2023 Super Wild Card Recap Part 1

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Around the NFL podcast, No floating trash bags. This
week from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It is Around
the NFL, the flagship program, the Playoff edition, the first
of for these bad boys, this one being well, that's

(00:23):
not even right because we're gonna have a double recap.
We got four games to dissect today, two more tomorrow night,
and that just getting warmed up before Division Round Championship Sunday,
and then of course the Super Bowl from Vegas where
we'll be and the playoff weekend that we just enjoyed.
Three blowouts and a tight one point affair and it

(00:45):
was a lot of fun. Dan hanss Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler,
heroes Greg. A lot of stuff went on this weekend,
some of it surprising, some of it not. But the
road to the Lombardi starts to clear, ever so gently.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
I know it feels very strange that as we talk,
there's ten teams left that can win the Super Bowl.
We're coming off a high scene the team of atl
from a year ago win that game, and that game,
to me, it didn't save the weekend, and because I
don't think the weekend needed saving, but we needed a
game like that that was tight, and there's game management
decisions to talk about, because the other two were Sessler

(01:23):
specials where there were blowouts. But to me, at least
a couple of them were entertaining blowouts, and one of
them blew your mind blowouts.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
So it had a little bit blow your mind blowout.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
Yeah, And I mean that creates very juicy storylines. I
mean some of the wreckage and there are there have
been some floating trashback operations this weekend, and there will
be consequences.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Oh, that is certainly true. In fact, Mark's gonna take
them out back. In fact, let us get going here,
and we're going to start with uh, I was gonna
say the blow the blowout no one saw coming. There
were a couple of those this weekend, but the one
that went down in Texas today, there will be there

(02:04):
will be reverberations, I think. So there will be tremors,
there will be earthquakes, there will be dams breaking, there
will be people swallowed by swarms of locus. That's that
type of loss for the Cowboys. But on the flip side,
the Packers made an announcement that the Glory Train will

(02:27):
continue to ride unabated to Geral world.

Speaker 4 (02:32):
First in ten football at the thirty eight of Dallas
play action of bootleg left half boot leg?

Speaker 5 (02:39):
Why don't put down the right side plus go turns out? Touchdown? Touchdown?
Bloot lush craig a dagger, Hey, dagger, right to the
heart of the Cowboys.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Oh my goodness. Ooo, bongas are nice. This is fancy
when we get this is the official Big Funk theme song.
The Randy Shah beds behind the glass. Die hard Packers fan.

(03:15):
You know, there's another dude, seems like a nice guy
that we watch these games in the theater here who's
a Packers fan. And he came in up the steps
during the late game, and everybody gave hi a little
round of applause because he's a diehard Packer fan. And
I go to you start wearing that Packer shirt and
he's like, no, man, I lived through two and six.
I was like, you live through two and six, Well,

(03:36):
it must be so hard to be a Packers fan.
Try to walk a mile on lease shoes. Baby, All right,
that's not the point. The point is the pack That's
not the point. The Packers absolutely roll the green. The
Dallas Cowboys forty eight to thirty two, and do not
do not look at that final score as a proper
indicator of what happened in this game, because Green Bay

(04:00):
offense from the initial possession Greg Rosenthal absolutely wipe the
floor with dan Quinn's defense, and the Cowboys offense, conversely,
had no way to match what was going on on
the other side of the field.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
I get that there will be a lot of daktok,
and there should be, and we'll get to that too,
but it wouldn't have mattered when you score six offensive
touchdowns in your first seven drives, when you say we're
not kicking the ball off, we're not deferring to the
second half.

Speaker 6 (04:29):
We're taking the ball.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
And even when we can't run the ball the first
couple plays of the game, we're gonna keep running the
ball until it works. And we're gonna eat up seven
and a half minutes of clock and score a touchdown
on that very first guy, and we're gonna keep piling
it up. And then when we come out of halftime,
when you think you have a chance because you just
scored a touchdown, make it a little closer at halftime.
That to me was the moment of the game. They

(04:53):
ran right through them coming out of halftime. Then Stefan
Gilmour tries to cut her out and ends up giving
up a big play. And it was just a Dallas
defense that all day was trying to do too much.
But also they were soft, like they were soft and
they were small. No team plays more dime defense in
terms of white personnel when other teams have two tight
ends on the field than Dallas.

Speaker 6 (05:13):
And they did it all day today.

Speaker 2 (05:15):
And when it mattered, Green Bay just lined up and
they said, Michael Parsons, you're not gonna get near Jordan
Love and you're not gonna get near Aaron Jones. In
the second half, they made this Cowboys team look soft
as hell, and they put up a forty burger before
the fourth quarter started.

Speaker 3 (05:30):
I can't believe not a single sack for the Dallas defense.
I think a big narrative was like ken Micah Parsons
make life incredibly tough for Jordan Love. I mean I
just saw wide open wide receivers over and over. I
mean Romeo Dobs one hundred yards before halftime.

Speaker 6 (05:44):
Where was Parsons? He had like one pressure in the
whole game.

Speaker 3 (05:46):
I mean also he got dinged up later on, But
like what we came to know and like respect about
Dallas's defense completely vanished today and what we thought Jordan
Love could be he tripled and quadrupled it today.

Speaker 7 (05:59):
I mean it's like, where how far can they go?

Speaker 1 (06:01):
I don't know.

Speaker 7 (06:02):
If they play like this, they can take anyone on.

Speaker 3 (06:04):
And even Aaron Jones, who had I think thirty yards
in the first half, but you could tell he was
running well, and that has been a weakness of this
Dallas defense. Right able to just run right up the
gut and I thought he'd down the stretch was such
a huge difference maker for the Packers and really humbled Dallas.
I mean I thought they were They come out of
this with like as you said, Dan Tremor's earthquakes problems,

(06:26):
huge questions. And we haven't even talked about Dak Prescott.
But two picks in the first half and the whole
thing fell apart. We're up to to Dak Prescott teases
we're getting there.

Speaker 6 (06:36):
Yeah, the Packers there lost.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
Aaron Jones goes over one hundred yards with three touchdowns
and Jordan Love threw for three touchdowns with I think
a perfect passer rating. You had the Darnell Savage picked
six for sixty four yards. This was a game that
was twenty seven nothing going into halftime before the Cowboys
got on the board on the last play of the
second quarter. It ballooned up to what was it at

(06:59):
a ties point in the third quarter. I mean this
this game was an absolute.

Speaker 2 (07:02):
Forty eight to sixteen at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
There you go, when Jordan Love hit that little side pocket,
Orde shot just absolutely ridiculous into a into a pinhole.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
I'll tell you what a big, a big picture narrative
this weekend is that elite defenses quote unquote are a
myth because between what we saw from the Browns on
Saturday and the Cowboys on Sunday, all the talk about
these defenses to get shredded the way they did, and
with Jordan Love, he is my goodness, I mean, what
he has been able to do in these last two

(07:34):
and a half months now, it really does evoke memories
of the rise of Rogers and if you're old enough,
the rise of barv And I thought it was so
interesting that on that first drive that you were referenced Greg,
which set the tone obviously for the whole afternoon, taking
up half the first quarter and scoring a touchdown after
electing to take the ball when you win the coin toss,

(07:54):
you knew just by his body language, well he was
moving in the pocket, that he was going to be
a nightmare. And I talked about that on Thursday that
even though I picked the Cowboys, we all picked the Cowboys.
This just felt like such a bad matchup for the
Cowboys because the Packers seemed so lighter on their feet,
and conversely, I thought the Cowboys just seemed so tight
as a drum. And I thought that what you heard

(08:17):
from the Fox team of Burkhart and Olsen, and they
keep on repeating this and pushing this narrative like what's
wrong with Dak and Ceedee Lamb today? There's something weird
going on. What was weird was the Dallas Cowboys getting
swallowed up by their own myth once again and playing
tight as a drum and the Packers doing the opposite.
It was crazy, right.

Speaker 2 (08:37):
Love on that first throw to Dobbs, which I think
was for about twenty two yards where it was second
and thirteen on that first drive, and he's back pedaling
and he's about to get crunched by Odigga diggies do
it and he just makes it look so easy. And
there were about six or seven throws like that in
this game. That just reminded me. When you go through

(08:58):
this season and you think of the best performances by
a quarterback in any game all season, Jordan Love is
on the list for a lot of them. The game
he had in primetime against Kansas City a couple weeks ago,
and maybe maybe not as many people watched it, but
it was Sunday night again against Minnesota, the win that
they had against the Lions. He is one of the

(09:20):
best quarterbacks in the league. And I don't think enough
people have watched them enough to realize that, but it's
just true. There isn't a quarterback playing better in terms
of decision making, and Lafleur is setting him up. And
Dallas tried to go against type, and they talked about
this on the broadcast to it and play a lot
more zone than what they like to do with Man,
but it didn't make a difference. Like Dobbs was talented

(09:42):
enough to go six for one point fifty one in one,
but you always had a feeling like Love would find
someone else if he needed to. This was a day
like Jayden Reid didn't even have a catch this game.
They have so many young guys coming out of their
wazoo here, but he always is making good decisions on
top of like being just so physically here it only
had five incompletions.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
There was an incredible second half catched by Romeo Dobbs
on a precise broken play throw by Jordan Love.

Speaker 7 (10:08):
It's like he just was dialed in from wire to wire.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Here is Lafleur, the aforementioned Laflow who had a wonderful
game himself on Jordan Love. Oh, Jordan Love. Wow. That
was That's about all I can say. Bete is wow.
And Mark he has he's got another quarterback and yep,
and dating back to nineteen ninety two to present and
now for the in the beyond. Now the Packers feel

(10:32):
set up with a potential, not just a star. This
guy's playing like a superstar. And what makes the Packers
fascinating is that he's not alone. It's just not him.
This is a team that's coming together. Even the defense
showed up in this game. Never mind the lipstick on
the pig in the fourth quarterback Dallas's offense.

Speaker 3 (10:49):
Right like the much maligned Joe Berry defense, which caused
multiple turnovers in the first half, and the final score
is not indicative. I thought they did a nice job
on Ceedie Lamb. He was double. You saw them trippled
at certain points and like that. I always thought that
the key for Dallas to get off to a fast
start was have Ceedee Lamb dominate this game, and he
really was not a factor until garbage time and a

(11:10):
bunch of junk happen late like these the thirty two
points stalls put up. Most of it happened in a zero,
non factor like kind of late flurry. Like the Joe
Berry defense which looked good against Minnesota, it looked good
against Chicago. I know those aren't premier offenses, but it did.
It did its job today and made Dak Prescott in
the in the crew very unset.

Speaker 1 (11:30):
And ask a question, how much do you how And
this is not to take away from Barry or what
Green Bay did today, but how much can you say
is the Packers in their scheme and their players, and
how much, honestly, Greg, do you have to like be
honest and say the Cowboys choked in this game. Yes,
they gagged, and they played at a far lesser level
than we saw for the entire season, and you get

(11:53):
like that's gonna be obviously be blown up in what
everyone's talking about a Monday morning and beyond. But sometimes
a narrative is a narrative because it's true. And the
Cowboys seemed to choke in January.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yes, they after falling down early and then the first
Dak interception, which that Dak said after the game he
played poorly, that he played a terribly and I sucked,
which is wild because he threw for four hundred yards
in the end in the seven first times, but he
knew that the important part of the game was the
first half. That was kind of a lazy route by
Cooks and Alexander makes a nice break on the ball,
but at that point the Cowboys had already punted, and

(12:25):
then they punt the following drive to they set up
the Packers for a short score there like one play
later or a couple of plays later, Aaron Jones just
running through their defense for another score. So everyone choked.
But Ceedee Lambs dropping passes Dak slant to CD, which
is usually so money. They're they're off, and my guy
Jay R Alexander, who you talked about on the Dreamatorium

(12:49):
this week, even though he got hurt halfway through the game,
he comes up with the big interception, not the pick six,
but the early interception, and he was out there. I
know they didn't send him out for the coin toss.
Oh they should have, but he was out there, he
was suiting.

Speaker 1 (13:01):
Well, they're not in Charlotte injuries. Is a pup ponder.
It was little for it was lit honestly like it
was no better.

Speaker 8 (13:09):
Feeling like there's a few quarterbacks who are thrown me
multiple picks in my career and Jack is now one
of them.

Speaker 6 (13:16):
So he's along with my top qbs.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
I feel like JayR, Alexander and my eldest son Jack
would be like good buddies if they hung out. So yeah,
Dak is now on Jaire's list, and Dak is going
to This is going to be one of those losses
where it will continue to stick to the ribs of
everyone associated with the Dallas Cowboys. And you wonder if
Mike McCarthy, the head coach, as an example, will even

(13:40):
have a job after this. You wonder if Dan Quinn,
who seemed to be a shoe in to get a
job elsewhere the DC the highest paid DC in the league.
After giving up a near fifty burger in this spot,
does that cause teams like say the Seahawks to walk away?
Here's Jarah who you know, no shortage? And I tweeted this,
I would pay seven ninety nine a month if you

(14:01):
can give me a Jarah box, Like it's just a shot,
one shot on Jerah's luxury suite for the entirety of
a playoff.

Speaker 6 (14:09):
Hit that on Peacock.

Speaker 1 (14:10):
Put it on Peacock. Absolutely worth it. And make sure
if you're gonna put it on cocka the picture is
clear the whole time. Just just something unsolicited advice. Here
is Jerry immediately after the game talking to the media
about what's next and how this was a loss almost
like no other for him. It seems like the.

Speaker 9 (14:31):
Most painful because we all had such great expectation and
we had hope for this team, and I thought that
we were aligned in a great shape, in a great shape,
but it didn't happen for us. And it's just fresh
show on me right now as it is or anybody else.
But I don't I won't to get into any of

(14:54):
the addressing of any aspects.

Speaker 1 (14:56):
Of any part of it.

Speaker 9 (14:59):
From the coaching to the players once around the corner,
but a personal basis, how I'm full for dam so.

Speaker 7 (15:09):
I mean, it's the Dallas Cowboys.

Speaker 3 (15:11):
They're an experience exclusive to themselves in all of American sports,
and it feels like it's an annual meeting with Jerry
Jones discussing the disappointment that ends it all in January.
It's three years in a row, and as you know,
as problematic as the past two exits for Dallas were disorganized, discombobulated,

(15:32):
final minute defeats under the watch of Mike McCarthy, I mean,
this is a bigger disaster because I you know, how
many times will we be fooled? I was even saying
a couple of days ago, this Cowboys team feels different
to me, and the ending is completely not different.

Speaker 1 (15:46):
It's the same.

Speaker 3 (15:47):
And it's like because it's the Cowboys, because it's Dak Prescott,
because it's Jerry Jones. I think that Mike McCarthy obviously
is on a hotter seat than you could ever have imagined.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
There's no chance of coming no, I think what you
can do about it, because he's like a good coach
and deserves respect. But the way they talked about all
year that his future is going to be determined based
on how this year finished.

Speaker 1 (16:09):
This said it, this knows.

Speaker 3 (16:10):
All that mattered right this game, And I like, I,
you know, I brought it up as a hypothetical on
Thursday Show that you know, you have someone like Bill
Belichick sitting out there, and I just wonder if you're
Jerry Jones, who already has a wandering eye in the
pass for someone like Sean Payton, does everything turn and
change in a way where someone like Belichick winds up
with Els.

Speaker 7 (16:29):
We'll see, But Mike McCarthy's future couldn't be shaking.

Speaker 1 (16:32):
Jerry Jones is turning eighty two this year and this
he just said it like this is a loss that
really hurts. And they were certain this team was different.
We were we visited this team back in July. You
could just see the optimism just pouring out from every
corner of the facility there. So for this to have

(16:53):
the same ending after the third straight twelve win season, yeah,
I don't know if Greg, I don't know if it's
gonna be Bill and I don't know, But I also
think Jerry Jones at this point he might come to
a place where, yeah, not only do I have to
get this guy out of here, I need to make
a big splash because I'm running out of time quite frankly.

Speaker 6 (17:11):
Right, he said he was stunned.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
I read Calvin watchword is one of the best Cowboys
reporters out there, and he said the people that have
covered this team at least for ten plus years didn't
see this coming, not at all. And I do think
that is there is something about them being Charlie Brown
and Lucy pulling the football away. That's like, I think
part of the reason they never see it coming is
because they think that it couldn't be coming.

Speaker 6 (17:33):
It can always be coming.

Speaker 2 (17:34):
Like they sort of get in their own little cycle
of like we're believing the hype and like, of course
you could get blown out by a good young team
that's coming if you're not on it. Like nothing that
happened about this season and how they set it up
is gonna make any difference when you get out there
today and when you fall down in the game. They
kind of just showed who they were, which is in

(17:55):
a spot I think it's tough. When you got the
home crowd there, you feel that that tension. They are
the first team in his Dan. It's so weird with
McCarthy to win twelve straight game, to win twelve games
in three straight years, but not make the conference championship
in that ground. So he's been incredibly uniquely successful. And
then for it to happen against the Packers, who you know,

(18:17):
beat him in the Descota game, beat him when in
Dax's rookie year when they were the one seed and
have now won ten of eleven games against the Cowboys,
makes it like doubly painful.

Speaker 6 (18:28):
It's like, what do you do this?

Speaker 2 (18:29):
This Packers team is going to be around for like
all these teams are going to be around for one.

Speaker 1 (18:32):
And I know the the the highly educated membership of
the Football Gogna Zent, they is going to say this
is ridiculous. But I really do think and the ghosts
have become a thing around the Cowboys, and I think

(18:52):
it seeps in under the doors and in through the
windows and down the chimney at the Star and it's
become this added layer of pressure. Now like when is
when are things going to be different this year? And
I think the team takes it, takes it with him.
I think you really saw a team from the jump
pressing in this game, and when they had the wrong

(19:13):
opponent here, the team that's on the opposite end of
that spectrum, it was, it was a recipe for disaster.
Quite frankly, I'm mad at myself because I felt it
come up, but picked the Cowboys was too safe. But
I don't find this overly surprising in retrospect, Like the
Cowboys were set up for the fall and they took one.

Speaker 6 (19:28):
I think.

Speaker 3 (19:30):
That angst like starts with Jerry Jones because he speaks
about the team and the experience of losing in a
way that not other owners would would be as personally
like open about the thing.

Speaker 1 (19:41):
I like that about Joe.

Speaker 3 (19:42):
I like it too, But I mean I think that
that's where the weight begins. But I do think it's
a surprising loss in the sense that you know, I
got absolutely surprised home and away splits. Maybe maybe they don't,
they don't mean much, but like Dallas at home was
its most dominant version of itself. I mean, it's like
destroyed teams and so for this to have and it's
completely atypical to anything else that we saw happening in

(20:03):
Dallas to this Cowboys team, let.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
Me rephrase it. It is surprising, but maybe we shouldn't
have been surprised, and like retrospect, like sure, maybe the
clues were there all along.

Speaker 2 (20:13):
Well, the clue, the number one clue is they were
playing one of the best quarterbacks in the league who
was playing playing free and could create in a way
that Dak, who I'm always defending but hasn't in a
big spot. And I do feel like he held the
ball a little too long. He wasn't seeing the field tonight.
He's gripping the ball a little too tight in the
first half, and Love is out there making something out

(20:35):
of nothing in a way that Dak just just wasn't.
But man, I still go back to the defense. Is
supposed to be a defensive team. Zach Tom who's led
the league by the way, doesn't get a lot of
pub but according to extent stats in pressure percentage in
terms of preventing pressure as a right tackle this year,
they're really well coached. A young offensive line for the
most part, who played great, didn't give up a single

(20:57):
pressure in nine pass us against Parsons. In Parsons I
think only had one or two total, and he got
it elsewhere. So it's just like everyone was in their
head and they lost. DA's got like a contract situation,
which is sneaky interesting. Not that I think he would
go anywhere, but this is kind of the season where
they have to give him a new contract because his
cap figure is so it is so big, so everything

(21:20):
I feel like it is going to be on the table,
and it's hard to sell Dan Quinn as the guy
who would succeed Mike McCarthy and Packers fans will be
talking about you all week.

Speaker 6 (21:28):
Then oh yeah, you can.

Speaker 1 (21:30):
Celebrate you are and oh the Cowboys weren't the only
people having a rough Sunday. The Westling Brothers or I
should say Nick continue their stumble and guess what, they
no longer occupy second place alone. Wow, But that way
they locked up the Cowboys and that did not work out.

Speaker 2 (21:53):
Isn't this the guy used to get on me for,
you know, taking like four or five point favorites.

Speaker 6 (21:57):
Here he would get on me for not being bold.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
Here he is taking a set desperate time seven and
a half and then he'sake.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
Seven yeah half. See nobody saw it coming. Nobody saw it.
They should have seen it coming. Because Jordan Love is
a rising superstar and we'll give him the last word
before we go to our next game. Because he got
he you know, it's it's noteworthy that Dak, a guy
that's gonna get MVP votes, was clearly outplayed in his
own building by the kid in his first full season

(22:24):
as a starter. This is how he I think it
was the final kneel down. Uh listen closely. You might
find it familiar Cowboys fans for them to come into
the house here in Dallas that no one's been able
to win in almost two years. I don't fu man,
that's pretty impressive. The Green Bay team, it wasn't quite
here we go, but it wasn't here we go. Packer.

(22:45):
You don't like that? Mark? What you don't like that?

Speaker 7 (22:47):
Problem with that?

Speaker 6 (22:48):
Okay, Packers, why do you think?

Speaker 1 (22:49):
I know you kind of.

Speaker 3 (22:50):
I was like, I think, if you're gonna mimic him, like,
let you go a little bit more.

Speaker 6 (22:55):
I think he did.

Speaker 2 (22:55):
He threaded the needle there where he had fun with it,
but he wasn't being like a dick to Dak personally.
So I think that's what he probably didn't want to
like mimic him.

Speaker 1 (23:05):
Imagine Jamis Winston had that opportunity. I know it's hard
to imagine him a final kneel down to win a
playoff game. But imagine he would have put it would
have won.

Speaker 7 (23:12):
An oscar for I think he would have pulled it
off in a different way.

Speaker 2 (23:15):
Packers Niners. Is the Saturday game next year? Oh, that
is a delicious Division Round game. Is giving me a
flashbacks that Colin Kaepernick back in the day against the Niners.

Speaker 6 (23:26):
I believe in this same round.

Speaker 1 (23:28):
Oh, I don't need to tell you football fans, Divisional
Round weekend is the best of the year. But we're
not through Wildcard round yet. Uh, let's go to the
other game on Sunday. It was the only game that
was decided by less than a touchdown, this one just
one point. It was going off at Ford Field on

(23:49):
Sunday night. Here we go. Golf works out of the gun.

Speaker 6 (23:52):
Second down to nine, two minutes to go.

Speaker 1 (23:54):
There's golf back looking looking throws.

Speaker 5 (23:57):
It is caught Harvid ross Day Crown first sucking to
do it?

Speaker 1 (24:01):
Can it do it not? Can it do it?

Speaker 6 (24:03):
Turn up delivers against this former team.

Speaker 1 (24:07):
Now all they have to do is takeing me three
times hit. This game will be over. Ah for the
second time since nineteen fifty seven, for the first time
since January fifth, nineteen ninety two.

Speaker 7 (24:20):
Yeah, the Detroit Lions are gonna win a playoff game.

Speaker 1 (24:23):
Yeah, Dan Miller with the call you of course you
bring the bungos. Oh, it's playoff season for em rats
behind the glass two. Dan Miller, the voice of the Lions,
who's been through the bad times. Like the Lions fans,
he was there. He was on the mic for Owen sixteen.

(24:43):
And all those Lions fans that waited three decades to
see their team simply play a home game in the postseason,
Well they got rewarded with a twenty four to twenty
three win over a obviously extremely game Rams team that
came within a bailed stop on third down there of

(25:04):
getting the ball back with a chance to steal the game.
So there you go. That ends a nine game postseason
losing streak for the Lions, Mark Sessler. That was the
longest in NFL history, dates back to January ninety two.
And now they will get two home playoff games, so
the first time in franchise history, posting either Tampa or
Philly in the Divisional round next Sunday. What a joy

(25:25):
it was to watch that game in that building.

Speaker 3 (25:28):
You had like Lions fans, and they cut to an
eighty nine year old Lions fan, a very famous guy
who's been going there for sixty years, that we're literally
just shedding tears. And I sometimes it's hard to gauge
the sound in the stadium depending on how the mics
are set up on some of these stations, and it's
like this place was on fire, and I found myself.

(25:48):
I think the Rams have had an incredible season and
there's a valiant side to them, but I found myself
just rooting for Detroit and the way that they came
out of this game with three straight seventy five years
touchdown marches. I mean, Greg, I think we were all
watching this the other league. My takeaway is that both
quarterbacks were absolutely pristine for so much of this and

(26:09):
at one point I thought Matthew Stafford literally had the
life knocked out of him, and then five minutes later
he's back in the game, but instead of one of
them completely collapsing, I love how this game wound up
because Jared Goff against his old coach, completely got the
job done. And the play that I'll remember is just
outside of the two minute warning. It's second to nine
at the Detroit thirty two. The Lions need to get

(26:30):
a first down to basically just solve the game away.
And Dan Campbell. The stamp that Dan Campbell has put
on this team from wire to wire is that he
goes absolutely nuts through the air. Eleven yard completion Aman
Ross Saint Brown. It's like they don't just try to
go conservative. They do what the Lions do. It paid
off and they executed the rams in the final minute.

Speaker 1 (26:50):
That's how they won the game. Greg that was a
chance and a lot of teams run the ball, take
it to the two minute warning, punt it away and
then ask your defense to make the stop. But Campbell
is shown all throughout his tenure he puts the faith
in the guys that he trusts the most.

Speaker 2 (27:03):
It was such a fitting ending for last year's team
of atl I mean, this was what we loved about
this team, and then they struggled a little bit and
then they had it.

Speaker 6 (27:17):
It was right there.

Speaker 2 (27:18):
You're right in those final minutes because number one, it
takes balls to throw the pass there, but number two,
it takes intelligence to do it on the second down.
Don't wait for the third down when they're possibly knowing
that you're gonna have a higher likelihood to pass in
that situation. And they can run some games up front,
or they can send the blitzer, whatever they're gonna do.

(27:40):
Trust a guy in Amano, Saint Brown, to run a
route that he said after the game, you know they've
been running this for years. This is kind of their
bread and butter plate. It's one on one like trust
Jared Goff. Even though you saw a couple little moments
in the second half where you wondered, like, is this
gonna go sideways? Ultimately they only scored three points on
three possessions in the second half before that, Like a

(28:01):
lot of Rams games this year, there were not many
possessions here. They tend to give up a lot of
long drives. They tend to have a lot of long drives,
and that's what it was like. So every drive meant
so much, and so you win it that way with
sparts and balls. But same thing on the On the
drive before third and four, Aiden Hutchinson, the dude that
to me rarely represents this turnaround in such a big way,

(28:24):
beats Rob Havenstein gets a holding call. It was the
right call. On third and four, the Rams are in
field goal range. We'll never know if Brett Maher would
have hit that kick, what would it have been. I
think it would have been about a fifty yard I know, Okay,
what was it?

Speaker 1 (28:39):
No, I know he wouldn't have.

Speaker 2 (28:40):
Been You know that he wouldn't have hit it. It would
have been a fifty one yarder. Or they could have
gone for it on fourth and four. And that's the
reason I think ultimately that Campbell said no, we're going
to accept the penalty, because I thought that that was
actually a very bold decision to push them back to
third and fourteen because I think he's thinking, either they can.

Speaker 6 (29:01):
Kick the field goal or they go for fourth and fourth.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
I'm gonna go ahead and trust my defense to go
make another play. And who wins again on the next
play the guy they took second overall, Aiden Hutchinson. And
I know Rams fans will be complaining about that miss
pass interference for a long time. And they did miss it.
It was a bad miss call. It was a type
of bad miss call though that happens right.

Speaker 1 (29:21):
And aids fans will tell Rams West, but a missed
call in the.

Speaker 2 (29:24):
Price, It was kind of like a subtle play by
Camsutt and I think where like, I'm not gonna go crazy.

Speaker 6 (29:29):
They missed the call.

Speaker 2 (29:30):
But part of the reason that happened is because Kaminski
and Aiden Hutchinson both won quickly and forced the difficult situation.
And so like, that's big time players season on the line,
stepping up in a big time moment, Aiden Hutchinson.

Speaker 1 (29:42):
And you mentioned the sound inside Ford Field, and that
was the first playoff game in the history of that building,
which has not been around, you know, it's been around
for a minute now. La. They were down to one
time out in the second half of the fourth quarter,
and two of those time out they're Burningham in large
part because of the crowd noise, and they're just dealing

(30:02):
with the elements as they are and it's just like
you could actually and that's why one of the many
reasons why playoff football is amazing like that, I think
the fans in the atmosphere there absolutely played a role
in the lines advancing in the playoffs. And this is
a game that they are chanting Jared Goff's name an

(30:24):
hour before the game, and this is showering Matthew Stafford
the prodigal son with booze when he's on the field
and we have sound here from Dan Campbell on Jared Goff,
who is one of the most interesting kind of journeys
of any player of his generation. As he goes to

(30:44):
the next round of the playoffs after slaying the team
that dumped him as a salary dump to get a
trade done to get the Stafford to Los Angeles. Here
is Campbell on his quarterback.

Speaker 4 (30:58):
Just really proud of him, you know, and what he
means to us and his play today, and I bring
it back again. He's one of the reasons that we
won this division and he's another reason why we just
won our first playoff game here in thirty years.

Speaker 1 (31:11):
So what a stud I want more Campbell, give me
Campbell on the line's getting another home game. I know this.

Speaker 4 (31:22):
We were fighting for the two seed and we get
to get another home game, and we got another home game,
So it's awesome and we had to earn that, and
we earned that with a win today.

Speaker 1 (31:32):
They sure did. And by the way, all the drama
around that two point conversion that I wiped out against
the Cowboys, it's all gone because the Cowboys got their
ass booted out of the postseason. So the lines now
move up to the highest seed besides obviously the Niners,
which means they get this second home.

Speaker 3 (31:49):
Game, and that feels that just feels just and it's
I think for all of us because that was a
the low moment and it's like, we don't want the
officials being the center of all this. I just it's
like the Jared Goff experience because Brad Holmes, who obviously
came from the belly of the Rams to become the
general manager of the Lions, like showed incredible faith in Goff,

(32:10):
like threw a lot of ups and downs here and
also is the architect of a team that is like
littered with future stars and young players. To see like
a guy like Sam Laporta do what he's done all
season the way he came back from injury to do tonight.

Speaker 7 (32:23):
Goff opens fourteen for fifteen.

Speaker 3 (32:25):
It's nearly pristine in the first half, and it almost
overshadows the fact that Matthew Stafford and we were watching
this the other like through three or four of the
most incredible passes you'll see, but Golf did too.

Speaker 7 (32:36):
Gough made very few mistakes.

Speaker 3 (32:37):
I go back to one incredible looping arching throw to
Amorran Saint Brown with the team up twenty one to seventeen.

Speaker 7 (32:44):
It's like golf can do it.

Speaker 3 (32:45):
And he's grown a lot before our eyes, and I
think he's become a different kind of person. And I
think it's just a great NFL story to have the
team put faith into him.

Speaker 7 (32:54):
He's not just a placeholder.

Speaker 3 (32:55):
And he came tonight and delivered and played one of
his best performances of all time.

Speaker 6 (32:59):
I mean, he played great.

Speaker 2 (33:02):
And there is something about Dan Miller saying second time
since nineteen fifty seven that actually hits harder than the
first playoff wins since ninety one. Yeah, I mean that
was like seven years before, like the Civil Rights Act
nineteen fifty seven, and it's only either the second playoff
victory that is absolutely preposterous.

Speaker 6 (33:21):
And you're right.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
Sometimes you can win the game in the first half
like that. And they won it by winning in the
red zone, even though they did not run the ball
well tonight. I was impressed by the Rams defense pretty
much stuffing the Lions run. After the first drive or two,
the Lions go three for three in the red zone.
The Rams go zero for three in the red zone.
M they got a little pass happy in the red zone,

(33:43):
went away from the run. They were good red zone
team for most of the year, so it wasn't like
a recurring problem that they kept going to Cooper Cup.
Cup had nine targets in this game. He had twenty
seven yards. Kuka Nakua had one more target. Ten targets,
one hundred and eighty one yards, the most by a
rookie in the history of the NFL in a playoff game,
and a touchdown.

Speaker 1 (34:04):
And here's next gen stats. Greg yeh fifty nine receiving
yards after contact, the fourth most in any game this season.

Speaker 2 (34:10):
He was a fifth round pick that came into the league.
I don't think you can argue this this year was
unquestionably a top five receiver in the league. And it
wasn't just like scheme got gets him open or anything.
You watched it tonight, he wasn't even that open half
the time. He's just running over guys and making contested catches.
And as great as Golf was, if I'm gonna give

(34:30):
Golf an a minus for this game, maybe like a
ninety two, it's like I would give Stafford one hundred.

Speaker 6 (34:36):
He played incredible and I do I mean.

Speaker 1 (34:39):
I he went over three in the red zone, so
you gotta ding the quarterback a little bit there, but
I don't want to take away from because he did
play incredibly well.

Speaker 2 (34:47):
Some of those like the third and nineteen early where
he throws it across his body to keep that drive
alive when they were down fourteen three. You just had
so many throws that other quarterbacks couldn't make, and he
was just getting absolutely brutal as he finishes with three
sixty seven and two. They finished with almost one hundred
yards more than the Lions. They were moving the ball.
They looked like they were going to win this game.

(35:07):
In the second half, the Lions had two straight drives
where they didn't do anything and the Rams really were
moving the ball. And that's to me why the McVeigh
time management stuff hurts a little extra.

Speaker 6 (35:18):
Mcvay's obviously a great coach, but this was.

Speaker 2 (35:21):
Literally by the subject of my like thing on Thursday
in the Dreamatorium, is these coaches blowing timeouts to use
delay of games. And we've been talking about it on
this podcast for four or five years that McVeigh always
is blowing these timeouts at the beginning. So it was that,
and it was the slightly conservative field goal decisions where
at the time, I personally didn't have a problem with them,

(35:42):
and they hit them all for what it's worth, Like
the ESPN analytics all had them as like slight go
for its, like even though it was fourth and six,
fourth and seven, that the way this game was turning out, like,
he ended up trusting that they were going to get
those points in the end if they didn't get it,
but the timeouts to be hurt.

Speaker 1 (35:59):
The finished one more drive and mar somehow splits the
uprights one more time. They win twenty six, twenty four,
and it all makes sense. But yeah, it would you
lose by a point that it looks much better.

Speaker 2 (36:08):
The Lions, for instance, did hit a fourth down in
the red zone for a touchdown.

Speaker 1 (36:13):
That's what they do.

Speaker 6 (36:14):
Fight White play well.

Speaker 3 (36:15):
I think that's the distinct different nature of these two coaches,
and you kind of have to live with that with
McVeigh for all the positive two But yeah, drives ending
at the six, the nine, and eleven.

Speaker 1 (36:25):
Poka Nakua, one more thing about him? Where's Walker Rosenthal
by the way, I'm sure he's he's upset. The Rosenthal
houses upset. The Rams are out of the playoffs. However,
it was a good year for the Rams. They're ahead
of schedule. Pooka. It's crazy watching this game because it's
so how clear it is that Pooka is their number
one wide receiver and it's Cup that's their number two.

(36:47):
After a couple of years of injury. H and Sean McVay,
a guy that almost walked away last year, came out
of this season even after a tough loss, reflective and
positive about where he's at.

Speaker 9 (36:58):
And you know, the finality of it is still kind
of it doesn't totally resonate, But man, did I learn
a lot and really appreciate this group.

Speaker 1 (37:07):
You know, they.

Speaker 9 (37:09):
They helped me find my way again, and how much
I love this and love the people that I'm around.

Speaker 1 (37:16):
I was texting with Jordan Rodrig of the of the Athletic,
of the rod Rig that's next He's going to buy
out the Athletic from the New York Times, just worrying
or wondering when the Rams special teams gaff will come
that will destroy their season. It made me think of
the Crispin Glover character from Hot Tub Time Machine when

(37:37):
you know that he loses his arm and then the
whole movie is like when is when does it happen
when does he lose the arm and you see all
these near misses where he almost loses the arm and
Bretta Mahers kicks like the shadow going across the upright
over and over again. Maybe think about that so at
least it wasn't some heartbreaking defeat in that measure, because
I thought that's what was how the Rams.

Speaker 6 (37:57):
Punt, I forget who were the punt was struggled.

Speaker 1 (38:00):
That's like when the Glover's character threw the chainsawp in
the air when he was doing the ice sculpture. Like
there there were so many moments that the Rams, uh,
it almost happened. But this this is really ultimately mark
about the Lions in a special day for them, and
they they their journey continues.

Speaker 3 (38:17):
No, it would have been like, uh a letdown for
them after all of this to not pull out this win.
And I do think like for the critique of McVeigh
and I hear you're saying Greg like in general, like
coaching is is better than ever and like the McVeigh
journey in this two matters to me because.

Speaker 1 (38:34):
That depends what team you're talking about.

Speaker 3 (38:36):
By going, well, no, I'm saying like, if you're a
Rams fan like this season.

Speaker 6 (38:41):
One of the best coaches in the league.

Speaker 3 (38:42):
You do want to get you do, and like I
think I think he's revived, and I think this this
brought him like a some you know, a whole new
like breadth of fresh air, and like this was a
five months ago where talking about the fact that Matthew
Stafford probably or likely could be traded before the deadline,
and we got the best Matthew Stafford season. So the Rams, like,
I think there's a lot of hope ahead because of
the way they're rebuilding their team too.

Speaker 6 (39:03):
I think that's true.

Speaker 2 (39:05):
And before we go, like and maybe this is the
the fan in me, I was definitely rooting for the
Rams going one, and now the Lions are the team
I want to win the Super Bowl the most. But
I do know we've been in this spot after playoff
losses and said that so many different times, and I
think this one hurts cut for either team. Was such
an opportunity. The lines are either going to get the
Eagles or the Bucks. The Rams would have played the

(39:27):
Eagles or the Bucks. Matthew Stafford to me is playing
at an MVP level. You know, Lamar will win it.
I don't think and I just don't think anyone's playing
any better than Matthew Stafford. Aaron Donald is towards the
end of his career. You have these things going right now.
They had a really good opportunity to keep this thing going,
maybe to the NFC Championship. Who knows if it ends there,

(39:49):
And you just don't know if you're going to have
a healthy Stafford playing at that level at this point
in the season. Again, hope you hope so because to me,
he had a ton of entertainment this year.

Speaker 6 (40:00):
They were one of the most fun teams to watch.

Speaker 1 (40:01):
Oh, Greggy, this.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
Was a heat check, Greg, And like Peyton Pritchard when
he just like pulls up from thirty after he's hit
like four street threes.

Speaker 6 (40:12):
I did miss this one.

Speaker 1 (40:14):
You almost got it in this year of years, Greg,
I bet you were thinking the whole time, it's gonna
come out. Rosenthal.

Speaker 2 (40:19):
In the end, I thought that I really was convinced
the Rams were going to win this game.

Speaker 6 (40:25):
Throughout I was. I was surprising how that thing ended.

Speaker 1 (40:28):
All right. And lastly, before we take a break, two
telecast notes. Loved Tariko and he lives in ann Arbor.
He's a Michigan guy. He was juiced for this game.
I like seeing that. I like emotion and people like
being real to them, true to themselves. He wasn't come
out coming out right and saying it until Collins were
teat them up at the end of the telecast that

(40:49):
he's from the area. But he had a line at
the end, if you want to text the Lions fan
congrats on the playoff win, do it. It will be
the first they've ever gotten. Texting wasn't around the last
time the Lions won a playoff game. Got him and
and the other telecast note would be when they're showing
Detroit Luminaries. It was like there was a shot like
Eminem Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, Big Sean. I was like, well,

(41:13):
we don't need to give Big Sean any cry on
Big Sean. A little too much pop for Big Sean
great be fair.

Speaker 2 (41:22):
I mean, he doesn't land with the same gund It's
like those other three.

Speaker 1 (41:26):
It's like having a mount Rushmore and then putting Gerald
Ford is the fourth guy.

Speaker 2 (41:31):
We don't need it, Big Sean taking strays at a
big spot.

Speaker 1 (41:35):
Gerald Ford too. All right, let's take a break. We'll
be right back.

Speaker 5 (41:40):
Block out of the gun one back after motion, it's
hunt flock, go to throw flock.

Speaker 6 (41:45):
Oh, hitch pickcock. Oh, here we going to the left.

Speaker 1 (41:48):
Twenty five twenty tix.

Speaker 10 (41:50):
Seat ten to five touchdown Christian Harris. That's the second one,
the second pick six of the game.

Speaker 1 (41:58):
That's why they pay that guy. Welcome to Houston, Joe Flacco. Oh.

Speaker 10 (42:03):
The Texans team pouring it on in the third quarter
with two touchdowns.

Speaker 1 (42:10):
Sus Dogs, we have a new Sension power Aid flavor
down in Houston.

Speaker 7 (42:14):
I think it's very possible.

Speaker 6 (42:16):
Mark's face when he said, welcome to Houston, Joe Flagger.

Speaker 1 (42:19):
Yeah, im porton some salt on the wound. I found
it unnecessary from Andre Ware with his play by play
man Mark Vandermere of Heilt. But you get their excitement
because the Houston Texans absolutely dismantled the Cleveland Browns forty
five to fourteen. The Texans route Cleveland, a game that

(42:43):
started close, started looking like it was going to be
a shootout, and then yes, mistakes by the Browns, the
back to back pick sixes ended the game. But Mark,
as you know, and I'm sure was not a pleasant
watch as a Browns fan. It was the Cleveland defen
having no answers for CJ. Stroud. That really was what

(43:04):
this game was about.

Speaker 3 (43:06):
A complete disaster for Cleveland and an incredibly promising term
of events for CJ. Stroud and the Texans who kind
of feel like the AFC's packers to me right now,
I think Cleveland, like everything over the past month plus
in the Joe Flacco, you know, segment of this season
that you could hang your hat on, just didn't show
up in this game. I mean, Blackos turned the ball

(43:29):
over a bunch, but it not to this degree in
the sense that it cost them so hard because when
that first pick six occurred, the Browns were still in this.

Speaker 7 (43:37):
It wasn't it didn't.

Speaker 3 (43:38):
Look good, but they were in it, and you know,
you kind of thought, like in the past, Flaco was
found a way productive, why production wise, to get out
of it. But in this game, like the Amari Cooper
that fried the Texans a couple of weeks ago, not
happening this time. Miles Garrett was taken I thought, taken
to town by Laramie Tunzel, who's one of the few
tackles that's had success against Miles gear really really kept

(44:02):
him out of the game almost from wire to wire,
like I don't know, Cleveland just fell apart.

Speaker 7 (44:07):
And if you're gonna tell me in any of these
games that.

Speaker 3 (44:09):
Your starting quarterback is gonna go throw back to back
pick sixes, like on the road.

Speaker 7 (44:14):
You're not gonna win. And it's like, I don't know, Cleveland.

Speaker 3 (44:17):
Cleveland's defense at home has allowed the least amount of
points per game, but quietly, this nugget that was sitting
out there as a bit of a menace was that
they've allowed the most points in the league on the road.
And so there was some easy It's a very strange breakdown,
but there was some concern going in about what which
version of the Browns defense would show up in this

(44:38):
and c J.

Speaker 7 (44:39):
Stroud is the story of the game. He was He
was beautiful.

Speaker 1 (44:42):
Sixteen of twenty one, two seventy four, three touchdowns, thirteen
yards per attempt, Greggie perfect passer rating. And it could
have even been crazier because he missed like a sixty
seventy yard bomb in the first half to who was that?
Nico Collins otherwise have been even crazier. He was a
complete command in this game.

Speaker 6 (45:01):
Right.

Speaker 2 (45:01):
The pick sixes will stick on our memories and Obviously
they were massive to happen back to back, especially that
first one when it's only ten points. But that point
of the game, I was thinking, man, the Browns are
lucky to be down only ten. Their defense no showed
much like the Cowboys game, like there will be like
the quarterback for the Browns and the offense disappointed, no question,

(45:22):
But I don't think that the defense gave the Browns
a chance to win this game no matter what. And
that's the side that you were counting on. Bobby Slowick
got one over on Jim Schwartz. There was misdirection, there
was big plays. They even had that big Singletary run
early in the first half on a very creative play call.
They were averaging nine point three yards per play. They

(45:45):
were averaging almost a first down every time they snapped
the ball the first three quarters.

Speaker 1 (45:51):
What come down Greg.

Speaker 2 (45:54):
Of this game? Like and you think back to like
his very first throw of the game. Actually they had
a dump off that first throw. But then the second
throw of the game, they are getting right into Stroud's
grill and he gets to twenty one yards like layering it,
leading Nico Collins into very tricky zone coverage and he

(46:16):
had four or five of those type of throws. The
second pass actually of that drive that Schultz dropped, that
was another missed opportunity. They actually had a first and
goal from the two that they get nothing from. That
was a missed opportunity. Like I kept thinking, Oh, they
might get caught here because they're not taking advantage of us.
He had like four or five of those really special CG.
Stroud throws and he only had to throw the ball

(46:38):
twenty one times. He had the almost the exact same
box score as Jordan Love sixteen for twenty one, three
touchdowns and just like five special throws. That like makes
you think, Wow, this guy's already a top five or
six quarterback.

Speaker 1 (46:49):
In the end, I mean, I'm glad you brought it up. Mark,
It's funny. It's like the Spider Man meme. The Texans
and the Packers to ten and seven teams that just
knocked off a face. Obviously, there was a bigger upset
in the NFC side of things, but the Browns are
favored in this game, and they it's a team that's
ahead of schedule with a first year quarterback in Houston's case,

(47:10):
a straight up rookie, and it's like the team that
you do not want to face now because they are
again just like the Packers, there is no fear now
because just making the playoffs was progress. So now that
you've won a game, it's like it's starting to be
like a freight train. And Greg, you could tell me,
like what their playoff scenario looks like for next week

(47:31):
if you have it on you and your calculations within
your brain. But like and from the love to Stroud
comparison to it's like these guys are young young men
that the entire team is everything's being driven through them
and their potential for true greatness. It's pretty amazing to watch.

Speaker 6 (47:50):
I think.

Speaker 3 (47:50):
Also they're both well coached and like I'm glad you
mentioned like Bobby Slog because earlier on in the year,
one thing that it was noted that he did was they,
you know, their offensive line was banged up, and he
did a good job of like creating certain protections for
Stroud And like against Cleveland's pretty ferocious pass rush, like
they moved the pocket a lot, they found a way
to nullify that pass rush. He was getting the ball

(48:11):
out really quick and they were aggressively striking down field.
I thought that One of the bigger surprises was Cleveland's
defensive backs, who have been awesome. Yeah, completely, as you say,
no showing in this game. I almost like did they
were they overconfident and just came in thinking a little
bit too much because they were fried early and they
were fried through the entire contest.

Speaker 2 (48:32):
It was just like a couple missed assignments. And then
the Brevin Jordan play where you know Ausa Cormoa, who
was incredible otherwise, was like the best defensive player on
the field for either team. I think he had four
or five tackles for loss and was the one guy
playing but him and another defender. They both kind of
flash at Jordan at the same time and run into

(48:53):
each other and Jordan ends up like running through for
a seventy six year touchoupt. That was the moment where
I was like, oh, the Browns are really in trouble,
because you look at this final score and you kind
of forget. Oh, the Browns were leading in the second
quarter fourteen to ten. They had answered both of Houston's
scoring drives with touchdowns to take the lead, and then

(49:13):
the Texans just go right back and they also had
their share of long Rives too. I don't know what
what the heck would happen to the Browns well defense,
other than you kind of can't trust defenses. I've always
believed it, and that was true of the Browns this
year too. They would have a game here and there
as historic as they were, like offense wins in this league,
and there's some days where you're just gonna get fried.

Speaker 7 (49:33):
Almost all that came at home.

Speaker 1 (49:35):
Think about every defense that has been hoisted up at
some point this season. They have had games where they
weren't just bad, they were atrocious, And I just wonder
what that's all about. I wonder I was thinking more
like big picture, I was thinking about that is have
anything to do with the almost unprecedented loss of starting
quarterbacks across the league this year. Did some of these
defenses get artificially plated? And then and then when the

(49:56):
playoffs come, you know, certain things come home to roost.
I just want to put it in perspective. Forty five
to fourteen final, but on second and sixteen for Cleveland
was seven or two to go in the third quarter,
Flaco hits David Bell, who I feel like David Bell's
targeting maybe seven hundred times in this game for a
sixteen yard for a first down. They are at first
and ten at the Houston thirty four down by at

(50:19):
this point, what was it? They were ten? I think
ten set up to make it a one score game
again when the Flacco pick six happened, so the game
really did swing on that. Let's go to Demico Ryans
talking about his young quarterback that has changed Houston.

Speaker 8 (50:37):
CJ is the reason why we're in this position. He's special,
special young man. Special player continues to shine no matter
how big the moment is. Like our whole team is
leaning on him, and he has the shoulders to carry
that weight and he shows up week at the week.
He continues to improve week at the week. No moment
is too big for him. And when you have a

(50:59):
young player who can shlder a load of your team
and the way the team is back behind him, the
confidence that he gives our entire team, it's so cool
to watch.

Speaker 1 (51:10):
And Mark, I want to also give the floor here
to Joe Flacco because even though this game went poorly
and the pick sixes will be remembered, it was an
incredible run for Flacco, who really electrified and ignited that
entire fan base. Before the clock struck midnight, here's Flacco
on the end.

Speaker 11 (51:30):
This is why we love football. This is why we
love NFL playoffs. It's fourteen really good football teams and
it's one game, and you know, unfortunately for us, but
just fortunately, in just the general sense of everything, there's
always a winner and a loser, and today, like I said,

(51:51):
unfortunately for us, we were the loser. But that's what
we love about this game. There's going to be a winner,
there's going to be a loser, and you know, you
have to learn how to deal with it when you're
not the guy.

Speaker 1 (52:02):
Mark he's a free agent at the end of the year,
and Deshaun Watson is obviously still the future of this franchise.
So based on his play, you imagine he's gonna search
for somewherehere he can play next year, which means just
like that, Flaco Browns seems like it's over. It's amazing
how quickly just things change.

Speaker 6 (52:19):
It's uh.

Speaker 3 (52:19):
I mean, we have Deamar Hamlin sitting out there as
the overt comeback player of the year, but I can't
think of too many case studies where someone who's played
a third of the season has an incredible case to
be the comeback Player of the Year. The Browns aren't
in this position without Joe Flacco doing what he did
week after week. And really, I think I felt like
I saw a different version of Joe Flacko with a

(52:40):
person came back from this exodus completely.

Speaker 7 (52:44):
I feel at ease with himself.

Speaker 3 (52:46):
He brought leadership to a position in Cleveland that has
not had strong leadership from the quarterback. They've had chaos.
That makes the whole of Shaun Watson thing. It brought
a nice feeling to Cleveland season. I don't really it
ended the way it did almost easier that it ended
forty five to fourteen. There wasn't a lot of what
ifs the thing melted, But Joe Flacker was one of

(53:06):
the better stories for Brent's fans about them.

Speaker 1 (53:08):
Mark what if it was the other way around? What
if the brown forty five fourteen and then he plays
well next week? Like what would Cleveland have done? In
some ways it makes it more cut and dry, which
doesn't necessarily mean good things for the Browns because who
knows what Watson holds in the future with this organization, right,
but there's little question now where things go.

Speaker 6 (53:27):
And they had a fun run.

Speaker 2 (53:29):
I hate the I personally don't like the sports talk
show attitude of like, well, if you don't win a title,
it's like, what was the point of it? Is, Like,
the point is you're having fun along the way. That
that's what that's what life is. They had some fun
along the way. You're not going to get a title.
One team gets a title at.

Speaker 1 (53:44):
The ends where an organization is like when you're you
keep on getting there and you can't get over there.
I get it, but you can at least different.

Speaker 2 (53:51):
Though, right, And but even if you can enjoy, enjoy
the process and enjoy the week, the winds that you
get along the way, no matter what, team was a
special team because it had those wins like the forty
nine ers win, and it had the defense at times
was so special and flaccoh it's a it's a thud
of an ending, and unfortunately the opponent makes you think

(54:13):
about the long term of it all. It's kind of
crazy how little pop the Watson trade got in all this.
It's like, oh, yeah, by the way, you're beating us
with like four or five draft picks that we just
sent to you, and you've got a rookie quarterback, kind
of rookie quarterback contract, and we've got the biggest albatross
of a contract in NFL history. And oh, by the way,

(54:36):
our draft pick just moved down about you know, five
spots because you beat us and you have our draft
pick this year.

Speaker 1 (54:43):
Mark's in the room. Great, calm down.

Speaker 2 (54:45):
Well, I'm just saying from a from a team building perspective,
and it's kind of crazy. Houston legend, Andre Ware. You
remember those running shoot teams at the University of Houston
back then.

Speaker 3 (54:53):
And you've got a coach, because I think this matter
is too You've got a coach that beat Coach of
the Year candidate Shane Stike in a year ag and
Coach of the Year candidate Kevin Or a week ago,
and Kevin Stefanski this week two weeks.

Speaker 1 (55:04):
Yeah, and the Stike and that was a closely fought game.
This game really looks so great on Ryan's resume because
they were embarrassed by this same Browns team a couple
of weeks ago, and he showed Ryan's all the adjustments
that he made to take Amari Cooper out of the game,
to limit and Djokh, to make it a game where

(55:25):
you saw Flacco repeatedly, like I said, targeting the Browns
fourth wide receiver and the second tight end, and it
was kind of a masterclass all the way around from
Houston in a big spot, right.

Speaker 2 (55:36):
And Ryan's who I think has If their defense had
been a top five defense this year, he would have
definitely won Coach of the Year. And I think Stevanci's
gonna win it on.

Speaker 1 (55:45):
That should have been the Coach of the Year Bowl.
We should now.

Speaker 3 (55:47):
It's kind of much smarlso vote on these things like
during the playoffs or something.

Speaker 2 (55:52):
There is a case to be made to just vote
on everything after the playoffs. It'd be a big disadvantage
if you were on a team that threw no fault
to your own, like didn't make it, you know, like
a defensive player of the Year or something like that.
But I think there's something to be said that wouldn't
be crazy. But they mixed things up a lot. Stingley
had not traveled all year with the opposing top receiver.
He shadowed Cooper, and then I thought it really stood

(56:14):
out when Flacco just had a straight drop back, he
had no chance and the tackles finally caught up, like
Grenard had that sack. Will Anderson had a ton of pressures.
His pressure eight was through the roof. In this game,
Derek Barnett had a big sack. He had a ton
of pressures. I really thought that stood out like it
was a big play action game where both teams could

(56:34):
do play action, but when Stroud dropped back to pass,
he had the time that he needed and Flacco really didn't.
Both of those interceptions were on plays where he panicked
a little because but it was also because quick pressure
was right in his face.

Speaker 3 (56:46):
Yeah, they didn't sack him in the first game, and
I know that case Keenan was the quarterback for Houston,
so that was a whole different situation. But Flacco was
protected well in that first game behind that same offensive line.
I think you're right all the injuries because they were
so banged up upfront up to him.

Speaker 1 (57:00):
Big time.

Speaker 6 (57:01):
Texans.

Speaker 2 (57:01):
Get the Ravens next week, the early Saturday game. If
the Bills come through and win on on Monday, pretty simple.

Speaker 6 (57:12):
If the Bills, it's like seven plus four.

Speaker 1 (57:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (57:16):
If the Bills lose to the Steelers as ten point favorites,
and what a ghastly moment.

Speaker 6 (57:21):
That would be.

Speaker 1 (57:22):
They don't need the stealers.

Speaker 2 (57:23):
Then we would get Texans Chiefs, which would be a
rematch of the divisional round a few years ago. You know,
the Texans, I believe, are the only team in n
in the NFL that have never been to a conference
championship game. Mike Crazy, I think the Texans, they are
the only franchise to never road playoff game, along the
only one to never ap. Yeah, that makes sense a
conference championship game. So they have now reached the furthest.

Speaker 1 (57:47):
They've they're the patrons, say, of West of Us, which
we just celebrated. Yeah one and done's all over the
place with the with the Bengals through the years. All
right then, right, so so so, so we have one
more game to hit. I had one more thing I
wanted to share there, but now it's gone. It happens.

(58:08):
I was so caught up in Gregg's comments, it.

Speaker 7 (58:11):
Escaped your mind.

Speaker 6 (58:12):
Here's the thing.

Speaker 2 (58:13):
Sometimes it comes back, but we've already moved on to
the next game, and that hurts too.

Speaker 6 (58:18):
Do it hurts? But I think we've done this show
a long time. Mark.

Speaker 2 (58:23):
I want to give Dan the grace to if it
comes back during the next game, it's back. We can
have an official time out or some some sort of
song and you give us that's already back.

Speaker 1 (58:32):
Oh okay, all right, well it's and the only disappointment
it's not. It's not. All I wanted to say was respectfully,
because I love the divisional round so much. Pittsburgh Steelers
are not invited to my divisional round now, so we
we do not want any upsets. We want chalk for
this Monday game to be played, maybe in a blizzard,

(58:54):
maybe not.

Speaker 2 (58:55):
No, I think that was worth it. I think it was.
I appreciate it respectfully. Just like the dis you can't come.

Speaker 7 (59:00):
You've issued your edict.

Speaker 1 (59:02):
All right, let's move on. It's time now for the
Sunday Drive presented by the first ever Toyota Grand Highlander.
You know what you want to hear? Something funny, my
wife says to me. So my wife says to me.
My wife says to me, oh, you know a car
I kind of like the Grand Highlander. And I say,
I says to her, I've been talking about that damn

(59:22):
car all year on the podcast. And she went no
because she doesn't listen to the show. But I don't know.
I could end up with a Highlander. You never know
how she ever.

Speaker 7 (59:31):
Listened to this show.

Speaker 6 (59:32):
Oh no, mine hasn't either.

Speaker 2 (59:34):
Well, that's Hilander people, Johnny Hilander out there.

Speaker 6 (59:39):
I know you love the show.

Speaker 2 (59:41):
Dan just gave you, like a free one minute pop
that's worth an action.

Speaker 1 (59:45):
My wife wants your car. Can you give me the car.
I'll drive the car. I'll talk about how much I
like the car. Let's get to the game without further ado.
A game played in some of the most miserably cold
conditions in the history of professional football. Edwards Larry's in
the game now. Running back Tay fake to him my.

Speaker 5 (01:00:05):
Home soares right, Sarry top Rice at the five touchdown.
City rookie rush Hey Rice his first postseason touchdown.

Speaker 1 (01:00:15):
Eleven York trussing pattern.

Speaker 5 (01:00:17):
And just like Germany, the Chiefs have an outstanding opening
drive thro a touchdown to.

Speaker 1 (01:00:23):
Start the game. I thought, what you talking about?

Speaker 6 (01:00:26):
Like historical jermyn like just.

Speaker 1 (01:00:28):
Like, don't get Greg going. We don't need to tea
Greg up for some old h talk. We catch my drift.

Speaker 2 (01:00:38):
Just like Germany, an alliance will decide the future of
our company and we will have to take away that.

Speaker 1 (01:00:45):
We don't need it. We didn't need it and now
we got it, So thank you to you. Mark just
passed out. Uh, Mitch Holtis, I'm just getting out of
the way. Wtf with the call? Are the Chiefs gonna
rope a dope us here? Raci Rice has a big,
big game in his playoff debut. Eight catches for a

(01:01:08):
buck thirty and a touchdown, another score called back in
a dumb penalty by the Chiefs, and Kansas City easily
takes care of business against a Dolphins team that, let's
face it, come on, put him in those conditions. Of course,
I locked it up twenty six to seven final, and
quite frankly, it could have been a lot worse. But

(01:01:29):
the Chiefs continued to have some struggles boys in the
red zone where they would get in close and like
I said, a penalty wiped out one touchdown. You had
a bad Travis Kelsey drop which seems to be in
every week thing now, which is weird. A couple of
them that short circuit in another drive. So this is
a game that could have easily been thirty five to seven,

(01:01:49):
but they still took care of business and it was
pretty clean bit of business from the Chiefs, who are
a battle tested team that did not seem like the
cold bothered them. And I know we talked about it
on Thursday, the Miami Dobbins. Well, the players weren't born
in Miami and all that, but you know what, Miami,
they're a team that practices in Miami. They're a team

(01:02:10):
that plays their games in Miami. They have a quarterback
that's from Hawaii, for Christ's sake, in the middle of
the Pacific Ocean, and they played like a team that
wanted nothing to do with Arrowhead on that particular night.

Speaker 6 (01:02:21):
Yup.

Speaker 3 (01:02:22):
I thought it was an incredible case study on that front,
because I you know, this matters like McDaniel's teams are
four and ten in games played in December and January
over the last two years, sixteen and six and others,
and a lot of that has to do with, you know,
you bring teams down to South Beach early on in
the year, and teams are not ready for in the
reverse one hundred plus degree temperature.

Speaker 1 (01:02:42):
The boat race them.

Speaker 3 (01:02:43):
You boat race them, and they finished one in six
against playoff teams this year and you're facing a quarterback.

Speaker 7 (01:02:48):
Because I thought that was exactly true.

Speaker 3 (01:02:49):
The Chiefs looked comfortable in this climate much more so.
Mahomes is twenty one and six in his career and
games played in forty degrees or colder that matters. They're
just they And I think you could lean on one thing.
You knew their defense would show up at home, and
they absolutely did. I think the Dolphins didn't convert a
third down until some part of the fourth quarter. Like

(01:03:12):
so everything that you thought Miami could maybe do, they
couldn't do. And then you have you've been waiting for
this guy to want someone to step up as a
wide receiver and or Shei Rice did it yesterday. And
it's like they like a team that had more drops
than any other team in the league. Coming into this game.
It looked more competent. And I'm willing to forgive a
couple of mistakes here and there because it was like

(01:03:33):
butt cold.

Speaker 2 (01:03:34):
I know, I I but cold, Like multiple things can
be true here. The Dolphins could be not ill prepared
for this moment. This could be the worst game of
the weekend. It was, and it could also be the
Chief's best game of the season. And I don't even
think it was a question. Like there was a game
against the Chargers that they played a pretty complete brand
of ball and finished close, but even that was a

(01:03:55):
one score game. They bought raced the Bears in Week
three when the Bears were just a mess in the second,
counting that they completely dominated this game until that those
last couple of garbage time drives. The yardage was three
hundred and ninety to one fifty one. If it wasn't
for that fifty three yard touchdown by Tyreek which was
a great individual play by Tyreek Hill on a throw

(01:04:15):
that was a little underthrown, but a nice play call,
they were just killing them. They had a nine play
drive to start the game, which was the best drive
they maybe had since Germany. A ten play drive, a
twelve play drive, a thirteen play drive, a fourteen play drive.
You don't think of the Chiefs as like a tough team,
but they looked like a tough team. They got a
tough defense, we know that, but they looked like a
tough team on Saturday. They were very prepared for this game.

(01:04:38):
They ground this Dolphins team into dust. And you kind
of don't think of Mahomes as like a tough quarterback,
but man is he tough. Like the throws that he
could make in this weather and the runs that he
could make were awesome.

Speaker 6 (01:04:50):
Andy Reid talked about it afterwards.

Speaker 12 (01:04:52):
Pat had a nice day just right from the gig go.
I mean, I don't think they were anticipating us throwing
the quite as much as we did, but we were
able to come out and sling it. A lot of
quarterbacks can't do that what he did in that kind
of weather.

Speaker 1 (01:05:09):
Yeah, And you know, talked about that on Thursday too,
that you have Mahomes and you have Kelsey and it's
like they're gonna make some plays in these conditions. And
then it was like can the other team do that?
And it's funny thing about Mahomes in general, like he
kind of walks funny and he kind of talks funny,
and he doesn't he doesn't even he doesn't even move
very gracefully for one of the great athletes in the

(01:05:31):
history of the sport. And yet like obviously his production
and his career success, team success, and what you saw
on Saturday night reminds you of like he's special and
he's an all time player and they have a puncher's
chance in the playoffs because of that, and if they
would have continued to pour it on after that, Rice touchdown.

(01:05:52):
I would have been like, just you know, shaking my
fist as someone who also drafted Mahomes for a fantasy
team in this very strange year for them, Are they
gonna go put up forty five on the Dolphins. They
didn't do that. They showed a lot of their awards
that have been an issue all season on offense.

Speaker 2 (01:06:06):
And they had those sustained drives that I was talking about,
so they took me. That was kind of portant. They
did get one more touchdown. We didn't see a lot
of ten, twelve, thirteen play drives out of this Chiefs
team for a long time.

Speaker 6 (01:06:16):
I three five of them, so that was pretty good.
I agree with you.

Speaker 1 (01:06:19):
I just I can't because I've been down this road
with this team this year as as we all have,
where you you kind of buy in on them again.
I thought the opponent was perfect for them, Mark, I
could say it now and your showman, and I respect you.
I can't believe you locked up the Dolphins against me
in this one. This I can't either. This was a
Kansas City team that just was I mean, you couldn't

(01:06:42):
have put it on a platter for well.

Speaker 3 (01:06:44):
I did literally poorly for the confrontation in the in
the but I yeah, but about four minutes into this game,
I realized that was a dune Dolphins.

Speaker 1 (01:06:52):
I mean they could not wait. There was a drive,
I think their penultimate drive where I actively seemed like
they were trying to run out the clock like they
they We're a team that was ready to get on
the bus, and I think it's gonna be interesting to
see what's next around the Dolphins after this game. Obviously
McDaniel loves Toua, and I don't think TWOA is like
gonna be We're not gonna be talking about his job

(01:07:14):
security in the near term. But they have to like
start talking contract and do they want to make Tua
one of the highest paid contracts in the league. He
did lead the league and yardede passing, so he's he's
gonna command a big contract. And I just wonder what
the future holds to Miami because it does feel like
this is a soft team and a front running team
and a team that's not built to play these types

(01:07:35):
of games. Here is Mike McDaniel talking about a tough
day at the office.

Speaker 13 (01:07:41):
Nobody on this team really harbored all the excuses, the
kind of whether all the different variables that people would
talk about injuries, whether all that stuff we came here
to win didn't happen.

Speaker 1 (01:07:58):
And it is fair to say Greg point out not
to make excuses, because he's not making excuses. But they're
missing so many key players on their defense. So in
addition to the conditions not being conducive to what they
liked to do, they were just missing so many playmakers
that that factored in the Kansas City.

Speaker 2 (01:08:15):
Successful The defense of injuries especially gave them almost no
chance in this game. In retrospect, I think it was
six defensive starters, and it was like, you know, their
best is so many of their best defensive I mean six.
It's a lot in their offensive line n because they
couldn't run the ball. But ultimately I think they had
one touchdown in their final sixteen offensive possessions, so like

(01:08:37):
that really wasn't where the I know, they weren't totally
healthy on offense. Moster was coming back, Wada was coming back.
The offensive line all year like it was a very
injury plague team, but things were relatively stable on offense,
and they totally flatlined. Tua had a sequence in the
first half and they showed another angle of this play.

Speaker 6 (01:08:53):
It was a second and one.

Speaker 2 (01:08:54):
I don't know if you remember it, where he just
threw one of those It was like a swing pass.
Was it two moster just when it hit the helmet
and no, and it hits the dirt and that was
gonna be a forty yard play and he just threw
it in the dirt. And then the very next play
they got pressure on him and he throws one of
those two floaters where he like tries to throw it
over the defender that's in his face and ends up

(01:09:14):
being an interception, and that they made him hold the ball.
And then there was the end of the sequence. I
think that's what you're talking about them almost like running
the playout. Like at the end of the game, he's
throwing short on third and ten and in fourth and sixth, then.

Speaker 1 (01:09:27):
The play clock down to five four three.

Speaker 2 (01:09:29):
He threw for a six yard loss on third and
ten in the late hurry up situation, and then he
threw short on fourth and sixteen, and it was just.

Speaker 1 (01:09:34):
Like, man, I know I'm not piling on here. Although
Dolphins fins, you know he's right about your team in
the end, but is this a guy?

Speaker 3 (01:09:43):
Is this the guy well, I think if we're gonna
if we're gonna say it's the guy, or to wonder
if Dak Prescott needs to be reevaluated in terms of,
like the moment that matters most, Dak Prescott hasn't lived
up to it. Now too, It didn't have a chance
to play in the Blastar's playoff, But like, this is
someone that in big, big moments and sort of like
mirrors the entire Dolphins, has not shown up when it

(01:10:05):
mattered the most late in the season.

Speaker 7 (01:10:06):
I mean, this team just ran out of gas.

Speaker 3 (01:10:08):
You lose fifty six to nineteen to Baltimore, you crumble
against the Bills a week ago, and you know, show
in the playoffs and it's like, if everything isn't perfect
for Tua in the Dolphins, there seem to be real issues.
And I think that's what gives me that's not how
it works. He got to go into adversity. I know
they're banged up, but every team's banged up.

Speaker 2 (01:10:27):
He reminds me a little bit of like earlier career cousins.
I think he's a he's well over, he's definitely ahead
of the Dalton scale. He's in a top he's a
top ten to twelve type of quarterback, maybe higher that
would be on the lower end. But things are going
to have to be right around him. But like that,
that's always the question with quarterbacks like that. I think

(01:10:49):
Dak's even another little level above that. But I think
that's where he is. That he's a good quarterback, but
you're gonna need to be tighter. Like they had four
pre snap penalties. I counted him up on third down
and almost all of them were in short yarded situation.

Speaker 6 (01:11:01):
But that's just like so sloppy.

Speaker 2 (01:11:04):
Uh, they couldn't really run the ball that The Chiefs
were the better running team, which you wouldn't have expected.
So like Mahomes, you look at this box score and
it's like two for forty one running. That's a Mahomes
running box score if I ever saw. And he had
like two backbreaking runs in this game. So Tua was bad.
He's gonna need everything around him, I think, to be
like really good, and I think that's possible.

Speaker 6 (01:11:23):
But he's not going to carry you.

Speaker 3 (01:11:25):
Yeah, big decision impossible though, big decision over the court.

Speaker 7 (01:11:29):
Everything needs to be perfect around your back.

Speaker 6 (01:11:31):
That's perfect. But I just mean, like we s.

Speaker 1 (01:11:33):
Three isn't kind to those type of quarterbacks when you're
trying to win Lombardi.

Speaker 3 (01:11:36):
But everything kind of it has been perfect around to
for Law until the injuries mounted.

Speaker 6 (01:11:41):
I mean, like the.

Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
This, this defense and the injuries and everything in the way.
I hear what you're saying, but I don't know. We've
seen some like mid level quarterbacks win super Bowls or
higher than mid level if but he's probably not gonna
be like the top five guy year after year.

Speaker 6 (01:11:57):
And and Dolphins fans have been trying to tell us.

Speaker 1 (01:11:58):
That the Dolphins finished one and six against playoff teams
this year with a minus one hundred and ten point differential.
So yeah, a positive season in some ways, like the
fact that to a state healthy played every game including
the playoffs, was a great development, But there are big
questions because they keep winning the super Bowl in September,
but that's not how it works in the big picture.

Speaker 2 (01:12:19):
And this Chiefs, I mean, this is unquestionably we knew
it all season, but seeing it in the playoffs is
unquestionably the best Chiefs defense we've ever seen. So we
do have a Hall of Fame coach, one of the
best quarterbacks of all time, and the best defense that
they've ever had. It's why you got to say they
got a chance. I mean, if they're in Buffalo, you're
saying they don't have a chance against Buffalo, they of
course they do.

Speaker 6 (01:12:37):
And if they're hosting Houston, they're the favorites in that game.

Speaker 2 (01:12:41):
Not like they're a lock or anything, but either way,
they got a chance. Karloft has had a nice game,
like the whole defense showed up, played great.

Speaker 1 (01:12:47):
That was the Sunday Drive presented by Toyota Let's go places.
Learn more at toyota dot com. Slash Grand Highlander. Great
girlfriend work too by Taylor going to the game open
air with the glass It was crazy. In fact, we're
gonna do the Dreamatorium this week. By the way, that's
I think three. That's the hat trick Dreamatorium references. Do

(01:13:08):
you not have NFL Plus? I know, I know the
league's making you get peacock and everything now, but the
NFL Plus gives you the Dreamatorium access on Thursday, which
we are having fun every week talking Dreamatorium and I
have I'm gonna cook something up this what got I'm
gonna cook something up this week about just the conditions

(01:13:32):
in Kansas City and how wild it was so uh
shout out to tell her. People get mad when they
even show her on TV, which is toxic shocks is esculin.

Speaker 3 (01:13:40):
She emits like super loyal girlfriend vibes. She's a growing
football fan and it's like the critique is annoying to me.

Speaker 2 (01:13:48):
Right they show her like, oh what you showed the
biggest star in the world who is dating one of
the biggest stars in the game, Like, oh, five, dare
you do? Like that little picture with the with the
snow beforehand, and that was like from a movie.

Speaker 6 (01:13:59):
That was amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:14:00):
I anger that I see on social media, Like what
do you expect? Greig just said, it's true. It's literally
the biggest star in the world with Travis Kelcey in
a relationship.

Speaker 6 (01:14:10):
It's fine.

Speaker 7 (01:14:10):
It's like, how does television work? This is how it works.

Speaker 1 (01:14:13):
This is how culture works. It's good. It's part of
the story of the chief season. Whether you like it
or not. Stop being such a boring football head and
wake up. There's a whole world in front of you.

Speaker 6 (01:14:23):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:14:23):
Sometimes you get on me for you know, contrarian takes
and whatnot. Sometimes I was laughing because I'm going to
hit you with a big one here hit me.

Speaker 6 (01:14:30):
People need to calm down about Peacock. I mean, number one.

Speaker 1 (01:14:34):
You going, company man is not surprised.

Speaker 6 (01:14:36):
Company Man. This is how I really feel. Number one, Like.

Speaker 2 (01:14:40):
Everyone goes out to like bars to go watch these
these games. It's like how much you're putting down.

Speaker 1 (01:14:46):
When everybody goes out to balls.

Speaker 2 (01:14:47):
I'm just saying, like, you go out, you watch games,
you go out to the bars, you watch a game
or whatever.

Speaker 6 (01:14:51):
Yes, how much is a beer at like just one story?

Speaker 1 (01:14:53):
You're trying to get me in trouble right now. You
want me to get into it debate that gets me fired.

Speaker 6 (01:14:57):
What I'm saying is this is Greg hosting the show.
I'm saying, like, you.

Speaker 2 (01:15:00):
Don't even think twice about drinking, you know, putting down
however much on to watch the games. So that and
you're putting down six bucks or whatever for Peacock. Now
it's like an NFL playoff game. It's incredibly entertaining. And
then on the back end, it's like, oh, do I
want to check out Season ten a Top Chef again?

Speaker 6 (01:15:18):
Maybe I do? Maybe I do, Yeah, but maybe I
want to go check that. I hear you, it's I
get six dollars.

Speaker 14 (01:15:23):
Calm down.

Speaker 2 (01:15:24):
People pay six dollars for a coffee. There's lines out
the door in Santa Monica to pay six dollars for
someting your financial situation on everyone else.

Speaker 3 (01:15:33):
I think the thing is like, if you're going to
a bar, you're choosing to Like I tell you, you.

Speaker 2 (01:15:37):
Could choose not to watch it or go to the
bar if you don't want to watch it.

Speaker 6 (01:15:40):
If you know, people's a lot.

Speaker 1 (01:15:42):
Of people don't want to go to the bar. And
and by the way, you know.

Speaker 6 (01:15:46):
Go to your friends.

Speaker 1 (01:15:47):
Yeah, make me what if you don't have friends? What
if you just want to sit home and watch the game.
But maybe you're not great with a smart.

Speaker 2 (01:15:54):
So you paid so I would I guess I would
venture to say in that scenario, six dollars is fine, Like,
calm down, six dollars a month, No, but you just
cancel it. You also don't know it's not a lifetime rate.

Speaker 1 (01:16:05):
Don't throw me directly to a Ted the Talking Teddy
Bear reboot immediately after the game. I didn't ask for that, right,
nobody asked for that. Uh, go check out the box
office that Ted two did. Everybody Ted had a moment.
It was weird. I was talking about with my buddy
Bob on text today, like it's weird, the whole Ted phenomenon.

(01:16:26):
And then everybody was kind of like, all right, we're
kind of done with Seth MacFarlane. Ted two came out
as stiffed. He made a cowboy movie of some kind.
Nobody wanted to see that, and then everyone moved on,
and then all of a sudden Ted shows up again,
the talking teddy Bear. Didn't ask for it, don't want it,
don't stick it in my TV.

Speaker 2 (01:16:41):
It's funny because when that popped on Walker, you want
to I want to watch that? I was like, I
don't know. That's an our, that's a hard r uh,
don't need it. Holdovers available on Peacock. Great, great movie.
Your what's your financial steak in Peacock? All right, I'll
give you the last word on that one.

Speaker 1 (01:17:02):
Mark.

Speaker 7 (01:17:02):
I'm very happy for Greg and his over.

Speaker 6 (01:17:05):
I just fed. I went and paid twenty bucks to
go see Holdovers.

Speaker 1 (01:17:09):
You know it would be saying who asked for Ted?
Who has for more? Ted? Honestly not a human that
I know. What? What was Mark Wahlberg like in nineteen
ninety three? Well go read some stories about.

Speaker 2 (01:17:19):
That now if you want to say, Jason Garrett popping
out of nowhere after not announcing games all year, maybe
he had one or two and he's suddenly in like
one of the biggest games of the year, and he's
saying to go for on their own thirty five by
the way down twelve.

Speaker 6 (01:17:34):
Good job by Garrett. It's like you would have never
done that as a coach.

Speaker 2 (01:17:37):
That was a big moment for analytics in general, that
Jason Garrett is saying, Gopher fourth out on your own
thirty five.

Speaker 3 (01:17:42):
But maybe he's had a Mike McCarthy esque epiphany during
his time away from the.

Speaker 6 (01:17:46):
G I would like a little perhaps super bullpen there.

Speaker 1 (01:17:50):
Okay, real quick before we say goodbye. We didn't talk
Steeler bills, of course, because there was a nasty blizzard
in western New York. That game was pushed till Monday.

Speaker 7 (01:17:59):
And Governor, I mean, if you don't know that, what
are you doing?

Speaker 1 (01:18:02):
Big pop for the governor. By the way, it's a woman, right,
She's getting a ton of Kathy. Yeah, Kathy's getting a
ton ton of publicity out of this. Uh she said
today she said sed Hoculey's wife, Kathy. It won't be
pushed backed again. So that game happens tomorrow of course.
Also the Bucks Eagles tomorrow, and we're gonna have the

(01:18:24):
recap tomorrow night. A couple other news notes. The Chargers
are gonna meet with Jim Harbaugh according to ESPNA report,
and also the the the Patriots, they quickly move and
hire a new head coach, his name Mayo, and we're
gonna get into that into a little bit more detail,

(01:18:44):
uh tomorrow night. So that's what's happening in the news
and that's it. Anything else, Uh, Big Fun. What's Big
Funk doing to celebrate? I'm curious the Packers. You know,
the guy, very nice guy in the in the theater,
but when he says I lived through two and six.

Speaker 6 (01:18:59):
Mark, it used to annoy you so much.

Speaker 7 (01:19:01):
They were two and five, so I don't know where
he thought they were dead.

Speaker 2 (01:19:04):
They used to hate the idea that they got Rogers
right after farm. That used to bother you so much.
And now here we are and this team is better
with Jordan Love. Does this annoy you?

Speaker 3 (01:19:17):
I kind of felt going into this season that it
was an exhaustion with Aaron Rodgers that I that I
will experience it.

Speaker 1 (01:19:23):
This is different. Will this bother you Mark, if we
put it in this perspective because I tweeted, because it's
still bothering.

Speaker 3 (01:19:28):
We start talking about Peacock again, I'll start to get annoyed.

Speaker 1 (01:19:31):
Brett Farv nineteen ninety nineteen ninety two to two thousand
and seven, Aaron Rodgers two thousand and eight to twenty
twenty two, Jordan Love twenty twenty three to two thousand
and thirty eight, followed by a disastrous stay with the Jets,
my entire existence.

Speaker 2 (01:19:48):
So you'll get one super Bowl title about eight if
divisional round in conference lasses and I'll take that.

Speaker 6 (01:19:53):
It'll be fine a couple of weeks, big fun.

Speaker 14 (01:19:56):
Look, I know it's weird to say it because a
lot of people would consider themselves lucky to have what
the Packers have had. But we've had some really tough losses.
So to be here now, I feel I feel great.
I feel good.

Speaker 1 (01:20:08):
One second, turn up this music. Let's just groove to this,
and then I want you to come back in. Ready,
turn it up all the way on my headphones. All
big bong. He's got killing big bunk all the way
till twenty the font the big Bong, come back in. Baby,
what's happening. Guys, I'm feeling good. I know you all, baby,

(01:20:29):
Oh yeah, I'm feeling rengratulations about I'm happy for you.
Randy is a really good dude. So and I haven't
met too many jerk Packer fans.

Speaker 3 (01:20:38):
No, that's that's It's not their fault that they've had
this fortune. They're not an unlikable thing. They know ball,
they know ball. They have a good group covering the team.
I feel like, which which helps.

Speaker 2 (01:20:50):
They're ten point underdogs, by the way, in San Francisco,
So your Housemarke, give me all the points.

Speaker 7 (01:20:55):
I don't know, I want it.

Speaker 1 (01:20:56):
I love it.

Speaker 7 (01:20:56):
This game.

Speaker 14 (01:20:57):
This game really was like we were just happy to
be there, you know, I think going and humble, going
in just zen. That's been my mood all week because Zen,
I'm just happy to be here. I'm happy to watch
the game.

Speaker 7 (01:21:07):
If I'm the Niners, I'm thinking, like, wait, how did
Marion loving the Packers?

Speaker 1 (01:21:11):
Next early prediction either the Packers or the Texans, and
damn it, maybe both win next week. I love that.

Speaker 7 (01:21:19):
I would not I've been saying for a long time.

Speaker 3 (01:21:21):
I think Texans two to two playoff wins, and I
think it's It's not even a remotely impossible concept that
they could challenge the rate.

Speaker 2 (01:21:28):
What if your hoisted on your own petard there? You
know well that there was something about the football gods.

Speaker 1 (01:21:38):
You're getting behind one other team this year, the Texans,
and then they dismantle the Browns. What is up with
the football gods? Why can't they just be cool?

Speaker 3 (01:21:47):
I never I never liked the fact that Cleveland got
Houston at all at all, And it came to uh,
it came to fruition those concerns.

Speaker 9 (01:21:56):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:21:56):
And then and then the team of ATN. He may
be the Texans and Packers, the two teams that maybe
should have been the team of ATN meeting the super Bowl,
that would be it's all in play. We made a
grave error with the with the team of ATEN.

Speaker 6 (01:22:11):
I blame Tyler Goodson for dropping that fourth and one pass.

Speaker 1 (01:22:15):
All right, time to go, Great job behind the glass,
Great job listeners. Thank you to Sky Sports for having
us on this week. We'll be back next week on
Sky with Neil and the Gang and Domaquan Su. He
goes by Sue and he introduces himself.

Speaker 6 (01:22:30):
He the call

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