obviously there's a lot of criticism and even your
Speaker 2: coach says, that's not what we do. You don't back
Speaker 2: down like that you want to talk about La Rabi Magnifie.
Speaker 4: It is he said when they go low, I go lower,
Speaker 4: which you know, different in a different circumstance would be
Speaker 4: a funny response.
Speaker 5: But in the jo like the Jamal Adams Seattle experience
Speaker 5: has been dus.
Speaker 3: Well that that's the problem.
Speaker 2: Is he that the gentleman's f might be too kind
Speaker 2: of right, that he's emblematic to me of what's wrong
Speaker 2: with this team, which is like you can see him
Speaker 2: pop and have a splash player too and be like,
Speaker 2: oh yeah, Jamal Adams, he can make a difference, but
Speaker 2: the some of their parts are really disappointing.
Speaker 4: Twenty fourth and Dvoa Pete Carroll just gets owned by
Speaker 4: two separate coaches in his own division. He's going to
Speaker 4: be zero and four against them again unless they win
Speaker 4: this game. Sean McVay and and Kyle Shannon and I
Speaker 4: do wonder like you were talking about hot butts, like
Speaker 4: they're always just thinking that they're always surprises. But like
Speaker 4: if you're just completely owned by two coaches in your
Speaker 4: own division, and your defense and your defensive head coach
Speaker 4: has been mediocre to bad for six years running, this
Speaker 4: is not a small sample size. He could be in
Speaker 4: a little bit of trouble, so he needs to somehow
Speaker 4: cook up something. And really I think him cooking up
Speaker 4: something is you know, hope Gino, and it'd be very
Speaker 4: difficult to do U Gino and the offense can just
Speaker 4: put up thirty five again, because I just don't think
Speaker 4: the Seahawks defense is going to be able to hold
Speaker 4: down the Monstars.
Speaker 3: It's yeah, it happened.
Speaker 5: And at that if they put up thirty five, the
Speaker 5: Desert has the Niners winning by ten and a half points,
Speaker 5: so it would mean the Niners put up that makes sense,
Speaker 5: That makes sense forty five and a half points. Tough
Speaker 5: to do it because even that Cowboys game didn't feel sustainable.
Speaker 5: They have great players, but like Gino's was under so
Speaker 5: much pressure that night. He actually faced one of the
Speaker 5: higher pressure rates he's faced all season. So it's not
Speaker 5: like they suddenly started playing better. They just sort of
Speaker 5: played out of their minds for three quarters before, you know,
Speaker 5: falling in that.
Speaker 3: I don't know, It's just tough to do.
Speaker 5: Doesn't It feel like the Chase Young addition, you know,
Speaker 5: has worked where it's like it's added this like extra
Speaker 5: weight onuoffense.
Speaker 3: That's the defense that's different.
Speaker 4: That's the whole thing with me in Perty is like
Speaker 4: he hasn't really been playing that much different all season.
Speaker 4: Their defense just stunk for three weeks and he was
Speaker 4: on the wrong end of some turnover luck for three weeks.
Speaker 4: Their defense, which everyone is killing Wilks for, is number
Speaker 4: two in EPA since Dubai, and they're they're now starting
Speaker 4: to dial very game specific stuff. You saw that last
Speaker 4: week against the Eagles, where they're getting very creative and
Speaker 4: their linebackers are just outrageously good and lets them do
Speaker 4: something different every week.
Speaker 2: The Seahawks have one playoff win in the last seven years.
Speaker 2: You know, they've been competitive, and Carol is a great
Speaker 2: face of the franchise in terms of you know, they
Speaker 2: love him obviously up there, but that's certain pointing to
Speaker 2: see results again in deep playoff runs.
Speaker 3: All right, Greg, you are up, all right?
Speaker 4: I will take the Ravens favored by seven at home
Speaker 4: against the Rams.
Speaker 3: Fun game.
Speaker 4: Big test here for the Rams defense, especially, which has
Speaker 4: been playing really out of their heads, but going up
Speaker 4: against a Ravens run defense, I think it's gotten slept on,
Speaker 4: like a little bit that the worry with Greg Roman
Speaker 4: was like, oh, well, you know, you might lose something
Speaker 4: with the running game. They were such a special run attack,
Speaker 4: and their numbers this year are up there with some
Speaker 4: running attacks historically, Like especially compared to what the rest
Speaker 4: of the league is, how far ahead they are compared
Speaker 4: to the rest of the league. It's right there or
Speaker 4: above actually where they were in their running attack in
Speaker 4: twenty eighteen with Lamar Jackson. So it's like, Lamar Jackson
Speaker 4: reminds me that they say in the NFL NBA sometimes
Speaker 4: there's certain players like Yannis or Luca or whatever, like
Speaker 4: it's like, oh, he's you step into the season and
Speaker 4: you like the baseline is forty wins. Lamar is like
Speaker 4: a baseline top three running attack. It doesn't matter what
Speaker 4: he does completely different. It's not always that different, Mark
Speaker 4: uh and so to.
Speaker 3: Let the point go and show.
Speaker 4: But for the Rams that try to hold up for
Speaker 4: four quarters, to me is a tough ask against a
Speaker 4: Ravens team that's been a weirdly injured team all year.
Speaker 3: But he didn't have a ton of season ending injuries.
Speaker 4: Sure, and actually right now yea almost completely healthy Rashad
Speaker 4: Bateman was the only player out of fifty three that
Speaker 4: missed practiced there.
Speaker 3: Sometimes they coming out of the buy well that's though, because.
Speaker 2: How many Yeah, and it's been Lamar in the last
Speaker 2: two years. Like you want to see what this team
Speaker 2: could do at full strength.
Speaker 4: Marcus Williams is a big guy for them up front.
Speaker 4: They've had guys in and out. They're they're healthy now.
Speaker 5: They do have to work around the Mark Andrews.
Speaker 3: That's a good point. I was totally wrong. Could he
Speaker 3: come back they playoffs?
Speaker 5: Yeah, like so it would be late. But to your point,
Speaker 5: they're number two and EPA. As a running team, they've
Speaker 5: been great. Lamar Jackson right now is having I would argue, like,
Speaker 5: I know he had the MVP season, but the version
Speaker 5: of him right now in this offense to me is
Speaker 5: more balanced. It's it's what you've been waiting for. He's
Speaker 5: never had a higher completion percentage or yards per attempt.
Speaker 5: Then at this point you're getting a little more from
Speaker 5: Odell Beckham, like say Flowers has been an absolute like
Speaker 5: green light as a draft pick. Their defense has been stout,
Speaker 5: Like they've only trailed this season forty five minutes plus
Speaker 5: the entire year.
Speaker 3: I mean, they're they're just a solid, good team.
Speaker 5: The Rams, though, right now, are on a hot, hot streak,
Speaker 5: like they've won three straight. They've scored thirty six plus
Speaker 5: and two last two games. Matt Stafford is seven touchdowns
Speaker 5: in his last two games. I think Kyron Williams changes
Speaker 5: everything they can do, and so this Rams team, to me,
Speaker 5: is sort of a berserker down the stretch that can
Speaker 5: really hang with anyone.
Speaker 3: It seems like I kind of love what they did
Speaker 3: against Cleveland.
Speaker 5: I mean to put it on Cleveland's defense that way,
Speaker 5: even though you're going to Baltimore, I think that there
Speaker 5: is a chance that the Rams can hang around in
Speaker 5: the game.
Speaker 4: McVay versus McDonald, just Mike McDonald, just when the Rams
Speaker 4: have the ball.
Speaker 3: McVeigh versus Mike McDonald.
Speaker 4: This Ravens defense, who to me is the best defense
Speaker 4: in league, is one of the most exciting matchups of
Speaker 4: the week.
Speaker 3: I don't think the other side of the Rams.
Speaker 4: Are gonna be able to hold up to keep it
Speaker 4: close enough, probably, but that is a great matchup. Danny
Speaker 4: that revive McVeigh against this defense.
Speaker 2: Okay, Greg, Yeah, I think the Rams are a lot
Speaker 2: of trouble here. I think we could we could sell
Speaker 2: that and maybe it will turn out that way. But
Speaker 2: I think the Ravens at home rams coming across the country,
Speaker 2: and I think Lamar the difference between the MVP year,
Speaker 2: it felt to me a little more electric then and
Speaker 2: there was like a little bit of a different type
Speaker 2: of Lamar as a little unprecedented too. Yeah yeah, and
Speaker 2: it was just like, this guy is outrageous what he's
Speaker 2: doing on the field, and he was just making look
Speaker 2: people look stupid. Lamar now is like, I know it's
Speaker 2: like cliche, but he is like a more mature player
Speaker 2: and you could see the way he's able to go
Speaker 2: through progressions and I think that completion percentage you mentioned
Speaker 2: that he's become a better passer and when he needs
Speaker 2: it with his legs, he can go get it. But
Speaker 2: it's not it's not like something if without it, he
Speaker 2: is no longer a good quarterback.
Speaker 3: He's just a really strong, well rounded quarterback.
Speaker 2: And I think one of the subplots Greg when you
Speaker 2: think about Greg, when you think about the offseason was man,
Speaker 2: anybody could have had him, they really wanted him, They
Speaker 2: could have gone and got him.
Speaker 4: Probably tried the Falcons had they announced that they were
Speaker 4: not interested immediately now, how foolish want Lamar Jackson in Atlanta?
Speaker 3: All those teams? How foolish do you feel right now?
Speaker 3: I hope they feel foolish. It is.
Speaker 5: I find the Rams interesting from another angle that like
Speaker 5: if you thought that they were going to succeed in
Speaker 5: a year where most of us had them winning like
Speaker 5: four or five games, that obviously it would be Stafford
Speaker 5: in like Cooper Cup and it's like Cooper Cup hasn't
Speaker 5: crossed forty. Don't worry about yards body, Yeah, since like
Speaker 5: October fifteenth.
Speaker 4: And they haven't healthy in two years, and they haven't
Speaker 4: been on the same page sometimes. It has been a
Speaker 4: little bit of a bummer there, all right, Gregs snakes
Speaker 4: back to you, Okay, unconventional pick here. I almost took
Speaker 4: it right away. Wouldn't it matter? They're both at the
Speaker 4: same time, Bucks Falcons two and a half point spread,
Speaker 4: the Falcons are favored at home.
Speaker 3: I have a.
Speaker 4: Dirty fascination with this terrible division and this game just
Speaker 4: feels I wanted to take it. I wanted to watch
Speaker 4: it live because I now that we're getting later in
Speaker 4: the season. This this Buccaneers team, which is as forgettable,
Speaker 4: I guess as almost any team in the league. This
Speaker 4: does feel like a winner go home type of game.
Speaker 4: And I know, yeah, the Falcons could fall apart down
Speaker 4: the stretch, but this would give the Falcons a two
Speaker 4: game lead over them with just four to play.
Speaker 3: And am I crazy?
Speaker 4: I should know this off the top of my head
Speaker 4: that the Falcons didn't they beat them already so it
Speaker 4: would be a two game sweet right?
Speaker 3: Yeah? That was that.
Speaker 4: That was the game where Bijon, uh you hadn't really play. Yeah,
Speaker 4: so everyone was confused about that. And I just look
Speaker 4: at this matchup and I see like, well, these two teams,
Speaker 4: I mean, he had like Migraines are crazy.
Speaker 3: Hey slash Migrains wasn't feeling well that the don't these
Speaker 3: two teams. That's what they said. It's the same thing.
Speaker 4: But yeah, like I know Mark wants to cross out
Speaker 4: teams right desperately, but I just feel like this team,
Speaker 4: this division, no one's gonna get crossed out, so that
Speaker 4: the fate of this division is for them all to
Speaker 4: be six and seven after this week, and for that
Speaker 4: that just feels like, what that's the fate of this division.
Speaker 4: Saints probably get the win over the Pail and that
Speaker 4: for that to happen. The Bucks need to win this game,
Speaker 4: and they're catching the Falcons at a time where they
Speaker 4: probably don't have a j Terrell who had a concussion,
Speaker 4: Jeff Acuda's banged up, Caleb McGarry, their tackle is banged up.
Speaker 4: They've they had a bunch of injuries all of a sudden.
Speaker 5: I want to see what happens with the Bucks injury report.
Speaker 5: Because Videvea did not practice Wednesday with a toe injury.
Speaker 3: We'll see that. Sometimes that means nothing.
Speaker 5: But Jamel Dean Devin White also didn't like did not
Speaker 5: return to practice this week yet so far, I think
Speaker 5: that that's your defense right there, that all that matters.
Speaker 3: A lot return which that is even that's big this
Speaker 3: this game.
Speaker 5: So yeah, didn't when they I think it's fair to
Speaker 5: look back at how it played the first time out,
Speaker 5: because I don't think they're that different than they were
Speaker 5: back then. Ridder played one of his cleaner games. He
Speaker 5: was nineteen for twenty five with two hundred and fifty yards.
Speaker 5: He was good on the ground. He also lost three
Speaker 5: fumbles though, so it's like, no matter what, like Ridder
Speaker 5: is going to do something to x out what you know,
Speaker 5: the advantage he's creating. But you you do add Beijon
Speaker 5: Robinson to the mix.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 5: I think the Bucks to me are just about his
Speaker 5: milk toast and average as you could possibly imagine. And Mayfield, though,
Speaker 5: has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league
Speaker 5: on the road in terms of touchdown interception like.
Speaker 3: Rachel all Right, sell it.
Speaker 5: So he's got twelve touchdowns and three picks on the road.
Speaker 5: Only Jordan is a better ratio. That's just from that
Speaker 5: one angle. But I think Mayfield battles every week. Mike
Speaker 5: Evans has battled every week, and they stay in these games.
Speaker 5: They were even with the Falcons this first time. That
Speaker 5: took a last second kick for them to win. I
Speaker 5: just don't trust either team to do anything week after week.
Speaker 2: And please don't tell me about the Falcons in their
Speaker 2: top ten defense, Like, go watch that game they just
Speaker 2: played against the Jets.
Speaker 3: There. They've been playing bad teams all year.
Speaker 2: So they're allowing twenty points a game, that's seventh in
Speaker 2: the league. Their top ten in yards allowed a game,
Speaker 2: they're tied for first, and rushing tds allowed. Their third
Speaker 2: down percentages second in the league. Their opposition red zone
Speaker 2: touch on percentage is first line. It's like great data,
Speaker 2: great data points. But go look who they're playing, and
Speaker 2: if Baker Mayfield has a good Baker day, they're gonna
Speaker 2: go to work on this defense and they're not gonna
Speaker 2: look so hot.
Speaker 3: Okay, that's that's why.
Speaker 4: And people get on me sometimes say, you know, I
Speaker 4: lean on the DVOA and to the guys at Football Outsiders,
Speaker 4: I'm not gonna do it. That's why I love them though,
Speaker 4: because you gave all the basic pro numbers that the
Speaker 4: announcers for this game are going to say they're twenty
Speaker 4: fifth in defensive DVA. So they're looking at the number
Speaker 4: and the opponents and saying this actually is in a
Speaker 4: very good and.
Speaker 2: They shut down. Tim Boyle on, Trevor Simeon, what a
Speaker 2: what a performance on the road. Jonathan Wilma come back
Speaker 2: to us. Is having a bad year. We want to
Speaker 2: talk about people having a good year. Tony Romo bounce
Speaker 2: back year. Vilma is dripped in a way. Okay, just
Speaker 2: to take but you mentioned that I'm not allowed to's uncomfortable, but.
Speaker 3: No, I just like a spirit.
Speaker 4: I don't think he's like elite, but I like his
Speaker 4: style that he just has like I think.
Speaker 2: Some of the spirit we lost, we've lost like the
Speaker 2: Jesus Christ and some of that fun stuff, and what
Speaker 2: we're left with is I don't know.
Speaker 4: The Falcons would be four to zero in the division
Speaker 4: if they win this. I do want to give a
Speaker 4: quick shout out. Elijah Canty was a defensive Rookie of
Speaker 4: the Month in the NFC last week, and man, he
Speaker 4: was flashing last week. So that looks like a very
Speaker 4: nice pick there by the books. Good job, Elijah.
Speaker 3: Knt A right, Uh, keep moving, Let's keep moving. Please
Speaker 3: keep moving. Mark back to you.
Speaker 5: All right, I'm gonna take an early game and go
Speaker 5: Browns at Jaguars. Uh tbd on the Jaguars starting quarterback.
Speaker 5: I don't think we're gonna get them.
Speaker 3: What do you think? Like it sounds to me like
Speaker 3: a real stretch.
Speaker 2: It's really difficult for us where we're taping to state
Speaker 2: it one way or the other. But he's got a
Speaker 2: high ankle spread. Yeah, I think that's a lot on
Speaker 2: a short week. I think they've talked about it fifty fifty.
Speaker 2: They've talked about it.
Speaker 5: In like a weird fashion where it's like they're guiding hope.
Speaker 3: I am totally with you.
Speaker 5: I don't know how like even the human body would
Speaker 5: do that, although those high ankle sprains are all different.
Speaker 5: So you're gonna get CJ. Bethard in Cleveland. I think, yeah,
Speaker 5: I did not used to say that.
Speaker 3: Now, did you see Brett Rippian signed with the Jets.
Speaker 5: I'll shift to say Brett Rippon now if you really,
Speaker 5: if I must be, you know, told how to how
Speaker 5: to say things, go ahead.
Speaker 3: I know beth Hard.
Speaker 5: Beth Third, he yes, I mean he was okay when
Speaker 5: he played, I mean incredible Washington general manager.
Speaker 2: You know, he almost fumbled away the first nap of
Speaker 2: the game and would have lost the game.
Speaker 3: But he didn't. He wasn't out of his game. He
Speaker 3: wasn't bad. That was a weird game.
Speaker 5: I mean, it's a weird place to say the game, Like,
Speaker 5: I kind of think that, you know, Cleveland's defense has
Speaker 5: floated away. The Denver game was was unappealing. Last week
Speaker 5: was unappealing. I don't believe that Miles Garrett is healthy,
Speaker 5: Amari Cooper is banged up on offense, like Flacco looked
Speaker 5: probably as good as you could possibly hope for last week,
Speaker 5: outside of the one fatal interception that doomed them. I
Speaker 5: feel like Cleveland's just trending down out of this playoff
Speaker 5: race a little bit. And so this is an incredibly
Speaker 5: important game and they're fortunate to face potentially a backup quarterback.
Speaker 5: I don't trust them. I think their defense is veering
Speaker 5: away from special.
Speaker 3: They do it.
Speaker 5: They have dendel ward back, which matters, but they've been
Speaker 5: banged up. But it's like they are literally the same.
Speaker 5: You know that you're at home, right, But they have
Speaker 5: been the worst.
Speaker 4: Kind of these numbers, but they've been the second quarterback.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 5: They've been the second worst passing team in the league,
Speaker 5: second or third all year long, and it's looked like
Speaker 5: it they're about to become the Browns. They were about
Speaker 5: an offense, an offense, not an offense, and like they were.
Speaker 5: There's a weird stat if Lacco starts and you will,
Speaker 5: like they will become just the thirteenth team since nineteen fifty,
Speaker 5: which is seventy three years ago, to have four different
Speaker 5: quarterbacks starting multiple games in a season.
Speaker 3: A lot of us to go wrong for that to happen.
Speaker 5: So and from that angle, I'd give Kevin Stefanski, the
Speaker 5: coaching staff, and the team a lot of credit to
Speaker 5: even be where they are and still in the hunt
Speaker 5: at the number six six?
Speaker 3: Is it just me?
Speaker 2: Has Cleveland gotten a lot of these games where a
Speaker 2: starter gets hurt and then they all of a sudden
Speaker 2: are playing. Yeah, but you know what, if you look
Speaker 2: at all these playoff teams, Yeah, they've all gotten that
Speaker 2: those games. The whole league has gotten those. It's not
Speaker 2: they're not especially Let's see that data point, right.
Speaker 5: They've also been the team that's been without their starting
Speaker 5: quarterback like through ay percent of the season.
Speaker 2: So well, I guess what I'm saying is with their defense,
Speaker 2: that is, I think something similar happened with the Jets
Speaker 2: last year.
Speaker 3: Then they got a lot of backup kind of.
Speaker 2: I mean, they have been a they have been a
Speaker 2: good defense when they when they've had bigger matchups and
Speaker 2: scarier teams.
Speaker 3: The defense of a sudden doesn't look so historic anymore.
Speaker 5: So, but take care of business here, let us go, well,
Speaker 5: what happened to Jacksonville's defense against a backup last week?
Speaker 3: Why?
Speaker 4: I've never totally bought in to the Jacksonville's defense. I
Speaker 4: think they're I think they're solid, but I would be
Speaker 4: worried about them Tyson Campbell, who is supposed to be
Speaker 4: their number one corner, really good player, but then got
Speaker 4: hurt and came off that injury and just didn't seem right.
Speaker 4: Last week, Joe Flacco threw the ball downfield ten plus yards,
Speaker 4: more than any Browns quarterback in the last five years.
Speaker 4: So he's out there and he's got to sling it,
Speaker 4: and you need good pass protection to get that. And
Speaker 4: teams playing against the Jaguars usually get pretty good pass
Speaker 4: protection because it's Josh Allen and that's about it in
Speaker 4: terms of their pass rushers. Overall, one of the most
Speaker 4: disappointing pass rush teams in the league. And I really
Speaker 4: think that Christian Kirk injury and maybe Walker little because
Speaker 4: now they're on their third left tackle, got a little
Speaker 4: overlooked because of Trevor, and it's disappointing. Trevor was playing
Speaker 4: so well the three weeks before that injury, but losing
Speaker 4: Kirk and Trevor and potentially your left tackle like that
Speaker 4: is a that's a cascading. I know I'm not locking
Speaker 4: up the Browns, but they are favored by three in
Speaker 4: this game. I don't know if that makes you feel
Speaker 4: any better. I mean that the spread never makes me
Speaker 4: feel anything. Okay, I'm just saying, there's not real life
Speaker 4: and they're They're not underdogs in this game by any means,
Speaker 4: is what I'm saying.
Speaker 3: Aspice don't.
Speaker 5: I'll say one thing that we are doing we again,
Speaker 5: I don't know. It is like I combined with Spice Rack, yes,
Speaker 5: the longtime lifelong friend of Chris Wesling and our friend
Speaker 5: as well. We combine now to make picks on the
Speaker 5: NFL's website. And what we've done has gone totally rogue
Speaker 5: from but you'd hope people would do Like this week,
Speaker 5: we were the only team that picked the Titans, and
Speaker 5: so you get that fan base all on your side.
Speaker 5: But then last week Spice Rack and I you know,
Speaker 5: this was he. I think he had a post Joe Burrow.
Speaker 5: He was anti Bengals and he picked them to lose
Speaker 5: thirty three to nothing, and I go, that went poorly.
Speaker 3: As we all know.
Speaker 5: The way the way that game turned out, there are
Speaker 5: a lot of people tweeting both of us asking, you know,
Speaker 5: what on earth is happening here?
Speaker 2: So I reached out to some people behind the scenes here,
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, great to get where they actually rank in
Speaker 2: the standing.
Speaker 4: Because the standings, say the top five and then it's
Speaker 4: like a participation or they won't list six through dead
Speaker 4: for some reason.
Speaker 2: And this, this is this is actually good and bad
Speaker 2: for you, ye Mark, Okay. The good thing is we
Speaker 2: don't know where you actually are on the standing. Okay, good,
Speaker 2: that is good because this person that I reached out
Speaker 2: to didn't feel comfortable giving me the full rundown. The
Speaker 2: bad news is it must be really bad for him
Speaker 2: not to do that.
Speaker 5: So I don't disagree, but I will, and I say,
Speaker 5: like from the angle, if.
Speaker 2: You were one game out of fifth, he probably would
Speaker 2: have told used to play this just to be real.
Speaker 5: And like when Greg goes and makes picks on his
Speaker 5: television show, right he is, You're like, You're so He's
Speaker 5: It's his entire world is based.
Speaker 3: Around that, Right, that's what you think?
Speaker 5: Yeah, Sess and Spice picked four overtimes this game over
Speaker 5: time games with him. We just like we picked the
Speaker 5: biggest underdogs. We can to create that moment out online
Speaker 5: where it's like the only team picking, like.
Speaker 2: Tommy Lee Jones take us away here. I shouldn't have
Speaker 2: brought it up.
Speaker 3: It's called being a showman. Show Men. There are two
Speaker 3: of us. The internet's on fire.
Speaker 2: All right, I'm I wouldn't say that, but all right,
Speaker 2: I got a two pack here. Let's start with the
Speaker 2: team of around the NFL. Let's get a little Dick Banks,
Speaker 2: let's hear him, Let's let's let's go, let's go.
Speaker 3: It's time. It's time for the Vikings.
Speaker 2: To show us why they could take that down. I
Speaker 2: I like that they I like that O'Connell stuck with Dobbs.
Speaker 3: Yes, because.
Speaker 2: Yes, it was a wretched Monday night game. And is
Speaker 2: that within Dobbs's rainbow of outcomes? Yeah, we got the
Speaker 2: worst ops. But let's not forget that Josh Dobbs has
Speaker 2: done a lot of good things for the Vikings before that.
Speaker 3: And before you.
Speaker 2: Go and get so caught up in your feelings about
Speaker 2: how poorly played in that Bears game, let's give him
Speaker 2: a chance with Justin Jefferson. And if things don't work
Speaker 2: against a Raiders team that is middling at best, go ahead.
Speaker 2: If you're so excited about the rest of your depth
Speaker 2: chart that you've been developing, I understand it that these
Speaker 2: coaches are excited about the guys on the depth chart typically,
Speaker 2: So go ahead, but give chance. So the Vikings, who
Speaker 2: seem to be in the driver's seat mark for a
Speaker 2: wild card spot. Now kind of you need this win
Speaker 2: because I could see this spinning out for them if
Speaker 2: they don't find a way to win on the road
Speaker 2: here against the Raiders.
Speaker 5: I think it's like we celebrated Josh Dobbs for in
Speaker 5: multiple spots over the past calendar year rolling into town
Speaker 5: and like winning games three hours after showing up and
Speaker 5: like putting in a uniform on, and then it's like
Speaker 5: it's unacceptable that he has a meltdown. It's like it
Speaker 5: seems very probable that a meltdown would occur and it
Speaker 5: didn't look good.
Speaker 3: But I still think the things that.
Speaker 5: We know about Josh Dobbs remain true, like an incredibly
Speaker 5: smart quarterback, a guy who probably over the course of
Speaker 5: the bye week that came at the perfect time, has
Speaker 5: learned a lot more than other quarterbacks might over that course.
Speaker 5: At that time that the coach something happened where if
Speaker 5: you know, if O'Connell lost faith to them in that
Speaker 5: moment and that was that You're right, Greg that you
Speaker 5: mentioned it on Wednesday, show a terrible fourth pick, But
Speaker 5: like this is a quarterback you can still believe in
Speaker 5: it's bet on the other options. Justin Jefferson is practicing
Speaker 5: in full for the first time, you know, in eight weeks.
Speaker 5: Like it's arrow up and I don't know how you
Speaker 5: could possibly argue to go to a different quarterback. You
Speaker 5: should beat this Raiders team. I don't really care that
Speaker 5: it's on the road that much. It's like the Vikings
Speaker 5: to me are spicier on defense, Like there's just let's go,
Speaker 5: let's just get back to who we were right.
Speaker 3: Here's what we know about the Vikings.
Speaker 4: With Jefferson back, him and Addison are up there with
Speaker 4: the best one to two combinations in the league.
Speaker 3: Addison's a big time player.
Speaker 4: I love I love Addison. Hockinson's having a really nice season.
Speaker 4: Josh Dobbs adds a little bit to their running game,
Speaker 4: which has struggled, but his running ability is gonna add
Speaker 4: a little spice to this whole mix. Kevin O'Connell's a
Speaker 4: good head coach. We know he's a good head coach,
Speaker 4: and he's had a week to get ready. And oh,
Speaker 4: by the way, on the other side of the ball,
Speaker 4: you got safeties coming out of your pockets. Well, how
Speaker 4: many safeties can you put on the field seventeen, Brian
Speaker 4: Flores will do it.
Speaker 3: And you know who's been.
Speaker 4: Tickets this week to Las Vegas Minnesota Vikings. Oh yeah,
Speaker 4: sick of being in that cold weather up there, and
Speaker 4: they're going down to Vegas and they're gonna watch the Vikings.
Speaker 3: Lock it up? Same, double it up? Are you doing
Speaker 3: this again? Double it up? And another one and another one.
Speaker 5: You cannot be doing this again with Gregy.
Speaker 2: Let's check out the standings by the way while we're here,
Speaker 2: all right, So we got Greg Dan twelve and one,
Speaker 2: the West three, Sessler seven six, and then Dan hands
Speaker 2: a six and seven quotes.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you gotta watch with you. Well, I thought the
Speaker 3: season here.
Speaker 4: You're inconsistent here because you only joined me a week ago.
Speaker 2: So you're says Greg and Dan twelve, Dan are one.
Speaker 2: I'm not responsible for the graphics. Okay, yes you are.
Speaker 2: You are. We are having a very nice season, and
Speaker 2: let's just close it out.
Speaker 3: I guess it is all.
Speaker 4: I mean, there's a lot of weeks to go. I'm
Speaker 4: fine with you on board. I have to admit you've
Speaker 4: already won in some ways because you're you. I thought
Speaker 4: about you this morning as I debated at the Jets.
Speaker 3: I thought about, I tell you're going to do that.
Speaker 4: I thought about flocking against the Jets. It's only three
Speaker 4: and a half. Uh, And then I was like, that'll
Speaker 4: make you annoyed.
Speaker 3: But then I thought, what if the Jets will actually
Speaker 3: will be happy?
Speaker 4: And then it was But you know what, I ultimately
Speaker 4: am a cold, calculating son of a gun, and in
Speaker 4: my heart I believe in the Vikings winning that game
Speaker 4: more than I do in the Texans. Actually, in my heart,
Speaker 4: I do believe the Vikings are the best pick on
Speaker 4: the board. That's what I always do. I don't I
Speaker 4: don't I picked. I'm not a showman. As you point out,
Speaker 4: it happened to work out that I'm believing in team
Speaker 4: of BTL. But I believe they are a much better
Speaker 4: team than the Raiders, who might be you know, Max
Speaker 4: Crosby's that practicing, Colton Miller.
Speaker 3: I believe they're better. We don't want to we don't
Speaker 3: want to do a rain maker on the Texas this week.
Speaker 3: I think you and I can get behind that. This
Speaker 3: is some sortin Uh.
Speaker 5: The thing that's terrible for Greg is that no matter what,
Speaker 5: great let's say, Greg, no matter what, like it will
Speaker 5: go down his history as a COVID. Within a month,
Speaker 5: you will have, you know, spun the message that you
Speaker 5: lifted Greg up.
Speaker 2: Down the stot. I know, I know, I am anna ask.
Speaker 2: I just want everyone to when I'm gone one day,
Speaker 2: to remember me as a lovable act. That's that's all
Speaker 2: I ask, Not the bad kind that works out.
Speaker 4: Okay one Raiders not just to give them their fans
Speaker 4: just just one second about their team. I'm intrigue Bay
Speaker 4: and O'Connell coming off that last Chief's game.
Speaker 3: Played very well in that game. He has been in general,
Speaker 3: been a professional unit. Spot. It is a tough spot
Speaker 3: under against Flores two.
Speaker 4: Uh again uh Patriots, the coaching trees so bad. How
Speaker 4: about a little Patriots assistant off here, Patrick Graham of
Speaker 4: the Raiders, the defensive coordinator versus Brian Flores.
Speaker 3: Now that's a cell.
Speaker 2: That is a cell any time assistance together anything else
Speaker 2: on this game.
Speaker 3: So what are the chances we get Jefferson? I think
Speaker 3: one hundred percent.
Speaker 2: I mean I think they I think they wouldn't be
Speaker 2: doing this practic officially active. This was for me when
Speaker 2: I I felt good about team of atn Jefferson returning
Speaker 2: was kind of like pushed it over the finish line
Speaker 2: because there's not a more fun wide receiver to watch
Speaker 2: in the sport double j.
Speaker 5: The team of aten Brand needs this win big time.
Speaker 2: Pretty good narrative if they lose too, because we get
Speaker 2: to go down though. See you spiraled once upon a
Speaker 2: time with the Vikings. I could see entertainment value out
Speaker 2: of this team spiraling as well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but it's not on me.
Speaker 2: I was getting blamed left and right like, oh you
Speaker 2: we voted, No, we voted unanimously.
Speaker 3: But it's well Mark made a.
Speaker 5: Getting like all right now I'm getting text left and
Speaker 5: right about like a team that I have nothing to
Speaker 5: do with this failing, Like this is not I'm not
Speaker 5: that vicariously attached anything.
Speaker 3: So are you? Are you attached to the Vikings this time? Yes?
Speaker 5: I really like the Josh Dobbs element the most. That's
Speaker 5: what pulled me in. Yes, all we need to hear
Speaker 5: because we're in this together. I'm not said a single
Speaker 5: word otherwise. I say they needed, they need to create
Speaker 5: a little more juice.
Speaker 2: And you know, it was probably a really it was
Speaker 2: probably a really rough two weeks for Flores and for O'Connell,
Speaker 2: who blew that game together as much as anyone on
Speaker 2: the field, and you had to sit with that and
Speaker 2: stew over that for all that time. So I know
Speaker 2: that they're not going to coach harder on Sunday. But
Speaker 2: you know, if you've ever been motivated to cut your
Speaker 2: own mess, they're more talented, they're better. I feel good
Speaker 2: about this one, Gregory. I think we're gonna keep on rolling.
Speaker 2: I will keep on rolling. Did we say the spread
Speaker 2: on that one? By the way, yeah, Vikings, Okay, let's
Speaker 2: keep on roll. Let's talk about that Texans Jets game.
Speaker 2: It is Texans. The spread. The line actually moved down
Speaker 2: with the announcement from Robert Saw that Zach.
Speaker 3: Wilson is playing. That was interesting. I think it's it's fair.
Speaker 2: It's fascinating because Wilson was, you know, amongst the very
Speaker 2: worst starters in the league before he got benched. But
Speaker 2: that tells you how badly the Jets manage their backup
Speaker 2: quarterbacks underneath him, to the point where they cut Tim
Speaker 2: Boyle this week.
Speaker 3: Tim Boyle was their starter on Sunday.
Speaker 2: Not they just said, oh, you know this guy that
Speaker 2: we brought in and developed all through the offseason, Aaron
Speaker 2: Rodgers is a guy like has such little value.
Speaker 3: After we got to look at him, he gone.
Speaker 2: So now they got Brett Rippin, who, by the way,
Speaker 2: was talking with our friend Jordan Rodrigue of the Athletic
Speaker 2: Rippin is a class act and a really good dude
Speaker 2: and a hard worker. But the hope for Sala is
Speaker 2: that Wilson takes them to the finish line and they
Speaker 2: could get a couple wins here and keep their dignity.
Speaker 3: The Texans.
Speaker 2: This is there the story here. Nice set up here
Speaker 2: for them. Greg to keep rolling. Now, it is interesting.
Speaker 2: We are now in the in the post tank Dell
Speaker 2: era and how does that change their offense moving forward?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I want to see Mechi or Robert Woods step up.
Speaker 3: I don't think they'll be the same.
Speaker 4: When you take away Dell, you just you're stacking parts
Speaker 4: of this team offensively that you do worry about a
Speaker 4: little bit. You don't have a running game, and then
Speaker 4: you don't really have great receiver depth. If Dalton Saltz
Speaker 4: isn't back this week behind Nico Collins, because I'm thinking
Speaker 4: of that play.
Speaker 3: At the end of the first half.
Speaker 4: I believe it was where Stroud over threw Machi for
Speaker 4: the touchdown wide open, and everyone was like, oh that,
Speaker 4: you know, Stroud making a mistake for once, and I
Speaker 4: did wonder if that's Tank Dell. Yeah, it was kind
Speaker 4: of like an improvised play. Would just the feel have
Speaker 4: been better? He was like, he points to go deep.
Speaker 4: I don't know, there's no way to know that. The
Speaker 4: good thing is that their defense, in their pass rush,
Speaker 4: Will Anderson Jonathan Gernard, I think they are getting better.
Speaker 4: So I think the defense is getting better and they're
Speaker 4: playing obviously one of the worst offensive leagues, So go
Speaker 4: win by two scores.
Speaker 3: I mean, I like the Texans. I think they're a
Speaker 3: better than average team.
Speaker 4: But John McClain pointed out of the Chronicle or it
Speaker 4: used to be the Chronicle, that I think it's seven
Speaker 4: straight games has come down to thirty seconds or less
Speaker 4: for the Texans.
Speaker 3: So it's not like they're a dominant team.
Speaker 4: They're a fun team, and it kind of would That's
Speaker 4: why I didn't want to lock this game. It kind
Speaker 4: of wouldn't surprise me if the Jets d balls out
Speaker 4: and I would expect the Texans to win that last minute,
Speaker 4: but it wouldn't surprise me if it comes down to that.
Speaker 2: Last yeame and they score fourteen points because I just
Speaker 2: don't see the Jets getting to that right.
Speaker 4: Like I kind of expect it's gonna be Zach Wilson
Speaker 4: needing to get a touchdown down four and they're driving
Speaker 4: and it doesn't work out.
Speaker 3: But a game like that, yeah, they they.
Speaker 5: I feel like every Sunday, you know, in the witching
Speaker 5: now we're watching like either CJ. Stroud or the opponent
Speaker 5: of c J. Stroud go up and down the field
Speaker 5: trying to do one last thing. They each of these
Speaker 5: games had done that. I kind of think though from
Speaker 5: another angle coaching and players and a lot of young players,
Speaker 5: like they've also gone three and two in those games.
Speaker 5: You know, they a nail biter loss to the Jaguars,
Speaker 5: they were nipped by the Panthers. I know they want
Speaker 5: that game back, but it's like they're in these games
Speaker 5: and they're learning to win in weird ways, and I
Speaker 5: kind of like that about them. I think that overall,
Speaker 5: the development of this roster is one of the better
Speaker 5: stories around because like they're drafting well, like Will Anderson
Speaker 5: is a genuine staring absolutely like Stroud.
Speaker 3: We know about him.
Speaker 5: But it's not just that it's like Derek Stingley, you know,
Speaker 5: two picks last week, total game change the last Yeah,
Speaker 5: it's just like it kind of feels.
Speaker 3: Like a team. And I know I've talked about him
Speaker 3: a lot. It's like, I think they're.
Speaker 5: Gonna win a playoff game, maybe multiple ones. I really
Speaker 5: think they're gonna get Coach of the Year, They're gonna
Speaker 5: get Assistant Coach of the Year, they're gonna get Offensive
Speaker 5: Rookie of the Year. If Stroud doesn't do something more
Speaker 5: than that Offensive players of the Year, well why not,
Speaker 5: Like what, there's no reason that Stroud I think Stroud
Speaker 5: is like there are not a lot of Stroud. There's
Speaker 5: this is not a lot of good stories out there,
Speaker 5: and Stroud's actually it's not just a story. It is
Speaker 5: like legitimately one of the future quarterbacks of the.
Speaker 4: League nine thousand to win Rookie of the Year, so
Speaker 4: that one he could that in how Nico.
Speaker 2: Collins Nico Collins here, Yeah, because oh they lose Tank
Speaker 2: Dell they're leading receiver.
Speaker 3: No, he's not their leading receiver.
Speaker 2: Tank Dell has been tremendous forty seven for seven or
Speaker 2: nine and seven touchdowns. Nico Collins is nine yards away
Speaker 2: from one thousand. He's got six touchdowns himself. He's averaging
Speaker 2: nearly seventeen yards per catch. That is an all pro
Speaker 2: type season. Nico Collins, It's like him and Jordan Addison
Speaker 2: are like, hey, look at us, give us more love.
Speaker 3: Yeah, hey, if you we did it.
Speaker 4: Nico Collins bit on NFL Plus in week three or
Speaker 4: four after the catch. You can't remember guys that tall
Speaker 4: that break that many tackles.
Speaker 3: You know what I mean? Yeah, he's tall.
Speaker 2: This guy's bounce off of Collins could have fifteen hundred
Speaker 2: yards receiving.
Speaker 3: It's crazy. He's really thought you were gonna lock it up.
Speaker 3: That's what we were waiting for. Oh, somebody's gonna lock
Speaker 3: it up. Well I don't. I don't. I feel like
Speaker 3: locking against them again.
Speaker 5: I don't say out of the race. I'm still out
Speaker 5: of the race. It's like I want to do things
Speaker 5: that for exciting. We're flocking against the Jets feels gutless.
Speaker 3: That's your choice.
Speaker 6: I have seen today's video, so keep the I don't
Speaker 6: take it personally. Lentra in your head because it is
Speaker 6: kind of a doozy.
Speaker 3: That's my gun.
Speaker 7: Hey, heroes, damn this week you guessed it. I'm picking
Speaker 7: against the Jets. I jokingly said earlier in the week
Speaker 7: that Dan should get into shape and try out to
Speaker 7: be the jets backup quarterback. Well, I'm guessing they almost
Speaker 7: gave him a call this week since Zach Wilson didn't
Speaker 7: even want to play this week. But somehow he's going
Speaker 7: to be the starter. I mean, are you kidding me?
Speaker 7: This seems an absolute show. How can they even be
Speaker 7: get considered an NFL franchise right now?
Speaker 3: This is a joke.
Speaker 7: How there are only three and a half point favorites
Speaker 7: is beyond me. The Texans are going to roll by thirty.
Speaker 7: This isn't even funny. I don't even know why I'm laughing.
Speaker 7: It's a disgrace. Good luck Jets, Better luck next year.
Speaker 3: Bye.
Speaker 2: How much did he seem like Chris Chris? I mean,
Speaker 2: they're the downs exactly like they are, the two brothers
Speaker 2: that resembled each other the most. From that, Oh, I'm
Speaker 2: annoyed at Nick because he just made me have to
Speaker 2: root for the Jets.
Speaker 3: I mean, Nick locked up the Jets not too long ago.
Speaker 2: Yeah no, no, listen, as I said to MJD, who
Speaker 2: tried to like get on me in the film room
Speaker 2: on Sunday night with some jets pop.
Speaker 3: You can't kill someone who's already dead.
Speaker 2: There's nothing you could do to me that is anything
Speaker 2: worse than what that team has done to me for
Speaker 2: forty years. So that's a smart lock by Nick Westling,
Speaker 2: and you are going to be probably close to correct
Speaker 2: because that could get gnarly. All right, let's take a
Speaker 2: break and then we'll finish up. All right, welcome back.
Speaker 2: Let's close out this draft. Mark you're up, Well, I'm going.
Speaker 2: I can't believe this game is still sitting out out there.
Speaker 2: I'm going cults, Bengals, I mean, what nothing, no, nothing
Speaker 2: like we knew like Nick was covered it. So it's
Speaker 2: going to stay away.
Speaker 4: Although I just it's just for post show because now
Speaker 4: I realize I'm gonna have like four gate four early games.
Speaker 5: I mean, I think behind the glass they know I
Speaker 5: picked this game twenty five minutes ago.
Speaker 2: But then it makes you look really like a trench.
Speaker 2: A decision by you. That's good, though I think.
Speaker 5: It makes me look like a like a straateggy man,
Speaker 5: like a star.
Speaker 2: I know, but we're gonna have to flip around games
Speaker 2: now I realize, actually all right, Well, that is ha
Speaker 2: has nothing to do with it, right, People driving around
Speaker 2: this the next pick mark.
Speaker 3: This game.
Speaker 5: Suddenly it's like backup in December. Typically backup versus backup
Speaker 5: is like check you later. But Gardner Minshew has he
Speaker 5: I know, he's a little bit all over the map,
Speaker 5: but he's been really great for the Colts, considering that
Speaker 5: he's been a backup quarterback all year long and Jake Browning,
Speaker 5: I mean, I guess the huge interest level for me
Speaker 5: is like whatever we just saw happen on Monday night,
Speaker 5: which is pretty unpressed. He threw for more yards than
Speaker 5: Burrow did this entire season in a game, and you know,
Speaker 5: it's like you find out later that the words about
Speaker 5: the fact that the team, Zach Taylor and everyone else
Speaker 5: really believes in him wasn't just nonsense. That this guy
Speaker 5: is like kind of built neck up confidence wise. A
Speaker 5: little bit differently, that he spent all off season with Burrow,
Speaker 5: with Jordan Palmer, who's a pretty good quarterback coach, and
Speaker 5: that they said Jordan Palmer was telling people before Monday
Speaker 5: night like on air, don't just discount this guy. And
Speaker 5: you could see it a little bit against the Steelers,
Speaker 5: but it was you know, it's your first time out there.
Speaker 5: It's a tough defense, and like it was like in
Speaker 5: little flashes, he looked like a B minus quarterback. But
Speaker 5: then what happened against a pretty good Jaguars defense is
Speaker 5: remarkable because I think they're running the same offense and
Speaker 5: suddenly you know, Jamar Chase is back, totally lit up.
Speaker 3: Te Higgins is there.
Speaker 5: They're not getting a lot from the ground game, but
Speaker 5: he's doing it through the air, and it's like the
Speaker 5: Bengals to me, are back in the race.
Speaker 3: They matter a lot.
Speaker 5: This is two playoff contenders, and this is a spicy game.
Speaker 3: I'm not saying that either one of them you can.
Speaker 2: Project as like AFC powers, but they do matter if
Speaker 2: you care about the fact that seven teams make the playoffs. Yeah, Cincinnati,
Speaker 2: they are still in a lot of trouble because they're
Speaker 2: six and six, but they have a really bad conference record.
Speaker 2: They have a lot of tie breaker issues, so it's
Speaker 2: still an uphill climb. However, the browning makes them a
Speaker 2: team that's watchable and interesting. You don't want to get
Speaker 2: too caught up with one good game right quarterback because
Speaker 2: that happens all the time. Also, and then all of
Speaker 2: a sudden, he's back to look in average. So we'll
Speaker 2: see and that's part of the intrigue of this game.
Speaker 2: Is he come down to earth or what?
Speaker 3: But great?
Speaker 2: He also he's at home. The Indie defense is not
Speaker 2: a group to be terrified of, so I think it
Speaker 2: does set up well. If he plays really well, then
Speaker 2: wow we got something.
Speaker 3: Look in here.
Speaker 4: I'm excited. I'm really excited about this game. What I
Speaker 4: think This was a great late pick by you, Mark Austin, Mark.
Speaker 3: How did you see it? For multiple reasons.
Speaker 4: Four hundred and ninety one yards they had on offense,
Speaker 4: twenty seven first down. I mean everyone stepped up around him.
Speaker 4: The offensive line had one of their best games of
Speaker 4: this season. I think we're second in the league in
Speaker 4: pass rush win rate.
Speaker 3: Last week. Boy did not step up. Okay, you're right.
Speaker 4: Jamar Chase though, was incredible. We almost gave him a
Speaker 4: little short shrift in that recap because a lot of
Speaker 4: those catches were difficult. He was making plays after the catch.
Speaker 4: He obviously had the bomb. I mean that was like
Speaker 4: a star wide receiver can make everyone around him look better.
Speaker 4: And the running game outing Chase Brown like they they
Speaker 4: would make the season a lot more fun if they
Speaker 4: have a little staying power. And I know Colts fans
Speaker 4: feel like we haven't given them enough credit.
Speaker 3: There is something to them.
Speaker 4: We talked about them a ton, we talked about them
Speaker 4: a lot, but it's just like there's something to them
Speaker 4: that it's like, how are they doing this?
Speaker 3: I don't understand.
Speaker 4: I kind of want the Bengals to win this game,
Speaker 4: for these teams to both be seven and six and
Speaker 4: to kind of both be in the mix, but not
Speaker 4: to I want Cincinnati part of our life.
Speaker 5: You want more mundane, average play?
Speaker 4: You want no, I just want I don't want the
Speaker 4: Colts to put the Bengals away here. I want the
Speaker 4: Bengals to be a fun story. I like the research
Speaker 4: guy getting going off here.
Speaker 2: Gardner Minshew and Jake Browning, who both started the season
Speaker 2: as backup qbs, will face off against each other for
Speaker 2: the first time since the twenty eighteen Apple Cup.
Speaker 3: It's crazy. Jake Browning was like a senior at that point.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Browning, who finished like sixth in Heisman voting as well.
Speaker 3: By the way, with Washington, once.
Speaker 2: We watched that Apple Cup together, you and I, oh
Speaker 2: yeah every second and then we Washington again State.
Speaker 3: Well yeah, well you gotta break it down, yeah, Minshew
Speaker 3: was Washington State. Yeah, yeah, Yeah.
Speaker 4: I love Steichen though, because maybe more than any coach
Speaker 4: in the league, when the plays happen, you can kind
Speaker 4: of see, oh, that's exactly how they were hoping it
Speaker 4: would happen in when they like did it in walkthroughs,
Speaker 4: Like it's just these cool plays that usually end up
Speaker 4: with like Kylan Grayson getting forty yards and you're like, oh.
Speaker 2: Wow, that was beautiful. What that that was cool? How
Speaker 2: they did that?
Speaker 4: And it's him a lot, And I think they're running
Speaker 4: a lot of creve stuff even with Gardner Minshew, And
Speaker 4: that's a that's a credit to the coaching.
Speaker 2: The Colts to their credit and again why Browning bawling
Speaker 2: out here would be a real eye opener to.
Speaker 3: Do it two times in a row. They've been very
Speaker 3: good on defense during this run.
Speaker 2: They're averaging less than five yards per play in the
Speaker 2: last four weeks so all wins.
Speaker 3: So they are they're they're coming together.
Speaker 2: Like you said, I think Mark Steichen is definitely in
Speaker 2: that conversation for Coach of the Year.
Speaker 5: I think I've built seven or eight coaches as Coach
Speaker 5: of the Year. At this point, you can't be wrong. Well,
Speaker 5: you can be probably still could be.
Speaker 3: But yeah, I think favorite pick one. I'm going to
Speaker 3: Why do you hate change stiking? It's a fair question.
Speaker 4: Okay, let's go and goes. By the way, are favored
Speaker 4: in this give No, they're not. They're underdogs at home
Speaker 4: Colts getting one point. I don't like that. I'm taking
Speaker 4: bring some rain, but I'm taking the Bengals straight up
Speaker 4: for sure.
Speaker 3: That's unusual. That's the like the way they went.
Speaker 4: Yes, they've been winning, all right, let's go on. I
Speaker 4: need a late game so I will still.
Speaker 3: Team just know how to win ball game.
Speaker 4: Broncos at Chargers, Chargers getting two and a half points.
Speaker 2: I can't imagine watching the Chargers. I couldn't even imagine it.
Speaker 3: I know this.
Speaker 4: This goes against what I was saying that I like
Speaker 4: these late season games where it's like the season's a
Speaker 4: bit on the line. Here the Charges feel just about
Speaker 4: dunzo if they get to five and eight or that
Speaker 4: would be their record, right if they lose this game
Speaker 4: in the division. And yet this game still does not
Speaker 4: really excite me too much. I have to admit as well.
Speaker 4: The offensive line's been a disappointment for the Chargers in
Speaker 4: terms of their pass protection, certainly in terms of their
Speaker 4: their run blocking, and Staley said this week he might
Speaker 4: consider playing Josh Kelly a little more over Austin Eckler.
Speaker 3: So that that is a.
Speaker 4: Bad sign, which I get because if you look at
Speaker 4: the numbers Kelly, I was trying to find a good
Speaker 4: Derrek Henry stat he's very high in yards after contact.
Speaker 4: I think he's like second or third league Dereck Henry
Speaker 4: still great. And you know I saw in that list,
Speaker 4: I was like, Josh Kelly was sixth per catch. I
Speaker 4: was like, maybe we should get a little more Josh Kelly.
Speaker 4: And so maybe Brandon Staley was just reading my mind.
Speaker 4: I was just at home alone watching this year, going
Speaker 4: in slow motion dropping the k.
Speaker 3: It's it's been rough.
Speaker 4: It's been rough. Every Their offense is bad. Their offense
Speaker 4: is bad.
Speaker 3: He's a part of it. Yeah, he's a big part
Speaker 3: of it. He's a big party.
Speaker 5: He's having a surprising down years, That's what I mean.
Speaker 4: So a typical it's not that surprising because he's because
Speaker 4: of his size and the workload that he's had the
Speaker 4: last couple of years. They were always careful with him,
Speaker 4: and then they finally juiced him up to like full
Speaker 4: time status.
Speaker 3: And you know that's what I'm mean.
Speaker 5: From his overall body of work, he's getting very consistent.
Speaker 5: I mean, I think, like you know, there's so much
Speaker 5: disappointment around this Chargers team, Quentin Johnson like it's it's
Speaker 5: kind of like I can't wait for the season to
Speaker 5: end for him. It's like every week there's like a
Speaker 5: killer drugs.
Speaker 2: He needs a Yeah, he needs to turn the page
Speaker 2: off season and try to try.
Speaker 5: I guess you wonder if he can, if he can
Speaker 5: actually do it. I mean, I know, and that that
Speaker 5: Patriots game, which was an eyesore.
Speaker 3: Quickly he looks okay, he just drops every pass. Yeah,
Speaker 3: but that's a problem. That's a problem. I'm not surprised
Speaker 3: at least he's that like kil Harry, which just was right.
Speaker 3: He's getting separation.
Speaker 2: It's actually making it even worse because these drops are
Speaker 2: coming with some space and it's just like, come on, bra.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think, I mean, Brandon Staley is he's gone.
Speaker 3: We get it.
Speaker 5: But like I would say, if you look at this
Speaker 5: defense since week eleg they've they're the fifth best points
Speaker 5: scoring defense in the league, like and like like the
Speaker 5: Patriots game again was very weather bound. But it's just
Speaker 5: that I know the overall but because this team the
Speaker 5: whole season and really the whole Brandon's Daily era, there
Speaker 5: are two sides never play well at the same time.
Speaker 4: It's like, if one plays great, the other one stinks.
Speaker 4: It's like forty one to thirty eight Lions. If one
Speaker 4: plays great, the other one stinks. It's six to oh
Speaker 4: Chargers last week. And it's just they're just I don't
Speaker 4: think he's gone though. They they are the team that
Speaker 4: I'm like, just just see, you never know. They could
Speaker 4: win this game.
Speaker 2: And they have a really tough remaining schedules. Yeah, and
Speaker 2: they've been very bad against teams that have been over
Speaker 2: five hundred so far. And and this will be of
Speaker 2: note at least in this room. We'll see how Dangerous
Speaker 2: bounces back from a turnover marred game last week. Can
Speaker 2: he turned the page, which he's good at turning the page,
Speaker 2: but get back to a more smart brand of football,
Speaker 2: protecting the ball, succeeding in the red zone, and beating
Speaker 2: a Chargers team that quite frankly, this should be something
Speaker 2: you can do. It's gonna be a lot of Denver
Speaker 2: fans in that building as well.
Speaker 5: Of course across I was driving around and I listened
Speaker 5: to the AM radio sports radio, like, well, there was
Speaker 5: this like they were doing an old school like trivia
Speaker 5: contest with a guy calling in, and the guy did
Speaker 5: very well and he won all these It was a
Speaker 5: bunch of Lakers, and like it was incredibly exciting for you, great,
Speaker 5: great drive time, but like that's great. He won the contest,
Speaker 5: but the prize was like tickets, you know, deep like
Speaker 5: nose bleed tickets to Broncos charge. And I was seeing
Speaker 5: like does do I does he want those?
Speaker 3: Do I want those?
Speaker 2: They announce that they were nose bleeds. I just assume
Speaker 2: they're not great tickets. You got to put them in
Speaker 2: the two hundred section. If you get they're probably okay.
Speaker 5: You can go online and find they're probably alas tickets
Speaker 5: for like twenty five at least.
Speaker 3: At the front of the three hundred.
Speaker 2: If you're a Broncos fan, you're in the playoff mix,
Speaker 2: you're in beautiful southern California, you know there's gonna be
Speaker 2: a lot of people excited.
Speaker 5: To be right, I think this guy was from Southern
Speaker 5: he was not a Broncos fan. It's like, how excited
Speaker 5: is he about?
Speaker 3: Is he? I don't know what he is.
Speaker 2: That's the secondary market. Maybe you find uh people coming
Speaker 2: in from Colorado.
Speaker 5: Yeah, if you're from Denver, fly and spend the weekend
Speaker 5: in you know, La and course, low level football.
Speaker 3: Game with an NFL sanctioned second vendor.
Speaker 6: Yes, Air, yes, of course, right now on third party site,
Speaker 6: thirty three dollars will get you into Chargers Broncos.
Speaker 3: What section five hundreds?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 2: No, I've been up in the five hundreds somebult watching
Speaker 2: the Cardinals Rams game playoff game a few years back,
Speaker 2: and we gotta get down.
Speaker 3: I walked up to where you guys were.
Speaker 5: I wasn't not you know, you were far away five
Speaker 5: a buck thirty.
Speaker 2: This act, this actually isn't funny. But my neighbor, who's
Speaker 2: an elderly woman, very nice woman. It's not it's not
Speaker 2: that that isn't funny.
Speaker 3: She took.
Speaker 2: She took her and her daughter went to so far
Speaker 2: for a Rams game last year. Didn't realize they're in
Speaker 2: the five hundred section.
Speaker 4: Got a heart attack. Wait what I mean, why are
Speaker 4: you telling the story right now? She was okay, we
Speaker 4: still have another game to go.
Speaker 3: Greg.
Speaker 2: There are bad things in the world, and there are
Speaker 2: bad players and bad announcers, and it's okay to talk
Speaker 2: about them.
Speaker 3: So are you okay? Are you saying perfect? That's sort
Speaker 3: of what the follow up is.
Speaker 4: You're saying that Austin Ekeeler is the old lady heart
Speaker 4: attack of running back.
Speaker 2: I'm just saying the world is a scary place and
Speaker 2: just pull the one surprise surprised her that story.
Speaker 3: Tell me I was surprised too, But that's why it's
Speaker 3: a good story. Yeah, I think it was an incredible story.
Speaker 3: All right, let's finish up here.
Speaker 4: We still got two games left, so the Lions, we
Speaker 4: haven't taken that game, right, No, this is probably gonna
Speaker 4: be Dan's game. Just to let you know, I'm drafting
Speaker 4: for you Lions minus three at the Bears.
Speaker 3: You ask me what I would suck it because I know.
Speaker 4: Here, because I know you, buddy, and you said on
Speaker 4: this very program, I don't want to watch the Panthers anymore,
Speaker 4: and the Panthers the other option, and nobody watched the Panthers,
Speaker 4: So I'm sticking them with Mark and you can have
Speaker 4: Lions all fun game.
Speaker 3: I had this.
Speaker 4: Game just four weeks ago. I had this game just
Speaker 4: four weeks ago. I found it incredibly entertaining because you
Speaker 4: got justin fields against a defense that's just not giving
Speaker 4: up a lot of resistance right now, and he was
Speaker 4: the best player on the field that day. They should
Speaker 4: have won it, and then their defense collapsed and gave
Speaker 4: up two touchdowns at the end. I hope the Lions
Speaker 4: don't make it that difficult again, but I don't know.
Speaker 4: I'm not I'm just worried about this team. This This
Speaker 4: defense has been too leaky for too long. They put
Speaker 4: Alee McNeil on injured reserve this week, and that is
Speaker 4: a reminder this defensive line outside of Hutchinson just ain't
Speaker 4: getting it done.
Speaker 2: Okay, how about this then, and Lions fans plug your
Speaker 2: ears because you want this to be a special season
Speaker 2: and you're nine to three right for the first time since.
Speaker 3: What well you got a billion years ago? Yeah, like
Speaker 3: deep old America.
Speaker 2: I define the way this is shaken out and you
Speaker 2: never know what could have with injuries and everything. I
Speaker 2: think success for the Lions this year is win this division,
Speaker 2: win a playoff game.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but you gotta win games like this, Yes, which
Speaker 4: I don't feel incredibly because I just.
Speaker 2: Don't think they're quite there yet, certainly not with the
Speaker 2: big boys in the NFC. But that doesn't mean the
Speaker 2: season is a failure if you don't want to go
Speaker 2: deep in the playoffs, just like close out the division,
Speaker 2: which you should be able to do and then game
Speaker 2: of playoffs and we're moving forward.
Speaker 3: Another step forward for.
Speaker 4: The cammel Rs, and they won't be the four seed
Speaker 4: because the NFC South will be, and so that means
Speaker 4: you will avoid the Eagles or Cowboys, which is nice.
Speaker 5: We're in a weird place with the Lions because it's
Speaker 5: almost like they were elevated a little bit beyond where
Speaker 5: they are where it's like we just wanted them to
Speaker 5: be like the number one seed or two seed.
Speaker 3: It's like, well, they're nine to three. They could be,
Speaker 3: they could be, but they but there.
Speaker 5: Also there's this like all this fatalism around them because
Speaker 5: of their defense, and it's like, you know, we'll see
Speaker 5: what happened. I will say, like, no team other than
Speaker 5: the Commanders is giving up more points for games since
Speaker 5: Week seven, so it's it's real. At the same time,
Speaker 5: I like, look at a team that is like drafted
Speaker 5: well like Sam Laporta is becoming a huge factor down
Speaker 5: the stretch. I believe that they're going to handle their business.
Speaker 5: I think they're really well coached, and there's something to
Speaker 5: haven't done on the show yet.
Speaker 3: When right now I'm locking that Lion's team up, I
Speaker 3: like that. All right, what have we got for the spread?
Speaker 3: Three points? There's some good there's some lockable games here,
Speaker 3: and it's on the road that you know, Lion's on
Speaker 3: the road.
Speaker 2: I'll point it out, and the data backs this up.
Speaker 2: Jared Goff is not a good quarterback outdoors. He's not
Speaker 2: a good quarterback. Well, maybe I shouldn't lock it in
Speaker 2: December and January. He has a lot of a lot
Speaker 2: of trouble with that. In fact, I'll give you some
Speaker 2: data points eight and thirteen outdoors in December and January,
Speaker 2: completion percentage south of sixty, QB.
Speaker 3: Rating of eighty.
Speaker 2: He when the weather drops and he is playing outside
Speaker 2: of dome, that production has historically dropped. So let's see
Speaker 2: Goff is is Scoff a different player than he was
Speaker 2: with the Rams.
Speaker 3: I don't know. We're gonna see.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 2: Now that we're get into some crucible games for the Lions.
Speaker 2: Let's see if he can play the guitar.
Speaker 4: It's one of those draft stories that feel so stupid,
Speaker 4: but then you hear this data. He's got the old
Speaker 4: I just found he's in the bottom tenth percentile. AHD,
Speaker 4: tiny hands, coffee Mark.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I feel for him on that front. They need it.
Speaker 3: They need to get Jamo Demo going.
Speaker 4: They just I feel like they're one weapons short on office.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, Weymo, Weymo, Bro.
Speaker 4: They're great on offense, but it's just man, it's a
Speaker 4: lot to count on.
Speaker 3: Like lap, I guess you got the running game. They're
Speaker 3: they're interesting.
Speaker 2: You have that Weymo clip from last week that was
Speaker 2: fun Waimo after that incredible end around where he went
Speaker 2: sixty seven miles per hour.
Speaker 4: That I feel like this Bears team is better that
Speaker 4: they're they're four and eight, but they're a pretty good
Speaker 4: for it eight.
Speaker 3: They're a little dangerous. They're a little.
Speaker 2: Dangerous and and like I said, Fields is another uh
Speaker 2: subject subject of intrigue. I think he really needs the
Speaker 2: ball out if he wants to stay with the Bears.
Speaker 3: I don't even know if he wants to stay with it.
Speaker 3: I almost presume he's gone.
Speaker 2: But if he really does have some big games down
Speaker 2: the stretch, remember what an awesome stretch he had like
Speaker 2: last November for instance.
Speaker 5: Yeah, but that's not even been like he's he's had
Speaker 5: a couple of moments like that or haves, but like
Speaker 5: what he did, had he picked it up from there,
Speaker 5: even just the running part of him right, like you'd
Speaker 5: see a lot. But it's like, I just presume he's
Speaker 5: not going to be on the team next year. I
Speaker 5: mean we will see a lot of questions there.
Speaker 2: Uh you mentioned Hutchinson one sack in the last seven games.
Speaker 3: That brilliant, Mark. I think it's a good player. Oh
Speaker 3: suddenly a score from last week. I didn't.
Speaker 5: I spend twelve minutes saying I don't you know, I
Speaker 5: shouldn't have used that word.
Speaker 2: You know, we already went through that all that business.
Speaker 2: You always underestimate our audience. A lot of people know
Speaker 2: exactly what can I promise you?
Speaker 5: Our audience remembers and a lot of as I was
Speaker 5: talking about the multiple angers, all right, close it out, Mark,
Speaker 5: all right, well what I can't believe this is still
Speaker 5: hanging around Panthers at Saints. It's like two you know,
Speaker 5: faulty helicopters colliding in the middle of the sky. I
Speaker 5: don't I don't know why a huge last week I
Speaker 5: got Chargers Patriots.
Speaker 3: So the helicopters were distressed before colliding.
Speaker 5: They all they were faulty, and that's probably why you
Speaker 5: could have pilots were faulty, and that's why they could
Speaker 5: have picked.
Speaker 3: The game you wanted.
Speaker 2: But instead you tried to be cute and take the
Speaker 2: ship game, and it came back to bite you.
Speaker 5: It was actually a very smart move. I compare this,
Speaker 5: I compare this next to Brown's Jaguars.
Speaker 3: There you go, I don't know.
Speaker 5: I guess how about this, Like Saints show up and
Speaker 5: do something and stop being totally pored.
Speaker 3: They're an eyesore.
Speaker 5: They're impossible to watch, one of the worst red zone
Speaker 5: offenses in the league. All I need is like when their
Speaker 5: fan base is that annoyed with their own team, and
Speaker 5: you do, you lose the pocket of the fan base.
Speaker 5: It's even like like illogically telling you they're great when
Speaker 5: they're not.
Speaker 3: Like there aren't those fans don't even exist for this team.
Speaker 2: We have to check in on the practice report for Thursdays,
Speaker 2: but Taysom Hill's not practicing well, and I feel a
Speaker 2: lot better about Jameis Winston being in the mix as
Speaker 2: the starter if you have Taysom to playoff.
Speaker 5: Tam Hill has like he is three hundred and forty
Speaker 5: six yards on the ground, four touchdowns, two twenty plus
Speaker 5: and a touchdown through the air. He's not really even
Speaker 5: playing quarterback that much. And like there's been previous seasons
Speaker 5: where we talked about Taysom Hill all the time. I
Speaker 5: won sandwich bet on how many touchdowns he'd have, and
Speaker 5: Sean Payton, you know, fawned over. It's like this might
Speaker 5: be his best season in a way on a pretty
Speaker 5: lost offense.
Speaker 3: I think he's been really reliable.
Speaker 2: If he finishes this regular season strong, there will be
Speaker 2: generation of fantasy players that we'll talk about Taysom Hill's
Speaker 2: cheat code tight end season twenty twenty three. Yeah, and
Speaker 2: a otherwise bad group of producers in that game.
Speaker 3: Taysom just does all these different things.
Speaker 4: Derek Carr might play in this game because I think
Speaker 4: he was partial.
Speaker 3: Somebody saved Derek Carr from himself.
Speaker 5: So he's got a shoulder injury of back injuries, coming
Speaker 5: off a concussion. I mean, I don't know if we
Speaker 5: need to rush him back into this mailstrom.
Speaker 3: No, and you mentioned the tickets you thought would be cheap. Here.
Speaker 4: You can get into the Superdome for fifteen dollars. So
Speaker 4: but I do that less than a you pair that
Speaker 4: less than a beer and a hot dive.
Speaker 3: I'm a nice weekend in no orld. Yeah, we've done
Speaker 3: that in that quarter. I'd be able to.
Speaker 4: If there's one thing that could get Gayle Benson's attention. Sure,
Speaker 4: any owner in terms of the GM too, not just
Speaker 4: the head coach, but Mickey Loomis is as much power
Speaker 4: as any GM in the league that could get their
Speaker 4: attention if it starts getting real empty.
Speaker 3: The booze there were very rare.
Speaker 4: Alvin Kamara mentioned like he had never heard anything like that,
Speaker 4: and he said, like, I understand it, we're just not performing,
Speaker 4: but I've never heard anything like that, And.
Speaker 2: It doesn't It doesn't help when you have people on
Speaker 2: the team like joining in with the fans and how
Speaker 2: much the team sucks.
Speaker 5: Yeah, things have gone like they're only giving the Panthers,
Speaker 5: who are a disaster, five points in this and so
Speaker 5: I guess if like it would be really the.
Speaker 3: Spot for the Panthers to get a win.
Speaker 5: Yeah, but how about Bryce Young, Like if he could
Speaker 5: just string together a couple games were different. I just
Speaker 5: don't see how it's gonna happen. Saints are still in
Speaker 5: the mix if they win this game, right, very much?
Speaker 5: Are they very much?
Speaker 2: But doesn't it feel like they are just a team
Speaker 2: that needs to hit the reset there?
Speaker 3: Yeah? No for the division right? No false results?
Speaker 5: Like I think it'd be better for the team to
Speaker 5: probably flush a lot of this down the drain and
Speaker 5: start over.
Speaker 3: And it don't seem well.
Speaker 2: Dennis Allen wins the division at eight nine and comes
Speaker 2: back for another year.
Speaker 3: Everyone everyone wins.
Speaker 4: The fans send our thoughts to Hurst that oh yeah,
Speaker 4: Anthers and very sad that his father said he was
Speaker 4: diagnosed with post traumatic amnesia as a result of a
Speaker 4: hit to the head.
Speaker 3: I remember that.
Speaker 4: I never heard that brutal three or four weeks ago
Speaker 4: that you know, caused a concussion and these are some
Speaker 4: of the symptoms. So he's been through a lot, if
Speaker 4: you know his story, battling back from depression too in college.
Speaker 4: I think suicide attempt I believe he had talked about
Speaker 4: and this is just as terrible.
Speaker 3: It's a reminder what they're risking going out there.
Speaker 2: Yes, okay, good luck to mister Hurst. That is the
Speaker 2: full week fourteen rundown. This is the Thursday triple header
Speaker 2: for at and so we're gonna have an NFL Plus
Speaker 2: Dreamatorium app which you can get on NFL Plus and
Speaker 2: also if you're outside the United States, you can get.
Speaker 3: It on DA's own.
Speaker 2: We also will have a Thursday night recap of Patriots
Speaker 2: Steelers with guests. We cooked something. We told you people,
Speaker 2: Cestag and I were going to cook something up.
Speaker 3: We got something. Well, surprise him with the guests though.
Speaker 3: I like that.
Speaker 2: And finally, what a great day this is or a
Speaker 2: week this is because we learned that are hardworking, intrepid
Speaker 2: young producer, sneaky handsome. I wouldn't say sneaky. I think
Speaker 2: I would say back door, like side door handsome, maybe
Speaker 2: coming through the front door. Good looking guy. Doesn't surprise
Speaker 2: me that he landed a wife of a wonderful, beautiful woman.
Speaker 2: And I guess it shouldn't surprise me. That's such a
Speaker 2: virile young man. They're expecting weird, they're expecting Eric. Congratulations, buddy,
Speaker 2: Uh look at that beautiful you, your wife and the sonogram.
Speaker 3: Uh, great job, Bud.
Speaker 6: Thank you man, appreciate all those What is your wife's name?
Speaker 6: By the way, my wife is Lenn.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 6: The YouTube show, you could see we were holding our
Speaker 6: ultrasound of my baby boy.
Speaker 3: Austin James is all, oh, he's ready to roll.
Speaker 6: Yeah, we're you know, we're not young pups anymore, so
Speaker 6: we've been we waited it out. She's a doctor, so
Speaker 6: she went to school. I went through the morning radio life.
Speaker 3: So we've been yourself a doctor. Dude, you just went
Speaker 3: up in Dan's eyes. I'm not.
Speaker 6: I'm not the bread wind in the family, and I'm
Speaker 6: okay with every Listeners.
Speaker 3: Like, what kind of doctor? What is her?
Speaker 6: She's a clinical clinical psychologist, so she works with the
Speaker 6: courts and at risk youth and way smarter than me.
Speaker 6: Kept going back to school for some reason. It's yeah,
Speaker 6: nice job, and uh, you can find a good woman
Speaker 6: that's a doctor.
Speaker 3: You are.
Speaker 4: I don't know if you listeners on your Instagram, but
Speaker 4: you should. You have your own podcast. It's called the
Speaker 4: What's New Pod? And I saw that this is how
Speaker 4: I learned. On your page. You put up a clip
Speaker 4: of you letting your co hosts, Yeah show with for
Speaker 4: a long time, including Randy Chavez big follow and it
Speaker 4: was a great reaction.
Speaker 3: Everyone should should check that out, seeing your.
Speaker 6: Friend and a bunch of my old buddies from my
Speaker 6: radio days.
Speaker 3: So it's wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 2: Check out the What's New podcast with Funk and buds
Speaker 2: from the old radio station.
Speaker 3: And again, congratulations Eric to you. There is nothing better.
Speaker 5: No and Eric, I cannot I cannot suggest more highly
Speaker 5: to have the followers of the show on your Instagram.
Speaker 3: That's a that's a way to get out of here, guys.
Speaker 3: Let's go see the internet just breaks down the walls
Speaker 3: mark it does.
Speaker 2: Don't need all We're all the same, stew together now,
Speaker 2: all right, till later heed the call.