Carmen Vitali & Tracy Sandler talk NFC Playoffs, NFL MVP, and more!

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm welcome, welcome into the last Fox Football Saturday of
twenty twenty five. I'm Carmon Vitali. That's Tracy Sandler, and
I can't believe I'm saying that, Like, where did this
year go?

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Tracy?

Speaker 3 (00:20):
It's an excellent, excellent question, because it does feel like
we were just doing this in January and welcoming people
to the first Fox Football s already of twenty twenty five.
So it's kind of crazy. This year has flown by.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
I know it really has.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Having a weekly show really just kind of like, you know,
it demarketes every single week, and you know it documents
the passage of time very well.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
How are your holidays? What did you get? What?

Speaker 2 (00:44):
What was what were the what were the fun gifts,
the fun things, the fun happenings.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
The holidays have been wonderful. What are some of the
fun gifts? Got a beautiful bear of earrings that was
very exciting, A gorgeous scarf, so that was fun. And
then a gift for everybody was my dog's in Christmas
sweaters on Instagram and oh you all welcome for.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
I was going to say that was that was quite
the gift. Thank you so.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Much for that welcome. What did you get?

Speaker 1 (01:10):
What did I get?

Speaker 2 (01:11):
I got some I like, I got some fun little things.
I told my fiance to not get me anything this
year because we're going to Europe in February and I
would rather buy me something there.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
It's fair, totally fair.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
But his mom actually quilt.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
She's a big quilter, and she quilted me a Harry
Potter quilt, which is know me, you know that, I am.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Literally obsessed I did.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
I was in the middle of my full like rewatch
because at this time of year, I always do a
rewatch of all eight movies and right before I got
to my life, like I didn't get to the last
movie until the day after Christmas, but it was underneath
the Harry Potter quilt. So shout out to my mother
in law because she's her almost mother in law.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
But it was it was amazing. I like I cried.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
I was just like this is you know, like if
it's a gift, especially that like someone put a lot
of effort into, whether that's thought or like physical effort,
like this quilt took her months.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
It's amazing, Like that's incredible, and that is so thoughtful. Yes,
you're right. Months ago she had to decide to do this. Well,
that's amazing. Could you please pose a photo of that?

Speaker 1 (02:18):
I will.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
I will because it deserves its shine, for sure, because
it's it's very impressive. But I hope everybody out there
has also had good holidays so far. I mean they're
not over yet. We still have to ring in the
new year. I'm in the camp that most of the
time I think New Year's is overrated. But I do
like house parties or we are infamous for like the

(02:41):
ten thirty dinner reservation.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
Yeah, the best way to do it.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
You do like a champagne toast as you're getting like dessert,
and then you're home by like twelve thirty and in
bed by one. It's I think that's the perfect way.
It's bout New Year's or going to a house party.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
We're going to I agree, they'll. Last year, I went
with some friends there when this place they belong had
a party with your kids, So I went with them
and their kids. It was six to nine, and so
we did East Coast Years. We actually all had the
best time. It was so fun. The kids had so
much fun. It was kind of fun to see New
Year's through their eyes. And then I was asleep by

(03:18):
ten o'clock and that was amazing in itself.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah, and then you just get to wake up to
a new year exactly.

Speaker 3 (03:22):
I'm like, well, look at that, I've woken up early
on the new year. What a great start?

Speaker 2 (03:25):
What that is that is? That's that's setting the tone. Well,
maybe maybe we'll do that, although who knows. You know,
house parties can also get pretty rowdy.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
Yes they do, we'll see.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
But be sure subscribe in the new year to the
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Sports Radio on YouTube and subscribe. So let's get to
some football stuff here. It is Fox Football Saturday, after all,

(03:58):
the last Fox Football Saturday of the year, and we
have maybe not as much mystery as to who's making
the playoffs like it looks like the playoffs are pretty
much going to be set here. But there is a
very interesting battle for the number one seed, specifically in

(04:18):
the NFC where three of the four teams that are
vying for the first for the top seed are in
the same division, and it happens to be the division
that you cover very closely. Yes, Tracy, because while the Seahawks,
currently with twelve and three record, are currently the number
one seed in the NFC, the Seahawks, the Rams, and

(04:41):
the forty nine Ers are all within a game of
each other, and actually no and and like you throw
in the Bears to that, and then that's it. Those
are the four teams that are really vying for the
top seed at this point.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
Well, the Bears thing is funny because the forty nine
Ers play two of the four teams and there's the
third of the fourteen, so it's they played the Bears
on Sunday, they play the Seahawks next weekend. So there,
that's why they're central.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
That's why like this isn't decided yet and won't be
decided until the very last week because of the fact that, yeah,
these teams all play each other and this could this
could vary wildly, like the seating at the top of
the NFC could vary wildly between now and end of

(05:26):
week eighteen.

Speaker 3 (05:27):
Well, to give you an idea. I yesterday, for the
first weekend at the playoffs, booked hotels in four different
cities from Friday to Tuesday. I'm able to change the
dates because you don't know when they're.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
Going to play.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
I don't know where they're going to play. They may
not play at all if they get the one seed.
But yesterday I was like, I better book hotels in
four cities so that I'm prepared. No matter where it is,
I'm going to know whatever.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yeah, no matter where it is that you have to go,
or you know, you just get to stay home. Perhaps
who knows, or it's it's going to be. So the
percentage is according to the New York Times Playoff simulator.
The Athletics New York Times Playoff Simulator Seahawks forty seven
percent chance at the one seed. Okay, the next greatest

(06:09):
odds are the Niners at twenty seven percent, and then
you have the Bears at fourteen percent, and then the
Rams at twelve percent.

Speaker 3 (06:16):
Well, the Rams have no one to blame but themselves.
They don't for not being at one hundred percent.

Speaker 1 (06:20):
So no one hundred, well one hundred percent they have
that they.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
One hundred percent have no one to blame for not
being one hundred percent the one seed.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
But yeah, I mean, but that's how razor thin that
these margins have been too. I mean, now, like like
I said, we we've had a lot of mystery honestly,
like going into this week, and this is where it
kind of the only teams where we're not sure yet
of like who's in between the two of them is
in the NFC South, which it's Bucks are Panthers.

Speaker 3 (06:51):
And I was thinking of you because we talked about
it so much at the beginning of the season, the
Bucks and not getting the respect, and they had such
a great start, course like estimated by injuries. But I
did not think the Bucks were going to be here.
In fact, I think at the beginning of the season
I said maybe the Falcons were going to win the South.
I did not think it would be between the Bucks

(07:11):
and the Panthers. But here we are. I mean, how
bananas would it be if Seattle loses the Panthers and
Niners lose the Bears and the Rams lose the Falcons,
So then the bears chances would jump dramatically obviously. Yeah, yeah,
it's banana's the.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
Whole well, And what's interesting too about that NFC South
race and the Carolina Panthers in particular, is like this
was a kind of like.

Speaker 1 (07:35):
They were late getting going.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
So they lost three of their first four to start
the year, and you were like, Okay, it's another year
you know in Carolina, that they're just going to be
struggling and whatever, and that narrative I think followed them
despite the fact that they then went on a three
game win streak m hm, and they're like, oh, well,
and like those wins, I mean those wins came against
like the Dolphins, the Cowboys, the Jets, so it was

(07:58):
kind of like, well, who did they really be, you know, right,
but they've just kind of hung around all season and
now like maximum chaos, they go out and they win
against the Bucks, who needed to sweep them to kind
of hold their own destiny and they couldn't do it.
And I'd like, you know, for all the stuff that

(08:18):
we talked about, you and I, especially in the beginning
of the season where Baker was an MVP candidate and
the Buccaneers were looked like near unstoppable, that really they
lost so much steam in the middle of the season,
and even though I thought this last week was going
to be better because they have their full offensive arsenal available,
like Baker has all of his receivers now healthy, and

(08:40):
they just still couldn't be productive. So I very interested
to see, like who that last playoff team to get
in is. But as of right now, Seahawks the Bears
the second seed, and the Packers are the seventh seeds,
so we may get Round three between the NFL's oldest rival,
which I think would be amazing. I like, I kind

(09:03):
of don't want the Bears to get the first seed
because I want them to stay the second seed and
then have to play the Packers in the first round.

Speaker 3 (09:09):
I know I'm gonna be honest. I don't have a
real dog in that fight between the Fars and the Packers.
I don't know if my heart can take another Bearstackers game.
And I've all been weird. They've all been weird. I
get very nervous and don't really care. But do want
the Bear swim because of Colston Loveland, so I care
for that. But I just guess they're not a mich
on the Packers. There is a Michigander, but there's not

(09:31):
a mission gander that is as close to my heart
as Colston Lovelan.

Speaker 1 (09:35):
Okay, all right, that's.

Speaker 3 (09:36):
It Colston Lovelin. You know he's like a few steps
below JJ McCarthy, but not much. And that's saying something
I see.

Speaker 1 (09:42):
Yes it is, Yes, it is number one.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
I think you are probably the top JJ defender in
sports media one d.

Speaker 3 (09:51):
There's literally no one else that comes even close. I
have actually been introduced to people as the president and
founding member of the JJANDLA. Yeah, and if anybody wants
to join, just let me know. I haven't had a
lot of increase yet, but we'll get there.

Speaker 1 (10:07):
No, it's it's I like, I'm I.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
I always root for maximum chaos, and I would, Yeah,
a third meeting between Bears, the Bears and the Packers
would be maxim chaos. And someone like I grew up
a Bears fan. I now you know, I'm I'm objective
because of my job, and you know, when you start
covering the league, you can't walk like I don't want
to walk into the Packers locker room with people thinking
I'm a Bears fan, Like that's that's not how that works.

(10:31):
So I've kind of, you know, renounced a lot of
my fandom as I've got older and more advanced in
my career. But I will tell you I was at
Bears Packers last week and it was one of those
games where you just you turn into a little kid
again m hm, and you just eat like the excitement
and like that spark and and so many of those

(10:54):
things that like just becomes so clinical when when you
cover the league because you want to remain objective and whatever.
And that game, man, like before it even kicked off,
like as the rally towels were going and player intros
were happening, and the Packers were getting booed as they
come out on the field, and I'm like, this is
what it's all about, man, this.

Speaker 1 (11:11):
Is this is why we love this game. This is
why I do what I do.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
And it wasn't necessarily because like I wanted the Bears
to win. Like, like I said, I had this feeling
before the game even kicked off. It was just the
excitement and you could just feel the emotion and it
was so cool, and I just I was like transported
back to being a little kid again.

Speaker 3 (11:29):
And I think there's something to be said, and yes,
to be objective and all of the things you just said.
But at the end, of the day. You did grow
up a Bears fan, and there's something to be said
for that little girl who loved the Bears and all
you wanted was for them to make the playoffs and
win a game. Who gets to be there covering them?
I mean, like the first I grew up before an
Andress fan, and I'm for all the reasons you just said,
I'm not a for an Andress fan anymore because of

(11:50):
the you know, being unbiased and all of the things.
But the first Super Bowl I covered, I woke up
that day and I was like, Okay, they're My eleven
year old self is oh, just can't believe that I'm
going to cover the forty nine ers in the Super Bowl.
And I think there's something to be said for also
enjoying that and having that moment, because you're right, that

(12:11):
is what it's all about. And it does get very
clinical and you can get very even cynical about it,
but sometimes it's fun to step back and say, Wow,
this is really cool that I get to do this.
And when I was a kid, I never would have
dreamed I could have.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
Now I still have my credential from the first Bears
Packers game I ever covered because that was another one
of those moments where I was like, oh, man, if
my little kid's self could see me now, she'd be
so she'd be so pumped. She would she would be
she would she wouldn't believe it. But I think it's
also like one of the things too, is I mean,
I live in Chicago, and it's just incredible to see

(12:47):
what the Bears being good does to a city, does
to this city, like you're when your teams are good
and you're in a good sports city.

Speaker 1 (12:54):
There's nothing like it.

Speaker 2 (12:55):
I mean, everyone on the street is wearing Bears hats
or they have got the starter jackets on, and like
you know, you'll just get a Go Bears from a
rand random passerby, and like all local all these local
restaurants are getting in on it, and like you know,
the the Wiener Circle has like done like three different
things at this point to give out free hot dogs
to the city and the line just wraps all the

(13:17):
way around the block and people are taking milort shots
because it's freezing cold, and like it's just the city
just comes alive when the Bears are good. And this
has also been a very lopsided rivalry just in general,
over the last like thirty years, and so to have
there be not only like a true rivalry back because

(13:37):
both of these teams are good, but to have there
be real stakes behind when these teams play each other.
I mean, that's not a that's not experience I had
as a Bears fan growing up, outside of like the
two thousand and three NFC Championship where they played each other.
But like, I think Saturday's game was the the most

(14:01):
stakes that have been behind that game that like, like
since that two thousand and three NFC Championship, Like it
was just it was wild to have like real objective
stakes behind it.

Speaker 1 (14:12):
And it's so cool.

Speaker 2 (14:14):
So I'm just I'm happy for the city that the
Bears are not breaking hearts and that they are standing
up to the rival because this is the oldest rival
in the NFL. These teams have played the most times
out of any two teams in the league, and it's
just it's been so lopsided lately. So that's my little
diatribe of Hey, this is it's cool. It's cool. This

(14:35):
year's playoffs are going to be cool. That's why I
want Bears Packers again in.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
The play Well, you could feel it through the TV
and that game proved to me because I think we've
talked before in the show that I think the Bears
what they've done is amazing, and what Ben Johnson has done,
and it's been amazing to see Caleb development all of
the things. But they're young and it's new, and so
I don't know how far they're going to go in
the playoffs. That game and the way that they came
back and won that game said to me they could

(15:00):
go quite far in the playoffs and any.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
They're facing adversity in games and coming back from it
like they're overcoming adversity like in the microcosm of a
single game. I mean they have six come from behind
wins in the fourth like the fourth quarter comebacks this
year where they've won six games while trailing in the
fourth quarter.

Speaker 3 (15:21):
It's I asked Kyle Shanahan about it yesterday and I said,
how important is it to make sure that your players
no matter what the score is and how much time
is left. No, you can't get complacent. And he said,
it's something to talk about every week, but with this
particular team, you have to be even more on top
of it.

Speaker 2 (15:36):
I have to say every blade of grass for yes,
sixty all sixty minutes.

Speaker 3 (15:41):
That throw by. That was amazing thing. It was.

Speaker 2 (15:43):
It was we were that's the loudest press box ever
been in because you're supposed to be, you know, objective,
it's a place of work. You're not supposed to cheer
this that the other. And it wasn't cheering. It was
just like I was laughing my head off because I
was like, what even is this game? This is absolutely
stupid compliment, you know, the best way, And it was
just it was it was wild. Everybody was just incredulous,

(16:06):
whether it was like the Green Bay side like moaning
or the Bear side being just like what like it was.
It was such a fun atmosphere, even in the press box,
which doesn't usually happen either. But we're gonna get into
that Bears Niners game next hour. But we're gonna we
want to I want to talk about some individual awards
and the individual award after this, So stick to State,

(16:29):
stay tuned. We're gonna we're gonna have a little conversation
about who we think should be MVP. You're listening to
Fox Football Saturday.

Speaker 4 (16:36):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 5 (16:47):
Live Folly Foods Go here with Tony Foods Go.

Speaker 4 (16:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (16:50):
As everybody knows, we're the hosts of the award winning
Polly and Tony Foods Go show. But instead of us
telling you how great we are is how Dan Fatrick
described us when he came on our show.

Speaker 6 (17:00):
Quick, knowledgeable and funny, opinionated.

Speaker 1 (17:03):
What what are you doing interrupting up promo?

Speaker 4 (17:05):
Yeah, you wasn't talking about you. You took those clips
totally out of context.

Speaker 5 (17:10):
Oh yeah, Well after this promo, I'm gonna take you
out and beat you.

Speaker 4 (17:14):
Let me put this into context.

Speaker 1 (17:16):
Shut up.

Speaker 5 (17:17):
Yeah, anyway, just listen to the Paully and Tony Fusco
Show on I on Radio, Apple podcasts wherever you get
your podcasts.

Speaker 4 (17:23):
Yee.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
So Christmas is over, So I suppose we don't have
to keep doing Christmas music even though Christmas technically it
extends to January sixth, if you are so inclined.

Speaker 1 (17:37):
To the Epiphany, which is how I grew up.

Speaker 3 (17:40):
But that's okay, that's niceby I can accept it.

Speaker 1 (17:43):
I'm carme vitalite.

Speaker 2 (17:44):
That's Tracy Sandler, you're listening to Fox Football Saturday currently
the last Fox Football Saturday of twenty twenty five. We
are getting into twenty twenty six very quickly.

Speaker 1 (17:56):
Uh, that's that's happening. What are your New Year's plans? Trace? Well?

Speaker 3 (18:00):
As tends to happen this time of year, they depend
very much on the forty nine ers. The game next weekend.
It's not been announced yet whether it's gonna be Saturday
or Sunday.

Speaker 1 (18:10):
Yep, yep.

Speaker 3 (18:10):
So if it's Saturday, I'll probably be in La either way.
But if the game's Sunday, there's a chance I'll just
be in the Bay because I'll stay there. I might
fly back and forth. I have dinner reservations in each place,
and people to go with in each place. Everyone just
on standby, and I appreciate that. I really do appreciate
that of everybody.

Speaker 1 (18:30):
You're so prepared.

Speaker 2 (18:31):
You know, you have your hotels booked ahead of time,
just in case any of the potential playoff cities that
the Niners could be playing in. You've got two different
sets of New Year's plans, Man, Trace.

Speaker 3 (18:43):
I pleasure preparation is. You know, what do they say
if you stay ready. Don't get ready, You're not to
get ready?

Speaker 1 (18:49):
Yeah get ready? Yeah, stay ready, So you don't got
to get ready exactly.

Speaker 3 (18:52):
So do you have a ten to thirty dinner reservation?

Speaker 1 (18:54):
Is just no, no.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
We are going to a house party this year. Shout
out to Nicole Auerbach, who works for NBC Sports does
tremendous job with their college football coverage. With her college
football coverage, she's having a little get together so lovely.
I know, it's so fun and you know we're just
gonna I mean, like hopefully we're all on the same
page of like all right, we'll celebrate at midnight and

(19:17):
then like you know, get get out of there shortly
after because like I want to be in bed by one.
But I am I'm getting I'm getting kind of screwed
over with this flex scheduling for the last week of
the season, which I'm not happy about because my birthday
is January third, and it's one of the worst birthdays
you can have, like because everybody just like is so

(19:38):
partied out and like they don't want to drink anymore,
and like half of them are doing dry January, and
like nobody wants to socialize anymore.

Speaker 1 (19:46):
By this point.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
But my wonderful fiance has tickets to Fanom of the
Opera for me on my birthday and then dinner reservations.
But there is still a chance that the Bears are
going to play on side, right, I don't know yet,
so we'll find out after tomorrow because they have to
set it a week in advance. But yeah, I'm crossing

(20:12):
my fingers for Sunday that the Bears play Sunday so
I can enjoy Fantom of the Opera.

Speaker 3 (20:17):
I hope that for you too. I'd love the Nighters
to play Saturday, to be honest, because I love a
Saurday game because then you get Sunday off and it
kind of feels like a treat.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
Yeah, and you.

Speaker 2 (20:24):
Could just like sit and watch football like everybody else
on Sunday. Yeah, that's wonderful. Those occasions are very rare
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(20:46):
today's full show posted right after we get off the air,
and real quick, I want to have a little bit
of a conversation because to me, the NFL MVP race
is between two, like there are two that I think
you could sell me on. Either one is, of course
Matthew Stafford. But recency bias, you know, didn't look so

(21:11):
hot a couple weeks ago.

Speaker 1 (21:12):
Was that just that? Was that? Was that just last Thursday?

Speaker 3 (21:15):
Yes? Just last Thursday?

Speaker 2 (21:17):
Yeah, okay, so yeah, that Thursday night game didn't look
so hot. And then it's Drake May of the New
England Patriots, second year quarterback, and I give the edge,
I think to Drake May for one very specific reason.
So like I love all of like the nerdy advanced metrics,
right like like the EPA per drop back is something

(21:38):
that I weigh very heavily when I'm looking at actual performance.

Speaker 1 (21:41):
And it's a three way.

Speaker 2 (21:43):
Tie at the top of the league for EPA per
drop back between Matthew Stafford, Jordan Love and Drake May. However,
Drake May has faced a significantly higher pressure percentage than
either of the other two, especially Matthew Stafford, Drake May
thirty eight point six quarterback pressure rate, and so he's

(22:05):
on thirty eight point six percent of his dropbacks he's
facing pressure, whereas Matthew Stafford only twenty seven percent. Drake
May has suffered forty six sacks, Matthew Stafford just nineteen.
Oh Wowrake May is essentially putting up the similar numbers.
He's got a better completion percentage two than Matthew Stafford does,

(22:27):
while he's still facing a lot more pressure than Matthew
Stafford is.

Speaker 1 (22:31):
So for that reason, I go, Drake May.

Speaker 3 (22:35):
I have a wrinkle, and it won't happen because it's
it's a quarterback's award now, and I think this person
will win Comeback Player of the Year. But I would
make a case for Christian mccaffe for you, because you
look at the forty nine ers and everything they've gone through.
They're they're not going for the number one seed without
Christian McAffrey. They're going nowhere fast without Christian McCaffrey. And

(22:58):
so I think that makes him MVP of the team.
Like I said, I think he'll get Comeback Player of
the Year. The numbers are not the same as they
were when he was Offensive Player of the Year a
couple of years ago. But I think if you're looking
at a most Valuable player, he literally has taken this
team and put him on his back, and he's been
the one constant really truly of all of the stars,
of all of the players, not even just the stars.

(23:18):
He has been the one constant of the entire season
in the pass, the game, in the running game, and
they're nowhere without him. So if it was going to
go to somebody who's not a quarterback, I think Christian
McCaffrey deserves the sword.

Speaker 2 (23:31):
I mean, that's a whole other conversation that we can
talk at nauseum about about how, yes, like the MVP
should just.

Speaker 1 (23:37):
Be the quarterback, like the best quarterback.

Speaker 2 (23:39):
Ye now, like, don't call it MVP because no one
ever gets consideration. I think the case for Christian McCaffrey
is proof of that, where if you're talking most valuable player,
who has meant more to their team than Christian McCaffrey
has to this year's forty nine ers, and I think
that's a short list, and he should be on the
short list of MVP candidates, But it is in fact

(24:00):
a quarterback award.

Speaker 1 (24:01):
Real quick.

Speaker 7 (24:04):
You guys are thinking about Stafford's game in Carolina, right,
not his game against the Seahawks. Oh, because his last
game was out against the Seahawks. I personally, I think
he won the MVP in that game because he threw
for four and fifty seven yards. Yeah, and a year ago,
the Rams would have won that game because they scored
in overtime. Yeah. I was just I was just like, okay, wait,

(24:26):
hold on, Yeah, the Carolina game was bad. That Carolina
game was really bad.

Speaker 3 (24:29):
But it was really it was. And it's that the
Thursday game a week and a half ago literally feels
like it was six weeks ago with the holidays, with
the holiday everything. But yeah, no, you're right, the Carolina
game was really bad.

Speaker 2 (24:40):
Yeah, that was what I was thinking of, and I
was I was conflating that they played Carolina on Thursday,
But no.

Speaker 3 (24:45):
They played the Seahawks on Thursday.

Speaker 2 (24:46):
They played and that was That was an insane game
between two of the teams that are vying for the
top seed in the NFC. And with that, why don't
we get an update break from Martin Wiss?

Speaker 8 (25:01):
Got the Chargers in the Texans about to kick off
right now?

Speaker 1 (25:05):
Come Oni, get Dall.

Speaker 8 (25:06):
He's been a running the ball a ton for the
Los Angeles. He's gonna be inactive with a neck injury.
The Texans will be without They're both starting tackles. Arianta
Irsay was a late scratch here. The Raiders plays defensive
end Max Crosby on injured reserve. In the Pop Tart
Bowl BYU and Georgia Tech gets seven a piece with
eleven minutes left in the first half. And the Fenway Bowl,

(25:28):
Army leads Yukon twenty seven to ten, twenty one to ten,
I'm Sorry, twenty one to ten. Pen Straight Bowl Penn
State b Clemson twenty two to ten, both teams finishing
the season with a seven and six record. Neither one
of those teams expected to have six losses when this
season started. East Carolina be Pittsburgh twenty three to seventeen.
In the Military Bowl. Milik Willis is starting tonight for

(25:50):
the Packers. Jordan Love is gonna be out with the concussion.
Ravens have to win tonight keep their playoffs hopes alive,
and Devontae Adams doubtful to play Monday night for the Rams.
As we watch CJ. Stroud in the Houston Texans offense.
Take the field of Sofi Stadium, Texans ball first if
they received the opening kickoff first and ten with fourteen

(26:10):
minutes left in the first quarter. Ladies, back to you guys.

Speaker 1 (26:14):
Thank you so much, Martin, thank you.

Speaker 2 (26:17):
We We are waiting on our guests, which if you
need me to, I can just go over to the
living room and tell him turn his phone off of
do not disturb. But I want to talk more about
the playoff pickture. I want to talk more about just
the NFC and especially I mean, but we'll get to

(26:38):
some of the AFC implications as well, because, like.

Speaker 1 (26:41):
Martin said, the Ravens need this.

Speaker 2 (26:44):
To keep their playoff hopes alive and the Packer it
would basically solidify the wild It would solidify the wildcard
then for the Packers if they were to lose this game,
so the Packers have something to play for, the Ravens
have something to play for. It is It's like we
talked a lot about the NFC, but the AFC is

(27:04):
just is right there, Yes.

Speaker 3 (27:07):
It is? It is it just the I cannot I
cannot remember a season, a recent memory where it was
this coming down to the wire and who's going to
be seated where And I looked at the playoff scenarios
for the week and I can't begin to tell you
how many things said win plus a loss or a
tie or this or that. And it's been uh, it's
exciting though, it's been fun.

Speaker 1 (27:28):
To watch it.

Speaker 2 (27:29):
All Right, I'm being told that we our guest is ready.
It is none other then Dave Hellman of.

Speaker 1 (27:35):
The Athletic Football Show.

Speaker 2 (27:37):
Uh, The Athletic Football Show actually will be doing a
live show uh January seventh, so shameless plug. If you
are in Chicago or we'll be in Chicago on January seventh,
come to Lincoln Hall check out the live show between
Dave Helman, Robert Mays, and Derek Klass and Dave.

Speaker 9 (27:53):
Hi, Hey, guys, thanks for the plug. Good to be here.

Speaker 1 (27:58):
Joining us, Thanks for joinings.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
We have spent a lot of time talking about kind
of the NFCS, the seeding in the NFC playoffs, Like,
while we pretty much know what the playoff field is,
we do not know the seting and it could vary
wildly over these next these last two weeks of the season.
But the AFC is interesting too, and the game that's
about to happen today means a lot for both teams.

(28:23):
When you talk about the Ravens need this win over
the Packers so they can stay in the AFC playoffs.
The Packers need this win if they want the opportunity
to host a wild card game rather than just be
the wildcard. If they lose this game, they will lock
in a wild card spot and have to go on
the road for the playoffs. So the AFC, though Broncos

(28:46):
they look like, are are they deserving of the top seed?
I mean it just I'm still the inconsistency with Bonex
is something.

Speaker 9 (28:56):
Hey man, you can only be as consistent as the
league around you, and as frustrating as the Broncos can
be at times, and as unpleasant as their offense can
be to watch. It's just been that type of year
in the NFL. I mean, we've joked about it on
our Week seventeen preview on The Athletic Football Show, where
point me toward the teams that you can trust on

(29:18):
a weekend and week out basis, and I do. I
made the argument that they're all in the NFC West.
I mean, at this point, we know that the Rams
and Seahawks are really, really good. We know that the
forty nine Ers have one of the best offenses in
football and just an incredibly banged up defense. Those are,
for my money, those are the three most consistent teams
in the NFL. Everything else is kind of a week

(29:39):
to week crapshoot. So do I really buy the Broncos
as this juggernaut of a team. No, I do not,
but they have consistently gotten it done in a year
where that's kind of been the theme. Teams have not
been able to do that several teams that we came
into the year. I mean, it's fitting that the Packers
are playing the Ravens this week. I think those are
two of the thing remost popular Super Bowl picks this year,

(30:03):
and the Ravens season is on life support. It looks
like they're gonna be without Lamar Jackson in this game.
And obviously the Packers are in the playoffs, but nowhere
near as impressively as a lot of people expected. So
and Will they's just been that love for this game
and will not have Jordan Love. So it's it's just
been that type of year. And like I said, do

(30:24):
I buy the Broncos, Not really, But if I were
a Broncos fan, would I be thinking, why not us?
Like Who's who's the big bad boogeyman? In our way?
I don't blame them if they feel that way, because
I know we say this a lot in the NFL,
but it's really not that true, right Patrick Mahomes and
Tom Brady have accounted for the vast majority of the

(30:45):
Super Bowl trips coming from the AFC over the last
twenty years. But it feels as wide open right now
as it ever has. And if there's going to be
a year where you don't need to be a juggernaut
to reach the super Bowl, it kind of feels like
this might be the year.

Speaker 3 (31:00):
I would love your opinion on the Philadelphia Eagles because
I don't buy them and I know right now they're
the three seed, and I just think I've been saying
this all year. I've been saying it often on the show.
I just think they're total frauds. But I'm saying that
are they gonna end up in the super Bowl?

Speaker 9 (31:18):
The Eagles really hurt my feelings, Tracy, because I came
into the year thinking that they had a great shot
to repeat, and they were my pick to reach the
Super Bowl from the NFC. I thought they were going
to roll to thirteen fourteen, fifteen wins like they did
last year, and it just hasn't been the case, and
it's frustrating. I mean, I know the offensive line has

(31:40):
been banged up. Lane Johnson and Lane Dickerson have both
missed time, but I just I don't feel like that
should be enough to completely derail the offense the way
that it has been for so much of the year.
It's been really frustrating to watch, and I don't think
Kevin Pittulo is the sole reason why it's been so bad,

(32:01):
but certainly when the Eagles haven't hit a home run
with their oc higher we saw twenty three and we're
seeing now in twenty five, you see the effect that
it can have. And they're a frustrating team. But man,
that defense is fantastic, and that's what I'm looking at
when you're talking about making a run through the playoffs.
Jalen Carter's rounding back into good health as we creep

(32:23):
toward the very end of the year. So yeah, I mean,
if that defense comes to play and the Eagles can
hold their opposition to twenty three or fewer points, I
absolutely think that they can get this thing going. I'm
interested to see this Bills game because the Bills are
atrocious defending the run, and so I want to see it.

(32:43):
I want to see if the Eagles can get their
run game going and maybe sort of kickstart it as
they get towards the playoffs, because as frustrating as it's been,
I do kind of think that they could pull it off.
I don't feel confident about that, but I don't think
that I think that they're frauds.

Speaker 1 (32:59):
I guess the Vibes are fraudulent.

Speaker 3 (33:01):
I'll I'll tell you that much like es, and that's
what I think makes them frauds. But time will tell.
Because I also would not be the least fit surprise
at the end of the Super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (33:11):
Yeah no, I mean they've got the experience too, but
I I want to go that. It leads really well
into the last thing I want to ask you about, Dave,
and it is the Buffalo Bills, because it very much
seems like all right, Chiefs are out, Ravens are on
life support, the like.

Speaker 1 (33:27):
Their biggest toughest battles are kind of and and and
and and.

Speaker 2 (33:32):
Rivals are out at this point, and it's very clear
that the Patriots are coming right back for that top
spot in the AFC for god knows how long. Because
if Drake May is already this good, I you know,
and you got Mike Rabel the defensive guy, Like, that's
just a recipe for success in my mind.

Speaker 1 (33:51):
So the Bill's window.

Speaker 2 (33:54):
Is now, and and with how Achrosius their run defense
is and some glaring holes in injuries, can they do it?

Speaker 9 (34:05):
I'm not gonna I'm not gonna go as far as
to say I feel bad for Josh Allen because he
makes more money than God and he's starting a family
with Hailey Steinfeld that that seems like a pretty great
place to be. But the pressure that's going to be
on the Buffalo Bills as soon as the calendar flips
to January is not enviable because this is a flawed team.

(34:29):
Like the defense has been bad all year. There are
problems with it that I don't think you can tweak
enough to make it an incredibly viable unit. Like I
think you're going to be holding on for gear life
in the playoffs, hoping that the defense can get enough
stops or maybe generate some takeaways enough to give Josh
Allen a chance. But guess what, nobody wants to hear that,

(34:51):
because this is going to be this is going to
be an AFC playoffs devoid of the usual. Like I
said earlier, Boogeyman, I mean, Patrick Mahomes has been he's
been that guy for everybody. And on top of that,
not that Lamar Jackson has been the one ending the
Bills seasons. But that's another superstar quarterback who has the
ability to win a game on his own, who doesn't

(35:12):
look like he's going to be part of this thing.
It doesn't look right now like the Ravens are going
to make the playoffs. So who is it stopping the build?
I mean, are you talking about a first round matchup
in Pittsburgh where the Steelers have been very inconsistent and
very capable of laying eggs? Are you talking about rematching

(35:32):
with a new England team that you just beat a
couple weeks ago and scored thirty five points on. The
Bills had success against the Broncos in the playoffs last year.
So there's nobody in front of you that should scare you.
But you're probably gonna have to do it all on
the road as a wild card, and Josh Allen's gonna
have to do a ton of it without the help
of a strong defense, and like I said, nobody's gonna

(35:54):
feel sorry for him if he falls short. So I
think they can do it. But I think it's like
I said, it's a lot of pressure.

Speaker 2 (36:02):
I just my selfishn My pick was Packers Bills in
the Super Bowl, so I want that to be true.
But Dave, thank you so much for joining us, for
giving us more into the playoff pixture and again live
show in Chicago Lincoln Hall.

Speaker 1 (36:13):
The Athletic Football Show. Check it out if you're in town.
Thanks so much.

Speaker 9 (36:18):
And anytime, guys after.

Speaker 1 (36:20):
This, we have the dues and the don'ts of the week.
Stay tuned.

Speaker 2 (36:23):
You're listening to Fox Football Saturday, Welcome Back and Fox
Football Saturday.

Speaker 1 (36:28):
I'm common vitally.

Speaker 2 (36:29):
That's Tracy Sandler guiding you through two hours of the
last football Fox Football Saturday of the year. Because as
we know, New Year's is this week, it will be
twenty twenty six the next time you hear our voices.

Speaker 1 (36:43):
Just wild to.

Speaker 3 (36:44):
Think about, Tracy, it is very wild.

Speaker 1 (36:47):
Twenty twenty six just sounds so much later than twenty.

Speaker 3 (36:50):
Twenty It does actually does up significantly later than it.

Speaker 2 (36:54):
I'm a multiples of five person. Like, you know, people say, like,
are you an even or an odd number person? Like
I am the multiples of five person. So like, I'm
actually pretty sad that like twenty twenty five is going
to be gone because like that's that was just such.

Speaker 1 (37:06):
It was two multiples of five.

Speaker 3 (37:08):
Oh yeah, it was, you know, twenty five.

Speaker 1 (37:11):
It's awesome. I just I don't know round it out.

Speaker 3 (37:14):
Twenty thirty is just around the corner.

Speaker 1 (37:16):
Oh god, I'm gonna be my forties, my them.

Speaker 2 (37:22):
Anyway, we have our weekly segment and the last dues
and don'ts of the year right now, highlight d I.

Speaker 7 (37:33):
Love that putting a spotlight on the don't the subject
brings me no joy. Don't do that.

Speaker 1 (37:39):
That's insane.

Speaker 4 (37:40):
It's time for the dues and the don'ts in sports.

Speaker 2 (37:43):
Okay, Tracy, So I am going to give you the
honors of the last dues and don'ts of the year
because there is something very important.

Speaker 3 (37:55):
That we need to talk about, very very important, something
I somehow just discovered this week. I'm going to take
you back real quick when Kayleb Williams was at Seed,
had a bad game and after the game, he said,
all I want to do is go home and watch
my shows and cuddle with my dog. With my dog,
which easily was the most relatable thing I've ever heard in.

Speaker 1 (38:13):
My life from an NFL player.

Speaker 3 (38:16):
Or maybe anyone frankly, but this week I discovered the dog.
And so the do is just feature your dog, showcase
your dog with his own Instagram, and really do it up.
Super Williams, who actually now might be my favorite bear
over Colson Lovelin, is amazing. His Instagram is amazing. I

(38:36):
like to think that it's Caleb doing this every day.
It just would make me happy. The captions are so great,
big week wrapping gifts for my uncles and watching film
with Dad. Not that I've been paying that close attention
to his Instagram account, but it's really fun. And dogs.
We love dogs. You have a dog, I have dogs,
and it's really fun. I think there's something very humanizing

(38:58):
in seeing these guys with their dogs doing the instagrams.
I saw Fernando Mendoza the other day did a whole
Instagram campaign with his dog, and it makes me happy.

Speaker 1 (39:09):
Such a sweet human.

Speaker 3 (39:10):
Such a sweet human, and I just love it. And
so my do really is do be Super Williams, do
be Caleb Williams showcase that dog and if anyone knows
that it's someone else running that account, that's not Kayleb Williams.
Please don't ever tell me that.

Speaker 1 (39:26):
I don't I could.

Speaker 2 (39:28):
I have a maybe I'll ask him about it, maybe
after this game, especially.

Speaker 3 (39:33):
If they win, Yes, if they win, ask them about it.
Ask them about it and see what he says. But
if he says it's someone else, please don't.

Speaker 1 (39:40):
Really, I will tell you. I will not tell you,
but I'll get to the bottle.

Speaker 3 (39:42):
That would be my big thing.

Speaker 1 (39:44):
It's very interesting.

Speaker 2 (39:45):
I like, if you scroll back in the dog's instagram,
I'm going to have to do this too. Was he
watching film last year? Because that was that was a
whole thing that like, he didn't know what film to
watch because his coaches weren't telling him what to watch
and they weren't watching film with him. And this year
could not be more different. Caleb right liarly talks about
his film sessions with Ben Johnson's but that was not.

Speaker 1 (40:03):
The case under Matty Berfy.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
So I wonder if he's Super Williams is new to
the tape watching game.

Speaker 1 (40:09):
Because Caleb wasn't doing it last year.

Speaker 3 (40:11):
Well, on October seventh, twenty twenty four, he and Caleb
are watching something. I just can't tell you what it is,
but they are watching something together as I scrolled back
through this history.

Speaker 2 (40:22):
Okay, all right, Super Williams was also at the Wier.

Speaker 1 (40:25):
Circle when they gave away free hot dogs.

Speaker 2 (40:27):
Caleb wasn't there, but the dog wash.

Speaker 1 (40:30):
That's amazing, so he went the dog went to see
the hot dogs. So all right, that was a great
first hour. Tracy.

Speaker 2 (40:36):
We've got way more for you coming up, so don't
miss it. Stay tuned. You're listening to Fox Football Saturday.
Welcome back in to hour two of Fox Football Saturday.
I am carme Itally and that is Tracy Sandler, and
we are here guiding you through the last Saturday of
twenty and twenty five that we are.

Speaker 3 (40:58):
That's when you put it that way, uns even kind
of crazier.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
I know, I know it's the last Saturday.

Speaker 2 (41:03):
So next time you hear our voices, it will in
fact be twenty twenty six. For the best pregames you
show every weekend, be sure to tune into Fox Sports Radios.
Countdown to Kickoff presented by BETMGM. Every Saturday and Sunday morning,
we will count you down to all of the biggest
games for three hours right up until kickoff. For all
of the best plays and up to the second injury news,
tune in to count Down to Kickoff, presented by bet

(41:25):
MGM every Saturday and Sunday morning right here on Fox
Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 3 (41:31):
Feeding off the success of our college basketball bracket challenge
each March, we decided to do a bracket challenge for
the college football Playoff. That's right, with eight teams left
standing in college football, it's Bracket Challenge time. Compete against
our Fox Sports Radio host and against fellow listeners to
see who has the best college football Playoff bracket. Play
for your chance to win one thousand dollars, visit Fox

(41:51):
Sports Radio dot iHeart dot com to register, get the rules,
and fill out your bracket. Entry will be open until
just before kickoff at seventh m Eastern on New Year's Eve. Again,
fill out your bracket at Fox Sports Radio dot iHeart
dot com for your chance to win one thousand dollars.

Speaker 1 (42:09):
That reminds me I need to fill out my I.

Speaker 3 (42:11):
Thought the exact same thing. I was like, oh, I
have to fill up the bracket.

Speaker 1 (42:13):
Thank you for that.

Speaker 2 (42:14):
Thank you for that, Tracy Justice for the pop Tart
Bowl because like we should add that to the CFB
Playoff Bowl list. I think pop Tarts should be in
rotation there.

Speaker 3 (42:25):
I mean, they have sprinkles on the helmet, so I
feel like, just on its own, that should get them
in there.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
It's just absolute chaos. It is a dream of mine
to cover the Pop Tart Bowl one of these years.

Speaker 1 (42:36):
Nike. They got some crazy.

Speaker 3 (42:37):
Swag bags too, I mean, oh yeah, someone posts it
like on TikTok.

Speaker 1 (42:40):
Though, yeah, I think one of the one of the
Georgia tech linemen. I think, yeah yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:47):
I like there was like a really plush robe in there,
and I was like, I'm such a big bathrobe person,
Like I love a good hotel robe, especially, so I'm
gonna need that pop Tarts. If you're listening some me,
one of those ropes be great.

Speaker 3 (43:00):
If her birthday's coming up, My birthday is coming up,
You're so right, Yeah, you should get a robe.

Speaker 2 (43:05):
When they dropped their cinnamon flavor, they were kind enough
to send me a gigantic box of cinnamon Flavor pop
Tarts that I was just handing out to everybody that
like anybody's wo whose house I went to, I just
like brought them a box of the cinnamon flavor pop
tarts because I was just like, I need these out.

Speaker 1 (43:20):
Of my house. It was awesome. It was spreading the
good word. Well, let's get to.

Speaker 2 (43:25):
Another game that you and I are the perfect people
to talk about, quite honestly, because this weekend is I
mean like Packers Ravens is going to be a great game,
and it means a lot. This game the Chargers Texans
does mean a lot as far as the Chargers chances
to host a playoff game or even stay in the

(43:45):
running for the number one seed in the AFC. But
I want to get to the Chicago Bears and the
San Francisco forty nine Ers because Tracy, you will be there.
I will, And you know the forty nine Ers better
than anybody.

Speaker 1 (43:59):
I'd like to say that I know the Bears quite well.

Speaker 3 (44:01):
I would agree you do.

Speaker 2 (44:03):
And there were there was some fun stuff said this week.

Speaker 1 (44:07):
You know.

Speaker 2 (44:08):
Ben Johnson was just glowingly talking yesterday about Robert Salah
and this defense and how their play style is just
get as many of our shirts in the frame the
TV frame as possible at the end of a play.

Speaker 1 (44:23):
And it's true.

Speaker 2 (44:23):
I mean they just they swarmed the ball and you know,
give one hundred percent effort on every single and every
single guy is giving one hundred percent effort at all
the time, is what Ben Johnson said, and then talked
about how Kyle Shanahan is one of the best, if
not the best, offensive play callers in the league, but
did mention that this year their offense has been a
little bit more pass heavy than in years past, so

(44:47):
the Bears are going to have their work cut out
for them. I have had them losing this game for
a couple of weeks now, and that kind of that's
that screws with some things as far as like the
playoffs go.

Speaker 1 (44:58):
M hm, I can.

Speaker 2 (45:00):
I'm gonna pull up my handy dandy Athletic New York
Times playoff simulator. But if the Niners win, that takes
the Bears out of the running for the number one seed.

Speaker 1 (45:13):
They could still very much host a wildcard.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
Game, but they would then they like it's it's it
means a lot because these are the teams that are
all in the running for the top overall seed.

Speaker 3 (45:28):
Do you think you're wanting your feeling that they're gonna
lose has anything to do with you wanting another matchup
between the Packers and the Bear.

Speaker 2 (45:36):
No, because even before that, we realized that there was
like an actual, like real live probability of that happening.
I've been saying that the Bears are gonna lose this
because I've been, like everybody in Chicago has been trying
to map out the Bears like playoff chances, and then
once they clinched playoffs, it was like, okay, what's seeding chances?
So like they we've been doing this for weeks in
Chicago at this point, which is very interesting because it's

(45:59):
not something that we've been doing lately. It's usually at
this point of the year, you're talking about how many
games can you tank. We were in the Raiders position right
where like we want the number one overall pick in
the draft, and conversation has turned to the draft slash,
like what sweeping changes the Bears need to make? And
now this is this is really a new territory. So

(46:20):
the Bear, like Bears fans are no chill. They have
not had chill about any of this. We have been
talking about this for weeks and now it looks like
the Bear Adam schef to report it today and so
did a few others that Darnell right, the Bears right tackle,
is not was not on the team plane and did
not travel with the team, and his game status is
now questionable with an illness where And people are like, well,

(46:43):
isn't he out there if he didn't travel with the team,
And it's like, well, they could fly him out there
later privately, whatever and whatever tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (46:51):
So right, so the mornings, I.

Speaker 2 (46:56):
Personally, I mixed feelings about this because I want my
linemen like toxically tough, like I don't want them to
let anything stop them. So like I'm a little mad.
I'm a little miffed at Darnell right right now. I
get it if you're like contagious, but like they've been
dealing with this all week in the facility, like multiple
guys like these illnesses have cropped up on the injury

(47:16):
report all week for the Bears, and I'm just like,
you're a football team. Illness is spread through football locker
rooms like wildfire, and like the Game of Thrones wildfire,
like not just normal wildfire.

Speaker 3 (47:26):
Yeah that's true, and.

Speaker 2 (47:27):
So like I like you you have the capability to
be over this in like twenty four hours. So just
go with the team and just get your ivs, like
you know, pump yourself full of all of the medicine
that you have access to because you have team doctors.
Get some sleep as much as you possibly can. Like,
I don't know, I'm a little miffed because I like,

(47:48):
unless you're like hemorrhaging, I don't I think you should
play as alignman.

Speaker 3 (47:53):
I don't know, and we well, we don't know what
the illness is.

Speaker 1 (47:57):
It's true, I could feel really bad. It could be
it could be something, but I don't.

Speaker 3 (48:00):
I mean, I don't think it's I think the fact
that it's questionable means that it's not. It's probably some
sort of flu. It's just a matter how bad is
the flu, and that flu has been kind of going
around all over the place. But I can understand I
can understand you feeling that way. I will say Kyle
Shanahan had really great things to say about Ben Johnson
and Kayleb Williams. He thinks very very very highly of

(48:22):
Kayleb Williams, as he should. It's interesting you think the
Bears are going to lose because I've been going back
and forth on this.

Speaker 2 (48:30):
Oh look, you and I talked about this a few
weeks ago, and you were like, nah, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (48:34):
I don't know. You know, I have this weird thing.
But now, the last time I kind of felt this
way was before the fort Nitar's Christmas Night game against
the Ravens. So take that for what it will, Okay,
I all conventional wism says to me actually that the
Bears should win this game, and because of the forty
nine Ers defense, and I do think the Bears defense

(48:55):
is better than what the forig Niters have seen the
last several weeks. I don't think they're putting up forty
some on Poe points on the Bears. That being said,
I just can't see them losing. And that's not that's
not analysis, that's not all of the stats, that's not
everything I gleaned from the podium in the locker room
this week. I just kind of can't see the forty

(49:16):
nine ers losing this game, partly because I feel like
they're set up to play the Seahawks for the division
next week. But there's something that comes up in this
conversation that I think is sort of interesting. Both of
these teams have been called a team of destiny, and
again that's not analysis x's and o's percentages any of
the things. They can't both be at the Team of Destiny.
And I thought Kayleb Williams had a good answer to that, Well,

(49:37):
that's the thing with Destney. You don't know until the end,
So I don't know this game, says.

Speaker 1 (49:43):
That was he he was cooking.

Speaker 3 (49:45):
He was everybody cooking with that one.

Speaker 2 (49:47):
I guess I kind of I had the beginning of
like the what does that mean? Nobody knows what he means,
but it's provocative, Like that was what was running in
my head. That was in that press conference when he
said that, Like in the back of my mind, I
was just like.

Speaker 1 (50:02):
What does that mean?

Speaker 2 (50:03):
And then like nobody knows what it means, but it's provocative,
And I feel like that.

Speaker 3 (50:06):
But I gets it. But he is right, because you
don't know if you're like, if they go on to
win the Super Bowl, they in real time, you don't
know in real time, or they win tomorrow. But I
just kind of can't see the forty nine ers losing
this one. However, there's a wrinkle here. You have George
Kittle's questionable and the fort Niners elevated tight end Brandon
Willis from a practice squad about an hour or so ago,

(50:29):
which doesn't bode particularly well for George Kittle being available
tomorrow night. So it's definitely not He's not out for sure,
but it doesn't bode well and I do think that
will make a huge difference. They also have a questionable
Ricky Piersoll whether or not he's available, how effective can
he be after reaggravating that knee injury he missed last week,
So there are some issues on the four hours offense

(50:51):
injury wise. This is gonna be a tough game, and
I don't know. The Bears defense is better than what
I think the Fordners have seen. I just feel like
they're set up to play the Seahawks next week for
the division. Yeah, that being said, I wouldn't be the
least bit surprised if we're in the fourth quarter with
four minutes to go, the Bears down like I don't know,
ten nine, whatever, and then they come back to win it.

(51:12):
So the Furners defense is questionable at best. So there's
that too.

Speaker 2 (51:16):
You know whose name I didn't hear when you went
through the offense was Christian McCaffrey.

Speaker 3 (51:20):
He will be there, and that's going to make you
he will be there.

Speaker 2 (51:22):
And I came across one of you know, my fun
little matchup stats. I try to pick out something from
each game where like, this is what I think is
going to matter the most in this game, right? And
I do think because Christian McCaffrey is responsible for such
a disproportionate amount of the forty nine ers offense this season,
how do the Bears match up and guys like t J.
Edwards are limited, They're one of their middle linebackers, and

(51:45):
they the Bears have faced just forty targets against running
backs this season, so when Christian McCaffrey is coming out
of the backfield catching the football, that is not something
they've seen a whole lot of this year. And as
a result, it means that they have allowed the eleventh
fewest receptions and the eighth fewist yards, but really it's
because they have a small sample size. And then conversely,

(52:06):
they have allowed three touchdowns, which is tied for the
third most. So they don't do they haven't seen it
a whole lot, and they match up their running backs
like with linebackers. That's usually how they match, and I
don't think that that's really feasible as against a guy
like Christian McCaffrey. I think that Christian McCaffrey, I think

(52:26):
that's a mismatch. If you're putting the Bears mittal linebackers
on Christian McCaffrey, that's not going to go well for
you if you're Chicago.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
So that's what concerns me.

Speaker 2 (52:35):
That's what I think the game is going to come
down to, is how effective you allow Christian McCaffrey to be.
The Bears will be without Ramadunsday again this week, they
do get Luther Burden.

Speaker 1 (52:45):
Back, and then we don't know.

Speaker 2 (52:48):
Like I said, they're right tackled Darnell Wright, who is
arguably their best offensive lineman, could potentially not play, which
again I just I don't feel great about.

Speaker 3 (52:58):
I'm like, hey, well, and no George Kittle does affect
Christian McCaffrey for a couple of reasons. First of all,
the run game really got going when George Kittle came
back from his injury. If there's no George Kittle, we
don't know for sure there's not it.

Speaker 1 (53:14):
But it also has in practice all week.

Speaker 3 (53:15):
He is not practice a week and so he's officially questionable.
And Kyle Shanahan said yesterday in his media availability, he
told us that George was going to let him know
today kind of how he felt. So I'm thinking the
elevation of Brandon Willis says a lot about how he felt.
But it's a late game tomorrow. I mean that does
help them. Actually it helps right as well then having

(53:37):
the later game tomorrow, So it does make a difference.
It's also one less person for a defense to pay
attention to. Now to your point on the mismatch, Christian
McCaffrey has ninety two receptions this year. That is a
lot of receptions for running back to have, and.

Speaker 2 (53:50):
So he's like a hybrid receiver running back. That's always
been his thing. That's always why, been why he is
just one of the most productive offensive players when he's healthy, incredible, and.

Speaker 3 (54:00):
He's one hundred and fifty one receiving yards away from
having a thousand, thousand yard season again, which is pretty amazing.
But that's going to be a matchup to watch, and
you're right, it's how goes Christian McCaffrey, how goes the
forty nine ers so to speak, and how and obviously
brock Perty has been in his bag. He has looked
absolutely fantastic if he's rolling and he's cooking. I do

(54:21):
think they're hard to beat. This is just going to
be the toughest defense they've seen in a while. The
Colt should have been the toughest defense, but they have
so many injuries at saye more hojuries.

Speaker 2 (54:30):
I know it's going to be. This is not a
team like the Bears. This is not a team that
you can really come back from, right like if you're
if you're down. I mean the Packers aren't either. But
that was kind of weird because the Packers no longer
have Michael Parsons. At that point, they had Jordan Love
and the or they had Jordan Love out of the game,
Milik Willis in the game, all of Milik will Is
balled out and Jordan Love's absence. But like that, I

(54:52):
don't want to live like that. And that's been my
whole thing with the Bears this season is like, yeah,
it's really clutch, it's also really stressful, and it's not
gonna fly against better teams, especially teams that have the
means to produce so much on offense, which is the
forty nine Ers who have one of, if not the
best offense is in the league, depending on what metrics
you're going off.

Speaker 3 (55:13):
Yes, that's right, and there this they We've been saying
this all year in George Kittle's been saying it. This
offense is going to have to carry the team. And
you know, can they continue to do it tomorrow against
the Bears. That's going to be the key. They got
two very tough games coming up. But I think tomorrow
is going to be an interesting game. I I I
think the forty nine Ers are going to win it,

(55:35):
but I think it's going to be close. And it's
not like the Bears are going to be like, well,
that's so shocking. I didn't think that was going to happen.
But I do think the four hours are going to
win it. They're kind of they're just on a roll
right now. They're home and they're hot.

Speaker 1 (55:47):
Ben Jaton said it, they're hot.

Speaker 3 (55:48):
They are hot, but then again, so are the Bears.

Speaker 1 (55:50):
It's true.

Speaker 2 (55:51):
But again and also again, these are two of the
four teams that are vying for the number one seed
in the NFC. So it's just it's a great matchup
and it does mean a lot. And the Bears are
the ones that have to travel, which I also think
makes a difference. You know, a crossing a couple of
time zones to get there, and then it being a
later game. You know, by that point the Bears are
going to be two hours ahead by their body clock

(56:13):
and be tired, and that kind of stuff matters, especially
when the margin for error is the small. So really
excited that you're going to be there. Can't wait to
hear all of the stuff that comes out of that game,
you know, postgame and all that kind of stuff.

Speaker 1 (56:27):
We have more for you.

Speaker 2 (56:29):
On the other side of this, we're going to talk
about another team in the AFC who is not in
the playoffs but entering into potentially a rebuild without one
of their Hall of Fame future Hall of Fame star players.
I'm talking, of course, about the Kansas City Chiefs, and
that's what we're going to talk about. On the other
side of this, you're listening to Fox Football Saturday very
Vibe today with our transition music. Love it, guys, thank

(56:52):
you needed it.

Speaker 1 (56:56):
We've had a great show so far.

Speaker 2 (56:59):
I've got Tracy Sandler me I'm carn vitally leading you
through Fox Football Saturday. And with the iHeartRadio app, you
can stream us wherever you happen to be. Catch us
in all of our Fox Sports Radio shows Live twenty
four to seven and the new and improved iHeartRadio app.
Just search Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream
us live every day, all day, and be sure to

(57:20):
select Fox Sports Radio as one of your presets in
the iHeart apps so it will always pop up at
the top of your screen. Very very meta, very very
analog of us of the app to give you a
little preset, just like a radio dial.

Speaker 1 (57:36):
And what is now vintage? I suppose the Chiefs dynasty.

Speaker 3 (57:41):
Tracy, Yeah, I think it's I think it's venta. I
mean the NFL is cyclical, it is, and I think
the cycle has and they have had a hag of
a run. But I think the cycle has cycled. Is
that the right term? I think the cycle has cycled, though,
as we're seeing with the Patriots, it doesn't have to
be that long till they get this back together. But
I think the dynasty as we have known it the
last several years is over.

Speaker 2 (58:03):
Yeah, I mean Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid still there, still
not going anywhere as far as anybody's concerned. But if
you're going to make the Chiefs into a trifecta, the
third part of that trifecta is Travis Kelsey, who very
much could be going somewhere and it's widely kind of
thought that this will be his last season. I don't

(58:23):
know if that's true. We don't know if that's that's true.
I don't even know if Travis knows if that's true.
He may not, but I mean, he has clearly set
up set himself up for his post playing career. He
already has the New Heights podcast with Jason who is
already retired. Travis Kelsey also happens to be marrying one

(58:44):
of the richest women in the world and certainly the
most famous.

Speaker 1 (58:48):
In Taylor Swift.

Speaker 2 (58:51):
So you know, he could very easily call it a career.
And I mean, it's just been Tracy has been so
sad watching Travis Kelsey play without patri mua.

Speaker 3 (59:00):
Well, and I think it's been a little I'm going
to take it a step further, and I don't mean
it on kindly, it's been a little sad watching Travis
Kelcey play. And he's had such a tremendous career and
I saw someone said something the other day he can't
go out like this. My feeling is, I actually think
this is the time to go out. I don't think
it's going to get better. And he has won multiple

(59:23):
super Bowls, even though they got destroyed in the Super
Bowl last year. He went to the Super Bowl last year.
This season was a mess to me, that would be
time to say. And that's again to me. And I
know it's very, very difficult for professional athlete to retire.
It's what they've done their whole lives, it's what they know.
They have that competitive spirit. So there's a lot that's
going to go into us into this that I am

(59:43):
not feeling that Travis Kelty is feeling. But to me,
it just feels like it is time to hang it up.
As you said, he's got the New Heights podcasts, He'll
I'm sure he'll end up on TV like his brother.
I mean, he's a great personality. He's a lot going
on in his life personally, but more than anything, he's

(01:00:03):
not the player he was. And if I'm him, I'd
rather go out at a time where you're what you're
going to think about right now? With Travis Kelsey is
the player he was and the player he's been, and
how successful he's been in the Super Bowls. He's won
another year like this and that starts to be what
people It's not the only thing they'll remember, but it
creeps in there, And I don't know for him, does

(01:00:26):
he want to remember another season like that? Is that
how he wants to go out?

Speaker 1 (01:00:29):
Well? And I'm also kind of like, what else is
left to do? Man?

Speaker 3 (01:00:32):
Right?

Speaker 2 (01:00:32):
I mean the answer is to have repeated, But you
had your chance to do that this last year it
did not work out. What are you going to try
and stick around for like after this year, three more
years to try and do something that no one's ever
done before? Like you've done all of the things that
you possibly could do. You know, you did repeat before,

(01:00:54):
like and you have won multiple Super Bowls, three of
them in fact, and you are one of the like
you're on You're in the top three all time as
far as tight ends go. It's Tony Gonzalez, it's Rob Gronkowski,
and it's you, my man, Like, there really isn't a
whole lot else left to accomplish, especially in one season

(01:01:16):
coming back, And I mean, you never know. Like Rob
Gronkowski came out of retirement. I was there in Tampa
when he did it, and that worked out real well
for him. But at the end of the day, I mean,
I just I don't know what else you have to accomplish.
And it does seem like Kansas City is in for

(01:01:39):
a rebuild, like starting next season, where this offseason in fact,
where you are going to have to like your team's old.

Speaker 1 (01:01:48):
There's a lot of guys that are old.

Speaker 2 (01:01:49):
On that team, and you're gonna need to get younger,
You're gonna need to get more cohesive. There's gonna be
a lot of changes in Kansas City. And is that
something you want to be around for if you are
Travis Kelce?

Speaker 3 (01:02:00):
And do we know if Mahomes is ready for the
start of the season next year, do you want to
come back? You have three months where you're not playing
with Patrick Mahomes.

Speaker 2 (01:02:08):
Right, I mean I would venture to say no. I mean,
I don't know how much longer. But like you know,
these are these are injuries that take over.

Speaker 3 (01:02:14):
They take a long time, and he towards exail late
in the season, right, so that also will affect how soon.

Speaker 2 (01:02:21):
I mean you're talking a minimum of eight months, so
that puts you into August at best, best case, he's
ready for the start of the season, but that is
it's more like ten months. And then are you the
same player? Doesn't it take? Like every player that I've
seen do this, it takes a little while. They're really

(01:02:41):
not the same player they were until two years after
the injury.

Speaker 1 (01:02:45):
Because it's just it takes. That's what it takes, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:02:48):
That's how long it takes to trust yourself and to
build yourself back up, both mentally and physically. It's not
it's a really really tough injury. And yeah, like, are
you signing up for that? If your Travis Kelsey, I
don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:02:57):
I don't think I would, especially when he's how old thirty?

Speaker 3 (01:03:01):
I think he's thirty six at the same agent.

Speaker 2 (01:03:04):
Yes, and then which is my age as well, So
I'm like, listen, I crack a lot when I get
out of bed in the morning, and I am not
a professional athlete taking hits from guys that are ten
years younger and one hundred pounds heavier than I am.
Although Travis Kelcey is pretty hefty himself.

Speaker 3 (01:03:21):
Usually at this point, yes, you're exactly he's not a
small man, but still still.

Speaker 2 (01:03:27):
It's they're hard hits and I'm not. I don't think
I'm signing up for that at my big age.

Speaker 1 (01:03:31):
If I'm if I'm.

Speaker 3 (01:03:32):
Travis Kelcey, yeah that's fair.

Speaker 1 (01:03:35):
But what I am signing up for is an update
break with Martin Wisse.

Speaker 8 (01:03:43):
I think it was Thanksgiving when was against the Cowboys,
when Kelsey kind of landed on his head going to
I had that exact thought. I said, I'm thirty six
years old. I landed like that. There's no the chance
I would get up and do what I just did
again with zero absolutely.

Speaker 3 (01:04:00):
Right in the locker room, I would go.

Speaker 1 (01:04:02):
I would go straight to bed, is what I would do,
and for for weeks I.

Speaker 2 (01:04:08):
Would I would pull like the Charlie and Chocolate factory
of grandparents.

Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
I would stay in my bed right exactly.

Speaker 8 (01:04:13):
I will be here for indefinite notice, like do not
call me, do not text, we do not bother.

Speaker 1 (01:04:18):
I will be in my bed because I mean my
neck hurts.

Speaker 8 (01:04:23):
Will just get out of bed, That's.

Speaker 1 (01:04:24):
What I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:04:25):
Keep thinking about it.

Speaker 1 (01:04:26):
I was like, if I sleep.

Speaker 2 (01:04:27):
On my neck wrong, I'm in a men's pain for
weeks like forget again hitting the turf, hitting another person,
Like when was the last time you actually fell all
the way down?

Speaker 3 (01:04:39):
Well, the day is young, but it's been a while
it fell.

Speaker 1 (01:04:43):
Just falling down. It hurts, I'll say.

Speaker 8 (01:04:46):
At least you know what's after moving from the Midwest,
probably about a solid eight years is in that snow
and ice. I used to everything right.

Speaker 2 (01:04:54):
No, seriously and like I knock on what I haven't
done it this season yet, but like winter is young.

Speaker 1 (01:05:00):
Friends, God bless you.

Speaker 8 (01:05:01):
I hope we'll see you his best and happy early.

Speaker 1 (01:05:03):
Birthday, thank you.

Speaker 8 (01:05:04):
Seven to fifteen left in the first half of the
Texans and the Chargers has been all Texans, but we
did just have a sudden change with Derwin James getting
an interception off a tip ball from CJ.

Speaker 1 (01:05:14):
Stroud.

Speaker 8 (01:05:14):
But since, like I said, fourteen to nothing, the Texans
over the Chargers right now, it's been slow so I
mean Los Angeles only has fifty one total yards of ballfense.

Speaker 1 (01:05:23):
CJ.

Speaker 8 (01:05:24):
Stroud has one hundred and seventy eight yards passing, So
that just goes to show you how this thing has
been going. Two touchdown passes for CJ nine for fourteen
from the field up from the field nine for fourteen,
throwing the ball right there Houston with forty one yards
rushing in the college football in the pop tar ball.
Yet Georgia Tech and BYU right now at the half

(01:05:44):
are coming out of it right coming out the half
right now, twenty one to ten for Georgia Tech. The
both of these teams obviously left out of the Georgia
Tech was going to be out BYU, left out of
the college football playoff. They're struggling right now, down eleven.
In the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, Miami of Ohio and
Fresno State tied three a piece. I mean, you know,

(01:06:07):
Snoop Dogg. He's everywhere halftime yesterday Arizona Bowl. Today, Penn
State and Clemson had the pin Stroke Bowl twenty two
to ten Penn State wins. Both of these teams finished
with seven and six records. There's neither one of them
expected that Jordan Love will miss tonight's game with the concussion.
Malik Willis will start. The Ravens need to win against
the Backers to keep playoff hopes alive. Ladies, back to you,

(01:06:30):
thank you, Martin, thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:06:32):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:06:33):
Last hour we had the athletic football shows Dave Hellman.
Now we bring on a fellow athletic writer covers the
forty nine ers.

Speaker 1 (01:06:41):
It's Matt Barrows.

Speaker 6 (01:06:42):
Everybody, Hi, hallo Bears, Good guys, what's coming on.

Speaker 2 (01:06:47):
Really excited to talk to you about this game. Tracy
and I kind of previewed it a little while ago
because I'm in Chicago. I cover the Bears very closely.
You guys obviously cover the Niners close. A huge game,
massive implications for both teams should they win. The Bears
want to win their division, and they could do that
with a win over San Francisco. But they are also
going to be down a couple of guys. There's a

(01:07:09):
couple of injuries that we don't know. Most recently, Darnell Right,
their right tackle, their breakout right tackle, dealing with an
illness and did not travel with the team, though could
join them later. It sounds like on the Niner side,
you're dealing with all right, could you potentially not have
George Kittle? You had a tight end elevation. Does that
say that do you expect George Kittle to play? We'll

(01:07:30):
start there, Matt.

Speaker 6 (01:07:32):
I mean they've been saying that it's fifty to fifty
all week.

Speaker 10 (01:07:36):
But I mean, I think if they're looking.

Speaker 6 (01:07:38):
Ahead, they've they've secured a playoff spot. I think that
if it's you know, Dicey at game time, they'll fit
in for this one and make sure that the ankle
is healed up and.

Speaker 10 (01:07:53):
Good for the Seahawks.

Speaker 6 (01:07:54):
Game and then good for the playoffs. I mean, I
think it's it's not something that they want Lingering. You know,
he practices on a limited basis. He plays in a game, Oh,
he tweaks it, He's on the sideline for a half
dozen snaps, he comes back in, he tweaks it again.
That would be suboptimal. He's such an important part to

(01:08:17):
this team that having him healthy for the playoffs I
think is paramount.

Speaker 3 (01:08:23):
That we've seen when Kittle was out last time, when
he came back, what a difference it made in the
run game. Kyle Shanahan talked yesterday about the receivers and
the other tight ends and how good they've been at
blocking and why he thinks the run game has been
so improved over the last couple of months. There is
no Kittle. What does that do to Christian McCaffrey.

Speaker 6 (01:08:40):
Yeah, I mean, it's interesting because you know, McCaffrey's pursuing
this one thousand, one thousand season and he's already got
the rushing yards portion of it, but he it looks
like he's going to fall short of the receiving yards. However,
if Kittle doesn't play in this game, this offense sort.

Speaker 4 (01:09:00):
Of reverts to.

Speaker 6 (01:09:03):
The early season version of this offense, which was an
offense that didn't run the ball well and that relied
on Christian McCaffrey for a lot of receiving yards. And
he did a great job at that and it got
the forty nine ers a lot of important wins, very
important wins right now when you're kind of calculating all
the tie breakers and stuff like that. So I don't know,

(01:09:25):
to me, that's a little bit of a juicy subplot. No,
George Kittle probably means not as good rushing, but it
could mean better receiving yards for Christian McCaffrey. He does both,
as you guys know very well, you.

Speaker 3 (01:09:41):
Can get all one hundred and fifty one tomorrow night.

Speaker 1 (01:09:43):
He really could.

Speaker 2 (01:09:44):
So that was something that I kind of identified Matt
when we were talking about this game as a mismatch
because the Bears haven't seen a whole lot of pass
catching backs, and when they do see them, they put
linebackers on them. And I'm like, if you're putting a
linebacker one of which is limited by the way TG
Edward's going into has been limited in practice and has
been questionable coming into this game. I think he'll play,

(01:10:08):
but he's not at one hundred percent. If you're putting
a lineback around Christian McCaffrey, I don't think you're gonna
win that.

Speaker 1 (01:10:14):
Like, that's not good. That's really not.

Speaker 2 (01:10:16):
Good for me, and I don't think it's good for
the Bears. And it's something that Ben Johnson even talked about,
how you know, the only difference that he really sees
in this forty nine ers offense this year is that
they are passing the ball more than they're running it,
which has been a little bit different than years past.
But I really do think that this game is going
to come down to just how the Bears deal with
Christian McCaffrey and then how productive he is, because if

(01:10:39):
he has one of those Christian McCaffrey days, I don't
know how you're beating the forty nine ers.

Speaker 6 (01:10:44):
Yeah, I mean, that's what the Kyle Shanahan offense ages
on it. It's basically mismatches with linebackers when it comes
to the Kittle and Christian McCaffrey and things like that.
And even you know, teams with good, healthy linebacking crews
have have struggled in that regard.

Speaker 4 (01:11:05):
I agree with you.

Speaker 6 (01:11:06):
I mean, there have been games, and they were all
early in the season where you know, Christian McCaffrey was
their only name player out there. They're only sort of
tried and true guy, and everybody knew that he was
going to get the ball, and yet these teams didn't
cover him closely or let him go. It was inexplicable

(01:11:27):
at various points of the season. I do think that
you know, a lot of defenses decide, okay, we're going
to guard against the you know, the explosive play, the
deep ball. We're not going to get gouged for any
twenty five plus yard plays. We're not going to get
gouged for any deep touchdowns. We're going to keep everything
in front of us. Which is fine. But when you've

(01:11:48):
got a good accurate passer like Mac Jones or a
rock Party, and you've got a good route runner like
Christian McCaffery. It just means that it's still a touchdown drive,
but it's taking you know, ten to fourteen plays to
get down there. And that's what you know the forty
nine Ers were able to get by with early in

(01:12:10):
the season.

Speaker 3 (01:12:11):
Matt, I want to shift focus a little bit to
the forty nine ers defense, which is I mean, I
think Robert Solid's done an incredible job with this group,
and they they have many a hole yet somehow every
week they figured it out. They've struggled maybe more than
they should have, with teams that you wouldn't think they would.
When you see them go up against Caleb Williams, to

(01:12:32):
see them go up against this Bears offense, what do
they need to watch out for? And can they have
another night where they do just enough to win the game.

Speaker 6 (01:12:42):
Well, Caleb Williams is the polar opposite of Philip Rivers.

Speaker 2 (01:12:47):
Wait watched wait a minute, a young Hope athletic quarterback.

Speaker 10 (01:12:56):
I don't think they went into that Bolts game worried that,
oh no, Rivers is gonna gouge us for like a
fifty yard run here or there. But Caleb Williams can
do that, and that's been sort of a kryptonite for.

Speaker 6 (01:13:09):
The forty nine ers defense for years. Chrits historic very
aggressive defensive line that gets up the field very quickly.
And you know, if you're an immobile quarterback, that's fine,
but if you're a Kyler Murray or some of these
other guys that can run with the ball, that has
been bad for the forty nine ers. Russell Wilson used

(01:13:32):
to kill them.

Speaker 10 (01:13:34):
You know, It's just it means.

Speaker 6 (01:13:35):
That there's a lot of green grass in front of
the quarterback if he decides to take it, and Caleb
Williams can take it, and he can also you know
by time with his legs and then with that arm,
really make you pay.

Speaker 10 (01:13:51):
And I know that the Roma Donda is not going
to be playing in.

Speaker 6 (01:13:54):
This game, but they've got some good wide receivers out
there and unbroken plays, you know, whether it's DJ Moore
or Alamande, the key is. I mean, these guys can
get those chunk plays. And that's what the forty nine
ers have to I think worry about. They just don't

(01:14:14):
have tremendous athletes on the defensive line in general, and
especially at defensive end, so kind of guarding those edges
and making sure that Williams doesn't have this room to
prowl out there. I think is going to be a
major feat for Robert Shall on his defense.

Speaker 2 (01:14:33):
Yeah, Caleb's ability to throw off platform and make something
happen has only gotten better as he's gotten more rapport
with his receivers. And you're right, he won't have Ramadouonsa,
but he also has Luther Burton who has come on
and been kind of a yak receiver for them. I mean,
his receiving his yards after the catchover expectation has just
been a pleasant surprise, I think. And plus the Bears

(01:14:56):
do run the ball quite a bit, which I'm sure
Kyle Shanahan be ready for.

Speaker 1 (01:15:00):
Matt.

Speaker 2 (01:15:00):
Thank you so much for joining us. Have so much
fun at the game. This is like kind of feels
like a playoff atmosphere already with all these teams buying
for the number one seed in the conference, and it
should be a good one, So we appreciate you taking
the time.

Speaker 10 (01:15:15):
Yeah, thank you for having me on and enjoy the game.

Speaker 3 (01:15:17):
See you tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (01:15:19):
All right, after this, Tracy and I are going to
make our week seventeen picks, starting with Ravens and Packers. Tonight,
You won't want to miss it. Stay tuned. You're listening
to Fox Football Saturday. Much like this year, this show
has gone by really fast.

Speaker 3 (01:15:36):
It really has.

Speaker 1 (01:15:43):
Why would you do this to me? Chris Purfet both.

Speaker 3 (01:15:46):
Spitting time for all of us here in the studio.

Speaker 1 (01:15:49):
I don't even think I can look at a drink
right now.

Speaker 4 (01:15:53):
Oh yeah, oh man, I just realized.

Speaker 1 (01:15:54):
What I did.

Speaker 3 (01:15:55):
O'clock.

Speaker 1 (01:15:57):
It is five o'clock summer.

Speaker 3 (01:15:58):
It's about where you are very.

Speaker 2 (01:16:01):
I was just gonna say it's about to be five
o'clock where I am in Central Time. But like I said,
after the few days that we've had, man, I don't
know that I could look at a drink right now.

Speaker 3 (01:16:12):
That you could.

Speaker 2 (01:16:15):
That's Tracy Sandler. I'm Cardon Vitally. That's Chris Burffett. Bo
Benson are the producer, Martin Wise in the update booth,
you have.

Speaker 1 (01:16:22):
Bucking fits on next.

Speaker 2 (01:16:24):
I believe those two jokers, man, you've heard a lot
of them this week because I believe they filled in
for LaVar Arrington and Bertie Quinn on that show. So
you're going to get more of them, and we love that.

Speaker 1 (01:16:37):
We really do. Can't you hear it? My voice?

Speaker 2 (01:16:40):
We do all right, But now we're gonna have bo
have to earn his or earn his paycheck a little
bit more right now?

Speaker 1 (01:16:49):
Is he leads us through.

Speaker 2 (01:16:50):
The pick of the week, Picks of the week week
seventeen people, let's go.

Speaker 7 (01:16:55):
Yeah, speaking of picks of the week, Justin Herbert is
through the most Justin Herbert interception.

Speaker 2 (01:16:59):
You're going to see all yeah, Well, I knew this
game was already been going on, so I didn't even
put it in there.

Speaker 7 (01:17:05):
The Ravens had to Green Bay to night to take
on the Packers. The Packers a two and a half
point favorite, no starting quarterbacks in this game, and you
have to pay for Peacock to watch it, so enjoy America.

Speaker 2 (01:17:16):
Yeah, seriously, it should be you should They should have
opened it, unlocked it when you don't have Jordan Love
or Lamar Jackson. And given that though, it just it
means a little bit more for the Ravens right now
because it's the only way they keep their playoff hopes alive.

Speaker 1 (01:17:30):
I have, I have.

Speaker 3 (01:17:31):
Ravens, I have the Packers.

Speaker 1 (01:17:33):
Okay, okay, we shall.

Speaker 5 (01:17:34):
See all right.

Speaker 7 (01:17:35):
The Buccaneers take on the Dolphins on the road. The
Bucks a five and a half point road favorite here.

Speaker 3 (01:17:42):
I'm I'm going Bucks say.

Speaker 2 (01:17:45):
I'm also gonna go back because I just I refuse
to believe that they've lost team this bad way, Like
they they gotta win, and I know the Dolphins have,
you know, they they've given fans a little bit of hope.
I guess down this stretch even though they're out of
the postseason, but like maybe they're not completely unfortunate.

Speaker 1 (01:18:02):
I don't care.

Speaker 2 (01:18:03):
The Bucks need to win this and I would like
them too, so I'm gonna pick them fair enough.

Speaker 7 (01:18:10):
The Jacksonville Jaguars go on the road to Indianapolis. They
are five and a half point road favorites here too.

Speaker 1 (01:18:18):
Yeah, be the road favorites.

Speaker 2 (01:18:19):
That's a little wild, but the Colts are dealing with
significant injuries. Trevor Lawrence playing phenomenally for the Jacksonville.

Speaker 1 (01:18:26):
Jaguars as of late.

Speaker 2 (01:18:28):
Seems like Liam Cohen has unlocked some things on that offense.
So I am going to go with I don't know
if they're going to cover necessarily, but I think the
Jacks are gonna win.

Speaker 3 (01:18:38):
I think the Jacks are gonna win, but I want
the Colts to win because i'd like filhip Rivers to
get one win before the sense.

Speaker 2 (01:18:44):
Well, hey, he did get a win because he has
health insurance for.

Speaker 3 (01:18:48):
The next five years of his kids.

Speaker 2 (01:18:50):
It's a fair points that's really expensive. So that's a
win in and of itself. I would probably come out
of retirement too.

Speaker 7 (01:18:56):
Se premium has just went up. Premiums going up.

Speaker 2 (01:18:59):
I don't want to talk about it, guys, I really don't.

Speaker 7 (01:19:01):
You might have to come back next year. The Eagles
go from Philly up to Buffalo to take on the Bills.
The Bills a one and a half point favorite in
this game.

Speaker 3 (01:19:11):
I'm glad zil I'm going Bills.

Speaker 1 (01:19:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:19:14):
I mean, I don't like I agree with Dave what
he said in our one about the Eels not necessarily
being fraudulent, because that defense is phenomenal, But the Vibes
are bad. And I have the Bills in the Super Bowl,
and so I just think that they should maybe they
can figure some things out in the regular seasons that
they can, you know, hit the ground running in the postseason.

Speaker 1 (01:19:31):
I also have Bills, all right.

Speaker 7 (01:19:33):
And Sunday Night Football, the Bears head out to Santa
Clara to take on the forty nine Ers, who are
a three point favorite.

Speaker 1 (01:19:39):
Here, Tracy, you and I have talked about this for weeks.

Speaker 2 (01:19:42):
I've been talking about it for weeks because, like I said,
people in Chicago have no chill, and we've been playing
out every single scenario like week by week for like
I said, weeks, and I have had the Bears dropping
this game in San Francisco four weeks. I'm gonna stick
with that even if George Skittle doesn't play the matchup,
the mismatch with Bears linebackers on Christian McCaffrey, I just

(01:20:03):
I can't get over it.

Speaker 1 (01:20:04):
I think the Niners gonna take it.

Speaker 3 (01:20:05):
I think the Niners are gonna take it to Okay,
You're welcome, Niner fans. I don't always I don't always
think they're gonna take it, So you're welcome, guys.

Speaker 1 (01:20:13):
It's a crossing time Zones.

Speaker 2 (01:20:14):
Bears have been dealing with some flue stuff, especially if
Darnold Raight doesn't end up joining the team, which is again,
I want my o linemen toxically tough. I want them
out there no matter what. Thank you guys so much
for joining us the last box of ball Saturday of
the year. We'll see you next year. You're listening to
Fox and Sports Radio,

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