HR2: AFC Preview

ITL Meta Miller, Justin

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is in the Locker Room with Kenyon Starks on
Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Forward Store. The
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Speaker 2 (00:29):
Pull up Optimist. Wait wait you know, hey, all right,
we'll see you in Detroit in mot City. All right,
but uh, yeah, there he goes there. He is Optimist
is uh, he's rolling, you know, he doesn't he doesn't
really stop for anybody, but he does stop by the
locker room every top of the hour to let us know.
It's the Power Hour hour number two here inside the

(00:52):
locker room. Ginger and uh, I will turn it back
over to you, my friend. Thank you.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
Max appreciated as oh, you know you you were talking about,
you know, Jeremiah Moon, and we were talking about Jeremiah Moon.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
And for those of us just joining us.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
He has been signed off the Carolina Panthers practice squad.
Added to the Steelers active roster. You have to add
a guy to an active roster when you sign him
off another team's practice squad. Broderick Martin Jones says, what's that?

Speaker 2 (01:23):
That's protocol protocol.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
So Bradick Martin Jones, who played a little bit of
defensive tackle, he's gone, and Moon.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Off the list. Another seventy eight off the list.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
Martin Roads, I think I call it Martin Jones, Martin Roads,
Brodick Martin so he you know, he played a little
bit here for the Steelers, and we'll see if you
get to resign to the practice squad. In the meantime,
it got me thinking, you know, when you take on
a team like Detroit, like you know, you go back
to the Super Bowl in which the Giants beat the Bills,

(01:57):
and they just dominated time of possession and you know,
they were they were going forward on fourth down back
when teams didn't do it that often, trying to play
keep away from that K gun offense. It was so
explosive for the Bills, and they were effective. The Bills
were effective with their their offense was fine. They just
never had the ball. You'd love to do that against Detroit.

(02:19):
So but you also want to play your own game.
Does the fact that you have you don't have t J.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Watt.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
We're assuming I don't know that for sure, but let's
just let's just operate under the premise that you won't
have TJ. Watt and you won't have Nick Herbert. Can
you allow that to change your game plan? Does that
change your game plan? Do you say, you know what,
let's try to go more run heavy, let's try to

(02:48):
shorten this game. Here's one extra little factor in there.
Or you just say, hey, let's play our game and
you know, we got these guys in there, and let
let's you know, we got Jack Sawyer and we have
Alex Heysmith. You know, because you could if you could
play those guys the majority of the snaps, if they
played fewer snaps like we saw the defense do last week.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Against the Dolphins. So can you change up Max.

Speaker 3 (03:11):
Or do you just do you just play your game
and let the chips fall where they may.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
I think you have to play your game and hope
that it works out that way if that makes sense, right,
because we saw last week the Steelers win that time
of possession and win the offensive snaps versus the opposing
offenses snap count, right, and it worked out that way

(03:41):
that we're trying to make it. So, if that's already
something that you're trying to accomplish, and you finally accomplished it,
you say, I want to continue what we did last
week and carry it into this week. So because that
was a situation, right, we did outrush and outpace our
passing game, which was what we needed to do. Now,

(04:02):
the numbers didn't reflect it and look as high. The
yards per wasn't there, but the intent was there, right,
And so you're saying, hopefully this time around, let's do
the same thing, but let's make those numbers look better,
because I think that was key in why we were
able to possess the football as long as we did

(04:24):
was because there was that intent. Now, now here's the
thing I will say, I don't know how heady I
get on the fourth down and shorts on our side
of the field like we did last week. I don't.
I'm not saying that, but I am saying that, you know,
we need to we do need to get cleaner on
those things because remember early you know we were what

(04:46):
we were zero for three on third downs, but yet
two for two on fourth downs. Right, I'm not saying
do that, but I would like to see the similar
intent with how the final stats and balance was. And
I think if you go in with that mindset, the
other part takes care of itself, right, because that means
if you are rushing the ball thirty two times, that

(05:09):
means you are converting third downs. That means you are
possessing the football longer than the opponent. You're keeping that
high powered offense on the bench, and vice versa. I'm
keeping my defense on the bench as well, right, and
whether exposed fresh however you want to look at it,
that's what we're presenting to the opponent, and we're not

(05:31):
even giving them an opportunity to exploit any of that
stuff because we're doing our job. And I think that's
how I kind of look at it. Like it It's
not like, well we got to run it more, guys
because TJ's out or Nick is out and the defense
is hurting. It's no, remember what we did last week.
We need to go bring that same mentality, that same
type of effort, that same type of success and execution

(05:53):
to this game. We've got to build on it. You know,
we held the ball for thirty three. Let's see if
we could go for thirty five twenty nine, right, you know,
it's like we need to add a little bit more
to it. This time and at the end of the game,
don't let up and keep the defense fresh so that
they can go attack and get after Jarrett Goff, who

(06:14):
has one of the quickest releases in the league. Right,
we don't give them time for Jamison Williams to break
free or Almond Ross Saint Brown, you know, to kind
of get lost in the coverage and Jarrett Goff find him. Right.
Can we minimize the two headed monster that is Jamier
Gibbs and David Montgomery. Well, the best way to neutralize

(06:35):
them is to possess the football as an offense. And
that's what any offense wants, That's what every offensive lineman wants.
I want to dominate and wear down the opposing defense.
And I think that's kind of how we have to
look at it. We have to come into this game
looking at let's do what we did last week, but
better and if we do that, good things are gonna happen.

Speaker 3 (06:59):
By the way, I'm all for going for it on
fourth down like they did last week.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
I like the idea.

Speaker 3 (07:05):
I like that, I like that aggressive play, and I mean,
you know, we talked about this a little bit yesterday.
It's a bit of a you know, a two headed
sword or a two sided sword two headed monster.

Speaker 2 (07:17):
Wow, I'll get it. The double edge sort double edged sword,
thank you, Thank you, Max.

Speaker 3 (07:25):
Because you want to play keep away right, you want
to keep them off the field, but you also don't
want to give an explosive offense a short field either.
I do think that you know and and correct me
if I'm wrong.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
Max.

Speaker 3 (07:37):
Maybe you go in with the mindset, maybe going saying
I'm going to do this, but also adapt within the game.
I think again, that's something that the Steelers do well.
So I'm sure you've been on a sideline where I
don't know, I'm guessing you tell me. Have you been
on the sideline where you said, hey, listen, man, let's
just keep doing this.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
This is working.

Speaker 3 (07:56):
Maybe you didn't know it was going to work going
into the game, but they can't or we're having success
doing this, or we've got to go away from doing this.
I'm sure the players feel that along the sidelines as well.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
Oh yeah, no, I mean that that's what sidelinesjustice are
all about, is letting them know, Hey, what do you
guys like? You know? I never forget, you know, wiz
coming over to the sidelines to us with Russ and
just say, hey, what do you guys, like, what do
you guys want to do? What are you seeing out there?
And we give our input and then we go and
we put more of that in and we have success

(08:31):
because you know, we have you know, a you feel
like you're a part of this offense right when people
are asking your input in game and we're seeing some
things that maybe we didn't necessarily rep in practice or
see in the film before, because maybe this is that
new wrinkle of the week, the new flavor of the
week that the defense wanted to add in. And it's like, hey,

(08:52):
this this play is not working, but this one is
because of the way they align and because of the
leverage we can we can exploit this opportunity. I mean,
that's that's a big part of your sideline adjustments in
between drives. And you know, back then, we used to
get we used to get the still shots right the
paper and they would they would have to staple it

(09:14):
and they you'd flip through it and you'd see the
right before pre snap and then the first like second
after post snap to see where everybody starts to fill
and you kind of make your just about that now
you just have the full on surface time, you can
watch the entire freaking play. It's so crazy. Now, what
the technology that's available to players instantly, right, that that

(09:35):
that instant feedback that you can get and you can
look at you can say, hey, this is working. You
see what this is. Okay, watch this. That safety was
supposed to be here, but he keeps coming here, so
we need to bait him there. Next time we do this.
You can make those type of adjustments in real time
and you can use those to exploit them. So I
would I would love for that, like you said, and

(09:57):
I listen, I don't. I don't not have an appetit.
I love when offenses get the opportunity on fourth and
short to go impose their will and show that we're
the tougher group. Right, you get any chance to show
off the bravado. But I was just saying that being
on our side of the field, right and giving them
a potential short side of the field, because I don't
know what every reffing crew is up for and how good.

(10:20):
I don't know when their last vision test was. Because
last week we shouldn't have went the fourth down on
the one because Connor did get the second surge before
they blew the whistle, he got over the lined. So
that's where I'm like, I don't want to leave that
judgment into the hands of man. If that makes sense,
it does, so on that side, it's different if we're

(10:41):
in their territory and it's like, hey, it was this,
or we risk possibly getting a punt and it going
for a touchback, you know what I'm saying, And then
we ended up might as well have just went for
it because giving up fifteen yards of field position isn't
that big of a deal on their side of the field.

Speaker 3 (10:58):
So let me ask you one more thing, because we
talk about, you know, these these large game plan issues,
right like let's go for more and fourth down or
let's run the football, you know, and and then you
talk then you get into the world of adjustments that
you have to make and what are you going to do?
How much you're going to adjust your game plan from

(11:19):
week to week. And I think again that's a strength
of Mike Tomlin as far as personnel usage and different
alignments and that.

Speaker 2 (11:29):
Sort of thing.

Speaker 3 (11:30):
But there's also I would imagine, you know, you have
a base play. Let's say it's a max You're playing
left tackle, and it's an off tackle play right, and
a simple off tackle run play. I would imagine that
as you're going through your walkthrough from week to week,
that you're blocking assignment and what you're going to do

(11:50):
changes from alignment. For example, the Lions play a four
to three and your last opponent might be a three
to four. Well, that means you've got a differ blocking assignment.
I'm assuming does that also, So so let's talk talk
us through that that sort of adjustment. Hey, it's a
bread and butter play, it's an off tackle play left

(12:12):
and but we have to make some adjustments. And then
would you also adjust to personnel. Hey, you know, we
got Aaron Donald this week, so we have to do
something differently. We have to block this up differently. So
can you talk about those adjustments a little bit from
week to week?

Speaker 2 (12:29):
Yeah, No, I mean the adjustments change from week to
week as far as like you just said, three four
versus four three. There's a lot of plays you can
run that are the same, but there's there's really specific
plays for those defensive structures. You know, I'll just take
it from my terminology. This is not what the Steelers
use currently. That's why I feel okay sharing it, but

(12:51):
we would call it ride thirty four Base is a
basic inside zone play to the strong side tight endside right.
You know, ride indicate the tight end is on the
front side for he's along for the ride, and and
and in a in a three four structure for that

(13:12):
you know you're getting you're getting a single, and you're
gonna single with the tight end and a double with
the tackle and the guard up to the mike backer
front side right, and then you have a jack. You
have a jack on the backside. Once you insert the
fullback or h back position into that ride, it then
becomes ride thirty four jackie, which means everybody's still blocking
a front side, but now the fullback is kind of

(13:33):
taking a role and he's leading backside on the jackie.
So that means that the backside of that play is
going to be pushing and creating a divide or walls
to have the full back one on one with the
jack backer and a four to three there is no
jack because you've now moved that outside linebacker is now

(13:54):
considered a defensive end. So now you have Sam Mike
will and so now what us ride thirty four jackie
now becomes Ride thirty four Willie because it's the will
and the weak side backer that's that's now the guy
that that fullback would be rolling and curling back for
on the backside lane as opposed to the jack backer

(14:16):
in a three four because Mike and Jack are the
two middle backers in a three four structure. So that's
just one way how the blocking assignment changes. Now what
we're doing, I'm still working that double team up to
that front side backer, and the backside still is going
to work towards that mic backer. Now the backside center

(14:37):
and guard are gonna now run a scoop up to
that middle backer, and we're gonna run what we would
call either a double or a triple because depending on
where that defensive end and that defensive tackle lineup determines
whether the tackle is gonna double with the guard, he's
gonna double with the tight end, and they're gonna work
up to that front side backer. That's just one example

(14:59):
of how the assignment does change in that respect. And
then in pass protection, a lot of teams are nickel.
You know when you get into a lot of your
sub pass games, So think of your sixties protection seventies
fifties and nineties protections. Those are all man blocking schemes,
so it's really we're taking four, you know, the four

(15:22):
known rushers plus one is how we kind of leave it,
and we'll always leave one for the running back, whether
it's front side or backside, just depending on what the
play call is. And that just shows itself in a
different way because that could be that could be the
nickel or a safety dropping into the box on the
back side if he's a line left, which is which

(15:44):
would be the weak side, or if you have strong
side left and the back lines up on the right
then vice versa. Like those are ones where it's a
little bit more you just block it how they come
because most of the time they're in a four down anyways,
in those situations, even for us as a base three fourteen,
like we go in a nickel four down look, So
those are pretty much the same. It's your base run

(16:07):
game out of normal personnel groupings or bigger personnel groupings
that the assignments change on that gotcha.

Speaker 3 (16:16):
So adjustments within adjustments, wheels within wheels.

Speaker 2 (16:21):
So much to think about. When you get doors within doors,
box the box, you know you.

Speaker 3 (16:25):
Got to block elite guys on this team. Mohammed's having
a fantastic year. Hutchinson. You know Jack Campbell at the
middle linebacker position, so id to get up to get
him on the next level. You know a lot of
Pro Bowl players and Pro Bowl caliber players in this defense.

Speaker 2 (16:41):
Big challenges.

Speaker 3 (16:42):
We're gonna be talking much more about some of these
matchups coming up. Also up next to look around the AFC,
Big weekend in the NFL. Can't wait for some of
these games. We'll get to that when we continue. In
the Locker Room, presented bury Neighborhood Ford Storing the Students
Pro Shop on Steelers Nation Radio, a part of the
Steelers Audio at Work.

Speaker 1 (17:07):
This is in the Locker Room with King and Starks
on Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Forward Store.

Speaker 2 (17:15):
The F one fifty is the.

Speaker 1 (17:17):
Official truck of the Pittsburgh Steelers and by Steelers Pro Shop.
Get it direct from the team at the Steelers Pro
Shop at Shop dot Steelers dot com.

Speaker 2 (17:28):
And thanks very much for being with us. It is
time to.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
Give you your AFC preview presented by up MC, the
official healthcare provider and health plant of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Can't wait another big weekend. You know, I know it's
not AFC Max, I've mentioned it before. I can't wait
for tonight's game. It's just going to be a blast
Rams at the Seahawks Thursday night football fun stuff, man,

(17:54):
I mean, you know this is just two Juggernauts going
on and going at it on Thursday night.

Speaker 2 (18:00):
It is. And you know we've already seen you know,
we saw the Seattle squad, and you know they're actually
one of the teams where he said, man, they look
just as good as when we saw them week two,
right right, they are still to say that. They have
been a very consistent squad, very tough physically at the
point of attack on the defensive side of the ball.

(18:24):
And like you said, Sam Darnold, it's not an accident.
He just needed the right system right and and his
right system just happened to be every other system that's
not the New York Jets or the Carolina Panthers. Apparently
he could seem to work when you give him an
elite receiver like Jackson Smith and Jigba, you know, and

(18:44):
you give him some competent run game, and he picked
up right where he left off a year ago. And
I think that that's that's one of the things. Another
guy who has who has found the DeLorean, the fountain
of youth, whatever you want to say, that turns back
the you know, you know, you can go Prince of
Persias sands a time. I don't, I don't know, but

(19:07):
Matthew Stafford, that La Rams group, man, they're just a
high powered offense. And I don't know if you watched
the game last week they played against the Lions with
the Rams, that crew man, they just they don't back down,
they don't batan eye, and they could they can put
points on you in a hurry. Uh. Pooka Nakua is
just a ridiculous receiver. I'm still surprised that he lasts

(19:32):
as long as he did in the draft and the
production that he's had now, I mean, he has just
been absolutely unstopped. He's one of those guys you have
to consider a top five receiver in the league, and
he's so young to have done it. I mean, justin
Jefferson was kind of building the same muld Jamar Chase
when they came out, but Pooka the Coupa and nobody
saw it coming. And he's a very physical receiver. Too, Right,

(19:54):
He's not just a guy that's just gonna run and
get open and he's just a down the field threat.
Now this guy's gonna go dick dig out of safety
in the run game, you know, type of he's he's got.
He's got those throwback ish, heinz wardish type of qualities
to him. Now, obviously we'll see longevity. He's also been
banged up, you know, throughout his tenure. But the fact

(20:15):
that even when he has one leg, his one leg's
better than most receivers two legs, you know what I'm saying, Like, yes, yeah,
he's and Matthew Stafford just throws darts. They got they
got a really nice crew there. Offensively, Kyeren Williams uh
is looking really good in the backfield, and the offensive
line is doing a great job. So, I mean, this
is gonna be two Juggernauts. This is gonna be strength

(20:36):
on strength teams going up against each other for the
battle for the NFC West Crown.

Speaker 3 (20:44):
Yeah, it is all that. I mean, that's what it is.
That's exactly what it is. And it's just a fascinating matchup.
Can't wait to see it, you know. Again, So we're
gonna skip past Eagles Commanders.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
You know, it's always a fun game. Blah blah blah blah.
That's at Saturday, rival game, ribbery game. That's physical. That's
a Beltway Beltway showdown right there, a little East Coast action.

Speaker 3 (21:06):
So while we're getting ready for the game on Sunday,
I think I'll be checking out that Packers Bears game
at eight.

Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah, another good one. I know it's not a FC
we haven't got the AFC yet, but man to yeah,
it's more like an NFL preview. Yeah preview. It is
sponsored I know, sponsored eletment where we have to talk
about the AFC primarily. But listen, we're football fans.

Speaker 3 (21:36):
We all love we love we do. We love football.
We are football fans. We love football.

Speaker 2 (21:44):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (21:44):
That that's another big one, Another doozy man, another game
in which the division lead is on the line.

Speaker 2 (21:50):
I mean, just so much fun. Okay, So let's get
to Sunday after seventh. Think about this. This is this
is this is for division or seventh It would be
number two or seven because obviously the number one seed
is uh is the Rams. But this is for number
two or seventh seed. That's just how jam packed the
NFC is yeah, like you said, and the other ones

(22:12):
for first or like six or first or fifth for
those two squads, so yeah, you know, I mean those
are two juggernaut like like games you want to watch.

Speaker 3 (22:22):
Yeah, And the the NFC North, much like it was
last year, gonna come down to a good team being
a wild card team. So fun stuff. Bills and Browns
on Sunday. The Bills, you know, have gotten that. Looks
like they've got their momentum going again. That's a big game.
Considering what's coming up on Sunday night, you expect the
Bills to go into Cleveland, take care of business, kind

(22:44):
of work over the Browns, hopefully soften them up a
little bit for the Steelers coming up next Sunday, Chargers cowboys.
You know, Cowboys are they're they're they're shot, right, I mean,
they're done. But the charge the Chargers are not done.
You know, the Chargers are right in the thick of it.
They're another team that is likely to be a wild

(23:06):
card team. I believe, Max, if the playoffs began now,
it would be Chargers at the Steelers.

Speaker 2 (23:16):
Yes, yeah, because I believe they're the five seed and
we would be the perceived fourth seed. Right now, right,
So yeah, so they would be coming to us, which
I would say, if they come to us, it will
be different than that Brandy Monica Sunday night game that
we had out there in La. I'm I'm still blaming
Brandy and Monica. I know you don't know who they

(23:37):
are nineties R and b X. I don't, but I'm
with you. Yeah, exactly exactly. We want to give shove
right out of it, right off the stage, so they're
not that's right the exactly exactly. And I already told him,
I'm calling the fire marshall. I'm going to fake an
emergency and they have to clear the clear of the auditorium.
They can't sing, they don't sing. We win. But yeah, no,

(24:01):
they're the five seed right now. And you know, now
obviously some things can change, you know, there's still posturing.
But yeah, if it started today, they are considered the
fifth seed because you have the Denver Broncos as the
number one overall seed right now in the AFC picture.
So yeah, a very good Chargers team would be a

(24:22):
five seed here.

Speaker 3 (24:23):
I do expect that to change, by the way, I
don't expect I do as well. Yeah, because the Chargers
remaining schedule at Dallas, Houston, at Denver.

Speaker 2 (24:34):
That is brutal.

Speaker 3 (24:36):
I mean, it's possible this Chargers team could finish ten
and seven. I mean, this is a big game for
them at Dallas because they've got to know that they've
got just a gruesome schedule coming up.

Speaker 2 (24:47):
Now.

Speaker 3 (24:48):
I think that still gets them in the playoffs, you know,
because I don't expect the Colts to get to ten
and seven, and I don't expect the Ravens to be
ten and seven.

Speaker 2 (24:56):
And you know, it's.

Speaker 3 (24:57):
Possible, right, it's possible that the Steelers and Ravens, you know,
you're you're, I don't know, then you get into tiebreakers.
I think they're still gonna make the playoffs, but I
do not expect them to be the five seed. If
they are the five seed, they'll have won six straight
games and they will be a handful coming in. The
team I expect to be the five seed is the Bills.

(25:18):
The Bills are at Cleveland, they take on Philadelphia, they
have New York, and you know, I would expect them
jes giants. Yeah, the giants. I'm sorry, Yeah, the giants.
I would expect them to be say, let's just call
them I'm gonna call them twelve and five. I don't
think the Chargers are getting to twelve and five. Chargers
have the tiebreaker right now on the Bills. I expect

(25:40):
the Bills to be twelve and five. I expect the
Chargers to be eleven and six, and I expect the
Bills to become an Acacer stadium.

Speaker 2 (25:47):
That's my expectation, Max okay, and I would I would
love a rubber match against James Cook and let us
show what we learned from that first outing against them,
just like they learned from the New England Patriots from
the first outing against them. They got They got shellacked
by them the first time around, and then they came
back and ended up beating them the second time around.

(26:08):
So I would love another crack at that team to
prove what we have as a squad Mono e mono.
Uh so yeah, no, I expect that to be it.
You don't see them winning the division in New England
possibly cracking and.

Speaker 3 (26:23):
Falling t No, No, yes, that could very well happen.
That could very well happen for sure. Yep, right, it
could be New England coming here. Yeah, wouldn't that be
fascinating to see to see the Patriots coming here. Yeah,
I think that's a I think that's a real possibility,
although I don't know.

Speaker 2 (26:42):
Again, you know, I.

Speaker 3 (26:45):
My head hurts too much to try to think about, Okay,
this person's got, you know, that tiebreaker, that team's got
this tiebreaker, and on and on we go. I mean,
when you look at New England's schedule for the rest
of the way, they just lost to the Bills. Obviously
they're at Baltimore. But I think even if they lose
that game at Baltimore and they win at the Jets,

(27:06):
and they win at home against Miami, they would be
the division champions.

Speaker 2 (27:10):
So I don't expect them.

Speaker 3 (27:11):
I believe they would have the tiebreaker, they'd have the
better division record the team. The two teams were one
in one head to head, right, the Patriots and Bills.

Speaker 2 (27:22):
They split.

Speaker 3 (27:22):
So I think that the Patriots, if they take care
of business within the division, and I expect them to
against the Jets and Dolphins, they would win the division.

Speaker 2 (27:32):
So that's why I would That's what I think. Because
of that Bills Dolphins game down in Miami, right, and
the Dolphins, Yeah, they boat raced crazy. What a season?
What a season?

Speaker 3 (27:47):
This is my time to point out that in his tenure,
Mike Tomlin has had one game that did not have
some sort of playoff ramifications.

Speaker 2 (27:56):
You know, that's could be Week one, it could be
Week eleven.

Speaker 3 (27:58):
Right, one game in which the Steelers, no matter what
the outcome was, it didn't have any effect on their
on their ability to make the playoffs. In other words,
they weren't going to make the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (28:08):
Right.

Speaker 3 (28:08):
One game in the Chiefs are now going to have
three in a row without Patrick Mahomes. Yeah crazy that
the Chiefs have fallen to this point to six and
eight as they take on the Titans, Bengals, Dolphins. Both
those teams were eliminated last weekend. I can't can't say
I care much about that, and they're both used.

Speaker 2 (28:27):
To playing meaningless football. Sob that is a shot.

Speaker 3 (28:34):
That's a that's a long left jab for Max Stark's
Jet Saints Again, don't care. Saints are Actually the Saints
are playing better football the Saints.

Speaker 2 (28:44):
The Saints. They've been pretty good lately.

Speaker 3 (28:48):
Okay, Vikings Giants is NFC Buccaneers Panthers a third NFC
game with first place in.

Speaker 2 (28:57):
The division on the line.

Speaker 3 (28:59):
Yeah one a weekend man, And I know this is
an AFC preview, but come on, man, we got it.
You gotta give a doff of the cap to that one.
We'll be keeping an eye on that in the press
box while we're while we're getting ready for the broadcast, right,
I mean that'll I would imagine that game will be
on in Detroit, will be able to keep an eye
on that one.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
Our scoreboard updates are going to be great.

Speaker 3 (29:24):
Oh and then Careerview Federal Credit Union. So here's the
other one. Now we get back to the AFC Jaguars Broncos. I.
You know, look, man, the Jaguars are You know, I
feel like I've gone from being in their corner more

(29:46):
than most at the beginning of the season to not
being in their corner more than most now. Like I thought, again,
eight maybe nine wins, I didn't see him at ten
and four. We're seeing in the power rankings their ranked fifth,
and you know, again, that's not worth anything other than perception.
I don't know, man, I think they go to Denver

(30:07):
and Denver works them over. But I could be totally
wrong on that one. And that's another fascinating game at
four oh five on Sunday, which no one here will
be watching, of course, because they'll be watching the Steelers.

Speaker 2 (30:20):
They will, they will. They'll have to listen to our
live updates by a clear view FCU. Right, that's right,
and but but here's the here's the important thing. They're
both leaders in their respective divisions. So this is two
number ones going against each other, that's right. And you
could potentially slide who the number one overall seed is

(30:40):
on the line with this. So that's that's what's to
be considered. Because remember they're ten and four. Broncos are
eleven and three. Broncos lose to them, and you could
very well see the Jacksonville Jaguar sliding into the first
sea because they would have the tiebreaker over them head
to head.

Speaker 3 (30:56):
Yeah, and you know, again what a here to be
a brutal schedule for Denver got a little easier with
the Mahomes injury, clearly. So if you can take care
of business against Jacksonville, you're on the road at Kansas
City and then you get LA at home.

Speaker 2 (31:13):
So yes, you know, then you'd have to lose one
of those two games.

Speaker 3 (31:18):
Meanwhile, for Jacksonville it's at Denver at Indianapolis, which is
just you know again, we rightly predicted that they were
gonna have trouble making the playoffs when they're eight and two.
We said on these airwaves they might not make the
playoffs because their schedule was just horrendous. And then and

(31:40):
then we get to obviously the Steelers game against Detroit.
You know again, that's another marquee matchup around the NFL.
Raiders Texans, Texans just looking to continue to roll and
Monday Night football. We have forty nine ers in the
Colts again, the Colts. I just feel badly for him now.
I want him to win, you know, I just what
you know, they get that that injury to Daniel Jones,

(32:03):
and you know, a team that was solidly built and
you add Jones and he's such a big story and
now he gets hurt and you're just faltering. But I
think they've got their hands full hosting the forty Rivers.

Speaker 2 (32:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (32:18):
And I purposely skipped the last game before we get
to the break because we are running a little long
Patriots Ravens on Sunday night.

Speaker 2 (32:29):
Let's go Patriots, let let let let let's go pot triads.
You know, come on, yeah, Braves, I need you, Mike
more cow Bell need more cow Bell Man, I can't.

Speaker 3 (32:43):
I'm working out of my mind. Okay, the game ends,
we get to the plane, we get on the flight.
Fourth quarter for sure, should be back. Knock on wood,
that's me knocking on wood. Should be back in time
for the fourth quarter.

Speaker 2 (32:56):
Of that game. Well, you should be able to watch
it on the plane with the screens because it should
have live TV on that Delta charter. You know what, Max?

Speaker 3 (33:07):
Uh So, I get on the charter and I immediately
you no, no, immediately start preparation for the next team.
But I think I'll make an accept which would be
the Browns. I think I will make an exception.

Speaker 2 (33:19):
And trust as a guy who has already prepped for
the Browns by watching them last week and calling that game.
You're not missing anything, now, I'm sure I'm not. You're
not missing anything.

Speaker 3 (33:31):
And you know I was in there talked terrible. I
was talking to the Dolphins broadcast crew before the game.
First time I'd met the guys, and they, like me,
are they don't use computers. They use and you know,
Max uses a print out so he brings in, doesn't
have it, not a laptop. You bring it in, you

(33:52):
laminate it. But I'm still writing mine and I write
over it with a sharpie yep, yep, and I would ye.
I told the guys, I've never seen a piece of
paper lose wi FI right, So I know that if
I got my I got my Manila folders in front
of me, then I'm good to go. So that's my
long way of saying, I don't even think about turning

(34:13):
on a TV. I didn't even I guess I didn't
even know we had a I guess I didn't even
know we had it. There we go, So let me uh,
let me use my little Alisaurus Tyronosaurus rex arms and
uh and and reach forward and turn on the football
game like a real person in the twenty first century.

(34:34):
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(34:54):
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of the Steelers Audio Network.

Speaker 1 (35:14):
This is in the locker Room with King and Starks
on Steelers Nation Radio, presented by your neighborhood Ford Store.
The F one fifty is the official truck of the
Pittsburgh Steelers and by Steelers Pro Shop. Get it direct
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Speaker 2 (35:35):
All right, back inside the locker room here, and of
course we know all what time it is. We near
the end of our show today. It's the bell Lap
early lunch warning system. Engage. Make sure you go out
on forge and forge heartily today Thursday, and you know

(35:57):
we are. We are one week away from Christmas, Kinger,
think about that, one week away, one week from today. Yeah,
that's right, Yeah, crazy to think, man, it is. This
year has come up upon us really quickly, and it's
ending rather quickly as well. I don't want it to
be here yet. Oh yeah, it's so much more to do,

(36:19):
you know, so much more stuff. But yeah, that's where
we're at right now. We are one week away from
the Big twelve twenty five.

Speaker 3 (36:29):
I want to ask you, Max, I didn't want to
gloss over the Patriots and the Ravens because it's such
a massive game. You know, when you think about the
ramifications of a Raven's loss, especially couple with the Steelers win,
what that could mean, you know, for winning the division.

Speaker 2 (36:53):
The Ravens losing, you.

Speaker 3 (36:55):
Know, both of the next two weeks would be great
for the Steelers' chances of winning the division, having a
wrapped up for the Ravens even came into town. But
that's a big game for the Patriots too, And you know,
the Patriots don't want to be a team.

Speaker 2 (37:10):
That's faltering going into the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (37:12):
They don't want to be a team that Okay, when
it came to it, you know, it's already been a
great year, You've already exceeded expectations. But when it came
down to it, you blew a lead against the Bills,
you didn't measure up against the Ravens, and wait till
next year. I don't care if a team I remember

(37:34):
a coach one's telling me, the further you go into
a season, the more the loss is hurt. He was
a basketball coach talking about the NCAA tournament. But I
think it's relevant for the NFL too. The more you
get that taste and think we can win at all,
nobody in that locker room cares if they're arriving a
year early, you know, and they're not like, well, it's okay,

(37:55):
don't worry about it, we had a nice year. Oh
maybe the front office would say that when the season's over.
Maybe the fan base would say that when the season's over.
But in the throes of it, in the middle of it, this,
this Patriots team does not want They want to show
there for real. And a win against the Ravens in Baltimore,
I think goes a long way toward proving to themselves

(38:18):
that they're for real.

Speaker 2 (38:21):
Yeah. Legitimizer, right, I mean they granted, yeah, now, granted
they had a legitimizing event earlier this season against Buffalo
in Buffalo. Right, Buffalo came out, They looked terrible, they
made they made them silly. That was kind of from
Drake May's coming out party. Was what was was that game,

(38:42):
and that's what put it the rest of the league
on notice that Drake mays for real. This one is
different because this is apples to apples. This is the
other big bad wolf of the AFC that they would
be going up against right in Baltimore, uh and seeing
what they look like against another MVP quarterback, right you know,

(39:04):
Josh Allen obviously is the reigning MVP, but Lamar Jackson's
won it twice and so you would literally be, you know, saying, Okay,
in December, where is this marquee matchup? And this is it?
This is the one that when you say you're surviving
or thriving in December, this game will let you know
whether you just survived through December or whether you're thriving

(39:27):
in December. Like, that's how important this game is. And
for Mike Rabel and company, you want to go and
prove it. You know, you had this doubt in the
back of your mind. Are we really as good as
we say we are? Did we really go through the
rebuilding process this quick? Like all of that's there and
an answer can be delineated from the outcome of this game.
Yes you have, because you now toppled another team that

(39:51):
has a lot to fight for and you beat them.
Head up. They did not punk you. They did not
you know, they did not dismiss you. They came to
play and they won. But if they when Patriots, I'm
talking about New England, if they win, they can say, yep,
this is who we are, this is us. Go ahead,

(40:12):
drink it up. Hopefully you got an extra long straw.
That's what they're going for. They're going for that. Like
I said, legitimizing type of game, and that's what that
game means. If this game is in October, not as legitimate, right,
September definitely, not November. Maybe you can make the argument
depending on if it's before or after Thanksgiving, but being

(40:36):
in December, going on the road and playing this opponent
that has everything to play for. Right, We talked about
those meaningful games. We went through the list of teams
that aren't playing for anything, they're just showing up for pride.
This one's more than pride. This is a major feather
in the cap as it goes to trajectory into the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (40:58):
Well, and I agree, here's what's gonna happen. Here's what's
gonna happen if they don't win. People are gonna look
at the schedule. Okay, you lost to Vegas, you beat
Miami early on, you lost to the Steelers playoff team. Okay,
you beat Carolina and you beat Buffalo. Great, that was
October fifth. Here's who you've played since. New Orleans not
a playoff team, Tennessee, not a playoff team, Cleveland not

(41:21):
a playoff team, Atlanta not a playoff team.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
Tampa.

Speaker 3 (41:26):
We don't know whether they're a playoff team or not.
The Jets, the Bengals, the Giants. Eight wins against teams
of which all eight might not make the playoffs. Seven
of them definitely won't. So you beat up on non
playoff teams. By the way, the Steers are beat up
on non playoff teams. They've also got a couple wins

(41:47):
against playoff teams, and they've been in and competitive. The
Patriots just haven't played those teams. They just have been
on their schedule. And then you have Buffalo, who you
lost to. You lose to the Ravens. Okay, even if
you beat the Jets in Miami and win your division,
you're still gonna be answering those questions, Well, who did
you beat?

Speaker 2 (42:05):
Who did you beat?

Speaker 3 (42:06):
Since October fifth. Who did you beat over the last
three months of the season. Nobody. Yeah, that's not the
way you want to go into the playoffs if you're
the Patriots. I'm not I'm not saying there. Yeah, they're
not thinking that, Max, But they're gonna hear it if
they don't win this game.

Speaker 2 (42:25):
Yeah, you're you're gonna hear it. It's gonna get loud,
and it's gonna say, well, why didn't you You should
be number one in the AFC with that type of
record and that type of opponent's list. Yeah, you better
be on top of your game. And I think for
the Patriots, they're searching for those type of games, and
this is the one that that comes on the schedule

(42:46):
and one that they're gonna have to really evaluate. You know,
can they can they do this job? And can they
do it at this high of a level against a
team that has very so similar aspirations to yours. You
could argue the other teams haven't had those aspirations outside
of the Bills. So you know, how are you how

(43:09):
are you gonna how are you gonna fare against the
team that comes in a little more equal. They're not
necessarily you know, a pushover by any stretch, but you know,
you want to have quality victories under your belt. And

(43:29):
reading through that list, I was like, oh gosh, yeah
that's a bad list. Man. Oh I can't wait, bad list. Yeah,
I can't wait. Can't wait for that matchup. You know.

Speaker 3 (43:38):
I think I'm gonna do match I think I'm going
to turn that on. I think I'm gonna watch that
on the plane because you know we have those, we
have the TV. But I don't know if you do that.
I might just I might just watch that Ravens Patriots
game right in the plane. I Rob could, uh, because
that's how I that's that's me, mister, I know right.

Speaker 2 (43:58):
You're you're that. I'm all that on top of it,
like all flabbergasset you are. You are a tech guru,
you know, Max my friend? What anybody says about that?
That that that that's exactly it, you know what. That's
how we should end the show right there. Yeah, I can't. Oh,
Bob King, Oh, Bob King. We'll have We'll have Missy

(44:20):
Matthews with us tomorrow. I want to thank Jerry Dulac today.

Speaker 3 (44:23):
So many intriguing matchups between the Steelers and the Lions.
We're going to dive into those big time tomorrow to
get you ready for the game on Sunday. Our thanks
to Justin Miller for Max Starts on Rob King. We
thank you for being with us in the locker Room,
presented by our neighborhood, Ford Stour and the Steelers Pro
Shop on Steelers Nation Radio, a part of the Steelers

(44:44):
Audio Network.