Speaker 1: The Around the NFL podcast. All they want for Christmas
Speaker 1: is football.
Speaker 2: Well, if that's the case, we're getting everything we want
Speaker 2: this year. Thanks Santa from the Chris Westling podcast studio.
Speaker 2: It's Around the NFL. Dan hands us with heroes, Greg
Speaker 2: Rosenthal and Mark Sessler.
Speaker 1: Can you believe it?
Speaker 2: Week sixteen preview in Bulk.
Speaker 1: How are you boys?
Speaker 3: Feeling good? It is a lot of football this Christmas.
Speaker 3: This is the most football Christmas there has ever been
Speaker 3: and forever more will be right though, because next year
Speaker 3: can't top it.
Speaker 4: It will be more somehow, No, because that will be
Speaker 4: more next year. The football Sunday naive, Greg, it will move,
Speaker 4: it will move to Monday. And then it's just it's
Speaker 4: it's tough.
Speaker 2: What point does the NFL have the power to just
Speaker 2: move days themselves? That's a fair point, Like affect the
Speaker 2: calendar in a like a granular way. I think that's coming.
Speaker 4: It's like NFL one Birth of Jesus see round right,
Speaker 4: being shoved into the background.
Speaker 1: The day is literally just about a sport At this point, I.
Speaker 3: Feel like it's less about the assault on Christmas and
Speaker 3: more of the assault on the NBA. They're like, oh,
Speaker 3: you had that that was cute. We're going to try
Speaker 3: to take you out in a big way.
Speaker 1: I feel like that ended all was completely different than.
Speaker 2: The NBA schedule they've Their counter attack was I saw
Speaker 2: their schedule now they had like forty games on Christmas
Speaker 2: five games. Yeah, yeah, it used to be like basically
Speaker 2: it was just like Michael Jordan's playing today. Everybody tune in,
Speaker 2: right anyway, yesterday's show was with Connor or by the way,
Speaker 2: but I want to address something Greg.
Speaker 1: You you got on me a little bit.
Speaker 2: You said, my common man ranking came down because we
Speaker 2: had to take another set of photos because yeah, Mark's
Speaker 2: dentist named Krentis. Yes, so I was a little bit
Speaker 2: sweaty the first round because they didn't have a fan
Speaker 2: in there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so I took the photos. He said, she I
Speaker 1: could surgically or whatever. I didn't like that. It's in
Speaker 1: a service for you.
Speaker 2: Then I helped you. I lifted you on. That feels strong.
Speaker 2: You're still on our list, Mark for what chant to us.
Speaker 2: But uh, you said my common man ranking went down. Well,
Speaker 2: it must be stated that we did get a photo
Speaker 2: in the prep yesterday for our photo shoot. Oh you're right,
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, and this watches on the fast channels, watch
Speaker 2: this on YouTube. Let's check out and this is a
Speaker 2: normal curren. So what we have here is Greg Rosenthal
Speaker 2: in the makeup room and it's always multiple that you know,
Speaker 2: make up people working on Greg.
Speaker 1: Yes. And you wonder what that's about.
Speaker 3: Product and container, Well, it's the same as you guys.
Speaker 3: You guys can make up very often. I don't get
Speaker 3: any any hair, but she did it today. But it's important.
Speaker 3: People should watch this on You can watch it on
Speaker 3: the Fast channel, you can watch.
Speaker 1: It on a seg to a plug on YouTube.
Speaker 3: And I got nothing today, and just look at what
Speaker 3: a monster I am today, no makeup, no hair, and
Speaker 3: it's just I actually am like seventy five years old now.
Speaker 3: So when you see the difference, you'll you'll appreciate.
Speaker 1: We yus used to have a on site barber here.
Speaker 1: That's what this track's back.
Speaker 2: And Greg was one of the people, or it might
Speaker 2: have been the person because he didn't have enough clout,
Speaker 2: but he still was give me a haircut. And then
Speaker 2: the boss saw Greg getting a hair Now this is
Speaker 2: my theory, and they shut down the whole operation. I
Speaker 2: was gone, like we'll give Kurt Warner a haircut. But
Speaker 2: the guy from the podcast, No, this whole thing is over.
Speaker 1: I mean we needed to save money. I liked my
Speaker 1: guy back then.
Speaker 2: And if you didn't check out the Holiday Special and
Speaker 2: Fearless Predictions from Wednesday, you missed Connor or so go
Speaker 2: back and check that out. Connor reached out to us
Speaker 2: this morning and he has a charity endeavor that he's
Speaker 2: It's really a really nice thing that everyone should check out.
Speaker 2: It is the Holiday Fund dot org Greater Newer Holiday Fund.
Speaker 2: They've been doing that for over eighty years, serving the
Speaker 2: Greater Newer community. We put the plug out there and
Speaker 2: multiple donations pouring in from around the NFL listeners, including
Speaker 2: multiple like one thousand dollars donations, which is, let's get
Speaker 2: hip hop Santa back here.
Speaker 1: Eric, Yeah, come on, thank you.
Speaker 2: Do we have a chance to get hip hop Sada
Speaker 2: back in the mix. He's got to show up.
Speaker 3: Formed the heart of Connor, and it is awesome how
Speaker 3: much our listeners showed up.
Speaker 2: So donate at Holiday Fund dot org slash donation slash
Speaker 2: Connor with one end hyphen or two ours.
Speaker 4: I mean, it tells me that among our listener fan base,
Speaker 4: I mean wonderful people, you know, wire to wire mostly
Speaker 4: but mostly a giving group of people, but also many
Speaker 4: of them wealthy.
Speaker 1: It's so it's a nice comedy.
Speaker 2: Well that wasn't And you know what I thought. We
Speaker 2: learned a lot from the Hallmark conversation yesterday. Mark, It's
Speaker 2: not just because someone gave doesn't mean they're wealthy. It
Speaker 2: might just mean they're wealthy of heart, I mean wealthy spirits.
Speaker 2: And I don't know where you were going with that.
Speaker 4: It's like I'm saying that inside there's a lot of abundance.
Speaker 2: An abundance of football to get to, so let's get
Speaker 2: to it. Week sixteen, we we previewed the Saturday games
Speaker 2: and TNF And speaking of TNF, Mark and I will
Speaker 2: be handling tonight's recap of Rams Saints Mar.
Speaker 1: Greg, you have your Christmas. We don't want to touch
Speaker 1: anything about religion with Greg after.
Speaker 2: The not No, we celebrate Christmas, but you are going
Speaker 2: with your family is sidewalk.
Speaker 1: This isn't our big celebration.
Speaker 3: Yes, Ellis and Emica both diehard Rams fans at this point,
Speaker 3: and we're going and then yeah, they get on a
Speaker 3: bird tomorrow night, so this is our last night together.
Speaker 1: It'll be really fun.
Speaker 4: I mean, the celebration could go utterly south that the
Speaker 4: Rams were electrocute.
Speaker 3: That would be sad, but it would be fun. It's
Speaker 3: still fun to go to a lot. It'll been to
Speaker 3: a regular season game in two years, so you know
Speaker 3: it's it's fun to go in.
Speaker 2: Honor, in honor of your family having a wonderful night
Speaker 2: before they head to Japan. I'm locking them up. I'm
Speaker 2: locking up the whoo, which might be a curse that
Speaker 2: worries me. Let's go, let's go, Rams. Whenever you could
Speaker 2: lock up a Thursday night game involving a five hundred team,
Speaker 2: you gotta.
Speaker 1: Do it, get it.
Speaker 3: I considered it very strongly, and I only didn't do
Speaker 3: it because I'm going, and just.
Speaker 2: Because you know what part of my bad season I'm
Speaker 2: having is you saying it's good luck, it's good lock
Speaker 2: And then cut to seventy two hours later and I'm
Speaker 2: in a ditch.
Speaker 1: With like seven. I do like them a lot tonight.
Speaker 1: Squarely in last place, I believe squarely is strong.
Speaker 2: Actually, actually I've never been what you have done multiple
Speaker 2: times mark, which is finished last.
Speaker 1: So my new goal is to be you out.
Speaker 2: I will not be finishing last and it starts with
Speaker 2: the Rams of Los Angeles tonight.
Speaker 4: Well, you give me something, let's go game behind. I'm
Speaker 4: a game out.
Speaker 1: That's squarely. That's called squarely.
Speaker 3: You're at seven eight, mark at eight and seven West Bros.
Speaker 3: Eleven and four and fourteen and one. That I that
Speaker 3: is historically.
Speaker 2: I told you I was saying this Greg two months
Speaker 2: ago that you had some magic going on. Admit that
Speaker 2: there's magic. Fourteen and one is absurd in this season.
Speaker 2: I'm not admitting magic. Some luck and eight weeks to go.
Speaker 1: And cystog seven, so you know, tipe down. I've done
Speaker 1: I've done that work eight of those weeks. All right,
Speaker 1: Let's get to potentially the game of the year.
Speaker 2: And and I mentioned this on Wednesday. This game Ravens
Speaker 2: at forty nine ers is so important to both conferences,
Speaker 2: both in what can happen at the top of the
Speaker 2: conference and determining the number one seed and what happens
Speaker 2: at the bottom of the conferences, and how it can
Speaker 2: affect the Niners specifically, but really the Ravens as well,
Speaker 2: potentially from whether they rest their regulars in week eighteen,
Speaker 2: because someone is going to be in a very good
Speaker 2: position after this game, and it is gorgeous.
Speaker 1: And we'll start with this, Greg.
Speaker 2: There are members of the Ravens who are unhappy.
Speaker 1: This is the game.
Speaker 2: The spread is the Niners are given five points at
Speaker 2: home and the Ravens and I thought about locking up
Speaker 2: the Niners because we have a chance to lock the
Speaker 2: Niners at home, like you go and do it, and
Speaker 2: maybe one of you guys are.
Speaker 1: But I don't like.
Speaker 2: The Ravens getting all this where underdogs were disrespected, y
Speaker 2: but John Harball leading the fight call. So the people
Speaker 2: in the desert like the Niners here. But the Ravens
Speaker 2: have been finding away all year long to win games.
Speaker 3: They have been and I look to the run game
Speaker 3: right off the bat for both these teams, but especially
Speaker 3: thinking about how can Baltimore keep up with San Francisco.
Speaker 3: There's only so much you're gonna be able to stop
Speaker 3: this forty nine Ers offense.
Speaker 1: Lamar is gonna have to have a great game.
Speaker 3: They're both gonna they're gonna have to be able to
Speaker 3: score in this game. And I think they look a
Speaker 3: little bit to the Rams game, you know, and the
Speaker 3: way the Rams were able to run the ball on
Speaker 3: San Francisco. Some of the numbers San Francisco has against
Speaker 3: the run overall very mediocre. They just gave up two
Speaker 3: hundred and thirty four yards on the ground to the
Speaker 3: Arizona Cardinals. They've missed a lot of tackles this year.
Speaker 3: The Ravens are really good at breaking tackles and getting
Speaker 3: yards after contact. I think they'll they will miss keep
Speaker 3: Mitchell because you lose that explosiveness. But a down to
Speaker 3: down running game from the Ravens and certainly from Lamar Jackson,
Speaker 3: gives them a chance.
Speaker 1: To me, these two teams Mark are like, are kind.
Speaker 3: Of old school because, like one of the big analytical
Speaker 3: precepts as well, running backs are somewhat replaceable and off
Speaker 3: ball linebackers are somewhat replaceable.
Speaker 1: And to me, these two teams got.
Speaker 4: There here because they're so varied running the football. And
Speaker 4: for the forty nine the Ravens, it's less about the
Speaker 4: running backs itselves. It's more about Lamar and they're they're
Speaker 4: here because they're off ball linebackers are fantastic and can
Speaker 4: actually shut down opposing passing games. So they're kind of
Speaker 4: old school teams and I'm really excited about I'm with
Speaker 4: you that you can puncture the Niners on the ground,
Speaker 4: and to your point, we just saw it last week
Speaker 4: with a pretty floating away offense in general in Arizona.
Speaker 4: For me, it's like Baltimore's defense, which has been it's
Speaker 4: been the number one scoring defense and it leads to
Speaker 4: the league in sacks, and that to me, if you
Speaker 4: can disrupt brock Purty, which which we saw rarely but
Speaker 4: in that one little downstreak he had, pressure was part
Speaker 4: of that. But the offense, the way that it's operating
Speaker 4: right now in San Francisco, it's like I used to
Speaker 4: always try to compare teams to like the eighty nine
Speaker 4: nine ers. This team is better than the eighty nine
Speaker 4: nine ers in so many different ways. They really are,
Speaker 4: and it's like that was one of the best teams
Speaker 4: I've ever seen. But what we're seeing right now over
Speaker 4: their last six games, they're winning by eighteen point eight.
Speaker 1: Points per game.
Speaker 4: There's no been no way to muzzle them on offense.
Speaker 4: So like we can talk a lot of it is
Speaker 4: like how do you score and keep up with the Niners?
Speaker 1: How do you stop the Niners?
Speaker 4: Like if no one's been able to do it, And
Speaker 4: like I think Baltimore gets good as good of a
Speaker 4: chance as anyone, just based on how they've.
Speaker 3: Kept I did. I thought that was part of the sea.
Speaker 4: Was like a legit weather game to me, But Cleveland
Speaker 4: did do a nice job. That Cleveland defense is a
Speaker 4: little bit different than what the Niners have faced before.
Speaker 1: Ravens have a bit of a different defense.
Speaker 4: I think it's like the Niners are the had been
Speaker 4: close in every one of their games, even when their
Speaker 4: three losses, they've been close. But this is like historical outlier,
Speaker 4: like you have to go back to the nineteen seventy Merger,
Speaker 4: Okay to find games like this where it's the two
Speaker 4: teams in December with the best record in the NFL.
Speaker 4: The last time this actually happened in December, and it's
Speaker 4: you'd think it would be more frequent was the nineteen
Speaker 4: eighty one Niners Wire's the eighty one Bengals, which wound
Speaker 4: up being a.
Speaker 1: Super Christmas Night.
Speaker 3: I feel like Monday Night football has been hitting home
Speaker 3: runs with these games.
Speaker 2: I don't I feel bad because they might be listening
Speaker 2: those guys that would just smoke the cigars in Park
Speaker 2: Avenue and figure out the schedule. But schedule has been
Speaker 2: outrageously good. These last six weeks or so, with these
Speaker 2: Island games and these big time matchups, and yeah, I
Speaker 2: think I'll point it out again because it can't be understated.
Speaker 2: Like they lost three games in a row of the Niners,
Speaker 2: and they did it with Deebo Samuel injured basically the
Speaker 2: whole time. Got hurt in that Browns game. Williams franchise
Speaker 2: left tackle out during that time. I think Christian McCaffrey
Speaker 2: got banged up in that Browns game too, so that
Speaker 2: was such an outlier. Deebo Samuel has seven touchdowns in
Speaker 2: the last three weeks, and so you could you could
Speaker 2: look at Baltimore and say, well, they've been doing it
Speaker 2: all year. They find ways to stop teams. They're so
Speaker 2: athletic in the middle of their defense. They they got
Speaker 2: a lot of depth they can they can figure out ways.
Speaker 2: I don't think you could slow down this offense because
Speaker 2: a brock Perdy is playing at this level and he
Speaker 2: stays healthy. I don't see this team scoring less than
Speaker 2: thirty points in any week for the rest of the season.
Speaker 1: I think we are looking at something historic here.
Speaker 2: And if the Ravens Greg who I haven't liked as
Speaker 2: much as you have from the start of the season.
Speaker 2: If they go to San Francisco and win like that
Speaker 2: is incredible. I just don't see it. But that would
Speaker 2: tell you so much about that team.
Speaker 3: I agree, and yet I don't think it's gonna happen.
Speaker 3: I'm locking up the forty nine ers in this one.
Speaker 1: I think there's a path.
Speaker 3: You know, it's wholes it's doing the whole thing where
Speaker 3: you limit possessions.
Speaker 1: That's how you keep it under thirty.
Speaker 3: Is just these long drives by the Ravens, Purties numbers
Speaker 3: are so good against everything.
Speaker 1: Mean, it's gonna kill you for this.
Speaker 2: By the way, why thick Wesson is gonna kill you
Speaker 2: locking up the Niners at home?
Speaker 1: This is not gonna I am here. I'm over. I'm
Speaker 1: over like legislating what is a good lock?
Speaker 4: It was.
Speaker 3: I'm just saying, when we when we do great teams,
Speaker 3: right when we started this, the idea of locking one
Speaker 3: eleven and three team versus another eleven and three team
Speaker 3: would somehow be anything.
Speaker 1: But like, that's what the lock competition is for. Not
Speaker 1: gonna be happy, That's all I'm saying. Well, we're not
Speaker 1: here to have to legislate that.
Speaker 4: But I did Olden one thing I did tell Madison
Speaker 4: behind the glass before the show. I'm locking the Niners too. No,
Speaker 4: I don't really care what anyone says. No, I'm not
Speaker 4: coming in last in this thing. Yes, there at that business. Yes,
Speaker 4: well let's saddle this one first.
Speaker 1: Here we go. This worries. Yeah, this is quite the conundrum. Guys,
Speaker 1: go ahead. Oh this annoys me. I love this.
Speaker 5: Hey, heroes, we squeaked out another win somehow last week.
Speaker 5: We've done that a lot this year. A lot of
Speaker 5: sweating going on in fourth quarters. This week, though, it's
Speaker 5: not gonna be so close. The forty nine ers are
Speaker 5: gonna roll over the Ravens. If Greggie had any marbles
Speaker 5: at all, he'd locked the Ravens for the tenth time
Speaker 5: this year and go bono imano.
Speaker 1: True.
Speaker 5: I doubt he'll do it, because he's gonna say I
Speaker 5: don't really see that happening. Nick, I can't do it.
Speaker 5: But take a chance, live a little go with your boys.
Speaker 5: Lock up the forty nine ers, and I have news.
Speaker 5: Christmas came a little early for the Westling brothers this year.
Speaker 5: Baby brother Larry had a little boy. OH named him
Speaker 5: Ezekiel Christopher Westling.
Speaker 1: Real.
Speaker 5: Yes, the middle name is after his uncle. Mom and
Speaker 5: baby are super healthy. We're all happy. I want to
Speaker 5: wish you guys all to marry Christmas. I hope to
Speaker 5: see you soon.
Speaker 1: Good day.
Speaker 2: How about that congratulations to Larry Ezekiel Christopher Westling.
Speaker 1: That is wonderful. There he is. You're watching on your tube.
Speaker 1: You can see Larry. That's awesome. And well Larry and
Speaker 1: ezek I call him.
Speaker 2: Zeke, Yeah, Zeke Zeke quest Yes, congratulations and Merry Christmas
Speaker 2: to the whole Westling family. And that is you know
Speaker 2: you're all locking the Niners. Well it really good about
Speaker 2: the right for you though, because oh yeah, I wonder
Speaker 2: what's gonna happen here Niners by thirty.
Speaker 1: Seven, I don't know. I don't as the Rams flyil
Speaker 1: away on Thursday.
Speaker 3: In fact, we're all the fact we're all doing it, yeah,
Speaker 3: the the fact we're all doing it, and probably all
Speaker 3: of America is doing it.
Speaker 2: But how about win how about what Nick said there?
Speaker 2: What I mean, you've been riding the Ravens all season
Speaker 2: and now you're gonna.
Speaker 3: Tur The point of the locks is to is you're
Speaker 3: not as emotional. That's what you say to me, And
Speaker 3: I don't think they're as good as the forty nine ers.
Speaker 1: Ye, don't, Greg, Can I count it? Like the point
Speaker 1: of everything? Yes? Is the show entertainment? Yes, so it
Speaker 1: isn't just sim's been missing. The point is for the show.
Speaker 4: My point as Miss Knight Wesleyan versus Rosenthal showdown, just
Speaker 4: like the.
Speaker 1: Amazing for the listeners.
Speaker 3: Actually this works out well for you. My point has
Speaker 3: been to destroy this competition. I have said for years,
Speaker 3: and I've kind of done it right now. If I
Speaker 3: win for the fourth time in five years, it's it's
Speaker 3: it's kind of over.
Speaker 1: It's just like it's lost.
Speaker 4: And you imagine I'm gonna I'm gonna do it for
Speaker 4: the show. I'm locking the Ravens. See what happens man
Speaker 4: Christmas Night? That's a man there, you go.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna do it for Nick and I see one
Speaker 2: man on this side of the table.
Speaker 3: But the best thing here is, like now I can
Speaker 3: enjoy the Ravens pulling off and upset because because Nick's
Speaker 3: with me. I didn't even think of that. That was
Speaker 3: not on purpose, you know, come on.
Speaker 1: I'm disgusted by the whole thing. Anything else on this game.
Speaker 1: We're gonna lose this.
Speaker 3: Luck I do think the Ravens love the disguise coverages
Speaker 3: Brock party.
Speaker 1: What if I moved to the I will assess me.
Speaker 3: Rock purty versus disguise coverages sometimes this year, like that's
Speaker 3: the way to beat him is get a couple well
Speaker 3: not flukey turnovers, but get some turnovers. Can you confuse
Speaker 3: him a little bit? And Ken Kyle, who kind of
Speaker 3: makes a living building this whole thing around McCaffrey. That
Speaker 3: the way defense is just ke on McCaffrey in every
Speaker 3: single way as a runner and as a passer and
Speaker 3: everything in motion and all that like they do. If
Speaker 3: any team had the linebackers to try to slow them down,
Speaker 3: and probably be the forty nine ers, but the next
Speaker 3: team would be the Ravens that Shanahan picks on those
Speaker 3: linebackers every week. Maybe Rocan and our guy Patrick Queen,
Speaker 3: who's really improved. Maybe he's the guy that was my
Speaker 3: way option as they tried to think of his name.
Speaker 1: Did they pick yeah, rokwan Is? Really did they not
Speaker 1: even pick up Queen's option? I don't think they did.
Speaker 1: I think you're right he's started out different players since Rokelands.
Speaker 2: So anyway, that game we'll see if that's a preview
Speaker 2: of Super Bowl fifty eight, and that is a lot
Speaker 2: of fun. All right, let's move, let's work backwards through
Speaker 2: these other island games. So it is a triple header
Speaker 2: on Christmas, because why the hell not NFC East a
Speaker 2: fair Giants at Eagles, let's give and this is Eagles
Speaker 2: give n twelve points here to the g men. So
Speaker 2: very clear that in the desert the idea of Tommy
Speaker 2: Cutler Mania distant memory.
Speaker 1: I tend to agree with that.
Speaker 2: I also tend to agree with anyone out there that
Speaker 2: agrees that something doesn't seem right about the Eagles.
Speaker 1: And you had Jalen Hurts, the quarterback who, by the way.
Speaker 2: Did you know he he blew off Drew Locke after
Speaker 2: the game. There's a shot of Drew Locke looking for
Speaker 2: Jalen at midfield after the game and he goes, I
Speaker 2: guess he's sick, and he taught him on the mic.
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 4: That doesn't sound like everything we've heard about Jalen. I'm
Speaker 4: just telling you what happened.
Speaker 1: He wasn't there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And after the game he made a comment about,
Speaker 2: you know, people not necessarily being all in. He clarified
Speaker 2: himself or at least did some damage control leading up
Speaker 2: to this matchup with the Giants.
Speaker 6: When you think about holistically about one of the things
Speaker 6: you want to accomplish in everything that we're trying to
Speaker 6: do a range through me that it starts with me.
Speaker 6: And so when I say we, I mean me, because
Speaker 6: you know I'm the point guard out there. I'm the
Speaker 6: one that makes everything go and I'm gonna I'm gonna
Speaker 6: guy that everyone trusting to do. It's at the pace
Speaker 6: for everything that's in how I play, that's in my leadership,
Speaker 6: that's in every aspect of the game, and that comes
Speaker 6: with the shoes that I walked.
Speaker 2: And just to be clear, Herd said after the loss
Speaker 2: last week that he was questioning the team's commitment level.
Speaker 2: So we've kind of been poking around this, like what's
Speaker 2: going on with the Eagles. You know, they they dumped
Speaker 2: the d C, moved promote Matt Patricia, and now they're
Speaker 2: on a losing streak. This feels, though, mark like a
Speaker 2: perfect get right game at home against the Giants.
Speaker 1: Uh yeah, I mean I think the point spread is
Speaker 1: a little rich.
Speaker 4: They they've been very successful, This roster has been very
Speaker 4: successful against this most of these Giants players in recent history,
Speaker 4: and I think that matters.
Speaker 1: They know each other really well.
Speaker 4: But I think Herts is on point about the Eagles,
Speaker 4: and you're right, we've been poking around, We've been seeing it.
Speaker 1: It's been a real skid.
Speaker 4: They've had a tough schedule, and I don't just chalk
Speaker 4: it up as just l's It's like they've been losing
Speaker 4: to very good teams. Who are you know, viewing Philadelphia
Speaker 4: as the number one target in this three game skid though,
Speaker 4: it's been a real disaster, and I thought that we
Speaker 4: saw like James Bradbury really melt down in the last
Speaker 4: game and it victimized the team. They also as a
Speaker 4: group ranked thirty first, and defensive epapers dropped back over
Speaker 4: the three game losing streak. I mean teams are getting
Speaker 4: the best of them. They have not been able to
Speaker 4: run the ball since Week four, and I think early
Speaker 4: on when they're trying to figure themselves out. Although they
Speaker 4: can run still, they can still be like that team
Speaker 4: from last year. They average less than seventy two yards
Speaker 4: per game on the grounds since Week four. Hearts has
Speaker 4: the most interceptions from the pocket of any quarterback in
Speaker 4: the league.
Speaker 1: This season. Turnovers this year, too many turnovers season.
Speaker 4: It's almost I think that there was an assumption and
Speaker 4: it wasn't like an incorrect assumption that his rise last
Speaker 4: season and doing QB and next like he hung it
Speaker 4: one or two all season long. For me, after after
Speaker 4: you saw what he was, he's not been that player.
Speaker 4: And it's a lot of other stuff happening around him too.
Speaker 4: It's not just him, but they've just looked a step
Speaker 4: or two down, you know, from who they.
Speaker 1: Were, and it is part schedule. I do.
Speaker 4: I still do trust them, but you don't find teams
Speaker 4: like this firing leaders and coordinators in December. That's atypical
Speaker 4: and it tells you something that is going on more
Speaker 4: than we would even realize behind the scenes.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I still think that as a monster red flag.
Speaker 3: And I you know, I listened to some Eagles coverage
Speaker 3: the phl y podcast on the Eagles with Bo Wolf.
Speaker 3: I always enjoy and like they that team they don't
Speaker 3: think they're even some super Bowl contenders anymore in Philadelphia,
Speaker 3: and I I'm.
Speaker 1: Pretty close to that point too.
Speaker 3: You know, their plus eighteen scoring margin for the year,
Speaker 3: so they that is closer maybe to how they've played
Speaker 3: in terms of UH week to week than the record.
Speaker 3: Nick Sirianni said something this week, Make no mistake about it.
Speaker 3: And when blame is going on, you know the offensive coordinator.
Speaker 3: This offense has run the exact same way the offense
Speaker 3: was runned last year and the year before that. This
Speaker 3: offense is my offense. It should go on me. I
Speaker 3: think it goes unfairly on Brian and I thought right
Speaker 3: there he kind of hit on it, like you got
Speaker 3: so close to it right there. The offense is running
Speaker 3: the same way, and I think it's very predictable at
Speaker 3: this point because they run the same concepts over and over.
Speaker 3: And I think you're seeing this a little bit with
Speaker 3: Arthur Smith too, like what worked last year. And I
Speaker 3: even remember when when Bever Patriots teams with Brady were
Speaker 3: coming off their best years. If they didn't change it enough,
Speaker 3: teams would catch up to what they were doing. And
Speaker 3: it's a boomer bust type of offense where he is hurts,
Speaker 3: attempting very difficult throws and he actually hits on a
Speaker 3: lot of I think he's playing very well, and by
Speaker 3: very well, I just mean he's a top eight or
Speaker 3: nine quarterback. He's a fourth year player, who's a second
Speaker 3: round pick, who's the top eight or nine quarterback. But
Speaker 3: he's down quite a bit, like you say, from where
Speaker 3: he was a year ago. And I think the biggest
Speaker 3: thing is like game management. Like there's been a lot
Speaker 3: of talk like, oh, are you a game manager? Are
Speaker 3: you a difference maker? It's like parts does not managed
Speaker 3: games well. He's made bad decisions in the biggest spots
Speaker 3: over and over, even that Jets game, some games that
Speaker 3: they won, he's made like in the biggest spots, he's
Speaker 3: made bad decisions. So I think he's playing well, but
Speaker 3: he's been a little scattershot late in games.
Speaker 4: But Dan, do you think that there's an element where,
Speaker 4: like we find out after that we know he's overtly
Speaker 4: not been fully healthy in a bunch of games.
Speaker 1: He was literally ill in this lest playing he's playing.
Speaker 1: I mean, I think he's.
Speaker 2: Seventy percent of the league is on their backup quarterback.
Speaker 2: The Eagles have had him week after week. Yeah, last week.
Speaker 3: I don't mind him skipping the interview though, because I
Speaker 3: don't know if you happen to see him in his
Speaker 3: postgame press governance on Monday, I was like, he should
Speaker 3: not be doing a postgame press Carver. He looks so
Speaker 3: disastrous and sick. I was just like, keep them away,
Speaker 3: keep them away from everyone.
Speaker 1: It wasn't an interview.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's you know, it's so you're in
Speaker 2: the fraternity and I just to lock out a big
Speaker 2: moment there you go and dap him up because that's easy.
Speaker 1: But maybe he's thrown up. I don't know. I don't care.
Speaker 2: I'm just pointing out that Locke was looking for him,
Speaker 2: he couldn't find him. Seventeen turnovers for Hurts so far
Speaker 2: this year. He had eight all last season. So it's
Speaker 2: that's been a big part of the offense. It's just
Speaker 2: not as clean. Nothing's been as clean with the Eagles,
Speaker 2: the Giants. I don't think we need to say too
Speaker 2: much about them. Let's move on. Raiders at Chiefs. This
Speaker 2: is the first game of the Christmas Day coverage. This
Speaker 2: is the Nance Romo Wolfson. You know they listen, they
Speaker 2: got big paychecks, but you got Nance Romo, Buck Aikman
Speaker 2: all working on Christmas Day.
Speaker 4: You know this is officially and I look this up,
Speaker 4: he's seventy eight. Patrick Mahomes game that Tony Romo has
Speaker 4: operated as well.
Speaker 2: I can't tell if that's a joker on it sounds
Speaker 2: right seventy eight. I think that's right. That's impossible. I
Speaker 2: feel like he's time traveled and done multiple games repeatedly.
Speaker 2: So yes, we're at the same juncture once again. The Raiders,
Speaker 2: of course they're coming up. Is this an episode of
Speaker 2: a rest stop? What is this? Is an episode of
Speaker 2: restop with Greg Rosenthal?
Speaker 1: Greg?
Speaker 2: The Raiders feels like they haven't played in a long
Speaker 2: time because they played Thursday night. They got the Chargers
Speaker 2: organization blown up, so now they get extra rest against
Speaker 2: the Chiefs.
Speaker 1: Is it gonna matter?
Speaker 3: Thank you for that, sound unridd four extra days couldn't hurt?
Speaker 1: I do remember thinking couldn't hurt? I need more than that. Well,
Speaker 1: we built a whole segment around here. You're reporting from
Speaker 1: the Vince Lombardi rest stop.
Speaker 3: Chiefs are favored, Chiefs are favored by ten and the
Speaker 3: Raiders first game against the Chiefs, they jumped out to
Speaker 3: a fastar. I thought a O'Connell played quite well in
Speaker 3: that game. He also played quite well while helping to
Speaker 3: drop a sixty burger on the Chargers last time around.
Speaker 3: And I'm with you, Dan, I'm sick of waiting for
Speaker 3: the Chiefs no offense to get better.
Speaker 1: Is he gonna no, I'm gonna lock up the Raiders? Uh? There,
Speaker 1: come on now.
Speaker 3: I think the Raiders could keep it closer than ten,
Speaker 3: and the Chiefs offense has actually gotten worse since their
Speaker 3: bi week. I oft, oh, maybe they would reset their
Speaker 3: thirteenth in EPA since the by eighteenth with the pass
Speaker 3: And how about Antonio Piers. I know that the schedule
Speaker 3: is a huge part of it, but they were literally
Speaker 3: twenty sixth in defense when they fired Josh McDaniels EPA.
Speaker 3: Since that moment and they're three and three, I believe
Speaker 3: in terms of win loss their second So I don't
Speaker 3: know if he's gonna ever keep his job, but if
Speaker 3: you somehow beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead, that would be
Speaker 3: a way to keep your job.
Speaker 4: I really think that he should be considered. I mean,
Speaker 4: I think a lot of it. This has been kind
Speaker 4: of a case study and like the human side of
Speaker 4: coaching matters, Like Josh McDaniels like just lost this team
Speaker 4: a long time ago, and it was like every little
Speaker 4: nook and cranny you heard reporting wise was like more
Speaker 4: and more issues between former coach and teammates. Everyone wanted
Speaker 4: out of there. This has been a different experience. That said,
Speaker 4: I mean, the Chiefs under Mahomes have dominated this matchup.
Speaker 4: They have absolutely dominated. But this is a different Chiefs offense,
Speaker 4: you are. We are seeing it week after week and
Speaker 4: the numbers start to become remarkable for a Patrick Mahomes
Speaker 4: led operation. They have the most drops in the NFL
Speaker 4: twenty six that They've had four plus drops in three games,
Speaker 4: and I mean some of them have been on an
Speaker 4: island performances where it's like these guys are melting down.
Speaker 1: It's like I am over.
Speaker 4: I'm with you, Gregor with the sense like I am
Speaker 4: done expecting them to do anything else.
Speaker 1: He leads the league.
Speaker 4: By a large margin over the last couple of years
Speaker 4: of touchdowns to running backs and that's what half their
Speaker 4: passing game is in the red zone.
Speaker 2: Now, I want to a couple of things here, and
Speaker 2: I'm still smarting. It's one of the great fantasy teams
Speaker 2: I ever built, and it was Mahomes in large part
Speaker 2: that got me picked off in Round one. So it
Speaker 2: should be obvious that he's going to do what he's
Speaker 2: done literally all season long. He's gonna throw for two
Speaker 2: hundred and one yards two touchdowns. Maybe pick but or
Speaker 2: because this is just the way I think. Now he's
Speaker 2: going to become Mahomes against the Raiders. For everyone else,
Speaker 2: it's still in the playoffs, he'll throw for four hundred
Speaker 2: and six touchdowns.
Speaker 1: Totally could see that.
Speaker 2: My guy, John Boy, Jimmy O'Brien I talked about he's
Speaker 2: a great lip reader, and he does baseball stuff.
Speaker 1: He's doing more football stuff apparently.
Speaker 4: Like literally just after you suggested it. I feel like
Speaker 4: he's you might have given him an idea there.
Speaker 2: I don't know if that's quite accurate, but I like
Speaker 2: the idea that he read the lips of Mahomes. After
Speaker 2: the latest Cadarius Tony meltdown, he goes back to the
Speaker 2: sideline after Tony drops it and it becomes an interception
Speaker 2: that leads to a Patriots touchdown. He plops down on
Speaker 2: the bench Mahomes and he goes and apologies. But this
Speaker 2: is journalism. I just don't get it. Man referring to
Speaker 2: Tony like everything, and you know exactly what he means
Speaker 2: when he says that. And here he is still targeting
Speaker 2: guys like Kadarius Tony. So the frustration around this team
Speaker 2: is real. It makes sense that they're going to figure
Speaker 2: it out, but they haven't yet, so I don't think
Speaker 2: they will, and it's going to be a closer game
Speaker 2: than people realize.
Speaker 3: This was the Jarrett Stidham game last year where he
Speaker 3: made it interesting in a weird like Holiday Raiders Chiefs game.
Speaker 2: Jared Sinam's so annoyed because it was like, I'm supposed
Speaker 2: to be the quarterback of the Broncos. That made so
Speaker 2: much sense that I was the quarterback by Halloween. But
Speaker 2: he is still I don't think is he taking a
Speaker 2: snap up there this year. I don't think he has.
Speaker 1: Well, it didn't go according to what we predicted.
Speaker 2: Let's be yeah, all right, let's go to the I
Speaker 2: can't even keep tracking. Oh this is Christmas Eve night,
Speaker 2: Patriots at Broncos. Broncos A nice segue, like those accidental segues.
Speaker 2: Broncos given six and a half to the Pats here,
Speaker 2: which is technically within our lock zone. So this is
Speaker 2: you know, this is easy money if if one were
Speaker 2: so inclined. Rich Eisen on the call with Kurt Warner
Speaker 2: and Jamie Erdall of Good Morning Football. Greg, Yeah, the
Speaker 2: Broncos feels like this is like reluctantly to this is
Speaker 2: just like a back pocket w that keeps him in
Speaker 2: the playoff race, or or because I know you think
Speaker 2: Russell Wilson is still bad the average.
Speaker 1: The Patriots have a chance to make this game close.
Speaker 3: They have a chance because I don't think the Broncos
Speaker 3: are so unbeatable and they sort of play a type
Speaker 3: of schedule or a type of football that invites close games.
Speaker 3: They only have a twenty four percent chance to make
Speaker 3: the playoffs the Broncos, according to the New York Times predictor.
Speaker 1: But if they go three and oh over the.
Speaker 3: Next three weeks, which on paper sounds like okay, that's
Speaker 3: a big ass to go three and o, it goes
Speaker 3: up to eighty percent. So I'm I'm torn here because
Speaker 3: they got the Patriots. The Broncos are the Patriots at home,
Speaker 3: the Chargers at home, and then their toughest game left
Speaker 3: is at Raiders. That is that is invited, that is doable,
Speaker 3: and they are I apologize to my uncle Dave.
Speaker 1: Uncle Dave take a heat. He used to listen to
Speaker 1: the show. Maybe he still does.
Speaker 3: Justin uh, big Broncos fan, my cousin, you know, I
Speaker 3: don't want it. This is the team I don't want
Speaker 3: to see in the playoffs because it's just the same
Speaker 3: thing every week. It's like Russell Wilson, hold, hold, hold, checkdown, hold, hold, hold, checkdown,
Speaker 3: and then you have the long passes the Sutton and
Speaker 3: that's all fine. But I watched this team and we
Speaker 3: saw him on on Saturday night against the Lions, and
Speaker 3: to me, they're they're middling, but they're middling enough where
Speaker 3: they remind me of old Patriots teams. Is well, they
Speaker 3: just beat the bad teams on their schedule, and the
Speaker 3: Patriots are one of those.
Speaker 4: They've got a good defense, the Patriots. I mean, they're
Speaker 4: allowing about fourteen points per game since Week ten and
Speaker 4: that's been legit, and that's been against a.
Speaker 1: Cut scoring thirteen points. Again.
Speaker 4: I think it's like they're all the issue your offense
Speaker 4: like was I would have described it as dead months ago.
Speaker 4: We have to come up with new terms and new
Speaker 4: words describe what's happening now. And like war that Bailey
Speaker 4: Zappie was going to come in and change the world.
Speaker 4: He was seventeen for nineteen in the first half last week,
Speaker 4: then they go out.
Speaker 3: He's definitely been an upgrade. He's been better, but that
Speaker 3: has the twenty ninth best court.
Speaker 4: Like as a team, they put up fifty seven yards
Speaker 4: in the second half. I don't I don't love their
Speaker 4: injuries situation either, Like Ramandri Stevenson has been out for
Speaker 4: a while, still don with an ankle injury, not out
Speaker 4: practicing dated day. They're saying, so that's that's possible, but
Speaker 4: you already have nothing in the passing game. Juju Smith
Speaker 4: Schusters banged up with an ankle injury. Hunter Henry didn't practice,
Speaker 4: blah blah blah. So it was like, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 4: All those guys are one of these, don't. I mean
Speaker 4: the Patriots Dome, there's several. We're now at the point
Speaker 4: of the season where these teams are playing out the string,
Speaker 4: the Patriots and every fan wants them to lose this game.
Speaker 3: Will they matter if they can get Sean Payton to
Speaker 3: start screaming at Russell Wilson in a manner that when
Speaker 3: I rewatched it, they talked about it was almost almost
Speaker 3: uncomfortable because Russell just sits there and takes it. And
Speaker 3: to me, this was I'm fine with like coaches yelling
Speaker 3: at players, of course, but he was just from he's
Speaker 3: just being a bully oot out.
Speaker 2: That's not uncomfortable. That's this is what everyone's like. Everything
Speaker 2: needs to be sanitized. Now that's a fire up coach
Speaker 2: and the player who his job is to listen to
Speaker 2: the coach or.
Speaker 1: Yell assessing it, maybe yell back a little bit.
Speaker 3: But here here's here's the reason why I hate it
Speaker 3: is because Peyton's not mad at Russell will He is
Speaker 3: mad at Russell Wilson in that moment. But the reason
Speaker 3: he yells is because he's mad at the call in
Speaker 3: the in the situation, and he's mad that he didn't
Speaker 3: just call a touchdown that all he had to do
Speaker 3: was challenge it and he had a touchdown. Sean Payton
Speaker 3: had just cost them seven points in that exact moment.
Speaker 3: He had totally blown it, and he's mad about that,
Speaker 3: and he's yelling at Russell.
Speaker 1: You're yelling at him. It just was like, come on, bro,
Speaker 1: do you how do you want him to respond to you?
Speaker 1: Now you're you come at me, bro.
Speaker 2: It's it was saying Mike McGlinchey on Sean Payton yelling
Speaker 2: in the direction of Russell Wilson last Saturday.
Speaker 1: I think it's been completely blown out of proportion.
Speaker 2: All that is is competitive fire and frustration of certain
Speaker 2: things that go wrong. Like that's I'm more to.
Speaker 1: It just was saying that this doesn't matter.
Speaker 3: I agree with that, but it just was unique in
Speaker 3: that moment that he and even Peyton tried to say,
Speaker 3: I was mad about the call.
Speaker 1: Well then what are you talking about? What are you?
Speaker 1: Why are you?
Speaker 2: Here's good news, by the way, The Holiday Classic that see,
Speaker 2: we have this branded now. The Holiday Classic is back
Speaker 2: on NFL Network Christmas Eve. Watch a special night of
Speaker 2: primetime football as the Patriots take on the Broncos the
Speaker 2: NFL Holiday Classic. It's Sunday, eight pm Eastern only on
Speaker 2: NFL Network and streaming on NFL Plus.
Speaker 1: What Mark, What could you possibly say here?
Speaker 4: I'm just going to say, we've got we've scattered like
Speaker 4: fourteen games on little literal holidays.
Speaker 2: I'm reading a promo for our network.
Speaker 4: Well, Holiday, We're doing a great job. I'm excited about them.
Speaker 4: Have a nice time.
Speaker 1: What do you want? What kind of discourse?
Speaker 4: Readearly games on Christmas are not part of a Holiday Classic.
Speaker 1: This is our special Holiday Class. It's like Mark, It's
Speaker 1: NFL Networks game Those other games. I technically get it.
Speaker 1: So it's their holiday class. It's an annual tradition. Maybe.
Speaker 4: Well, I think it's more fitting than either of you do.
Speaker 4: I couldn't be more in favor of it.
Speaker 2: Let's take a break and we'll get to the draft.
Speaker 2: All right, welcome back. It is time now for the
Speaker 2: first overall pick in the ATM Draft, presented by Draft Kings.
Speaker 1: GREGGI, you are on the clock. I will take the
Speaker 1: game of the day that day. This is December twenty fourth.
Speaker 3: This will be Christmas. It will be Sunday. It is
Speaker 3: the Cowboys at the Dolphins. The Dolphins favored by a
Speaker 3: scant one point. Uh, they're minus one oh eight over
Speaker 3: under is fifty.
Speaker 2: Look, I think this is gonna be a score fest.
Speaker 2: Let me ask you a question, and I like that more.
Speaker 2: If the Cowboys comport themselves in a more competitive manner
Speaker 2: against the Bills. This is probably This is Cowboys by three, right.
Speaker 2: I think people are freaking out about them on the road.
Speaker 2: Now it's not They're three and four on the road
Speaker 2: and undefeated at home.
Speaker 1: I think you're right where nobody's underdog.
Speaker 3: That last week's results had a direct impact, not just
Speaker 3: the Cowboys losing the game, but mostly that and also
Speaker 3: the Dolphins winning thirty to nothing in such a convincing
Speaker 3: fashion because you start worrying about this Cowboys defense specifically
Speaker 3: last in the league in success rate allowed. So I
Speaker 3: mean there's one thing to like, Okay, we're kind of bad,
Speaker 3: or there's this there you can find some weird stat.
Speaker 3: Success rate is a very down to down stat of
Speaker 3: like do we give up four yards very regularly when
Speaker 3: the other team runs it? You know, on third and two?
Speaker 3: Do we ever get stops when they run against us?
Speaker 3: And they were thirty first in the league going into
Speaker 3: the Buffalo game. Buffalo took advantage of it in a
Speaker 3: way that other teams haven't. You have to stay close,
Speaker 3: you have to get the lead, and the Dolphins are
Speaker 3: a very different running attack in terms of how they
Speaker 3: run it. They also might be missing their entire right
Speaker 3: side of the offensive line, which really is a bummer,
Speaker 3: Austin Jackson and Robert Hunt. They might be down to
Speaker 3: one starter left on their offensive line, which is Toron Armstead,
Speaker 3: and even he's banged up, but I think he's gonna play.
Speaker 3: But they're running game. Miami's has been really good this year.
Speaker 3: And as great as Waddle and Hill are and they'll
Speaker 3: make some plays here. I actually do think the way
Speaker 3: that Miami can win this game is to stay patient
Speaker 3: with that running game and attack like the Bills did.
Speaker 3: Marquispell and Damone Clark two names I don't know if
Speaker 3: we've said once all year on this show, and they
Speaker 3: are the weaknesses of the Cowboys. They are the Cowboys
Speaker 3: off ball linebackers, and you get that outside zone working
Speaker 3: with moster Ah Chan was back at practice Thursday, Like
Speaker 3: I can see them having a lot of success on
Speaker 3: the ground against the Cowboys in a way that I
Speaker 3: don't really see the Cowboys doing it.
Speaker 1: On the other side. What happened against Buffalo.
Speaker 4: It's like I think sometimes you get games where it's
Speaker 4: a fair question to say, like did Buffalo put like
Speaker 4: a blueprint out there? Or other teams that can run
Speaker 4: the ball well to try to mimic, and the Dolphins
Speaker 4: are one of those teams. They lead the league and
Speaker 4: yards per rush three point five yards after contact, so
Speaker 4: they're like automatic effective on the ground. But a lot
Speaker 4: of it is like some of the runs we've seen
Speaker 4: from a Chan from most or all year long. When
Speaker 4: it's working it's working, and I think like what it
Speaker 4: allows you to do if you're Miami, and especially with
Speaker 4: all these like offensive line injuries, I'd rather try to
Speaker 4: like engage our run blocking than our pass protection if
Speaker 4: we can to offset, you know, Micah Parsons like two.
Speaker 1: Is good at getting the ball out.
Speaker 4: But if you can run like they did last week
Speaker 4: with Buffalo and James Cook, it kind of takes Micah
Speaker 4: Parsons out of the picture. It takes that whole side
Speaker 4: of their defense out of the picture. They are really
Speaker 4: banged up. But I really think this is one way
Speaker 4: where Miami can do it. I don't have a problem
Speaker 4: with it being favored by three. I mean one by
Speaker 4: one or three, but one's even nicer.
Speaker 2: If the Cowboys lay another egg on the road here,
Speaker 2: they'll they'll have done it again. They'll have snookered everybody
Speaker 2: because they'll prove to me that, oh, okay, I know
Speaker 2: what's gonna happen. And whether it's the wildcard round of
Speaker 2: the divisional round, you really are a team that you're
Speaker 2: kind of a front running type team that can bully
Speaker 2: teams in your building, but you're vulner on the road.
Speaker 2: I still don't think that's who this team is. I
Speaker 2: think this is a different team.
Speaker 1: I like them.
Speaker 2: I already said on Wednesday, I think the Bills can
Speaker 2: steal this division.
Speaker 1: That's a fearless prediction.
Speaker 2: However, However, let's also keep in mind the Dolphins still
Speaker 2: have a two game cushion here in the East, and
Speaker 2: they could put a choke hold the whole goal for
Speaker 2: the Dolphins. And I know every Dolphins fan, even though
Speaker 2: we don't always see I I I'd do the same
Speaker 2: way as you do. We want to do everything in
Speaker 2: our power to not have it come down to Week eighteen,
Speaker 2: because I hate that situation. If the Bills keep winning here,
Speaker 2: and what a bummer it would be to let this
Speaker 2: division get away after you've had such a great year.
Speaker 2: You can beat the Cowboys at home and then hell,
Speaker 2: the Bills could slip up one of the next two weeks,
Speaker 2: or you can go beat Baltimore next week and then
Speaker 2: the division's done. But I'm just saying you, for a
Speaker 2: team that's ten and three, we should give it or
Speaker 2: ten and four, we should give them the credit that
Speaker 2: they could pull that off. Uh, and we shall see.
Speaker 2: So the Dolphins here, I think the goal here is
Speaker 2: make week eighteen not matter because of it?
Speaker 1: Does I don't feel good.
Speaker 4: I like Greg you mentioned this to some degree, but
Speaker 4: it's like I a lot of teams, it's December going
Speaker 4: through this. They have seventeen players on the on their
Speaker 4: injury report Miami, and like a bunch of those guys
Speaker 4: will play right.
Speaker 1: Tyreeks was as of Thursday, is not practical right.
Speaker 4: And I guess it's like Tyreek will also feel like
Speaker 4: I feel like there's been four games where I thought
Speaker 4: he broke his ankle, but like ten minutes later, he's
Speaker 4: running faster than ever, so he's a quick healer, and
Speaker 4: like maybe you get the version of him you expect,
Speaker 4: but maybe not. And like their offensive line is about
Speaker 4: his banged up outside of maybe Cleveland and a few others,
Speaker 4: as any team in the league. And so it's like
Speaker 4: that does affect to it, like to a missing offensive
Speaker 4: lineman last year was there were big sample sizes that
Speaker 4: showed the difference. That's why I think this ground game
Speaker 4: with a minus Jonathan Hankins for Dallas is the way to.
Speaker 3: Get you missed the thrower to in that Tennessee game
Speaker 3: that McDaniel in a clip that's been circulated pretty widely
Speaker 3: from Hard Knock called out and I love that clip
Speaker 3: because McDaniel starts by pointing the finger at himself, showing
Speaker 3: the team like, I have accountability.
Speaker 1: Look how much I messed up.
Speaker 3: I should have had better play costs here and the
Speaker 3: other two players he all that Very interesting to me
Speaker 3: was Tua and Jalen Ramsey for specific plays. And he
Speaker 3: did it in a very like constructive positive way. But
Speaker 3: that was almost BELICHICKI and kind of calling out the
Speaker 3: best player, saying, you know you do, Yeah, so the
Speaker 3: good coach does.
Speaker 2: And and Jalen Ramsey has really been incredible this year,
Speaker 2: way better than he was last year. Even though he's
Speaker 2: a year older coming off surgery. He's a better player.
Speaker 2: He kind of erased Garrett Wilson last week. You look
Speaker 2: at all his data points. He's been one of the
Speaker 2: best cornerbacks in the league. So that was a major
Speaker 2: acquisition by Miami. That is fort to five their back end.
Speaker 4: But a match on G defense requires a cornerback like
Speaker 4: that in a lot of cases. And since he's returned,
Speaker 4: and I think we saw it right away, they've allowed
Speaker 4: they've allowed seven touchdowns and had nine interceptions. Like he
Speaker 4: really changed their past Tea.
Speaker 3: His matchup against Ceedee Lamb and he could travel with
Speaker 3: them a decent amount.
Speaker 1: Is as good as it gets.
Speaker 3: And the other thing I'm just watching is was it
Speaker 3: just a bad week for Dallas offensively? Because this is
Speaker 3: a very tough dolphinse defense. For the last two months,
Speaker 3: they've really come into their own, their defensive lines playing
Speaker 3: great Wilkins, Zach Steeler, Bradley Chubb.
Speaker 1: Is you know that that game against the Jets.
Speaker 3: I know it was the Jets, but it was the
Speaker 3: most dominant defensive performance I saw from many team all year.
Speaker 3: I know it was against the Jets, but I just
Speaker 3: mean the level of ferocity and dominance was kind of
Speaker 3: next level. So now it's against an offensive line which
Speaker 3: has been great until last week. That's a really good
Speaker 3: matchup win when the Cowboys.
Speaker 2: There wasn't a better more impactful pass rusher than Bradley
Speaker 2: Chubb last week either. So like, if he's going off, uh,
Speaker 2: that's major problems for Dak. I'm picking the the Dolphins
Speaker 2: in this game. What do you guys got, you know what?
Speaker 2: I want the Cowboys to show us that they're different,
Speaker 2: you know, Like, so I have my I have some
Speaker 2: doubt that crept in after last week, but that was
Speaker 2: also a tough spot in Buffalo.
Speaker 4: Like the Cowboys, I tick Miami by a field goal,
Speaker 4: meaning they're gonna win three nothing a Miami.
Speaker 1: I'm not moving on to like a Miamy Miami. Tell no.
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Speaker 1: The crown is yours.
Speaker 2: All right, let's move to the second pick. It's mine.
Speaker 2: Here's a here's a tricky situation. Oh tricky, dicky situation.
Speaker 2: Because I want in I like watching the games live, Okay,
Speaker 2: it matters to me. I will I want to in
Speaker 2: on this Browns magic. But then I think to myself,
Speaker 2: well that Mark doesn't does Mark Kerry?
Speaker 1: Did he? Or said?
Speaker 2: He's historically a Browns fan? But I don't want to
Speaker 2: take that game. I want in on the magic, but
Speaker 2: I don't want to take that from you. So I'm
Speaker 2: going to say to you, Mark, do you want the
Speaker 2: Browns game?
Speaker 1: Yeah? I do, Okay, So then I will go in
Speaker 1: a different direction. Now, Christmas. Thank you. Let's then go
Speaker 1: to the team of around the NFL, and this is a.
Speaker 2: I think this is telling that when I'm looking at
Speaker 2: the games, I feel most comfortable with picks.
Speaker 1: It's the last two weeks.
Speaker 2: I'm looking at the Vikings and I'm thinking, oh, they're
Speaker 2: a team that's going down.
Speaker 1: And yet they really did.
Speaker 2: They were up seventeen to three late last week, and
Speaker 2: they looked like they had kind of figured some things
Speaker 2: out and gotten some swagger back. And then they let
Speaker 2: that game, of course get away, lose to Jake Browning late,
Speaker 2: so now their backs are against the wall. And I
Speaker 2: like that on one hand, Minnesota at home desperate for
Speaker 2: the win. But I also wonder if the Lions are
Speaker 2: shaken out of their funk and the Vikings are now
Speaker 2: getting the Lions when they are in a good spot.
Speaker 2: And you got Jared Goff playing indoors coming off a
Speaker 2: five touchdown game, And this does feel potentially to me
Speaker 2: greg the kill shot of them around the NFL.
Speaker 1: I don't want it to do that.
Speaker 2: I'm pulling hard for the team of atl but I
Speaker 2: don't like this matchup for them.
Speaker 1: I just don't like it.
Speaker 3: Well, they have them twice in the last three weeks
Speaker 3: and the Lions, I mean, the Vikings can probably make
Speaker 3: the playoffs.
Speaker 1: If they split those.
Speaker 3: If they lose this game, their chances to make the
Speaker 3: playoffs go down to still thirty five percent, which isn't bad.
Speaker 3: So they basically I ran it a few different ways.
Speaker 3: They got to go two and one in the final
Speaker 3: three weeks.
Speaker 1: When you say I ran it a few different I mean,
Speaker 1: what does that mean.
Speaker 3: I mean I just on the little playoculation. No, I
Speaker 3: don't do anything New York in this case New York Times.
Speaker 3: But there's a few different ones ESPNS one two, where
Speaker 3: you like, do the combo of Okay, they lose this
Speaker 3: game and not a game you do a three, and
Speaker 3: oh you do one and two?
Speaker 1: Does it matter?
Speaker 3: In this case, it doesn't matter much because they have
Speaker 3: all Division games left. They got to win two out
Speaker 3: of three is basically the end of the story to
Speaker 3: have a chance. They'll have a good chance, so they
Speaker 3: could afford one more loss. But at some point you
Speaker 3: got to stop the bleeding. This is that point. I'm
Speaker 3: just fascinating to see Flores versus Jared Goff in this
Speaker 3: matchup and that Blitz going after him. The offensive line
Speaker 3: played really well last week. Detroit's with Frank Ragnow back
Speaker 3: at center. They're healthy as they've been all season long,
Speaker 3: and they really handled what Denver tried to do. I
Speaker 3: think Minnesota is a more aggressive, better version of that defense.
Speaker 1: But if they can block it up, forget it.
Speaker 3: I think they'll start going up and down the field
Speaker 3: like Browning did at the end of last week.
Speaker 4: I think that's the matchup because they're the numbers that
Speaker 4: are out there show that obviously on our floor as
Speaker 4: we know that they're blitz happy. They rushed six plus
Speaker 4: guys more than any team in the league. They rush
Speaker 4: you know, four to five and other variations pretty much
Speaker 4: more than a team in the league. And Goff has
Speaker 4: actually been successful in that situation when that when he's
Speaker 4: dealt with a four or five man rush. This season,
Speaker 4: he's got twenty three touchdowns, which leads any other quarterback
Speaker 4: in that situation in the entire league. And like, I
Speaker 4: like a couple things for the Lions, Like I thought
Speaker 4: they got out of their funk last week big time.
Speaker 4: We got the pristine version of golf. They're running the
Speaker 4: ball really well. They to me, essentially they don't play
Speaker 4: outside again for the rest of the year that matters.
Speaker 4: I think the kind of team that you don't want
Speaker 4: to stick them in the elements, and this game in general,
Speaker 4: it's like this division in general, if you look at
Speaker 4: the Packers too, are just littered with young Like the
Speaker 4: future of the division is happening right before our eyes,
Speaker 4: because like Jamiir Gibbs has been statistically one of the
Speaker 4: best running backs and visual running backs in the league
Speaker 4: since he came back from his injury. Sam Laporta is
Speaker 4: a star. Jordan Addison for the Vikings is a future star.
Speaker 4: I mean, it's like there's a lot of young talent.
Speaker 4: Jamison Williams is kind of finally showing it came off
Speaker 4: at one of his best games.
Speaker 1: You want to see more, but that's the start.
Speaker 4: Like Daniel Hunter, who they finally kept in this cost
Speaker 4: cutting offseason, like leads the league in sacks right now.
Speaker 4: I mean, there's a lot to like here from a
Speaker 4: two team billion perspective.
Speaker 1: And also, I like, let's think about this.
Speaker 2: Brian Flores basically runs the type of defense that I
Speaker 2: play in Madden.
Speaker 1: I thought, I've played Madden for a few years.
Speaker 2: Now, but he either blitzes the house or he has
Speaker 2: this drop eight concept where it's like one or the other.
Speaker 2: They say, he's like one of the more extreme ways
Speaker 2: to run a defense in the league. It's like a
Speaker 2: popular college concept and I'm just curious to see how
Speaker 2: that affects or how they can get burned. There is
Speaker 2: a crazy stat out there that the Lions have a
Speaker 2: chance to be the first team in a long time.
Speaker 2: I'm trying to think who would have been to have
Speaker 2: two one thousand yard receivers and two one thousand yard rushers.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: So they don't get talked up as enough as much
Speaker 2: as the Niners, for instance, for having infinite weapons, and
Speaker 2: maybe the Stars aren't quite as bright, but they have
Speaker 2: so many ways to beat you, and I think that
Speaker 2: makes Minnesota vulnerable too, to get beaten by their aggressive blitzing.
Speaker 1: GoF is not Joe Montana.
Speaker 2: Gov's not going to the Hall of Fame, but he
Speaker 2: can read a defense and get the ball out quickly.
Speaker 1: I just hate this matchup. I hate this matchup for
Speaker 1: a team of eightm I'm worried tod I did pick
Speaker 1: the Lions in this game. By the way, the Lions.
Speaker 2: How about this Detroit fans that have been listening to
Speaker 2: the podcast from the very beginning and you already know it,
Speaker 2: but for those that don't know, it's been thirty years
Speaker 2: since the Detroit Lions won a division title. Only your
Speaker 2: Brownies mark this is fun the sandwich between the Browns
Speaker 2: and the Jets. Eighty nine for the Browns as you know,
Speaker 2: two thousand and two for the Jets and Raiders as well.
Speaker 2: Nineteen ninety three and the last time the Lions won
Speaker 2: their division, which means they actually never won the NFC North,
Speaker 2: which was reconfigured in two thousand and two. So here
Speaker 2: is their chance to do what all they got to
Speaker 2: do is win. They win the NFC North and that
Speaker 2: will be a well deserved division title. And as a
Speaker 2: former team around the NFL, I feel proud because the
Speaker 2: idea that we would have got them the year before
Speaker 2: they became mainstream.
Speaker 1: I wanted to do them again.
Speaker 4: You guys were again just another I'd be having fun
Speaker 4: with him right up the avenue of Flashpoint Focus.
Speaker 2: We write it's not as fun though, Greg, because we've
Speaker 2: set them off and they were a good team from
Speaker 2: the jump.
Speaker 1: This year we like to, okay, find a team they've
Speaker 1: set behind. They've still exceeded expectations. They're way over the
Speaker 1: uh what they favored the win litvision.
Speaker 3: Sure, but like they're over under for wins was like
Speaker 3: nine and a half, I believe, and they're already a ten.
Speaker 7: Uh.
Speaker 3: They're by the way minus three in this game minus
Speaker 3: one seventy, so they are favored to win their division.
Speaker 3: And I think your points about all the stars in
Speaker 3: this game are right. We keep we've said, like Gibbs
Speaker 3: and Laporta, what a great combination. But I'm I'm not
Speaker 3: sure we've quite circled like how good they are right now.
Speaker 3: I'm with you, Jamir Gibbs, other than Kristin McCaffrey, I'd
Speaker 3: like to I'm trying to think of which running back
Speaker 3: I would rather have this week. Yeah, like Jamir Gibbs,
Speaker 3: the explosiveness is just crazy. Just the combination of skills
Speaker 3: is just crazy. And Laporta is doing things in terms
Speaker 3: of his numbers that haven't been done since Mike Dicka.
Speaker 3: It's one of the great rookie seasons by a tight
Speaker 3: end in history. That's like, these two are among the
Speaker 3: very bad I was thinking about all pro tight end. Okay,
Speaker 3: it's it's probably Kittle one who would be number two, Like,
Speaker 3: it's very possibly. Sam Laporta, I don't no problem with us.
Speaker 3: It's pretty amazing prety across.
Speaker 4: The way, like people were killing them for trading away
Speaker 4: T J. Hawkinson. It's like, well, you just went and
Speaker 4: got a better player.
Speaker 1: Well he's actullent.
Speaker 4: I like Hawkinson too, but it's like it was. It
Speaker 4: was just like they both kind of won that trade win.
Speaker 2: I agree, all right, let's uh, let's move up next, Mark,
Speaker 2: and I think we know where you're going.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I will go Cleveland at Houston. I think this
Speaker 4: is a classic case where I had if Houston were healthy,
Speaker 4: this would feel like not even trap game because they're
Speaker 4: tied to top.
Speaker 1: They're a great game, absurd.
Speaker 4: Division, right, it would be like it would be a
Speaker 4: very intriguing matchup. The problem is it just does not
Speaker 4: sound like we're getting CJ.
Speaker 1: Strauts. I hate that.
Speaker 2: By the way, when you have a head injury, you
Speaker 2: miss a game and playing it's smart. When it's still
Speaker 2: hanging around now into week two, you start to worry
Speaker 2: about when we see this guy.
Speaker 4: Yeah, because I I thought, like, like watching that when
Speaker 4: it happened, because you're waiting to find out how serious
Speaker 4: some of these concussions are if you're gonna come back
Speaker 4: next week, it looked bad.
Speaker 1: I mean he looked completely at it, sensitivity the lights
Speaker 1: still like a week later.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so he's like, that's not great. Nicol Collins did
Speaker 4: come back to practice. Jimmy Ward for the Texans came
Speaker 4: back to practice. Will Anderson does not that he did not,
Speaker 4: So I don't know what's gonna happen with that one.
Speaker 4: And that's a big deal against the Browns offensive line
Speaker 4: that is completely battered right now, like Will Anderson and
Speaker 4: this defense in general for Houston, like with or without
Speaker 4: Will Anderson, I think kind of what we saw last
Speaker 4: week when you got guys like Jonathan Grenard and Derek Barnett,
Speaker 4: Jerry Hughes, Derek Stingley, like they're really well coached, interesting defense,
Speaker 4: And because Cleveland is so banged up along the offensive line,
Speaker 4: that that's the version of what Joe Flacco could be
Speaker 4: put into that I don't love, because you know that
Speaker 4: was It's been a great story and last week was
Speaker 4: a heroic performance to kind of come back through the
Speaker 4: mistakes that he made. But there were a lot of
Speaker 4: turnover worthy players from Flacco last week, like they aren't.
Speaker 1: They're one of the worst.
Speaker 4: Like he's made them better, but statistically over the course
Speaker 4: of the year, they've been one of the worst.
Speaker 1: Passing attacks in the league.
Speaker 4: But I think his connection with n Djoku, with the
Speaker 4: Maury Cooper has been legit and like immediate. And so
Speaker 4: this is a game where if you're the Browns, I
Speaker 4: don't think you can it couldn't. You couldn't get the
Speaker 4: Texans at a better time. And if you can just
Speaker 4: have your defense do what it normally does against case
Speaker 4: Keenum and friends, you then would move to ten and five. Yeah,
Speaker 4: and at that point, like you're pretty locked in for
Speaker 4: the playoffs, Sparring an absolute disaster.
Speaker 1: Hurrently, you're only one back in the division, right.
Speaker 2: I am not going to say it again. I said
Speaker 2: it last week. Everything kind of makes sense that the
Speaker 2: Flakua thing comes down to earth. And sure enough he
Speaker 2: made those big throws at the end. He had a
Speaker 2: mistake filled game. And why did he have a mistake
Speaker 2: filled game? In large part because the offensive line wasn't
Speaker 2: as good and he was hurried and he forced throws.
Speaker 2: So is there a reality here where Flacco now he
Speaker 2: had his little run and it runs out perhaps, but
Speaker 2: the matchup is good, like you said, they they they're
Speaker 2: getting a Houston team that's in a bad way physically,
Speaker 2: and maybe this just is a special run here with Laco,
Speaker 2: And he keeps up, don't like that he shaved his beard.
Speaker 4: I like it.
Speaker 1: I don't get why you do that.
Speaker 2: I don't think you change anything when you're having a
Speaker 2: little magic carpet ride moment. And I just want to
Speaker 2: also say, and I don't think I formerly have done this.
Speaker 2: Mark so the a buddy of mine in my fantasy league,
Speaker 2: texted this morning. He can't believe he's in a place
Speaker 2: where he's in a semi final matchup and he's trying
Speaker 2: to figure out whether to start Travis Kelce with Patrick
Speaker 2: Mahomes or David and Joku with Joe Flacco. But that
Speaker 2: has been the connection of connections these last couple of weeks.
Speaker 2: I do formally have to make David and Juco and
Speaker 2: Joko you're my guy.
Speaker 1: Oh wow, it's officially your guy.
Speaker 4: I you know, I think that just how to put
Speaker 4: that on the red getting your guy thing is typically
Speaker 4: kind of a ahead of trying to get ahead of
Speaker 4: the curve on that. But you've been talking about the
Speaker 4: joku who's been more ahead of the curve. No for
Speaker 4: you for a long time, and I and I have
Speaker 4: like I was caught in a place where I found
Speaker 4: him to be very frustrating for a long click. You
Speaker 4: can see the potential, but it's all there. It's happening
Speaker 4: right now. He's been awesome. His story in general this
Speaker 4: season is like one of the better stories for a
Speaker 4: player around.
Speaker 1: So enjoy your guy.
Speaker 2: I mean, I think Merry Christmas mark for this game again.
Speaker 1: That was you can watch it. We'll be at our homes.
Speaker 1: You know you can. I can watch it. I can't.
Speaker 1: I don't want. I don't want to take this from
Speaker 1: you in any way.
Speaker 2: This is your world, and I'll need to do a
Speaker 2: very clean reporting job if I'm going to come in
Speaker 2: like you. Like you've said, you like to have the
Speaker 2: game on an isle where no one else is watching it.
Speaker 1: I don't want to watch it. Take that.
Speaker 4: Don't require it. I don't require it, But I do
Speaker 4: like to have my own beat. I guess, yeah, anything else,
Speaker 4: Sorry about nothing. I've been enjoying this and I like
Speaker 4: the return of my guy. Dan's got just like he's
Speaker 4: got all these segments in his pocket. And you never
Speaker 4: know he's going to bring one out from like the
Speaker 4: four years four years ago.
Speaker 1: By the way, this is a rematch.
Speaker 2: It's the Long Fields four years ago, but I think
Speaker 2: it was last year. Yeah, okay, but we've been doing
Speaker 2: this a long time.
Speaker 3: It's the longest gest stating revenge game in history. It's
Speaker 3: not even a revenge game, it's just a rematch. Joe
Speaker 3: Flacco starting for the Ravens, lost the game twenty five
Speaker 3: to thirteen to Case Keenum and the Houston Texans. That
Speaker 3: was back on December twenty first day were taping here
Speaker 3: twenty fourteen, back when our friend Chris wesse.
Speaker 1: Line years ago was Latin is Case Keenum flag flies.
Speaker 3: And here we are, yeah, nine years later, and the
Speaker 3: two guys are starting against each other.
Speaker 2: Kum Back often utter, let your case Keenum freak flag fly.
Speaker 1: He was a fan. I think he loved Keenan.
Speaker 4: Came out of the gate hot like he liked to
Speaker 4: throw the ball deep down field. It wasn't always perfect,
Speaker 4: but there was something alike about him.
Speaker 3: I did not think Keenum played played great last week,
Speaker 3: and I do think the Browns defense has now separated
Speaker 3: and this is obviously a great matchup for them with
Speaker 3: anyone else as the very best defense in the league.
Speaker 3: And they've gotten a little healthier on the back end
Speaker 3: the last few weeks. And just like they're so so good,
Speaker 3: I just especially against the past, I just trust them
Speaker 3: to win any game. Is he gonna No, But I
Speaker 3: will point out their favorite here by three the money
Speaker 3: line one forty eight.
Speaker 1: I am picking the Browns though, okay, good, good, Mark,
Speaker 1: it stays with me.
Speaker 4: I'm gonna take Jaguars at Bucks is my late game.
Speaker 4: The Bucks are given a point there with the money
Speaker 4: line of minus one eighteen. Jacksonville. I'm kind of like
Speaker 4: I was lost, Like do I want to watch this game?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 4: Am I not tired and slightly fed up with the
Speaker 4: Jacksonville Jaguars at this point. But we will press on.
Speaker 4: We will press on. Trevor Lawrence like progressing well. According
Speaker 4: to Doug Peterson from the Concussion Protocol, that is good
Speaker 4: nested in at the moment.
Speaker 1: No, Kirshan Kirk is a Jones hurt.
Speaker 4: I think they've been really affect by the loss of
Speaker 4: Christian Kurt last week. This such a frustrating watch because
Speaker 4: first of all, don't get in your own way they
Speaker 4: had that drive against the Ravens that melted down inside
Speaker 4: the five, no points. They missed two field goals, no points,
Speaker 4: no points. It's like that's the difference in this game
Speaker 4: is just simply kind of go do what we'd be
Speaker 4: asking you to do, and we're in a different place
Speaker 4: and we're thinking about them differently. They can't rush the passer.
Speaker 4: They're going up against the Bucks team and I know that,
Speaker 4: you know, we want to talk about case Keno verus
Speaker 4: Joe Flacco, like CJ. Bethard, that's what we get versus
Speaker 4: Baker Mayfield is not the matchup you'd think in December
Speaker 4: would be a stirring showdown between two potential playoff teams,
Speaker 4: but Baker Mayfield has been. It isn't, but Baker Mayfields
Speaker 4: has been really, very very good. And we saw what
Speaker 4: he did against Green Bay. He had a career high
Speaker 4: nine completions of twenty plus yards last week against the Packers,
Speaker 4: a bad Packers defense.
Speaker 1: But no other player this year has done that. He's
Speaker 1: the only one that has.
Speaker 4: So it's like his highs are high, like they're own
Speaker 4: sex against winning teams the Bucks, but they are ninth
Speaker 4: in pass EPA. So if they were sitting there at
Speaker 4: twenty seventh or twenty eighth, and you have one Baker
Speaker 4: Mayfield game, kind of like last year. But they have
Speaker 4: been productive through the air, and Chris Godwin is coming
Speaker 4: off an awesome game Mike Evans as well. The Jaguars
Speaker 4: defense has been falling apart before our eyes. So if
Speaker 4: this game is in Tampa, I wonder if this is
Speaker 4: sort of a fatal blow to the Jaguars, who suddenly
Speaker 4: sit tied in the AFC South with two other teams.
Speaker 4: Why why is it only a one point? I think
Speaker 4: people don't believe favorite. Maybe they well, they want to
Speaker 4: see what's happened with trouble for Lawrence. But we're taping Thursday.
Speaker 4: Lawrence hasn't practiced yet, so that that's a bad sign.
Speaker 3: And you mentioned yet A. Jones is definitely gonna miss
Speaker 3: this game too. And yeah, defensively, like the Jaguars don't
Speaker 3: have a great pass rush, which is how you bother Baker.
Speaker 3: Some of the numbers behind Baker is really interesting. I mean,
Speaker 3: he throws the ball downfield in terms of his average
Speaker 3: depth of target deeper than anyone in the league except CJ.
Speaker 1: Stroud.
Speaker 3: So this is a verse artical offense. They found ways
Speaker 3: to get Godwin open. I like that Polls finally kind
Speaker 3: of stood up for himself and bench Devin White last week.
Speaker 3: It sounded to me and to people there like Devin
Speaker 3: White felt a certain way about it and essentially benched
Speaker 3: himself and decided not to be a backup. I don't
Speaker 3: know what's going to happen this week, but people that
Speaker 3: I trust, John Ledyard, who covers the Bucks, was saying
Speaker 3: his replacement kJ Britt the last couple of weeks has
Speaker 3: really been out stabilizing force in terms of not making
Speaker 3: the types of mistakes that Devin White, because their defense
Speaker 3: isn't great in Tampa, but the offense has been good enough.
Speaker 1: To beat bad teams. And I think the Jaguars right
Speaker 1: now are a bad team.
Speaker 2: They're playing poorly and if they don't have Lawrence, their
Speaker 2: borderline unwatchable. I think I like the Bucks to keep
Speaker 2: rolling here that I will say the Jags fan knows
Speaker 2: Jacksonville's been much better on the road this year. They're
Speaker 2: five to one on the road this year, so they're
Speaker 2: not going to go into Tampa and blink. So I
Speaker 2: just hope Lawrence plays. Come on, let's make that a
Speaker 2: good game. Let's move on. I have the next it's
Speaker 2: getting dicey. Oh it ain't so spicy. I'll grab a
Speaker 2: late game Cardinals at Bears.
Speaker 1: Bears given four and a half on this one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is gonna be I see, you like to
Speaker 2: have a nice, good focus on one of the games
Speaker 2: of the season.
Speaker 1: What is the game? Cowboys Dolphins?
Speaker 2: Cowboys Dolphins. So you wanna this will be just an
Speaker 2: eyeball on this game? Watch it in There's some things
Speaker 2: going on that you knew just being real one eyeball
Speaker 2: in the game the Bears and the Cardinals. So Justin
Speaker 2: Fields is to me the biggest storyline here. How he
Speaker 2: finishes this season for the Bears really matters because it's
Speaker 2: gonna affect a lot of things.
Speaker 1: It could have like a butterfly effect.
Speaker 2: Obviously on the draft, I think at the end of
Speaker 2: the day, when the Bears inevitably picked first, you know
Speaker 2: there's a good chance they move on from him. But
Speaker 2: Home Arizona, Home Atlanta at Green Bay. If he balls out,
Speaker 2: it gets very interesting and you can look at it
Speaker 2: the same way on the other side. And Greg, I
Speaker 2: know you've said that you've been very confident or you're
Speaker 2: more in the camp of the Cardinals are going to
Speaker 2: stay right where they are at quarterback and build around Kyler.
Speaker 1: I'm still not convinced.
Speaker 2: I think there's still a lot of you know, I
Speaker 2: know they've changed leadership there, but there's a lot of
Speaker 2: bad blood with Kyler and some things that have happened
Speaker 2: in the past, and I just wonder if they want
Speaker 2: a fresh start and think they could gather good resources
Speaker 2: in return. But either way, Kyler finishing strong puts them
Speaker 2: in a good spot in either situation.
Speaker 3: Right then, this affects the draft so much when you know,
Speaker 3: as a Patriots fan kind of watching their draft position,
Speaker 3: this is probably the Cardinals' best chance to get a
Speaker 3: win the rest of the way. That's true also of
Speaker 3: the commanders this week who play your Jets. Maybe the
Speaker 3: Jets could help out the Patriots because otherwise there could
Speaker 3: be ties and who knows, the Bears could have a
Speaker 3: very high second pick if they don't win out. Eberflus
Speaker 3: needs to show a proof of concept. I think we've
Speaker 3: seen it. Defensively, they couldn't finish out that game against
Speaker 3: the Browns, but the combination of their linebackers and what
Speaker 3: they've been doing upfront with Montes what you would think
Speaker 3: their defense would be enough. But I thought Kyler played
Speaker 3: pretty well well enough against the forty nine ers too,
Speaker 3: Like I've liked what I've seen out of him, and
Speaker 3: the idea of maybe adding let's say they have the
Speaker 3: three pick a Marvin Harrison junior or a big time
Speaker 3: weapon to me, is more attractive considering his contract and
Speaker 3: just the uncertainty at quarterback.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I thought the like the interesting thing with Kyler
Speaker 4: Murray is like very few quarterbacks when they're drafted, are
Speaker 4: drafted specifically to be paired with their coach and their
Speaker 4: coach's system in Cliff Kingsbury, and so it's always like,
Speaker 4: what's he gonna look like in a in a new offense.
Speaker 4: He's been doubly accurate on deep throws this season. They're
Speaker 4: averaging five more points per game with them. They've been
Speaker 4: a great run team though, and I think that's the
Speaker 4: matchup for me. They put up two thirty four last
Speaker 4: week we mentioned against the Niners and the Bears of
Speaker 4: the number two run defense EPA wise league wide, So that's.
Speaker 1: Kind of like the inflection point.
Speaker 2: All right, next game, Mark, Greg, you got two in
Speaker 2: a row here. Oh you didn't want to go longer
Speaker 2: on that one.
Speaker 1: Pinch me.
Speaker 3: It's the like, yeah, it try to save our jobs.
Speaker 3: Bowl Cardinals, Bears for the quarterbacks, that is.
Speaker 1: I like the Bears. I like the Bears to play
Speaker 1: well enough down the stretch. There a lot of people
Speaker 1: trying to save their jobs. To maybe save some jobs.
Speaker 1: I am gonna take.
Speaker 3: The Indianapolis Colts at the Atlanta Falcons meaningful game here
Speaker 3: for both teams. Falcons still very much alive, only one
Speaker 3: back in the NFC South. As as much as it
Speaker 3: feels like they're dead, all they need to do is
Speaker 3: probably win this week and they could be tied for
Speaker 3: first again or or stay one back of the Bucks.
Speaker 3: They're They're not out of it. It's uh oh, just
Speaker 3: letting slip away.
Speaker 1: I want them to.
Speaker 3: In fact, I I noted this week.
Speaker 1: Float away fly away Falcons.
Speaker 3: There's only there's only been six teams, okay, eliminated from
Speaker 3: playoff intention so far, six teams this entire season.
Speaker 1: That's it. Twenty six still alive for the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1: It's a lot.
Speaker 3: The Falcons have lost to four of those six teams Panthers, Jets, Titans, Washington,
Speaker 3: I mean, give me a break, Falcons. That is not
Speaker 3: the Jets. Maybe it's not the Jets. I knew it
Speaker 3: was four. It's four of the six. Now I just
Speaker 3: ruined my nice lot.
Speaker 1: No, it was nice.
Speaker 2: Otherwise they stink you had it though you have the
Speaker 2: general vibe that they're.
Speaker 1: Not these version.
Speaker 4: It's good not to dig too deep because everyone's like,
Speaker 4: that must be true because Greg said it, so just don't.
Speaker 1: I mean, it is true.
Speaker 3: They've lost four it, but it was to the Commanders,
Speaker 3: the Cardinals, the Panthers.
Speaker 1: It's pretty rough and who am I You just stop there?
Speaker 1: I that's Titans.
Speaker 3: That's resume right now, right, and the Titans are the
Speaker 3: fourth one there.
Speaker 1: I did not get it wrong.
Speaker 2: I wonder if the owner was on a PBS or
Speaker 2: anything last night, because we got that of developing news
Speaker 2: out of DOORI to public television, public broadcasting, broadcasting.
Speaker 1: It's just doing the rounds. It's a Taylor off right here.
Speaker 3: I mean he's going with Taylor Heineke to save his job.
Speaker 3: Arthur Smith, we talked about it on Wednesday. Jonathan Taylor
Speaker 3: also might me back for the Colts. I think it
Speaker 3: makes sense to trust Heinikee in the biggest of spots,
Speaker 3: which is trying to save your job. But there's more
Speaker 3: to like with Indianapolis right now. They remind me of
Speaker 3: poor Man's Philly in that well, they've got stich in obviously,
Speaker 3: but that the lines are really playing well. And if
Speaker 3: your lines are playing well, your ceiling is a little
Speaker 3: higher than you realize. And their defensive line is really
Speaker 3: playing well. They protect pretty well, they run block pretty well,
Speaker 3: and that might be enough to.
Speaker 1: Win this division.
Speaker 4: It's getting serious, I think, like speaking of the two
Speaker 4: resumes for the coaches, like if you're Arthur Smith, you
Speaker 4: have to explain why, like John hus Smith is a
Speaker 4: bigger deal than Kyle Pitts. You have to explain why
Speaker 4: Bijon Robinson every feels like every third week like is
Speaker 4: not doing what you're asking at eleven yards rushing last week,
Speaker 4: they're twenty six on the ground in EPA, So the
Speaker 4: whole vision doesn't make sense. You're switching your quarterback while
Speaker 4: you're still in a playoff race. And on the other side,
Speaker 4: like the Colts have twelve twenty plus point games, which
Speaker 4: is tied with Miami Baltimore in Detroit, they've been really
Speaker 4: consistent and productive with a backup quarterback and Gardner minshewhere
Speaker 4: even in some games where he's you know, been a
Speaker 4: turnover robot, they're still finding a way to produce. And
Speaker 4: I think if you get Jonathan Taylor back, the vision
Speaker 4: becomes more into focus. I would rather see this Colts
Speaker 4: team in the playoffs. I know they don't do something
Speaker 4: for you, Dan necessarily, but like they're gonna give, They're
Speaker 4: gonna be the same team in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: I think too. I just trust them to go out
Speaker 1: at that last week they like dropped an a bomb.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but they're they're the they're kind of the ultimate.
Speaker 3: We know they're just there for it.
Speaker 1: That's half team, but that's half the playoff field right now.
Speaker 3: That's probably any team in the AFC South. But there
Speaker 3: is a world where Lawrence gets healthy and they just fine.
Speaker 2: I don't agree with your playoff take, Mark about what
Speaker 2: would be less playoff teams. Well, but I can't really
Speaker 2: go deep on that take and then be like, oh
Speaker 2: the Colts, we need the Colts.
Speaker 1: I think the Colts offer hope for the future. I
Speaker 1: really do. I think I didn't say that that's not
Speaker 1: the game.
Speaker 4: But I also think they I don't know, I feel
Speaker 4: like I've picked them a number of these weeks and
Speaker 4: they're watchable and like I I don't. I think kind
Speaker 4: of think Gardner Minshew when he's on and it's their
Speaker 4: defense too.
Speaker 1: I kind of just think they're a balanced, interesting roster.
Speaker 3: I would take the Colts in this game, but the
Speaker 3: way the NFL works and the money line is actually
Speaker 3: minus one or two for the Falcons, so the Cults
Speaker 3: are slight underdogs. Like the way the NFL goes this year,
Speaker 3: the Falcons will actually win them just to like muck
Speaker 3: it up and keep it all mucky, super.
Speaker 1: Super and mucky. And I think you had it right, Greg.
Speaker 2: With Arthur Smith, he kind of showed his hand by
Speaker 2: going back again to Heineke. He's basically thrown up his
Speaker 2: hands and like, I got it wrong, yep, And now
Speaker 2: I'm just trying to save my job. Like I put
Speaker 2: my entire head coaching career potentially on this Ridder kid,
Speaker 2: and I bet big and lost, and now I need
Speaker 2: a hail Mary from a career backup in Heineke.
Speaker 1: Yep.
Speaker 2: Could have sign Lamar to that offer sheet least, but no,
Speaker 2: Desnen Ridder was really good those last three weeks.
Speaker 1: He threw for two.
Speaker 4: Yards, so insistent on not doing that an excellent run.
Speaker 1: We're good.
Speaker 2: I'll have desmon ridder. All right, let's take a break
Speaker 2: and finish this out. All right, welcome back, Thanks.
Speaker 1: Back to you. Greg.
Speaker 3: Well, there's only two games unless I'm mistaken, and one
Speaker 3: of them involves the Jets, which means I'm taking the Packers,
Speaker 3: and I don't want to watch the Jets anyways. I'd
Speaker 3: rather watch this game, Packers minus giving out Christmas.
Speaker 1: Gifts all over the games.
Speaker 4: By the way, I'm surprised to see you're skipping over
Speaker 4: your precious little Seahawks.
Speaker 1: I missed that. My bad. You turned into your car
Speaker 1: to right. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'll just stick with Packers minus five at Panthers
Speaker 3: money lines minus two thirty.
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 3: I'm at the point with this Packers defense where I
Speaker 3: feel like anything is possible in a bad way like that,
Speaker 3: even this game, which where i'll, you know, definitely pick
Speaker 3: the Packers.
Speaker 1: To win, but I don't even know anymore.
Speaker 3: They're twenty ninth in defensive DVOA just feels like they
Speaker 3: they know they don't have answers and they're not able
Speaker 3: to adjust. Now you know, you shouldn't need to adjust
Speaker 3: much when you're playing the Carolina Panthers. But the Packers
Speaker 3: also now have no margin for error. They're really not
Speaker 3: dead here at six and eight. They have to win
Speaker 3: Wounded Animal. They almost have to, you know, go, you know,
Speaker 3: going through the systems, it's they're twenty percent to make
Speaker 3: the playoffs, but if they one out, they're more likely
Speaker 3: than not to make the playoffs. They're at Carolina, at
Speaker 3: Minnesota that's a big one, and then home for Bears.
Speaker 3: I think it'd be tough for this team to win
Speaker 3: three straight right now, but they're capable enough.
Speaker 1: To me.
Speaker 3: Jordan Love is symbolic of the team in general, which
Speaker 3: is man, there's a lot of good stuff to like,
Speaker 3: you saw that last week, a lot of really special throws,
Speaker 3: but he.
Speaker 1: Also was a little erratic last week.
Speaker 3: A lot of miss throws too, were just five or
Speaker 3: six where you're just like wow that, you know, I
Speaker 3: don't know if he's ever going to be mister accurate,
Speaker 3: and with a defense this bad, you kind of need
Speaker 3: him to just be next level.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like I said, that was one of the worst
Speaker 2: defensive efforts you'll a team all year last week in
Speaker 2: that loss for Green Bay. And you know, this is
Speaker 2: the other game I was looking at as a lock,
Speaker 2: when you could lock against the Panthers, who already got
Speaker 2: now that little you know, gift of a second win
Speaker 2: last week, win last week against Atlanta. They're probably ready
Speaker 2: to pack things up at this point. But they're also
Speaker 2: not playing for a draft picks, so there's nothing there's
Speaker 2: no tanking going on here. They're trying to win this game. Yeah,
Speaker 2: this is I think the Packers are the more than
Speaker 2: any other team. Are are the epitome of why this
Speaker 2: season has been very difficult to figure out in a
Speaker 2: lot of ways. A young team right that struggles early on,
Speaker 2: figures it out and they're playing inspired, confident football and
Speaker 2: then that just dissolves.
Speaker 1: And now with two eggs in a row in a
Speaker 1: row at.
Speaker 2: The most critical juncture of the season here in December,
Speaker 2: and now you just don't know what to make of him.
Speaker 2: So while I wanted Mark to lock up the pack here,
Speaker 2: it's like, how can I trust anything about them after
Speaker 2: their last two weeks?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's it.
Speaker 4: Like if you're gonna if you if you want to
Speaker 4: win a lock, like don't take a team where like
Speaker 4: I think there's a lot of a lot to like
Speaker 4: on offense, but they've been one of the worst defenses
Speaker 4: around over the last five games, giving up four hundred
Speaker 4: yards per contest, that's the most in the NFL. They've
Speaker 4: been beaten up on the ground, and I kind of
Speaker 4: like have a request for the Panthers because it's like,
Speaker 4: we're not going to learn a whole lot more about
Speaker 4: Bryce Young between now and the end of the season.
Speaker 1: He is who he is.
Speaker 4: Maybe next year will be better, that's what you hope.
Speaker 4: But why not like run the ball like forty four
Speaker 4: times and just keep Green Bay off the field?
Speaker 1: Like can they have?
Speaker 4: Tubebber's been pretty good on the ground, and they've had
Speaker 4: a couple moments where it was like even back when
Speaker 4: Frank Raik was there was like, there's these drives where
Speaker 4: they did they look like last year's Panthers on the ground, Like,
Speaker 4: just as an experiment, just go run the ball forty
Speaker 4: four times and see what happens.
Speaker 1: It can't be any worse.
Speaker 3: I mean, yeah, go get a win Carolina and put
Speaker 3: the Patriots in the mix for number one. Right now,
Speaker 3: their strength of schedule, which is the tiebreaker, is exactly
Speaker 3: tied which means it's gonna change. But if for some
Speaker 3: way reason that happened by the end of the season,
Speaker 3: they would actually flip a coin to decide who gets
Speaker 3: the number one picked.
Speaker 1: That would be an exciting coin flip. I mean the
Speaker 1: Packers still want to help the Bears, though.
Speaker 3: It won't happen. That's that's true. That's interesting.
Speaker 4: Packers could be setting the Bears up with the number
Speaker 4: one draft pick.
Speaker 3: We're helping by way, this is and hey, Bryce Young
Speaker 3: had his highest PFF grade of the season last week.
Speaker 1: Was only seventy seven. It was pretty crazy, which is
Speaker 1: a good game.
Speaker 3: A nice seventy seven grade from them is actually quite good.
Speaker 1: Who knows, maybe he'll play his best down the stretch.
Speaker 2: I think you're referring to the and you gotta be
Speaker 2: careful about following this person's offensive game planning. But there
Speaker 2: was a a Gino Smith Rex Ryan era Monday night
Speaker 2: football game against the I want to say about eight
Speaker 2: or nine years ago, where the Jets ran the ball
Speaker 2: fifty times in the game, you know, had eight pass attempts.
Speaker 1: Yeah, like two minutes to play.
Speaker 2: They lost that game, by the way, But I would
Speaker 2: think you don't want to if you're taking the ball
Speaker 2: out of the hands of the number one overall pick
Speaker 2: that often, that is quite an indictment. I say, let
Speaker 2: the kid throw it against the Green Bay defense. Let's
Speaker 2: go give him another He needs something going into this offseason.
Speaker 4: But see, that's what they do, That's what they'd probably
Speaker 4: be thinking. Of course, the Panthers want to showcase their
Speaker 4: quarterback who will look good and make them look good
Speaker 4: going to the off seas. But it's like, we want
Speaker 4: to win the game, flip it around and run it
Speaker 4: forty four times and to use a bunch of wildcat
Speaker 4: and like you know, old school nineteen twenties.
Speaker 1: Then at coach. So maybe he's yeah, he's a special
Speaker 1: teams guy. Chris Tables, all right, have a dog in
Speaker 1: the race here, I am.
Speaker 3: Packers would hurt the Bears, so I guess the loss,
Speaker 3: you know, wouldn't be the worst thing.
Speaker 1: I mean, he has a dog in the race. It's
Speaker 1: the Panthers, right, he's not going to be named head coach.
Speaker 4: I can I will ever know, but I wager my
Speaker 4: entire physical body on that.
Speaker 1: Life is sure he he might only have this one chance.
Speaker 1: Let's have some fun.
Speaker 2: We would take your body by the way if you
Speaker 2: were to lose this, Taber got the interim ripped up
Speaker 2: like the NFL, where would we send it?
Speaker 4: The NFL would just take it secreted away. Right, they
Speaker 4: already basically own it.
Speaker 2: They got you, bro, You're in the machine, bro, all right,
Speaker 2: I will grab Washington at New York Jets. This is
Speaker 2: a dead butt game. Nothing really on either side. I
Speaker 2: will point out that some of the rhetoric around Rogers
Speaker 2: this week has gotten on my nerves because it's already
Speaker 2: been such a lost, frustrating year. He's catching a lot
Speaker 2: of strays, and there's he's like kind of and I'm
Speaker 2: not defending Rogers because he is annoying and how he
Speaker 2: keeps going on McAfee, which is a paid engagement, and
Speaker 2: just talking all the time, and then that gets aggregated
Speaker 2: and he becomes a story even when he should be
Speaker 2: so far out the rear view mirror. And of course
Speaker 2: he's not going to play and he's not cleared, so
Speaker 2: we're not seeing that. I saw some kind of pieces
Speaker 2: out there that this is one of the most selfish
Speaker 2: things I've ever seen, that Aaron Rodgers gave hope and
Speaker 2: led to the Jets on some level, failing to get
Speaker 2: a backup quarterback because he promised he would be back.
Speaker 2: Let me tell you something that Aaron Rodgers or about
Speaker 2: the Jets. Really, if you think the Jets messed up
Speaker 2: because of Aaron Rodgers saying he thought he would be back, no,
Speaker 2: you're giving the Jets too much credit. The Jets messed
Speaker 2: up because the Jets have no idea how to evaluate
Speaker 2: the quarterback was a position or their roster. And they
Speaker 2: thought Zach Wilson was gonna be okay. That's why that happened.
Speaker 2: It's not because they thought, oh, Aaron will be back.
Speaker 2: That's why we're not gonna go get I don't know
Speaker 2: insert QB.
Speaker 1: Joshua Dobbs here had nothing to do with that.
Speaker 2: And the other thing is he was getting killed for
Speaker 2: because they moved him to the act of or they
Speaker 2: moved him off IR and it led to a full
Speaker 2: back getting taken off the roster and like, how selfish
Speaker 2: someone who called him a pig for that. It's like, no,
Speaker 2: everybody relaxed. I get it that full back was moved
Speaker 2: to the practice squad. He's fully, he gets vested, he
Speaker 2: gets his salary, and nothing changed for him.
Speaker 1: He wasn't gonna play anyway. I just doesn't get the
Speaker 1: game checks.
Speaker 2: Though he is there is it doesn't change how much
Speaker 2: money he makes. I saw that reported this morning. Okay,
Speaker 2: I just think it's been a rough season and he's
Speaker 2: a big target and I've gotten on Rogers a ton,
Speaker 2: But to paint these two things as signs of him
Speaker 2: being a bad dude, I'm not really about it.
Speaker 6: Whatever they said about A and Rogers on TV is
Speaker 6: a lie.
Speaker 1: You know, like with that would have got that far.
Speaker 4: But the Hard Knocks experiment, like experience kind of changed
Speaker 4: how I felt about Rogers. And I think you're stuck
Speaker 4: in a situation where you're you're in a very frustrating campaign,
Speaker 4: Like there's a lot being said about you. Other players
Speaker 4: would just kind of go away, but when you're doing
Speaker 4: these paid media things week after week, it's like it's
Speaker 4: inevitable that you're gonna get caught in the crosshairs of
Speaker 4: some of this, and like, I don't know that. I
Speaker 4: think the biggest thing is he's sort of saying next
Speaker 4: year won't be my last year, Yes, that I'm gonna
Speaker 4: come back and play, and I want to give the
Speaker 4: at least the Jets the two years I told him,
Speaker 4: I give him. That was the news for me.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but I think they're just in terms of reporting throughout,
Speaker 3: we didn't. The media also didn't need to make it
Speaker 3: out to be as probable as they made it seem
Speaker 3: and as like heroic, like I can't believe he's doing this, Like,
Speaker 3: whereas I've been saying on the show all all along,
Speaker 3: I never believed that it would happen, because it just
Speaker 3: why would you never happened? Right, It's never happened that
Speaker 3: it's about. And Rogers said as much this week. He said, like,
Speaker 3: I'm not gonna like gonna happen, and he tried like
Speaker 3: he tried great.
Speaker 1: I don't think that was untrue. I think he wanted
Speaker 1: to do it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And he's a man who thinks very highly of
Speaker 2: himself and sees himself as different than others.
Speaker 1: And he couldn't because people are just like, this is
Speaker 1: so amazing that even got that close. Why do you
Speaker 1: know how close it got?
Speaker 3: Maybe I got exactly the same amount of close as
Speaker 3: like it always gets.
Speaker 2: And that my point is, I don't think that affected
Speaker 2: Jets strategy at the quarterback position.
Speaker 1: I just don't. I think they just were lost in
Speaker 1: the Woods in general. Quickly. The Jets are favored in
Speaker 1: this game.
Speaker 4: What I mean, how that's how bad Washington Trevor sibby
Speaker 4: Washington has been terrible.
Speaker 1: I get it. They are below them in DVA two.
Speaker 2: Simeon is the two worst quarterbacks that we've seen in
Speaker 2: the league this year. Tell me I'm wrong, Tim Boyle
Speaker 2: and Trevor Simeon. Simeon has been absolutely lost. I know
Speaker 2: that Washington Commanders have a horrific defense. The Jets will
Speaker 2: not score more than ten points this week, just won't.
Speaker 3: They are minus one sixty two. I think I would
Speaker 3: have to take the Commanders in an upset.
Speaker 1: There seasons that need to end. Yes, all right, last
Speaker 1: pick mark, all right?
Speaker 4: By default, I will take the Seahawks to Titans. Seahawks
Speaker 4: giving up two and a half points minus won thirty
Speaker 4: five money line for Seattle. Gino Smith just about an
Speaker 4: hour ago, announced that he could have actually played Monday night.
Speaker 4: He believes he could have, and it was it was
Speaker 4: rather nonplused when Pete Carroll let him know that wasn't
Speaker 4: gonna happen. So he's practicing. He's full going practice. So
Speaker 4: I think like no controversy. See there Drew Locke one
Speaker 4: of the better in game stories we've seen all year.
Speaker 4: I think that was a pretty great victory for Seattle
Speaker 4: to go do what they did. But no question Geno
Speaker 4: comes back. We don't know about right now, Like as
Speaker 4: of today, Ryan Tannehill took first team rep practices. That
Speaker 4: also was just a couple hours ago for Tennessee, So
Speaker 4: I I kind of think that's trending towards a Geno
Speaker 4: Tannehill matchup.
Speaker 1: We'll see. There's a lot of injuries in this for
Speaker 1: both of these teams. Here. I think I find all
Speaker 1: the AFC East class back in the Oh you're right, well,
Speaker 1: wait also.
Speaker 3: Eight or nine years later, little Tannehill Gina, Sure, maybe.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, no way, the classic days of football,
Speaker 4: I think is what you'd want to call that you
Speaker 4: can run on Seattle.
Speaker 1: That's the one thing I'd say, Tennessee.
Speaker 4: You know, it's not been the greatest Derrek Henry season
Speaker 4: of all times, but that's your opportunity in this game.
Speaker 4: Titans have been a much different team at home. There's
Speaker 4: a chance here. But the one thing that I find
Speaker 4: with Seattle that's been that's been like hopeful, is that
Speaker 4: a couple months ago. I was wondering what was happening
Speaker 4: with Jackson Smith and Jiggbo, who I thought kind of
Speaker 4: was like the most short fire guy to come in
Speaker 4: and produce, and he was having an up and down
Speaker 4: years now only three catches less than DK Metcalf, which
Speaker 4: says something about the DK Metcalf experience as well, but
Speaker 4: to the only team in the league with three guys
Speaker 4: with fifty plus catches.
Speaker 1: So I liked that for them.
Speaker 3: You know, the first time these two teams, these two
Speaker 3: quarterbacks faced each other was in a game that Gino
Speaker 3: Sims split reps with Matt Simms. Someone I forgot ever
Speaker 3: took snaps at quarterback Matt in the NFL.
Speaker 1: Yeah, another of the uh.
Speaker 3: Oh it's ut guy, right, Sims dynasty. That was Chris Simms. Oh,
Speaker 3: I don't know where Matt came from. I assume he's related.
Speaker 3: Who knows.
Speaker 1: Uh, Pete Carroll didn't make it clear.
Speaker 3: You know, Geno is the starter if healthy, and I
Speaker 3: think it was one of those where it was like
Speaker 3: Gino would have been playing through an injury.
Speaker 2: It was like the Azzie Canseco of the Simms family.
Speaker 1: I think, so I kind of forgot it is a
Speaker 1: lot like Chris.
Speaker 4: I'm like, oh, yeah, they're related quarterback for a number
Speaker 4: of years.
Speaker 3: They I believe Gino was benched in that game for
Speaker 3: format seems tough ten years ago. Now he's back, he
Speaker 3: is going to be the starter. I like Pete Carroll
Speaker 3: making some bold decisions. I think he basically benched Jamal Adams.
Speaker 3: Jamal Adams wasn't even there at the game. It's we
Speaker 3: found out, I think because even though Adams was on
Speaker 3: the injury report, I think they were doing that to
Speaker 3: like spare his feelings a little bit.
Speaker 1: A little bit.
Speaker 3: They also benched Reek Wooland, which was interesting, and I
Speaker 3: thought the Geno lock thing, how the two of them
Speaker 3: have handled it together is enviable.
Speaker 1: That's what you want, yes, out of your quarterbacks. We
Speaker 1: have Drew Locke actually after the game given Gino some love.
Speaker 8: I appreciate him more than words can describe. Talking to
Speaker 8: me before that two minute. You know, you're the best
Speaker 8: player on this field. You're gonna lead us down this
Speaker 8: field right now, go get it done. You know, just
Speaker 8: things like that. Man, It's just it's really cool.
Speaker 1: Definitely cool.
Speaker 3: This is like a minute and forty second clip there,
Speaker 3: but it is funny more than.
Speaker 1: Words than can describe. Then I will go to use
Speaker 1: words to describe it, and Drew have said it all.
Speaker 1: I can't.
Speaker 4: So a little simple, a little you know, back and forth,
Speaker 4: you know What's like, I thought the one thing about
Speaker 4: Geno in that game was like absolutely on fire, pumping
Speaker 4: them up so.
Speaker 1: That the way they talk about each other, it's it's
Speaker 1: not I saw him. I saw him looking for the
Speaker 1: camera and then when he saw the cameras, Oh, you
Speaker 1: could do it, man, you got this right here. I
Speaker 1: was like, Okay, I see what happens. Like that's actually
Speaker 1: not true.
Speaker 4: What people are killing like this is a great situation
Speaker 4: for Greg, like especially that that Island game.
Speaker 1: I don't I don't even check the stuff anymore.
Speaker 4: For the most popular people are killing Dan and I
Speaker 4: for not being like sunshiny enough about the Seahawks. When
Speaker 4: that it's like, all I remember, you want to stop
Speaker 4: worrying about these people. Incredible, Like we couldn't have been
Speaker 4: wor talking.
Speaker 1: About the subreddit again.
Speaker 4: No, no, no, no, don't attribute to that specifically Twitter, that place,
Speaker 4: specifically Twitter specifically.
Speaker 1: I didn't get anything on Twitter.
Speaker 4: I did, and I was like, I think it's because
Speaker 4: I said, I don't like this. It went on that
Speaker 4: seventh playoff thing where it's like, I don't stop trying
Speaker 4: to tell me that you know this. So that's like
Speaker 4: if they make the playoffs, over them, who cares on offense?
Speaker 3: And this is a good matchup for it and I
Speaker 3: know we can get out of here. I do like
Speaker 3: them to win this game, of though it's a little
Speaker 3: Tannehill worries me that like he might be an upgrade
Speaker 3: there from will Lewis. The Sex are favored by two
Speaker 3: and a half money lines minus one.
Speaker 1: Mentioned that, oh my bad. The you can hammered home
Speaker 1: if you want.
Speaker 3: The offensive pieces are pretty exciting for whoever is playing
Speaker 3: quarterback at Seattle because ken Walker, I feel like, is
Speaker 3: going to another level when and he is really like
Speaker 3: if you need a running back to just make something
Speaker 3: out of nothing, which is often the case, he can
Speaker 3: do it. And this is a tough defense to run against.
Speaker 3: But he was special on Monday night and really, to
Speaker 3: me was the number one reason they won that. I think, yeah,
Speaker 3: he's a great backup. It's a great tandem.
Speaker 1: All right.
Speaker 2: That is Week sixteen, Like we said, this is the
Speaker 2: it's Thursday. It's thee around the NFL triple header. So
Speaker 2: you got this episode, you got an NFL plus, The
Speaker 2: Dreamatorium is open for business. Mark and I this week
Speaker 2: a two hander. Yeah what you got in store on
Speaker 2: the old Dreamatorium? Am I supposed to say? Or to
Speaker 2: be a surprise?
Speaker 1: Actually tease it out.
Speaker 4: We've got a little bit of Detroit Lions storytelling and
Speaker 4: something on Baker Mayfield.
Speaker 1: I like it, what about you and.
Speaker 2: Talk a little Drew Locke and we're gonna talk a
Speaker 2: little Romaissance.
Speaker 1: In the booth. I like this teeth.
Speaker 2: Also, yeah, hip hop Santa and also we will have
Speaker 2: the Thursday night football recap, so.
Speaker 1: Check that out. All right till then, uh, you know
Speaker 1: what you gotta do. Heat the call.