January 12, 2026 • 34 mins
Richard Sherman reacts to an electrifying NFC Wild Card Weekend, breaking down the 49ers’ gritty road victory over the Eagles, the Packers–Bears instant classic, and the Rams narrowly escaping the Panthers. Sherm discusses Kyle Shanahan’s masterclass without key starters, Christian McCaffrey’s impact, Brock Purdy’s toughness, and what this loss means for Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts, and A.J. Brown in Philadelphia. Plus, Sherm credits Caleb Williams and the Bears’ resilience, critiques Green Bay’s second-half collapse, and explains why Jordan Love played one of his best games as a pro. We also cover Matthew Stafford’s late-game brilliance, Puka Nacua’s matchup vs Jaycee Horn, Bryce Young’s growth, and what these results mean for the NFC playoff picture moving forward.
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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 this, in twenty twenty six, my new
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(00:21):
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out because I'm bringing it as best as I can.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
All love.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast. And what an
incredible game for the San Francisco forty nine ers versus
the Philadelphia Eagles. They went into Philadelphia banged up and
they lose George Kittle on the game, and they didn't blink.
They didn't waiver. They went in there without their fourth
and fifth linebackers, they have to play their sixth and
(00:59):
seventh line, and again they did not waiver at all.
Kyle Shanahan just stayed consistent. He stayed at it. Christian
McCaffrey give him a ton of credit for the way
he's played, how hard he's played this entire season, had
over one hundred all purpose yards and two tds receiving
in this game a huge reason they stayed in the
game and this offense stayed moving down the field.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
His report, my guy.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Cayle Hughes check did a great job in the past game,
especially after they lost George Kittle. They were trying to
get plays down the field and pushed the ball down
the field. The first drive of the game. They were
attacking the All Pro Quinjon Mitchell. DeMarcus Robinson, the veteran
came through big and the biggest game of the season.
Had over one hundred yards receiving on six catches and
(01:45):
a touchdown on the first drive of the game. But
then Quinnyon struck back multiple times George Kittle targeting tight
ends interception. He targeted this guy more interception. Quinjon Mitchell
made huge plays. I was critical of his All Pro
selection because he had not got the football. He had
not given up any any touchdowns and had a lot
of pass deflections. But I'm just from the old school
(02:06):
where you got to get your hands on a football,
and it looked beautiful when he did. He played a
heck of a game. He took advantage of the ops
that were there made huge catch and huge stops for
his team, and that's what gave the Eagles a chance
this game. Without those two interceptions, this game wouldn't even
been close. And you could talk about all the injuries
that the San Francisco forty nine ers have dealt with
(02:28):
and it did not matter. They were the better team today.
And I think the Eagles fans knew it, and I
said it earlier, and Eagles fans thought, oh man, you
know this is the best matchup. This is why Sirianni
rested the starters because he was hoping for the Niners.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
He was not. He was not.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
This team would have beat you if Brock party was
healthy the first time, and they beat you with nobody
healthy but Brock Purty pretty much in this game. Thank goodness,
Trent Williams. You see how much difference Trent Williams makes
in this game. But it was a back and forth
doll fight. This is the most points Kyle Shanahan has
scored a against Vic Fangio coach defense, I think, in
(03:02):
his entire coaching career, and so kudos to that. Again,
Kyle Shanahan making things happen this year. I think it's
one of the few times he beat Swartz in the
Browns defense, and he beat Fangio and he's doing it
without the superstars, So he's really had a big deep
in that bag to come up with plays and concepts
(03:23):
to be effective, and that's what he's doing. Shout out
to Juwan Jennings played huge in his game, big catches
and big moments. Did Jake tanj just made a couple
of huge catches in his game in a huge penalty
in the game. Juwan Jennings always just the antagonizer and
just doing his thing to make things happen. But on
(03:44):
the flip side, you talk about the Philadelphia Eagles in
that offense and you can tell the frustration is there.
It's it's starting to boil over. And the most evident
play was when AJ Brown. They threw a deep ball
to AJ Brown. It was a little contact, but this
the playoffs. The're gonna let him play and it drops
off his hands and he made a great move to
(04:04):
get even get in position to have a chance at it,
and Sirianni runs sprints down the sideline to yell at him.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
That was odd.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
That was strange, and I'm not sure what he said,
And I'm sure we're gonna hear the press conference and
they're gonna explain what happened in that situation. But you
could see the tides start to change when that happened.
You rarely see a head coach yelling at his star receiver.
And I know, you know we've seen Travis Kelce and
Andy Reid kind of go back and forth. That's just
the relationship they have. But I don't think AJ Brown
(04:37):
and Sirianni have that kind of relationship. And I would
not be surprised with all the turmoil, internal turmoil that
has gone on this season and frustration from AJ Brown
this season if he was not in Philadelphia next year
by his own choice. He's frustrated with the offensive play calling.
I would expect them to make changes. I don't hopefully
(04:57):
they don't fire Kevin Patulo, maybe just put him in
a different position and put somebody else in the coordinator spot.
But it's one of those situations where where you had
all the ingredients and somebody had already cooked the pie
the year before, cook the Super Bowl, Kate, and all
you had to do was read the ingredient book and
cook it yourself. And you don't always need to put
(05:17):
new ingredients and put your own flare on it, because
sometimes your own flair diminishes and destroys the product that
got them where they wanted to go. And obviously to
win a Super Bowl you need a lot of things
to go your way. But the team is just as talented.
You got two All pros in a in the secondary.
Jordan Davis played fantastic this year. Jalen Hunt was was
(05:38):
having a great year this season. Jalen Carter always a menace,
Bawn is still playing at a high level. You had
all the ingredients defensively. Offensively, you still got aj Brann
and Deavonte Smith both with a thousand if I'm not mistaken.
This season, you still got sa Quon in the backfield
tank Bigbree was was was you know, good, and I
(06:00):
think it was averaging five point eight or so Kerry,
So all the ingredients were there.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
There was no excuse for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
But this is about San Francisco forty nine ers, and
for them to go to Philadelphia and knock off the
defending champs, that's a confidence boost. But the road gets
no easier for there from there. One play that I
really loved in this game. And I gotta say, you
got to give a shout out to Kyle when he
gets it right.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
He gets it right.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Jawan Jennings had an incredible Super Bowl a couple of
years ago, likely to be a Super Bowl MVP if
they could have pulled that game out, and Kyle Shanahan
went back to the well with them and let him
pass the ball. With them trailing in this game, I
think it was sixteen to ten. Offense hadn't scored a
touchdown in quite a while. He went back to Juwan Jennings,
(06:44):
hands the ball off to Sky Moore. He pitches it
to Juwan Jennings. Christian McCaffrey sneaks out right past blanket
ship and he tosses up a dime and Christian catches
it over his shoulder.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
It was poetic, beautiful football, and it was one of
the biggest plays in the game. And in one of
the biggest moments in the game, Kyle trusted his receiver
Juwan Jennies to deliver a dime of a pass and.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
He did it.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I could not believe the call that takes some Cajones
to call that in such a big moment. And it's
one of the biggest reasons they won this football game.
It's Kyle Shanahan trusting his guys, trusting his big time
playmakers who have been in big time games to make
big time plays. And they did it again. Will they
do it again against the Seattle Seahawks. We don't see.
(07:36):
But what I do know is they have to go
to Luman Stadium, to Loomenfield and play the Seattle Seahawks
another divisional game, and it's going to be a doll fight.
It's going to be an absolute doll fight. And I
can't wait to watch that game and see how these
two masterminds, a defensive mastermind and Mike McDonald and an
offensive mastermind and Kyle Shanahan go at it again. We
(07:59):
saw the thirteen game out in the Levi Stadium where
the Seahawks took the number one seed and came out victorious.
But after that game, Rock Perdy had a conversation with
Sam Darnold and said, see you in a couple of weeks,
and a couple stations made a big deal about it,
but not a lot of people made a big deal
about it. Guess what they're meeting again. It's a couple
(08:22):
weeks later. I can't wait to watch this game. Three
NFC West teams in the final four. For the NFC side,
it makes him the best division this season, no question
about it. It's the Rams going to Chicago and playing
the Bears in a very intriguing matchup, and then the
NFC West matchup, the historic rivalry of the Seattle Seahawks
(08:45):
versus of the San Francisco forty nine ers.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
You know, I'm excited about that. I really can't wait.
But who.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
What more can you say about Kyle Shanahan. He deserves
a Coach of the Year this year, and obviously other
coaches do to McDonald deserves it, Liam Cohen for what
they've done in Jacksonville, Ben Johnson for what he's done
in Chicago. But to see this roster just continue to
be decimated and them not blank is incredible. Eric kendricks
(09:18):
veteran presence was so felt today and you could see
it on every level and almost every play, just the
calm of a veteran presence. When Sakuon Barkley breaks open
on a twenty yard run, here comes at Eric Kendricks
to get him down and save the touchdown and get
us some next play.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
There weren't the.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Huge explosive mistakes that happened in the Seattle Seahawks game.
And you could just see him getting the plays early,
him getting in position early, reading the plays, understanding his keys,
understanding what's in front of him, and even in the
past game, dropping to spots, understanding having a feel for
the route concepts that he's getting that. Those are things
that you learn over time, and experience has taught him that.
(10:01):
But sometimes young guys it takes him a second to
learn the lessons. And sometimes as fans, and and and
as an analyst, you don't have patience for the young
guy learning the tricks of the trade. When you see
a veteran come in, you can tell, hey, this guy's
played a lot of football. He's seen a lot of football.
Things aren't surprising him.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Now.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
It wasn't a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination,
but you could see him coming in there and understanding
the game of football, and it allowing him to play
fast and put himself in position. And I think that
was again what people thought it would be, additioned by subtraction,
Him going in and getting the opportunity was fantastic and
You got to give a lot of credit to that
defensive line when the game was on the line. Bryce
(10:42):
huff keon White gross matos. Those guys were getting there.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
CJ.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
West was getting TfL's, they were getting getting getting pushed
back on the offensive line. They made critical plays and
I know we've been critical of them all year, but
when they're great, you got to give get a credit
to him too.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Gay R. Brown went out with a string and then.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Segual came in and made a huge stop on a
devote I mean AJ Brown deep post along with Ronaldo Green,
who played a fantastic game, and you got to give credit.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
They were flying around, they were playing with energy.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You talked about that, They talked about the desperation they
had to play with coming into this game, and that's
what they did. They played with desperation because there is
no tomorrow. You lose this game, you do not you
go home. And I was just I was just really
really impressed with him. It's just been announced that DeMarcus
Robinson was the player of the game, and who would
(11:35):
have thought that coming into the game. I think he's
earned himself the opportunity to get more targets, get more opportunities.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
To be involved.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
He is playing, he has been available, and I think
Kyle Shanahan should reward him by giving him the football. Now,
let's talk about the future of the Philadelphia Eagles, because
we'll get to the Seattle Seahawks versus the San Francisco
forty nine Ers on another day. I'm gonna you know,
I'm gonna take my time with that. I'm gonna break it.
But I think the Philadelphia Eagles obviously are gonna do
(12:05):
something else at offensive coordinator. I think Vick is fantastic.
I don't think he's going anywhere unless he wants to
go take a head coaching job somewhere. I'm interested to
see what a j Brown. He didn't talk to the
media after the game, what he wants to do if
he wants to stay in Philadelphia or get opportunities elsewhere,
because I know a coach in New England that would
be happy to get him back. They traded him away
(12:27):
from Tennessee when Vrabel was the coach, and he was
unhappy with that decision. But that's the kind of stuff
that happens in Tennessee and the head coach doesn't like it,
and that's why they haven't had a lot of success.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
But if you started.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Beating that drum aj Brown in New England, dangerous combination,
I'd keep eye on that if I was you. There's
still a really talented team. What happens with Lane Johnson
going forward, we'll see that's a big part of their
offensive line. Clearly they're a whole different run game without
(13:00):
him on the right side. We'll see if he wants
to continue. These are the reigning Super Bowl champs, you know,
but you get banged up. He's played a lot of football,
played for a long time, means a lot to this team,
means a lot to that city. So I think he
deserves the respect in space to make that decision, and
I'm sure they'll give it to him. Today's show is
(13:21):
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I got to watch was Saturday night in Chicago, NFC
(15:04):
North matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears,
and what a game. It was instant classic and it's
scary because that game went just like the other games
went throughout the season. These teams had already played twice
eight I think they played. This was the third time
(15:25):
they played in thirty five days or something like that,
and you could see the familiarity. But it seemed like
Lafour had a fantastic plan for Dennis Allen and that defense.
They were running the ball well. You could see Josh
Jacobs was healthy and spry. He was he looked fresh.
He ran the ball really effectively in the first half.
(15:46):
Jordan Love look, Green Bay Packers fans. You know, I've
been hypercritical of Jordan Love at since Aaron Rodgers left,
and you cannot be hypercritical of him in this game
for his performance. He played lights out four touchdown passes
the three in the first half. He was threadning the
needle dime after dime after dime from beginning of that
(16:08):
game to the end of that game to that last drive,
and I think even that last drive, there was a
play where it looked like he gave Golden, Matthew Golden
a chance on one of those footballs where you got
to put your body in danger and go get that football.
But you know that's a story for a different day.
But you can't blame him. And honestly, I know they're
gonna be critical of Lafour because this year I think
(16:30):
he they blew four leads in games, games where they
led by almost double digits, and and they blew the
leads and lost those games. But the Chicago Bears need
to be applauded for their resilience to go into the
half losing by eighteen to a team that's that's really
good and been fantastic offensively, and to regroup that defense
(16:54):
say hey, man and man, we gotta step up, we
gotta play better. And to hold that offense that scored
twenty one points in the first half to only six
points in the second half, you gotta give credit words
due that's fantastic. But what happened to the Green Bay
Packers offense is the question what did you change? And
what changed was they tried to get cute and that's
(17:14):
been the achilles heel of a lot of the McVeigh Shanahan,
you know, offensive genius play callers that have struggled to
have success in the playoffs because when they get ahead,
they gotta get cute.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
They gotta get cute.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
They got to show all the cool plays that they've
come up with and the cool schemes and the cool
concepts that they've created, instead of just saying, hey, this
old school, let's get back to the grit and grind
hand Josh Jacobs the ball and get three four yards
to carry, get the third and two, and live in
that world until the game is over, when the time
of possession in the second half, and in this game,
(17:52):
by not doing that, they gave the Bears chance after
chance to come back.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
And the Bears they blew a couple.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
There was a chance where they forced to fumble where
Jordan Love threw it's won at offensive linemen. They forced
to fumble and couldn't get on the ball. And then
and then they had who was it was it Matthew
Golden or Christian Watson running into the end zone where
he jumped up in the air and then fumbled the
football and the ball's just sitting there and you don't
take advantage. That was two opportunities, two opportunities for the
(18:22):
number one turnover defense in the land to change that
game and help themselves. But in the end, Caleb Williams
ends up coming through on the clutch three hundred and
sixty one yards twenty.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Four of forty eight.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Not a great passing game in terms of accuracy, but
two touchdowns. He did throw the two interceptions, but one
of them was a was a misqueue where the receiver
just didn't run the right route, and the other what
looked like a mist sake. Coaston Loveland had a great game.
Eight catches for one hundred and thirty seven yards. DJ
(18:56):
Moore the game ceiling touchdown at the end on the
face extreen and go.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Again.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Just staying calm and stay in the course. DeAndre Swift
thirteen carries fifty four yards in the one touchdown. It
was a group effort by the Bears and it's what
they have done all season long. Like I said on
TV last night, they the Packers got in that situation
and the pressure was high and they were like what's
going on? But the Bears are like, hey, we were
(19:23):
born in this. We have been living this way all
year long, and sometimes you get so used to thinking, hey,
no matter what the score is, we know we can
come back. That mindset is empowering to a team because
you never really feel like you're out of it. You
never feel like you're done or you're dead in the
water when you can do that. And I think that's
(19:45):
what's helped the Chicago Bears in this game is the
experience all season long. They had I think seven comebacks
this season where they were down almost double digits in
the fourth quarter. That gives you confidence. Now, you don't
want to be in that s situation, and I'm sure
they wish they could start a little faster and get
where they need to go a lot faster than they did.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
But if you're not going to.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Be able to do that, you want to be able
to know that you have a history that tells you, hey,
we can still get this job done. And I think
they're going to be really confident watching this film of
the Carolina Panthers and Rams game. The Carolina Panthers gave
the Rams all they could handle. Their secondary covered really well.
(20:27):
My guy Mike Jack had an incredible game. He earned
himself a lot of money. He had four PBUs and
an interception in the game. Great tackling, great coverage, and J. C.
Horn had the tough matchup of pooking a cool all
game and he did a great job. And unfortunately they
gave Matthew Safford too much time to mount a two
minute drill and he did that. And he is the
MVP of the league this season, and he looked like
(20:48):
it on that last drive, no question about it, with
a dime to Kobe Parkinson to take the lead in
that game.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
But I think the Bears are gonna feel pretty good.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
This rams offense, I mean defense has given up thirty
plus and at least I think five of the last
seven games or so, so they're gettable. Their corners have
been gettable. They have a formidable defensive line, especially if
you get an obvious passing downs. But what a playoff game, man,
These playoff games have been outstanding, all of them.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Now, if you watch my preview, you'll know I called
almost all of them.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
If it wasn't perfect, it didn't go exactly how I
didn't expect the Bears have to come back from eighteen.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
But I think I know something now. The question is,
is Matt Lafleur's job in jeptery jeopardy. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
I'm not making decisions for the Green Bay Packers. If
it was me, I wouldn't I wouldn't fire him because
the question is can you do better than him? Who
has been that much better than him? And and sure
people will say, oh, John Harbaugh has been better than him,
But if you ask the people in Baltimore, they would
say his message got stale, and it got stagnant and
(22:02):
all these other things. So sometimes the new toy is
the better toy just because it was somebody else's. And
sometimes if you really just let the emotions calm let
things calm down, you'll realize you have one of the
best coaches in football, and this was just an unfortunate
series of events this season. It didn't go how you
want to. They'll learn from it going forward and they'll
be better. You lost one of the best players in
(22:23):
the National Football League in Michael Parsons at a critical time.
If he was playing in these games, I think you win.
I think you beat the Chicago Bears. I don't even
think you're the seventh seed. If he's playing, I think
they would have a better chance to win that division.
If Michael Parsons was healthy, the entire pass rush, the
entire way you game plan and prepare for the Green
Bay Packers change when Michael Parsons was out of the lineup,
(22:46):
and I think it affected Rashan Gary, it affected Van As,
it affected Andrean Cooper, everyone on that defense. It affected
how Jeff Hafley's calling the defense. And it'll look a
lot better when he's back. That's why he's getting paid
the big bucks. That's why you trade all those assets
to go get him. Unfortunately, he wasn't there, So hopefully
they don't make a knee jerk reaction and fire a
(23:08):
really good football coach because I don't think that helps him.
I don't think that gets them any closer to winning
in the Super Bowl in the in the near future,
and I think that's the goal for this franchise. Now,
let's get to the Rams Panthers game, the last of
these NFC games that we had.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Panthers battle.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
The Rams were the better team coming in here, Matthew
Stafford coming in as an MVP favorite, the likely MVP.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Candidate this year.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
But they went ahead fourteen to nothing early on, and
then the Panthers started to figure it out. They started
to figure out start to claw their way back, got
back in this game, forced a few interceptions, started to
put pressure on Matthew Stafford, who made a few mistakes.
He missed a few guys down the field. There was
(23:58):
a Pooka Nakua dr that could have been a touchdown
right before the half. You know, uncharacteristic mistakes like that
happened that allowed the Panthers to just stick around. Bryce
Young battled through, made some plays with his legs, made
some plays with his arm, obviously still a work in progress.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
They decided to.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Pick up his fifth year option, which is expectation of
a quarterback that took you to the playoffs, regardless of
how it happened. I know, I know it could have
easily not happened. But you got to give this team
a lot of credit. And I think just just battling
in the way they did and having a lead with
two minutes to go in this game gives a team
like this confidence that hey, we belonged here. It wasn't like, hey,
(24:41):
we got here and we were just happy to be
here and we got blown out and sent home and
we were just like, hey, here's our Participation Trophy. They
went out there to win that game, and it gave
themselves a chance. Unfortunately, Matthew Stafford and his club were
better that day, But give i dro Everell a lot
of credit for what he did, Dave Canalis and his
staff a lot of credit for the way they prepared
(25:01):
their team and the way their team paddled uh after
after a very up and down season for him. On
the other side, I'm sure Sean McVay was was praying
into a good Lord that this game ended up the
way it did, because that would have been a devastating
loss for the Rams after an incredibly promising season where
Matthew Stafford has played some of the best football he's
(25:23):
ever played in his career. You've You've got Pooka Nakula
and and DeVante Adams, two of the best receivers in
the National Football League. You got a really good running
game and Blake krm And and Kieron Williams. You've got
an offensive line that has been fantastic running the football.
And you would have lost to the Carolina Panthers, who
a lot of people said didn't deserve to be in
(25:44):
the playoffs. So that would have been crazy, but it
didn't happen. But I think it's going to be an intriguing,
very intriguing matchup against the Chicago Bears. I think you
can make an argument either way for both teams. Both
teams have their their cummings on defense and have their
strengths on offense. But Caleb Williams is a wild card.
(26:07):
Matthew Stafford is consistent. Matthew Stafford is the ultimate gunslinger,
and he's had a fantastic season. He's going to make
an impact on this game. Can the Bears defense, who
have led the league in turnovers this season, create turnovers?
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Now?
Speaker 1 (26:20):
They created them last game, but they didn't take advantage
of him. The ball was on the ground multiple times,
but they did not get it. Will they be able
to take the football away from Matthew Stafford. He threw
a few errant passes in this game. He gave the
football away to the Carolina Panthers. Can that pass rush
get a little hotter and put pressure in his face?
Ken Dennis Allen come up with a plan to really
(26:40):
move Matthew Stafford off the spot. Not that that really
saves today. Matthew Stafford is fantastic, has great arm, angles
does all the special things that you expect a quarterback
that's up for the MVP to do. But we got
to see it. We got to see it. I can't
wait to watch that game. There's gonna be some some
snow potentially, it's going to be a frigid game. How
does that affect Matthew Stafford? How does that affect the Rams,
(27:03):
who are an indoor team. Yes, they played the Philadelphia
Eagles in a very similar conditioned game last season and
they played well. It came down to the last play
and if they don't find a way to if they
don't leave Jalen Carter, I'm blocked and allow him to
come sack Matthew Stafford on that play. I think the
(27:23):
Rams win that game and eliminate the Super Bowl champs
from the playoffs last season. But you know, if it
was a fifth you know, you know the rest, it
didn't happen. But this is going to be a really
good game between the Rams and in the Bears. It's
guaranteeing that an NFC West team will be in the
NFC Championship this year. But there's the Rams, the Seahawks,
(27:46):
the San Francisco forty nine ers or maybe two NFC
West teams in the NFC Championship game, which would be fantastic.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I'd look forward to that matchup.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
I love divisional matchups in the playoffs because it just
means more. This isn't the SEC, but it just means more.
It means more because it gives your bragging rights, it
gives the fans bragging rights, and you just see how
teams do under pressure. I can't wait to watch it.
Let me tell you about Ready or Not, the tactical
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Welcome back. Here are the Richard Sherman Podcast. Picks, all
odds and lines are brought to you by our partners
at hard Rock Bet. We've got the Texans at the
Steelers on Monday Night Football tomorrow. Hard Rock Bet has
(29:47):
the Texans as a three point spread in this game,
and I think that's right. I think the Houston Texans
dominant defense with all these all proles in the secondary
at Patriot, I thought he.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Should be an all pro.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
The all pros, the d line, the pro bowler in
the middle of that defense, and z z Alshaier are
going to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a lot of trouble.
I know that Aaron Rodgers will look to get the
ball out quick, but can you get it out quick?
Enough when you got Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley on
the end, with Petrie in the middle, and then you
got Kaylin Bullock at the safety. It's just so much
(30:20):
talent and speed on that defense. It's gonna be tough
to deal with all night. And then you got c J.
Stroud and Nico Collins on the other side, and they
can do damage. If CJ. Stroud gets in rhythm, his
game can get out of hand. And I can't wait
to watch it. But we will see, we will see.
I'll give y'all three players who could score in anytime touchdown.
For the Texans it's, of course, Nico Collins and Woody Marx.
(30:41):
And for the Steelers it's dk Metcalf making his return
back into the lineup.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
He'll get an end zone.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
However, I'm taking the under on Aaron Rodgers having more
than one and a half interceptions. He's gonna be careful
with this football, no question about it. I don't think
he's gonna put it in harm his way. He's not
gonna take too much time back there. He knows how
quick this pass rush can get home. This San Francisco
Seattle game, it's gonna be a classic. The last time
(31:07):
these two teams played in the playoffs, I was there.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
I was there. We're gonna it was a whole.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Tip play came down to the last play. Fantastic game,
instant classic. You know they still talk about that game
to this day. Will this be another one? I know
San Francisco forty nine Ers are payed up and and
you want to just say, oh man, this is the
Seattle Seahawks are too stacked. They're gonna they're gonna run
the run off the field. And they may, but it
just usually doesn't shake out like that. Kyle Shanahan is
(31:35):
gonna have a great plan that they know the Seattle
Seahawks are gonna be stout against the run. You're not
gonna be able to move the football. You're not gonna
be able to move Jaron Reed and Byron Murphy and
Leonard Williams up front, DeMarcus Lawrence. You're gonna have to
find a way to create gaps, to create misdirection, to
get away from those guys. And then on the other side,
the San Francisco forty nine Ers defense benefited from a
(31:57):
miss field golden and a mistake by saying Donald early
on in that game where he could have had a
touchdown to the flat and just held on to the ball.
They're going to have to find a way to get
pressure on him, no question about that, and I'm not
sure they can. It's gonna be better because Eric Kendricks
as a veteran and does all the things we talked
about earlier. He's going to be in better position than
Bethune was in necessary And at some points in that game,
(32:21):
does de Winters come back, We'll see he was limping
in this game when he tried to test it before.
Another week may help. But this is going to be
a good game. Two teams that know each other really well,
two coordinators that have a lot of respect for one another.
But again, Mike McDon Mike McDonald has had Kyle Shanahan's
(32:43):
number since his days in Baltimore. He has limited Kyle
Shanahan in a tremendous way. I think the most he's
scored on him was twenty points. Are seventeen points in
Baltimore in nineteen maybe, and he hasn't had a lot
of success any other time. And this year he scored
three and thirteen, if I'm not so sixteen points in
two games Can he overcome that? Can he find some solutions?
(33:06):
Can he and Brock Purdy manipulate this to get more yardage?
Now you're gonna have Trent Williams back in this game.
He injured himself, I think early on in that game.
If I'm not mistaken, and will you have Ricky Persolt.
That don't matter. The Seattle Seahawks team is gonna come
out fresh. They're off for rest and it seems like
Mike McDonald and their staff has done a great job
of allowing them to rest, get get you know, away
(33:28):
from the building, but still stay locked in and diligent
with their preparation. So it's gonna be everything we needed.
This is the NFL has done a great job with
these playoffs. I can't wait to see it. As always,
you could be anywhere in the world, but you hear
with me, and I surely do appreciate it. Enjoin some
great NFL content in these great NFL games. If your
team lost, don't lose, hope, you know, go out there,
(33:51):
take a deep breath, maybe take take a long walk,
you know, and and decompress. But all is not lost,
you know, get to the drafts are figuring things out.
But for the people whose team are still in it.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
It's gonna be a fun ride. Can't wait. Hit that
UB button if you knew, See you next time. M
Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast, and I just
want to say this, in twenty twenty six, my new
Year's resolution is to give you outstanding content, but I
want you to be able to see it, So please
hit that sub button. Do me a favor. I want
your comments, I want your concerns. I want to hear
from you because I want to be the best in
(00:21):
this field and give you what you're looking for every
single time. So please join your boy weekend and week
out because I'm bringing it as best as I can.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
All love.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast. And what an
incredible game for the San Francisco forty nine ers versus
the Philadelphia Eagles. They went into Philadelphia banged up and
they lose George Kittle on the game, and they didn't blink.
They didn't waiver. They went in there without their fourth
and fifth linebackers, they have to play their sixth and
(00:59):
seventh line, and again they did not waiver at all.
Kyle Shanahan just stayed consistent. He stayed at it. Christian
McCaffrey give him a ton of credit for the way
he's played, how hard he's played this entire season, had
over one hundred all purpose yards and two tds receiving
in this game a huge reason they stayed in the
game and this offense stayed moving down the field.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
His report, my guy.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Cayle Hughes check did a great job in the past game,
especially after they lost George Kittle. They were trying to
get plays down the field and pushed the ball down
the field. The first drive of the game. They were
attacking the All Pro Quinjon Mitchell. DeMarcus Robinson, the veteran
came through big and the biggest game of the season.
Had over one hundred yards receiving on six catches and
(01:45):
a touchdown on the first drive of the game. But
then Quinnyon struck back multiple times George Kittle targeting tight
ends interception. He targeted this guy more interception. Quinjon Mitchell
made huge plays. I was critical of his All Pro
selection because he had not got the football. He had
not given up any any touchdowns and had a lot
of pass deflections. But I'm just from the old school
(02:06):
where you got to get your hands on a football,
and it looked beautiful when he did. He played a
heck of a game. He took advantage of the ops
that were there made huge catch and huge stops for
his team, and that's what gave the Eagles a chance
this game. Without those two interceptions, this game wouldn't even
been close. And you could talk about all the injuries
that the San Francisco forty nine ers have dealt with
(02:28):
and it did not matter. They were the better team today.
And I think the Eagles fans knew it, and I
said it earlier, and Eagles fans thought, oh man, you
know this is the best matchup. This is why Sirianni
rested the starters because he was hoping for the Niners.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
He was not. He was not.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
This team would have beat you if Brock party was
healthy the first time, and they beat you with nobody
healthy but Brock Purty pretty much in this game. Thank goodness,
Trent Williams. You see how much difference Trent Williams makes
in this game. But it was a back and forth
doll fight. This is the most points Kyle Shanahan has
scored a against Vic Fangio coach defense, I think, in
(03:02):
his entire coaching career, and so kudos to that. Again,
Kyle Shanahan making things happen this year. I think it's
one of the few times he beat Swartz in the
Browns defense, and he beat Fangio and he's doing it
without the superstars, So he's really had a big deep
in that bag to come up with plays and concepts
(03:23):
to be effective, and that's what he's doing. Shout out
to Juwan Jennings played huge in his game, big catches
and big moments. Did Jake tanj just made a couple
of huge catches in his game in a huge penalty
in the game. Juwan Jennings always just the antagonizer and
just doing his thing to make things happen. But on
(03:44):
the flip side, you talk about the Philadelphia Eagles in
that offense and you can tell the frustration is there.
It's it's starting to boil over. And the most evident
play was when AJ Brown. They threw a deep ball
to AJ Brown. It was a little contact, but this
the playoffs. The're gonna let him play and it drops
off his hands and he made a great move to
(04:04):
get even get in position to have a chance at it,
and Sirianni runs sprints down the sideline to yell at him.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
That was odd.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
That was strange, and I'm not sure what he said,
And I'm sure we're gonna hear the press conference and
they're gonna explain what happened in that situation. But you
could see the tides start to change when that happened.
You rarely see a head coach yelling at his star receiver.
And I know, you know we've seen Travis Kelce and
Andy Reid kind of go back and forth. That's just
the relationship they have. But I don't think AJ Brown
(04:37):
and Sirianni have that kind of relationship. And I would
not be surprised with all the turmoil, internal turmoil that
has gone on this season and frustration from AJ Brown
this season if he was not in Philadelphia next year
by his own choice. He's frustrated with the offensive play calling.
I would expect them to make changes. I don't hopefully
(04:57):
they don't fire Kevin Patulo, maybe just put him in
a different position and put somebody else in the coordinator spot.
But it's one of those situations where where you had
all the ingredients and somebody had already cooked the pie
the year before, cook the Super Bowl, Kate, and all
you had to do was read the ingredient book and
cook it yourself. And you don't always need to put
(05:17):
new ingredients and put your own flare on it, because
sometimes your own flair diminishes and destroys the product that
got them where they wanted to go. And obviously to
win a Super Bowl you need a lot of things
to go your way. But the team is just as talented.
You got two All pros in a in the secondary.
Jordan Davis played fantastic this year. Jalen Hunt was was
(05:38):
having a great year this season. Jalen Carter always a menace,
Bawn is still playing at a high level. You had
all the ingredients defensively. Offensively, you still got aj Brann
and Deavonte Smith both with a thousand if I'm not mistaken.
This season, you still got sa Quon in the backfield
tank Bigbree was was was you know, good, and I
(06:00):
think it was averaging five point eight or so Kerry,
So all the ingredients were there.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
There was no excuse for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
But this is about San Francisco forty nine ers, and
for them to go to Philadelphia and knock off the
defending champs, that's a confidence boost. But the road gets
no easier for there from there. One play that I
really loved in this game. And I gotta say, you
got to give a shout out to Kyle when he
gets it right.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
He gets it right.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Jawan Jennings had an incredible Super Bowl a couple of
years ago, likely to be a Super Bowl MVP if
they could have pulled that game out, and Kyle Shanahan
went back to the well with them and let him
pass the ball. With them trailing in this game, I
think it was sixteen to ten. Offense hadn't scored a
touchdown in quite a while. He went back to Juwan Jennings,
(06:44):
hands the ball off to Sky Moore. He pitches it
to Juwan Jennings. Christian McCaffrey sneaks out right past blanket
ship and he tosses up a dime and Christian catches
it over his shoulder.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
It was poetic, beautiful football, and it was one of
the biggest plays in the game. And in one of
the biggest moments in the game, Kyle trusted his receiver
Juwan Jennies to deliver a dime of a pass and.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
He did it.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I could not believe the call that takes some Cajones
to call that in such a big moment. And it's
one of the biggest reasons they won this football game.
It's Kyle Shanahan trusting his guys, trusting his big time
playmakers who have been in big time games to make
big time plays. And they did it again. Will they
do it again against the Seattle Seahawks. We don't see.
(07:36):
But what I do know is they have to go
to Luman Stadium, to Loomenfield and play the Seattle Seahawks
another divisional game, and it's going to be a doll fight.
It's going to be an absolute doll fight. And I
can't wait to watch that game and see how these
two masterminds, a defensive mastermind and Mike McDonald and an
offensive mastermind and Kyle Shanahan go at it again. We
(07:59):
saw the thirteen game out in the Levi Stadium where
the Seahawks took the number one seed and came out victorious.
But after that game, Rock Perdy had a conversation with
Sam Darnold and said, see you in a couple of weeks,
and a couple stations made a big deal about it,
but not a lot of people made a big deal
about it. Guess what they're meeting again. It's a couple
(08:22):
weeks later. I can't wait to watch this game. Three
NFC West teams in the final four. For the NFC side,
it makes him the best division this season, no question
about it. It's the Rams going to Chicago and playing
the Bears in a very intriguing matchup, and then the
NFC West matchup, the historic rivalry of the Seattle Seahawks
(08:45):
versus of the San Francisco forty nine ers.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
You know, I'm excited about that. I really can't wait.
But who.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
What more can you say about Kyle Shanahan. He deserves
a Coach of the Year this year, and obviously other
coaches do to McDonald deserves it, Liam Cohen for what
they've done in Jacksonville, Ben Johnson for what he's done
in Chicago. But to see this roster just continue to
be decimated and them not blank is incredible. Eric kendricks
(09:18):
veteran presence was so felt today and you could see
it on every level and almost every play, just the
calm of a veteran presence. When Sakuon Barkley breaks open
on a twenty yard run, here comes at Eric Kendricks
to get him down and save the touchdown and get
us some next play.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
There weren't the.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Huge explosive mistakes that happened in the Seattle Seahawks game.
And you could just see him getting the plays early,
him getting in position early, reading the plays, understanding his keys,
understanding what's in front of him, and even in the
past game, dropping to spots, understanding having a feel for
the route concepts that he's getting that. Those are things
that you learn over time, and experience has taught him that.
(10:01):
But sometimes young guys it takes him a second to
learn the lessons. And sometimes as fans, and and and
as an analyst, you don't have patience for the young
guy learning the tricks of the trade. When you see
a veteran come in, you can tell, hey, this guy's
played a lot of football. He's seen a lot of football.
Things aren't surprising him.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Now.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
It wasn't a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination,
but you could see him coming in there and understanding
the game of football, and it allowing him to play
fast and put himself in position. And I think that
was again what people thought it would be, additioned by subtraction,
Him going in and getting the opportunity was fantastic and
You got to give a lot of credit to that
defensive line when the game was on the line. Bryce
(10:42):
huff keon White gross matos. Those guys were getting there.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
CJ.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
West was getting TfL's, they were getting getting getting pushed
back on the offensive line. They made critical plays and
I know we've been critical of them all year, but
when they're great, you got to give get a credit
to him too.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Gay R. Brown went out with a string and then.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Segual came in and made a huge stop on a
devote I mean AJ Brown deep post along with Ronaldo Green,
who played a fantastic game, and you got to give credit.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
They were flying around, they were playing with energy.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You talked about that, They talked about the desperation they
had to play with coming into this game, and that's
what they did. They played with desperation because there is
no tomorrow. You lose this game, you do not you
go home. And I was just I was just really
really impressed with him. It's just been announced that DeMarcus
Robinson was the player of the game, and who would
(11:35):
have thought that coming into the game. I think he's
earned himself the opportunity to get more targets, get more opportunities.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
To be involved.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
He is playing, he has been available, and I think
Kyle Shanahan should reward him by giving him the football. Now,
let's talk about the future of the Philadelphia Eagles, because
we'll get to the Seattle Seahawks versus the San Francisco
forty nine Ers on another day. I'm gonna you know,
I'm gonna take my time with that. I'm gonna break it.
But I think the Philadelphia Eagles obviously are gonna do
(12:05):
something else at offensive coordinator. I think Vick is fantastic.
I don't think he's going anywhere unless he wants to
go take a head coaching job somewhere. I'm interested to
see what a j Brown. He didn't talk to the
media after the game, what he wants to do if
he wants to stay in Philadelphia or get opportunities elsewhere,
because I know a coach in New England that would
be happy to get him back. They traded him away
(12:27):
from Tennessee when Vrabel was the coach, and he was
unhappy with that decision. But that's the kind of stuff
that happens in Tennessee and the head coach doesn't like it,
and that's why they haven't had a lot of success.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
But if you started.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Beating that drum aj Brown in New England, dangerous combination,
I'd keep eye on that if I was you. There's
still a really talented team. What happens with Lane Johnson
going forward, we'll see that's a big part of their
offensive line. Clearly they're a whole different run game without
(13:00):
him on the right side. We'll see if he wants
to continue. These are the reigning Super Bowl champs, you know,
but you get banged up. He's played a lot of football,
played for a long time, means a lot to this team,
means a lot to that city. So I think he
deserves the respect in space to make that decision, and
I'm sure they'll give it to him. Today's show is
(13:21):
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I got to watch was Saturday night in Chicago, NFC
(15:04):
North matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears,
and what a game. It was instant classic and it's
scary because that game went just like the other games
went throughout the season. These teams had already played twice
eight I think they played. This was the third time
(15:25):
they played in thirty five days or something like that,
and you could see the familiarity. But it seemed like
Lafour had a fantastic plan for Dennis Allen and that defense.
They were running the ball well. You could see Josh
Jacobs was healthy and spry. He was he looked fresh.
He ran the ball really effectively in the first half.
(15:46):
Jordan Love look, Green Bay Packers fans. You know, I've
been hypercritical of Jordan Love at since Aaron Rodgers left,
and you cannot be hypercritical of him in this game
for his performance. He played lights out four touchdown passes
the three in the first half. He was threadning the
needle dime after dime after dime from beginning of that
(16:08):
game to the end of that game to that last drive,
and I think even that last drive, there was a
play where it looked like he gave Golden, Matthew Golden
a chance on one of those footballs where you got
to put your body in danger and go get that football.
But you know that's a story for a different day.
But you can't blame him. And honestly, I know they're
gonna be critical of Lafour because this year I think
(16:30):
he they blew four leads in games, games where they
led by almost double digits, and and they blew the
leads and lost those games. But the Chicago Bears need
to be applauded for their resilience to go into the
half losing by eighteen to a team that's that's really
good and been fantastic offensively, and to regroup that defense
(16:54):
say hey, man and man, we gotta step up, we
gotta play better. And to hold that offense that scored
twenty one points in the first half to only six
points in the second half, you gotta give credit words
due that's fantastic. But what happened to the Green Bay
Packers offense is the question what did you change? And
what changed was they tried to get cute and that's
(17:14):
been the achilles heel of a lot of the McVeigh Shanahan,
you know, offensive genius play callers that have struggled to
have success in the playoffs because when they get ahead,
they gotta get cute.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
They gotta get cute.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
They got to show all the cool plays that they've
come up with and the cool schemes and the cool
concepts that they've created, instead of just saying, hey, this
old school, let's get back to the grit and grind
hand Josh Jacobs the ball and get three four yards
to carry, get the third and two, and live in
that world until the game is over, when the time
of possession in the second half, and in this game,
(17:52):
by not doing that, they gave the Bears chance after
chance to come back.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
And the Bears they blew a couple.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
There was a chance where they forced to fumble where
Jordan Love threw it's won at offensive linemen. They forced
to fumble and couldn't get on the ball. And then
and then they had who was it was it Matthew
Golden or Christian Watson running into the end zone where
he jumped up in the air and then fumbled the
football and the ball's just sitting there and you don't
take advantage. That was two opportunities, two opportunities for the
(18:22):
number one turnover defense in the land to change that
game and help themselves. But in the end, Caleb Williams
ends up coming through on the clutch three hundred and
sixty one yards twenty.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Four of forty eight.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Not a great passing game in terms of accuracy, but
two touchdowns. He did throw the two interceptions, but one
of them was a was a misqueue where the receiver
just didn't run the right route, and the other what
looked like a mist sake. Coaston Loveland had a great game.
Eight catches for one hundred and thirty seven yards. DJ
(18:56):
Moore the game ceiling touchdown at the end on the
face extreen and go.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Again.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Just staying calm and stay in the course. DeAndre Swift
thirteen carries fifty four yards in the one touchdown. It
was a group effort by the Bears and it's what
they have done all season long. Like I said on
TV last night, they the Packers got in that situation
and the pressure was high and they were like what's
going on? But the Bears are like, hey, we were
(19:23):
born in this. We have been living this way all
year long, and sometimes you get so used to thinking, hey,
no matter what the score is, we know we can
come back. That mindset is empowering to a team because
you never really feel like you're out of it. You
never feel like you're done or you're dead in the
water when you can do that. And I think that's
(19:45):
what's helped the Chicago Bears in this game is the
experience all season long. They had I think seven comebacks
this season where they were down almost double digits in
the fourth quarter. That gives you confidence. Now, you don't
want to be in that s situation, and I'm sure
they wish they could start a little faster and get
where they need to go a lot faster than they did.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
But if you're not going to.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Be able to do that, you want to be able
to know that you have a history that tells you, hey,
we can still get this job done. And I think
they're going to be really confident watching this film of
the Carolina Panthers and Rams game. The Carolina Panthers gave
the Rams all they could handle. Their secondary covered really well.
(20:27):
My guy Mike Jack had an incredible game. He earned
himself a lot of money. He had four PBUs and
an interception in the game. Great tackling, great coverage, and J. C.
Horn had the tough matchup of pooking a cool all
game and he did a great job. And unfortunately they
gave Matthew Safford too much time to mount a two
minute drill and he did that. And he is the
MVP of the league this season, and he looked like
(20:48):
it on that last drive, no question about it, with
a dime to Kobe Parkinson to take the lead in
that game.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
But I think the Bears are gonna feel pretty good.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
This rams offense, I mean defense has given up thirty
plus and at least I think five of the last
seven games or so, so they're gettable. Their corners have
been gettable. They have a formidable defensive line, especially if
you get an obvious passing downs. But what a playoff game, man,
These playoff games have been outstanding, all of them.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Now, if you watch my preview, you'll know I called
almost all of them.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
If it wasn't perfect, it didn't go exactly how I
didn't expect the Bears have to come back from eighteen.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
But I think I know something now. The question is,
is Matt Lafleur's job in jeptery jeopardy. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
I'm not making decisions for the Green Bay Packers. If
it was me, I wouldn't I wouldn't fire him because
the question is can you do better than him? Who
has been that much better than him? And and sure
people will say, oh, John Harbaugh has been better than him,
But if you ask the people in Baltimore, they would
say his message got stale, and it got stagnant and
(22:02):
all these other things. So sometimes the new toy is
the better toy just because it was somebody else's. And
sometimes if you really just let the emotions calm let
things calm down, you'll realize you have one of the
best coaches in football, and this was just an unfortunate
series of events this season. It didn't go how you
want to. They'll learn from it going forward and they'll
be better. You lost one of the best players in
(22:23):
the National Football League in Michael Parsons at a critical time.
If he was playing in these games, I think you win.
I think you beat the Chicago Bears. I don't even
think you're the seventh seed. If he's playing, I think
they would have a better chance to win that division.
If Michael Parsons was healthy, the entire pass rush, the
entire way you game plan and prepare for the Green
Bay Packers change when Michael Parsons was out of the lineup,
(22:46):
and I think it affected Rashan Gary, it affected Van As,
it affected Andrean Cooper, everyone on that defense. It affected
how Jeff Hafley's calling the defense. And it'll look a
lot better when he's back. That's why he's getting paid
the big bucks. That's why you trade all those assets
to go get him. Unfortunately, he wasn't there, So hopefully
they don't make a knee jerk reaction and fire a
(23:08):
really good football coach because I don't think that helps him.
I don't think that gets them any closer to winning
in the Super Bowl in the in the near future,
and I think that's the goal for this franchise. Now,
let's get to the Rams Panthers game, the last of
these NFC games that we had.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Panthers battle.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
The Rams were the better team coming in here, Matthew
Stafford coming in as an MVP favorite, the likely MVP.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Candidate this year.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
But they went ahead fourteen to nothing early on, and
then the Panthers started to figure it out. They started
to figure out start to claw their way back, got
back in this game, forced a few interceptions, started to
put pressure on Matthew Stafford, who made a few mistakes.
He missed a few guys down the field. There was
(23:58):
a Pooka Nakua dr that could have been a touchdown
right before the half. You know, uncharacteristic mistakes like that
happened that allowed the Panthers to just stick around. Bryce
Young battled through, made some plays with his legs, made
some plays with his arm, obviously still a work in progress.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
They decided to.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Pick up his fifth year option, which is expectation of
a quarterback that took you to the playoffs, regardless of
how it happened. I know, I know it could have
easily not happened. But you got to give this team
a lot of credit. And I think just just battling
in the way they did and having a lead with
two minutes to go in this game gives a team
like this confidence that hey, we belonged here. It wasn't like, hey,
(24:41):
we got here and we were just happy to be
here and we got blown out and sent home and
we were just like, hey, here's our Participation Trophy. They
went out there to win that game, and it gave
themselves a chance. Unfortunately, Matthew Stafford and his club were
better that day, But give i dro Everell a lot
of credit for what he did, Dave Canalis and his
staff a lot of credit for the way they prepared
(25:01):
their team and the way their team paddled uh after
after a very up and down season for him. On
the other side, I'm sure Sean McVay was was praying
into a good Lord that this game ended up the
way it did, because that would have been a devastating
loss for the Rams after an incredibly promising season where
Matthew Stafford has played some of the best football he's
(25:23):
ever played in his career. You've You've got Pooka Nakula
and and DeVante Adams, two of the best receivers in
the National Football League. You got a really good running
game and Blake krm And and Kieron Williams. You've got
an offensive line that has been fantastic running the football.
And you would have lost to the Carolina Panthers, who
a lot of people said didn't deserve to be in
(25:44):
the playoffs. So that would have been crazy, but it
didn't happen. But I think it's going to be an intriguing,
very intriguing matchup against the Chicago Bears. I think you
can make an argument either way for both teams. Both
teams have their their cummings on defense and have their
strengths on offense. But Caleb Williams is a wild card.
(26:07):
Matthew Stafford is consistent. Matthew Stafford is the ultimate gunslinger,
and he's had a fantastic season. He's going to make
an impact on this game. Can the Bears defense, who
have led the league in turnovers this season, create turnovers?
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Now?
Speaker 1 (26:20):
They created them last game, but they didn't take advantage
of him. The ball was on the ground multiple times,
but they did not get it. Will they be able
to take the football away from Matthew Stafford. He threw
a few errant passes in this game. He gave the
football away to the Carolina Panthers. Can that pass rush
get a little hotter and put pressure in his face?
Ken Dennis Allen come up with a plan to really
(26:40):
move Matthew Stafford off the spot. Not that that really
saves today. Matthew Stafford is fantastic, has great arm, angles
does all the special things that you expect a quarterback
that's up for the MVP to do. But we got
to see it. We got to see it. I can't
wait to watch that game. There's gonna be some some
snow potentially, it's going to be a frigid game. How
does that affect Matthew Stafford? How does that affect the Rams,
(27:03):
who are an indoor team. Yes, they played the Philadelphia
Eagles in a very similar conditioned game last season and
they played well. It came down to the last play
and if they don't find a way to if they
don't leave Jalen Carter, I'm blocked and allow him to
come sack Matthew Stafford on that play. I think the
(27:23):
Rams win that game and eliminate the Super Bowl champs
from the playoffs last season. But you know, if it
was a fifth you know, you know the rest, it
didn't happen. But this is going to be a really
good game between the Rams and in the Bears. It's
guaranteeing that an NFC West team will be in the
NFC Championship this year. But there's the Rams, the Seahawks,
(27:46):
the San Francisco forty nine ers or maybe two NFC
West teams in the NFC Championship game, which would be fantastic.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I'd look forward to that matchup.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
I love divisional matchups in the playoffs because it just
means more. This isn't the SEC, but it just means more.
It means more because it gives your bragging rights, it
gives the fans bragging rights, and you just see how
teams do under pressure. I can't wait to watch it.
Let me tell you about Ready or Not, the tactical
swat game where you really feel the weight of the badge.
(28:18):
Recently I reunited with my Legion of Boom teammates Cam Chancellor,
Cliff Abram, Mike Bennett, and Walter Thurman. We partner with
Ready or Not to go through actual swat training and
film the whole experience watching now on the Richard Sherman
podcast YouTube channel. Here's what makes the game different. It's
(28:39):
not just mindless running gun. Just like the Legion of
Boom built an elite defense on strategy and teamwork, Ready
or Not demands the same mentality. You're commanding a swat team,
clearing rooms, protecting civilians, making tactical calls as a coordinated
team with eighteen missions that challenge and completely different ways.
(29:02):
Every operation demands the same discipline and teamwork. Best part,
you can try for free for a limited time on
PlayStation and Xbox Go solo or squad up with five
players in full cross play support. If you want strategic,
high stakes action that rewards elite strategic thinking, this is
(29:24):
the game for you. Try ready or not for free
today on PlayStation five and Xbox Series X and S.
Welcome back. Here are the Richard Sherman Podcast. Picks, all
odds and lines are brought to you by our partners
at hard Rock Bet. We've got the Texans at the
Steelers on Monday Night Football tomorrow. Hard Rock Bet has
(29:47):
the Texans as a three point spread in this game,
and I think that's right. I think the Houston Texans
dominant defense with all these all proles in the secondary
at Patriot, I thought he.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Should be an all pro.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
The all pros, the d line, the pro bowler in
the middle of that defense, and z z Alshaier are
going to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a lot of trouble.
I know that Aaron Rodgers will look to get the
ball out quick, but can you get it out quick?
Enough when you got Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley on
the end, with Petrie in the middle, and then you
got Kaylin Bullock at the safety. It's just so much
(30:20):
talent and speed on that defense. It's gonna be tough
to deal with all night. And then you got c J.
Stroud and Nico Collins on the other side, and they
can do damage. If CJ. Stroud gets in rhythm, his
game can get out of hand. And I can't wait
to watch it. But we will see, we will see.
I'll give y'all three players who could score in anytime touchdown.
For the Texans it's, of course, Nico Collins and Woody Marx.
(30:41):
And for the Steelers it's dk Metcalf making his return
back into the lineup.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
He'll get an end zone.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
However, I'm taking the under on Aaron Rodgers having more
than one and a half interceptions. He's gonna be careful
with this football, no question about it. I don't think
he's gonna put it in harm his way. He's not
gonna take too much time back there. He knows how
quick this pass rush can get home. This San Francisco
Seattle game, it's gonna be a classic. The last time
(31:07):
these two teams played in the playoffs, I was there.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
I was there. We're gonna it was a whole.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Tip play came down to the last play. Fantastic game,
instant classic. You know they still talk about that game
to this day. Will this be another one? I know
San Francisco forty nine Ers are payed up and and
you want to just say, oh man, this is the
Seattle Seahawks are too stacked. They're gonna they're gonna run
the run off the field. And they may, but it
just usually doesn't shake out like that. Kyle Shanahan is
(31:35):
gonna have a great plan that they know the Seattle
Seahawks are gonna be stout against the run. You're not
gonna be able to move the football. You're not gonna
be able to move Jaron Reed and Byron Murphy and
Leonard Williams up front, DeMarcus Lawrence. You're gonna have to
find a way to create gaps, to create misdirection, to
get away from those guys. And then on the other side,
the San Francisco forty nine Ers defense benefited from a
(31:57):
miss field golden and a mistake by saying Donald early
on in that game where he could have had a
touchdown to the flat and just held on to the ball.
They're going to have to find a way to get
pressure on him, no question about that, and I'm not
sure they can. It's gonna be better because Eric Kendricks
as a veteran and does all the things we talked
about earlier. He's going to be in better position than
Bethune was in necessary And at some points in that game,
(32:21):
does de Winters come back, We'll see he was limping
in this game when he tried to test it before.
Another week may help. But this is going to be
a good game. Two teams that know each other really well,
two coordinators that have a lot of respect for one another.
But again, Mike McDon Mike McDonald has had Kyle Shanahan's
(32:43):
number since his days in Baltimore. He has limited Kyle
Shanahan in a tremendous way. I think the most he's
scored on him was twenty points. Are seventeen points in
Baltimore in nineteen maybe, and he hasn't had a lot
of success any other time. And this year he scored
three and thirteen, if I'm not so sixteen points in
two games Can he overcome that? Can he find some solutions?
(33:06):
Can he and Brock Purdy manipulate this to get more yardage?
Now you're gonna have Trent Williams back in this game.
He injured himself, I think early on in that game.
If I'm not mistaken, and will you have Ricky Persolt.
That don't matter. The Seattle Seahawks team is gonna come
out fresh. They're off for rest and it seems like
Mike McDonald and their staff has done a great job
of allowing them to rest, get get you know, away
(33:28):
from the building, but still stay locked in and diligent
with their preparation. So it's gonna be everything we needed.
This is the NFL has done a great job with
these playoffs. I can't wait to see it. As always,
you could be anywhere in the world, but you hear
with me, and I surely do appreciate it. Enjoin some
great NFL content in these great NFL games. If your
team lost, don't lose, hope, you know, go out there,
(33:51):
take a deep breath, maybe take take a long walk,
you know, and and decompress. But all is not lost,
you know, get to the drafts are figuring things out.
But for the people whose team are still in it.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
It's gonna be a fun ride. Can't wait. Hit that
UB button if you knew, See you next time. M
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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