2023 Week 12 Recap

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Around the NFL podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
More entertaining than the NFC South from.

Speaker 3 (00:08):
The Chris Westling podcast studio. It's Around the NFL. I
am Dan Hansis and I have heroes here. On the
Flagship Program, Week twelve edition. Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler, how.

Speaker 4 (00:19):
Are you guys feeling good? The season has begun. We're
after Thanksgiving.

Speaker 5 (00:26):
That's what they started. It's here. It started well. I
would say we're more successful than the NFC South.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yes, that's it. Were better.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
I think we can make plays in the NFC South person,
I think we could hit a couple holes, make a
couple of catches, like I can do what Kyle Pitts does.
Two for twelve every week.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
No problem. You know, it was a problem.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
For the first time since we've been doing this on
a Sunday, this happened.

Speaker 6 (00:51):
Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is a first in my
twenty something year broadcasting career. We have an alarm going
off in the studios of NFL Red Zone right now
in our studios here in Inglewood, California, we are being
told we need to evacuate the building. We do not
know the nature of the emergency. You can probably hear

(01:12):
the alarm going right over the top of my right
shoulder here, as it is something absolutely unprecedented for us.
We have this game on the closest game, the Philadelphia
and Buffalo game. Our control room needs to evacuate at
this time. The studio in which I'm standing needs to
evacuate at this time.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
We are all good right now. We're remaining calm, but we.

Speaker 6 (01:37):
Are following protocols as I'm sure you all would at
your places of work, so Tucky continued, hopefully, although this
game is in the fourth quarter, I can come back
and give you a live update if.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Thank you, Scott, that happened.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
It was a fire drill, and everybody should know that
we're okay, We're safe.

Speaker 5 (01:56):
Wait did he just suggest that we would be doing
the same thing that the other would be doing it
their places of work if fire alarms went off in
those places. Amazing.

Speaker 4 (02:04):
I thought it was good for team morale. We used
to have fire alarms all the time over at our coman.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
God forsaken building.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
I think it was built on an ancient Indian burial,
old ye Pall Center.

Speaker 4 (02:17):
It was a weekly and it was a nice time
to see your coworkers. This was a little different because
we were going out into the parking lot where the
Chargers and Ravens Sunday night football game, the fans were
getting ready for it, and it smelled like old Qualcomm
out there. The weed was a little bit.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
Of a funk in the air, and then a mixture
with the sausage and the peppers and the onions and
it just cooking all around us. Reminded you of what
we have sacrificed to be here in the studio all
these years.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
And yet and everyone on their phone watching the game,
and yet.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
Us going outside that building when there's a seventy thousand
fans streaming in without our bodyguards also major security risk
for us, but we were okay with that as well,
and in the end everything worked out.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
I still don't know what the issue was, but.

Speaker 5 (03:05):
The issue feels mildly faked meal though. If fire truck
did pull up at one point, I think costs about
twenty thousand dollars for the company when that happens.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
How about the old Trojan horse where the fire truck
pulls up and then a bunch of like firefighters go in,
but they're not really firefighters.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
One of those deals.

Speaker 5 (03:20):
Oh that's a shore like a water Gate operation.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
We're not safe right now? Right? Fun? Not so fun?
Is all this happening during one of the games of
the year.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Eagles Bills were able to kind of stay with the
game on our iPhones and whatnot, But when we got
back in the building, it was chaos on that field
with some dramatics and yes, yet another Billy victor.

Speaker 7 (03:43):
First ten at the twelve, Perks and the gun Swift
COEs in motion.

Speaker 8 (03:48):
Perks on a quarterback draw, he's at the five, he's
in touchdown.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Eagles at my hurts? Does are you killing me?

Speaker 9 (04:00):
Are you kidding me?

Speaker 1 (04:03):
He's amazing.

Speaker 10 (04:06):
No, there's a party that Liga Financial Field.

Speaker 5 (04:09):
At theles of ten and one.

Speaker 7 (04:12):
I want to win, You're wins.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
You're all invited. There's a part here at Lica Financial Field.
Oh the bongos to the Eagles.

Speaker 3 (04:22):
A little bit of a bounce back from producer Eric
after last week.

Speaker 5 (04:25):
Kind of noble of Eric. He's a Bills fan in.

Speaker 3 (04:28):
Right, bowing his head and saying, I dishonored the bongos
last week, and to show you how important they are,
I'm going to hand them out to the team that
maybe just ended my team season.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
That's pretty good producer Eric.

Speaker 9 (04:43):
At job bigger than sports, guys at jobs bigger than sports.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
There is the call from Eagles Radio and it was
dramatic indeed, because the Eagles, once again trailing at halftime,
find a way getting a fifty nine yard field goal
from their gifted kicker, and then Jake Elliott, and then
after giving up a field goal in overtime, and then

(05:09):
very near touchdown by the Bills, and a little bit
of a miscommunication between Josh Allen and his receiver, Eagles
take the ball, go right down the field and yes,
Jalen Hurts moves the Eagles to ten and one.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
Drama. What a game.

Speaker 4 (05:23):
This is just one of the best games of the
season and one of the most confounding teams I can
think of, because you give them all the credit in
the world for finding a way to win each one
of these games. But they're the rich Man Steelers right now.
They have been out gained by at least one hundred yards,
not just outgained, outgained by at least one hundred yards

(05:45):
in four straight games, and they found a way in
each one. And it's a heartbreaker for the Bills because
they got their best from Josh Allen. I thought, God
mode Josh Allen, who had some setbacks in this game.
I know he had the inners, but James Bradberry made
an incredible play on that one play. And what did
he do to respond to that interception? He went on

(06:06):
a go ahead touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.
He answered Phillies couple of early touchdowns on the third
quarter with his own Touchdownder, I don't want to hear
anything about Josh Allen. He was very likely the best
quarterback in the NFL today. And yet the Bill's defense,
their best with all their injuries, might just not be
good enough because they were great in the first half.

(06:28):
They stymied Jalen Hurts to you know, under fifty yards passing,
and in the second half when their defense or their
offense was doing enough, at one point they give up touchdown, touchdown, touchdown,
three and out game tyn field goal touchdown, And there
was just no resistance at the end. And he just

(06:50):
felt like Sean McDermott is spinning all these wheels on
the dial defensively and they weren't going to get any pressure.
And you give Hurts all the credit in the world
of being able to bounce back from that first half
of the.

Speaker 10 (07:02):
Wow.

Speaker 5 (07:02):
I mean the first half by Allen and Buffalo's defense
was it, Jase. It gave me signals and ideas that
this was the game that Bills fans were waiting for,
and it just did not complete. I think of little
moments like the James Cook drop on what would have
been a very clear touchdown early no points on that.
There was the moment where Hassan Reddick absolutely launched Josh

(07:26):
Allen to the ground, ripped his jersey. It looked like
a horse caller. Uh, they don't get that call. Instead
they called Josh Allen for intentional grounding. Then Jalen Carter
blocks of Bills would be field goal. It's like these
little moments where it's like against Philadelphia in a raucous
downpour in Philly, you gotta almost be perfect, and they
were perfect in so many ways, but then you let

(07:48):
the Eagles back in in that second half, and it's
like the Eagles are imperfect to look at they were,
they are not the version of the Eagles we saw
last year at this time in the regular season, but
you can't let them back in because they win two
many different ways. Will always make the play.

Speaker 3 (08:02):
The Bills having winning time of possession of this game
had over.

Speaker 10 (08:06):
For reminder that the Ravens and Chargers game is coming
up at eight twenty two Eastern on NBC.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
Thank you, Jim.

Speaker 3 (08:17):
The time of possession forty minutes and thirty seconds in
favor of the Bills. Total plays ninety two to sixty five,
total yards five TOHO five to three seventy eight. And
yet here are the things that stand out to me
everything Mark just said an allan interception in this game,

(08:37):
and allan miscommunication with his receiver who was a Gabe
Davis on an optical illusion from where our camera viewpoint
was in overtime where it looked like it was going
to be a walk in touchdown and instead in a
choice route, the wide receiver goes one way, Alan throws
it the other way, and then it's the defense. And
it's like two things I hated about the way. And

(08:59):
I know Eric agrees, you have a three point lead
at the end of regulation. Why does it feel like
to me that you're conceding the tie at that point
in the game. You're playing very safe, You're letting the
Eagles move right down the field into field goal position.
It's almost like you're attempting. We don't want to lose
this game, and if we can get if we can
get out of this with a tie, it's a win.

(09:19):
And yes, of course Elliott makes an amazing kick, so
you can't kill the Bills, But I just didn't like
how easily they let him into field goal possession, and
then in overtime you get the field goal to go ahead.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
Okay, even after the miscommunication, make a play. You need
to make a play.

Speaker 3 (09:36):
You need to recover a fumble, you need to have
an interception, you need von Miller stops spinning around near
the line of scrimmage.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
You need to get a sack and be the closer.

Speaker 3 (09:44):
Again, they could not make a play, and that's why
their season is in great peril.

Speaker 5 (09:50):
Net it's on the brink. They have a buy, then
they have the Chiefs. After that. I you know, Greg,
I know one thing true of your nuts, and I'm
with you that after Jake Elliott made that fifty nine
yard field goal, the Bills had time a little bit
of time where they could have at least taken a
shot down field to try to return and answer on
their own. And they don't.

Speaker 4 (10:07):
They don't even do anything. They had twenty seconds. You're
the Buffalo Bills. Your best chance to ever win the
Super Bowl was ended by a drive shorter than twenty seconds.
Like you had a time out, you also used one
of your timeouts to supposedly ice Jake Ellie.

Speaker 1 (10:23):
You're not gonna ice him. He's in the rain. That
gave him more power. He may not have make it
if you didn't nice. Let's see.

Speaker 3 (10:28):
Let's hear that call, by the way, from Merril Reeves
Jake Elliott in the rain in late November in Philadelphia.
I mean, these kickers are better than ever and the
Kickers Club is gonna be hopping tonight for Jake Elliott.

Speaker 2 (10:41):
Let's hear that call.

Speaker 8 (10:42):
He swings the leg with the same speed whether it's
an extra point or sixty order.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
Let's see what he does here.

Speaker 5 (10:52):
Hold your breath, ball a spot, the kick is away, and.

Speaker 2 (10:55):
The kick is that's going over Tom.

Speaker 5 (11:01):
He is amazing, He amazing.

Speaker 2 (11:05):
What a kicker.

Speaker 1 (11:06):
Now, that's one of the all time kicks.

Speaker 4 (11:09):
I mean it's not gonna top you know Vinitari's one
in the in the snow and regulation against the Raiders.
But that is since we've been doing this show one
of the most impressive kicks I've seen to do it
in that spot and also have the knowledge that on
the other side of the ball is Tyler Bass, Who's
you know, a good kicker. I would say a top
ten kicker usually has a kick blocked in this rain,

(11:31):
hooks a kick in this rain, and I'm thinking, man,
this is tough conditions to be kicking in.

Speaker 1 (11:35):
And Elliott pipes it from fifty nine.

Speaker 4 (11:38):
It would have been good from sixty and it just
like so many one players would have changed the result
potentially of this game. And you can always go back
and do that. But ultimately, like the Eagles, best players
made huge plays when it mattered, and Jake Elliott is
one of those. Because for everything that you said, yep,
Dan about them, you know, being a little too conflict,

(11:58):
I I hear you that joeyaln Hurts was incredible, Like
multiple things can be true. He made so many great
plays in the second half of this game after playing
a little paniced in the first half, including that third
and fifteen throw where Zakias made a great.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
Play to catch that touchdown right.

Speaker 4 (12:15):
But the reality is, if Elliott doesn't hit that fifty
nine yarder. The last sequence from the Eagles was, you know,
one of their best players, Kelsey, having a penalty hurts
them actually making pretty good pressure and hurts getting rid
of the ball, almost fumbling it, but he got rid
of the ball first and fifteen.

Speaker 1 (12:33):
Then they run the ball, kind of waste some time.

Speaker 4 (12:35):
Then another penalty on Kelsey, and then aj Brown catches
a ball that almost was a fumble incomplete on third down,
right right call, but like things could have changed, and
if he catches that, they would have had a fire
drill to have to try to kick that thing. And
they're third and set, fourth and seventeen there because they

(12:57):
didn't execute offensively. But that's what this Eagles team is about.
Even though the defense was not good on this day,
they made just enough plays too.

Speaker 3 (13:04):
I was referring greg though to uh at the point
getting once it got to the other side of the fifty, Okay,
then they why it just didn't think didn't see they were.

Speaker 1 (13:14):
Trying to that time off the clock, and it didn't
work that At.

Speaker 5 (13:17):
One point though, the Bills were almost perfect on third
and long, it was like they kept getting out of jam,
getting into jams and getting out of them too, and
it really came down to just like a handful of
plays in this thing. I mean, it's like it looked
in the first half to me like the rain and
the terrible weather was affecting one team and not the other,
and that was it was like I was surprised that
that was Philadelphia, that it was affecting and then they

(13:38):
come climbing back into it.

Speaker 4 (13:40):
Yeah, there were a couple of miscommunications too, and like
there there was another throat that Alan Allen's receivers sold
them out. They they were close so many times. We
should point out the Eagles got bad news before this game.
Lane Johnson didn't suit up, which is extremely rare.

Speaker 2 (13:53):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (13:53):
Then Fusher Cox left in the middle of this game.

Speaker 2 (13:56):
M hmm.

Speaker 4 (13:56):
Jalen Carter was going in and out. So they they
found way despite those injuries.

Speaker 3 (14:02):
Yeah, and again another reminder that the Ravens and Chargers
game is coming up at eight twenty two Eastern on NBC.

Speaker 2 (14:11):
Thank you.

Speaker 5 (14:12):
As a group, Yes, we were equally mystified why that
announcement was made. I say, buckly twelve to thirteen times.

Speaker 3 (14:19):
We we've we surmised that it had something to do
with the game running late and the agreement in place
with the Sunday night football coverage on NBC, and yet
it didn't stop being annoying it.

Speaker 5 (14:29):
I think it was annoying to Nance after a point too,
the skift happens.

Speaker 11 (14:32):
You cannot, Oh my god, you cannot lose that game, Buffalo.

Speaker 5 (14:36):
No, that's and yet it's a killer.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
And yet I have love for you Bills fans because
in the back of my mind, I'm like, Josh Allen's
gonna win this game.

Speaker 2 (14:45):
He had, He's playing so great, But somehow.

Speaker 3 (14:48):
They find a way. They're an organization, They're one of
those teams starcross teams. They always seem to find a
way in the round.

Speaker 5 (14:54):
How high the pressure is dialed up when they come
out of their by with Kansas City and Dallas and
back to back game, so.

Speaker 2 (15:00):
Right, they had to have this game. I think their
season's over.

Speaker 4 (15:03):
I don't think it's over because I think we saw tonight.
You know how good they can be offensively, and I
think they can be better defensively than this.

Speaker 1 (15:13):
They didn't close the game.

Speaker 4 (15:14):
But I do agree that the specter of both these
teams schedule is hanging over this game. Because Philly's got
San Francisco in Dallas next and if they had lost
this game, it would have felt like, oh wow, suddenly
the Eagles are actually in a little bit of trouble.
But they just don't let that happen. It's amazing, and
they get a little lucky. I mean, I had to
have it missfield goals on the other side, is a

(15:35):
little lucky that them making a mistake offensively is a
little lucky.

Speaker 3 (15:38):
All right, here we go save that because on NFL
Plus tomorrow, Greg, we're gonna talk this game as well.

Speaker 2 (15:45):
Bill's Eagles just start.

Speaker 5 (15:46):
We'll say all different things tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (15:50):
All right, let's head to another great ending, this one
in Houston.

Speaker 12 (15:55):
From the left hash from fifty eight yards away, Matt
Ammndola trullid, Maddie.

Speaker 13 (16:04):
Johnson puts it down. There's the kick, the fifty eight
yard field goal. Is it hits the crossbar? It is
no It hit the crossbar and came back.

Speaker 2 (16:15):
The field goal is no good and.

Speaker 1 (16:19):
The Jags takeover.

Speaker 8 (16:20):
It'll take a knee one time.

Speaker 2 (16:23):
Wow, great call by Frank Franzi. W O kV. It
was that close.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
Ramon Doolan the Texans, but it is the Jacksonville Jaguars
who come out on top twenty four to twenty one
in a matchup between two young star quarterbacks from the
AFC South. It was Trevor Lawrence who had the big
day here three hundred and sixty four yards added a touchdown.
And I don't know if that's changed since the final,

(16:53):
but out of nowhere, Greg, the Jags were the number
one seed in AFC after this win.

Speaker 2 (16:58):
Is that still where they stand?

Speaker 4 (16:59):
That is not where they stand by tiebreaker because of
the Chiefs, But it's a way a four way tie
as we're taping, but a three way tie really Chiefs
in Miami.

Speaker 1 (17:09):
And this game had had everything.

Speaker 4 (17:12):
It had what felt like almost a clinching win here
for the AFC South for the Jaguars, going up to
with five to play is massive. The quarterback play, for
the most part, was fantastic. There was some really questionable
play calls by both sides, just ones that didn't work out.
Doug Peterson going for and all or nothing touchdown on
the last play of the first half that didn't work out.

(17:33):
The Texans with some very strange short yardage QB calls
in shotgun with no chance of running the ball, explosive plays.
But when the Jaguars got the ball there at the
end of this game, or rather when the Texans had
the ball late in this game and they're driving. It's

(17:55):
one eighteen left and c. J. Stroud has the ball
and he's on the thirty seven yard line of the Jaguars,
I'm thinking, well, this is overtime or it's a touchdown.
What's gonna happen? And what happened was what's happened in
a lot of Jaguars games this season. Josh Allen happened
the other Josh Allen. Both Josh Allen's with fantastic days.

(18:16):
This one can celebrate though. He gets the split sack
on the first play, and he had so many big
plays in this game two and a half sacks.

Speaker 1 (18:23):
That puts him in a long yarded situation.

Speaker 4 (18:25):
They have a couple incompletions and then they have to
go for this long field goal, and it just felt
like CJ. Stroud was in like I'm gonna go back
there and make a play mode, and they had a
lot of plays go against him. It was a terrible
officiating game, but he couldn't make the plays. Ultimately, on
those two long yarded situations, they don't get it, and
the Jaguars are probably gonna be your AFC South champions.

Speaker 5 (18:47):
And their defense is one of the unpredicted surprises of
the entire campaign. And I mean Josh Allen seems to
do this all the time, and Stroud has been a
masterful quarterback late in games with his game winning drives,
and it's like I was watching the Sudie Gar I
had the feeling like, oh, they're not going to be denied,
and like something about the Texans feel inevitable with Stroud
and instead like their defense. Jacksonville's defense completely stood up

(19:11):
and did his job.

Speaker 1 (19:13):
One of those games where like c J.

Speaker 4 (19:16):
Stroud hit a fifty eight yard or early to Tank
Dell that was called back on a totally bogus illegal shit.
I thought Row was insane, totally insane, and it reminded
me of the touchdown he had a Dell a week ago.
And it just started like a cavalcade of bad calls.
There was a holding they totally missed a defensive holding

(19:36):
call on a Trevor Lawrence interception, and then there were
multiple pis on the Texans that kept drives going for
Jacksonville and some no calls late in this game that
were just insane and it was distracting and it was
annoying because like, you just wanted to enjoy this game.
And I did think maybe Stroud because he's hit so
many of those plays lately and you can't fault him

(19:57):
at all. But it was just like an I'm gonna
hold the ball for and try to make a play mode.
There wasn't as many plays in rhythm. His three point
eight time to throw was the longest by any quarterback
all season in a game, and it worked a number
of times. He was twenty six for thirty six for
three zero four. But they didn't quite finish their drives.
That's why they only finished with twelve points.

Speaker 3 (20:18):
I mean totally can see they split their head to
head matchups, right, So we have that a two game
lead with what six to play, where we had now one, two, three,
four five, Yeah, six to play, So they have a shot. Obviously,
the Texans still take this division. I don't trust the
Jacks still. However, I think we should point out because
we did have some conversations about Lawrence that that this

(20:39):
is around the time last year. Remember this is when
the games counts after Thanksgiving, where he got really hot
and he helped carry that team and they even made
noise in the postseason. So keep an eye on what
Lawrence does here. He's he has six touchdowns in the
last two weeks. Now maybe it's his turn to get
a little shine here in the division. And what's been
kind of a CJ. Strouds story this year.

Speaker 5 (21:00):
He's been the story. I mean, there is a huge
matchup looming next week between the Broncos and Texans, but
I kind of like the Texans schedule in general. They've
got the Jets and the Titans after that. I think
they're like absolutely wild card worthy and some weird stuff
is happening in the AFC in general. But we'll see
about the division.

Speaker 4 (21:18):
That their total lack of a threat of running killed
them in this game. They like refuse to run it
on third and one, fourth and one. Singletary got most
of the stats, even though Damian Pierce was back, but
they combined for thirty two yards on eleven carries.

Speaker 1 (21:33):
CJ.

Speaker 4 (21:33):
Stroud was their leading rusher, also at a rushing touchdown.
Like they are a little limited, and there were moments
in this game I thought Lawrence played a good game,
but I thought it was a great game plan by
the Jaguars because there were wide open receivers multiple times,
kind of on busts, just on like swing passes, they're

(21:53):
tight end rumbled for a forty seven yard play, like
Kirk was wide open right before the half for a
fifty seven yard play. Lawrence is like completion percentage of overexpect.
It was actually like a negative three point six in
this game. I think he played well because in the end,
like Ridley dropped a long touchdo in the end, they
went outside and they went deep, and that's what I've
been asking them to do all year and they did
it with success. So I can't fault them. But I

(22:15):
think it was just a good aggressive game plan by
the Jaguars.

Speaker 3 (22:18):
Trevor Lawrence, C. J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, who obviously had
a promising rookie season cut short by injury. There are
some there's some good young talent in this division, and
Trevor Lawrence doesn't like it.

Speaker 14 (22:30):
I want the teams in our division to be as
bad as possible, So no, I'm not. That's how I
see it, And the way they're playing it's exciting. Yes,
there's gonna be some I'm sure some great matchups down
the road, and CJ's playing, He's playing lights out. He's
doing a great job. I mean, to be a rookie
and to play how he is. I got a lot
of respect for him. I know that, I know how
hard it is. You know, I've been in that position.
So he's doing a great job and it's gonna be

(22:52):
fun for years to come hopefully. So But no, I mean,
I wouldn't prefer that. I'd prefer I'd prefer if you know, guy,
the guys in our division didn't have good quarterbacks and
be better for us.

Speaker 5 (23:02):
But you know what I like about him, Like you
got these quarterbacks coming out in like four thousand dollars
three piece suits. He's like in a dented hoodie and
like an orange hat with his long hair hanger.

Speaker 3 (23:13):
That made me think of him saying I prefer that
the division sucks. I don't know if you guys caught it,
which I agree, i'd be the same with. I don't
know if you caught Alex Smith on the ESPN this morning,
ethering everyone at the DAIS. They were having a conversation
about Tom Brady's comments that the league feels watered down
and the play is not at a high level. And
Alex Smith was like, whoa, stop the clocks here, Tom,

(23:37):
you played in the AFC East and that is that
was a terrible division your entire career. And then it's like, oh,
there's Rex Ryan on the dais, there's Teddy Bruski, there's
Randy Moss, and they're all like hamanahamana. But good for you,
Alex Smith. I like that he said that.

Speaker 5 (23:54):
I mean, I think Tom Brady's overall point is well conceived.

Speaker 2 (24:00):
Is Alex Smith? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (24:01):
Yeah, But it's also the most cliche thing, like lazy
thing for an old ex player that's really not paying
that close attention to the game to say. And Alex
Smith is lazy too. Because the Patriots, I love throw
this one. I had a higher winning percentage against the
rest of the league than they did and then their
own division throughout their run.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
How about that?

Speaker 3 (24:19):
Like that sounds like a Greg fact. Can we check
that one? You know, some of these Willing Hilly facts
are thrown out lately. It's true his winning percentage was
higher outside the AFC's.

Speaker 4 (24:28):
They were both were extremely high. I was like six
sixty whatever it was. They were basically the same. But
they were slightly.

Speaker 2 (24:33):
Better on a data dive on that.

Speaker 1 (24:34):
Yeah, they were slightly better outside the division.

Speaker 4 (24:36):
You know, those Dolphins gave them troubles down and they
dominated everyone.

Speaker 1 (24:40):
Was the point.

Speaker 4 (24:41):
It's not like anyone outside the division was doing any
better whatever.

Speaker 7 (24:45):
All right, next, Rashid in motion, here's car now wants
to throw in or sept he's got great grass forty
fifty forty.

Speaker 1 (25:01):
Twenty straded out Jesse touch.

Speaker 2 (25:03):
Down Atlanta.

Speaker 1 (25:06):
And New Orleans commits their first ret zone turnover of.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
The year, and it wouldn't be their last.

Speaker 3 (25:17):
On Sunday, the call there West Durham w ZGC.

Speaker 2 (25:23):
Good call.

Speaker 3 (25:24):
Derek Carr threw a pick six, Taysom Hill later lost
to fumble at the ten yard line, and the Falcons,
opportunistically on defense keep themselves in the game.

Speaker 2 (25:37):
On the same day that Desmond.

Speaker 3 (25:39):
Ritter was doing his usual high wire act that included
falling off a few times. But in the end, a
Ridder touchdown passed the Bijon Robinson gave Atlanta breathing room,
and they held on for a twenty four to fifteen
win over the Saints, a win that puts the Falcons
into a tie in first place. With the Saints at
five and six. That tells you a lot about what

(26:01):
you need to know about the NFC South. It's not good.
The football in this game was not very good, but
it was fun and sloppy and ultimately you could sense
the tension and the bad blood between these teams, which
is famous. This was a game though, that we'll get
the people in New Orleans fired up because it was

(26:24):
the ultimate saintsy game on offense.

Speaker 5 (26:28):
Yeah. I mean, this is your concern about the Derek
Carr experience in general, because you're going to get some highs.
He's a tough player, but the lows are going to
cost you. They were zero for five in the red
zone today in general, and I guess from a Falcons angle,
you know, we've waited for a game like this, which
seems to be more the blueprint that they were hoping for,
with two hundred and twenty eight yards on the ground,

(26:49):
Bejon Robinson running all over the place. But the problem is,
I think we have enough evidence to suggest and tell
us that Desmond Ritter is just going to keep costing
you one way or another and is exactly who they
are right now.

Speaker 2 (27:01):
Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 3 (27:04):
You have to Arthur Smith has been under fire for
this whole season, and I don't think that's going to
change after this game. But they did seem to finally
understand a few things, making sure to get Bije on
the ball, who went over one hundred total yards and
had two touchdowns in this game.

Speaker 2 (27:19):
It needs to drive through him.

Speaker 3 (27:20):
Enough of this silly business about all we want to
keep him fresh. It's late November, it's time. They also
kind of de emphasized Tyler Algier. They gave Quarterell Patterson
some work and they found a nice balance because Patterson
did some work in this game, Bijeon made his plays,
and then when it was time to close out the
game in the fourth quarter, it was Algier who had
some tough runs that helped chew up the clock and

(27:43):
take this thing home. So there is something to be
said for Atlanta's ability to make those stops because it
was a crazy those stops in the red zone, because
the Saints moved the ball pretty well in this game.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
In fact, I believe they punted once.

Speaker 4 (28:00):
One hundred and forty four total yards. Right, Falcons defens
has not been playing well in general.

Speaker 3 (28:04):
So they were kind of going up and down the
field until they got into the red zone. And I guess,
on the subject not accusing you guys of this, but
on the subject of laziness, it's I think it's very
easy to just point a Car and be like he's
the reason. But then you watch the games and you
see what a team effort it is. It's rahiit Shahi
dropping a ball at the goal line. It's Car obviously

(28:25):
throwing a bad pick six to Jesse Bates, and then
it's Taysom Hill trying too hard to get extra yardage
and him fundling fumbling it. It's penalties along the offensive
line that are pushing them out of the zone. And
all these things are coming together and making a vicious
stew of this team that is just not putting it together.
And yes, you're gonna hear more I would imagine about

(28:48):
Jameis Winston potentially coming in. But I guess my point
is there's there's more guys that aren't playing sound football
on this offense.

Speaker 2 (28:56):
Here's Dennis Allen on his quarterback, some some good and
some bad.

Speaker 15 (29:02):
You know, you know, obviously I got to go back
and look at the interception to see exactly what happened
on that look I knew Bates was a really good player,
and it's not the first time he's made it play
like that. So I thought there were some plays that
that that Derek made, and I think there were some
plays that you know, we'd like to have back.

Speaker 3 (29:24):
And I agree with that assessment, and you could and
and it's it's fair that Carr needs to be better
and maybe this is just who he is, but it's
a very frustrating watch.

Speaker 16 (29:33):
Well.

Speaker 4 (29:33):
His defense is a total disappointment. The only difference with
the Falcons running attack today, it's not like they gave
it more to Bizon really or anything. It's just like
they were good at it. They've been bad at it
all year. They haven't been getting a consistent push on
their offensive line, they haven't been getting consistent yardage. And
whoever was running the ball back there got it done.

(29:55):
And so if you're getting pushed around defensively, that's not
what Dennis Allen wants. He he he played everything in
the red zone on like penalties and in the turnovers today,
but they've been sloppy in the red zone all year.
Alave got hurt in this game. He had a concussion
right and he'd left in this game, and they already
put Lattimore on injured reserve right before the game this weekend,

(30:17):
and Thomas is uninjured reserve. They were the healthiest team
in the NFL going into a couple of weeks ago,
and now they're suddenly catching the injury bug at a
bad time, and it is I think the fans are
out for blood.

Speaker 1 (30:27):
I don't think anyone people.

Speaker 4 (30:28):
Aren't thrilled with Derek Carr, but they're I think the
anger is mostly focused at Dennis Allen.

Speaker 5 (30:33):
Yeah, I think they've wanted Dennis Allen gone since last season.

Speaker 1 (30:35):
A cents they got that.

Speaker 3 (30:36):
I think it's interesting also that like and again, I
think Carr is one of those guys. Some guys struggle,
and it's seemed globally like what's wrong with this offense?
For some reason, sometimes I feel like he becomes just
the guy everybody points to.

Speaker 4 (30:50):
It's the eye test, but to me is the ultimate
eye test guy that that like, he's he's a frustrating watch.

Speaker 3 (30:57):
I agree with that frustrates me endless, Like, but why
don't we why aren't we hearing things about their play
calling in the red zone?

Speaker 5 (31:04):
I mean, yeah, Pete Carmichael didn't even want to be quarterback?

Speaker 3 (31:09):
Is there a car That's that's my point. He is
a lightning rod, That's all I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (31:13):
Car is too heavily scapegoaded because other quarterbacks around the
league right now are playing at no higher level. But
there's something about the Derek Carr like experience. I think
a lot of it is early on his career. You
could shape his performances statistically to the picture of a
better quarterback than he seems to be when you're watching him.

Speaker 4 (31:31):
And Carmichael has been take you know, locally, I don't know,
you know, I'm locked into the Saints coverage, but like
they're they're tired of everything about this team. But Carmichael
takes a ton of heat this year locally. He's not
someone who obviously is getting much attention astally.

Speaker 1 (31:45):
The crazy in this division.

Speaker 4 (31:47):
I mean, podcasts are free, freely available, the websites are available.

Speaker 1 (31:51):
You check it out.

Speaker 4 (31:53):
But you are going to be dragged through this because
it's like none of this is going anywhere. They're both
five and six, The Bucks are four and four, four
wins on the season, and like this this is gonna
be a crawl to the finish, and there's gonna be
more of these days and like, you're not gonna be
like led out of this.

Speaker 1 (32:11):
They're gonna be in it to the end. All these teams,
one of.

Speaker 5 (32:14):
Them is gonna be the fourth seed. I mean, that's
at an outrage.

Speaker 3 (32:16):
Shout out to Honey Badger, who had two picks in
this game and Jesse Bates, who I said had we
heard had the pick six and also had the punch
out on Taysom Hill. It's a two point game at
that point with the Saints poised to take the lead.

Speaker 2 (32:28):
I believe it was the fourth quarter.

Speaker 3 (32:30):
Uh, and he punches that ball out and that was
as close as the Saints came in this game.

Speaker 2 (32:34):
So a huge win for the Falcons.

Speaker 3 (32:37):
Ridder, I'll let me just say Ritter also played another
Ritter esque game in that about deep into the second quarter,
you're saying, oh, wow, he's having his best game. Then
he has a miserable red zone interception, throws another bad
pick and this just is just this, like this y
yin and yang with him.

Speaker 2 (32:54):
I don't think he's a.

Speaker 3 (32:55):
At this point a playoff quarterback, but you can understand
why Arthur Smith is going to stick with them moving forward,
all right, up next, we roll on to Cincinnati, where
the Steelers got to face a Joe Burrow free Cincinnati
team desperate for a win.

Speaker 10 (33:14):
Bengals third and three empty the set from there thirty two.
They're two for eight on third downs a trio thirteen
to seven. Brownie pinches the left receiver, big rush, he
is crist fight.

Speaker 2 (33:27):
TJ. Watt? What what was that? A freak train? No?
It was number ninety.

Speaker 12 (33:33):
Wow is about all you can say?

Speaker 2 (33:38):
Was here? Was he blocked there?

Speaker 5 (33:41):
Not by a functioning human?

Speaker 15 (33:45):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (33:46):
Wow? All right? So TJ.

Speaker 3 (33:47):
Watt with a crushing hit on Jake Brown in one
of several big plays by the Pittsburgh defense in a
sixteen to ten win over the Bengals. Pittsburgh now seven
and four, and there they are, the Bengals with ol
Joe Burrow, five and six and winless in their division.

Speaker 2 (34:04):
It all adds up to very bad news in Cincy.

Speaker 3 (34:07):
But for Pittsburgh, mark progress another win, and also the
offense did something today that they had never done under
the previous offensive coordinator of Matt Cande.

Speaker 5 (34:16):
Yeah, it was a Joe Burrow free game for the Steelers,
but a Matt Canada free game also for the Steelers
and incomes Mike Sullivan, longtime NFL assistant, to call the plays,
and for the first time in forty fifty eight games,
they cracked four hundred yards and give them some applause.
Deserve it.

Speaker 4 (34:37):
We were like knee deep in the pandemic season when
the last time year, I mean.

Speaker 5 (34:42):
Week two of twenty twenty, how much must it suck?

Speaker 3 (34:45):
Early showing legitimate empathy here for Matt Canada, who maybe
wasn't great at his job in Pittsburgh, but he's probably
a little down on the dump sitting on the couch
watching the games and did fifty eight games as their
OC I believe the number was, and never got four
hundred two. Immediately watched the team that just fired him
cross that threshold. You gotta have some second thoughts about

(35:06):
some decisions you've made.

Speaker 5 (35:07):
Yeah, like, had it come three weeks from now, it
would feel and look days out immediately.

Speaker 4 (35:12):
He's probably also a little salty that, like, they had
the hardest schedule in the league by far for offenses,
in terms of opposing defenses, and then they played the
team that's giving up the most explosive plays in the
league and can't stop anyone on the ground late in game.
Then again, the Steelers only scored sixteen points, which is,
oh yeah, so that's the thing.

Speaker 5 (35:29):
Like it from a yardage standpoint, I thought Pickett played
a pretty good game. You know, he's actually snapped the
Steelers franchise record for contexts and consecutive passes without an interception,
so he's not giving the ball away. There were more
big shots downfield. Uh, Pat Fryarmuth made a huge difference.

(35:49):
He had one hundred and twenty yards off nine catches.
I mean, he was or of the of the offense
Najie Harris ninety nine yards and a touchdown. And then
I'm we played the TJ. Watt highlight because he does
this every week. I mean, he ended two drives with
like titanic crushings of Jake Browning, who is just a guy.
He's Jake Browning was not helpless, and he's not really

(36:11):
entirely the reason that they're going to lose these games.
He can move a little bit on his feet. He
had one or two nice drives. But it's like you're
just watching the ghost and the husk of a team
that we thought could go to the super Bowl.

Speaker 4 (36:22):
Yeah, the defensive you know, issues have been there. You know,
they're zero to four in the division, they're one and
six in the conference now. A lot of those games,
obviously most of them are with Joe Burrow, so they
had issues. But it's depressing to feel like the Bengals
at five and six are already basically out of our
lives for the season.

Speaker 1 (36:40):
Zach Taylor.

Speaker 2 (36:41):
You know, I gotta bring up Zach Taylor a little bit.

Speaker 1 (36:44):
Four and twenty in starts without Joe Burrow as.

Speaker 5 (36:47):
Bengals, Well, and it looked like it today and part
of it Bill Delchick and starts without Tom Brady there,
four and fifty.

Speaker 4 (36:54):
Well, during those during that stretch, and they were they
were great, right, They went three and one with Jimmy
g and Jeoey Brissett went eleven and five with Matt Castle.
That during that stretch they were great.

Speaker 5 (37:03):
They look doomed because if you're gonna have Jake Browning,
to the truth, you gotta be able to like.

Speaker 2 (37:07):
I'm just saying, you can't go after Zach Taylor.

Speaker 4 (37:10):
Yes, in that way when I'm just my point is
they're probably not gonna be winning.

Speaker 2 (37:14):
Of course, they're gonna suck without Joe Burrow.

Speaker 5 (37:16):
Yeah, come on, well, yeah, I mean, you know, I
predicted before the season that the Steelers would have twelve wins.
If they accomplish that, it will be done in the
most milk toast fashion possible, because I.

Speaker 1 (37:28):
Know it's maybe they'll get better.

Speaker 5 (37:29):
I mean, their defense is legit. I I think it's
encouraging what they did on offense, but I don't I
need to see it weeks in a row to buy
into it.

Speaker 3 (37:36):
I'm kind of The division is a little bit of
a bummer from where it was a month ago because
Cleveland and we'll talk about them later, is just kind
of a mess now because their quarterback position. The Bengals
are more or less out of it as we know,
Pittsburgh is even with this game. It's so it's not
like it's like pinch me watching this offense. And then
you have the Ravens.

Speaker 2 (37:55):
Of course they're hanging around though. Seven and four, yep,
anything else.

Speaker 9 (38:01):
I have something, guys, if we're going to go and
we got a break here, a little bit of housekeeping, yes,
you know, coming in a phrase. Bill's got on another
end of a bad loss here. The Cincinnati Zoo locked
up Eagles. That's right, that was a big win for.

Speaker 5 (38:15):
The Cincinnati this week.

Speaker 4 (38:17):
Yeah, wait to bring that up, But that's good because
he would have had a conspiracy theory if we forgot.

Speaker 9 (38:21):
I don't want to get too far down the road.
And then I forgot at the circle.

Speaker 1 (38:24):
Back doubly annoyed watching the end of that game.

Speaker 3 (38:28):
I gotta say, the zoo with the zoo keeper, Nick
Wrestling got the magic touch.

Speaker 5 (38:35):
Three.

Speaker 2 (38:37):
It's not over, Greg, not not at all.

Speaker 1 (38:39):
And think of these late wins he had the Eagles
last week too.

Speaker 5 (38:43):
With these late I mean we did eradicate the entire competition.

Speaker 2 (38:45):
He's it's a great, incredible start.

Speaker 5 (38:48):
Canceled the competition for Nick.

Speaker 3 (38:51):
All right, let's take a break and then we will
bring in another Nick. All right, we are back and
it is time now for the Sunday Drive, presented by
the first ever Toyota Grand Highlander. Led us head to Denver,
where the resurgent Broncos look to keep it up against

(39:15):
the Brownies.

Speaker 12 (39:16):
Second down goal from the two Javonte Williams to the
right of.

Speaker 2 (39:19):
Russell, two receivers on each side of the set.

Speaker 12 (39:22):
He brings MEM's emotion. He keeps it again, running to
the right side Wilson leaps into the end zone, touchdown.
Denver three quarterback keeps on this drive Wilson from three
yards out.

Speaker 10 (39:35):
Are you kidding me?

Speaker 17 (39:37):
Are we looking at thirty four year old Russell Wilson
or twenty four year old Russell Wilson.

Speaker 2 (39:42):
Oh, David Logan with a call he didn't like that.
Russell Wilson ran.

Speaker 3 (39:51):
For a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass and that
was kind of a vintage Russ throw later in the game,
giving the Broncos the extra cushion in a twenty nine
to twelve win over the Browns. Let's welcome in the pipe,
Nick Shook, and Nick, you had a Browns team here

(40:12):
that is struggling at the quarterback position and a Denver
team that cannot stop winning all of a sudden. This
is one of the more surprising developments of the season.

Speaker 18 (40:24):
We are witnessing an absolute attitude shift in Denver.

Speaker 2 (40:27):
Guys.

Speaker 18 (40:28):
This is a team that started one to five and
got a you know, seventy burger dropping them by Miami.

Speaker 5 (40:32):
They look like a team that had no life.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
Sean Payton was a disaster.

Speaker 18 (40:35):
Russell Wilson was over the hill, and all a sudden,
they started winning some games, key'd mostly by their defense,
But now it's all coming into form. Now if you
look at the stats, you'll think, well, Russell didn't didn't
really do that much. We didn't have to do that much.
I mean, the defense played really well for the most part.
The ground game was fantastic against the NFL's scariest defense,
and they put a bit together a complimentary win that

(40:55):
only further emphasized this turnaround that's happening in Denver right now.
They're six and five, and frankly, if they play like
this guy's on a weekly basis, and especially in the
road where they haven't been as good as they've been
at home, then we're talking about a Denver Broncos team
that's gonna end up in the playoffs. That's how good,
that's how strong they look right now. They play with
an attitude, they out physical the Browns. Russell Wilson's got
a nice streea games played together here, everything's just starting

(41:18):
to come together. It's really pretty for the first time.
It's twenty fifteen.

Speaker 2 (41:21):
The Broncos. They matter, and they play like that matter.
It's fun.

Speaker 5 (41:25):
Yeah, this was a great coaching job by Sean Payton.
They talked about coming into the game wanting to remove
Miles Garrett, who was ineffective in this game and then
could not lift his left arm for the most of
the second half. Oh no, no, see what's going on there?
It did not look good to me. They came in
the Browns without Denzel Ward, who I think is a
huge part of this Jim Schwartz defense, No Anthony Walker

(41:48):
and Denver you know, showing zero fear about the Cleveland
Browns defense. Ran the ball right up the gut of
Cleveland's d like from the start. They had one hundred
yards before the first half ended. Wow, Russell a lot
of it. And the reason I think that you got
that comment about Russell Wilson looking like the old Russell
Wilson is that the element of his game that's been
missing in the earlier parts of this season and last

(42:10):
year was the mobility and the guy on the ground
who can affect you. And I thought he did a
nice job against Cleveland on the ground today and they
you know, if you're Cleveland, you're going into the game
with Dorian Thompson Robinson at rookie who's still learning on
the job. He gets absolutely destroyed by Baron Browning, he was,
you know, lights out, a concussion time, bloody lip removed

(42:32):
from the game.

Speaker 1 (42:32):
PJ.

Speaker 5 (42:33):
Walker comes in and for both of these quarterbacks, I
thought that tell tell me if you thought Kevin Stefanski
did some weird stuff in this game, they got way
too cute. They didn't stick with what was working, which
I thought they ran the ball pretty well early, they
got away from it to all these sort of trick plays.
One that cost them dearly on a terrible fumble, and
you got like, how many drops in this game and

(42:54):
how many bad David Djokhu plays that put their quarterbacks
into a terrible situation because they were hanging around until
the floor fell out late.

Speaker 18 (43:02):
Yeah, they actually had a chance to put together a
comeback before dtr got hurt and even after he got
knocked out of the game. That's where the two sides
of Kevin Stefanci's coin really came into play. Because you know,
Greg has talked about this, and I totally agree that
Kevin Stefanski has done a great job of coaching them
in certain situations and getting guys open, especially with everything
they're dealing with a quarterback. But there's been many other
instances in which he's tried to be the smartest guy
in the room and he's gotten way too cute. So

(43:22):
as soon as dtr comes out of this game at
the start of the fourth quarter, you got PJ. Walker
back there, who, by the way, is not an NFL quarterback.
We can all agree on that at this point, and
they run a reverse. They run a reverse that starts
with Elijah Boor in the backfield. He tosses the ball
to Pierre Strong, who lined up as a receiver and
he's a running back in case for those who don't know,
he's a running back, and he did not catch that pitch.
It was a fubble. Denver goes down scores. It's a

(43:44):
backbreaking touchdown, and the Browns go from being in a
position where they're winning the game on the ground and
they're really close to tying it up or taking the
leader because they were only down five points at that moment,
to suddenly being completely out of it because you know
that PJ. Walker is not going to throw them to
a victory. And as soon as he got another opportunity,
he was overwhelmed, overmatched. I would have blitzed the living
daylights out of it. Much like the Broncos did creative pressure,

(44:04):
just a great coaching job on both sides of the ball.
They out schemed Jim Schwartz's defense. A lot of the
runs were just excellently designed. They attacked the perimeter, they
won the perimeter. The Browns missed those guys on defense,
no doubt, but they were just the better team both
in execution and in coaching. And Kevin Stefanski did himself
zero favors with trying to be the smartest guy in
the room in certain situation.

Speaker 3 (44:25):
Here would be because we're seeing it at the Metal
Lands right now too. My concern about the Browns mark
you do you agree that as good as the defense is,
if the offense is going to be stuck in mud,
it's going to be a lot of three and outs
or just a bad field position, and you're going to
continue to put the d into difficult situations and eventually
the damn cracks when you keep doing that. The offense

(44:47):
needs to be more giving them more right now.

Speaker 5 (44:49):
Yeah, it reminds me of the loss to Baltimore. It's
the worst possible situation for Cleveland that this is what
it is going forward to. And I think you get
to a point where the injuries have mounted. Like I mentioned,
no Denzil Board and we'll see what happens with him.
Amari Cooper went out of this game. I'm really concerned
to hear about what happened to Miles Garrett. You don't
have Nick Chubb, you lost your starting quarterback, you lost

(45:12):
Jack Conklin, Jederick Wills, Marcius Goodwin, Rodney McCleod, your second quarterback,
Jacob Phillips, jackiem Grant, and we'll see what happens with
the rest of these guys. It's like you're just down
to the point where too many positions are vulnerable and
you can't just rely on defense to continue to stack
wins here.

Speaker 4 (45:28):
Well and to your point like teams will see that
and a couple of times that the Browns defense hasn't
looked great, it's because of.

Speaker 1 (45:34):
The run defense.

Speaker 4 (45:35):
I'm not going to put them giving up one hundred
yards rushing in the first half on their quarterback. So
it's so hard for a defense to be that dominant
every single week. You're gonna need some weeks for your
offense to pick him up. And I can't expect the
Broncos defense to stay this good because it's just a
little crazy. But since that Jets game that was where
I know they lost the next week on Thursday Night

(45:56):
Football to the Chiefs, but that game was actually, you know,
reasonably close. They kind of bottomed out in that Jeff's
game where they gave up thirty one points. They've give
averaged sixteen and a half points allowed. That's over a
six game stretch here, and they've forced let's count them up,
they had twelve turnovers and three games coming to this week,
so that's fifteen turnovers they forced in the last four weeks.

Speaker 1 (46:19):
That's pretty outrageous.

Speaker 4 (46:20):
Like, yeah, Sean Payton's doing a great job and they're
limiting mistakes and they're really playing complimentary. But Vance Joseph's like,
got this group playing great. It's pretty crazy.

Speaker 3 (46:28):
We uh, six weeks ago, I think it was work
the Denver BRONCX whoops sailed who have now won five.

Speaker 2 (46:33):
Games in a row. So keep an eye on again
the bottom of these guys.

Speaker 4 (46:37):
That a record for us, like for someone to like,
don't I don't actually think they are in the playoffs
as of today, just because of tiebreakers, right like that
for the quickest for a team to get back in.
It's a problem position that after getting forged, But you.

Speaker 3 (46:50):
Gotta you gotta give them credit because like Nick said,
and we got to move on. But to start the
season the way they did, and that with that historic
seventy burd you're.

Speaker 2 (47:00):
Like to now be on a five game winning streak
and be right in the mix.

Speaker 9 (47:04):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (47:04):
Credit to everyone involved there, and let's see if they
keep it up. And that was the Sunday Drive presented
by Toyota Let's Go places learn more at Toyota dot com.
Slash Grand Highlander. Speaking of teams on a streak, remember
the Colts were like, oh, the Colts are back there.
They're in that number seven spin still around. And not
only are they still around, they are very much in

(47:26):
playoff contention to Indie we go shotgun stat for Mayfield
in the pocket, the ball stripped, the ball is out
gone around the thirty eight yard line on.

Speaker 11 (47:39):
The recovery by Tyo at tang Bo and a strip
sack by steps.

Speaker 4 (47:46):
That someone's been drinking, like gets home tonight from the
flay his wife, It's like, how is the game con
com gone?

Speaker 3 (47:58):
Yes, that was Matt Taylor, but he was an Ebicon guy.

Speaker 2 (48:02):
Ebcom evercom guy is Rick Van Terri.

Speaker 3 (48:07):
I believe, oh ex coach ebcom. Yes, it was another
win for the Colts. Jonathan Taylor two touchdowns and the
defense comes up with a late turnover in a twenty
seven twenty win over the Bucks. So yes, that's three

(48:27):
wins in a row for Indy now six and five show.

Speaker 18 (48:32):
Yeah, you know, Gardner Minshew doesn't give you a high ceiling, right,
But the most important thing that he should do is
not hurt you. And he threw a pick today, but
he also had a rushing touchdown and he did what
he's done for most of these games, which is key
completions in certain situations, struggles on third down, but keeps
them afloat. And in this type of matchup, it was
the defense's game to win. And what did they win it.

(48:53):
They picked off Baker Mayfield after he came back from
an early injury. Ronnie Harrison, making his Colts debut, gets
a pick of his former Rounds teammate.

Speaker 2 (49:01):
They turned that into a touchdown.

Speaker 18 (49:02):
They sacked Baker a number of times, They pressure him
fourteen times, they get after him, and even after Rashad
White ran fifteen times for one hundred yards, the Buccaneers
still couldn't piece together enough consistent offensive production to get
back into this game. Now, credit to them, they did
make it interesting at the end. That's what led to
that strip sack and the repeated mention of Samson ebucom
But it had to come down to that for them

(49:25):
to even have that opportunity, because they weren't.

Speaker 2 (49:27):
Able to get out of their own way.

Speaker 18 (49:28):
And it's another loss that is all too familiar for
Buccaneers fans right now. You get both sides, like I said,
you get both sides of the Kevin Stefanski's coin. You
get both sides of the Baker Mayfield coin, which is gritty, tough,
gonna go all the way to the end and give
you everything he's got, but he's also gonna make a
few errors and if they're in crucial spots, they'll probably
lose you a game.

Speaker 2 (49:44):
And that's definitely what happened today.

Speaker 5 (49:45):
Yeah, we talked about Derek Carr being a frustrating watch
far too often, but I think Mayfield fits into the
same sort of category where you got like the heightened
good of him today because every one of these games
he'll like rumble for a first down on third and long,
and it's kind of like he jazz is up the
team and you can see what you like about him,
and it'll convert a couple of big throws to Godwin

(50:05):
or Evans, but then it's the killer turnover. And it's
like I was watching this out of the corner of
my eye and got all aspects of Baker Mayfield today
and that's why they're, you know, largely the record they
are right now and untrustworthy, but he's not a terrible quarterback.
It's just like he kind of reminds me of the
other version of Gardner Minshew a little bit.

Speaker 2 (50:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (50:23):
I think when you were out, Mark, I had talked
about like I enjoyed watching Baker this year in a
way that's been different than past years. It feels like
he's like in a nice spot and a little little
under the radar and these ups and downs of his career,
but like you're saying, there's there's always going to be
moments where he's who he is, both good and bad.
And I think it's gotten a beat and they've gotten

(50:43):
a couple of wins out of it. They are very
similar players, those two quarterbacks, no doubt about it.

Speaker 5 (50:48):
I mean the Bucks were three and one's it's not
been a good six seven weeks.

Speaker 4 (50:52):
Here, No, and Devin White is kind of having the
opposite contract year season. Let's say what Antoine Winfield is
on his own team. I think Winfield is an All
Pro candidate. Devin White. Every week you watch, you see
him getting beat for big plays, for touchdowns. A couple
touchdowns in this game, I think he missed Levante David

(51:12):
And then on the other side, another free agent, Michael
Pittman ten for one oh seven. He's on pace for
about twelve hundred yards. Like there's this argument I think
in India of like, well, how much do you pay him?
Is he really a one? It's like it doesn't really matter. Yeah,
he's a top twenty whatever receiver in his prime. He's
going to get paid a lot of money. Like, if

(51:33):
you don't want to pay him, someone else will pay
him twenty three million dollars a year.

Speaker 3 (51:36):
Yeah, but he's an interesting guy and almost like you
got to make sure he goes to the right team
for that.

Speaker 1 (51:42):
But here's the thing. He's surrounded by nothing.

Speaker 4 (51:44):
He's had a terrible quarterback situation and all he does
is produced that's extremely valuable. Even if you're the twentieth
best ride receiver in the league, like, that's worth twenty
million dollars a year.

Speaker 1 (51:54):
It doesn't matter if you're not a one.

Speaker 5 (51:56):
Yeah, and you got to think about the fact that
this is still Anthony Richardson's team starting next season and
you don't start stripping talent away from him.

Speaker 18 (52:02):
Yeah, that's a good point because I think that production
comparison wise, the guy I think of comes top of
mind is Robert Woods. Like, Robert Woods is never going
to be a number one, but he's consistent. He was
consistent in LA for a long time before they moved
on from him. You can get similar production from Michael
Pittman with an upgraded quarterback in Anthony Richardson returning Colts
fans should be pumped. They should really be pumped about
the way this team is battling right now without that
quarterback with Gardner Minshew and with it the way this

(52:23):
defense is playing. I'm not saying they're gonna make the plaoff,
but it's going to be an interesting season and it's
gonna set them up for a really optimistic offseason, which
is exactly what they need after what happened last.

Speaker 5 (52:31):
They are literally sitting in that seventh spot right now
after with all the tiebacker tiebreakers in there, and Shane
Stiken has proven I think to be a very valuable addition. Again.

Speaker 4 (52:40):
Yeah, that play action seamball on fourth and one and
a key spot when the Bucks are actually making I
mean that took some wavos to call that, and uh,
you know, Je Mersey is happy like Shane Stiken's taking
all the attention away from his Twitter behavior.

Speaker 1 (52:56):
So it's a great weekend for the Yes.

Speaker 3 (52:59):
Stike and now that we're ask thanksgiving us those start Thanksgiving.
He is a name to watch in the in the
Coach of the Year race, especially if you can get
this team to the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
Shookie, you have said it all. Thank you, my friend,
Thank you.

Speaker 18 (53:13):
And one last shout out Jonathan Taylor. Watch out for him.
He's starting to build up, Whard, He's getting a little
bit better. Two touchdowns today near one hundred yards. Keep
watching him, all right. Another stellar appearance by Shock. Look
there's a pipe. Oh hell yeah? I got to check
out the YouTube all right?

Speaker 3 (53:32):
Oh yeah yeah, full screen right there. The sound efects
perhaps troubling, but I enjoyed the overall scene.

Speaker 2 (53:40):
Thank you. Shook. Thanks guys, Let's keep rolling.

Speaker 3 (53:44):
Let's go to Vegas where the Chiefs are looking to
find a way.

Speaker 2 (53:48):
To count get some momentum going, and they did.

Speaker 19 (53:51):
Now it's third and five after having first and twenty
Edwards Hilaire is in, that's the third down, back trying
to get the call right. Here comes Watching in I
gotta throw a crossing pattern. Caught Rice starting angling twenty
five up the sideline, fifteen.

Speaker 8 (54:05):
Inside the fight and touchdown Canzaw City of thirty nine.

Speaker 1 (54:11):
Y'rek crossing pattern.

Speaker 13 (54:13):
And then swimming up the sideline.

Speaker 2 (54:15):
Rushi Rice m mitch Holt is with a call Chiefs Radio.

Speaker 3 (54:21):
And we mentioned Rice in the lead up to this
game that the Chiefs desperately need somebody to become a
real thread in that offense beyond Travis Kelcey and Rice
did the thing on Sunday eight for one oh seven,
and that touchdown in a thirty one to.

Speaker 2 (54:36):
Seventeen win over the Raiders.

Speaker 3 (54:39):
And yes, you might say, oh, beating the Raiders with
a beat up Mason Crosby nothing to you know, you know,
organize a parade over And that's true.

Speaker 2 (54:49):
And yet I watched this.

Speaker 3 (54:51):
Game and it made me feel like the Chiefs got
to win here that that they can really use as
a springboard going forward, not just because that they won
by two scores, but also how they did it. They
fall behind fourteen nothing in this game and they are
absolutely asleep at the wheel. At one point in the
second quarter, the Raiders have gained over two hundred yards

(55:14):
of offense and the Chiefs have about ten.

Speaker 2 (55:16):
It was nine first downs to one.

Speaker 3 (55:18):
It would have been seventeen nothing if Daniel Carson didn't
shank a thirty yard field goal.

Speaker 2 (55:23):
And then they just kind of got back on track
like the old Chiefs.

Speaker 3 (55:27):
They put up a touchdown, bing bang, another touchdown, and
crucially boys after halftime, where they have bizarrely struggled this
year on offense, they go right down the field their
first possession for a touchdown and really seize control of
the game, put the game away with that Rice touchdown
late and you get that win.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
You're eight and three. All things considered, with all the hand.

Speaker 3 (55:50):
Ringing we did a ton of it on Sunday night
last week, the Chiefs are in very good position to
get where they want to be, which is the number
one seed in the age.

Speaker 5 (55:56):
And it was a concerning start, but I'm looking at
what happened after the Raiders second touchdown and in terms
of net yardage on the resulting drives, the Chiefs defense,
which was awesome for part of last week, gave up
thirteen yards eleven six. There was a field goal drive
the thirty one, seven and nine. So it's like they
put the clamps on and it's like I still trust
their defense week to week to be special.

Speaker 4 (56:17):
They've been great on that side. In the secondary, I
don't need to see anymore. It's the offense. I'm wondering
how it evolves, and I think you saw a very
clear shift in strategy today until deep garbage time. Total
targets for the Chiefs wide receivers ten for Rashie Rice.
You've been calling for that. We we've been saying he's
the guy, A combined four for everyone else. Now, obviously

(56:40):
it's not going to be like that. In terms of
the wide receivers. I'm not talking Kelsey, I'm not talking Pacheco,
who both did their thing in the receiving game. In
terms of the wide receivers, it was Rice for ten,
and then Watson and More combined for four and then
garbage time he threw a couple around. He tried to
give Marcus Valdez scanty one and it goes for a
negative yard like that was.

Speaker 3 (56:58):
His only target, which is notable because it was of
course MVS who dropped the go ahead touchdown on Sunday
night against the Eagles. He's the guy, right, you know,
taking him out of the mix MVS and hopefully elevating
in the end. I think Isaiah Pachenko, I just like
I like him as a player. I like the way
he runs the football. And then I thought, notably in
the red zone if you you know, Reid could sometimes

(57:20):
just get pass crazy, and they were hammering the ball
into Pochanko inside the five, not trying to generate easy
touchdowns for Travis Kelce. It was just like trusting their
offensive line and Pachanko, and that worked twice in this game.
So there was a lot to positives here and a
lot to build on on the raider side of the ball.

(57:42):
Just like we were talking about, Jonathan Taylor is warming up.
Josh Jacobs turned on the Jets on a long sixty
three yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Speaker 2 (57:50):
It was kind of the beginning of the end for them.

Speaker 3 (57:51):
Offensively, but it was just a reminder that he is
really kind of back to the dude he was last
year when you watch him play. Finished with one hundred
and ten, his second one hundred yard game in three weeks,
and Max Crosby became the first player this season who
was listed as doubtful. There had been sixty seven guys
listed as doubtful. He plays in this game with a

(58:12):
bad knee, and it's a knee injury that I believe
is going to require surgery. So we're gonna see how
much longer you could gut it out. But this guy
is the face of the Raiders, and as long as
he's on the field, you feel like they have a chance.
Let's see how much how much longer you could stay
on the field because you could tell he was hobbled.
He did get a sack in this game, but he
is not at one.

Speaker 5 (58:30):
That's that's hopeful about Josh Jacobs, And I wonder if
you still saw an uptick in terms of like the
whole overall Raiders experience with the coaching situation. I know,
you know results aside. This was a tough loss, but
they're still hanging around. They still matter, and I felt
like they didn't matter a month ago at all.

Speaker 1 (58:48):
Yeah eight yards with Aiden O'Connell, I think, yeah, pretty happy.

Speaker 3 (58:51):
I think Antonio Pierce has done a good job. There's
a great and this is the reason you love. Crosby
is a player where he got kind of knocked someone
collided with his leg. He goes down in a heap
and he kind of peels himself off the turf and
again you could tell he's gotten through it. And Pierce
sends in a substitute for Crosby, and Crosby is like,

(59:14):
I'm not coming out of the game, and they had
twelve men on the field because he refused to come
out of the game. So Pierce had a call time
out to get Crosby off the field. And then you
see Crosby just hissed off on the sideline and Pierce
talking to him, and then you think to yourself, Josh
McDaniels isn't able to have that conversation with Max Crosby.
Antonio Pierce a guy that has been through the wars
in a different way ken. So yes, the Raiders arrow

(59:35):
up in general compared to where they were with McDaniels,
but also.

Speaker 2 (59:39):
They came down to earth here, especially on defense.

Speaker 4 (59:41):
Do you remember that doubtful used to supposed to be
about a twenty five percent chance of playing. That was
the idea of it, right, So if he's one in
sixty seven, he's the first one. I guess that's changed.
I think now it means unlikely to play. I don't
know if they still do the twenty five percent thing.
And if so, you know, we didn't invest gation here.
We need more doubtful players to play. Bump it up

(01:00:03):
to twenty five percent.

Speaker 3 (01:00:04):
Get on that beat. That could be an off season
run of episodes. Maybe we do like a seven part series.

Speaker 5 (01:00:11):
It could be like the you know, Jordan rod rig
did her you know, play Callers one.

Speaker 2 (01:00:14):
We'll just do us.

Speaker 5 (01:00:14):
We just got a series undoubtful.

Speaker 2 (01:00:16):
How do we turn through like June?

Speaker 5 (01:00:18):
That's this is how we could do a series on
each of the designations Probable. What does it really mean?

Speaker 4 (01:00:23):
It's like I saw a breaking news they come across
the screen on Friday. It was like breaking news, Max
Crosby will try to play. Then I was like, well,
that's well, I'm not surprised by that. Of course he's
gonna try. It's Max Crosby.

Speaker 3 (01:00:38):
Can I can I offer a suggestion, Mark, because probable,
what does it really mean? Kind of sounds like another
episode of this guy gets It.

Speaker 5 (01:00:46):
Actually, well, you know, there's a lot of content coming
out of that corner of the universe. But I can
always do for one.

Speaker 1 (01:00:52):
It'd be nice.

Speaker 3 (01:00:53):
All right, let's keep moving here. There was a time
where Patriots v. Giants evokes some of the greatest drama
football in the twenty first century.

Speaker 2 (01:01:04):
I'm not referring to today's game, though you should not be.

Speaker 17 (01:01:07):
The rookie is set from thirty five to tie it
snap is good, kick on its way and over in
it it's no good mister White laugh? Or yes, mister
White laugh. So another rookie beats Bill Belichick. I said
that Ryland had missed one from thirty five earlier this year.

Speaker 2 (01:01:28):
And he misses it again.

Speaker 3 (01:01:30):
Whoa greggy Carl Banks with the dagger there with Bob
Poppa on the call Chance radio. Yeah, the rookie Chad Ryland,
who was drafted in the fourth round. One of many
many misses by Belichick in recent years. That was the
difference in a ten to seven Giants win. Wasn't Mark Sessler?

(01:01:55):
Because of course this is a game that was hyped
up as being the winner is really the loser when
you talk about draft standing. But the Giants seemed happy,
Tommy DeVito and his family seemed happy.

Speaker 2 (01:02:06):
And the metal ends the fans went home happy.

Speaker 5 (01:02:08):
Tommy DeVito was by far the most enjoyable aspect to
one of the more unwatchable games I've ever sat through
in our corporate offices. But I will say before that kick,
reg and I were talking, were like, don't you find
a way to kind of miss this kick and stay
in the contention for the first over.

Speaker 1 (01:02:24):
He got to tell Ryland before the kick, you know,
just just hook it.

Speaker 3 (01:02:27):
It's like the opposite of what Belichick told out of
Vittieri all those years ago, if you miss this kick,
you're gone, when he was like a rookie. This time
it's like, if you make this kick, you're gone.

Speaker 2 (01:02:37):
And he shanked it his job.

Speaker 4 (01:02:40):
By Balichick's reaction, I think this theory not too not
too solid. I think he was very frustrated to see
the kickery. He got rid of Nick folk for who's
having a great season.

Speaker 3 (01:02:50):
Speaking of Nick Fole, let's listen to I might have
asked Eric to pull some zolac on this.

Speaker 2 (01:02:55):
Let's listen to the sentient power raid.

Speaker 3 (01:02:57):
Bottle snaps, Barricker holds, it is picked and it clears
the line.

Speaker 8 (01:03:02):
Right good, Well, it's no good and it Hook's left
with three seconds to.

Speaker 16 (01:03:07):
Go another one to get dissected after this, had to
get rid of Nick Folk, right.

Speaker 2 (01:03:12):
You guest, are automatic. Wow, by the way, Nick Folk
had another bomb today.

Speaker 3 (01:03:17):
You know, Nick Folk looks like he's about fifty five,
but he can still kick it fifty five. And that
was a decision that just so many Greg, so many
Belichick decisions.

Speaker 2 (01:03:27):
And I earlier in the season, I was on the other.

Speaker 3 (01:03:30):
Side of it, Greg, where I thought, I think Belichick
is probably gonna be safe. But the way the games
are playing out now, with the farce of Mac Jones
starting and getting benched after two interceptions, and then you
bring in Billy Zappi and then you're blowing games with
the rookie kicker you didn't need to get it all
feels like a clean start. And I think Peter King
was on our buddy Kevin Clark's show this week and

(01:03:54):
he's kind of put it out there that he that
there's a vibe he was getting that that Robert Kraft
wants a kind of a younger thinking, more fresh minded
approach to the organization, and none of that seems to
connect with the seventy something Belichick.

Speaker 4 (01:04:10):
No, And you wonder, I wonder whether that connects with
like Drod Mayo, who is younger, and I don't know,
is he going to bring a different approach or not
to watch like these game to watch Mac Jones in
this game just completely not be there. He's collapsed in
on himself almost unlike any quarterback I've ever seen that's
shown a high level of play at one point. I mean,

(01:04:31):
this was a guy who numbers wise was like eleventh
in PFF twelfth and the EPA as a rookie like
really showed it. It was a solid started quarterback at a rookie.
To regress this far where he was like playing in
a way that was begging to be benched almost at
every moment, like backing away from from throws, like backing
away from pressure that wasn't there, it is wild to see.

(01:04:52):
It is wild that he got like the opportunity to
even start this game. There was one play where they
didn't let him throw the ball on third and eight
and they handed off to Zeke is a total give
up play, but actually they had They blocked it perfectly
and Zeke had a prairie to run through. Any running
back picks up that they're done, and then Zeke's like
chugging to the sideline and they tackle him, and I
was just like another weird this is the Patriots in

(01:05:13):
twenty twenty.

Speaker 10 (01:05:13):
Uo.

Speaker 5 (01:05:14):
It's total mismanagement. I can't think of a quarterback that's
sort of been a like falling off a cliff like
Mac Jones has from where he was, you know, midway
through his rookie season, but terrible coaching around him last year.
It's happening all over again. I think it matters when
you have a starting quarterback and you're sending out messages
through the press all week that you're gonna everyone might play.

(01:05:34):
What's happening with it, And it's like he's deserved, you know,
the chance to be demoted because he's played terribly today
and he's not seen the fielded through terrible interceptions. Zapi
came in in through one too. It's like the Giants
defense inside of this effort played really well and they've
had these games where Wink Martindale's defense has shown a
lot of promise. It's like, I don't know if you're
the Giants what you're building for. But like the Tommy

(01:05:55):
DeVito experience in reverse on the flip side shows me
that Brian Dable can coachquarterbacks like he looked functional again today.
It wasn't perfect. It was a terrible range, just like
in Philadelphia, but a guy like Jalen Hyatt bailed him
out and had a lot of big plays.

Speaker 1 (01:06:08):
Those are nice throws.

Speaker 4 (01:06:09):
Though he's played, he's out playing Mac Jones and Zach
Wilson to the.

Speaker 5 (01:06:13):
You know what this is like the second he took
six sacks from the Patriots. Again today, it's keeps getting
you know, shredded, but he's making plays outside of it.
And I give them credit for a team that has
not given up on their coach.

Speaker 2 (01:06:23):
Two QB thoughts from this game. One.

Speaker 3 (01:06:28):
Tommy DeVito has this window and moment in time where
he will be the starting quarterback of the Giants. And
it's not going to happen after this year because they're
going to go in a new direction or they're going
to go back to Daniel Jones more than likely, But
in this moment, uh, there's there's Jersey Boy undrafted player
that has he will be talked about, trust me, is

(01:06:49):
someone that grew up in this area. He'll be talked
about twenty five years from now as a sometimes as
a punchline, sometimes has reminiscing like wasn't that crazy that
this guy was our quarterback? A guy that you would
expect being in section three fourteen was actually our QB.
Just kind of a fun little thing and an otherwise
dreary season for the Giants and mac Jones. I've never
been the biggest fan of him, but I also think

(01:07:11):
he could be a somewhat successful system quarterback with the
right setup.

Speaker 2 (01:07:16):
I think they broke him.

Speaker 3 (01:07:18):
I think there's so much more than just him at
play here, and we know how they let him down
last year.

Speaker 2 (01:07:23):
But you're right what you.

Speaker 3 (01:07:24):
Said about like the way they've talked about him in
the media and their quarterback situation didn't don't instill any
don't empower him in any way, and he's clearly playing
like a young quarterback who doesn't believe in himself and
the scheme and the team that he.

Speaker 4 (01:07:39):
Played, Like where's Bill O'Brien and all this right, it
hasn't improved getting rid of Patricia Hunter. Henry said he
didn't know who the starter was until they ran out there.
Ballichick consisted he told Mac Jones at some point before
they got on the plane, but the team didn't seem
to know. The most newsworthy coaching report from this game
that was before it by Jake Lazer, yes, a report

(01:08:00):
that he expected a mutual parting of ways between Brian
Dable and Wink Martindale.

Speaker 1 (01:08:06):
Possibly before the end of the season.

Speaker 4 (01:08:09):
Dave All of course was asked about and said that
was you know, the only thing we argue about is
like who.

Speaker 1 (01:08:13):
Gets the last lights of piece.

Speaker 4 (01:08:15):
But it was really pointed that, like he gave Wink
Martindale the game ball after this game, so it has
to be the first ever game ball issued in the
history of the NFL. In response to a Jay Glazer report.
What's going on, Like, there's no way Wing Martindale gets
that game ball unless that report gets out there. And
I I one hundred percent trust Jay Glazer that he's

(01:08:37):
got this thing.

Speaker 3 (01:08:38):
Now as a fellow insider, I just got to say,
I gotta respect what Jay was able to do.

Speaker 4 (01:08:42):
Right exactly, just that there's tension there. They're just inside
the build they're bickering at each other.

Speaker 1 (01:08:46):
Whatever it is.

Speaker 3 (01:08:48):
All right, let's take a break and then we will
finish out is Sunday Slate.

Speaker 2 (01:08:56):
All right, welcome back.

Speaker 3 (01:08:58):
Of course, you had the three thanks Giving games, and
you can check out the podcast previous to this one
for our reaction to those games. There was, for the
first time a Black Friday game. It was a Black Friday. Indeed,
at least for my team to the meadowlands.

Speaker 2 (01:09:12):
We go spoils act to throw looking for man rush.
They're chasing them down.

Speaker 1 (01:09:20):
Get you off towards the m drove and then it's
picked off.

Speaker 2 (01:09:24):
Oh that's gonna get interest. They haven't, and it's a
good call.

Speaker 13 (01:09:28):
At the twenty thirty, he's cutting back.

Speaker 2 (01:09:32):
Inside forty of My New York for twenty five to
twenty to the right til five pay cut play.

Speaker 3 (01:09:46):
Jimmy Cephalo Orfalo Cephalo, Jimmy Cefalo with the call.

Speaker 2 (01:09:51):
With Joe Rose.

Speaker 3 (01:09:52):
I think it was Rose who pointed out this could
be interesting. Yes, the Hail Mary for the Jets at
the end of the half, set up by a two
inner exception, Tim Boyle throws it up for grabs, it
gets intercepted and then run back ninety nine yards. Just
the latest indignity for the New York Jets and the

(01:10:13):
latest win for the Miami Dolphins, who cruise on Black
Friday to a thirty four to thirteen win. So the
Dolphins another team at eight and three, and in this game,
it was like like the other Thursday games, it was
not very competitive.

Speaker 2 (01:10:30):
It was two teams going in very different directions.

Speaker 1 (01:10:33):
Yeah, I think it was the end of the third quarter.

Speaker 4 (01:10:37):
I wrote down the stats in the box score that
the Dolphins had had sixty one plays, the Jets had
had twenty two. The Dolphins had had three hundred and
thirty five yards, the Jets had had fifty. That says,
you know, complete domination pretty much on both sides of
the ball. You know, they would have had seventeen points
in their first three drives the Dolphins if Tyreek Hill

(01:10:57):
didn't drop a pass in the end zone. And then
once it defense does start playing well, they get a
couple turnovers on to it, including one with two seconds
left to set up that Hail Mary. That's what happens.
And you just felt for everyone there, But I guess
you didn't feel I guess there were a lot of
Dolphins fair then good job by the Dolphins now traveling well.

Speaker 3 (01:11:17):
It's also Jets fail Loud aren't gonna watch it right,
barbit right selling their tickets because it's outrageous, and I mean,
it's just we don't need it, not today. It's just like,
why does it have to be like this? Why can't
we just lose like regular teams? Why do we need
the hail Mary pick six to add to all the
other frustrations being a fan of this team for the

(01:11:41):
game to kind of be remembered this way, and it's
just brutal, and Tim Boyle is obviously not the answer,
and just like Zach Wilson is not the answer. But
like I said last week, with this Jets team and
this regime, you get what you deserve. And they set
themselves up for this and they ignored all the warning
signs and now the chickens have come home to roost

(01:12:02):
and it blows my mind. As let's you know, I
want to hear from Robert Sali here, Robert Salad now,
And we talked about his stammering reply to Michael k
a few weeks back when asked about Zach Wilson and
you know, his starting job now he's being asked about
Nathaniel Hackett, which is obviously a thorny issue because he's

(01:12:22):
Aaron Rodgers's boy and everything is about Aaron Rodgers with
his team, and once again the coach is revealed to
be powerless.

Speaker 20 (01:12:29):
Essentially, I'd be a really long answer, an answer for
another day, I guess, But you know, when you look
at it all and again, it's it's a little bit
of everything. Whether the calls could be better, whether the
execution can be better, whether our one on one battles
can be better. You know, it's it's taking advantage of
the situations we have. When we get him. Do I think,

(01:12:54):
play caller, we'll fix that.

Speaker 2 (01:12:58):
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:12:59):
Let me hold on, like so you cannot, you cannot
go into next season because this season is essentially it
is over for the Jets, and it's become poisoned in
every possible way. The Nathaniel Hackett question is a fair question.
I think one thing I'm wat when I'm watching the
Jets because there's got to be a schism in that building.
If there's a schism in the Giants building. They didn't

(01:13:22):
have a single drive go for over sixteen yards until
the fourth quarter. I mean, that's absurd. And what that
tells me a little bit is that we're watching other
teams around the league that flexibly change what they do
on offense depending on what's happening at quarterback, what's happening
in other positions. Good coaches find flexible, creative ways out
of jams. And Nathaniel Hackett, I don't know how else

(01:13:43):
to put it on. He's organizing the weekly call sheet,
the weekly attack, the way they're going to do things
has shown zero ability to recreate anything they're doing at all.
Tim Boyle's only positive quality is that he's not Zach Wilson.

Speaker 3 (01:13:57):
Yeah, the obvious move would be to remove the play caller,
but again it's all tied to Rogers And then you
see the report on Sunday and I just don't want
to even we don't need to dwell too much of this, Seamon,
because it's it's.

Speaker 2 (01:14:08):
All gross and ugly.

Speaker 3 (01:14:10):
But the Ian report this morning that Aaron Rodgers is
ramping up his rehaby he could return in some for
him to practice in the in the next week, and
he's still targeting potentially Christmas Eve.

Speaker 2 (01:14:22):
What are we doing? Like, who is in charge?

Speaker 3 (01:14:26):
Because I know it's not the head coach because I
listen to him and every week he gets a little
more powerless.

Speaker 2 (01:14:32):
And I don't think that GM's in charge either.

Speaker 3 (01:14:34):
I think it is the injured quarterback that's turning forty,
that brought in all these bums from Green Bay along
with him, and they need to have a you know,
Jesus needs to take the wheel of this team and
before this turns into as embarrassing a fiasco as anything
else previously, because right now I am teetering in my

(01:14:54):
belief that even with healthy Aaron Rodgers, that this team
right now is set up in terms of coaching and
management to ever come out of the darkness.

Speaker 4 (01:15:02):
And it is as dark as it could be right now.
Oh yeah, Salas fifteen and thirty. If it continues on
this path, I don't think it should be surprising if
both he and Joe Douglas lose their jobs and they
blow up the whole whole thing. But it depends a
little bit on how the rest of.

Speaker 1 (01:15:18):
It goes.

Speaker 4 (01:15:18):
But they had Lazard was a healthy scratch guaranteed eleven
million dollars. I guaranteed more than that for this game,
which is wild to flip to the Dolphins. They lost
Jalen Phillips, who, to me, along with Jalen Ramsey, is
the most important player on their defense, was playing at
an outrageous level. Was gonna he still will, you know,

(01:15:39):
get a massive, massive contract, but that you know, torn
Achilles is just a huge.

Speaker 1 (01:15:45):
Loss because I know that a lands Turf ray.

Speaker 4 (01:15:47):
I really thought you you saw the difference because Phillips missed.
I think it was two or three games in the
middle of the season. I really thought you saw a
massive difference because they have a deep defensive line and
Wilkins is good, but man, Phillips is the one true
difference maker. And then I also think they got to
be a little worried that it's It's just I said
it before. It's just been a while since we saw

(01:16:07):
a great to a game. He now has twenty interceptions
and fumbles on the year. He only had fourteen all
of last time. Twenty total interceptions and fumbles combined. Now, wow,
there were some bad snaps in there. I want to
go through what the fumbles are.

Speaker 2 (01:16:21):
Say a lot, he didn't. They didn't lose all those fumbles.

Speaker 4 (01:16:23):
But no, no, I I whoa, yeah, he doesn't lead
the League in fumble recoveries, because some of those are
are bad snaps and everything, but there were some like
this game where it was his own fumble and he
was picked off twice in the and these weren't like
making excuse interceptions. These are just bad interceptions. And then
they just they have a freak. They have a brain

(01:16:45):
freeze on third and one and fourth and one.

Speaker 1 (01:16:47):
It's crazy. They they just refuse to run the ball forward.

Speaker 4 (01:16:50):
They finally did it later in this game, but they
just refuse to do it and they never pick it up.
They're one of the worst teams. It's so crazy. So
it's just little things. They're eaten three. But these are
things that they're gonna be his thinking about.

Speaker 3 (01:17:03):
I know this is nothing new, but you see it
on those throws to the outside on the pick six
that he threw to Brandon Eckles and then the I
that came before the hall Mary, Like, he just doesn't
have great arm strength, so it's just his margin forerer
is smaller and when he's.

Speaker 4 (01:17:16):
Not sharp, you know still, and he had many great
it was a tepical too, a game where like, look,
he had some dimes.

Speaker 2 (01:17:23):
And so he mixes them in He's like, you see
both sides.

Speaker 3 (01:17:25):
It's just okay, all right, let's move on and head
to the desert where.

Speaker 2 (01:17:30):
The Rams were looking feisty again.

Speaker 8 (01:17:33):
Back to throw, Stafford lobs it left side and so
cuts touchdown. Karen Williams touchdown lay. The second year tailback
takes a bow after his second receiving touchdown of the day.
It's fourn counting for Matthew Stafford, and now this playoff

(01:17:53):
push has teeth.

Speaker 1 (01:17:56):
Whoa JB like that?

Speaker 2 (01:17:58):
Our dude call? Yeah? Why not?

Speaker 5 (01:18:02):
Five and six?

Speaker 2 (01:18:03):
Why not the Rams in the playoffs?

Speaker 3 (01:18:06):
After Matt Stafford throws the season high four touchdown passes
and Kyron Williams comes back into the lineup and is
a major difference maker in this game, running for a
buck forty three and also catching six passes for sixty
one yards two touchdown catches thirty seven to fourteen.

Speaker 2 (01:18:27):
The final pretty impressive, Greg.

Speaker 4 (01:18:31):
It's against an Arizona defense which is obviously one of
the worst in the league, and it has new injuries,
so that is a caveat and they've owned this matchup,
but it is extremely impressive to see them dominate the
line of scrimmage. The Rams to dominate the line of
scrimmage in such a way that you can run for
two twenty eight, that Kyron can go for two h
five yards from scrimmage, that you can put up thirty

(01:18:53):
seven points in four hundred and fifty seven yards in
a game where Puka Nakua Cooper Cup combined for forty
five yards. Actually, I think that is a great sign
for the health of this team that they can stay
feisty because the defense plays with a lot of energy.
They did a nice job today. Donald is playing out

(01:19:14):
of his mind. But it needs to be an offensive team, Markie,
and this was one of the rare kind of special
offensive days that they've had this season where they put
it out together.

Speaker 5 (01:19:22):
Iron Williams last appeared before today against the Cardinals when
we were in London and they had a scant rushing
yardage in the first half. Then he exploded for one
hundred and fifty eight. So in two games against the
Cardinals back to back, they've allowed nearly four hundred yards
to him. He's a very interesting player because it's not
fluky like. He was absolutely gashing Arizona from wire to wire.

(01:19:48):
This game was eight seven at one point with Kyler
Murray running in for a touchdown and they never scored again.
They don't look any better on offense with Kyler Murray
than they did with Josh Doupps.

Speaker 4 (01:19:57):
Hmm, yeah, is that true. I don't know if that's true.
They haven't been turning it over. I think they've looked
a little bit, but you're right, they're not. They're not
lighting it up special. After that first drive where the
Cardinals went right down the field, I think their next
eight drives they had something like a total of eighty yards.
And yeah, it's it's the rookies for the Rams. We
don't need to go too long on them, but it's

(01:20:17):
it's pretty crazy that they didn't. They didn't have a
first round draft pick, am I right? And yet they
have one of the best rookie classes in a long time.
And that was the whole idea they loaded up with
these picks. They have four guys making huge difference. Steve
Avila is going to be starting at guard for them
for a long time, like a difference making guard. You
have Pukinakua. You have Byron Young, who's among the leaders

(01:20:41):
in quarterback hits and certainly tops among all rookies. And
then Kobe Turner had a couple of sacks today and
has been a really good starter.

Speaker 1 (01:20:47):
That's four rookie starters. They're five and six.

Speaker 4 (01:20:50):
This is actually, I think basically exactly what Sean McVay
was hoping for out of this season. Some meaningful games
in December and the rookies and and real guys we
can build around.

Speaker 1 (01:20:59):
And oh, by the way, Aaron I don't still playing
at it really high.

Speaker 3 (01:21:01):
Yeah, like this is you're right, this is what he wanted,
which is this is a development year with all these
young players. If we could be in contention while we're developing,
and then you could build with a nice draft and
free agency class next year, all of a sudden, you're back.

Speaker 2 (01:21:15):
So yeah, so far the path there is clear for them.

Speaker 3 (01:21:19):
They've they've done a nice job and it's just now
about can you keep Stafford upright and healthy because when
he is healthy and slinging it, they can score points
of Villa was their first pick, thirty six overall in
the second round, so you.

Speaker 2 (01:21:32):
Know, I think they have a first round pick this
year coming up, and first.

Speaker 4 (01:21:35):
Time in like a decade, Hey doo and and Stafford
who's touched down interception ratios looks so wonky all year,
it's been annoying for how well he's played. It's nice
to see him just put up a four spot. It's
like a corrective measure. I don't know what he did
in the off season, but I swear he is moving
better and looks more agile and mobile than he's ever
looked in his career, Like he was evading a ton

(01:21:56):
of sacks and making good sort of second reaction plays today.

Speaker 2 (01:22:00):
Love it, Love to see it.

Speaker 3 (01:22:02):
Don't think he has an outside shot at the Hall
of Fame, the Strong Final a couple of years.

Speaker 1 (01:22:08):
I think he has a shot.

Speaker 5 (01:22:09):
Fringy.

Speaker 4 (01:22:10):
I think he has a decent shot. Oh sure, if
I would do it, But he has a shot. Browns
next week they are in the mix.

Speaker 5 (01:22:17):
They have Browns, then Ravens. They also have the Niners
on their schedule out. Oh yeah, it's gonna be.

Speaker 1 (01:22:22):
But there's there in the mix.

Speaker 5 (01:22:22):
There's some winnable games in there too.

Speaker 4 (01:22:24):
You could go across the sidewalk mark for that game
Brown's Rams, you know, I guess I could little four
to twenty five action come back for the pod.

Speaker 3 (01:22:34):
You could uh put on a ninety five miles Garret
Jersey and put LEVI over it.

Speaker 2 (01:22:39):
Nice little one, nice little ape.

Speaker 1 (01:22:41):
Ah, Okay, there you go.

Speaker 2 (01:22:43):
Well across? Why not? Right?

Speaker 5 (01:22:45):
Yeah? What's stopping me?

Speaker 10 (01:22:47):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:22:47):
Why wouldn't you go see the Browns? Not interested in
seeing the Browns.

Speaker 1 (01:22:53):
I'd be interested, but you know it would be the
first one.

Speaker 2 (01:22:56):
But I feel like you might be interested in seeing
the brown.

Speaker 5 (01:22:58):
I mean, but you know, if someone steals it from
me on Thursday's draft, then it would that it's a problem.
And I have a professional assignment to do watching you know,
later other late games, right, So might it might you
could prevent it.

Speaker 2 (01:23:09):
It might be hoove you to once again take the
Browns very early in the upcoming draft.

Speaker 4 (01:23:15):
TBD a strategy to our friend Jason Zemma, who was
dying as they were giving up thirty seven straightfowards in
I mean, they he cares and I and I think
the Cardinals fans are being tested right now.

Speaker 1 (01:23:28):
They had a crowd.

Speaker 2 (01:23:29):
Do you have the pulse of the Cardinals?

Speaker 4 (01:23:30):
Well, no, but I do have a crowd shot that
CBS showed in the middle of at the beginning of
the fourth quarter, and wasn't that well attended for that
portion of the game like they just weren't a lot
of people they might hop.

Speaker 3 (01:23:43):
It into that not for nothing, Like you know, Jonathan
Gannon was brought in as a defensive coach and that
defense is not developing in his first year. Let us
now move to Nashville where the Titans get the woebegone Panthers.

Speaker 1 (01:23:59):
Rice seventeen to thirty for one four on the day.

Speaker 2 (01:24:04):
Come on, Price, do something.

Speaker 1 (01:24:05):
But right here, three receivers to the left. Come on,
Titan's showing pressure, get a cup.

Speaker 2 (01:24:11):
Come on, throw it left side.

Speaker 1 (01:24:13):
Chart he's hit.

Speaker 2 (01:24:14):
He's dropped.

Speaker 16 (01:24:17):
Now my body hooker got him, basically at the line
of scrimmage, and ladies and gentlemen, this one is a
minute fifty five.

Speaker 1 (01:24:27):
I'm being over. Yes, been a minute since they had
a win. So I get it.

Speaker 2 (01:24:34):
I told you.

Speaker 3 (01:24:34):
Then they when the color guy forgets what his job
is and he just screams out some type of guttural
response one of my favorite things. Yes, yes, and it
was indeed a Saints excuse me, a Titans team that
needed to win and stayed undefeated at home, by the way,

(01:24:59):
and taking care of business here against the Panthers seventeen
to ten. That one in ten Panthers and Bryce Young
in this game. That was a checked out of a
play for that screen the DJ Shark on a fourth
and six that went nowhere, and Frank Reich said after

(01:25:21):
the game that listen that that was the right move.
They're showing a defense, a zero defense that if you
beat that blitz, that can go for a touchdown. But
they didn't quite run the right route. That's not typically
sharks purview. But they had some injuries and it doesn't
work out. And that's just like the story of this team,
like they can't seem to get it going. Bryce Young

(01:25:43):
can't seem to get it going, and as a result,
they are steaming not towards.

Speaker 2 (01:25:50):
The number one overall pick because they traded it. So
it's like a lot of negativity and a lot of pain.

Speaker 3 (01:25:55):
And then you see here's a tweet I believe from
Joe Person who covers the Panthers after the game.

Speaker 2 (01:26:01):
Uh, we might be we might be steaming.

Speaker 3 (01:26:04):
Towards another episode of a Tepper b talking our new
big series ready to launch. At some point the season,
person reports leaving the locker room, David Tepper shook his head.

Speaker 5 (01:26:15):
And yelled, that's not good.

Speaker 21 (01:26:20):
Well, it's f dash dash dash, But I think, I think,
and I'm sorry, Eric, but this is this is journalism.

Speaker 2 (01:26:31):
It's the owner, the owner.

Speaker 5 (01:26:34):
We have to assume that's the word that's being right.

Speaker 1 (01:26:37):
It could have been a different word.

Speaker 4 (01:26:38):
It could have been like Franngie break Franjie one of
the great.

Speaker 5 (01:26:44):
I mean, there's there's you know, oh man, there's evidence
that the owner is the one that Bryce Young over
anyone else too. And well, of.

Speaker 3 (01:26:53):
Course, well yeah, and I think there's obviously a lot
of that's mean to say, blame to go around, but
with c. J. Strad doing what he's doing, it's just
all the more frustrating. So you have all that going
on around Charlotte, it's just a bad vibe. On the
Tennessee side of things, you got some positive Derrick Henry
had two touchdowns here and Henry I feel like this year,
you see it's a different version of Henry because what

(01:27:15):
he used to do and what made him a Hall
of Famer makes them hall of famer is he would
have these days where he was just kind of like
waiting to break one, and his numbers look mundane, and
then bang he goes for sixty eight and then that
average jumps from three point two on eighteen carries to
five point nine or whatever like those. You don't see
those runs as much anymore, but he still is a guy.

(01:27:37):
You get the ball to him in the red zone,
he could find a way so they get it to
Henry will Levis is not equalled that debut game yet
and not come close to not throw a touchdown on
this game, but I thought I saw some progress from
him this week in terms of his decision making and
in general. I thought it was a pretty clean effort
by the Titans. A team that's four and seven, four

(01:27:59):
and one in home, should say not undefeated.

Speaker 4 (01:28:01):
Well, that was their only home loss was in London.
What they have to be they have to have the
worst record for any team that hasn't lost in their
home stadium like entering December.

Speaker 3 (01:28:13):
And I'll can see what a what a feat Yeah,
I'll can see to you Mark that you watching Giants
Pats is probably the worst game of the day. But
two hundred and sixty four yards with the Titans, two
fifty eight for the Panthers. This was not a game
that it's going to like be sticky in my brain
moving forward.

Speaker 5 (01:28:29):
No, sure, and I've yet to examine it super closely,
so I could be wrong about that. I can look
forward to intee you that Patriots Giants was no treat.

Speaker 4 (01:28:38):
I want to hear your breakdown of really what you
take away from from this game.

Speaker 5 (01:28:44):
I did read that Jeffrey Simmons was absolutely dominant.

Speaker 4 (01:28:47):
Retackles for loss, had a sack in this game. He's great.
I think that's all we need.

Speaker 2 (01:28:55):
Yeah, do we have any Oh?

Speaker 4 (01:28:56):
Wait, I do have an update on on Frank Wright
that actually to me is more Frank, more concerning, maybe
even than the owner yelling that word. Will Counkle of Fox, Yeah,
real person, local Fox hust as you. I don't know,
but he says he was told Frank Reich's coaching seat

(01:29:17):
is quote on fire her source. Now, to be fair,
Will Conkle works at Fox twenty six Houston.

Speaker 1 (01:29:25):
He's reporting on the Panthers.

Speaker 4 (01:29:27):
I'm sure he does a great job, but I'm right,
I'm not familiar with it.

Speaker 2 (01:29:30):
I don't know what the sourcing is on this. I
don't know how we reported this.

Speaker 3 (01:29:33):
But he is right because Frank Reich has the kind
of a sad sack look on the sideline, and he
was brought in to work with Bryce Young and and
make him a big time player. He's shown very little
progress or averaging twelve points a game in the last
five weeks. And on top of everything else, it should
be said, in fairness to to the young quarterback that

(01:29:58):
they had injuries on the interior of the offensive line.
So that's not making any easier. He does play small.
You watch these games and you see it. Just he
doesn't look like he's in a comfortable place in the
league right now. So you know, three Carolina coaches had
seasons with thirteen or more losses from ESPN, Dom Caper's

(01:30:19):
four and twelve and ninety eight, Seafert, George Seffertlan Panthers. Yeah,
one of the aviators with the white hair, George Seffert
one in fifteen in two thousand and one, John Fox
two and fourteen in twenty ten before Cam got there.
They all were fired after that season. This smells like
a two and fifteen one and done for Reich. And

(01:30:42):
we'll see does he even make it through the season.
When he got Tepper walking out of the locker room
and saying whatever that F word was, right, who knows?
I mean, that's not gonna be a fun meeting for
Frank and Tepper knows.

Speaker 5 (01:30:52):
What he's doing. When he does that, it's it's like
your there's you know, what's outside of an NFL locker
room down in the bells of those stadiums, like tons
of reporters, tons of people with eyes. It was a
performative bum.

Speaker 11 (01:31:03):
Well, that's a great point, Mark.

Speaker 2 (01:31:06):
I think I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:31:07):
I would think he's just so emotional exactly he's I
think he thought when he.

Speaker 5 (01:31:11):
Took over this stuff gets out from that.

Speaker 4 (01:31:13):
It just seems a lot, I know, but he, you know,
he's just so mad about it that I don't think
he wants to have I think out there.

Speaker 3 (01:31:21):
What happens in with these CEO oligarchs and all that,
Like they aren't used to failure and they think everything
they take over is going to be great. Since he
replaced Richardson, they've been a mess.

Speaker 5 (01:31:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:31:34):
Right, It is a reminder because I frustration must be immense.
I'm guilty of this too. You know Richardson, we weren't
fans of it, and there was this whole idea just like, hey,
David Tepper's going to come in and he's been successful
and he's run business. It was like, now they've got
great ownership. He's gonna get what he wants. That's what
Tepper does. And it's like, actually, you're gonna do what
most new NFL owners is, which is just waste your

(01:31:57):
first five years with a ton of mistake favors.

Speaker 3 (01:32:01):
My favorite Panther's trope the first couple of years in
this era was Teppard knows how to close a deal.

Speaker 19 (01:32:08):
Right.

Speaker 5 (01:32:09):
Well, you know we're not uh still paying Matt rule.

Speaker 3 (01:32:13):
Yeah, we are not trading on the open stock market.
We are not absorbing other businesses and hostile takeovers.

Speaker 2 (01:32:22):
We're trying to lift Lombardies a little different, all right.
To Sunday ef football.

Speaker 5 (01:32:28):
He sends Zay Flowers wide to the right. Cowie brings
flowers in motion to the left. He gives them the
flowers on the jet sweet.

Speaker 1 (01:32:36):
He cuts himself the numbers.

Speaker 2 (01:32:37):
Piece of the herby turn turn burn touch.

Speaker 1 (01:32:43):
Jase is in the barn. I'm a raven knock out.

Speaker 2 (01:32:47):
The Chargers in away, I love it, I love it.
Jaz is in the barn.

Speaker 3 (01:32:55):
Jerry Sandusky with the call yes Zay Flowers in a
third and short scenario that just need the first down,
but Zay saw daylight and he took advantage of it,
taking it to the house his second touchdown of the game.
That was from thirty seven yards out, and it was

(01:33:18):
the decider in a Ravens twenty to ten win over
the Chargers. The Chargers all but dead now at four
and seven after another lackluster primetime performance in the Ravens
nine to three sit a top the AFC with six
games to play, ors five games to play. Dan Hansen's

(01:33:40):
with Greg Now, as we made our hasty retreat from
Sofi Stadium back to our respective homes, Mark didn't make it.
Mark ran into some traffic, some type of holiday parade
in Hollywood. So it's just going to be you and me,
Greg and the Ravens feel no pain after yet another win.

Speaker 1 (01:34:04):
Yeah, I feel for Mark.

Speaker 4 (01:34:06):
We were trying to avoid the traffic and he got
stuck in the Hollywood Christmas parade.

Speaker 3 (01:34:11):
So from moving to Hollywood, which is you know, your
whole life is traffic when you live in that.

Speaker 2 (01:34:16):
Part of the city.

Speaker 4 (01:34:19):
I'm I'm sure he's feeling like Chargers fans right now,
like we just went through this whole experience to just
end in such an incredibly frustrating and yet familiar way.
Like the Chargers, they find ways to lose games in
new and creative ways in this Ravens team, even though
they're gonna come out of this, and you could hear

(01:34:40):
it in Lamar Jackson's voice after the game, very frustrated
with what he said was a flat offensive performance. They
can win like any type of different game, and this
was a game where they're plus four in turnovers, and
they can also almost blow any ten point lead in
the fourth quarter. It felt like they might do that
here with the Chargers is driving down only three with

(01:35:02):
a couple of minutes to go, but this defense is
ultimately just too good to lose to all But like
real contending teams, I know they've had had some slip
up performances, but on a day like today, it's hard
not to feel like they're one of the you know.

Speaker 3 (01:35:16):
Yeah, And Jason Garrett said it on the telecast, weirdly,
filling in for Chris Collinsworth. I don't know what the
details were on that either, but Garrett pointed out that yes,
this is not the two thousand Ravens, and no team
really is the two thousand Ravens except perhaps the eighty
five Bears, but they're built similarly and how they how
the defense is huge upfront and elements of the how

(01:35:40):
they constructed that side of the ball, and they play
well and they make you earn every yard and they
hit you hard, and it's just a well coach, well
schemed attack or defense. And the Chargers quite frankly, are
not built to beat a good defense, which seems weird
when Justin Herbert is your quarterback and you have Austin

(01:36:03):
Eckler as you're running back, and you have Keenan Allen
closing in on one hundred catches before December.

Speaker 2 (01:36:09):
But that's really the offense.

Speaker 3 (01:36:11):
And that's part of the problem with this team is
that they lost Mike Williams, and Quinton Johnson has been
a bust in his first year, and and Eckler hasn't
been the same player this year, and Herbert has not
been able to lift the offense.

Speaker 2 (01:36:26):
With the cast that he has.

Speaker 3 (01:36:27):
He averaged less than five yards attempt in this game,
had a costly sack fumble late that obviously you know
he was beat up on the play as well, and
he's been taking a beating at times this year. It's
just been very frustrating for this Chargers offense, which was
supposed to be better with Kellen Moore this year, but

(01:36:48):
I just haven't seen that.

Speaker 4 (01:36:50):
No Quinton Johnson has kind of killed them because after
Williams's injury and Josh Palmer's injury, that's their two and
their three, and Palmer was a really good three. They
just needed him to step up. I think he would
have been benched if they had any other options. And
in this game, like he has the two killer drops
and then he gets hurt unfortunately, and look, Herbert like

(01:37:14):
was doing everything they could. And I just thought that
third quarter into the fourth quarter drive that they spent
nineteen plays in over eight and a half minutes to
go before it ends getting nothing because of the clowney
sack fumble was just so fitting because they knew they
needed big plays at that point, but they just don't
have it. That was the only way that they were

(01:37:35):
going to move the ball, even though they were kind
of killing the clock on themselves. And yeah, they did
get the touchdown the next drive after that. They didn't
totally lay down in this game, but there's just a
total lack of explosion. I'm amazed how how keenan Allen
is racking up. He had fourteen for one zh six
like doing this week after week when opposing defense is no,
that's basically all they have.

Speaker 3 (01:37:55):
Yeah, I mean it was fourteen catches on sixteen targets
for a while. Was the receptions were echoing the targets
until late in the fourth quarter. But also, you know,
and this is not taking away from Allen, but he
is the greatest chain mover in the game right now.
He's not a dynamic downfield player. He averaged seven and

(01:38:15):
a half yards of reception. He got one hundred and
six yards off fourteen catches. So while he is an
essential part of an offense that any team would love
to have, he's not your prototypical number one all Pro
game wrecker in the same way as other players across
the league at that possession. So they need someone with him,
and it's just not there. And you know, what is

(01:38:37):
that Wait, what's that sound I hear? What is that
sound I hear in the distance in the sky above us?
Is Oh, my goodness, the rain maker.

Speaker 2 (01:38:51):
Oh it's the rain maker.

Speaker 1 (01:38:53):
That's right.

Speaker 4 (01:38:53):
All you boys and girls, get your ad Ben Calendar's
out and start unwrapping Greg the say flowers, thank you
very much for not going down at the one yard line.
That would have been a tough way to go out.

Speaker 3 (01:39:07):
Greg, you are living the most charmed existence this season.

Speaker 2 (01:39:11):
I must say I envy you. It's high level envy.

Speaker 3 (01:39:17):
Justin Tucker misses a automatic kick for him to keep
it the spreads three and a half.

Speaker 1 (01:39:23):
He missed it up, by the way, too.

Speaker 2 (01:39:25):
We locked this up too. He locked it up as well.
He misses the kick.

Speaker 3 (01:39:29):
The Chargers take over fail as they do, and then
it is comes down to what looks like to be
a thirteen to ten win if they just pick up
the first down, and yes they not.

Speaker 11 (01:39:42):
Only does he get the first down on third and short,
he doesn't go down because he wanted to do his
penalty kick celebration and that gets Greg the rain Maker
lock up.

Speaker 3 (01:39:52):
I just I'm just so jealous of you, Greg. Everything
you touch turns the gold this season.

Speaker 2 (01:39:57):
Stop. I mean, damn, that's a record with a pick
this year.

Speaker 1 (01:40:01):
Well that was a lock. That is eleven and one.

Speaker 4 (01:40:04):
As I've said, luck is luck is the most important,
you know ingredient to all this.

Speaker 3 (01:40:08):
This one was, especially on the Rainmaker side of things,
really yes, you know, everything is kind of clicking in
on Rosenveal Boulevard this season.

Speaker 4 (01:40:16):
Well, when they got the stop on Herber and you
know when when the charters are going, I'm feeling so
many emotions here because yes, I want all the children,
especially overseas, you know, our Scottish listeners all the Yeah,
I want them and their kids to the Scottish listeners
have to do with this. Well, they're just they're they're big.
They love they love Saint Nick, they love the Rainmaker.
I don't know, I uh, I was thinking, you know,

(01:40:40):
I'm torn because I kind of want to see a
good game. I want to see Justin Herbert, one of
my favorite players in the league, go down and not
have one of these games where he gets the ball
again at the end of the game and they can't score.
It ends up happening, you know, twice in this game essentially,
But when the Ravens got it back, you know, I
was thinking, if they stop them three times in a row,
Tucker gets a chance at redemption there, but instead Flowers

(01:41:04):
pops the big one. And that's why no one should
ever actually do this. And I was mad, by the
way at John Harbaugh and I know it's a kind
of analytics guy way to think about it, but I
hated that field goal attempt go for it on fourth
and too. I hated their play calling tonight. They just
refuse to run the ball like they were running the
ball great. And it is the one thing I believe

(01:41:25):
in this Ravens team. I love the way Clowney and
always playing. I love the way they run the ball,
but their passing attack is erratic, and they're gonna need
them their receivers in Lamar to win some games and
you just don't know which one's gonna show up. And
tonight they could have just won that game if they
just ran the ball more frequently, and if they had
gone for that fourth and too to just just try
to put the way ball game away there, that's fine.

Speaker 3 (01:41:47):
Yeah, Keith Mitchell deserves more touches than he's got. He
got nine in this game and he turned it into
sixty four yards. I just think every time he touches
the ball he makes their offense better. And you are
right about to Damian Clowney. I mean, he looked five
years younger, and I know it probably annoys Browns fans
because of him. He didn't live up to the promise

(01:42:09):
of a number one overall pick, and then last year
he essentially quit on that team, and now he's in
hated Baltimore and playing at a high level he had.
That's like the holy trinity for a defensive player when
you can get the sack, the force, fumble and the
fumble recovery on Herbert. So Clowney has been almost predictably
the best version of himself once he got to Baltimore.

Speaker 4 (01:42:31):
Well, they take other people's players and they make them better,
like pat Rokwan. Smith is just outrageous how good he's playing.
You get Clowney, van Noy's making plays. I mean Hamilton
that that was their own pick. But when he made
a big play early in the game, I think it
was on Eckler and then did the the too small
celebration Dan, which you know felt personal to Eckler, you know,

(01:42:52):
not the not the tallest guy.

Speaker 3 (01:42:54):
It's been a tough year for Austin Eckler. That's seven
and a half sacks for Clowney. I've been tracking very
closely for over a decade. Will you ever get to ten?
Maybe this year this could be it.

Speaker 4 (01:43:06):
Might you might get a Super Bowl ring here, this
team is nine and three. It's it's why I when
you ask me who's the one seed, you know is
the Jaguars early in the day, and then there was
the Chiefs at midday. And as I was saying, I
was like, is this going to be dated? Well, no,
because you listened all the way to the end and
now the Ravens are the one seed.

Speaker 3 (01:43:23):
In the It changed hands three times today four yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:43:28):
Yeah, because the Dolphins had I think it started with
the Dolphins went to the Jags, went to the Chiefs.

Speaker 1 (01:43:34):
Now it's the Ravens.

Speaker 3 (01:43:36):
One last thing I missed it before, but I wanted
to let you know in the Cadence rankings, I know
you're your top ten at the end of the year.
I want you to keep your eye on Titans quarterback
Will Levis, who has a throaty, aggressive, masculine Cadence call

(01:44:00):
and it's something that warrants close eye as his career
continues to unfold.

Speaker 1 (01:44:07):
Looking forward to it.

Speaker 4 (01:44:08):
That's why we got to finish this so I can
dive into that tape. What what a what a transition
that's like the rot the farm to rogers of Cadences.
Because Tannehill is one of the one of the greats
of his generation.

Speaker 2 (01:44:19):
YEP, I don't think it's a coincidence. All right, that's it.

Speaker 3 (01:44:23):
We're assuming Mark will get back to his home by
Ian Mark.

Speaker 4 (01:44:28):
I feel for you, buddy, because I don't not that
he's going to listen to this, but I know how
frustrated he probably is sitting in that traffic.

Speaker 3 (01:44:35):
I got curiously, I got a lot of like panicked,
angry texts about it, but it wasn't the three of us.

Speaker 2 (01:44:40):
So maybe he's he's afraid of you. So maybe you
guys have to talk about that.

Speaker 1 (01:44:44):
Why Why would have you afraid of me?

Speaker 4 (01:44:46):
This is one where yeah, it's that that is not
on him.

Speaker 3 (01:44:50):
Mark will be back with us on Monday when we
have our NFL Plus Game of the Week Eagles Bill,
so make sure you check that out, and also Monday
Night Football when we wrap up the week with Bears Vikings.

Speaker 2 (01:45:03):
Till then, you know what you must do, heed the call.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Host

Gregg Rosenthal

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

24/7 News: The Latest

Therapy Gecko

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}2023 Week 12 Recap