Steve Hartman & Rich Ohrnberger guide you through Week 18 on Fox Sports Red Zone Radio!

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Living the dream once again here on what is the
final Sunday of the NFL regular season. This it's Red
Zone Radio. We are broadcasting live from the ti iraq
dot com studios ty rack dot com. A're gonna get
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Speaker 3 (00:25):
The way tire buying should be. Eight games ready to
kick off.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Panthers at the Falcons, Commanders at the Cowboys, Bears at
the Packers, Texans at the Titans, Jaguars at the Coats,
Bills at the Patriots, Giants at the Eagles, Saints at
the Buccaneers, and Riches. We always get into this final
week of the regular season. We're really an uncharted territory
in terms of trying to figure out who shows up

(00:49):
who doesn't show up. We know the teams that have
to win have something to play for, but then you
have other teams that some of them haven't had anything
to play for for several weeks.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Who plays, who doesn't play, who's resting? I mean, I'll
put it this, I know you do you know bet MGM,
you know on Saturday.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
This is not a week where I would put money down.
You just don't have any clue with these games.

Speaker 4 (01:13):
I don't disagree with some of these wonky spreads, even
the results we've already seen. Like, for example, the Ravens
were favored by twenty they beat the Browns by twenty five.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
I mean, that's like a video game spread.

Speaker 4 (01:26):
That's like a college football spread by the twenty underdogs.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
Can I stop you right there? All right? So the
Browns can cut the lead of twenty one to ten.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
The game was not in doubt, no, no, But the
Ravens still had their starters on the field in a
game where, again, anybody gets hurt. Oh that's right, Jay
Flowers did get hurt. So were they playing to cover
the spread? Why were the Ravens starters in the game
at that point?

Speaker 4 (01:52):
To answer your question, no, they weren't playing this to
cover the spread. I think John Harbaugh, like Dan Campbell,
like Belichick, there are just certain coaches who, either in
the past or currently have this mindset. Our starters are
gonna play, They're gonna get reps. We're gonna make sure
even in inconsequential games, we're gonna make sure our guys

(02:14):
are players feel ready for the rigors of the postseason,
and the rust factor doesn't come into play here. So
Zay Flowers is an unfortunate result of trying to keep
your guys game ready throughout the end of the season,
whether you need to or not.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
All right, let's go back to early in the week
when Nick Sirianni made it clear that Saquon Barkley was
not gonna play. I immediately texted Eric Dickerson okay or
he knew okay, and I said, congratulations, Eric, your record
survives another year. He was surprised, but then I tried
to explain to him, all right, let's think about this.
The Eagles by was week five. Yeah, they have played

(02:53):
twelve straight weeks. Yeah, And it's not like he's twenty
yards short. He's one hundred and one yard short. Meaning
it's unlike he get that in a half. Especially for
Giantstein that would be hell bent on stopping the record.
You would have a mutiny with your offensive line, that
offensive line because everybody would have to play. And by
the way, I haven't seen any of the Eagles offensive
linemen cry about the fact that they're not gonna get

(03:16):
Saquon the record, So.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
To me, it really was a no brainer.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
I know that right now I'm looking at bow He's
got his Saquon Barkley jersey, and I know he's disappointed.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Were you surprised by it? And what of the fact
that it's not just about Saquon Barkley playing. Everyone would
have to.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
Play in order for him to get that one and
one yards and break the record.

Speaker 4 (03:37):
As a as a fan, I'm surprised and dismayed because
I'm a fan of football. I'm a fan of Saquon Barkley.
He went to my alma mater, where both Penn State
and Inney line football players former football players, and when
you look at the opportunity he had in front of
him to immortalize himself next to names like Eric Dickerson,

(03:58):
I mean that is come on. I mean, that's the
stuff that you will need a free lunch on telling
that story for the rest of your life. Now, obviously
he's going to have a wonderful finish to his career.
It's already began wonderfully. Obviously, Saquon Barkley is one of
the top players we've ever seen at this position. There's
no way you even get close to sniffing a record

(04:18):
like that unless you are. However, as a player, I
understand it because the sacrifice is not just you, potentially,
but all of the other parts that need to be
involved in your decision to chase a record you have
to be aware of and he is. And I think,
just from a teammate standpoint, if we're just putting the

(04:41):
decision making in that vacuum, saying, just from being a
team player standpoint, did he do the right thing?

Speaker 3 (04:47):
The answer is absolutely yes.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
I thought Saquon handled it perfectly. In other words, how
could he not be disappointed? He was basically saying, look,
my family is more disappointed than I am in this.
But he's not going to even give a hint of
alienating that offensive line.

Speaker 3 (05:02):
No, no, no, no, So.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
I'm not gonna tell those big guys up front, Hey
can you do this for me? I know we haven't
had a week off in three months, for three months.
I mean again, if they had had a bye in
week ten, yeah, maybe, but they had the early buy
week five, twelve straight weeks no buy in the playoff, obviously,
they're locked into the two seed regardless of what happens tonight.

(05:26):
So that offensive line has been grinding. They've had a
great run. The Eagles, unlike last year, have momentum going
into the posts.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
And then again, Lake one is not going to alienate
those guys at all. You look at the Detroit Lions.

Speaker 4 (05:38):
If you have a voice in front of the team
who is emphatic enough about keeping all the starters playing,
like Dan Campbell, that's another example of a team that
had in early by Detroit. I believe it was week
five or week six. They didn't have to play against
the forty nine ers. They didn't have to win that game,
they didn't have to lose that game. The only thing
at stake was if somehow the Vike Kings and the

(06:00):
Lions tie today, if they somehow lost to the forty
nine ers, then they would have lost the number one
overall seed. But that was the only thing weighing in
the balance there. To continue playing the starters in the
forty nine ers game for Detroit and with the early buy,
Dad Campbell unflinchingly said no, we're going to start all

(06:20):
of our guys. So if Nick Sirianni did the same
thing in Philadelphia, he could have bailed out Sakuon Barkley
and made and sort of forced the decision.

Speaker 5 (06:29):
Can I give you one big reason why Saquon Barkley's
not playing today? What's up, Jalen Hurts. I don't think
he's worn pads since he got concussed against Washington.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah, that was may have.

Speaker 5 (06:40):
Yeah, he might have to carry forty forty times in
their playoff games just for that team to have a chance.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
Well, and by the way, let's go back to the
last game.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Remember in the second half, he was carrying the ball
every play to get to the two thousand yards. It
was sort of like, we're gonna at least get to
the two thousand yards. There was a sequence there where
he carried the ball like five or six seven times
in a row to get to that mark. By the way,
first score of the day, Indianapolis Colts take US seven
to nothing, laid over the Jaguars. Three plays, seventy yards,

(07:08):
all passes Joe Flackel to Alec Pearce. And of course
this should be Doug Peterson's last game as the head
coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Speaker 4 (07:15):
You would assume that come Black Monday, he's going to
be one of the names the coaching carousel is going
to be very similar in terms of empty horses for
coaches to drop on this year, to jump on this year,
because I think we're gonna have about seven vacancies when
it's all said and done well.

Speaker 2 (07:32):
I was talking yesterday Adam Kaplan joined us, and you know,
I threw out three names.

Speaker 3 (07:38):
He agreed with Peterson, he agrees with Antonio Pearce.

Speaker 2 (07:43):
He says, Brian Dable, who appears to be dead man
walking right, may not be dead man walkie.

Speaker 3 (07:53):
That's pretty good. The Giants have been.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
Changing coaches literally every two years, have they not? There
is a pattern here every two three years the Giants
after Coughlin, it's been a revolving door. It's been two
three years, every single one. And they may not want
to do it again. I don't believe that. I think
Dabile is absolutely gone, but he insisted, and Mike McCarthy
apparently he's not even the conversation anymore.

Speaker 3 (08:17):
And I'm like, how is he not in the conversation?

Speaker 2 (08:20):
But you know, the indications this week were is that
Mike McCarthy's okay.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
Okay, here's what I will say.

Speaker 2 (08:28):
But but there's a twist of this Dable like McCarthy
may not want to stay in Dallas if he has
an opportunity to go elsewhere he's a free agent.

Speaker 4 (08:36):
Well, and that's that's where this gets a little tricky,
is maybe maybe Jerry doesn't want to fire Mike. Maybe
Jerry is just saying, oh no, it's a love fest.
We love Mike, we'd hate.

Speaker 3 (08:48):
To see him go.

Speaker 4 (08:49):
But meanwhile it's like a little wink wink, nod nod, like, hey, Mike,
go find a new job, like please do us the favor.
So it doesn't have to be. You know, we gave
you an opportunity. We gave you more than enough chances
to get it done here, like do us a favor,
and the report from us will be we loved our
time with Mike. It went as well as it possibly

(09:10):
could have. We had injury situations in two separate seasons.
This season also one of those seasons, and you can't
get over the hump when everybody gets hurt. We wish
him well and then you move on.

Speaker 3 (09:21):
Yahi.

Speaker 4 (09:22):
Who knows Mike Rabol, Bill Belichick, he's got that buy
out in his UNC contract. He could come back to
the NFL anytime he wants. This summer after June hits Now.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
Walking papers will be handed out tomorrow. The question is
how many coaches will exit all right? Once again, Rapid
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(09:54):
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Speaker 3 (09:59):
We have a crazy day. It is the final.

Speaker 2 (10:01):
Sunday of the regular season this year in the NFL,
and we are the place to be for all the scores,
all the stats, everything you need.

Speaker 3 (10:09):
This is Red Zone Radio.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 3 (10:22):
Third and Goal CJ back to throw back of the
end Zone caught Collins touchdown Houston on the opening drive
as Nico goes over one thousand yards on the season.
That's the Texans Radio Network.

Speaker 2 (10:37):
Texans take the early seven to nothing lead on the
road against the lowly Tennessee Titans. Once again, this is
Red Zone Radio, Steve Harbin, Rich Ornberger. We're live from
the ti IRAQ dot com studios.

Speaker 6 (10:49):
By the way, can we can we call out the
crime that is the fact that Texans are on the
road and having to look at a team that is
wearing the skin much like Buffalo Bill where the skin
of the team that used to be in Houston and
acting like they've had it all along.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
So here here's the thing about that, right, they should
not be allowed to wear oilers. Remember, sorry, the original.

Speaker 2 (11:11):
Cleveland Browns became the Baltimore Ravens. Then they brought in
an expansion team, the new Cleveland Browns. Right, the idea
of changing your city and changing your name. What if
the Ravens came out.

Speaker 3 (11:23):
In Cleveland, old school Cleveland Brown's you know, form that meat.
I mean, isn't that the equivalent of what the Titans
are the Houston Oilers.

Speaker 4 (11:32):
It would be it would be as if like, uh, well,
I guess they they stayed the Colts even after they
left Baltimore. But if the Indianapolis Colts put Baltimore on
their chest for one game.

Speaker 3 (11:42):
Well, I mean that they didn't change their name. The
the the Tennessee Titans are the old oil rights. So
people don't know this. The first two years that they
moved from Houston to Tennessee, they were the Tennessee Oilers
for two years. Yeah, then they changed the name to
the Tennessee Titans.

Speaker 6 (12:03):
And much like the La Lakers, there are no oil
rigs in Tennessee.

Speaker 2 (12:07):
Right exactly, So anyway, Titans are going nowhere Texans, all right,
I want to talk about the Texans for a moment here.
So yesterday the Bengals get the win against the Steelers.
By the way, the Steelers clock management.

Speaker 3 (12:20):
At the end of that game was just horrific. Russell Wilson,
I mean, the hell was going on?

Speaker 4 (12:25):
It just looks like he's sort of forgotten how to
play football. What was that run? We didn't try to
go out of bout you left Seattle? And from that
point moving forward, he just seems so lost. And actually
feel a little bit bad for him, to be honest
with you, because I think there are plenty of times,
and we've all had these moments in our life where

(12:47):
you think you got it figured out and you make
a series of decisions, or maybe it's just one big
decision and it sets you down the wrong path for
a while I think that's exactly what happened with Russ.
I think that he was in Seattle, and I think
they protected him from himself a little bit there, and
I think they could not keep the personal relationships together

(13:08):
any longer. And so when he left and started making
his demands, that series of decisions, I think it ruined them.

Speaker 3 (13:17):
I really do. Well.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
The Steelers stagger into the playoffs on a four game
losing streak, don't expect much as they will now play
at Baltimore most likely unless somehow the Chargers lose to
today to the Raiders.

Speaker 3 (13:29):
That's not going to happen. Let's talk about this move though,
for the Chargers. Instead of a Harball rematch Harbor versus Harball,
which obviously have been very tough for the Chargers on
the road against the Ravens, now they get the Texans
and most people will say, Wow, Chargers at the Texans.
I'll take the Chargers any day of the week. By
the way CJ. Strathis opening drives six or six fifty

(13:50):
yards in a touchdown, it's easy to dismiss the Texans.

Speaker 2 (13:53):
They played in an awful division. Everyone talks about the
NFC South, Forget the NFC South. The worst division was
the AFC South, no question about that. And no one
seems to be taking the Texans seriously. I would not
be surprised if the Chargers go into that game favored.
What are your thoughts, I mean, the Chargers' history has

(14:16):
been recent history, and i'd say over the last fifteen years.
Is they open on the road in the playoffs and
actually do well. You were part of a big road win.

Speaker 3 (14:24):
In twenty thirteen when you I think you got game
ball after that game? Did you not? They Chargers going
to Cincinnati and beat the Bengals. It was good win.
It was good win. They yeah. I mean they've they've
done that a few times this France.

Speaker 2 (14:36):
And they should have been Jacksonville two years ago. But
obviously they choked that out.

Speaker 3 (14:40):
But should should Charger fans be like, oh, we dodged
a bullet, Now we got to walk over against the Texans?
I don't think so.

Speaker 4 (14:49):
You know, when you look at when you look at
the Texans, I'm not saying that they're a great team
this season. They're not, but they're a dangerous team. They
won a division, but that doesn't mean that they can't
they can't go out and show out how many times
have we seen this before where a team who you know,
has a little bit of momentum, whether it be as

(15:11):
they crest the hill and get into the postseason, or
they make some inertia for themselves in the postseason go
on a decent run. I lost the Super Bowl when
I was with the New England Patriots to a New
York Giants team that finished the season with nine wins
when we still played sixteen games, and that felt almost like,
how how is this even possible? We saw that team,

(15:33):
by the way, in the preseason, beat the cheese out
of them, saw them in the regular season, beat them
up pretty bad there too, saw them in the Super Bowl.
They beat us that they had to win down the
stretch of their season to get in, so they had
more momentum than Houston. But look, any given Sunday or
Saturday in this case, in the postseason, anything can happen.
So yeah, I'm not so convinced that the Chargers have

(15:56):
an easy task ahead of them as they open their playoffs.

Speaker 2 (15:58):
Yeah, and that's the one thing would say, Oh man,
thank you Bengals.

Speaker 3 (16:02):
Man, we don't have to go to Baltimore. We got
to Houston. I'm sure Jim Harbaugh, who, by the way,
don't forget his first three years in San Francisco led
that team to at least the conference championship games, so
he knows how to win playoff games. But I'm sure
he's gonna warn him, do not exhale at all. I mean,
it's the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (16:19):
Everyone zero and zero Texans are at home, and they
have a quarterback very capable of beating us if we
don't bring our game. So you know, this is one
of those days when you're gonna see players play like
are they still in the league. Prime example of that
is Trey Lance is the quarterback today for the Cowboys.
Just led the Cowboys to an early field goal. They're

(16:40):
hosting the Commanders. What is the future of Trey Lance?

Speaker 4 (16:46):
Your guest is as good as mine. Trey Lance, to
me feels like one of those quarterbacks who will eventually
be given another shot.

Speaker 2 (16:54):
By the way, he was third overall picking the draft,
just like a guy named Sam Darnold was, So there.

Speaker 4 (17:00):
Is the comparison I was going to reach for is
Sam Donald Gino Smith. You know there are these cast
offs Baker Mayfield who have had these re emergencies on
other rosters with different coaching staffs. Now it hasn't worked
out perfectly for every first round talent who has joined
different teams. Look at Marcus Mariota and Jamis Winston, who

(17:21):
are still just kind of subpar starters and definitely lifetime
backups in this league. They will never crest that hill.
But guys like Gino Smith, he found a way to
fight his way back into a starting lineup. And by
the way, it was by coincidence, it was by circumstance. Really,
the Seattle Seahawks wanted Drew Locke to be the starter

(17:42):
that season. They gave him every opportunity, lost the job
to Gino Smith. Sam Donald wasn't supposed to start this year.
This was supposed to be jj McCarthy's year. He got injured,
he couldn't go. I mean the situation when Baker, he
was supposed to be the bridge quarterback for Kyle Trask
to sort of become the air apparent to the Brady
years with the Buccaneers.

Speaker 3 (18:01):
It didn't happen.

Speaker 4 (18:02):
These guys beat out the competition, found their way back
on the field, and found their way toward having success.

Speaker 3 (18:08):
It could happen with Trey Lance, it's not impossible.

Speaker 2 (18:11):
The all time example is Jim Plunkett, who again you know,
was Rookie of the Year Heisman Trophy winner on a
terrible Patriots team, got beat up forty nine ers traded
a mint to get him, thinking we'll revive him bringing
back to the Bay Area. Two years later, he gets
flat out released, ye out of football. The Raiders are like,

(18:31):
you know, they have a quarterback Stabler, right, and so
they we'll sign him. Doesn't play a down that first
year at Oakley, just sits on the bench. The next
year he gets a couple of kneel downs, you know,
like fifteen passes the entire year. Then they trade Stablers
straight up for Dan Pastererini, the Oliers quarterback. So if
you're pluckt at that point now going into your tenth year,
you're like, Okay, this is just never going to happen.

Speaker 3 (18:53):
You just traded for another quarterback.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
Passerini breaks his leg in the fifth game, they bring
Plunket on the field.

Speaker 3 (18:59):
By the end of the season, he's a.

Speaker 2 (19:00):
Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP who win another Super Bowl.
So sometimes if you still have talent and you still
haven't lost the belief in yourself you can get it done.

Speaker 3 (19:12):
Yes, they're always opportunities. I'll give you.

Speaker 4 (19:14):
Another example, Carson Palmer, who was with the same franchise
you were just talking about with the Oakland Raiders. After
his time having successful times before, Andy Dalton was drafted
by the Cincinnati Bengals and he was their guy, and
then he wasn't because he got injured that they were
thinking he was going to get too old too soon.

Speaker 3 (19:34):
They moved on from him.

Speaker 4 (19:35):
He had a resurrection in the Desert with Bruce Arians
and sort of that you know, no risket, no biscuit style,
vertical nominal passing game, and he had some good years
left in him. This is the point Joe Flacco has
already thrown a touchdown today. Old dogs can learn new tricks.
And I'm not even calling Trey Lance that old of
a dog. He barely played college football, you know. He

(19:58):
came out of North Dakota State, and he had a
season and a game under his belt due to the pandemic.
But there was so much potential that scouting departments fell
in love with him, and so he gets drafted as
high as he did by the Niners. It was a bust.
There's no question about it. In fact, it may go
down in history as one of the worst selections in.

Speaker 2 (20:19):
Draft history, well especially what they traded to get that pick.
And then in the last pick up that same draft,
you take bruck Party.

Speaker 4 (20:27):
And he ends up becoming your starter, who by the way,
now they have to decide whether they're gonna pay. But
I digress on that to focus on the question that
you asked, could Trey Lance have a resurrection? The answer
is absolutely yes. It's all about surroundings, it's all about coaching,
it's all about confidence, and it's about maturity, and sometimes

(20:48):
guys take longer than other guys to get to that
point where they can truly show their true potential at
this league level.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
All right, we're gonna throughout the day obviously update you
on the games. Eight games going on right now. We're
going to previous some of the later games. Got the
huge game tonight obviously between the Vikings and the Lions,
and we're gonna start playing around with some of the
possible playoffs scenarios as well as which coaches are going
to walk the plank tomorrow. But right now, let's find

(21:16):
out what is trending, and there is monthsy.

Speaker 7 (21:20):
Hello everybody.

Speaker 3 (21:21):
She has Sunday a battler rich happy Sunday. She's been
battling the voice a little bit. But you know.

Speaker 7 (21:28):
Yeah, So if you're wondering why I sound a little
sexy today just because I lost my voice, it's coming back.
It's coming back.

Speaker 3 (21:33):
I'll tell you. I'll tell her right now, New Mazi.

Speaker 7 (21:37):
Yeah, no, trust me. I wish I could keep it
this way, but apparently I either have to be sick
or smoke cigarettes. So I'm not gonna do you know,
that's not the goal.

Speaker 3 (21:44):
I'm gonna buy you a pack of Parliament one hundreds.

Speaker 7 (21:47):
No, no, No, that's it. That's what I get. That's
what I get. Yeah, guys, So eight games going on
to continue. This final week of the regular season in
the NFL went by in the blink of an eye.
The Panthers and the Falcons are tied at three apiece
with ninety seconds to go in the first quarter. Trey
Lance in at quarterback for the Cowboys. Four of six
or seventy seven yards they're on top of the Commander's
three zero. Also late in the first quarter, the Bear

(22:09):
scored a touchdown with the trick play. Not sure if
you saw it, but it was a ninety four yard
punt return. They had two receivers on opposite sides of
the field. One of them faked that they was going
to be a fair catch. No, the ball was actually
on the other side. Josh Blackwell took off. They get
on the scoreboard. They're beating the Packers seven zero with
about four minutes to go in the first quarter. The
Texans and the Titans. Houston is on top seven zero. CJ.

(22:31):
Strot connected with Nico Collins. Is that right?

Speaker 8 (22:34):
No?

Speaker 7 (22:34):
Yes, yes, CJ. Strow connected with Nico Collins for a touchdown.
So they're beating the Titans. The Titans, though, they can
get the first pick in the upcoming draft. They get
it with a loss to the Texans and a Patriots win.
That's how the Titans can get the number one pick,
So we'll see what happens there. The Jags and the
Colts are tied at seven apiece late in the first quarter.

(22:55):
The Patriots, who also could get the first pick if
they lose to Buffalo, are currently beating the Bills seven
to zero. After the first quarter. Joe Milton is in
at quarterback. He replaced Drake May on his first career drive.
He was six of six for fifty one yards and
he rushed for a touchdown. That's for the Patriots. Now
we've got the Eagles who have Tanner McKee in at quarterback. Yeah,
he had a fifteen yard touchdown pass two A MS Smith.

(23:19):
I've never seen that name in my life. They're beating
the Giant seven zero late in the first quarter. Saints
and Buccaneers tied at three apiece, also late in the
first quarter, And if you missed it, the Browns have
fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and offensive lineman coach Andy Dickerson.

Speaker 3 (23:33):
Back to you guys, all right, great job Montci. You
never sounded better.

Speaker 9 (23:36):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (23:36):
Yeah, you get all those scores? Ready to go? Oh yeah?
Once again Red Zone.

Speaker 2 (23:40):
Radio here, Steve Harvin and Rich Arnberger join us right now.

Speaker 3 (23:43):
Is a man that we absolutely love. He is the
best of the best in what he does.

Speaker 2 (23:48):
And today's going to be on the broadcast of that
Dolphins Jets game. Greg Olsen joins us once again.

Speaker 3 (23:54):
Greg.

Speaker 2 (23:54):
We always appreciate your Tom. I'm going to get you
right at the start right now. Prediction is this going
to be Aaron Rodgers' last game in his NFL career.

Speaker 8 (24:05):
Man, you guys jumped right into itough to jump, you know.
I think from having a chance to talk to him
this week, and this is not me dodging the question,
I'm not even sure if Aaron Rodgers knows the answer
to that question. I think my heart tells me if
an opportunity presents itself around the league with a team
that he thinks he can go win and has the

(24:26):
structure and the coaching and has the roster that he
can go in and kind of play point guard and
be the quarterback for a year, can make a run
to have a great season, I think he'd have a
hard time passing that up. I think right now, with
everything that's gone on physically the last two years, mentally,
the emotional toll, obviously the ups and downs of what's

(24:46):
been a really difficult season for him, and obviously the
entire organization, I think right now when he says I
just need to get away and reflect and take a
deep breath, I think he's genuine in that. I don't
think he knows right now what those options look like.
What does the landscape around the league look like as
far as competitive teams looking for a starting quarterback. And

(25:08):
I think only time will tell.

Speaker 4 (25:10):
Uh Istua going to get the start today or is
it going to be Tyler Huntley for the fifth time
this season?

Speaker 8 (25:18):
Yeah, so from everything we've heard, it's going to be Huntley.
They've prepared him to be the starter the entire season.
I don't think two has taken any reps at all.
Mike Mcaniell has been pretty clear that, you know, Huntley's
been prepped as the starter. They really liked how we
played last week against the Browns. In that win, he
was very efficient. That probably his best outing in his

(25:38):
five starts this year. So yeah, I think I think
the plan all week for Miami has been for Huntley
to be the quarterback.

Speaker 3 (25:45):
What happened to Tyreek Hill this year?

Speaker 2 (25:48):
I mean, and this guy has been arguably the most
dangerous weapon in the NFL ever since he hit the
scene in Kansas City, and all of a sudden they
don't want to pass on the football.

Speaker 3 (25:58):
What happened this year with the game plan to get
the ball in Tyreek hills hands.

Speaker 8 (26:03):
As complicated than that? I think. You know, in a
lot of ways, the league evolved and the league catches
up to guys and anytime you have an offense in
this case with Miami that over the last two years,
you know, the league by storm under Mike McDaniels, with
the deep, explosive passing game and the ability to generate
big plays both in the run and the pass, and

(26:24):
nobody threw the ball over your head for more touchdowns
than to Tyreek. And what teams came into the league
saying is Okay, well, you might beat us, but we're
not going to let you continue to beat us in
the manner in which you want to do it. We're
going to make you have to adapt. We're going to
have to make you play a little bit more of
an efficient style game, throwing high completion percentage passes underneath

(26:45):
and forced run after catch. And that's really been the
transition that Miami's been trying to figure out, and Mike
McDaniels has been trying to figure out, is Okay, how
do we do that, how do we kind of make
a pivot off what we've kind of hung our hat
on since we got to Miami, but also do it
with you know, multiple games without our starting quarterback. And
I think you see the difference when Tua's in there.

(27:06):
They are albeit not as much as last year, but
with Tua, their downfield passing game is better, their timing,
intermediate passing game has been better, and obviously he operates
that system you know, pretty well. And then with backup quarterbacks,
like most cases, it takes a little bit of a
step back. So I think it's the combination of the
league changing how they defend Miami, and the biggest I

(27:27):
would say the biggest difference other than the explosive passing
game is for a team that kind of was incredible
running the ball last year with Hn and his rookie
year and what he was able to do, their run
game has really been non existence. So here you have
all these teams playing soft shell coverage saying we're not
going to let you throw the ball over my head.
Yet they still can't get anything going in the passing game.

(27:48):
They've seven of the last eight games they've been under
one hundred yards rushing. So all these things have kind
of piled up to relying more and more on the quarterback,
more and more on the underneath, high efficiency passing game,
and as we know in the NFL in today's modern world,
going the long way every position and ending with touchdowns
is very challenging, and I think that's been a big

(28:10):
part of the equation for the Dolphins.

Speaker 4 (28:12):
Talking with Greg Olson ahead of his game, he'll be
on the call for Jets Dolphins later on today here
on Fox Sports Radio. Hey, Greg, you helped usher in
an era of tight end play that the league hadn't seen,
the reliance of the tight end in the passing game.
Obviously you stood there up front and took on blocks
as well, but the idea was, hey, let's get the

(28:33):
ball in his hands because he's a really good pass catcher.
I mean, part of that equation is the quarterback. And
we have this door closing on an era of quarterback
that I know you grew up with and I grew
up with, you know, the Mannings, the Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers,
Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger. Aaron Rodgers is kind of the

(28:56):
last one at that party. What do you think is
going to be his legacy when he finally does hang
up the cleads?

Speaker 8 (29:04):
I mean, I think I think Rogers legacy has been
has been written out for a long time. I mean,
you're you're talking about arguably the greatest, the most gifted
passer maybe in NFL history. From just a pure you know,
arm talent and understanding and anticipation. I mean, there's not
many guys you think of Dan Marino and John l. Ray.
You know, he's in that top very small group of

(29:25):
guys that have kind of been able to do what
he's done at a high level for as long as
he is. I mean, you look at twenty years and
you watch him throw the ball this afternoon, no different
than last week. I know they got their doors blown off,
but when that thing comes out of his hand, there's
very few guys who can spin it and rip it
like Aaron Rodgers has for the last two decades. So
I think that legacy. Obviously, a super Bowl champion, four

(29:46):
time MVP, I mean, he's in a very very small
class of quarterbacks in the history of the league, and
I think that's how the league remembers him. I think
that I think fans should appreciate, you know, this afternoon,
if this is the last time we see Aaron Rodgers
play quarterback, it's obviously not the curtain call that Peyton
Manning gott walking off after a Super Bowl or a

(30:07):
playoff game for Brady and you know some of these
other you know kind of historic careers. But yes it's
a four win team. Yes it's in a jersey that
we haven't seen him obviously in for the bulk of
his career. But with all that being peeled away, we're
talking about one of the greatest quarterbacks this league has
ever known over a long period of time, and I
think as fans of the game, as fans of football,

(30:29):
we should appreciate it while we have it, because I
think as we look around the league and different fan
bases around the league, everyone understands how hard it is
to find good quarterback play, and I think people take
for granted when they have good ones and when you
have a special one out on the field playing at
this level for this long. I think fans of whatever team,
just fans of football need to just take a minute

(30:51):
and appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (30:52):
Well, I go old school when I say this, because
I'm old school and that's the way I run. Greg
But Johnny and iis walked off the field in a
state and Diego Chargers uniform.

Speaker 3 (31:01):
I don't think anybody remembers that they remember his hey
day with the.

Speaker 2 (31:04):
Baltimore Colts, but yeah, his final season was very sad,
and also Joe Namath walking off the field in the
Los Angeles Rams uniform. So it's not unprecedented for Hall
of Fame quarterbacks who have a less than eventful exit
does not tarnish the legacy they have created. Greg, speaking
of legacies, yours continues to grow. We always appreciate the time.

(31:26):
Thanks so much. Have a good game today.

Speaker 8 (31:29):
Thanks for guys. Take care.

Speaker 3 (31:30):
That's Greg Olsen again. Dolphins Jets.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
What you're feeling is this going to be Aaron Rodgers'
final NFL game?

Speaker 3 (31:36):
I think there's potential there.

Speaker 4 (31:38):
This is a quarterback who started talking about retirement when
he was still with the Green Bay Packers, and I
feel strongly that when you start talking about retirement, you're
kind of already retired.

Speaker 3 (31:49):
I agree with you.

Speaker 2 (31:50):
I just again the visual I have to again, by
the way, all the late money with the uncertainty about
Tua in this game has been on the Jets. Jets
actually now a slight favored in this game. But I'm
just trying to get the visual. I had to make
a pick on this game, right, I'm like, do I
visualize Aaron Rodgers walking off the field a loser at home?

Speaker 3 (32:11):
And the answer was, you'll find out on the other side.
As we continue on eight games around the NFL.

Speaker 2 (32:18):
Right now, we actually have some scoring going on. We'll
get to all the scores, stats, everything you need. This
is red Zone radio ball.

Speaker 10 (32:25):
Just outside the seven yard line for the Houston Texans
up seven to nothing, second quarter.

Speaker 3 (32:29):
Davis beats Pierce through a whole fifteen.

Speaker 10 (32:32):
He's gone forty fifty, the forty at Tennessee.

Speaker 3 (32:37):
The thirty.

Speaker 9 (32:38):
Will he be caught the ten five rock and roll.

Speaker 3 (32:41):
Damian Pierce coast to coast.

Speaker 2 (32:45):
That's Texans Radio network again. Texans with a thirteen to
nothing league Kyami Fairburn, the UCLA kicker missed the extra point.
But Texans looking you right now, trying to get their
tenth win of the season. They are heading to the
postseason thirteen nothing lead over the Tennessee Titans.

Speaker 3 (33:03):
Red Zone Radio Steve Harbin, Rich Ornberger, we are live
from the tyrack dot Com studios.

Speaker 2 (33:08):
All right, let's do a rundown of the scoreboard right now.
Panthers and the Falcons three to three. That game now
into the second quarter, Cowboys leave the Commander's six nothing.
These are all second quarter scores. Packers and Bears. Bears
lead this one seven to three. We mentioned Texans thirteen
nothing over the Titans, Jaguars with a ten to seven

(33:29):
lead over the Colts after spotting them the early seven
to nothing lead, Patriots over the Bills shocking scores. Right,
they lead by a score of fourteen to seven, Eagles
over the Giants seven nothing. McKee in quarterback for the
Eagles here, so that meant, well, we'll get to that
in the second. And Saints right now leading the Buccaneers.

(33:53):
Now this game has significance here, rich Whi's interesting with
about the Buccaneers. Obviously, they need a win to clinch
the division title because if the Bucks lose and Atlanta wins,
then Atlanta will win the NFC South. So the Buccaneers
need this win in order to clinch the division title.

(34:13):
But the other note here is if the Rams lose
and the Buccaneers win, the Rams will drop to the
four seed and have to play the loser of the
Vikings Lions game. You don't want to be in that game. No,
you want to be the three seed, which would be
taking on the Green Bay Packers at home.

Speaker 3 (34:34):
By the way, and by the way, the Rams are sitting.

Speaker 2 (34:38):
Everybody today, which seems a little weird because if the
Buccaneers win this game and the Rams were to lose
later on and again hosting the Seahawks, who I don't know.
I know the Seahawks wire eliminated, but you know it's
a division game. Gino Smith will be playing. I mean,
they may come in there and try to win a
game and Gena Smith's playing for incentives.

Speaker 3 (34:59):
Yeah yea. So I'm not quite sure why the Rams
certain pass yardists are shitting everybody. Okay, so check this out.

Speaker 4 (35:07):
We had a short conversation about this yesterday on Countdown
to Kickoff here on Fox Sports Radio, and my comments
on this haven't changed as you were bringing up this discussion.
You got to coach to your personality now. In a
meaningless game or overall meaningless game. For the Detroit Lions

(35:27):
against the forty nine Ers last week, Dan Campbell, head
coach of the Lions, elected to play all of his starters.
Sean McVay is not that guy. Sean McVay is more
of a a chess player, more of a tactician, more
of a strategist. He's also playing with a completely different
set of circumstances with the Los Angeles Rams where they're

(35:48):
currently at in terms of the maturation of this roster.
You look at the quarterback position specifically, it may benefit
them to rest. So this is about winning super Bowls.
It's not about It's not about the route so much
as just making sure that you have all of your ducks.

Speaker 3 (36:06):
In a row for the run to win the Super Bowl.

Speaker 4 (36:09):
If they end up winning the Super Bowl, nobody's gonna
second guest Sean McVay here, if they lose early to
the Vikings or Detroit like you mentioned, if they lose
to the Seahawks today and they end up losing that
first round, and people are gonna maybe look over the
fence and say, geez, you know, if you guys would
have won, improved your seeding, this could have been a
better outcome.

Speaker 2 (36:29):
By the way, when the Rams did win the Super
Bowl a few years ago, they were the four seed.
Here's another thought, and I heard the guys on the
bet MGM show talk about this a little bit earlier.
Let's say the Rams do lose today, yeah, and they
follow the four seed, meaning they would host the loser
of the Lions Vikings game.

Speaker 3 (36:48):
I mean, think about it.

Speaker 2 (36:49):
The loser of that game goes from a one seed
in a bye to potentially a road game against the
Rams the very next week.

Speaker 3 (36:58):
Yeah, yeah, that could be. That could be.

Speaker 2 (37:01):
I mean, you would be totally deflated after losing that
game if you're the Vikings or Lions, especially the Lions
at home, if they were to lose that game. Now
you've got to get out to La against a veteran quarterback,
a veteran coach knows how to wins games like that.
I mean, if the Rams do fall to the four seat,
I don't know so much about Tampa, but the Rams,

(37:21):
because of their Super Bowl pedigree, because of Sean McVay,
I'm telling you, if they follow that four seed and
they're hosting the loser of tonight's game between the Vikings
and Lions, don't be surprised if the Rams win that game.

Speaker 4 (37:35):
And that's kind of my point is you gotta not
concentrate on what everybody else is doing.

Speaker 3 (37:40):
You have to do what's best for you.

Speaker 4 (37:42):
So the same way, Dan Campbell made the decision to
start all of his starters, and he felt that was
what was best for his squad. Even if you're gonna
play quote unquote better competition the first round of the
postseason and you're Sean McVay. And you're looking at this
Rams team who desperately needs a week off in your opinion,
give them the week off, or at least the key
starters who you feel need the rest.

Speaker 3 (38:05):
Do so.

Speaker 4 (38:05):
Because if it's what's best for the team, and you
truly feel that, well, well that's your.

Speaker 3 (38:10):
Best opportunity to win.

Speaker 4 (38:11):
By the way, that Vikings Detroit Lions game Sunday Night
football tonight, the Vikings have spent I'm talking about the
organization something north of two million dollars purchasing tickets off
of Detroit Lions fans and reselling them to Vikings fans
either in the Detroit area or willing to make the
trip out to Detroit. Uh and they're selling them at

(38:32):
steep discount.

Speaker 2 (38:33):
Who Chris, Chris, you're a rich is saying that the Vikings,
the Vikings that bought up all the tickets.

Speaker 3 (38:41):
What Lions fans thousand tickets?

Speaker 2 (38:43):
What Lion fan, a true Lion fan is going to
sell their ticket?

Speaker 6 (38:47):
Well, I don't even Vikings fan for tonight's game. I well,
first off, it's only two thousand tickets. It's around the
Vikings would even let me finished. And I from what
I have been told there's also a lot of those
Vikings fans who bought those tickets who are turning around
and now selling those back to Lions fans.

Speaker 3 (39:04):
Oh my gosh, all right, they're playing up on resale
once again because they want money. Would I would turn
in my membership to the fan club at the Lions
if you're willing to sell your ticket and then buy
it back for a higher price. I mean that is
a little insane.

Speaker 4 (39:18):
Like if you are a Lions season ticket holder who
have seats anywhere near the field, right, but you heard
what Chris just said, they're near the Vikings bench and
you're willing to sell that. I mean, boy, you really
got to start teking guessing that fan base out of Detroit.

Speaker 3 (39:35):
I mean, how loyal are they?

Speaker 2 (39:37):
How many times have the Lions been the number one
seed going into the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (39:42):
I don't know, I happened that a zero? Okay, that's stuff.

Speaker 4 (39:47):
I mean, you would assume you would need as many
Lions supporters at Ford fielders exactly.

Speaker 2 (39:53):
So well interesting, Well, we'll have much more on that
game a little bit later. On Cults of retaking the
laid over the Jaguars fourteen to ten. We got a
lot of stores happen out down half time around the
league is coming. This is Red Zone Radio. We're we're
out of the shotguns. Takes the snap, stands in the middle,
frost to.

Speaker 3 (40:13):
The end zone. Call dot Te.

Speaker 10 (40:15):
Vettis makes the catch left side of the end zone
for his first touchdown as a New Orleans Saint.

Speaker 3 (40:22):
That's WWL Saints Radio Network and Hello, Saints lead at
Tampa thirteen to three. Will tell you why that is
a huge brewing upset.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
Once again, this is Red Zone Radio. We're broadcasting live
from the ti rag dot com studios. Tyre rag dot com.
We're gonna help get you there. And I'm Matt Selection
fast ree shipping, free road ASID protection, over ten thousand
recommended installers, tire rack dot com, the way tire buying
should be. So, if I'm right, I think the Bucks
were two touchdown favors today at home to wrap up

(40:54):
their division title. Remember if they lose and Atlanta wins,
Atlanta's in is out. Baker Mayfield, who got some people
think jobbed In the Pro Bowl.

Speaker 3 (41:06):
They went with Jayden Daniels.

Speaker 2 (41:08):
Yeah over Baker Mayfield despite his thirty nine touchdown passes.

Speaker 3 (41:12):
But listen to these numbers.

Speaker 2 (41:13):
Right now, Spencer Rattler, who is starting for the Saints,
fourteen to nineteen, one hundred and thirty two yards in
a score. Baker Mayfield's five for nine for thirty nine yards.
Right now, the offense is doing nothing. The Buccaneers aren't
just losing.

Speaker 3 (41:28):
They're getting dominated in this game at home by the Saints.
And as you say.

Speaker 4 (41:33):
That, at the thirty one yard line, their own thirty
one yard line, they run a quick counter scheme and
Bucky Irvin racks off a nice big gainer on a
run out past the fifty yard line down near the
Saints own forty. So yeah, just like just like always
on cue, as soon as you start talking bad about
a team, Steve, Yes, I can do that. They get

(41:54):
themselves into the fringe area here. They don't need a
field goal though they do need a score. And this
Saints team is playing awfully hard. On a first and ten,
they just stop the Bucks for a loss of six.
So it'll be second in sixteen here inside Saints territory,
all right.

Speaker 3 (42:10):
So the other game going on in that division, These
are a lot of division rivalry games, obviously, in this
final week of the regular.

Speaker 2 (42:16):
Season, Atlanta and Carolina. So the Falcons keeping an eye
on the scoreboard. They got to like what they see,
but they have to take care of business. And right
now ten ten Falcons and the Panthers, Bryce Young is
playing well seven to ten sixty four yards, Michael Pennix
not so much. Six of fifteen passing right now seventy
nine yards. So it won't matter the outcome of this

(42:40):
game if the Falcons don't win and again Carolina.

Speaker 3 (42:45):
I pick Carolina in this game.

Speaker 2 (42:47):
And the reason I pick Carolina is they've been so
competitive over the last several weeks, but.

Speaker 3 (42:52):
They just haven't been able to get a w.

Speaker 2 (42:54):
And you feel like at some point the improved play
of Bryce Young and this Carolina Panthers team is going
to be rewarded. So it would be unbelievable though, if
you're an Atlanta fan at home against Carolina and to
see the Buccaneers lose and then you lose in again,
that would have put you in the postseason. So pressure's
a mints. We'll see how Michael Pennick's junior handles that.

(43:18):
Right now Falcons tied with the Panthers ten ten.

Speaker 3 (43:21):
He was able to rush it in for the score himself.

Speaker 4 (43:24):
So look, I agree with you Carolina Fields due, but
at the same token, Falcons playing for their playoff lives here,
so you know there's going to be extra motivation. It's
amazing how quickly we have shifted off of Kirk Cousins.
And I know that after the Falcons season, whenever it is,
whenever we return to this two quarterback storyline probably going

(43:46):
to be close to the NFL Draft when we reevaluate
all this. The Falcons really missed. They really missed. I mean,
why on earth did you pay Kirk Cousins and draft
Michael Pennock Junior. You could make the argument, oh no,
you know if they make the playoffs, this worked out perfectly,
Like you know, they needed to sign Kirk Cousins so

(44:07):
that Michael Pennick Junior would be ready in time and
Kirk can keep the wheels on.

Speaker 3 (44:11):
Well he didn't. A B.

Speaker 4 (44:13):
He doesn't look like he's going to earn this fully
guaranteed contract that he's playing on because Michael Pennick Junior
is already better. And again it gets me back to
the point. If the plan was to go after a
quarterback in the top ten of the first round, why
on Earth.

Speaker 3 (44:30):
Did you ever guarantee all that money to Kirk Cousins
in the first place.

Speaker 4 (44:33):
It's such a foolish waste of money and resources where
you could build a team around Michael Pennock Junior. The
Falcons may have screwed themselves for the next two seasons.

Speaker 3 (44:43):
All right.

Speaker 2 (44:44):
So another seating is up for grabs, and that's the
six ' seventh seed in the NFC. So the Commanders
and the Packers both eleven and five in the moment,
the Commanders actually are the sixth seed. They win on
best winning percentage in conference games. So you got those

(45:06):
two teams now playing. The Bears are leading the Packers
fourteen to ten, and the we're here the Commanders are
trailing the Cowboys six nothing. Yeah, And honestly, and Jayden
Daniels is playing, Commanders have.

Speaker 3 (45:27):
Zero offense in this game right now, I'm like nothing.
So again, there's something to play for you, Like, well,
what's the difference? All right? So what's the difference.

Speaker 2 (45:35):
Would you rather go on the road against the Eagles
or potentially on the road against the Rams?

Speaker 3 (45:41):
Okay?

Speaker 4 (45:42):
Obviously, hmmm. Actually I wouldn't say there's an obvious choice.
I wouldn't say, there's an obvious choice here.

Speaker 2 (45:48):
So there's not a lot of motivation. Now again, you're
starting quarterbacks are playing for.

Speaker 3 (45:52):
Both of these teams, and they're going to be playing
next week, So it's how much are you going to
put into winning these games based on either being at
philadelp or at the Rams in the wildcard. I guess
this is what I would say.

Speaker 4 (46:04):
I would I would prefer the Rams because they're out
of division. They know less about our rookie quarterback, this
phenomenal rusher and passer.

Speaker 3 (46:13):
And just like Lamar.

Speaker 4 (46:14):
Jackson when when NFC teams play against the Ravens, they
struggle because they see very little of Lamar Jackson's talent.
And I'm not saying it's identical, but Daniels has a
little bit of what Jackson has in that it's really
difficult to prepare for. So if if I'm going to
face a team in the postseason, it's one who hasn't
seen a lot of talent at quarterback like Daniels, and

(46:37):
that would be the Rams.

Speaker 3 (46:38):
Because the Eagles play in your division. Let's get you
and Well.

Speaker 5 (46:42):
The important thing to note too is that Jordan Love
was playing in this game. He's questionable return. He hurt
his elbow.

Speaker 3 (46:48):
Okay, I'm sure they're not going to take any chances.

Speaker 5 (46:50):
Yeah, he looks to be kind of trying to grip
his hand a little bit and he couldn't do it.

Speaker 3 (46:55):
So they all right, Well, you follow the Eagles, I
give you that.

Speaker 2 (47:00):
Would there be a preference between the Commanders or the
Packers in that first game?

Speaker 5 (47:03):
If I'm the Commanders, I want the Eagles because you
want to play a divisional opponent three times in the
same year, you know them very well. Yeah, the Eagles
beat the Packers. But I if I'm those if I'm
either of those two teams, I want Philly because I
don't think Jalen Hurts is either going to I think
Jalen Hurts is either gonna not play or he's gonna
be extremely rusty going into that game.

Speaker 3 (47:21):
Well, who's gonna start for the Eagles if he doesn't.

Speaker 5 (47:23):
Yeah, any Rick, I would go with Tanner McKee. Tanner
McKee looks better than Kenny Pickett. Is picket healthy, Yeah,
he's also got you know, Picketts also got broken ribs.
I don't like. I don't like the Eagles going into
the playoffs. I would I would easily take over there
playing to win.

Speaker 4 (47:35):
Pickett hurt his ribs in the game where Hurts got hurt,
and then he re injured him in the next game,
and then that's when Tanner McKee went in. And to
your point, Bo handled the pressure of that situation pretty well. Now,
I will say this, it's a little bit of playing
with house money, you know. But then again, in an
Eagles Jersey we saw a quarterback playing with house money

(47:56):
and Nick Foles win a Super Bowl for them.

Speaker 3 (47:58):
He's got a statue out front of that stadium. All right.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
I'm I'm Ben Johnson for a second, all right, and
I am given only two choices, and you need to
take one of them to be a head coach. Your
two choices are the Chicago Bears are the Jacksonville Jaguars,
And you have to take one of these two jobs.

Speaker 3 (48:18):
Which one are you taking?

Speaker 4 (48:19):
I personally would take the Jaguars job. And here's the
reason why. When you go to Chicago, there is this
enormous fan base, there's this dark cloud that's hanging over them,
and they're waiting at I mean like they are constantly
waiting for the other shoe to drop. I think Chris
Purfet can speak to this Detroit Lions fans, same old

(48:43):
Lions as so well. You hear it all the time
from same old Lions like well, same old Bears, and
it almost doesn't matter what coach you hire, it doesn't
matter if that coach is having success. You hear from
Chicago Bears fans like the other shoes about to drop.

Speaker 3 (48:58):
We'll suck again, you'll see. And they're right.

Speaker 4 (49:01):
They're right, because it's a it's a hard battleship to
turn around. So I would take the Jacksonville Jackars. I
also think it's a weaker division. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's
true too. The ANFC South is a more plunderable division
than the NFC North's on its way up right now.

Speaker 3 (49:18):
Yeah, no question about that.

Speaker 6 (49:20):
What you got, Chris, I was just gonna say, I
feel like the ESSO thing is like across the entire
NFC North, minus Packers, because I know Viking some Vikings
fans who still think, for whatever reason, the bottom is
going to drop out of this right now, like that
they're going to crash out.

Speaker 3 (49:34):
I don't know.

Speaker 6 (49:35):
This is a very tortured division, but I mean, yeah,
I I I think, I don't know. We have to
even see if that Jacksonville job is gonna open, because
you would have thought, I mean again, we kin do
you want to bet on it?

Speaker 1 (49:47):
I think.

Speaker 2 (49:50):
Made the owner made it clear this is the most
talent or roster we've ever had in Jacksonville.

Speaker 5 (49:55):
Then why is he still the coach?

Speaker 6 (49:57):
Yeah, like most teams have stopped paying attention to Black
They've been getting coaches out ahead of this so they.

Speaker 5 (50:02):
Can stammunition to fire Doug Peterson since about week four.

Speaker 3 (50:05):
I understand.

Speaker 4 (50:07):
But for whatever reason, we see it every year there's
like three or four coaches released.

Speaker 6 (50:12):
On my I I want to be clear, I don't
think he should remain the head coach, but at this
point I would probably bet.

Speaker 3 (50:19):
Some money he might still be the coach on Monday.

Speaker 5 (50:21):
If I'm Ben Johnson, I hope and pray that Gerrod
Mayo is one and done in New England. That's the
job I would take.

Speaker 2 (50:26):
All right, I understand this, guys. We have currently three openings.
We have never had a season with less than six.

Speaker 3 (50:33):
Hmm.

Speaker 2 (50:34):
Okay, so that's the benchmark. At least three coaches will
be fired after today. I would say the at least three,
the highest on the list in my brain still.

Speaker 4 (50:44):
Mike McCarthy is not going to be back with the Cowboys.
Doug Peterson's not going to be back with Antonio Pierce
and Brian Dabele.

Speaker 3 (50:52):
I think Dables and Antonio Antonio Pe. You think Dabell's safe.
The Giants, well, this is yesterday. Adam Kaplan said the
same thing. He said the Giants are tired of literally
firing the coach every two years. There has been ever since.
Top again isn't wow.

Speaker 6 (51:08):
I can't believe if we're gonna get a Saints and
Panthers win on the same day.

Speaker 3 (51:12):
This is nice Santhers again.

Speaker 2 (51:16):
This is when I picked the Panthers because I just
feel like they're playing better. Bryce En certainly has been
playing better, and they're just do one. Yeah, so this
would be unbelievable.

Speaker 4 (51:25):
Sanders is running back in the end zone, I mean
like a nice little route.

Speaker 2 (51:30):
He was wide open. Though then jeez, Falcon's not playing
much defense. All right, We'll continue on, folks. Yeah, a
lot to sort out here. In the final Sunday of
the NFL regular season, We'll figure it all out.

Speaker 3 (51:41):
That's what we do.

Speaker 11 (51:42):
This is red zone radio, feeling motion, slot right snap play,
fake Young deep drop throws deep devil left shot, Sanders
open walks it in for a touchdown.

Speaker 3 (51:53):
Bryce Young to Miles Sanders.

Speaker 12 (51:57):
Welcome back, Miles and at sixteen set Panthers.

Speaker 2 (52:01):
That's ninety nine seven the Fox Panthers Radio Network. Panthers
lead the Falcons seventeen ten and a must win for
the Falcons.

Speaker 3 (52:09):
That's how crazy it is. Week eighteen of the NFL season.

Speaker 2 (52:12):
Once again Red Zone Radio Here Steve Harbin Rich Ornberger
live from the Tyraq dot com studios. Another game going
on right now. The Bears are in Green Bay playing
the Packers. Bears lead fourteen ten. Two minute warning there.
I always love this, Rich. So it right now says
the temperature in Green Bay is eighteen, and then it
says feels like seven.

Speaker 3 (52:32):
So when I see the feels like, here's what happens.
Right You have a guy in Green Bay, right and
he's like, what's the temperature right now? They're like eighteen?
He goes eighteen. My it feels like seven degrees right now,
all right, we'll put that down. Feels like seven. What
does that be?

Speaker 2 (52:47):
Feels like seven? It's eighteen degrees and some guy just
that arbitrarily says none, no, no, no, no, no, no, I
don't care what it says. It feels like seven degrees.

Speaker 3 (52:56):
I think it.

Speaker 4 (52:57):
And I'm almost positive the way this works with like
wind chill for example, or like the it.

Speaker 3 (53:03):
Doesn't say wind chill. Yeah, there's wind chill factor. I
get it.

Speaker 4 (53:06):
It feels like well, it feels like meaning like so
based on the humidity in the air, based on like
what the temperature is gonna feel like in that stadium, Yeah,
it can feel colder than it is.

Speaker 3 (53:18):
There's no doubt about it. Now. The good news is
the air quality is good. Okay, very nice, very very nice. Yes,
that's what you're in for.

Speaker 4 (53:26):
No, I will say this, it's miserable end of the
season playing in these cold weather games, especially when the
cold becomes a distraction where you know you're on the
sideline trying to get ready for you know, your next
series going in the game, and all of a sudden,
I don't know, TV takes longer than expected to come
back or whatever it is, and you're standing on the

(53:48):
field and you feel like you're you're like freezing from
the ground up. What's interesting is, like you you would
think your feet would stay.

Speaker 3 (53:55):
Warmer than they do. But as soon as your.

Speaker 4 (53:57):
Feet leave the heated sideline insulated area and you're on
the field again, if the turf is cold enough, that's
that's the part of your body that gets cold the
first because it comes in through your cleats because they're
all hard plastic. Oh yeah, and then the bottom of
your cleat is frozen, and so then you're losing tons
of temperature. You're dumping temperature through your feet, and it's

(54:18):
the worst.

Speaker 2 (54:19):
The Falcons have tied it up Bejeon Robinson, who, by
the way, he's had a big first half fifteen carries
eighty three yards, even though Penis has struggled a little
bit with his accuracy. So Falcons and Panthers now tied
at seventeen a minute a half to go, and again
Falcons win, Buccaneers lose.

Speaker 3 (54:36):
Bucks are out.

Speaker 2 (54:37):
Falcons would be in as the champions of the NFC.
South Packer's got a field goal, so they are now narrowed.
That Bears lead to fourteen thirteen. Texans still lead the
Titans thirteen to three. And let's see of any games
that have big interest right now, all right, So the
Eagles ten nothing over the Giants, and of course the
big story this week was saguon Barkley, the decision by

(55:01):
Nick Sirianni to not only obviously sit Barkley, but you know,
an offense that had been on the field for twelve
straight weeks because.

Speaker 3 (55:10):
The Eagles had an early buy. Yeah. See, we always
said that.

Speaker 2 (55:13):
I remember early on, we're like, you have a week
five by that means you're playing thirteen straight weeks.

Speaker 4 (55:20):
By the way, did you see the Christian Watcktt Watson
injury he got that non contact being reported as a
knee injury, questionable to return right now.

Speaker 3 (55:31):
It looks like he just tore his aca.

Speaker 4 (55:33):
Boy, I mean, this is awful if you look at
the way he collapsed on the field.

Speaker 3 (55:38):
So, I mean it's amazing, isn't it amazing?

Speaker 2 (55:40):
How many serious knee injuries happen in a non contact situation.

Speaker 3 (55:44):
Yeah, well look, I mean just plant your leg and
the knee explodes.

Speaker 4 (55:48):
These players, these these receivers especially, I mean, you're putting
so much force into the ground when you're coming out
of a break or you're slowing down to go into
a that I mean, any little twist. It's the compromising
position you'll put your body in, you know, to get
open on a play and boom, It's like it's like

(56:09):
a rubber band snapping.

Speaker 2 (56:10):
My dear friend, Petrous papadaegas the legend he was. He
was a hell of a running back. Yeah yeah, he
was superstar in high school. He goes to USC. He
was emerging as a real force in their running game
and it was like a spring football thing.

Speaker 3 (56:25):
He plants his foot.

Speaker 2 (56:26):
His foot exploded, like literally, like like everything broke in
his foot.

Speaker 3 (56:32):
That isn't I just exploded. He was out for a year.
He was able to make a brief comeback, but he
just said it was unreal.

Speaker 4 (56:38):
It's weird when you're playing. I mean, look, I was
healthy my entire and I mean healthy as a relative term.
I had gotten heard and injured. You know, your sprain, ankles,
you twist up knees, so serious, serious, but I didn't
require any surgeries all the way through college and then
you know, so now at that point, I mean I'm

(56:59):
playing since eighth grade. That's ten years of football. You
figure at some point you would have something severe enough.

Speaker 3 (57:06):
And then NFL.

Speaker 4 (57:07):
Every single season I was having either a major surgery
on something or I ended up on the IR. I
could not stay healthy. As soon as I got into
the league. It's amazing how long certain guys last. It's
amazing how unlucky other guys get. You just never know.
I mean, it's coming for everybody. You're gonna get injured
if you play in this league. It's just a matter

(57:28):
of when and how. And unfortunately for the Packers, they
just lost one of their dynamos at receiver.

Speaker 3 (57:33):
I know this.

Speaker 2 (57:34):
I had not suffered a serious physical injury in my
entire broadcast career.

Speaker 8 (57:42):
One.

Speaker 4 (57:42):
I can't believe you've been broadcasting this long and not
one black eye, nothing, not one broken arm from a cost.

Speaker 2 (57:50):
I have never had a cast on my body, nothing
throughout my long.

Speaker 3 (57:56):
Career.

Speaker 4 (57:57):
In I figured working this Saturday show, Monci would have
headbutted you at least once.

Speaker 3 (58:02):
By now.

Speaker 2 (58:03):
She's thought about it, but hasn't done it yet. Hasn't
done it yet. By the way, I'm watching the Titans today,
so it's halftime, Texans leading the Titans sixteen to three.
Texans obviously heading to the postseason.

Speaker 3 (58:16):
CJ. Stroud only played the first series when six or
six fifty yards they brought Davis Mills in. I love
what Tennessee's doing, splitting time between Will Levis and Mason Rudolph.

Speaker 2 (58:26):
Yeah, and like there's no difference listening to these stats.
Levis three for five thirty one yards, ran down three
for five thirty eight yards.

Speaker 3 (58:34):
They're the same guy.

Speaker 2 (58:35):
So if Tennessee were to secure the number one overall pick,
is it safe to say they're looking quarterback?

Speaker 4 (58:42):
I say kicker. No, Obviously there are certain teams. It's
so obvious. It hurts what the aim should be or
what the goal should be. But you never know. I mean,
teams make weird decisions. You could see potentially the Titans,
even if they have the first overall draft pick, trade
down if they feel like they could still get good
value at a position of need like quarterback and steal

(59:05):
a bunch of draft capital. It'll be very curious to
see who ends up securing that top spot in the
draft and then what they do with that top spot,
because this isn't the deepest draft that quarterback.

Speaker 3 (59:15):
No, it's not. And you know, eventually, you know, teams
get rattled and they get desperate, and they they take
guys that were projected to be first round picks. But
remember this bow Knicks. Most people did not project bow
Knicks as a first round pick, and when he was
the sixth quarterback taken by the Broncos, Everyone's like, what
are you doing? Why?

Speaker 2 (59:34):
Why would you use the first He'd still be there
in the second round, third round?

Speaker 3 (59:37):
Why would you take Nicks in the first round. Well,
right now, they're one win away from making the postseason
with bow Knicks as their quarterback.

Speaker 4 (59:44):
And there might have been a team or teams who
were patting themselves on the back for, you know, potentially
forcing the Denver Broncos to take the pick where they did,
because they they created a smoke screen where the Broncos
wanted them, liked them, weren't sure if you is going
to be available later in the draft, and so there
were certain GMS, I guarantee clapping along with their other

(01:00:06):
scouting personnel directors going, hey, we fool them. They thought
we were gonna grab Bo Nicks and now they just
wasted a pick.

Speaker 3 (01:00:13):
Well, you, I don't know if they waste that.

Speaker 2 (01:00:15):
I don't think they're having any problems with that first
round pick.

Speaker 4 (01:00:18):
Oh no, no, no, But that's the feeling it back in April.
Right now here we are in January, and I'm sure
a lot of those GMS are going that did not
work out. Champagne's got a lot out of the kid
from Oregon's that's working out well for them.

Speaker 2 (01:00:32):
All right, we got to keep our eye on what's
going to go on with Tampa. So the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers trailing at the half sixteen to six to the Saints,
and honestly, it's been one more one sided in favor
of the Saints than the score indicates. Total yards two
hundred and thirty one for the Saints and just one
hundred and sixteen for Tampa. As Baker Mayfield, were you

(01:00:53):
surprised that Jayden Daniels got selected over Baker Mayfield for
that last spot. Sam Darnold obviously Jared off the other
two quarterbacks in the NSC. I know you're disdained for
the Pro Bowl, but are you surprised that they went
with Daniels over Baker Mayfield.

Speaker 4 (01:01:07):
No, I'm not surprised because whether you think it went
to the deserving party or not, what you can guarantee
is when something subjective and it is not going to
just be based on objective information factual information, they're gonna
get things wrong. And subjectively, I feel like Baker Mayfield

(01:01:27):
probably got hosed not being a part of the Pro Bowl.
But at the same token, Jayden Daniels deserves a claim
too because of what he's done. His website has been incredible.

Speaker 2 (01:01:36):
Well and rightfully so. Joe Burrow instead of Patrick mahoonmes, Oh,
rightfully so isn't even close to that. I mean, the
combination I will give to Joe Burrow over Patrick Mahomes
this year is I mean, they are They are miles.

Speaker 3 (01:01:50):
Apart, miles apart. It was interesting though that Kelsey made.

Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
It right, Yeah, Kelly average what like eight yards of
catch this year and only three touchdowns? I'll put it
like Mark Andrews had I think forty less receptions and
eight more touchdowns.

Speaker 4 (01:02:06):
Kelsey is the prime example that this is a popularity contest,
no doubt. It's just that's what irks me about All
Star voting. That's what irks me about Pro Bowl voting.
And trust me, the players are just as guilty in
all this too, because I remember when I was playing,
they handed out the Pro Bowl sheets.

Speaker 3 (01:02:22):
Nobody cared. Guess who filled those Pro Bowl sheets out?

Speaker 4 (01:02:25):
The answer is, I'm not really sure because after my
rookie year wasn't a problem because I remember being a
rookie and having a bunch of players hand me their
Pro Bowl voting sheets like film out or don't.

Speaker 3 (01:02:35):
I don't care, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:02:36):
I always laugh when people say, like the Hall of
Fame should be left to like hall of famers?

Speaker 3 (01:02:41):
Are you kidding me?

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
I can just see it right now, like some obvious
guy that like that jackass.

Speaker 3 (01:02:46):
No way or make away. I hated him, he was
a dirty player. No way, I'm voting for that guy
for the Hall of Fame. It could be a bias
amongst players would be way worse.

Speaker 9 (01:02:55):
Well.

Speaker 4 (01:02:55):
The other thing is like people make this assumption that,
for example, the AP poll versus the coaches poll in
college football, They're like, well, you gotta trust the coaches poll. Yeah,
the coaches poll is done by sports information directors at
all these universities. The people who are doing it are
the guys who are setting up the media obligations for
the players.

Speaker 3 (01:03:15):
And the honestly thing, those coaches are sitting down and
writing down the top twenty fifteen, worried about their season,
as they should. The players are worried about their season,
as they should.

Speaker 4 (01:03:23):
That's why I put zero stock into Pro Bowl voting,
into all star voting into any of these individual awards,
because they're all watered down by bad opinions or frankly,
no opinion, because in the in the in the absence
of an opinion, somebody will make a decision, and that.

Speaker 3 (01:03:40):
Somebody is usually a pretty low.

Speaker 4 (01:03:42):
Rung on the ladder somewhere just having to fill out
a form.

Speaker 3 (01:03:48):
That's how this works.

Speaker 2 (01:03:49):
I don't want to have to state the obvious, but
I will every single sports award. I should have the
single vote to decide, and it will be unbiased and
it would be true to whatever award. Do you want
a hand to me, I would have the right choice.
Let's find out what is trending right now.

Speaker 3 (01:04:05):
Speaking of the right choice, she always is the great
Manzi Belanyas. That's right. Never thank her for the burritos.

Speaker 7 (01:04:14):
That's kind of you to say thank you. Yeah know,
the burritos all the time. No problem, guys. I just
want you to be fed and happy. Nobody wants to
be angry at work. No, that's you don't want me
angry at work? Yeah, absolutely, Like you guys think it's
for you, it's for me. You know what I'm saying.
You don't want me hangry.

Speaker 3 (01:04:30):
Well time Manzi forgot her burritos.

Speaker 4 (01:04:32):
She came in here and she I mean, I thought
it was gonna end up getting a swirlly she.

Speaker 3 (01:04:36):
Stole my lunch. Yeah, I know it was. I know
I've said this a few times, but I still marvel
how the two burritos you leave, Rich are here and
then they disappear, and then I look over and they're gone.

Speaker 2 (01:04:48):
Do you have done that at the same time? How
does that possible? I never ever see you actually eating them.
They just disappear.

Speaker 7 (01:04:57):
It's magic.

Speaker 3 (01:04:58):
Yeah, I never told you, guys, I'm a magician.

Speaker 7 (01:05:01):
Exactly.

Speaker 3 (01:05:02):
You've ever actually seen that?

Speaker 7 (01:05:03):
And you know you don't question magician secrets.

Speaker 3 (01:05:05):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 7 (01:05:07):
They just happened. Eight games going on, and they're pretty
much in sync all at halftime except for one Michael
Pennix Junior trying to get the Falcons in the end
zone right before the half. He just had a nice
long pass to Ray Ray McCloud. But they are tied
with the Panthers at seventeen a piece, still trying to
get in the end zone before halftime. Literally did they

(01:05:28):
get in? No, they did not. They almost looked like
they did, but they did not, so the rest of
the games are at halftime. Cowboys and Commanders, with Cowboys
on top six to three against the Commanders. Trey Lance
having a better first half than Jayden Daniels. He's eleven
of twenty one hundred and twenty five yards. Jaden Daniels
is six to twelve for thirty eight yards. And yes,
they just hit a touchdown Drake London with a touchdown

(01:05:49):
for the Falcons right before the half, So they're going
to take the lead against the Panthers if it stands,
and it might looks like it is. The Bears are
beating the Packers fourteen thirteen. Yes, Christian Watson was carted
off to the locker room on a non contact injury,
questionable to return with a knee injury. Malik Willis had
to replace Jordan Love, who was questionable to return with
the right elbow injury. But they said he was already
warming up on the sidelines, so hopefully he's okay, Jordan Love.

(01:06:12):
The Texans are beating the Titans sixteen to three. The
Colts are beating the Jaguars twenty to thirteen. Of course,
Joe Flacco eleven of twenty one hundred and fifty seven
yards and a touchdown. The Patriots are beating the Bills
fourteen to ten. Joe Milton in his first game for
New England. He is twelve of thirteen for one hundred
and thirty nine yards a touchdown. He also has a

(01:06:34):
rushing touchdown in this one, and the Eagles are beating
the Giants ten zero. They're about to start the third
quarter and the Saints are on top of the Buccaneers
sixteen to six at the half. Spencer Rattler twenty one
of twenty eight, one hundred and eighty one yards and
a touchdown. So yeah, guys. I don't know if the
Patriots realized that they could get the number one pick
if they lose to Buffalo. I don't know if the

(01:06:54):
Titans realize that they can get the number one pick
with the Texans and a Patriots win and the Browns,
who did fire offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, they would get
the number one pick if Patriots and Titans win.

Speaker 2 (01:07:05):
Well, the Patriots aren't looking for a quarterback, so not.

Speaker 7 (01:07:08):
So if they get it, they're probably gonna make some moves.

Speaker 3 (01:07:10):
But here's the whole thing. If you do have the
number one pick and you don't need a quarterback. You
got amazing trade legs exactly, exactly, I mean amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:07:21):
Right now, they're winning and that's a New England team
that still has the weakest total roster in this league.
So picking up a few extra picks along the way
would serve that organization. Well, Monzie, great stuff, Thank you
so much once again.

Speaker 3 (01:07:35):
Red Zone Radio here Stephen Rich with you and a
couple of things. A couple things right now. So we're
obviously been talking about, you know, the Buccaneers and and
the Falcons, and you know, somebody's got to win that
division everything else. But I want to skip forward to
later on. So the Chiefs and the Broncos.

Speaker 2 (01:07:57):
Rich, When has a fifteen one team been on an
eleven point underdog? Has Patrick Mahomes ever been an eleven
point underdog? Now, granted he's not gonna play in this game,
but I mean the Chiefs last time they were eleven
point dogs. But understand this right now, So if you're
the Chiefs, you should fear nobody. But if you're feeling

(01:08:19):
a little uneasy about someone, it's Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
So it's very simple. The idea that the Bengals are
third in line, Broncos are first, then the Dolphins, but
the Dolphins are hardly a lock without Tua on the
road against the Jets, So that's a toss up game.
So if you're the Chiefs, you don't want to take
any chances here. You don't want to create a window

(01:08:42):
where Joe Burrow slips into the playoffs. No, no, no,
the Chiefs are absolutely going to.

Speaker 3 (01:08:48):
Lose this game.

Speaker 2 (01:08:49):
There's no chance that they are going to beat the Broncos. Nope,
They're going to ensure.

Speaker 3 (01:08:54):
That there's no way that Joe Burrow is going to
be in this postseason.

Speaker 4 (01:09:00):
I think it's a intelligent b I think that. Look,
here's the thing about the Chiefs. They're doing exactly what
they should do. There are plenty of teams over the
past two weeks. You could have made arguments, Hey, should
they have rested guys? You know, should they have played
their starters as long as they did in the Baltimore

(01:09:20):
Ravens Browns game. I mean, they had that game well
in control. They still had their starters in the game.
You know, Jay Flowers gets dinged up. You look at
the Detroit Lions, San Francisco forty nine Ers game last
week and barely mattered. They still started everybody they kept
escaped without injury, but they took a huge risk there.
In my opinion, there is no risk here. You are

(01:09:40):
resting your starters for two obvious reasons, to avoid the
Bengals and to make sure that your guys stay healthy
for the postseason run that they've made now in two
consecutive seasons, hopefully all the way to the super Bowl.

Speaker 3 (01:09:53):
I think both good points.

Speaker 2 (01:09:55):
But if this was not the Broncos, because we know
things about the Chiefs, For instance, Mahomes likes to play
in the preseason. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, Well all other
quarterbacks will sit out the entire preason. He likes to
get some reps in the preseason, so they're not adverse
to that. You have the buy next week, and so
we talk about this all the time. Where if you

(01:10:17):
got to buy, are you really going to rest people
where now you're off for three weeks? But you know
you mentioned the second thing you mentioned about the Chiefs
having run all the way to the super Bowl the
last two years. That extra wear and tear every game
you play goes up in intensity as far as how

(01:10:37):
it has your body. So I do think the points
you bring are one hundred percent one. You have a
chance to make sure that Joe Burrow doesn't get into
the playoffs. So let's take care of business and lose
this game to the Broncos.

Speaker 3 (01:10:49):
And two, we're getting a little older and the extra
we know how to handle this. And there is not
a better buy coach in the NFL than Andy Reeeah
coming off, so he's not.

Speaker 2 (01:11:02):
Worried about his team getting stale. They understand the run.
They understand I mean, you have a quarterback that's fifteen
to three in the postseason.

Speaker 3 (01:11:08):
Yeah, And here's the thing.

Speaker 4 (01:11:10):
Over the past three years, this year included, they're going
to see about a quarter to a third more football
or should say a quarter to a third of a
season more football than any other team in the NFL,
you know, outside of other consistent playoff teams. Because if
they do go back to back to back, at very
least to the Super Bowl. I mean, it's just you're

(01:11:32):
you're in territory that no other team, no other team
has faced that type of wear and tear. So I
agree with this decision from every single angle you look
at it. I think Patrick Mahomes maybe some of the
complacency we've seen or witnessed with the Chiefs this season
is a result of the regular season just not being
the adrenaline rush that the postseason is. Maybe maybe they

(01:11:56):
need a week or two weeks, you know, week off
certain here, the bye week heading into the postseason to
really sort of circle the wagons and say, hey, we
got to get it up one more time for three
more wins and then we can we can raise another
Lombardi Trophy.

Speaker 2 (01:12:11):
Michael Penick shender to Drake Lennon right before the half.
So the Falcons lead the Panthers twenty four to seventeen
at halftime, and after a slow start, panis two hundred
and four yards passing in the first half. Bjhon Robinson
has eighty three yards on the ground. So again with
Atlanta leading at halftime and the Buccaneers losing at halftime,

(01:12:33):
if those scores hold up, Atlanta's in and Tampa Bay
would be out.

Speaker 4 (01:12:38):
I think that, uh, I think that the playoffs for
a lot of these teams have started a lot earlier
than we really give credit. I think, you know, Landa
is one of those teams. The Buccaneers is one of
those teams. You know, the Packers are one of those teams,
teams like the Chargers who are like fighting for their
playoff lives as the season continues on and then fighting

(01:13:00):
for seeding. To me, there's a little bit of a
burnout factor sometimes down the stretch of the regular season,
and you're seeing some of that early in these games
that the Bucks and the Falcons are playing in halftime.

Speaker 2 (01:13:15):
Those are these numbers. This is a little scary. Cowboys
lead the Commander's six to three.

Speaker 3 (01:13:19):
Okay, three field goals. Not much going on Trey Lance
playing for the Cowboys. Jayden Daniels in this game is
six of twelve for thirty eight yards and worse than that,
he's been sacked four times. So why is he out there?

Speaker 2 (01:13:33):
I mean, we were talking about six se vers a
seventh seed. Is there a big difference for the Commander's
playing at the Rams or.

Speaker 3 (01:13:39):
At the Eagles? I think that's a toss up. I
don't think there's a big difference here. Why are they
risking him right now in a game like this the
Cowboys are teaming off?

Speaker 5 (01:13:46):
Did you say, Jayden Daniels are kaya Williams? Jaden Daniels Williams, Yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (01:13:53):
Know, I mean six of twelve thirty eight yards, four
sacks in the first half. Yeah, why are you risking
your quarterback going into the playoffs.

Speaker 4 (01:14:02):
Well, here's the thing, he's a rookie and he's got
a lot to learn. Yeah, and the thought process I'm
sure from dan Quinn is, Hey, we just got to
make sure that this guy stays game ready. I don't
know if he finishes this game, if this keeps getting.

Speaker 3 (01:14:18):
Worse, if he takes a field in the second half,
dan Quinn should have his head examined. Well what are
you doing? Here's the other thing, because I know this
without him? Am I remembering?

Speaker 4 (01:14:29):
Carrol Chance was the Dallas Commander's game the first time around?

Speaker 3 (01:14:33):
Was out a pretty close one. I feel like it was.
I may be.

Speaker 5 (01:14:37):
Yeah, that was one of the wildest games of the year.
There were a couple of return touchdowns towards the end
of the game, and it looked like the Commanders are
going to do the Hail Mary again.

Speaker 3 (01:14:45):
But oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Okay, so close game.
And here's the thing.

Speaker 4 (01:14:48):
It's a little bit of you know, you remember Bill Balichak.
He had such an extensive coaching tree. Every time he
would play against an assistant. The game's always fell close,
but the edge always went his way. And that kind
of is how it feels right now with this you
know you have and I'm not saying dan quinn came
off of the McCarthy coaching tree, but it's a little

(01:15:09):
bit of you know, you know what you're gonna see
in some in some respects, so it's a harder game
for the commanders to prep for because McCarthy's got he's
got the keys to that defense. They faced that defense.
How many training camps in a row before he took
the job.

Speaker 2 (01:15:27):
By the way, if Saquon Barkley had played today without
his starting offensive line, the longest lun for in scrimmage
for the Eagles and we're midway through the third quarters
five yards, he would never have made it.

Speaker 5 (01:15:39):
No, he would have never would were talking about we're
talking about Nady the game wall.

Speaker 3 (01:15:42):
Although Tanner McKee should be your starting quarterback the rest
of the year. He looks absolutely unstoppable.

Speaker 2 (01:15:47):
All right, We continue on eight games around the NFL,
A very very busy final day of the regular season.

Speaker 3 (01:15:54):
This is Red Zone Radio.

Speaker 9 (01:15:56):
So here's Pennix now two about two.

Speaker 12 (01:15:58):
Look again, Robinson at about you cannot hold the ball,
Carolina brings for Michael Gonna sip it again. This time
London Bee.

Speaker 9 (01:16:05):
Held on and nuts in Atlanta touchdown.

Speaker 3 (01:16:08):
Whoa, what a play? What a play?

Speaker 2 (01:16:12):
Ninety two to nine the game Falcons Radio Network and
in a musk game for Atlanta. So far, so good,
leading at halftime over the Carolina Panthers twenty four to seventeen.
Once again Red Zone Radio. Here's Steve Harbin and Rich
Arnberger with you. We are live from the tai Iraq
dot com studio. So these are the two games that

(01:16:33):
were really keeping an eye on because it's about being
in or out of the playoffs. Forget seating, just getting
in or out. Falcons lead the Panthers twenty four to seventeen.
They're just kicking off the second half, and the Buccaneers
scored immediately coming out in the second half. So all
of a sudden, that Saints lead with sixteen six at
half time. Now it is sixteen to thirteen, so the

(01:16:56):
Buccaneers again control their own destiny with a win. All right, guys,
here's a little trivia for you. So Caleb Williams started
every year, every game for the Bears. This year he
is the first quarterback in fifteen years for the Bears
to start every single game of the season. Last time
it happened was two thousand and nine. Who was the

(01:17:19):
Bears quarterback in two thousand and nine that started all
sixteen games?

Speaker 3 (01:17:24):
All sixteen in two thousand and nine. He had twenty
seven touchdowns and twenty six interceptions that year. Is was
that still the Grossman era?

Speaker 2 (01:17:33):
Not Burt Grossman. No, it's a name you definitely know
it's okay, is it Jay Cutler? It is Jake Cutler, Folks,
it was Cutler. Yeah, Jake Cutler. Yes, indeed, Jay Cutler
starting every single.

Speaker 3 (01:17:47):
Game that year.

Speaker 5 (01:17:48):
Probably the best quarterback in Bears history.

Speaker 3 (01:17:50):
Jake Cutler. I remember one year? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:17:54):
Yeah, Couler actually got voted to a Pro Bowl one
year when he was with the Broncos.

Speaker 3 (01:17:58):
It's either him or Trubisky.

Speaker 13 (01:17:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:18:01):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:18:02):
Like the worst part for the Bears is by far
still their most successful quarterback in terms of wins and
all pros and everything, is Sid Luckman, who was their
quarterback in the forties, who very well, Yes, yeah, Sid,
the pride of Columbia University finished third in the Heisman Trophy.

Speaker 3 (01:18:19):
But a lot of great quarterbacks come out of Columbia.
I always know where they finished in the Heisman, all right.

Speaker 2 (01:18:24):
So you know we would talk a little bit earlier
about projecting in this draft.

Speaker 3 (01:18:29):
Richie.

Speaker 2 (01:18:30):
You bring up the big point about the fact that
this is not an overwhelming draft for quarterbacks. I mean,
if you look at your All American quarterbacks this year,
all right, Shador Sanders second team All American. Everyone seems
to think he's the consensus number one. I still have
some reservations about Shadoor Sanders holding on to the ball

(01:18:51):
too long, taking a few too many sacks.

Speaker 3 (01:18:53):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:18:54):
He did make some progress, obviously to eliminate some of
the problems he had two years ago, but still has
the ways to go. And then you have Dylan Gabriel
and cam Ward. Yeah, these are two guys that played
five six years of college football. Now again, we saw
that with Michael Pennix, We saw that with Bo Nicks yep.
Worked out okay for both those quarterbacks. Saw with Jayden Daniels,

(01:19:14):
saw with Jayden Daniels five years of college yep. So
is this a trend that's positive because if you look.

Speaker 3 (01:19:20):
At this year's draft, I mean it's early. We're only
one year in. But this could turn out to be
one of the best quarterback drafts ever.

Speaker 4 (01:19:28):
I'm telling you, I think that we are seeing sort
of a new I guess the passing of the torch
in some ways in college football because it swung so
wildly towards Hey, we got to get the guy who's
only had one or two years of play at the
collegiate level and draft them in the first round and
then we'll develop them. And now it's starting to turn

(01:19:50):
back the other way. With name, image and likeness in
the transfer portal, we're starting to see more experience.

Speaker 3 (01:19:54):
Guys, get more love. Rock Perdy for a your starter
in college, Trey Lance one year starter. How's it working
for those guys? We continue on more red zone radio.

Speaker 9 (01:20:03):
Mc belan and Evans line up to the left.

Speaker 13 (01:20:05):
Here's Baker Mayfield looking that way, looking that way, looking
that way.

Speaker 3 (01:20:07):
To the run goes to bath.

Speaker 10 (01:20:09):
Here's a top touchdown, Tampa Bay touchdown playing Durham fire
the Cannons.

Speaker 3 (01:20:15):
We score a touchdown.

Speaker 2 (01:20:17):
That's ninety eight Rock Buccaneers Radio Network Bucks need of
that one. Still trail the Saints sixteen to thirteen, nine
minutes to go on the third quarter, Bucks of the
winner in the playoffs. If they lose, they could be
out once again. This is Fox Sports Radio's own Red
Zone Radio and we're broadcasting live from the tire rack

(01:20:40):
dot Com studios.

Speaker 3 (01:20:41):
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Speaker 2 (01:20:42):
We're gonna out get you there, and I'm Matt Selection
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should be.

Speaker 3 (01:20:53):
All right.

Speaker 2 (01:20:54):
So these are the two games that really matter most
in terms of getting in or out of the playoffs,
with Tampa Bay at home against the Saints and the
Falcons at home against the Carolina Panthers, a couple of
matchups in that woeful NFC South. Right now, the Falcons
continue to lead twenty four to seventeen. However, the Panthers

(01:21:16):
are in scoring position right now, rich They're at the
Atlanta twelve yard line with a fourth and one, so
Bryce Young producing and keeping the Panthers in that game.
And meanwhile, the Buccaneers now have the ball back with
eight and a half minutes ago in the third quarter,
looking to either tie this game or take the lead.

Speaker 3 (01:21:35):
Saints up sixteen to thirteen. Well, yeah, I mean the Saints.

Speaker 4 (01:21:38):
You're playing inspired football here as they finish out what's
been a dismal season. Again, we harken back to the
first two weeks of the season, where they scored close
to or over one hundred points in the first two affairs,
and we're like.

Speaker 3 (01:21:51):
Oh, my goodness, they were the top of the league.

Speaker 4 (01:21:53):
Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints. Look out, NFC South,
We thought we had you figured out. We do not,
And as it turns out, no, we did. The two
teams that we predicted would be at the top of
this division are in the Buccaneers and the Falcons. However,
I will say both the Bucks and the Falcons, for
a variety of different reasons, haven't looked as good as

(01:22:16):
I thought they would this season. Are you in agreement?
I felt like the Bucks would be better than nine
and seven entering their final game.

Speaker 3 (01:22:24):
I think, honestly, what happens in a very mediocre to
bad division is that you play at the level that
you're in. Well, I kind of, but then you look
at I mean, I'll give you an example, the NFC North, right, Yeah,
I think because of the emergence of the Lions. Yeah,
and you know, the Vikings obviously the biggest surprise in

(01:22:45):
this league at fourteen and two. But I think, you know,
with the Packers' revival with Jordan Love and everything else,
I think it raises the whole bar in the division.

Speaker 2 (01:22:55):
I think what's happening in that NFC South is that
you almost go into the Seeds and thinking, all right,
if we win nine or ten games, we should be good.

Speaker 4 (01:23:02):
And well, I disagree because if you look at like,
for example, well, I guess when you have a team
like the Chiefs, I guess it doesn't matter how mediocre
the Chargers, Broncos, Raiders are the AFC West, that nobody
can compete with a team like that. The Packers historically
and the NFC North have been better than the three

(01:23:23):
other teams, the Patriots for years, better than very mediocre
AFCAST teams over the course of their time.

Speaker 2 (01:23:29):
The AFC West now is what the AFC East used
to be with the Patriots. Yeah, that makes the other
three teams are just sort of like, we're not going
to beat them, and so we're just competing against ourselves.

Speaker 3 (01:23:38):
I guess.

Speaker 4 (01:23:38):
I guess I predicted the Buccaneers to be much better
than they look this year. I predicted the Falcons to
be much much better than they look this season.

Speaker 2 (01:23:47):
Interception thrown by Baker Mayfield. So now the Saints have
the ball first and ten at the Tampa Bay thirty five,
So Mayfield big mistake in this game.

Speaker 5 (01:23:58):
Simultaneously, though, Carolina just tied it up with the Atlanta
to So yeah, they score and nobody. Nobody wants to
win this division basically, No, that's exactly correct, that nobody.

Speaker 2 (01:24:09):
But the crazy thing about this is assuming that the
Rams win, the winner of this division as a four seed,
will host the loser tonight's game.

Speaker 3 (01:24:22):
That's right, yep, that's right.

Speaker 6 (01:24:23):
And again the Rams aren't playing anyone, so there is
That is kind of still a big if I agree with.

Speaker 3 (01:24:30):
You, I understand with you, Chris, that is a big
I don't know what the Rams are doing.

Speaker 5 (01:24:33):
The Falcons are locked into the four seed if they advance, though.

Speaker 3 (01:24:37):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, It's more about if the Bucks win
and the Rams lose, the Rams would be the four seed. Yeah. Yeah,
it's crazy, it really is.

Speaker 4 (01:24:49):
I'm look at this fight though, Carolina is putting up
Dave Canalis for everything that everybody said about Bryce Young
last year and for parts of this year. The way
the Carol line of Panthers are finishing this season gives
a tremendous amount of hope to anybody who follows the Panthers.

Speaker 3 (01:25:06):
I agree.

Speaker 4 (01:25:06):
When you draft a quarterback in the first round, you
leverage a lot and it's unfortunate, you know, when it
doesn't work out, and I think a lot of teams
they let it bake for too long. Certain teams don't
give it enough time to see if they can unearth
some gold here. In the case of the Carolina Panthers,
the way they're finishing this season give should give you.

Speaker 3 (01:25:28):
Hope if you're a Panthers fan.

Speaker 4 (01:25:29):
Now, I'm not saying that the light out of the
end of the tunnel is daylight. It could be a
train come in the opposite way. We don't know yet.
But it's looking better than it did when they start.
And that's what you hope for with the young quarterback
is growth, and we've seen that from Bryce Young.

Speaker 2 (01:25:42):
When you're the number one overall pick, obviously you're gonna
have that kind of spotlight. Let me remind you of
another number one overall pick that had a disastrous first year,
Jared Goff.

Speaker 3 (01:25:52):
Oh yeah, oh, and seven.

Speaker 2 (01:25:54):
I mean, it wasn't just the fact that he'd never
won a game as a starter. He didn't even look
like he longed in the league, right, I mean, he
was so bad, and then you bring in the right
coach to the next year, the next thing, you know,
from zero to seven to the playoffs, the very first
year coaching matters in this league.

Speaker 3 (01:26:10):
Coaching matters.

Speaker 4 (01:26:11):
But also, I mean, let's face it, the time experience,
it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how good you were
in college. It's a completely different experience going to that.

Speaker 2 (01:26:21):
To me, the right system Kevin O'Connell and a lot
of people are now talking about Kevin O'Connell is the
best play caller in the league. And obviously the one
thing that when Sam Donald essentially by default becomes your quarterback,
you have to analyze immediately, all right, what can I do.

Speaker 3 (01:26:38):
With this guy?

Speaker 2 (01:26:39):
All Right, he's new to the team, he's last year
he sat on the bench in San Francisco. I think
San Francisco made the right decision letting Sam Donald go.
I don't know, but the bottom line is O'Connell was
available to identify what he does well and put it. Remember,
it didn't start hot. No, but then all of a
sudden just kept building building building building. Obviously they have

(01:27:01):
a lot of weapons and they were able to incorporate
the entire offense. So again, quarterback play, coach and quarterback
are really inseparable. Yeah, I mean, look, successful coaches have
successful quarterbacks pretty easy, right, it is.

Speaker 4 (01:27:17):
True for the Well, yeah, that's the right way to
look at it, because not all successful coaches, or I
should say not all successful quarterbacks have great coaches. But
basically every successful coach has a great quarterback, because that's
the bar in this league. If you can't develop a
great quarterback or keep a great quarterback playing great, you're

(01:27:39):
gonna get fired.

Speaker 3 (01:27:40):
And so Peyton.

Speaker 4 (01:27:41):
Manning is a perfect example of another guy who had
a rough start to his career. And we've brought this
up a couple of times. Went from three to thirteen
his rookie year to thirteen and three his sophomore season,
and the reason why that happened is because he cleaned
up a lot in the offseason. He came into this league,
he was unprepared to play at this level. It was
moving too fast for him. He led the league in

(01:28:02):
interceptions and paynon Manning regarded as one of the best
on some lists, the best quarterback to play in this league. Man,
I'll tell you it can start out slow, and it
can it can evolve into something great. Will Bryce Young
one day hoist two Lombardi Trophies and be in the
Hall of Fame?

Speaker 3 (01:28:22):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:28:22):
But what I can tell you is he looks better
now than he did last year. He looks better now
than he did at the start of the season.

Speaker 3 (01:28:28):
All right.

Speaker 2 (01:28:28):
Remember I said at halftime that if Jayden Daniels wasn't
yank from this game against the Cowboys, dan quinch ald
ahead of his head examined.

Speaker 3 (01:28:37):
He pulled him. And you know it came in the
second half. Who's that Marcus Mariota and his first drive
five for five sixty yards touchdown of the Commanders take
the lead, just like that aired it up. Marcus Marcrioda
Mariota is the next Nick Foles Trophy winners.

Speaker 4 (01:28:55):
And he's gonna step in and win a Super Bowl
for the Washington Commander.

Speaker 3 (01:28:58):
Well, the problem with Daniels wasn't just the fact that
he was ineffective.

Speaker 2 (01:29:02):
He was sacked four times. You're not going to take
chances with your quarterback.

Speaker 4 (01:29:05):
Oh, listen, Jadon Daniels, by the way, is going nowhere.
He's not injured. I think they just smartly sat him
and so he'll be ready for the postseason or not
or not, we don't know because he's a rookie.

Speaker 3 (01:29:15):
We'll see how he handles the pressure. All right.

Speaker 2 (01:29:17):
The Saints got a field goal after the interception, So
the Saints increase their lead over the Buccaneers nineteen to thirteen,
still six minutes to go in the third quarter of
that game, bo, can you tell us about your quarterback?
The Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee, who's played pretty well today.

(01:29:38):
Twenty two or thirty three, two hundred and forty yards,
two touchdowns, no interceptions.

Speaker 5 (01:29:44):
Yeah, he's like sixty six or something like that. It's
pretty crazy flinging it. Yeah, he's just out there playing
having fun.

Speaker 3 (01:29:50):
I mean, I know Chris is stunned that McKee is
badly out playing his favorite quarterback, Drew Locke, who was
only thrown for sixteen three.

Speaker 6 (01:30:00):
The real watch of the day is Malik Willis. I
have a friend who has been insisting for I believe
multiple seasons now that Malik Willis is not only a starter,
but he is a better quarterback than Jordana.

Speaker 5 (01:30:12):
I'm gonna be honest with you, guys. I am zeroed
in on the Patriots. They're upset the Bills right now.
If the Patriots win, I think New England fans may
actually revolt. They might do a tea part.

Speaker 6 (01:30:22):
Hey, this this is yeah, just throb.

Speaker 4 (01:30:25):
They're gonna go all the pads, They're gonna empty out
the equipment truck.

Speaker 3 (01:30:30):
You're just gonna see a blocking sledge just right into
the Atlantic. I'm gonna throw a seven at you, guys.
I'm gonna do it on the other side on this
final day. No draftation without representation. All right, we continue
on right.

Speaker 2 (01:30:44):
Let know we're well into the third quarters of these
eight games around the NFL busy day, and of course
it'll all wrap up with that huge matchup between the
Vikings and the Lions.

Speaker 3 (01:30:54):
This is Red Zone Radio, Young Under.

Speaker 12 (01:30:57):
There's the snap play, fake rolling right throws back of
the end zone, Tommy Tremble center cut, wide open touchdown Carolina.

Speaker 2 (01:31:07):
That Sunday nine seven Fox Panthers AREADYO Network and the
Panthers is that the Panthers call of a touchdown really
out to lunch apparently twenty four. All right, now Panthers
and Falcons, and it must win for the Atlanta Falcons.
So once again Red Zone Radio here we are live
from the tyraq dot Com studios. All right, So a

(01:31:29):
couple things, guys. Before the season began, the five of us.

Speaker 3 (01:31:36):
Made our predictions on every single team in the NFL
in their final record.

Speaker 4 (01:31:42):
Yes, I've kept all of our win totals. There were
a couple of teams where Chris gave out ties, and
maybe even both did too. I only counted the wins though,
I wanted to figure out if we could beat Vegas
or not.

Speaker 3 (01:31:55):
Now, both, did you keep track of any of this?
You know? I just want to Yes, yes, he did. Okay,
so I will.

Speaker 2 (01:32:04):
I will venture this because we'll have I mean, the
reason we did that is to see how we do
at the end of the year. So the regular season
be over, so it'll be a project over the next
week to figure it out. I'm going to guess that
nobody got more than four teams right out of thirty two.
The exact record has to be the exact record. That

(01:32:24):
would be my guest.

Speaker 3 (01:32:25):
Probably not. I would go even lower than that. I
would agree it could be lower. I can't see more
than four, two or one or two? All right, here's
the other thing. So I looked this up. This is
really interesting to me.

Speaker 2 (01:32:37):
So right now, there are nine teams in the NFL
that have already lost at least twelve games, and the
Saints could make it ten. Last year, there were only
five teams in the NFL that lost twelve or more games. Wow,
and get this, two of them made the playoffs this year.
The Chargers last year were five and twelve. They made

(01:32:58):
the playoffs. Last year, the Commanders were four and thirteen,
and they made the playoffs. Okay, so two of the
five teams that lost twelve or more games last year
made the playoffs this year. So I'm gonna give you
the nine teams that have currently lost twelve games, and
I want you to go on the record because you know,

(01:33:19):
at least one of these teams will make the playoffs
next year.

Speaker 3 (01:33:23):
Yeah. Who do you think will be the most likely
team of this list to make the playoffs in twenty
twenty five? You ready? Here we go?

Speaker 2 (01:33:30):
Okay, we got the Jets, the Raiders, the Jaguars, the Bears,
the Panthers, the Titans, the Patriots, the Giants, and the Browns.
Those are the nine teams that have currently lost at
least twelve games. Which one of those teams, I'll give
it again, Jets, Raiders, Jaguars, Bears, Panthers, Titans, Patriots, Giants

(01:33:58):
or Browns. Which team, in your opinion, will make the
playoffs in twenty twenty five?

Speaker 4 (01:34:04):
Just roster wise, the team that makes the most sense
is the Browns in its current construction. But I have
no idea what that roster is going to look like
as this Deshaun Watson contract continues to age poorly, and
I don't know what you can really do a quarterback
until you get that albatross off of your neck. They

(01:34:25):
are stuck. I guess I will say just because it
is the best roster. But the AFC North is so tough.
I wanted to say the Browns. Here's what I think
I could see. I could see maybe the Jacksonville Jaguars
in a pretty weak AFC South, if you get a
coach who understands how to build a team around Trevor

(01:34:47):
Lawrence better, if you get him a little bit more
help up front on that offensive line, I could see
maybe the Jags make it a run all right.

Speaker 3 (01:34:56):
Chris, which one of those nine teams you think will
be a playoff? So I'm with Rich that I kind
of lean Jaguars.

Speaker 6 (01:35:04):
Besides just that, we've got Travis etn You've got Brian Thomas, Like,
You've got a lot of good pieces to like about
that team right now. If they nail the coaching hire,
assuming again Doug Peterson has fired on Black Monday, that
they would go out and get a new coach that
could play to Trevor Lawrence's strengths and try to make
him into the quarterback, that it would be the Jaguars,

(01:35:24):
combining that with the weak division. But my heart's leaning
Carolina right now this second half of the season, the
fight they have put up, the way we've watched Bryce
Young kind of develop, and I know we've seen this
in past years. Two and you know, who knows what
the way the NFC South is. That's another volatile conference.

(01:35:45):
But depending on the moose Carolina could make with another
high draft pick, they could set themselves up very well
to win the NFC South. So I would say either
I'm like sixty forty Jaguars Panthers, Okay, what.

Speaker 3 (01:35:59):
Do you say?

Speaker 5 (01:36:00):
Well, I would also say Panthers. But so that we
all have a different answer, I'll stick to my guns
and probably say the Bears. I don't think the Vikings
are gonna win fifteen games again next year. I think
the lines are gonna be just as good the Packers.
I don't believe in the Packers. I don't think Jordan
Love is to be knighted just yet. So I think
if the Bears get the right coaching higher, I still
think Kaylea Williams was taken first overall for a reason.

(01:36:23):
They already have DJ Moore, they have Roma Dunze, who's
been fine. If the Bears come to their senses, clean
house entirely and bring in the right combo, I think
they're They've got the important parts nailed down. They just
got to make sure they're they make the right higher.

Speaker 2 (01:36:36):
All right, Well, you've gotten choices. The one I will
agree with is the Bears.

Speaker 3 (01:36:43):
Wow I again. Okay, sorry, Chicago.

Speaker 2 (01:36:46):
I exactly So now you know they'll leave and be
worse next year. Interesting about those two teams, the Chargers
and the Commanders. A year ago, they literally ended the
season in a total collapse. Oh yeah, Chargers lost their
last five bad and the Commander's ended the season on
an eight game losing streak.

Speaker 4 (01:37:06):
Bryce Young just threw another touchdown pass. The Carolina Panthers
have scored now thirty points in this game.

Speaker 3 (01:37:13):
Yeah, they're going NonStop.

Speaker 5 (01:37:15):
It might be time to talk about that draft again.
Really like Bryce Young and this whole year is the
taking now that.

Speaker 2 (01:37:21):
When you look at the polar offices of the rookie
season of c J. Stroud and Bryce Young, but now
going into their third year, any difference is a little tighter.

Speaker 5 (01:37:32):
I think going forward, anytime people try to bury a
quarterback after a bad rookie year, I think you just
have to point to this season.

Speaker 2 (01:37:38):
I want to make it clear this show did not
bury Bryce Young. No, but also although we buried him
two games in the year, because remember the first two
games this year, he was worse than he.

Speaker 5 (01:37:47):
Was Like, I think I remember this show being one
of the only shows to make the case that the
Panthers could make the playoffs this year.

Speaker 6 (01:37:53):
So if I may make the case too, like these
are far less talented receivers that Bryce Young is throwing to.
But you saw how throughout this entire Texan season. What
has been the story of the Texan season is how many?
Is like you just take away a receiver here, a
receiver there. I believe Mixon got hurt at some point
in the season two, but each time you lost one

(01:38:15):
of those top weapons from CJ. Stroud, his performance started
to really tank. I mean, it's the same thing Bryce
Young is making chicken salad out of the other thing. Adam,
come on now, guys, Adam Thielen, come on, fellow Harry
Corry and elderly statesman Adam Field. I think it was

(01:38:35):
wasn't he catching passes from fran Tarkington.

Speaker 3 (01:38:38):
With the Vikings back in the day. Adam's been around.

Speaker 2 (01:38:41):
But right now, the Panthers lead the Falcons thirty one
to twenty four. We get a minute left in the
third quarter. Falcons with a golden opportunity today to get
into the post sits. Saints are still leading the Buccaneers
nineteen thirteen. By the way, the Buccaneers got victimized by
their own punter.

Speaker 3 (01:39:00):
Yeah, did you see that? It was just a routine punt.

Speaker 2 (01:39:02):
Right First he drops the ball, then he picks it
up and he whiffs on the ball, kicking it.

Speaker 3 (01:39:08):
Man.

Speaker 4 (01:39:08):
Mike Evans is so mad, so he may have just
scored a touchdown if he didn't lose his footing. His
man defender came up to, you know, get on him.
It was almost like late to the line of scrimmage
and knocked him off balance enough on a second and
ten throw that if he would have kept his feet,
he might have run past the last defender. So it's

(01:39:29):
a third and three. Buccaneer's still on their side of
the field. Baker Mayfield takes it himself over the fifty
yard line. They're trailing still though, to the Saints with
Spencer Rattler, who's got the Saints rolling a little bit
nineteen thirteen here in Tampa Bay.

Speaker 2 (01:39:44):
By the way, I know that we have several games
being played right now that have very little consequence in
terms of the season, But when's the last time we
were this laid into the games? Right now, we have
seven of the eight games or one score case. Yeah,
the only game that's not a one score game now
is the Texans leading the Titans twenty three to six.

Speaker 3 (01:40:04):
But we have got seven of the eight games are
one score games.

Speaker 4 (01:40:07):
It's the first time this year that it's been this
late in the show, and we've had this many times.

Speaker 2 (01:40:13):
I mean We are now into the fourth quarter in
all but the Panthers Falcons game, which is coming to
the end of the third quarter right now, I dare say,
I mean, we do this all season one. We haven't
had this many games that are one score games in
the fourth quarter.

Speaker 4 (01:40:27):
This is why it's so frustrating, for example, like for
for any better to try to make sense of the
final week of the season.

Speaker 3 (01:40:36):
I don't. I don't think it's smart. Do you know
what I do think is smart?

Speaker 4 (01:40:40):
You could bet on player props and incentive contracts that
you know, if a player passes for over a certain
yardage like Gino Smith, he he hits another threshold of paycheck,
you know, bonus structure.

Speaker 5 (01:40:54):
I think I think you and I are watching some
of these pretty close.

Speaker 4 (01:40:57):
Yeah, yeah, there's no question. Mike Evans is another one.
He was very much so alive right engaged in Mike
Evans right now. Derrick Henry was a lynchpin to a
lot of parlay success.

Speaker 3 (01:41:07):
He was able to get an the end zone.

Speaker 4 (01:41:09):
You know, that fifteenth touchdown of the season earned him
half a million dollars. Not that I mean that, but
that's that's the reality of the NFL. Is yes, it's
a game. Yes, everybody's trying hard because they want to
win a Super Bowl. But also, I mean Tekuon Barkley
is a perfect example. He made a huge personal sacrifice
for the betterment of the team by resting this weekend

(01:41:30):
instead of chasing his record because he knew it would
it would really come down to the offensive line.

Speaker 3 (01:41:35):
I think that was an option for him.

Speaker 2 (01:41:36):
If if Saguon Barkley said, I get it, you don't
want to start any of our offensive linemen, but I
still want to play, would he have played.

Speaker 3 (01:41:44):
Yeah, yeah, he could have.

Speaker 4 (01:41:45):
I mean, look, if it's Nick Sirianni, if you're the
head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and your star free
agent running back says, I'm chasing that record, whether you
start a single offensive lineman or not.

Speaker 6 (01:41:57):
I just want to point this out because this was
an interesting storyline from earlier and that the Cowboys finally
in Week eight team have decided to turn to Trey Lance,
who currently has about two hundred yards. But the one
of the people pointed out and granted he would have
had to be a lot of snaps for him to
play it, but apparently Cooper Rush would have netted himself.
I believe an extra five hundred thousand dollars if he
played fifty five percent of the Cowboys snap They they know, Yeah,

(01:42:21):
I was going to say fifty two point five percent
is where Cooper Rush currently says.

Speaker 3 (01:42:26):
Well, let me and it's Trey Lance today.

Speaker 4 (01:42:27):
Let me tell you how many players actually, I don't
know the exact number, but I can tell you it
was a lot of players had incentives. Skill position players
had incentives tied to their contract in New England during
my time playing there, and Bill Belichick at the end
of the season was really good at game planning certain
players out of the offensive game plan, making sure he

(01:42:50):
still won those football games, yeah, and making sure to
stay under certain thresholds so that the bonus money didn't
have to get paid out. He saved Rod He save
Robert Kraft a lot of money at the end of
a bunch of those seasons.

Speaker 6 (01:43:03):
I will say from covering the Lions, I forget if
it was twenty twenty two or two. I think it
was twenty twenty three, But kind of in the opposite way,
Dan Campbell really gained hard for I believe it was
Khalif Raymond might have been someone else, either way, but
they were very close to an extra two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars, and they they forced him the ball
late in a game in Week eighteen, over and over

(01:43:25):
and over again to try that win.

Speaker 3 (01:43:26):
Few points to see when coaches do that when the
ward is out, that they're you know, really caring about
that kind of stuff. That really helps.

Speaker 2 (01:43:33):
By the way, Marcus Mariota, I think has secured his
slot if he wants to have come back as the
backup quarterback for the Commanders. Nine to ten, one hundred
and eleven yards and a touchdown, Commanders lead the Cowboys.
Let's find out what is trending right now. We're just
flying through the show. But we were talking about Monzi.

Speaker 3 (01:43:50):
Nine of the ten games or I'm sorry, seven of
the eight games are one score games on the fourth quarter.

Speaker 7 (01:43:56):
No, yeah, I think it's best case scenario.

Speaker 3 (01:43:57):
Right.

Speaker 7 (01:43:57):
We have some competitive football in this Week eighteen, knowing
that many teams had nothing really to play for except
for pride and ego and you know, maybe some incentives
here and there, but in reality, like, yeah, it's been
a much better Week eighteen than we expected. As you mentioned,
Marcus Mariota, who took over in the second half for
the Commanders did just have a rushing touchdown. So Commanders

(01:44:20):
beating the Cowboys sixteen to twelve early in the fourth.
Falcons and Panthers about to start the fourth with Atlanta
losing at home thirty one to twenty four. But they
do have the ball and they are approaching the red
zone as we speak. Packers did lose Christian Watson officially
to that knee injury unfortunately, and they are losing a
home to the Bears twenty one to thirteen halfway through
the fourth quarter. The Jackson La Colts halfway through the

(01:44:42):
fourth are tied at twenty a piece. Again, exciting football
is what we want. Early in the fourth Texans are
beating the Titans twenty three to six. The Patriots still
beating the Bills twenty to sixteen. Early in the fourth quarter.
Joe Milton again and for the Patriots, rookie from Tennessee
twenty two of twenty seven for two hundred and forty
one yards and a touchdown. He also has a rushing

(01:45:02):
touchdown in this one. Malik Neighbors was in the end
zone connecting with Drew Locke. I don't know if you
guys saw the replay of it, but he literally lost
his balance, had to like stay in the in the
game and like got it, dove into the end zone.
Of course, Mollie Neighbors it's he's great, but he is
really awesome. I'm excited to see what he does next year.
The Eagles zone are beating the Giants seventeen thirteen halfway
through the fourth and yeah, the Buccaneers and the Buccaneers

(01:45:25):
and the Falcons, it's like.

Speaker 3 (01:45:27):
Neither of them once the division.

Speaker 7 (01:45:29):
They're like you take it, No, you take it. They're
trailing and nobody wants to win. It's like hot potato.
But the Saints are on top of the Buccaneers nineteen
thirteen early in the fourth quarter. And it is official,
I mean expected, but Tyreek Hill has officially been declared
inactive for the Dolphins later today, but Gil and Waddle
and Tyreek Hill are expected to play.

Speaker 2 (01:45:48):
So back to you guys, oh again earlier Greg Welson,
we came on, I'm like, what.

Speaker 3 (01:45:53):
Happened at Tyreek Hill?

Speaker 5 (01:45:54):
Yeah, I mean he.

Speaker 2 (01:45:55):
Has been in the Pro Bowl literally like every year
of his career. Yeah, he just took the year.

Speaker 4 (01:46:02):
Off and there's a little bit of what Greg said
made sense, But at the same token, it's like, I
don't think it makes a lot of sense.

Speaker 2 (01:46:12):
I Greg said that defense has took him away, but
I'm thinking, okay, well then.

Speaker 3 (01:46:16):
I have to figure out how to get him back involved.

Speaker 4 (01:46:19):
Well, And that's my point is, look that that system.
What Mike McDaniel, what he's done over the course of
his of his time as the head coach, is he's
made his most valuable weapons the most available weapons on
the field. You can't convince me that in one year

(01:46:40):
he just forgot how to do that with Tyreek Hill. Also,
defenses have been running zone coverages against Tyreek Hill since
he was on the Chiefs. They have capped or tried
to cap Patrick Mahomes and and the the the deep
threat that Tyreek Hill was in Kansas City and in
Miami both He's faced his own coverage a lot over

(01:47:01):
the course of his career. And by the way, that's
a smart thing, especially with the Chiefs, because when you're
playing zone, you're protecting the deep part of the field.
And also everybody's eyes are forward on Patrick Mahomes, who's
somewhat of a running threat against you know two and
the Dolphins it's less of a threat. But you're not
gonna play Tyreek killing man. Everybody gets roasted by Tyrek
killen Man. So I don't really buy the excuses. I

(01:47:24):
think Tyreek Hill had a bad year. Well, he had
an off year.

Speaker 3 (01:47:28):
In his two years of Miami.

Speaker 2 (01:47:29):
Prior to this year, he had seventeen hundred and ten
yards and seventeen ninety nine. This year he had nine
thirty nine. He went from averaging one hundred and twelve
yards per game receiving to fifty eight.

Speaker 3 (01:47:41):
That's half.

Speaker 4 (01:47:42):
He just he had a bad year. And guess what
great players can have bad years. Aaron Rodgers is gonna
be a in the Hall of Fame. It was this
year good year for Aaron Rodgers.

Speaker 3 (01:47:51):
I mean there's an excuse for that. He's an old guy. Okay, okay,
Byreek Hill's not an old guy. Did he get old overnight? Well,
he loses speed? What happened here? He's in his thirties.

Speaker 4 (01:48:01):
I mean, this is the ledge for certain players is
once you cross over that threshold there, you lose a
step something, you know, So who knows. I'm My expectation
is he's gonna come back and have a big year
next year with a healthy Tua.

Speaker 3 (01:48:15):
But this was a bad year, all right.

Speaker 2 (01:48:17):
So Falcons right now trailing the Panthers thirty one, twenty four,
trying to come back. They have a fourth and one
right now at the Carolina twelve yard line. All right,
so you're down seven twelve minutes go in the fourth,
you go field goal or you go for it on.

Speaker 3 (01:48:30):
Fourth and one. I mean, you gotta go for it.

Speaker 2 (01:48:32):
Well, they're gonna go for it, looks like so they're
gonna go for it. Raheem Morris says, yeah, we're gonna
go for it right now. Instead of kicking me, we'll
go the way Carolina is scoring. You have to go
for it.

Speaker 3 (01:48:42):
And that is a run, that is I think he
barely got it. He did it, He got it, he
got it. He got pair. John Robinson apparently he got over.

Speaker 4 (01:48:53):
The yard of game again and then literally got sling
shotted backyard backward.

Speaker 3 (01:48:58):
But he was right on the way. He got there.
He got there just barely.

Speaker 2 (01:49:02):
So while that's going on, Buccaneers have the ball now
and they're at the Saints thirty four yard line. They
had a first and ten at the twenty four yard line,
and then immediately got called for holding.

Speaker 4 (01:49:13):
By the way, I also like the play selection there, Like,
I get it. It's not sexy. You're just running an
outside zone, a stretch play if you're the Falcons on
fourth and one. But like, let's not over complicate this.
As they jump off sides on first and ten, now
deep inside Carolina territory, so they face.

Speaker 2 (01:49:29):
Away first, he and the Bucks are literally mirroring each other.
They're trying to get in for a score, and immediately
after first down.

Speaker 3 (01:49:36):
Boom, penalty. Penalty. Yeah. But but what I was gonna
say is, like a lot.

Speaker 4 (01:49:40):
Of teams in short yardagen and go line situations, they
get too cute sometimes just running outside zone.

Speaker 3 (01:49:46):
Whoa, it's not a catch. It was oh touchdown by
the Buccaneers. Are you kiddied? Did he get no Mike Eviter?
Did he get both feet in? He did? Let me
see right here right.

Speaker 1 (01:50:06):
Too.

Speaker 3 (01:50:06):
That's in jalen owt Millan, whose nacial awareness we.

Speaker 2 (01:50:12):
Just started to us to boom, that's touchdown.

Speaker 4 (01:50:15):
He's got the Jordan was gorgeous. What's that Mayfield threw
a dime?

Speaker 2 (01:50:22):
He I mean, there is no room for er on
that throw right there front corner of the end zone.

Speaker 5 (01:50:27):
Now we're we're starting the campaign Baker Mayfield to the
Pro Bowl replace Daniels.

Speaker 2 (01:50:32):
You know, well, first of all, somebody is gonna get
in as the alternate because one of those teams could
easily I mean the Vikings and the Lions. Would we
say one of those teams is favored to get to
the Super Bowl?

Speaker 3 (01:50:44):
You could argue, and the.

Speaker 2 (01:50:46):
Quarterback of that team, obviously it's a bail in. The
extra point is good. So the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally
take the lead over the Saints by a score of
twenty to nineteen, so a lot of time left, ten
and a half minutes to go, and again a Tampa
vic gets him into the playoffs. And then remember a
Tampa victory and a Rams lost, and the Rams are

(01:51:06):
sitting everybody out. Yeah, we get Tampa all the way
to the three seed.

Speaker 3 (01:51:11):
No, I know.

Speaker 4 (01:51:12):
And this is just so crazy that it's it's it's
win and in and then potentially be a three seed
or lose and be out and not be in the
postseason at all. It's just bonkers, that's how much. Oh
I love it so much. Well, we're watching a playoff
game like that's what this is. And Tampa Baker Man.
I will say this about Mayfield. He is the perfect

(01:51:35):
prototype of where obviously tremendous amount of talent, obviously moxie,
but that's it.

Speaker 3 (01:51:41):
It's where you have that can't quit spirit.

Speaker 2 (01:51:44):
He never quit on himself, no ever, No, But this
is what happens when you have your walk on twice
in college and end up with the heavy hardware, the
Heisman Trophy.

Speaker 4 (01:51:54):
And and I'm sure there were plenty of naysayers in
his path at every step, even when he was taking
the first overall pick in the draft. A lot of
people are like, what the Brown's doing? Well, it may
not have worked out in Cleveland, but it is working
out gangbusters in Tampa Bay.

Speaker 3 (01:52:10):
As the Bucks take.

Speaker 4 (01:52:11):
The lead, and I say, over the Saints, I don't
mean to laugh, but they should be waxing the Saints.

Speaker 2 (01:52:18):
They are two touchs. I think it was fourteen and
a half is the line in this game?

Speaker 5 (01:52:22):
Come on?

Speaker 3 (01:52:22):
I mean it was just going through the roof. All right,
we continue on. We're gonna have some exciting finishes here, folks.
Stay with us. This is red zone radio.

Speaker 13 (01:52:30):
Shot, empty backfield. Look for Baker Mayfield. Now three receivers,
two is right, good snap belt high, looking up field,
looking flushed out of the pocket, dances outside, POWs the.

Speaker 10 (01:52:38):
Ball up held open cock touchdown, Tapa Bay touchdown, Tapa
Bay child mcpell.

Speaker 9 (01:52:44):
Fifth game of the roll. He's come up with a touchdown.

Speaker 2 (01:52:47):
File of Tannis ninety eight Rock Buccaneers Radio Network, perfect pass,
perfect catch. Bucks take the twenty nineteen lead over the Safe.
This is red Zone Radio. We are alive from the
tirerech dot com.

Speaker 3 (01:52:58):
City is Rich.

Speaker 2 (01:52:59):
I mentioned that seven of the eight games one score games.
How about seven of the eight games are now four
point margins are less? Yeah, so I mean we are
This is about as exciting as I mean seriously. Panthers
Falcons tied at thirty one. Cowboys lead the Commanders nineteen sixteen,
Bears over the Packers twenty one to nineteen, Colts over

(01:53:21):
the Jaguars twenty three to twenty, Patriots over the Bills
twenty to sixteen, Eagles over the Giants seventeen thirteen.

Speaker 3 (01:53:28):
Buccaneers lead to Saints twenty to nineteen. We've been three
hour We be threat the weekend like this all season. Unfortunately,
some of these games, meaning let me know those games
you gotta finish you, no, no question.

Speaker 4 (01:53:39):
You got to give the Patriots a lot of credit
for just hanging on. I mean, there's three minutes left
in this game, and and they may win this game.
They just got the ball back and they're oh, that's
a huge return.

Speaker 3 (01:53:54):
They're first of all to it. When are we gonna
talk about Joe Milton the third? Joe Milton's having a game.

Speaker 2 (01:54:00):
Twenty twenty nine and forty one yards and a touchdown.
He has a passer rating of one eleven. By the way,
Drake may was in this game, oh for one passing
and he got sacked?

Speaker 3 (01:54:10):
Okay, oh he did he get hurt? Did we got
to I think they just pulled. Yeah, so he got
one sack and they should get out of there. That's
what happened.

Speaker 8 (01:54:19):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:54:19):
I liked the idea, get him some run.

Speaker 4 (01:54:22):
And then, by the way, Milton, Yeah, he's off of
a sudden looking like a little bit of a baller.

Speaker 3 (01:54:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:54:28):
Well he's had some pretty good numbers out dueling Mitchell Trubisky,
don't call me Mitch.

Speaker 3 (01:54:33):
Yeah yeah, yeah, so there you go. I don't know,
it's just fun.

Speaker 4 (01:54:37):
I know these games many of them are meaningless, but
it's just fun seeing good close football.

Speaker 5 (01:54:41):
If the Patriots win, Yeah, does that mean that Cleveland
gets the first overall pick? Or is it?

Speaker 3 (01:54:45):
I think Monsey had an update on this one.

Speaker 2 (01:54:48):
Once again, Monsey, we're opening up your mic about who
gets the number one overall picks?

Speaker 7 (01:54:53):
Oh sorry, I was I had I know you've been
reporting that. Yes, so the Patriots get the number one
with a loss to Buffet though basically they control their destiny.
Titans get it if.

Speaker 3 (01:55:03):
The Patriots win.

Speaker 7 (01:55:05):
Pat Patriots win and a loss to the Texans, and
then the Browns get it if both the Patriots and
the Titans win.

Speaker 2 (01:55:11):
All right, So right now with the Patriots winning and
the Titans losing. But again, so the Patriots aren't going
to take a quarterback anyway, right, so the Titans are
sitting pretty right now. The Titans are probably going to
end up with Shador Sanders. But is they're losing right now?

Speaker 3 (01:55:30):
The Texans with two and a half minutes ago twenty
three to fourteen?

Speaker 4 (01:55:33):
Does that mean it's is it going to be will
they fire Callahan and will it be coach Prime and
shadure In.

Speaker 7 (01:55:41):
That's about got interesting.

Speaker 3 (01:55:45):
Nobody nobody saw it coming. Nobody saw it coming.

Speaker 4 (01:55:48):
But could Brian Callahan be oustered after what ousted after
one season?

Speaker 2 (01:55:53):
Well, it's not like he's, you know, untouchable after what
appears to be a three and fourteen season.

Speaker 3 (01:56:00):
There's been one and done's with a lot better than that.
I don't know. You have you seen Will Levis's development? Well,
let me, okay, hold on in a second. What would
what would the combination of Deon Sanders and Shador Sanders
mean in terms of putting the Titans on the map
in the spotlight?

Speaker 6 (01:56:17):
Buddy, nothing, no, stop it. I I don't have anything
else on that offense. All they do is pick up
old agents.

Speaker 3 (01:56:24):
Were talking about we're talking about Nobody is talking about
the Has there been a team we have talked less
about than the Titan Way. I can't believe what I'm
hearing from Chris per.

Speaker 4 (01:56:42):
He knows he's literally nobody cared about Detroit. And then
a guy like Dan Campbell, who looked like my lunchbox
from high school, walks in the door and he turns
the whole thing around.

Speaker 3 (01:56:53):
Everybody's talking about Detroit.

Speaker 6 (01:56:54):
Sorry, they're wearing another team's uniforms right now.

Speaker 5 (01:56:57):
I think the important thing with the Lions, though, is
that they actual won football games. I don't know if
the Titans would do much as that, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:57:04):
I will say that, did anybody think that Commanders were
a playoff team this year?

Speaker 5 (01:57:07):
Colin Coward did?

Speaker 3 (01:57:09):
He called it? He called it all along, Colin Coward,
he did, Oh yeah he did? You mean like I did?
He now?

Speaker 5 (01:57:17):
Much like yeah, much like you with the Broncos. Colin
dead actually called the Commander before the season.

Speaker 3 (01:57:22):
Then I give him the credit. I mean, I'm taking
here's the best this show.

Speaker 4 (01:57:27):
Could say about the Commanders and and their trajectory there on.
I I said before this season, I thought Jayden Daniels
was the most NFL ready prospect playing quarterback. Now, Bnitz
has made a strong campaign this season, but Jayden Daniels
being selected to the Pro Bowl it sort of solidifies it.
So we got to win in our in our column here.
But I will say this to back up Steve. If

(01:57:49):
the Titans fire Brian Callahan, yes, if they hire Dion
and they draft his son Shador, they will be the
most talked about christ Will in the NFL.

Speaker 3 (01:58:00):
The entirety of the season next.

Speaker 2 (01:58:02):
Year by Colorado was two years ago. They lost eight
of their last nine games.

Speaker 3 (01:58:10):
It does happen.

Speaker 6 (01:58:10):
I just want their front office to put more effort
into it than going and getting Calvin Ridley and Tony
Pollard after their prime.

Speaker 5 (01:58:17):
I do have sort of a meaningful update for you
guys on these games that are happening. Jordan Love is
warming up on the sideline to go back in for
the Packers when they get the ball back, because Washington
is currently trailing Dallas and the Packers are going to
get the ball back right now.

Speaker 3 (01:58:30):
So we're gonna see if Ordan Well, first of all,
they have to get the ball back because the bear.

Speaker 5 (01:58:34):
They just did, they just did what happened just as I.

Speaker 4 (01:58:39):
Was gonna say, I knew they had to close down. Okay,
so it's fourth, it's the fourth court. One forty nine
left in this game. Packers have three time outs. Carolina
guy Carolina. Bryce Young just just scored.

Speaker 2 (01:58:53):
Saw a ten yard run for Bryce Young, the league's MVP.
Four minutes to go. The Falcons, they are in trouble.
They're down to test Saints win.

Speaker 3 (01:59:02):
Like the Panthers have destroyed the Falcons. That is correct.

Speaker 4 (01:59:06):
Yeah, well, offensively, or I should say the Falcons defense
has looked like a broken bucket, like they are not
holding water And I don't know what to what to
say about this game?

Speaker 3 (01:59:17):
Did we expect sixty nine points combined? Right now? Shoot out?

Speaker 2 (01:59:20):
Bryce Young has three touchdown passes and two touchdowns on
the ground.

Speaker 3 (01:59:25):
Okay, he is.

Speaker 2 (01:59:27):
That's It's a good send off to project for the
next season.

Speaker 3 (01:59:30):
That's what I mean.

Speaker 4 (01:59:31):
I mean, could we be looking at twenty twenty five's NFL.

Speaker 2 (01:59:35):
Let me ask you this, who do you think is
going to have a better year next year statistically?

Speaker 3 (01:59:40):
Or CJ Stroud? Okay, well, Bryce.

Speaker 2 (01:59:43):
Young or CJ Stroud in twenty twenty five right now?

Speaker 4 (01:59:46):
Okay, listen, I will answer that question right after these messages.

Speaker 2 (01:59:52):
Yeah, but we're not quite there yet, but we will be.
Don't go anywhere. Exciting finishes coming up. This is red
Ze Radio.

Speaker 12 (01:59:58):
Here's the snap, the faked boom. Young backpedals rolling to
his ride. He come one fourth, He's got the ten, He's.

Speaker 3 (02:00:05):
Got the five.

Speaker 14 (02:00:06):
Bryce hando the end zone and Carolina takes the lead.
Count them one, two, three, four, five touchdowns today for
Pryce Young.

Speaker 2 (02:00:17):
That's ninety nine seven the Fox Panthers Radio network. Panthers
lead the Falcons thirty eight to thirty one, but it's
not over yet. Two minute warning and the Falcons are
at the Carolina twenty five yard line. They are in
desperate need of a victory. Red Zone radio. We're broadcasting
live from the ti rack dot com studios, tire rack
dot com. We're gonna get you there, an unmatched selection FATS,

(02:00:39):
free shipping, free road AZERD protection, over ten thousand recommended installers,
tire rack dot com. The way tire bind should be
craziness in these games right now. So one game is over,
but it's not over. Jaguars and Colts are heading to overtime.
So we've got the Buccaneers right now with the lead,

(02:00:59):
and the ball Buccaneers win, they're in the playoffs. Atlanta
would be eliminated. The Buccaneers would be the NFC South champions.
They have a first and ten at the New Orleans
nineteen yard line. Now they're down to the eleven yard
line as we are approaching the two minute warning in
that game. So right now, unless the Buccaneers screw this up,

(02:01:22):
they look like they're heading to the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (02:01:24):
They look like they're heading to the playoffs.

Speaker 4 (02:01:25):
However, I will say two minute warning plus two timeouts
for the Saints. It's possible. I'm not saying it's I'm
not saying it's likely, but it's possible that the Saints
could see.

Speaker 3 (02:01:37):
The ball again in this game. Well possible, but again
with the two timeouts right now, so they hit the
two minute warning again, Buccaneers with a second and two
at the Saints eleven yard line.

Speaker 4 (02:01:48):
You hold, they have to kick a field goal. I mean,
what are we talking about here? They could get the
ball back with maybe less than a minute maybe. I mean,
the fates not really in their hands right now. Carolina
is the king maker of this.

Speaker 3 (02:02:00):
That is a good point.

Speaker 2 (02:02:01):
Yeah, all right, Now the Falcons have the ball now
a third and ten, they are at the Panthers twenty
five yard line. Penix has played well in this game.
In fact, their offense is rolling up numbers. I mean
Bjon Robinson one hundred and forty nine yards rushing, Drake
London one hundred and seventy five yards receiving, and two
touchdowns one.

Speaker 4 (02:02:21):
Hundred and eighty one. Now because he just caught an
eleven yard outbreaking route and Pennis threw that perfectly on time.

Speaker 3 (02:02:27):
All right, yeah, tend head around on the route. The
ball was coming to him already. You got a I
mean Pennix throws dimes.

Speaker 4 (02:02:34):
Oh, he's got a rifle from armendously accurate.

Speaker 2 (02:02:37):
All right, So here we go first and ten now
for the Falcons are at the fourteen yard line, a
minute twenty four to go, short pass inside to the
ten yard line. Falcons trying to tie up this game.
But yeah, Pennicks now over three hundred yards passing in
this game. Drake London now ten catches, one hundred and
eighty seven yards, Robinson one hundred and forty nine yards.

(02:02:57):
The offense has not been the problem, it's been the
defense non existent, as Bryce Young has absolutely carved him
up today, throwing for three touchdowns and scoring two on
the ground. Meanwhile, the Packers took the lead against the
Bears twenty two to twenty one.

Speaker 3 (02:03:11):
But with six seconds left, the Bears have the ball
and field goal. Can they spike the ball? They got
it all wow, So we are going to get a
fifty yard field goal attempt for the Bears, trying to
snap their ten game losing streak with two seconds left
on the clock, and for the Packers with them battling

(02:03:31):
the Commanders six or seven seed doesn't matter. Oh yeah,
everything about the Seeds matters.

Speaker 2 (02:03:37):
Commanders, by the way, now have the ball, second and
goal of Dallas's five yard line with seven seconds to go.

Speaker 3 (02:03:42):
Oh my god, take this. I'm trying to keep my
eye on this. Right here we go.

Speaker 2 (02:03:47):
So the Commanders, here we go. They got the Commanders Cowboys.
There's six seconds on the clock.

Speaker 5 (02:03:54):
Second for them.

Speaker 3 (02:03:59):
I can't believe those it was Robinson was Robinson.

Speaker 4 (02:04:02):
John Robinson gets in on a rush. So right now,
that is one point lead by.

Speaker 3 (02:04:09):
Carolina and the Bears have just beaten the Packers on
the last second, being gone fifty one yards. The bears
ten game losing streak is over and the Packers lose
to the Bears. By the way, Bears first road victory
of the year.

Speaker 2 (02:04:25):
They were the last team in the league that had
not won a single game on the road, and they
do it in the finale against the Packers.

Speaker 4 (02:04:31):
The lead on the cup, I know the Falcons lining
up for the extra point.

Speaker 3 (02:04:36):
It is good.

Speaker 4 (02:04:37):
So we have a tie ballgame in Atlanta, thirty eight
thirty eight, just like we drew it up, a seventy
six point game, a shootout between Bryce Young and Michael
Pennix Junior.

Speaker 3 (02:04:51):
This has been.

Speaker 5 (02:04:52):
Wait, Richie, did Mike Evans just score a touchdown?

Speaker 3 (02:04:55):
Did he really?

Speaker 5 (02:04:56):
The camera was lingering on him like he.

Speaker 3 (02:04:57):
Was Yeah, no, no, no, it was important. It was
It was the IVY. See if we need to figure
this out?

Speaker 5 (02:05:03):
No, no, it can't, No, it can't. It was I quit
Bucky Irving the Buccaneers. They deserve it.

Speaker 2 (02:05:12):
Backward Lockey Irving eleven yards for the touchdown?

Speaker 4 (02:05:16):
Is that going to be counted as a rush? By
the way, because it was a BA.

Speaker 2 (02:05:19):
They are counting it as a rushing touchdown, So yeah,
that's a rushing touchdown.

Speaker 3 (02:05:24):
The big extra point is good. So it's still a
one score game.

Speaker 2 (02:05:28):
Twenty seven nineteen Buccaneers and the Saints will have a
minute fifty one to go to try to tie this
thing up.

Speaker 4 (02:05:35):
Speaking of lingering, we have to linger on the play
that Baker Mayfield and Bucky Irving just just made hold on.

Speaker 3 (02:05:41):
Touchdown. Commanders, there we go, all right, So they take
the lead.

Speaker 2 (02:05:44):
Mariota to McLaurin five yard touchdown. Commanders take the late
three seconds left.

Speaker 4 (02:05:48):
Okay, So so Bucky Irving is a part of the
pass protection. Nothing going on downfield, for Baker Mayfield in
the low red zone. He's searching, he can't find anything.
He's starting to climb the pocket, but he turns around
because I think Irving must have shouted his name. He
pitches him the ball backwards and then Bucky Irving takes
it out the side door and he rushes about eight

(02:06:11):
yards for the touchdown. With this win, obviously they clinched
the South. They're leading twenty seven to nineteen.

Speaker 2 (02:06:20):
It's an eight point game, a one score game with
a minute fifty one to.

Speaker 4 (02:06:23):
Go, and so, okay, so this is exactly what I
was telling you, Saint, You're going to get this ball back.
They have an opportunity here to tie. Absolutely, they do. Absolutely.
We got a long way to go, but not a
long way to.

Speaker 3 (02:06:35):
Get the Cowboys quickly. And that's the final seconds. It
is over.

Speaker 2 (02:06:41):
The Commanders have defeated the Cowboys twenty three to nineteen.
Rich is predicting that Mike McCarthy is walking off the
field as the Cowboys coach for a final time.

Speaker 4 (02:06:50):
I think he'll be either coaching elsewhere or he'll do
the same thing.

Speaker 3 (02:06:54):
Final game as the Cowboys.

Speaker 4 (02:06:55):
Yeah, no, no, I know, but he'll either be coaching elsewhere,
or he'll do the same thing he did after Green
Bay parted ways with him, where he will take a
gap year and he'll re emerge somewhere else in twenty
twenty six. I like Mike McCarthy is one of those
coaches who you could say all you want about McCarthy
and his ability to win in the postseason, whether it

(02:07:17):
be with Aaron Rodgers or Dak Prescott. In the regular season,
he gets you a bite at the apple. He gets
you to the postseason. He's done that many, many, many times.

Speaker 3 (02:07:26):
All right. So with the Commanders winning and the Packers losing,
that means that again the Commanders will be the sixth
seed and the Packers will be the seventh seed in
the NFC. All right.

Speaker 2 (02:07:40):
So the Panthers and Falcons tied at thirty eight, But
this game is meaningless now if Tampa wins. But that's
not a done deal yet. So thirty eight all Panthers, Falcons.
Panthers have the ball right now at their own thirty
yard line, and we got forty one seconds to go,
So we still have a ways to go until we
get a final verdict on this Buccaneer Saints game.

Speaker 4 (02:08:02):
Yeah, yeah, this is I mean, we have a long
way to go and the Saints are driving. They just
crossed over midfield, so all of a sudden, with one
thirteen left on the clock, clock is ticking. By the way,
they face a first and ten on the Bucks side
of the field, Spencer Rattler just dropped back and delivered
a short route.

Speaker 3 (02:08:21):
Let's go for the first stop.

Speaker 6 (02:08:23):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (02:08:23):
Wow, I mean, look, I mean, you're the season's on
the line. If you're Tampa, what are you doing?

Speaker 4 (02:08:30):
I don't know, I don't know. Well, they're playing deep coverage.
They're trying to prevent the big play here, so they're
giving up what's underneath. But the Saints just called their
furs or i should say, their second time out of
the half, and so they're going to stop the clock
just under a minute with an opportunity to absolutely an
opportunity to score. Then they have to aim to tie
with the two point conversion.

Speaker 2 (02:08:51):
All right, So it's amazing. The only thing said on
the NFC side. Three things are set. The Eagles are
the two seat, that's right, The Commanders are the sixth seed,
and the Packers are the seventh seed.

Speaker 4 (02:09:02):
Okay, yeah, because that's the only things of the Detroit Lions.

Speaker 3 (02:09:06):
We got to see how this Falcons.

Speaker 2 (02:09:07):
Don't know who's the one seed five seed? And again
still with the Rams Buccaneers possibly a three to four
switch there. Oh yeah, So there's a lot going on there.
As far as the AFC is concerned, we are set
with the Chiefs as the one seed, the Bills as
the two seed, the Ravens as the three seed, and
the Texans as the four seed.

Speaker 3 (02:09:27):
There you go.

Speaker 2 (02:09:28):
So what has to be decided still is who's going
to get the finals slot between the Broncos, Dolphins, and Bengals.
And then again the Chargers if they win today, will
get the number five seed because if they lose, they
drop back to the sixth seed because they lost to
Pittsburgh earlier this year.

Speaker 3 (02:09:46):
See how we figured all this out. It's what we
do on this show. It's simple. It really is.

Speaker 2 (02:09:51):
Beginning to get that playoff field set, all right. So
watching now the Saints. The Saints have the ball at
the thirty six yard line of Tampa Bay. They need
a touchdown and a two point conversion, and woow, Rattler
on fire down to.

Speaker 3 (02:10:08):
The twenty two yard line.

Speaker 2 (02:10:09):
Forty five seconds left and the Saints still have it.

Speaker 4 (02:10:14):
Looks like there's one time out in completion there, so
still at the thirty six yard line.

Speaker 3 (02:10:19):
They're facing it with thirdly in ten. Yeah, looks like,
oh yeah, it's incomplete.

Speaker 4 (02:10:23):
Yeah, Johnson they the Bucks got a hand on it
went in out of Johnson's hands looking for the tight
end there. So resetting at the thirty seven yard line
for a third and ten here for Spencer Rattler in
the scenes.

Speaker 3 (02:10:35):
Trailing by eight.

Speaker 2 (02:10:36):
All right, so again, Saints have one time out remaining
forty five seconds left. They're putting five seconds back.

Speaker 3 (02:10:41):
On the clock. I don't know what they're doing. All
of a sudden, there's fifty seconds left. Okay, very good,
all right? All right.

Speaker 2 (02:10:47):
So meanwhile we got Carolina and Atlanta tied to thirty eight,
seventeen seconds left, and Atlanta is.

Speaker 3 (02:10:55):
What are you going to do here? There's what seventeens?
Are you going to take any risk right now or
just saying let's go to overtime? Yeah? Time out Carolina territory. Yeah,
I mean, look, you got seventeen seconds.

Speaker 4 (02:11:06):
You got a couple opportunities to take some shots here
if you want them.

Speaker 2 (02:11:10):
By the way, the Colts in the overtime against the Jaguars,
got a field goal. So the Jaguars get the ball
with a chance to tie or win this game.

Speaker 4 (02:11:19):
Bucks jump off sides, neutral zone in fractions.

Speaker 3 (02:11:22):
Social right over the bars. All right, So now it's
a third and five. Was that the Lavante David they
did that?

Speaker 4 (02:11:28):
No, it was their defensive tackle, their nose tackle jumped
into the michels.

Speaker 3 (02:11:32):
Do that when you're lined up literally over the ball.
He was literally over the football. I mean it's like, okay,
I didn't see it.

Speaker 4 (02:11:40):
Third and five from the thirty two yard line, going
in deep now in but well pretty deep in Bucks territory.
They made quick work traversing the field. Spencer Rattler, he's
scrambling for his life. He's got to get rid of it.
Throws it downfield and is that picked off?

Speaker 3 (02:11:55):
He was okay? All right?

Speaker 2 (02:11:57):
So they got a fourth down coming up than five
for the Saints with forty seconds to go, and if
they don't get it, that's it. The Buccaneers are in
falcons to be eliminated, and the Bucks would just have
to wait on the rams to see if they're a
third or four seat.

Speaker 3 (02:12:12):
Feel like you're concentrated on the wrong side of the
equation here. I mean the Saints are playing for a
six win Yes, a team that was the most talked
about team two games into the season, not so much
at the end. No one's talking about the Saints coaching
job is would you want any part of it?

Speaker 4 (02:12:27):
Well, well, here's nobody wants a job right now. Here's
the funny thing is the interim head coach. I've been
told this gentleman's name. I want to say ninety times.

Speaker 5 (02:12:37):
I can.

Speaker 3 (02:12:38):
I cannot for the life and that is it. Trying
to no penally flags. It is over.

Speaker 2 (02:12:45):
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are gonna win the NFC South.

Speaker 3 (02:12:50):
They clinched and that is it. Atlanta bye bye. So
the fight overtime, so they're pain isn't over yet. Well
I guess that is true.

Speaker 4 (02:12:58):
Yeah, the Atlanta Falcons didn't end up scoring on the
other side. That that Carolina time out. So it's thirty
eight all going into extra time here.

Speaker 3 (02:13:08):
Well, first of all, this game matters because I pick
Carolina against Monci. I need this win so badly. I
can't even tell you. She's trouncing me as usual, I
always losing my bits.

Speaker 4 (02:13:20):
She's good she's uh, she may not have her voice, but.

Speaker 2 (02:13:24):
What she's doing now, she's sitting on the ball. She's
basically trying to run out the Clarks. He's running out
the Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 7 (02:13:30):
Yeah, it's I'm Week eighteen. I'm sitting my starters. I mean,
that's what you do.

Speaker 3 (02:13:35):
Her four minute offense. I'm throwing hail mary's everywhere.

Speaker 2 (02:13:38):
One of my hail mary's was picking Carolina to win
at Atlanta. You do alright, So we will continue on
on this craziness on this final Sunday of the NFL
regular season.

Speaker 3 (02:13:51):
This is red Zone Radio. Fifty one yards for Cairo Santos.
Two seconds on the clock, twenty twenty one, Green.

Speaker 4 (02:13:59):
Bay, middle of the flags are quiet.

Speaker 15 (02:14:02):
Taylor extends his hands, snap placement made, Cairo Santos kick
is up, and the kick it's Dode and the Bears
have walked off and won in Green Bay, putting to
bed to nasty losing streaks, the in season streak and
the Packer streak, and the Bears win it twenty four
to twenty two.

Speaker 2 (02:14:24):
That's the Bears Radio network as the Bears snap their
ten game losing streak.

Speaker 3 (02:14:30):
Finished the season on a winning no first road win
of the year for the Bears, and they get the
win over the Packers, which by the way, has decided.
At least one playoff game is in place, Okay, and
we'll get to that in a moment. Quick reminder once again,
this is Red Zone Radio Steve Harbin, Rich Ormberger. We
live from the tire rack dot Com studio.

Speaker 2 (02:14:49):
So the one playoff game that is now set is
the Green Bay Packers at the Philadelphia Eagles. So the
Packers are the seventh seed, the Eagles the two seed.
Regardless of what happens tonight, Let's break it down bow
Eagles hosting the Green Bay Packers, which is a rematch

(02:15:10):
long a way to rematch of the nineteen sixty NFL
championship game won by Norm van Brocklin in the Eagles
Vince Lombardi's only playoff loss.

Speaker 5 (02:15:19):
You don't have to go back that far, Steve. You
can just go back to the beginning of this year
when I understated in Brazil, I know you don't, Yeah,
that big Brazil game that happened we all remember. I
feel better about the Eagles chances now that Jordan Love
left this left in this game with injury, although he
was going to come back in if they needed him too. Maybe,
I don't know. Jalen Hurts is a big concern that's
gonna be a big storyline going into this game.

Speaker 3 (02:15:40):
So both quarterbacks right now are big question marks going in. Yet, Yeah,
I agree.

Speaker 4 (02:15:44):
I think when you're talking about, arguably, and I do
mean arguably on the Philadelphia Eagles side, two of the
best players on the football field period, you're going to
change the balance of this game depending on their health
and their status going into any matchup in the postseason.
You look at Jordan Love, I think it's clear without him,

(02:16:06):
he's the lynchpin for their success. In terms of the
Eagles though, I mean, really the way their backups have
played alongside Saquon Barkley. I'm not saying that it's better
to have Kenny Pickett or it's better to have Tanner McKee.
You know, you would prefer Jalen Hurts, But I haven't

(02:16:27):
hated how the Philadelphia Eagles have looked in the absence
of and you know, on the flip side, I mean
Malik Willis. He's been helpful to have on the bench
behind Jordan Love. I don't think he plays to the
same caliber you know there is a drop off there,
but I would say the team that will miss their
starter more is Green Bay, no question.

Speaker 3 (02:16:48):
All right. Another thing that happened today. We now know
who is going to have the first pick in the
NFL Draft, and that will be the Tennessee Titans. So
New England won today. Beat the Bills. Beat the Bills,
So that means the Tennessee Titans.

Speaker 4 (02:17:06):
Geron Mayo is making zero friends. No, but here's the
deal though, the Patriots. The Patriots don't need a quarterback
if they believe in Drake.

Speaker 2 (02:17:14):
May Yeah, but right now they're sitting with a number
four pick. So the teams that ended up the year
at three and fourteen were the Titans, the Browns, and
the Giants. New England's at four and.

Speaker 3 (02:17:27):
Thirteen, so at best they have the fourth pick. So
there you go. Those will be the top three teams
in the picks will be the Titans, Giants, and Browns.

Speaker 6 (02:17:36):
We've got an update because I know our TV's cut
off from overtime.

Speaker 3 (02:17:41):
Panthers have just won it in overtime. Wow, that's good
for four fight. Did you hear that? Bozio? I got one?

Speaker 2 (02:17:51):
I needed one, by the way, what a day today
Panthers forty four to thirty eight. Of course, by the
time the overtime it started, the Falcon that already been
notified that their season was over.

Speaker 3 (02:18:04):
Pennix had a huge game. By the way, their future
looks bright with Pennix, I don't think there's any question.

Speaker 2 (02:18:08):
About that, but also bright for the Carolina Panthers. Bryce
Young twenty five four, two hundred and fifty one yards,
three touchdowns, no picks. He also ran for a pair
of touchdowns. So you can see a couple of teams here.
You know, if you're Caleb Williams and the Bears, you
know you win on the road against Green Bay.

Speaker 3 (02:18:27):
It mattered to green Bay to some degree. Nice to,
you know, go into the offseason at least with that
one w as opposed to any of your season on
an eleven game losing streak. All right, now, all of
a sudden, are you ready for this? We've got six
games that are let's say, one, two, three for five
games five games that are kicking off right now around

(02:18:48):
the NFL.

Speaker 2 (02:18:49):
Now, which one of these games matters most? So let's
start with the Chiefs and the Broncos. Broncos need a
win to clinch the final playoff spot in the AFC,
and believe it or not, by kickoff, the Broncos are
eleven point favorites in this game.

Speaker 3 (02:19:04):
Eleven are the Chiefs playing anybody? No? No, Well, they
playing Carson Wentz? What I mean?

Speaker 2 (02:19:11):
So what if Wentz goes out there and suddenly he's
the Carson Wentz was running for MVP a few years ago.

Speaker 4 (02:19:17):
Well, the thing was, he was literally running after that
knee injury he suffered that season. He doesn't run the
same anymore, and he can't. He's not the same player
he was prior to the knee injury, so I don't
think he can play that way anymore. However, we've seen
it before. Players who start their career as more mobile quarterbacks,

(02:19:37):
they can transition into more of pocket passers. And you
can make the argument that working with an offensive mindline
Andy Reid on a daily basis could potentially change your
trajectory as a quarterback. We've seen it with a couple
of players. Alex Smith was kind of castaway in San Francisco.
Andy Reid turned him into a consistent playoff starter. You

(02:20:00):
take a guy like Donovan McNabb when he's in Philadelphia,
you take a guy like Patrick Mahomes when you wanted
to replace Alex Smith. I mean, Andy Reid can change
the fates of quarterbacks that he's worked.

Speaker 2 (02:20:13):
With, all right, So if the Broncos were to lose
this game, then the next in line would be the Dolphins.
Dolphins on the road against the Jets. Jets are a
slight favor in this game, too, is not playing Huntley
is in a quarterback for the Dolphins, And of course
for Aaron Rodgers could be his final NFL gaming needs
one more touchdown pass to get to five hundred in

(02:20:34):
his Hall of Fame career. Now, if both of them
lose today, then the Bengals, who took care of business
against Pittsburgh yesterday, would get that final slot in the
AFC playoff picture. Also, right now on the line is
seating in the AFC between the five seed and the
sixth seed, between the Chargers and the Steelers, with the
Steelers losing. If the Chargers beat the Raiders today, they

(02:20:58):
move up into the five slot. I would have a
road game against the Texans instead of a road game
against the Ravens.

Speaker 3 (02:21:04):
Yeah, which you assume they will.

Speaker 4 (02:21:05):
And then in arguably I guess considering the Rams are
starting nobody one of the more meaningless games on the
afternoon's docket.

Speaker 3 (02:21:14):
But it does matter, well, it does in terms of
the Rams eating. Yeah, I mean, it's a big game.
It's a big game. However, I mean, would you rather
host the loser of the Lions vikings?

Speaker 4 (02:21:24):
The Rams have already made that decision. They're saying, yeah,
we would. We would be willing to do that, so
we don't sacrifice any of our starters. Because Jimmy Garoppolo
is manning the quarterback position for the Rams as they
take on the Seahawks today, and they went three and
out and punted the football to the Seattle Seahawks. So
even though you say, yeah, I mean this one's for seeding,

(02:21:45):
I mean, it really seems like the Rams have already
conceded the seed.

Speaker 2 (02:21:51):
Hard to believe the meaningless game going on right now.
Forty nine Ers in Cardinals forty nine Ers six and ten.
The last time that a team lost the Super Bowl
and then missed the playoffs the next year was the
forty nine Ers, coach by Kyle Shanahan. The fact that
he has now done this twice interesting. Put that on

(02:22:11):
your resume.

Speaker 3 (02:22:11):
Let's find out what is trending right now. She has
been following all of this.

Speaker 7 (02:22:18):
There's literally a lot going on. In this exact moment.
It looks like Marvin Mimms Junior just scored a touchdown
Boonix with a thirty two yard touchdown pass. He took
it to the house. So the Browncos are beating the
Chiefs early on six to zero. They literally just got
going in the first quarter. And even though the Chiefs
might not have an incentive to win today, Carson Wentz does.

(02:22:38):
If Carson Wentz plays fifty percent of the plays and
the Chiefs win, he gets one hundred thousand.

Speaker 3 (02:22:43):
Okay, oh that's good, Creaz.

Speaker 7 (02:22:45):
Yeah, I like believe me.

Speaker 3 (02:22:46):
The Chiefs have an incentive to lug. Yeah, yeah, you
do not want to create an opening for Joe Burrow.

Speaker 7 (02:22:52):
Yeah, but Carson Wentz has his own agenda trying to
make a little bit of many These five games just
got going. So Chargers Raiders are still scoring, just like
the Seahawks and the Rams, just like the forty nine
Ers and the Cardinals, the Dolphins and the Jets. Well,
I took the Jets, you took the Dolphins. Aaron Rodgers
just threw an interception and they literally just started and
things did not go well from the beginning for the Jets.

(02:23:12):
Apparently the flag crew came out with the team flag
upside down, and then they had to go back in
the tunnel, Oh, fix it, and then they didn't make
it back out in time before the players got out.

Speaker 3 (02:23:23):
Wait, so.

Speaker 7 (02:23:26):
Sims upside down the stage.

Speaker 3 (02:23:28):
So let me get the straight upstead. Aaron Rodgers first
pass of the game was an intercesson looks it looks
that way.

Speaker 7 (02:23:35):
So things are going really well already in New York
for the Jets. Which again, is it Aaron Rodgers last game? Maybe? Maybe,
so we will see what has already happened. Well, the
Buccaneers clinched the NFC South for their fourth straight year.
They had to come back and beat the Saints twenty
seven to nineteen. Mike Evans nine catches eighty nine yards,

(02:23:56):
officially the only player to reach one thousand receiving yards
in his first eleven seasons, and let's not forget that
he was on ir this year, so he even missed
four games but reached another thousand this year. The Panthers
had a forty four to thirty eight win over the
Falcons in overtime. Bryce Young twenty five to thirty four,
two hundred and fifty one yards, three touchdowns and also
two rushing touchdowns. Michael Pennix shooter twenty one of thirty

(02:24:18):
eight three hundred and twelve yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
The Commanders stopped the Cowboys twenty three to nineteen. Trey
Lance started for Dallas' first start since Week two of
twenty twenty two. He ended twenty of thirty four for
two hundred and forty four yards. The Bears walked it
off with a fifty one yard field goal to beat
the Packers twenty two to twenty one. So Chicago as

(02:24:38):
the season, snapping their ten game losing streak. Not only
did the Packers lose the game, but Christian Watson they
lost him. He was carted to the locker room after
a non contact injury never came back because of a
knee injury. Eagles they beat the Giants twenty three to thirteen.
So we do know that in the wildcard round, the
number seven seed Packers are going to visit the number
two Eagles, which you guys were just talking about. The

(02:24:59):
Texans outscore the Titans twenty three to fourteen. The Colts
meet the Jaguars in overtime twenty six to twenty three,
and the Patriots defeated the Bills twenty three to sixteen.
Joe Milton, who was the Patriots quarterback who replaced Drake
May very early in the game. On his first career drive,
he was six to six for fifty one yards on
a rushing touchdown. He ended twenty two of twenty nine
two hundred and forty one yards a touchdown and a

(02:25:21):
rushing touchdown. And we also know how the NFL draft
will go for the top three picks, Titans, Browns, and Giants.
Back to you guys, there we go, there we go.

Speaker 3 (02:25:31):
By the way, your voice got stronger.

Speaker 7 (02:25:33):
It's getting there.

Speaker 3 (02:25:34):
It's getting there. That's right, Yeah, roaring wrong, strong lioness. Yeah,
I like that. I like that, all right, man, that's
a great stuff. By the way, Tyler Huntley, who is
he is the example of why the Pro Bowl is
so ridiculous, right, he's a pro So twenty twenty two,
he started four games in place of an injured Lamar Jackson.

(02:25:55):
That's right.

Speaker 2 (02:25:55):
He won two and two on those starts. He ended
the season with two touchdown passes and three interceptions, and
he got in as an alternate. They kept calling guys
after they needed replacements, and no one wanted to go,
and they finally got down to the backup quarterback for
the Ravens who had thrown two touchdown passes all season,

(02:26:16):
and he gets credit for a Pro Bowl.

Speaker 3 (02:26:18):
This is why I don't give that as a credit
for the Pro Bowl. If you're not named to the
actual Pro Bowl team and you get in as an alternate,
in my world, it doesn't count.

Speaker 4 (02:26:29):
I just don't understand why we give credibility to subjective awards.

Speaker 3 (02:26:34):
This is the same way I feel. Because it has
a legacy, I.

Speaker 4 (02:26:38):
Get it, but I'm saying, the only reason why it
lends any credibility to your legacy is because we all
cumulatively agree that it should.

Speaker 3 (02:26:48):
I don't. I think it's stupid. I think that.

Speaker 4 (02:26:51):
Allowing people with opinions to forecasts the way you're remembered
post career, it's dumb.

Speaker 3 (02:26:58):
What about it?

Speaker 4 (02:26:59):
Just how about we have a Hall of Fame that
actually accurately depicts what's what's happened.

Speaker 2 (02:27:05):
I don't know how he accurated the because it's not
every field is equal use statistics, I mean, use statistics
can be deceiving. You know that you can pile up
numbers as a loser. Matthew Stafford did this for years
in Detroit, where he piled up big numbers.

Speaker 3 (02:27:20):
When you're trailing in the entire gaming, he come up.
But but hang on a second, what number are you
looking at? Hang on a second? Like, so, okay, we
we as an offensive guard, we center. What was the
big number for you? How about games played? Games started?
How about you there?

Speaker 4 (02:27:35):
They've all of a sudden done knockdown blocks as a metric, like, listen,
there's new statistics added constantly. I'm saying, build wings on
the Hall of Fame, herald the actual accomplishments instead of
the opinions of others. The Pro Bowl, All Star voting,
all sports very dumb, but I digress. Tyler Huntley, though
absolutely deserving about twenty.

Speaker 3 (02:27:54):
Twelve Pro Bowl whatever was.

Speaker 2 (02:27:56):
By the way, I mean, and I'll give you an
example of how it can change the dynamic. Tory Holt,
the former Rams wide receiver, great player. So Tory hold
has been a finalist for the Hall of Fame. He's
again six st eight years, seven time Pro Bowl right, well,
that's a big number.

Speaker 3 (02:28:10):
Seven, right, three of those?

Speaker 2 (02:28:12):
As an alternate, would he still be a big time
if he was a four time pro bowler.

Speaker 3 (02:28:17):
That's a big difference, right for seven? Well and seven,
that's what the alternates. Why do we care here? I
would care. Here's what you do. I live and breathe
it every second in the day. I care about stats.

Speaker 4 (02:28:29):
So let's just take Tory Holt stats as a receiver, catches,
receptions made, catch percentage, yards gain, touchdown receptions. Throw that
up on a wall in the Hall of Fame. I
don't need somebody to tell me whether or not he's
a Hall of famer. Let me walk through the Hall
of Fame and decide who I like the best based
on the objective metrics that we measure. Anyways, it's also stupid.

Speaker 2 (02:28:53):
Yes, by the way, Torry Hold had one thousand or
more yards at least eleven hundred yards eight straight years.

Speaker 3 (02:28:59):
Yeah, that's pretty good. That's Hall of Fame worthy. Yes,
But but he may not get in because he he'll
expire on ballots. It's so dumb. You know how I
always said you ever want to be on the ballot once?

Speaker 9 (02:29:14):
Right?

Speaker 3 (02:29:14):
I mean I always say this again, if you give
me a name saying is he a Hall of Famer?
And I got to think about it. He's not.

Speaker 4 (02:29:20):
Aaron Rodgers just almost got Devanta Adams killed. I'm pretty
sure he threw at the DeVonta Adams their watch this
trick play. I don't know how this started, but all
of a sudden, Aaron was here.

Speaker 3 (02:29:32):
We go.

Speaker 4 (02:29:32):
So they're going to fake the handoff. Oh no, no, no, okay,
that's what it is. It's a double pass. So Devontae
Adams throws it back to Rogers. He looks downfield, scrambles.

Speaker 2 (02:29:45):
At oh and he gets leveled. No, they almost he love.
I don't think that's the way the play was designed.

Speaker 4 (02:29:52):
The play was supposed to go downfield, outfield, but he
ends up throwing is Adams on the field. Did he
collect his soul after that?

Speaker 3 (02:30:01):
I don't know. But right now a bit of a
rough start.

Speaker 2 (02:30:03):
Three nothing Dolphins, and again Dolphins need a win and
a Broncos loss for them to get into the postseason.
Led by Tyler Huntley, goodness great the Pro Bowl quarterback.
That's right, that's right, Jimmy Garoppolo. See, this is the
thing about these quarterbacks we're seeing out there. I mentioned
that if you're Marcus Mariota, you've cemented your job as

(02:30:27):
a backup quarterback for another year. You look good today
leading the Commanders to a win. What about the future,
Jimmy Garoppolo. I bet some people were saying when Jimmy
Garoppolo signed with the Rams, based on Matthew Stafford's injuries
the last couple of years, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:30:41):
Maybe he'd get a chance to start. Well, no, that's
not been the case. Jimmy Garoppolo auditioned to at least
get a backup job. It's possible that the worst job
in the world.

Speaker 4 (02:30:50):
Jimmy Garoppolo's one of those players where he does he
does a lot of good for himself because typically when
he gets into a game, he looks good. He's off
to a shaky start. He's off to a shaky start.
He got sacked once on the last drive. He's thrown
one completion as far as I can tell so far.
If you look up his stat line, it's still early

(02:31:11):
though they've only had two possessions of Rams.

Speaker 2 (02:31:14):
Jimmy Garoppolo's career record is a starting quarterback.

Speaker 3 (02:31:17):
You know what it is.

Speaker 4 (02:31:18):
His career record's good. I want to say, he's something
like hovering around like a sixty five percent winning percentage.

Speaker 3 (02:31:25):
Forty three and twenty. There it is, Yeah, about sixty
five percent. Yeah, forty ach is almost seventy percent. Now
there it is.

Speaker 2 (02:31:34):
Yeah, forty three and twenty is a starting court. Anybody
won a guy that's forty three and twenty is a
starting quarterback.

Speaker 4 (02:31:39):
Look, he played for a couple of really good franchises
at the right time. He played for the Patriots, and
then he went to the forty nine Ers when they
brought in Lynch and Shanahan.

Speaker 3 (02:31:50):
He was even three and three last year with the Raiders. Yeah, yeah,
as bad as ay. That's a good point.

Speaker 4 (02:31:55):
That's a good point too, because he did have the
stopover in Vegas I'm forgetting about. But even there, you're right,
he was the most competent of the quarterbacks, and it
almost felt like toward toward the middle of that season
because they were almost openly avoiding playing him, he was like, yeah,
I think I'm done here.

Speaker 3 (02:32:15):
Career passer radium ninety seven point six. Yeah, I don't know.
Pretty good numbers, all right.

Speaker 2 (02:32:19):
Coming out on the other side, updates you on the
five games going on, and of course Our big preview
of tonight's matchup between the Lions and the vikis this
is Red Zone Radio.

Speaker 13 (02:32:32):
Heavans how deployees to the right and the slot how
in motion Mike Evans strifts over to the left slot.
Baker Mayfield shotgun. They know what we're gonna do. So
Baker Mayfield looks those of all caughtball. Heavens, he's got
it to the forty yard line.

Speaker 10 (02:32:46):
What thousand plus Mike Evans eleven seasons in the row.

Speaker 9 (02:32:50):
How about the Buccaneers at number thirteen?

Speaker 13 (02:32:54):
He needed eighty five yards, He needed five on that
last play and he got eight.

Speaker 9 (02:32:59):
One thousand three for the great one. We're in thirteen.
That will be the final play.

Speaker 10 (02:33:03):
There's the Cannons, Fox win, Tampa Bay defeats them Orleans
twenty seven to nineteen.

Speaker 13 (02:33:10):
Heavan's over one thousand receiving yards. The Buccaneers cop.

Speaker 3 (02:33:13):
For the South again.

Speaker 2 (02:33:15):
That's ninety eight Rock Buccaneers Radio network. And by the way,
Mike Evans tying the NFL record held by the immortal
Jerry Rice most consecutive one thousand yard receiving seasons with eleven.

Speaker 3 (02:33:28):
Once again, there's Red Zone Radio.

Speaker 2 (02:33:30):
We are live from the tire rack dot Com studios,
and don't forget after the show, our podcasts will be
going up, So if you missed any of today's show,
be sure to check out the podcast. Just search Fox
Sports Radio wherever you get your podcasts, and follow, rate
and review the podcast. Again, just search Fox Sports Radio
wherever you get your podcasts. You'll see the show posted
right after we get off the air. Of course, we
want to thank the best crew on the planet. Monci

(02:33:53):
has battle all week. She had to sit on the
sidelines at one.

Speaker 3 (02:33:57):
Point hereing the week that you know what it's going
to stop.

Speaker 7 (02:34:00):
Thanks Chris for filling in on one of those days,
because I would have been sent home. Yeah yeah, it
would just showed up and everyone when playing cool.

Speaker 3 (02:34:07):
We will well the fun The thing about was I
was in that situation last month. I was coughing up
a storm and everything else.

Speaker 7 (02:34:14):
But we're good. We were good, you know, we switched off.

Speaker 4 (02:34:16):
We just you know, nobody wants the COVID twenty four
or whatever whatever edition we're up to. We're up there
every like the PS five, is that, the Xbox one,
the COVID twenty four.

Speaker 3 (02:34:27):
Either way, we don't want it. We don't want it,
of course.

Speaker 2 (02:34:30):
Chris uh and bo just doing phenomenal jobs today. By
the way, just an update, the Seahawks have just scored
and again, if the Rams lose this game, they will
drop to the four seed and the and the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers would be the three seed, which means if

(02:34:50):
the Rams are the four seed, they would host the
loser of tonight's game between the Lions and the Vikings.
By the way, Broncos Broncos may this game fifteen to nothing.
It's fourteen nothing Broncos over the Chiefs. Bo Nicks is
eight for eight one hundred and twenty five yards and
two touchdowns. Chiefs are making certain that it will not
be Joe Burrow in the postseason this year. Yeah, let's

(02:35:13):
talk about tonight's game, guys, Richie. Here we go, Lions
at home against a Vikings team. The fact that the
Lions are in this game is not a surprise. They
were the preseason favorites by many to win the NFC
and they have lived up to the hype despite injuries
they have suffered on the defensive side of the football.

(02:35:33):
Even Montgomery got hurt at running back. On the other side,
nobody predicted that the Vikings would be fourteen and two.
Kevin O'Connell should be a runaway Coach of the year.
Sam Darnold obviously you'd say comeback player of the year.

Speaker 3 (02:35:46):
But he's come back from what He never came back
from anything.

Speaker 2 (02:35:49):
So I mean it's like he is the come back
from obscurity. Unbelievable year for Sam Donald. What's your gut
feeling on this game tonight?

Speaker 1 (02:35:58):
Man?

Speaker 4 (02:35:58):
I wish I had a better read for people out
there who want wanta lean. Honestly, I'm gonna be watching
this purely from fan fascination.

Speaker 3 (02:36:10):
It's so hard to predict.

Speaker 4 (02:36:12):
If I like a team better, and it's more based on,
you know, the the level of play that they've consistently
played at this season, it would be Detroit. But Detroit
is pretty downtrodden, like they've had a lot of injuries.
I could see easily either outcome. I could easily see
the Vikings winning this game. I could easily see Detroit

(02:36:35):
winning this game. This is in my brain a pick them, bo.

Speaker 3 (02:36:38):
What do you think about the game tonight? Where are
you leaning here?

Speaker 5 (02:36:43):
Detroit? It's weird they're at home. They're probably the better
overall team. They're getting Alexanzeloni back, which is like every
little bit helps. So I think it'll be a close game.
But I think Detroit's gonna win.

Speaker 2 (02:36:54):
You know, we've been saying that, and understandably so. Lions
are the best team in the league. But that Viking
defense defense, they can put the pressure on the quarterback.
All right, Chris, here you go. I mean this is,
by the way, Chris's preseason prediction on the Liance was
sixteen and one, he said, half heartily jokingly, not too
far off.

Speaker 6 (02:37:16):
Off, like a thirteen and four, which I'm glad you did,
but I might have gone a little too far.

Speaker 3 (02:37:21):
And if you play, you're close. What is your biggest
concern about this game tonight, Chris, I mean it.

Speaker 6 (02:37:27):
Is the defense. I'm not worried about the offense at all.
And you know, we can bring up Brian Flores and
there's a lot to do like about what the Vikings
do on defense. But if there's one quarterback that seems
to have Brian Flora's number, it is Jared Goff. Was
beaten his defense is now four times in a row.
So I don't think that's the issue. It's going to
be the defense. As Bo pointed out, linebacker Alex Anzeloni

(02:37:50):
is probably going to play with a plate in his arm.
Big boost to them because where they looked really lost
against the forty nine ers was in their linebackers over
the middle. It's going to be it's going to be
a hell of a shootout. And you've got the best
receiver in football on one side. You've got an offense
that never really stops. It could very well just be
a team who holds onto the ball last.

Speaker 3 (02:38:11):
I'm still going to lean Lions in this game. Well,
I am.

Speaker 2 (02:38:13):
They have been an amazingly resilient team. The injuries is
part of it. Eat excuse, I mean never an excuse.
This game against the forty nine ers. They wanted to
get revenge for last years NFC Championship game. There was
a reason that Dan Campbell came into the game of
the mindset, we want to win this game. And then
you go back to the game where Jared got through
five interceptions and they won that game.

Speaker 4 (02:38:35):
I'll say this, Jared goff to Chris's point has performed
very well against the Blitz, but specifically against the Vikings
earlier this season. I looked up the stats because I
remembered them sort of being rifled over one of the shows.
The next morning, Seventeen of twenty nine of his dropbacks
were pressured against the Vikings. Last time around, he completed

(02:38:56):
twenty two of twenty five pass attempts went for two
to eighty and two touchdowns.

Speaker 3 (02:39:00):
So Goff has.

Speaker 4 (02:39:01):
Found the antidote to the Brian Flores Vikings blitz happy defense.
And here's the problem for the Detroit Lions. It worked
the first time around, it doesn't mean it'll work the
second time around. It is always difficult to find a
way to win against a team twice.

Speaker 2 (02:39:18):
Well, I will say this, The advantage for the Lions
is that Jared Goff has been there, done that.

Speaker 3 (02:39:23):
Yeah, he's been in games like this huge. This guy
has been to the Super Bowl. This guy has played
and this is first time for Sam Darnald. This is
the biggest game that Sam Darnald has ever started. It's
going to be a hostile crowd there, obviously in Detroit.
I'm not saying they can't do it, because I don't
think there's a lot of difference between these two rosters.

Speaker 2 (02:39:42):
But I would be shocked. Let's say if the Lions
lost this game at home.

Speaker 3 (02:39:47):
I think I'm leaning Lions as well. Camd Arrol Red
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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Steve Hartman & Rich Ohrnberger guide you through Week 18 on Fox Sports Red Zone Radio!