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December 9, 2025 • 11 mins
Regarding last night's MNF battle between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles, we now conclude Week 14 in the NFL. Just the night before, the Texans took down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in SNF, now having strung off 3 consecutive wins from the AFC's top competitors. Looking ahead and crunching a few numbers as we roll into the final four games of the regular season, NFL Network's sports media and analytics expert, Cynthia Frelund, joins Dan and Cole to share a couple of numbers and odds Texans fans should be mindful of as we approach the start of the postseason.
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Currently in the playoff push, and we're talking that much
more with Cynthia Freeland, NFL Network joining us here on
the Morning Drive. Cynthia, good to hear from you again.
Let's just look back for we look forward here, starting
with the Texans offensively on Sunday nights. What were some
things that you saw, what they got away from, but

(00:20):
what are some things that they were able to use
to their benefit?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well, I'm always I will always start with offensive lines
because I mean to be fair. I did my whole
master thesis on this, so I clearly think it's important,
right when you see the difference in the first half
in the second half, and you know, some things to
learn from there, right, being able to stop a Chris
Jones effect for George prol offtice and pressures coming from
different directions. Obviously, health will always help with O lines,

(00:48):
but I've been really impressed with the advancements of this
O line as the season's continued. So I think kind
of reconfiguring just a few more, you know, obviously it
helps if you're you know, you're running backs good, if
you have healthy players, you know, just just the thought.
But that was interesting and what I really saw from
c J. Stroud was an ability to diagnose different spots

(01:11):
in whatever the coverage was, be it ahead of a
snap earlier in the season, if it was looking like
man and turned into his zone or vice versa. It
was as if he he maybe didn't diagnose it as
well as we've been seeing right now. So that's what
I thought. Those and false leverages. So he thinks he
has outside leveraged really inside like all of these different
things that he's able to adapt to and perhaps see.

(01:35):
You know, you hear like the commenters are like, he's
seeing the field, and I think that's what's happening.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
You look at the last three games, Cynthia, the Texans
have struggled coming out of halftime when it comes to
adjustments offensively. Is this the defense looking back at the
film from the first half of being able to understand
what are some areas that CJ and company can't really connect?
Or is this more so really bad play designs just
kind of set the time by Nick Kayley.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
I don't know. I mean, I'm not in the rooms.
We don't really know, but I think the better you
are in adapt to be fair, You've played some really
good second half adapters, right like some Obviously the difference
that everyone on the broadcast talked about it. You can
see it from this stats. The difference in the first
half of the second half from the Chiefs was remarkable.

(02:21):
It was like as if you know, Chris Jones had
turned an on switch and whatever. I don't. I don't
really know what happened. Maybe you know the fire was
lit under their bums in that regard. But I also think,
you know, give credit to lou and or Room, I mean,
the Colts defense. They're missing some key pieces that It's
just the thing is that those are just really good
play callers too. So sometimes you go through a streak
where you're looking at some you know, Steve Spagnolo legend,

(02:44):
you know, like that's that's just gonna happen sometimes. So
I'm not super concerned about that. I think they will
all learn together. But as long as c J. Strock
can keep picking up like little nuances in the defense,
you're gonna be okay again.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Cynthia Freeland, NFL Network, joining us here on the Morning Drive,
Dan and Cole with CJ. It looked like that most
of his accuracy was coming from throws on the run.
The other night do the results show that as opposed
to him being in the pocket.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, the funny part is when you look at like
next gen stats, a throw on the run, this baffles
me because it's me. It's like throw on the on
the sprint because it's eight miles an hour or better,
which is just a wild stack. By the way, all
quarterbacks this season, they have been in that situation like
that has been something where you know that has been
extremely accurate. So if you want to notice on the

(03:34):
run numbers, you know it is six of eleven ninety
two yards and his touchdown did not come on the run,
but you know the passer rating was higher eighty two
point four yards for attempt to eight point four versus
five point six when he wasn't on the run, so correct,
the completion percentage, everything was better when he was on
the run. But again that has been a theme like
quarterbacks of the season, you must be able to throw

(03:54):
on the run if you're going to be successful.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
You have a number one defense not only in scoring
but also in total yards in the top five and
almost every single category. Cynthia, I want to just put
you on the spot, but are we looking at a
defense that is measuring up to teams like the two
thousand and one Ravens, the twenty thirteen leagues in a
boom or is there still a little bit of room
for improvement.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
I don't think any coach would be like, there's never
room for improvement. We're done. Mc Matt Burke would be like,
yes we can, but no, this is a you're on
pace here for some pretty historic numbers and things. People
are and you're like, remember that defense, it just needs
a better name. Someone needs to work on the branding
of it. But no, it's right up there. Even though
I don't think Demigo ryand or anyone would say that

(04:35):
they're there yet. They'll be like, Nope, We've still got
ways to go. Because I love coach speak, right, they
all lie again.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
Cynthia Freeland, NFL Network join us here on the Morning
Drive with the Tandema Edge Rushers. This team is thrown
at quarterbacks Will and Anderson junior Danil Hunter. I mean,
you know, they're not tops in the league, but they're
up there inside the top five. Just you know, what
have those guys been able to bring to the field
this year.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
It's about the direction, right, Like when you have right
now miles the arizon. Okay, let's put him aside. Right
he's on pace to break history. And part of that's because,
to be fair, I mean, there's the kind of don't
have anything else going on, right like, so it's not
like they're sitting there winning it. Okay, I know shod
Or SAMs is very fun, but it's just a very
different story when you have the ability to have a

(05:22):
duo have the most pressures in the league, and then
a secondary to be able to back it up with
the lowest completion percentage allowed, and not just like in
certain circumstances. You know, we see those caveats with stats
sometimes with like oh yeah when they're playing cover two,
Like no, no, no, it's anytime any place you got
the number one, you know you have just like the
best situation where you have the corners and the front

(05:45):
backing each other up. You have the secondary that because
those two things were hand in gloves. So while you
don't have one like number that's going to be like, oh,
this is going to be the defensive player of the year.
I think every single coach and every single player would
be like, yeah, the better way to the Lombardi Trophy
is to have a bunch of guys who can create
this like really big problem and make Patrick Mahomes look
pedestrian when he's probably the best quarterback of our time.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
And then you have a guy in Derek Singley Junior
that we know as an all pro, but Kamari Loster
has stepped up immensely this year. He may be one
of the better number two corners. When you look at
the numbers last season to what you've seen this season,
what's been the biggest growth for the second year corner.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
Well, when you're looking at looks, Lassiter is not in
a dissimilar situation to like a Riley Moss for you know,
the defensive player, the reigning defensive Player of the Earth
passer Tan you know, he kind of gets laster, gets
picked on more than stingy because of who he is.
It's just a little bit more, I don't know. And
what you're seeing is he's not dropping off in any

(06:44):
way like the past. Interferences are not there like that
is what sometimes you see. Right when you get targeted
a ton, you see a lot of DEPI that doesn't
happen for him keeping it clean, those not giving up
big plays. That is to me a masterpiece in what
happens with a great defense. I think the way that
you know teams like I don't think they are looking

(07:05):
at it in the same way as you know the Broncos,
which is a nice comp to it, right, Like they're
not saying, all right, we're going with Riley Moss, We're
going to go target him a billion times to get
home much of DP. They're like, shoot, I have to
pick between Dre Stingley or Kamara Lansner. That's not great.
Kiln Book's doing really good as well. So I don't
know where I'm gonna go with this one.

Speaker 1 (07:23):
And Cynthia, I mean, you bring up the Broncos, and
I'm glad you did, because I mean it seems like
that's a comparison to the Texans that fits. I mean,
both teams lacking a little bit on the offensive end
and superior on the defensive end. But I mean when
it comes to them in the Texans, I mean, is
it because of what they lack on the offensive end
that would probably keep people from believing that not only

(07:45):
are they an AFC champion, but a team that could
compete to win the entire thing.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
I think right now, a few of those early losses
are really what is changing people's per Again, we're not
at the end of the season, but like perspective, national perspective,
the way we all, you know, I would like to
go on record that I have receipts for it. You
can say week gosh eight before Thanksgiving, well before thanks Eving,
like all right, Houston is points to go on a run.

(08:12):
David Smills can get them through just a few of
these games, and the South is theirs. I have receipts.
I can send it to you. It's on video, so
there we go. But I think that is the national perception, right,
Like the Broncos have been on this crazy win streak,
you know, and winning close games, which is something that
resonates with people in terms of you know, we thought
last year with the Chiefs go to the super Bowl

(08:34):
with all these close wins. So I just think it's
really you know, the fact that the record would say
that you're not leading your division yet, which is what
the difference. But remember, we got to be forward looking.
Who cares about the past, and so what have you
done for me lately? League? And what do we got
for the last month of the season.

Speaker 3 (08:51):
Syndhia, Right, now, if you does feel like that there
is no front runner in the AFC simply because of
you have the questions when it comes to a young
quarterback in Drake May. I'm personally not a big believer
in Jacksonville just because they've been winning in close calls.
The AFC North is wide open when you look right now,
do you feel like that, based off the analytics, there's
one team that you could maybe throw a little bit

(09:12):
of cash down on. Hey, they're going to be in
Santa Clair and facing off against an NFC opponent.

Speaker 2 (09:17):
Well, I think you could. Look, I'm a former banker,
so the way that I'm going to say this is
you could put together a nice portfolio of picks based
on some shares. We got to diversify our portfolio, right,
We need a little bit of Houston, we need a
little bit of Denver. We probably need, you know, just
a little bit of I don't know, like some weird
one that's I don't have a lot of faith in. Like,

(09:37):
if you're gonna make it, then you have a chance.
In the AFC, I don't think there's anyone. I actually
don't even think of the NFC that there's a front
runner the Bears can go from first to seventh with
one game with one loss. So I'd put a little
bit down. And I know that this is the NFC,
but but Green Bay too though, I'm going my defensive
portfolio would include those three assets.

Speaker 1 (09:54):
See cole financial health. Talk about it every single day
and Cynthia backs me up.

Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
There you go. It's just as important as physical and
mental Cynthia, we all know that it all goes hand
in hand.

Speaker 3 (10:06):
I don't even know how to set my own for one. Kay,
that's all.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
There you go.

Speaker 1 (10:09):
You got to get with people like.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
Cynthia, then listen, do the roth iary first, and then
worry about the rest lader. That's what you gotta say.
There's my financial advice for the day. There you go.

Speaker 3 (10:18):
I like that.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
I like that's the people ever.

Speaker 1 (10:20):
We got analytics, we got financial advice. There's there's everything
that Cynthia can do. Cynthia, you're the best. It's it's
always awesome to be able to catch up with you.
And hopefully we'll get a chance to do this again
before the season comes to an end.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
You got it. And by the way, I do have
a favorite text of this year. Do you want to
know who it is.

Speaker 1 (10:37):
Lay it on us.

Speaker 2 (10:39):
It's Sheldon Rankins because if you look at what he
overcame from last year from a major health issue to
be on the field and doing what he's doing. I
just love a good comeback story. I'm into it. So
not getting enough national shine for that.

Speaker 3 (10:52):
So, Cynthia, he's one of my favorite players too, because
of my favorite moment in football is always a big
man touchdown. There's nothing better than a big man touch.

Speaker 2 (10:58):
Does not love a big man.

Speaker 3 (11:00):
I have a big man touchdown.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
It's better than this, saf you know, like.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
A big man touchdown? Thank you exactly.

Speaker 1 (11:06):
I mean and we and we had a big man
last night who was trying to run his way back
for a touchdown. Then it was a fumble picked up
by the quarterback and then fumbled again.

Speaker 3 (11:14):
I was so mad at that.

Speaker 2 (11:16):
I watched it last night's game. I have no idea
what that was to finish? What was that? That? That's it.

Speaker 1 (11:23):
That's it the NFL. You see it once, well you'll
probably see it again. Hey, Cynthia, We'll go ahead. I
just laughed, Oh there you go, there you go, Cynthia
Freeland again. NFL Network, Ky, we appreciate it. We'll catch
up soon, all right.
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