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Speaker 1: Mile two to just kind of exact slips for exact

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Speaker 1: thirty birds. What's up and welcome back to final Whistle.

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Speaker 1: We have a very exciting Falcons win to talk about.

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Speaker 1: It is twelve o two a m. On Tuesday morning,

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Speaker 1: as we record, about an hour after the Atlanta Falcons

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Speaker 1: beat the Los Angeles Rams twenty seven to twenty four

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Speaker 1: on Monday Night football. It is a victory that you know,

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Speaker 1: they've shown the ability to be capable of, but not many,

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Speaker 1: at least nationally expected, and so once again the Falcons

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Speaker 1: have kind of shocked the NFL world and we're going

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Speaker 1: to dig into all of it, and Tori, I think

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Speaker 1: we have to start with a player that does kind

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Speaker 1: of shocking things every single week and yet we should

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Speaker 1: not be surprised by in the least, and that is

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Speaker 1: Bejon Robinson. He literally had the best offensive season in

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Speaker 1: Falcons history this year, and he put the exclamation point

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Speaker 1: on it Monday night.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, no, he really did. I think that it was.

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Speaker 3: I believe Kirk Cousins after the game said something along

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Speaker 3: the lines of tonight the Falcons asked a lot of

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Speaker 3: bajon Robinson, which you know, I think there was also

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Speaker 3: going into this game, and Taron Walker wrote a story

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Speaker 3: on this. Bajon was one hundred and fifty one scrimmage

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Speaker 3: yards from breaking the single season scrimmage yards record in

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Speaker 3: franchise history, yep, one hundred and fifty one yards. And

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Speaker 3: this is a conversation that Will and I actually had

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Speaker 3: earlier in the week as we were preparing for.

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Speaker 1: Our other podcast.

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Speaker 3: One hundred and fifty one scrimmage yards sounds like a

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Speaker 3: lot because it is a lot, and there aren't very

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Speaker 3: many people who can do can put up that number,

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Speaker 3: can reach that number in a single game. But in

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Speaker 3: the lead up to this game against the Rams, even

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Speaker 3: with the Rams defense playing as well as what they were,

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Speaker 3: especially against the run, going into this game, it kind

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Speaker 3: of always felt like, Okay, Bajon has to reach this

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Speaker 3: one fifty one mark.

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Speaker 2: It sounds like a lot, but he's done it so many.

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Speaker 3: Times before, Yeah, that that almost has become this like

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Speaker 3: not arbitrary number for Bajon. But he's done it so

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Speaker 3: much that you kind of don't think hardly anything of

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Speaker 3: him even getting.

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Speaker 2: To that point in terms of scrimpsticks. Does that make sense?

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Speaker 1: No, I'm so it's so smart. I'm so glad that

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Speaker 1: we started the conversation here because it's the perfect example

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Speaker 1: of just like kind of how routine he makes the

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Speaker 1: incredible look. It's kind of the way that Julio Jones

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Speaker 1: had more like two hundred and fifty receiving yard games

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Speaker 1: than like any player and it was only three, right,

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Speaker 1: but like that in and of itself, we talk about

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Speaker 1: two point fifty is like that's insane and one fifty

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Speaker 1: is is the equivalent for kind of a running back, right,

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Speaker 1: And so when I was just like, yeah, of course

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Speaker 1: it's well it was it like four and one or

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Speaker 1: something when he had like one hundred and fifty scrimmage

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Speaker 1: yards that was the Falcons, Yeah, record, I was like,

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Speaker 1: of course it's that because he's that's a one hundred

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Speaker 1: and fifty yards. That's crazy. And yet again that's five

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Speaker 1: games of the Falcons fifteen games to that point, that

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Speaker 1: was a third like that. So yeah, like he he

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Speaker 1: finished with two hundred and twenty nine scrimmage yards against

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Speaker 1: the Rams, will says two and a half minutes into

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Speaker 1: our first quarter, which he should have said right up

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Speaker 1: at the top. So he brought his total for the

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Speaker 1: season to two hundred and fifty five, breaking William Andrews's

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Speaker 1: record of twenty one hundred and seventy six scrimmage yards,

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Speaker 1: which he set in nineteen eighty three. I mean two

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Speaker 1: hundred and twenty nine yards. That's the second most of

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Speaker 1: Robinson's career. First most was two thirty eight against the

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Speaker 1: Panthers earlier this year. I mean the fact that he's

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Speaker 1: doing it kind of as a was ever and on

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Speaker 1: the ground. We've talked about before, but specifically tonight, what

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Speaker 1: I loved was like the breakaway ability, which is something

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Speaker 1: he worked all off season, and like I didn't know

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Speaker 1: he he necessarily even had it to that degree, although

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Speaker 1: I guess we saw that against Buffalo. What do we

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Speaker 1: sit against Monday Night. I don't in this building, against

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Speaker 1: like the best teams in the league that jon just

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Speaker 1: torches them.

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Speaker 2: I don't know, but it's it's truly something special.

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Speaker 3: I mean, he had that ninety three yard rushing touchdown,

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Speaker 3: which was the longest run in the NFL this year,

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Speaker 3: the one that he had earlier in against Buffalo on

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Speaker 3: Monday Night, I believe was one of the top at

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Speaker 3: the time.

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Speaker 2: I believe it was the longest.

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Speaker 3: And then I think Jonathan Taylor had another one that

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Speaker 3: like tied it for like eighty one rushing.

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Speaker 2: Yard to eighty three rushing yard.

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Speaker 3: I think so now Rajon has the ninety three rushing

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Speaker 3: yard touchdown, which is the longest run in the NFL

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Speaker 3: this year. But when he had that ninety three yard run,

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Speaker 3: he became the the player with the most scrimmage charge

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Speaker 3: by a player twenty three years or younger in NFL history.

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Speaker 2: Way it like I was sitting there kind.

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Speaker 3: Of like, you know, we were waiting for that one

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Speaker 3: hundred and fifty one scrimmage jarge mark. But then to

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Speaker 3: get that to surpass Christian McCaffrey as the youngest player

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Speaker 3: to do to surpass this number as quickly as what

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Speaker 3: he did is also in and of itself, incredibly rare.

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Speaker 3: What we're seeing with Bajon Robinson is incredibly rare. I mean,

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Speaker 3: I know, Raheem Morris kind of says all the time

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Speaker 3: every time he's asked about Jon Robinson that he's the

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Speaker 3: best player in football, and he does things every single

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Speaker 3: week that makes you believe that that he is the

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Speaker 3: best player in football. And again it's so I mean,

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Speaker 3: you're happy that he had the Pro Bowl nod, and

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Speaker 3: you hope he has an All Pro nod. It's so

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Speaker 3: unfortunate that we're not seeing Bjon Robinson in a postseason

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Speaker 3: with how electric he is.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, because against the very best teams, like they they

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Speaker 1: look like the worst teams.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, like ninety five rushing yards tonight, Yeah, one hundred

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Speaker 3: and ninety five. I know that ninety three of those

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Speaker 3: came on that one one rushing touchdown, but one hundred

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Speaker 3: and ninety five against a Rams defense that was arguably

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Speaker 3: top ten I believe in in run defense for a

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Speaker 3: year like that, He's doing these things against some really

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Speaker 3: tough competition, and I mean, John Robinson is just special

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Speaker 3: and he probably got a lot of points for a

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Speaker 3: lot of fantasy owners this tonight.

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Speaker 1: You know, Yeah, one hundred and Like if so, one

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Speaker 1: hundred and ninety five rushing yards is the sixth most

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Speaker 1: by a running back this season. You look at the

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Speaker 1: other defenses kind of on that list around it, it's

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Speaker 1: like the Cowboys and the Bengals, who this season they're

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Speaker 1: not lighting the world on fire defensively. So to do

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Speaker 1: this against the Ram again, this has been in my mind,

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Speaker 1: like I'm always gonna remember the twenty twenty five season

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Speaker 1: is the season of Jon Robinson, and this performance is

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Speaker 1: maybe now first thing in my mind that bubbles.

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Speaker 2: Up one thing before I know we've whistled.

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Speaker 1: Don't disrespect to whistle trie, but I have.

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Speaker 2: To add this because it just came in.

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Speaker 3: Bejon is the only player in NFL history with over

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Speaker 3: fourteen hundred rushing yards and eight hundred and ten receiving

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Speaker 3: yards in a seed and goal season.

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Speaker 1: I love. Yeah, eight hundred and ten is a great

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Speaker 1: mark because he's twenty third. I believe all time in

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Speaker 1: receiving yards among running backs, only four since nineteen eighty

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Speaker 1: five have finished with one thousand, So I know he

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Speaker 1: needs one hundred and ninety, but he just got over

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Speaker 1: one hundred and ninety on the ground. Maybe he can

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Speaker 1: do that in the air through the air next week

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Speaker 1: against the Saints. But Matthew Stafford and the Rams were

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Speaker 1: not able to really get anything going through the air

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Speaker 1: on Monday night, which I'm a little bit surprised about, honestly, Like,

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Speaker 1: and that's no shot at the Falcons defense because they've

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Speaker 1: been really solid. It's just that's how much respect I

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Speaker 1: have for the Rams.

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Speaker 3: And also how good Matthew Stafford has looked this season. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: you know, like we were having the conversation going into

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Speaker 3: this game about he's playing at an MVP level. Well,

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Speaker 3: he just went out against this Falcon secondary in this

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Speaker 3: Falcon's defense, and he came into the into the Monday

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Speaker 3: night game with five interceptions thrown on the year. He

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Speaker 3: walked out of this Monday Night game having thrown three interceptions,

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Speaker 3: one of which was a Jesse Bates pick six. It like.

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Speaker 1: The one my Xavier. Oh, he just kind of stepped

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Speaker 1: and read that like because the one did Jesse was

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Speaker 1: a great play by Jesse to put himself in position

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Speaker 1: and it was an overthrow I think over the middle

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Speaker 1: by Matthew. And so that's where, like, I don't know why,

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Speaker 1: my first instinct, maybe it's because he's former Georgia Bulldog

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Speaker 1: was to jump to like the quarterbacks defense there and

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Speaker 1: be like not everything was first off, screw that three picks,

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Speaker 1: what's up, map let's go. But secondly, it was just

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Speaker 1: like the two by Xavier were to me, like Jesse's

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Speaker 1: being the pick six, obviously a thing is the headline,

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Speaker 1: But like that first one by Xavier where we all

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Speaker 1: kind of thought that he was going to be called

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Speaker 1: for defensive pass interference only to learn that he was

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Speaker 1: the one interfered with and he still comes down with

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Speaker 1: the ball.

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Speaker 3: Like an acrobatic catch, Like I mean, you saw the

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Speaker 3: ball skills that I think everybody talked about during his

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Speaker 3: pre draft process and his background as a receiver.

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Speaker 2: That catch was receiver like.

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Speaker 3: And then to look at him jumping the route later

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Speaker 3: in the game for his second interception, I mean, I

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Speaker 3: think what he was he was kind of playing with

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Speaker 3: his hair on fire at certain points in time. He

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Speaker 3: had a really important third down tackle stop on a run,

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Speaker 3: like there were there were a couple times where Xavier

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Speaker 3: Watch showed up and you felt him. And what's so

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Speaker 3: fascinating about the Xavier Watch what conversation is the Falcons

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Speaker 3: were in the position to potentially get Xavier Watts because

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Speaker 3: of the trade that they put together with the Los

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Speaker 3: Angeles Rams.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, got you James Pierce Junior, who has eight and

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Speaker 1: a half sacks on the season to lead all rookies,

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Speaker 1: and Xavier Watts, who picked off Matthew Stafford twice. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and leads all rookies with five interceptions. That's crazy.

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Speaker 3: He also, yeah, and is tied for I think second

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Speaker 3: in the league in totality. He leads rookies, but he's

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Speaker 3: tied for second amongst all individuals in the league.

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Speaker 1: I mean again, when you kind of look at really

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Speaker 1: the last two draft classes for Atlanta, but like it's

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Speaker 1: hard to not then be like three draft classes we're

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Speaker 1: talking about, but John Robinson as the player of this game.

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Speaker 1: But just like the way that they've found impact players,

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Speaker 1: you know, like the Falcons as a franchise have always

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Speaker 1: had some impact players on their roster, Like even in

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Speaker 1: some of the lean that years, Yeah, Roddy White, you

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Speaker 1: add Michael Turnery, you had Julio Jones, like there were

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Speaker 1: always stars, but it feels like this is one of

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Speaker 1: just the best collection of young stars on a team.

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Speaker 1: And coming out of last season Week eighteen, you know,

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Speaker 1: we were sitting here after the Carolina game talking about

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Speaker 1: the offensive guys, but now really you look at the

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Speaker 1: defense and we've been talking a lot about Jaalen Walker

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Speaker 1: and James Pearce, but like Xavier Watts making these plays

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Speaker 1: is maybe just as important as those young pass rushers emerging.

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Speaker 1: And then when you add on to that Brandon dor

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Speaker 1: List and Rucu Roro and all of these guys, like

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Speaker 1: it's so much fun to watch Atlanta's defense.

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Speaker 3: It is and it's one of those defensive performances that

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Speaker 3: I think I'll remember for a while. And you know,

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Speaker 3: I know people are going to kind of talk about, well,

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Speaker 3: you had a twenty one to nothing lead coming out

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Speaker 3: of halftime and this game ended up being closer than

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Speaker 3: what it was. I think that, like I'm not disregard

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Speaker 3: I'm not disregarding that part of it, like I'm not,

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Speaker 3: But I will say is like this Rams team is

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Speaker 3: a really good Rams team.

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Speaker 2: They just want a lot, They have a lot of experience.

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Speaker 1: You knew they were going to punch back, you did.

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Speaker 3: You knew that they were going to And I think

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Speaker 3: like the block field goal, like that was a big swing.

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Speaker 3: And I don't know, there were moments that I don't

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Speaker 3: necessarily think like was the defense's fault per se?

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Speaker 1: I mean, had what could have been a fumble return

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Speaker 1: right for not if not a touchdown like set them

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Speaker 1: up basically in the red zone that got called.

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Speaker 4: Back, right.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, there are just like moments where it's I mean,

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Speaker 3: it really is true. I know it's cliche, but it

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Speaker 3: really is like a full team type of game. And

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Speaker 3: this defense, for I think more often than not holds

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Speaker 3: up there into the bargain.

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Speaker 1: And I mean, I think A. J. Terrell is maybe

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Speaker 1: one of the most under the radar players in the NFL,

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Speaker 1: like this season, just the one he's doing.

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Speaker 3: Him and Kayden Ellis I swear like both of those guys,

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Speaker 3: Between both of them, I'm like, no one's talking about them,

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Speaker 3: but they should be.

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Speaker 1: No. Yeah, absolutely, Like the if you're excellent in pass

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Speaker 1: coverage and that's what what kind of stinks is it

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Speaker 1: really is interception Like same with pass rush. I guess

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Speaker 1: we talked about the sacks is like the big splash plays,

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Speaker 1: but Puka and Akua ten targets, five catches, forty seven

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Speaker 1: yards in a touchdown like this, This is one of

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Speaker 1: the five most maybe dangerous offensive players in the league.

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Speaker 1: And really the Falcons did such a good job be

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Speaker 1: its own coverage or man taking him away. Yeah, And

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Speaker 1: it wasn't like they were doing anything crazy. You and

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Speaker 1: I were like, they're not doing anything out of the norm, right, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: that's so.

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Speaker 3: I think we're in the third quarter and you leaned

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Speaker 3: over and you're like, it doesn't really seem like they're

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Speaker 3: playing kind of.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, out on him, every single player, Like that's.

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Speaker 2: Not what's happening.

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Speaker 3: They're not shading a guy over to him, like And

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Speaker 3: I think that kind of like goes back to something

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Speaker 3: that you know, Jeff Olbrok has said. I know he

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Speaker 3: said it in the context of wanting to win with

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Speaker 3: four up front, not wanting to be a blitz heavy team.

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Speaker 2: He's never wanted to be this gimmicky style.

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Speaker 1: He doesn't want to devote too many resources into I

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Speaker 1: think any one area.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, And I think this is a prime example of

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Speaker 3: like he has the guys to be able to kind

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Speaker 3: of play normally.

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Speaker 1: And he did it down Mike, use right, yees starting corner,

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Speaker 1: which is not nothing? All right? That is the second

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Speaker 1: quarter whistle, which brings us to halftime. Our halftime stat

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Speaker 1: presented by Microsoft's co pilot in early in the third quarter,

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Speaker 1: Brandon Dorless picked up his eight and a half sack. Yep,

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Speaker 1: Is that how you would say eight and a half sack?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? I think that's right.

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Speaker 1: He has eight and a half sacks on the year.

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Speaker 1: There you go, there you go, all right, let's keep

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Speaker 1: it going, will That was great? So Brandon Dorlyss, now

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Speaker 1: it's eight and a half sacks on the year, the

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Speaker 1: same number as James Pierce junior. The last time that

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Speaker 1: two Falcons players each recorded at least eight and a

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Speaker 1: half sacks in a single season was in two thousand

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Speaker 1: and four, when Patrick Kearney finished with thirteen and Rod

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Speaker 1: Coleman finished with eleven and a half sacks. But Brandon

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Speaker 1: Dorlyss went down shortly after that third quarter sack. He

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Speaker 1: did not return to the game. Tori did Raheem have

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Speaker 1: an update on the second year defensive lineman.

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Speaker 3: Not really, but he didn't seem very hopeful. He said

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Speaker 3: he didn't have an update, but he said he felt

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Speaker 3: for Brandon Dorless, but he also added that it didn't

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Speaker 3: look good. I know that he really couldn't put a

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Speaker 3: lot of pressure on his leg as he was being

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Speaker 3: helped off the field, he was carted to the locker

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Speaker 3: room like none of those things are good things. And

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Speaker 3: it's unfortunate because I would I think you're hard pressed

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Speaker 3: to find a interior defensive lineman who is having a

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Speaker 3: better season than Brandon Dorless, just from him being a

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Speaker 3: guy who was a healthy scratch more times than he

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Speaker 3: wasn't in twenty fourteen to coming forth in twenty twenty

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Speaker 3: five and being this impressive individual and it times does

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Speaker 3: when it comes to quarterback sacks, quarterback pressures and really

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Speaker 3: holding up his end of the bargain and what he's

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Speaker 3: being asked to do. So it's really really unfortunate if

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Speaker 3: this thing is, you know, I don't want to speculate

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Speaker 3: or anything like that, but Raheie Morris said that it

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Speaker 3: didn't really look good for Brandon Dorless.

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Speaker 1: That's a shame. I mean, yeah, mentioned kind of a

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Speaker 1: J's Relkaden Ellis is some of the unsung heroes. I

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Speaker 1: think Brandon Dorlyss is absolutely right up there with everybody else.

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Speaker 1: And yeah, in his second season to be a healthy

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Speaker 1: scratch a lot in twenty twenty four as a rookie,

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Speaker 1: just the strides he has made, he's up there with

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Speaker 1: Jeffrey Simmons. I think he's second in kind of like

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Speaker 1: sacks among interior defensive linemen. So again, yeah, he has

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Speaker 1: been huge and very impactful and hopefully he has avoided

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Speaker 1: anything major and crazy. Although yeah, that update from Raheem

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Speaker 1: doesn't necessarily sound great. So eight and a half sacks

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Speaker 1: on the season, we will see if any more get

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Speaker 1: added to that. And James Fierce junior he's got one

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Speaker 1: game left as well. I know he's trying to get

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Speaker 1: double digits. So that is our halftime stat presented by

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Speaker 1: Microsoft Copilot. We are going to head on into the

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Speaker 1: third quarter. Tory, I was trying to like wrap my

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Speaker 1: head around what this game even means, like what to

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Speaker 1: do with it, how to contextualize it, where to fit

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Speaker 1: it in the library of all of the games that

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Speaker 1: I've ever watched in my life, which is.

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Speaker 2: A lot, and we've seen some crazy ones.

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Speaker 1: For as like surprising or shocking as this game might

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Speaker 1: be to somebody outside of Atlanta, I think what I

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Speaker 1: heard from more people in my life who are Falcons

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Speaker 1: fans is like, this is totally the type of game

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Speaker 1: the Falcons win.

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Speaker 2: It was the prevailing comment I got was, of course

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Speaker 2: they did this.

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Speaker 3: Of course they looked like this after having after everything

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Speaker 3: that they've done or rather not done in the course

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Speaker 3: over the course of twenty twenty five. Of course this

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Speaker 3: is what happens on Monday, not football.

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Speaker 1: Because that like maybe in the in the city that

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Speaker 1: housed primetime, are they destined for greatness on Primetime? But

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Speaker 1: like you have one of the league's best teams coming

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Speaker 1: into your own house with the lights down, like you

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Speaker 1: know it's going to be a great crowd. I thought

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Speaker 1: the energy was was really awesome.

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Speaker 3: Honestly, like I was very surprised, like and I mean

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Speaker 3: I don't mean this like in a bad way. I

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Speaker 3: mean I genuinely mean this as a compliment that you know,

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Speaker 3: the Falcons are out of playoff contention like this, this

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Speaker 3: fan base like has hung with them through now eight

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Speaker 3: consecutive season.

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Speaker 1: Your sandwich between Christmas and New Year's travel time like

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Speaker 1: it it made it.

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Speaker 3: Would have made showed up, but people showed up and

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Speaker 3: they were allowed. And I think I even leaned over

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Speaker 3: and said to somebody in the press in the in

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Speaker 3: the press box, like if this team is fighting for

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Speaker 3: like a playoff spot or they're hosting a playoff game,

365
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Speaker 3: like this environment has so much potential because you just

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Speaker 3: saw what they could do on Monday night, completely out

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Speaker 3: of playoff contention, like playing a team that on paper

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Speaker 3: everybody saying you.

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Speaker 2: Should lose to.

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Speaker 3: Like I just thought, it's like this city is just

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Speaker 3: in this fan base is just so hungry for like

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Speaker 3: a playoff type atmosphere. It's so ready for a playoff

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Speaker 3: type atmosphere and to not be playing for that right now,

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Speaker 3: but seeing kind of like how fun.

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Speaker 1: It could be.

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Speaker 2: Oh, it just kind of like hurts your heart a

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Speaker 2: little bit.

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Speaker 1: And yeah, they provided a playoff type atmosphere in again,

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Speaker 1: a game that when the schedule came out, this is

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Speaker 1: the one I circled because that's what I expected. I

381
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Speaker 1: was like, man, this is going to be a ten

382
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Speaker 1: to five Falcons team going up against an eleven and

383
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Speaker 1: four ram like for a spot in the one or

384
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Speaker 1: the three seed. You know it's going to be something

385
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Speaker 1: like that. And I expected that because this is the

386
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Speaker 1: Falcons team I expected to see more of throughout the

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty five season, and at time we have. And

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Speaker 1: this is maybe the most frustrating part is even in

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Speaker 1: some of their losses, we saw this team play like

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Speaker 1: it did for I would say three and a half

391
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Speaker 1: quarters on Monday Night. And that's where I just like,

392
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Speaker 1: this is one of the weirdest Falcons teams I've ever witnessed,

393
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Speaker 1: because the highs are incredibly high, and yet you look

394
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Speaker 1: at that Panther's loss or the Jets loss or Miami

395
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Speaker 1: and it's like, man, where where do you live with

396
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Speaker 1: this team? And what is real to take away from

397
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Speaker 1: Monday Night? Right?

398
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Speaker 2: And that's where I think I'm left questioning it, just

399
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Speaker 2: like you are, like what.

400
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Speaker 1: Do you sink your teeth into? Right? How do I

401
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Speaker 1: know the page has been turned exactly.

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Speaker 3: It's kind of even what we talked about, Like, you know,

403
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Speaker 3: who are the Atlanta Falcons in twenty twenty five? Are

404
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Speaker 3: that the team that lost to the Jets? Are they

405
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Speaker 3: the team that got shut out by Carolina and lost

406
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Speaker 3: to Carolina twice?

407
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Speaker 1: Is?

408
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Speaker 3: Or is the team that went down on a Thursday

409
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Speaker 3: night and beat Tampa on their home turf like.

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Speaker 1: As their rush Minnesota and their own building in the

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Speaker 1: way two? Who you know beat the Range McCarthy and

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Speaker 1: the hiding Yeah, but.

413
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Speaker 3: Also lost to the Miami Dolphins that had the worst

414
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Speaker 3: run defense at the time that they played them, like

415
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Speaker 3: their we was to your point, like it's just been

416
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Speaker 3: such extreme highs and lows this season.

417
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Speaker 2: And then you see like, okay, they lose.

418
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Speaker 3: They lose by one to the New England Patriots, who

419
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Speaker 3: are at the top of every power ranking right now.

420
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Speaker 3: They go to overtime in Germany with the Indianapolis Culture,

421
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Speaker 3: which at the time they were like seven and one

422
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Speaker 3: whatever they were, And I think, like that's what's so

423
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Speaker 3: you don't know who the I don't know who this

424
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Speaker 3: team is because we've seen them play lights out. We've

425
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Speaker 3: seen them play so well even the first quarter. I

426
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Speaker 3: made mention of this earlier, but the first half of

427
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Speaker 3: the Seattle Seahawks game, when this defense was playing lights

428
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Speaker 3: out and they're right there in it, and then the

429
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Speaker 3: second half comes along and it's just kind of like

430
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Speaker 3: where did it go? I think that's been the identity

431
00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:06,320
Speaker 3: of this team in twenty twenty five has been like

432
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Speaker 3: extreme highs and extreme lows to and it's kind of

433
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Speaker 3: a coin flip as to who you're gonna get.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it's it's like a pitcher who's able

435
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Speaker 1: to throw a fastball in the hundreds hit one oh

436
00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:24,840
Speaker 1: five at times, and it's like, man, you've you've got

437
00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:27,320
Speaker 1: that pitch that can strike out the best of the best,

438
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Speaker 1: and most of the game it's gonna be in the

439
00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,480
Speaker 1: strike zone and you're gonna be effective, but there's gonna

440
00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:38,800
Speaker 1: sometimes just be like one or two innings where you

441
00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:41,240
Speaker 1: walk like three batters in a row. Yeah. Like that's

442
00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:43,720
Speaker 1: where I think if the Falcons had just because we

443
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,560
Speaker 1: know that their best stuff is like can match with

444
00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:51,760
Speaker 1: the best in the league. Patriots and Colts included. It's

445
00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:53,800
Speaker 1: what we've talked about is like the twenty five percent

446
00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,200
Speaker 1: where they don't play up to that level. It's not

447
00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,840
Speaker 1: just like a their average floor play. It's kind of

448
00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:03,040
Speaker 1: like like so detrimental that it just swings you back

449
00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:03,680
Speaker 1: in the other direction.

450
00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:07,000
Speaker 2: It's kind of like they work in absolutes, and it's.

451
00:23:07,119 --> 00:23:09,040
Speaker 4: That's what's so Like they have the five best plays

452
00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:10,880
Speaker 4: of a game and like the five worst places. Yeah,

453
00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,760
Speaker 4: and there's very little in between. Sometimes it feels like

454
00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:16,440
Speaker 4: and that's why all of these games feel like either

455
00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,360
Speaker 4: so so good or so so bad. And that's where

456
00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:20,760
Speaker 4: you kind of have to sit.

457
00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:23,760
Speaker 3: And I'm just like, only Sith Lords like operate in

458
00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,920
Speaker 3: absolute Like that's that's just kind of like where my

459
00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:30,560
Speaker 3: brain goes, Oh my gosh, I think you're gonna get

460
00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:32,000
Speaker 3: a Star Wars reference tonight.

461
00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:34,560
Speaker 1: Did you? I did not know we've got uh yeah,

462
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,040
Speaker 1: that was actually really proud of that one. Well, we've

463
00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:40,240
Speaker 1: got the ultimate Sith Lords coming to town next week. Oh.

464
00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:44,199
Speaker 1: For the season finale, the Falcons and the Saints are

465
00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:46,399
Speaker 1: renewing their rivalry. The Falcons are going to try to

466
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:50,000
Speaker 1: go for the season sweep of our hated rival but

467
00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:54,360
Speaker 1: the Saints are pretty hot right now. They have won

468
00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:57,200
Speaker 1: four in a row. It's got everybody down in the

469
00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:01,760
Speaker 1: Big Easy pretty excited, pretty and bothered, and they're bringing

470
00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:07,520
Speaker 1: that four win streak here to Atlanta. So again, we

471
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:10,359
Speaker 1: talked about kind of the highs and lows, the extreme

472
00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:12,840
Speaker 1: nature of this season, but the Falcons are starting to

473
00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:16,720
Speaker 1: string something together here and they're starting to show what

474
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:21,520
Speaker 1: they weren't really showing in the first half of the season,

475
00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,000
Speaker 1: which were kind of these clutch plays and finding ways

476
00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:28,960
Speaker 1: to win. Right. So, has that made Week eighteen a

477
00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:32,160
Speaker 1: bit more compelling in your book? Is the Saints come

478
00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:35,119
Speaker 1: to town now feeling all good about themselves and the

479
00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:38,159
Speaker 1: Falcons now kind of could end this thing on the

480
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,360
Speaker 1: streak that they were talking about a few weeks ago.

481
00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that it makes it a lot more fun.

482
00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:45,240
Speaker 3: I think I'm definitely think it's more of an intriguing

483
00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:47,800
Speaker 3: Week eighteen matchup between two teams that are out of

484
00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:50,720
Speaker 3: playoff contingent, simply because both of these teams, and this

485
00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:52,600
Speaker 3: is something Will and I were talking about before we

486
00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:55,880
Speaker 3: even started recording, both of these teams are on an

487
00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:59,919
Speaker 3: upward trajectory after kind of if you were the Saints.

488
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:04,040
Speaker 3: You were plummeting very early in the season, and even

489
00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:06,720
Speaker 3: probably halfway through the season, the Falcons were up and

490
00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:08,760
Speaker 3: down and up and down and then very very down

491
00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:10,680
Speaker 3: and then oh, here they come back up again. And

492
00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:13,080
Speaker 3: I think that's like where we find these teams. That

493
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,719
Speaker 3: we find both of these teams, I think, arguably playing

494
00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:21,840
Speaker 3: their very best going into Week eighteen. And what's fascinating

495
00:25:22,119 --> 00:25:26,439
Speaker 3: about Saints. We're four weeks ago, yeah, crazy, and then

496
00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:28,320
Speaker 3: they make the switch at quarterback and now all of

497
00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:30,080
Speaker 3: a sudden, it's like, wait a minute, they.

498
00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:33,359
Speaker 2: Shut Yeah, do they have the second coming of Drew Brees?

499
00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:34,440
Speaker 2: Like what happened here?

500
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:38,600
Speaker 3: And so I think that I'm super fascinated by this

501
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:42,439
Speaker 3: game because again, both teams are just playing for pride,

502
00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:47,520
Speaker 3: but also to show that this is more like what

503
00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:50,320
Speaker 3: they've done recently, is more in line with who they

504
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:51,960
Speaker 3: are and who you can expect them to be in

505
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:53,000
Speaker 3: twenty twenty six.

506
00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:58,120
Speaker 2: Now, does like one game kind of change anything that's

507
00:25:58,119 --> 00:25:59,200
Speaker 2: happened in twenty twenty five?

508
00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:03,200
Speaker 1: No, life, like not really, but think back to Week

509
00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:07,720
Speaker 1: eighteen Carolina and Atlanta and kind of like that felt

510
00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,640
Speaker 1: like a big bryce young game and what the offense

511
00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:13,840
Speaker 1: could be and having this big shootout against a team

512
00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:17,359
Speaker 1: in Atlanta that came in still with the division hopes alive,

513
00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:21,159
Speaker 1: and like, I think you could convince me, or you

514
00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,480
Speaker 1: could make an argument that like Carolina saw then a

515
00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:27,760
Speaker 1: version of what they could be that fueled them throughout

516
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,240
Speaker 1: the offseason and said, look like we can be this,

517
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:31,440
Speaker 1: go do it.

518
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:33,479
Speaker 3: Yeah, I also but I also think the same thing

519
00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:36,080
Speaker 3: could have been said about the Falcons too, Like especially

520
00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:38,360
Speaker 3: like with you know, Michael Pennock starting those final three

521
00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,000
Speaker 3: games this season, he thought about like what it was

522
00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:43,400
Speaker 3: going to look like, you know, in twenty twenty five

523
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,320
Speaker 3: and having Michael Pennix as his starter, and then things

524
00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:48,679
Speaker 3: don't work out the way that they ultimately, I mean,

525
00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:50,480
Speaker 3: they work out the way they ultimately have where you

526
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:53,440
Speaker 3: have Kirk Cousins like coming back into the fold and

527
00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:55,080
Speaker 3: kind of leading this team in.

528
00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,840
Speaker 2: The last couple four or five weeks of the season.

529
00:26:58,359 --> 00:27:03,520
Speaker 3: But I am really curious to see how ultimately everything

530
00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:07,560
Speaker 3: shakes out within the NFC South in totality, because the

531
00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:11,840
Speaker 3: way that things are shaking out is the Carolina Panthers.

532
00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,800
Speaker 3: If the Falcons were to beat the Saints next week

533
00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:19,440
Speaker 3: in week eighteen. Doesn't matter what the Carolina Panthers do

534
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:23,400
Speaker 3: against the Bucks, they will hold the tiebreaker.

535
00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:26,119
Speaker 1: Do we know what time that game is? Four thirty

536
00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:30,480
Speaker 1: four thirty Okay, See, there's a chance that Carolina could

537
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:31,560
Speaker 1: rest guys.

538
00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:34,840
Speaker 3: They could, They absolutely could according to what the Falcons

539
00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,040
Speaker 3: do at one o'clock against the Saints. That is so

540
00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:39,879
Speaker 3: fascinating because if the Falcons, because then if the Falcons

541
00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,159
Speaker 3: lose to the Saints, then the Bucks still have a

542
00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:44,919
Speaker 3: fighting chance and they if they were to beat Carolina,

543
00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:47,440
Speaker 3: then they would be NFC South champions.

544
00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:50,359
Speaker 1: Man, oh god this and like the Saints had beaten

545
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,840
Speaker 1: the Panthers twice this year. Yeah, so the Panthers are

546
00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:56,840
Speaker 1: going to try to get there revenge through us. I

547
00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,200
Speaker 1: don't like being used in that way, but it's so,

548
00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:00,960
Speaker 1: it's so it's crazy.

549
00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:05,160
Speaker 3: It's so frustrating too because of where the Falcons find themselves.

550
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:08,480
Speaker 3: There's no reason the Falcons shouldn't have been fighting for

551
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:13,080
Speaker 3: the NFC South crown and U right, I mean that's

552
00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:14,760
Speaker 3: what makes this so frustrating.

553
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,240
Speaker 1: Well, it's like it's like in the years back when

554
00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:20,560
Speaker 1: you would like Alabama or LSU would play each other

555
00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:24,920
Speaker 1: in Week eleven, before the SC Championship is like, all right, well,

556
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:29,240
Speaker 1: whoever loses this, they're not going to the beau what

557
00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:33,359
Speaker 1: was it, BCS playoff championship game? And but this is

558
00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:36,320
Speaker 1: the real national championship. It's like, this the real championship

559
00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:38,680
Speaker 1: of the NFC South because if this, if this season

560
00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:41,840
Speaker 1: was two games longer, these two teams would be in contention.

561
00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:44,720
Speaker 1: That's the way it's trending right now. Falcons in the Saints,

562
00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:48,080
Speaker 1: so the hottest team teams in the division, and nobody

563
00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:51,040
Speaker 1: in the first two spots wants to win this, I know.

564
00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:53,960
Speaker 3: And if the Falcons would have just beaten the Carolina

565
00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:57,120
Speaker 3: Panthers or like, wouldn't have lost to the Jets.

566
00:28:56,960 --> 00:29:00,440
Speaker 1: Yep or or or the coltsinger Yeah yeah again, like

567
00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:03,240
Speaker 1: it it feels like you can say that about every season.

568
00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:08,280
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you definitely can. It just feels extrapolated this season.

569
00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:10,320
Speaker 1: Does it feel more real to you this season? It does.

570
00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:12,600
Speaker 3: It feels more real to me this season than any

571
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:14,880
Speaker 3: other season because of the expectations I had for this

572
00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:16,000
Speaker 3: team going into the season.

573
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,360
Speaker 1: Is it because you also saw that? Because expectations are

574
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:21,360
Speaker 1: one thing. But again, like I think this team kind

575
00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:23,760
Speaker 1: of met some of those expectations at times, like this

576
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,400
Speaker 1: team legitimately looked capable of doing that.

577
00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:27,280
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I think so.

578
00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:29,440
Speaker 3: But I also think that the other part of the

579
00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,520
Speaker 3: conversation is is kind of what I expected from Carolina

580
00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:36,800
Speaker 3: and Tampa Bay. Like I didn't expect Carolina. I thought

581
00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:38,760
Speaker 3: that they were going to be better. I thought defensively

582
00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:41,040
Speaker 3: they were gonna look a lot different, But I didn't

583
00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:43,479
Speaker 3: think that they were gonna be these like lights out players.

584
00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:45,280
Speaker 1: Like I didn't think they'd be this good. I didn't

585
00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:47,360
Speaker 1: think Tampa would implode kind of the way they're right.

586
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:49,120
Speaker 3: I thought it was kind of gonna be a more

587
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,440
Speaker 3: even playing field, which technically turned out to be.

588
00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:55,320
Speaker 1: I think I'm like remembering back though to like before

589
00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:57,560
Speaker 1: the season, I kind of feel like this is exactly

590
00:29:57,640 --> 00:30:00,320
Speaker 1: what the odds makers like had for this think. And

591
00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:03,080
Speaker 1: I remember thinking at the time, like, man, you got

592
00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,080
Speaker 1: like seven and ten for Atlanta or eight and nine

593
00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:07,120
Speaker 1: like that. I think they're going to be better than that,

594
00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:10,400
Speaker 1: And here we are. It is right, It's like it's crazy. Yeah,

595
00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:12,880
Speaker 1: they get it right just freaking every single year now.

596
00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:16,800
Speaker 1: But again, the Falcons have a chance to ruin the

597
00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:20,240
Speaker 1: Saints Parade here in the final week of the season,

598
00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:22,680
Speaker 1: and if you're not going to the playoffs, what better

599
00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,160
Speaker 1: way to at least end the year than beating your

600
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,040
Speaker 1: most hated rival. There you go, So that will do

601
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:32,720
Speaker 1: it for Falcons Final Whistle. The Falcons are celebrating a

602
00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:35,560
Speaker 1: huge twenty seven to twenty four win on Monday Night

603
00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:38,440
Speaker 1: over the Los Angeles Rams. They have now climbed to

604
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,720
Speaker 1: seven and nine on the season and they will try

605
00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:44,440
Speaker 1: to wrap everything up at eight and nine against the

606
00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:47,840
Speaker 1: New Orleans Saints next week. But that will do it

607
00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:50,800
Speaker 1: again for us, and I thank you so much for listening.

608
00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:53,680
Speaker 1: For Tory mclaney, I am Will McFadden. This has been

609
00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:56,680
Speaker 1: Falcons Final Whistle, presented by Microsoft Copilot, and we will

610
00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:59,960
Speaker 1: see you all for the regular season finale next week

611
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:00,240
Speaker 1: week