2023 Divisional Round Preview

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Around the NFL podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
It's already on the twenty twenty four Cowboys bandwagon.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
From the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's Around the NFL.

Speaker 3 (00:13):
My name is Dan hansis joined by heroes Greg Rosenthal
and Mark Sessler, and it is here the best football
weekend of the year Divisional Round layoffs. Eight teams remain.

(00:34):
That means only eight teams. One of them is going
to hoist that lombo.

Speaker 4 (00:42):
I keep hearing that it's the best football weekend, and
I don't disagree in terms of the staging. But there
are also twenty four fan bases whose teams have been
like turned into dust. So it's not always you have
to become just agnostic and be like, I'm just enjoying
the sport at this point, and that's that.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
I shift into that moment and I think, I think
you could probably relate to this.

Speaker 3 (01:02):
But like I, I root for a bad team historically always,
so I'm used to, you know, checking out emotionally on
the team like my team aspect. So as a football
fan by this time, even if it was a good
season and he got picked off at the end of
the regular season or earlier in the playoffs, I can
look at these games and be like, we're not gonna

(01:22):
get pound for pound a better week of games. Now
that the Championship Sunday, which is next week is great too, Gregy,
but this one you get more variety, more spice, You
get an underdog or two, which we certainly have here,
and it's just gonna be a lot of fun.

Speaker 5 (01:38):
To Mark's point, I think week one is a close second.
If I had to choose, I do love me, So
that's great to just like, it's been so long of
a build up, but there is something where everyone's just
watching the same game. It doesn't it feel weird for
us too. We're home on Saturdays just watching one game.
I was like, man, there's a lot of commercial breaks,
like and I'm enjoying it because, like every play just

(01:58):
you're rethinking it and it in a different way than
you would in the in the regular season.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
But I hope this one delivers.

Speaker 5 (02:04):
It's a lot of pressure, you know, seasons sometimes they're
like the Packers season is so nice because there was
no expectations.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
You know, we weren't expecting much.

Speaker 5 (02:13):
I hope we don't put too much expectations on this
weekend after all those blowouts last week. Yeah, here's here's
a These spreads are big. Yeah, here's a big spread weekend.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
They are large.

Speaker 6 (02:22):
Good data point here. Reached out to the research team and.

Speaker 3 (02:26):
What a team A person by the name of cold Noble,
which is a hell of a name.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Let's start there quickly. It could be a pen name,
but that's fine.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
I had asked since division realignment for the research team.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Yeah, like that. He adopted his new name for the researcher.
Since division realignment in two thousand and two?

Speaker 3 (02:44):
How often this is my exact email, Okay, sent by
verbal text on phone as I was driving in. Hey, there, period?
Could you tell me Kama? Since division realignment in two
thousand and two? Hama? How often both number one seeds
made it out of the divisional round? And then I

(03:04):
had to do an edis originally had a period and
I was like, no on, let me give the question
work on the other side, Kama. How many years did
both get picked off in their first playoff game?

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Question mark?

Speaker 3 (03:14):
Thanks slammer, need it chose a playful Hey, we're all
in this together. To put that exclamation point at.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
The A team, you're a larger team. Yeah, Oh, we're
talking football. Yeah, hey Dan.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
Since the division realignment in twenty two, number one seeds
are twenty nine and thirteen in the divisional round of
the playoffs. Of those twenty one seasons, there have only
been eleven seasons in which both number one seeds won
their divisional round matchup twenty two.

Speaker 6 (03:40):
Which is last year. Interesting, which means two years in
a row.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
Come on twenty eighteen, seventeen, fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, nine, four,
three and two. Of those twenty one seasons, there have
only been three seasons in which both number one seeds
lost in the divisional round.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
Does anybody know when that happened? Recently? So the Ravens lost.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
Recently, the Titans got picked up by the Bengals, and
the Packers lost to the Niners in twenty twenty one.
In twenty ten, the Falcons lost to the Packers.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
That was the Rogers was going to say, and wins
the Super Bowl.

Speaker 5 (04:16):
I was trying to think, who is the one seed
that year? Is the Patriots versus the Jets.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
The best football moment of my life up in Foxborough
that was twenty ten and two thousand and eight. The
Titans again, come on, Titoons, come on, even when you
have a power house team.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
This happens to.

Speaker 5 (04:30):
You about Kerry Collins was they're back of the most
random one seed until the time the Titans had the one.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
They're like thirteen and oh or ten and oh yeah.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Anyway, the Titans lost to the Ravens and the Giants
lost to the Eagles. So great job by Cole Noble.
Did you we're all in this together.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Did you verbalize an email that said, thank you Cole
for your just soughtam to do it right now? Yeah?
You got to write them back and say.

Speaker 5 (04:52):
Cole, Yeah, it's kind of crazy. The Packers were the
one seed two years ago. Just gave that team that lost.
It's not a great.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
You're Aaron Rodgers has never beaten. I don't know, Cole
Nobles probably a man. We are still recording back.

Speaker 4 (05:08):
Yeah, I would think Cole would be a would I
would think I don't know who knows, but.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
I'm just go I was gonna put your the man.
I'm gonna put you're the best. That's better, all right? Done?

Speaker 3 (05:16):
All right, So we're gonna get to the games right now,
and we got a little football.

Speaker 1 (05:19):
News to get to.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
We'll do that as part of halftime but let's get
going and let's start.

Speaker 6 (05:24):
Oh, Marky Mark Mark Mark.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
Obviously, the Houston Texans are a underdog this week. They're
one of the heavy underdogs. There are two teams man,
two teams getting nine and a half points of WOULD,
and they're one of them against the Ravens in Baltimore.
So I feel like the Ravens haven't played in about
two months, and it feels like that because they rested

(05:48):
starters then had the bye, and last time the Ravens
did that, things went sideways for them. But the idea here,
Greg is that this is a different Ravens team, a
better Ravens team than that twenty nineteen team that got
picked up. I don't know even know if that's true,
but that's what they're telling themselves. So the Ravens get
a Texans team, obviously, that is feeling very confident about

(06:09):
themselves despite being a middling operation for most of the season.
They have a young quarterback in CJ. Stroud that hasn't
believe in and a head coach and Dimiko Rans that
just shut down the Cleveland Browns in a big spot.

Speaker 5 (06:20):
I think this Ravens team is unquestionably better because they're
more diversified offensively, the numbers would say they're still an
elite running team, one of the best in the league,
and in the Texans have a run defense that could
maybe slow them down. But the short passing game, the
long passing game, and then especially compared to twenty nineteen,

(06:41):
the defense, which you know now that the Browns have
taken a dirt nap, is certainly the best defensive league.
I think the most consistent over the course of the
season too. And that's where I start is just we've
seen Mike McDonald and I think he's going to get
highed the defensive coordinator of the Ravens in this cycle,
because what he's done this year that basically no one
else has been able to do is stop Shanahan Tree offenses,

(07:03):
which is, to me, the thing that is the most
valuable thing you can do as a defense is slow
down this offense that is basically taken over the league
and has been a quarterback cheat code. And they did
it against the Dolphins in a big spot just a
few weeks ago, they did it against the forty nine
ers in a big spot about a month ago, and
now they do it again. Now they're gonna do it,

(07:25):
I believe against CJ. Strouden and this Texans defense, and
they do it with man coverage, but they mix it up.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
Stroud has struggled sometimes.

Speaker 5 (07:32):
Against man coverage, and they do it by mixing things
up in terms of what they're gonna do after the snap.
So Stroud's been very good mentally all season reading the coverage,
getting through his reads. This will be a new test
for him. He faced it in Week one. He struggled.
He's a much different quarterback now. But to me that
this is a much bigger step up in class for

(07:55):
the Texans offense really than it is for the Texans defense.

Speaker 4 (07:58):
I think, like that Week one game is you know,
deep ancient mythology at this point. I mean, it's like
the Texans were a completely different team. The Ravens were
at that point still figuring out who they were too.
Like it was a week ago we were saying Ken
Stroud solve this Browns offense or Browns defense. Let that
you know, we we were touting for good reason, and

(08:18):
now it comes again. It's the Ravens and the Ravens
like you know, they are a different team from the
team that lost in a couple of years ago.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
In the playoffs because well, we'll find out.

Speaker 3 (08:27):
Well, I would say this though, just coming in at
least statistically, Yeah.

Speaker 4 (08:30):
They are fourth in average points per game. Okay, they
are first in points allowed, and that's a problem for Stroud.
They are the number one rushing team in the league.
All of those metrics basically have not been achieved by
one team since the Bears of nineteen eighty five.

Speaker 3 (08:47):
And I think that I think a lot of it
is because it's always different.

Speaker 4 (08:50):
It is Lamar Jackson, and it's the offense, and their
offense is heated up.

Speaker 1 (08:53):
But this defense against CJ.

Speaker 4 (08:56):
Stroud, who last week created the highest passer rating in
a wild Card round by a player in his first
playoff game in NFL history, Like Stroud's the real deal,
and it's just like, you know, you've taken away two
of their top four pass catchers, but it doesn't matter,
Like Nico Collins is heated up, and I really want
to see what this Ravens defense second and EPA against

(09:16):
the pass can do to solve Stroud, because I think Stroud,
if you get last week's version, this to me is
a dangerous The way I felt when the Browns were
facing the Texans was like that the last team I
wanted to deal with because the Texans, like the Packers,
have nothing to lose, and it's like, I think there
is this mounting pressure no matter what anyone says on
the Ravens, on Lamar Jackson, because even if you're an
MVP this year in a year, I kind of think

(09:39):
there really is no true MVP in the sense that
we would normally look at that award like there is
mounting pressure on Lamar Jackson to win this playoff game
if you lose this, Like the narrative on you is
pretty cemented.

Speaker 3 (09:52):
Yes, seven, well it's submitted. It's well for Dak Prescott,
right right right. It doesn't mean it can't be changed,
but it be spent like it was for Peyton Manning
at age twenty seven.

Speaker 6 (10:04):
Sure he and he eventually changed that as well.

Speaker 3 (10:06):
So, but you can't change any reputation or bad history
around your game in the.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
Playoffs until you actually have that big performance.

Speaker 3 (10:16):
He has not been a good historically, not not only
four playoffs starts, but he's one in three of those starts.

Speaker 6 (10:20):
The numbers have not been good.

Speaker 3 (10:23):
So Jackson, Yeah, they're just like there are some there
there's a house of ghosts around Dallas. I don't think
it's that way around Lamar. If it happened this weekend
where he has a bad game and they get bounced
in the first round, this is gonna be something really fallow.

Speaker 1 (10:36):
Harbaugh.

Speaker 5 (10:36):
For that matter, they have not been back to a
conference championships.

Speaker 1 (10:40):
I mean, he's got the pelt on the.

Speaker 5 (10:41):
Wall saying they've had a lot of playoff losses since
several years ago.

Speaker 3 (10:47):
Absolutely, and as far as you know, I have a
lot of respec for obviously the Ravens and how they
go about their business and how they prepare for teams
and make teams look bad. They've had not just a
couple of weeks here to get healthy, but also to
study these Texans, and you watch it. We're just watching that,
and you could check this out the show on the
fast channels. You could look at that the highlights and

(11:11):
it's just like, did the Browns even prepare for this game?
The amount of wide open looks in the misdirection that
left the Browns like completely spinning on their heels. I
just don't see the Baltimore Ravens offering up that type
of effort and performance CJ.

Speaker 1 (11:25):
Stroud.

Speaker 3 (11:26):
Then then you get to the big question Greg Stroud,
who was absolutely different. He's a different type of rookie quarterback.
But on this stage, if you start to cook him
up a little bit and confuse him, does he start
forcing the ball like young quarterbacks do and make the
mistakes that turn this game into twenty four to seven
in the third quarter.

Speaker 5 (11:42):
He's been so careful with the ball all year. He's
the chance that they have that he beats perfect coverage,
that he just has an electric game, that he's the
best quarterback on the field that's possible, which is crazy.

Speaker 1 (11:56):
Asking so much for a rookie. It's twenty two year old.

Speaker 5 (11:58):
The reason why I'm not as worried about as the
Ravens is like they've been in those games. They've been behind,
they've been ahead, They've blown leads and then had to
hold on to it.

Speaker 1 (12:05):
They've blown they've blown leads completely though.

Speaker 5 (12:07):
But there's so many different ways that they can win,
whether it's offense or defense, and I think they'll have
to keep up the Texans in this game. They haven't
had a run game really all year. There's no reason
to think it's going to start now. Marlon Humphrey's been
out of practice. That's the one guy that hasn't come
back to practice, So we'll see what his final injury
designation is. But obviously that's a big one that their

(12:28):
best cornerback. But I look at when Houston's on defense
and I look at those linebackers and I just think
they're gonna get picked on in this one Mark Andrews
is practicing again, Suddenly you're gonna have to deal with Andrews,
and likely they have a way of getting Flowers matched
up sometimes over the middle of the field on these

(12:49):
safeties and everything, and these Texan linebackers, they are a
great run defense, whether it's who is it, Top, you know, Perriman,
whoever's out there to too. There will be sometimes where
they're in pass coverage and they're just bad. They're bad,
And I just feel like that that's a spot where
if the Texans, if the Ravens can't run the ball,
and I could see this being it's like a three

(13:11):
point game in the third quarter, like that's a lot
of Ravens games are like that. But I think the
passing game is where the Ravens end up having too
many weapons. Even Rashad Bateman coming off his best game
of the year, I think was significant in that Week
seventeen game against the Dolphin.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
I think you.

Speaker 4 (13:25):
Need like the wideouts for Baltimore to be at their best.
It's like it's it is on Zay Flowers to not
have a kind of typical rookie playoff game where maybe
you vanished a little bit. Odell Beckham he is heated up,
and there's hope to think that can happen. But like
the Nelson Aguil or Rashad Baateman, like these guys need
to have a game in this thing. I mean, the
Ravens are so tight on defense that they're thirteen and

(13:47):
one when they've scored at least twenty points, and I
do think that there's like a route a road for
them to really handle the Texans if they can coax
them into mistakes. But that has just not been CJ
Stroud five interceptions all year. And the one thing about
the Texans defense, which I think gets kind of overlooked
a little bit, is that they've only allowed over one
hundred and twenty five yards rushing once all year.

Speaker 1 (14:08):
And it was to the Cults, like they're a pretty good.

Speaker 4 (14:10):
Rush defense, and so if you can put Lamar into
a situation where he has to pass and has to
rely on his pass catchers, like that's where maybe mistakes come.
But he's he has got seven touchdowns and zero picks
over the last two routes that Baltimore has enacted on
the Dolphins and the Niners. And so it's like this
is the best version of the Ravens and they're very dangerous.

Speaker 6 (14:30):
Like I said at the top of the show.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
So it looks like eleven out of twenty two years,
one of the number one.

Speaker 1 (14:37):
Seeds gets picked off. Crazy.

Speaker 3 (14:39):
So for everyone that's making their game picks going into
this weekend, keep that in mind because you're just going
to be attempted to just obviously circle the Ravens, circle
the Niners, and then figure out the other two games.

Speaker 5 (14:51):
Historically, I suspect two nine and a half point spreads
is higher than average, just putting that out there too,
that these like by the numbers shit hit up Cole
Noble on Yeah, that would be a lot, but like
you know that these numbers are made by essentially just algorithms,
and the out those algorithms spit out that the Ravens
and the forty nine Ers are two of these strongest

(15:13):
even though the records aren't crazy, but but the numbers
would say they're the two of the very strongest one
seeds we've had in a long time.

Speaker 3 (15:20):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Although I would say if you
look at the data, and we don't have it unfortunately,
so we're kind of up against the wall with the conversation.
But I would a lot of times it's probably around
six points at least. Yeah, once you have the number
one seed involve Now, with that said, I do believe
in the Ravens. I do think they will be the
team that I feel most confident in this week weekend.

(15:41):
And it's it's not a shot against the Texans or
Mark Sessler directly, but the Ravens. I believe Mark are
going to handle their business in a way they didn't
the last time they were in this spot.

Speaker 6 (15:51):
So I'm going to lock up the Baltimore Ravens.

Speaker 1 (15:54):
You set us up there. I thought you were kind.

Speaker 3 (15:56):
Of as the zuzzer digs out of his own hole.
I think I'm seven in on one in the last
eight weeks in the pick.

Speaker 4 (16:02):
So I saw the figure from from our lock it
Up account on Twitter that like no one has ever
recorded less than ten wins in the law competition. Shoot,
where are we at right now? I sit at nine
and so you'd think I'm gonna you're good. I'm gonna
go do the safe thing and get to ten. I
don't care because I think that's an exciting record to
set if I were to fail too. But I'm gonna

(16:24):
do what I did last week because I think the
Texans have a little bit of magic that no one
sees coming. And so I'm sitting at nine and ten.
Nobody in America cares about my lock score. I'm going
at you in a law competent. It's gonna be very
Texans way.

Speaker 3 (16:38):
After this weekend. Mark's record is nine to eleven. Can
I just I know what you're doing?

Speaker 1 (16:43):
Now you're eleven and eight? He is, what nine and ten?

Speaker 4 (16:47):
I'll get to ten wins so that I don't have
that thing. Maybe, but I'm gonna get it. This be
harder the next two weeks to pick ite wrong. This
week there's some big spreads you're more likely to pick.

Speaker 1 (16:56):
You know what Kaiser is doing over here? By the way,
I got you all figured out what I think the
same thing.

Speaker 3 (17:01):
Greggy with it with the sandwich props where he doesn't
like where he is in the standings, so he shifts
into now, I'm just going to be fully unpredictable guy,
and my record is going to be really bad because
I always go with crazy picks. And then it kind
of mitigates that you've struggled in the standings because I'm
just wild pigs guy.

Speaker 1 (17:16):
I'm wild Mark. He's only doing this after he's clinched
last place. Anyway, walk walk up.

Speaker 5 (17:22):
We've already accepted it that he's going to be last told.

Speaker 4 (17:25):
I have said for months now that the Texans, Well, no,
I'm actually I've said the Texans would win two playoff
games for a long time now, so I'm standing behind that.

Speaker 3 (17:35):
I respect that shifting. Respect the hell. I thought you
said they were going to get to the second round, you.

Speaker 1 (17:38):
Know, I said they didn't. I said they could. I didn't,
But I'm now saying they will.

Speaker 5 (17:42):
This is the second straight week where, like the lock
I think I was going to go with them, now
not going to because you guys had a lockoff. It
just seems fun.

Speaker 3 (17:49):
To be I'm quietly by the way, looking to because
the standings mean a lot to me.

Speaker 1 (17:53):
Hashtag beat Greg in the second half.

Speaker 3 (17:55):
Now, that's what I'm going So if you if that
motivates you in any way.

Speaker 1 (17:59):
No, I could care. I'm gonna say it doesn't. He's
gonna say I.

Speaker 3 (18:02):
Don't care about anything now that he knows I want
to beat him.

Speaker 5 (18:07):
You are five games back. This competition is so boring
that it's already locked over last week.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
I've already picked up since it doesn't make it.

Speaker 4 (18:15):
No one is looking at first second half. It's in
the law competition. Literally, I am here is because I
know you too. Greg's mania now that he knows I'm
tracking it, no needs it.

Speaker 1 (18:28):
Very in this case, you couldn't be more wrong. Nope,
I'm right.

Speaker 5 (18:33):
This is as if the Ravens have already won their
super Bowl for the fourth time in five years, and
then they have to go on a barn storming tour
that means absolutely nothing, Like can you imagine how anti
climactic it is to continue.

Speaker 1 (18:46):
To give me that second half title?

Speaker 5 (18:47):
You've clinched it with five weeks to go, you were
eliminated in week sixty.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
That's a disgrace. Give me that second half.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
I think you need to go to one of these
I don't know if they still these stories, will they
make the trophies?

Speaker 1 (18:58):
Right? Yeah, kids and stuff.

Speaker 4 (18:59):
You get a second half of the season trophy that
you can have someone out there make it for Dan
please send me.

Speaker 1 (19:05):
Well, I gotta win it first. I gotta win it.
You will win it.

Speaker 3 (19:08):
I've won it, but you're not going to I've given Actually,
I'm up a game on Greg right now for you when.

Speaker 4 (19:13):
I've just gone like, I hope people care about like
Jimmy Johnson versus Michael Strahan's like game picks as much
as they see.

Speaker 1 (19:19):
No one I assuming that.

Speaker 5 (19:20):
I have never once cared about those things when we
watch them. So we're always the assumption that always makes worries.

Speaker 1 (19:27):
It always worries me. I don't worry.

Speaker 3 (19:28):
It keeps you up at night. I'm sure it's the
passion in which the conversation happens. That's what it's about.

Speaker 1 (19:34):
Yeah, you could have a big wooden tro you could.

Speaker 4 (19:37):
You should also make it like a six foot tall
trophy that you put.

Speaker 3 (19:40):
In your Well, I'm not going to make it. If
someone makes me. I won the second half twenty There.

Speaker 5 (19:46):
Is a pathway to you making it. You've won it already,
you're ordering it what do you mean, I wonder already
I'm just saying you've won. I need to make it.

Speaker 1 (19:54):
Speaks sixth or whatever it is.

Speaker 3 (19:56):
That then it's that's I see what you're doing. I
see what you're I'm trying to minimize my effort here,
and what I'm trying to do is beat you in
the second half of the season. You've got it, see,
and you're trying to belittle me. And it's not successful
because I will defeat you the way I must, which
is from week nine on.

Speaker 4 (20:14):
So behind the glass like they'd made a grave era
before the show, they told us that the Fast Channel
can only hold an hour and fifteen minutes of content
like keep the Fat, you know, kept the Fat, And
we've gone on about twenty five little beef.

Speaker 6 (20:25):
This all right, let's get back on track.

Speaker 3 (20:27):
And by the way, this is the Joe Buck, Troy Aikman,
Lisa Salters, Laura Rutland, Rutledge team. So we got a
foursome here, and it is I was looking forward to because,
by the way, the Ravens have now activated Dalvin Cook
to the active roster and they and they waved Melvin
Gordon and I thought I was hoping because I've been
predicting that Dalma Cook will have a big playoff game

(20:50):
to make Jets fans feel bad, and I was hoping
it was gonna be it was gonna be Romo going
ah Jim. It looks like he's got some gas in
the tank. But it's Buck and Ekman. I don't know
if we're gonna get the same enthusiasm about a big
Cook game, not in the not in the fun way.

Speaker 1 (21:10):
Greg's mad about that.

Speaker 5 (21:11):
No, No, I don't foresee Dalvin Cook having much of
a role.

Speaker 3 (21:16):
Why would he, Well, he's active, he's on the what
if thet You're also perceiving him to suddenly be right
that rash young great running back just because he left
the Jets, Like I mean, the evidence that we've seen physically,
I think.

Speaker 5 (21:30):
I would take my chances in this who the knows
with this group, but uh that he does not finish
in the top two or even three in rushing yards
on the Baltimore Ravens, I think I would take Justice Sell,
Lamar Jackson and Gus Edwards over.

Speaker 3 (21:44):
And I guess we'll have to say, we'll have to
see anything else on this game.

Speaker 5 (21:49):
I just think it's Ryan's Domico Ryans's last chance to
show how specially he is because Derek, Derek, Barnett, Desmond King,
these guys were on other teams like very recently, and
then he brings them into the Texans and they're really productive.
To me, that's like the number one thing you can
shows as a coach that you take other guys who
weren't productive for their teams and you immediately put them

(22:11):
into your system and they're productive. And I do think
defensively with will and Anderson and Grenard, if Grenard is
healthy and Barnett's been playing well, like that's maybe one
spot that tackles for the Baltimore Ravens haven't been great.
I'm with you, Dan, this is the game I'm most confident,
and I'm not feel that way. That seems boring.

Speaker 1 (22:28):
I want to lock against both of you, but but I've.

Speaker 5 (22:30):
Been doing it all year with the Ravens. I do
think I think it could be close and then they
just pull away. By the way, the Ravens are minus
for twenty five in this game.

Speaker 1 (22:38):
I'm taking the points too. I think this is a
double digital win for me. I would too if I
had to choose.

Speaker 4 (22:42):
But really, the Texans are allowing about twenty points a
game all year long.

Speaker 1 (22:45):
That would mean they don't they.

Speaker 3 (22:46):
We're playing in the AFC South and know I like
the Browns but didn't love them. This is this is now,
They're in the big leagues. That's all now. Who knows,
maybe they're one of those magic carpet ride teams. And
in that case, Mark, you will be a happy man
come Sunday night. Let's get to the second game on Saturday,
the other big underdog affairs. So it's the Green Bay
Packers who just horrified everyone in North Texas by slaughtering

(23:12):
the Cowboys at Jarrow World. So their reward now is
to go from Jarro World up to the bowel bottom
to face the Niners, also nine and a half points.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Isn't it crazy?

Speaker 7 (23:23):
The symmetry between the Texans and Packers absolutely like even
to a yard and to a point on the passer
rating and just the counting stats of what Stroud did
and what Love did last week to where the teams
are record wise to even the spread against the number
one seed the following point exactly nine and a half.

Speaker 6 (23:44):
So it is the spider Man two spider Man meme
thing going on.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
Here.

Speaker 3 (23:49):
Will this be another game mark that, like you say,
you think the Texans win outright and shock the world
in Baltimore, you give the Packers the same shot in
Santa Clauda.

Speaker 4 (24:01):
This to me is a concerning matchup because I think
the focus, if you look at it, is the Joe
Berry defense. I mean, good defenses have not been able
to stop the multi layered weaponry of the Niners. And
it's guys like Devondre Campbell kway Walker trying to stop
Christian McCaffrey. This feels to me like a Christian McCaffrey

(24:23):
like outburst, and you kind of base it around that
and then you go to town from there. I don't love
the spread because I do think that if you just
look at Jordan Love over the over the.

Speaker 1 (24:34):
Back half of the season has been incredible.

Speaker 4 (24:37):
He's led the NFL with nineteen offensive touchdowns on third
and fourth down this season down the stretch, and like
he's really only thrown like picks on downfield throws. He's
been really efficient on shorter throws. He's got the second
most touchdowns in the league. I just see an offense
in Green Bay that has grown up, Like you know,

(24:58):
even when you have like Matthew Stafford on the Super
Bowl Rams, it took them half a season to really
find out who they were and for everyone else to
kind of warm up around Matthew Stafford. This is an
more incredible story to me because it's like incredibly young,
untested players who are becoming you know, they've got a
star quarterback and really incredible weapons. Like Aaron Rodgers has
to be watching this from Afar and saying where was

(25:19):
this when I was here? Aaron Rodgers zero to three
against the Niners in the playoffs as a Green Bay quarterback.
Jordan Love I think has a better shot to inflict
problems to the Niners defense than Aaron Rodgers did in
the past, even when they were at home and freezing
temperatures in that Green Bay offense couldn't do.

Speaker 1 (25:35):
A single thing.

Speaker 4 (25:36):
This is a completely different team, so I see a
shootout potentially. I don't like this nine and a half
points thing. But to your question, Dan, like the Niners
just they're not going to crumble here. I think this
team knows its own playoff history and they seem completely
unified and ready to go to battle.

Speaker 5 (25:52):
Yeah, I think no matter how well you think, Jordan
Love is playing, he's probably playing better. Like right now,
he's arguably the best quarterback in the league. Like it
just that's the that's the level he is playing at
because some of the those touchdown passes. Usually I think
touchdown passes are a little overrated because it's a function
of a team and you get down there, are you
a team that runs on the goal line or team

(26:14):
that passes. But these touchdown passes, including two of them
last week, are like they're incredible dimes. Like the level
of difficulty on these throws is just okay. And I
I'm not going to go as far as you said,
Mark that he's more dangerous than like peak Aaron Rodgers,
although those teams for the Packers obviously didn't play well

(26:34):
in the playoffs and we didn't see that coming next January, right, Yeah, yeah,
that's totally fair. But I would say, like this is
a different Niners defense. I don't think it's as good
as twenty nineteen. I know the numbers are overall pretty good.
You can run against them. The way that Aaron Jones
has been playing lately and the way this offensive line

(26:55):
has been protecting Jordan Love is a huge part of
why Jordan Love has been so good. He's been in
favorable situations, the play actions obviously working really well. His
numbers are just crazy, and even though the players are good,
I think it's a tough matchup for the forty nine
ers defense in a way that yes, maybe it can
be a shootout. Hopefully you get the ball first like

(27:15):
they did a year a week ago. And I really
believe in the whole short in the game thing. Usually
I'm not into the short in the game thing, but
when you got a defense this bad and you're a
team that goes on a long a lot of long drives,
if it can be a tighter game where you have
a couple of those seven minute drives and suddenly you're
ahead on the road, that's the route I think for
green Bay to win is a lot of long drives,

(27:36):
running the ball, and I think they could do it.
I think they could do it in terms of scoring
enough points to keep it interesting.

Speaker 3 (27:42):
I think it's interesting if you're the forty nine Ers
and you're watching that Cowboys game and you saw just
the aggressive manner in which they just approached even the
coin toss where Packers win the toss, they say we
want the ball a lot of teams defer and to
go right down the field.

Speaker 6 (27:57):
That set the tone for that entire game.

Speaker 3 (27:59):
And like I said on Sunday, just seeing the way
Jordan Love is carrying himself on that first drive and
the throws he was making in the comfort he had
in the pocket, escaping the pockets, setting his feet, keeping
his eyes up, putting it right on the money, It's
like he's gonna do that. He's gonna come into San
Francisco and be the same, like outstandingly confident quarterback. And
I'm wondering if the Niner is, like even with the

(28:22):
coin toss, like who wins the coin, would the Niners
change their game plan to not put Love in that
same situation? If do they want to get on the
field first and try to like set the tone, because
I think such a especially in the playoffs the very
beginning of these games, if if you could get if
you punch an underdog in the face, that can set
the tone and you could take control early. But if

(28:43):
you get the Green Bay Packers with another big score
early to get rolling, it's gonna be the same thing
in San Francisco that it was in Dallas, where the
whole building gets quiet, and the nerves start to act up,
and then maybe you make a mistake. Brock Purty, as
much as we like Brock Party is not above making
mistakes and forcing the ball. And I don't need to
when you look at number one seeds and we could
talk about how these are the best number one seeds.

(29:04):
We're not that far removed from Christmas Night and and
the Niners in a similarly huge spot at home getting
absolutely torched by the Ravens and looking like a bad
football team.

Speaker 6 (29:14):
They're not impervious.

Speaker 1 (29:15):
No, I'm with you on that, though, that's true.

Speaker 4 (29:19):
I say this though, like the if you look at
green Bay's offense, like I think a lot of times
with young teams that are like unplayoff tested, you go
on the road and you get torch, you learn a lesson,
you come back the next season. Like eight of green
Bay's top offensive games in terms of EPA eight out
of eleven have been on the road. Like their five
highest point totals have been on the road, including last
week when they destroyed Dallas. And it's like, I think

(29:40):
this is a team that kind of liked the Texans.
That's why there's such a mirror of each other. They
don't even know what they don't know on some level,
and it is it is this interesting matchup because it's
like Shanahan offense versus Shanahan disciple offense. There's a lot
it's like I always wonder what that kind of thing
like Shanahan and Lafleur are teaching each other's defense is
like how to handle each other's offenses.

Speaker 1 (29:58):
They practice against a lot of this.

Speaker 4 (30:00):
They're not identical, but it's like they come from the
same you know, plant or tree or whatever you want
to call it, whatever, shrubbery and and they're.

Speaker 5 (30:07):
Both like I thought it was funny a theme, and.

Speaker 4 (30:09):
I know, but it's just like it's like it's like
like hedges. It's all like a long hedge, the same
Earth's Earth they were covered. There was like a kind
of a theme between sources and people the earth this
week with these two teams that like both coaches are
just so happy that they have quarterbacks who kind of
just run the system, like Jordan.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
Love just first, like Aaron Rodgers.

Speaker 5 (30:31):
Versus Aaron Rodgers and even Jimmy g to an extent,
it was maybe not totally embracing like doing everything they
were trying to meet in the middle where it's here,
it's like these two guys are very similar in a
way that they're great against pressure. Like their numbers when
they're pressured has been excellent this year. Heavy play action. Uh,
I would take Jordan Love long term over Brock Party.

(30:54):
I don't even think that's controversial, though I'm sure some
people would take Party. I don't think that'd be crazy either,
but but Love is just that special. But man, I
think I would still. I guess I would take the
points here. But man, I don't think there's any chance
that the forty nine Ers offense doesn't put up thirty
five points in this game. And that's where I sort
of disagree. Like if they're down fourteen three, yes, it'll

(31:15):
be the playoffs and it'll be tense in there. I
actually still have faith that this forty nine Ers team
will get going unless the Packers can really shorten the
game offensively. They are going to torture DeAndre Campbell and
Quay Walker in this game, Kyle Shanahan will there's just
too many weapons, I think, starting with CMC, I don't
see a great scenario where the Packers run defense is

(31:37):
like overly competitive in this game. It was nice for
the Packers what they did last week. I still think
the last six drives of the game count like a
little bit, and more importantly, the rest of the game.

Speaker 1 (31:49):
The run as much as the first six.

Speaker 5 (31:51):
The first four they played four good drives and then
they basically gave up touchdowns after that, they gave up
a scoring drive.

Speaker 3 (31:56):
Base right, But they're in a totally different defense, just
trying to lead at that point.

Speaker 1 (32:01):
People say that, but like they were just play.

Speaker 3 (32:03):
For four hundred yards in that game, and it's like
we knew what was going on in that the last
quarter and a.

Speaker 5 (32:07):
Half, I guess I put a ton more weight into
the season as a whole than those four drives.

Speaker 4 (32:13):
They did generate turnovers, though they did against Jared Golf.

Speaker 3 (32:15):
That's what I'm saying, Like, why can't And I know
it's a Joe Barry defense and it's been suspect throughout
the year, but they the Dallas offense, which is not
quite the San Francisco.

Speaker 1 (32:25):
It's not even close. I don't think.

Speaker 3 (32:27):
Okay, the goal post here, I mean we were singing
Dax praises as if not the MVP right behind whoever
wins it Ceedee Lamb who was playing at a level
that was an all time wide receiver level. Jake Ferguson,
Tony Pollard had a big game going into the playoffs,
and there were a lot of people you know, Brandon
Cooks was on the rise like that was a excellent

(32:49):
Cowboys offense and all the data backs it up, and
the Packers got them flustered early on, and because the
offense played so well, it put the quarterback on the
other side in a position where he was frazzled made mistakes.
I'm just saying that I could see Rock pretty suffering
the same fate if the Green Bay Packers would get
off to a hot start. I think this is a
game that I don't feel comfortable about the home team covering.

(33:12):
I think Jordan Love and the Packers are playing at
such a high level that I'm going to give them
the benefit of doubt that their defense will find ways
to slow down San Francisco and put pressure on the quarterback.
And I think this is a close game. You know what,
I'm gonna pick the Packers gonna do it. I'm not
gonna lock it up, but I'm gonna say this is win.
I'm gonna say this will be a year where both
number one seeds don't survive and I'm gonna go something

(33:34):
crazy thirty twenty seven.

Speaker 5 (33:36):
I think when you when you think about like how
they could do it. Tarvarius Ward, I think was overlooked
for the All Pro team. Ultimately he might be the
dude him and Snead like he should have made first
team maybe oversaws even on this year.

Speaker 1 (33:51):
And it's like, but Ward can only do so much.

Speaker 5 (33:53):
That's the thing about this Packers' offense is like you
never know who's gonna pop up. Jane Reid didn't have
a catch last week. He could be their leading receiver.
Wicks like Ward can only cover one of those guys,
Dobbs the tight ends. I'm with you, but man, I
just disagree because I think this is the best forty
nine Ers offense we've seen by far. And like, yeah,
it was a good Cowboys offense, but they were like
seventh in DVOA going into last week. The forty nine

(34:16):
Ers have the best offense, you know, by the numbers
of the last like five years, including their own forty
nine Er things like Ayuk deebo everything. Everything I've been
led to believe about this team is that they are special. Yes,
Rashaan Gary could get around the end maybe on mckivitz,
and like you could have a crazy turnover game.

Speaker 1 (34:32):
Anything can happen.

Speaker 5 (34:34):
The Packers are a worthy opponent being there, but nothing
shows me that their defense is you can hold up
for six sixty minutes. Now, this one doesn't seem as
funny either. I think they'll cover. If I had to guess,
I think it might be a little bit of a
letdown of a Saturday.

Speaker 3 (34:49):
I think what it comes down to, Mark is I'm
deep in my heart and I know it was the Ravens,
But I guess I don't trust Brock either that I
feel like he could make mistakes this game and that
could potentially turn it. Like not just minor mistakes like
Dak mistakes from last week that can swing a game,
the one field position touchdown, whatever.

Speaker 4 (35:10):
To like to your like the prediction that you came
up with there, Like there is one thing about these
Shanahan teams and it's not good dates back years, but
this year, like in close games, you know, they're one
in four in close games and they in Brock Purdy
and friends have been zero and four in like game
winning drive opportunities and so if the Packers can hang around,

(35:30):
they suddenly become more dangerous by the minute. But I
think this will be a operation that allows the Niners
to go two and four in close games.

Speaker 1 (35:38):
I think they're gonna win twenty seven four.

Speaker 3 (35:41):
And let's not forget Kyle Shannon has his share of
ghosts as well, this time.

Speaker 5 (35:46):
But not you know, next but not this time of year,
not this weekend. He actually, I believe leads all head
coaches in playoff winning person but I'm.

Speaker 1 (35:54):
Saying he's blown title games, blown Super bowls.

Speaker 3 (35:56):
Okay, he hasn't blown a divisional round game yet, but
his ability to close games in which they're winning in
the second half, that's that's haunted in multiple So does
Matt Lafleur.

Speaker 5 (36:05):
Sure, I mean, since week nineties are the best two
offenses in the league by basically well, I.

Speaker 4 (36:10):
Mean, especially against the Niners. Actually, like so does Matt leff.

Speaker 5 (36:13):
Wright Like Shanahan's kind of own this match. I guess
I hear what you're saying on Brock, and I think
I'm out like slightly lower than consensus on Brock, And
I hear what you're saying, but I just feel like, yeah,
that's gonna happen if they ever run into a good defense,
that's not gonna happen. They're not going to play a
good defense this year until the Super Bowl. If they
make it like there are no good defenses left in

(36:34):
the NFC other than the forty one.

Speaker 3 (36:37):
I don't even know what a good defense is anymore
in this league, to be honest with you, that we
keep on seeing them get embarrassed and picked off.

Speaker 1 (36:42):
So one just got wax.

Speaker 5 (36:44):
I guess I would say ones that are capable of
stepping up and having a like a difference making game,
and I would say that last week, right, I would
say that are capable. The Bills are capable, The forty
nine Ers are capable. The Ravens are certainly capable of
having those sort of games. These other games, these other teams,
they're pretty mediocre.

Speaker 1 (37:03):
ARC, gotcha, I hear you.

Speaker 5 (37:04):
Ark Armstead is back by the way, and he has
been the jengle piece in terms of their run defense,
which is gonna be important for San Francisco.

Speaker 1 (37:12):
They're they're quite healthy.

Speaker 5 (37:13):
But same thing he said with the Ravens are true
that forty nine Ers haven't played a game in forever,
not only like have they not played in three weeks,
but like think of the games they played after the
raven that Ravens game. I guess it was just the
Commanders and then they were rested. It started a long
time ago, forever.

Speaker 3 (37:28):
Ah Jim any given Saturday night, all right, let's take
a break.

Speaker 1 (37:33):
Did you pick the game?

Speaker 5 (37:34):
I'm gonna take the forty nine ers forty one to
thirty one. Let's hell way over all right, let's have
some fun. And by the way, the money line here
forty nine ers minus for forty.

Speaker 3 (37:45):
All right, let's take a break, and when we get back,
we'll hit a little bit of NFL news and then
we'll hit the Sunday games.

Speaker 1 (37:57):
Welcome back.

Speaker 3 (37:59):
Yes, we'll take a little break now from the divisional
round preview to what's going on in the news.

Speaker 6 (38:06):
And let's start with the new news out of Dallas.
We just talked about it on the Wednesday show.

Speaker 3 (38:10):
What is the decision that will come out of Jarah
world around Mike McCarthy in the future of that organization.
After another disappointing playoff loss, this time in the wild
Card round against the Packers, and the news broke late
on Wednesday that Mike McCarthy will return to the Cowboys.
Jerry Jones released a statement as well, detailing the team's

(38:34):
unprecedented regular season success three straight years of twelve wins,
but also putting it out there and letting it again,
this is the ghost. We have struggled in the playoffs,
but we believe what we have in place is good
enough to eventually get over the hump. So Mike McCarthy
will get a fifth year with the Cowboys, just like

(38:55):
in his fifth year with the Packers, they won the
Super Bowl. So that is what jarr is my track
is on. If that makes any sense to you. Here
is Zaddy himself, Zaddy who Yeah, he probably thought he
was done just like everybody else on Sunday.

Speaker 1 (39:11):
Now he's back on the podium with the star.

Speaker 3 (39:13):
Behind him, ready to announce his plans for the future.

Speaker 8 (39:18):
I believe that the direction, you know, the leadership, everything
is in place. And I'm not very comfortable talking about myself,
but I came here to win a championship. I didn't
come here to get another contract or no anything other
than now. I came to Dallas that money championship and
that's why I'm standing here and.

Speaker 1 (39:38):
Buy into us.

Speaker 3 (39:39):
Bye, Oh, Zaddy you're unkillable. We need to do a
better job. By the way, on the headshot we're using
for Zaddy, I mean.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
I think it's accurate. I don't have gregs.

Speaker 5 (39:55):
We had a long conversation about this because it was
the same one Sunday Night Football was using.

Speaker 1 (39:59):
But he should take another.

Speaker 4 (40:01):
Dan wants like, like John Ham's picture to me, but
it's like, that's not where we're going.

Speaker 1 (40:05):
He means, what are you John to shame McCarthy. I
think it.

Speaker 4 (40:09):
I think McCarthy is a manly figure and that is
an accurate headshot.

Speaker 1 (40:13):
I will leave it at that.

Speaker 4 (40:14):
And I would say one thing about this whole thing
is you you kind of laid this out almost exactly
that you kind of thought this would be a good
idea for the Cowboys dance before these triple twelve win seasons,
they had three out of four seasons where they won
less than ten games and they were a non factor.
I guess the one thing you could go on and
I know that there's the like the non momentum Greg
and Claybahn worlds, and I get that, but like not

(40:37):
like I don't like you know, but.

Speaker 1 (40:40):
There is like this has nothing to do with the momentum, Well,
let him cook. Let him cook. Greg, where's different.

Speaker 3 (40:45):
Than that, Mike McCarthy. Mike McCarthy, to your point, probably
thought he was gone. Dak Prescott. People were questioning his future.
He's coming off like a disaster.

Speaker 4 (40:56):
And like I think, if anything, this Cowboys team has
so much to prove because this story is so embedded
that no one's given pay attention during the regular season.
Maybe not a momentum thing, but maybe like psychologically they
are the team with the chip on their shoulder that said,
I struggle to go down any of these paths ever
again until they're literally being announced out of the tunnel
at the Super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (41:17):
Good luck with that. Where we're gonna talk about it.

Speaker 4 (41:19):
A lot, I know, but you know I'm saying it
just I wonder if it's like it went so far
they all thought it was so cooked and done.

Speaker 3 (41:24):
So perhaps back perhaps Greg, I oversimplified it a little
bit yesterday when I said, all right, so McCarthy's in
his contract year, Dak's in his contract year. Just let
them play it out and let's see where the chips fall.
The one catch here now is okay, so you brought
back the head coach and I had thrown out this
idea of, you know, make the team better, make some adjustments,
have a nice draft, and maybe go at it one

(41:45):
more year. It's a little more complicated in the sense
that if you want to free up some dollars to
help make the team better, that is in large part,
you have to restructure Dax deal, which means getting in
deeper with him, whether it's funny money or not.

Speaker 1 (42:02):
It goes from one year to.

Speaker 3 (42:04):
Potentially a big contract where he's the highest paid player
in the world.

Speaker 1 (42:07):
So there is a there.

Speaker 3 (42:08):
There is still is this challenge to me where Okay,
you're gonna let the coach play out his contract, but
are you gonna now go all in on the quarterback?
So that will be the next step. What did the
Cowboys do with Dak's contract? That's gonna be a storyline
like r or not as well this winter.

Speaker 5 (42:22):
I think they will adjust his contract, give him more money.
We'll see you're keeping Mike McCarthy because you think he
works with Dak Prescott. I don't think you keep Mike
McCarthy to like bring in some new quarterback. It just
it doesn't that doesn't make sense. I think there could
be changes dan Quinn could get a job and be interesting.
If he doesn't get a job, is he definitely back.

(42:45):
There's some thought in Dallas that might be a change,
which which is kind of wild. But I think this
is both a reasonable decision, like it kind it makes
sense and it probably won't work. But I don't know
what else would by work. I mean, you make the
super like the bar is so high. It's it's a
veteran team, and they have some young players, certainly, but

(43:06):
they have a lot of really good players. So unless
you had a better option, to me that the number
one problem is.

Speaker 1 (43:12):
There's something in the water.

Speaker 5 (43:13):
There's something there with Jerry Jones that they're built up
to be these huge superstars in Dallas, and it's like,
I don't know, I don't know what it is. They're
bad at self scouting, whatever it is, like they can't
get over the hump. But I think this is probably
their best chance to have another crack at it. I
don't hate it. I'm with you, Dan Christ and I'm
not even a big McCarthy fan. I just don't have

(43:35):
any I think whatever's going on there is bigger than
Mike McCarthy, and I trust actually Mike McCarthy and this
staff to at least get another crack at it, more
than Jerry Jones starting anew with some.

Speaker 1 (43:46):
New guy like that seems even like a worse.

Speaker 4 (43:49):
Yeah, there's enough evidence that that is probably the likely
scenario that they get back to the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (43:54):
And the statement that I was referring to that Jarah
put out, he includes in it while we're all dissip
pointed with the result on Sunday and with our playoff record,
I am one hundred percent supportive of him as our
head coach and ability to reach our goals. It's like,
even in the statement you're talking about the failures in
the playoffs, which just they're like they're I mean, they're

(44:15):
America's team, and they're the narratives and the storylines around
them are so ingrained that even in the statement where
you're just announcing you're staying with the coach, you have
to mention that, oh, yeah, we suck in the playoffs,
and that will carry him into next January and the
weight will get that much more and we shall see
if they hell you got to get to the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (44:33):
For us, nothing is assumed.

Speaker 3 (44:35):
It's just such a long climb and That's why I
think that was in part so devastating for them to
just just bottom out the way they did it.

Speaker 5 (44:42):
I don't need like the over I know it's Zaddy's thing,
but like the whole, like, hey, trust me, like all that.
Now they're gonna like overcome and say by talking to confident.
There is a report, by the way from ed Ward
or that dan Quinn will be back if he doesn't
get a head coaching job.

Speaker 3 (44:56):
So and that makes sense to even though they did
struggle down the street. That is the new rallying cry
mark buy into US, buy into US.

Speaker 1 (45:05):
Preswee, wasn't that it last?

Speaker 4 (45:06):
I have to participate, but I don't like emotionally it
worked on me.

Speaker 6 (45:10):
No, you can do buy into us, buy into US.

Speaker 4 (45:13):
I will in terms of like having to speak about them,
to Greg's point, we will have to speak about them
all right.

Speaker 3 (45:19):
In other news, Hey, listen this Bill Belichick coaching the
Atlanta Falcons thing.

Speaker 1 (45:26):
I think it's gonna happen.

Speaker 3 (45:28):
Rap Sheet reported on Thursday, citing sources colon former Patriots
coach Bill Belichick. We'll have a second interview with the
Falcons Bress this weekend after meeting with owner Arthur Blank
one on one this past week. Things are ramping up
with the greatest coach of all time. Josina Anderson also
reported about the dynamics between Belichick and Rich McKay, the

(45:52):
CEO there, and the idea that they that's the best
fit for Belichick when compared to any other potential land
spot in terms of their ability to work together, whatever
that means.

Speaker 5 (46:04):
So it's like the CFO. So, but what about the GM.
There are they going to get rid of? Get rid
of him?

Speaker 1 (46:11):
Who knows GM's done a pretty good job. I think yeah,
from the Saints.

Speaker 5 (46:16):
What if you're like Brian Johnson, it's the Eagles offensive
coordinator who interviewed for the Falcons head coaching job today,
It's like you must be feeling like you are just
wasting your time. Brian Callahan interviewed at Giro Everro and
Anthony Weaver, all these other guys. Antonio appears they've interviewed
a lot of people, and yet it just feels like,
if they can make it work with Belichick, it's gonna
be Belichick. I'm this is gonna be wild. I'm gonna

(46:37):
wait for it to happen to Yeah, McKay is the CEO.
There by the way, Yes, the GM dynamic, This is
Justina's reporting. The GM dynamic in Atlanta is presumably more
palatable for Bill in Flowery.

Speaker 6 (46:48):
Branch, that's where Falcon's headquarters is.

Speaker 3 (46:50):
Then it would be in Philly, And as mentioned, both
sides have been talking about it through this for a while.

Speaker 1 (46:55):
That's my previous reports. I expect Bill Belichick.

Speaker 3 (46:58):
To reunite with some members of his former staffs whenever
he makes it official. That's the other big part of
this is what does Arthur Blank. Because Arthur Blank is
not a dumb man. Arthur Blank saw what happened in
New England in those final years and is gonna probably
be saying to Bill like Bill, w're we're gonna let
you shop for some groceries here. You're gonna have a
voice and how the team gets built. But your STAB's
gonna work.

Speaker 1 (47:18):
But less time. I don't think he is even gonna tiptoe.
I think Arthur Blake will say that herds of saying
anything like that, I don't what really I mean. I
guess then this isn't gonna work. Greg.

Speaker 3 (47:29):
If the owner and these owners are very confident men,
successful people, He's not gonna be afraid of Bill Belichick
to say.

Speaker 1 (47:35):
I think he is. I think it's very clear.

Speaker 5 (47:38):
I think he's gonna be like, he's not gonna be
telling him what to do with his coaching staff.

Speaker 1 (47:41):
First of all, owners shouldn't be doing that to any coach.

Speaker 5 (47:44):
He's gonna let the coach decide his coaching staff or else,
what's the point of being ahead.

Speaker 6 (47:49):
It's not telling Bill what to do.

Speaker 3 (47:50):
It's conversations about what went wrong near the end, and
obviously some issues with the coaching staff played a part
in the demise of that Tina.

Speaker 4 (47:58):
I think that's a fair I get that it's because
it's Bill Belichick. The dynamic is different than if you
were hiring like a coordinator to a head coach.

Speaker 5 (48:05):
I'm the guy isn't flying out to Carolina to interview
Chris Tabor. He's flying on his jet to interview Belichick
because Belichick's interviewing him.

Speaker 1 (48:13):
But flip it around, though, Greg, you're emotional because it's
stilland it's not so much forget what the owner is doing.

Speaker 4 (48:18):
I think it's a fair concern for like the Falcons fans,
like you're getting a latter era Bill Belichick, who wants
to hire like four assistant coaches and three of them
are from his family. It's like what I would like
to think that Bell, Like can he change the way
he finished in New England?

Speaker 1 (48:35):
Or is it gonna just be You're gonna have like a.

Speaker 5 (48:38):
Year old owner who wants a title before he dies.
And it's a sort of not a confident move. It's
more like, man, I'm out of ideas of how to
do this normal way, so you just want this to fail.
That's what's going on here? What are you talking about?

Speaker 3 (48:51):
You don't want Bill to have a successful second act out.

Speaker 5 (48:54):
If you don't think I'd becoming a Falcons fan when
Bill Belichick is theread coach you're missing.

Speaker 1 (48:58):
But you're calling it desperate.

Speaker 3 (48:59):
You're calling desperate and like this is a move that
an owner that's getting older is making it.

Speaker 5 (49:03):
Yes, because that's I don't know about thinking clearly, but
I think it's sort of just like we've tried it
all the normal ways here, take my franchise.

Speaker 1 (49:11):
That's basically and that's you know, do.

Speaker 4 (49:14):
You also think that Bill Belichick is a fraction of
his former self? Or is or is Arthur blank Hyrine
the best coach of all time.

Speaker 5 (49:22):
I don't think he's the same as he was. I
think there's a scenario where it could work out pretty well.

Speaker 3 (49:28):
I mean, you better get him a quarterback. That's that's
goes without saying.

Speaker 5 (49:32):
Right away, I mean you could go win that division,
Kirk Cousin, you could have some fun. It's gonna be
a good game day coach. I think he might be
reinvigorated a little bit.

Speaker 3 (49:40):
I think it's well and yes, we're going to get
to when it becomes official, but well worth the gamble,
unless like Charlie Weiss is the offensive coordinator, Like well,
someone talked to Bill about getting some fresh young minds
in the bill.

Speaker 4 (49:51):
Does a team that pumped in fake crowd noise into
their stadium want to sell more tickets or sell out
every game?

Speaker 1 (49:57):
You would with Bill Belichick, Absolutely, and not they weren't already.

Speaker 5 (50:00):
If you don't think Josh McDaniels is his offensive coordinator,
I guess.

Speaker 1 (50:03):
That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (50:04):
This is crazy, it's happened, but they did have success together.

Speaker 1 (50:08):
Yeah with Tom Brady.

Speaker 4 (50:09):
We'll look at Josh McDaniels anywhere else minus Tom Brady
like the Rams, like last look, well.

Speaker 6 (50:15):
Check anywhere else without Tom Brady.

Speaker 5 (50:16):
Well, we're gonna go that round, you know, if we're
gonna go down that road. Mac Jones almost one Rookie
of the Year with Josh McDaniels over Jamar Chase. He
went to the Pro Bowl. So that's I don't hate McDaniels.
Under the most recent I don't.

Speaker 1 (50:28):
Want Josh mctamos's head coach. OC is a little different.

Speaker 3 (50:31):
Yeah, do you want to hit on what's going on
in here in Los Angeles with the Chargers too?

Speaker 5 (50:36):
Well, just quickly. They interviewed Mike Rabel today, which was interesting.
They've interviewed a lot of people for their GM and
HA as well. Head coach Jim Harbaugh was one, Dan
Quinn was one, Leslie Fraser, our coworker was one. Hey,
I think they gave Kellen Moore. Remember Kellen Moore? He
was the hot guy last year at this time, bert
uh not happening now.

Speaker 1 (50:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (50:54):
So they've had a variety of interviews, but it's been interesting.
Quiet a round, variable go defensive coach.

Speaker 3 (51:00):
Interesting man her, I feel like that's Harbor's job to lose,
but maybe the listen, you also got to pay him
or the Charger is going to pay.

Speaker 5 (51:07):
He also keep interviewing guys who have connections to Harbor
there for the GM job, so I think you would
be right. And then yeah, Cliff Kingsbury got an interview
as the OC with Chicago, which is interesting because he
was the quarterbacks coach of Caleb Williams last year and
as the USC fans will note, the year where Caleb
Williams looked much worse than the year before when Cliff
Kingsbury wasn't there, you know, for what it's worth.

Speaker 6 (51:29):
I'm looking at what like c J.

Speaker 3 (51:31):
Shroud's doing this year, and I'm like, if I'm the
owner of the Chargers, and like, I don't have to
deal with Arba being a pain in the asthma, just
go get the OC Slowick pair of him with Justin.

Speaker 1 (51:43):
Yeah, he's got a.

Speaker 3 (51:44):
I don't have to deal with all the other stuff,
and maybe I get a guy that's on the come
up that's much cheaper that feels like a potential Chargers
move too.

Speaker 4 (51:51):
I mean I would say this when they went and
got Brandon Staley, there was a similar DNA of like
a really young hot coach. I mean, Slowick has had
I think eight years in the league, and I think
the first seven he was a defensive coach, an assistant
and three offensive then an offensive coordinator.

Speaker 1 (52:07):
So he's young.

Speaker 3 (52:07):
He's got to work sell that too, and he worked
in an interview. I work on both sides of the ball.
We wrote work for a pro football focus. I mean
that's there's a lot of Brandon Staley like elements going
on there. I don't know if it's it's a little
bit of a risk, but he's certainly like shown we
can do this year.

Speaker 1 (52:20):
Spicy. All right, let's get back to the games.

Speaker 3 (52:22):
Let's head to Sunday, the early game, the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers head to Ford Field to face the Lines. Now
this is also a size he spread six and a
half points. The Bucks are a four seed NFC South champion.
Who you know, put the woeful. I'm gonna say it.
I can't believe I'm going to say this. Never thought

(52:44):
I would. The moribund Eagles were put to put to
sleep on Monday night. So the Bucks advance and get
the Lions coming off that one point win over the
Rams in one of the most emotional and fun moments
in modern history for the Lions. So Tariko back on
the call back in Detroit with Collinsworth and Stark on

(53:06):
the sideline like it, Greg, I really love this game
because I think you got all the fun as a
football fan. You're gonna get to enjoy that again, about
the vibe in Detroit and all the history around the team,
And then you got this Tampa Bay team that is
in full on nobody believes in US mode and no
one's rooting for us.

Speaker 1 (53:23):
We have nothing to lose. And who's the one.

Speaker 3 (53:25):
If you had to pick one middle of the road
quarterback to be the guy that's walking out on the
field there, it's Baker.

Speaker 1 (53:30):
It's Baker.

Speaker 5 (53:31):
Right when you said earlier this week, you know, usually
when you get to this point in the season, there's
like six or seven teams that have a real shot
or exciting there's one surprise team, and there's one that you
don't think should shouldn't really be there. And you thought
this these matchups were great because we didn't have one
of those teams. And as you were saying that, I
thought you were setting up that the Bucks are that team. Now,

(53:54):
they're fun and they they've earned their way here, but
over the course the season, they've been mediocre, They're pretty
average on offense, their average on defense. They have players
we recognize and they have moments, but they haven't really
shown any thing over the course of the season until

(54:14):
that wildcard game where they could have like a big
time statement victory, like barely convincing when that was their
best game of the season. It was against a team
that looked like they were ready to go home. It's
just what Baker we get, and it's usually whether you
get pressure on him or not. It's not a secret
these two quarterbacks. Their numbers are outstanding when they're not pressured,

(54:35):
and they're not great when they are pressured. It's just
Goff is even more extreme than Baker, But can you
get pressure on him. Maybe it's Aiden Hutchinson versus Goodeki
on the right side, but they've played well for the
most part. In that first matchup, Tristan Wurf's handled the
hell out of Aiden Hudginson. He had his worst game
of the entire season. They move Hutchinson around, so sometimes

(54:57):
he's in the middle and on the right tackle. But
if you cann TechEd Baker, you're gonna have a little
bit of a chance. I think the Rams made the
Lions linebackers especially look lost, look bad in coverage last week,
and that's where you can get Chris Godwin or you
can get Kate out and over the middle of the
field and Baker can do work there.

Speaker 4 (55:16):
It was a while ago, but when they played the
Detroit Lions won twenty to six in guard game.

Speaker 1 (55:23):
It was a weird game that.

Speaker 4 (55:24):
I mean, the Lions had almost nothing on the ground,
but they're the running backs were banged up.

Speaker 1 (55:29):
That was the lowest points the Bucks have scored all year.

Speaker 4 (55:32):
But goff when he's played Tampa's defense with he's got
a two to one record. He's got at least three
hundred and fifty three passing yards in every one of
those games he's thrived. So I think it's it's kind
of interesting because like the history of these two quarterbacks
obviously both discarded by their first teams, like it was
golf that last week brought to Troit, like the decades
weighted playoff game. I mean, Baker Mayfield did the same

(55:53):
for Cleveland, and so I find it interesting on that front,
Like they're both in playing style, You're wondering which quarter
back makes the most mistakes because that probably leads to
DNA of where the game goes. But I don't know
if you were the Niners and they did the playoffs
differently and the number one seed could pick which team
they wanted to play, of course you're picking the Bucks
of all these teams that are left, Like you wouldn't

(56:14):
want to play the Packers.

Speaker 1 (56:15):
I feel like that's sort of a ridiculous situation.

Speaker 4 (56:17):
And I Detroit, like this is one team where like
the home stadium, the journey matters a lot. I think
crowd noise last week, the energy in that place galvanized
the team, and it's I guess it's simplistic to say
all that, but it's like you are human beings in
an environment where like you're in a Roman colisseum, and
the crowd is going to pays.

Speaker 6 (56:37):
Absolutely. They talked after the game.

Speaker 4 (56:39):
I think I think if you're the Lions, you've got
to be thrilled that you got a really hot and
cold Bucks team that last week. And I think, look
at I couldn't have been happier for Mayfield. And the
Bucks have better players than people realize. They've got a
good group of wide receivers. Their running game has been
a little bit better. I don't think they'll happen this week.
But it's like when the Bucks falter, they really do.
And we saw that they almost lost to the Panthers

(57:00):
two weeks ago. So I think if you're Detroit, you've
got to be like pretty thrilled with this matchup.

Speaker 1 (57:05):
H Yes, I agree with that.

Speaker 3 (57:06):
I mean, they they it's set up very well for them,
because even if we and we all knew that even
before that game was played, because it was like the
winner of this Rams Lions game gets the corpse. That
was the Eagles or the Bucks, who were not a
highly respected team coming out of a weak division. But
I just I also just in fairness to the Bucks,
just you don't think about it this way, but they've
lost one game since the calendar turned over to December,

(57:28):
like they have been playing winning football, building confidence. And
Baker was banged up obviously throughout the end of that season,
but he didn't look that way this past Monday night.

Speaker 1 (57:39):
So and they said he's full, he's almost fully healthy. Yeah,
I was gonna say, I don't remember him taking any
huge legs in that game. I was feeling pretty dangerous.

Speaker 3 (57:46):
And I really like and now the question to me
is can the Bucks defense which is filled with veterans
and dudes that have been through the wars before.

Speaker 6 (57:54):
Can they put the pressure on golf?

Speaker 3 (57:55):
Golf was outrageous in the wildcard round one for twenty
one for two sixty six in a touch when he
wasn't pressured in that game.

Speaker 1 (58:06):
So he will, as we've seen.

Speaker 5 (58:08):
All sprazzled a few times in the big spots and
almost lost them game with that.

Speaker 1 (58:12):
With that latter row with the saker, he ended up tripping.

Speaker 3 (58:15):
He was pressured on thirty percent of his dropbacks per
next Gen Stats, and was one of six for eleven yards.
And that's kind of isn't that the story forever? Greg
that It's like it can change real quick with Goff
and it all depends on making him move his feet
and speed him up a little bit.

Speaker 6 (58:31):
Can the Bucks defense do that right?

Speaker 5 (58:33):
He's been great against the Blitz, which is against what
you have thought of over the course of the season.
And I think it's more because they're great as an
offense against the Blitz. You thought about it, I thought
about on Monday night. It's not about just Jalen Hurts.
It's about the offensive line. It's mostly about the coaching.
Ben Johnson has had answers. He had answers in that
first game. Even though they couldn't finish drives, they moved
the ball really well against the Bucks throughout, So it's
good that they've already seen him. This line's offensive line

(58:56):
has a reputation of being great. There's been times this
year where I don't think they've played great, but they
should win the matchups on the outside here the Bucks
pass rushers aren't great on the outside. On the inside,
it's Vea and it's Canty and Claijah Canty was awesome
last week. I think that's a good on good matchup.
But that's maybe where the Lions are a little weakner

(59:18):
weaker up front with it with Glasgow or whoever, it's
gonna be even ragnow I think struggled last week. If
you can get some interior pressure on Jared Goff like
you have a chance in this game. Obviously, I think it.

Speaker 4 (59:31):
Matters that, you know, they talked about Sam Laporta being
like another healthier week, like he's getting better, played well
last week.

Speaker 1 (59:37):
I mean it kind of didn't even look hurt to me.

Speaker 4 (59:39):
Aman Ross Saint Brown almost never gets talked about and
like he couldn't have been more dangerous a week ago.
It's like, if you're the Bucks, you've got to shut
down a lot more weapons than you did last week
when you played an AJ Brown free Eagles team was
falling apart at the seams they give.

Speaker 5 (59:53):
They give up a ton of big plays all year.
The Bucks are a solid run defense and they've given
up a as many explosive plays as any team in
the NFL. And so it could be like a Jamison
Williams type of game. Get getting vertical because they they
take their chances and they leave Jamel Dean and Carlton
Davis on an island sometimes and it just it doesn't

(01:00:13):
work out. The Bucks, on the other hand, they're always
trying to go deep and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Baker is such a like a high variable quarterback. I
don't think he's had like an incredible year, but I
think he has been the best version of Baker where
he's about the average starting quarterback. That the way he
gets to average, though, is like he's had six or
seven really impressive games and he's quietly had about six

(01:00:39):
like awful games, and he so he's his average is
not like just staying right in the middle.

Speaker 1 (01:00:46):
It's either it's gonna be great or it's not gonna
be great.

Speaker 5 (01:00:48):
And I don't know. The Lions give up a lot
of big plays. They're not a great defense. They're much
better stopping the run than they are stopping the past.
Maybe I think relatively they are a good batchup.

Speaker 3 (01:00:58):
I think I don't you know. I'll pick the lines here,
but I love this game. I just think it really
sets up well. And for Baker, who has always been
like him or not, has always been good theater, I
really do, it would not stun me if, like a
major conversation Sunday night is holy Baker went off and

(01:01:21):
is playing in the NFC title game, because I just
think he's all about getting into these pockets, right, these
pockets of confidence, and where the moment meets him as
unlikely as it may be, and then he seizes it. Now,
could it go the other way? And he has four picks? Yes,
but I think he balls out in this game. And
then it becomes does the Detroit offense have the ability

(01:01:43):
to put up thirty points? And I think they will,
but I think I'm gonna do a Sessler special here.
I'm gonna go Lions thirty one, Bucks thirty and like
a classic, a divisional round classic, and that's my pick.

Speaker 4 (01:01:56):
The Bucks are one and six when they've allowed more
than twenty points, and I think that says a lot
about some of their offensive games, like where they've not performed.

Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
I think the Lions take care of business.

Speaker 4 (01:02:06):
It's a more intriguing matchup than I would have thought
it was a couple months ago. I'm gonna go Detroit
twenty seven, Bucks sixteen.

Speaker 5 (01:02:14):
I hear you guys on the crowd being a factor,
but Baker Mayfield actually said he talked to some of
the Rams players, you know, two Rams legends here going
at it, Goff and Baker Mayfield, and the Rams said
they've never been in a building like that. They just
thought and they handled it well. Ultimately that maybe that
affected those early timeouts, but you know, they were moving
the ball on the Lions. I think the Lions defense

(01:02:35):
has more answers than people realize. That the Lions are
minus two seventy eight in this game, and I think
Brian branch On Godwin, he can slow him down enough.
You're getting some health back here. I think James Houston
is gonna be active for this game, so Alie McNeil's
been added to the mix here. They're a little better,
and I think people have kind of missed how incredibly

(01:02:56):
good Aiden Hutchinson had been the last three weeks. Twenty
three pressures and it's not like twenty three pressures in
three weeks, where it's like twenty one hurries. No, it's
seven sacks, eight quarterback hits and uh, I think six
more hurry. So I like their defense, I like their offense.
I like all the Lions. Well that's a lock it up.

Speaker 1 (01:03:18):
Heyo, that's a solid lot. But you might be sweating it.
That's all I'm saying. I kinda. I wouldn't be surprised
if I am sweating it.

Speaker 5 (01:03:26):
But uh, this is what you can do when you
when you finished the competition, just pick pick the teams
you like, maybe.

Speaker 1 (01:03:32):
In your mind. That's what I'm doing about the saddle.

Speaker 4 (01:03:35):
The same note, I'm also I've finished the competition and just.

Speaker 6 (01:03:38):
Going you're looking to shock the world.

Speaker 1 (01:03:40):
Everybody's got competitions going on right now.

Speaker 5 (01:03:44):
Lions minus six and a half in the money line
is negative to seventy eight for Detroit.

Speaker 3 (01:03:51):
By the way, the weather in Detroit, ooh boy, it
is going to be cold, sub zero, who knows, maybe
some snow and Todd Bowles was asked about this.

Speaker 1 (01:04:01):
The Lions, by the way, played in the Dome for fifty.

Speaker 9 (01:04:03):
Years, looking forward towards Detroit, the weather it has been
a factor in some of the playoff games, even for
the most prepared teams. Today it's thirteen in Detroit, which
doesn't compare to some of those any special plans to
acclimate the team to only endure, but perform in those.

Speaker 1 (01:04:25):
It's a long question. Do you know we play indoors,
right and the other a dome. I don't.

Speaker 3 (01:04:35):
No nothing playing We're indoors and we have to be
outside for twenty seconds getting off the bus going under
the thing.

Speaker 1 (01:04:43):
So what was he going to say he handled? I mean,
I think a lot of I could he could have
buried that poor one.

Speaker 4 (01:04:48):
I think a lot of people have, you know, suspected
that was not a sports reporter.

Speaker 1 (01:04:52):
But now this local news, this is.

Speaker 5 (01:04:54):
A playoffs thing where you see the local news kind
of flies in for the first time.

Speaker 3 (01:04:58):
But I mean, I'm sure she wanted to fifty years though.
You know, from the Silver Dome to Ford Field, this
isn't new. It's not like they It reminds me of
the first big time when I was twenty three years
old at the Journal News. They sent me to cover
a Mets game, a Mets Rockies game, and I was
over the moon. It was a dream come true to
cover a major League baseball game. And they sent me,

(01:05:19):
me and this other guy, Jeff, and we were filling
in for Pete Abraham, who now covers the Red Sox
with the Globe, but back then covered the Mets. So
it was September, it was they were playing out the string,
and so they sent the two young kids there just to.

Speaker 1 (01:05:34):
Get some reps and give them an experience.

Speaker 3 (01:05:38):
Damn it, it's the eighth inning and the Mets were
thrown a perfect game and we are and the Mets
had never thrown a no hitter to that point. So
me and Jeff are like looking at each other like, luckily,
I don't know, luckily, but the perfect game gets broken
up and so there's no historic game. And we're not
freaking out because the newsroom was calling up to the

(01:05:58):
press box like all right, we're gonna send somebody to
help you guys, and we're like, you're gonna have to
get down here. You're gonna have to go there if
this happens. I was like, Oh my god, So go
down in locker room. Crisis averted, and I go down
and talk to Clint Hurdle, who was like a grizzled
old baseball man who's the manager of the Rockies. And
Preston Wilson was a star for the Mets, or a
prospect for the Mets that didn't quite work out and
then became a star with the Rockies. He didn't play.

(01:06:21):
It was a getaway day, it was an afternoon game.
But I was twenty two to twenty three. So I
asked the question to Clint Hurdle. I go, Clint, any
reason why you didn't play Preston Wilson in this meaningless
game in the middle of September. And he turns to me,
and he like looks at me and sees that I'm
not cut out for this moment. Is it okay if
I give my players a day off? Is that okay

(01:06:43):
with you? Is that okay?

Speaker 1 (01:06:46):
And literally I melted into a puddle.

Speaker 3 (01:06:49):
And I just thought of Clint Hurdle burying a young
journalist and seeing Todd Bowles being a class act.

Speaker 1 (01:06:54):
With that woman who was way out of her depth
in a big spot. That was story time.

Speaker 3 (01:06:58):
He did a good d that was a good story.
I hadn't heard that one. All right, anything else with
this game? Do we all make a pick?

Speaker 1 (01:07:06):
I believe we did.

Speaker 6 (01:07:07):
We did, all right, so then let's move.

Speaker 1 (01:07:11):
I can't wait for that game. Just the vibe. You
will have to wait. I cannot though.

Speaker 5 (01:07:19):
It's Tariko and Collinsworth on a noon Pacific game, which
it just feels nice and counterintuitive, and we're going to
be aggressive.

Speaker 1 (01:07:28):
For the Yes, it is transgressive.

Speaker 3 (01:07:30):
For those of you overseas that have access to the
Sky Sports and their NFL coverage, We'll be on at
halftime of that game, chopping it up.

Speaker 1 (01:07:39):
I'm right, right, that's right, that's's right.

Speaker 4 (01:07:41):
Yeah, So don't let you do the halftime thing where
you go do other human things.

Speaker 3 (01:07:44):
Do not do not be a human, be a football
fan twenty four to seven every second, all right? The
last game, and it's a one mark. You were saying
you're not overly excited for, but I did not. That
is not what I said.

Speaker 1 (01:07:57):
I get it.

Speaker 3 (01:07:57):
You always want new things, but I like classic matchups
and they're only going to get so many ten years
from now.

Speaker 1 (01:08:03):
We're not gonna have him anymore. You know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (01:08:05):
It's like, well on Patrick Mahomes versus Josh all you
know what I treasured. I didn't care Greg how many
there were. If you gave me Tom Brady and Peyton
Manning in January, I was I was clicking my heels,
run into the television set, and I know you don't
even want to watch it.

Speaker 4 (01:08:23):
First of all, Okay, go ahead, No, ten years from
now you still will be getting Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

Speaker 5 (01:08:28):
I promise you. Mark likes new stuff. Though he was like,
give me the Trent Green matt Shop showed.

Speaker 1 (01:08:33):
No, no, no.

Speaker 4 (01:08:34):
I was saying, this is new to me, this is interesting.
I was saying that the Texans and Packers are very
intriguing to me. I was not discounting Chiefs at Bills.
They have played each other a lot. I guess everyone's
I keep hearing people are so fascinated that Mahomes is
playing his first road playoffs.

Speaker 1 (01:08:50):
You know how fascinated they are. It's the game of
the week.

Speaker 4 (01:08:53):
I don't draft, but of course it's the game of
the week, so I'm not I'm not slighting it, but
it's kings.

Speaker 1 (01:08:58):
Mark the game of it.

Speaker 4 (01:09:00):
I guess it's just a human thing, even with me,
Like like like when it was Manning versus Brady, like
part nineteen and there was like these articles coming out,
like let's rank the nineteen times they played. It was like,
come on, people, like I like to see new things.
I like fresh new experiences.

Speaker 5 (01:09:14):
I I love I'm with Dan that because you got
to get the others.

Speaker 1 (01:09:21):
This is a more rare thing.

Speaker 5 (01:09:22):
Ironically, It's like it feels like it's happened a lot,
but you only get these so much. But you know,
it's a great rivalry. And this is where i'd push
back because this is new. You're getting different versions like
sometimes you got the Patriots version where he was throwing
to uh Aaron Dobson and they had no defense and
they had to score thirty uh and then Peyton Manning

(01:09:43):
comes back in this case, like, these are totally different
teams than they were two years ago. And it's interesting
to me that the Bills, you feel like they're the
minor player in this right, but they've won three straight
in Kansas City in the regular season, but they haven't
won them in the playoffs. They've lost the two that
have been in the playoffs. Now it's here at Buffalo

(01:10:05):
where we haven't seen it, and so to me it
is different because this is a totally different Chiefs team
with like a great.

Speaker 1 (01:10:10):
Defense on the road. I know, but it's.

Speaker 4 (01:10:16):
Knows that I'm being set up as some sort of
straw man person. It's like, I actually think if it
weren't Tony Romo on the call.

Speaker 1 (01:10:23):
Oh, Mark, he's right, we are sick of it. It's like,
all right, great, I did not say that at all.
Everyone's also.

Speaker 4 (01:10:30):
I'll let you, I'll let you play your little parlor game.
But it's like, literally, that's not what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (01:10:34):
I'm also sick of everyone saying like, oh, like, oh,
it's Tony Romo on Patrick Mahomes and Josh you know what,
I like Tony Roe.

Speaker 1 (01:10:42):
You know what you do the same thing to Mark
put a name on it. That's that's Mark, that says.

Speaker 4 (01:10:45):
That that is that I saw tweet that I do,
but that I do back. I think you just I
think part of us. You run out of things to
say about Hetch Mahomes. But this is a completely different
Chiefs team.

Speaker 1 (01:10:57):
I think that you're right.

Speaker 4 (01:10:58):
There are elements to this team that there's a challenges
that were not pressing before. It was like a video game,
or like when Hulk Cogan would like go down to
the end and just body slam someone and you win
every every Sunday Night name event, and it's like this
Chiefs Team Saturday Night, Saturday mayn like this Chiefs Team
is vulnerable.

Speaker 1 (01:11:12):
This is a Sunday Night main event.

Speaker 3 (01:11:14):
But yeah, but hul Cogan, it would be Saturday Night, right,
it replaced it be the body slam that would have
been the kick to the face followed by the atomic
leg drop.

Speaker 4 (01:11:23):
You're right, you want to just fund you in the
didnty body slam like thre the Giant.

Speaker 1 (01:11:30):
And then he gave them the biggest slam drop.

Speaker 4 (01:11:33):
But that was the biggest body slam in the history
of wrest wrestling.

Speaker 1 (01:11:36):
Three right in the Pontiac Silver Dome. There you go.

Speaker 3 (01:11:38):
See how it all connects. Mattison behind the glass thought
this was wasteful conversation.

Speaker 4 (01:11:42):
Ultiple Cities that next wrestling, big old football game up there.

Speaker 5 (01:11:46):
Remember that conversation before the show. We keep it a
little tighter today or something.

Speaker 3 (01:11:51):
I don't I don't know what you're talking. What else
I mean we can end the show right now.

Speaker 5 (01:11:57):
I really haven't even talked about this game. I'm I'm
excited for the Snead like lagarious Snead last week that
my favorite clip of the week was him driving Tae
Hill into like as Mark would say, mother.

Speaker 1 (01:12:09):
Earth, he like below the Earth.

Speaker 3 (01:12:11):
I mean it was crazy and I given game a
little pop on socialist to Agam.

Speaker 6 (01:12:15):
I've never been bodied like that or whatever the term
would be.

Speaker 5 (01:12:18):
And so Sneid faced off against Stefan Diggs in this
first matchup, which really wasn't that long ago as Week fourteen,
they matched up for twenty three routes. In those twenty
three routes, Josh Allen tried Stefan Diggs five times. The
Bills had a total of three yards in that game.
Sneed absolutely destroyed Stefan Diggs, which that's an interesting matchup.

(01:12:40):
If that could happen again, they have a shot. But
I do think they're better prepared here with Shakir, with
Kinkaid who's getting most of the snaps. And I thought
it was interesting last week they didn't really play Knox
and kin Kid together.

Speaker 1 (01:12:51):
It was mostly just Kinkaid.

Speaker 5 (01:12:53):
So they like having three receivers on the field, even
if it's not Gabe Davis, just I think they if
they were like a basketball team and almost like keeping
people out of the paint to let a little more
a little more space over the middle of the field.
In general, and since Joe Brady's taken over, the offense
isn't better, but it has been different.

Speaker 1 (01:13:12):
They've been more willing to run the ball.

Speaker 5 (01:13:14):
And I think this matchup, as much as it's about
m Mahomes and Allen, also might be about like which
team will actually stick with the running game and be successful,
because I think both coordinators have shown they will dare
the other team two run. Spagnola did it quite effectively
against Buffalo in that first matchup, but even though Buffalo
started that game well, their offense was kind of in

(01:13:35):
quicksand for most of it.

Speaker 1 (01:13:36):
I think one thing.

Speaker 4 (01:13:37):
That's different about McDermott running this defense, and you know,
maybe one of the changes that happened was some of
the playoff stuff that happened against the Chiefs was that
when they dueled in week fourteen, they blitzed at the
highest rate they have against Mahomes and they were more
successful doing it. That said, like this all this business
about Mahomes being on the road, like his completion percentage

(01:14:00):
is higher on the road, his yards per attempt higher
on the road, higher on the road, sack rate lower,
and passing success rate higher.

Speaker 3 (01:14:10):
Yes, and if they finish off a couple of drives
last week, people are over the moon saying that they're
fixed and we'll see. I just I think they got
the season. Like you were saying Greg earlier, you're looking
at the whole season. You can't just look at a game,
and the whole season tells me they're going to struggle
again here to put points on the board and finish
off drives. And that's why I kind of like the

(01:14:32):
Bills in this game, because I think that's what's going
to end the chief season. The Bills will finish off
the drives that the Buffalo that the Chiefs won't be
able to but not to swerve left.

Speaker 6 (01:14:42):
But I want to touch on it, just because I'm.

Speaker 3 (01:14:44):
Looking at him, staring at it, and I knew it,
I felt it, and then I looked at the numbers
and my goodness.

Speaker 1 (01:14:49):
So Stefan Diggs weird year. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:14:54):
So he starts the season with five one hundred yard
games in his first six weeks. Thing is going to
plan since October twenty second, Okay, I lost to the Pats.
This is These are his numbers, six for fifty eight,
nine for seventy six for eighty six, three for thirty four,

(01:15:15):
four for twenty seven, six for seventy four, four for
twenty four, four for forty eight, five for twenty nine,
four for twenty six, seven for eighty seven, seven for
fifty two, and then in the playoff game more of
the same where he was.

Speaker 1 (01:15:30):
Seven for fifty seven for fifty seven for fifty two. Yeah.
Like it's been an odd season. They have not been
on the same page.

Speaker 3 (01:15:36):
You've seen that frustration, and it is It's a good
thing Khalis Shakiraz stepped up this year, and it's a
good thing that they now have a pro BOWLTIP player
in James Cook, because that connection has been off all year.

Speaker 5 (01:15:48):
It makes me believe that this is Stefan Diggs's last
run with the Bills. Now, I think he would be
an interesting trade candidate. That's he's but he's thirty. I
can't imagine he's just suddenly turned old. But they're the
big plays, just having big in there, and I just
have a feeling Gabe Davis's status is really important. I
think the injuries are so important for this game for

(01:16:11):
the Bills because I hear what you're saying, and I'm
I'm leaning Bills, Like I guess I want the Bills
because like Mark, I guess I want something different. I
like the idea that they were six and six and
the way they've rallied, and I like the idea of
a Bills Ravens AFC championship game that that's really exciting
to me. But the practice reports are just massive, especially

(01:16:32):
in the secondary. I'm gonna focus it there because there's linebackers,
there's other stuff, but Christian Befford been their best outside
corner Toron Johnson in All Pro slot cornerback both on
the injury report and both seem legitimately like I don't
know if they're gonna.

Speaker 1 (01:16:46):
Play or not, like they could fully play.

Speaker 5 (01:16:48):
They could not like these guys last week, have had
to count on players we hadn't seen much all season.

Speaker 1 (01:16:53):
Tomorrow.

Speaker 5 (01:16:53):
Hamlin was on the field throughout the end of that
game because of injuries. Von Miller played throughout the end
of that game and actually had a couple pressures.

Speaker 1 (01:17:00):
Made me think hmm.

Speaker 5 (01:17:02):
I wonder if they go back to Von this week
because he showed something, but that was all because of injuries.
Their linebackers were gone, and they might get them both back.
They might get Bernard and Dotson back, they might get
neither back. So Cabe Davis is another question mark. These
are like seven or eight starters where it's like they
might play, they might not, And that's a pretty big deal.

Speaker 4 (01:17:20):
And at that said, like, I'm not scared and I
don't think anyone is scared of like the Chiefs weapons
for the most part. I mean, you want to have
those guys in the field's.

Speaker 1 (01:17:29):
Cleared of too. Kelsey and Rashi Rice.

Speaker 3 (01:17:31):
We just talked about stuff on Diggan Park, like Travis
Kelcey is coming off a game with three drops and
he has not been himself this year.

Speaker 6 (01:17:36):
Right, He's gonna need to make the plays that he
hasn't been making.

Speaker 1 (01:17:38):
Right.

Speaker 4 (01:17:38):
They lead the league in drops, And I guess I'm
just wondering if the you know, we're everyone waiting for
the Chiefs to become last year as Chiefs. It's like, actually,
isn't it more likely that their season ends with another
duplicate performance where we're wide receiver x Y or Z lets.

Speaker 1 (01:17:54):
Them down in a key spot. But that's more likely.
I'm just saying.

Speaker 3 (01:17:57):
I think that's like that's been the pretty consistent narrative.
But defense is better, Greg right, way better.

Speaker 5 (01:18:04):
It's the best, And I think the route is more
that like, yeah, some of that stuff happens and they
win a game twenty to sixteen, or they win a game,
you know, because Okay, if.

Speaker 4 (01:18:14):
This was the Kadarius Tony off sides game where like
little mistakes cost.

Speaker 5 (01:18:18):
Them, I hear what you're saying, though, but like to
that point, they held the Bills down in that game,
and even though they weren't great offensively, if not for
that call, if not for Tony lining up six inches
you know in the neutral zone, the Bills aren't in
this game, you know. And the Chiefs win a game

(01:18:39):
like that against a good opponent because of their defense
primarily and because Mahomes made big plays when it mattered.
He ran the ball pretty well last week. I mean,
that's that's a thing. Both of these quarterbacks are going
to run the ball well, but you're just going to
be more surprised when Mahomes does it.

Speaker 1 (01:18:53):
I just can't fair.

Speaker 5 (01:18:54):
I kind of think they're gonna win, and yet I
don't want it to happen, so I'm not gonna pick it.

Speaker 1 (01:18:58):
Sorry, Chiefs rooting against you.

Speaker 3 (01:19:01):
If that, if Tony stayed on size, Josh gets the
ball back with him.

Speaker 1 (01:19:05):
Nitor said, ye, good, point that out.

Speaker 3 (01:19:07):
I just got a weird feeling about the Bills and
Eric the producer.

Speaker 1 (01:19:13):
I like it, dude.

Speaker 6 (01:19:14):
I like the energy.

Speaker 3 (01:19:16):
I like that they went through hell and then they
came out and survived it. And now Josh Allen at
home running downhill, impervious to anything pain and feeling like
like what he said at the end of last week's
game was interesting to me that we were like everybody else.
Now we're out of that wilderness where we were fighting

(01:19:37):
for our lives. And I think they're playing with a
level of confidence that is going to be the difference
against the KC team that's just simply even though better
on defense, not as explosive and not even close. And
I think that's why they're gonna win. I think they're
gonna win this game twenty seven to twenty.

Speaker 10 (01:19:53):
It feels almost fitting that the season everything kind of
went wrong. It kind of feels like it should go right.
Eventually like they were heavy favorites for you know, the
last couple of seasons and things just kind of fell
apart abruptly, horrifically big moments, and this year like there
was lolls, big lolls and finger on the panic button,
moments you fire an o C, you have the John

(01:20:14):
McDermott hit piece, and then all of a sudden, they're
right back here and it seems like they're the trajectory
is hitting their peak right, and.

Speaker 1 (01:20:22):
They're undefeated since that article came out.

Speaker 10 (01:20:24):
Yeah, I mean you have there, you have the players
in the the coach got a game ball, and you
have players yelling in the locker.

Speaker 1 (01:20:30):
M you got your back, coach.

Speaker 10 (01:20:31):
I mean, there's so many weird moments for this season
that you know they didn't they weren't maybe considered a
Super Bowl favorite. You know, this is the year where
everything seemed like, well, this is the falling, this is
where it breaks, the damn breaks and it all falls apart.
And here we are again against the Chiefs, against Patrick Mahomes.
This time we're in Western New York. Bill's Mafia home game.

(01:20:52):
It's it's theater, dude, It's crazy.

Speaker 1 (01:20:54):
There you go.

Speaker 5 (01:20:55):
I like that and yet that I don't know why
in my gut like all that. It just the Chiefs
remind me so much of the Patriots. I mean, they're
so see different. But just like all this makes logical sense.
And I've been saying all year, like maybe this is
the year for the Bills. They get they get as
close as possible, and I'm want to pick them because
I want it to happen. And yet like that's the
moment where the champs and the Chiefs are the champs.

(01:21:16):
They're the defending champs. They've done it twice with Patrick Mahomes.
They've literally never not won a Divisional round game. With
Patrick Mahomes, They've won every single one. It's like they
are going to be tough to knockout. But I think
the Bills can do it. I think Greg Russau can
have a big time game. The Chiefs tackles are where
they're a little vulnerable. He had a really nice game
the first time I notice against the Chiefs too. So

(01:21:39):
get some pressure on Mahomes, get it done, Bills.

Speaker 1 (01:21:43):
Be fun. I feel like every almost, oh here we go. Sorry, Mark,
did me to cut you off?

Speaker 10 (01:21:49):
There is no video this week, but I did want
to get on record the Westling the Cincinnati Zoo will
be taking the Chiefs in this game, so saying this
in a Bill's sweater, so I almost forgot to just
even mentioned the refalling.

Speaker 3 (01:22:01):
It's almost like Nick Sirianni is in Cincinnati right now
because they have lost I believe five of six the Zoo,
so they need it was.

Speaker 5 (01:22:07):
Bald here though with a road underdog, even though it's
the Chiefs, it's still there were other options out there,
a lot.

Speaker 4 (01:22:14):
Of infighting over there, and it's and it's shown to
be a concern. I I love what Eric said because
I think that's exactly what the Bills have been. And
whenever you go back and watch these like documentaries of
you know, three quarters of Super Bowl winning teams, there
were these like low points in the season where everything
felt like a catech mccleus, like just a mess, just
a disaster. And it's like the Bills looked shot and

(01:22:37):
gone to the point where the Zoo Nick said they
weren't going to make the playoffs, and I thought, I thought,
I think he's right at some point in the season.
And I think now you're getting a version of Josh
Allen and the entire team that is driven and is
kind of them against the world, and that's kind of sport.

Speaker 1 (01:22:52):
You know, who did it?

Speaker 3 (01:22:53):
I think it came up earlier in the show that
early Aaron Rodgers Packers team.

Speaker 1 (01:22:57):
I think they were six and six. They were super banged.

Speaker 3 (01:23:00):
They ran ran off a streak to make the playoffs
and just kept winning.

Speaker 5 (01:23:04):
But look at Boith Giants team Patriots they were they
were a six seed. The Bills weirdly have all this
going on, and yet they were the two seeds.

Speaker 1 (01:23:12):
And well, here's the thing.

Speaker 5 (01:23:14):
If the Chiefs win the if the Chiefs win this
game and then win the Super Bowl. They had those
moments too where everyone gave up on them and they
hit their darkest moment.

Speaker 1 (01:23:21):
It all is there.

Speaker 3 (01:23:22):
It was ever quite as dark though now it's the
chief always had that buffer in that povision.

Speaker 5 (01:23:27):
The money line here, by the way, is minus one
forty two for the Bills. The Bills are two and
a half point favorites. When you're a home to and
a half point favorite, and I'm always a little anxious,
but it's definitely Vegas being.

Speaker 1 (01:23:38):
Like, I don't know, we don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:23:39):
That's almost like the built in they built that in
as exactly so Vegas says it's a coin flip.

Speaker 5 (01:23:44):
It's basically a coin flip the numbers that loved the
Bills all season. There's something about the chiefs that define numbers.

Speaker 6 (01:23:58):
That's an MJ deep cut up the Dangerous album.

Speaker 2 (01:24:01):
Download the Draft King sports Book app now and use
code at n new Customers can bet us five bucks
to get two hundred instantly in bonus bets only on
Draft Kings sports Book with code at n The crown is.

Speaker 1 (01:24:13):
Yours, anything else and anything else? All right? Good?

Speaker 6 (01:24:19):
Uh, you know where to find us.

Speaker 3 (01:24:21):
On Sunday night, we're going to have recaps of all
the games we just previewed. Check out NFL Plus where
we have the Dreamatorium cooking up danger this week, and
also Sky Sports. Be there on Sunday because we will
till then hit the call

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2023 Divisional Round Preview

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