Richard Sherman reacts to an action-packed AFC Wild Card Weekend, breaking down the Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, and New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers. Sherm analyzes the Houston Texans’ defensive dominance against Pittsburgh, what went wrong for Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, how Josh Allen and the Bills took control of their playoff matchup, Trevor Lawrence’s postseason performance for the Jaguars, and what the Patriots–Chargers game revealed about both teams moving forward. From quarterback play and coaching decisions to defensive matchups and playoff pressure, Sherm delivers his unfiltered analysis on which AFC teams are built for a deep NFL postseason run to the Super Bowl — and which franchises face major offseason questions.
All lines provided by Hard Rock Bet.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast. And I just
want to say I appreciate you guys. You can be
getting your NFL content from anywhere, but you're here with me.
I'm thankful for you. So hit that sub button so
you can get the notifications when I'm dropping a new episode.
All love, folky guys are having a great New Year's
accomplish it all your New Year's resolutions and staying healthy.
(00:28):
Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast. And what a
slate of AFC Wildcard games just finished off with the
Houston Texans defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, and what a game
for them. Obviously we're gonna talk about the Bills and Jags,
and we got to talk about the Patson Chargers, but
the Houston Texans looked like the class of the AFC.
(00:50):
Even on a day where it looked like everything that
could go wrong did go wrong for the Houston Texans offense,
the defense said, hey, don't worry about it. Don't let
him score, don't give him a pick six or let
him return the fun before touchdown. Will handle the rest.
It was a healthy dose of Will Anderson, Danil Hunter,
(01:12):
Kaylin Bullocks, Kamari lassiter Aziz, I'll shay here. Everybody got
in on it, and it was a beautiful, beautiful game
by that defense. I just love it. I enjoyed every
second watching that defense. At times, Mitchell, I just wanted
the offense to just take take a knee, go back
to the huddle, take another knee, go back to the huddle,
(01:33):
take another knee, and put the ball because I want
this defense back on the field. And I'm gonna use
a great, a hardball quote Mitchell because he always says,
who got it better than us? And you gotta say nobody.
And all I want to say is who want to
play the Houston Texas And the answer is nobody. And
I mean not a soul.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I'm right there with you, Rich You saw this one
coming too. You've been talking, You've been talking them up
for the last eight weeks. I feel like this defense.
I feel like ever since you sat down with this
secondary at Thursday Night Football when you were down in Houston,
you sung their praises and they delivered. I mean, for
a team, the Houston Texans really gave the Pittsburgh Steelers
a lot of opportunity, especially in that first class in
(02:15):
that first half.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
CJ.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Stroud couldn't seem to hold onto the ball fumbled at
what five times? Two lost fumbles. I mean, if the
Steelers could have just taken advantage of those opportunities, this
game could have been so different. Because if you're just
flipping in now and you're seeing a final score of
thirty to six, I can promise you it did not
look like that throughout this game. The Texans defense, oh
my goodness, relentless, ferocious, Richard, this was a Richard Sherman game.
(02:40):
I just feel like you loved watching good defensive football,
and that's what we saw today. Offensively, though, the Houston Texans,
they got a guy who a resurgence of which, if
you want to call it that, Christian Kirk, What the
heck happened there? Eight receptions, one hundred and forty four
yards and a touchdown. He was a big bright light
(03:00):
for them on that offense, as well as Reddy Woody
Marks and then the battering ram Nick Chubb looked like
his old self. Forty eight tough yards. Richard, you love
this Texans team, but this was a dismantling in the
fourth quarter. I gotta believe you love him even more now.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah, I love them because they are who we thought
they were. They are who we thought they would be
in these playoffs. And CJ. Stroud, I don't think he'll
play another game this bad, where he fumbles in the pocket,
he throws a turnover, he throws an interception in the
red zone. Like it just was an awful, very humbling
game for CJ. Strout, And I think I'm sure he
(03:42):
went into that locker room and hugged his defense and
appreciated them because they bailed him out. And I know
next week he'll go to Jellette Stadium he'll play better
than he did. That Patriots defense though against the Chargers,
looked really formidable, really aggressive, running around, hitting very sound.
You know, Vrabel's gonna have them prepared. But I don't
(04:04):
think anything can prepare you for what the Houston Texans
are doing to people. Mitchell I thought I saw I thought.
I looked over and saw Tomlin on the phone, and
I was like, why is Tomlin on the phone. It's
a game going on, And I thought maybe he's calling
the police, because Mitchell, this is assault. This was assault
and then sometimes assault with a deadly weapon. Mitchell I
(04:24):
saw people getting hit clothes line. I saw people getting
flipped over. It was bad. It was bad, and it
was old school football, the best kind of football. And
if the Houston Texans, you can't tell me there's an
offensive line left in these playoffs that can block them,
and they only send in fall. They don't need to
send no more. They only need to send full And
(04:47):
if you can get away with sending four and getting
the kind of pressure that they put on the quarterback,
even with the tidy end chip and the running back ship,
it didn't matter. The Neil Hunter was All Pro, Will
Anderson All Pro. I think Petrie All Pro, but they
didn't give it to him because they miscapt classified him.
Stingley All Pro, Kamari Laughterter future All Pro, Kaylen Bullock
(05:12):
fifty yard pick six late in the game, but still
put the exclamation point on it is a future All Pro.
And when you've got guys, young guys who just don't
know any better, they get in playoff games and they
just do what they did all season, play as sound
as they could, run around, hit everything moving. And then
you got the pro bowler at Mike linebacker Ziz Austii
(05:34):
are doing the same thing he did commanding the ship,
steadying the ship. They're gonna be a tough outfit for
any team to deal with. And I can't wait to
see what happens in New England because it's not gonna
be any kind of walk in the park. And obviously
they understand that the issues are what are the Houston
(05:55):
Texans offense? Is Nico Collins gonna be healthy? Can they
get that going? What are they gonna do again this
front of the New England Patriots. They're the number two
seed for a reason, but they haven't seen anything like this,
no question about it. Richard.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
The way you dissected Houston's defense got me thinking, here, man,
we've seen a lot of great defenses since the Seattle
Seahawks have old won the Super Bowl. The legion of
boom Man, I mean ferocious. What you just described to
me was reminiscent of the Legion of Boom era.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Richard.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Is this the closest thing we've seen to the legion
of boom defense since you're playing days with Seattle?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Well, I don't know, because we haven't seen the Seattle
Seahawks defense get a chance to play in these playoffs yet,
and they've played fantastic all season long, so I can't
wait to get it for them to get their chance
to audition for that seat as the best defense since
we stepped on the field. But with the teams that
have played, that was the best performance by far this
playoffs by a defense. They had four sacks, a couple
(06:57):
forced fumbles. They recovered a fumble and ran it in
for a touchdown. They intercepted the football rant it in
for a touchdown. They said it, and that touchdown happened
when the game was still in doubt, the score was
ten to six and their offense was still struggling. I'm
sure Pittsburgh still had hope in this game. Hey, they
just need a touchdown, find a way to score a
touchdown in this game. And the Houston Texans defense just
(07:18):
said they did the old school Mortal Kombat deal Mitchell.
They finished. They said, he took the heart, pulled it
out of their chest, Mitchell threw it on the ground
and stepped on it. They closed that game. And that's
what great defenses do. What they did. If they can
go to if they can go to New England and
do the same thing, we'll get a potential rematch of
(07:44):
a regular season game. Versus two of these great defenses,
and the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans. If the
Denver Broncos can get through the Buffalo Bills, and that's
gonna be a defensive game that's gonna have me on
the edge of my seat the whole question about it.
Let's talk about these a little bit.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
You could see the frustration just take over Aaron Rodgers
after the fumble return for six pick six. He was
just letting it, letting it fly out there once they
went down ten points. Richard, Are we gonna see Aaron
Rodgers back in Pittsburgh next year?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Or is this it?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
I mean, he looked a lot better than I think
a lot of folks had anticipated coming into the season.
Helped lead this team to the playoffs. You know, I
don't think this is a season that the organization is
gonna say, hey, this is a lost season. I think
this is a win for them all things considered. Aaron
Rodgers did a lot with not much. I mean, his
primary weapon was DK Metcalf. They got Kenneth game well
(08:40):
involved heavily at the end of the season. Jalen Warren,
I mean those are their main offensive weapons that I
just rattled off and Aaron Rodgers led this team to
the playoffs. I think he's still got something left in
the tank. Do you think we see him next year?
That's a That's a question I wish I could answer.
I'm not in that front offense. I'm not in that
(09:00):
ownership group with Rooney, with Rooney's but I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
I really, I really can't put it because they're the
fan base, from what I understand, has grown fatigued of
just feeling like they're in the hamster wheel, like it's
always winning season, but it's always first round exit. Like
if they make the playoffs, cool, that's like the celebration
because they know it's gonna be a first round exit.
(09:28):
They've they've played in eight playoff games and have eight
playoff losses, and I think that gets kind of stale,
like it's I think the same thing happened with the
Baltimore Ravens. It's like, hey, Okay, we understand you had
you want us a super Bowl. We appreciate that you've
been here a long time, but it's time for some
new blood. And I think with the with the Baltimore
(09:48):
Ravens moving on for Jim Harp I mean, John Harball.
I think it's gonna it's gonna maybe spark something in
the Pittsburgh Steelers to potentially do the same thing. And
maybe Tomlin's think of this same thing. Maybe it's run
its course. And I think if they do that, if
they have a change at head coach, I couldn't see
Aaron Rodgers coming back in that scenario. I can I
(10:09):
don't know if I see Aaron Rodgers coming back with
the regime change in that in that way, because it's
almost like a total franchise reset, and they'd start, you know,
shedding old things and getting new things in there. And
and Pittsburgh doesn't fire coaches often. They don't have new
coaches very often. They stay with the same coaches for
a very long periods of time. So if they do
(10:32):
get rid of Tomlin, the next coach is gonna want
to come in immediately inject his culture and check his
rules and everything in place. And does Aaron fit that.
Do these old older veterans who haven't been with Pittsburgh
Steelers very long fit what they're trying to do? Obviously,
they're gonna have to make a choice on Joey Porter Junior,
who had a fantastic season. Are they gonna pay him
(10:53):
big time corner money because he showed he can be lead.
He played a fantastic game in this get in this
playoff game, and he showed what he can do. If
they don't do what somebody else will. But I really
can't say. Next week will be a big week for
the Pittsburgh Steelers and they'll tell us a lot about
their future, no question about it. I know you're fired
up to talk about this game. The Buffalo Bills take
(11:14):
care of your boy, Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A doozy of a game comes down to the wire.
Trevor Lawrence ultimately throws an interception when there you know,
could potentially go to tie this game, force overtime, potentially
win it. Richard.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
You've had your reservations about Trevor Lawrence for years now,
and I've been singing his praises for the second half
of the season, and I like what I saw for
the most part this game, until the lights got bright
and the pressure was on them. That interception, Richard, what
does that do for Trevor Lawrence's career? Unable to get
(11:52):
past the first round after having an overall great season.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
I don't think it does anything for his legacy and
and I think it was just a feel good story
in the NFL. You know, the Jacksonville Jaguars had you know,
they won three games last year, so for them to
win as many games as they did this season put
themselves in position win the AFC South, be be dominant
in some of those games. He gets to play his
(12:18):
best football of his career. I think it was it
was house money for them, you know, they were you know,
it's one of those situations. They're just happy to be here.
They're just happy to be here. So you know, he's
not held to that same standard that all these elites
that the that the Joe Burrow and the and the
Josh Allen and the Mahomes. He's not heild to that
kind of standard. They're they're just happy to have made
the playoffs. They have. They have something cool to build on.
(12:40):
Uh Liam Cohen looks like the looks like a great coach.
They built a good culture. They they brought in, They
brought in the receiver Kobe Myers. Jacobe Myers signed him
to a longer term deal. He looks like to be
a true number two at times and number one for
them and that system, and he's really comfortable and another
(13:03):
off season with him is gonna be fantastic. I think
they're really excited. They have really really great building blocks
on that defense as well. They they created a lot
of turnovers, played really good football down the stretch, So
I think they feel good. I think the fans feel
good and excited about the future. They have hope, So
(13:24):
I don't think it's anything bad, even the past that
that Trevor Lawrence got intercepted on. You know, I thought
it was a good ball. It's one of those situations
where dB made a great play. Our guy, Tradavius White
had a fantastic game for the Buffalo Bills. You love
to see that for him. You know, that's his true home,
the team that drafted him. He made his rounds other
places and came back home and is still able to
(13:45):
make plays for that team. And it just felt good
to see that. But you know, I know everybody thought
I would just kill on on Trevor Lawrence, but it
just he played solid in that game. You know, when
when it's deserved, when he when he when he does
not play well, I will let you know he did
not play well, but when he plays well, he had
a really good season. He had a really good game.
He did unfortunately have the turnover, but he was he
(14:07):
was pushing the ball down the field, making plays with
his legs like he had all season. He didn't play,
he didn't regress in this game. You know, the Buffalo
Bills just played better. They had more time, they made
enough plays, and the ball bounced their way. So I
think it was still a good season for the Jacksonville Jaguars,
and they got a bright future. They got to continue it.
The the I don't even want to say resurgence of
(14:31):
Parker Washington, but the emergence of Parker Washington was huge
for them. He got a little banged up in this
game and the offense went really stagnant, and then he
got back in the game and you saw his impact.
Immediately he started, they started to drive the ball down
the field. He started to make big plays. Explosive plays
came right after he returned, So it was really cool
to see him. The thing I was concerned about is
(14:55):
the same thing I'm concerned about with all these offensive
genius coaches. They get too damn cute in these games
and they cost their teams every time they want to show, Oh,
I got all these cool concepts. Watch what I do
with my quarterback. Watch I watch all these concepts down
the field when you had when you had two and
averaging twelve yards to carry. He only had four carries, Mitchell,
(15:18):
he had four carries, He averaged twelve a carry, and
you thought, hey, don't give him the ball anymore. Travis
etm was running the ball. Well you think, ah, we
don't need to run anymore. I got all these I
got this list of pass plays I want to get off.
And that's the thing that is gonna have to change
in the playoffs. It's what Lafloor keep learning, the hard
lesson he keeps learning. It's the lesson that Kyle Shanahan
(15:40):
many Super bowls, multiple Super Bowls where everybody's conversation is
he should have ran the ball more. And I'm sure
he looks at himself and kicks himself about that because
he knows he should have ran the ball more. And
you look at this game. If they had just stuck
with the run game, their defense was playing good football.
Run the football, keep running the football, run the clock
like you're dominating their offensive line was dominant. They were
(16:03):
moving the Buffalo bills out, They're displacing him, resetting the
line of scrimmage consistently, and they went away from it,
and they went away from it, and that's when the
interceptions come. That's when the mistakes started to happen because
you unnecessarily went away from it. You don't need to
showcase your quarterback like cool you got you got a
quarterback you believe in. Understood, But if you're if you
(16:24):
got a running back that got twelve getting twelve a carried,
then you let him get a few more carries until
proven otherwise he was getting chuck plays. I think it
was the first drive of the game. He got fourteen yards,
twelve yards, twenty yards, and then you look up and
I don't think he touched the field again. And so
those are the things that I'm sure Liam Cohen. It's
his first first year and it's a great first year
(16:46):
for him. Things he'll learn from and be better in
the future.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
And to that point, they had fourteen rush attamps between
ETN and two in all game. And guess what on
those fourteen at times they had one hundred and eighteen yards. Yeah,
to that point, and This was a defense that overall
contained one of the best running backs in football, and
James Cook held him to forty six yards on fifteen carries.
(17:10):
I saw stat leeding in. I don't know the last
time the Jags gave up more than eighty yards rushing
to a running back. I don't know if it didn't
happen all season or what, but there was rumblings this
might be the best run defense in football in Jacksonville.
And they took it to James Cook. And that's when
the tide turn and it was Josh Allen's time to shine,
(17:30):
and he rose to the occasion two hundred and seventy
three yards and a touchdown. Let's talk about legacy, because
this is Josh Allen's time, right He is the giant
that is remaining in this playoffs. There is no Patrick Mahomes,
There is no longer any Tom Brady's of the world
out there. This is Josh Allen's moment as a seventh seed.
They're going to be going on the road playing against Denver.
(17:50):
They took it to him last wildcard last year. And
this is a different Buffalo team. I mean, Khalil Shakir
was who was leaned on all game twelve eighty two yards.
You know, he's a sure handed guy, but he's not
a deep threat. He's more of a slot guy. And
then they got the guy Brandon Cooks, you know, the veteran,
the surehanded veteran that unfortunately had a big drop this game,
(18:11):
but he provides another safety net for Josh Allen. I
know you're not as high on Buffalo as I am.
I do like Buffalo to come out of the AFC.
Do you see anything differently after this game, because let's
not sell it short. Beating Jacksonville on the road and
what Vegas called a toss up game is a big deal,
and it's a big deal for Josh Allen. Do you
(18:33):
like Buffalo and their performance this game?
Speaker 1 (18:35):
I like Buffalo and their performance because they win a
road game. But again, did I wasn't as high on
the Jacksonville Jaguars as everybody else was. I think I
think they're a fantastic feel good story. They played great ball,
no question about it. I thought the Buffalo Bills could
win this game. That's why I in the preview playoff preview,
I said Buffalo Bills will winning this game. But I
(18:56):
think the Buffalo Bills are reaching their peak and they
could have easily lost this game if they continue to
stick to the run game. They Buffalo had no answer
for it. They had no answer for what they were
doing on the ground. And I think they're gonna run
into the Denver Broncos and Sean Payton's not gonna make
that mistake. He has no problem. He's not gonna get
bored running the football. He'll He'll run the football until
(19:17):
the cows come home. If that's what you're gonna give him,
He's gonna take what the defense gives him. And I
think that's what's gonna make this game different. His defense
isn't gonna let Josh Allen just beat him. They're gonna
be good against the pass. They're gonna be good against
James Cook, and I think that's gonna be the difference
in this next game is the run game. It can
bow Knicks b be as efficient as he needs to
(19:39):
be to beat the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen. We'll see.
Josh Allen does not play bad in the playoffs. He
does not, he has not, and I don't think he
will this game. He's even in games that he's lost
to Patrick Mahomes and Burrow and Lamar. He's played, he's
done his part, and he's thrown for three hundred plus
yards and multiple touchdowns, and again, the defen has been
(20:00):
the reason he's gone home. And I think that'll be
the truth in this game. I think he'll do his
part and he'll give him a chance. But this is
a very tough defense to go against, really talented, really
talented pass rushers, and I think on the other side,
Courtland Sutton is going to give a lot of problems
to this Buffalo Bill's defense.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Next weekend is going to be a wild one, no
question about it. We got to move on to the
New England Patriots taking care of business against La New
England went off this offseat and spent a boatload of
money on veteran free agent, one of which was Milton Williams,
who we saw come over from the Philadelphia Eagles, and
this guy before we get into this game, the sack
that ended this game, you could just see the energy
(20:44):
on that sideline. Mike Vrabel, And I know you like
Mike Rabel a lot former player, obviously, heck of a coach,
comes there with full emotion every day he walks away
chess bumps. Milton Williams gets a bloody lip, Richard, how
much do you love seeing that from your coach? Pete
was fiery, but I think Mike Vrabel's a different level
of fiery, having you know, the fact that he's the
(21:06):
same size as his players and played in the league
for numerous seasons.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
And I think that's what makes this this New England
Patriots team so fun. He's such a different coach than
Bill Belichick. I'm sure he has some foundational things that
he tries to emulate from a very successful New England
Patriots coach, but he has so much passion and love
and regard for his players, and they can feel that.
You can tell he doesn't want to be there to
(21:31):
be a gap between them. He doesn't want there to be, Hey,
this coach player hierarchy. He wants to be able to
look him eye to eye them to understand, I care
about you. We're in this battle together. I want to
go to war with you. I'm bleeding like you bleeding.
And I think that's why these guys are going all
out and playing their best football for him. He's maximizing
(21:52):
these defensive players. There's so many guys that were that
were kind of cast offs that he's taken in and
they have really really played at the top of their
game for him, and it's beautiful to see. And then
in the back end Christian and Zalez. He's gonna be
an issue. He's gonna be a factor in this game.
And uh, but that the Chargers defense got to Drake
(22:17):
May and they got to him consistently. Oway had three sacks,
They sacked Drake May five times, forced two fumbles in
that game. They they took one football from him, they
intercepted him. And again, that's the thing that I think
is gonna doom them against the Houston Texans, is those
those issues dealing with Oh way, you think Oway was
(22:38):
an issue, wait till you deal with Daniel Hunter and
Will Anderson. They're a whole different beast than that. And
they are they are going to be there, and they're
going to be pass rushing consistently. They're gonna be They're
gonna give you a lot of issues. So can they
push the ball down the field as they've done all
season long? Ken Drake may have the time to be
as efficient of a downfield passer as he's been. I'm
(23:00):
not sure. I'm not sure he's gonna be able to
do that, but he was able to do it in
this game versus the Chargers, but it started slow. This
game was a three to six ball game for a
lot of this game, and it was back and forth
that they couldn't get away. And a lot of the
Chargers issues are because they were without their two star
tackles and Rashaun Slater who they lost in training camp
(23:21):
and Joe Alt who they lost multiple times during the
season and finally lost for good somewhere a little past
midseason to that high ankle spring. They they couldn't they
couldn't protect her, and and the New England Patriots took
advantage of it. They sacked them six times. That defense
was roaring, they were, they were feisty, they were they
were running and hitting. I mean, they looked like a
(23:42):
Mike Vrabel coach defense, no question about that. But but
are they gonna be able to do that to the
Houston Texans Now, the Houston Texans O line, they aren't
world beaters. They gave up some pressure to to to
the Pittsburgh Steelers, no question about it, And and CJ.
Stroud fumbled the foot also, that's gonna be a concern.
H Clavon Chase On played really well in his game,
(24:05):
and Milton Williams they both had two sacks apiece. But
if CJ. Stroud can protect the football and they can
give it to Mars and they can do what they
need to do to run the football, a consistent show
up dose of Nick Chubb, they'll be fine. But we'll see.
As I said, Mike Rabel is gonna have them so prepared.
(24:27):
This is a big win against the Chargers. This team.
Everybody has said this Patriots team, they had such a
light schedule, such an easy, soft schedule, They're not gonna
be able to beat winning teams. And they beat a
very good Chargers team, a very good Chargers defense, and
I'm looking for it. If they can beat this Houston
Texans team, all bets are off. You know what.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
They look confident and Drake maylook's poised beyond his years.
And then you add in the battering Rams at running back,
Travion Henderson and Remandre Stevenson. They've got the pieces available
at their to take carry Houston. Richard, how do you
coach the Patriots up offensively to beat a defense like Houston,
(25:08):
Because it seems like it might be an insurmountable task
right now.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
It's it's about protecting the football, and it's gonna be
death five thousand cuts. You gotta take what the defense
gives you. There was some there was some success that
the Pittsburgh Steelers found, you know, running these corner corner
routes and attacking the edges of these defenses, the edges
of these zones and putting them in tough positions. So
if they can protect the drake nay long enough. There
(25:33):
there are some holes in this secondary holes in these
these zones that they run that you can take advantage of.
The problem is, it's a lot easier said than done.
But if they can block it up. You know, they've
been susceptible to some of these corner routes and if
you if you can get in the second window, these
dig routes, so there's a chance they can do that.
They can get that done. They'll have to really stick
(25:57):
to the run game, stick to run games, stick to
run game, stick to the running game, and you can't
go away from it. That's playoff football. And Mike Rabel
of course knows that run the football, don't turn the
ball over. Play great defense. That's that's how you went.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Well, it was an exceptional Wildcar weekend. You know what
I gotta say, Saturday night, wild finishes, Sunday good games.
I mean, which game impressed you the most? So, Richard,
which team really impressed you the most this Wildcar weekend?
Speaker 1 (26:29):
The team that probably impressed me the most Houston Texans.
It's got to be a Houston Texans, just because they
just looked so dominant in this game. They didn't even
need their offense to show up on the field at all.
Their defense scored two touchdowns. If the offense didn't show
up at all, they still win that game. And that
(26:49):
is impressive. That's really impressive. They're going against the future
Hall of Fame quarterback and Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh, a
tough place to play in the weather, in the conditions,
and they walked all dog walked that offense all over
the field and had their way. And I expect him
to go to New England and really really be dominant. Well, Richard, we've.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Been doing this for a number of years now. You've developed,
you know, a good fan base, but also a certain
number of haters from different team markets. You know what
a lot of people coming at you in the comments
section all season long, but I gotta give it to you, man,
You're a savant six for six right in your calls
on wild Card weekend. So all the haters up in
(27:29):
Green Bay hate to tell you Richard was right. All
the haters in Jacksonville hate to tell you Richard was right.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Richard.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Impressive showing by you wildcard weekend. Impressive showing on Saturday
night in Chicago. It's been a hell of a weekend.
It's been a hell of a time all season long.
My man, we got another great one coming up next weekend.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Richard, always a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
I'll let you sign us off, my friend.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
As always, we appreciate you guys joining us. You could
be anywhere in the world, but you're here with us,
and we sincerely appreciated you're getting your NFL content. Understand this,
The season must go on. If your team loss, don't
worry about it. Go watch some college football. You're ready
for the draft. If your team's still in it, keep
hope alive, Cheer loudly, and make sure you check us
(28:15):
out for a Divisional round preview coming up later this week.
Can't wait. Hit that sub button if you never
Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast. And I just
want to say I appreciate you guys. You can be
getting your NFL content from anywhere, but you're here with me.
I'm thankful for you. So hit that sub button so
you can get the notifications when I'm dropping a new episode.
All love, folky guys are having a great New Year's
accomplish it all your New Year's resolutions and staying healthy.
(00:28):
Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast. And what a
slate of AFC Wildcard games just finished off with the
Houston Texans defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, and what a game
for them. Obviously we're gonna talk about the Bills and Jags,
and we got to talk about the Patson Chargers, but
the Houston Texans looked like the class of the AFC.
(00:50):
Even on a day where it looked like everything that
could go wrong did go wrong for the Houston Texans offense,
the defense said, hey, don't worry about it. Don't let
him score, don't give him a pick six or let
him return the fun before touchdown. Will handle the rest.
It was a healthy dose of Will Anderson, Danil Hunter,
(01:12):
Kaylin Bullocks, Kamari lassiter Aziz, I'll shay here. Everybody got
in on it, and it was a beautiful, beautiful game
by that defense. I just love it. I enjoyed every
second watching that defense. At times, Mitchell, I just wanted
the offense to just take take a knee, go back
to the huddle, take another knee, go back to the huddle,
(01:33):
take another knee, and put the ball because I want
this defense back on the field. And I'm gonna use
a great, a hardball quote Mitchell because he always says,
who got it better than us? And you gotta say nobody.
And all I want to say is who want to
play the Houston Texas And the answer is nobody. And
I mean not a soul.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I'm right there with you, Rich You saw this one
coming too. You've been talking, You've been talking them up
for the last eight weeks. I feel like this defense.
I feel like ever since you sat down with this
secondary at Thursday Night Football when you were down in Houston,
you sung their praises and they delivered. I mean, for
a team, the Houston Texans really gave the Pittsburgh Steelers
a lot of opportunity, especially in that first class in
(02:15):
that first half.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
CJ.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Stroud couldn't seem to hold onto the ball fumbled at
what five times? Two lost fumbles. I mean, if the
Steelers could have just taken advantage of those opportunities, this
game could have been so different. Because if you're just
flipping in now and you're seeing a final score of
thirty to six, I can promise you it did not
look like that throughout this game. The Texans defense, oh
my goodness, relentless, ferocious, Richard, this was a Richard Sherman game.
(02:40):
I just feel like you loved watching good defensive football,
and that's what we saw today. Offensively, though, the Houston Texans,
they got a guy who a resurgence of which, if
you want to call it that, Christian Kirk, What the
heck happened there? Eight receptions, one hundred and forty four
yards and a touchdown. He was a big bright light
(03:00):
for them on that offense, as well as Reddy Woody
Marks and then the battering ram Nick Chubb looked like
his old self. Forty eight tough yards. Richard, you love
this Texans team, but this was a dismantling in the
fourth quarter. I gotta believe you love him even more now.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah, I love them because they are who we thought
they were. They are who we thought they would be
in these playoffs. And CJ. Stroud, I don't think he'll
play another game this bad, where he fumbles in the pocket,
he throws a turnover, he throws an interception in the
red zone. Like it just was an awful, very humbling
game for CJ. Strout, And I think I'm sure he
(03:42):
went into that locker room and hugged his defense and
appreciated them because they bailed him out. And I know
next week he'll go to Jellette Stadium he'll play better
than he did. That Patriots defense though against the Chargers,
looked really formidable, really aggressive, running around, hitting very sound.
You know, Vrabel's gonna have them prepared. But I don't
(04:04):
think anything can prepare you for what the Houston Texans
are doing to people. Mitchell I thought I saw I thought.
I looked over and saw Tomlin on the phone, and
I was like, why is Tomlin on the phone. It's
a game going on, And I thought maybe he's calling
the police, because Mitchell, this is assault. This was assault
and then sometimes assault with a deadly weapon. Mitchell I
(04:24):
saw people getting hit clothes line. I saw people getting
flipped over. It was bad. It was bad, and it
was old school football, the best kind of football. And
if the Houston Texans, you can't tell me there's an
offensive line left in these playoffs that can block them,
and they only send in fall. They don't need to
send no more. They only need to send full And
(04:47):
if you can get away with sending four and getting
the kind of pressure that they put on the quarterback,
even with the tidy end chip and the running back ship,
it didn't matter. The Neil Hunter was All Pro, Will
Anderson All Pro. I think Petrie All Pro, but they
didn't give it to him because they miscapt classified him.
Stingley All Pro, Kamari Laughterter future All Pro, Kaylen Bullock
(05:12):
fifty yard pick six late in the game, but still
put the exclamation point on it is a future All Pro.
And when you've got guys, young guys who just don't
know any better, they get in playoff games and they
just do what they did all season, play as sound
as they could, run around, hit everything moving. And then
you got the pro bowler at Mike linebacker Ziz Austii
(05:34):
are doing the same thing he did commanding the ship,
steadying the ship. They're gonna be a tough outfit for
any team to deal with. And I can't wait to
see what happens in New England because it's not gonna
be any kind of walk in the park. And obviously
they understand that the issues are what are the Houston
(05:55):
Texans offense? Is Nico Collins gonna be healthy? Can they
get that going? What are they gonna do again this
front of the New England Patriots. They're the number two
seed for a reason, but they haven't seen anything like this,
no question about it. Richard.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
The way you dissected Houston's defense got me thinking, here, man,
we've seen a lot of great defenses since the Seattle
Seahawks have old won the Super Bowl. The legion of
boom Man, I mean ferocious. What you just described to
me was reminiscent of the Legion of Boom era.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Richard.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Is this the closest thing we've seen to the legion
of boom defense since you're playing days with Seattle?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Well, I don't know, because we haven't seen the Seattle
Seahawks defense get a chance to play in these playoffs yet,
and they've played fantastic all season long, so I can't
wait to get it for them to get their chance
to audition for that seat as the best defense since
we stepped on the field. But with the teams that
have played, that was the best performance by far this
playoffs by a defense. They had four sacks, a couple
(06:57):
forced fumbles. They recovered a fumble and ran it in
for a touchdown. They intercepted the football rant it in
for a touchdown. They said it, and that touchdown happened
when the game was still in doubt, the score was
ten to six and their offense was still struggling. I'm
sure Pittsburgh still had hope in this game. Hey, they
just need a touchdown, find a way to score a
touchdown in this game. And the Houston Texans defense just
(07:18):
said they did the old school Mortal Kombat deal Mitchell.
They finished. They said, he took the heart, pulled it
out of their chest, Mitchell threw it on the ground
and stepped on it. They closed that game. And that's
what great defenses do. What they did. If they can
go to if they can go to New England and
do the same thing, we'll get a potential rematch of
(07:44):
a regular season game. Versus two of these great defenses,
and the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans. If the
Denver Broncos can get through the Buffalo Bills, and that's
gonna be a defensive game that's gonna have me on
the edge of my seat the whole question about it.
Let's talk about these a little bit.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
You could see the frustration just take over Aaron Rodgers
after the fumble return for six pick six. He was
just letting it, letting it fly out there once they
went down ten points. Richard, Are we gonna see Aaron
Rodgers back in Pittsburgh next year?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Or is this it?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
I mean, he looked a lot better than I think
a lot of folks had anticipated coming into the season.
Helped lead this team to the playoffs. You know, I
don't think this is a season that the organization is
gonna say, hey, this is a lost season. I think
this is a win for them all things considered. Aaron
Rodgers did a lot with not much. I mean, his
primary weapon was DK Metcalf. They got Kenneth game well
(08:40):
involved heavily at the end of the season. Jalen Warren,
I mean those are their main offensive weapons that I
just rattled off and Aaron Rodgers led this team to
the playoffs. I think he's still got something left in
the tank. Do you think we see him next year?
That's a That's a question I wish I could answer.
I'm not in that front offense. I'm not in that
(09:00):
ownership group with Rooney, with Rooney's but I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
I really, I really can't put it because they're the
fan base, from what I understand, has grown fatigued of
just feeling like they're in the hamster wheel, like it's
always winning season, but it's always first round exit. Like
if they make the playoffs, cool, that's like the celebration
because they know it's gonna be a first round exit.
(09:28):
They've they've played in eight playoff games and have eight
playoff losses, and I think that gets kind of stale,
like it's I think the same thing happened with the
Baltimore Ravens. It's like, hey, Okay, we understand you had
you want us a super Bowl. We appreciate that you've
been here a long time, but it's time for some
new blood. And I think with the with the Baltimore
(09:48):
Ravens moving on for Jim Harp I mean, John Harball.
I think it's gonna it's gonna maybe spark something in
the Pittsburgh Steelers to potentially do the same thing. And
maybe Tomlin's think of this same thing. Maybe it's run
its course. And I think if they do that, if
they have a change at head coach, I couldn't see
Aaron Rodgers coming back in that scenario. I can I
(10:09):
don't know if I see Aaron Rodgers coming back with
the regime change in that in that way, because it's
almost like a total franchise reset, and they'd start, you know,
shedding old things and getting new things in there. And
and Pittsburgh doesn't fire coaches often. They don't have new
coaches very often. They stay with the same coaches for
a very long periods of time. So if they do
(10:32):
get rid of Tomlin, the next coach is gonna want
to come in immediately inject his culture and check his
rules and everything in place. And does Aaron fit that.
Do these old older veterans who haven't been with Pittsburgh
Steelers very long fit what they're trying to do? Obviously,
they're gonna have to make a choice on Joey Porter Junior,
who had a fantastic season. Are they gonna pay him
(10:53):
big time corner money because he showed he can be lead.
He played a fantastic game in this get in this
playoff game, and he showed what he can do. If
they don't do what somebody else will. But I really
can't say. Next week will be a big week for
the Pittsburgh Steelers and they'll tell us a lot about
their future, no question about it. I know you're fired
up to talk about this game. The Buffalo Bills take
(11:14):
care of your boy, Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A doozy of a game comes down to the wire.
Trevor Lawrence ultimately throws an interception when there you know,
could potentially go to tie this game, force overtime, potentially
win it. Richard.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
You've had your reservations about Trevor Lawrence for years now,
and I've been singing his praises for the second half
of the season, and I like what I saw for
the most part this game, until the lights got bright
and the pressure was on them. That interception, Richard, what
does that do for Trevor Lawrence's career? Unable to get
(11:52):
past the first round after having an overall great season.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
I don't think it does anything for his legacy and
and I think it was just a feel good story
in the NFL. You know, the Jacksonville Jaguars had you know,
they won three games last year, so for them to
win as many games as they did this season put
themselves in position win the AFC South, be be dominant
in some of those games. He gets to play his
(12:18):
best football of his career. I think it was it
was house money for them, you know, they were you know,
it's one of those situations. They're just happy to be here.
They're just happy to be here. So you know, he's
not held to that same standard that all these elites
that the that the Joe Burrow and the and the
Josh Allen and the Mahomes. He's not heild to that
kind of standard. They're they're just happy to have made
the playoffs. They have. They have something cool to build on.
(12:40):
Uh Liam Cohen looks like the looks like a great coach.
They built a good culture. They they brought in, They
brought in the receiver Kobe Myers. Jacobe Myers signed him
to a longer term deal. He looks like to be
a true number two at times and number one for
them and that system, and he's really comfortable and another
(13:03):
off season with him is gonna be fantastic. I think
they're really excited. They have really really great building blocks
on that defense as well. They they created a lot
of turnovers, played really good football down the stretch, So
I think they feel good. I think the fans feel
good and excited about the future. They have hope, So
(13:24):
I don't think it's anything bad, even the past that
that Trevor Lawrence got intercepted on. You know, I thought
it was a good ball. It's one of those situations
where dB made a great play. Our guy, Tradavius White
had a fantastic game for the Buffalo Bills. You love
to see that for him. You know, that's his true home,
the team that drafted him. He made his rounds other
places and came back home and is still able to
(13:45):
make plays for that team. And it just felt good
to see that. But you know, I know everybody thought
I would just kill on on Trevor Lawrence, but it
just he played solid in that game. You know, when
when it's deserved, when he when he when he does
not play well, I will let you know he did
not play well, but when he plays well, he had
a really good season. He had a really good game.
He did unfortunately have the turnover, but he was he
(14:07):
was pushing the ball down the field, making plays with
his legs like he had all season. He didn't play,
he didn't regress in this game. You know, the Buffalo
Bills just played better. They had more time, they made
enough plays, and the ball bounced their way. So I
think it was still a good season for the Jacksonville Jaguars,
and they got a bright future. They got to continue it.
The the I don't even want to say resurgence of
(14:31):
Parker Washington, but the emergence of Parker Washington was huge
for them. He got a little banged up in this
game and the offense went really stagnant, and then he
got back in the game and you saw his impact.
Immediately he started, they started to drive the ball down
the field. He started to make big plays. Explosive plays
came right after he returned, So it was really cool
to see him. The thing I was concerned about is
(14:55):
the same thing I'm concerned about with all these offensive
genius coaches. They get too damn cute in these games
and they cost their teams every time they want to show, Oh,
I got all these cool concepts. Watch what I do
with my quarterback. Watch I watch all these concepts down
the field when you had when you had two and
averaging twelve yards to carry. He only had four carries, Mitchell,
(15:18):
he had four carries, He averaged twelve a carry, and
you thought, hey, don't give him the ball anymore. Travis
etm was running the ball. Well you think, ah, we
don't need to run anymore. I got all these I
got this list of pass plays I want to get off.
And that's the thing that is gonna have to change
in the playoffs. It's what Lafloor keep learning, the hard
lesson he keeps learning. It's the lesson that Kyle Shanahan
(15:40):
many Super bowls, multiple Super Bowls where everybody's conversation is
he should have ran the ball more. And I'm sure
he looks at himself and kicks himself about that because
he knows he should have ran the ball more. And
you look at this game. If they had just stuck
with the run game, their defense was playing good football.
Run the football, keep running the football, run the clock
like you're dominating their offensive line was dominant. They were
(16:03):
moving the Buffalo bills out, They're displacing him, resetting the
line of scrimmage consistently, and they went away from it,
and they went away from it, and that's when the
interceptions come. That's when the mistakes started to happen because
you unnecessarily went away from it. You don't need to
showcase your quarterback like cool you got you got a
quarterback you believe in. Understood, But if you're if you
(16:24):
got a running back that got twelve getting twelve a carried,
then you let him get a few more carries until
proven otherwise he was getting chuck plays. I think it
was the first drive of the game. He got fourteen yards,
twelve yards, twenty yards, and then you look up and
I don't think he touched the field again. And so
those are the things that I'm sure Liam Cohen. It's
his first first year and it's a great first year
(16:46):
for him. Things he'll learn from and be better in
the future.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
And to that point, they had fourteen rush attamps between
ETN and two in all game. And guess what on
those fourteen at times they had one hundred and eighteen yards. Yeah,
to that point, and This was a defense that overall
contained one of the best running backs in football, and
James Cook held him to forty six yards on fifteen carries.
(17:10):
I saw stat leeding in. I don't know the last
time the Jags gave up more than eighty yards rushing
to a running back. I don't know if it didn't
happen all season or what, but there was rumblings this
might be the best run defense in football in Jacksonville.
And they took it to James Cook. And that's when
the tide turn and it was Josh Allen's time to shine,
(17:30):
and he rose to the occasion two hundred and seventy
three yards and a touchdown. Let's talk about legacy, because
this is Josh Allen's time, right He is the giant
that is remaining in this playoffs. There is no Patrick Mahomes,
There is no longer any Tom Brady's of the world
out there. This is Josh Allen's moment as a seventh seed.
They're going to be going on the road playing against Denver.
(17:50):
They took it to him last wildcard last year. And
this is a different Buffalo team. I mean, Khalil Shakir
was who was leaned on all game twelve eighty two yards.
You know, he's a sure handed guy, but he's not
a deep threat. He's more of a slot guy. And
then they got the guy Brandon Cooks, you know, the veteran,
the surehanded veteran that unfortunately had a big drop this game,
(18:11):
but he provides another safety net for Josh Allen. I
know you're not as high on Buffalo as I am.
I do like Buffalo to come out of the AFC.
Do you see anything differently after this game, because let's
not sell it short. Beating Jacksonville on the road and
what Vegas called a toss up game is a big deal,
and it's a big deal for Josh Allen. Do you
(18:33):
like Buffalo and their performance this game?
Speaker 1 (18:35):
I like Buffalo and their performance because they win a
road game. But again, did I wasn't as high on
the Jacksonville Jaguars as everybody else was. I think I
think they're a fantastic feel good story. They played great ball,
no question about it. I thought the Buffalo Bills could
win this game. That's why I in the preview playoff preview,
I said Buffalo Bills will winning this game. But I
(18:56):
think the Buffalo Bills are reaching their peak and they
could have easily lost this game if they continue to
stick to the run game. They Buffalo had no answer
for it. They had no answer for what they were
doing on the ground. And I think they're gonna run
into the Denver Broncos and Sean Payton's not gonna make
that mistake. He has no problem. He's not gonna get
bored running the football. He'll He'll run the football until
(19:17):
the cows come home. If that's what you're gonna give him,
He's gonna take what the defense gives him. And I
think that's what's gonna make this game different. His defense
isn't gonna let Josh Allen just beat him. They're gonna
be good against the pass. They're gonna be good against
James Cook, and I think that's gonna be the difference
in this next game is the run game. It can
bow Knicks b be as efficient as he needs to
(19:39):
be to beat the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen. We'll see.
Josh Allen does not play bad in the playoffs. He
does not, he has not, and I don't think he
will this game. He's even in games that he's lost
to Patrick Mahomes and Burrow and Lamar. He's played, he's
done his part, and he's thrown for three hundred plus
yards and multiple touchdowns, and again, the defen has been
(20:00):
the reason he's gone home. And I think that'll be
the truth in this game. I think he'll do his
part and he'll give him a chance. But this is
a very tough defense to go against, really talented, really
talented pass rushers, and I think on the other side,
Courtland Sutton is going to give a lot of problems
to this Buffalo Bill's defense.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Next weekend is going to be a wild one, no
question about it. We got to move on to the
New England Patriots taking care of business against La New
England went off this offseat and spent a boatload of
money on veteran free agent, one of which was Milton Williams,
who we saw come over from the Philadelphia Eagles, and
this guy before we get into this game, the sack
that ended this game, you could just see the energy
(20:44):
on that sideline. Mike Vrabel, And I know you like
Mike Rabel a lot former player, obviously, heck of a coach,
comes there with full emotion every day he walks away
chess bumps. Milton Williams gets a bloody lip, Richard, how
much do you love seeing that from your coach? Pete
was fiery, but I think Mike Vrabel's a different level
of fiery, having you know, the fact that he's the
(21:06):
same size as his players and played in the league
for numerous seasons.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
And I think that's what makes this this New England
Patriots team so fun. He's such a different coach than
Bill Belichick. I'm sure he has some foundational things that
he tries to emulate from a very successful New England
Patriots coach, but he has so much passion and love
and regard for his players, and they can feel that.
You can tell he doesn't want to be there to
(21:31):
be a gap between them. He doesn't want there to be, Hey,
this coach player hierarchy. He wants to be able to
look him eye to eye them to understand, I care
about you. We're in this battle together. I want to
go to war with you. I'm bleeding like you bleeding.
And I think that's why these guys are going all
out and playing their best football for him. He's maximizing
(21:52):
these defensive players. There's so many guys that were that
were kind of cast offs that he's taken in and
they have really really played at the top of their
game for him, and it's beautiful to see. And then
in the back end Christian and Zalez. He's gonna be
an issue. He's gonna be a factor in this game.
And uh, but that the Chargers defense got to Drake
(22:17):
May and they got to him consistently. Oway had three sacks,
They sacked Drake May five times, forced two fumbles in
that game. They they took one football from him, they
intercepted him. And again, that's the thing that I think
is gonna doom them against the Houston Texans, is those
those issues dealing with Oh way, you think Oway was
(22:38):
an issue, wait till you deal with Daniel Hunter and
Will Anderson. They're a whole different beast than that. And
they are they are going to be there, and they're
going to be pass rushing consistently. They're gonna be They're
gonna give you a lot of issues. So can they
push the ball down the field as they've done all
season long? Ken Drake may have the time to be
as efficient of a downfield passer as he's been. I'm
(23:00):
not sure. I'm not sure he's gonna be able to
do that, but he was able to do it in
this game versus the Chargers, but it started slow. This
game was a three to six ball game for a
lot of this game, and it was back and forth
that they couldn't get away. And a lot of the
Chargers issues are because they were without their two star
tackles and Rashaun Slater who they lost in training camp
(23:21):
and Joe Alt who they lost multiple times during the
season and finally lost for good somewhere a little past
midseason to that high ankle spring. They they couldn't they
couldn't protect her, and and the New England Patriots took
advantage of it. They sacked them six times. That defense
was roaring, they were, they were feisty, they were they
were running and hitting. I mean, they looked like a
(23:42):
Mike Vrabel coach defense, no question about that. But but
are they gonna be able to do that to the
Houston Texans Now, the Houston Texans O line, they aren't
world beaters. They gave up some pressure to to to
the Pittsburgh Steelers, no question about it, And and CJ.
Stroud fumbled the foot also, that's gonna be a concern.
H Clavon Chase On played really well in his game,
(24:05):
and Milton Williams they both had two sacks apiece. But
if CJ. Stroud can protect the football and they can
give it to Mars and they can do what they
need to do to run the football, a consistent show
up dose of Nick Chubb, they'll be fine. But we'll see.
As I said, Mike Rabel is gonna have them so prepared.
(24:27):
This is a big win against the Chargers. This team.
Everybody has said this Patriots team, they had such a
light schedule, such an easy, soft schedule, They're not gonna
be able to beat winning teams. And they beat a
very good Chargers team, a very good Chargers defense, and
I'm looking for it. If they can beat this Houston
Texans team, all bets are off. You know what.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
They look confident and Drake maylook's poised beyond his years.
And then you add in the battering Rams at running back,
Travion Henderson and Remandre Stevenson. They've got the pieces available
at their to take carry Houston. Richard, how do you
coach the Patriots up offensively to beat a defense like Houston,
(25:08):
Because it seems like it might be an insurmountable task
right now.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
It's it's about protecting the football, and it's gonna be
death five thousand cuts. You gotta take what the defense
gives you. There was some there was some success that
the Pittsburgh Steelers found, you know, running these corner corner
routes and attacking the edges of these defenses, the edges
of these zones and putting them in tough positions. So
if they can protect the drake nay long enough. There
(25:33):
there are some holes in this secondary holes in these
these zones that they run that you can take advantage of.
The problem is, it's a lot easier said than done.
But if they can block it up. You know, they've
been susceptible to some of these corner routes and if
you if you can get in the second window, these
dig routes, so there's a chance they can do that.
They can get that done. They'll have to really stick
(25:57):
to the run game, stick to run games, stick to
run game, stick to the running game, and you can't
go away from it. That's playoff football. And Mike Rabel
of course knows that run the football, don't turn the
ball over. Play great defense. That's that's how you went.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Well, it was an exceptional Wildcar weekend. You know what
I gotta say, Saturday night, wild finishes, Sunday good games.
I mean, which game impressed you the most? So, Richard,
which team really impressed you the most this Wildcar weekend?
Speaker 1 (26:29):
The team that probably impressed me the most Houston Texans.
It's got to be a Houston Texans, just because they
just looked so dominant in this game. They didn't even
need their offense to show up on the field at all.
Their defense scored two touchdowns. If the offense didn't show
up at all, they still win that game. And that
(26:49):
is impressive. That's really impressive. They're going against the future
Hall of Fame quarterback and Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh, a
tough place to play in the weather, in the conditions,
and they walked all dog walked that offense all over
the field and had their way. And I expect him
to go to New England and really really be dominant. Well, Richard, we've.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Been doing this for a number of years now. You've developed,
you know, a good fan base, but also a certain
number of haters from different team markets. You know what
a lot of people coming at you in the comments
section all season long, but I gotta give it to you, man,
You're a savant six for six right in your calls
on wild Card weekend. So all the haters up in
(27:29):
Green Bay hate to tell you Richard was right. All
the haters in Jacksonville hate to tell you Richard was right.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Richard.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Impressive showing by you wildcard weekend. Impressive showing on Saturday
night in Chicago. It's been a hell of a weekend.
It's been a hell of a time all season long.
My man, we got another great one coming up next weekend.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Richard, always a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
I'll let you sign us off, my friend.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
As always, we appreciate you guys joining us. You could
be anywhere in the world, but you're here with us,
and we sincerely appreciated you're getting your NFL content. Understand this,
The season must go on. If your team loss, don't
worry about it. Go watch some college football. You're ready
for the draft. If your team's still in it, keep
hope alive, Cheer loudly, and make sure you check us
(28:15):
out for a Divisional round preview coming up later this week.
Can't wait. Hit that sub button if you never
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
Popular Podcasts
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.