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January 21, 2025 49 mins
The Buffalo Bills played host to the Baltimore Ravens in what was being coined (once again) a Game of the Year candidate.

Buffalo, led by their defense early on, appeared to have a perfect game plan to down the offensive firepower that the Ravens brought into town.

Ryan Wolfe and John Cimino, joined by Chris Downey, break down the Bills big Divisional Round win and talk about what is next - the Kansas City Chiefs and one more win to a Super Bowl appearance.

Listen in!
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gearnetwork dot com.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
The following is a presentation of the gear Radio Network.
The following is a presentation of the Gear Radio Network.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
I believe it's a big challenge for our building to
keep things in perspective and to if we're going to
get addicted to anything, let's get addicted to the process.

Speaker 4 (00:28):
And with that, we welcome you to Trust the podcast
powered by Better Live Than Dead and the Gear Radio Network.
This year is episode one.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Seventy one, Episode one seven one, Buffalo Bills versus the
Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.
My babies, you know it's really.

Speaker 4 (00:51):
Funny, John, This is one hundred and seventy first episode,
and I completely forgot that. I say it's episode one
hundred and seventy one, and then you say one to
seven to one. I just I just totally messed that up.
But hey, you know who did mess up?

Speaker 1 (01:03):
John?

Speaker 4 (01:03):
John?

Speaker 1 (01:04):
Hey, I don't want follows that script.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
Don't worry John, John. You know who did not mess
up this weekend? We did not mess up this God
damn Buffalo Bills.

Speaker 5 (01:12):
May Day.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah, buddy, they they came, they came, They saw and
Ryan and Chris came multiple times. Hey, sorry, mister missus Downey, I.

Speaker 4 (01:24):
Told you to keep my personal life off the airwaves.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
John, I can't help it when I'm this jazzed up. Dude.

Speaker 4 (01:30):
You can hear us on Betterlive than Dead dot com,
your network, dot com, morever else you listen to podcasts,
make sure to hit the subscribe button's all to stay
up to date on the latest podcast. I'm Ryan Wolf
at Better Live than That on Blue Sky. Can I
just can I say something here?

Speaker 1 (01:43):
John? You guy said whatever you want?

Speaker 4 (01:45):
Fuck Twitter.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Oh yeah, I've been off of that. I've been off
of that for a very long time now.

Speaker 4 (01:51):
Well it's because it's because of the recent the I
don't want to get too political here, but uh yeah,
that'll just out. Because I'm John, I'm turning a new leaf.
I'm professional ish.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Yes, indeed, we can all be thankful that a certain
someone did not buy this team and that a certain
someone else did. And I think we can leave it
at that.

Speaker 4 (02:13):
Yeah, I would agree with that one. I'm Ryan Wolf
at betterlie thandad dot com on Blue Sky, John my
co host John Samino at I am JC money on
Threads and at i'mjcmoney dot beskuy doest social John Yes.
I mentioned this multiple times in Our Hello, in Our Trust,
the text message podcast Chain.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
Ball Don't Lie, Man baldor Lie.

Speaker 4 (02:35):
There were a few moments on Sunday which, if you've
been living under rock, welcome back. Thank you for tuning in.
Buffalo holds on and defeats Baltimore twenty seven to twenty
five on a last minute failed two point conversion. Buffalo
came out the gates, rareing to go just completely dominating
the Baltimore Ravens. The second half a little different, Buffalo

(02:57):
a little hold on for dear life, and the third.
In the fourth they parked the bus and were able
to hold on just long enough. But again, Ball Don't Lie.
Buffalo completes the season ten and zero at home regular
and postseason combined, tying the nineteen ninety Buffalo Bills for
the most home wins in a single season in team history.

(03:18):
Buffalo advances to their tenth AFL and AFC, AFL and
or AFC Championship Game of franchise history. Sports Illustrated Albert
Breers said this postgame quote, one thing was clear. The
Buffalo Bills felt disrespected.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Right or wrong.

Speaker 4 (03:31):
It was a railing cry and Josh Allen brought up
at halftime. The narrative was that the Bills weren't big
or strong enough. On the way out, I heard guys say, quote,
now those nine Pro Bowlers can go to the Pro Bowl.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Aha, I love it, love it. And we you know what,
We've covered that over the course of time during this
season two where it felt like everybody he kind of
had had sold themselves on this is a rebuild year
and the Buffalo Bills were not going to be the
Buffalo Bills that the you know from Yester from from
last year, the year before, are any of that type
of stuff. And boy, oh boy, has it been fun

(04:04):
to see the Josh Allen, the hand of Alan smack
some sense into people a little bit left and right
on the way there to be able to say that.

Speaker 4 (04:13):
To be a little serious for just a second here,
because the national media is kind of tearing the Bills
apart a bit for this this week. They're saying, well,
who doubted this team? No one doubted this team. Go
just go take a quick search on the internet and
you can go read all of the negative press about
how coming in the year this was, coming into the

(04:34):
season the Bills got rid of Stefan Diggs and Mitch
Morris and Michaeh Hyde and Jordan Poyer, and they're not
going to be good and they're gonna take a step back.
And this is the year that the This is the
year that the that the Jets are going to make
the jumper, the Dolphins are going to make the jumper.
God forbid, maybe even the Patriots are gonna challenge for
a wild card. But the one thing was for certain.
This was the worst team that the Buffalo Bills have

(04:55):
had since Josh Allen has been the quarterback. And boy
where they were on and boy has Buffalo been using
that to fuel the fire. And again, because you go
back to Week four when the Bills got completely completely
got their asses well at Baltimore on Sunday and night football.
That was the that was the talk. The Bills aren't

(05:17):
big enough, they aren't fast enough, they aren't strong enough
to stop a guy like Derrick Henry.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
But you know what they were this time was healthy enough.

Speaker 4 (05:25):
Well that wasn't wrong, and we'll talk about too. They
were healthy. But there was a lot of there were
a lot of different things that I was able to
read through and catch up on this week. That really
really shows the different perspective that this team has. We
saw the articles about Sean McDermott developing into a different leader,
more of a second child dad than a first child dad,

(05:47):
if you will with this team talk.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
About that last week.

Speaker 4 (05:49):
Yep, you're letting other people kind of run the show
and you're just looking at it from a thousand foot view,
ten thousand foot view, going the product of what I
have created this this is fantastic and I mean even
look at Sean McDermott said that Albert Breuerpostkam quote. They're
all about the process that leads to winning, which is
not different than are other teams. It just seems like
it's a little bit of a higher level. Even Sean

(06:11):
McDermott understands this team is built different.

Speaker 1 (06:16):
It is. It's built way different. It's it's no longer
built among you know, around a certain group of people.
It's Josh Allen's team. That tone was set right from
the beginning of the season here that this is the
year that it's going to be, you know, all Josh,
It's gonna be it's Josh's team and what he does

(06:38):
or how this team performs is going to be a
direct reflection on him, especially and you know not MVP
talk career numbers, past setting records, meeting team records, things
like that like that. Some you can make very few
You can make a lot of little mistakes, you can

(06:58):
make very few big ones. I think everybody thought that
the offloading of all of those names that you had
mentioned earlier, Ryan was a big mistake, and it turns
out that maybe it wasn't.

Speaker 4 (07:11):
Yeah, I mean, sometimes you gotta change to grow, Sometimes
you gotta shed that dead weight to to to move forward.
But at the end of the day, it's it's working
and and.

Speaker 1 (07:22):
Really good for them because if with that low bar
that was set, if they didn't get to where they
are now, I think the Bills mafia would still be
pretty jazzed up about the prospect of what would come
this off season, you know, after that season, because of
all of the money that they're going to have now,

(07:44):
and to talk about reworking Josh Allen's deal too as well.
I don't know if you heard about that or if
that's coming down the pike, but well, you know, if
that's on there, I won't spoil anything.

Speaker 4 (07:51):
But now that we'll talk about that this offseason. That
rate right now, that's stuff like that is is it's
that time of year where, yeah, where we're teams that
aren't playing or talking about the off season. So you're
gonna start hearing more rumblings about the Bills and about.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
Oh yeah, you know, what are they going to do this?
But either way, this was the best best case scenario
is they win the Super Bowl, right, but getting to
the AFC Championship game when no one was sure that
they would even advance past the wild card round, the
first round, if that, I mean, that's you gotta hand

(08:29):
it to them.

Speaker 4 (08:30):
Again, I said to the team, John, I said this
last week. And we'll jump into our three big things
here in a second, But I said this last week.
Even if even if this week is the end, which
I don't think it's going to be, weble talk about
that coming up.

Speaker 6 (08:41):
But.

Speaker 4 (08:43):
Apparently my dog thinks it's time to bark.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
And oh, I mean, I'm gonna well, just while while
you handle.

Speaker 4 (08:49):
That, I'm just gonna say, just just looking at it
really quick, Like you said, Buffalo had coming into this year,
Buffalo really had no business making it this far. But
the fact that they have made it this far, and
how they've made it this far shows how much of
a different team this is and how they have evolved

(09:11):
from the past.

Speaker 1 (09:12):
I mean jumping jumping Josh all sounded just sounded in
those postgame interviews that was different level that he leveled
up in a lot of ways, not just on the
field too, but he's definitely like he's that dude, and
he made it known without directly making it known post postgame.

Speaker 4 (09:32):
So, John, are three big things brought to you by
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(09:52):
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that is code trust the Process for fifteen percent off

(10:12):
your next purchase John indeed wrapping up the offense starting
with a legend of the game. The Buffalo Bills have
absolutely nailed every legend of the game they bring in.
It's always the right person, the right fit for that game,
and Ryan Fitzpatrick is no different, setting the tone right

(10:33):
right before the kickoff. He set the tone in the
right spot. The audio clip comes directly from the Buffalo Bills.
There's a little echoing at the start because they are
recording Ryan Fitzpatrick talking into the microphone. But we'll talk
about this in just a second. Take it away.

Speaker 5 (10:47):
I got it.

Speaker 4 (11:16):
So for those of you who have not seen this
clip yet, Ryan Fitzpatrick talked on his podcast last week.
It's The Fits and Witch Show. You can listen to
it on Spotify. It's an incredible podcast because, again, whenever
you can get athletes who are very good at talking
and telling stories and breaking things down and then you
put it in a podcast format, it's a must listen to.

Speaker 1 (11:35):
Every week.

Speaker 4 (11:36):
He mentioned LAT. He mentioned lat before last week's game
that he said he was called about it and he
said he was thinking about doing it, but he said
he knows what the fans want. They want one thing,
They want skin.

Speaker 1 (11:50):
Crowd. You know, damn well he would he he's up
for that challenge.

Speaker 4 (11:54):
You hear the crowd, little echoly and then Fitz rips
his Sure well doesn't rip, but Sureff takes his jersey off,
takes his jacket and shirt off. You can hear the
fits scream and then the you know where else would
you rather be than right here right now? And boy
if I was not ready to run through a brick
wall after seeing that, and the bills came out, man,

(12:15):
and it was this is the weird thing for me
to make it about myself, you know, on our podcast here. Sure,
I've always tried to approach sports from a journalistic mindset
of trying to get too high, trying not to get too low,
pay attention to what's going on. Sure, I was oddly

(12:36):
incredibly calm last Sunday evening. I was I was just
ready for the game, ready to see what happened. I mean, yes,
the game went on, you get a little hyped up,
but yeah, you know, Josh Allen coming out sixteen to
twenty two, only needed one hundred and twenty seven passing yards,
ten Carris for twenty yards, two rushing touchdowns. Again, Josh
did not need to be super Josh on Sunday, and

(12:58):
this continues to be the trend of how buffalom those
our opponents, I mean, John per CBS Sports, Josh Allen
is playing the cleanest football of any quarterback ever in
the history of the NFL. This season, Josh Allen has
the lowest percentage of plays with a sack, fumble, or
interception at four point two percent since the merger, including

(13:20):
the playoffs, a minimum of five hundred plays obviously per
per season. But again it's it's something I sent to
Chat earlier that Dan LeBatard pointed out the guy who
came into the league who had the physical attributes to
be to be a star quarterback, but could not protect

(13:41):
the football, was very reckless with his decision making. Now
you're telling me he's the best we've ever seen, right,
that's so dangerous in.

Speaker 1 (13:51):
A good way for it's wild to even think of.
But yeah, I mean, you're absolutely right how he managed
to level up and protect the ball a lot more.
But also too and even though I've thrown out the
stat about Josh Allen accounting for eighty percent or greater
of Buffalo's offense, that still doesn't necessarily mean it's all him,

(14:17):
like passing and running. Having opened up that running game
with Joe Brady's offense has really really helped allow Josh
Allen probably to focus a little bit more on his
pocket presence, on his protection, on keeping the football and
making smarter decisions to throw it. You got a freaking
solid offensive line there that protects him pretty good too,

(14:39):
So it's you got a lot of parts, a lot
a lot of parts. And you hear Josh Allen talk
about his teammates all the time, talk about how they're
keeping him up and how they're you know, playing around
him and everything. He's never really taking credit for any
of it, and he could, but he's not. And that
just goes to show the type of leader he is,
the type of person and he's developed into. What a gift,

(15:02):
honestly that we've been able to cover that since day
one on this show, because it's really like it's a
nice vested interest I feel that we have and just
seeing it is unbelievable. And then knowing that this is
we're we're covering and talking about historical things now, not

(15:22):
just team history, but league history, you know what I mean?
Whoa that's that's that dude. He's that dude. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (15:32):
I mean again, it's it's hard to look at it
and say to yourself, you know, what more can this
guy do? And the answer is, well more, you know
what I mean.

Speaker 1 (15:45):
And I truly truly hope he truly hope he he
gets to do one. I hope it's this year obviously,
but at some point I hope he gets one because
the dude has done He just he does everything right.
You don't hear of any you know, problems you know
with him. That's you know, not knuckled. Not talk about
that knucklehead thing from a few years ago where he

(16:07):
was young. But I mean, he's he's pretty grounded. He's good.
He's dedicated to football. He's dedicated to the community. He
loves his teammates. His teammates love him, coaches love him,
the organization loves him, The league loves him. Like I said,
it's since day one, but it's it's right here for
everybody to see. Bufflo Bill's got a great one here

(16:28):
with Josh Allen, you know, yeah, and we're our weekly
segment the History of the NFL with Josh Allen.

Speaker 4 (16:32):
He scored his sixth and seventh career postseason rushing touchdown
on Sunday night, surpassing John Alway, Jalen Hurts, and Steve
McNair all at six for third most rushing touchdowns all
time by a quarterback in postseason history. In time, tied
Tom Brady at seven for the second most rushing touchdowns
all time by a quarterback in post season history, all
of him quarterbacks. Steve Young owns the record of eight

(16:53):
rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in postseason history. I have
to think that might be getting eclipsed on Sunday as
wellsh Imagine that Allen also moved to second all time
in career postseason rushing yards. He dropped down to second
six hundred and twenty nin rushing yards behind Lamar Jackson,
who surpassed six hundred and forty one yards with his
performance on Sunday. Josh Allen surpassed three thousand passing yards

(17:15):
in his postseason career on Sunday, becoming the third youngest
player at twenty eight years and two hundred and forty
three days in NFL history to reach this s mark,
behind Brett Favre, who did it at twenty eight years
one hundred and seven days old and Patrick Mahomes at
twenty six years and one hundred and twenty eight days old.
Josh Allen added twenty two attempts without a playoff interception
on Sunday, extending his personal streak to one hundred and
seventeen consecutive postseason attempts with on an interception. And remember

(17:38):
this is not because he is not taking chance. Is
this because he is very smart with the football. Josh
Allen's playoff career interception percentage is now zero point nine
to four percent. That's four picks in four hundred and
twenty six attempts, the fourth lowest and then postseason history,
trailing Alex Smith that point seven nine, Kirk Cousins at
point sixty five, and Brock Purty at point five eight.

Speaker 1 (17:58):
That's freaking wild.

Speaker 4 (18:00):
Looking at running back James Cook, seventeen carries for sixty
seven yards and three receptions on three targets for fifteen yards.
He did struggle to find openings with Baltimore stifling run defense,
but Cook did not give in John to put into
perspective about how effective Even only getting sixty seven yards
from Cook, Josh Allen had twenty and two rushing touchdowns.

Speaker 1 (18:21):
Excuse me.

Speaker 4 (18:22):
It was pointed out by Benjamin Solac on Twitter at
Benjamin Solac slak. The Broncos rush defense regular season was
thirty three point six percent success rate allowed, the best
in football. When the Bills and Broncos played, Buffalo had
a fifty five to zero percent success rate.

Speaker 1 (18:37):
Okay, excuse me.

Speaker 4 (18:38):
The Ravens rush defense in the regular season a thirty
five pointy percent success rate allowed, the second best in
the NFL.

Speaker 1 (18:44):
In the regular season.

Speaker 4 (18:45):
The Bills and Ravens, the Bills had a fifty five
point six percent success rate. That was the worst game
of the year for both run defenses in back to
back weeks. What the Buffalo Bills are doing with their
with their stellar offensive line, and they're scheming the scheming
is really what's doing it. I hope that no one

(19:06):
else outside of Buffalo that has decision making ability to
listen to this podcast, because if you want to know
Joe Brady terrible at his job, he needs to stay
in Buffalo.

Speaker 1 (19:15):
For a while.

Speaker 4 (19:16):
His job maybe on the line. He doesn't need to
go anywhere, but the six offensive lineman may give up
some of a salary to keep him there. Yeah, the
six offensive lineman, it's really it's really doing the damn thing.
And uh it's it's it's great too because what Buffalo
is doing and I saw something brief about this today,
how Buffalo is controlling the game with with with short

(19:38):
passes and running the ball and eating up the clock
is a new trend in the league that they are
they are spearheading because other teams are trying to do
this as well. And when you've got a guy like
job like you've got Josh Allen, you've got James Cook,
you've got Ray Davis, and you've got Ty Johnson. All right,
let's go.

Speaker 1 (19:57):
And they're young and cheap right now. So you know,
he got we got we got a good We got
a good one. That offensive line again, protecting Josh Allen,
opening opening up those holes for the running backs to
cut through, opens up just a plethora of different things. Uh,

(20:17):
particularly how we solved for those one hundred catches that
Steph Diggs now had to give up. I mean, he's
been spreading the ball around a million different people every
single game. You just you got it. It's a great
nucleus there. That's this Bill's team, top to bottom is
going to be very very difficult for anyone to beat.

(20:38):
And that's why I thought last week and I still
stand firm, that the winner of the Ravens Bills game
was going to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
And I don't see anybody in the NFC that could
that could handle a team like Buffalo right now. So
the NFC's best bet would be Kansas City winning because
and I don't I don't see the Kansas City winning either.

Speaker 4 (21:01):
It's crazy too, because everything that Buffalo has done, you
still feel like there's more. There's it's almost like we've
talked about it all all Regular City.

Speaker 1 (21:10):
They've been getting that disrespect though all year because of
all of the sexy other things, the possible the possibility
of the three peat, which from a historical football perspective,
I can't lie that's intriguing. But in the same on it,
you know what I mean, it's well, I.

Speaker 4 (21:26):
Was gonna say it's it's three. It's three straight titles
and four straight Super Bowl appearances. I mean, that's a
bubbles up against on Sunday, which we'll talk about. But right,
and and that's and that's even and that we're saying.
People were saying that, you know, and not to jump
too far ahead, but by by, I've just stopped on
to see Sam AND's ahad to me, even if Mark

(21:47):
Andrews catches that two point conversion, there's still a minute
and change on the clock. You're telling me, Josh Allen
can't get like that's that's the disrespect. Everyone's like, well,
thank god that he dropped the ball, because you never
know what it had, what would have happened. And let's
be honest, Bistically, Buffalo should have gotten smoked on Sunday because, again,
jumping ahead a little time of possession, Buffalo controlled thirty

(22:08):
one forty four to twenty eight sixteen. Baltimore out out yarded,
more yardage, whatever you want to say, four hundred and
sixteen to two hundred and seventy three. John, That sets
a new franchise record for the largest yard deficit in
a playoff win in franchise history at minus one forty three.
The previous record was minus one twenty in a seventeen the.

Speaker 1 (22:26):
Ran mind of stuff like that, I would have had
no earthly idea about that one holy.

Speaker 4 (22:31):
Good previous record minus one twenty and a seventeen to
three victory over Baltimore on January sixteenth, twenty twenty one.
Again Buffalo did. They played perfect in terms of forcing turnovers,
eating the clock and getting the points necessary. I mean again,
there was there was the play where to win the game.

(22:52):
You're right, You're absolutely right. And to see and to
see Sean McDermott break down his decision making and why
the Bills went for a field goal late in the
game when they they were at the it was first
in goal and they ended up kicking a field goal.
Should they Should they have Tush pushed twice in a row? Absolutely,
that would have been the call. But Jean mcderby said, hey,

(23:15):
if it was fourth and one, fourth and two, yeah,
let's go anything past that, you gotta take the points.
And that's exactly what the Buffalo Bills did and it
ended up working out for him because again they won
by two, but real quick. On the everyone eats category,
nine different players recorded at least one target on Sunda,
Khalil Shakir stood up stood out six receptions on seven
targets for sixty seven yards, second player in franchise history

(23:38):
with three consecutive playoff games with six plus receptions, joining
Stefan Diggs, who had six against India Earth six versus
the Colts, eight versus Baltimore and six at Kansas City
in the twenty twenty one NFL Playoffs, running back Ray
Davis four rushes for twenty nine yards in a rushing touchdown,
his first career playoff touchdown. One thing that we're definitely
gonna hope that we see a lot less of Dean

(24:00):
Dawkin's fault, the NFL ress fault at least the second
time in recent in recent memory, took a holding call
that was not a holding call. I'm sorry, but if
you can't understand perfect technique and you're going to call
that a penalty, you need to figure it out.

Speaker 1 (24:14):
Here's the thing, the top bottom. They've impacted the referees,
meaning they've impacted every freaking game in this playoff, and
like the worst possible way, I'm I'm afraid of what's
to come Sunday, to be honest, because there was some
there was some very very suspect, very very suspect calls
in that Kansas City game as well that that helped

(24:37):
get them there and it but it just seems like
the I don't I don't know what the protocol is
or is going to be for referee evaluation after the
season is done. But they need to do something about
this because this is just a bunch of calls and
left and right in every freaking game that it's like
you're looking at it and you're like, what the hell,
why was that a call? Why was that there?

Speaker 4 (24:59):
You? Yeah, and I know that the pass interference that
was called against Keyon Coleman late in the game that
gave the Bills a great opportunity to score. I understand
that people that was a bad call. Watch it back.
When you're holding the receiver's arms down so they can't
get their arms up and out, you're gonna call that, right,
But when Dean Dawkins takes the guy to the ground,
and that's exactly what you're supposed to do when you

(25:20):
call it holding. Former NFL offensive lineman Brian Balding are
tweeted out about the great technique, and then former NFL
offensive lineman direct Jeff Schwartz commented with a good point quote,
They've called this for a year now. I do not
get it. I think the officials see the end of
the block and assume that he was just pulled down
in a holding pattern. But again, if you're going to
call that pay attention because yes, I understand that if
you're going to say, well, if you got pulled to
the ground, maybe that's what you know. Maybe he wasn't holding,

(25:42):
But it's a slippery slope. But again, at the end
of the day, pay attention. Absolutely wrapping up the defensive
special teams Again, I keep this here. It's all about
attitude now and it's it's again, couldn't be further, couldn't be,
couldn't be more right. Sean mcderbery confirmed to Sports illustrators
Albert Beer post game that brought Bobby Babbage and his
entire defensive staff went back this past weekend watched all

(26:05):
of Baltimore's offensive plays for the entire season to determine
a game plan to beat them.

Speaker 1 (26:09):
Quote.

Speaker 4 (26:09):
I don't think a full staff that I've ever been
around has ever done this, or that I've been around
has ever done this, McDermot said, leaning on a table
in the Bills training room areun ten PM on Sunday.

Speaker 1 (26:18):
Quote.

Speaker 4 (26:19):
I did it for the Super Bowl for myself as
a play caller with the Panthers years ago, looked at
every play from their whole season late nights, late nights,
do what you got to do in order to try
and figure out a plan that would at least manage them.
Linebacker Terrel Bernard Post came to Albert Burrosso said quote,
we all just leaned on each other. I don't think
there's anybody that looked outside that that they're the ones
that have to make the play every time. I felt

(26:39):
like we put eco responsibility on everybody out there. And
we have the best quarterback of the National Football League,
so we feel like as a defense, if we can
get the ball to him will be successful. That's our
whole idea ar mantra, stop the run, take the ball away,
affect the quarterback, and let Josh go to work.

Speaker 1 (26:53):
And that's again, and when they defense did, that's exactly
what the Bills defense said, that's what they needed to do.
And and then the offensive side, we have already covered that.
They they took care of what they needed to do.
You had a perfect game all around. Everybody, every cog
on the wheel did its part. Every piece of the
puzzle fit into place, and you know, you could talk

(27:16):
about the fact that it got down to that two
point conversion, you know, make or break at the end
of that game. Sure, you can get there, but the
reality of the situation is, and as this team has
been very very well known to do all year, they
do enough on both sides of the ball to more

(27:37):
often than not and with a win.

Speaker 4 (27:41):
Yeah, and I mean again, the defense looked absolutely incredible.
I know that they had their ups in their downs,
but they did their job on Sunday. And it was
a lot of different looks to Sael Capaccio points out,
the Bills played just about sixty forty nickel versus base
defense on Sunday, given a bunch of different looks to
the Buffet or to the Baltimore Ravens. I know Matt
Molana was incredibly disruptive. Per at next Gen Stats, Buffalo

(28:05):
blitzed on forty six point seven percent of the dropbacks
in the first half. It's their highest percentage of the
season in the first half. They had only three other
games where they blitzed on at least one third of
their dropbacks. Buffalo also had a plus three turnover margin.
Their three takeaways on Sunday, or more than Baltimore had
in their previous seven games. Combined with two turnovers, Baltimore
became the fourth team in NFL history to not record

(28:26):
a punt in a playoff loss. Which playoffs, which places
more emphasis and just how important those turnovers were because
Buffalo got essentially three extra possessions because they were able
to take the ball away. Linebacker Von Miller picked up
a loose ball after DeMar Hamlin wrapped up Lamar Jackson
and the ball slipped out of Jackson's hand, ran the
ball back for thirty nine yards. It was really funny
because Jim Nantz commented on the broadcast it was the

(28:48):
fastest forty yard dash Miller has run since he did
his one at the NFL Combine in twenty eleven, which
that's correct, although von Miller did very much look the
aged veteran when he was running. But hey, look at
you see the ball, you get the ball, you rown
the ball. Linemacker Treil Bernard four tackles, three solo, a
forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, punched the ball out
after Mark Andrews caught apacity recovered the fumble, becoming a

(29:11):
third Buffalo player with a playoff forced fumble and a
fumble recovery combination, joining Kirby Jackson. On January twelfth, nineteen
ninety two versus Denver and Nate A Doomas a damase
A Domas January seventeen, nineteen ninety three, at Miami. And
you know what, when it comes to me, when it
comes to me mispronouncing names, someone made a very good point.
They say, you know it's okay. I think it was.

(29:32):
Nick Wright actually said on a podcast if you if
you are mispronouncing a name that you read and that
you didn't see, but you read, it just means you're
you're a well read person. You're much smarter because you're
reading to learn to understand. You're not just going Yeah.
John Samino, Oh yeah, I saw that on a video. No,
you're you see the name and you can't pronounce it

(29:53):
because you read it, not because you heard it. And
I said, damn, that kind of hits because John, you
know me, buddy, I'm the worst.

Speaker 1 (30:01):
Oh yeah, oh no, I'm I'm no, I'm no saint
when it comes to that too. I but your names
left and right.

Speaker 4 (30:06):
John, it will it will live with me. It is
a day that will live in infamy.

Speaker 1 (30:09):
I don't know why.

Speaker 4 (30:10):
For some reason, I can still remember it though, back
when trust the podcast and I was I was, I
was doing this with Dell read Friend of the pod
over at twenty six shirts and I mispronounced Malachi. And
I have zero idea why, but that still sits with
me in the back of my brain.

Speaker 1 (30:28):
That was Wow. That was That was season one, That
was pre Josh.

Speaker 4 (30:32):
That was so long ago, and I still remember it
to this day, do I. I?

Speaker 1 (30:38):
You know what I And this is no disrespect to Dell.
We love you Dell and uh and and thank you
for all you do. But I honestly forgot that that
you two had uh that you two had that run
there in the very beginning. It's you two laid that
foundation for what I've got some ideas today.

Speaker 4 (30:57):
If things developed the way that they are developing, we
may have some fun. If not, I'll put it in
the back of my head for when it does happen.
But Taylor Rapp had a pick his first career postseason interception.
Defensive en Greg Russo five tackles for solo, a sack,
a tackle for loss, and one pass deflection. It was
his third career playoff sack, second straight playoff game with
the sack, the fourteenth postseason sack streaking team history. Safety

(31:20):
Damar Hamlin eight total tackles with five solo tackles, one sack,
two tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, and he does
get credit for a forced fumble although he grabbed Lamar
Jackson's ankle. Lamar Jackson dropped the ball, which there makes
it a forced fumble kind of like when the when
you know you shoot a puck in it goes off
a guy's leg, but it's the other team. They're like,
whoever was closest gets it. I think that was the
case here, but.

Speaker 1 (31:40):
Yeah, either way it might be by Hey, how great
is it to see DeMar Hamlin, you know, making major
significant contributions and to to this Bills team. He's he's been.
I agree, he's been quite the sight to see.

Speaker 4 (31:54):
The Only thing that scares the ever lovin daylights out
of me John h real quick sack back and forth
Fumblecambo was the first buy a Bill in the playoffs
since Mario Addison did it on January sixteenth, twenty twenty
one versus Baltimore. But seeing themar Hammond with the Guardian
cap on, I know I sent you guys a tweet
about this with the Guardian cap on lawn darding himself
into people still makes me a little uneasy seeing Yeah,

(32:17):
the PTSD of seeing him die on the field during
the full game.

Speaker 1 (32:21):
Yeah, the thing, the thing that I I routinely tend
to blackout because of how scary that was. So yeah, no,
I would agree that that's probably not the wisest choice
for him to make. But then the same from every
other standpoint, he's vastly improved in his game, and you know,

(32:42):
being able to play every single game or just about
every single game that you know this past season certainly
helps with that. But it's great. It's just a great
story all around with him and and who he is
and how he came to be and what he means
to people now and then the inspiration that he provides
to people. To see him do these, you know, meaning

(33:04):
playing meaning making meaningful plays in meaningful games is really
really awesome to see. So kudos to Demor Hamlin.

Speaker 4 (33:12):
And real quick Tyler bass My guyho for two on
field goals, four for four an extra points. His fifty
one yard field goal tied for the third longest in
Buffalo posts in history, moves to four for four on
fifty plus yard field goal attempts in his postseason career.
Driven with that.

Speaker 1 (33:25):
Let me let me tellt me, just tell you real
quick that Trust the Podcast Karma, Brother. Ever since I
got you, I I shared it with Tyler Bass when
he was going through that slump. He's he's had himself
a heck of a year. Good on you, Tyler Bass.
Look at I.

Speaker 4 (33:41):
Every time I see that, I bring it up because
I know that you'll get real hype about it. And
that's what I was about.

Speaker 1 (33:45):
Hell yeah, hell yeah, that's that Trust the Podcast Karma. Hey,
gotta get him.

Speaker 4 (33:49):
I'll take it, brother, I'll take it.

Speaker 1 (33:51):
Brother.

Speaker 4 (33:52):
We will be right back after this quick break with
more Trust the Podcast here on the Gear Radio Network,
and when we are back here on Trust the Podcast
around the NFL, John Yeah. Brought to you by Go
Frost Yourself.

Speaker 1 (34:06):
Oh, Go Frost Yourself. They are located right here in
the five A five the Rock City, the Flowers City, Rochester,
New York, and Go Frost Yourself does whether the local
bakeries do not. They bake from scratch, creating recipes themselves
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(34:29):
you happen to get that daily daily because Molly and
Jen Hi, Molly, Hello Jen. They work tirelessly to create
what Go Frost Yourself has become today, and their passion
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go ahead and do it, Ryan Bake. When you find
yourself looking for an item for a special occasion, maybe

(34:50):
you just want to try their incredible cinnamon rolls. If
you are local, which I know some of you new
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You can visit Go Frost Yourself so at twenty five
to forty four Ridgeway Avenue or at gofrost yourself dot com.

Speaker 7 (35:05):
And now, ladies and gentlemen, over to our unpaid intern,
the Holy jack Wagon, mister Chris Downey for Around the NFL.

Speaker 1 (35:16):
Chris See get away, good.

Speaker 6 (35:17):
Sir as always, thank you, Ryan and John. This is
Around the NFL Divisional Round edition. It's arguably the best
weekend of the football calendar. The Divisional Round of the
NFL Playoffs a chance to move on to the conference
Championship game. Four quality games split between Saturday and Sunday.
Let's get to it first. On Saturday in Kansas City,
the Chiefs advanced to their seventh straight AFC championship game

(35:40):
now informally called the Arrowhead Invitational, whether twenty three to
fourteen winner the Houston Texans. Travis Kelce posted his second
hundred plus yard receiving game of the year with one
hundred and seventeen yards on seven catches, including a touchdown.
Kareem Hunt led the Chiefs with forty four yards and
a score, while Mahomes only threw foe hundred and seventy
seven yards in the win. But the defense was the

(36:01):
highlight for the Chiefs, registering eight sacks on CJ. Stroud,
including three from George Carl Loftis.

Speaker 1 (36:07):
In the win.

Speaker 6 (36:08):
On the NFC side, the Detroit Lions the number one
seed for the NFC. Their injury plagued held together by
Duct Tate defense finally gave way as the Commanders go
into Detroit and to come out with a forty five
to thirty one win Saturday night. Jared Goff for the
Lions through for three hundred yards and a touchdown, but
he also had three key interceptions.

Speaker 1 (36:28):
On the night.

Speaker 6 (36:29):
Jamiir Gibbs over one hundred rushing yards and a monro
Saint Brown recorded one hundred plus receiving yards in the game,
the Commanders Jaydon Daniels was a yard short of three
hundred yards, their leading rusher only had seventy seven yards,
and their leading receiver was just two yards shy of
one hundred for the game. Needless to say, though neither
offense was the issue, Washington simply performed better and scored

(36:52):
more points. The key difference though their defense scored at
pick six late in the first half to put its
lead double digits. The other two interceptions, one led to
a Washington touchdown and the other was at the end
of the game. Detroit spectacular season fifteen to two record
comes at a cost, in a screeching halt in the
divisional round. The cost offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who many

(37:13):
thought was going to take a head coaching job last year.
He's off to take the head coaching job in Chicago,
and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is presumably taking a head
coaching job. He's going through the invert process as the
day of recording here on Tuesday could be any day
now that he you know, gets a head coaching gig.
On Sunday, a pair of snow games capped off the weekend.

(37:36):
First we go to Philadelphia. Sakwon Barkley over two hundred
and five yards rushing. He is a man on a mission.
He scored twice as Philly eight twenty two winners over
the La Rams. Jalen Hurts only three four hundred and
twenty eight yards in the win. Not much of him
was needed with Saquon's efforts carrying the ball twenty six
times for the Rams, though. Matthew Stafford through for three
hundred and twenty four yards in the loss, including a

(37:58):
pair of touchdown the difference maker down one. In the
second half, the Rams had two consecutive drives end with
a fumble and then a three and out punt. All
of that put twelve points on the board for the Eagles.
The lone touchdown in that sequence, though, was a seventy
eight yard touchdown run from sa Quon on the first
play from scrimmage. Definitely a deal breaker for the Rams.
Something that you know is right in your face. We

(38:19):
saw it earlier with Buffalo this year. That long run
just get you punched, you right in the mouth. But
if you're La though, and you score on one of those,
result could have been different. Rams who were one of
the hotter teams. Not by record, but they were one
of the hotter teams coming in the playoffs. You know,
just couldn't quit, couldn't quite get it done here in Philadelphia.
But now with the win, Philly the host the Commanders

(38:41):
in the NFC Championship game Sunday at three pm. The
teams are bitter divisional rivals, and they split their two
matchups this year, with the home team winning each of them.
Then the main event of the divisional round the Ravens
and Bills. Ryan and John have to discuss this at
length already we know what's coming up. Buffalo travels to

(39:01):
Kansas City for a six to thirty pm kick winner
to the super Bowl situation. Last time we saw the
Bills in the AFC Championship, though it's been a few years.
Last time though, went to Kansas City and learned a
few lessons, to say the least. Now for your stat
heads out there, your junkies, this one's for you Ryan
as well your interesting stat of the week. The final

(39:23):
four teams in the NFL playoffs the Commanders, Bills, Chiefs,
and Eagles. They are top four in the NFL and
fourth down conversion rate. Washington, they lead the way eighty
seven percent converting rate twenty of twenty three. Buffalo second
seventy two point seven percent. The Chiefs and Eagles are
third and fourth, respectively, seventy point sixty two percent and

(39:45):
seventy point four percent. No other team in the league
is above seventy percent converting rate on fourth down. This
has been your divisional round recap around the NFL. We'll
talk to you next week as we recap winners of
the AFC and NFC championship game. Who's playing in Super
Bowl in a few weeks in New Orleans, And hopefully

(40:06):
we have a couple more of these as the Bills
look to move on. Ryan and John take her home.
Go Bills.

Speaker 4 (40:12):
Thanks Chris as always, brother, We appreciate you, Chris, and
you're around, well really just around kind of the NFC.
I know that there's not much football left to talk about,
but you know what there's still left to talk about, John,
what's that the Buffalo Bills baby? Looking ahead our injury report.
Safety Taylor Rapp left the game with a hip injury.
Did not return, said to be day today. Quarterback Christian

(40:34):
Benford suffer concussion on the on side kick attempt late
in the fourth quarter, took an earshot of helmet helmet
to the side hole in his helmet. Not great in
concussion protocol. Also not sure if Matt Mallana was heard
or not because no one was really reported it, but
he did miss last few drives of the game. Appears
to have suffered some sort of knee injury maybe, but
we'll see what happens there. The big news of the

(40:56):
day the a f C Championship game Buffalo at Kansas Sunday,
January twenty six, at six thirty pm on CBS John.
The revenge tour continues. Kansas City has ended Buffalo's season
three out of the last four years. Buffalo defeated Kansas
City in Buffalo thirty to twenty one back in Week eleven.
In the last ten games head to head, both teams

(41:18):
five and five two hundred and fifty one points four
two hundred and fifty one points against Kansas City. Kidding
me what unbelievable, Billy.

Speaker 1 (41:28):
That I mean?

Speaker 4 (41:29):
I hope so that's what the Internet told me, right,
it can't be.

Speaker 1 (41:32):
On the league? How that's that is incredible? I need
that verified, Ryan, I need that.

Speaker 4 (41:39):
It came from Amazon. It came from Amazon, so it's
got again. That's that's I didn't make that up, But
you can go.

Speaker 1 (41:44):
Do the math yourself.

Speaker 4 (41:45):
Brother.

Speaker 1 (41:45):
Incredible.

Speaker 4 (41:46):
Kansas City sixteen and two, nine to zero at home,
the first seat in the AFC. They are the AFC
West Champions. Last week a twenty three to fourteen victory
over the Houston Texas in the Division round. John ESPN
Matchup Predictor fifty four point six of America believes America's
new team, the Buffalo Bills, will add another stop in
there twenty twenty four revenge tour in New Orleans with

(42:08):
a win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Buddy, I don't
know about you. I have not felt this confident about
a game in a very long time. But what say you, John,
how do you feel about this?

Speaker 1 (42:22):
I feel like this is a team of destiny. I
don't feel like it's a matter of if. I feel
like it's a matter of when. The when will be
this Sunday, they will defeat the Kansas City Chiefs and
they will advance to the Super Bowl. And I don't
think anybody from the NFC is gonna beat them. This
is a team of destiny. I am among that fifty

(42:44):
four point six percent that believes that they will add
that stop to New Orleans on their revenge tour. They're
beating Kansas City this week. I've just not seen Kansas
City do enough to convince me that they are are
as hungry as Buffalo has shown me and shown everybody

(43:06):
that's really been watching them and really pays attention how
hungry they are. That is a hunger that team is is.
That's a level of hunger that championship teams have. And
I know Kansas City, listen, their story is great. They've

(43:26):
got to lit me a Hall of famers on that team.
They do. They have a great chance to you know,
they have the great chance to go, you know, for
the three peat. Sure, it's just not that time. I
think it's catching up to them. I think it's gonna
catch up to them, and I think Buffalo is gonna
punch him in the mouth on Sunday and go to
the Super Bowl.

Speaker 4 (43:45):
I think with Buffalo they are in their Cody Rodero.
They have to finish, They have to finish the story.

Speaker 1 (43:51):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (43:54):
There's no better way than to defeat the back to
back Super Bowl champions who have ended your season three
out of the last four years.

Speaker 1 (44:03):
I mean, that's that's remember when you might not remember
because you're young, but longtimers might remember when Steve Young
took the got the forty nine ers to the Super
Bowl a couple of years after they had traded Joe
Montana to the Kansas City Chiefs and uh, they just
ran rough shot over the then San Diego Chargers in

(44:24):
that Super Bowl. The one thing that Steve Young looked
at the camera and he yelled at somebody, he said, hey,
get that monkey off my back. And they ripped them,
you know, they ripped the monkey off his back. And
he was like, ah, you know, he was all happy
that that's Josh Allen. He's getting his Steve Young moment
right now. He's going to get a Steve Young moment. There.

(44:44):
The monkey rigs worth. I believe it. I believe.

Speaker 4 (44:48):
I believe to brother, looking at this, it was always
going to be Buffalo. It always had to be Buffalo.
To be the man, you gotta beat the man. The
Kansas City Chiefs have been those guys for a very
long time. And this doesn't take anything away from.

Speaker 1 (45:07):
Them, no right, no, no, no, I I what they've
done has been historic and and it's you know what,
good for them, It's just it's time.

Speaker 4 (45:18):
I can't think, I mean, I can think of some
ways that Buffalo Bills could lose on Sunday, But my
thought is that it would take some level of lack
of a better explanation, some form of shit housery that
would cause the Buffalo Bills to lose on Sunday. And frankly,
with how the defense has been playing, whether the defense

(45:38):
has been adjusting, with how the offense has been playing,
with how the offense has been adjusting, with how Josh
Allen's been protecting the ball.

Speaker 1 (45:46):
It ain't over yet, no, no, and over yet.

Speaker 4 (45:49):
I'm personally, I'm gonna be in Manhattan, beautiful Manhattan, Kansas
on on work, on business. As they say, so it's
going to be a bit interesting for me personally.

Speaker 1 (46:02):
But you know, yeah, there being there in the being able.

Speaker 4 (46:07):
To watch the Buffalo Bills make it to the super Bowl.
This is something that I never I mean, they played
a few years ago, they played Kansas City, but you
thought to yourself, you know, looking back, this this feels different,
and again there's going to be something will have to

(46:27):
go catastrophically wrong. For Buffalo to not win this game again.
Kansas City is good. Kansas City has not scored more
than thirty points in the game this year. Buffalo scores
with ease. Buffalo adjusts. Buffalo can handle what Kansas City
is throwing at them. It just all depends can Buffalo
outsmart Steve Spagnolo in the in the Chiefs defense, and

(46:48):
they already hand I mean they already handled him earlier
this year. It's not to say that you beat him
in the regular season, you beat him in the postseason,
because again.

Speaker 1 (46:55):
It is hard to beat one team multiple times a year. Yeah,
as has not been Kansas City in the postseason, as
Baltimore figured out last week. Yep. So I'm just saying,
I know you're nervous, as Baltimore.

Speaker 4 (47:11):
I know you're nervous, and John's Baltimore's found out.

Speaker 1 (47:14):
You play to win the game, right, you play to
win the game. I know you're nervous, and I know
Chris is probably nervous, and I know a bunch of
Buffalo Bills fans probably nervous because it's it's it's probably
very easy to go back to ship they knocked us off.
How you know this year, this year. This year, right
in each of those Buffalo Bills teams, you and I

(47:35):
have been able to point out a litany of different
things that I was gonna say.

Speaker 4 (47:39):
Just just to just to look at it again. If
it happens, I get it right because it's Kansas City.
But at the same time, I just don't see it happening.

Speaker 1 (47:51):
I feel like this team is smarter, it's coached smarter,
it's learned from those lessons that you know again. And
I also want to say, trust the podcast Karma. I
believe in that. That's ay very very real thing, and
they've got that trust the podcast Karma. Tyler Bass in fact,

(48:11):
is going to be the one to win the game
for the for them.

Speaker 4 (48:13):
If anybody wants to, if anybody wants to to jump
on the bandwagon and support the Buffalo Bills by all means,
the doors are open, Welcome to the party.

Speaker 1 (48:23):
Boomer can can let.

Speaker 4 (48:24):
Them know the mission statement.

Speaker 2 (48:27):
No one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.

Speaker 4 (48:32):
We're ready for it. One way or the other, win
or loss, We're not going anywhere. We be back here,
same time, same place, next week.

Speaker 1 (48:39):
We're winning. We're winning.

Speaker 4 (48:42):
I was gonna say it I'll say it, poor Johnsonmino
for Chris Downey. I am Ryan Wolf. We are trust
the podcast.

Speaker 1 (48:51):
You are not.

Speaker 4 (48:52):
We will be back, same time, same place next week
talking about Super Bowl l i X and how the
Buffalo Bill will be traveling to New Orleans in search
of their first Super Bowl championship. And with that, I
say again thank you for tuning in. This continues to
be one hell of a season, a great ride. It

(49:14):
ain't stopping here.

Speaker 1 (49:16):
As always, go Bills, shout show everybody, and believe Milly.

(49:41):
The preceding presentation has been brought to you by the
Gear Network
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