HR 2 - Complementary Football, Path to Playoffs

Tom and Chris keep talking about the win, talk about the path for the Steelers to the playoffs, and look at the rest of the results from the weekend.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You know, what's something we keep saying every week?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Now, what do we say, tom.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
That was the most complimentary football game the Steelers have
played all year. That was their best football game the
Steelers have played all year. And I know I'm kind
of voice us and again it was a mocking voice.
But that's what you want. You want every week now
to be like, Okay, that was the best. Okay, no, no,
never mind, this was the best. Oh no, actually, this

(00:31):
one was the best. And that's what's happening.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
They're starting to gain.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Some consistency in that area of playing the complimentary football.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
That they've been playing in the previous three weeks.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
And that's how playoff football teams look. Mike Tomlin said
in his postgame press conference yesterday. He was like, it's
not just about you know, winning this time of year.
You got to look good doing it. And looking good
doing is run of the football like we did, uh control,
controlling the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of
the ball like we did, hitting big plays in the past.
All of the above was what playoff football teams look

(01:03):
like on the road, tough environments, good quality opponents.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
I mean, they checked every single box.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
I think last week people were getting a little too
in front of the in front of their skis.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
A little bit. They're a little too ahead of themselves
when it came to the Steeves really look like.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
They're rounding in the form. They look like they're peaking
heading into the playoffs. It looks like that. But it
was Miami, let's relax, let's go to Detroit and do it. Okay,
they went to Detroit and do it. So how can
you come to any other conclusion but that at this
point you got.

Speaker 4 (01:32):
The line again that the top scoring offense in the league.
I mean, that's those are the stats and if you
go back since twenty twenty one, since Dan Campbell's been
if you go, there's however you want to measure. I mean,
the Lions arguably of this decade have been the best
offense in football. Do you consider however you want to
say it. But this year again they led the league
in points. Okay, so that tells you.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Where they about.

Speaker 4 (01:52):
You have them in their place on that track and
what they do the indoors and to be able to
I'm talking about the defense now for the Steelers. Yeah,
in some ways ultimate like what first world problem or whatever.
It's like, it's almost and get ahead of myself to
say that there's to get that week off. It's almost
like it because you feel like the Steelers you almost
want to start to playoff next week, right You feel
like they are peaking right now. You want to carry

(02:13):
that momentum and you wonder what might happen now go
in these last two games, it was a game where
you don't have to necessarily maybe maybe playing backup things
like that because you feel because I mean, well, it
happens every year and you talk about all the time,
and it's it's obvious of course to a point. I mean, look,
if we're talking in October, the Colts in October, the
Colts right now, or whatever, the Texans in October, the
Texans now, all these teams across the league, it matters

(02:35):
how you're playing at the end of the season more
than at the beginning of the season. That's obvious. But
it's just so teams can be different in that way.
And I think right now the Steelers are a team
that as we're late December now compared to where they
were at different other various points of the season. Right now,
if you bought bought stock in the Steelers season or
bought stock and what you think I'll be able to
win a playoff game or not. I think right now
it's probably an all time high in terms of this,

(02:56):
even even more than the four and one at that point.
It's feel like esthetically the eye test things like that. Again,
going on the road and beating the team that fancied
itself to the Super Bowl champions fifteen and two last year,
I think that showed on both sides.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
It's a huge failure of a season for them to
miss the playoffs. I mean, they should have been competing
for the one seed in their eyes, competing for their
division crown.

Speaker 4 (03:17):
We were talking a lot and it just talking to
people in Detroit about it. There were a lot of parallels.
And this is before the game of course against the Steelers.
You felt like these Lions were almost like and people
remember the five Steelers where four was the season twenty
four and oh four. This the Lions won fifteen games
fifteen eight. They both peter out in the playoffs, get
upset or well they Sewer wasn't get upset, but they

(03:37):
almost did by the Jets that year, and then they
ran to a Patriots buzzub didn't get fourth and one
in the playoffs. Then that year five, every high expectations,
everybody thinks they're taking a and then you know.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
They kind of go win loss, went lost.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, And it was like, and.

Speaker 4 (03:49):
If you look at a lot of the numbers and things,
the Lions are being eight and six entering last they
were still ranking the top ten a lot of categories.
They had the point differential. They obviously seem like they
were you know, a combination of flocking, this circumstance, schedule,
things like that. You still thought it was a better
team at eight and six than they were showing. And
you thought, this is there, they're going to get home here,
this is the last home game, they're playing a division
leading team like that. Put their foot down, start the

(04:11):
little run now. And I thought it's kind of similar
with what the Steelers did. They fell to seven and
five in two thousand and five and then won their
final four to get in the playoffs. I thought the
Lions and then of course one four straight all away
from home to win the Super Bowl. And with the
Lions of that kind of potential, and that was the narrative,
and that was the thinking, and not without good reason.
I think if you're in Detroit, you're Alliance fans. So
for the Steelers to go there on the road and
do that again both sides of the ball, you feel

(04:34):
like both again, both sides peaking. I think offensively and defensively,
you feel about as good as this seal. And this
is with a lot of guys that key players that
are out right now too, becially on defense, you.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Know, on the defensive side of the ball.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
You look at that statistical output that the Lions were
able to have rushing the football. Twelve carries fifteen yards
as a team, Jamiir Gibbs seven carries for two yards.
You average two point three yards per Harry David Montgomery
four carries for fourteen yards, but along of seventeen, so
all the other carries basically made David Montgomery.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Go backwards on average. So they were penetrating the backfield.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
They were getting to these two running backs early and
getting them on the ground. There was nothing that the
Lions could call on when it came to their rushing game.
And we said, you know what makes Detroit so scary
is you can take away their rushing attack like.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
The Steelers did.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
Like the Steelers defense was successful at and then they
still have a CounterPunch with Jared Goff and throwing the football.

Speaker 1 (05:37):
Goff threw for three hundred and sixty four yards and
three touchdowns.

Speaker 3 (05:40):
But a lot of that came in the fourth quarter,
when I think the Lions really kind of felt that desperation,
right Chris, Like when they looked at the twenty two
to ten score and we're like, oh my god, we
really don't come into the end zone quickly on this drive. Here,
it's over for us in this season. So they really
made a strong push in the fourth quarts. Or I

(06:00):
heard Cam Heyward say to Missy post game, you know,
three quarters, great fourth quarter. We got to be a
lot better than that. But at the same time, I'll
make a little bit of an excuse for the Steelers
defense here. Your rush defense was immaculate for four straight quarters. Yeah,
they had to pass the ball a little bit more
in the fourth quarter, but you never even gave them
an option to, you know, have one run here or
there to keep some semblance of balance or maybe hit

(06:22):
a big one. With a running back like Gibbs, it's
more than capable of doing that in the running game.

Speaker 1 (06:27):
So you had that consistently for four quarters.

Speaker 3 (06:30):
And the other thing is it's the best offensive football
And you could clearly make that argument that wasn't gonna
stay on the mat for sixty straight minutes, especially as
I said, they start really feeling the tightness of elimination
in that fourth quarter, like they were gonna wake up eventually.
But you made big plays throughout that fourth quarter, and
that's what was most important. You knew they were gonna
punch back because they're just too good not to.

Speaker 4 (06:53):
Yeah, I think if you say, you know twenty four
however you wanted to like point you out of the lines,
I think you take your chance, or do you think
that's a good performance overall? Getting the four to three
and outs against that offense, I think was really telling.
And if the st the Lions were at what one
sixty four through three quarters in terms of offense, they
had way more yards in those final three drives and

(07:15):
they had the rest of the rest of the game.
So one hundred hold that offense one hundred and sixty
four yards when you're sitting there, you know, well into
the fourth quarter before that, they started accumulating. Jamiir Gibbs,
I mean, you talk about breaking the NFL record for
most touchdowns the first three seedons of NFL career. It's
pretty crazy to show what kind of Calabrie has and
hold him to two yards. I mean that that's seven
carries for two yards and.

Speaker 3 (07:37):
It's uh, he had sixty six yards in the passing
game ten catches, So he did do something.

Speaker 4 (07:42):
Yeah, he did, you're right, and that's what they had.
But that part of the function as they did abandon.
And by the way, just think about how Dave Moncgomery
had a seventeen yard carry. It's just kind of crazy
to think the Lions of the team had twelve carries
of fifteen yards a long carry of seventeen.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
So that's a lot of negatives.

Speaker 4 (07:56):
Yes, that shows how many TFLs there were in this game,
how often they just completely stifled the running game.

Speaker 1 (08:03):
Sevent TFLs for the Steelers in that after And we.

Speaker 4 (08:06):
Talked about on Friday. Gibbs is the elite of the
up there right now, the elite of the elite backs
right now.

Speaker 1 (08:12):
You could say he's number one.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah, you can.

Speaker 4 (08:14):
Definitely make case Nermer one. You can't really put him
lower than what fourth. I mean, you got to have
him up there for sure in terms of your backs,
and you know the in terms of tandems into adding
in Montgomery there too, and what they have as a
top two were running back one two punch there and
that that's probably of all if I had to rank,
it's like picking from your children, right, which one's the
best of What the Steelers did?

Speaker 2 (08:34):
I think the run defense.

Speaker 4 (08:36):
And hey, once again, MAYBEG ninety nine right comes back,
and I know that the Steelers run defense was good
last week too, so it is probably going forward. But
to have that type of performance whenever Harmon comes back
once again more evidence to the to the Derek Harmon
against the run phenomenon that the numbers just sport so strongly.

Speaker 1 (08:52):
There's evidence to it, for sure.

Speaker 3 (08:54):
But it felt like there was just a real desire
from the team in that game to make an impact
of the rushing game. And it has become so status
quo that you overlook it. But as much as it
was great to have Derek Harmon back in the game,
Chris cam Hayward was their best defensive lineman in that game.
I mean, he was just an absolute force. Once again,

(09:17):
this guy's probably gonna snag another First team All Pro.

Speaker 1 (09:20):
Now, why am I banking on the award? Why was
that an easy way that I was laying.

Speaker 3 (09:27):
He's gonna snag another first team All Pro award and
at the very least probably a second team All Pro.
I mean, every metric you look at, people are like, yeah,
he's the best defensive lineman in football. So it's really
remarkable to see him play this well at this age
for an entire season like he has. But Chris, even
just looking at it from the perspective of this season individually,

(09:49):
he seems to be ascending in the December month him
playing his best football right now.

Speaker 4 (09:53):
Yeah, again, the things we're talking about Aaron Rodgers earlier,
I mean he's one of what is he the second
oldest defensive line and starting defensive lineman in the league,
and just I guess that now Rodgers the second old
starting quarterback in the league because Philip Rivers is back.
So you have guys at that position that are that
are you know, Hall of Fame caliber players that you
keep wondering or you wondered, I mean Rogers the first year.

(10:14):
Of course, the steer's wondering this, but you kind of
wonder when he will sort of reach that point where
he doesn't have it anymore. And again, if you if
you look at the season like okay, well maybe this
team starts out really well, but you gotta wonder, you know,
the attrition in terms of you know, there's are some
aging players a key positions here and here we are
Christmas week and Rodgers is probably playing as well over

(10:35):
this you know, three games he had all season long, Hayward,
I would you know without going back along at everyone
of his games. Also, I feel like it is probably
playing as well as you have over a three game
span any point or a couple of games span. You're
peaking again at the right time.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
And he was. He was disruptive. I mean, when you.

Speaker 4 (10:52):
See a bunch of numbers on defense going across the
stat line, you know you got a sack, you gotta
tackle for loss. In the running game, you got two
quarterback hits just all the way around, just was around
the ball. You saw him run down. That's the for
him being a defensive lineman, especially in a thirty six
year old defensive line.

Speaker 2 (11:08):
You see that ninety set. I mean, on the rare.

Speaker 4 (11:10):
Occasion in this game when there was a big play
about destroy, you see that ninety seven rundown there to
be part of the tackle. That's one of my fair
parks buck game. Heyward, do you see him? There's a
player of twenty twenty five yards down field. He's in there,
either making the tackle or helping out on the tackle,
or at least around the ball. You know he's down there.
I don't think every defensive lineman in the league does that,
regardless of.

Speaker 2 (11:27):
No, they don't.

Speaker 3 (11:28):
You know who does, though Derek Harmon has shown signs
of being able to do that too. It was just
an incredible effort against the run. I don't want to
minimize what the secondary was able to do against the
Lions too, because yes, they had three hundred and sixty
four yards of passing offense in that game, but no
individual receiver dominated you. Jamison Williams had five catches for

(11:48):
seventy yards. It's pretty good, but that's not you know,
a dominating performance where you're like, ah, we just couldn't
stop that guy. Jamiir Gibbs had a lot of catches
out of the backfield. He was their leading reception get
He doubled everybody up by the way. Jamison Williams was
number two with five. Jamiir Gibbs had ten catches, but
he only had sixty six yards. He did find the
end zone. By the way, that was the first time

(12:09):
the lines have lost the game this year. When Jamior
Gibbs finds the end zone. They were eight to o
in all instances before that. Khalif Rayman scored the touchdown.
Four catches sixty two yards. I'm on Ross Saint Brown,
that's the big one. Four catches fifty four yards. I mean,
they did a fantastic everybody got like kind of theirs
in right, like fifty to sixty yards.

Speaker 1 (12:26):
But I'll take that honestly against the team like.

Speaker 3 (12:28):
This as long as no one is, you know, superstarring
you and putting up one hundred and fifty yards individually,
I think that's a pretty solid performance secondary wise. And
you mentioned him when we handed out our money makers,
but Joey Porter Junior, I mean, whoever he was on
was it was glue.

Speaker 1 (12:42):
I mean there was just nothing they could do.

Speaker 4 (12:43):
Yeah, and I think that's not a coincidence when you
see the nine targets to Saint Brown. Of Course, Tant
Brown is an elite receiver. Of course they're gonna feed him.
Of Course they're gonna go to him and he get
the four catches out of the nine yards. I think
that's a direct result of Joey Porter Junior. And in
terms of it's you wonder if going forward, if Porter
keyps playing like this, if if quarterbacks kind of stopped
throwing that way, because they still throw to him, and

(13:06):
like in terms he makes plays in terms of the
pass breakups so often I feel like throwing to twenty
four more as often as any cornerback in the league.
In terms of that, because you how many times I
feel like you've I can picture my head on by
so many times GoF targeted fourteen and twenty four knocked
it down or was blanking him things like that. So
I think think that was a major part of why
Saint Brown again Saint Brown one of the just if

(13:29):
you're gonna make a list of top receivers in the league, right,
you're not gonna get very far down there before you
gotta you gotta say same same Brown and no you're not.
And in terms of I mean to limit him to
only the four cats for fifty four yards, I mean
that shows something. What do you have any only two
games this season with fewer yards and the four catches
was what he was only one game with fewer catches.

Speaker 2 (13:48):
They played a whole game, so that that.

Speaker 4 (13:49):
Kind of shows where again could and that's without I mean,
you want to say without James Pierre, but you're done
a guy. Then you lose echoes during the end game.
You gotta make the adjustment. We haven't mentioned Chuck Clark
at all. Chuck Clark has a step in safety. Jalen Ramsey,
we gonna mention because he moved back again to slock
cornerback from playing safety. And obviously he's not a position
he's foreign to you or anything like that. He's still

(14:10):
kind of adjusting to playing safety. In some ways. It
kind of felt back home. I'm sure to be more
comfortable doing that, But to do it in game, in
the middle of a game, if you repped all week
and frankly repped for what eight weeks now straight at safety,
to move positions in the middle of a big game
against a really good offense and a good receiving corps
and then Chuck Clark steps into the play safety essentially
for you, there's you know, these these things should should

(14:30):
not go unnoticed, right It.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
Made plays doing it, Yes, you know, I feel like
all of the secondary made plays in this one. Joey
Porter Junior had some nice plays. Obviously, Kyle Duggar had
the safety. Jalen Ramsey was all over the field and
like you said, was needed to do a bunch of
different things mid game and was capable to do that.

Speaker 1 (14:48):
Chuck Clark stepping up off.

Speaker 3 (14:49):
The bench, and I know he had that really bad
penalty on punt return right when Sante Samuel just kind
of like dragged the guy down from the Detroit Lions.
But other than that, like that's the only time you
heard of Someday Samuel Junior's name on the broadcast for
the most part.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
That's a good point.

Speaker 4 (15:04):
Yeah, and you think about that and in terms of
you went through the receiver and okay, so if.

Speaker 3 (15:09):
You they obviously gave up yards, but again it was nothing,
you know, backbreaking at any point.

Speaker 2 (15:13):
And a lot of this, I.

Speaker 4 (15:14):
Mean, Gibbs had ten of the catches, so you know
that's linebackers cover and you got tight ends. I mean
they had that one drive was all frisker.

Speaker 3 (15:22):
I've never heard of first careful with that one. He
doubled up his his he doubled up his season total.

Speaker 4 (15:29):
I'm like, I thought I was a little bit learned
on the Lions here this week, and I'm like, he
could be freak catching the run.

Speaker 2 (15:34):
Felt like, I'm like, what is going on here? Then?
So we take.

Speaker 4 (15:38):
Away that the tight ends and in the running backs, right,
I mean you went through a Jameson Williams.

Speaker 3 (15:43):
With five catches and four for Tesla.

Speaker 2 (15:47):
I mean, Aymon would look quick that game.

Speaker 4 (15:49):
I don't know what he he He almost looked at
the best receiver and saying with the ball after the
catch anyway, man he was he looked quick. It was
he made a couple of big plays for obviously the touchdown,
but regardless, Yes, you're talking about the wide receiving in
a game where the lines were down and Gyard goff
through fifty four passes either fifty four passes all right,
So this is like the old stat accumulation game right
where you would just think same prodt would have sixty

(16:10):
like the Jamar Chase game or whatever. You might have
sixteen catches. You know, if you're doing a good job,
you hold them one hundred and twenty whatever. It is
like that, But they'll limit those wide receivers in total.
I mean the two big ones, the nine catches and
overall the thirteen catches their wide receiver corps in a
game where they throw fifty four passes and are behind
a lot of the fourth quarter and had to do that.
I think that's definitely you tip your cap to the

(16:31):
Steelers secondary.

Speaker 1 (16:32):
Oh, without question.

Speaker 3 (16:33):
Now the pass catchers on the Steelers side of things,
I got to tip my cap to them too before
we take a break.

Speaker 1 (16:38):
Chris Adam Feelin in particular.

Speaker 3 (16:40):
Because I had said all week, I like theland I
like MVS. I think they are bringing a lot of
good things to the table. Rogers seems extremely happy with them.
They're in the right place at the right time. They're
running the proper routes the way that they're supposed to
be run. They're contributing healthily in the blocking game when
it comes to running the football, and all of that's great.

(17:02):
But that's worth about eight quarters for me. Then the
honeymoon period's over and I need to start seeing some
actual wide receiver play out there. I need to start
seeing all of that stuff you just mentioned with some
production on top of that.

Speaker 1 (17:14):
Now, he didn't, you know, have an earth shattering performance, but.

Speaker 3 (17:17):
Four catches for forty nine yards is I think a
pretty good day for Adam Thielen.

Speaker 1 (17:23):
Seventeen was as long.

Speaker 3 (17:25):
He got targeted four times, so he converted all of
his targets. And then you know, if you want to
throw an MVS is one catching six yards into that too.
So between the two of them, you know, the wide
receiver two and the aggregate, like I was saying all week,
he got five catches fifty five yards and a long
of seventeen.

Speaker 1 (17:44):
That's okay, that's good, that's trending in the right direction.

Speaker 3 (17:47):
I think, I said, my little you know, combination between
the two, I'd like to see six catches seventy yards
and maybe a touchdown.

Speaker 1 (17:53):
So it's a little shorter than that.

Speaker 3 (17:55):
But MVS, you know, he catches that ball, there's your touchdown,
and there's another what fifty.

Speaker 1 (17:59):
Yards on top of them both.

Speaker 3 (18:00):
So hats off to them for actually producing as wide
receivers on top of all the other little things, the
minutia things that they do so.

Speaker 4 (18:09):
Well, most importantly about feeling and in terms of whatever
the final numbers were in naggregant overall, okay, third and
eleven twelve yard catch, third and ten thirteen yard catch
third and ten seventeen yard catch. Waity, we're talking about
big third and long, not only possession downs weighty downs, right,

(18:29):
you say, but third and ten are long or three catches,
and then the fourth catch was similar, although they was
second and twelve when he gains that, so that put
them and they were all consequential catches that kept the
three of them kept drives along. The fourth one kept
kept the rave alive secondarily, but it kept it.

Speaker 2 (18:45):
They were all.

Speaker 4 (18:46):
Consequential catches and showed a the faith that Rogers had
on third and ten that he would go to him
to begin with. You know, I think Rogers the type
of guys we kind of know. Although I mean the
covers will dictating, I get all that and stuff. The
fact that he went open there, know what reed he
was or whatever, doesn't matter the fact that that was
trusted even he's on the field or in that situation.
I mean, three catches on third and ten or low.

(19:07):
I mean they're there were probably top notch receiver in
the league that might you know, I might not have
that many more in the whole season because I mean
just you got to a have that that situation for
dance off and be you know, be it so to
make those plays in a game like that, and you
know it's not as stress to say that it ended
up being a one possession game one of those possession
ends early or something like that. That those really are
kind of, you know, a mini kind of game swinging

(19:28):
type plays, especially when you stack all three of them
like that. So that that's what Theling was brought here
for for For I don't even say third and ten.
I'd be happy with like third and six. Right, Yeah,
you had a couple third and six catches. He makes
third three, third and ten or longer catches in a
game for for first downs. That's why he's here, and
that's exactly what he did.

Speaker 3 (19:43):
When Chris and I come back, the path has become
so crystal clear for the Steelers to the AFC North.

Speaker 1 (19:50):
We'll talk about that.

Speaker 3 (19:51):
We'll start looking around the rest of the NFL's Week
sixteen action as well as the Steelers Blitz marches On
with Tom Opferman and Chris Danski on Steelers Nation Radio,
part of the Steelers Audio Network. Chris, last night, at
around eleven thirty ish PM, I sat back in my

(20:13):
couch in my living room. I took out a big
fat cigar. I lit it, I puffed it a couple times.
I chuckled to myself and I said, I love it
when a plan comes together, because that's exactly what happened
last night thanks to the New England Patriots, and it's
their Sunday Night football victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

Speaker 2 (20:35):
Because of that, all.

Speaker 3 (20:37):
Your Pittsburgh Steelers have to do is beat the Cleveland
Browns in Cleveland, something they always do very easily, and
you find yourself with a nice hat says AFC North
Division Champion on It, nice T shirt says run the
North on it, got your hat and T shirt game
a week early, and get yourself a nice bye week in.

Speaker 1 (20:58):
Week eighteen against the balti More.

Speaker 3 (21:00):
Ravens before the wild Card round matchup that is now
on the table.

Speaker 1 (21:04):
The path has been set. But wait, there's more.

Speaker 3 (21:09):
You might not even have to beat the Cleveland Browns
because if the Baltimore Ravens, who have to go to
lambeau Field and take on the Green Bay Packers on
Saturday night next week, lose that game, then the Cleveland
Browns game doesn't even matter. And I guess you're like
me puffing those Cigars like Hannibal and the a team
on your couch at home with your hat and T

(21:30):
shirts on. So there's the path for your Pittsburgh Steelers.
There's two options here, and I gotta be honest with you,
I'm not so certain that you don't have the Browns
game rendered meaningless on Saturday night as the path that
I'm leaning towards what's most likely gonna happen. The Ravens
look lost. Lamar Jackson's got a broken back. Now that's hyperbolic,
but his back is hurt, and the Packers aren't exactly

(21:54):
in yet. They still need at least a win to
solidify their spot as the last wild card in the NFC.

Speaker 4 (22:00):
Now there might be Malik Willis starting for the Packers
versus Tyler Hunting. So yeah, it would be an exciting.

Speaker 3 (22:05):
Saturday Marque matchup that, by the way, Christmas Day, that's
slate terrible for the NFL. I don't think there's a
winning team playing. The lines are eight and seven. Oh,
the Broncos are playing too, but they're playing the Chiefs,
and the Chiefs stink.

Speaker 4 (22:15):
Yeah, all of a sudden, they went when that That's
probably why the NFL didn't want to take up the
Chiefs on their offer, we'll play every Christmas.

Speaker 2 (22:20):
Well, you know what, it was great right now?

Speaker 1 (22:22):
Do you guess what happened?

Speaker 4 (22:23):
Taylor Swift will show it up and all this. Yeah,
whenever you guys are four and thirteen a few years
down the road, we don't want to put you on
Christmas Day. But that's the thing. They're not going to
flex people win. They will not flex people Christmas Day. Yeah,
all of a sudden, you learn through Beau at a
time whatever it is about Christmas.

Speaker 2 (22:38):
So but that's the way it goes.

Speaker 4 (22:39):
And that's what I mean, really you talking about There
wasn't many flex games this week there this season period,
it felt like, and especially Christmas Day, And yeah, you
wish those games were better.

Speaker 2 (22:47):
They have such great potential.

Speaker 4 (22:48):
I mean, Lions Vikings last year was the marquee regular
season game of the whole season. You thought the Commander
would be really good and the Cowboys and the Broncos Chiefs,
I mean the Broncos hope they're uning the bargain.

Speaker 2 (22:57):
Of course, the only one that did. But you would
have thought, yeah.

Speaker 4 (22:59):
Thats would have been the only one that was safe,
right that for sure you would have all those teams,
you thought the lines would be safe, and they weren't
really that safe either.

Speaker 3 (23:06):
But I thought the Packers are going to beat the Ravens,
even with Malik Willis. On Saturday night, I think the
Packers will give themselves that loud card spot. They'll say, hey,
we're going to render our Week eighteen game basically meaningless.
Maybe some seeding maneuvering can be done, but I don't know.

Speaker 1 (23:22):
They might be stuck in that seventh seed at that point.

Speaker 3 (23:24):
So, you know, I think that you're going to get
a strong effort from g B. I think you'll get
a strong effort from the Ravens too, But Baltimore just
looks broken.

Speaker 2 (23:32):
Man.

Speaker 3 (23:33):
They just look like a defeated team. It looks like
it's just time to pack it in. So I think
you are going to wake up on Sunday morning with
your division clinched and that game in Cleveland not mattering
for the Steelers.

Speaker 2 (23:44):
Yeah, and it would be interesting to see how. I
really will see how it goes.

Speaker 4 (23:47):
If, of course, Mike Toman talks tomorrow how the Steelers
approached it, I would imagine they won't change. They're going
to game plan all week, so that they're going to
assume that they have to play, and obviously you have
two weeks left, so I imagine they won't do.

Speaker 2 (23:59):
Too much different on Sunday.

Speaker 3 (24:00):
No, absolutely, I think that that's exactly what the plan
is going to be, is to say, treat it like
you're playing the Brownies to win the division, because you
are focus on what we can do. Don't worry about
everybody else. If a nice surprise happens on Saturday night,
a nice surprise happens on Saturday night.

Speaker 1 (24:17):
But I think you still go forward into that.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
Cleveland game, as you were kind of alluding to, with
Rogers as your quarterback, Warren Gainwell, Metcalf, you know, soy
all the starters basically playing almost you're Sawyer in there.
That's how much he's spellcasting you by that great performance.
More like Queen cam Ramsey, you know, the real stars
on the defensive side of the ball. So I think
it would be too late to kind of eject out

(24:41):
of that before the Browns game. So I wouldn't do
it for that reason. But I think a main reason
why I wouldn't do it is because I don't want
those guys having two weeks off. Yeah, I think a
malaise can start to kind of set in it.

Speaker 4 (24:53):
I don't think so too, you know, when way ahead
of ourselves, but I do think, yeah, maybe are we
way ahead of ourselves?

Speaker 1 (24:58):
Because it's kind of here, I.

Speaker 2 (25:00):
Have to play it.

Speaker 4 (25:00):
I mean, I'm sure, and I guarantee you we'll ask
Tom wh this tomorrow and he'll act like it's not
a concern. But you mean, you got to be thinking
that way. You have to prepare for every possible scenario
and you have to be thinking about this. I'm sure
he is, and he's going to play it off. He's
going to publicly say that we're going on to win,
and I'll get all that, but you're right, taking two
weeks off is something. Also, there is the possibility of

(25:21):
the three seed. I think would still well if the
Texans play Saturday. So I don't know how this all
plays out.

Speaker 3 (25:27):
I'm pretty sure to get the three seed at any scenario.

Speaker 1 (25:30):
The Jags have to lose out regardless because they're.

Speaker 3 (25:32):
At twelve wins right sure or no, they're at eleven
wins right now, when the Steelers can only get to
eleven wins and the Jags play the Titans in Week
eighteen and if the Jags need to win that game
against the Titans, They're gonna win that game against the Titans.

Speaker 2 (25:45):
So yeah, I don't in the three seed does ever
matter too much? I don't know.

Speaker 1 (25:50):
That's the other great point you brought up earlier.

Speaker 4 (25:51):
The wild cards are all great, yeah, who it's like,
and you know how they're gonna slot either, but yeah,
right now, Chargers, Bills and Texans. Yeah, charge and beat
the Steelers pretty convincingly this season, and the Texans are
playing or maybe the hottest team with the best defense
in football, so you want to avoid that. So you
don't really see any of these matchups.

Speaker 2 (26:08):
I guess. Is New England still in play to fall
down to the five?

Speaker 4 (26:11):
Are still technically, I guess, But I mean the Steelers
beat the Patriots, so it's like, you know, the old
pick your poison. It's like, doesn't really yeah, yeah, that
would be the only thing you could possibly think that
you'd want, So it doesn't really matter too much. That
being said, there's not much precedent in the NFL for
when a team can play for seeding for not doing it,
And we know Mike Tomlin and this is also the

(26:31):
penultimate week of the season. If things happen that way,
I'm sure they they prepare. If they do clinch the
division before week eighteen, then it's certainly the prudent thing
at that point to sit Aaron Rodgers. And it'd be
interesting to be again getting ahead of ourselves here, whether
people Howard or whether it probably half of each is
what we were thinking.

Speaker 1 (26:47):
Maybe just see how exciting to get the fan base
that get Rude.

Speaker 4 (26:51):
Off, to get him some work just in case you
did him in the playoffs, and get Will Howard some
tape out there to see what he's going to the
next season.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
But get ahead of myself.

Speaker 3 (26:59):
I'll get ahead of our Keep getting ahead of ourselves, though,
and pay this scenario for you.

Speaker 2 (27:02):
Okay, say the Ravens do lose to green hypotheticals We're.

Speaker 3 (27:05):
Going to coach t When Green Bay beats the Ravens
in this hypothetical on Saturday night, and you go out
there and you play your starters against the Browns, do
you play them a half and then kind of say, okay,
second half? Miles Garrett's kind of you know, snarling. He
hates us, The crowd hates us. They want the Browns
to you know, kind of kick our butts. Let's let's
get some guys, some key guys out of the crossbars.

(27:27):
I'm not saying it's a line change completely. Some starters
still play, but like, don't go total preseason mode.

Speaker 1 (27:33):
But maybe Rogers takes the second half off against them.

Speaker 2 (27:35):
Yeah, I do something like that. Yeah, it's always is
a misno merle.

Speaker 4 (27:37):
Like you said, in pro football, you can only dress
forty seven guys, so you can't really.

Speaker 1 (27:43):
Give everybody a preseason line checks.

Speaker 2 (27:44):
Yeah, you can't really do that.

Speaker 4 (27:46):
So and now if you have a week to plan
for it, maybe you said you've scraped some guys, get
some practice, squaggy, there's a better ways to do it
for week eighteen. Right, But I would again because at
that point, if it is clinched, and I mean, you
have a forty two year old quarterback, because again I
know he doesn't think this way, and you, frank quite frankly,
you shouldn't think this way. Think what are people going
to say if things go wrong here? But you imagine
you play the second half of that in Cleveland or

(28:07):
whatever it is and Rogers gets hurt. I mean you
don't want to live with that, right, I mean, that's
something you can't possibly do and you imagine the criticism.
And again they're not gonna think that way, and they
shouldn't think that way. Don't think what people think, you
don't worry about what people think. Do the right thing here.
But I think at some point it's it's only natural
that you're you're again, forty two year old quarterback.

Speaker 2 (28:25):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (28:25):
This was a guy in his private but we've talked
about the rest element of things. Looks like I did
wonders for him down the stretch here. I think by
any even Aaron himself would know at that point they like,
what's not be stupid here?

Speaker 2 (28:37):
Okay, things like that.

Speaker 4 (28:38):
So yeah, and you know, I'm obviously I would pick
the Packers to beat the Ravens. The Ravens have kind
of looked like just generally been in this you think
word use word malaise that seems to what they are
in general.

Speaker 2 (28:49):
We don't know what's going on, Lamar.

Speaker 4 (28:51):
And even if even if they were firing on all
cylinders right now, they're facing some rather well. I mean,
I guess they got the Steelers themselves so they could
convince themselves they can win the last to when the
Steelers lose the last two. They only need one kind
of upset the Browns to do it. But at the
same time, you know, I don't know where they're kind
of at it right now. They kind of seem they're
kind of the rich Man's version of the Bengals, where
we keep like they're done now, but they're not done.

(29:12):
You know, they keep finding ways to stay alive, and
they keep losing game. Every time we say that. It's
kind of a quas I must win, they lose it
and they're still there and hanging around. But it's like
it doesn't seem like there's much of a say, fight
out of them. But it's not really the right word
because they don't like they quit last night, but any
stretch of the imagination, but yeah, it really was. But
it just it just seems like they don't it's just
this an eighth or year. I don't know how to

(29:32):
put it. That that's that's not cutting out analogis or
anything like that, but it's just like there's just something missing.

Speaker 3 (29:36):
With Yeah, their windows not closed, like it's not like
the era is over, but yeah, this year is just
a wash kind of there's just the thing they can
do about it.

Speaker 1 (29:43):
But they are technically still alive.

Speaker 3 (29:45):
If they do beat the Packers on Saturday night, I
think they could talk themselves into the Browns doing something
for them on Sunday against the Steelers, because Browns just
gave the Bills a pretty good effort on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (29:55):
Haven't quit, that's for sure.

Speaker 1 (29:56):
The defense sometimes, I think from game to game, I
think the Browns.

Speaker 4 (30:00):
Quick, but they want against Steelers at home exact.

Speaker 3 (30:03):
I think it depends on the opponent. I think if
you're in the game early, obviously the Browns can kind
of start to buy in and be like, well, why
don't we just go ahead and win this one?

Speaker 1 (30:10):
Why not?

Speaker 2 (30:10):
Right?

Speaker 3 (30:10):
So I think that plays into it, and that's what
happened against Buffalo. I think with Shador playing quarterback, there's
a little bit more juice to around the team. Like
it's kind of like it doesn't feel as hopeless to
the veterans, right, Like we're just kind of wasting time
to the end of season.

Speaker 1 (30:23):
We're kind of building towards something here.

Speaker 3 (30:24):
We're seeing if Shaudor is the quarterback, if we have
some building blocks to go forward on next season. So
there's some stuff there, but but you nailed it. When
you said they're just not going to take a Steelers
game lightly. I mean, even if the Steelers come in
with nothing to lose and the division already wrapped up,
they're gonna want to give them their fans that moment
on the way out the door and say, hey, we'll
see you in twenty twenty six. I know we suck
as always, but we beat the Steelers again at home.

Speaker 1 (30:46):
Wasn't that fun?

Speaker 4 (30:47):
Yes, And there is still the you know, for the Browns,
for the it seems like in that locker room and
amongst the players, the Steelers are their biggest rival.

Speaker 2 (30:56):
I imagine still.

Speaker 4 (30:57):
In the city overall the st It's hard to say
that if you're the Raven that was the old Browns
and the other Marbin Mordell is not there and the
owner or whoever whoever pulled the deed. But still like
I feel like if I was in Clevel, but I'd
still be like they're kind of I could of hate
them more.

Speaker 3 (31:10):
Health for the Ravens, But we've talked about this before.
Everybody's biggest rival, and yeah, you're.

Speaker 2 (31:15):
Right, I agree with that.

Speaker 4 (31:16):
I generally agree with that, and so and it's their
last home game, so they're coming no matter what that game,
and you're right, it could be meaningless for the Steelers
and they're still gonna want to go out there and wins.
They certainly would like the chance to to at least ruin.

Speaker 1 (31:28):
The they'd like it to be meaningful for that.

Speaker 2 (31:30):
I don't think that.

Speaker 4 (31:31):
Yeah, they don't want the hats and T shirts coming
out in their in their stadium, that for sure. Now
that's kind of awkward, right with the Steelers. There're gonna
be a Saturday night, like there'll be social media. Look
at that passing that during that walk through in the
hotel ballroom.

Speaker 1 (31:43):
I bet they would do it in the locker room
after the Browns.

Speaker 4 (31:45):
Yeah, that's what I think. Yeah, you can't do that.
So then all of a sudd there's no hat and
T shirt all. Although actually that's a good point because
well last year, remember they lost and they almost clinched that,
they clinched the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (31:55):
And they lost the Philly's was a playoffs. But you
don't get T shirt.

Speaker 2 (31:59):
No T shirts wuld play.

Speaker 1 (32:00):
You don't get to run the North by just being
second place in the North.

Speaker 2 (32:03):
You got to run it actually literally, Yes, you can't fiddle.

Speaker 3 (32:07):
I'm glad that you're focused on the important things though,
like where in the hell is the hat and T
shirt going to fall into place? When is the celebration
going to happen? I also gave you an assignment yesterday
to do some digging on important stuff. Why did the
Lions have candy cane NFL special emblems and the Steelers
did not?

Speaker 1 (32:22):
I don't know either, But.

Speaker 3 (32:25):
I'm nervous here. I don't want to I don't think
we want to pull on this thread. I think we
might be. You might not like what is unraveled.

Speaker 2 (32:31):
I failed.

Speaker 4 (32:32):
I failed in my investigative journalism defin to get to
the bottom of that. There was a lot of stuff
going on post game.

Speaker 3 (32:38):
Yeah, there was a lot of interesting things happening in
this game. What do you make of that final sequence?
I don't think we talked about that and the final
play at the goal line between the Lions and the
Steelers at the end of the game. My big takeaway
was I have two big takeaways. One, I think it's
utterly ridiculous that we were even entertaining on one Ross
Saint Browns lateral to Jared Goff that got him into
the end zone. He was blown like four yards back

(33:00):
of where he established, you know, the line of scrimmage
when he caught the ball. You want to talk about
ford progress being how can forward progress not be stopped
when your moved.

Speaker 1 (33:08):
Four yards backwards like that?

Speaker 3 (33:10):
That to me was so bizarre that that wasn't a
dead play right there in a great goal line stand
by the players. I think it was Ramsey and Porter
that rallied towards him and pushed him back. So that
was just, frankly, so bizarre to me. But the weirdest
thing about it was the refs explanation to come out
and be like, the ruling on the field is a touchdown, yeah,
and then just take that away in the next two sentences.

(33:32):
I mean, you gotta reorganize the way you call that,
or just simply be like offensive pass interference on the
Lions number fourteen, because this foul occurred at the end
of the game, there will be no replay since it's
an offensive penalty, no touchdown.

Speaker 1 (33:46):
Steelers win. I just nailed it, right, Wasn't.

Speaker 2 (33:48):
That much better.

Speaker 4 (33:49):
I don't know if there's a exact protoc because they
always do that the ruling on the field is, that's
what happened that.

Speaker 2 (33:54):
They have to do that they landed in the.

Speaker 3 (33:57):
That they have to say, well, it was a touchdown technically,
so we have to establish it's.

Speaker 1 (34:00):
Like, do not say the word touchdown please.

Speaker 2 (34:02):
So you'd like.

Speaker 4 (34:03):
To think that New York would have came in, although
I guess forward progress is a judgment call, so I
don't think you could Eye on the sky could do
that and say like hey, dummies, like you gotta blow
the way.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
And then he thought he heard a whistle.

Speaker 4 (34:17):
It's clear the Steelers defense either heard it with like
we're under the impression of the play was yes, So
did they hear the whistle?

Speaker 2 (34:25):
Did they do they all?

Speaker 4 (34:26):
I mean, it's hard for me to believe that all
collectively just kind of stopped, like you know, you have
to hear a whistle. Like Porter said he heard a whistle.
Somebody another defensive player I asked, said he heard a whistle.
So that's why they stopped. So that would have been
the crazy part is if if we'd see what's acenario,
whatever it was, if that would have been played out
and they didn't, if they didn't.

Speaker 3 (34:46):
Call the offense and pass interference, I'm pretty sure the
play was a lateral to golf. As you said, the
ruling on the field was they touchdown, So would it's
like hierarchy of knees, the hierarchy of priorities. Once that
that became irrelevant. So did they really eze to see
you know what I'm saying, Like if that there was
no flag, the fact that he was not down or

(35:06):
down or ford progress stopped that lateral would have been
a pretty significant.

Speaker 2 (35:10):
Play that would have sided the game. It would literally
design the game. No time left, the game is.

Speaker 1 (35:13):
Over, and it would have been just the debate and
would stopped.

Speaker 4 (35:18):
You imagine what I imagine, how what what the city
would be like in our show will be like right
now and everything if that's the way it went. And
so they they feel like they got that wrong. But
maybe there's some manu shot. So Adan, why don't even
talk about it because it didn't matter because the because
the flag the flag thing was seemed pretty obvious.

Speaker 1 (35:33):
I think he ran into Ramsey and then pushed off
of his chest to get out.

Speaker 4 (35:38):
Yeah, it's most certainly you can't argue that call. You
can might say you can't throw the like if he
didn't throw the flag like the Steeler, you like, well,
the Steelers are complaining, you know that, I could I
could see that argument, like I don't I don't agree
with it, but at least but you.

Speaker 2 (35:53):
Can't just say that was a bad call.

Speaker 4 (35:54):
But then the one before, it's like it reminds me
of the Super Bowl against the Seahawks, the like the
push off and the Seahawks are.

Speaker 2 (35:59):
Still the Seahawk extent, just still complaining about that twenty
years later. It's a call though it happened. You push that,
you can't argue the call. I could see if you
want to say, if.

Speaker 1 (36:05):
You get away with it, yeah, fine exactly, but but
you can't.

Speaker 2 (36:08):
But he's arms extended.

Speaker 4 (36:09):
It was very similar in that sense where it was
like it was by the rule, it's certainly a flag.

Speaker 3 (36:14):
And then the Tesla pick play that they when they
scored earlier than the one Rowe Saint Brown offensive pass interference.
You know, look, I think that might have been him
just running his route, but you called it on Darnell
Washington earlier in the game, so you kind of set
the president that you had the.

Speaker 4 (36:28):
Precedent, and it was that the way they were calling
the game for sure. And I feel like if Donald
Washington was what's only quote unquote sixty when I called that. Yeah, yeah,
but because he was so big and it looked as
like he also looked like.

Speaker 3 (36:39):
He was going to protect the family jewels there like
you would in basketball, to the kind of set a
literal pick.

Speaker 1 (36:44):
I don't know if you did that on purpose, but
his arm just kind of tucked.

Speaker 2 (36:47):
In randomly, maybe the content.

Speaker 1 (36:49):
So yeah, yeah, so I like, stand tall and set.

Speaker 2 (36:51):
That all the way around.

Speaker 4 (36:52):
You can't if both teams had flags in the end
zone already in the game for for a bi So
that's the way the game had been called it that point.

Speaker 2 (37:00):
I get it there.

Speaker 4 (37:01):
It's a play to tie the game, so he's probably
But the same time, I don't think you can watch
that Collins, Oh that wasn't interference. I mean, I think,
of course it was if they didn't call it whatever,
I'm sure again the Steeler, we'd be all talking about
he shuld have thrown the flag.

Speaker 2 (37:15):
But at the same time and then but.

Speaker 4 (37:16):
Think about this, despite the flag and despite what happened afterwards,
despite all the history onics and the latter, all that's
up making that tackle with the one that kind of
gets lost in all this, like they.

Speaker 2 (37:27):
Tackle on the one.

Speaker 3 (37:28):
And then let me take you back to a player
too earlier when they threw a screen out to Amlin
ros Saint Brown and Patrick Queen tracked him.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
Down and stuff that Metri one.

Speaker 4 (37:34):
I mean, yeah, that's too huge, and it's funny because
I was watching that live. I'm like, he's wide open,
almost like let him score because then you get the
time back. It's like they have first to go with
the one or two. What it was like, they're gonna
score anyway. Now that we'll get to clock, the game's over.
At least the Steelers are at the ball back a
chance to win it. I was like, you know, you think,
if a Steeler fan, you wish he gets in the
end zone there, and that that's why you don't though,
that's exactly why you don't necessarily is you actually have

(37:55):
the chance with the goal line stand and it worked out.
I mean, think about that two goal line stands against
that offense too.

Speaker 3 (38:00):
It's very impressive and safety safety against them, So great
job by the defense. Got some more NFL stuff I
want to get into to wrap up the show. We'll
do that next to Steelers Blitz on Steelers Nation Radio,
part of the Steelers Audio Network to I'm off from
any Chris Damski back here on the Steelers Blitz on

(38:21):
Steelers Nation Radio. Some of the things that I wanted
to get into from Week sixteen action around the NFL.
We talked a bit on Friday Show about that Seahawks
and Rams game, probably the game of the week still
after Sunday was all played out, but Saturday delivered some
pretty dramatic moments as well. Not so much in the
Eagles in Commander's game, but in the Bears and Packers

(38:44):
game where the Bears just did the thing where they
score three points for three quarters and then explode in
the fourth quarter. That was like their sixth game I
saw this year that they had been trailing in the
second half and they came back and won the football game.
There are the comeback kids this year. They are for
real and I think must be taken seriously when it
comes to the NFC playoff race.

Speaker 4 (39:03):
And what's the exact number now in the final two
minutes they're trailing.

Speaker 1 (39:06):
And that's I don't know the exactly fourth quarters.

Speaker 4 (39:10):
Obviously that's impressive in its own right, but I think
they're up the four now in the final two minutes
they've been trailing and they win these games, and that
one in particular, I mean you could. I mean there's
a point where and I look pretty bad because I talked.
I was on record on Friday saying I think the
Bears and Eagles both stink.

Speaker 2 (39:25):
They both stick.

Speaker 4 (39:25):
I forget that I did, But I mean at the
same time, they only had what six points through three
and a half quarters here.

Speaker 1 (39:32):
And I will say this, Jordan.

Speaker 3 (39:35):
Jordan Love got hurt in that game, so the Packers
didn't have their quarter a little coveyots here.

Speaker 4 (39:39):
But then it's like the opposite dow Is like I
I again forget, like this is deep analysis, Like it's
just a freaking Bears year, like the things that happening.

Speaker 1 (39:47):
Like this, Like I don't even mean by that though,
not to go to the Super Bowl. Se they can.
But the same time between the North, it's like I've.

Speaker 4 (39:55):
Given up now on my saying the Bears are, you know,
smoking mears. And it's Kyle like I have a feeling
that they might do this and they'll be the hot
team that like they're gonna finish. Let's say they finished
twelve and five and they get to at least the
second round of the playoffs and then they're.

Speaker 2 (40:09):
Gonna have all the Caleb.

Speaker 4 (40:10):
But it's a lot of like Commanders vibes from last
year or something fair or even.

Speaker 1 (40:14):
Like they're a little younger than the Commander. Comander's pretty
old team.

Speaker 4 (40:17):
Yeah they had a young quarterback, young quarterback masked that
ye yeah, yeah, but in a way it's almost like
and it's clearly not the same in terms of the
overall team, but the way the Chiefs last year won
every one possession game in the world and then this
year they lost every one possession game of the worlds
are living by.

Speaker 1 (40:31):
The skin of their kid save that Browns game a week.

Speaker 4 (40:33):
Like I said, it's real life, like breathing, living regression
to the mean when we thought like it's exactly what's good,
I feel like that the Bears next year, that will happen.
And then when all of a sudden losing those games.
This is this year, Chris, Yes, this is year. So
now like there the team of Destiny and they're gonna
go all the way.

Speaker 3 (40:45):
Caleb Williams still not that efficient nineteen for thirty four,
but he makes me he makes big plays though.

Speaker 4 (40:50):
Yeah, I mean, I mean, think about the play call
and him throwing the ball and Dj Moore is not
quote unquote open like.

Speaker 2 (40:58):
It was a dime.

Speaker 1 (40:58):
It was a perlct pass.

Speaker 4 (41:00):
That showed something to me, like like we talk about
him being clutch or whatever, but even the fact do
you think to throw that ball and to call that
play and for DJ Moore to make the play on
it like that was that was That was some Like.

Speaker 3 (41:11):
He's still got some room to go as far as
growing into being an elite quarterback, but the talent is
undeniable to become that elite quarterback. And he's showing you
a key, key ability that all those great quarterbacks have
to have. And that's my game. Sucks for three and
a half quarters, but I just need two drives and
here comes two great drives.

Speaker 4 (41:28):
Yeah, and even I mean, the guy was wide open.
What was the under the practice squad receiver that who
tied the tiny touchdown?

Speaker 2 (41:33):
What was his name?

Speaker 4 (41:34):
I don't even know his name anymore, but he and
he's wide open, but he kind of did off his
back foot and flipped it out.

Speaker 2 (41:39):
I mean, that was a.

Speaker 4 (41:39):
Sneaky throw to from that from where he was kind
of across the field. Yeah, kind of across the field
in the back of the end zone to an open
guy streaking across in that situation.

Speaker 1 (41:49):
Catches twenty one yards in a touchdown as j Day
Walker season.

Speaker 4 (41:52):
Yeah, and that's so he doubles his catches that entire.

Speaker 2 (41:56):
Yeah, and that's what he's wide open.

Speaker 4 (41:59):
But to make that throw in that situation, how much
times left at that point in the game when you
need the touch after you get an on side kick, right,
there's what twenty four seconds left at that point, and
you know, be kind of under pressure and to flick
it out right to him there, it's almost like the
thing where so his two touchdown passes, one guy is
wide open, where it's almost like he was too open,
right they almost Yeah, he had to reach up the
ladder to grab it Walker Dad, and and then the

(42:20):
DJA other one where he's just like playing it covers
but the boots right in there.

Speaker 2 (42:24):
It's like wow.

Speaker 4 (42:24):
At some point And obviously nobody denies that Caleb Williams
doesn't have the talent, like the pure talent he might
have in terms of top three or four and just
in terms of arm towent and just ability in general overall.
So and now he's getting if he's doing the clutch
thing like this and they're doing what they're doing all
of a sudden, like I said, I need to overcorrect
now because I've been kind of kind of an unfair

(42:46):
to the bed. I'm sure the Bears are very offended.
I'm sure they listen to this show. I'm sure they
all do. And Ben Johnson's a big fan, and I'm
sure he's you know, just seen him more overrated, you know.
But now I'm on all Bears Now, super Bowl, I
don't care.

Speaker 3 (42:59):
I'm going over to Let's relax Cross. They're not going
to the super Bowl, but they're pretty good. Some other
games that carried significant weight, meaning the NFC South game
between the Buccaneers and the Panthers where the Panthers won
twenty three to twenty Tampa Bay. Yeah, exactly those bucks
Man couldn't have said it better myself.

Speaker 2 (43:16):
What are we doing?

Speaker 1 (43:16):
I guess Carolina is going to win the division. But
here's the thing.

Speaker 3 (43:19):
They play Seattle this week, and Seattle's trying to keep
onto the one seat, so they'll probably go into Carolina
and stomp the Panthers into the dirt.

Speaker 1 (43:25):
So the Panthers will be back to eight and eight.

Speaker 3 (43:26):
Then that means it doesn't matter what the Buccaneers do
this week against whoever they play, So even if they lose,
they could just beat the Panthers in Week eighteen and
probably still win the division. So it's gonna come down
to an eight, nine, nine and eighteen winning this division.
It's probably gonna come down to Week eighteen meeting everything,
and that's gonna be our Sunday night football game.

Speaker 4 (43:43):
And it's probably coming down to you really want the
five seed if you're in the NFC because you get
to play that team.

Speaker 1 (43:49):
Is that right now?

Speaker 2 (43:50):
Well? Ms, right now?

Speaker 1 (43:52):
San Franz got the tie right right behind that.

Speaker 4 (43:55):
Okay, I was gonna say all of a sudden like
the Rams Seahawks, and yes, I'm kind of kidding, obvious
could lose that games on the road. And also it's
an opportunity to get hurt and you opportunity, not the
rest and all that stuff. You still want the one seed.
It's almost like the rich I forgot about You're right,
the forty nine ers. I never forgot the forty nine ers.
I mean, Ram, you never forget about the.

Speaker 3 (44:12):
Forty nine ers all the way to the Super Bowl,
Like are they just gonna go like it's there, it's
in San fran this year.

Speaker 4 (44:17):
Oh wow, that's right, that's something that Yeah, forty nine Ers,
it's like they're kind of it's like I wrote them
off so and they've got a lot of other guys
back now too, because they were longer term injuries some
of the some of the guys that were out, I mean,
Fred Warner's out no matter what. But it was like
when you hear there's six to eight weeks and they
all stack like pancakes, like stee wher're just stacking them
in right now and sore. With the forty Niners that matter,

(44:37):
they're stucking wins and injury. Yeah, it's like two stacks
of pancakes.

Speaker 2 (44:40):
Crazy. One of those love tasty than the other one.

Speaker 3 (44:42):
But that's why think Kyle, Shannon Andrey have a lot
more say and Coach of the Year this year because
they should not be a ten win team. Joe going
for eleven to night against the Colts before we get
to that, Jags probably one of the bigger states. Either
the Steelers or the Jags I think made the bigger
statements of the weekend, but Jacksonville going into the Denver
and like putting the boots to a Denver Broncos too,
that looked like they were rounding into super Bowl shape.

(45:03):
Trevor Lawrence, Man, this is the number one overall franchise
changing type of player that you thought you were gonna get.
And if he keeps this up, there's no reason they
can't make a super Bowl run.

Speaker 2 (45:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (45:12):
Put up thirty four points in Mile High against that defense,
which that's one thing I wouldn't have thought happened. I
thought if they didn't win that game, it was.

Speaker 3 (45:19):
Gonna be low, low scoring. Bo next took for three
hundred and fifty two yards too.

Speaker 2 (45:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (45:23):
If I thought the Jacksonville won the game, would have
been the defense doing it and bo Nick's kind of
crapping the bed and that would have been the rock
they do it. But for Jacksonville to put up thirty
four points, Yeah, another team kind of.

Speaker 2 (45:33):
Like the Bear.

Speaker 4 (45:33):
I gotta get picked the Jaguars and Bears because all
year I'd never give them many Oh, I've been kind
of like waiting for them to fail and sort of
predicting them to fail and give them no credit. Here
they are what apparel of eleven win teams now and
and maybe it's just my bias of that, like the
logo and the and the recent stense of their you know,
one of the last five years combined the Bears and.

Speaker 2 (45:50):
Jack what have they done? And uh? And they're making
me look bad because every week they're every.

Speaker 4 (45:55):
Week they get like it's like the I feel each
of them gets a signature win every week too. It's
like I still don't respect them. So finally, yeah, now
I'm picking Jackson every week. I'm sorry, super Bowl Jackson, Jayguars, Bears,
super Bowl. I'm doing it now just so I can
overcorrect from my earlier stupidity.

Speaker 3 (46:08):
One more thing to get to tonight, and that is
the Monday night football game between the Niners and the
Colts before we can turn the page. Two week seventeen,
the Niners are a five and a half point road
favorite against the team that has eight wins. They are
six and one at home the Indianapolis Colts. I'm just
happy to get to see Philip Rivers on National TV.

Speaker 4 (46:25):
Yea's right, yeah, I guess said it's it's there's a
more yeah, because I couldn't watch the game last time.
There's a there's a more bid curiosity or just a
curiosity in general. Did to see it, and uh, it's
it's it's one of the most fun stories to me.

Speaker 2 (46:38):
I don't know why it is so fun. It's you know,
you kind of want to root for them. I guess
you do want to root for them. It's not gonna
go well tonight though.

Speaker 1 (46:45):
Up the Niners need to keep pacing that. Yeah, the
Niners are trying to win the West still.

Speaker 2 (46:50):
It's what we forgot about.

Speaker 4 (46:51):
Like I just talked about the one seed in the
five seed all the ramsow they played that game, and
you know they played that game for first place, and
you assume that the loser.

Speaker 3 (46:58):
Gets the I think the point bit on San France
Super Bowl a little little sprinkle on it right now. Yeah,
the universe is telling us something right now in this show.

Speaker 2 (47:06):
They got it.

Speaker 3 (47:07):
You probably get some real good value, right value. Yeah,
all right, he's christ and dampskam tom off from that.
I'll do it for us today, Mike tomin Is tomorrow.
We will be back on Christmas Eve though, because we
love you guys, We're addicted to this, so we'll be
back Christmas Eve. I'm gonna wear a Santa hat. Chris
is gonna dress in a full movie quality Santa Suit
that no one will be able to see. Because we're
podcast podcast media, We'll talk to you Wednesday.

Speaker 1 (47:31):
Enjoy Coach t Tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (47:32):
This has been the Steelers Blitz on Steelers Nation Radio,
a part of the Steelers Audio Network.