Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the best of the week for What's Right
with Nick Right the best takes in moments from this
week on the show. Enjoy. The Steelers beat the Ravens
in justin epic final game two seventy two of the
twenty twenty five NFL season. And before I get to
(00:23):
how seriously I'm taking the Steelers, the real story is,
of course, this season from Baltimore, and the developing story
is that at the moment it's ten forty five am
Eastern on January sixth, what was happening five years ago today?
(00:44):
At this time, it's ten forty five Eastern, six years ago.
At this time, I should say, uh, and John Harbaugh
still has a job. So right now it's status quo
in Baltimore. And we'll get into that piece of it
(01:09):
as well. But first I do want to show actual empathy,
and I mean this. This isn't tongue in cheek, This
isn't me being a smart ass, this isn't me doing
any subtle I told you so stuff about Lamar who
had such an interesting game Sunday night. But over the
(01:34):
last ten years, it is hard to find a franchise
that it's dealt with more end of season stomach punches
than the Baltimore Ravens. And it's literally nine of the
(02:02):
last ten years. So if I may go through it
just quickly, because this does the Ravens, because they've had
such success compared to mediocre or bad franchises, and because
(02:24):
they've got a two time MVP and a coach people
historically have really liked, and they've won two Super Bowls
this decade. I'm sorry this century people don't look at
them as like a cursed, cursed franchise. But here how
the last ten seasons have ended in Baltimore. Twenty sixteen,
(02:53):
the eight and six Baltimore Ravens are playing the nine
and five Pittsburgh Steelers. It is on Sunday Night Football
with the de facto division title on the line. The
Ravens have a three point lead. I don't know if
(03:16):
it was a three or a four point lead. I'm
gonna check to get because I want to make sure
I have it right. They have a three point lead
with ten seconds left and Ben Roethlisberger throws just short
of the goal line to Antonio Brown, who gets hit
and stopped and Pittsburgh has no timeouts. He stopped short
(03:43):
of the goal line and as he's going down, he
turns around reaches the ball over the back of his head. Touchdown.
Division title. Baltimore loses the next week and misses the postseason.
Next year, Baltimore is in a win and in scenario
(04:07):
in Week seventeen against that got nothing to play for
Cincinnati Bengals and Andy Dalton. They have them in a
fourth and twelve with forty seconds remaining, and the Bengals
(04:31):
hit a sixty plus yard game winning insane touchdown pass
to end the Raven season. The next year is the
one year the reason I said nine out of ten
with heartbreak, the one year that didn't end in heartbreak.
(04:52):
The next year, the team's not good throws a figurative
Hail Mary by going to Lamar Jackson at mid You know,
late in the year, Lamar rips off a bunch of wins,
they sneak into the playoffs. They get absolutely crushed in
round one. But you had real reason for optimism, didn't
(05:13):
expect necessarily, you didn't expect to look as bad as
you did in Round one against the Chargers. But whatever,
But twenty sixteen, you lose a Week sixteen game for
the division in the final seconds. Twenty seventeen, you lose
a winning You're in game on a fourth and twelve
to Andy Dalton. Twenty nineteen. You have the number one seed,
(05:37):
you have the unanimous MVP, and you get dog walked
by the Tennessee Titans. In your first playoff game twenty twenty,
it is a ten to three snowy, cold weather defensive
battle in the divisional round. You are inside the ten
(06:03):
yard line going in for the game tying touchdown as
the waning moments of the fourth quarter approach of the
third quarter. In the waiting moments of the third quarter,
Lamar Jackson picks six. You lose the game right there.
Twenty twenty one, you're eight and three. Lamar Jackson gets
(06:27):
banged up. His coach thinks he'll be back soon. He
never comes back. You finish eight and nine. Twenty twenty two,
you're having another solid year. You're nine to four. Lamar
Jackson gets banged up, his coach thinks he's coming back.
(06:50):
You limp to the finish line, but make the playoffs anyway,
and you're seventeen seventeen in a playoff game against the
Cincinnati Angles with Tyler Huntley at quarterback, you're on the
goal line. You run a quarterback sneak fumble return touchdown
ninety nine yards. Lose that playoff game. Twenty twenty three,
(07:12):
you're the number one seed again. You have a home
playoff game. You're the number one DVOA team, the number
one DVOA defense, you have the MVP of the league
at quarterback. You turn the ball over three times in
that game, including a goal line fumble by Zay Flowers
(07:33):
and end zone pick by Lamar Jackson. You lose seventeen
to seven. Twenty twenty four, Lamar is the best year
of his career, arguably despite not winning MVP. You get
the Buffalo Bills again. You have a furious second half comeback,
culminating in a two point conversion attempt to a wide
(07:55):
open Mark Andrewsy fumbles and twenty twenty five, you have
a season from hell, but you can make up for
all of it by beating your hated rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
And you have another unbelievable fourth quarter by Lamar, including
(08:16):
a fourth and seven conversion to Isaiah likely to give
you a chip shot field goal, and your rookie kicker
Tyler loop gaxit that is nine out of ten years
of utter heartbreak, and the one year that was not
included in the heartbreak was getting just annihilated in a
(08:39):
playoff game Lamar's rookie season. That is torture. And I
got real empathy for Ravens fans, honestly, and it's one
of the reasons I'm so surprised John Harbaugh is still
the coach, because even if that's not his fault, there's
(09:01):
too much scar tissue at this point and it sure
feels like a change needs to be made now. On
the game itself, how do we evaluate Lamar's play such
(09:23):
a weird game because for the first three quarters, and
Collinsworth set it on the broadcast early in the fourth quarter,
Lamar was five of ten for sixty seven yards and
wasn't running the ball and had done nothing. And then
in the fourth quarter he played the best quarter of
(09:46):
his life, including two of the best plays of his
entire career, the two free rushers sandwiching him, him him
avoiding that sack, and then hitting Zay Flowers on a
fifty plus yard touchdown. As amazing as that was, I
(10:07):
don't know if that was a better play than the
fourth and seven season on the line, perfect throw and
even better catch by likely to set up the chip
shot field goal. So Lamar, you in sports, it doesn't
(10:29):
matter how big of a hole you dig yourself. Ask
my guy Trevor with his four interception playoff game, if
your brilliance digs you out of it. The last two
years the game ending losses for Baltimore, it is felt
(10:50):
like Lamar helped dig them a big hole and then
dug them this close to out of it with brilliant play,
and then mistakes by other people cost him the full vindication.
(11:11):
Mark Andrews cost him a shot at overtime and Tyler
Loop cost him a win. But how do we do
the math on that? It'd be ridiculous to pin the
loss on Lamar, but it would also be ridiculous to
(11:34):
give him credit for coming through in a game that
they lost, and in part they lost because in the
Bills game last year and the Steelers game this year
really really shaky first half performances including a turnover or
in the Bill's game, a couple turnovers, So that part
(11:57):
is hard to parse and history probably won't remember the
details as much as more big games that the Ravens
were favored in. And that's the other piece that I
didn't even mention in this favored in that game against
the Chiefs, favored in obvious, the game against the Bills,
favored in, the game against Pittsburgh lost, lost loss. Now,
(12:24):
the very end of the game, should John Harbaugh have
attempted to put Tyler Loop in a better position? The
easy answer is yes, why didn't he? The uncomfortable answer
(12:47):
is because Derrick Henry had a fumbling problem this year,
and all of that matters. The fact that the Ravens
moved on from Justin Tucker to a rookie kicker mattered
(13:13):
this year, the fact that Derrick Henry fumbled early in
the year and seemed to be in his head about it,
despite how brilliant he was. If it wasn't in his head,
it was in Harball's because you had fourteen seconds, you
had one time out, and you were staring at a
forty one yard field goal in the toughest stadium to
(13:34):
kick in the sport. And instead of asking Derrick Henry
to make it a thirty five yard field goal or
maybe a zero yard field goal if he pops one,
you made it a forty four yard field goal. Because
you don't want to risk the turnover. Also, Lamar told
us that not long before Tyler looped and I don't
(13:58):
know if Harbaugh knew this. Not long before Tyler loop
goes to take the kick that will define his entire
NFL career, most likely Lamar flipped out on him on
the sidelines. He kicked the ball out of bounds. That's
gotta be tough for the rookie kicker. I don't know
how confident he was walking into that kick, and we
(14:20):
only the cameras didn't catch that. Lamar told us that
after the game. But ultimately the reason the Ravens lost
was because they were not a good team this year.
They were an eight to nine team in every fashion.
(14:42):
They had moments of brilliant defense and moments of horrific defense,
and that was over the course of the season, and
in the final game of the year, their quarterback had
moments of brilliant play and moments of the shakiest play
of his career. That was all season, and in Week eighteen.
(15:05):
They're coached by a special teams coach, and the special
teams were shaky throughout the season, and then they lost
it for him in Week eighteen. That was not a
great football team, and that was not a team that,
had they won, they were going to be super dangerous,
(15:25):
even though people tried to convince themselves they would be.
That was a team that needed the Cleveland Browns and
Shadoor Sanders to win a Week seventeen game just to
make Week eighteen matter for them. And so why will
this team be different next year? Well, right now, as
(15:49):
I keep checking my phone for an update, it doesn't
look like they're going to be. Which Lamar was asked
after the game if he wants Harbaugh back next year,
and he said, I can't focus on that right now.
(16:10):
We just lost, which is a damning and telling answer.
And I have been of the informed belief that Lamar
(16:35):
is over John Harbaugh. Lamar's answer to that question just
furthered that belief, which again is not naked speculation. And
if I were the Ravens, I'd almost always picked the
(17:00):
player over the coach. It doesn't seem like they have
any interest in moving on from Lamar, so I just
assumed they knew they had to move on from Harbaugh.
And again, by the time you listen to this, maybe
that will have happened. But it has not happened yet,
(17:21):
and the Lamar contracts situation becomes very tricky because he
has got two years left on what is now a
drastically undermarket deal that averages fifty two million dollars a year.
(17:42):
The top of the market's now sixty. Also, they need
to rework that deal because it's got a cap hit
of seventy five million dollars next year and the year after,
which is completely untenable. And Lamar, who turned twenty nine
tomorrow and is coming off his worst year as a
(18:04):
pro and a year with five injuries, is going to
want a top of market, fully guaranteed contract. And if
the Ravens keep John Harbaugh, what was already going to
(18:29):
be a very tough contract negotiation for the Baltimore Ravens
with Lamar, I think we'll get that much tougher. So
I don't want to spend too much time right now
(18:50):
on the Lamar future Harball future angle, just because I
still feel like this could become day in hours, because
I still feel like the Ravens are probably moving on
from Hardball, but it hasn't happened yet. We will get
(19:10):
Demands's thoughts on this, and I will explain why I
think the Steelers are an actual threat in just a moment.
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(21:40):
All right, demanse, let's get to Harball before we get
to some of the other games.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
All right.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
So, sadly, after eighteen seasons, twelve postseason appearances in a
Super Bowl ring, the Ravens are partner ways with John Harball.
You everything would call this on Tuesday, But now that
it's official, where are the Ravens going?
Speaker 1 (22:00):
So it's really interesting interviewing Brian flores Uh found that
out today. I I would be really interested in Mike
McDaniel just got fired and a lot of people are
connecting Harbaugh to the Dolphins.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
I couldn't see him coaching.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
I couldn't see who coaching was.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
I couldn't see Harball coaching in Miami.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Well, I think there's like a weird Steve. I think
I should know this. I think there's some Michigan connections
Stephen Ross, but doesn't matter. Like the I think it'd
be hard to go from Lamar Jackson to two, but
they're not even gonna have Tua. Like what are they
gonna do?
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Miami's in a tough spot. I what's funny not funny,
But what's interesting is I thought Mike McDaniel as the
Ravens offensive coordinator was an awesome idea, like that running
game that he did developed, except you have Lamar and
Derrick Henry, Like that would be you know, Mike McDaniel
(23:05):
as as it was like Matt Nagy's leaving the Chiefs.
I know it's different systems and everything, but man, oh man,
Mike McDaniel's the Chiefs offensive coordinator is something I'm super
intrigued by, even though I think it's very unlikely. Now,
maybe McDaniel thinks he's gonna step into a head coaching job.
That would surprise me. I don't think he's gonna go right,
(23:27):
but maybe he will. His record wasn't terrible, the team
didn't quit at the end, and some people might be like,
look at what he did with Tua. As far as
the Ravens decision on firing Harball. I there was no decision, guys,
the and I've done enough victory lapping on Twitter, so
(23:51):
I don't need to. And it's not victory lapping about
someone losing their job, to be clear, victory lapping on
I told you guys all year there was a problem
between Lamar and Harrball, and you guys thought I was
just I spun a wheel. People thought like, oh, Nick
just decided today, he's gonna create this out of thin air,
as opposed to a paying close attention to the incredibly
(24:13):
odd objective fact that they didn't communicate about how hurt
he was and also having a little behind the scenes insights.
So their ability to ensure Lamar was a Raven for
(24:36):
life and was a raven next year was going to
be kneecapped had they kept Harball. So they didn't, so
they move on. And even though tell me if this
makes sense to you, de Monse, the odds are the
(24:56):
next coach of the Ravens is not near as good
of a coach as John Harball. But that doesn't mean
that coach won't be the one to get him over
the hump.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
He might be a.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Worse coach, but also like that they just need something
new or better luck or whatever it is, and that
it felt like you couldn't just run it back again
with Harball. So I felt like the move needed to
be made, even though I think Harball is an excellent
coach that tracked to you.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Yeah, I definitely don't think the next coach that we
would get will be better or as.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Good as John Harball.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
I think it's it's gonna be pretty hard to find
Belichick wanted them to.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Yeah, so it sounds contradictory. Is the Belichick thing so
interesting had he not had this embarrassment of a year
in his coaching? Yes, I really think so. And you
wouldn't care that that he's old, that it's not long term,
because it's like, no, we just need to get over
the whole lamar For Harball, obviously, I think he could
(26:07):
have his pick of jobs. If I'm John Harbaugh, I
don't know that I want any of these jobs. I
certainly because it was reported yesterday that he's gonna wait
a week before he starts taking interviews. I think that's
smart because I'd be awful interested in if the Eagles,
(26:37):
Bill's or Packers losing Round one to any of those teams,
ownership decide we're gonna fire our coach to hire Harball. Now,
on that note, I think Cincinnati should reach out to
(26:59):
harror Ball's agent today and be like, if this job
was open, would he take it? And if the answers yes,
I'd fire Zach Taylor. Now that's not really Cincinnati's style.
For Philadelphia, it might sound harsh, Sirianni is literally the
defending Super Bowl champion, but Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Loriie
have never cared about being harsh. They drafted Carson Wentz
(27:21):
number two overall, gave him a huge contract, moved on
from him. Doug Peterson won a Super Bowl with Nick Foles,
then won a Playoff game the next year with Nick Foles.
They moved on from him. They moved like they will
if they think they can get better, they will move
on from somebody. And I think Harbaugh, who came like
(27:42):
started coaching in Philly. I think that's really interesting there.
Buffalo less interesting, and he, Danny explained, I didn't quite
follow it. He has some real like green Bay ties
about like his who his agent is, and the green
Bay I don't totally follow it doesn't matter, but it
seemed like Lafleoor midway through the season there was little
(28:07):
scuttle but about Lafleur not being quite as safe as
people thought and how he hadn't gotten an extension. So
if I'm Harball, I just want to wait and see
do what does a job come open where the quarterback
is set Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Jordan Love or am
I gonna have to roll the Jackson Dart Dice or
(28:30):
Atlanta with Michael Pennix. Like, So that's what I think.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
Is those places went over there would be more likely
to move off the quarterback though, right Like it's like, oh,
he's obvious.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
It's not the coach that's the problem.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
It's the quarterback more likely to oh you have a
little bit more control over who's coming in.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Oh yeah, I mean I think John Harball will get
whatever he wants because there's also not another great head
coaching option out there. Yeah, it's not like there's also
Sean Payton and Jim Harball waiting in the wings or
Ben Johnson. You know that guy doesn't seem to exist
this cycle. Now, let me say this about what this
(29:11):
means pardon me, guys, what this means for Lamar?
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Come come with it next year, dude.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
They have.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Changed defensive coordinators multiple times since he's been there. Again,
no culpability on his end for that, just stating effect.
They've changed offensive coordinators multiple times and they're about to
do it again. They've now changed head coaches. They brought
in Derrick Henry, who has been nothing but dominant since
(29:46):
he became a Raven. We can argue about how good
these picks were, but since Lamar has been there, they
have spent three first round picks on wide receiver. They
perennially lead the league or near the top of the
league in Pro bowlers on the roster. And now I believe,
(30:11):
with reason to believe, he got what he wanted and
he's getting a new head coach. Got to go be
awesome now. And more than being awesome, you gotta be available.
You want to know a shocking fact, Demons, In the
last five years, Lamar Jackson and always injured brittle Joe
(30:38):
Burrow have played the exact same amount of games. No,
that's true. I'm not making that up.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
That is an insane stat.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
In the last five years, Lamar Jackson has played seventy
regular season games and four playoff games, and Joe Burrow's
played sixty seven regular season games and seven playoff games.
To the tune of them both playing in the last
(31:12):
five years seventy four games. In the last five years,
they both have played in the playoffs two years and
either missed or not been healthy for the playoffs the
other three years. For context on that, in the last
five years, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have also played
(31:32):
the exact same number of games ninety three, so nineteen games,
more more than a full season in a playoff run
of more availability. And the Lamar stat is stunning, isn't it?
Because we look at Burrow as.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Injury always, I thought.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
Right, and with Joe we also like and their very
what do you call it, like significant injuries, you know
what I mean? Like Joe Burrow, like, oh he's out
months with a turf toe. Oh he's out the end
of the season. With the UCL Lamar they it's I
(32:16):
couldn't when I didn't know that. When I was looking
it up, I was just like, I'm curious.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
Well, you feel like with Lamar they are less crucial
injuries than.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Well, they're not. It hasn't been like needed surgery like
Joe needed on both the right, but the it's stunning
seventy four games each, so he's got to be available.
He turned twenty nine yesterday. He's gonna get the biggest
contract in NFL history this offseason. It's got to go perform.
And I'm not sitting here saying he can't do it.
(32:52):
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Speaker 3 (33:47):
Right so the playoffs are officially here, wildcar Wee can
coming up. A lot of the big dogs are missing
out of the playoffs. So with that being said, in
the teams that you see, what are some of the
big storylines that you'll be following this postseason?
Speaker 1 (34:00):
So top five storylines in order. I think I reserve
the right to revise it, and I listen. I saw
my friend Mina Kimes and Dominique Foxworth mocking this idea,
but respectfully, they're wrong. The most interesting story about these
(34:22):
these NFL playoffs are is this the year Josh Allen
breaks through. I understand they're the sixth seed. I understand
they are a flawed team with a bad run defense,
but this is not Josh Allen on the Washington Generals.
They have the rushing champ, they have an excellent pass defense,
(34:43):
they have a great offensive line that there it would be.
It's going to take greatness from Josh Allen to make
it through on the road this playoff field, but it's doable.
And I wonder I for Bills fans, forget for Josh.
(35:06):
Would Bills fans rather have a better team, the best
Bills team, whatever year you think that is, But have
Mahomes and Burrow in the field, or a flawed team
but have no Mahomes in Burrow. I think Bill's fans
(35:29):
would say, give me the flawed team on the road
without the bugeyman plus Joe Burrow sitting in the bracket,
and I think the Bills can do it now. I
also think the Jags are a very dangerous team. I
said this on TV. I don't know if I said
it on here, and you'll find you'll find out who
(35:53):
I'm picking in this game, uh later in the show.
But I believe the winner of this game is going
to win the AFC. I believe in both of these
teams more than I believe in the top two seeds
the Patriots and the Broncos. So that is to me.
(36:14):
Storyline number one is can Josh Allen breakthrough? That's the
most interesting storyline. Storyline number two is will any of
these year two quarterbacks go on a run? You have Caleb,
(36:36):
you have Drake, you have both. Drake has the most
well rounded team. Well, I don't know. The Broncos might
be a more well rounded team than the Patriots. The Broncos,
let me, I take that back, because I actually part
of the reason that I think the Patriots are better
(36:56):
than the Broncos is because I think Drake is so
much better than both. But if you were to, if
you take the quarterbacks off of it and evaluate the rosters,
it's probably Bronco's number one. The Bears are an interesting
one because the offense is so good, but the defense
of those three teams is the shakiest. But here's what
(37:20):
I'm getting at, Demanse and listen, you know, I don't
believe in bow Knicks, but it's the number one seed,
and if he goes on a playoff run, I don't
know what I'm gonna say. Yeah, we live in a
world where Mahomes missed the playoffs and just tore his
Acol Lamar missed the playoffs as coach, just got fired.
(37:43):
Joe Burrow missed the playoffs for the third straight year. Okay,
if one of these second year quarterbacks goes on a
real run, wins multiple playoff games, shows up in the
super Bowl, whomever it is. Assuming again, and I don't
(38:04):
even really want to include bo Nicks in this, but
I have to be fair, assuming that it's not the
two thousand Ravens way to the Super Bowl that the
offense more than carries its weight, which obviously would have
to happen with the Patriots or the Bears. Right, does
that top of the NFL, not the very top, but
(38:26):
the top ish of the NFL quarterback pyramid have to
start to include one of these kids? Yeah, you know
what I mean, Like the if Drake May and the
Patriots make the Super Bowl. I already think Drake May
is probably a top five quarterback, then it becomes undeniable.
If Caleb puts it all together, God forbid, if bo
(38:47):
Nicks wins two playoff games and makes like so, which
of these young quarterbacks are any of them gonna go
on a run? And are any of these young quarterbacks
bow at least has been to the playoffs going to
have you know, those first playoff game jitters or first
(39:07):
real expectations in the playoffs. You know stumble That to
me is the second biggest storyline. Go ahead. It seems
like you want to say something.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
No, I mean, but bow Nick's getting there.
Speaker 3 (39:17):
I feel like you'd attribute you would attribute that to
the defense carrying.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
I think it also depends on how they yeah, I mean,
how they do on the run.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Right, you gotta see how the game plays out. I
think the third biggest storyline is and again I know
that I'm quarterback centric in this, but because the storylines
are typically third biggest storyline is what if Aaron Rodgers
goes on a run. I don't. I don't think it's likely,
(39:46):
but after that game against Baltimore, I don't think it's impossible.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
Is that ere another super Bowl? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (39:55):
I mean the guy's got four MVPs. The guy as
regular season wise, he's a top three quarterback of all time,
and so I obviously winning a super Bowl puts him
in a the it's a totally different world worry to
(40:16):
win a super Bowl. But I don't even if he
just they break the Steelers break their decade long playoff
win drought, pull off some upsets, they show up in
a conference championship game, be unbelievable and so I and
the Browns game was an abomination. But aside from that,
(40:37):
he's been really good for the last five weeks and
he gets dk.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
Metcalf back, so no DK insane.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
I know the and not having DK almost costs him
the their season. I think the fourth biggest storyline is,
and maybe this should have been bigger, is what if
the Eagles repeat, Yeah, nobody want under the radar. Yeah,
they've kind of been flying under the radar as a
defending Super Bowl champion, and I think it's because they
(41:09):
have seemed flawed, so flawed all year. But if they
go back, like if they go back to back, what
that means for everyone involved on that team all of
a sudden. Jalen Hurts is a no doubt Hall of famer,
the you know, the Howie Roseman and the Eagles. Maybe
(41:34):
they got an argument that they, not the Chiefs, are
the the prestige franchise. Well, I listen to the Chiefs.
The Chiefs have been to five Super Bowls in seven
years now and one three. The Eagles would have been
to three and four years one two, and then if
(41:56):
we extend it back to Foles, it's hard to call
that like part of this. It's a different coach, it's
different quarterback, but it would have been they've been if
they win this year that in nine years, Demons, they
went to four super Bowls, won three. That's pretty unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
It's so hard to imagine them repeating given other seasons.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
That's the thing I just don't it doesn't seem possible,
but maybe, But they're big favorites, relatively big favorites against
the Niners in round one. No one would be shocked
if they went on the road and beat Chicago in
round two. And if Chicago loses in round one, then
(42:39):
Philly would be home for round two. Like there's a
path there. And then number five is which of the
two NFC West juggernaut teams is able to in the
(43:02):
playoffs look the way they did most of the regular season,
which is like the best team in football for either
of them, the Rams and the Seahawks. The Rams path
is harder, but their quarterback is so much better. The Seahawks, though,
being at home, being rested, being healthy, with that defense
in that crowd. Dude, I am not dismissing at all
(43:25):
the very real possibility of the Seattle Seahawks winning the
Super Bowl. I think that's Sam darnoald the Seahawks can
win the Super Bowl. I can't believe it. I think
right now my pick would be Matt Stafford in the Rams,
but I think Seahawks can do it. In order to
(43:45):
keep the five hundred or better streak alive. I think
four of the five years on this pod we've been
five hundred or better. We needed to go three and
two or better the final weekend. Let's go through it.
Because we laid two and a half with Tampa. They
(44:07):
won by two, so now we gotta go three and
one down the stretch. Seattle minus one felt great the
whole way. Raiders plus five and a half. I told you, guys,
my god, that Chiefs offense is just so bad. So
now we just need one win in the late windows.
(44:29):
Miami plus twelve felt dead pretty early. So it all
came down to Pittsburgh against Baltimore. And you have I
was rooting for Pittsburgh to win. Outright, that's great because
I picked them. I know it makes you said, but
I picked them, and I uh, and I just the
(44:51):
so I was rooting for it despite that. You should
have seen how I reacted to Boswell's missed extra point.
Because Boswell's miss miss sextra point, I'm like, oh my god,
plus three and a half is home. Like, now there's
no overtime, there's no funny business. Now it's either gonna
be a Raven's two point win or Pittsburgh. I'm sorry,
(45:15):
a Raven's one point winner. A Pittsburgh two point win,
so we got it for forty four and two. Nothing
to write home about. You would have lost money on
it because of the big but still going five hundred
picking games is I'll call it difficult. I would have
(45:37):
liked to do better. The only the only piece of
our gambling show that was dominant, and we'll get to
it more in a moment, was Demonse's teasers, which I
am considering next year to Monsey putting real funds behind.
Like I am, I'm considering having a huge portion of
(46:00):
my twenty twenty six football gambling portfolio b Demons's teasers.
I appreciate you are I mean you really you can
a great job that well, you did a great job
you It was just impressive. Yeah, we'll get we'll get
to that in a moment. But now all lines are
(46:22):
of course from hard Rock Bet. But I'm told something
that there's a twist this year.
Speaker 3 (46:27):
Uh yeah, so we're gonna you're gonna be picking on
all the games, but I'm gonna be going ahead to
head with you in picking picking games as well. For you,
you stepped over to the teaser landscape, I'm gonna step
over to the pigs landscape.
Speaker 1 (46:40):
Okay, love it, and so I don't know where we
agree or disagree. So why don't you So you set
up the you say the game. I'll say my pick,
and then you say where you stand on it.
Speaker 3 (46:50):
Okay, So first we got the Rams minus ten and
a half at Carolina.
Speaker 2 (46:55):
You're taking the Rams there.
Speaker 1 (46:57):
Listen, this is a I believe square play. The home favorite.
Home dogs. Big home dogs in the playoffs are always cover.
The producers tell me there have only been nine home
dogs in the playoffs since nineteen seventy of greater than
(47:21):
four points, and they're one and eight. The road favorite
is one and eight against the spread. I understand that,
and ten and a half is a ton of points.
I just believe Carolina is not only the worst team
that made the playoffs. I don't think they're a good team.
(47:44):
I think that there were five or six teams that
missed the playoffs that right now this week I think
are better than Carolina. Yea, and the fact that the
Rams played them and lost to them will give them
just enough appropriate fear to know. It doesn't matter that
(48:04):
we're double digit favorites. We have to take care of business.
I will swallow this huge number and lay the ten
and a half with the Rams.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
Your thoughts, I'm taking I'm taking Carolina there. I knew
you would.
Speaker 3 (48:18):
I'm uh yeah, no, I'm I'm I trust Carolina. And
that's It's a lot of points.
Speaker 1 (48:23):
Honestly, Yeah, I was gonna say, you just like the points.
It's totally fine. It's a lot of points.
Speaker 3 (48:32):
So that's that's why I am there. I mean, all right,
next one, the next one. You got Chicago plus one
versus Green Bay.
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Listen, Chicago's at home. And I think they're better than
the Packers, and they have played the Packers twice. Both
games came down to the final moments. But the Packers
are the are not the same team from an injury reperspective.
Speaker 2 (49:01):
They were playing right.
Speaker 1 (49:04):
Jordan Love hasn't played the Packers. Obviously, don't have Micah,
don't have Tucker Kraft, don't have a lot of key guys.
They when they played the Bears the first time, cale
about to pass into the end zone to potentially, you know,
tie the game. I think they probably would have gone
for two. He threw the pick, and when they played
him the second time, he had the pass in overtime
(49:26):
to win the game. I think the Bears are better,
the Bears are home, the Bears are healthier. I did
not like how the Bears played this weekend. I still
think the Packers won nine games because they were about
the quality. Once everybody got hurt of a nine win team,
I'll take Chicago plus one.
Speaker 3 (49:43):
The Bears might have the better coach. Oh, we know
these days, but yeah, I took Chicago there too. I
don't know if you said that.
Speaker 1 (49:49):
The Okay, so we're on the same page there all
right now, same.
Speaker 3 (49:52):
Page there, Jacksonville plus one versus Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
Yeah, so I'm taking the Jags plus the points. And
you might say what points its point? I gotta be
honest with my dear friends at hard Rock. Bet I'm
disappointed that I can't that this isn't one and a half,
and I really want that half point because I think so.
(50:25):
Let me explain my pick here, Okay. I think Jacksonville
is the more well rounded team and the team that
currently is playing better. I also think Buffalo's tendency to
play poor early and then rally late could be a
(50:47):
problem for them in this game. If Jacksonville is able
to shorten the game by efficient passing and running the
ball with etn. Also the reason I said I want
that half point is for some reason or another, deep
down kind of think Buffalo is gonna win this game
(51:10):
by one, and so like that a twenty four to
twenty three Bill's win. And so I know this is
the definition of kind of having it both ways. I
get that I don't have a super strong conviction. I
(51:30):
really liked when I thought I was gonna be getting
I thought when this game, I thought it was gonna
be Bill's or minus two and a half, but it
was Bill's minus one and a half. And now it's
Bill's minus one. But I will take Jacksonville plus one.
And to be clear, because I see what the producers
wrote said the number one storyline was Josh breaking through.
(51:52):
To me, those storylines were not all predictions. It was
what the biggest storyline is, will Josh break through? And
this bet can it? You know Bills, the Bills win
by one. There is no way to win this pick
in either direction. It would mean the line's exactly right.
I just think I think the Jags, they're a thirteen
(52:17):
win team that's at home, that's healthy, that's playing great.
They shouldn't be home dogs. So I just I'm obligated
to this. I don't love it. You never love you
never love picking against the team that you think is
more likely to win because you're getting the points, but
(52:38):
the points you're getting are one one. You know, you
don't love that, you really don't love that. But it
is Jacksonville plus one.
Speaker 3 (52:48):
I took Buffalo minus the point just because if Josh
Allen does not go out there and it's gonna be
really bad for him, it's going to be really bad
for Buffalo. I think if they don't go out and
get this win. So I took with minus the points.
But San Francisco plus four and a half at Philly.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
Yeah, I'll take the Niners plus the points. Yeah, I
just I think that I think this should be Philly
minus three, and it's Philly minus four and a half,
and I think San Francisco can win. I certainly just
I don't trust Philadelphia to look impressive offensively again against
(53:30):
teams that had a pulse down the stretch. Beat the
Bills by one, lost to the Chargers by three in overtime,
lost to the Bears by nine, beat the Lions, who
had a pulse at that point in time, by nine,
but beat the Packers by three, lost to the Broncos
(53:51):
by four, like they just even early in the year,
beat the Cowboys by four, beat the Chiefs by three.
That Rams game, you'll that, you'll oh, they beat the
Rams by seven. Not really, they were beating the Rams
by one. The Rams were attempting a game winning field
goal and then it got blocked and returned for a touchdown.
(54:12):
They beat the Bucks by six, like their wins by
real margin this year. They're how a more than one
score wins the Giants, the Raiders, the Commanders. So and
I understand it's not like I'm getting seven and a half.
I'm getting four and a half, But I do. I
(54:33):
thought the Niners defense played its best game in forever
against Seattle, and I think that if they it now.
Trent Williams not practicing Wednesday, I don't love. I've got
to imagine he will play in this game Sunday. I
(54:54):
like that this game is Sunday instead of Saturday. For
that purpose, I think San Francisco can win. I'm gonna
more than a field goal against a team whose offense
is broken. I'll take San Francisco plus four and a half.
Speaker 3 (55:04):
I'm riding with you there y, yeah, okay, all right,
Chargers plus four at New England.
Speaker 1 (55:14):
I think the Pats win, but I think the Pats
win by three. I'll take the four points. I'm underdog heavy,
but I just I can't this is this would be traumatic.
And I understand his offensive line's brutal. I got it.
(55:37):
This would be traumatic for Herbert. If he lays another egg.
He doesn't have to win. Like, I'm not gonna that.
They aren't as good as New England. They're on the road.
I'm not gonna if he, you know, plays a normal
Herbert game and they just lose. Now, he's not gonna
get like bonus credit, but I'm not gonna kill him
for it. But he can't lay an egg. I don't
(56:01):
imagine he will. He's been carrying this team on the
offensive side of the ball throughout the year. The defense.
But the real the real reason that I like grabbing
the points heer to Masse is Drake may has not
faced a defense as good as the Chargers defense. I
(56:22):
don't know if he's done it all year. Like I'm
trying to think who's the best defense the Patriots faced.
I I can't find a good one. And the Steelers.
I guess you could argue they turn the ball over
five times the Panthers, like early in the year, I
(56:45):
don't know, like the Bills. The Bills pass defense has
been really good all year. Drake May threw zero touchdowns
against him in two games. Now, listen, this isn't me.
I'm I think the are gonna win. But I get
four points and what I think will be a low scoring,
(57:05):
cold game at night, and I just don't think it's
gonna be a prolific passing attack. I also think Vrabel
can shorten the game if he needs to. I'll take
the four points with the Chargers taking the four. Okay,
so right now, our only difference is you've got Carolina
(57:26):
plus ten and a half and you've got the Bills
minus one. Other than that, we're on the same page,
all right.
Speaker 3 (57:32):
Last one, last yeart Pittsburgh plus three versus Houston.
Speaker 1 (57:37):
I think Steelers are gonna win. And I understand Tomlin
hasn't won a playoff game in a decade. I get it.
They get DJ Metcalf back, They're coming off that type
of victory. Houston's offense never got fixed. It got a pulse,
but it never got fixed. There is this weird stat
(58:00):
only I care about, which is that Mike Tomlin's the
greatest Monday night football coach ever. He's twenty two and
three in his career on Monday nights and twelve and
oh at home. He's been the head coach for twenty years.
He's never lost a home Monday night game. This is
a home Monday night game, and I think that Rogers
(58:25):
is going to be for the first time all year,
Demonsey willing to stand in the pocket and get hit
if he needs to be because they're in the playoffs.
And again, just like a kind of auto gambling rule.
I know it has not been a good rule in
the playoffs the last decade, but Mike Tomlin at home
(58:47):
getting points, I just gotta I gotta be on that
side of it. So I'll take Pittsburgh plus the three.
Speaker 3 (58:54):
Rogers might get mangled, though he might, that would be
a good Yeah, I'm with you on I'm with you
on that.
Speaker 2 (59:00):
To Pittsburgh plus three.
Speaker 1 (59:02):
Great, So we only have two differences. Yeah, but my
picksar the Rams minus ten and a half and then
all the underdogs Chicago plus one, Jacksonville plus one, the
Niners plus four, and a half the chargers plus four,
Pittsburgh plus three