December 10, 2025 • 31 mins
Week 15 is here, and the NFL doesn’t feel like a playoff race anymore – it feels like a full-speed demolition derby. In this episode of Football Army, we dive into a 2025 season where the old powers are crumbling, new threats are kicking down the door, and every snap suddenly feels season-defining. We start in the AFC West, where the unthinkable finally happens: the Kansas City Chiefs lose their division crown after a brutal 20–10 defeat to the Houston Texans. The nine-year streak is gone, and with it the sense of inevitability that used to surround Patrick Mahomes. The crew breaks down his three-interception nightmare, the bizarre “Rashee Rice correlation,” Travis Kelce’s dropped pick-six and postgame silence, and why this feels less like a bad year and more like a front office and coaching failure that’s been building since Week 1. From there, the chaos only escalates in Indianapolis. The Colts’ fairy-tale 8–5 surge implodes when Daniel Jones tears his Achilles on a prove-it deal, detonating both their playoff push and their long-term cap strategy. We unpack the fallout from their all-in trade for Sauce Gardner, the impossibility of negotiating a mega-extension with an injured QB, and the desperation that leads them to drag 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement and into Jones’ old number while facing the league’s toughest remaining schedule. On the flip side of the AFC wreckage, we spotlight the Houston Texans as maybe the most dangerous team in the conference. At 8–5 with one of the NFL’s toughest schedules, they’ve earned every bit of their rise. Beyond C.J. Stroud, we zoom in on safety Jalen Pitre’s stunning transformation from coverage liability to shutdown weapon and what that says about DeMeco Ryans’ defensive masterplan. Then it’s over to the NFC, where the Philadelphia Eagles are in full meltdown mode. A five-turnover disaster from Jalen Hurts, a lifeless offense, and fiery criticism from franchise legend Seth Joyner paint a picture of a team that has completely lost its tactical identity. We contrast that with the Los Angeles Chargers’ overtime win, Jim Harbaugh’s delightfully over-the-top reaction, and Justin Herbert’s “superhero” toughness playing days after surgery—before asking why the media is so quick to nitpick his postgame demeanor while letting others skate. In Tampa Bay, the Bucs are clinging to a weak NFC South while their calling card – red zone defense – collapses. We explore Todd Bowles’ stunning slide from elite to bottom-tier in the red zone, rookie Emeka Egbuka’s “yips” despite alpha-level usage, and how reinforcements like Jason Pierre-Paul and a returning Mike Evans might shift the equation. The Rookie QB Report is loaded this week. We break down Shedeur Sanders’ aggressive, downfield style in Cleveland, the terrifying offensive line situation he’s about to face against a turnover-happy Bears defense, and how Kevin Stefanski’s controversial two-point decision versus Tennessee fits into the bigger picture of Sanders’ development. We also check in on J.J. McCarthy’s encouraging growth in Minnesota, Tyler Shough’s quiet case for a long-term role in New Orleans, and Jaden Daniels’ painful sophomore slump and injury concerns in Washington. From there, the conversation zooms out to the wider ecosystem. We hit the coaching carousel and the increasingly blurry line between college and the pros, with Notre Dame fighting to keep Marcus Freeman amid NFL buzz and Detroit losing a rising offensive mind to Iowa State. We touch on the ripple effects of NIL money through Troy Aikman’s blunt frustration, Clemson star Peter Woods’ decision to enter the 2026 draft as a potential game-wrecking defensive tackle, and a flurry of roster and contract storylines from San Francisco to New York. Finally, we go global. With games locked in for Munich and new ground being broken in Melbourne and Rio de Janeiro, the crew unpacks what the NFL’s international expansion means for players, franchises, and the future of “home field” itself. All of it leads to one big question: in a season where Mahomes and Hurts are throwing the ball away, defenders like Pitre are taking over, and parity feels suffocating, are we watching the pendulum swing back toward defense in real time? If you love film talk, advanced stats, front office intrigue, fantasy implications, and big-picture questions, this Week 15 preview is your must-listen guide to the wildest stretch run the league has seen in years.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to football. Army Week fifteen is right around the corner.
And if you've been following the NFL this season, you
know the feeling. Oh yeah, it's not like a normal
race to the finish line. It's more like a high
speed demolition derby.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
That is the perfect way to put it. Volatility, Yeah,
I mean we haven't seen a season with this level
of just pure chaos in years. Right. We came into
twenty twenty five thinking, you know, the usual pillars would
be there, the Chiefs, the Eagles, the Bills, the.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Ravens, familiar faces.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Exactly, and instead, their struggles, I mean, their implosions are
the reason the whole league feels wide open. The parody
is just it's unprecedented.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
And that's really the heart of what we're going to
get into today. We are going to unpack the absolute
shockwave from Kansas City officially losing their division.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Crown and the long term effects of that.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
We'll also dive into the i mean, the truly desperate
quarterback crisis in Indianapolis. It's a situation with massive financial.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Fallout, and we can't ignore what's happening in Philadelphia and
brutal meltdown.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Yeah, and We're also going to check in on the
rookie quarterbacks, including one who's just you know, forcing the
ball downfield at a historic rate.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And there's so much coaching buzz. The lines between the
NFL and the NCAA are getting blurrier and blurrier.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Plus the league's going global Australia, Brazil. We'll touch on
what that means for the future. The margins for error
right now are just razor thin, and the pretenders are
getting exposed very very quickly.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Okay, let's just start with the biggest shocker. It has
to be the AFC West, no question. Following that brutal
twenty to ten loss to the Houston Texans, the Kansas
City Chiefs are officially, you know, eliminated from winning their division.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
It's over that nine year streak of dominance, the longest
active streak in the league gone.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
It's more than just losing a division title, right it
feels like the end of an era of I don't
know certainty it.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Is the Chiefs were synonymous with the AFC West title.
Now mathematically sure, they still have a nine point one
percent chance of squeaking into the postseason as a wild could.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
A slim chance a very slim chance, but losing the
crown for the first time in nine years, it fundamentally
changes how you see this team and honestly, how you
see the entire league.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
And what's so fascinating is how quickly the criticism has
shifted to Patrick Mahomes himself.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Instantly, it's always the quarterback against the Texans.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
He throws three interceptions. Now, when you look at the film,
it's not like it was all on him, right.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
You have to break them down. They're not all created equal,
not at all.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Two of those picks, Okay, they were genuinely poor, ill
advised throws. He'd want those back.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
He was forcing it, you could see it.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
But that third one, that was just an awful, uncharacteristic
drop by Travis Kelci that turns into a pick.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Six, sounds right off his hands. I mean, that's a
game changing play that has zero to do with the
quarterback's decision, and it just.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Speaks to the tiny margin of error they're operating with
right now.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It absolutely does. And this this actually ties into a
really bizarre statistical thing that analysts have been flagging for weeks.
Rice correlation Exactly Mahomes' interception totals just they skyrocket when
Rashie Rice is on the field, which is so strange.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
And to be clear for everyone, none of the interceptions
against Houston were even intended for Rice.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
No, not a single one. But the fact that the
correlation exists suggests something broader is wrong. It could be
about timing, spacing, the rhythm of the offense when that
specific personnel group is out there.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So defenses know something. They know how pressure might affect
Mahomes in those sets or where the ball is likely
to go.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
They have a tell. And if the issue isn't the
specific target, then you have to look at this scheme
or the protection right.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Well, yeah, because the whole game was described as a
quote scramble heavy indictment of the front office and the
coaching staff.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
It was a brutal indictment. I mean, you had a
depleted offensive line against a really strong, surging Houston defense.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So Mahomes has no time.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
He has no time, and he knows his receivers aren't
getting open on schedule, so he's forced to extend plays
to bail out these scheme deficiencies.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
And you can't live like that.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Eventually, that pressure cooker explodes that's where the turnovers come from.
The force throws, and you know the losses. They just
couldn't convert on third downs against Houston. The burden on
Mahomes this year has been almost impossible.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
But doesn't this still fall back on the coaching. I mean,
if your receivers can't get separation and the line is
a mess, the play calling.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Has to change, it has to adapt.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
You need high percentage throws, more motion. Quicker reads the
fact that he's forced into the scrambled drill offense suggest
the whole infrastructure, the scheme, the players they brought in,
it's failed him.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That is the core takeaway. The front office gambled on cheap,
unproven receivers, and the coaching staff failed to evolve the
scheme to hide the O line problems that have been
there since week one.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
It's not just about getting talent when you have Mahomes.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
No, it's about getting complimentary talent, and they failed that
mission this year.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
And yet even with this collapse, you see people coming
to his defense. We saw Kevin Durant of all people,
defending Mahomes's legacy.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yeah, and he's right. He basically said, questioning the legacy
of a three time champ over what looks like a
one off year is just nonsensical.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
And the hard ware speaks for itself.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
It does, but it shows you the emotional reaction this
season has created. When the best quarterback of his generation struggles,
people immediately look for these huge explanations or they start
the decline narrative.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
But those three rings are a pretty good shield, a
very good shield.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
This season won't define Mahomes' career, but it absolutely defines
this moment of chaos in the AFC.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
And you can't talk about that offense struggling without bringing
up the fallout around Travis Kelson.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Oh Man Kelshay, who's thirty six, final year of his contract.
He had a miserable night, just one catch, one catch
for less than ten yards on five targets. That is,
I mean, that's unheard of for him.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And after the game you could see the frustration. He
gave the media this fiery quote, vowing to treat every
game like it's the most important world.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
The fire is one thing, but it's the silence that's
really telling here.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
He skipped the postgame interviews, he skipped.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
The mandatory interviews, and when you factor in his age,
his contract. The frustration in that building, that silence just
pours gasoline on the retirement speculation fire.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
It's palpable. When a guy who's used to winning nine
straight division titles suddenly hits this wall. The mental and
emotional exhaustion just becomes visible.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Absolutely when a player of his status does that after
a huge loss, the signal is powerful. It's frustration, it's reflection.
Maybe it's just exhaustion, but you can see the weight
of this thing collapsing on their biggest stars.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
The Chiefs crisis really shows how fast things can unravel.
And speaking of unraveling, there's nowhere that's more acute than
with the Indianapolis cults.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
The Colt situation is I mean, it's a strategic nightmare.
It's this catastrophic mix of bad luck with injury and
some questionable front office decisions.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
They were the surprise of the league, sitting at eight
and five, looking like a real playoff.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
And it all just ended. It all ended when quarterback
Daniel Jones went down with that season ending achilles injury.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
And this injury is just devastating, not just for this year,
but for the entire future of the franchise.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Oh yeah, he was on that one year, fourteen million
dollar prove.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
It deal, and he was proving it. He was having
a career year playing effishient football, and was on track
for a massive long term contract easily.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
We're talking forty maybe fifty million dollars a year before
that injury.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
So now the Colts are stuck. They're facing these impossible
business decisions.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
How do you even begin to negotiate with a quarterback
coming off a major Achilles tear. You have no idea
if he'll be ready for twenty twenty six, let alone
what his long term effectiveness will be.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
And here's the real kicker, right, some other desperate team
with a ton of cap space could easily swoop in
and outbid the Colts for him, even with the injury.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Which forces Indianapolis to either overpay or just lose him
for nothing.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And the timing of their other big move, in hindsight
just disastrous.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
The Sauce Gardner trade back in November. They traded away
their twenty twenty six and twenty twenty seven first round
picks to get him.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
That was an all in move, the move of a
team that thought they were one Super Bowl piece away.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
It was a total commitment to this current window with
Daniel Jones leading the way, and now because of that trade,
they have zero high end draft capital to go get
a new quarterback until the twenty twenty eight draft.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
They are completely locked in.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
They have to hope Jones comes back healthy or they
have to find some low cost stop gap solution. They
bet the sarm on the Daniel Jones era, and that
Achilles injury just blew up the foundation.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
So with all that strategic disaster as the backdrop, what
is the immediate week fifteen plan? Because their backup is
hurt too right.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Neck, the backup, Riley Leonard has a Grade one PCL spring.
His status for Week fifteen is uncertain at best.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Which leads to this, this unbelievable move.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
It's stunning. The Colts signed forty four year old retired
quarterback Philip Rivers to the practice squad.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Phil Rivers, he hasn't played professional football since January of
twenty twenty one.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
This isn't just nostalgia. This is a full on emergency flare.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
And he's even gonna wear Jones is number seventeen, Yeah,
which is just.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
It's a powerful symbol of their desperation. The connection makes
some sense.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Though the Shane Steiken connection exactly.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Stiken worked with Rivers for years when he was an
assistant with the Chargers, and you remember Rivers had that
one successful year in Indy when eleven and five.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Threw for over forty one hundred yards.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
So Stikeen is banking on that familiarity and maybe a
little bit of magic. He's the one who will decide
if Rivers gets activated and starts in Week fifteen against Seattle.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
But this whole hail Mary situation is compounded by their schedule.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Oh it's brutal. The Colts have the league's hardest remaining schedule.
Their opponents have a combined winning percentage of point six
nine to two.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
So after the Jones injury, their playoff chances just plummeted
to what thirty two percent?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
It's a free fall. They're not just facing an identity crisis,
They're facing an existential crisis on the field for the
next month.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Such a profound pivot. A few weeks ago, they're this
feel good story, a Super Bowl dark horse.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
And now they're just fighting for relevance, pinning their hopes
on a quarterback who has been retired for almost five years,
all while facing a draft handicap that's going to hurt
them for years to come.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
So in complete contrast to all that AFC chaos and implosion,
you have the team that's actually thriving in.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
It, the Houston Texans.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
You could argue they are the most dangerous team in
the conference right now, and they're doing it with real
battle tested strength.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
They absolutely deserve that title. At eight and five, the
Texans are the only winning team in the entire league
that has faced a strength of schedule of point five,
seven zero or better.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
So they've earned their record.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
They have absolutely earned it. They're on a five game
win streak and their schedule actually gets easier now they've
got the Cardinals and Raiders at home.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
So a run for a top four seed and hosting
a playoff game is entirely possible.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Very possible. And while we talk a lot about CJ.
Stroud's growth, which has been incredible m hmm, we need
to put a massive spotlight on that defense, specifically safety
jail In Patry.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
His turnaround has been one of the most astonishing and
visual stories of the season.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
It really has. Last year he was a liability and
coverage he allowed a passer rating of around one hundred
and thirteen when he was.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Targeted, which is borderline awful.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
It's terrible. This year he is second in the entire league,
allowing a passer rating of only forty three.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
That's a seventy point swing, a seventy point swing in efficiency.
What's causing that kind of improvement? Is it scheme or
is it just him?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
It seems like a mix of both. The defensive coordinator,
Demico Ryans is putting him in better positions to succeed
less deep zone isolation. Okay, but Bittri's own execution, his discipline,
his eye positioning, his reads, it's all improved dramatically. He
had that huge interception against the Chiefs, tipping the pass
to himself to seal the win.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
He's the embodiment of their defensive rise.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
He is. He's the physical and statistical proof of what's
happening in Houston and a huge reason why they're not
just competing anymore. They are kicking down the AOC playoff door.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
All right, So we've established the AFC is defined by
collapsing dynasties and the rise of new threats. Let's pivot
and see if the NFC is doing any better.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
I have a feeling it's not, you would be correct.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
The traditional powers in the NFC are also showing some deep,
deep cracks. The Philadelphia Eagles are in what you can
only call a full blown meltdown. They lose to the
Chargers twenty two to nineteen in overtime. That's their third
straight loss, and.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
The core issue is terminal. It's turnovers and just complete
offensive stagnation.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Jalen Hurts had five turnovers in that one game.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Five, four interceptions, in a fumble, and to put that
in perspective, he's the first Eagles quarterback to do that
since Bobby Hoying in nineteen ninety seven.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Wow, that is a truly awful distinction to have.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
It is, and the offense has just become punchless. They've
only scored eighty one points over the last five games.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Hurts is in a brutal slump. His decision making looks terrible,
He's missing open guys, and the most alarming thing to meet,
he refuses to.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Run the ball exactly. We've seen him just dancing in
the pocket trying to force these throws into coverage. When
the old Jalen Hurts the play we all know.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Is it just take off and get fifteen yards?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yes? Is he trying to avoid hits? Is it coaching?
Is it a mental block from the pressure, whatever it is,
the feeling around that team is that the offense isn't
getting fixed, and.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
The criticism isn't just coming from the outside anymore, It's
coming from their own legends.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Seth Joyner, the legendary Eagles defender, delivered a absolute brutal
assessment of the offensive coordinator, Kevin Patula.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
He basically accused him of having no situational awareness, describing
his play calling as a grab bag of plays, and.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Joyner's point was so specific in damning. He said, you
tell me how many plays that we run and have
success with. Do you see us flip the formation run
it on the other side? How many times do you
see it again?
Speaker 1 (13:53):
It doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
That's more than just a vague complaint. That is a
highly specific technical indictment of the coaching.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
It suggests that even when they find something that works,
they don't build on it. They don't create variations off
of it, which lets defenses just key and on them.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
It implies a complete lack of tactical evolution. They're trying
to reinvent the wheel on every single drive instead of
building momentum.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
And yet, despite this three game losing streak and an
offense that looks broken, next Gen stats still gives the
Eagles a ninety two percent chance to win the division.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Which tells you everything you need to know about the
utter weakness of the rest of the NFC East. But
the Eagles, I mean, they look like a paper tiger
heading into January.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Now, let's flip to the team that took advantage of
those turnovers. The Los Angeles Chargers get a huge ninth win.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
And they're Head coach Jim Harbaugh gave one of the quotes.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Of the year, ranking that overtime win in the discussion
of the best moments of his life, right.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Up there with the birth of his seven children and
his marriage.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Classic Harba, classic Harbaugh hyperbole, for sure. But you can
feel how much that win meant. It was huge for them,
and it was pretty much all because of the grit
of Justin Herbert.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Unbelievable toughness he played just days after having surgery on
a broken bone in his hand.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Harbaugh called him a superhero, and we saw it in overtime.
He's refusing to go down and he actually tries to
stiff arm an Eagles defender with that broken left hand.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Car Boss said watching that made him WinCE. I mean,
that is just raw toughness. You have to respect it,
you do.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
But this leads us right into a discussion we have
to have about media accountability.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
The double standards.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Right, despite that heroic game, Herbert thinks criticism for being
what rude to reporter Laura Rutledge after the game.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
It feels completely contradictory. On one hand, you praise the
guy for being a superhuman warrior, and.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
On the other you criticize him because he wasn't perfectly
courteous in a moment when he's in pain and running
on pure adrenaline.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Exactly. We just talked about Travis Kelce, who skipped interviews
entirely after a bad loss, and the backlash was mostly
just speculation. Right, Herbert, the face of the team shows
up and gets dinged for his demeanor while playing through
a broken hand.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
It perfectly illustrates the impossible standard the public wants the
gladiator who plays through fire and also.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
The polished corporate spokesman. No matter the context, it's just.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Another layer of pressure on these guys beyond just playing
the game. It is okay. Moving down to the NFC South,
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at seven and six and
their division race is interesting for all the wrong reasons.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Their defensive regression is just glaring. That's the main reason
they're struggling.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Todd Bowles defenses are historically great in the red zone then,
but don't break not this year.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
This year they are ranked thirtieth in red zone efficiency.
They're giving up touchdowns on a staggering sixty eight point
eight percent of opponent drives.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
And just for comparison, in twenty twenty three of that
number was forty two point six percent.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
That massive shift from top tier to allowing basically two
out of every three drives to end it a touchdown.
It's completely unsustainable for a player team.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
It's a fundamental breakdown.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
It is. And on offense, you have this fascinating case
study with their rookie receiver Emika Egbuca. He seems to
have a serious case.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Of the yips because his usage is off the charts.
Since they're week nine by he has a thirty two
percent target share and forty eight percent of the team's
air yards. That is alpha receiver volume, but the production
isn't there.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
He's averaging a dismal ten point one fantasy points per game. Yeah,
and the problem is simple. He's second in the NFL
in drops and third to last in fantasy points over expected.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
And he started the season as the number one receiver
in that efficiency metric. So this is a shocking drop off.
It has to be mental.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
It has to be The coaches clearly trust him, but
if he can't hold under the ball, that massive target
share becomes a liability.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
There is a little bit of good news for them, though,
a glimmer of hope on the roster front.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah. Veteran pass rusher Jason Pierre Paul, who was on
their Super Bowl team, was signed to the practice squad.
He brings leadership and you know, approven pass rush.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
And more importantly for that offense, Mike Evans, who broke
his collarbone back in Week seven, has apparently shown everything
he needs to in practice to be activated for Week fifteen, and.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Getting Evans back, even if he's not one hundred percent,
should immediately take some of that pressure off Egbuka and
help them in the red zone.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
The Bucks are still the favorites to win that division
just because it's so weak, but they are on life
support right now. We've spent enough time on the struggling veterans.
Let's shift to the new blood. The Ricky QB class
is still showing some really high end flashes.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Definitely especially in Cleveland where Shedder Sanders has officially been
named the starter for the final four games.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
And this is a huge opportunity for him. In Week fourteen,
he put up great numbers three hundred and sixty four yards,
three passing tds, one rushing.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
TD and crucially, his performance ranked ninth best in EPA
per play for the week. He's generating high value plays
on a high volume.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
What really jumps out from the analytics, though, is his aggression.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Oh, the sheer level of it. He is stretching the
field in a way Cleveland just hasn't. His average depth
of target his ADOT is eight point five.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Yards, and that eight point five EIGHTT just dwarfs the
six point four that Dylan Gabriel had.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
That two point one yard difference is strategically massive. It
tells you Sanders is not content with the checkdowns. He
is forcing the ball downfield and challenging defenses, and his.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Deep throwing rate is thirteen point six percent. That's the
eighth highest in the entire NFL.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Compare that to Gabriel's league low four point three percent.
I mean Sanders is injecting real risk and dynamism into
that offense.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
But that style comes with a cost for sure.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
While you get the big plays, his completion percentage is
still down at fifty two point four percent. He's prone
to what some people call stressed out prayer throws into traffic.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
It's that classic high risk, high reward approach.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Right and the question for the Browns is can they
keep the aggression while polishing the efficiency.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
And now he faces a massive, maybe even devastating challenge
in Week fifteen against the Bears. The offensive line situation
is a potential massacre.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
It is a nightmare tests for any quarterback, let alone
a rookie. Their starting center Ethan Pocic is out for
the season with an.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Achilles and the starting rate guard Wyatt Teller is expected
to miss the game too, And if.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Right tackle Jack Conkling can't come back, Sanders could be
playing behind three backup offensive linemen.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Three backups including a new center, against a Bears defense
that ranks first in the NFL and turnover rate over
the last two months.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
It's a recipe for disaster. We've already seen him take
eight sacks and three starts. The pressure he's about to
face is a true trial by fire.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
It forces them to change the game plan entirely. They
can't ask him to stand back there and through.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Deep No, it has to be quick releases, screens, a heavy,
heavy dose of the run game. If he gets through
this game without multiple turnovers, it will be a huge
win for him.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
And speaking of coaching decisions, we have to mention that
two point conversion disaster that cost them the Titans game.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Oh Man, losing thirty one to twenty nine because of
a failed wildcat two point attempt with your rookie QB
watching from the sideline.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Coach Kevin Stefan took full blame, which you have to respect,
said he planned the play well in advance.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
He's owning it. But regardless of the strategy, the execution
was poor and the timing was just catastrophic. The silver lining, though,
is how cautious they've been with Sanders development.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Right, letting him sit for half the season, meeting with
Stefanski three times a week.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
It suggests they see him as a long term piece.
If he plays really well down the stretch, it could
erase any doubt about them needing to draft a QB
early next year.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Let's check in on a couple of the other rookie qbs.
JJ McCarthy and Minnesota had a really encouraging game against Washington.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
It was his most efficient performance of the season for sure. Now,
the Commander's defense can make a lot of qbs look good, true,
but McCarthy showed real developmental steps. He was moving around efficiently,
not just scrambling to scramble. He was making quicker, smarter
decisions and avoiding those dangerous throws that played him earlier.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
So that slow, gradual approach from the Vikings might finally
be paying off.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
It seems like it. And down in New Orleans, Tyler's
is quietly making a case for himself. He's kind of
flying under the radar.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
He's looked really composed in his five starts. The passing
numbers aren't explosive, but he handles pressure well.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
And he uses his legs. He's got two rushing touchdowns.
The Saints have won two of his five starts, and
the word is the organization is already thinking of him
as a possible twenty twenty six starter.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
He seems to have the poise for it.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
He does, which brings us finally to Jaden Daniels in Washington.
After a strong rookie year, he seems to be hitting
that sophomore.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Slump wall and hitting it hard.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Yeah, he's definitely struggling. The commanders wanted his scramble rate
to go down this year to force him to trust
the pocket, and.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
It's actually gone up.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
It's up to fifteen point seven percent. So he's reverting
to his legs whenever pressure hits instead of executing the system.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
And now his health is a major red flag. He
re injured that left elbow.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
The exact same injury that sidelined him earlier this season,
So Washington is walking this very thin line. They need
to protect him, but he also desperately needs the reps
to break out this slump.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
And if he's et for Week fifteen against the Giants,
it'll be Marcus Mariota.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Yeah, And for fantasy managers, it's worth noting Mariota actually
put up decent numbers when he filled in earlier this
season because of his rushing ability. But for Washington. The
long term health and development of Daniels is everything.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Let's move over to the coaching carousel, which is already
spinning like crazy. We're seeing the lines between college and
the NFL just get blurrier and blurrier.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
They really are, and Notre Dame is actively fighting to
keep their head coach, Marcus Freeman.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
His name has been all over the place for NFL openings,
the Giant's job, the Titan speculation, and.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Notre Dame knows it. Their athletic director basically promised publicly
that Freeman will be placed at the top, top, top
tier of college coaching, pay every single year to keep him.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
But Freeman has all the leverage here, doesn't he. He's
not a coach who has to jump at the first
NFL chance he gets.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
He has the luxury of being able to wait for
a stable, high quality job. We're talking about potential openings
down the line, like the Steelers, the Ravens.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Or even the Chiefs if Andy Reid retires in a
few years.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Exactly, why take the high risk Giants job when you
could wait a couple of years for a stable organization
like Pittsburgh which almost never fires a coach or inherit
Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
It gives him immense power romans power. Now on the
flip side of that, the Detroit Lions are actually losing
a coach from their staff to the college ranks.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
That's right. Their tight end's coach, Tyler Roll is leaving
to become the offensive coordinator at Iowa State. And this
is a big loss for Dan.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Campbell because he saw a role as a future OC
in Detroit.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
He did. He was someone Campbell was grooming for a
long term promotion. It really highlights how valuable it is
to develop your staff internally.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
And that tight end's coach role in Detroit is becoming
a revolving door.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
It is. This now opens the door for assistant te
coach Seth Ryan, who is former Jets coach Rex Ryan's son.
He's been with the Lions for five seasons, so he's
likely the next man up.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
And while Detroit deals with coaching departures, the Chicago Bears
are dealing with physical setbacks. Coach Ben Johnson was clearly
frustrated talking about CD Kyler Gordon's constant soft tissue injuries.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yeah, he called it a rut, and he noted that
the biggest predictor of a soft tissue injury is a previous.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
One which Gordon has had a hamstring before the season,
then groin in calf issues.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Johnson said they're going to exhaust all of our resources
to get him healthy, which just shows how debilitating those
seemingly minor injuries can be for defense.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
And that frustration was probably made worse by the lack
of production from Djmore last.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Week, oh Absolutely with their number one receiver Rono Dunze
out with a foot injury, Johnson expected a massive game
for More to carry the offense.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
And the opposite happened. He was targeted just three times.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
One cash for negative four yards, the first time in
his entire seven year career he's ever had negative receiving yardage.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Johnson basically had to admit after the game that the
result was not the intent, which.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Is a nice way of saying they failed in either
their game plan or their execution to get the ball
to their best player.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Let's shift back to the NCAA for a minute and
this huge debate around name, image and likeness, nil money.
It's changing everything about college football and Hall of Fame
QB Troy Aikman had some incredibly strong thoughts on it.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
He stated flatly that he is done with nil and
he told this one story that just perfectly sums it up.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
The UCLA player.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Yeah, he gave a sizable check to a UCLA player
he never even met. The player stayed for one year,
immediately transferred to another.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
School, and Aikman never even got a thank you, No.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Not even thank you. Yeah. It just encapsulates the purely
transactional nature of college sports. Now players are basically year
to year free agents, moving to the highest bidder.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
It rips away any idea of loyalty or building something, and.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
It has a huge downstream effect on the NFL. If
players are just chasing a paycheck instead development, it impacts
their pro readiness. Aikman said he's just tired of a
system that lacks basic gratitude.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
And looking ahead to the twenty twenty six NFL Draft,
we got a big announcement from the college.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Ranks, a huge one. Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods is
foregoing his senior year to enter.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
The draft and this is a massive talent injection into
that class.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
ESPN already has him ranked as the third best player
overall in the entire class, and the top defensive tackle.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
When a DT is ranked that high, it means he's
viewed as a legitimate game wrecking force, the kind.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Of guy who can alter how an entire offense hop rates.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Let's quickly hit some GM and roster buzz. In San Francisco,
John Lynch had to address the Mac Jones trade speculation.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Yeah, and he downplayed it significantly. He invoked the old
Bill Walsh philosophy that you can never have too many
quality quarterbacks in the room.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
So they believe in Purty, but they trust Jones too exactly.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
They value having high quality, proven depth at the most
important position.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
And we saw some interesting practice squad signings involving former
Alabama players.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
We did. Wide receiver Javon Baker signed with the forty
nine ers and guard Darien Dalcourt signed with the Browns
to help with that offensive line crisis we talked about.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
And finally back to the Giants. They're having another tough year,
but they have key players in contract years who are
making a strong case for a big payday.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
One Dale Robinson is having a career year. He's on
pace for ninety five catches and over one thousand yards.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
And he leads all receivers in slot yards. That's phenomenal production.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
That kind of production gets you paid no matter who
the coach is next year. And right tackle Jermaine Ale
Muner is another one. He's openly talking about extensions.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Says he feels he's one of the best right tackles
right now, and he's.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Got leverage when you see other guys getting huge deals
after only a few starts. His self assessment is probably
right in terms of market value.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
But that leverage is complicated by the coaching situation in
New York.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
It is he's thriving under the current O line coach.
If the Giants do a complete reset, does the new
staff value him the same way That uncertainty makes any
long term deal tricky.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Before we wrap things up, we have to look globally.
The NFL is continuing this massive, aggressive push toward international expansion.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
And it's hugely important for the league's growth and their revenue.
That means some major announcements this week.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Regular season games are officially coming back to Munich, Germany
in twenty twenty six and twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Germany has proven to be a massive hungry market for
American football, but they're also breaking entirely new ground in
twenty twenty six, first.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Ever regular season games scheduled for Melbourne, Australia and Rio
di Jenio, Brazil.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Those are huge leaps. They're tapping into entirely new continents.
Plus they'll have two games in London again, and.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
The Detroit Lions are already being talked about as a
strong candidate for one of those Munich games.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Which makes sense the Lions resurgence, Dan Campbell's appeal, It's
a popular brand right now. The long term goal is clear,
keep that popularity in revenue soaring worldwide.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
You know this whole atmosphere heading into Week fifteen, with
all the QB crises and defensive shocks, it really brings
up one final provocative thought that ties all this together.
We have watched former MVP candidate like Mahomes and Hurts
have these turnover filled nightmares. Five turnovers for Hurts, three
interceptions for Mahomes, and.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
At the same time you see these defensive standouts rising up.
Houston's Jalen Peatrie goes from allowing a one to thirteen
passer rating to just forty three. He's become a shutdown threat.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Or Arizona's Josh sweat leading the entire league and forced fumbles.
These guys are actively creating the chaos we're seeing the Yeah.
So it raises this critical question about the parody in
the league. For years, the story was that the top qbs,
helped by the rules, would always win.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Out right, that offense was king.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
But if the top defenses are finally finding the counter
strategies to generate pressure and force turnovers, even against superstars
like Mahomes or Herbert, is this parody signaling a fundamental
strategic shift where defense is finally starting to consistently counter
the league's best quarterback talent.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
It absolutely feels like a pendulum swing. Yeah, the margin
for air for elite quarterbacks has shrunk dramatically. When the Chiefs,
the team that define the offense revolution, are scrambling and
turning it over and the Eagles look totally lost on offense,
it's not just a slump. It's a signal that the
cost of poor execution, especially against a rising, well coached
(31:13):
defense like Houston's, is instantly season changing.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
So the era of the untouchable, guaranteed thirty point offense
might be fading.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
It seems like it's being replaced by a much more volatile,
turnover driven landscape.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
A lot to chew on as we head into Week fifteen.
The stakes are just astronomical, and it feels like every
single snap now carries the weight of a playoff elimination game.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
It's going to be a truly wild final month of
the season. You need to watch every single snap.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
That's all the time we have for today. We appreciate
you joining us here on football Army. We'll catch you
next time.
Welcome to football. Army Week fifteen is right around the corner.
And if you've been following the NFL this season, you
know the feeling. Oh yeah, it's not like a normal
race to the finish line. It's more like a high
speed demolition derby.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
That is the perfect way to put it. Volatility, Yeah,
I mean we haven't seen a season with this level
of just pure chaos in years. Right. We came into
twenty twenty five thinking, you know, the usual pillars would
be there, the Chiefs, the Eagles, the Bills, the.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Ravens, familiar faces.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Exactly, and instead, their struggles, I mean, their implosions are
the reason the whole league feels wide open. The parody
is just it's unprecedented.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
And that's really the heart of what we're going to
get into today. We are going to unpack the absolute
shockwave from Kansas City officially losing their division.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Crown and the long term effects of that.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
We'll also dive into the i mean, the truly desperate
quarterback crisis in Indianapolis. It's a situation with massive financial.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Fallout, and we can't ignore what's happening in Philadelphia and
brutal meltdown.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Yeah, and We're also going to check in on the
rookie quarterbacks, including one who's just you know, forcing the
ball downfield at a historic rate.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And there's so much coaching buzz. The lines between the
NFL and the NCAA are getting blurrier and blurrier.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Plus the league's going global Australia, Brazil. We'll touch on
what that means for the future. The margins for error
right now are just razor thin, and the pretenders are
getting exposed very very quickly.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Okay, let's just start with the biggest shocker. It has
to be the AFC West, no question. Following that brutal
twenty to ten loss to the Houston Texans, the Kansas
City Chiefs are officially, you know, eliminated from winning their division.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
It's over that nine year streak of dominance, the longest
active streak in the league gone.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
It's more than just losing a division title, right it
feels like the end of an era of I don't
know certainty it.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Is the Chiefs were synonymous with the AFC West title.
Now mathematically sure, they still have a nine point one
percent chance of squeaking into the postseason as a wild could.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
A slim chance a very slim chance, but losing the
crown for the first time in nine years, it fundamentally
changes how you see this team and honestly, how you
see the entire league.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
And what's so fascinating is how quickly the criticism has
shifted to Patrick Mahomes himself.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Instantly, it's always the quarterback against the Texans.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
He throws three interceptions. Now, when you look at the film,
it's not like it was all on him, right.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
You have to break them down. They're not all created equal,
not at all.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Two of those picks, Okay, they were genuinely poor, ill
advised throws. He'd want those back.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
He was forcing it, you could see it.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
But that third one, that was just an awful, uncharacteristic
drop by Travis Kelci that turns into a pick.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Six, sounds right off his hands. I mean, that's a
game changing play that has zero to do with the
quarterback's decision, and it just.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Speaks to the tiny margin of error they're operating with
right now.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It absolutely does. And this this actually ties into a
really bizarre statistical thing that analysts have been flagging for weeks.
Rice correlation Exactly Mahomes' interception totals just they skyrocket when
Rashie Rice is on the field, which is so strange.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
And to be clear for everyone, none of the interceptions
against Houston were even intended for Rice.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
No, not a single one. But the fact that the
correlation exists suggests something broader is wrong. It could be
about timing, spacing, the rhythm of the offense when that
specific personnel group is out there.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So defenses know something. They know how pressure might affect
Mahomes in those sets or where the ball is likely
to go.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
They have a tell. And if the issue isn't the
specific target, then you have to look at this scheme
or the protection right.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Well, yeah, because the whole game was described as a
quote scramble heavy indictment of the front office and the
coaching staff.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
It was a brutal indictment. I mean, you had a
depleted offensive line against a really strong, surging Houston defense.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So Mahomes has no time.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
He has no time, and he knows his receivers aren't
getting open on schedule, so he's forced to extend plays
to bail out these scheme deficiencies.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
And you can't live like that.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Eventually, that pressure cooker explodes that's where the turnovers come from.
The force throws, and you know the losses. They just
couldn't convert on third downs against Houston. The burden on
Mahomes this year has been almost impossible.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
But doesn't this still fall back on the coaching. I mean,
if your receivers can't get separation and the line is
a mess, the play calling.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Has to change, it has to adapt.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
You need high percentage throws, more motion. Quicker reads the
fact that he's forced into the scrambled drill offense suggest
the whole infrastructure, the scheme, the players they brought in,
it's failed him.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That is the core takeaway. The front office gambled on cheap,
unproven receivers, and the coaching staff failed to evolve the
scheme to hide the O line problems that have been
there since week one.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
It's not just about getting talent when you have Mahomes.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
No, it's about getting complimentary talent, and they failed that
mission this year.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
And yet even with this collapse, you see people coming
to his defense. We saw Kevin Durant of all people,
defending Mahomes's legacy.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yeah, and he's right. He basically said, questioning the legacy
of a three time champ over what looks like a
one off year is just nonsensical.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
And the hard ware speaks for itself.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
It does, but it shows you the emotional reaction this
season has created. When the best quarterback of his generation struggles,
people immediately look for these huge explanations or they start
the decline narrative.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
But those three rings are a pretty good shield, a
very good shield.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
This season won't define Mahomes' career, but it absolutely defines
this moment of chaos in the AFC.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
And you can't talk about that offense struggling without bringing
up the fallout around Travis Kelson.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Oh Man Kelshay, who's thirty six, final year of his contract.
He had a miserable night, just one catch, one catch
for less than ten yards on five targets. That is,
I mean, that's unheard of for him.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And after the game you could see the frustration. He
gave the media this fiery quote, vowing to treat every
game like it's the most important world.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
The fire is one thing, but it's the silence that's
really telling here.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
He skipped the postgame interviews, he skipped.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
The mandatory interviews, and when you factor in his age,
his contract. The frustration in that building, that silence just
pours gasoline on the retirement speculation fire.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
It's palpable. When a guy who's used to winning nine
straight division titles suddenly hits this wall. The mental and
emotional exhaustion just becomes visible.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Absolutely when a player of his status does that after
a huge loss, the signal is powerful. It's frustration, it's reflection.
Maybe it's just exhaustion, but you can see the weight
of this thing collapsing on their biggest stars.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
The Chiefs crisis really shows how fast things can unravel.
And speaking of unraveling, there's nowhere that's more acute than
with the Indianapolis cults.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
The Colt situation is I mean, it's a strategic nightmare.
It's this catastrophic mix of bad luck with injury and
some questionable front office decisions.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
They were the surprise of the league, sitting at eight
and five, looking like a real playoff.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
And it all just ended. It all ended when quarterback
Daniel Jones went down with that season ending achilles injury.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
And this injury is just devastating, not just for this year,
but for the entire future of the franchise.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Oh yeah, he was on that one year, fourteen million
dollar prove.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
It deal, and he was proving it. He was having
a career year playing effishient football, and was on track
for a massive long term contract easily.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
We're talking forty maybe fifty million dollars a year before
that injury.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
So now the Colts are stuck. They're facing these impossible
business decisions.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
How do you even begin to negotiate with a quarterback
coming off a major Achilles tear. You have no idea
if he'll be ready for twenty twenty six, let alone
what his long term effectiveness will be.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
And here's the real kicker, right, some other desperate team
with a ton of cap space could easily swoop in
and outbid the Colts for him, even with the injury.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Which forces Indianapolis to either overpay or just lose him
for nothing.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And the timing of their other big move, in hindsight
just disastrous.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
The Sauce Gardner trade back in November. They traded away
their twenty twenty six and twenty twenty seven first round
picks to get him.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
That was an all in move, the move of a
team that thought they were one Super Bowl piece away.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
It was a total commitment to this current window with
Daniel Jones leading the way, and now because of that trade,
they have zero high end draft capital to go get
a new quarterback until the twenty twenty eight draft.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
They are completely locked in.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
They have to hope Jones comes back healthy or they
have to find some low cost stop gap solution. They
bet the sarm on the Daniel Jones era, and that
Achilles injury just blew up the foundation.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
So with all that strategic disaster as the backdrop, what
is the immediate week fifteen plan? Because their backup is
hurt too right.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Neck, the backup, Riley Leonard has a Grade one PCL spring.
His status for Week fifteen is uncertain at best.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Which leads to this, this unbelievable move.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
It's stunning. The Colts signed forty four year old retired
quarterback Philip Rivers to the practice squad.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Phil Rivers, he hasn't played professional football since January of
twenty twenty one.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
This isn't just nostalgia. This is a full on emergency flare.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
And he's even gonna wear Jones is number seventeen, Yeah,
which is just.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
It's a powerful symbol of their desperation. The connection makes
some sense.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Though the Shane Steiken connection exactly.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Stiken worked with Rivers for years when he was an
assistant with the Chargers, and you remember Rivers had that
one successful year in Indy when eleven and five.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Threw for over forty one hundred yards.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
So Stikeen is banking on that familiarity and maybe a
little bit of magic. He's the one who will decide
if Rivers gets activated and starts in Week fifteen against Seattle.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
But this whole hail Mary situation is compounded by their schedule.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Oh it's brutal. The Colts have the league's hardest remaining schedule.
Their opponents have a combined winning percentage of point six
nine to two.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
So after the Jones injury, their playoff chances just plummeted
to what thirty two percent?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
It's a free fall. They're not just facing an identity crisis,
They're facing an existential crisis on the field for the
next month.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Such a profound pivot. A few weeks ago, they're this
feel good story, a Super Bowl dark horse.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
And now they're just fighting for relevance, pinning their hopes
on a quarterback who has been retired for almost five years,
all while facing a draft handicap that's going to hurt
them for years to come.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
So in complete contrast to all that AFC chaos and implosion,
you have the team that's actually thriving in.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
It, the Houston Texans.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
You could argue they are the most dangerous team in
the conference right now, and they're doing it with real
battle tested strength.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
They absolutely deserve that title. At eight and five, the
Texans are the only winning team in the entire league
that has faced a strength of schedule of point five,
seven zero or better.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
So they've earned their record.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
They have absolutely earned it. They're on a five game
win streak and their schedule actually gets easier now they've
got the Cardinals and Raiders at home.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
So a run for a top four seed and hosting
a playoff game is entirely possible.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Very possible. And while we talk a lot about CJ.
Stroud's growth, which has been incredible m hmm, we need
to put a massive spotlight on that defense, specifically safety
jail In Patry.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
His turnaround has been one of the most astonishing and
visual stories of the season.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
It really has. Last year he was a liability and
coverage he allowed a passer rating of around one hundred
and thirteen when he was.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Targeted, which is borderline awful.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
It's terrible. This year he is second in the entire league,
allowing a passer rating of only forty three.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
That's a seventy point swing, a seventy point swing in efficiency.
What's causing that kind of improvement? Is it scheme or
is it just him?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
It seems like a mix of both. The defensive coordinator,
Demico Ryans is putting him in better positions to succeed
less deep zone isolation. Okay, but Bittri's own execution, his discipline,
his eye positioning, his reads, it's all improved dramatically. He
had that huge interception against the Chiefs, tipping the pass
to himself to seal the win.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
He's the embodiment of their defensive rise.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
He is. He's the physical and statistical proof of what's
happening in Houston and a huge reason why they're not
just competing anymore. They are kicking down the AOC playoff door.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
All right, So we've established the AFC is defined by
collapsing dynasties and the rise of new threats. Let's pivot
and see if the NFC is doing any better.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
I have a feeling it's not, you would be correct.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
The traditional powers in the NFC are also showing some deep,
deep cracks. The Philadelphia Eagles are in what you can
only call a full blown meltdown. They lose to the
Chargers twenty two to nineteen in overtime. That's their third
straight loss, and.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
The core issue is terminal. It's turnovers and just complete
offensive stagnation.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Jalen Hurts had five turnovers in that one game.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Five, four interceptions, in a fumble, and to put that
in perspective, he's the first Eagles quarterback to do that
since Bobby Hoying in nineteen ninety seven.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Wow, that is a truly awful distinction to have.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
It is, and the offense has just become punchless. They've
only scored eighty one points over the last five games.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Hurts is in a brutal slump. His decision making looks terrible,
He's missing open guys, and the most alarming thing to meet,
he refuses to.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Run the ball exactly. We've seen him just dancing in
the pocket trying to force these throws into coverage. When
the old Jalen Hurts the play we all know.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Is it just take off and get fifteen yards?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yes? Is he trying to avoid hits? Is it coaching?
Is it a mental block from the pressure, whatever it is,
the feeling around that team is that the offense isn't
getting fixed, and.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
The criticism isn't just coming from the outside anymore, It's
coming from their own legends.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Seth Joyner, the legendary Eagles defender, delivered a absolute brutal
assessment of the offensive coordinator, Kevin Patula.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
He basically accused him of having no situational awareness, describing
his play calling as a grab bag of plays, and.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Joyner's point was so specific in damning. He said, you
tell me how many plays that we run and have
success with. Do you see us flip the formation run
it on the other side? How many times do you
see it again?
Speaker 1 (13:53):
It doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
That's more than just a vague complaint. That is a
highly specific technical indictment of the coaching.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
It suggests that even when they find something that works,
they don't build on it. They don't create variations off
of it, which lets defenses just key and on them.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
It implies a complete lack of tactical evolution. They're trying
to reinvent the wheel on every single drive instead of
building momentum.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
And yet, despite this three game losing streak and an
offense that looks broken, next Gen stats still gives the
Eagles a ninety two percent chance to win the division.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Which tells you everything you need to know about the
utter weakness of the rest of the NFC East. But
the Eagles, I mean, they look like a paper tiger
heading into January.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Now, let's flip to the team that took advantage of
those turnovers. The Los Angeles Chargers get a huge ninth win.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
And they're Head coach Jim Harbaugh gave one of the quotes.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Of the year, ranking that overtime win in the discussion
of the best moments of his life, right.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Up there with the birth of his seven children and
his marriage.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Classic Harba, classic Harbaugh hyperbole, for sure. But you can
feel how much that win meant. It was huge for them,
and it was pretty much all because of the grit
of Justin Herbert.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Unbelievable toughness he played just days after having surgery on
a broken bone in his hand.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Harbaugh called him a superhero, and we saw it in overtime.
He's refusing to go down and he actually tries to
stiff arm an Eagles defender with that broken left hand.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Car Boss said watching that made him WinCE. I mean,
that is just raw toughness. You have to respect it,
you do.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
But this leads us right into a discussion we have
to have about media accountability.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
The double standards.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Right, despite that heroic game, Herbert thinks criticism for being
what rude to reporter Laura Rutledge after the game.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
It feels completely contradictory. On one hand, you praise the
guy for being a superhuman warrior, and.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
On the other you criticize him because he wasn't perfectly
courteous in a moment when he's in pain and running
on pure adrenaline.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Exactly. We just talked about Travis Kelce, who skipped interviews
entirely after a bad loss, and the backlash was mostly
just speculation. Right, Herbert, the face of the team shows
up and gets dinged for his demeanor while playing through
a broken hand.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
It perfectly illustrates the impossible standard the public wants the
gladiator who plays through fire and also.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
The polished corporate spokesman. No matter the context, it's just.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Another layer of pressure on these guys beyond just playing
the game. It is okay. Moving down to the NFC South,
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at seven and six and
their division race is interesting for all the wrong reasons.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Their defensive regression is just glaring. That's the main reason
they're struggling.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Todd Bowles defenses are historically great in the red zone then,
but don't break not this year.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
This year they are ranked thirtieth in red zone efficiency.
They're giving up touchdowns on a staggering sixty eight point
eight percent of opponent drives.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
And just for comparison, in twenty twenty three of that
number was forty two point six percent.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
That massive shift from top tier to allowing basically two
out of every three drives to end it a touchdown.
It's completely unsustainable for a player team.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
It's a fundamental breakdown.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
It is. And on offense, you have this fascinating case
study with their rookie receiver Emika Egbuca. He seems to
have a serious case.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Of the yips because his usage is off the charts.
Since they're week nine by he has a thirty two
percent target share and forty eight percent of the team's
air yards. That is alpha receiver volume, but the production
isn't there.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
He's averaging a dismal ten point one fantasy points per game. Yeah,
and the problem is simple. He's second in the NFL
in drops and third to last in fantasy points over expected.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
And he started the season as the number one receiver
in that efficiency metric. So this is a shocking drop off.
It has to be mental.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
It has to be The coaches clearly trust him, but
if he can't hold under the ball, that massive target
share becomes a liability.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
There is a little bit of good news for them, though,
a glimmer of hope on the roster front.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah. Veteran pass rusher Jason Pierre Paul, who was on
their Super Bowl team, was signed to the practice squad.
He brings leadership and you know, approven pass rush.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
And more importantly for that offense, Mike Evans, who broke
his collarbone back in Week seven, has apparently shown everything
he needs to in practice to be activated for Week fifteen, and.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Getting Evans back, even if he's not one hundred percent,
should immediately take some of that pressure off Egbuka and
help them in the red zone.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
The Bucks are still the favorites to win that division
just because it's so weak, but they are on life
support right now. We've spent enough time on the struggling veterans.
Let's shift to the new blood. The Ricky QB class
is still showing some really high end flashes.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Definitely especially in Cleveland where Shedder Sanders has officially been
named the starter for the final four games.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
And this is a huge opportunity for him. In Week fourteen,
he put up great numbers three hundred and sixty four yards,
three passing tds, one rushing.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
TD and crucially, his performance ranked ninth best in EPA
per play for the week. He's generating high value plays
on a high volume.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
What really jumps out from the analytics, though, is his aggression.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Oh, the sheer level of it. He is stretching the
field in a way Cleveland just hasn't. His average depth
of target his ADOT is eight point five.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Yards, and that eight point five EIGHTT just dwarfs the
six point four that Dylan Gabriel had.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
That two point one yard difference is strategically massive. It
tells you Sanders is not content with the checkdowns. He
is forcing the ball downfield and challenging defenses, and his.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Deep throwing rate is thirteen point six percent. That's the
eighth highest in the entire NFL.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Compare that to Gabriel's league low four point three percent.
I mean Sanders is injecting real risk and dynamism into
that offense.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
But that style comes with a cost for sure.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
While you get the big plays, his completion percentage is
still down at fifty two point four percent. He's prone
to what some people call stressed out prayer throws into traffic.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
It's that classic high risk, high reward approach.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Right and the question for the Browns is can they
keep the aggression while polishing the efficiency.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
And now he faces a massive, maybe even devastating challenge
in Week fifteen against the Bears. The offensive line situation
is a potential massacre.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
It is a nightmare tests for any quarterback, let alone
a rookie. Their starting center Ethan Pocic is out for
the season with an.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Achilles and the starting rate guard Wyatt Teller is expected
to miss the game too, And if.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Right tackle Jack Conkling can't come back, Sanders could be
playing behind three backup offensive linemen.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Three backups including a new center, against a Bears defense
that ranks first in the NFL and turnover rate over
the last two months.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
It's a recipe for disaster. We've already seen him take
eight sacks and three starts. The pressure he's about to
face is a true trial by fire.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
It forces them to change the game plan entirely. They
can't ask him to stand back there and through.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Deep No, it has to be quick releases, screens, a heavy,
heavy dose of the run game. If he gets through
this game without multiple turnovers, it will be a huge
win for him.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
And speaking of coaching decisions, we have to mention that
two point conversion disaster that cost them the Titans game.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Oh Man, losing thirty one to twenty nine because of
a failed wildcat two point attempt with your rookie QB
watching from the sideline.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Coach Kevin Stefan took full blame, which you have to respect,
said he planned the play well in advance.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
He's owning it. But regardless of the strategy, the execution
was poor and the timing was just catastrophic. The silver lining, though,
is how cautious they've been with Sanders development.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Right, letting him sit for half the season, meeting with
Stefanski three times a week.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
It suggests they see him as a long term piece.
If he plays really well down the stretch, it could
erase any doubt about them needing to draft a QB
early next year.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Let's check in on a couple of the other rookie qbs.
JJ McCarthy and Minnesota had a really encouraging game against Washington.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
It was his most efficient performance of the season for sure. Now,
the Commander's defense can make a lot of qbs look good, true,
but McCarthy showed real developmental steps. He was moving around efficiently,
not just scrambling to scramble. He was making quicker, smarter
decisions and avoiding those dangerous throws that played him earlier.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
So that slow, gradual approach from the Vikings might finally
be paying off.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
It seems like it. And down in New Orleans, Tyler's
is quietly making a case for himself. He's kind of
flying under the radar.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
He's looked really composed in his five starts. The passing
numbers aren't explosive, but he handles pressure well.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
And he uses his legs. He's got two rushing touchdowns.
The Saints have won two of his five starts, and
the word is the organization is already thinking of him
as a possible twenty twenty six starter.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
He seems to have the poise for it.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
He does, which brings us finally to Jaden Daniels in Washington.
After a strong rookie year, he seems to be hitting
that sophomore.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Slump wall and hitting it hard.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Yeah, he's definitely struggling. The commanders wanted his scramble rate
to go down this year to force him to trust
the pocket, and.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
It's actually gone up.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
It's up to fifteen point seven percent. So he's reverting
to his legs whenever pressure hits instead of executing the system.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
And now his health is a major red flag. He
re injured that left elbow.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
The exact same injury that sidelined him earlier this season,
So Washington is walking this very thin line. They need
to protect him, but he also desperately needs the reps
to break out this slump.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
And if he's et for Week fifteen against the Giants,
it'll be Marcus Mariota.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Yeah, And for fantasy managers, it's worth noting Mariota actually
put up decent numbers when he filled in earlier this
season because of his rushing ability. But for Washington. The
long term health and development of Daniels is everything.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Let's move over to the coaching carousel, which is already
spinning like crazy. We're seeing the lines between college and
the NFL just get blurrier and blurrier.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
They really are, and Notre Dame is actively fighting to
keep their head coach, Marcus Freeman.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
His name has been all over the place for NFL openings,
the Giant's job, the Titan speculation, and.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Notre Dame knows it. Their athletic director basically promised publicly
that Freeman will be placed at the top, top, top
tier of college coaching, pay every single year to keep him.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
But Freeman has all the leverage here, doesn't he. He's
not a coach who has to jump at the first
NFL chance he gets.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
He has the luxury of being able to wait for
a stable, high quality job. We're talking about potential openings
down the line, like the Steelers, the Ravens.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Or even the Chiefs if Andy Reid retires in a
few years.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Exactly, why take the high risk Giants job when you
could wait a couple of years for a stable organization
like Pittsburgh which almost never fires a coach or inherit
Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
It gives him immense power romans power. Now on the
flip side of that, the Detroit Lions are actually losing
a coach from their staff to the college ranks.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
That's right. Their tight end's coach, Tyler Roll is leaving
to become the offensive coordinator at Iowa State. And this
is a big loss for Dan.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Campbell because he saw a role as a future OC
in Detroit.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
He did. He was someone Campbell was grooming for a
long term promotion. It really highlights how valuable it is
to develop your staff internally.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
And that tight end's coach role in Detroit is becoming
a revolving door.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
It is. This now opens the door for assistant te
coach Seth Ryan, who is former Jets coach Rex Ryan's son.
He's been with the Lions for five seasons, so he's
likely the next man up.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
And while Detroit deals with coaching departures, the Chicago Bears
are dealing with physical setbacks. Coach Ben Johnson was clearly
frustrated talking about CD Kyler Gordon's constant soft tissue injuries.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yeah, he called it a rut, and he noted that
the biggest predictor of a soft tissue injury is a previous.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
One which Gordon has had a hamstring before the season,
then groin in calf issues.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Johnson said they're going to exhaust all of our resources
to get him healthy, which just shows how debilitating those
seemingly minor injuries can be for defense.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
And that frustration was probably made worse by the lack
of production from Djmore last.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Week, oh Absolutely with their number one receiver Rono Dunze
out with a foot injury, Johnson expected a massive game
for More to carry the offense.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
And the opposite happened. He was targeted just three times.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
One cash for negative four yards, the first time in
his entire seven year career he's ever had negative receiving yardage.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Johnson basically had to admit after the game that the
result was not the intent, which.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Is a nice way of saying they failed in either
their game plan or their execution to get the ball
to their best player.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Let's shift back to the NCAA for a minute and
this huge debate around name, image and likeness, nil money.
It's changing everything about college football and Hall of Fame
QB Troy Aikman had some incredibly strong thoughts on it.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
He stated flatly that he is done with nil and
he told this one story that just perfectly sums it up.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
The UCLA player.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Yeah, he gave a sizable check to a UCLA player
he never even met. The player stayed for one year,
immediately transferred to another.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
School, and Aikman never even got a thank you, No.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Not even thank you. Yeah. It just encapsulates the purely
transactional nature of college sports. Now players are basically year
to year free agents, moving to the highest bidder.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
It rips away any idea of loyalty or building something, and.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
It has a huge downstream effect on the NFL. If
players are just chasing a paycheck instead development, it impacts
their pro readiness. Aikman said he's just tired of a
system that lacks basic gratitude.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
And looking ahead to the twenty twenty six NFL Draft,
we got a big announcement from the college.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Ranks, a huge one. Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods is
foregoing his senior year to enter.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
The draft and this is a massive talent injection into
that class.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
ESPN already has him ranked as the third best player
overall in the entire class, and the top defensive tackle.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
When a DT is ranked that high, it means he's
viewed as a legitimate game wrecking force, the kind.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Of guy who can alter how an entire offense hop rates.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Let's quickly hit some GM and roster buzz. In San Francisco,
John Lynch had to address the Mac Jones trade speculation.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Yeah, and he downplayed it significantly. He invoked the old
Bill Walsh philosophy that you can never have too many
quality quarterbacks in the room.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
So they believe in Purty, but they trust Jones too exactly.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
They value having high quality, proven depth at the most
important position.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
And we saw some interesting practice squad signings involving former
Alabama players.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
We did. Wide receiver Javon Baker signed with the forty
nine ers and guard Darien Dalcourt signed with the Browns
to help with that offensive line crisis we talked about.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
And finally back to the Giants. They're having another tough year,
but they have key players in contract years who are
making a strong case for a big payday.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
One Dale Robinson is having a career year. He's on
pace for ninety five catches and over one thousand yards.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
And he leads all receivers in slot yards. That's phenomenal production.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
That kind of production gets you paid no matter who
the coach is next year. And right tackle Jermaine Ale
Muner is another one. He's openly talking about extensions.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Says he feels he's one of the best right tackles
right now, and he's.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Got leverage when you see other guys getting huge deals
after only a few starts. His self assessment is probably
right in terms of market value.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
But that leverage is complicated by the coaching situation in
New York.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
It is he's thriving under the current O line coach.
If the Giants do a complete reset, does the new
staff value him the same way That uncertainty makes any
long term deal tricky.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Before we wrap things up, we have to look globally.
The NFL is continuing this massive, aggressive push toward international expansion.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
And it's hugely important for the league's growth and their revenue.
That means some major announcements this week.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Regular season games are officially coming back to Munich, Germany
in twenty twenty six and twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Germany has proven to be a massive hungry market for
American football, but they're also breaking entirely new ground in
twenty twenty six, first.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Ever regular season games scheduled for Melbourne, Australia and Rio
di Jenio, Brazil.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Those are huge leaps. They're tapping into entirely new continents.
Plus they'll have two games in London again, and.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
The Detroit Lions are already being talked about as a
strong candidate for one of those Munich games.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Which makes sense the Lions resurgence, Dan Campbell's appeal, It's
a popular brand right now. The long term goal is clear,
keep that popularity in revenue soaring worldwide.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
You know this whole atmosphere heading into Week fifteen, with
all the QB crises and defensive shocks, it really brings
up one final provocative thought that ties all this together.
We have watched former MVP candidate like Mahomes and Hurts
have these turnover filled nightmares. Five turnovers for Hurts, three
interceptions for Mahomes, and.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
At the same time you see these defensive standouts rising up.
Houston's Jalen Peatrie goes from allowing a one to thirteen
passer rating to just forty three. He's become a shutdown threat.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Or Arizona's Josh sweat leading the entire league and forced fumbles.
These guys are actively creating the chaos we're seeing the Yeah.
So it raises this critical question about the parody in
the league. For years, the story was that the top qbs,
helped by the rules, would always win.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Out right, that offense was king.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
But if the top defenses are finally finding the counter
strategies to generate pressure and force turnovers, even against superstars
like Mahomes or Herbert, is this parody signaling a fundamental
strategic shift where defense is finally starting to consistently counter
the league's best quarterback talent.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
It absolutely feels like a pendulum swing. Yeah, the margin
for air for elite quarterbacks has shrunk dramatically. When the Chiefs,
the team that define the offense revolution, are scrambling and
turning it over and the Eagles look totally lost on offense,
it's not just a slump. It's a signal that the
cost of poor execution, especially against a rising, well coached
(31:13):
defense like Houston's, is instantly season changing.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
So the era of the untouchable, guaranteed thirty point offense
might be fading.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
It seems like it's being replaced by a much more volatile,
turnover driven landscape.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
A lot to chew on as we head into Week fifteen.
The stakes are just astronomical, and it feels like every
single snap now carries the weight of a playoff elimination game.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
It's going to be a truly wild final month of
the season. You need to watch every single snap.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
That's all the time we have for today. We appreciate
you joining us here on football Army. We'll catch you
next time.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.