Speaker 1: NFL Game Debut is a production of the NFL in
Speaker 1: partnership with I Heart Radio. It's beginning to look a
Speaker 1: lot like Christmas. Quite literally, It's almost Christmas. And have
Speaker 1: you seen all this snow? Well? I checked my list twice,
Speaker 1: and a lot of you have been very nice this year,
Speaker 1: like the Detroit Lions playing meaningful football in December, the
Speaker 1: Colts giving everyone an opportunity to play quarterback, and the
Speaker 1: Patriots giving away games to the less fortunate. Dap it back,
Speaker 1: Oh tamor Jones. Yes, the season of giving. I can't
Speaker 1: wait to see what the gang got me this year.
Speaker 1: Game Debut presented by Marcenes Ben starts now. I hope
Speaker 1: you guys have a wonderful new year, started right. My
Speaker 1: New Year's resolution is to stop swearing so much because
Speaker 1: I have a steiler's mouth and it disappoints my mother
Speaker 1: on a daily basis. So Christmas Street, by the way,
Speaker 1: isn't it nice? Stay cheeky, everybody, Stay check everybody that
Speaker 1: is so rude. I am turning off my YouTube as
Speaker 1: soon as I get off the show. Do you realize
Speaker 1: how old that video is? Oh? My good? Huh? You
Speaker 1: know they've warned up before this promo plane They're like,
Speaker 1: pay attention this when I was like, I read the
Speaker 1: promo like it's nothing special like Christmas. Oh my goodness. Okay, well,
Speaker 1: welcome to game day. Is safe here, especially me? My
Speaker 1: name is Rachel pett A, Greg Resent, I'll Cynthy Freedland,
Speaker 1: Patrick Clayban. Um. Wow, where do we even go from here?
Speaker 1: How about the standings which Greg is still at the
Speaker 1: tippity top of I believe nice h boy one and
Speaker 1: two I call stay in cheeky guys. Come on, it's
Speaker 1: the Christmas Seas and let's'll just be nice to each other. Okay,
Speaker 1: you guys, we mean to me, uh congratulations, great, listen,
Speaker 1: you're far enough. Maybe just take the next few weeks off,
Speaker 1: just just call it. No, you're good. By the way,
Speaker 1: we need to pay attention to what Cynthian is wearing.
Speaker 1: Oh wow, what is this in the actual Lions gear?
Speaker 1: I believe she lost a bet last week. We're gonna
Speaker 1: we're gonna get to that in a in a second,
Speaker 1: but first let's get to some of these games. The
Speaker 1: first one the Okay, we've got Raiders and Steelers and
Speaker 1: I've got no teleprompters, so Merry Christmas to me. This
Speaker 1: on Christmas Eve eight pm Eastern right here on NFL Network.
Speaker 1: Game Day kickoff is at six pm. It is the
Speaker 1: Season for Miracles, fiftie anniversary of the Immaculate Reception. NFL
Speaker 1: Network is celebrating with a rematch for the Ages. You Got,
Speaker 1: the Raiders playing the Steelers live in primetime this Christmas Eve.
Speaker 1: The Holiday Classic December a p m. Eastern only on
Speaker 1: NFL Network, can streaming on NFL Plus. Okay, Greg, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna start with you. It is going to be an
Speaker 1: emotional game for the Steelers, retiring Frank o' harris's number
Speaker 1: just days after he passed away. Can the Raiders steal
Speaker 1: one on the road Saturday night? I don't think so.
Speaker 1: I don't think they can because I'm going to break
Speaker 1: out a lukewarm take. You usually want to start hot.
Speaker 1: I'm going lukewarm. The Steelers are a good team. Like
Speaker 1: that's my lukewarrantin. The Steelers are good. This is the
Speaker 1: team that Mike Tomlin wanted them to be because they
Speaker 1: run the ball and they stopped the run. If the
Speaker 1: Steelers had started out the season like they've played since
Speaker 1: the bye week, they'd be in the playoffs. I think
Speaker 1: they're one of the ten best teams in the league
Speaker 1: right now because they're consistent at what they do. Naj
Speaker 1: Harris running with a lot of juice, Jalen Warren running
Speaker 1: with a lot of juice. And then on the other
Speaker 1: side of the ball, you saw how they stopped the
Speaker 1: Panthers a week ago. Very tough upfront, So I think
Speaker 1: they can stop Josh Jacobs and then they can run
Speaker 1: out that clock. I think you gotta get Jalen Warren
Speaker 1: the ball a little bit more in the red zone.
Speaker 1: He's dynamic. But I like both these backs. I had
Speaker 1: the exact same scores, you exact same winner. And I
Speaker 1: want to point out that it is our favorite thing
Speaker 1: to say, Rachel pick it to Pickens, pick Pickens, pickt
Speaker 1: the Pickens, pick it two Pickens. I want to talk
Speaker 1: about George Pickens because Whenketty Pickett's playing, he's the receiver
Speaker 1: that you want to target for your fantasy playoffs, for
Speaker 1: any sort of you know, situation where maybe you need
Speaker 1: a wide receiver, maybe you're playing daily fantasy formatt but
Speaker 1: this is what you kind of want to remember. It's
Speaker 1: pick it two Pickens. It's Trubisky to Johnson. So we're
Speaker 1: picking two pickens this weekend. It's hard to say pick
Speaker 1: it to pick up the pick pick pickens. I vehemently
Speaker 1: disagree with you guys because I have a different score.
Speaker 1: I got h it's very different. It's very different in
Speaker 1: special context for this show because the Raiders have managed
Speaker 1: to find new an interesting ways to lose. But shout
Speaker 1: out to them for figuring it out to just win
Speaker 1: in one of the most hilarious and remarkable ways to
Speaker 1: win a football game last week. But we saw Derek
Speaker 1: Carr do something that the offense really doesn't do that much.
Speaker 1: It was almost a backbreaking pick six to lose the game.
Speaker 1: They've kept they've kept the ball, kept possession of the
Speaker 1: ball better than almost any team in the NFL. They're
Speaker 1: top five in terms of turnovers. But on the other side,
Speaker 1: they cannot buy a turnover. And it's just so tough.
Speaker 1: The Steelers team, as Gregg pointed out, is taking care
Speaker 1: of the ball. They're stopping the run. It's gonna be
Speaker 1: a nice Mike Tomlin boring Steelers win. Yeah, they're not
Speaker 1: losing with when they're honoring Franco Harris, they play like
Speaker 1: they're from the seven right now. I love that Naugerris
Speaker 1: T J. Watts spent their entire media availability talking about
Speaker 1: how they wanted to win this game for him, specifically,
Speaker 1: A bunch of my friends live in Pittsburgh. They are
Speaker 1: going home for the holidays. So you see the Franco
Speaker 1: Harris statue in the airport just decorated with everything. It
Speaker 1: is an emotional game in all of the ways for
Speaker 1: the Steelers. Uh making a mean alert. But for the
Speaker 1: first time, maybe ever, we all like I should change
Speaker 1: and then Patrick had to run it. So America, Wait, okay,
Speaker 1: I'm actually got a huge game in the NFC East
Speaker 1: on Saturday. The Eagles can clench the top seed with
Speaker 1: a win, but they'll need to beat the Cowboys without
Speaker 1: Jail and Hurts. Hurts took that shot to his shoulder
Speaker 1: last week. He is not ready to go. So incomes
Speaker 1: an actual cowboy, a gardenerman show. Let's go Cynthia Ornarily.
Speaker 1: I believe the model gives Minshoe three points for the mustache,
Speaker 1: but he's got a full beard right now, which is
Speaker 1: a shoe? What do you like in this one? So
Speaker 1: I'm looking at this game and this is one where
Speaker 1: my model and my heart kind of disagree because I
Speaker 1: want to talk about how I have the Cowboys winning
Speaker 1: twenty seven, but I also want to talk about the
Speaker 1: Eagles situation when it comes to second the quarterback, their
Speaker 1: ability to get pressure with just four pass rushers. We
Speaker 1: know Dak Prescott is very good against the blitz. You
Speaker 1: know how many people come with the blitz five or more.
Speaker 1: You know what happens when you rush for you can
Speaker 1: drop more into coverage, and then what happens You've got
Speaker 1: a different situation. Deck holds onto the ball longer, just
Speaker 1: doesn't look the same. So while I have Dallas winning,
Speaker 1: I want to talk about the Eagles because I get
Speaker 1: to pick what I talk about in this b roll
Speaker 1: stuff here, and my my gut says, I don't think
Speaker 1: that the Eagles lose this one. Your world, I mean,
Speaker 1: that's that's a great definition of getting cheeky. Doesn't this
Speaker 1: whole show is going to be cheeky today? That I
Speaker 1: am similar to you, and that I think the Eagles
Speaker 1: will cover this four points. I I think they'll keep
Speaker 1: it close. I think it's twenty seven to twenty six Cowboys.
Speaker 1: The difference, though, is Ceedee Lamb, who for whatever reason,
Speaker 1: is having a breakout season that no one is really recognizing.
Speaker 1: He has the third most yards between the numbers in
Speaker 1: the NFL, and I think that's where you can attack
Speaker 1: this Eagles defense. They have the two great cornerbacks on
Speaker 1: the outside. It's had some injuries. They're not as good
Speaker 1: in the slot. That's where Ceedee Lamb shows his toughness,
Speaker 1: like he gets open and then he breaks tackles. He
Speaker 1: has lived up to that eighty eight reminds me a
Speaker 1: little bit of Michael Irvin, and he's dominating in terms
Speaker 1: of the percentage of yards that he gets compared to
Speaker 1: all the rest of the Cowboys receivers. He's up there
Speaker 1: with Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill, and so I think
Speaker 1: people got to recognize Ceedee Lamb is a true wide receiver. One.
Speaker 1: I think he's the difference, but I think it's really close.
Speaker 1: One point. I hope he gives motivational speeches like Earth
Speaker 1: does because we get to hear the every single morning
Speaker 1: at four in the morning. That's all the shows were
Speaker 1: so good. Maybe some motivation going out in the other
Speaker 1: direction because there's been so much conversation. I don't have
Speaker 1: the Eagles covering in this mood because there's so much
Speaker 1: that you hear where it's oh, you just plug and play.
Speaker 1: The Gardner Minshew comes in and and everything's the same. No,
Speaker 1: it's it's kind of not even sneaky, disrespectful of straight
Speaker 1: up disrespectful to say that because this people's offense was
Speaker 1: playing bad. They had, they were all scheduled, they were
Speaker 1: in some third and long Jalen Hurts was converting those
Speaker 1: They were scoring twenty six points a game, even with
Speaker 1: all of these offensive penalties and infractions. And so he
Speaker 1: comes to Governerment Show and now he has to go
Speaker 1: up against the top pressure defense in the NFL. And
Speaker 1: I think this Cowboys defense makes plays. We're watching them
Speaker 1: make plays against Carson Wentz here going way back. I mean,
Speaker 1: this is um I'm a little surprised, but this is
Speaker 1: Trayvon Diggs as a rookie picking off the Eagle. You
Speaker 1: know who played well last year though for the Eagles.
Speaker 1: Look at Gardner Minshew played pretty well. Okay, we'll see
Speaker 1: does he do it in Dallas? Hey, I will apologize
Speaker 1: profusely to the inventor of facial hair. Uh. If things go,
Speaker 1: we're gonna hold you do that. Let's do it where
Speaker 1: you have a habit of embarrassing the host of this show.
Speaker 1: We like to do that on the show. Em Alert.
Speaker 1: Cowboys beating the Eagles. Okay, thirty to seven, but something's
Speaker 1: not feeling right, something's not sitting right. Changing my belly
Speaker 1: just knowing that my guy, like I said, the only
Speaker 1: actual Cowboy out there, Gardner Minshew, is going to be
Speaker 1: playing quarterback. I'm changing my pick. Menshoe, Come on board,
Speaker 1: join Minshew. Look at this video. This was from last
Speaker 1: year when Gardner Minshew, I think, beat the jaw and
Speaker 1: then almost beat up his own dad in the parking lot.
Speaker 1: I don't know what this was about. I love this guy.
Speaker 1: The Cowboys have had some Walkee games against the Texans.
Speaker 1: Against the Jags, they let Trevor Lawrence throw what four
Speaker 1: passing touchdowns? Last week? Let him do the same. Was
Speaker 1: that a New Canada? Can we hear that again? Cut
Speaker 1: Enough mensh Mania. Time for the Drive to Excellence presented
Speaker 1: by Mercedes Ben's an amazing comeback against Tom Brady's Bucks.
Speaker 1: Last week, the Bengals had to New England to take
Speaker 1: on Tom Brady's former team, Cynthia. Will Cincinnati stay hot? Yep,
Speaker 1: okay is my final score here. I want to talk
Speaker 1: about Jamar Chase. Why because when I look at what's
Speaker 1: going on Jamar Chase with Joe Brow, something cool sticks out,
Speaker 1: and it's the fact that Joe Burrow he's not taking
Speaker 1: sex like he did last season. We talked about this
Speaker 1: revamped old line and then wor space. In the beginning
Speaker 1: of the season, we didn't see the deep pass to
Speaker 1: Jabar Chase. Well, now we're seeing lots of different passes
Speaker 1: to Jamar Chase. Why because the situation for Joe Burrow,
Speaker 1: he's not taking sacks, he's not standing in the pocket
Speaker 1: too long, He's being way smarter with the football and
Speaker 1: Number one's getting the ball and that's gonna be a
Speaker 1: great matchup against the Pats secondary that doesn't have a
Speaker 1: true corner, the number one corner that can really defend
Speaker 1: Jamar Chase. Yeah, no size in the Patriots secondary. And
Speaker 1: I love Jamar Chase to like who doesn't. But I
Speaker 1: think the reason they made the Super Bowl, the reason
Speaker 1: they're so good this week, the reason they made to
Speaker 1: come back last week was their defense. Their defense is
Speaker 1: bawling out with Lou and rum Oh listening to Bill
Speaker 1: Belichick talk about this defense this week was telling to me.
Speaker 1: He talked about how smart they are, how sound they are,
Speaker 1: how games planned specific they are, how they always have answers.
Speaker 1: They're very balanced on every level, and more than anything,
Speaker 1: like in that Bucks game, they adjust really well. They
Speaker 1: see what you're doing, and then they make changes and
Speaker 1: they let other teams beat themselves. Now, when when Bill
Speaker 1: was talking like what do you think he was really
Speaker 1: saying there, thinking about his old school, he was thinking,
Speaker 1: that used to be us, That was the Patriots. We
Speaker 1: used to be that team, and we are now the
Speaker 1: dumb offense that loses games on our own and lets
Speaker 1: the other smart defense win it. They win because of
Speaker 1: that that you guys, here the passion in Greg's voice.
Speaker 1: He's upset. Remember you guys, you guys are too hard
Speaker 1: on Matt. So last week you're being mean to Matt
Speaker 1: Patrician and then what happened. What happened? Nothing that was
Speaker 1: not Patricians did not lose because of Patricial. Be like, hey,
Speaker 1: you know what you should throw this nonsensical? How about
Speaker 1: the fifty nine minutes? Well, yeah, the reason Jacoby Myers
Speaker 1: is throwing that was because they can't score the New
Speaker 1: England Patriots can't score and we're talking about Louiana Rumo
Speaker 1: when all the things the Bengals defense does, and you wonder,
Speaker 1: what are they gonna do if they can't score, how
Speaker 1: are they gonna keep the game close? I have the
Speaker 1: Bengals covering are rather easily in this one to one
Speaker 1: huge Go back and watch the Raider game. Mac Hollins
Speaker 1: was getting loose and free in the New England secondary
Speaker 1: the entire game. You only have four catches, but him
Speaker 1: and Carr couldn't link up. So so what does this
Speaker 1: do now? When this is Tyler Bowett, when this is
Speaker 1: te Higgins. I I just don't see them having enough
Speaker 1: to slow down the Bengals consistently and again they cannot score.
Speaker 1: Maybe Joe fumbles one. Maybe that's how they get one.
Speaker 1: I don't I've got this a blowout. Rachel, listen, I
Speaker 1: think we need to say something nice about Bill Belichick.
Speaker 1: It's only fair. Let's just say something positive. Okay, Bill
Speaker 1: is said Ben and oh when playing the Bengals after
Speaker 1: a loss, Okay, and I can keep it there. I
Speaker 1: can just you know, move on to the next game.
Speaker 1: But have you ever seen a loss quite like this one.
Speaker 1: Roll the tape. We've all seen this two thousand times
Speaker 1: already this week, but I can't see it enough. My
Speaker 1: Twitter exploded just from people being like, that was the
Speaker 1: dumbest thing I have ever stayen in my life. Bill,
Speaker 1: I don't know if you're coming back from this one, Bengals.
Speaker 1: I got a big one as well, thirty one to four.
Speaker 1: And the only thing that's interesting here Joe Burrow is
Speaker 1: oh and three when he is sacked more than three times,
Speaker 1: and the Patriots are averaging about three sacks per game. Also,
Speaker 1: got to remember they're out both of their defense eve ends,
Speaker 1: which is why mine is closer because Romandre Stevenson will
Speaker 1: be able to run out the outside of the tackles.
Speaker 1: So that's why I'm closer. That's why. All right, there
Speaker 1: you go. The Bengals come back last week was cute, okay,
Speaker 1: But how about the Vikings down thirty three to nothing
Speaker 1: at halftime. At one point, the Vikings money line to
Speaker 1: win that game was at plus eight. Wow. If you
Speaker 1: got in on that action, good for you, American congratulations.
Speaker 1: You can send some TOLF times if you want. Also,
Speaker 1: what is wrong with you that's learning? Take behavior? Oh
Speaker 1: my goodness, Patrick, we had three straight We've almost had
Speaker 1: three straight meme alerts on the on the show. Take
Speaker 1: the Jacks. You're the only one that did it last week.
Speaker 1: Do it again? Come on, I'm taking the Giants taking
Speaker 1: in the Minnesota Vikings and it's not it's come back
Speaker 1: magic all that. And the Vikings defense is bad up.
Speaker 1: Let's be honest. If you're looking for them in terms
Speaker 1: of past defense, that's you're not gonna find them unless
Speaker 1: you accidentally sort the call them the wrong way, and
Speaker 1: which what I was getting ready for the show. I did,
Speaker 1: but they were actually the worst. But in terms of
Speaker 1: run defense, there are top five run defense in terms
Speaker 1: of yards per carry, and so you get Danny dimes
Speaker 1: led squad that he had, even considering he had a
Speaker 1: fantastic game against the Commanders. For Daniel Jones, it's not
Speaker 1: not enough for me. I've got the Vikings. See you,
Speaker 1: when you bring the Vikings and Giants together, like, we
Speaker 1: don't know what to say. We just expect lunacy. So
Speaker 1: I'm not surprised. Me and Patrick both have the Giants
Speaker 1: threatening the needle. That means the Vikings win, but they
Speaker 1: don't even get over three and a half point to.
Speaker 1: One of the reasons I like the Giants lately, it's
Speaker 1: because of their pass rush. There are a different defense
Speaker 1: over the last month since a ziz Ojulari returned. Cavon
Speaker 1: Thibodeau is getting better and better, and so now you
Speaker 1: have two edge rushers who are getting after the quarterback.
Speaker 1: You don't have to blitz as much and put those
Speaker 1: cornerbacks in tough situations to be one and one. They'll
Speaker 1: still blitz because their wink Martin, and that's what the
Speaker 1: Giants do. The one problem, and one of the reasons
Speaker 1: I took the Vikings to win though, is the Giants
Speaker 1: have two really great tackles, Kristen dry Saw and Brian
Speaker 1: O'Neil Neil. So if you're watching this game and you
Speaker 1: feel like getting dorky on Christmas Eve, like I am
Speaker 1: in my card again, just watch that pass rusher match
Speaker 1: up the whole game. That's as good as it gets. Okay,
Speaker 1: so I too have the Vikings to win. This one's closer.
Speaker 1: We're all kind of similar here, but I want to
Speaker 1: talk about the Vikings secondary. Part of the reason why
Speaker 1: you've seen these run and past numbers look so different
Speaker 1: is because they've been helping their secondary out by bringing
Speaker 1: more people back, which has changed kind of the cadence
Speaker 1: of it because the secondary is not good. You said
Speaker 1: you sorted it poorly. Well, then you can also look
Speaker 1: to see is anyone they're going to have a clean
Speaker 1: injury report when it comes to their secondary to the
Speaker 1: answer is unlikely. We haven't seen it all season long,
Speaker 1: so what could happen in this game? They can actually
Speaker 1: even be more vulnerable the secondary bringing people in to
Speaker 1: help stop say Kwan Barkley from going off against them.
Speaker 1: So perhaps like an Isaiah Hodgen's touchdown would be fun
Speaker 1: he came over. I don't know, I'm just trying to
Speaker 1: look for something fun for Giants. Wester My sweatshirt is
Speaker 1: super fun. Barry Sanders is the best, He's not playing
Speaker 1: this game, but take Barkley is kind of Barry Sanders.
Speaker 1: You know you tie it all up? Me, Eve Alert
Speaker 1: across the board, Greg and I have the exact same score.
Speaker 1: I'm going Viking. Tell me if I am a grinch
Speaker 1: or not. All week long, I've been hearing like, oh
Speaker 1: my god, biggest comeback in ansding Kirk Cousins. Then y'all
Speaker 1: got yourself into this mess. Like Kirk Cousins. After the game,
Speaker 1: He's like, I need to take a second and realize,
Speaker 1: Like what I just did? What just happened? I get it.
Speaker 1: It was an incredible feat by Kirk Cousins, second most
Speaker 1: passing yards in a game in Vikings history with four
Speaker 1: hundred and sixty. Cool. But as the Vikings as a
Speaker 1: whole going up against Jeff Saturday's cold, they probably went
Speaker 1: into that game being like, Oh, this is gonna be right.
Speaker 1: Don't dismiss Kirk's come back. I heard a lot from
Speaker 1: Viking switter when I pointed something and I asked, was
Speaker 1: am I a grinch? Should I just sit back and
Speaker 1: enjoy the chaos and the fun football? I think maybe
Speaker 1: the answer is yes. But I'm just saying, maybe they
Speaker 1: get off to a hot start and they stay after
Speaker 1: the hot start and not let what last week happened
Speaker 1: happened again. You know what I'm saying. I'm just for
Speaker 1: everyone to be I can't play football, so I have
Speaker 1: to criticize other people that can. Okay, coming up, we're
Speaker 1: talking Jared Goff. There is a reason why Cynthia is
Speaker 1: wearing all of these incredible sweaters this week, and that's
Speaker 1: because she lost a bet. Yes, okay, we're gonna be
Speaker 1: talking about this beloved team taken on the Panthers after
Speaker 1: not the worst bet to lose, absolutely not. You look
Speaker 1: stylish as head today. She's looking good. Cynthia. You're a
Speaker 1: Michigan girl. You locked the Lions last week? Are you
Speaker 1: doing it again? I love the Lions. My dog is
Speaker 1: named after a Detroit sports legend. I clearly want the Lions,
Speaker 1: the Detroit Lions if knocked up the division leading Minnesota
Speaker 1: by kags. Don't want to give Cyndia chance to change
Speaker 1: her mind here and just like sit and think about
Speaker 1: this game. I saw the Jets little pitch to right,
Speaker 1: big game. Rock Wright is gonna take it the distance touchdown.
Speaker 1: The Jets were completely full. I am feeling so confident
Speaker 1: that the Lions win by by so much this week
Speaker 1: that Cynthia will pick the Lions the rest of the
Speaker 1: way every single week, that they're just gonna be so
Speaker 1: good this weekend against the Jets. She is riding with
Speaker 1: her Lions the rest of the season into the sunset,
Speaker 1: and it's gonna be a beautiful thing. Well, the time
Speaker 1: has come. Sna deal is a deal we didn't shake
Speaker 1: on it doesn't matter. Believe in the Lions. It is time.
Speaker 1: I'm what do you say, I guess the Panthers favored
Speaker 1: by two and a half. Beautiful spot here three point
Speaker 1: when yes we did Christmas miracle, Yeah we didn't go this.
Speaker 1: I want to tell you, guys, you're a little to
Speaker 1: it on the Lions. This is when they take your hat.
Speaker 1: We The only reason I'm wearing that crown is getting
Speaker 1: the Lions right off. It only good I listen, I
Speaker 1: cheer for them. I clearly own like every vintage sweatshirt
Speaker 1: of the Lions like I've ever made. So Okay, Look,
Speaker 1: when I'm looking to see what's going on with the Lions,
Speaker 1: they have improved on the run defense. This is greg
Speaker 1: The defense has gotten better even looking feisty defense. I mean, look,
Speaker 1: it made a little upset last night that the Jets
Speaker 1: were only able to amass four rushing yards in the
Speaker 1: first half. So maybe it's not the Lions defense that
Speaker 1: looks so good, and maybe it's just the Jets not
Speaker 1: being able to run effectively. But when I'm watching to
Speaker 1: see this rund vents, they have gotten significantly better. Aidan
Speaker 1: Hunchinson is actually making a good He's giving himself a
Speaker 1: good case to be the defensive rookie of the year
Speaker 1: with his pressure and also has run stopping. So uh,
Speaker 1: you know, no one's more surprised than me or worried.
Speaker 1: I almost hate to see it there because it feels
Speaker 1: like it was if there's some sort of luck that
Speaker 1: happens when I picked the opposing teeth. I would rather
Speaker 1: the Lions win, because you know, that's my my heart
Speaker 1: or whatever. But yeah, lines, even though the Panthers are
Speaker 1: the healthiest team in the entire I feel it is
Speaker 1: the least positive. I'm Lions, very very nervous, nervous. Look
Speaker 1: at what you're doing. Doesn't count. No, it doesn't count.
Speaker 1: Jensen on the show, It's like the worst Hallmark movie ever,
Speaker 1: Like the Model finally convinces you to love the Lions
Speaker 1: and then they fall apart. I'm taking the Lions to win,
Speaker 1: of course I am. I'm taking the Lions to win.
Speaker 1: I'm taking the Lions to cover. It's gonna be easy enough,
Speaker 1: is going to be cold there, and usually I try
Speaker 1: to come up with some smart football point to talk about.
Speaker 1: I just want to give an ode Alliance fans out there. Uh,
Speaker 1: what an amazing fan base. They are in their hearts,
Speaker 1: and there's a lot of them out there, and a
Speaker 1: lot of them are like Cynthia and that you're not
Speaker 1: wanting to totally believe. My friend Kevin Patrick's like that too,
Speaker 1: But now they finally are believing. Dan Campbell is like
Speaker 1: Santa Claus, dropping dubs all over the land and making
Speaker 1: the people happy. It's a holiday miracle. This season needed
Speaker 1: the Detroit Lions. And sometimes you don't need to make
Speaker 1: smart announce it. Just watch this team. They love saying
Speaker 1: they love, I love all these things, like they love playing,
Speaker 1: they love like they have great energy. They're gonna get
Speaker 1: in so much discussion about the roar being restored. It's
Speaker 1: time to put that up. The roar is not in
Speaker 1: a restoration projects. It's here. We all exist within the
Speaker 1: vibrational frequencies of the Roar. I've got the Lions winning
Speaker 1: and covering twenty four to nineteen because it don't don't
Speaker 1: look at don't look at stats. That's twenty six points
Speaker 1: per game is a lie that the Lions are allowing.
Speaker 1: Look at what they've done during the stretch. The defense
Speaker 1: just as important as the offense. In Aiden Hutchinson making
Speaker 1: a case for Rookie of the Year right now, he's
Speaker 1: got more pressures than any other rookie in the entire NFL.
Speaker 1: He's the only player to have great and two picks.
Speaker 1: Just the lines are here, they're real. I just gotta
Speaker 1: say those, Sauce Gardner. I mean, you can only vote
Speaker 1: for one guy, and one of the guys is maybe
Speaker 1: a first team All Pro and that's Sauce Gardener. The
Speaker 1: Lions can't have everything you right, thank you, sorry, but
Speaker 1: we shall remain positive. Maybe this may be the first
Speaker 1: mean alert of the Lions. Also, something I just want
Speaker 1: to talk about Jared. Okay, because we we I posed
Speaker 1: this question a couple of weeks ago. If you're sent
Speaker 1: from Los Angeles, beautiful Sonny, Oh my goodness, everyone's stylish
Speaker 1: and cool, and then you're not Troy, which is also
Speaker 1: cool a little different than Okay, that would be that
Speaker 1: would be difficult. This is the greatest thing that has
Speaker 1: happened to this person. Okay, he's a top ten quarterback
Speaker 1: right now. Passing yards ranked eight, passing t d I
Speaker 1: n T S ranked five, passer rating ranked ninth. Cynthia,
Speaker 1: did you ever think that that was gonna happen? I
Speaker 1: don't think anybody did. I did the opposite. I moved
Speaker 1: from the non stylish place to then, but I'm not
Speaker 1: styled cia and it died for pick Cynthiano Lamar again
Speaker 1: for the Ravens, can they cover the six and a
Speaker 1: half point spread out him against the Falcons? I have
Speaker 1: eight points sixteen, So I think that they can. It's
Speaker 1: all about their defense. For me and JK. Dobbins, you
Speaker 1: have a good defense and you're able to run the football.
Speaker 1: That is a recipe for success. We saw Dobbins have
Speaker 1: tons of success. His ability to break tackles, force yards
Speaker 1: after contact, his ability in open space to get just
Speaker 1: extra rs changes the whole thing. So for me, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: Patrick ten point spread between Kansas City and Seattle, biggest
Speaker 1: of the week. Close, Yes, I think I can, But
Speaker 1: I do not think that they win the game. I
Speaker 1: have Chiefs win because in the last twenty five years,
Speaker 1: only one team is allowed a hundred and sixty or
Speaker 1: more rushing yards in five consecutive games, and it's Seattle Seahawks.
Speaker 1: And so I think there's a lot of Isaiah Pacheco
Speaker 1: doing those angry, high need runs in the middle of
Speaker 1: the field, just chewing up yards. We saw Patrick Mahomes
Speaker 1: have to do everything to get a win in the
Speaker 1: against the Texans in overtime. I think Patrick can kind
Speaker 1: of take the handoffs, give the handoff, take the week
Speaker 1: off and get an easy Chiefs win. Okay, I like that.
Speaker 1: I have them close to Okay, this next game, Rams, Broncoes.
Speaker 1: You know how I'm gonna pick this game. If you
Speaker 1: ask me in the street, I'm gonna tell you Broncos probably,
Speaker 1: But today, right now, on this show, I'm going to
Speaker 1: save Rams. Listen. At the end of every single I'm
Speaker 1: gonna in the street, I'll ignore all of you if
Speaker 1: you ask me about this game. Okay. At the end
Speaker 1: of every single press conference Broncos press conferences, Russell Wilson
Speaker 1: says something beautiful. It is rung in my heart all
Speaker 1: season long, he says, Broncos Country less ride. At the
Speaker 1: end of every single press conference, Craig this week, you
Speaker 1: know what he said. That's dead, the passion, the fire,
Speaker 1: everything it is gone. I thought I'm gonna be any Christmas.
Speaker 1: There's something something seasonal, No, not not even seasonal. Just
Speaker 1: go Broncos, not Broncos Country. I'm giving Baker one more chance.
Speaker 1: He gets a really tough defense. And again he asked
Speaker 1: me in the street, I will not say that they
Speaker 1: will win brock Purty versus the Commander's two tough defenses.
Speaker 1: This is kind of a tricky game, could go either way.
Speaker 1: Washington needs to win to keep that final wild card
Speaker 1: spot in the NFC. What do you like? I like
Speaker 1: the forty Niners to stomp them because of their defense.
Speaker 1: I mean, every week we kind of pick on Taylor
Speaker 1: Heineke to make mistakes. This is a week it's probably
Speaker 1: gonna happen because of that defense. The linebackers for the
Speaker 1: forty Niners, Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner are the best
Speaker 1: in the NFL. They remind me so much of a
Speaker 1: forty Niners team that went to the Super Bowl with
Speaker 1: Colin Kaepernick. But we're lead on defense by Navarro Bowman
Speaker 1: and Patrick Willis. These guys make life easier on their secondary.
Speaker 1: Secondary is great, of mine is great, but I don't
Speaker 1: think any of it works if it's not green Law
Speaker 1: and Warner. Not just making plays in coverage, but when
Speaker 1: you throw those little swing routes and screens, you're only
Speaker 1: getting one or two yards instead of seven, and it
Speaker 1: sets up the pass rush, it sets up the secondary.
Speaker 1: This is one of the best linebacker duos I've ever seen,
Speaker 1: and I think they're gonna swallow up this Washington attack
Speaker 1: with Curtis Samuel and everyone. I couldn't agree with you more.
Speaker 1: I have to fIF in this matchup, But I want
Speaker 1: to talk about the other running back in this one,
Speaker 1: Christian McCaffrey. Maybe not the other because you know whatever,
Speaker 1: But long story short here, Christian McCaffrey, especially in those
Speaker 1: short passes, it's gonna be a really important factor without
Speaker 1: debot and figuring out how this offense works. You really
Speaker 1: have to like, hats off to Kyle Shanahan for making
Speaker 1: this happen. That trade is incredible. It looks really, really,
Speaker 1: really special now. But those short passes will make a
Speaker 1: big difference because the Washington front they're nothing to scoff
Speaker 1: at either. And Brockburty needs to keep things nice and easy, manageable,
Speaker 1: kind of fold him into this offense, and Christian McCaffrey
Speaker 1: really allows him to do that. Yeah, I see play
Speaker 1: of opportunity for brock Party and the offense because I
Speaker 1: think the field position is going to favor them heavily.
Speaker 1: I've got twenty four to nine San Francis. Oh, it's
Speaker 1: the forty Niners defense is so good for twelve takeaways
Speaker 1: in the last five weeks, and it goes to show
Speaker 1: that coaching does matter, because we watched the various ward
Speaker 1: with the Chiefs and we see, you know, Chiefs Chiefs football,
Speaker 1: Seves Maagnola bringing some blitz is to various word kind
Speaker 1: of getting beat a few times in now one on
Speaker 1: one with DK metcalf all night Nowhere to hide and
Speaker 1: her various ward was right there. Yes, Taylor Heineke is
Speaker 1: prone to put the balls of dangerous situations. I think
Speaker 1: the forty Niners will acquire the ball. I think we
Speaker 1: might see Carson Wentz in this game. Oh god, whoa.
Speaker 1: We've all mentioned this forty Niners defense, but they actually
Speaker 1: have a chance to break a record this week. If
Speaker 1: they hold the Commander's offense to under seventy rushing yards,
Speaker 1: that will be the eighth game that they have done that,
Speaker 1: breaking the Ravens record new record eight games in a
Speaker 1: row holding the rush yards to under seventy. That's pretty incredible.
Speaker 1: Good luck running backs on the Commander of Cynthia. Next
Speaker 1: the game on the list, the Dolphins have three games
Speaker 1: in a row. Can they bounce back against the suddenly
Speaker 1: hot Green Bay Packers suddenly hot couple, there's the Lions
Speaker 1: fin coming out. No, that's nothing to do with the Lions, man,
Speaker 1: that's the fact that one on this one. But I'm
Speaker 1: looking to see here where you could possibly target this defense,
Speaker 1: and the answer is kind of everywhere. But when you
Speaker 1: have Tyreek Hill and those deep passes, and you have
Speaker 1: this defense that's giving up all of the yards to
Speaker 1: deep passes and crossing routes and anywhere where there's space,
Speaker 1: it's just really going to be difficult for this suddenly
Speaker 1: hot Aaron Rodgers led team to be able to mount
Speaker 1: this comeback when they have Tyreek Hill breaking a game
Speaker 1: open that quickly? All right, another quickly here, Greg, the
Speaker 1: Titans and Texans. Somebody has to win. And that's all
Speaker 1: I can do to sell. What do you like? I'm
Speaker 1: gonna lt as the Texans second win of the year.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna sell it with the little Jess brag act.
Speaker 1: Let's go here, We're gonna knock him out. The Titans
Speaker 1: are the worst team in the league over the last month.
Speaker 1: I hate to mention it, but if you look at
Speaker 1: the analytics in offense over the last month, their thirtie,
Speaker 1: in defense, their thirtieth, and special teams. I think the
Speaker 1: Texans win this game. They've been playing a little bit better,
Speaker 1: and the offensive line for the Titans is just the
Speaker 1: worst in the league. I think it's part of the
Speaker 1: reason Ryan Tannehill is injured right now and Malik Wills
Speaker 1: is starting as part of the reason Derrick Henry is
Speaker 1: not lighting it up anymore. I've only picked the Texans
Speaker 1: to win one time this year, and they won that
Speaker 1: one time. I don't even know if that's true. I'm
Speaker 1: just making that I would believe makes sense. Patrick, it's
Speaker 1: officially Nick Foles time for the Colts against the Charger. Yes,
Speaker 1: and Nick Foles is a proven winner of The Colts
Speaker 1: lost because they didn't really believe. No, they all and
Speaker 1: they had out the forty consecutive points scored against them,
Speaker 1: because there's not a good football team. It doesn't have
Speaker 1: anything to do do with leadership for motivation. I've got the
Speaker 1: charge upset here. I'm not calling the upset. Fols has
Speaker 1: accomplished a lot. He's got a statue as well. There's
Speaker 1: I think there's a beer advertisement for it. But no good. Um.
Speaker 1: Mike Williams is Mike Williams has been playing really, really
Speaker 1: good to come back. Since he came back from an
Speaker 1: ankle injury that cost him missed two weeks. He's got
Speaker 1: ten catches a hundred eighty three yards two scores since then.
Speaker 1: Big play on the game winner. I think big Mike
Speaker 1: comes through and the Chargers role bolts across the board.
Speaker 1: Love to see it all right. Coming up after the break,
Speaker 1: we got Josh Allen versus Justin Fields. The weather outside
Speaker 1: is going to be weather. It's gonna be cold. There's
Speaker 1: a lot of weather everywhere. Go don't go anywhere talking
Speaker 1: about this game after the break. Weather be weather. This
Speaker 1: is like the best game of the year. Start your
Speaker 1: holiday weekend each day with NFL Game Day Morning. Catch
Speaker 1: me Cynthia, Chris Rose, and Emmanuel Sanders, plus our NFL
Speaker 1: insiders and reporters across the country as we get you
Speaker 1: set for all of the action Saturday at nine am Eastern.
Speaker 1: Then on Sunday it's a special one hour Game Day
Speaker 1: Morning starting at noon before the Christmas Day triple header.
Speaker 1: I've always wanted to spend my holidays with Cynthia. Are
Speaker 1: you stuck with me. Yeah, it's over over under. She's like,
Speaker 1: I'm serious. I'm so glad you're there. That'll be great. Uh,
Speaker 1: Saints Brown's over under his thirty two and a half,
Speaker 1: which is insanely low. Five teams scored more than that
Speaker 1: on their own last week. I have got over it
Speaker 1: so low. And the feels like temperature was negative thirty seven,
Speaker 1: uh the day before the game. So I'm gonna go
Speaker 1: under here. We've got a Dennis Allen coach team. He's
Speaker 1: good at coaching defense against the Shawn Watson who's struggling,
Speaker 1: and the Saints can't run the ball. I just don't
Speaker 1: see a lot of points. I mean, the Saints are
Speaker 1: missing a lot of people on this one, but Alvin
Speaker 1: Kamara is still playing, and you've got to want I
Speaker 1: don't know, I feel like just seventeen is what I have,
Speaker 1: So just a little over. We got to go back
Speaker 1: to find a number of this lower. Really, that's why
Speaker 1: that's why I've got the overh. You just can't It's okay.
Speaker 1: This next one, Box Cardinals over under is at thirty
Speaker 1: nine and a half. I've got the box winning twenty
Speaker 1: four to fourteen, and they under. So the Cardinals quarterback
Speaker 1: situation is a little bit up in the air, which
Speaker 1: does affect things, but I'm gonna go under. I think
Speaker 1: the Bucks showed who they could be in the first
Speaker 1: half of that game against the Bengals, and they are
Speaker 1: a good defense. I know they're banged up right now,
Speaker 1: but they're good enough to slow down this Cardinal's offense,
Speaker 1: who feels like it's kind of hitting the end of
Speaker 1: the road for that group. I had the over here,
Speaker 1: not significanly over, but I have the over twenty eight
Speaker 1: to nineteen in this one. I think James Conner playing
Speaker 1: is still a big factor for the Cardinals. That helps
Speaker 1: make things a little bit better, saying with DeAndre Hopkins. Plus,
Speaker 1: this season, we've seen some wonky things when we've seen
Speaker 1: a lot of injured players this season more than any
Speaker 1: other season in the twenties season sample that I looked at.
Speaker 1: Weird things mean weird points mean more points. In the
Speaker 1: situations where you have weird wonky things, are you reading
Speaker 1: between the lines? Where you're reading between the lines. I
Speaker 1: can't say it any other way or I'll get fired.
Speaker 1: I don't even know because I don't have the mental capacity.
Speaker 1: You're saying I've got the over because I will say
Speaker 1: it specifically, because these offensives is so bad. I think
Speaker 1: the defenses can score some points. We saw the Buccaneers
Speaker 1: turn it over on five consecutive drives. The Cardinals were
Speaker 1: giving it away as well, So yeah, I'll get the over. Yeah,
Speaker 1: Cardinals just seemed like weird vibes right now, weird weird vibes.
Speaker 1: What did you say? Whatever? Bill's Bears fourty and a
Speaker 1: half here, I have got the same score as last time,
Speaker 1: twenty four to fourteen. I am sticking with the under.
Speaker 1: This game is supposed to be so cool. They're saying
Speaker 1: that they're going to close the concession stands. Fans aren't
Speaker 1: gonna be able to get any food, any hot chocolate, nothing,
Speaker 1: And they said that they can bring battery powered pants
Speaker 1: like our friend calling Wolf was wearing last weekend the
Speaker 1: Buffalo game. I'm going hot chocolate does freeze, so it
Speaker 1: doesn't make sense to sell but you can't even get it.
Speaker 1: But you know who doesn't freeze? Josh Allen and Justin Field.
Speaker 1: These are superheroes, like weather does not bother them. It's
Speaker 1: not gonna bother the running game for either team. The
Speaker 1: Bears on offense, get Khalil Herbert back, and the Bills
Speaker 1: give up a lot of yards on the ground. So
Speaker 1: I actually think there'll be a lot of points. I
Speaker 1: think this is gonna be a sneaky fun game. I
Speaker 1: can't wait to one. I'm with you on that one.
Speaker 1: I think I have forty five total points in this game.
Speaker 1: I think Josh Allen I both quarterbacks forecast for a
Speaker 1: rushing touchdown for me, both not just one, but that's
Speaker 1: fourteen points. Well plus the extra point there, so it's
Speaker 1: twelve points. Give me the over as well. You've got
Speaker 1: two quarterbacks that can do it all on their own.
Speaker 1: One of them actually has to do it all by themselves.
Speaker 1: And they do have liquids that don't freeze, and they
Speaker 1: consume plenty of those in Buffalo last weekend. Maybe that's
Speaker 1: your body can only handle playing in the cold so much. Okay,
Speaker 1: it's all I'm sane. Bills, Maybe just don't go so
Speaker 1: hard alright, Raiders on NFL Network Saturday night and write
Speaker 1: this down. Oh yes, it is the most wonderful time.
Speaker 1: Look at this family, Look at this game debut family
Speaker 1: getting behind Cynthia and her passionate love of the lion
Speaker 1: a little short on the sleeves here, but I like
Speaker 1: it lights up since even holding out on this Lions
Speaker 1: by everyone looks good in Honolulu, every this everybody looks
Speaker 1: good at him. She's like, this proves if this group
Speaker 1: looks good, everyone these schlumps can look good. Okay, it's
Speaker 1: time for right this down for week sixteen. Um, Cynthia,
Speaker 1: what do you like? So? I'm going to talk about
Speaker 1: the Pittsburgh Steelers because I love the Franco here story
Speaker 1: and I want to pick one from that game because
Speaker 1: it means a lot, right, So I'm going to pick
Speaker 1: a picket. Two Pickens situations picks have more than four receptions.
Speaker 1: It's like me and Rachel. Rachel's my Candy Pickett and
Speaker 1: I'm her George Pickens. I'm gonna catch. I really like it.
Speaker 1: Notice how she made herself like the really like dynamic.
Speaker 1: I mean, here the quarterback, heard the quarterback, but I
Speaker 1: made her the quarterback. All right, who's next? I will
Speaker 1: go next, and I'm gonna talk DeAndre Swift. I'm going
Speaker 1: full lions here, win my sweatshirt over fifty eight and
Speaker 1: a half scrimmage yards. I love this one. If you
Speaker 1: watch them in the last couple of weeks, the numbers
Speaker 1: haven't been explosive, but he's explosive. He looks so ready
Speaker 1: to have about a two hundred yard day and carry
Speaker 1: some fantasy teams and DFS teams to the title. I
Speaker 1: like over twenty three and a half receiving yards. I
Speaker 1: like over thirty three and a half rushing yards. I
Speaker 1: love DeAndre Swift this week, and we all love the Lions.
Speaker 1: We really don't. This is photographic evidence. Don't be mad
Speaker 1: at us. What I don't love is the constant refrain
Speaker 1: of Bill Belichick takes away the other team's best player.
Speaker 1: I'm so tired of that. That's why I have Jamar
Speaker 1: Chase going over sixty nine and a half receiving yards
Speaker 1: because I know one thing about Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase.
Speaker 1: They do not care. They are going to ball. Joe
Speaker 1: is going to throw him the ball, and I think
Speaker 1: Jamar Chase gets over sixty nine and a half. If
Speaker 1: it were seventy, I would have taken that to Oh,
Speaker 1: I love it. I am signing all the way up
Speaker 1: from Minshee Mania. That's down Gardner. Minshew throws were two
Speaker 1: blessed and Chads versus the Cowboys and then has a
Speaker 1: beautiful moment with his dad at the end of the
Speaker 1: game where they just beating just hug Is that does
Speaker 1: that need to happen for this to count? No, I
Speaker 1: only but I just really love this man and I
Speaker 1: want to see him succeed. He's just he's giving Baker. Okay.
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, if your guy Baker Mayfield and
Speaker 1: Gardner Minshew went against each other, like who do you
Speaker 1: look towards the world, and it could happen, It could
Speaker 1: hap Why would you try to make me choose between
Speaker 1: my two favorite children? Is not happening? Guys, real quick,
Speaker 1: before we go, best and worst Christmas president you've ever received?
Speaker 1: What do I what's your tech moble? Back in the day,
Speaker 1: I think like the excitement that that ages me, but
Speaker 1: tech moble, I think the worst would just be like
Speaker 1: when you get books that you've already owned or books period.
Speaker 1: I love I um I UM, I got like a
Speaker 1: like I actually got a fruitcake and it was terry
Speaker 1: of you. A fruitcake. They shall remain nameless, they know
Speaker 1: who they are. That was that was pretty terrible. Um.
Speaker 1: But my probably my my best gift ever was I
Speaker 1: got a trip to see like my very best friend one.
Speaker 1: So that was the Superintendo clearly stands out. I remember
Speaker 1: the entire day in the basement. One time I got
Speaker 1: a cologne that somebody's ex used to wear. What doesn't
Speaker 1: seem like has sent so much the last time, I'm
Speaker 1: going to give it to you as well. Interesting decision,
Speaker 1: my lord. I remember one morning I'm from Canada, if
Speaker 1: you don't know, all my brothers got these amazing I
Speaker 1: got nothing, and I was pouting there and they were like, Rachel,
Speaker 1: go out on the front lawn and I had my
Speaker 1: own little a TV amazing and I was the braddy
Speaker 1: little kid pouting all morning. Guys enjoying the funk. Call
Speaker 1: Merry Christmas. We will see you next week. NFL Game
Speaker 1: Debut is a production of the NFL in partnership with
Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you get your podcasts.