The Richard Sherman Podcast - Week In Review: Brock Purdy’s MVP Case, Seahawks Stunned & Are the Raiders For Real? - The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
There's a lot of chaos early in this season. It's
almost like these first three weeks have been a bona
fide preseason because I don't know who's good, who's decent,
who's lousy. You know, we thought the Seattle Seahawks were
a juggernaut. Then they go on the road, lose to
the commanders. The Raiders are 3-0. Richard, wild, wild storylines

(00:26):
developing the NFL through three weeks. Let's start with your
San Francisco 49ers who improved to 3-0 at home against
the Arizona Cardinals.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
A bit of a shootout here.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
36-30 final. The San Francisco 49ers proved to be victorious. Richard,
what stood out to you in this game with the
San Francisco 49ers coming out on top against the Arizona Cardinals?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
It's got to be Brock Purdy to start. Had another
fantastic game. I mean, not fantastic by his standards because
I'm sure he would want his completion percentage to be higher.
He was closer to 50% today. He was 15-27, but
for 297 yards, four touchdowns, 133.8 passer rating. He had
two runs for 34 yards. George Kittle. George Kittle had

(01:14):
a fantastic day. He was distributing the ball to everybody.
He was getting it. Jordan Watkins. Jordan Watkins was a
great story of this game. a guy that had a conversation,
a real candid conversation with Kyle Shanahan, wanting to get
more time, trying to figure out how to get on
the field and make an impact. He felt like he
should be in the lineup based on what he's done

(01:36):
on offense, but Kyle Shanahan let him know that fourth
and fifth receiver spot, it's about special teams, and right
now you're not doing enough on special teams. But after
a number of injuries, he finally got an opportunity to
He had two catches for 60 yards, a really huge
catch in this game. Mike Evans continues to be consistent,
but a concern in this game. Goes out with a

(01:58):
rib injury, doesn't return in this game, so we got
to figure out what that is. Trenton Williams goes out.
The injuries, again, starting to mount. Nicholas John Bosa gets
injured before this game even starts. Earlier in the week
has a calf injury, and they are running out of
IR spots to bring back, so they're going to keep
him on the active roster. And that weakens the team

(02:20):
in some regards because it's a spot that you can't feel,
a spot that won't be used. So then it puts
more reps on other guys. It puts guys in tougher positions,
makes you lighter. The options lighter on game day of
who you can pick from. But his team still looks fantastic,
at least offensively. They had a great game. Christian McCaffrey,
15 carries, 75 yards, a touchdown, four receptions, 41 yards,

(02:44):
continues to be a great A great scorer. Eddie Panero
hits a 57-yarder in this game. Has some odd misses
on some PATs, but he's been under the weather, so
I'm sure he'll get that figured out. But the defense,
two sacks in a game. Fred Warner looked great, but
Drake Greenlaw goes out with a quad injury. Another injury.

(03:07):
Diamador Lenore gets a little banged up. Some friendly fire.
But Marquise Siegel. Marquise Siegel is another story line. that
we got to talk about a guy who made some
plays in this game, had some PBUs, but just seems
to be ascending, seems to be figuring it out. A
guy that last year had some really good moments, but
then struggled a bit to the point where they had

(03:29):
to replace him. This year, it looks like he's taking
another step forward. That's been great to see. San Francisco
49ers look good. Jacoby Brissett threw it 52 times today
for only 280 yards. That's a good game for defense.
If a quarterback throws it 52 times, only has 280 yards,
they were playing some great coverage, a lot of checkdowns,

(03:51):
a lot of easy completions, 11 receptions for Michael Wilson
on 17 targets for only 89 yards. For a defense to,
you know, a guy to get targeted that many times,
you get targeted 17 times and you don't have 100 yards,
that means the defense did a great job. So I
feel like they did a good job. The run game
is something they're going to want to clean up. Obviously,

(04:14):
Jeremiah Love had 21 carries for 90 yards. That's something
they have to work on. They have to get better at.
Special teams-wise, they had the muffed punt that made this
game a lot closer than it had to be, helped
Arizona make this a game late in the game. So obviously,
the San Francisco 49ers know what they have to do
in that regard, but Trent Williams going out of this game,

(04:35):
Mike Evans going out of this game, it's allowing other
guys to step up. But You just hate to keep
seeing it year after year after year with really no explanation.
And I know everybody's like, oh, man, it's the power plant.
It's the substation and all that. But, I mean, it's
hard to argue it right now because it just keeps happening.

(04:57):
But I want to talk about that play, that hook
and ladder, Mitchell. Did you see that play? Did you
both see it? Of course I did, Rude.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
Richard Debo Samuel is just back in his natural habitat
with the San Francisco 49ers and to see that creativity
right out of the gate to him to get involved
it looks like the Debo of old what a weapon
I don't know could you did you imagine this when
they re-signed him he would have this much of an
impact on the offense immediately like he is in these

(05:24):
first three games uh you.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
You hope for that you hope that It goes back
to the old ways. You know, everything kind of goes
back in place, but you really never know. It's been
a fantastic, probably a fairytale start for this season for
Debo Samuel, for Kyle Shanahan. Offense is scoring a lot
of points. It looks like they're having fun for them
to run a hook and ladder that early in the
game and for it to work to perfection. I think

(05:49):
the last one, I mean, I know there's been a
couple in the NFL with teams trying it, but I
think the last one I remember working that, well, Boise State.
Boise State in a Fiesta Bowl years ago. Mitchell, that's
one of the more iconic hook and ladders that I've
ever seen. But this one has to be right up there.
And they released the tight end to block the corner.

(06:10):
I mean, it was a marvelous play design, marvelous setup,
and marvelous execution. The San Francisco 49ers look fantastic. Brock
Purdy improved, probably improved. He's probably got the best odds
for MVP in the league at this point because of
the game Josh Allen just had. He struggled mightily. versus
the LA Chargers defense. Five turnovers for that offense on

(06:31):
the day. We'll get to that game and talk about it.
But Brock Purdy, right now, probably the league lead for
the MVP. And he deserves it. And he deserves it.
I think Kyle Shanahan feels good. They got a really
tough game coming up against Denver next week. I'm looking
forward to seeing how they compete against that defense, what

(06:52):
they can do against that offense. This is a good team, Mitchell.
This is a good team. And with the Seattle Seahawks
losing to the Commanders, they're number one in the division.
What you going to do? What are you going to do,
San Francisco?

Speaker 1 (07:06):
Let's talk about the number one team on your power ranks.
They take on the Denver Broncos in San Francisco. The
49ers against the Denver Broncos. Richard Polly Market gives the
Niners a 57% chance to win this game. Denver looked
good on Sunday night. I mean, some would call it
an officiating win, a phantom P.I. call towards the end

(07:27):
of that game, but that defense kept them in it.
The Rams were hot early, up 16 to nothing, and
ultimately Matt Stafford throws a big-time pick six to let
the Denver Broncos take the lead and take control of
that game. The Broncos head into San Francisco, a team
that you obviously love, 3-0. What does the San Francisco

(07:47):
49ers have to do to come out with a victory
in this game? They have to play mistake-free football. They
have to run the ball. They have to do what
they've done all season, which is score the football. They're
second in the league in scoring 32 points a game
and third in points allowed.

Speaker 2 (08:00):
So that's the way they have to play. But that
starts with running the football, allowing their defense to rest,
getting chunk plays when they're there. And I think Brock
Purdy has done that as well as anybody this season
is just taking what the defense gives him. If it's
an explosive play, he goes, he finds it. If it's not,
if it's a check down, he's going to take four
or five and he's going to keep the ball moving

(08:21):
down the field. They got to continue to run the
ball at a decent rate. I think they're looking for more.
And Kyle Shanahan would tell you he's disappointed in the
run game and he expects more. I think their offensive line, again,
as As much as I was tough on this offensive
line for the San Francisco 49ers, especially the interior offensive line,

(08:41):
they deserve a ton of credit. They have kept Brock
Purdy clean. He has yet to be sacked this season.
So I expect that to continue. Some of it has
to do with his mobility. Some of it has to
do with them doing a great job protecting him. He
has to continue that. Who are they going to have
at receiver? That's a big question. Who's going to be available?

(09:01):
Is Cooks going to be available this week? Is he
going to line up? Is he going to be out there?
Is he going to get up to speed fast enough
to be available to be put out there? Are they
going to use more tight ends? Are they going to
use more Kyle Hughes, Shaq, George Kittle, those guys in
the past game? Can we see some two running back
sets with Kalon Black and Christian McCaffrey on the field
at the same time? I don't know. Kyle Shanahan is

(09:22):
one of the more creative minds in the National Football League.
I know it's going to be fun. On the other side,
Is Drake Greenlaw going to be healthy this week, or
do they sit him another week and rest? Because, again,
that changes the dynamic in a big way on that defense.
He is a big-time factor, a big-time just attitude, Mitchell.
He's a tone setter out there, and when you don't

(09:44):
see him, when he's not out there, you can feel it,
and it's different. So hopefully he can play, but just
like Polly Market, I got the San Francisco 49ers winning
this game. They're signing Matthew Judon to practice squad. He's
a guy, year 11. veteran, four-time pro bowler. He can
get some juice, maybe give them some juice, some pass

(10:05):
rush juice. They're not running a super complex game up front,
so he should be able to get up to speed
pretty fast, and we'll see if he can help them
put some more pressure on the quarterback because they have
had trouble doing that, and they're definitely going to need
it against Bo Nix.

Speaker 1 (10:17):
This will be a great test for the Niners. There's
no question about it. The Denver Broncos, again, come off
a big win. A lot of folks expected them to
lose against the Rams. They proved that they're still one
of those contenders in the AFC with that victory.

Speaker 2 (10:29):
If they go and.

Speaker 1 (10:30):
Knock out the San Francisco 49ers on.

Speaker 2 (10:32):
The road, look up.

Speaker 1 (10:33):
They will be climbing up your power ranks and certainly
into mine as well. Let's talk a little bit about Seattle.
I mean, this was the stunner of the weekend. Obviously,
we saw Green Bay get destroyed on Thursday Night Football,
but If you would have told me Seattle was going
to go on the road to the Commanders and take
an L with Marcus Mariota at the helm for the Commanders,

(10:53):
I would be absolutely in disbelief. And I am in
disbelief right now, having watched that game. Obviously, Sam Darnold,
coming back from injury, looked a little rusty in that
first half.

Speaker 2 (11:05):
He threw two interceptions.

Speaker 1 (11:07):
But when the going got tough, he started giving the
ball to his main man, JSN, and they got back
into this game and looked like.

Speaker 2 (11:13):
They had life.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
Richard, this Seattle Seahawks team has looked so dominant over
the last calendar year. What gives with this game? How
does this happen?

Speaker 2 (11:24):
Well, it's the early turnovers. It was a rainy game,
and there's no excuse. The rookie, Jadarian Price, fumbles the ball,
first drive of the game, puts the Commanders in it,
and sometimes a team in the National Football League, you
give them life early. You start to make them, allow
them to believe they have a chance to win, and
they never lost that momentum. The Washington Commanders coached by

(11:44):
Dan Quinn, were well-prepared in this game. They played really
well early on. You got to give Marcus Mariota a
ton of credit. He came into this game well-prepared. He
executed the plan. He was 19 of 31, 183 yards
and three touchdowns versus a very, very formidable Seattle Seahawks defense.

(12:06):
And he made them look bad. I mean, he made
them look bad. No ifs, ands, and buts about it.
They were giving up eight and a half points per
game coming into this game. They gave up 33. And
this is the most the commanders have scored this season.
And this is with Jaden Daniels playing in the other game.
So obviously this gives Mike McDonald a coaching, you know,

(12:29):
some coaching points, some things to point out. And it
humbles this defense a little bit. Probably get some hungrier
throughout the season. Sometimes you need that. Sometimes you get
punched in the mouth and you got to understand that, hey,
You can't just float into games and expect it to
just go well. You got to make enough plays. Obviously,
Julian Love was out of this game, and they had

(12:50):
to play Finley, and Finley had his struggles. They attacked
him multiple times in the red zone, and, you know,
they were able to make some plays. They were attacking
the middle of the field, I think, a lot more
than they would have if Julian Love would have played.
Nick Ammon-Warry got in this game, but he went out
with a hamstring injury. But If you had told me
that Sam Donald was going to throw for 374 yards

(13:12):
and four touchdowns, I would have expected them to win
this game. If you told me Jackson Smith and Chigba
was going to have 10 catches for 128 yards and
two touchdowns, I would have thought they were going to
win this game. If you would have told me Cooper Cup,
four catches, 46 yards, and a touchdown, it sounds like
the offense did what they needed to do. But it's
the turnovers. You had three turnovers in this game. Critical.

(13:33):
Critical turnovers. and the defense didn't make enough plays on
the other side. I don't think they made enough plays,
and if you look at the game, if you watch
the game, they never looked like they were in command.
The offense got going in a great way in the
second half, but those turnovers, unexpected things, just unexpected, uncharacteristic

(13:55):
turnovers that you just can't have, and obviously you expected
some rust for Sam Darnold, but you can't depend on
him like this. The run game has to get going,
and they have no semblance of a run game right now.
And I think that's their biggest issue, and I've talked
about this before last season, and people are like, oh,
it's okay, they'll figure it out. And last season, Kenneth

(14:16):
Walker figured it out throughout the playoffs, and that is
what propelled them to the Super Bowl. They're going to
have to figure this run game out. They set Jadarian
Price for, I think, almost a quarter and a half,
two quarters after he fumbled the football for good reason.
You can't fumble the football in the National Football League.
and he's had two fumbles already in his career. It's
only been three games into his career in the National

(14:38):
Football League. That's not a good thing. When you start
to have that reputation, guys are going to go harder
to try to pull the ball out, try to punch
the ball out. They're going to attack the football more
until he shows that he can secure it, until he
shows that he can be safer with the football. So
that's my biggest concern right now for the Seattle Seahawks

(14:59):
is the run game. The run game has to get going. Um,
I thought, I think anytime you have Sam Donald throwing
it 45 times, that's not the way that Mike McDonald
wants to play. Obviously he doesn't want his defense giving
up 33 points. I guarantee you Mike McDonald expected, Hey,
if this offense scores 31 points, we win that game. So, um,

(15:23):
it's kind of back to the drawing board with some things, uh,
trying to get some things corrected because the way the
Washington commanders attack this secondary is attack this defense is sustainable. It's,
it's a way that other teams will attack it. And
so you have to get these things corrected really quickly,
or it could start spiraling. You hope that, uh, that
Nick M and worry and, and Julian love get healed

(15:45):
up really quickly because they are very pivotal, critical parts
of his defense. No doubt.

Speaker 1 (15:51):
And Richard, not to beat a dead horse, but I mean,
I highlighted this coming into the season. I was concerned
about this run game and what the loss of Kenneth
Walker would do to this offense. And today we saw
just that. Without Kenneth Walker, without a reliable veteran in
that backfield, questions start to arise. 18 carries for 44 yards.
I mean, this is a team that's used to pounding

(16:12):
the rock ever since the Marshawn Lynch era, since the
Sean Alexander era. You know, they don't have that bell
cow right now. And that's my one concern point with
the Seattle Seahawks team. I don't want it to become
their Achilles heel. So they got to fix something here.
Is Zach Charbonnet going to be able to give him
some relief at the midway point of the season? Maybe
he's someone that will help. But to your point, Jadarian

(16:34):
Price being a rookie and having fumbling issues out of
the gates, what does that do to this guy's confidence?
Those are major question marks going forward. Do I think
Seattle's out of the spotlight?

Speaker 2 (16:46):
Absolutely not.

Speaker 1 (16:47):
I think they're still one of the top five teams
in this league. They've got a defense that just showed
up and didn't play their A game. And got beat.
I mean, bottom line. I don't know how difficult it is, Richard,
in your time playing football, but we see it time
and time again. And I know you've talked about it previously.
How difficult is it for a team that is based

(17:07):
on the West Coast to go to the East Coast
and play that one o'clock hour game? How big of
a role does that play with just your natural instincts
and sleep patterns?

Speaker 2 (17:17):
Is that a big issue? Well, I wouldn't say it's
a big issue. It's something to consider. It's something to
think about. But you've got to also understand that Mike
McDonald teams were, over the last, what, 18 road games,
they were 16-2. So it's not like they've played games
at this point before. They prepared the same way. And

(17:41):
they're human. You know, sometimes you just have a bad day.
Sometimes you have a bad time. Sometimes you're not playing
well and they didn't play well. And the Washington Commanders
had their numbers. This is the pros. The other team
gets paid too. And the Washington Commanders went out there
and executed their game plan. They played inspired football. And
they deserved the win. You looked at Terry McLaurin made

(18:01):
huge plays in this game. You looked at the play
in the end zone. Incredible plays. I thought there were
some really questionable calls. I thought one of those unnecessary
roughnesses on a very critical third down where they got
the football. Finley hit Terry McLaurin and pulled the ball out.
And they gave him the first down because they said
it was unnecessary roughness. And Terry McLaurin drops the crown

(18:23):
of his helmet and puts it into Finley's chest. And Finley,
I mean, it's a bang-bang play. There was nothing... I
don't think there was nothing intentionally, demonstratively wrong with the
way Finley attacked it. It's just one of those plays.
And I think it's one of those plays where if
you look at it and the league looks at it carefully,

(18:43):
you might see Terry McLaurin get fined on that play
for crowning the helmet. And so... it's really frustrating to
see plays like that really have such a tremendous impact
on the game because you're like, if Seattle gets that stop,
they're off the field. It was, I think it was
third and 13 and it's now it's automatic first down
on a, on a call that the defender literally couldn't

(19:03):
do anything about it. He runs over there, puts his
chest on there, knocks the ball out. Everybody's standing up
at the end. It's not like Terry McLaurin's knocked out or, or,
or concussed or anything like that. It, It just seemed
like a football play that didn't need to be called,
and it had a big impact on the game.

Speaker 1 (19:22):
One little note before we leave this game here. They're
already starting conversations in Seattle. Mike McDonald has confirmed that
Zach Charbonnet might be back at practice next week, starting
his window to return. Richard, how big of a boost
do you think Zach Charbonnet would be to this offense?

Speaker 2 (19:38):
It'll be somewhat of a boost, but it's not just...
Right now, they're not opening the holes. You know, there's
fundamental problems in the run game. And obviously, Brian Fleury
is going to do it. he can to get them solved.
Mike McDonald is going to ask the questions and make
sure they get solved because you're going to need to
run the football. They play the L.A. Chargers next week,

(19:59):
and that defense hasn't been the greatest, but it's really talented.
And if you watch how they played against the Buffalo
Bills this week, five turnovers, they cause five turnovers, they
can cause problems, they can cause chaos, and they can
be very opportunistic, and so you have to be able
to run the football, you have to be able to
shave some time off the clock, you know what the

(20:20):
best defense in the National Football League is? It's time, Mitchell,
it's a run game, it's, hey, we are not on
the field very often, if you're on the field 25 minutes, Mitchell, you're,
you're They have a higher propensity to play great defense.
I guarantee you that because you're not on the field
as long. And when you're on the field, 35 minutes,
36 minutes, 32 minutes, it's going to lead to more

(20:41):
yards and more mistakes. You're out there longer. They're getting
more possessions. They're getting more drives. They're running more plays.
And so that was a bit of an imbalance in
this game. And again, I don't want to take anything
away from the Washington Commanders because they went out there
and executed. They earned this win. This wasn't any any
luck of the draw or, hey, man, the ball bounced
this way or, man, they got, you know, they thoroughly

(21:03):
outplayed the Seattle Seahawks and they earned this win. So
give them a tremendous amount of credit. I look for
the Seattle Seahawks to bounce back next week, but we're
going to see. I want to take a second to
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(21:24):
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Speaker 1 (21:32):
But Polymarket is a prediction market, Richard. It's a stock
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Speaker 1 (22:06):
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Seattle Seahawks. They take on the 0-3 L.A.

Speaker 2 (22:25):
Chargers.

Speaker 1 (22:26):
And you went into detail last podcast, Richard, about what
is wrong in L.A. And it starts with Justin Herbert.
Enter L.A. into Seattle. 0-3, potentially 0-4. And now you're
dealing with a Seattle team that's fresh off a loss.
You know they're going to be very hungry. How do
you see this game playing out in Seattle on Sunday, Richard?

Speaker 2 (22:50):
Well, I see it very similar to what Polly Market
has it at. The Seattle Seahawks winning this one in
a very convincing fashion. The offensive line for the L.A.
Chargers has been abysmal all season, and I don't expect
that to change anytime soon, even their good players. Joe
Ault is leading the league in penalties. Rashawn Slater has

(23:11):
not won at the rate that we have come to
expect from a guy of his caliber. I think he
has a 76% win rate. Right now in the season,
which is very low of the 66 tackles in the
National Football League, I think it's like 52 or 55,
and that's not good enough. And obviously we put a

(23:32):
lot of pressure and a lot of blame on Justin Herbert,
rightfully so, because you have to be able to execute. Sure,
the offensive line hasn't been great. There are other guys
who offensive lines aren't great. The pass catchers have to
catch the football. That's a big part of it. The
pass catchers have to catch the football. When he throws
accurate passes, they got to hold on to it, especially

(23:52):
in critical situations. I think that's been a big deterrent
for the L.A. Chargers, and they're going to have to
get that fixed. But on the other side of the ball,
their defense did a great job taking the football away
last week against a very good Buffalo Bills team. They
took it from Dalton Kincaid, forced a fumble there. They
took it from James Cook, forced a fumble early in

(24:15):
that game, two interceptions from from Josh Allen, a forced
fumble on Josh Allen. So if they can play like
that against the Seahawks team that turned the ball over
a number of times, Jadarian Price has only three career
games and has fumbled in two of them. So that's
going to be a point of emphasis. How can they
improve that? How can the Seattle Seahawks improve their running game?

(24:37):
They have to have a better showing on the ground
in order to open up the pass game. Sure, Sam
Donald still is able to be effective getting the ball
to Jackson Smith and Jigba, but where is Rashid Shaheed?
You paid him all this money to stay. He's supposed
to be a big factor in the offense. They're not
targeting him enough for me to even feel comfortable with

(24:59):
the money they're paying him. Usually when you throw out money,
they're feeding Jackson Smith and Jigba, but we're throwing a
lot of tight end screens, and they're working. They're effective plays.
And they're slowing down the pass rush. And it's smart offense.
And Brian Fleury's doing a great job calling it. But
you have to get your speedster involved. Are people going
to just start ignoring him and doubling J.S. Hinn? And,

(25:20):
you know, J.S. Hinn has found a way. I think
the reason that he's continued to find success is Brian
Fleury is doing a good job moving him around. So
you can't get a beat at where he is. It's
hard to double a player when he's in the slot
one play and he's outside one play and he's in
the backfield another play and he's motioning back and forth
the next play. It's really hard to double that guy.
You can't keep swinging your safeties and checking and saying, hey,

(25:43):
we're running cover two to this side. No, we're bracketing
to that side. Oh, he's motioning. All right, move the bracket.
Things are happening too fast. So I commend Brian Fleury
for what he's doing offensively. But you have to get
your other big-time receiver involved. Cooper Cupp has been involved,
which is great. Cooper Cupp is a big-time receiver, former
Triple Crown winner. But Rasheed Shaheed, I mean, I can

(26:07):
understand why the Seahawks fans are complaining about seeing K-9
have the success that he's having in Kansas City and
not seeing Rasheed Shaheed, who got a big-time payday, not
even get targeted enough to have that kind of success,
to have the kind of impact that you would expect. Now,
do I think that K-9 would have the success that
he's had in Kansas City and in Seattle? No, I don't.

(26:27):
I don't. They're just not opening the holes right now.
The run game just has not been as successful. and
maybe he would factor in, you know, obviously he's a
guy that has a ton of yards after contact and
breaks tackles and makes a lot out of a little bit,
but at the end of the day, you've got to
open up some holes. And I'm sure that they're going
to be very cautious and have a very short lease

(26:49):
with Jadarian Price if he can't hold on to the football.
As a running back in the National Football League, that's
one of the worst things you can have on you
is if you fumbled the football, you can't do it.
So if they can Keep the ball safe. If they
can take care of the football and the Seattle Seahawks
can run the football, take some shots with Rasheed Shaheed,

(27:10):
obviously feed Jackson Smith and Jigba. Feed my guy, A.J. Barner.
He's been eaten. I can see them winning this game handily,
but I'm very cautious to say that. After me saying
that last week against the Commanders, with all the circumstances
and everything going against the Commanders, the Commanders found a
way to hang 33 points up on this team. take

(27:33):
the ball away three times, including a pick six. So
I think the Seahawks win this game.

Speaker 1 (27:39):
I'm with you, Richard, but the LA Chargers, there's no
doubt about it.

Speaker 2 (27:42):
I don't think it's debatable.

Speaker 1 (27:43):
They got a lot of talent on that team, including
their quarterback, Justin Herbert, who's struggling mightily. There might be
no team more desperate in football than the Chargers. And
the Seattle Seahawks losing to Washington shocked me. Them losing
to the Chargers would not shock me. But Seattle needs
to come out and they need to be aggressive and
get hot early. And back to the Rashid Shahid topic. Richard,

(28:07):
his highest yardage total. He's been with the Seahawks for
12 games ever since getting traded from the Saints. His
highest yardage total is 74 yards. Next highest from that
is 67. Next highest from that, 35, Richard. So, I mean,
it just goes to show you and you can understand
why there's some frustration in the fan base when you

(28:27):
pay a guy 17 million plus a year. and you
let a running back walk who's getting 14-5. So I
get the internal debate. I like Seattle in this game.
They need to find a way to get Rasheed Shahid
more involved and unlock that next level of this offense.
A team that needed to bounce back after a rough

(28:48):
showing on Thursday night football against the Bills. The Detroit
Lions come home and face an old friend, an Aaron Glenn,
the former D.C. for the Detroit Lions. This Jets team
is scrappy, Richard, with Geno Smith at the helm. You
get to see some flair again with the Jets. They
got some good young talent. I mean, Garrett Wilson, Kenyon Sadiq,

(29:10):
Brees Hall watching him. He's so shifty and crafty. You know,
this Jets team is not as bad as people think.
That being said, Detroit scared the living heck out of me.
Up 16 points in the fourth quarter. They inevitably allowed
Geno Smith and the Jets-led offense to come back, tie
the game up, And then Detroit has to scramble. They

(29:31):
rely on their bell cow, Jameer Gibbs, run it down
late and score the touchdown. And then ultimately, the guy
we've been questioning, everyone in Detroit's been questioning, you've been questioning,
Kelvin Shepard, the DC for the Detroit Lions, dials up
a beautiful blitz to end this game, sacking Geno, ultimately
leading to a turnover and fumble recovery by Jack Campbell.

(29:54):
Impressive stuff at the end of this game. Richard, I
got a wild stat for you from Jared Goff. He
threw for 25 out of 32, 269, two touchdowns, zero interceptions,
a 122.5 passer rating. He becomes the sixth QB in
NFL history to start the first three games of the

(30:14):
season with 800 yards passing, eight passing touchdowns, no interceptions,
and a completion percentage of 70% or greater. Jared Goff
was a story in this game. I mean, he got
everyone involved. He's such a consistent and reliable force in Detroit,
and he's somebody they've leaned on. How impressed were you

(30:36):
with what you saw from this Detroit Lions offense today, Richard?
They've put up 31 points in three consecutive games led
by Jared Goff. What stands out to you about this
Detroit Lions offense? Is it enough to help them win
the North and be competitive in the NFC?

Speaker 2 (30:54):
We got to wait and see. I think they should.
Jared Goff doesn't get the credit he deserves. He's the
best quarterback in the NFC North, and you can argue
with somebody else. Please, please, if you get a chance,
I don't care if you're a Vikings fan. I don't
care if you're a Caleb Williams Bears fan. Even if
you're a Jordan Love, Green Bay enthusiast, please go check

(31:15):
out Jared Goff's stats. and see why he's the best
quarterback in NFC North. And I know, I know you'll say,
oh man, these are just inflated stats. And if he
did this, and if he would have had this, and
I don't really care about ifs. If ifs was a fifth, Mitchell,
we'd all be drunk. He has played at a consistently
high level for the Detroit Lions, even in a down year.

(31:36):
Last year was considered a down year for them. And
I think he still threw for close to 4,500 yards, 30, 35,
36 touchdowns, only 10 or 12 interceptions. And it's a
down year. And I think that's the part that gets overshadowed.
He keeps this team afloat. He keeps this offense going. Obviously,
Jameer Gibbs made some incredible plays today. That touchdown run

(31:59):
where he reversed field, cut back Mitchell. There's only a
couple guys in the league that could do that. I
think it's him, maybe James Cook. Obviously, Bajon, you know,
some really special human beings that could get that done.
But he had a really fantastic game. Two touchdowns on
the ground. eight, seven catches for 65 yards and a
touchdown through the air. But my concern is, is this

(32:25):
kind of defense sustainable? Obviously give Kelvin Shepard a lot,
a lot of credit because they've had their struggles in
the secondary. And I thought they were battling today, but
you've got to bring more pressure. And that's what he did.
Five sacks of Gino Smith, but Gino was also 31
to 37 for three 21 and three touchdowns with 129.8
quarterback rating. So But when they needed a play, they

(32:48):
made it. And sometimes that's the kind of defense you have.
Can you battle? Can you scrap? Can you fight? Can
you make a play when your team needs it? Can
you get that one stop to give your offense a
chance to win the game? And if they can play
defense like that, they deserve a ton of credit. But
it's to be seen. They got a tough season. They're
in a tough division. But right now they're tied for the– no,

(33:09):
they're not. Right now they're battling. They're battling. I want
to see how they play against Chicago. I want to
see how they play against Minnesota. And we'll see. This
NFC North is going to be way more competitive than
people think. Obviously, the Green Bay Packers look like they're
having a down year. There's no answers walking through that
door with the offensive line. They're really banged up. Jordan

(33:33):
Love is under consistent pressure, so I'm not looking for
them to do anything. The Minnesota Vikings... are battling. They
look like they're a defense first team, defense and run
the football. Kyler Murray gave them a little bit of
a spark today, but we'll see. I think Detroit is
the most complete team, the team I trust the most
in this division, and we'll see if they can pull

(33:54):
it out.

Speaker 1 (33:56):
Richard, to just highlight what you said there, I mean,
my main concern with this team is obviously the defensive secondary.
Their front seven, they got after the quarterback today. DJ Wonung,
they brought him over He was formerly opposite of Danil
Hunter with the Minnesota Vikings. You know, he had two
sacks today. Aleem McNeil had a sack today, fresh off
the ACL tear. He was not the same guy last year.

(34:17):
Great to see him back. You know, obviously, Aiden Hutchinson
getting after the quarterback. That's all great and grand. But, Richard,
I think it's safe to say their entire secondary, I
don't know if there's one guy opposite of maybe DJ
Reed that is an above-average quarterback. player in that room
if Detroit really wants to get competitive and my eyes

(34:39):
as a fan they need to make a big splash
play maybe it's Joey Porter Jr. with the Pittsburgh Steelers
you know if Detroit wants to get after it this
year and be Super Bowl contenders they need to address
opposite of DJ Reed it is unfair to him he's
taking flags downfield on PIs they're basically all cards in

(34:59):
on Brian Branch coming back and being the same guy
he was without his Achilles injury Questions are in the
air about Kirby Joseph and his long-term health.

Speaker 2 (35:06):
Can he play again? We shall see.

Speaker 1 (35:08):
But there's more questions than answers in this secondary for
the Lions. That's my main concern. We'll see how they
handle it going forward, Richard. But that is a big
point of emphasis that needs to be addressed mid-season if
the Lions want to be competitive in my eyes.

Speaker 2 (35:24):
And I think the only way you do that, I mean,
Joey Porter is probably the only one who's available for
that kind of trade. And if the Pittsburgh Steelers are
playing well, and they played well today, their defense has
been playing well, I don't think he's going to be
as available as you want, unless you give them an
offer they can't refuse. And I don't know if Detroit
has ever really operated in that way where they're trying
to give a King's ransom during the season while also

(35:45):
paying the guy a ton of money. So I don't
know if I would hold my breath for that kind
of big transaction Mitchell, but who knows, who knows the
NFL is crazy and crazier things have happened. They were
able to get home. You got to give Kelvin Shepard credit.
They were able to get home when they needed to.
They put a lot of pressure on Gino. And I think, Again,
I feel great for Geno and the New York Jets.

(36:08):
I think they played great offensively. I thought they gave
themselves a chance. They've been playing better defensively, and we'll
see if that can continue. We'll see if they can
string together some wins, but I don't know if you
can put this one on Geno at all. I think
the Detroit Lions offense is just a great unit who's
going to put up points, and they're a tough unit
to keep up with.

Speaker 1 (36:29):
Richard, let's take it to the game. Let's take it
to the Detroit Lions game because, This is a Sunday
night game, and it's going to be featuring two teams
that have high-flying offenses early in the season. The Detroit
Lions travel to the Carolina Panthers, and I think you've
got a little something to say about this game.

Speaker 2 (36:49):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mitchell, this Carolina Panthers offense is one
that can score the football, that can put the ball
in the end zone. And your Detroit Lions are also
a team that can put the ball in the end zone.
The problem is they don't do a great job of
stopping anybody from putting the ball in the end zone.

(37:10):
And if Carolina can play as they have majority of
this season, they're one of the top scoring offenses in
the National Football League. Mitchell Carolina is fifth in scoring,
but 26th in defense. Detroit is third in scoring offense,
but 32nd in defense. It's a more even match than

(37:32):
Polymarket is giving credit for. They have your Detroit Lions,
Honolulu Blue Boys, 64% chance of winning this game. Mitchell,
this is my upset alert. I know you don't want to,
I know you don't like it. I know this isn't
going to sound great to fans in Detroit or Detroit, whatever,
because until they start playing defense, I don't know if

(37:54):
I can call them Detroit, but Mitchell, this has all
the smells of an upset. It just, ah, it smells
like Detroit is going to go in there and score
31 points, but give up 36. Say it with, I

(38:15):
got Carol. Oh, shit. There it is.

Speaker 1 (38:17):
I was going to tell you to say it with
your chest, but you just said it. Caroline, you're not wrong, Richard.
in your breakdown, because this is something this game could
be in the forties. You know, this game could be
a 42 to 41 thriller, but oftentimes when we think
games are going to be like that, they go the
total opposite, uh, Detroit and breaking down their gameplay against

(38:40):
the jets. Dan Campbell was super impressed with his defense,
which I don't quite understand why. I mean, They gave
up 16 fourth quarter points to the jets when they
were up 16 points and allow the jets to get
back into that game and make it a lot closer
than it needed to be. Uh, Detroit's got a lot
to prove in this game at Carolina. Like you mentioned,

(39:01):
got a high flying offense. I got a bunch of
offensive weapons. We'll see the health of Jalen Coker. He's
a good young wide receiver for them. They've obviously, obviously
got Teterola McMillan. Um, That being said, I like the
Detroit Lions. I think this is a proving game for
the Lions. They've held close with their opponents that they've
played throughout the first three games. This is the first

(39:21):
one I think the Lions win in controlling fashion. Give
me the Lions to win by 10 points. I expect
Aiden Hutchinson to get after the quarterback. DJ Wonham got
two sacks last game. Aleem McNeil's proven that he's healthy again.
Watch out for the bowling ball in the middle, Richard.
Skyler Gil Howard, the rookie out of Texas Tech. But

(39:42):
that back end, man, that's secondary. That's where they got
a lot to prove. We cannot just cross our fingers
and pray for Kirby Joseph to return and pray for
Brian Branch to return and pray for Joey Porter to
be traded for. These guys in the room have got
to step up, and the Detroit Lions have got to
show that they are a contender in this NFC because
right now that offense has shown it, but that defense,

(40:06):
oh boy. The Detroit Lions, as you called them, can
we put the D back in Detroit, please, for the
love of God, Richard?

Speaker 2 (40:15):
We're going to see. We're going to see because Tedderon McMillan, Crocker,
Xavier Leggett, Shubba Hubbard, those are names you're going to
be familiarizing yourself with this weekend. And I hope, I pray,
that the Detroit Lions play some defense this week. I

(40:36):
know that Dan Campbell spoke life into them, as he should.
Good kid, coach, guy who wants his defense to show
up in a big way. If they don't, mm-mm-mm-mm-mm.

Speaker 1 (40:48):
Conversation richard you want a dc job in detroit i
got a spare bedroom you can just lay your feet
up on man you can chill out here for a
couple weeks until you find a place around here it'll
be great it'll be great.

Speaker 2 (41:05):
I appreciate that i appreciate that well we would have
a lot of changes in the back end and we
would have some conversations and we need a whole training
camp off season maybe another off season And I'd need
some other coaches to, but that's, you know, we're not
going to go down that, we're not going down that path, Mitchell.
They're going to keep Kelvin Shepard and, okay, good luck.

Speaker 1 (41:23):
Well, Richard's calling for an upset Carolina Panthers, victorious against
the Lions per Richard Sherman. Let's talk about the Raiders, Richard.
This is the team, last week you said they were
the surprise of the NFL after they started 2-0. They
just went on the road and knocked off the New
Orleans Saints, who look like a pretty solid team, especially, again,

(41:47):
in this nasty NFC South. New Orleans Saints can't get
it done at home, but this Raider team, 3-0. They're
down 11 points in the second half. They come back
and ultimately win by 8. Impressive game. Kirk Cousins, the
game manager that he is, throws for 248 in three
touchdowns with a 119 passer rating. You gotta love seeing

(42:08):
Brock Bowers back with this offense. 13 targets, 10 receptions,
116 and a touchdown. Richard, is this Raider team for real?
Because they awfully look like it. They awfully sure do
look like it. Yeah, I know what you're trying to say.

Speaker 2 (42:24):
Yes, yes. Excuse me.

Speaker 1 (42:25):
Yes, I can rephrase that for you. Richard, is this
Raider team for real? Question mark.

Speaker 2 (42:33):
Yes, this Raiders team is for real. And I know
people love to beat up on Kirk Cousins for the
mistakes and how he looked in Atlanta at times. But
there were times he looked special. There was a game
we were there, he threw for 500, Mitchell. And that's
the peak and the ceiling of Kirk Cousins. And obviously

(42:56):
the floor is the floor. You know, he can turn
the ball over. He can kind of fold in big moments.
Sometimes it goes bad for him. But I think when
Clint Kubiak said, hey, let's go get Kirk kirk cousins
he understood that kirk cousins within this again this west
coast tight condensed kyle shanahan inside outside zone really condensed

(43:18):
passing game offense that mcveigh runs that a lot of
these teams run and clint kubiak ran it in seattle
and they're gonna run it in in in uh in
las vegas He operates it at a high level. He's
a high-level processor, and he's a guy that can play.
And again, talking about those anticipatory throws, he can make
those throws. He can make those passes. He can make

(43:40):
those adjustments. He can understand how the defense is adjusting
and hit those windows. Sometimes he can get really, really hot.
And right now, he was 22 of 33, 248, three touchdowns,
119 passer rating, really operating at a high level. And
when you give him a target and a real, I mean,
just freak like Brock Bowers who can, who can catch

(44:03):
these passes and he can put a, he can, he can, uh,
he can catch them against DBs or linebackers and you
get matchups that you want. It gets really fun. Brock Bowers,
10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Trey Tucker
got involved. Ashton Gentry didn't have the biggest game, but again,
when they needed to have it on the ground, just
got those grinded out yards, kept making the run game viable.

(44:26):
Like they had to defend the run game. That's the
only way these play action passes that you have to
have in this offense work is that you got to
respect the run game and they respected it enough. Michael Meyer,
a mayor, three receptions for 32 yards in the touchdown.
Mike Washington, five carries for 54 yards in the touchdown.
He's making an impact, very explosive runs at times. They're

(44:47):
a team you have to respect because they're playing solid
football on both sides of the ball. I think their
defense is making plays. They got a young guy. They
got a young guy. Let me get his name right
because it's biblical, Mitchell. It's biblical. His name is biblical.
Hezekiah Masses. Hezekiah Masses. Three interceptions tied for the league lead.

(45:13):
A rookie. Fifth round pick, Mitchell. So there's a spot
in my heart. There's a place in my heart for Hezekiah.
Hezekiah is incredible. made one of the biggest plays of
the day in this game. Now there are most, this
game turned into an absolute shit show at the end.
I mean, there was fumbles all over the place. There was,

(45:33):
there was turnovers left and right. I think Kirk fumbled, um,
Tyler Shuck fumbled one and he got recovered and it
just seemed like a never ending game at the end.
But when the game was tied, I think it was
27 and 28. Uh, and the Raiders had just scored and,
and New Orleans had the ball, and they pressured Tyler Shuck,

(45:56):
and they looked like they ran a two-trap on defense,
at least to Hezekiah's side, and he turned around, and
an errant pass by Tyler Shuck while he was under pressure.
He got hit. The ball went out. This kid got
another interception. He had two the week before. He's got
three on the season, and his return, his return, I mean,
his return skills were there. Mitchell, the guy's a ball player,

(46:19):
and he got it. He got it going, got them
in scoring range, and really secured this win. Now, there
were ways, there were times that New Orleans could have
got something done, and Tyler Shutt deserves a ton of credit. 29-42, 255,
four touchdown passes in this game, 106 rating. Also had
a big run in this game for 36 yards. Chris

(46:40):
Olave is having a wonderful start to the season. Nine
for 107. Jawan Johnson, eight for eight. eight receptions on
eight targets for 53 yards and two touchdown passes. Again,
a great start to the season. Noah Fant, four catches
on four targets for 33 yards, two touchdown catches. Again,
he loves to target these tight ends. He loves to

(47:01):
get them involved, but it was not enough in this
game because of what we just talked about. The plays
that Las Vegas was able to make down the stretch,
two sacks, four takeaways in this game, and they're going
to play the Kansas City Chiefs next week, and before
the season started, I don't think anybody would have looked
at that game and been like, oh man, this is
going to be a really cool game. This is going

(47:23):
to be a game that you got to watch that
might get flexed in the prime time. You wouldn't have
thought the Raiders game just based on the Raiders picking
number one in the draft from the last season. I mean,
there's a reason they were picking number one in the draft,
but now that they're three and oh, and we all
know what the Kansas city chiefs have been doing. They
got found a way to win today against the Miami dolphins.
I mean, you can't say found a way to win.

(47:43):
Miami dolphins don't have a ton of talent, but, Kenneth
Walker and everything they got. This might be the game
of the week this week because of the way the
Las Vegas Raiders are playing. And that's not to say
anything really bad about the New Orleans Saints. They're in
this NFC South that anybody can win. Everybody's still even.
Everybody's still even. And I would say... Of all things

(48:04):
going on, it's still Atlanta. I mean, it's hard to
say because if you look at any given week, you
could say Carolina's been playing really good football. You could
say that Atlanta this week against Green Bay played fantastic
football and Pennix is back. So now they have a
viable option at quarterback. Who can get this done and
who can open this offense up? But the New Orleans Saints,

(48:25):
whoever was the scout that found Tyler Shaw and stood
on the table for them to draft him, deserves to
be called out and praised at a high level because
when they drafted him everybody including myself was like why
didn't they get Shador you know and that that's part
of the bias that we had during the time because
Shador was falling in the draft and everybody was like

(48:47):
somebody got to pick him up is it going to
be New York is it going to be them is
it going to be Cleveland is it going to be
these teams is it going to be Baltimore and they
took Tyler Shuck and there were people that that said
hey man he's a really good quarterback you guys just
don't know yet He's a really good quarterback. You guys
just don't know yet. And they were right. They were, Richard.

Speaker 1 (49:07):
I mean, the one knock on him coming out of
college as a rookie is his age. He was a
26-year-old rookie. But, you know, even when they were playing
the Lions two weeks ago, I guess the opening week
of the season, Mark Brunel. the lions QB coach said
he had him ranked as the number one quarterback in
that draft, you know? So he obviously had believers, you know,

(49:28):
but when the one knock is your age at 26,
you know, a team like the saints that need, uh, some,
I guess a veteran presence under center, To get a
26-year-old rookie kind of makes sense. But Richard, before we
leave this game, the Las Vegas Raiders, they become the
first team since 2013 to start a season 3-0 after

(49:51):
finishing the previous season with.

Speaker 2 (49:53):
The worst record in football.

Speaker 1 (49:55):
So this Raiders team is making some noise right now.
Is there any shot in the world we could see
them in the top five of your power ranks?

Speaker 2 (50:08):
Mitchell, I don't know. I don't know. Right now, Mitchell,
I'm gun shy about that because I did that with
the Cincinnati Bengals and I got stung for it. So
I'm not sure. I'm probably going to give it another week.
If they can beat the Kansas City Chiefs, then sure,
we can start to have that conversation. But right now,
I'm not quite there yet. And I know Raiders fans,

(50:29):
you guys are passionate. You guys are really, really incredible.
But They're just not there yet for me, and I'm
not going to force it.

Speaker 1 (50:36):
This segment is sponsored by Sling TV, and it's called
Rule Breakers. Richard, who is a cornerback in the past
who you would personify as a rule breaker? I'd have
to go with the legend, Charles Woodson. 65 career interceptions.

Speaker 2 (50:53):
A guy that wasn't where quarterbacks thought he was going
to be, that they may have thought, hey, I got
a beat on this play. They're running this coverage, and
then Of course, Charles Woodson just breaks the coverage, goes
where the ball is going, takes the football away, and
keeps going. A rule breaker, Mitchell. A guy who had
instincts that are out of this world. A guy who

(51:14):
dominated the football field, dominated every position he played, whether
it was nickel, safety, or the outside corner, because he
dictated the pace. He dictated where the ball was going
with his positioning, with his IQ. Just an incredible guy,
and of course, a rule breaker.

Speaker 1 (51:31):
Check out Sling's Day Pass subscription and get instant access
to 24 hours of live TV starting at just $ 4. 99.
Drop who you think is a rule breaker in the
comments section and make sure you tune in to next
weekend's game on Sling TV. Let's talk about another game.
And you were just saying about these roughing the passer issues.

(51:55):
I mean, the Miami Dolphins... inevitably lost the Kansas City Chiefs,
who continue to look impressive. But when this game was
close and the Kansas City Chiefs were backed up against
their own end zone, Chop Robinson got called for a
15-yard roughing the passer call, which to me looked like
just a big, solid hit. But because he landed on

(52:16):
Patrick Mahomes, he was flagged. Not to say that the
end result wouldn't have been any different, but for a
team that's battling like the Miami Dolphins are, to have
that penalty go against you Totally changes the momentum of
the game. Richard, back to the Kansas City side of things, though.
Patrick Mahomes continues to impress. 20 of 24, 246, two touchdowns,

(52:37):
119 passer rating. Got Rasheed Rice involved, seven receptions, 88 yards.
Travis Kelsey's kind of turned back the clock of time.
He looks like his old self. Two receptions, 59 yards
and a touchdown. And then the big one, K-9, Kenneth Walker,
the Michigan State Spartan. Former Seattle Seahawks running back, who
I'm guessing Seattle fan base, the 12s, desperately wish still

(53:01):
was donning the Seattle Seahawks number nine.

Speaker 2 (53:04):
Kenneth Walker.

Speaker 1 (53:05):
I mean, is there a bigger surprise this season from
an offensive skill position player than Kenneth Walker is with
the Kansas City Chiefs?

Speaker 2 (53:14):
No, there's not a... I can't say there's not a
bigger offseason pickup because there are some other guys that
are hand-in-glove fits. But one of the bigger offseason pickups
in the National Football League and one of the more
perfect fits for their team that was picked up. And
he's making a tremendous impact and taking a lot of
pressure off of Patrick Mahomes. And I think that's appreciated.

(53:37):
He's making their lives a lot easier, both in the
run game, but also in the pass game. He had
a pass touchdown in this game as well. And he's
just a guy that when things aren't going perfectly and
they need an explosive play, he continues to deliver. He's
delivered tremendously. every game for the first three games of
the season. He's a big reason why they're, they're, they are, uh,

(53:58):
what they are. They're three and oh, right now in
the season, whether Patrick Mahomes plays well or whether he
doesn't play well, they have been able to lean on
him for consistency. And again, Travis Kelsey continues to find
a way. What do you, what do you have these
numbers somewhere else? I don't know, but his rapport and his,
his relationship with Patrick Mahomes just keeps allowing them to,
to find these, these holes and these voids in the defense.

(54:20):
And he seems to just have a, a great knack
for finding it. And when he does, Patrick Mahomes is
giving him the football and allowing him to do what
he does. And that's been fantastic to watch. On the
other side, this isn't a very talented Miami Dolphins team,
but they fought. They fought. And you got to give
Jeff Halfley a lot of credit. They fought. Malik Willis
is getting better and better. He's making plays. He's pushing

(54:42):
the ball down the field. They're playing in the absence
of fear because they have nothing to lose. You know,
I mean, you can't say losing by 14 points is
a win by any stretch of the imagination and you
only score 10 points offensively. But at times they were
battling in this game. They were in this game was
closer than the score says. And I think if you're

(55:04):
Jeff Halfley, you have to talk about that as a win.
This team is building. They are in dead cap hell.
I think they're got $ 180 million in dead money. You
traded away all your best players. So you're trying to
develop players and teach them winning habits. You're not going
to win this year. And if you get the number
one pick or you're in the running for the number
one pick, there are some solid quarterbacks out of college

(55:24):
that you're going to have an opportunity to get. And
obviously the big name that everybody's going to talk about
is Arch Manning. I don't know if he's going to
be the top quarterback to come out this year. I
got to study more college tape and watch that and
listen to Mel Kiper and the guys that are extra,
Todd Mache and all those guys who handled the draft.
But I don't think Miami is looking to do anything

(55:46):
but build for the future. and see who's going to
be a part of that future. I think they're starting
to see some guys that have made some plays and
are trying to find a way. They had a takeaway
in this game. They got some guys that could be
a part of that future, but they got a tough
game against the Minnesota Vikings coming up, and obviously Brian
Flores had some bad blood for Miami. He had some

(56:08):
bad blood. So if you thought Brian Flores was going
to bring some blitzes for anybody, He's going to bring
some blitzes to Miami. That's no question about it. He
don't feel bad about having a lack of talent or anything.
He remembers how he was done in Miami, and I
don't think that's something he'll ever forget.

Speaker 1 (56:25):
Let's move on to the next game. And, Richard, this
is my no-doubt-about-it lock of the week. I'm taking the
Kansas City Chiefs on the road to beat the Las
Vegas Raiders, the 3-0 Red Hot Raiders. We'll get knocked
off this week by Division 4 Kansas City Chiefs. That's
my no doubt about it. Lock of the week. And

(56:45):
this next game preview is sponsored by Polymarket. We got
the Raiders versus the Chiefs, and both teams are undefeated.
It's a must-watch TV on Sunday. Raiders at home, and
Polymarket has Kansas City with a 65% chance to win
this game, while the Raiders are just at 35%. With
all that being said, Richard, Do you agree with Polly

(57:08):
Market's assessment of this game?

Speaker 2 (57:10):
Do I agree with Polly Market's assessment, Mitchell? I don't
think I do because this has upset alert written all
over it, and it's obviously not my biggest upset of
the week because I got another game, and I don't
know if you're going to like what I have to
say about that, but we'll get there eventually. But this
Raiders offense... Nothing too crazy, nothing too shiny, nothing like

(57:33):
to write home about. Just effective. Clint Kubiak is using everybody. Obviously,
Brock Bowers had a big game last week. He's going
to be incredibly involved in this game. Trey Tucker. Trey
Tucker has just been a reliable target. Has 15 targets
on the season, 11 catches for 189 yards and one touchdown.
And then again, Kirk Cousins. Not doing anything crazy in

(57:55):
three games. He's completing 67% of his passes, about 220
a game, 661 yards, nine touchdowns, only three interceptions. Solid football.
And he fits well in this scheme. He's one of
the better quarterbacks in this scheme. And I think people
are starting to finally understand with Justin Herbert's struggles within

(58:17):
this offense that Hey, maybe this offense isn't as easy
and simple and plug-and-play as we once thought, but there
are certain guys who, once you plug them into this offense,
it just works, and he's one of them. I also
like Mike Washington and Ashton Gentry and how they're spelling
them and how they're back and forth, but Hezekiah Masses,

(58:38):
Hezekiah Masses, the fifth-round rookie corner who's got three interceptions
on the season, I just like it. Mitchell, first off,
I like his name as a guy in masses, but
a fifth rounder making plays, catching a football, turning the
ball over. He's going to factor in that defense. N'Kobe Dean.

(58:58):
N'Kobe Dean is a tone setter. Mitchell, you turn on
the tape of the Las Vegas Raiders and you will
see 17 everywhere the ball is. So Mitchell, not so fast. Now,
do I think it's going to be upset there's a
maybe baby I don't know if this four and a
half point spread that Polly Market has is going to
happen I know the Raiders are going to fight I

(59:20):
don't know because they played the Miami Dolphins and not
that it was a close game but it was closer
than you would expect the Miami Dolphins to be to
the Kansas City Chiefs This isn't just same old Raiders. Mitchell,
this is a team that's well coached, formidable, and playing
good football on both sides of the ball.

Speaker 1 (59:40):
Hmm.

Speaker 2 (59:42):
I'm going to give Kansas City the win in this one.
I don't have them covering the spread.

Speaker 1 (59:47):
I don't hate that breakdown, but if you're not joining
me in my no doubt about it lock of the week, Richard,
I thought we saw eye to eye on this kind
of stuff, man. I guess you want to pick it
and win. I got the chiefs covering with these. I
think they're going to win by two touchdowns. This is
a division rivalry game. And I just know how Patrick

(01:00:08):
Mahomes plays when he gets up for big games. And shockingly,
this is turning into a big game. Give me Patrick
Mahomes and the chiefs to cover. And I'll take the
money with, with laying it on them on poly market
as well. And Richard, another thing, you know, the Raiders
offense has been rolling. Poly market gives them a 66%
chance to score. More than two and a half touchdowns

(01:00:29):
in this game. Do you see that playing out? Yeah, yeah,
for the reasons we just talked about. In the red zone,
they have two big targets, and Michael Mayer and obviously
Brock Bowers, Trey Tucker, Spiester can get down the field,
and then Ashton Gentry and Mike Washington Jr.

Speaker 2 (01:00:47):
Are going to do a great job in a run game.

Speaker 1 (01:00:49):
Make sure you guys check out Poly Markets, an alternative
traditional sportsbook that keeps you in control of your trades.
Check out Polymarket now.

Speaker 2 (01:00:59):
Our top five going into week four. Mitchell, who do
you have in your top five? Richard, like you just said,
there is an awful lot of parody in this NFL season.
We talked about it last podcast. It's almost like these
first three games have been the preseason where teams that
you expect to be good look bad and teams that
you expect to be bad look good. And it's tough

(01:01:20):
to shuffle these guys out. I mean, when you look
at our top five, we got these in front of
us here. I'm rolling with the Bills, number one.

Speaker 1 (01:01:28):
I know it might be a little controversial to folks
in San Francisco, but having seen the Bills firsthand, what
they did to my Detroit Lions, I got to put
them number one. They had a horrendous game last week,
still came out victorious despite turning the ball over five times.
I like the Bills. The Niners are two for obvious reasons.

(01:01:48):
3-0 look dominant offensively and defensively. Brock Purdy looks like
an MVP candidate. I like the Niners at two. I'm very,
very confident in them in the top two. Number three,
the rise of the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes with
a fresh ACL. Kenneth Walker, K-9. I saw in the
comments section after last episode, Richard, a lot of Seattle

(01:02:11):
Seahawks fans wishing they paid K-9 and not Rashid Shahid.
Was that a mistake? I don't know, but I like
the Chiefs. Number three in my ranks. That brings me
to number four, and that is the Seattle Seahawks. Despite
losing on the road, I will give them some grace.
They have been dominant over the last year. I'll cut
them some slack in losing this game against Washington. We'll

(01:02:34):
call it, you know, a little time zone hangover situation,
having to play at 10 a.m.

Speaker 2 (01:02:39):
Pacific time.

Speaker 1 (01:02:40):
We'll see how they rock out this upcoming weekend. And five,
that's where there's so many teams up in the air.
But after watching Monday Night Football, And what Ben Johnson
did with a third-string quarterback and a 38-year-old Case Keenum,
I'm rolling with the Chicago Bears at number five. Richard,
what did I get wrong?

Speaker 2 (01:03:03):
Mitchell, you started your whole list wrong. At number one,
I got the San Francisco 49ers playing the best football
in the National Football League on both sides of the ball.
And I know, I know, injuries, injuries, injuries. They are
devastating right now. But the guy... who gives me the
most confidence in the San Francisco 49ers, and I'm going

(01:03:24):
to knock on wood, is healthy, and that's Brock Purdy,
who should be in the lead for MVP, but I'm
sure Vegas might have Josh Allen. I thought after all
the turnovers this week, Josh Allen would fall and Brock
Purdy would rise, but that didn't happen. Christian McCaffrey continues
to look fantastic. Again, Kalon Black is doing a great
job spelling him. George Kittle looks fantastic in the pass game.

(01:03:46):
Had a big game last week. Might have stolen a
touchdown from Brock Purdy after a phantom holding call. You know,
there was some sabotage there, allegedly. But defensively, Fred Warner
and Dre Greenlaw continued to just change the outlook of
these games. Dre Greenlaw goes out with a quad injury.
Mike Evans goes out with a rib injury. Trent Williams

(01:04:10):
goes out with a stinger. Again, things you do not
want to see if you're a San Francisco 49er fan,
but I think they're going to be able to overcome
these things. It looks like all those guys are potentially
going to be available this week, so that's great news.
This is on top of all the other receivers that
they've lost. Deshaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson, Ricky Persall. The list

(01:04:35):
goes on and on. Obviously, they'll get some of these
guys back as the weeks progress, but They're still the
best team out there, and I think as they continue
to develop, Grayson Halton. Grayson Halton. It just sounds like Halton,
but I feel like Halton is the way you should
say it. But he's been playing fantastic football. He's a

(01:04:55):
diamond in the rough, found gold for the San Francisco 49ers,
so I like him. Number two on my list, the
Buffalo Bills. The Buffalo Bills are a really good football
team with an MVP candidate, a quarterback, but there are
a lot of question marks. especially on the defensive side
of the ball. They played really, really well this week

(01:05:16):
against the Chargers, but the Chargers haven't really played that
well against anybody. And they scored the most points they've
scored all season against the Bills. And that's not saying
much because they've scored 14 against the Raiders and 14
against the Cardinals, which, I mean, it is what it is.
But the Buffalo Bills, the reason they moved to two
instead of one in my rankings is the five turnovers
they had. They were at home. Josh Allen with some

(01:05:38):
uncharacteristic mistakes, pushing the ball down the field into double
coverage against DJ. I mean, with two DJ Moore, that
play got intercepted. Another interception in the game gave up
a fumble in the game. No. Yes. Yes. Gave up
a fumble in the game. James Cook gives up a
fumble early in this game. Just too many turnovers for

(01:06:01):
me to be comfortable putting them one. Number three, the
Kansas City Chiefs. Again, Kenneth Walker. He's a guy that's
making a huge difference for this team as Patrick Mahomes
continues to find his legs, continues to find his rhythm.
He's going to go through ups and downs of the season,
but they have somebody else they can lean on when
things aren't going great through the air. Defensively, some young

(01:06:23):
defensive backs learning on the fly. I still like Noel Williams.
And again, anytime they got an Arias, you guys think
I'm joking, but anytime the Kansas City Chiefs have an Arias,
they make it to that last game. And I know
you guys reminded me. There was an Arias I forgot about.
There's Legereus. There is Charverius. And then there was Kadarius.

(01:06:46):
Kadarius Doney with the punt return in the Super Bowl. Like,
when they have an Arias, they end up in that
last game. So I feel good about their chances. The
Seattle Seahawks at number four really head-scratching loss against the
Washington Commanders. You thought, hey, backup quarterback Jaden Daniels is out.
Marcus Mariota steps in. You thought this Seattle Seahawks defense

(01:07:08):
has been consistent, but Mike McDonald's teams have been consistent
on the road. They were 16-2 before taking this loss
to the Commanders. They gave up 33 points, so it's
kind of back to the drawing board. I'm sure this
is going to be a very motivated team when they
go back to Seattle to play the LA Chargers. The Broncos.
The Broncos beat The L.A. Rams, they beat the L.A. Rams,

(01:07:30):
the team that everybody coming into this season said had
the potential to go undefeated and be world beaters. And
just nobody, how could anybody compete against this team and
all the talent that they have on paper? Again, this
game isn't played on paper. It's played on the grass.
And these are grown men, and grown men against grown men.
Somebody's going to impose their will, and somebody's not. And

(01:07:50):
right now, people are getting the better of the L.A. Rams.
And not to say that they're not playing great, Matthew
Stafford has had some really great moments, especially to Devontae Adams.
They're missing Puka Nakua, which is a huge part of
their offense. They're finding a way. They started the game
really fast against the Denver Broncos, but the Denver Broncos
turned around in the second half and figured it out,

(01:08:11):
figured it out. Bo Nix figured it out, started pushing
the ball down the field. They started to make big plays,
started to find his playmakers defensively. They started to put
some pressure on Matthew Stafford, started to force some mistakes,
some misthrows, and found a way to pull out a win,
and Sean Payton said it. He said, I mean, we're
great in these games, and they've been doing a great
job coming back in a lot of these games that

(01:08:32):
they had to have, but you don't always have to
come back. Sometimes you could just be winning outright. So
I feel good about this top five, but as always,
this NFL, anybody can beat anybody, and that's showing more
than ever.

Speaker 1 (01:08:43):
I'm already predicting the future here, Richard. There's going to
be a couple fan bases that are going to be
barking at you here a little bit, and they're going
to be barking at me, too. We left out two
undefeated teams. That being the Raiders and that being the
Minnesota Vikings.

Speaker 2 (01:08:59):
Why?

Speaker 1 (01:09:00):
I mean, because we both are in agreeance on this.
I think the Raiders just need one more week to
prove themselves. If you look at their schedule, I mean,
some would call it somewhat lucky and weak to open
up against the Dolphins, the Chargers, who have not been
who people thought they were, and obviously the Saints. But
I really do like the Raiders. They're right on the cusp,

(01:09:22):
but they're more in the 8-9 range for me. And
then the Vikings, man, vaunted defense. However, what do they
look like offensively? They allowed the Tampa Bay Bucs to
hang in that game. I'm still not a believer in
the Vikings just yet. Why did you leave them out
of your ranks?

Speaker 2 (01:09:38):
Well, for that reason. I mean, I'm a believer in
that defense. I'm a believer in Brian Flores, Dallas Turner,
Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkle. And everything that they've done,
Isaiah Rogers, Byron Murphy, those guys, Harrison Smith, no question
about it. But the offense is a concern. Now, do
they have a talented offense? No question about it. And

(01:10:01):
Aaron Jones can get it done at any time. But
Kyler Murray, you know, he has to find his sea legs.
He has to be more consistent for me to feel
comfortable with this offense. Yes, he threw a nice pass
to Addison. for a touchdown, which was great. But I don't,
he just doesn't have the comfort level in this offense

(01:10:22):
yet that gives me confidence that they're going to be
like a top 10, top five offense consistently this year.
Maybe that'll change. They're not playing a really tough schedule.
They got the Miami Dolphins. Then they got Tyler Shuck
and the New Orleans Saints. Then they got Indiana Jones
and the Indianapolis Colts. And then they got your Detroit Lions.

(01:10:42):
So You look for a game where you can say, hey,
if they beat these guys, then we'll give them respect. Obviously,
if the Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs, who are
in both of our top fives, I think that puts
them in the discussion. But until then, it's tough. Now,
if the Minnesota Vikings start off 5-6-0, you're going to
have to put them in there. This is the National
Football League. It's hard to win that many games in

(01:11:04):
a row. And regardless of what it looks like, they're undefeated.
They're going to have to get in the top five,
no question about it.

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The Richard Sherman Podcast - Week In Review: Brock Purdy’s MVP Case, Seahawks Stunned & Are the Raiders For Real?

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}The Richard Sherman Podcast - Week In Review: Brock Purdy’s MVP Case, Seahawks Stunned & Are the Raiders For Real?