December 3, 2024 • 29 mins
00:00 - NFL Week 13 Review
06:35 - JJ's deep dive on his Cincinnati Bengals
09:55 - Who's leading the NFL Awards after week 13?
14:23 - Fab 5
19:05 - NBA wrap
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bad sir, fly Okay, why rough Hi, Good evening, Welcome
to the field.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
It might be good morning, might be good afternoon, whatever
it is, whenever it is, wherever it is, Thanks for
joining me.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
NBA and NFL on the slate.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Probably seventy five percent NFL, twenty five percent NBA. But
it's all happening. It is all happening. Both leagues are airborne.
Some NBA soon, but we'll start with the NFL. Where
Week thirteen on possession game unless your name is San Francisco,
(00:54):
and we might get to them soon because that baby
looks all over red Rover. Week thirteen dished up closeness.
Not the absolute drama of last week, but so many
games could have gone one way or another. Two out
of the three games way back when on Thanksgiving in
(01:15):
the States were one score games. The Lions got the
job done by three points thanks to Chicago's nonsensical clock
management issues, and it cost the head coach Eberfleus his job,
and Dallas won by a touchdown against the Giants. At
about thirty five million people watch that game. It was
never that close, but it was still one possession game.
(01:38):
I did predict Miami would offer up bugger all in
the cold weather. I think they've lost their past twelve
games or something when the weather is about four degrees
or colder in Celsius.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Terms.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
The back roll, we had a sneaky AFC West clash
on I.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Think it was Saturday, didn't even know it was on.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Kansas City, squeaked past Vegas, another one score game, one
possession game, and then the Monday mornings late, the Chargers
won by four points in Atlanta thanks to Kirk Cousins,
who threw four picks and now is in danger of
being benched. Pittsburgh went into Cincinnati and all but ended
(02:25):
my Bengals season forty four to thirty eight.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Forty four to thirty.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Eight the most points in the game this season and
added to the least a one score game. You can
add the Rams and New Orleans to the least twenty
one fourteen. It was good for me because I'm riding
the Saints under seven and a half wins. Not much
else to add to that, but you can add it
to the least one score games. Minnesota found a way
(02:51):
to win another close game twenty three to twenty two
over Arizona, who were pretty plucky. The Vikings attendant two
with Samuel Darnold at the helm.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Who knew? Who'd have thought?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Indianapolis went to Foxborrow and beat the Patriots by a
single point. The Pats attempted an NFL record, I think
a sixty eight yard field goal for the win, and
it was straight but it was short, so the Colts
got the.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Win over the Pats.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Seattle poured more gasoline on the New Jersey Jets stumps
the fire five point win. It's very hard to imagine
Aaron Rodgers wearing ganggree next year. Houston is still not
quite the team we want them to be, but they
did beat a divisional rival at their place, so that's
(03:42):
something twenty three to twenty. In a game where Jacksonville
were competitive despite the fact there and maybe this is
why they were competitive, their quarterback Trevor Lawrence was kaoed
on a very ordinary late shoulder charge from a Texans defender.
(04:03):
Speaking of divisional games, Tampa needed overtime to get past Carolina,
who have just rallied a little bit.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
In the past two or three weeks.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
With Bryce Young back under center, Bucky Irving went off
for those who wonned him in fantasy football, Nut nope,
me neither.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
The highlight game on paper was in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
The Ravens went up nine zip, and for there she
was all Philadelphia Green. Saquon won the battle between he
and Derek Henry. He ran for one hundred and seven
yards and a touchdown on twenty three carries.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
And then we had Denver and Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Now you can't add this one to the one score games,
but fancy getting.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
What we got.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
I was critical of the schedule makers for putting this
game in, But in the end, once it was final,
Denver forty one, Cleveland thirty two, Bo Nicks inched maybe
closer to Offensive Rookie of the Year. We'll get to
some awards a bit later because a lot of these
(05:07):
awards have almost decided themselves already. Knicks had two hundred
ninety four yards, a touchdown and two picks. But the
Broncos got their eighth win of the season. But maybe
the story of the game was famous Jameis Winston. We
had apps, we're downs, we had picks, we had scores,
we had yards, we had Hail Mary's. His performance had
(05:27):
it all it always does when he's playing. He threw
for a Cleveland Browns franchise franchise record four hundred and
ninety seven yards. He threw the ball fifty eight times.
He threw four touchdowns, three interceptions, two pick sixers. He
got the ball to former Bronco Jerry Judy nine times
(05:51):
for two hundred and thirty five yards and a touchdown,
and Judy was wide open on another bomb that Winston
missed him, which would have gone for another sixty or seventy.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
So it was complete mayhem and madness at mile High.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Not including that game, my count was twelve of the
sixteen games across the NFL were decided by one possession,
one score. The parody is absolutely unmatched by any other sport.
The parody across the NFL is unmatched by any other
(06:29):
sport on the universe.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
You're rising, Dinffairs, all right.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
I want to indulge, perhaps myself for not many others,
and just talk briefly about my Cincinnati Bengals. I genuinely
thought they could win the Super Bowl this year. They've
been to a Super Bowl. They have so much talent
on one side of the football. But what I didn't
foresee was how bad the defense would become. We'll start here,
(07:01):
so Russell Wilson is being paid millions and millions of
dollars by Denver to be elsewhere.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
The Broncos copped a fifty.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Something million dollar dead cap heat a punch to the
mouth to have him gone. Well, the same Russell Wilson,
who I believe is on a one million dollar contract
in Pittsburgh, led the Steelers to five hundred and twenty
yards of offense and scored thirty seven points against the Bengals.
(07:34):
Four hundred and fourteen passing yards and three touchdowns for Wilson.
He found ten different receivers and another one hundred and
ten yards on the ground.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Five hundred and twenty yards of offense from a man
who was discarded, was paid, and he's being paid to
go and be elsewhere to the Steelers. And I'll tell
you what, Mike Tomlin needs all types of flowers. What
he's been able to do with that team, with that
quarterback and with that offense is nothing short of remarkable.
(08:13):
But the Bengals defense has gone from really good to
damn awful, like historically bad in a blink. They've given
up thirty eight points to Washington in Cincinnati. That was
forty one and thirty five to the Ravens. Of course,
one of those games was in Cincinnati. They gave up
thirty seven at home to Philly, thirty four on the
road in LA against the Chargers, and now they've given
(08:36):
up forty four to the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
The scores they've given up at home.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Where it's supposedly easier to play defense is staggering. Burrow
can do no more, Chase can do no more. When
t Higgins has been healthy, he's been effective. But at
four wins and eight losses, you start to become what
your record says you are. Four and eight is a
bad team. Does the coach Zach Taylor survive. He probably
(09:06):
does because ownership has been historically cheap and refuses to
make moves that cost them cash. They just don't want
to be a team who's paying a coach not to
coach a football team, even if he's not the best
man for the job. I don't know if he is
or he isn't. I think he probably sits between an
average coach to a good coach. I'm not sure, but
(09:27):
I think the Bengals are the biggest disappointment of the season,
and that includes the Jets. That includes the Jets, and
here's me getting on a plane on Friday to fly
to Dallas to watch them play football.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I thought both teams might be eight and four.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Well, both teams, both teams Dallas and the Bengals are average.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
You're rising all right quickly. Awards season.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
We're starting to see if you look at the markets
on these things, some of these guys are starting to
really really shorten up. Offensive Rookie of the Year Jaden
Daniels says, keep me and your thoughts. Two hundred and
six yards, three touchdowns. He's able to run for a
touchdown as well. In that game on the weekend, the
Commanders were just starting to just starting to wobble a
(10:19):
little bit, but Daniels had a big game, and I
think that'll be enough just to fend off just to
fend off Bo Nicks, who's been coming with an absolute flurry.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
MVP has been Lamar Jackson's award.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
To lose, but I think Josh Allen may have just
taken it from him. He's got two more wins and
he looks to be gaining momentum at just the right time.
So as I have a look at the market with
sports Bet, Josh Allen's a dollar thirty three, Sakorn Barkley's
actually second favorite at five point fifty, and then you've
(10:57):
got Lamar Jackson at eight fifty. Jared Goff says hello
at fourteen dollars. But in that game, of course the
Niners and the Bills, Alan passed for a touchdown two.
In fact, he ran for one because that's what he
always does when he needs to, and he caught one
(11:19):
that he actually passed in the first place, and then
got it back and ran it in. He's truly a
one man band, but when he needs to be, not
every down, he uses James Cook. He's got some receivers,
some tight ends. The coach seems to have his stuff
in order. Twenty seven hundred passyards, twenty touchdowns, only five picks.
(11:40):
He's got half a dozen rushing touchdowns, and if he
can maintain the rage, Josh Allen will likely pick up
his first m The Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley.
This was probably the game the Eagles and the Ravens
where it was going to be decided. Jama Chase has
speed of May, but they just haven't won enough games.
(12:03):
So Barkley had one hundred and seven yards. I think
Derrick Henry was in the eighties. Barkley had the touchdown,
Henry didn't. The Eagles won, the Ravens didn't. So even
though Henry's numbers are still a little bit superior to
Barkley's fourteen and ninety nine yards, eleven touchdowns, two more
(12:25):
receiving touchdowns, if you can add to that Barkley, you'd
think will be the offensive Player of the year, and
either player would be very, very deserving defensive Player of
the Year. This is a tough one for me, a
tough bill to swallow.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Watt, in my opinion, he was robbed last year, and
yes I was financially involved. But he's a menace. He's
in every week, every down, game wrecker. He leads the
league in force fumbles, He's had five and he'll rack
up a dozen or so sacks again this year.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
He is a beast. He is a beast.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
When you have a look at the market, he has
separated a dollar fifty three Xavier McKinney's twelve to fifteen,
Miles Garrett's thirteen dollars. Quite incredible. Coach of the year
this has to be Mike Tomlin has to be absolutely
has to be no market online at the moment. But
Mike Tomlin, what he's done with that team has been
(13:20):
nothing short of amazing. I know they're competitive, I know
they've got a great culture, but he sets that tone.
He's he's used two backup quarterbacks, and he's got the
Steelers dead set humming, dead set humming. They'll likely win
one of the most difficult divisions in football. Shout out
(13:41):
to Kevin O'Connell and Dan Campbell, but Mike Tomlin's got
to be it. In terms of the Super Bowl, I
like Detroit and I like Kansas City to be there
on the last Sunday in February in downtown New Orleans,
and that would be a fantastic matchup. I'd be all
about that. The Juggernaut, the buzz saw, that is, the
(14:04):
Detroit Lions against the back to back to potentially back
Kansas City chief That would be a game. At the moment,
I think they're the two best teams in football. Apologies
to the Eagles and apologies to the Bills.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
You're within here.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Here we go, all right, fab five, let's go Week thirteen,
another winning Week three and two. It was sweat free
for Miami and the Packers. I took the Packers minus
three and a half. I was keen on two and
(14:50):
a half, never got it, so I accepted my fate
and took three and a half and they won easily.
We'll tick that off again. A divisional underdog at home
whom did the job. The Jags kept things close against Houston.
I was worried when Trevor Lawrence was knocked out of
the game, but Mac Jones did his thing, so we.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Get those two.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
The Patriots had a kick for the win, but I
was keen on them to keep it close and they
did exactly that. So those were the three ticks the
pair of losses. We took goals with Atlanta straight up
head to head at home against the Chargers, Kirk three
four picks, say less and.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
I expected more.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
I took the under in the Steelers Bengals game, and
I should have known.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
The Bengals defense is putrid.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
I think the underbust that at halftime it was forty
seven and a half, maybe forty eight and a half,
and it was forty eight at halftime. Never had a chance,
So three and two in the week thirty eight and
twenty seven on this season. I'm very happy with that,
very very happy with that. A few that I'm looking
at toward this week. I'll be boots on the ground
(16:01):
in the States as well, so hopefully that can bring
me some good luck. In Week fourteen, Detroit minus three
and a half at home against Green Bay.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
I desperately want two and a half.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
I could see this game ending with a Lion's walk
off field goal late in this game. I think the
Packers will be really wound up to take it to
the boys in sky Blue. But the line's been so
good to so many this year. They've scored heavily, they've covered,
(16:33):
They've been a juggernaut on offense, particularly at home. I'll
take them minus three and a half against the Pack,
but if I see two and a half, it's a
Chips in job. Minnesota minus four and a half at
home against Atlanta. Now, if Atlanta don't know who they
want to start at quarterback, that's a problem. And if
(16:55):
they do stick with Captain Kirk Cousins, you've got to
imagine the Minneapolis crowd, the Vikings faithful will be making
his return to Minnesota a difficult one. That crowd and
defense will be wound up and they'll know exactly what
Kirk Cousins does not want to see from a defense.
(17:18):
If Cousins starts, I'm even more keen on Minnesota minus
four and a half. And I like Kirk Cousins, but
this is not a great spot for him. Arizona and
Seattle over forty four and a half points. Look talented
offensive players, plenty of them. It feels like a good
(17:39):
number to grab. We're playing inside in the desert, beautiful weather,
beautiful field, Inform quarterbacks, inform receivers, inform running backs. Don't
mind it. The Bears plus five and a half at
San Francisco. I genuinely think the Niners are on a
(17:59):
knife s head. This number probably comes down as well
throughout the week. Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason both on IR.
The Bands keep losing in bad ways, but they keep
playing everyone tough, they keep playing everyone close.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
They could easily.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Win this game against the Niners and figure it all out,
particularly with the sugar hit of a new interim head
coach and the Bills minus four and a half in
LA against the Rams. I think the Rams have been
overvalued all season.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Sean McVeigh Matthew Stafford look away passes, Cooper, Pooka Nakua.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
I just don't think they're that good, and then their
record tells us they're not that good.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
So the Bills.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Minus four and a half in LA probably feels like
a play. So there are a few that I'm leaning toward.
Some I'm super keen on. Some will have to do
some work on when it comes to the Fab five.
But thirty eight and twenty seven the season I'm up
and about.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
You're risen.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
All right, let's go from the turf to the hard wood.
Last week I said I'd move Joe l Embid hasn't
played since, hasn't played since. And one of my favorite
sayings is your best ability is your availability. I'll leave
it at that. What would you do if you ran Atlanta?
I asked a couple of my friends and they didn't
(19:25):
have answers for me. Trade Young Trade rumors have been
around for I don't know a year or so. He's
reportedly had head coaches moved along now these days. And
I watched the Hawks today, and I've watched them closely
because of and a young Ossie doing his thing. The
(19:46):
Hawks possessed two young stars who could and should and
may well take over as the team's star plays. Jalen
Johnson's the first one, and he's quickly becoming my favorite
player in the association. He's twenty two years of age.
He's listed at six ' eight, he looks six ten.
He gets twenty a game, ten a game and five
(20:11):
and a half assis. He shoots the ball at fifty
percent from the field, thirty seven percent from deep and
he's one of these rare guys. He's above one steel
and one block per game. He does everything, and he's
twenty two years of age. He looks like an emerging superstar.
And then you've got the number one pick from last year,
(20:34):
Zachary the freshman Resaika Rushaiker. I watched him play today.
I should know how to say his name. But he's
got some tricks too, he's only nineteen. He made a drive,
he sort of lost control of the ball. He jumped
off his right leg so he was falling away from
(20:56):
the basket. Showed it with his right hand off his
right leg, like really orthodox. Looked uncoordinated, but the control
and dexterity that he was able to show quite remarkably
his skills are first class.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
He can shoot the ball, he's long, he's lean.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
I don't know how much upside he's got in terms
of you can see the raw materials, but I don't
know whether he's going to be an every season All Star.
But I think they've got one in Jalen Johnson.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
And let's not.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Forget about our very own twenty one year old defensive sensation,
Dyson Daniels.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
It's been thirteen points a game this season.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I'm not sure he can maintain that, but we are
twenty games in five boards a game, three dimes a game,
I think those numbers are sustainable for him. Three steels
per game, we know he's leading the league in that category.
His shooting clips are a bit low, but he'll improve
that as he goes and gets more comfortable. The Frenchman,
(21:55):
the former number one pick, Zachery. He's eleven and three
per night. Put up thirty three and seven in a
win against the Knicks back in early November. He's shooting
numbers are low as well, but he's got the talent
and as I mentioned Johnson, he's special. I think he's
genuinely special. He's three seasons in out of Duke University
(22:17):
a blue devil. But I said, as I said, twenty
nine ten boards, five and a half as sis, I
think he's one point one steals, one point four blocks,
or vice versa. I wonder how much more he's under
the hood for him, which leads me back to Trey Young.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
What's he worth?
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Can you move him? Should you move him, you'd need
a point guard of some note in return. I don't
know that picks are that much used to them. They've
had the number one pick, they've been able to collect
top end talent.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Jalen Johnson was a pick three.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Reports were around I was doing some rating today that
not many teams were that interested in Trey Young when
he was on the market. I guess that's because you've
probably got to upend everything and hand over control of
your offense to him.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
He's used to just goy high.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Now he's a great player, but for whatever reason, it
hasn't translated to many wins in Atlanta. He's owed forty
million or more per season for the next three seasons.
That's what makes him hard to deal, because you've got
to absorb such salary for three seasons. It's not like
(23:30):
he's got a year or a year and a half
to go on a deal. You've got three basically three
full seasons to absorb that contract. But it feels like
it is becoming Jalen Johnson's team. And depending on how
quickly the French Kid, the French phenom can emerge and evolve,
(23:51):
It'll be interesting to see what the Hawks do. But
I mean watching them because of Dyson Daniels, but I've
fallen in love with Jalen Johnson and Trey Young is
a fascinating sub in the atl.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
You're within infee, all right, anyone a bit of a
whip around.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Anyone who knows or listens to this podcast knows them
sky high on Orlando, particularly once Spanceetto resumes alongside Franz Wagner.
I think they can be a tantalizing prospect as a duo.
Hopefully they can mesh and they can do their thing.
They can basically be fifty fifteen and ten a night
(24:32):
between them. I can't wait to see those two get
back together once parlou is healthy. Okay, See, I've seen
enough of them to know they'll be there when the
whips are cracking. We know what Sja brings to the table.
He'll probably win an MVP at some stage. Jalen Williams JDW.
He's a perfect number two. He's got that killer instinct
(24:55):
in him when he needs to, when he needs to
take over. And they'll get chet holmgun back, who was
playing like an All Star. They've got shooters, defenders, scrappers.
They've probably got the best home court advantage in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
I like them.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Cleveland and Boston speak for themselves. I mean, their records
certainly speak for themselves. Out West Houston and Minnesota fascinating
teams for different reasons. I watched the Rockets beat Oklahoma
City earlier this week. Dylan Brooks and Freddie van Vliet
were doing their thing. They were tough, they were gritty,
(25:30):
they were angry, they were snarling. Baby Joker Elprin Sengoon
he is almost a walking trip dip these days. He
can be a triple double on any given night. Gives
you plenty of offense. And then you've got Jalen Green
and Jabari Smith, the lottery picks who are merging, growing, improving.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
It's a pretty good squad. It's a well built squad.
I'll tell you that now.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
I doubt they knew Sengoon was going to be this good,
but acquisitions of Brooks and Van Vliet certainly makes them
an interesting prospect. And then Minnesota, they just can't quite
get things corrected.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Now.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
They beat the Lakers today comfortably without much from Anthony Edwards,
but they've fallen off defensively. The offensive chemistry's wayward, and
we've seen the clips on social media of Julius Randall
and Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards, and Edwards has called
them out after the game, beginning to show frustration and
(26:30):
verbalize his frustration.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
I mean, I wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
I'm not going to put all the blame on Randall,
but he's certainly the first port of call. He does
stop the flow of an offense. He does like to
operate in areas of the floor, which make it hard
for others to know where to be. Do you stay
on the same side as him and feel too close
(26:56):
to him? Do you go on the far side to
him and then be all jammed up in the corner
looking for a three ball that's never coming.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Don't know.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
He's not a great passer, but he chalks up four
or five assists per night. He's an interesting proposition, and
they are too, because they're only a five hundred team
at this point. And as I said, we're starting to
get a sample size big enough to know what these
teams are. Twenty games in and the Wolves are still
(27:27):
a fifty to fifty proposition. It's interesting. It is very
very interesting. They're supposed to be better than last year,
not worse, but at the moment they're worse.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
You're risen into all right. I've battled through.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
I've got a little issue health wise, nothing major, nothing
to be too excited about. I was able to dodge
and weave the flu and everything that comes with it
all winter, but I've picked it up this week. Last week.
I am off to Dallas later in the week, so
I'll try and provide some social media your snaps. Going
(28:01):
to Cincinnati, the Bengals at Jerry World, that's my number
one stop. I'm also adding to the cosm. You may
have seen some of this stuff on social media. The
bar that makes you feel like you're at the game.
There's one in Dallas and there's one in LA that
I know of, So we're going to go there and
catch up with some dudes and watch the SEC Championship.
(28:24):
Game between Texas and Georgia. Still sounds strange to say
Texas in the SEC Championship game, but looking forward to
that and despite the fact I'll be in Texas. In Dallas,
I'll be going for the Dogs. Should be fun. So
no NBA whilst from there, which is unfortunate. I think
the Mavericks are out of town. Don't think I'll go
(28:45):
and watch the Dallas Stars on the ice, but a
little trip across the United States get my fix on
the football, the Bengals and the Cowboys. But otherwise, hopefully
I can provide some content for you this time next week.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Otherwise you'll know I'm having a good time in Dallas.
Bad sir, fly Okay, why rough Hi, Good evening, Welcome
to the field.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
It might be good morning, might be good afternoon, whatever
it is, whenever it is, wherever it is, Thanks for
joining me.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
NBA and NFL on the slate.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Probably seventy five percent NFL, twenty five percent NBA. But
it's all happening. It is all happening. Both leagues are airborne.
Some NBA soon, but we'll start with the NFL. Where
Week thirteen on possession game unless your name is San Francisco,
(00:54):
and we might get to them soon because that baby
looks all over red Rover. Week thirteen dished up closeness.
Not the absolute drama of last week, but so many
games could have gone one way or another. Two out
of the three games way back when on Thanksgiving in
(01:15):
the States were one score games. The Lions got the
job done by three points thanks to Chicago's nonsensical clock
management issues, and it cost the head coach Eberfleus his job,
and Dallas won by a touchdown against the Giants. At
about thirty five million people watch that game. It was
never that close, but it was still one possession game.
(01:38):
I did predict Miami would offer up bugger all in
the cold weather. I think they've lost their past twelve
games or something when the weather is about four degrees
or colder in Celsius.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Terms.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
The back roll, we had a sneaky AFC West clash
on I.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Think it was Saturday, didn't even know it was on.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Kansas City, squeaked past Vegas, another one score game, one
possession game, and then the Monday mornings late, the Chargers
won by four points in Atlanta thanks to Kirk Cousins,
who threw four picks and now is in danger of
being benched. Pittsburgh went into Cincinnati and all but ended
(02:25):
my Bengals season forty four to thirty eight.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Forty four to thirty.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Eight the most points in the game this season and
added to the least a one score game. You can
add the Rams and New Orleans to the least twenty
one fourteen. It was good for me because I'm riding
the Saints under seven and a half wins. Not much
else to add to that, but you can add it
to the least one score games. Minnesota found a way
(02:51):
to win another close game twenty three to twenty two
over Arizona, who were pretty plucky. The Vikings attendant two
with Samuel Darnold at the helm.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Who knew? Who'd have thought?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Indianapolis went to Foxborrow and beat the Patriots by a
single point. The Pats attempted an NFL record, I think
a sixty eight yard field goal for the win, and
it was straight but it was short, so the Colts
got the.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Win over the Pats.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Seattle poured more gasoline on the New Jersey Jets stumps
the fire five point win. It's very hard to imagine
Aaron Rodgers wearing ganggree next year. Houston is still not
quite the team we want them to be, but they
did beat a divisional rival at their place, so that's
(03:42):
something twenty three to twenty. In a game where Jacksonville
were competitive despite the fact there and maybe this is
why they were competitive, their quarterback Trevor Lawrence was kaoed
on a very ordinary late shoulder charge from a Texans defender.
(04:03):
Speaking of divisional games, Tampa needed overtime to get past Carolina,
who have just rallied a little bit.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
In the past two or three weeks.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
With Bryce Young back under center, Bucky Irving went off
for those who wonned him in fantasy football, Nut nope,
me neither.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
The highlight game on paper was in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
The Ravens went up nine zip, and for there she
was all Philadelphia Green. Saquon won the battle between he
and Derek Henry. He ran for one hundred and seven
yards and a touchdown on twenty three carries.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
And then we had Denver and Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Now you can't add this one to the one score games,
but fancy getting.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
What we got.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
I was critical of the schedule makers for putting this
game in, But in the end, once it was final,
Denver forty one, Cleveland thirty two, Bo Nicks inched maybe
closer to Offensive Rookie of the Year. We'll get to
some awards a bit later because a lot of these
(05:07):
awards have almost decided themselves already. Knicks had two hundred
ninety four yards, a touchdown and two picks. But the
Broncos got their eighth win of the season. But maybe
the story of the game was famous Jameis Winston. We
had apps, we're downs, we had picks, we had scores,
we had yards, we had Hail Mary's. His performance had
(05:27):
it all it always does when he's playing. He threw
for a Cleveland Browns franchise franchise record four hundred and
ninety seven yards. He threw the ball fifty eight times.
He threw four touchdowns, three interceptions, two pick sixers. He
got the ball to former Bronco Jerry Judy nine times
(05:51):
for two hundred and thirty five yards and a touchdown,
and Judy was wide open on another bomb that Winston
missed him, which would have gone for another sixty or seventy.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
So it was complete mayhem and madness at mile High.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Not including that game, my count was twelve of the
sixteen games across the NFL were decided by one possession,
one score. The parody is absolutely unmatched by any other sport.
The parody across the NFL is unmatched by any other
(06:29):
sport on the universe.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
You're rising, Dinffairs, all right.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
I want to indulge, perhaps myself for not many others,
and just talk briefly about my Cincinnati Bengals. I genuinely
thought they could win the Super Bowl this year. They've
been to a Super Bowl. They have so much talent
on one side of the football. But what I didn't
foresee was how bad the defense would become. We'll start here,
(07:01):
so Russell Wilson is being paid millions and millions of
dollars by Denver to be elsewhere.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
The Broncos copped a fifty.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Something million dollar dead cap heat a punch to the
mouth to have him gone. Well, the same Russell Wilson,
who I believe is on a one million dollar contract
in Pittsburgh, led the Steelers to five hundred and twenty
yards of offense and scored thirty seven points against the Bengals.
(07:34):
Four hundred and fourteen passing yards and three touchdowns for Wilson.
He found ten different receivers and another one hundred and
ten yards on the ground.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Five hundred and twenty yards of offense from a man
who was discarded, was paid, and he's being paid to
go and be elsewhere to the Steelers. And I'll tell
you what, Mike Tomlin needs all types of flowers. What
he's been able to do with that team, with that
quarterback and with that offense is nothing short of remarkable.
(08:13):
But the Bengals defense has gone from really good to
damn awful, like historically bad in a blink. They've given
up thirty eight points to Washington in Cincinnati. That was
forty one and thirty five to the Ravens. Of course,
one of those games was in Cincinnati. They gave up
thirty seven at home to Philly, thirty four on the
road in LA against the Chargers, and now they've given
(08:36):
up forty four to the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
The scores they've given up at home.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Where it's supposedly easier to play defense is staggering. Burrow
can do no more, Chase can do no more. When
t Higgins has been healthy, he's been effective. But at
four wins and eight losses, you start to become what
your record says you are. Four and eight is a
bad team. Does the coach Zach Taylor survive. He probably
(09:06):
does because ownership has been historically cheap and refuses to
make moves that cost them cash. They just don't want
to be a team who's paying a coach not to
coach a football team, even if he's not the best
man for the job. I don't know if he is
or he isn't. I think he probably sits between an
average coach to a good coach. I'm not sure, but
(09:27):
I think the Bengals are the biggest disappointment of the season,
and that includes the Jets. That includes the Jets, and
here's me getting on a plane on Friday to fly
to Dallas to watch them play football.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I thought both teams might be eight and four.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Well, both teams, both teams Dallas and the Bengals are average.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
You're rising all right quickly. Awards season.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
We're starting to see if you look at the markets
on these things, some of these guys are starting to
really really shorten up. Offensive Rookie of the Year Jaden
Daniels says, keep me and your thoughts. Two hundred and
six yards, three touchdowns. He's able to run for a
touchdown as well. In that game on the weekend, the
Commanders were just starting to just starting to wobble a
(10:19):
little bit, but Daniels had a big game, and I
think that'll be enough just to fend off just to
fend off Bo Nicks, who's been coming with an absolute flurry.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
MVP has been Lamar Jackson's award.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
To lose, but I think Josh Allen may have just
taken it from him. He's got two more wins and
he looks to be gaining momentum at just the right time.
So as I have a look at the market with
sports Bet, Josh Allen's a dollar thirty three, Sakorn Barkley's
actually second favorite at five point fifty, and then you've
(10:57):
got Lamar Jackson at eight fifty. Jared Goff says hello
at fourteen dollars. But in that game, of course the
Niners and the Bills, Alan passed for a touchdown two.
In fact, he ran for one because that's what he
always does when he needs to, and he caught one
(11:19):
that he actually passed in the first place, and then
got it back and ran it in. He's truly a
one man band, but when he needs to be, not
every down, he uses James Cook. He's got some receivers,
some tight ends. The coach seems to have his stuff
in order. Twenty seven hundred passyards, twenty touchdowns, only five picks.
(11:40):
He's got half a dozen rushing touchdowns, and if he
can maintain the rage, Josh Allen will likely pick up
his first m The Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley.
This was probably the game the Eagles and the Ravens
where it was going to be decided. Jama Chase has
speed of May, but they just haven't won enough games.
(12:03):
So Barkley had one hundred and seven yards. I think
Derrick Henry was in the eighties. Barkley had the touchdown,
Henry didn't. The Eagles won, the Ravens didn't. So even
though Henry's numbers are still a little bit superior to
Barkley's fourteen and ninety nine yards, eleven touchdowns, two more
(12:25):
receiving touchdowns, if you can add to that Barkley, you'd
think will be the offensive Player of the year, and
either player would be very, very deserving defensive Player of
the Year. This is a tough one for me, a
tough bill to swallow.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Watt, in my opinion, he was robbed last year, and
yes I was financially involved. But he's a menace. He's
in every week, every down, game wrecker. He leads the
league in force fumbles, He's had five and he'll rack
up a dozen or so sacks again this year.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
He is a beast. He is a beast.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
When you have a look at the market, he has
separated a dollar fifty three Xavier McKinney's twelve to fifteen,
Miles Garrett's thirteen dollars. Quite incredible. Coach of the year
this has to be Mike Tomlin has to be absolutely
has to be no market online at the moment. But
Mike Tomlin, what he's done with that team has been
(13:20):
nothing short of amazing. I know they're competitive, I know
they've got a great culture, but he sets that tone.
He's he's used two backup quarterbacks, and he's got the
Steelers dead set humming, dead set humming. They'll likely win
one of the most difficult divisions in football. Shout out
(13:41):
to Kevin O'Connell and Dan Campbell, but Mike Tomlin's got
to be it. In terms of the Super Bowl, I
like Detroit and I like Kansas City to be there
on the last Sunday in February in downtown New Orleans,
and that would be a fantastic matchup. I'd be all
about that. The Juggernaut, the buzz saw, that is, the
(14:04):
Detroit Lions against the back to back to potentially back
Kansas City chief That would be a game. At the moment,
I think they're the two best teams in football. Apologies
to the Eagles and apologies to the Bills.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
You're within here.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Here we go, all right, fab five, let's go Week thirteen,
another winning Week three and two. It was sweat free
for Miami and the Packers. I took the Packers minus
three and a half. I was keen on two and
(14:50):
a half, never got it, so I accepted my fate
and took three and a half and they won easily.
We'll tick that off again. A divisional underdog at home
whom did the job. The Jags kept things close against Houston.
I was worried when Trevor Lawrence was knocked out of
the game, but Mac Jones did his thing, so we.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Get those two.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
The Patriots had a kick for the win, but I
was keen on them to keep it close and they
did exactly that. So those were the three ticks the
pair of losses. We took goals with Atlanta straight up
head to head at home against the Chargers, Kirk three
four picks, say less and.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
I expected more.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
I took the under in the Steelers Bengals game, and
I should have known.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
The Bengals defense is putrid.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
I think the underbust that at halftime it was forty
seven and a half, maybe forty eight and a half,
and it was forty eight at halftime. Never had a chance,
So three and two in the week thirty eight and
twenty seven on this season. I'm very happy with that,
very very happy with that. A few that I'm looking
at toward this week. I'll be boots on the ground
(16:01):
in the States as well, so hopefully that can bring
me some good luck. In Week fourteen, Detroit minus three
and a half at home against Green Bay.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
I desperately want two and a half.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
I could see this game ending with a Lion's walk
off field goal late in this game. I think the
Packers will be really wound up to take it to
the boys in sky Blue. But the line's been so
good to so many this year. They've scored heavily, they've covered,
(16:33):
They've been a juggernaut on offense, particularly at home. I'll
take them minus three and a half against the Pack,
but if I see two and a half, it's a
Chips in job. Minnesota minus four and a half at
home against Atlanta. Now, if Atlanta don't know who they
want to start at quarterback, that's a problem. And if
(16:55):
they do stick with Captain Kirk Cousins, you've got to
imagine the Minneapolis crowd, the Vikings faithful will be making
his return to Minnesota a difficult one. That crowd and
defense will be wound up and they'll know exactly what
Kirk Cousins does not want to see from a defense.
(17:18):
If Cousins starts, I'm even more keen on Minnesota minus
four and a half. And I like Kirk Cousins, but
this is not a great spot for him. Arizona and
Seattle over forty four and a half points. Look talented
offensive players, plenty of them. It feels like a good
(17:39):
number to grab. We're playing inside in the desert, beautiful weather,
beautiful field, Inform quarterbacks, inform receivers, inform running backs. Don't
mind it. The Bears plus five and a half at
San Francisco. I genuinely think the Niners are on a
(17:59):
knife s head. This number probably comes down as well
throughout the week. Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason both on IR.
The Bands keep losing in bad ways, but they keep
playing everyone tough, they keep playing everyone close.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
They could easily.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Win this game against the Niners and figure it all out,
particularly with the sugar hit of a new interim head
coach and the Bills minus four and a half in
LA against the Rams. I think the Rams have been
overvalued all season.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Sean McVeigh Matthew Stafford look away passes, Cooper, Pooka Nakua.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
I just don't think they're that good, and then their
record tells us they're not that good.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
So the Bills.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Minus four and a half in LA probably feels like
a play. So there are a few that I'm leaning toward.
Some I'm super keen on. Some will have to do
some work on when it comes to the Fab five.
But thirty eight and twenty seven the season I'm up
and about.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
You're risen.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
All right, let's go from the turf to the hard wood.
Last week I said I'd move Joe l Embid hasn't
played since, hasn't played since. And one of my favorite
sayings is your best ability is your availability. I'll leave
it at that. What would you do if you ran Atlanta?
I asked a couple of my friends and they didn't
(19:25):
have answers for me. Trade Young Trade rumors have been
around for I don't know a year or so. He's
reportedly had head coaches moved along now these days. And
I watched the Hawks today, and I've watched them closely
because of and a young Ossie doing his thing. The
(19:46):
Hawks possessed two young stars who could and should and
may well take over as the team's star plays. Jalen
Johnson's the first one, and he's quickly becoming my favorite
player in the association. He's twenty two years of age.
He's listed at six ' eight, he looks six ten.
He gets twenty a game, ten a game and five
(20:11):
and a half assis. He shoots the ball at fifty
percent from the field, thirty seven percent from deep and
he's one of these rare guys. He's above one steel
and one block per game. He does everything, and he's
twenty two years of age. He looks like an emerging superstar.
And then you've got the number one pick from last year,
(20:34):
Zachary the freshman Resaika Rushaiker. I watched him play today.
I should know how to say his name. But he's
got some tricks too, he's only nineteen. He made a drive,
he sort of lost control of the ball. He jumped
off his right leg so he was falling away from
(20:56):
the basket. Showed it with his right hand off his
right leg, like really orthodox. Looked uncoordinated, but the control
and dexterity that he was able to show quite remarkably
his skills are first class.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
He can shoot the ball, he's long, he's lean.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
I don't know how much upside he's got in terms
of you can see the raw materials, but I don't
know whether he's going to be an every season All Star.
But I think they've got one in Jalen Johnson.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
And let's not.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Forget about our very own twenty one year old defensive sensation,
Dyson Daniels.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
It's been thirteen points a game this season.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I'm not sure he can maintain that, but we are
twenty games in five boards a game, three dimes a game,
I think those numbers are sustainable for him. Three steels
per game, we know he's leading the league in that category.
His shooting clips are a bit low, but he'll improve
that as he goes and gets more comfortable. The Frenchman,
(21:55):
the former number one pick, Zachery. He's eleven and three
per night. Put up thirty three and seven in a
win against the Knicks back in early November. He's shooting
numbers are low as well, but he's got the talent
and as I mentioned Johnson, he's special. I think he's
genuinely special. He's three seasons in out of Duke University
(22:17):
a blue devil. But I said, as I said, twenty
nine ten boards, five and a half as sis, I
think he's one point one steals, one point four blocks,
or vice versa. I wonder how much more he's under
the hood for him, which leads me back to Trey Young.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
What's he worth?
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Can you move him? Should you move him, you'd need
a point guard of some note in return. I don't
know that picks are that much used to them. They've
had the number one pick, they've been able to collect
top end talent.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Jalen Johnson was a pick three.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Reports were around I was doing some rating today that
not many teams were that interested in Trey Young when
he was on the market. I guess that's because you've
probably got to upend everything and hand over control of
your offense to him.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
He's used to just goy high.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Now he's a great player, but for whatever reason, it
hasn't translated to many wins in Atlanta. He's owed forty
million or more per season for the next three seasons.
That's what makes him hard to deal, because you've got
to absorb such salary for three seasons. It's not like
(23:30):
he's got a year or a year and a half
to go on a deal. You've got three basically three
full seasons to absorb that contract. But it feels like
it is becoming Jalen Johnson's team. And depending on how
quickly the French Kid, the French phenom can emerge and evolve,
(23:51):
It'll be interesting to see what the Hawks do. But
I mean watching them because of Dyson Daniels, but I've
fallen in love with Jalen Johnson and Trey Young is
a fascinating sub in the atl.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
You're within infee, all right, anyone a bit of a
whip around.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Anyone who knows or listens to this podcast knows them
sky high on Orlando, particularly once Spanceetto resumes alongside Franz Wagner.
I think they can be a tantalizing prospect as a duo.
Hopefully they can mesh and they can do their thing.
They can basically be fifty fifteen and ten a night
(24:32):
between them. I can't wait to see those two get
back together once parlou is healthy. Okay, See, I've seen
enough of them to know they'll be there when the
whips are cracking. We know what Sja brings to the table.
He'll probably win an MVP at some stage. Jalen Williams JDW.
He's a perfect number two. He's got that killer instinct
(24:55):
in him when he needs to, when he needs to
take over. And they'll get chet holmgun back, who was
playing like an All Star. They've got shooters, defenders, scrappers.
They've probably got the best home court advantage in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
I like them.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Cleveland and Boston speak for themselves. I mean, their records
certainly speak for themselves. Out West Houston and Minnesota fascinating
teams for different reasons. I watched the Rockets beat Oklahoma
City earlier this week. Dylan Brooks and Freddie van Vliet
were doing their thing. They were tough, they were gritty,
(25:30):
they were angry, they were snarling. Baby Joker Elprin Sengoon
he is almost a walking trip dip these days. He
can be a triple double on any given night. Gives
you plenty of offense. And then you've got Jalen Green
and Jabari Smith, the lottery picks who are merging, growing, improving.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
It's a pretty good squad. It's a well built squad.
I'll tell you that now.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
I doubt they knew Sengoon was going to be this good,
but acquisitions of Brooks and Van Vliet certainly makes them
an interesting prospect. And then Minnesota, they just can't quite
get things corrected.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Now.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
They beat the Lakers today comfortably without much from Anthony Edwards,
but they've fallen off defensively. The offensive chemistry's wayward, and
we've seen the clips on social media of Julius Randall
and Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards, and Edwards has called
them out after the game, beginning to show frustration and
(26:30):
verbalize his frustration.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
I mean, I wouldn't.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
I'm not going to put all the blame on Randall,
but he's certainly the first port of call. He does
stop the flow of an offense. He does like to
operate in areas of the floor, which make it hard
for others to know where to be. Do you stay
on the same side as him and feel too close
(26:56):
to him? Do you go on the far side to
him and then be all jammed up in the corner
looking for a three ball that's never coming.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Don't know.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
He's not a great passer, but he chalks up four
or five assists per night. He's an interesting proposition, and
they are too, because they're only a five hundred team
at this point. And as I said, we're starting to
get a sample size big enough to know what these
teams are. Twenty games in and the Wolves are still
(27:27):
a fifty to fifty proposition. It's interesting. It is very
very interesting. They're supposed to be better than last year,
not worse, but at the moment they're worse.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
You're risen into all right. I've battled through.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
I've got a little issue health wise, nothing major, nothing
to be too excited about. I was able to dodge
and weave the flu and everything that comes with it
all winter, but I've picked it up this week. Last week.
I am off to Dallas later in the week, so
I'll try and provide some social media your snaps. Going
(28:01):
to Cincinnati, the Bengals at Jerry World, that's my number
one stop. I'm also adding to the cosm. You may
have seen some of this stuff on social media. The
bar that makes you feel like you're at the game.
There's one in Dallas and there's one in LA that
I know of, So we're going to go there and
catch up with some dudes and watch the SEC Championship.
(28:24):
Game between Texas and Georgia. Still sounds strange to say
Texas in the SEC Championship game, but looking forward to
that and despite the fact I'll be in Texas. In Dallas,
I'll be going for the Dogs. Should be fun. So
no NBA whilst from there, which is unfortunate. I think
the Mavericks are out of town. Don't think I'll go
(28:45):
and watch the Dallas Stars on the ice, but a
little trip across the United States get my fix on
the football, the Bengals and the Cowboys. But otherwise, hopefully
I can provide some content for you this time next week.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Otherwise you'll know I'm having a good time in Dallas.
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