2022 Championship Weekend Recap: Super Bowl LVII Is Set

A room filled with some heroes - Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler and Gregg Rosenthal recap Championship Weekend, starting with 49ers at Eagles (3:00). We take a brief intermission between games for the presentation of the Lock Trophy (30:00), and then finish the show covering Bengals at Chiefs (34:10).

Note: timecodes approximate.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Around the NFL podcast, Our conference champions in their
Hearts from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's Around the
NFL Championship Sunday edition. I am Dan Hansis. I am
joined by heroes, Greg Rosendalf, Mark Sessler, Gentlemen. It is

(00:23):
set two weeks from tonight three pm Pacific kickoff on
Fox Television, State Farm Stadium. The setting in Glendale, Arizona.
The Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles to sixteen
and three teams, two number one seeds. For all of

(00:47):
the proverbial marbles. Let's go, let's go. This is uh,
this is exciting. It also feels like the finality of
it is very sudden. We're coming off this AFC Championship
game that we're gonna get into it. But it does
feel crazy that like this is our last time here
recapping games for the season. Will be at State Farm Stadium. Uh.

(01:08):
And you could have played out the whole season, or
you could have just read the NFL dot Com Super
Bowl predictions before the year and just skipped it all
and you would have seen. I had Chiefs over comes
down once again to Greg talking about Greg and Greg's
picks at the top of this show, especially that that's
what makes it funny. That's disturbing to me. But you

(01:31):
know what, you did pick that, and I think you
had in an even bolder choice. Patrick Mahomess m v P.
Another victory, that's true. How do you come up with
these picks? Anyway? I guess we can skip the next
two weeks of predicting the game and talking about it
what's going to happen? So here we go. We're gonna
go over both games today in detail. Um, the second game,

(01:53):
the game that just rapped before we came on today,
absolutely the better game of the bunch. But don't tell
Eagles fans that they love the first game against the
forty Niners. Of course, it's one of those games where
you gotta give credit to the winner. But as a
football fan that is just agnostic on this. You wish
you maybe saw something different. You wish you saw full

(02:16):
powered Niners team against a full powered Eagles team. But
sometimes the football gods don't give us what we want.
But again Eagles fans don't care, and nor should they.
Let's head to the link and is second out of
five Perts gives it off. Sanders into these Jason Kelsey
quote an unbelievable job. Kelsey's run my lot of off

(02:39):
the left side. A mild Sanders scored a suck a
touchdowns of the games and the second of his career
in the post season. That was Merrill Reese and Mike
Quick w I P. Miles Sanders have a day, kid too,
touchdowns on just eleven carries. Jalen Hurts through a hundred

(03:02):
and twenty one yards. That's all right. Didn't need to
do much because the Philadelphia Eagles overwhelmed the San Francisco
forty Niners thirty one seven. They're back in the Super
Bowl for the fourth time, the second time and I
believe five years and you know what, Greggy, credit to
the entire organization and start for me anyway with Howie

(03:23):
Roseman Jeffrey Lurry of course the team owner. This is
the first UH team in NFL Super Bowl history to
get back to the Super Bowl within a five year
span with a different quarterback and head coach. It was once,
of course Doug Peterson with a combo of Carson Wentz
and of course Nick Foles and now Nick Sirianni. Jalen
Hurts to the big Dance. Yeah, I, as you guys know,

(03:45):
I'm loyal to football, so this game was a disappointment
to be one sided. But I don't want to start
with the disappointing aspects. I want to start with loyal
to football, the ways that I think the Greg centric
start to the I know I'm in and I'm surprised
he started with us. With me, they their pass rush
dominated like that started with us, but started with me here.

(04:10):
I'm surprised. I'm subsurprised we're starting with this game because
it now feels like such an afterthought in this game
because of the injuries and everything. But I think what
shouldn't get lost is that the Eagles two lines won
their battles, and so even if the forty Niners had
stayed healthy, we'll never get to see that game. I
don't know what would have been, but I know that
the Eagles defensive line house the forty Niners early and

(04:32):
often early second quarter. They already had had three sacks.
The two injuries that the forty quarterbacks had unfortunately came
because they couldn't protect their quarterback. And it's been a
near historic Eagles pass rush all year marks seventy sacks
in this season three guys getting over ten sacks, and
to me, that was the reason why the forty Niners
were gonna have big time trouble winning this game, even

(04:54):
if they kept their quarterbacks. Yeah, when you get this
version of Sasan Reddick and Javon Hargrave and the rest,
I mean, they may life very difficult for the Niners
out of the gate. I think no matter who was
a quarterback, it would have been a different environment than
we've seen San Francisco thriving in the past. Uh Philly,
I mean, I guess you know, critics of the Eagles
will say you got a totally down on their luck

(05:14):
Giants team a week ago, and then you got this
version of the Niners. I kind of don't really care.
It's not really the way I see this, because the
Eagles simply have performed at a super high level almost
this entire season. They've been one of the most consistent teams.
What happened today, Uh, it doesn't diminish that for me,
although I think if you're a Niners fan, we just
we got stole, we got we were basically robbed of
what would have been I think a titanic game because

(05:35):
San Francisco's defense. I mean, they could do nothing on offense,
but their defense kept them and kept them in this
for a stretch of time. But then when you get
Brack Black pretty back in there and you it's clear
you can't throw. They're a one dimensional team and they're handing.
They're just essentially handing the ball off as the clock
is ticking down. That's not an NFC title game that
intrigues me. Yeah, so this game is it really gets

(05:57):
decided very early on. You have a four down and
three near midfield. Um Jalen hurts. They stay on the field,
Siriana goes for because that's what the Eagles do. They're
an aggressive team. Throws a nice ball down field. DeVante
Smith makes an amazing acrobatic play. Uh, not a catch,
very close to a catch, but the ball is moving
as it's touching the ground. Terrible job by somebody, And

(06:20):
somebody could tell me who it did. A bad job here,
because you could say it's Kyle Shanahan for not recognizing
Devanta Smith and and a kind of a panic uh,
telling his teammates to huddle up and get the playoff.
Always a pretty clear indicator to me when the receiver's
doing that that he doesn't think he caught that ball.
But how about this, Greg, And we've talked about this
all season, that almost every play is reviewable now because

(06:44):
the Eye in the sky in the NFL's new method,
which is ceaselessly explained as being this great benefit to
the league and has helped the games. And I agree, like,
where is the stoppage in the play from that end
of things? Also that bottom line, And we saw it
again throughout today, just like we've seen it throughout the season.
The officiating is not up to snuff. A huge early

(07:04):
turning point in this game is on a catch that
actually wasn't a catch. I just want to start there.
In terms of breaking down the games, I think we
should go through the whole game because it was closer
than now. You look at the final score thirty one
seven and what happened at the quarterbacks, It feels like
it was predetermined, but it was closer for a while.
Its fourth and three from the thirty five. On that play,
he throws uh a good pass considering he was rolling.

(07:25):
Left the playlift over to Davante Smith who makes an
even better catch, or so we thought. I don't blame
anyone here. I really, don't they They he caught that
ball and hit the ground with about ten minutes twenty
two seconds or so left. They had the next snap
on a no huddle twenty seconds later, and we got
one replay. So that's what Kyle Shanahan's basing it off of.

(07:48):
And by that replay, there was no way to tell
that he didn't actually catch it. And I think Greg
Olsen in that moment saying what a great catch, absolutely
influences the forty niners from not challenging it. They didn't
see anything, and sometimes when Jim Nance says, I don't
know if that was a catch, then they end up challenging.
So I don't really blame Shannon, but I have a
hard time blaming like the NFL for not quick spotting

(08:10):
that because can they get all the angles in that
quick of a time. I think it was just like
a bang bang play and they did a good job.
It's unfortunate what I read the NFL. This Hawkeye technology
feeds almost virtually all the replays back to their command center.
This is the only game game being played. Whatever it was,
it wasn't seeing they scored touchdown the Eagles. We saw

(08:32):
the replay like so I'm just saying that, you know,
and I think it was more like, if you're a
Niners fan, just DeVante Smith's reaction. Maybe in the first
quarter of the first half, maybe you know, we we
stopped playing and take a chance because that's such a
huge play in the game. Then on the sixth play
from scrimmage for the Niners, Rock Party gets hit. I

(08:54):
think it's a son Reddick who has been playing out
of his mind. Um bends his elbow back. He's out
of the game, and it's just crazy Mark. And he
does come back in an emergency scenario and had turned
into force at that point. Unfortunately, Um that that is
now a Niners team that had won what twelve straight games,
that was in the NFC title game, had lost their

(09:16):
third starting quarterback to a potentially serious injury, this time
with the timing at its worst. And to the credit,
and this is two parties. Credit the way Josh Johnson
looked in this game, which is like what a lot
of guys deep on the depth chart at quarterback usually
looked like. I think that's what a lot of people
expected Party to look like. And we thought the Niners
season would have been over seven or eight weeks ago.

(09:39):
That's that's what it Usually when a deep backup comes
in the game, they couldn't get anything going once Johnson
was involved until he went out of the game. Now,
I get you hit the point where Kyle Shanahan and
the creativity and the acumen in the experience of tutoring
and growing quarterbacks couldn't do anything at this point. I mean,
Brock party we we all wondered what he melt down.
It's just a game where that leaves a lot of

(10:01):
unanswered questions. It's the game that we want to see
what would have happened here, because I also think the
thing that had nothing to do with Brock Purty. One
another level, though, was that the Niners, for the first
time in a while, came and I thought they were
totally unhinged on defense. With the penalties, I mean, they
kept Eagles drives alive. There was the roughing the punter
penalty that kept things going. Who Funga had a big one.

(10:21):
There was a personal foul, a string of personal fouls,
and the face mask on Drake green Law that just
kept the Eagles alive. And really, if you had taken
some of that away, I think this game is a
little bit different. But you can't get past the quarterback injuries,
right because after that touchdown, To be fair Dan, the
forty Niners defense forced three straight punts and they allowed
him a total of thirteen yards on those possessions. Now,

(10:44):
the forty Niners offense is dealing with Purdy's injury, and
again that came from a good player, Hassan Raddick, taking
advantage of how they set up their defensive line and
that a tight end was blocking him. So that's coaching,
that's execution, that's player, and that helped get unfortunately pretty
get hurt, but hit. That would have been a fumble
either way, a turnover. But then the forty Niners go

(11:05):
and make a touchdown drive. Uh, they trust Josh Johnson
a little bit. He makes a couple plays or rather
pretty um yeah is out at that point, they get
the touchdown after McCaffrey runs them over. It's seven to seven,
and you know, as someone who's rooting for the Eagles here,
I'm actually feeling quite nervous at that moment. It's fourth down,

(11:27):
it's on the Eagles thirty five. God, they're gonna punt
it away again. Four straight punts where they don't even
get a first down. And that's the moment where, not
to our surprise, Nick Sirianni goes for it on fourth down.
In almost every any other coach in the league, I
don't think goes for it there. Certainly ten years ago,
no coaches would have gone for it. Uh, he picks

(11:47):
it up. Uh. They end up getting the touchdown later
that drive. And to me, that's like where the game
changed right there. And if he had blown that, let's say,
and it had gone sideways from their people would be
killing Sirianni. And yet I don't feel like in these
scenarios anyone gets any credit for going the for the
fourth downs. No, I totally agree with that. And so
the game is fourteen seven, they're still all right there, Okay,

(12:10):
the the Niners have the ball with two minutes to
go down seven. And then again, you know, Josh Johnson
has been on a hundred teams by now, and you
can't you can't kill the guy because there's a reason
why he's hanging around the league this long. It must
be a really good guy behind the scenes. And uh,
someone you wanted a quarterback room. But that's a killer turnover.

(12:30):
Then a snap that goes right off his hands. He
kind of goes down to get it and he has
the opportunity to pick it up, but it doesn't work out,
turn it over. The Eagles go down the field again
and score and it's seven, and it kind of felt
at that point that the game was over. It basically was. Yeah,
it was because there's no way out at that situation
with what you have going on at quarterback. And I

(12:52):
mean it goes beyond just the turnover to that. There
there were three delay of game penalties that just were disorganized.
It's like you can't run your offense and was only
a matter of time because yes, the defense was doing
all it could, but you're watching, if you're the Eagles defense,
you're thinking, wait a minute, there's no one in this
game that can really throw the ball. Then when you
bring brat Rock Purty back in, it's like you're you're
essentially playing a Pop Warner attack at that point. Well that, yeah,

(13:14):
the game's over at that point. But I do think
it's worth pointing out that you're right, there were all
these penalties that helped the Eagles get that touchdown to
make it fourteen seven. After the fourth down conversion that
I'm talking about none of the penalties were and I've
seen a lot of complaining today and there had there
was some bad calls in complain, all those penalties were
clear and obvious penalties. Oh, I think so they were

(13:36):
good calls. Uh. I've seen a lot of criticism being like,
why is Kyle Shanahan being aggressive in that two minute scenario?
And I think it's just anger that, like we have
to get mad at something or someone. The first player
that drive by the way is a nice throw by
Johnson first down to Samuel. At that point, it's kind
of go time. The next play is a perfect shotgun

(13:58):
snap and like if if they were being as conservative
as possible, he could have fumbled the snap too. It
was just a fumbled snap. But you hate to see
a game kind of end on that. And there's and
I know the forty Niners defense played pretty well, but
there's no rule they have to allow the Reagles to
run right through them. There that either of the two
rushing touchdowns in the first down first half were absolutely untouched.

(14:19):
When this game was in doubt. The first eight drives,
the Eagles had a hundred and thirty yards rushing, which
would have been the third highest the forty Niners gave
up all season just in those eight drives, so they
were getting it done. Relative wasn't easy, but they were
moving the ball somewhat on the ground. Let's hear from
the quarterbacks on both sides. Let's start with Jalen Hurts. Here, Hurts,
who didn't have a big statistical game, but you could

(14:40):
just see it in these two weeks, the way the
team responds when he's out front and he's leading them.
There's a great shot of him after the game. Uh,
kind of Alan going through his phone smoking a cigar. Uh.
This is Hurts his time, and he'll be a big
story this week. And it's easy to forget now that
when he was drafted, the Eagles had Carson Wentz. The
idea was that they kind of were set set at quarterback,

(15:03):
and that obviously is something that motivated Hurts because he
made a passing comment earlier in the press conference about how,
you know, some people they didn't want to draft him
to Philly, and then he was asked a follow up
about that off the Cuver mark. You know, there was
a be surprised too many, be surprised too many. But
my favorite verse, uh, you know, I went through a

(15:23):
lot of stuff from college and it kind of stoke
with me. John thirteen seven. You may not know novel lady.
Later you understand. Hopefully people understand smooth. He says that
in a purple leather jacket straight out of like Prince's
World Tour in five. It's working. It's all working for
Jalen Hurts right now. Yeah. I mean, I think the
one thing that you know, we were a year ago,

(15:44):
he was still essentially on audition for this job. I
think now he's my second choice for m v P.
I mean, I know he missed a couple of games
at the end and it played through this injury. But
you mentioned this Greg last week. Is that it is
the player. But it is like the Eagles made this
choice at quarterback uck and they moved away from Carson Wentz.
You got this player, but I think they talked about
his leadership and who he is the entire time. This

(16:06):
was not a great performance by the Eagles offense for
much of the game. They their first half. They essentially
was their fourth worst performance in the first half all season.
That's something to do with the Niners defense, But it
wasn't well, just like efficiency and stuff. It was just
sitting out there and it's like this was not the
high powered version of Philly. It really wasn't. I think
that it gives me a hope that in the Super

(16:27):
Bowl you might get that version against the Chiefs, right,
I think to be more specific, and this is just
my take personally, and I know the rushing numbers aren't crazy.
They ended up three point four yards overall, but they
had they had some big plays. I think it was
just a uh subpart performance by Hurts specifically. I think
he was struggling to stay calm in the pocket. Uh.

(16:48):
He wasn't accurate. He had that go ball the A. J.
Brown on the second drive of the game that would
have made it fourteen. Nothing just missed it. Had another
uh ball way at a bounds on a go ball
that like ended a drive. Uh. He just didn't seem
to be ready for whatever the defense was showing him.

(17:08):
And he was not the first one. This is a great,
great defense, and I think Damiko Ryan's was mixing it up.
But the pressure, even when the pressure wasn't there, I
think their plan really was confusing him. And he had
a four point eight yards per attempt in this game,
so he struggled to pass the ball, especially in the
first half, but it was his legs and better decisions
in the second half. That that kind of comment. If

(17:30):
you take away that Davante Smith catch right the his numbers,
he finished with thirty six yards. That was a twenty
nine yard catch. A J. Brown had four catches for
twenty eight yards in the first quarter essentially, and then
never had anything else. It's like we're used to seeing
when Hurts has been on the big plays down the field.
Guys like Scharberious war Too played an awesome game lost

(17:51):
in this disaster of a situation for the Niners took
that away. I mean, this just was not the Eagles
offense were used to seeing when they're at their best.
The Niners and Eagles qbs combined for two under and
four passing yards, the lowest in the conference title game
since the nine A C Title game. I mean, one
of the quarterbacks literally couldn't throw, so that I'm not
totally surprised, but right that was the famous mud Bowl

(18:12):
Jets and Dolphins. Brock Purty couldn't throw. Here were his
comments about the state of his arm after the injury.
You know, my arm I just felt like it stretched out.
Um just felt like really a lot of just shocks
all over from my elbow down to my wrist, front
and back. Um. Just pain. And this is where it

(18:33):
kind of got sad, to be quite honest with you,
because we had all kind of enjoyed this rise of
San Francisco's offense. In the CMC Party era, Josh Johnson
bangs his head on the turf in the third quarter.
They blow the game dead. He goes to the blue tent.
He's done. He's diagnosed with a concussion. They have to
bring back party. Even after the discussion, is Christian McCaffrey

(18:54):
going to be the quarterback? Is Kyle Hughes checking to
be the quarterback? They bring Purty back and there's a
chance Perty blew out his elbow. We don't know yet.
We're gonna have a better idea how serious this injury is. Um.
But he goes back on the field and he explains
the conversation he has with Shanahan about how bad it
is and whether he can throw. And he's even cheap.
It's almost apologetic about what the state of his arm

(19:17):
at this juncture of the season. I told him right there, Um,
if we run a play, you know, I can't throw
it deep like just for this play at least, like
it's hurting really bad, and you know, if we're going
to get a completion, have it be something short. If
that's all right, And so that's really what I was
telling him, If that's all right. How sad. It's sad.
It's a bummer. It's um. I mean, I thought it's

(19:39):
been one of the best stories of the year and
so improbable, and to end this way again, it's just
like at the game is just filled with with whats
what ifs to me, and like I almost would have
rather that you And I think, like if you're christ McCaffrey,
there was during especially during like if you're watching the
truck Feed, which we do on m v P in
our in our office, Like he was sitting there looking
at a huge play sheet, and I can see the
look on Chrim McCaffrey's face sort of, wait a minute,

(20:00):
I might be playing quarterback here. The guy's been on
the team for like a couple of months, you know,
to decide who's going to the super Bowl, and the
running back is looking at the quarterback play sheet. It's
it's just it's just the way it is. And yeah,
like the Giants, you said they were kind of down
in the lot. The Giants are feeling good against the Eagles,
but they were clearly outclassed the Niners. This is a
whole different situation. Like the Eagles absolutely caught a break here.

(20:25):
I think the Eagles are gonna win either way, but
we'll never know what would have happened if these two
sides were at equal power. You see, hear the frustration
and a guy like George Kittle, who's had a big
year with party um and having to answer questions about
the situation and how things played out field of losing
answer champion game because I don't have a quarterback appreciate

(20:46):
to be honest. Yeah, it's about it. It's fair. It's
two straight years. I mean, this team looking at Shanahan
on the sideline as you just I guess he always
looks like that, but it's just like, I was just
like thinking of what he is thinking as he's calling
these running plays in the fourth quarter of the and

(21:07):
just thinking how the injuries have defined his time in
San Francisco, especially at quarterback when Jimmy g First got
hurt and all the quarterbacks that they went through. They
were healthy, and they lost that one with a ten
point lead in the fourth quarter. But then you think
the injury the next year, and then you think last
year Jimmy G playing through injury was the worst version

(21:29):
of Jimmy G and blowing the ten point lead in
the fourth quarter of the NFC championship game, and then this,
and you hate you hate to like, like no one
likes to hear it when their teams win, especially or
just anything. But like sports are very often about luck,
and championship teams, the greatest players ever benefit from that.
It's just it's just part of it. Like you gotta

(21:49):
take advantage of it when you have that opportunity. The
Eagles earned that one seed by g having the best
record in the league two and setting all of this up.
But luck is part of it, and that was terrible luck.
They've had awful injury luck under Shandahan, and he's had
to perform all sorts of acrobatics at the quarterback position
for years on end. And it's like we spent all
last off season wondering if it would be Jimmy G

(22:11):
or Trey Lance, and now you go into another off
season and we'll get into all that, but it's like, what, like,
there's a lot of questions at quarterback and what you
do with a young Ricky who looked fantastic If this
is a serious elbow injury for party that. I mean,
it just keeps getting worse because then he's tomorrow, everything
is snowballing and everything will roll into next season. They

(22:32):
don't get a true fresh start next year. Um, any
other thoughts kind of on this game before we move on.
I think this this game and maybe we'll talk about
more in the coming weeks, But I do wonder if
the NFL is gonna look more closely at changing the
rules in terms of the rugby scrum and being able
to push the quarterbacks the butt the butt, the butt

(22:54):
push like a double cheek because you got two double
cheek push. Again. It was early in this game when
we didn't really know what the final result was gonna be.
You never know what Josh Johnson, I mean, it is
crazy looking at the final sets, the Eagles average under
four yards per play, they still ended up with two
sixty nine. Uh, and like you didn't know what was
gonna happen, and so those short yardage plays with hurts

(23:16):
felt really important, especially on the goal line, and I
just sense like the frustration of how effective this. The
Eagles are especially good at it, I think because of
their offensive lining because it hurts. But I expect the
Rules Committee will be talking about this and we will
be talking about it in March when when they meet.
It's almost crazy when you see teams and we've seen

(23:36):
situations where it's fourth and a yard and they're not
doing that play, that they're trying something else, because because
the Eagles especially have trademarked is like the most automatic
fourth down maneuver out there, and yet like it seems
so automatic that I'm with you, it's like it's something
about it does seems a little off based to me.
Usually usually the way and one of the like beautiful

(23:56):
things about football is there's always a back and forth.
Like the offense innovates, so the defense innovates, so then
the other side comes back. I don't know if this
is something you can innovate, cause it's so it's so
up close and personal and before you don't even really
have an opportunity uh to find a way to kind
of combat it. So maybe it becomes that type of
situation I don't know, like because it does have the

(24:18):
sport has its roots and rugby, maybe maybe it's a
beautiful call back to its it. It doesn't bother me personally.
It kind of reminds me a little bit of like
Belichick always had a way of taking advantage of like
whatever the rules were, like don't break them, but bend
them as hard as possible to take advantage of what
the rules are. I think the Eagles have found as

(24:40):
have found something here, Like they have so many different
ways to win games, and that's that's why I think
this win, even though it was to one sided, was
typical for them, Like any given week, different parts of
their team step up and end up winning the game
because any part of their team has a chance to
be dominant and and that's what's that's what's special, that's
why they're going there. That That was my thought too.
It's like I'm not really into hearing about how easy

(25:02):
their path was, Like they didn't choose that they also
had an easier path because they were the best team
in the regular season, but automatically, like one matchup. I
know Landon Dickerson was hurt today, but their offensive line
versus Chris Jones and friends in Kansas City. But then
on the flip side, their past rushing their front seven
versus a very good Chiefs offensive line. There. You know,
it would have mattered who made it for the a

(25:24):
f C because they're so physical. I think the Chiefs
have some strengths and some pluses where you can line
up against the Eagles, but they have been so dominant
upfront that I wonder if it starts right there, are
you insinuating that the game is won in the trenches
without saying that, but that's what this game was. Before
we take a break, can we pull up um the

(25:46):
Empire State Building, which is the skyscraper in New York City.
People should know that the Giants were eliminated in embarrassing
fashion by their hated rival the Els a week ago.
And after the game, uh, the Empire State Building stends
out a sweet fly, Eagles fly. We're going to green

(26:08):
and white in honor of the Eagles NFC championship victory.
And I know after the Chiefs one they went red
and white and maybe this was some type of like
pre plan and then whoever was in the planning meeting
was like, didn't even realize there's levels to this. As
a New York sports fan, I think about as someone
that lived in Boston Greggy in two thousand one when

(26:30):
they threw Ray Bourke a parade when he won the
Stanley Cup championship for the Colorado Avalanche. That's how downtrodden
the Boston sports were at that time. New York sports
is in such a bad place now. Where is the swagger?
Where is the just the confidence and the belief that
you are the sports down and nothing like that would

(26:53):
ever happen in your most famous building. That's a disgrace,
Empire State Building. It is a disgrace and it's it's
just to me, it was so baffling, like we're missing
a part of the story. And maybe there maybe we'll
find out later that there's something that triggered this from
a planning angle, But like the idea that first thought
was like someone is in someone from Philadelphia is essentially

(27:14):
uh violent, like a violent Kude top fashion taken over
the nerve center of the Empire State Building. Whether it
was that right, that would make some sense. This makes
happy are we doing here? From what people believe that
the confidence level of the sports area has been so
battered by the failure to win titles for the most
part in the last twenty years, that we've lost our
sense of identity. Are are just our belief in self

(27:36):
and our hatred of outsiders that pretend that they are us.
Philadelphia v. New York Is can't happen, and it should
never happen again. It should have never happened in the
first place. And I'm not even a Giants fan, and
it got me mad. Just imagine how Giants van hold on.
But even even if you were, you're talking about the
fact that the city is psychologically broken over sports list
bit okay, but let's say even the reverse for true,

(27:57):
and they were psychologically fine. Still, why you doing this?
I'd say it would have never happened. I lived to
be more keyed up and smarter. Ever never happened. Thought
to be a good idea on any level? Why are
we celebrating other other cities? Still live twelve blocks away
from there, and it was one of the joys of
living there. You always like looked up at the end
of the day you see the lights, Like I used
to follow that account no more because it's like I

(28:19):
don't live there anymore. I don't care what the lights are,
but the fact that they're not a New York sports fan, Greg,
of course you you are fine with it. I would
have been excited because I like the Eagles, because it
was such a total blood talking about But you would
have been we're not asking what you think. I would
look up at the green and white Empire State Building
and say, oh, that is unbelieving. I'm saying I was.

(28:43):
If I was living there and they owned themselves that badly,
I would have been dancing in the streets because it
was like, it's just like a little dog. But we're
actually just asking how this ever came to be, whether
or not green with of course, it's a total disaster.
And I have a theory. I don't think they were

(29:03):
gonna do the Chiefs colors. They weren't gonna do that.
It was not a plan that it was going to go, oh,
we'll do the winner's colors early and late. And then
they got so much pushed back they realized, Okay, here's
how we can save it. We'll pretend the panic that
that that hurt us. Then we're gonna panic pepic talk
about creating your own problems, though, I mean, there must

(29:24):
be more to this it's hilarious to me. It's hilarious
to me as a Patriots see that. See now, okay,
that makes sense. Well that's what I was, That's what
I am. Okay, but that's how you said it initially.
I would feel the same way if I were New
England Sports. Anyway, let's take a break, we'll take airs
a business and we'll get to the a f C

(29:45):
title game. A corker. We just took a a break
and we're talking about the Empire State building the entire time.
I don't know, I think that's funny. Um speaking of
Green and White and the Eagles. Yeah, listen, I'm a
man of principal integrity, bottomless integrity, So I can say

(30:10):
what So I can say, Greg openly chuckle. Yeah, So
I can said bottomless integrity. That was intended to get
that reaction. No, that was supposed to be met with
I guess, stone faced nod. Yes, of course. So I
can say that I went down in the locks challenge.

(30:31):
I like that Eagles team too. I needed something special
um from the Niners, and what I got was an
apocalypse for the San Francisco team. So my time with
the trophy is over. Oh my gosh, and what I
hold in my hand is the Locks title, which I

(30:52):
treated with respect and dignity. Unlike some other past champions.
It's about the trophy. It's about but not anymore now
it is yours Greg. And all I ask before I
hand over the Locks trophy that you have one fair
and square, is that you treat it with respect in dignity.

(31:13):
A fair request because it is an important part of
our program. I put it in a very high visibility
spot in my home. Are you getting that here? And
I just don't want this to be because you know,
with Greg, I put it into my trunk and I
forgot about it. Be proud with this trophy because you
did earn you guys can gonna get the shot where

(31:36):
handed over like it's on the plane in Dallas at Lovefield.
Thank you the congratulations, Greg, walk it up. You earn it.
How How many titles is after you? Now? Three? Yeah?
I mean, look, you say I don't respect it. Me
and this guy spent the whole pandemic together. It's three
out of four. You know. I do say luck is
a huge part of it. But if I keep stacking

(31:57):
these up, I'm gonna have to start questioning that theory
where you're gonna put it in your theory, I guess
I'll have to put in my my shot. I am
moving soon, so I'll have to work on that in
the meantime. Maybe, well, should we leave it here now?
I'll just leave just beautiful next to me. And I
gotta say, you know, the lock history was instructive because

(32:20):
luck is very important here, always is, and I I
like the Eagles got some injury luck today that helped
that game. But part of it was my lock history,
that Patrick Mahomes was really the one who put me
over the top for those previous locks. And even though
I picked the Bengals today, I thought they would win.
I thought it's it's just wrong and it doesn't feel

(32:43):
right to ever lock against Patrick Mahomes. Never do that, right.
If I'm Dan, I I've equipped that with a like
a hidden camera in his house. I wouldn't always check
on it, but I check on it occasionally. So I
don't know exactly what you're homes point was there in
the years stack wins picking the Chiefs in the playoffs

(33:05):
and that that clinched my previous locks. It was my
homes in the playoffs, finishing out those lock titles for me.
So it felt it felt wrong and foolhardy to go
against him, And I would have been wrong. That part
of the speech would have been even more effective if
you picked the Chiefs and locked them up today for
the title. But sometimes it's the locks you don't make.

(33:26):
You know what good call. And we thought, we all
thought Old Zeuser included I had the Cincinnati Bengals number
one of the power rankings that at Borrow head Field,
Joe it would be his time and these players. We
can talk about luck and all this stuff. What's momentum,
what's not moment What what is momentum? We could talk

(33:48):
about that, but motivation you cannot discount what players used
to get pumped up ahead of games. And you knew
the Chiefs did not like everyone going since Sinnati's way
and talking about Burrow is the new King of the Hill.
When they had Mahomes two Arrow head Field twenty to

(34:08):
twenty times eight seconds remaining in regulation of the a
f C Championship game, Harrison Butker the biggest kick of
his Chief's life. Placement is down, Butcker's pick us up
the spinning kick high forty in the air, and that
has God, God, it's a field goal from forty five
yards up by Harrison. Butker, you can't doubt the Chiefs.

(34:31):
You can the Chiefs. You're gonna have to deal with
the Chiefs as the A f C champions. How about that.
Everyone's connected. I'll get the bank him, give him the
Bucka's Mitch Holt's with the call. Now I love Mitch.
He's off. He's off of this w D a f

(34:52):
because and I'll admit this freely. When the Patriots are
winning all these A f C titles and stuff, there
was a certain exhaustion that's set in for a lot
of fans. The Chiefs are a little harder to root against.
To me, like, I don't I didn't set even though
I wanted Cincinnati in this game. And Casey, they've earned
yet another trip to the Super Bowl here on the

(35:14):
back of that Harrison Budger field goal with three seconds
to play after Mahomes scrambled for a first down late
in regulation got pushed out of bounds one of the
costliest penalties in recent NFL history by poor Joseph Asai
Um yards through the up up the Riots uprights? Who who? Sorry?

(35:36):
Hook on? I said, Joseph as I yes, who's even
speaking right now? Whoo hook them? It's worth it in
this moment, How do you bring up Texas football in
this at this stage of the Sorry, this is a continue.
This is one of the lowest moments in UH Texas

(35:57):
alumni football and forever Kid was just trying to make
a play. Edit that out of the show. Twenty three
twenty to advance to the Super Bowl, Kansas City Mark
finally beats Cincinnati after three straight losses, including a three
point overtime loss in last year's title game. And before

(36:18):
I throw to you Mark, when Tracy Wilson of CBS
grabbed Patrick Mahomes on the field to ask him about
another big time win in a what's already a legendary
career just twenty seven years old, his buddy Travis Kelsey
came in with the interview bomb of the century. WHOA

(36:45):
it ain't borrow Head, it's Mahomes house. Now. That was
a major misstep by the Bengals fanatics and their mayor
and everyone else to suggest all of this business, because yeah,
if you're on another team in the a f C
West or a end based supporting another team in the
N f C West or the a f C. You
might have annoyances with Mahomes and the Chiefs and what

(37:06):
they are, but give me a break. We spent all
week long wondering if Mahomes physically would be up to
this game. You know, yes, he was practicing well and
moving around, but what happens when you get into this
thing with the temperature what it was, You know, your
body's chilling out like Mahomes. To me, this was one
of my favorite performances ever for him, and it was
filled with so many little moments where you know he

(37:27):
couldn't move the way you wanted him to. So even
before that big run that scrambled that really showed exactly
who Patrick Mahomes is. There were how many throws were
with guys around him in the pocket, a crumbling pocket.
He seemed to almost see through defenders and make these
beautiful little dump offs. He had one to Isaiah Pacheco
on that final drive. That final drive started with you know,
all his wide receivers are hurt in this game, but

(37:49):
neither teams really running the ball very well. He's not
able to lean on that part of it. Sky Moore
had the huge punt return that set this thing up.
Then you have the Mahomes to the Pacheco thing I
was telling you for there's an incompletion. Mahomes then runs
for that first down, and that all these games like
this had that defining moment and that penalty, and I
thought Cincinnati went they dealt at least this penalty was

(38:10):
clean because they dealt with a lot in this game.
And Zach Taylor was about to have his head explode.
But this wasn't actually a good call in Joseph PSI
goes down in Ohio, Cincinnati playoff history and Laura in
all the wrong ways for what happened here, because there's
no way that Bucker is going to make that field goal.
I think without that penalty at the bottom of the
net from whatever it was, we're have been close. It

(38:31):
was very cold. Do you get a lot of attention,
but it was twenty feels like six. They said, Jay Feely,
your guy, I know you really love the j Feely
kicking analysis. Dan as respect the guy's hustle for getting
a paycheck for what what he does. He said that, yeah,
that he was only good from fifty most likely would

(38:53):
have been a stretch, and yeah, it would have been
I think a six d ard attempt before that. I
don't even know if they would have attempted that play
at the they might add time for one more play
before that. Just the fact that it came on Mahomes running,
and I know was the penalty that moves. I mean
you you almost can't write this stuff. And as much

(39:13):
as the Bengals fans are upset with that penalty are
upset with how the rest of this game was officiated,
I think you have to look at Patrick Mahomes as
a guy who lost Juju Smith, Schuster, lost McCole, Hardman,
lost Cedarius Tony, and ultimately there passing attack was a
little more effective over the course of the game. He

(39:33):
averaged six seven point six yards per attempt. He didn't
have an interception. I know he had that fumble where
he just lost the ball. Uh, But it was a
very evenly played game. I didn't feel like this chief
stole one. I felt like they just ended up winning
at the end by three, just like the Bengals ended
up winning close games by three against the Chiefs previously.

(39:53):
And this is why sports are great. They're unpredictable. Everything
did seem to be trending towards This is the Joe O.
Burrow ascension. This is this is why everyone was confidently
saying that the Burrow head and he owns Kansas City.
And then it gets set up on a platter, uh
for them after the big touchdown to make it, they

(40:14):
forced a punt. A whole mess of things going on
on that Kansas City drive? Is that the drive with
all the shenanigans, with the play that wasn't the play
in eight place thirteen yards, We dodged a couple put
it this way, We gotched a couple of bullets of
officiating gone sideways where it looked like it was gonna
have a major impact on the game, and luckily it's sidestepped. Uh.

(40:38):
Those type of situations. It just wanted to talk about
two great teams playing and that's what we're getting. We're
getting to do for the most part here. But they
get two chances with the ball uh in a tie game.
One possession ends in an interception, and after the Cincinnati
defense steps up again and forces another punt greg Uh,
the Bengals get the ball back, they get I think
one first down, and then they go they punt again,

(41:02):
and and that surprised me, I gotta say, because especially
the last possession where it's Burrow balls and Burrows hands
with two minutes to play in a tie game, it
kind of just felt like that was the moment. And
when they got stopped there and all of a sudden
there was, you know, time on the clock for the
Chiefs after the big punt return, huge playing the game

(41:23):
by sky More, it felt like this thing was gonna
go a certain way, and it did so that second drive,
and you're right, they got the ball in a tie
game twice in the fourth quarter and couldn't score. And
so you have to give the Chiefs defense a lot
of credit, give the Chiefs offensive line credit. Other people
other than Mahomes lifted up Mahomes, which hasn't always been
the case. But on that second drive day, and they

(41:44):
did have two first downs. They had the ten yard
play to Higgins, they were on their own goal line practically.
Then they have the third and sixteen after the intentional grounding,
which felt like it might be a killer play, and
Burrow gets protected. Really let's go to the ball, and
he did a great job letting go to the ball
quickly all game. After all those early sex he knew
he had to get rid of it. Great timing route.

(42:05):
They blow the coverage to Hearst. They get at that point,
we're all, I mean, you already said they're gonna go
down the field. That's over. At that point, I think
Chiefs fans, I think Bengals fans, I think America is
thinking game over. They have a two yard play to
Hurst where it doesn't get out of bound, and that's
where England was like, not quite And that's the moment

(42:28):
where the game kind of changed. And we were talking
about it in the film room at the time. It
was in a very aggressive time out by Zach Taylor
with forty eight seconds left. I think a lot of
coaches and in the moment I thought, maybe don't take
that time out that you run the next play fifteen
seconds later. You kind of play it both ways. You
keep your two time outs, but you make it so

(42:49):
that there's no time left for the Chiefs if you
don't end up picking up first down. I can't kill
Zach Taylor for that at all. Him going for fourth
down and like on the fourth and sixth earlier in
the game, him being aggressive throughout this run and trusting
Joe Burrow is why they made it this far, so
I can't kill him, but him trusting Joe Burrow and
trusting his offense and being very aggressive with that time

(43:10):
out is why the Chiefs got the ball back ultimately
when the Bengals couldn't get a first down. And also
Chris Jones having the sack of the game. I mean,
he's Chris Jones. Like it's a little there's so much
mechanics around the drives and the quarterbacks, but like Chris
Jones absolutely was the star of this game. And the
back history of Jones, he had played in postseason games

(43:31):
zero sack. He's super frustrated last year after that loss,
so to come back and do what he did, And
I mean, I'll give Zach Hiller another bit of credit
because I mean this this was a tough environment. I
think they were sort of saying this was as loud
as as Romo had ever heard Arrowhead Stadium, that it
was on fire. The weather was a factor, and the
way that that game started, you just sort of could
you could wonder if the Chiefs were just going to

(43:52):
run away with it because Burrow, behind the line that
played so well a week ago was getting destroyed, and
it was a total train wreck. I thought the Bengals
did a good job down the stretch of adjusting to
some of that stuff and adding bulk in the backfield
and chipping Chris Jones and others to try to keep
Burrows safe, who's so great with the quick throws. But
you're right, I mean, they had two chances. This isn't
the this isn't the Josh Allen Mahomes game where you

(44:14):
go into the off season wondering what we have Cincinnati,
and Burrow had one more opportunity because he was lucky.
He threw two picks in this game. That second pick,
which was tipped by Brian Cook and landed in the
hands of Josh Williams, was an incredible defensive played by
the Chiefs. Those guys are rookies. They got a secondary
essentially built up rookies and held their own in this thing.
And the Burrows both picks resulted in zero Chiefs Chiefs points.

(44:36):
Where Mahomes had that crazy fumble which was a very
on Mahomes like play that led to us Cincinnati touchdown.
That again made me think this is just going Cincinnati's
way in these little, tiny moments, and for Mahomes and
the crew to pull it out. It's just another reminder.
It's like they're hard to describe because they seem so
perfect when they are sim with Mahomes. But this was
a different way that Mahomes won. This was a resourceful win,

(44:59):
like a off when I don't think people think of
the Chiefs that way, and and of course they think
of him as mentally tough. They came back from ten
down in the in the Super Bowl to win, but
where so much went against them and the Bengals fans
will say, we didn't have our offensive line, and sure,
but going into this game, not only was Kelsey supposedly
a little banged up, although he looked fine, and we
know about Mahomes, but losing three receivers and Legarius need

(45:22):
your best cornerback all in the game and to be
able to overcome that. It really wasn't just Mahomes. It
was the Chiefs defense getting those stuff. It was the
offensive line doing great job. Their running game did nothing,
but they did a great job protecting Mahomes for the
most part. Like this is a toughness, a resourcefulness that
like championships are made of, and like we're giving all

(45:42):
this credit to Mahomes and we should have given it
to him anyways. But if the Chiefs give up a
field goal on that last drive, like, we're not giving
him all the same credit. So it is a team sport.
And and he got lifted up by his team more
than he has in the past. And we saw that
each of the last two weeks where of course was
went down the injury last week and then were able
to survive. And and I thought the Mahomes injury, I

(46:05):
thought it was fairly remarkable that for the first at
least half of the game, you wouldn't even really know
that he was injured because he was making all the
type of plays that you're used to him making. Um
as the game went on, especially on one scramble where
he threw off on a completion, he had to really
drive off the ankle, and from that point on he
was limping pretty badly. But this again what separates and

(46:27):
when you're talking about like Dac last week, what's the
difference between the great guys and the good guys, the
guys that win Super Bowls and the guys that just
make a lot of money and make it to the
playoffs every couple of years. He somehow in that in
that physical state is able to turn on the juice
and turn that corner before he gets pushed out of
bounds get the first down. And it's just I just

(46:47):
have so much respect for Mahomes the player, and uh,
I know I'm not alone, no, And I mean you
look at his two touchdown throws like that first one
to Travis Kelsey on fourth and one. Again, I love
the aggressive nature of what they did there. That touchdown
Dart was insane, and then the mvs. One on the move.
I mean, Mahomes like found a way too. I'm sure
he's in pain because he was hobbling around late in

(47:07):
that game too, And yet there's a couple of times
where he threw off his back foot and it looked
as good as ever. It's like he just in this moment.
I think that's the thing about when you rooted for
teams that can't find a quarterback, whether even if they're good,
but they're not available half the time, it's like you've
got nothing. Mahomes is like available and good and he's
playing through something that would keep other people off the field.
I think he's he's the best I've seen come into

(47:28):
the NFL, and I think this game shows how he's
more than just scrambling around that that Kelsey touched on
you mentioned, we were commented like, look, he had a
wide ope, it's fourth down. He had a wide open
player in the flat. That's where the blake All was
supposed to go to. But he holds onto it looking
for more and he gets it to Kelsey. And then
the touchdown to MVS where he moved up in the
pocket was a dart. But just a few plays before

(47:49):
that on that drive, the one the one player talking
about Dan on the third down where he plans he's
rolling left and Romo did a good job pointing out
if you have a high angle sprain, like that's the
play where it's really going hurt you the most, and
it did. He's rolling left throwing right like most quarterbacks
can't make that play healthy. Like I'm a fan of
the Patriots, there's no way mac Jones can possibly make

(48:10):
that play healthy. He does it on that injury, playing
through the pain, completes it, continues that drive and then
ends up hitting MVS later. That's just next level. Yeah,
And going back to the play you mentioned, like that's
a the touchdown is fourth and one, correct, Like that is,
that's a fourth and one in the a f C
championship game and you have a guy open in the

(48:33):
flat for a three yard game. But and this goes
back to their you know, historic connection level. He sees Kelsey,
who's not necessarily open initially, but he sees them basically
one on one in the end zone, and he knows,
mahomes I put the ball in a certain spot a hundred,
Kelsey's gonna give me a touchdown. Those guys just operate

(48:54):
on a different level than almost anybody we've ever seen
as well. So a lot of did I mention Travis
Kelsey talking smack after the game. We saw him do
it with Tracy Wilson. How about the mayor of Cincinnati.
Now we know we have some connections with mayors of Cincinnati.
Our buddy Jason, who lived in Cincinnati moved to Tybee
and became the mayor of Tybee. What do they get clear,

(49:15):
let's the same guy. It's not Jason from Cincinnati who
became the mayor of Tybee. This is whoever the mayor
of Cincinnati is. Maybe Grave Digger helped me out with that.
Um had some unkind things to say about the Chiefs
and and some uh sticking out the chest about his
his favorite team, the Cincinnati Bengals. Kelsey wasn't done uh

(49:38):
during his postgame Riser conversation. I've got some wise words
for that Cincinnati mayor. No, you'll roll and shut your mouth.
I mean, he could absolutely be a professional wrestling. First
of all, he's holding the Lamar Hunt Trophy while he
does it. Then he pulls his hand out to his
ear to hear seventy four thousand Kansas City. The fans

(50:00):
lose their mind over his rock act again like the mayor,
what are you doing? Like in the week leading up
to this, it's I think that it contributed. It's so
clear that that was like a vital piece of motivation
inside the locker room. I agree. I think motivation that's
one thing you take away from today, Like these players

(50:21):
will look for anything, and I think it goes a
long way, especially when you have something like this. This
is kind of like a perfect storm. You were able
to draw in this motivation that, oh, this team is better,
that everyone says this team is better than us. This
is the Chiefs, uh fourteen wins, They're at home and
their quarterback is Patrick Mahomes. So they're able to summon

(50:42):
all of that and blast it back. But Greg like,
ultimately we say all this, I'm glad the mayor said it.
Oh yeah, I think it makes it fun and it's
just fun to dunk on him afterwards. Do I think
that affected and the mayor would have done a victory
lap for three weeks if if it would have won
the other I think that's good. Do you think it
it did? Obviously got it rose rose up enough like

(51:05):
in the sea level to get into the chief's locker room.
And it's the first thing Travis Kelsey meant because I'm
I'm sure they couldn't wait to talk about all that,
and and I'm sure like they were talking about it
amongst themselves. Do I think that that made any difference
in all the like fifteen different players that helped decide
this game, like including no, I don't think so. I
think I mean we're saying from like the Bengals a

(51:28):
year ago were this wonderful story, not at all like
the big things. The whole thing around the Bengals like
turned a little bit of a corner the last two
or three weeks where it's like suddenly they were the
favorites going into Arrowhead and Mahomes was being outshined by
Joe Burrow, who was who who? The mayor basically said
they need to do a paternity tyste on Mahomes because

(51:48):
if you think he's he's problems that he delivered that
press conference that video with like absolutely zero uh like
swag and attitude. If you're gonna do what you gotta
do it, well, are you voting for that guy? I wouldn't.
I didn't know who the mayor was, so I asked
somebody to help me figure it out. The mayor of Cincinnati,

(52:11):
thank you. Unplug her immediately, thank you. Um anyway, other
thoughts that know. What I was saying was despite all
of this, and we can talk about the greatness of
my homes and how this is really a well bounced team.
It's not just about the quarterback. And we talked about
the silent motivations that now came out right after the game.

(52:32):
They still just squeezed by Cincinnati. And if you're a
Bengals fan, it's like, man, these are the glory days,
but these are two back to back. I I don't
even remember what it's like anymore. It's been so long
but when you when you become a good game, a
good team, and you get close and then you get
turned back for it happened twice in a row at
this big stage. That's very difficult. That's tough. I feel

(52:54):
for the Westlings, everyone of the Cincinnati Zoo um that
that's that's tough. And Spice tracing out Spicy he want
he did not want. I have the sympathy for Asai.
You your heart broke watching him like break down in
tears and not leave the bench. Spice Track, on the
other hand, wanted him off the team. Um before the
plane leaves. That I felt a little harsh if you

(53:16):
leave him in Kansas City. He also was injured something,
and he also had a great game and we also
like I know that I think there was eight seconds
left when the penalty occurred. Mahomes was gonna make one
more play there in my heart, and I hope as
I realizes that too, and maybe he gets some piece
from that, because ultimately it wasn't a dirty play. It
was a guy that was trying desperately to make a play,

(53:37):
but it wasn't a bad call. He was Mahomes was
on both feet were on the white line, a mistake
that can happen, and it will haunt the Cincinnati fans, right,
I agree it. I think Mahomes probably would have found
another way to win, potentially, but that's not how this works.
I mean, Joe Joseph a size name is going to
go down and infamy, whether he believe he doesn't deserve
it as a person, but that's the way this stuff happens.
Ernest Spiner's fumble still talked about decades later. It shouldn't

(53:59):
be lost. Would you like to talk about it? No,
I feel like there's nothing more to say about it,
but it colors the rest of your career. Do you
want to hear from Mahomes talking about once again? The
Manati in part let's hear yeah. I mean you got Burrowhead,
he said, I mean they beat us last time. They
were talking about we gotta play him. There's a lot
of stuff. I mean, the mayor came at me, man.

(54:20):
I mean, I understand he's the mayor Cincinnati, so you
has to think about something. But I mean it's it's
you know, you just gotta play the football game and
then let your play do the talking. Not since the
mayor of Amityville and jaws. Has there been such a
guy out of a situation with more egg on his face?
Guys having a bad Sunday. I um, I don't think

(54:40):
it should be lost that sky More set that thing up.
And that was a really fascinating decision by Andy Reid
to put sky More back there. So sky Moore, who
they took in the second round and in fantasy heads
like thought he was gonna be a huge asset to
their team. Kind I ended up being a disappointment. Being

(55:01):
a fourth or fifth receiver that couldn't get on the
field much. Was a bit of a disaster as a
punt returner throughout the course of the season, kept fumbling.
They ended up benching him on punt returns. And could
areus Tony turned into their punt returner? But could Aius
Tony gets injured early in this game, you know port
Tony can't just can't stay on the field. Was out

(55:22):
early in this game. Didn't look right, and so More
is the backup punt returner gets put in that spot
to make the big play and look, that was the
drive was the punt return They to move the ball
after that brought it to the Kansas City forty seven
I mean if you if you if that's a five
yard return or something like that, I don't they don't
win that game. There's not enough time. You know. We

(55:44):
haven't like mentioned like what the Bengals did well in
this game to to set it up, because it wasn't
running the ball. That was a little stunned how poorly
uh they ran the ball. Mixing was eight for nineteen.
Burrow had a couple of runs. He was their leading
rusher by eight yards per You had the longest rush
on the day, right and in the biggest two rushes
for the Chiefs, by the way, where their last two

(56:05):
plays of the game a six yard run in a
five yard run. Those are the two longest runs, so
no one could run the ball. But the touchdown that
Tee Higgins had like skying over Watson and the fourth
down play where Burrow you know, launches it to Chase
and Chase just has a filthy move to get down
the field where he sort of fakes going inside, gets

(56:26):
cooked turned around. Like those were just two plays that
I think is what helped make us feel like, oh,
the Bengals are gonna come win this game. Like these
wide receivers are just too good. They're just such badasses
to win like that that eventually will see more of
those plays. But it just didn't happen in the fourth
quarter like we saw the good Burrow is kind of
what I'm saying, Like it wasn't like this was a

(56:47):
bad game. It was a great performance by both of
them until the end. But Joe Burrows not used to losing.
And uh, he's been a winner his whole life. And yeah,
he'll just like he'll have to live with Aaron Donald
chasing him down on fourth down at midfield of the
Super Bowl. God, those two possessions in a tie game,
it was all there for Cincinnati, and it once again

(57:08):
they fall just short. And now we get and I think,
and we're gonna we have two weeks and we're gonna
be going to Phoenix. Um, I'm gonna break down the game.
Let's break it down tonight. Yeah, we could get into
it right now, but I'll just say this, Kansas City,
like we said, tons of injuries, Mahomes clearly still not
far from it. Uh, they're gonna need every day of
this um leading up to the game, especially against that

(57:32):
Eagles defense that had I don't think I think they're
up to around eighty plus sacks. Now overall in the season,
it's gonna be uh, it's gonna be great to one.
Seeds will be going at it on on February twelve, Hamona, Hammanamona.
So the Chiefs opened as one and a half point
favorites right off the bat and immediately all the money

(57:55):
went to the Eagles, and now the Eagle like and
the Eagles are now favored by two and a half point.
So maybe it'll settle down there. But that's kind of
like Chief spenggles where it went back and forth. But
initially it almost seemed like people were waiting for the
Chiefs to be the favorites, and once they saw it,
like a lot of people went Philly, doesn't really matter.
Like either way, they're barely favored, is what I would say.

(58:16):
I feel like this is a yeah, it feels like
an Eagles by two and a half in terms of
the batting line. That's where it's gonna land right around there.
That's what it is at least at this moment. So
you've got your fingers interesting Kelsey Bowl. I mean, our
old producer T d is one of the big winners

(58:36):
today because he's I think producing their their podcast. So
much about that that I almost suggest thing that ever
happened to a podcast this exactly not since the Hardball
the Hardball Bowl, we now get the Andy Reid verse
his old team Bowl Eagles Chiefs. Let's hear from the
Big Red. Yeah. I had a great time there, so

(58:58):
fourteen years one time, and um I'm happy for them.
I'm happy for the city. Um Uh, they're passionate. They
love football. Matt ya wait till uh Kansas City and
Philly clash. It's gonna be It's gonna be awesome. Man,
all right, what a great what a great super Bowl
would be? He's gonna be great super bowet ready for
that answer. He'll handle it well. And again Mitch Holt

(59:21):
is love him. He's not right, I'm not I love
Andy Reid. I loves saying he's gonna be the beginning
Mahomes like one of the greats. We're gonna get to
watch him in another super Bowl a little bit of
That's an important game in the Mahomes mystique. I mean,
he's he's now gotten back to the super Bowl for
the third time. The true greats. If you want to
go get the goat Tom Brady, you're gonna have to

(59:41):
start stacking titles. And he's just twenty seven years old.
He's got time to do it. I'm gonna, I'm gonna.
And if you're Joe Burrow, like you, I know that
you've declared the Super Bowl when opening eternally for yourself.
And I love that that he says that, But it
gets harder and harder to get back. I mean, this
is like, this is a difference between I'd like to
say that football and basketball are completely different and to baseball,

(01:00:03):
but in baseball you've got like ten days in the series.
The basketball you've got like ten days to find out
your team is sort of melting down. You can get
swept and go to Game seven. Football it's like banging.
It's suddenly over, like this morning bang. It's like one
one little drive, one little play. It's like up thinking
they were gonna be Super Bowl champions by ten plays
into the second quarter. It was all gone when it

(01:00:24):
all went gone to dust, brutal nature. And I would
say nothing has any meaning. I don't think one player
can dominate in football like you can in basketball. But
these a f C teams with Burrow and my homes
and we'll throw Josh Allen in there absolutely as well.
They're all young players here like. And then the contracts

(01:00:45):
are gonna get more complicated. Burrow might get a contract
this offseason. Te Higgins will be coming up soon maybe
for a contract. Like it will get more complicated. But
these teams in the a f C, I know they're
not all gonna always be three of the final four teams.
But I think for the other thirteen teams in the
a f C, it's a little scary to think about that.
Borrow and Mahomes and Alan with these good organizations are

(01:01:06):
gonna keep getting a crack at it for the next
eight ten years on these teams is a little scary.
I hear that. I hear that, all right. Coming up
this week, Um, we're gonna have Baldy on the show
on Tuesday. He's gonna give us some XS and O's
early kind of breakdown. And he's like Eagles expert too.
He's been bathed in Philly Eagles football for decide plus.
It's a great booking, it always is. We'll have our

(01:01:28):
as per tradition, don't say the super Bowl episode next week, uh,
and then a week after that we are in Phoenix
to cover the whole thing. A lot of special guests
lined up. We can't wait and before we say goodbye,
we can't. We can't not bring this up mostly but
usually when it's a birthday that you give the person
a birthday get is this is giving himself a gift

(01:01:52):
because there's nothing that Drew Christiansen FT four video show
producer would hate more than being specifically pointed out that
is his thirty fifth birthday. And if you want, he
just pulled up, he set and discussed really out of
the shot on our video program. That's why you gotta
check us out on YouTube for this kind of action.
But now it puts Parker, you know front Yeah, well

(01:02:15):
she wasn't front and center when we runned to hang
out with her a week ago. No show at our
live show anyway, Drew, Happy birthday, buddy, thirty five years
young nine ft told me he's going ice skating to celebrate,
so he's nimble of foot despite being a massive man.

(01:02:37):
All right, thank you to everyone again. February twelve, two
weeks from tonight, we will know the champion of the NFL.
It's all come to this and it will be our
tenth super Bowl as a podcast. Thank you for the journey,
giving us a great life. Can't wait? What game is

(01:03:00):
it to seventy two? Something like that? You do the
man you're hold that, don't tell me if I'm wrong.
He's a call.