2021 Week 10 Recap

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Be Around the NFL podcast watches Succession on a Monday
from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's Around the NFL.
Dan Hands is here with heroes Greg Rosenthal and Mark Sessler.

(00:21):
I make a point to actually watch it on Sunday
night with the wife. It's to get home, knock it
out in the hay. That's what it's like. That's married, like,
that's treating yourself. That is that's living right there. And
I I want to say, and you know we are
you know, we try to keep ourselves distanced from it,

(00:43):
but the reality is is that we are employees of
the National Football League. I mean there's you can't you
can't get around that, like that's they Roger, He's the
one sign of the paycheck, okay. And with that in mind,
I think there's a responsibility two the audience. Uh. And

(01:03):
that's the global audience, not just the end of around
the NFL audience. UH, to to be upfront when we
see something that a statement needs to be made based
on the action today. So Ricky, can I get the
miss of music? And this wasn't sanctioned by anyone above us, okay,
but we're happy to hear it. I think you're he'll
be okay, well, Greg will probably it's probably about Teddy

(01:26):
Bridgewaters lack of a tackle now no, but we will
get to that later in the show. Here at the
National Football League, we strive for excellence on a weekend
and week out basis. Our goal is delivered to you
the fan, a quality product every Sunday from September through February,
and we understand that we failed to clear that lofty
bar in week ten. We are working diligently to diagnose

(01:49):
the issues that led to today's decline and product and
appreciate your support and patients moving forward. Please forward any
remaining concerns over gameplay too at Mark Sesssler on Twitter.
I'm gonna bear the brunt of a Sunday that did
not deliver due to a host of blowouts. Somebody has

(02:12):
to be just the game, okay. Was the game play
in general? It was? I don't think this was like, uh,
the best Sunday, but I I was. I'm not, you know,
I am I'm an employee and I do pretty much
what they asked For the most part. This feels a
bit beyond but that's okay. I think Brian McCarthy will
be cool that statement over there in NFL PR right.

(02:35):
I mean I I wasn't sure where it was going.
I was like, is this specifically from the Browns and
that's why Mark has to apologize? Like, what is what's
going on now? I thought it was pretty clear the state. Yeah,
off the day you can apologize to me. I think
you're saying that I should probably apologize on behalf of
the league or shield the the issues. I said, any

(02:57):
any other issues from the fans, right forward to them,
Funnel it to Mark Sessler uh in his Twitter mentions,
and then you'll handle any kind of the backlash. Just
keep it, keep it in the public. It's like you
need to have bad Sundays or you don't even know
what a good Sunday is. It's like you need to
have a tie at least once a season so you

(03:19):
know how like great it is to have wins and
losses and all the rest of the briskes. Feels like
the guy that should be, you know, absorbing. What is
the speaking of succession the Roys, they have this term
everyone assemble assemble in the pod or something when they
have to do some type of crisis management. I thought
Greg just spun gold. There he would, but he would

(03:40):
do well in that family based on what we've seen.
So there you go. Give me the miss of music
on more time then that. Now that we've recrafted and
shifted the narrative, fans chill out, shell Ax, Bros and
sis is Uh. If you didn't have bad weeks, you
wouldn't truly enjoy the good ones. So you're welcome. See

(04:02):
you next Sunday. Contrast, are fans angry about today? I
feel like most fans, it's like if your team won,
there you're happy. Not everyone Greg Gibson, your little road start.
I just mean, I didn't know Patriots suddenly King. I
didn't know there was an outcry against the week Ted.
I hadn't heard anything about it yet. I I try

(04:24):
to stay in tune my tweet deck app and to
what the general vibe is of the football community. And
you know, an underwhelming week. But enough, we've already we've
released two statements. Already, the show is four minutes old.
No more on the matter. That's what statements are for.
They speak for the entire organization. And again, Brian McCarthy
had a pr that was I got you, I handled it.

(04:48):
All right, he's been busy. I worked in pr for
a brief time in the mid aughts. O don't know.
It wasn't really Now I'm working in it thanks to you.
All Right. Today's Today's show is going to focus, of course,
and all the games that were played on this highly
controversial week ten. Uh. And there were some big blowouts

(05:10):
and some unexpected blowouts, some expected, some stunning in nature.
I would I would put the Patriots Browns affair in
the stunning category personally. Uh. We'll get to that in
a little bit, but let's start with the marquee matchup
of the day. It was the CBS game of the
week Late Sunday was supposed to be a shootout between

(05:32):
Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. It was anything but sniffed.
Wilson off play action, deep drop, plenty of time, rainbows
deep down the middle of the end side I tendor
second pock by acred Amos run in. Spectacular play by US,

(05:53):
spectacular play by the entire Green Bay Packers defense. And
it's been that way for weeks now. Wayne Laravie with
the A W T MJ. Aaron Rodgers returned to the
line of victorious but it was that defense that played
the starring role in the seven team nothing win over
the Seahawks at lambeau Field. The Packers D permitted nothing
to Russell Wilson in his possibly premature return to action.

(06:17):
In fact, Seattle shut out in the game for the
first time since w Wilson joined the team in two
thousand twelve. Greg the pack D is on a heater.
It's crazy because every week that they play better, they
lose more great players, like during this game, Whitney Merciless,
who I guess he hasn't been great this year, but
he's come up uh and had an immediate role with

(06:38):
the Packers. He gets hurt, that might be serious. Rashaan Gary,
who's been their best pass rusher on balance, hurts his
arm halfway through this game. It didn't look great. Well,
we'll see how long he's out for. And yet they
just keep rolling. They are so resourceful whatever whatever it
is that winners have, Matt Lafleur's got it at this point,

(07:00):
highest winning percentage in the history of the NFL UH
in terms of coaches thirty four and eight. It's outrageous,
and you just look at them and think they should
and could be so much better this year than they
have been so far, and yet they're eight and two.
Like they're gonna get great players back, and I think
they can play better on offense than they've had than

(07:22):
they have and yet they're winning games against good teams
and in games like this one going away. Yeah, I
mean it's this is a Packers team that I personally
can really really get behind because they have not given
up more than twenty two points since Week three, and
yet they haven't scored thirty since Week three. They're winning
in a different way than in years past, when you
kind of trusted the the defense to crumble at some

(07:44):
point when it mattered most down the stretch. They're doing
it differently. I know this game was um, everyone thought
it was gonna go, you know, right down to the
bitter end, if not into overtime. I like a nice
seventeen to nothing butt smack once in a while, because
despite despite it adding to the week that you described, Dan, Yes,
it kind of decisively separates two teams that I think

(08:04):
once Russell Wilson copact like, oh this could go and
go to either one of them. Actually, the Seahawks have
a lot of issues and Russell Wilson alone. I think
he's They're dead corner youth like a fork and I
forked them because and I will be right because it
was the you know, it was the right call at
the time, and it's the right call now. And Russell Wilson,
even if he improves with his little finger, is not
gonna uh, he's not going to save them alone. Time

(08:27):
is still on their side, although it's becoming less so
as we go on and deeper into November, I'm still
not willing to rule out the Seahawks making a playoff run.
But yeah, it has to start soon, and it was
supposed to start this week in Green Bay. UM. And
before we turn the conversation over to Russell Wilson and
whether he should have have been playing in this game

(08:47):
because he was not good as good as uh the
UH Packers were on defense, and they deserve Joe Barry
and his defensive unit deserve all the credit they're getting, UH,
considering they've held Ler Murray, Patrick Mahomes and now Wilson
in the last three games to combine thirty four points.
H Wilson was missing a ton of rose greg and
it changed the entire game. Now, it went from it

(09:10):
was bad enough Greg where I wondered and was being
contributed a lot on the telecast to Rust, and I
wondered if it was more like is his hand healthy?
This guy that came back in four weeks on a
six eight week injury. It was a pr assault upon
us as we headed into this game on Sunday, and
he looked like a guy that wasn't right physically. He
missed a lot of throws, and I think Rust has

(09:34):
to be part of it because his timing was off.
But his timing is off and off. I mean, the
whole point of Russell Wilson's career when it's going well,
is not about timing. It's about him holding onto the
ball forever and like making plays. And they keep changing
their offensive coordinators to find one that makes the offense
kind of go in rhythm, and it doesn't really happen.

(09:56):
And I think he bears some blame for that. But
Hi having one of the worst games of his entire
career coming off that injury makes you point to the injury,
even if Pete Carroll won't. He said it had nothing
to do with his finger. He could have made all
the throws. Uh, he was laid on throws and and
some of them early at least felt like the speed
of the game. Maybe he was not totally ready for that.

(10:17):
And Tony Romo was ahead of that, thinking that that
would be a major problem with for Russell, and they
went heavy shotgun. I mean they that type team, but
it was like to protect his finger. That does change,
you know, your versatility on what you can do on
some level. Right, he had one deep throw to Swam
where normally you kind of expect him to put it
out there and a little late on that throw. Definitely
skied some balls, So it seemed like it was a

(10:40):
little bit about the finger. I mean, Geno wouldn't get going,
got shut out. I saw your tweet there. I'll leave
it that. Russell Wilson said after the game of his
repaired finger. That was not the factor. We can say
whatever you want to say. It comes on my shoulder
because I didn't fulfill those two plays referring to the
two end zone interceptions. I guess this is just the

(11:00):
way it works. And Russell Wilson could be frustrated, and
Seahawks fans can be annoyed that people are gonna focus
in and hone in on his struggles in this game,
but he made I'm not gonna say he made it
about himself and made it a bigger story than it
needed to be. But when it's built up the way
it was. And I happened to switch on espn S
pregame show briefly this morning, and I saw, like, I

(11:22):
don't know if it was stage or a reenactment, but
it was like Russell Wilson learning from the doctor in
the office that you're gonna be out eight weeks and
him making like a very pensive, serious face, and I
couldn't even tell if it was real or not. And
I was just like, Okay, I gotta check out of
this because I can't take any more of this stuff.
Uh rap sheet referring to Russell Wilson as Wolverine and
because of his quick healing abilities, all that stuff like

(11:43):
being funneled our way and then this performance happening. I mean,
it's just kind of a it's kind of an extreme
of two things it is. It's also it says a
lot about the whole Seahawks team, whose defense also has
been better. This is there was some weather in this
game as well. Dan, I don't really view you as
the target audience for Russell Wilson messaging over the years.

(12:04):
But who is everyone kind of you either? I mean,
I'm not saying I am. I will see through it
with him, though, there is something about him that even
even you're I just think there is. I mean, he's
not striking out with one of viewers. There are people
that find that kind of stuff. Uh, they see you differently.
I'm with you in the camp. I'm not maybe like
as because you I'd say, I'd say I'm not as

(12:27):
like locked onto this as you are. But you whenever
he releases any sort of statement, I think he's the
funniest person in the world. Um. By the way, we
watch here in the office, we have the truck feed
the Rashaan Gary injury. While you guys are watching the commercial.
I saw the replay that was so gnarly that when
they got back Jim naces like, we decided not to
show the injury because how bad it looked. It was gross.

(12:49):
The other big injury, Aaron Jones sustains an mc l
injury in this game. Um he did. He had tears
in his eyes. Uh, he sat on the bench, was
ruled out quickly. Um, we'll see how long he's out.
But it should be noted that A. J. Dillon ran
the ball extremely well. Uh, he's been doing that for
weeks this season. But he looks like a guy who
could step in and the Packers won't lose much because

(13:11):
he has that ability. That fifty yard catch and rumble
that he had down the stretch. A J. Dillon Dan
And I noticed this. I love the way he dresses.
He looks like um when they did a bad job
with action figures back when the action figures were a thing,
and they'd make like a regular looking Joe super musty.
But he looks insanely muscley. He is. He is the
biggest running back in the NFL. He looks good with

(13:34):
the big shoulder pads and every Yeah, he looks like
an eighties guy. And I thought he was the difference
offensively for them today because there was a key I
can't remember if it was third and one or fourth
and one, but a key point in the in uh
one of the scoring drives where he broke through a
tackle where he was hit in the backfield, ends up
picking up that first down to keep the drive going,
and that's how he got one of those other touchdowns. Too.

(13:56):
I mean, as much as this feels like a blowout,
was three nothing in the fourth quarter, like this thing
was still up for doubt. And Bobby, he's when you're
dragging Bobby Wagner into the ends on your batman, Yeah
you are. And one good note for the Seahawks, Jamal
Adams got his interception. Yeah, he played a great game.
He's very active. Suggested that Wish felt it was coming,

(14:17):
and he got that. I n T. The man's got
glue on his hands. All right, let's move on to
oh Man. We gotta get the grave digger on the
headset because the Titans keep Titans have to win one
play from the seven to maintain their lead. Simmy and

(14:38):
takes this down fired right side receiver not looking and
it is in complete and complete. My key. We're hearing
a lot from my key this season. W g f X.
The Titans defense meant, but did not break. On Sunday
in Nashville, Tennessee surrendered a late toch down past the

(15:00):
Trevor Simeons, but got that stop on the ensuing two
point conversion from the seventh. By the way, bad bad,
bad ball start put the Saints in a bad spot
one was the final. With the win, the Titans become
the second NFL team to win five straight games over
playoff teams from the season before. WHOA. Tennessee is also
seven and oh overall against playoff teams this season, and

(15:22):
they get a well deserved lay up next week against
the Texans. So uh, the number one team in the
a f c UM. They battled here again, they did
not really ball out on offense, uh. And it should
be a couple of things here. Of course, Derrick Derrick
Henry is out, but also Ryan Tannehill woke up ill

(15:44):
UH with I what I believe it was like a
stomach bug, so he was less than physically. And yet
they score enough points, get the stops they need, and yes,
get some breaks from game officials, uh, particularly on an
egregiously bad roughing the passer call that wiped out a
Tannehill interception in the end zone by the Saints, and

(16:05):
then a few plays later, Uh Tennessee punched it in
for seven. So when you factor in that, and again
we gotta make those plays reviewable. When you factor in that,
the Saints miss two more extra points in this game,
and then the false start failed followed by the failed
two point conversion. You can understand why Sean Payton wasn't
a great mood when asked about, uh, the phantom roughing

(16:28):
the passer? That should that served as a major swing
point in this game. Let's listening. No explanation, There wasn't
an explanation. What do you want me to say? You
want my opinion on it? No, no opinion on it.
The Saints outgained the Titans three seventy three to two

(16:50):
sixty four, but grave digger. They still found a way
and they're doing it every week. That's what good teams do,
six wins in a row if they going to run
like this. In January, they're playing back in Los Angeles again.
Look at you, You're on fire. You're feeling it. I
feel good about this team right now. It feels like

(17:10):
everything that happens from here on out is just like
getting ready for the playoffs. Keep players healthy, get guys
back healthy. They are getting somewhat healthier. Christian Fulton was
back but then but Duprie left the game early with
an abdominal strain, and who knows who his status will be.
Julio Jones is on I R again, so who knows
how long he'll be out, But does any of it

(17:32):
matter until the until the playoffs started for this team,
because getting the one seed is a playoff game essentially.
And losing Julio in the very week that he was
off the injury report for the first time since it
was crazy like he was finally healthy and he literally
got hurt the next day at practice and now he's
out for a minimum of three weeks. And I think

(17:52):
that's a killer injury for them, because losing Henry is
one thing. But I think it would work. It works
okay off nsively, if you've got the two guys outside
A J. Brown was facing double coverage throughout this game,
ends up with one catch sixteen yards. I hear what
you're saying, Grave Digger. They're resourceful enough they'll probably win.
Looking at their schedules, Patriots are the only team other

(18:15):
than the Stealers record the rest of the way. They'll
get enough wins and maybe they get that one seed.
But it's gonna be hard to be a good team
offensively without Julio and Henry at the same teme. But
what Greg just said, we'll be put into some sort
of you know, online headline because everyone and I've done
this like twelve times. Keep finding the reason the Titans
will be knocked down a peg at some point doesn't

(18:37):
happen because you could get to your just being the
one seed matters? Is it absolutely does? But what what's
they are saying we're the one seed right now that
it doesn't matter what happens to and you we've seen
the hundred times good teams find a way to get
over these hurdles over and over and you could theoretically
get out of your bye week help much health than
they are right now. Julio back soon after that. It's
not like Julio has torn the world down for them

(18:58):
either to say that, like he's always been a big
addition to them in theory ever since the offseason, and
then this whole year he's given them basically nothing. I
think I could think of one game maybe where he
was really a difference maker. And so you lose him,
But what you do need because if Julio Jones is
just not going to be the guy that they need
him to be, if Derrick Henry is going to be
out until January, in the best case scenario, you do

(19:21):
need somebody else to step up. So here comes Marcus Johnson,
for instance, he had five for a hundred on six
targets in this game. You're gonna need contributions, um in
places you didn't expect. I think that's the only thing.
The last thing I'll say in terms of doubting Tennessee
is I don't think it's sustainable to be, you know,
two h fifty yards a game on offense. Uh, even
if you can beat up on bad teams for a while,

(19:43):
that's gonna come back to haunt you unless you could
build out some more dimension to your offense. That is true,
And I will say the last two games they've played
have been against pretty good defenses. The Saints are really
good defense, obviously, the Rams are and they have the
Patriots defense in a couple of weeks, which is also
a really good defense, and the Steelers later the year.
But other than that, the defenses they play are not

(20:04):
very good the rest of the season. So I think
you could see the Titans offense getting back on track
and learning how to manufacture yards without Derrick Henry, which
they I mean, they're in these last two games rushing
under seventy yards in both games. The Titans hadn't won
a game with that few rushing yards in like fifteen
years or something before last week, so I don't remember
the exact stat, but it's spent years and then on

(20:26):
the same side. Before we move on, I just want
to say that I thought Trevor Simeon played pretty well
in this game. Mark Ingram had a lot of juice
in Alvin Kamara's spot, but it's you know, they were
missing three key starters on offense, and they need Kamara
to be back on this field to give him that
added dimension. Tray Kuon Smith had a bad drop uh

(20:46):
in this game. So you know, the Saints I think
are gonna be okay, but they're going through a little
They're going through it a little bit right now. Greg.
They're five and four oh and two since uh they
lost uh James Winston, so they're a team to keep
an eye on what happens next. I am amazed this
game was as close as it was. You're down twenty twelve,
ten minutes to go in Tennessee, and Trevor Simeon gets

(21:09):
him back in a position to win if it wasn't
for those you know, miss extra points and you got
a penalty from Adam Troutman, who is like public enemy
number one with Saints fans in general. Sets up like
a two point conversion from the seven yard line, like
Simeon is playing. Well, I feel like this game, you know,
out gaining the type. I know they lost the game
like this should be um uh more support for Sean

(21:31):
Payton winning Coach of the year, like them putting together
this many yards with this group of players. As why
I'm with you. I mean, he seems extremely grumpy based
on his soundclip, but the whole press conference was wild.
He was out of it right. I mean, it makes
that Falcons lost a week ago doubly hurt because like
that they couldn't let that thing go. But Mark Ingham,
by the way, is the leading rustaurant in the history

(21:53):
of the New Orleans Saints became that today. So even
if he's just there for this chunk of season, it
was very good, very good. And uh, what is an
eight winning percentage? Good? Sure, because that's the Zeuser after
ten weeks in the Locks because I locked up the Titans,
I set up sethler on, that got up. Let's move on.

(22:14):
Well it's factual. What am I gonna say? No pounds?
Three time pro bowler Cam Newton McCaffrey swings out of
the backfield, Why to the right, Newton's gonna run right
in the grass, breaks a tackle. Everybody touchdown right side,
first play a touchdown. Cam Newton was active and advantage

(22:39):
for him for the Panthers on Sunday, throwing for a touchdown,
running for another, and sparking Carolina to a thirty four
to ten win over the Cardinals, who were played shorthanded.
In sure looked like it in this one. Greg Rosen
thought a statement victory for Carolina and for Cam and
he sent the message to the rest of the end

(23:00):
fell hey here in this moment. It was a lot
and uh, if nothing else happens, uh positive for the
Panthers this year. At least they had this, and I
expect them to matter, uh moving forward with Cam Newton.
But just to imagine that this was possible, like a

(23:20):
couple of weeks ago would have would have blown. I
might to keep it in perspective. He had eight yards
you know, passing. He threw the ball four times in
fourteen yards rushing. They won this game because p. J.
Walker was good enough, moved the ball and the defense
was dominant. But what Cam Newton brings other than obviously
some short yardage chops and he'll take over that starting
job soon soon enough. Was energy. I guess I gotta like, yeah,

(23:45):
I gotta believe like Christian McCaffrey and Hassan Reddick, who
both said the energy before the game and giving Cam
Newton credit, you know for a big part of that
was unlike anything he had ever seen, was what Hassan
Reddick said, and mcca affrey Wood said like this was
just like a wild um feeling from the team. They
were so hyped for this game. Reddick, of course a

(24:07):
former cardinal too. You're not gonna give Cam all the
credit for just like off field stuff, but that is
part of what he brings to you is a guy
that like everyone has hyped to play with, and they
just destroyed. Arizona was over quickly, you could tell. I.
I don't know if it was the first or the
second touchdown, but McCaffrey and all the other Panthers just
swarmed Cam. And I think one thing to make clear,

(24:28):
because I saw somebody on Twitter Panthers fan. They weren't
They were cool about it, but they were like, hey,
you know, you were really burying the Panthers about what
what's been happening with the quarterback situation? Like you don't
understand the Panthers fans were excited about this, and I
was like, this had nothing to do any criticism about
the Panthers was about the organization. If I'm a fan
of the Panthers and I grew up on Cam Newton,
this is awesome. This is completely unexpected, and now he's

(24:51):
pumping He's back on your team and pumping fresh life
into a season that felt like it was a deflating balloon.
Mark Cecil, Yeah, I mean for their fan I've heard
from some too. I couldn't agree with you more. And Matt,
this is not the plan at all. That Matt rule.
If you think it was weird for you, Matt Rule
probably feels like twelve days ago. I had no idea
this is where I'd be either. But why not? I

(25:13):
mean totally why not? And whether you're into the Cam
Newton experience, the overall one or not, I'm somewhere in
the middle on it. Um it is. It is interesting
to me that it's happening. Well, no, because it's look
like honestly, they were in such a dark place and
you have to look at like for the for the
Sam Donald business, like you've never thought, oh well, Sam Donald,
if anything, is gonna bring intense energy to the locker room.

(25:35):
There's been a void of that at quarterback, and so
that can change things. Yeah, I think Donald and I
love Sam Donald. It's sad what's happened with his career, um,
but he's never been like some type of dynamic leader
of men. And Cam is like a guy who's just
got like he's dripping with charisma. So like all these things,
you it makes sense why the organization like it was

(25:55):
such a shot in the arm, and it also like
makes you think. And I know, once we see Cam
playing and you're gonna get a better idea of who
he is now compared to where he was five or
six years ago. He's not the same player anymore. But
he probably should have been on a team of two
months ago. I think he wanted to start, you know,
and there weren't opportunities to start. And now now now

(26:17):
there is one and he's getting paid well for you know,
I think he'll get a little more juice in his
legs as it comes. But he was a great goal
line runner and he was a very good runner in general.
He brings that, you know, element to the table. I
mean last year in New England. Like, we don't need
to project how he's gonna be helping them in the
red zone. With McCaffrey, who had a really nice game overall.

(26:39):
He did go out with a head injury briefly, but
they said after the game he's totally fine. He'll be
good for next week. All this said, it's like they
won because their defense, you know, bum rush cult McCoy.
I mean the first almost the first play of the game,
Hassan Reddick uh forces a fumball on McCoy, who also
throws an interception later in the first quarter. It was
a two touched on lead at that point. And this

(27:01):
Panthers defense, I know, they're not like amazing each and
every week against some great competition, but when Shack Thompson
has been on the field, and he was everywhere today again,
they've been pretty special. They've been one of the best
defenses in the league. They're five and five. They are
in the playoffs if it ended today. I know that
doesn't mean anything, but they are in that ugly NFC mix,

(27:21):
and I think with the defense that good, they'll probably
stay in that mix until the end. They're totally relevant
and it you know, it pains me to say it,
but the backup experience, the backup quarterback experience, because I
think we all like kind of super fall for these
dudes for for the week after they succeed. And I
was totally viable on the Cult McCoy front to do that,
But it's the Mike White experience. You love these guys

(27:43):
rising up out of nowhere, and it kind of reminds
us of like if we were thrown into a lineup
in our deep fantasies. I mean, it would be much worse.
But you know, it just doesn't last two doesn't last
two weeks in a row. You're the other shoe always,
That's what. And Colt McCoy and any other guy Mike
White their competitors, so they want to be out there.
But in truth, the best thing for their careers would
be just to have the game and then disappear again.

(28:05):
But I think Cold, you know, Cold brought another two
to three seasons with last week. He'll be all right.
It's a big loss, though, you know, the Rams are
still coming up on Monday Night, but now they you know,
can tie in terms of the one seed. The Packers
are now tied with the Cardinals. Obviously they lose, they
have the tiebreakers, so they're they're even ahead of them.
They're like, these games do matter. It sounded like Kyler
Murray was close to plane, but between him and Nuke,

(28:28):
I mean, they have been They are missing a lot
of guys in general. Chase Edmonds like they've survived, but
they need to get those guys back now. I'll tell
you what it's been. It's not easy, uh, suffering through
a loss like this. But I like what the Cardinals
are doing here because I think they saw what happened
last year when they try to rush back Tyler to
save the season, and it ended up kind of submarining
the season. Even if it's gonna cost you a game

(28:50):
or two and they're one and one now without these
two guys, it will help you in the long run.
Hopefully those guys are back to be one and one.
It's not it's not. I bet they would have. They
would never admit to it, because you never admit all,
I'll lose. That's fine. They would sign up for one
and one without two games without Nuke and Kyler. All right,
let's h We're gonna get the pipe rattling around in here.
Right after the break, Heineken steps up throws to the

(29:11):
corner of the adults, got Carter caught, touchdown, DeAndre Carter
touchdown parts from Taylor heide Key, Brad Weinstein with a
call for w T E. M. Tom Brady picked off
twice in this first six throws in the Bucks. We're
in trouble because Tyler Heineke was on target during a

(29:34):
clock sling nineteen play drive that's sealed a nineteen upset,
huge upset by Washington over the champs. Yes, I said
it before, shook the pipe piece here and chook. This
is how it goes in our league. If you don't
show up ready to play, you'll get embarrassed by anybody.
And we saw that today. Yeah, if you sleep walk
out of the pie week directly to the nation's capital,

(29:55):
you'll get caught. And the Buccaneers got caught extremely early.
Tom Brady being one of them, a guy who was
typically really good out of the bye week, was not
really good today and and helped the Buccaneers dig themselves
a thirteen point hole. Really before they knew what had happened.
It was really in the second quarter, they were down
thirteen nothing and had to fight their way back and
and for the first time probably this entire season, we

(30:18):
saw a little bit of the Washington defense we thought
we were going to see all season based on what
we saw last year, even after losing Chase Young to
an injury that sounds pretty serious. They were They were tough,
they were gritty, They forced turnovers um, They didn't get
beat on big plays for the majority of the game.
They did on pass to Mike Evans that made things
tight late. But then Heinekey responds and the offense response.

(30:40):
Terry McLaurin comes back from a collarbone injury that had
cost him a little bit of time earlier. They go
on this UH drive that lasts over ten minutes, and
then Riverboat Ron comes out, goes for it on fourth
and goal from the one, gives it to Antonio Gibson.
Ball game UH and a stunning victory for a Washington
team that has been extremely well, more down than up,

(31:00):
but definitely up and down the season. That Riverboat had
been parked um on River's edge for a number of
years there, but glad to see it back out on
the waters and and that they're gonna need to keep
doing that because we learned this morning before the game
that Ryan Fitzpatrick is not expected to return this season,
something that does not surprise Greg Normark. No, right, well,

(31:20):
I'm just saying that Greg and I were saying we
thought that he basically was soft selling this into an
early retall know you too, but also Dan, I mean
thought about Yeah, they were. They were saying his hip,
Like the report on it was funny that they did
a follow up m R I and none of it
was good. And he's back on crutchers. I mean, he's

(31:40):
an older guy coming off a hip injury, and I
don't even know if you would want to go back
to him right now. Not that Taylor Heineke has played well,
but this is just like the team you have and
you just pulled off one of the drives of the
season to to get a ten minute drive against the
Bucks to win the game nineteen plays eighty yards to
seal it that it doesn't really get any better than that.

(32:02):
To do it against the Bucks run defense, uh, is amazing.
It's one of the most surprising results and the longest
drive of the campaign for an insult to injury for
the Bucks on the last play of that drive, Vita Vea,
who is so important to what they do in their
front for the nose tackle, got carded off, uh with injury.

(32:23):
And uh, that's a bad one to show, because we
we saw they lost them last year and they felt
his absence a year ago as well. Yeah, and we
saw how effectively was earlier in this season. There was
multiple games that they played earlier this year where Vita
was destroying any offensive lineman he was faced up against,
to the point where it was causing serious problems for
opposing passers every time they dropped back because they had
a man in their face on every snap. And so

(32:45):
you know, this defense has not really played up to
par in the last few weeks to begin with, and
especially in this game today. Uh, and losing a guy
like that, that takes away a strengthen the interior. Not
that the that Washington ran the ball well today because
they didn't. But teams in the future are going to
be able to find more success up the middle, which
is going to put more Onnest in the rest of
the defense to perform. And right now they're already not
performing at a level that you want them too, that

(33:07):
you expect of a defending Super Bowl champion that looked
really good about a month ago and lately not so much.
I mean, they also are down four corners and they
lost two during this game. So I am struck by
the difference of how they came out of the bye
week last year, you know, they go undefeated after that
and win a Super Bowl, and how they come out
of the bye week this year an injury plague. Season

(33:27):
gets more, uh, injury plagued, and Brady after the game
is just he's dying, and I you know, everyone likes
going to kind of pile on that he's not a
good sport. And I just think of that Bill Parcels,
you know, quote about how he says like, as you
get older, the losses are so much tougher than the
winds are good. And you could just tell he was

(33:50):
like his insides were like he was just trying to
end that and it's it's not a good look or whatever,
but you know what happened exactly. I mean, it was
like a four five second press conference that he's he
is answering very short, politely but short answers, tries to
walk off after forty five seconds. The guy from the
athletic Greg Allman, I believe, was like, can you stay
a little more? Tom, And they keep asking him questions

(34:13):
like how are you feeling round and he's like, I
don't like losing, and then he ends up walking off
like forty five seconds later after about a minute and
a half. You're not supposed to do that run on mine,
like you have an agreement to give the reporter sometimes
so it's now and he wasn't. It was more that
he just reminded me of Belichick and Brady after like
super Bowl losses, how it just feels like everything like

(34:36):
if you base your whole life around this one thing,
when you lose to the Washington football team, it's like
you have nothing left in your being and and and
just to add on to that before it shook, throw
it back to you that you know this performance which
Bruce Arians and his press conference called embarrassing, and then
reporter asked if wide receiver issues injuries played a role

(34:59):
in the loss. Arian's pulled no punches him Sure, Is
it just me? Or is that like kind of a
good thing that Brady isn't playing for a coach that
treats him with kid gloves. I think that's actually another
sign of a good landing spot for Brady in general. Yeah, absolutely,
because at this point it would be super easy for

(35:20):
any coach to just be like, well, he's Tom, he's
the greatest ever. He can do what ever he wants.
But on a day were you throw two interceptions, you
need to be held accountable. And I know Tom would
be the first person to hold himself accountable. But as
a team and as a coach, you come off of
this loss, if you treat that guy as he's infallible
and we go into the next week and everything's fine
and he doesn't deserve any criticism, will you start to
get other guys looking at him and saying, well, hey,
we're on two different planes here. And I know he's

(35:41):
a great he's the greatest of all time, but we
need to win football games and he didn't play like
the goat that he is and we need him to
play better than that. So as a leader on your team,
he needs to be the first guy in the room
to stand up and say, look, guys, I didn't play
well enough for us to win, and that's on me.
And if a coach is gonna do that for him
as well, it keeps things even because you know, in
this season you deal with injuries, to deal with so
many different things to try to get to the end

(36:01):
of the year and get to the Super Bowl. You
gotta have everybody in the same page. So it's it's
good for them. But you know, you talk about Tom
being upset after the game, you can see it in
his face in the sideline as Washington slowly getting down
the field and the times ticking off the clock and
Tom is chop topping the bit ready to get the
ball back and go lead another comeback win, and then
he never gets it with any time left and with
any real chance because they're down you know, multiple scores

(36:24):
at that point. Uh, I can totally understand why he
was so upset after the game. It was he had
the opportunity taking out of his hands by a defense
that he's been able to count on in the past
and couldn't count on today. All Right, So frustrating game
for the goat and the defending chance. But as we
learned last year, should not count them out in November.
Let's see how they bounce back next week. But let's
now move on pipe to what happened across the sidewalk here.

(36:48):
That's so far stadium. I think they're gonna go for it.
Toss right to Delpin, turns it up, wait for the
first down. Ball came out, but the Viking's recovered it
at the twenty nine. He'll stay. Delphin is down at
the two frush four from the Minnesota Vikas, Paul Alan
kf a and with the call, don't try to figure

(37:09):
out the Vikings. Anytime you try to figure out the Vikings,
they'll make you look dumb. Kirk Cousins threw a pair
of touchdown passes, the Tyler conflint you heard me, Dalvin
Cook rush for ninety four yards touchdown and that game
ing first down and the Vikings bounce back after a
little bit of a slump here. They beat the Chargers

(37:31):
to shook. More of the same from Minnesota, right, You
just that there. They'll look bad one week, they look
great the next well, sounds like they look pretty good
great in this one. More of the same, but a
difference and a key difference that I think could help
them going forward if they can kind of stay consistent.
This is a game that the Vikings typically would lose
this year. They go into halftime with the lead, and

(37:53):
even on the broadcast they mentioned coming out of the break, well,
you gotta feel a little bit nervous if you're a
Vikings fan right now, because they've been here before and
they haven't followed through. And for a little bit there
after halftime, they were again trailing, and yet they responded.
And not only did they respond, but they responded with
emphasis too long touchdown drives. The second one was a
twelve play drive. Eight of those plays were running plays.

(38:15):
They capped it off by giving to Dalvin Cook slamming
over the goal line for a touchdown. It was emphatic.
It sent a message to the Chargers that hey, we're
gonna rely on our offense, we're gonna rely on our
ground game, and we're gonna run it down your throats
and we're gonna score, and it's gonna be on you.
Just stop us. And ultimately the Chargers their last three
defensive possessions couldn't get a stop. Two touchdowns and then
the game ending drive with that fourth and one conversion,

(38:37):
and I felt as they tossed the ball to Dalvin
Cookie gets around the edge and across the sticks for
a new a fresh set of four as they said
on the call, that's exactly how this game should have ended,
with the Vikings doing it on the ground, doing it
with emphasis, making a point that hey, you know what,
we've lost games like this in the past. We're not
losing this one today. I think another change for them
out coming off the last two weeks and there's been

(38:58):
a lot of heat on them where Justin Jefferson, your
best player, was targeted nine times over the last two weeks.
They got away from him last week when they you know,
they got up early, they built to fourteen nothing leads,
fourteen point leads over the Ravens and did not lean
on him eleven targets today a hundred and forty three
yards off nine catches, totally dominant, one of the better
catches you're gonna see all year, and one that helped

(39:21):
them ice that game and get them to the Dalvin
Cook fourth down Kerry. So that I think is something
if you're the Vikings, don't get away from that again
because the inconsistency sometimes like just keep doing what works please,
and their defense without Patrick Peterson, without Daniel Hunter, held
Justin Herbert to his lowest yardage total all year and
stymied them down the stretch. I mean, I thought these

(39:41):
two teams feel like mirror teams to me in the
n f C and a f C where every game
comes down to the end, you don't know what's gonna happen,
and the Vikings one of them had to close it out.
We'd be saying the same thing about the Charge and
it was reversed. But that's I like that point a lot.
But I also feel differently about these teams. I feel
like the Vikings are just like all over the map
where Star to worry, he shook. If I'm a Charges

(40:02):
fan that they might be pretenders. Do you do you
get the vibe that they're a team with major issues
or maybe fatal flaws here, Yeah, a little bit, especially
in the last month. Their offense has just not lived
up to what we thought it was earlier in the season,
and the defense, especially today, has not picked up its
end of the slack. And you know, you think Brandon
Staley comes over after engineering that Rams defense that was
the best in the league last year, this this defense

(40:24):
just hasn't had the teeth that you expected to have,
and especially in key moments, this game being one of them,
and justin Herbert's going to have these games where he
throws an interception or he's not as sharp as you'd
like him to be, and he's been like that lately.
You need your defense to pick you up and they
just haven't played complimentary football in that regard. And that's
while still being largely healthy. On the offensive side of
the ball. I mean, they have Austin Neckler, They're able

(40:45):
to still move it. Sometimes they moved it in a
second half a little bit, but I mean there was
a telling moment for me late in this game in
the fourth quarter where they were, you know, within goldighost
situation and they get stopped and Brandon Stalely downtn takes
the three and and mathematically it makes sense. You know
your Downtown, you you take the three, you get a stop,
you try to score the game tying touchdown, potentially go
for two to win the game. Right, Well, the problem

(41:06):
is that defense couldn't get a stop. And this is
a guy who loves to go for it on fourth down.
It felt passive. It felt like you were playing kind
of not to lose, or at least you give yourself
a chance. The aggression in these Chargers has not shown
through in the last month, and I think that's a
big reason why they are where they are at five
and four. It was shocking. I mean the the there
In a way, these teams are mirror teams, but it
was the opposite of what you would expect the minute.

(41:28):
The Vikings were incredibly aggressive today in their play calling,
like as aggressive almost as any team I've seen in
a game ending situation all year. They it was first
in twenty five on that last drive, and they threw
it three straight times. That is exactly the spot where
Mike Zimmer this year has run it multiple times in
a row. They went forward on fourth down to drive

(41:49):
before that too. They they were backed up in terms
of penalty and when you would think they would prioritize
taking time off the clock. They threw it in situations
where even the even the most suggressive coaches often will
run it in that situation, whereas the Chargers didn't just
blink in that fourth down situation there, but also punted.
I think it was on the forty on the other side. Uh,

(42:11):
in the first half of the game. It's very surprising
to me to see that Staley did not have as
much confidence in his offense because I don't think it
was about him having confidence in getting stops defensively. He
just did not think his offense was playing well enough.
Maybe it was right all right now, Shook, Um, I
know you watched the Browns professionally today. Are you prepared
to talk about them? Of course? Yeah, Hey man, I

(42:34):
separate the two very easily. Stiff upper lift hats, time
fires down her part and preach usophic stands between two defenders.
Touchdown patriottes toolpig throws on his draw. Mac child your
quarterback to get him off the plateau? What does that
even mean? Bob Soy and Scott Ziliak with the call

(42:59):
for w buzy. Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes. Rookie
Romandre Stevenson rush for a career a hundred yards. Two scores,
the Patriots sticking to the Browns to seven blowout City Mark.
Heading into the weekend, we all kind of agreed that
this felt like a close, low scoring, maybe a field

(43:20):
goal difference type of game. How did we end up
in grizzly blowout territory? Well, I think the other thing
that we brought up this was on my mind. I
wonder if Shook agrees that the Browns needed a signature win.
You needed to go into New England and do something
that basically, had they won this game, they'd be in
the driver's seat of the division right now, they'd be
looking arrow up and we'd be saying we think differently

(43:42):
about them a week ago. Instead, we're right back in
the darkness. And this was the most discombobulated Brown's loss
of the I will say of the Kevin Stefanski era,
because I don't care about some of the blowouts last
year where they were figuring themselves out, they were out coached,
they were outplayed. You know, by halftime, it was utterly
clear that mac Jones was putting together a performance three

(44:03):
times that of Baker Mayfield, who I think had his
worst start in EON's. I mean, it was an absolute debacle.
New England's defense adjusted very early to what Cleveland did.
They had a nice opening touchdown drive and we've seen
this before and then nothing after it, and in reverse,
this is so Bill Belichick, it's so Josh McDaniels in
the in the play by play, guys were going nuts

(44:26):
over this early on, but they basically used the aggressiveness
of Myles Garrett and what Myles Garrett presented to dump
off screens where he would be where there was no
one to eat up big chunk yardage, to invite him
into the fold and run reverses where he would be.
I thought they did a great job with Cleveland's defense,
who came into the game tent and allowing points, and
we're out of this thing early on. I just it's

(44:47):
Cleveland and New England both want to come in and
run the ball. I know, the Browns and not have
Nick Chubb. New England was missing people too, and their
players stepped up and they had a season high and
rushing yards and beat up a Brown's defense that look
totally asleep at the wheel. To me, this was a
case of a good opening game script, so good preparation
virtus versus good in game coaching, because Kevin Stefanski and

(45:10):
Joe Woods got completely out coached by Bill Belichick and
Josh McDaniels. I mean to the point where by the
time you got to halftime, it was clear that the
Browns were gonna need a miracle to come back and
win this game. You had the great opening drive and
then Baker Mayfield throws an interception and they score quickly
and before you know it, it's seven and the Browns
have no hope left in them. Romandre Stevenson just bullying

(45:33):
his way through the Browns punchless defense. They couldn't make
tackles in the open field, they couldn't make tackles in traffic.
They had him on the one yard line and allow
him to somehow squeeze through for a game of six
and they end up going on a ninety nine yard
touchdown drive. Uh and and defense or offensively, every time
the Browns tried anything, the Patriots for right there with
an answer. I mean, it's like they knew what the

(45:54):
play call was, essentially, because defensively, the Browns do not adjust.
They haven't adjusted all year, and they didn't adjust. Miles
Geary and talked about it after the game. But offensively,
they also didn't adjust. And I know, you know, Baker
Mayfield goes out with an injury, and you don't have
to make chubbs, you don't have to be able to
rely on the run. But this is one of the
weaknesses in Kevin Stefanski. Where he's good at game planning
and he's good in certain situations where he knows the
team's weaknesses, but when it comes to running into a

(46:16):
brick wall of a defense, he just kind of folds.
He just hasn't been able to answer that with anything better.
And I don't know if it's a lack of talent.
I think they have enough talent to make it work,
but it's clearly a lack of execution and ingenuity offensively.
And it contributed to this blowout where I mean you
had Mac Jones and the sideline cracking up with his
teammates and Brian Horyer are going three for three for
eighty five yards and Myers. Yeah, it was a dominant performance.

(46:40):
The Browns got completely last. Yeah, and that and that
is and Connor wrote a good piece today on SI
dot com, Connor Brown's fan himself, saying that you know,
the Browns are five and five, So it's like, you know,
four years ago it would have been a celebration to
be five and five in November, but I think the
way that the bar was raised this year especially, that's

(47:02):
why you hear so much frustration from Brown's friends about
how hot and cold they've been, and that's what they are.
At certain point, you gotta believe a team when it's
telling you they are what they are. We're an inconsistent
team that could be good one week, bad the next,
and you can't trust them. The Patriots, on the other hand, Greg,
they are not inconsistent. They've been consistently great now for
a month. And what we saw from their quarterback, the
rookie quarterback, was hey, f y, I if I level

(47:26):
if I level up in my game, we can really
make a run here, And he did it on Sunday.
His anticipation and just knowing what the defense is gonna
do and ball placement when it's on is is awesome.
But I think such a big part of it is
like he's got players making plays for him. And I
know they're not like the best skill position group in

(47:47):
the world, but that that throw to Kendrick Born that
everyone is going was going nuts on where he sticks
it between two defenderives like that was a great catch.
The Jacobean j Jacoby Myers made a couple of plays
for him. Their offensive line, it's not skill position players,
but they got Trent Brown back today for the first
time all year, and they've got a great looking offensive line,

(48:08):
the one that we talked about coming into the season.
It took a little while, but the last three or
four weeks, they're up there with one of the best
offensive lines in the week. So suddenly in the league, suddenly,
then you surround Mac Jones with that, and you surround
him with Josh McDaniels, who have always believe is a
is a great play caller and a great offensive coordinator,
and it's shown he can win with different quarterbacks. Belichick

(48:29):
gets credit for that, but like when they've won with
Jimmy g and Jacoby Brissette and Castle, and like Josh
McDaniels has been there for that. It's not just been
Tom Brady. And it's it's hard not to be very
high on this Patriots team right now, like they are
coming together. But I also think this was this was
a matchup thing. Like you, you're right shook. When it

(48:49):
was twenty one seven, it felt over. But that's because
of the Browns more than the Patriots to me, because
they just don't don't feel like a team that can
come from behind. They they feel like what people used
to say about the Ravens, which I never totally bought into,
which is that they are a bit of a front
running team. If you get them a couple scores down,
it's not happen. You can tell what's going to happen
in a Browns game about ten minutes in. You can

(49:11):
just it's the been the way it is this year.
Joe Batonio called him a Jekland high team. The Patriots
had three touchdown drives of ninety plus yards. They took
a bomb inside their own house and blew up the ceiling.
Stevenson's a beast too. You know. Damian Harris misses this
game with a concussion, and it didn't matter because they've
got a their running back room right now with Brandon
Bolden playing so well, it's pretty great with with Stevenson,

(49:33):
Harris and Bolden. Look out for the Patriots, and the
Browns have dropped four of six and have not won
in New England since when their coach was Belichick. And
the same year I was born, well, well you know
I was in college, so that should tell you that
seems unnecessary. All right, thank you, you've said it all,

(49:54):
you do it all. You're the man the pipe. Follow
him on Twitter, check out all this great stuff on
NFL dot com, and we'll see you next week. Thanks
for the plug. See you guys later. All right, we'll
take a break and we'll talk about the first tie
of the season. Up next grows the out pattern to
flyer moved, he loses the football spree on the ground.

(50:17):
It is the Lions football. The Lions picked it up
again the second course, bubbling over time and they come
out of there with it. Unbelievable. There's the mistake you
needed all. Are we gonna give the Lions the bongoes
on a tie? You know what, Let's give it to
Dan Miller, the voice of the Lions, who we hadn't

(50:39):
heard this season until now. W x Y t the
Steelers at position for a long field goal attempt. The
lines stripped rookie tight end Pat Fryer move and fell
on the ball with nine seconds to play. It was
the turnover that clinched the sixteen sixteen tie. What do
they say, it's like kissing your sister, which is always
we don't need it. I don't have a have a sister,

(51:00):
and I just don't like the visual and dreary Pittsburgh Mark.
This is uh, you know, hideous four hour game. Just
about Ben Roethlisberger went on the COVID list, did not play.
Mason Rudolph was completely Mason Rudolph and ends with Detroit
mercifully avoiding the lost column for the first time in
almost a year totally unrewarding basket of treats. Did you

(51:24):
not to interrupt, but you took this game as you
often do in the draft process. You like to get
a couple of blood best in there so you don't
have to worry about it. So how fitting on a
day where the Browns crap their pants you get a
four hour slog tie. Well, that's like little girls say
on the the thing when it rains at pores, baby,
and like, that's that's what happened today. The little girl

(51:45):
says it on this thing. It's literally it's a slogan
on the salt thing. It's some sort of salt. The
people buy what is it? Oh, I know, a very
blue salt. Yeah, I don't buy it, but it's a salt.
I don't know. But this this thing, by the way,
they're like, it's not gonna be four quarters, it's gonna
be a full five. Enjoy it. A total ill basket
traits it is. It was a hot mess. I mean.
The problem that was so frustrating was that both teams

(52:08):
had chances to win this in overtime, if not before.
I mean the Steelers fumbled twice in overtime the Lions,
uh Santos so their forty eight field goal kicked miss
just a disaster for them. Uh it was. It just
went on and on. It was. The game had sixteen
punts Jared Goff average one point five air yards deep.
Into overtime, Golf was playing, and I know this was

(52:30):
a people were wondering what was going on with Jared
Goff because you would never you won't see a team
all year long play around their quarterback the way they
did with Jared Goff. And it's partly just what's going
on with Jared Goff. It was successful for Detroit. They
ran for two hundred plus yards and barreled through Pittsburgh's
defense and that kept him in this game. But when
Golf was on the sideline, they were wrapping his waist

(52:50):
and back lower back with like this medical tape. You
could tell he was in tough shape. He couldn't drowy
for any athlete get the blow hard, but I mean,
let's get him and blow how he wins the coin toss?
I don't get they were doing. They were at the
point where it was third and five. It was sixteen sixteen.
It was third and fifteen, and the Lions are tied

(53:12):
sixteen sixteen, and they run the ball on third and fifteen.
They were I think that you know in Pittsburgh still
couldn't do enough with that. They couldn't do enough to
stop the run in that situation. So it was a
weird game in crappy weather that went on for about
six and a half hours. Happy for the Lion seven tie.
I don't hate ties the same way that some people do.
I hate how they mess They messed with the symmetry
the season, but the NFL already can create symmetry. I

(53:32):
know it's annoying that we went out of our way
to lose symmetry would be can I can of just say?
And I don't want to pile on because I'm sure
he's a nice guy, but I knew when Ryan Santoso
is lining up for that forty eight yard kick in overtime,
what's that old like um w w E song? No

(53:54):
chance in hell. He had this look in his eyes
like he did to be anywhere in the world at
that moment, and he kicked the ball like he wanted
to be anywhere else in the world at that moment,
and that you know speaks to the lines. Do we
have Campbell talking after the game because Campbell is like, yeah,
he just wants a dub and he he'll take a tie,
I'm sure over an l But you know it's tough

(54:16):
being the head coach of the lines. Yeah, honestly, I don't.
I don't know. Like I said, I don't, I don't.
It was twilight zone. I don't know what this is really. Um,
I'm sure I've been in a tie before as a player.
For some reason, I can't remember that if it was, so,
I don't know. It's gain well, you could. It's fine
to cut them off there because he doesn't know what
to say either. It's just been a tough season. Greg.

(54:39):
What about the Steelers that it's a bad as bad,
it's it's somehow worse than a loss. Okay, that's stupid.
It's not worse than loss. But they tie, tying the
Lions in this sort of game where you also lose
Joe Hayden uh and Kevin Dotson to injury, and Dotson
was ruled out quickly and has been good for them
on the offensive line Like this, this was a very costly.

(54:59):
I feel I do want to say on campbelled up,
I feel like he's part of the issue here. It's
like they want s bench Peyton manning for brock Osweiler,
Like put put blow in if Goff is out there
and he can't move around, just at least for this one.
It's not like a franchise legend that you're trying to
be sensitive about. Go put blow in and when a
ball is also you know, I'm not piling on I

(55:20):
guess I could see the strategy because you know, want
to tie the game. But he's called time outs for
the Steelers on the Steelers drive that almost ends with
the game winning field goal attempt to stop the clock,
which is helping out Pittsburgh more than it has the
possibility to help out Detroit. You know, not piling on
the lines. But here's the thing I will pile on
Mason Rudolph that he's not a good backup quarterback. He's

(55:41):
not a good starting quarterback. He's not the future in Pittsburgh.
I can't talk too much on this game because they
only watched over time, but I read that he missed
a ton of throws in this twenty and completions. He
also just he's thrown to ghosts sometimes and you just
can't try Chase Claypool being out jews out like this
is a this is a banged up team too. It's
a good news for the Browns though, because the Lions

(56:03):
they get the moral victory and this thing, in this case,
it was a moral tie every other week. Like this
is where you and I just have this I just
mean disconnected the Lions. I'm just saying the Lions have
this thing where everyone's like, hey, they're well coached, they
tried really hard, and then like everyone's kind of in
on the lines a little bit going into the next game,
and then they get their doors blown off. And so
that's the Browns. That there is some actual good news

(56:27):
for the Browns. Also that this is a hideous week
for the a f C North. The Ravens go down
against the two and seven Dolphins, the Pittsburgh Steelers barely
tie the O and eight Lions, and the Cincinnati Bengals
are in flames on their bye week. So you actually
don't lose any ground. Well, I guess you was half
a game, But anyway, I would just say if you
watch this from wire to wire. People aren't going to

(56:49):
be running around like waving banners for the Detroit Lions
like there were issues. All right, let's move. They learned
by three sets. They throw it back to days of
the left corner, and this time he holds out to
it in the end zone for the touchdown. The Bills do,
in fact take a sixteen to three. League should have
seen Mark Stern nod of his head when I said,

(57:11):
it's good to hear from doing Dan Miller. You have
a good Stan Miller. I mean I'm not aware of Dan.
He hasn't been on this very I was just acknowledging
that I listened to what you said, and yes, I
comprehended your statement. And can I also say that Dan
Miller was a class act when I interviewed him for

(57:32):
the Pain rankings where it all comes in, well, you
have this j Miller. It's it's been on ice for
about five years, but you never know when I could
get picked up again. The Jets were just what the
doctor ordered for the Bill's slumping offense. That was John
Murphy with the call for w g R. Josh Allen
picked a part New York's week defense, throwing for three

(57:55):
three yards and two scores win at the meadow ends.
Alan's offensive line gave him a ton of time to
work from the pocket. He reestablished his connection with star
receiver Stefon Diggs, who enjoyed a second one yard day
of the season, had a touchdown. And um, I'll say

(58:15):
this before we kind of get into the game more
above the tree tops about the Bills. The Jets were
a nice confidence booster, um, but we'll need to see
more evidence before declaring that Brian Dable and company have
successfully counteracted the game plans that have stifled the attack
the season. But that said, good work took care of business.
The Jets are a mess defensively right now. Mike White

(58:37):
was a mess in this game four interceptions and that
was a great storyline while it lasted. Uh, we will
be seeing Zack Wilson sooner rather than later. But it
was the defense of the Jets that let the Bills
do anything they wanted. So we'll see what they look
like against better competition Buffalo. But for one Sunday in
northern New Jersey, they were back to their old way.
And Kindlie, I don't I'm trying to remember if I've

(58:57):
ever seen this and It's not to pile on the Jets,
we get it. But last four games they have allowed
point totals of fifty four, one, forty five, and forty five.
This is like beating up on a lost friend on
Madden in someone who's never touched a console. The Bills
became the fourth team in five weeks to roll up
more than four hundred yards against New York. Some of
these yardage holes could be hireder higher, but the blowouts

(59:20):
are so grizzly that the teams are taking their foot
off the pedal unless you're the Patriots and you have
no class um. But you know Jim Joe Douglas has
so much work to so much work to do to
return the Jet's respectability. But they have to dedicate serious
resources in the off season to this defense completely overmatch
and and injured. They were over match coming into the

(59:40):
season for the most part on paper and bank. Even
if you have Karl Lawson and Marcus May, you still
got to add more talent to this. Absolutely, you would
expect more out of a defensive coach. I think that's
the risk of a defensive coach, but I liked his
coordinator higher. On offense, they have allowed more points um
in the last four games to your point mark, uh

(01:00:02):
than any team since the merger except for the two
thousand four Titans had a head of four games stretch.
Uh just a little bit worse, but that's it. So
they are they are historically bad in terms of the month.
And I know we're saying like, Okay, you want to
see the Bills offense against a better team and all, um,
But we were coming into this thinking, I don't know,

(01:00:22):
Mike White might keep this close. And the Bills, if
if nothing else, have been the most consistent defense in
the NFL. So I'm gonna give them some credit for stifling,
you know, picking off Mike White four times and just
you know, getting a blowout. The Bill's defense has been
really good this season, even while the offense hasn't been.
And uh, Mike White was by halfway through this game,

(01:00:42):
he was the one seeing ghost. He was just kind
of throwing the ball up for grabs. Wasn't even kind
of looking uh downfield like he was a guy when
he had that big game against Cincinnati. A lot of
it was underneath and he was just doing a good
job going through his progressions and taking with the defense
gave him once he got on tilt a little bit
in this game and he had to push the ball
downfield or fell that he had to. It was a disaster,

(01:01:02):
so bad stuff. Joe Flacco showed up in this game,
so nice. Moved by the Jets trading three. Uh, he
he might start next week. I wouldn't be now, that
wouldn't make any sense. That would be crazy. And it's
back to it doesn't matter, um really whether it's White
or Flacco. Neither of those guys are an answer. You
need to have the boy back in and we'll see
if he is back and the next time they play.

(01:01:24):
But goodwin for the Bills. They got out of there,
I believe, pretty healthy and they move onward and upward.
Let's move on. Jets stink and they get to fill
the Bills face may have lost the ball, so she
puts bad product in the field. Years no signal yet
the Colts think they have a takeaway in a formal

(01:01:45):
recovery take away. They definitely alright, Matt Taylor. I mean,
I feel like when you have to scream about a
desperate takeaway needed against the Jaguars, it's not a great look.
But at the end of the day. You know, all

(01:02:07):
the guys in Jacksonville drive Cadillacs. Two right, our Cadillacs
like the highest form. Well, Earl, we were the Hall
of Fame manager of the Orioles. He coined it and
that was probably in the eighties when the Catolic. Now
they all drive phantoms. Yeah, phantoms? Is that? Is that
a Bentley? I don't even know park those cars. That's

(01:02:28):
why I would not extremely parallel parking of phantom. I
would not recommend. Jonathan Taylor ran for buck sixteen and
the touch of the Colts added another score on a
blocked punt and they held on for win over the Jaguars.
It is a Rose Royce, by the way, And you know,
like before you come into my mentions and you know,

(01:02:49):
it's like, oh, these are three white guys. Don't know
phantoms are Rolls Royce. It's like I paid off that
mos the s X five three years ago. I'm riding
that thing until the wheels come off. Ten years from now,
I might be riding that thing. You're one of those
I don't know. You're Larry David all the way. I
don't I don't care about David. Where are you going
right now? Greg is up out of his series. You
don't have to call that on curb your enthusiasm. In

(01:03:13):
later seasons now he has like a luxury um. You know,
it's a electric car, I believe, but he drove that
Prius for the first ten years of the show. He evolved. Greg,
maybe you can as well. You're yeah, David's money and
by fifties or sixties or whatever. I'm just saying, you
can spend that money elsewhere according to that money Smith,

(01:03:37):
So you know you got to pinch those pennies anyway. Uh. Jaguars, Uh,
they got a couple of wins this year, and they
hung tough in this game. So they're playing hard for
urban Meyer, but the Colts get it done. I feel
bad for Trevor Lawrence. So many drops in this game.
I know Jamal Agnew like makes a big play as
a as a runner long touchdown, but there were multiple

(01:04:02):
drives that I saw killed by Agnew. Drops where you
know you're throwing slants to like a return guy who
couldn't make other teams and he's like your ex receiver.
It's like you're the only deep game is just kind
of like throwing it up a back shoulder to Marvin Jones.
And I'm not saying Trevor Lawrence has been incredible, but
I think the team letting him down has increased as

(01:04:24):
the season has has warned, Well, they're gonna, you know,
they'll make a couple of big free agent signings in
the off season, and one of these huge narratives will
be like Trevor Lawrence is about to show us who
he really is. And I don't doubt that that's true.
It's just that I can already feel that being it's happening.
And just like I just talked about another bad team,
the Jets are gonna you could like look into the
crystal ball and you'll see that Joe Douglas is like,
we have a great defensive coach. Now I'll start to

(01:04:46):
give him more pieces and they'll spend money in draft
defensive players. That's what you're gonna see from the Jaguars
in the subcoming off season. This is what you want
to see. Though they outgained the Cults, the defensive improvement
seems like it's there. It's a little shocking that the
Cults offense at one point, I think had not eight
punts in nine drives, including five three and ounce against

(01:05:06):
Jack and j d at over eleven yards like that.
This Jacksonville defense showed up last week and I, you know,
it was just like, well that doesn't count. Well, it's like, actually,
maybe they are becoming a little bit better. And they
gave them a test today. And I checked in late
to this because I called the Jaguars a berserker team
that can maybe cause a little bit of havoc down

(01:05:26):
the stretch. And at least they didn't totally get wiped today.
Cults are in this race though. Moral victory for you. Yes,
I chalked that up. It's the best thing that happened
to me. I was trying to that. I was like,
where's the analysis here? There? There there, Oh it's about
I said, not out of nine drives, they had one
that went over eleven yards. That's good on defense in
the NFL. By the way, they were one in four,

(01:05:47):
so I know this game, this game is ugly. Just
moved past it. You got your win. They were one
in four and you get to five and five. That's
a that's a pretty nice accomplishment to be right in there.
And we don't have to tell cults fans don't trust
Carson Wentz they oh when they go hot and called
on offense, and again I need to get eyes in
this game. But the quarterback is he's gonna play the snap.

(01:06:10):
So people in Philadelphia are loving the wins experience right now.
All right, let's take a break and then we'll hit
the rest of the games. They blitz in me frozen
left lamps in the corner of the ends all and
he walks under the ball, touch foul. The ceedee lamb
hit a second and he comes up and grinning at
Dalton Schultz and shrugging his shoulders, saying that was too easy.

(01:06:34):
It was too easy for the Cowboys. On Sunday, Brad
Sham the sham God for k r l D Dak
Prescott through a couple of touchdowns, Zeke scored a couple
of times, the Shawn Wright recovered a block pen putting
the end zone. Cowboys roll to three over and overwhelmed

(01:06:55):
and seemingly unprepared Falcon's team. How out of control was
this blowout? Dallas's halftime lead was thirty six to three
halftime Greggy, that's a dan Quinn revenge game, baby, That
is uh? I mean, we got how out of control
is it? We had an entire quarter of Josh Rosen
versus Cooper rush to get both teams just called off

(01:07:20):
the dogs. If you look at the box score and
his forty three like this game play, it was exactly
what you thought it was like if if you don't
want to watch it on game pass, you can pretty
much guess what happened. Doc Prescott last week was definitely misfiring,
didn't seem right. He looked like the dock from the
first eight or nine weeks here. One thing that struck

(01:07:40):
me though in this game was the fourth downs, two
big ones by the Cowboys, which one was a touchdown
and one led to a touchdown, And it got me
thinking about Mike McCarthy and the aggressiveness that he's had
this year, and I started thinking, like, we gotta get
him Mike McCarthy versus Aaron Rodgers with like Mike McCarthy

(01:08:01):
colin for four downs and somehow that he gets back
at Aaron Rodgers, Like this is what I want in
the NFC playoffs, And these are the two teams that
I feel I trust the most in terms of will
be there in the divisional round, if only because I
know they're gonna win their divisions, and I know they're
both really good. That is a luscious idea. I'm totally

(01:08:21):
on board with that, and I mean you can look
at the point total. Obviously their offense is high powered.
But I like this Falcons offense, especially over the last
three or four weeks. The Cowboys did not have DeMarcus Lawrence,
they did not have Randy Gregory, Matt Ryan and his
lowest passer rating. The pregame shows were all about Matt
Ryan knows dan Quinn's defense. By the way, dan Quinn

(01:08:42):
knows Matt Ryan, Matt Ryan and none of that stuff matters.
But it's like the the the Falcons experience has been
up and down because they have been really enjoyable to watch.
You can kind of see it coming together on offense,
and then they completely got manhandled the court of Cordel.
Patterson suffered an ankle injury early. I had to play
through it couldn't kind of look like a high ankle sprain.

(01:09:03):
They're playing on Thursday night, By the way, against the
Once Patterson has gone, this team is no longer fun.
You got Wayne Gallman for fifteen carries. That tells you
it's a it's a bit of you know, house built
of sticks, and they're not. It's not like they're winning
this game or it's a house of cards. They're not
winning this game or being competitive with Patterson. But they

(01:09:24):
didn't have anything. Dorrin's Armstrong had an incredible game. Sticks
and stones actually might be but it's the house of cards,
I know. But we're talking about things that men of
the past did. We've never done any of these things
that they do create like cliches. What do you mean
it's like, oh, it was a real tough day down
at the mill. It's like none of us have ever
been to a mill. I mean, just we don't. We're

(01:09:44):
talking about men. Listen, I'm a homeowner. I do a
lot of work outside. Now, well that I exclude you,
include you from the would commentary on modern man. You
alone are doing the work that men used to work.
Farm I worked at two years ago for like four
teens an please, I mean I was driving yet to

(01:10:06):
get there. Lost, they're lost. I'm picturing just like flashbacks
where it's like the gauzy look to the camera and
it's market camp, happiness at the lake with his his
girlfriend and all his buddies, listening to Collective Soul, and
just Greg just like driving to nowhere and that's straw,
very drunk, no idea where the is going, no map quest,

(01:10:29):
no no cell phone, dishwashing that's like going to the mill.
Did a lot of dishwashings? Where were we? Oh? I
just want to say this, the Falcons and on top
of like a really ugly game, it just stinks that
this is just where things are. But everyone destroying the
Falcons on Twitter when it was three to the point

(01:10:50):
where the Falcons Twitter uh says yeah, yeah, we know,
very ponderous and then you know, to get off. It
didn't last for long because thirty seconds after it went
to twenty three they had a punt block to make
it thirty six by the Falcons. I think we should
just stop with three. It's been long enough. It really

(01:11:13):
truly is the most painful loss I can think of
in the history of sports, because because every time there's
any twenty eight to three, it gets brought up. Yeah,
but you like, you love your Saints and you know
they're your pet team and everything, like they're the one
into it more than anyone else. You should you should
go on the Saints podcast with those dudes um and
say Adam and Ryan, you say, hey, guys, next time

(01:11:35):
you're on the Saints Switter podcast, you say, announcement before
we get into this, I got a monologue hit the
miss of music and then just be like no more
three and then give like a detailed reasoning. You don't
condone it. Basically, you stand. I just think it's been enough.
It's been enough. We not just I don't don't I
command you to stand down, Saints Nation. I'm not gonna

(01:11:58):
do that. By the way, Like, why why is Dak
Prescott running over a linebacker when it's thirty six to three? Uh,
late in the third quarter. I I'm all about everyone's
always about like protecting your players, and yet they leave
in their players in these nameless situations even late in
the third quarter. You could you can take them out.
It's very strange because they're so concerned in the preseason

(01:12:20):
and then when in the regular season and thinks you
don't condone that either. You know, it's a great way
to avoid people taunting you forever. Same thing like I've
gotten like the butt fumble gifts sent to me for
ten straight years. Don't get the butt fumble done to you.
Don't blow lead in the Super Bowl. This is sports,
and sometimes it's just cruel. All right, let's move and

(01:12:44):
Gordon has knocked down. Football comes loose. Eagles come up
with the Slow, picks it up slightly, running with the ball,
and Slow takes off to the forth side of the
field to the thirty to the forty slight running away
from people. Slow at the forty thirty ten five touchdown.

(01:13:04):
I think you could tell Meryl Reese in his voice
wasn't sure whether he was calling a game changing touchdown
for w I P, but he was. Cornerback Darius Slay
returned to fumble eighty two yards for a score that
held up upon review. Was a good call, and rookie
Davanta Smith continued his surge. He had two touchdown catches

(01:13:27):
from Jalen Hurts in the first half. The Eagles roll
over the Broncos thirteen. Um. You know, last week the
Broncos go to Dallas and embarrassed the Cowboys, and then
seven days later, the Cowboys make the Falcons look like
a little league team, a Pop Warner team, and the
Broncos go right back to looking like also Rents, mediocre

(01:13:52):
Hammond Eggers. And that's and that was kind of my
takeaway from this game. UH, My other big takeaway other
than the Broncos or mediocre and um and they were
a tease last week, is that Jalen hurts Um was
so good in the first half of this game. He
only threw three passes in the second half, so I
can't and he threw an interception in the second half.

(01:14:13):
But in the first half, with what he was able
to do with his arm and with his legs again,
he he is showing signs that this is a guy
that you should give serious thought to continuing to develop
and stay the course with Jalen hurts I really liked
what I saw in this game. The Eagles are four
and six. All four of their wins have come on
the road, so it's an interesting, uh season they're having.

(01:14:36):
And I thought, um one more note on the Broncos
and this and bad day for teddy Bridge Bridgewater all
the all around. Greg, You're gonna really struggle with this
game tape because in addition to the phantom tackle attempt,
Um on the uh Darius Slay touchdown, which was not
a great look. He said he was trying to force
the action the other direction, but it looked like he

(01:14:58):
was trying to may a business decision there. He just
missed a lot of plays in this game. He struggled
and they and they stalled out in the red zone repeatedly.
They stalled at the three, the ten, and the eleven.
That was the difference in this game, right, They were
living in the red zone in the second half of
the game, trying to make a comeback. I am impressed
and surprised about how quickly the Eagles have flipped this offense.

(01:15:22):
Like everyone was begging them to just run the ball
more for the first six weeks, and then they started
to and they're the best running team in the league.
The last three weeks. They are the number one offense
according to expected points a lot. Now you gotta look
at the you know, the opponents, but they've been wildly
efficient for three straight weeks, you know, with this very
run heavy approach. Yeah, I mean that is there is

(01:15:45):
when they can run the ball and then he and
Hurts can make plays with his legs and this devouta
Smith connection, which has really come on the last two weeks.
They his catch, he had an incredible it was a
great stat his touchdown catch. The first one was over
past tricks, certain the second or is it the third?
So the second or third, I mean the second to

(01:16:05):
play in the NFL um and I think he had
less than like a half yard of separation. Was the
smallest window for any touchdown reception this season. That's the
type of play as star receiver makes, and he made
one there. So the Eagles are a team to kind
of keep an eye on here, and they're only one
game back in the NFC. I have a crazy stat

(01:16:26):
for you right now, are you ready for you? All? Right?
Out of the thirty two teams in the NFL, only
five are more than one loss out of the playoffs five.
I believe that there's twelve in the a f C
that are in that mix and fifteen in the NFC.
The Lions are the only team that's not within one

(01:16:48):
loss in the You know, if you really want to
stretch it and and say, the Giants in Washington are
only one loss behind George Bush one mission accomplished the
league on it, and they they are here. And if
you have told me, if you like traveled from the
future back to August and gave me that stat, I'd
like cross my finger and be like, come on, you
gotta be in the mix. He gotta be one of
the teams, but they are not. Now, before we move on, Greg,

(01:17:12):
i'd like you to uh speak on the Teddy play.
He's catching a ton of heat for it. Business decision
and a big spot a lot. I mentioned it on
Twitter and all the Broncos fans got angry. He's got
two bad knees or his knee was shredders. Like, I
get all that right. People kill quarterbacks sometimes for like
throwing their body at offensive players when fumbled or defensive

(01:17:34):
players when fumbles are being returned and getting hurt. It's like,
was he really going to tackle tackle him there? I
could have slowed him down, led to could have made it.
I don't know. Maybe he's a football player. What I
do love is he like he did a very demonstrative
lowering of his head, just like lowered his head like
eight feet away from the player, Like that meant anything
like a step back three. I want Teddy's career to continue.

(01:17:55):
That that play did not decide the game. I'm happy
room going forward, but you know, I hope not. His
His approval rating in general with Broncos fans went from
like it felt like it was pretty high and now
it's just out the window. One play. I put it
this way, Greg, if you would, Hey, how about don't
fumble the ball in a big spot in Melvin Gordon?

(01:18:16):
Have you ever seen Melvin Gordon fumble the ball in
a big spot. I'm just saying between Broncos fans and
Chargers fans, they know what I'm talking about. A fourth
and one play, he gets the two yards and fumbles.
How about a little attention on that happened what happened
couple weeks ago. That's that's what you learned. That was
a debate club, not to it was the bottle Congress.

(01:18:39):
There are no lessons in model Congress. No one ever
gave us tips. Everyone got to be president once you
were senior, because like there's only seven you. Let me
just say that the only person. We won't dwell on it. Um.
But you see what Bruce arians did with Tom Brady today.
He didn't let him off the hook. He held him

(01:19:01):
accountable because ultimately that's what's best for Tom Brady and
his team. That's how I think you should be with
Teddy right now. Don't let him off the hook. Let
him know what he did was not acceptable. And we
don't think that's gonna happen again, because we know you're
a man of high integrity and character, but we were
disappointed today. What I'm not going to be as a
Twitter scout. I need to know more about what happened
on that play. I need to see different angles before

(01:19:23):
I just start flaming people. You're not gonna like all
the angles because I've seen him all right. Which takes
us to Sunday Night Football, Sunday Night, ton of time
going to the in zone. It's Williams there and he
makes the grid case Carol Williams, So of course you're

(01:19:45):
gonna take a running back and just throw off a
prayer and expect him to make a play like that?
Are you kidding me? Al Michael's and Chris Collins with
the call and some of the descriptor words there are
by Colinsworth incredible. Are you kidding me? We haven't heard

(01:20:06):
those when describing the Chiefs attack in a while. But
it was back on Sunday Night Football from Vegas, a
forty one fourteen win for the Chiefs, who outscore their
division rival seven in the second half, fourteen zilch in
the fourth quarter and Patrick Mahomes through it fifty times,

(01:20:28):
and he translated those fifty throws into four hundred and
six yards, five touchdowns, zero picks. Mark, this is the
Chiefs offense that everyone was waiting for. It has returned,
and at the expense of a Raiders team that is
now reeling. I think we'll find out if it's fully returned.
But I saw a Raiders defense tonight that could not
take advantage of a number of rather reckless throws from

(01:20:52):
Patrick Mahomes downfield as well, and the Raiders simply no
showed in the first half. And I do trust that
with Patrick Mahomes, this is what this is who he
is like the whole Like he's in the slump, He's
not the same person. Should you be taking chances like this?
That always felt a little bizarre to me. But do
you trust Greg that this offense is fixed based off
of this game? I just think the Raiders are missing

(01:21:14):
pieces and parts. I mean, you don't throw away the
whole rest of the season. Just as annoying as people
saying like, oh, the Chiefs aren't coming back from this
is the people that are pointing to one game and
say like they're back. How many times do we need
to watch an NFL season to learn, there's gonna be
like ebbs and flows and all that. But I never
got the idea that changing who Patrick Mahomes was as

(01:21:37):
a player is some sort of solution. And yeah, like
the turnover, luck turns his way tonight. But this was
like an amazing performance by them too. Kelsey was feeling
himself early. Uh, them throwing short to Tyreek Hill was
working great, The play calls were great. You know, Damian
Williams has a game like for him to remember. And

(01:21:57):
I think more importantly than all this is that she
defensive resurgent over the last month seems pretty real, Like
Chris Jones was living out there. Tonight, Tyrone Matthew shuts
down Darren Waller. And that's a solid month now of
the Chiefs defense being good, good enough. Yeah, look out,
that's what I'll say. I'm buying in. And I know
they've had even this season, they've had big weeks and

(01:22:21):
then you think they're out of it and then they
go back and do a funk. All right, could happen again.
But I think about tonight in the immediate moments after
it's over, and I'm I'm saying to myself, Okay, they're
gonna run away with this division. Now they are atop
the A f C West and you look at the
rest of the division. The Raiders look a hell of
a lot like the Raiders of the last couple of

(01:22:42):
years under John Gruden. Now where that you know they
get you kind of sucked in myself included, and they
start to fade. And there's some different factors clouding their
situation this year, but it's more of the same. They're
now five and four team the Chargers. The Chargers look
like to me a potential pretender. They're five and four
the Broncos. They they showed who they were uh today

(01:23:02):
even after that great win a Dallas. So that division
is there for the taking and the Chiefs there is
a very real chance that they've gone through their their
ugly period and they're about to start rollings. And if
you can now combine greg this offense out of a
slump and performing again at an elite level with the
defense that that's improving, that's one super Bowls for them.
In the past. They picked the right year to go

(01:23:24):
through a prolonged slump, I mean, because they've come out
of this to your point in amazing shape, like Okay,
Tennessee is a couple of games up in the lost column.
It's gonna be tough to get the one seat. Other
than that, it's all right there in front of them,
and you look at their opponents and you look at
the rest of the division. Nothing seems unbeat I do
think this night was different, though, Mark not just like that. Okay,

(01:23:46):
Damian Williams out out guns Abram for that touchdown, and
you know, they make a couple of big plays, but
like the ball was coming out on time. Mahomes was
pretty decisive in what he was doing. It didn't feel flukey.
They had a good game plan for an opponent that
they know well, and they destroyed him on both sides.
It was but you know, it was pretty complete to
have that kind of night. And I think the Raiders,

(01:24:08):
you know, they're trying to climb back into the game.
They came out with a really nice opening drive to
the second half. But then you get into the scenario
where Deshan Jackson makes his first catch as a Raider.
It's a forty yard of the Kansas City seventeen. He
then fumbles it in a very strange sort of loop
de loop move where the changed in on the next
possession car through a prayer down field and it's picked

(01:24:31):
off by Daniel Swortzon, who has been a you know,
victimized for a month straight here. So I think like
they had a chance to climb back in the They
are missing pieces on offense and they're not the equal
of the Chiefs tonight and the Chiefs I thought, I
was saying, you know, on Friday, like will they come
out looking a little bit different? And they did early
on the way they moved the ball passes behind the
line of scrimmage tonight. That the Raiders to do, I

(01:24:52):
think to deactivate some of like the Las Vegas pass rush.
And then they got they start throwing it deep. So
it's the the antidote arrived. Wish people could have heard
Dan though in the film room on that touchdown throw
that we just heard and Williams yea to start this
broadcast and it's fourth down. They had just gotten the
fake punt. Nice job there by Townsend. Nice job by

(01:25:15):
Dave Taub. Legendary UH Special Teams sixteen years. In the
last sixteen years, Dan, he's had a Top five Special
Teams d v O A thirteen, not a fifteen sixteen times.
Number one, they need to study up on my tip.
You're talking top. Sorry, I got distracted. And Dan, when
it's fourth down in the place, it's like, we need
a highlight, need a highlight, need a highlight on this place,

(01:25:36):
need a highlight, need a highlight. And then there it's
up in the air and he gets it and he
gets a touch down in the place, there's the highlight
and we got it, and uh yeah, a little peak
behind the curtain. Should also know that. A few minutes
after that, Chris Rose rolled up to the back row
of the theater and had a really nice conversation with
Mark about the Browns. Mark was fully engaged, I thought,
Greg and that you know, it did make me think,

(01:25:58):
Um I did. Actually I pondered it because um, coming
off a wind, Mark sometimes likes to depress his feelings,
keep him inside. But a loss, he's more open. So
it's almost like with Cleveland fans, it is the losing
ultimately that brings you together. Yeah, I mean, just you know,
to be real, we that's the second great conversation that
we had. I would say death con but because earlier

(01:26:19):
in the day you stopped by our cubes before you
were there Dan and uh, I thought I couldn't have
been more you know, welcome and open arm to um
discussing the day's events with it was good to see
you guys get back together. I was wondering watching that interaction.
Have you taken mark like lessons um from Derek Carr,
because you know, he's talked a lot about forgiveness and
being there for people, and it seems like maybe or

(01:26:41):
maybe it was Chris Rose that was doing the forgiving.
I don't know, but you seem to open your heart
and I mean, I think even on last Tuesday's show
with his voicemail, I could have found a couple of
things if I wanted to to be annoyed with. And
you know, another mustache reference. Yeah, And it's like, you know,
I'm not claiming that I like have some sort of
Burt Reynolds facial hair scenara going on. It's the opposite

(01:27:02):
of that. I understand that. But he's pointed it out
multiple times and that's fun when it happens again. Yeah,
it seems like that that's an issue. Might have directify
with him privately. So we're not out of the woods yet.
But back to the Raiders, I'd be very, very nervous. Uh,
if I'm a Raiders fan, it's just it does feel
like it's trending downward. And Derek Carr, Greg, I know
you've been out front on the Derek Carr resurgence bandwagon.

(01:27:24):
You've had him high up in your QB index all year.
But he made some throws in this game. Arm punts. Uh,
he got away with one, he got picked off on another.
It just looked like a quarterback trying to do too
much as a season starts to crumble. And that's very
familiar if you've been following this team the last few years,
and familiar if you watched them last week too, So

(01:27:44):
that that part concerns me. Coming out of the bye,
that second half against the Giants was similar to the
second half of this game where he just started going
for that said, It's like he goes thirty to sixty
one two and like it didn't feel like it was
on Derek Carr. Everyone wasn't on him, but it once
once it started going bad, he got very desperate. But
the good things that the Raiders had been doing all

(01:28:06):
seemed to go away. Their pass us to the run game,
all of that. I do want to see this Kansas
City versus Dallas next week before I know what's gonna happen.
This week, we're already there and I'm just gonna roll,
just cling onto the train and run behind it. But
it's like, yes, the Chiefs are back, everything's back to normal,
Like let's just see. Why do things upset you so much? No,
because it's like, but let's because it's such. Why are

(01:28:27):
you saying you need to cling onto the train and
run because you're not. It's too time in front of it,
it's too tiresome to stand in front of a train.
But then a narrative train chaotic neutral then say, I
am not on board with the Chief's resurgence yet, I
don't think we should take because much from this game
I need to see next week because I think that
the thing is they probably were never even close to

(01:28:48):
as junkie as we thought in terms of their final destination,
and they aren't what we saw tonight going forward without interruption,
just something in the middle, and they were going to
be junkie Cowboys Chiefs though, is that a CBS game?
Give it to me, Romo sign, He's got the first
round pick in the draft next week. It might be um.

(01:29:11):
Final stats here Casey five and sixteen total yards to
nine for the Raiders. Turnovers Casey just had one, which
is a big improvement for them this season. They dominated
time in possession over thirty five minutes and twenty nine
to fifteen first downs, almost doubled them up first time
first down on the road. That right there, Greg Rosenthal

(01:29:33):
is a statement win by the Chiefs who said the
division is still ours and guess what I know we have.
We lose the tiebreaker to the Titans and the Bill's
head to head, but do not count us out from
getting red hot. I'm all in on the Chiefs. Make
me look dumb. Next, make me look dumb. Okay, it's
a Fox game. Don't hate that either. Love all the
Troy Aikman in my life. Um, and so that'll be

(01:29:55):
a good Greg is getting on. I have been this.
I've been pro Troy Aikman for so you don't like him.
Territory that Greg is attempting to arrest. He did it
on our Friday show is his final thought with some
sort of glowing twenty secondment thing. And it's like, I've
a lot, It's been like a growing appreciation. It's really
the Thursday night football thing. You get him twice a week,

(01:30:15):
but Thursday night I'm able to just sit back enjoy
watch the Let's also call out that there's a growing
distance between you and Tony Romo and your belief in
his commentating. You're filling in avoid Greg. Yeah, there could
be something there. I don't think it's been his best season.
All right, there you go. That is the Sunday of

(01:30:35):
week ten. We keep rolling. We'll be back on Tuesday
with our latest episode of the Around the NFL podcast,
So check that out. The wheel keeps turning, Ricky, do
you have any thoughts before we say goodbye? Now? You
guys did a great show. Oh wow, thank you, good
job and you did really nice work behind the glass.
Thanks love a great night. All right, let's go home.

(01:30:58):
Succession night. And so that's what daddy and mommy do together,
put the kids to bed, and all they do together. Points.
That's all you can know about it. All right, enough
of that till Tuesday. Plead the call

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