2019 Divisional Round Weekend Preview

just hot all year round. Is it's like, you know, my my lovely wife would say, well, what's the point of living in California? Were called all the time? Our house is called your wife here. There are some there's some evidence pointing to that hate strong. It's not a huge fan. Um. We had a tragedy right before we came upstairs. We taped an hour later last Thursday back to our regular noontime Pacific which everyone on watching on

YouTube knows at this point. Uh, this Thursday show every week you can catch on NFL dot com on YouTube. I poor Greg. They did nice job at the commissary at the huddle with with the Giro giro No only dumb Americans Zeki sauce cucumber to make nice pronunciation, and um, I got mine a little bit earlier, knowing the twelve o'clock start. As Mark and I stand up to head upstairs, Greg rose atal start takes takes his first giant fight

into his yet ral. It's a mess, and it's it's a problematic situation because he was under the impression that we were taping an hour later. How much of the yetro were able to get down? Are you able to salvage it? Did you put it in the fridge? Did you throw it out? Where we're saying put it in the fridge? It's just sitting there on my desk, to the pleasure of the people sitting around you. I'm sure

no one sits around us, So that's good. There are some shadowy League figures and the head of our news from Yeah, maybe maybe a little less a little less than half. And um, some of it got on my hands, says I was trying to like scarfet down quickly, so not ideal. Well, you got two of the best euro places in the city right down the street and you're

going to the huddle. Well, there's not much time you know we had I had NFL now right before you know, we always have a wife that works in the building west and brings us lunch and then all the afternoon. Last time Bomb shot it west with the last time you walked off campus to go to go the last time I was here two days ago. I barely get a home cooked meal at home, and I see Lakisha running over these full newlywed meals, and it's like, damn, I got my wife who does the cooking in my kitchen. Yeah,

that's fair. Well, wait till the child comes, many things will change. I'm sure in your case us nothing will change it all. Everything will stay static as it is today. I am. I have never said that in order I expect it. How exciting is it that we have reached a visional round weekend famously the best weekend of the football calendar for many, because you got rid of all the floats them jet jetsam sometimes some years jets. Some years you don't like the Mariota Titans two years ago

or the Tim Tebow Broncos. But this year we got rid of Henry Titans and they're back for more. Right, But that team was not winning any more. Games after they got to the divisional round at the brock Gos Wilder, Texans. My point is, usually there's like one team that does just that has no chance to win the Super Bowl. I think all I think all eight of these teams at least are fun to watch. I will take that

Tebow win over the Steelers. Well, you know, but if the worst team has Deshaun Watson as its quarterback, uh, you know you're doing all right, and the the Fav're not going to the super Bowl. That's the famous by this standards of this podcast feud between me and Titans fan. Titans fans, it came to came full circle. Put a nice little bow on it. Um a calumnist for the Tennessee and Gentry Stes reached out to me and we did an interview about my complicated relationship with the Tennessee

Titans this week, which you could check out. I'm sure uh soon. Um, the Tytoons are no more button if they lay. If they lay, what did you call it kind of egg? Was it more rotten eggs than a collar a red riddled easter bunny? If Tannehill delivers another seventy five yard performance and they get blown out. Do we start to think that the Tannehill wasn't now he was fine? They want a game in Foxboro? No, they're playing the greatest regular season this is. That's a nice

story that the Dan Hansas and Titans like. One could argue that Dan's had his finger on the pole to the Titans for the last year. It's a lot nicer than when the Chicago Tribune tried to ask, why do you have Ryan Pace ranked thirty second? Hey, how's that? That's not all right? So we're gonna go through the four games. Of course, we'll do another halftime of the podcast to share some takeaways from the press conferences introducing the new head coaches in New York, in Dallas, and

in Charlotte. And Um, still nothing out of Cleveland, Mark, We're still waiting. I can just you have that zipped up very high, and I'm gonna zip up my little fleece just to be just the same look the same as yours. Okay, welcome to the audio portion of the podcast, Mark, Um, nothing out of out of Cleveland yet, no plumes of smoke from Jimmy Haslum's mansion. And I'm not waiting around

breathlessly for for whatever they produce on that front. I mean, wait at this point, please, all right, let's get to it, and remember, we gotta make locks. This is Greg. You have a chance to really close out the sea is in here if you can somehow game ground on on Mark. Who is one game's gonna say there's three weeks left, that that's not true. If you you're one game up on Greg on Mark, two games up on me, three

on West. So if you can nail this week, you're in the driver's I thought about this multiple times, and you could deliver a kill shot to me. Essentially, I think this week and at best I tie you, which is ridiculous anyone calling a tie if you lost, but you would have to lose, which I have no control over you. And we are eligible to pick any of these games, any team in any of these games. Is that correct? Just I don't want any you know, heat about it. After that's all all right, let's get to it.

You have up your sleep. I'm not I don't even know who I'm locking it. All right, let's get to it. Let's start by that I don't I don't know, I do not. Sorry's start with the Minnesota Vikings coming off a tremendous upset win in New Orleans, and their prize now is the head West young men trying to big bow bottom to face the thirteen and three Niners coming off a bye. This is the Saturday four thirty five PM game. Uh, And man, here it is West because

Kirk Cousins had the big overtime performance. They nearly let that game get away against the Saints, but they closed it out. And doesn't it feel like the Vikings are again are gonna be feeling loose and the opposite of tight after stunning the Saints and now being an underdog once again. Sure, I think they'll be loose. And it's Cousins against his most loyal and vocal advocate, Kyle Shanahan

on the opposing sideline. A couple of quarterbacks who had to prove themselves to football Twitter this year get to get the benefit of the doubt. And I think Garoppolo did it. Uh maybe a month or two earlier than Cousins. But it's to play action quarterbacks from the same sort of scheme, the same Shanahan scheme, Mike Shanahan, um. And

I think you'll see a difference that Cousins likes. I guess it's not his reputation, but one of the best deep ball passers in the league, and when he's not passing deep, he tends to check down, whereas Garoppolo carves you up over the middle of the field with help from the best play caller in the business, opening large tracks of prairie Land for his receivers. Question, you said tight and also opposite of loose, So are aren't those the same thing? Down just wanted to know what I

was to say. Yeah, okay, so it could have been more efficient, sure, but it's gone. It's over funny seconds of the podcast. You know. I'm thrilled to see this Vikings team. I mean, you could you could have edited out of the show and posts and the show would have been better and none of this whatever. Yeah, but now you're gonna get like funny tweets being like, oh, opposite of loose and tight? Okay, nothing is organic in this production. I'm weirdly more excited about this game, I

think than any of the other four. I don't know why. I I love this for I've loved this forty Niners team all year. I think they're the most talented team in the NFC, they should be considered the favorite, and yet I think the Vikings are a very dangerous opponent for them this week because they're a veteran team who I think can transform what they do on a week to week basis. As Dan said, I think they're they're somehow better in this position as kind of the road

team that's an underdog. They already suffered a terrible loss UH in Green Bay, and it's mostly just about the defense that they've been together for now five or six years. Eight of their starters have played together for five years, and you would think, okay, it's an aging defense. A lot of them aren't um in their prime. But I don't know. It's like Kendricks is in his prime, Anthony Harris has been maybe the key player and beating the

Packers and Saints and back to back weeks. Daniel Hunter and Everson Griffin are playing certainly like they're in their prime. Daniel Hunter's amazing, and you look at them going to San Francisco, and I don't think if Adam Theeland is healthy and unfortunately hurt his ankle this week at practice, got stitches. Yeah, we don't know what the deal is

with that. I think if you just look at these two rosters, it's not like it's some big mismatch, whether it's coaching, whether it's talent, whether it's everything that it feels like this could be the Vikings time like they've been together. This is their third playoff run together, they've won a couple of playoff games together, whereas the forty nine is the first time in this spot. They've been off a couple of weeks. And it's just it doesn't

mean you just walk in and you beat the Vikings. No, you can see it because every year you get a team like this that a lot of monkeys thrown off the back in the past couple of weeks for Kirk Cousins and all that nonsense, all that narrative has been flushed out, and you see a team that's healthy, they've got they were not the same when they didn't have Dalvin Cook in their wide routes. When we get all that is a pretty big asterix to the i'll see,

we'll see, we'll see. But I mean it's a guest that needed stitches and he's at the point where he's saying, I'm just trying to do figure out a way to

get out there and he was huge last week. But I also look at a nine IS team that has not been the same on defense without d Ford, and they're getting Dford back, and you know the numbers and that this splits from when he's not on the field to when he is are drastic and it changes Nick Bosa and they essentially over the last five games allowed quarterbacks to a twelve to one touchdown to pick ratio. I mean, teams were feasting on that defense, and I

think it's huge to have them back. And there's something that happens when we cover these playoff games and a team like the Niners disappears from our hemisphere for fourteen to seventeen days, and then we're all delighted by the Vikings, as we should be. I mean, that was a nice, beautiful win by them, But you almost then clicking to downgrading a Niners team that has shown up in every single game they've been in this year there at home. They're the best team of the thirteen and three team

for a reason. I don't view it as prime you know, trap game material for San Francisco. I mean, there's no trap games at this stage. But to your point, like you you can easily forget about how Battle test that the Niners were throughout December before they went away on thereby and they here's the thing. If you're thinking that this is a team as talented as they are, that they're just gonna run away from teams, it just hasn't

been happening a while. During the that test and all those matchups, uh games that were decided by three to seven, but it was really one. It was on that that weird Falcons last play of the game, so three to one, three and then five against the Seahawks in the last play of the game. This team has been playing tight games like the Seahawks. They they've been finding a way to win games. And I can see another close game here, I really can. I think the Vikings are really well

set up. The field of thing is huge. He he's practicing it. Somehow his ankle gets slashed and he gets siched because bon Digs is under the weather as we record this. He seems to be for them, he seems to be on the right path, and they don't feel like he's gonna miss the game. But God, if anybody else remembers when you when you get sick, you're not

always right for a few days. One mini notation. If we you discover that Adam theland was filled by an animal of any sort, that is still sandwich terriy he did get tripped up in practices apparently, I don't. I don't know. Maybe you got spiced. This is right up your alley to Mark. You have such a loophole here if you want we're all animals, that's another way to look at it. I think I believe I said non human.

But and I'm I am, I am falling for you know, the team that played really well last weekend, and could they play well again? Like that is what's happening to me, And I don't care, Like it's impossible to predict. It's not like I feel confident that they're gonna win this game. But I did pick them to win, and it was But you know how you are when you pick games, you talk yourself into that scenario playing out. You get really into it when you yeah, I I do. I've

convinced myself I can. For some reason, I got this image of Kirk Cousins on Opening night, the you know, the media night, and just the story of like they're gonna they win this game and they went in Green Bay and then they probably get blown out in the Super Bowl. I just it just all felt like things that are gonna happen just because just because the guy wins one big game. Well not, it's really not because of Kirk Cousins. It really is because their team. It

was their defense they embarrass the Saints. If it wasn't for the Tastom Hill play, they made the Saints look like they're little punks. I mean, they their defense could not have played better. And there was something about it where it's like their their team defense in terms of covering for each other, Kendricks in coverage, everything that they

were doing. They sort of came together as one and it was like the some of their parts were greater, and their parts are great and they and there is something to me about that they've been together this long and and and who this might be their last chance and they played like their very best in the biggest spot that I could just see that happening again. And I don't think the matchups are so bad. I don't love all elements of their secondary and I could see Deebo,

Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders having big days too. I mean it's you know, that's where the mismatches are they. I think they actually are a rare team that can throw some people at Kittle and use check, which is there are a lot of teams that have linebackers, and they played three safeties every kid nobody can, but they at

least they play three safeties everything every single snap. I mean they have Anthony Harritt didn't make them pay for Andrew Sendejo at nickelback, which I believe Kyle Shanahan will make them pay for that. The parabolic mikes. By the way, Greg did pick it up at one point the Vikings said to the Saints, you guys are are punks. Well, I was gonna use the B word, but that's how I use real life. You're total pro bro pro bro George.

I could totally see George Kittle. He's already famous football player, but maybe becoming a household name in these playoffs, especially uh, they gotta win. A couple of games start to happen.

But can't you see George Kittle having a hundred and seventy five yards in this game and just completely dominating And then you know, I think, uh, in general football Twitter and how the game is covered Maybe this is just recency bias, but it seems like it's more sophisticated now and a larger number of people are aware of how important Kittle is beyond just the passing game, and that he's also the best blocking tight end since Gronk is like a two way player. He has it all

going on. He's so important to the team. And you just imagine, especially all these guys, it's such a huge benefit to get a week off that even things we don't know about, they get a week to to rest and get recharged. For these guys, I think you helped the Vikings a lot. I think you're right. And now they're on a short week and now here we are Kittle. I could see him going off and that would be very bad news from Greg. You don't want to we

could do a lock off here you're in. I don't feel confident in that in that at all you published you were confident enough to publish and take a close game. I mean, I would say I picked the Vikings. I mean, I all these games are close to fifty fifty. I'm happy I went three and one last week that the lock was the only one that I mean, I wasn't setting you up for that information. Well, if you gotta come at me, that's that's what comes back. I'm coming

at you with an invitation. Of course that I'm invitation to some sports, I like them. I like them to keep it close, you know, more than anything. But I would worry a little bit that how much better the forty nin offense was Downstrea. I mean, the forty niners offense was better than their defense down the stretch. I don't really buy the whole d Ford factor. I mean it helps to have a next lot of things going on their secondary bank. Kawn Alexander was out back to,

though Kawan a Exander might be back to. I mean, you don't think that Ford and Alexander make it did? What do you mean you don't buy it? What does that mean that it was that huge factor? I mean, number one, d Ford was terrible this year? Okay, that is that is d Ford was productive snaps again, passing down because that's his strength, because he wasn't really healthy,

so he was like their sixth lineman. So I guess I'm not buying that that was like the whole reason that those twenty five snaps the game that they declined let's see if he'll be buying Itturday. Night's a really good football player, that's all he is. He is. If he had had this the year that he had this year a year ago, they wouldn't have trade for him, they wouldn't have given him that contract. Totally disagree. He's been playing really well this year, but he played four

hundred snaps. I guess it's my point. You can be a designated pass rush You're just like Cam Wake who you love and only played twenty steps and still be really effective. Kwan Alexander plant in this game. It sounds like it and that and that helps him out to the Vikings offensive line, in theory, should be a weakness. They're looking a little better in terms of they look better when Dalvin Cook is out there in the running game. They've now been in this Gary Kubiak system for a year.

They've pretty much played together. It's been the same five guys almost the entire year. So that's good, but the matchups are obviously not good when it's Armstead. And by the way, if you hire Kevin Stefanski, does Gary Kubiak go with you? I'd be concerned if the answer is not yes. It's a pretty fascinating UM weekend. For like the Mike Shanahan influence over these play over the league. I mean, he's maybe the most underrated in terms of

influence in the NFL. You got, you got a son, you got kubiak uh and then Uh in the other game, who do we have? What about? Who am I forgetting? That's a good question. I don't know way to put everyone on the spot there and I'm just I'm just blanking on the other NFC game, it's another one of his UH protegees. Uh in Green Bay, Matt Matt lafleurs under It's all happening back to Kwan Alexander. The biggest

weakness of San Francisco's defenses against the run. In fact, all but four games this season did they surrender at least a hundred yards on the ground. What did you guys think about dalblin cook Um? I thought he looked really good. I know his numbers didn't back that up necessarily. I think he was about three and a half yards to carry, but they made him a focal point of the offense. UH, and he seemed to be healthy. West. What were you seeing from Cook? I thought he looked fantastic.

I thought he looked just like he did earlier in the year when he was and I saw a stat from next Gen Stats that he is basically lapping the field in plays in which he reaches fifteen or more miles and which just means he's explosive. I mean, he's truly an explosive running back. And he did it again last week according to next Gen Stats numbers eighty four

yards in the first half. I want, if this is gonna go in Minnesota's way, you can't get into one of these scenarios where Dalvin Cook has eighteen yards at the break and everyone's asking what's wrong with this offense? I mean, they need to just dial that up again, and they need they need Hunter and Griffin to beat

those two tackles who on paper are good. Had been a little up and down in terms of Staley, uh and McGlinchey and and make Jimmy g who By the end of the year, I felt like he had all the answers to the test, like against Seattle on third those third and longs. You know, he knows that Kyle shann often so much better than he did in September, and he had a really good uh sense of basically where every receiver was and made a lot of tough

place to to win down the stretch he was. He was a top five quarterback in every major stat after the Emmanuel Sanders trade. Let's pick this game, Mark on to go San Francisco twenty seven Vikings twenty that's good. Oh ye. Never pick against the Vikings at home, but they're not nearly the same team on the road. And I know they played well in the Saint Dome last week, but I don't like them outdoors against San Francisco. Who's a better team. So forty Niners twenty seven, Vikings nineteen.

I'll go Niners twenty eight, Vikings twenty four. Very good game, and as they've been doing, the Niners step up when it matters most and they move on to the NFC top I had, Yeah, I had a thirty to twenty seven for the Vikings. I think I think Kirk Cousins can can do it again. There's it just feels like the forty Niners are one of those teams that were great all year and then suddenly it's like their seasons over out of nowhere. I sort of hope I'm wrong.

Because they'd be a much I'm more fun. Yeah, they'd be more that'd be a more fun super Bowl team to cover. And the best Super Bowl possible I think right now would include the forty Niners. All right, let's move on to the late game on Saturday. It's an eight fifteen Eastern kickoff the Tennessee Titans. Yes, fresh off that huge win last week against the Patriots, ending the dynasty in New England. It's over. Do we want to

talk about that? We've got We've got as much time as we need, moving on, close the book, one of the great runs and as you would say, can't hurt me now. And it's so nice that to have a weekend without the Patriots right now, it's kind of mind boggling. Mark and I have had every January weekend without our

favorite teams for there um. All right, So the Titans, after that huge win in New England, go on the road and they get the best team in football, the fourteen and two Baltimore Ravens, the first seed in the a f c UH. They have not lost since September twenty nine, two thousand and nineteen, winning and winning and winning. What can stop the Ravens? Mark. What can stop the rave?

Is it the Titans? Well, I think the recipe would need to be similar to what we saw last week, where the Titans, similar to the Vikings, kind of just feeling themselves right now, rolled right into New England and said, we don't really care about the history here at Foxboro or the fact that the greatest coach and the greatest quarterback of our time are lining up against us and

now in Baltimore. You know, it's similar. You're dealing with a force that is unlike any other team in the league and you have to simply not care and go do what you are. You can't change what you are at this point, and it's not I wouldn't worry about so much on defense because Greg, you pointed out in your picks for this one that Cleveland kept Baltimore scoreless. That you're at it like checking I like I like checking out the work of my friends. That's how it works.

But you mentioned a good point that Cleveland went all out to shut down Baltimore and kept them scoreless for like almost the first half of that second time they played each other, and you just then they found up scoring like thirty three points. If you just cannot keep Baltimore down. So the only antidote I would suggest would be get I don't care if Derrick Henry had two six rushing attempts last game. You do it again. You

do the best you can. This is your ticket out of here, because I I look at the secondary and don't know how a j. Smith's going to suddenly have a big game against one of the better man coverage secondaries in the league, something that Tannehill is specialized against. But Marcus Peters and Jimmy Smith, good luck with that.

We'll see how that works. I think the doubts that creep their way into the minds of otherwise uber confident Ravens fans late at night take the form of Derrick Henry's seventy five yard jugger not drive to close out the first half against the Patriots. He I thought he was as quick, explosive, um, big play oriented vision, everything, as impressive as any power back I've ever seen in

my entire life. Last week. He was that good. And he has what Priest Holmes and Levian Bell have referred to the past as a flawless synchronicity with his offensive line, where his timing with his blockers, and the way his blockers are playing is reaching that point where it's really hard to stop, and nobody's really stopped it in two months. It's just it's one of these rushing attacks you only see come come along like once every three or four years.

And if you think of that raven secondary, he had great and man coverage. I'd like to see Marcus Peters try to tackle Derrick Henry or Jimmy Smith try to tackle Derrick Henry. I the Patriots plan was to let Henry, you know, run as much as he wanted and take their chances that way. And the reason it didn't work is because J. C. Jackson and and some of their UH guys in the secondary couldn't get them to the ground. So I think Henry does his best work outside and

that's what they're gonna want to do. Get him outside, get him against that secondary. Even the linebackers for Baltimore, you know, maybe aren't the greatest tacklers in the world, and hope for the best that you can break some tackles. I give credit to the Titans for because it's unorthodox in the modern edif L to give a running back

back the ball almost seventy times over two weeks. But it's like, we have something special here and we're not gonna worry about running this guy into the ground because he's one of the more special physical specimens that the NFL has right now. I hope it's not a DeMarco Murray situation, but that's also the reality of the business.

I would think they would want to stay in business with a twenty six year old superstar coming off a rushing title, but you never know with this position, and UM, so good on them, and I expect that to happen more. And you guys are saying Tannehill wasn't bad, and yes, I mean it wasn't like he played poorly, just didn't do much at all. I think the ticket for the Titans here, they just gotta play their best game of

the season. They need to go on the road and Tannehill has to be the guy that was shredding people. He needs to make plays, and I think that Derrick Henry has to have another huge game and then they need a little help. On the other side. I think that Ravens are that good where a lot of things have to break Tennessee's way, and one of them is here are the things. If you're a Ravens fan, also

you're worried about Derrick Henry. Obviously you're also maybe a it'll nervous that this will be the first action of consequence for the Ravens regulars. And twenty days when they kick off. That's three weeks. It's good. We're just saying it's great to have time off, but at what point does rust that to the equation. The mark Ingram situation is something to watch here. He practiced in full last week during the bye week, then he has what seems

like a setback this week with a strange calf. He did return to practice Thursday in a limited capacity, which obviously is trending in a good direction. Uh. And then the last thing. I don't put much stock in this at all, but it's worth saying that for three and a half quarters last January and Lamar Jackson's only other playoff game, uh, he was pretty bad. And and that was against the Chargers. And that's ancient history now, But you know, maybe things linger in the mind in a

in a big, huge playoff game. I still think the Ravens are going to win this game, but you could squint and find ways to make this game something that people are not expecting, which is very close. I think we would just need that. In that playoff loss last year, and when the Ravens have been you know, damaged for a half at a time or something, there's pressure on Lamar Jackson, he's thrown off his element a little bit,

or there's been mistakes. They just haven't made many mistakes at all this year, but mark Ingram had a critical fumble in the Cleveland loss, and last year in that playoff game to Los Angeles, they were never he never really gotten in rhythm. He kind of even did in the second just weren't I mean, they just weren't remotely the same team. I mean this is the They ran for more yard, not only than any team in end of history, they ran for more than they threw the ball.

I mean this, this running attack, This Ravens team is so much different. They are a track team, and I think the only way to keep up with them is the Titans are a bit of a track team too. I mean Brown, Henry John new Smith, maybe Corey Davis. Those are the guys they're gonna have to rip off some fifty yard plays and I think win a game that's in the thirties. There's no way this Titans defense that has no pass rush is gonna keep the Ravens under thirty. I think they just are gonna have to

somehow win a shootout. And you never know. Because Tannehill, I think he had the top numbers in the league against the Blitz twenty pass rating against Blitz. He had some great throws against the Patriots against the Blitz, even even though its numbers weren't great, he had three of his top four throws in that game didn't count because of either drops or penalty, but he made the throw.

But even like the third and nine that kind of clenched it in the in the touchdown, those were against pressure. Uh and the Ravens Blitz more than anyone else makes them a little more vulnerable to a big play. Again, We're coming up with all these reasons only because like the Ravens are so good. I mean, there's everything I like about the Titans in this game. I like two things about the Ravens. I think Jeff Fisher put it

well in an interview this week. He said, when the quarterback's got legs, you're a man short on d When he's got legs like Lamar Jackson, you're two men short. You're basically playing nine on eleven when they've got Lamar Jackson in the way he's played. But I do think we've talked about Derrick Henry as one thing that Titans have for them, But it's not often that you see a power back on a streak like this, with a

quarterback also on a streak like this. And Tannehill, like Marcus said, like greg I said, his great numbers as good as just about anybody league versus the blitz uh and versus man demand coverage. Tannehill basically has great numbers versus everything this year. He's been that good, and they have the weapons to keep up. They Yeah, they just don't have the defense. I mean a Dorry Jackson being back last week I think helps him a lot because they had such a big drop off from him. He

didn't miss practice earlier. But it sounds like he's good to go. You figure he's the guy guarding Marky's Brown. The only defenses that had a little bit of success against Baltimore made them one dimensional. They really shut down the pass. I don't think you're gonna stop the run. But but teams like the Bills and the forty nine are shut down the past. At least they have kind of a veteran coaching staff that I don't think. I you don't know what they're gonna do. They change what

they're like the Patriots and the Ravens and something. They change who they are week to week. I think the Patriots offense was shocked that the Titans came out last week and they were They didn't do anything. They didn't blitz them. They just said, hey, Tom Brady, beat us. They didn't blitz I mean, they just sat back and they're like, we don't think you have the guys. We're not going to do anything. They didn't do anything exotic. They just said beat us. You guys are trash, and

they're right. It's not gonna that that recipe feels less likely to succeed against That's what I mean. They're the type of team that I think them could go the total opposite way and get crazy this week. Whether that works. I'm locking up the Ravens and I have it with no shame because I I am in a want a little bit, because you already hinted earlier that I'm one game behind Greg, and like I I'm gonna have to go into showdown mode next week. I'm not. I'm not gonna.

I think you could look in the mirror. But it's just that was a bit of a tell when you up anybody for this exact reason that they and you already know what you're doing. You're trying to stir the pot. I could care less. I am taking them. They're gonna win, and I'm gonna next week and I have to figure out what Greg doesn't You better hope the Ravens win too. Well. If they lose them, I'm out and I that's the way it goes. One thing that people sleep fun with

the Ravens is how great the defense has been. Because all this all this historic stuff going on on offense, but this they finished West. You can help me out with the d v o A on this, but they finished fourth in total defense, third in scoring. They didn't get to the quarterback a ton, but they made big plays. Uh. And they have not given up more than twenty points and we're just saying this needs to be a shootout for the Titans to win. They haven't given up more

than twenty points in a game since Week five. I mean they play on defense. I feel like they play outstanding, complementary ball let Their aggressiveness on defense fits perfectly with what they do on offense. It's just it's awesome. I mean, that's what That's what championships are usually made of. And and and beating them in Baltimore is going to take a heroic Uh, let's pick it. Mark. You locked up the Ravens. What's the score. I really admire what the

Titans had done. But I'm gonna go thirty one twenty. I don't I think that it's going to not go the way it did last week for Tennessee on the ground West Ravens thirty eight, Titans thirty three, Ravens thirty seven, Titans twenty four. But Titans, hold your head high. You ended a dynasty. We're all proud of you. I mean it was ending this week either way. Thirty five. All right, let's's head to the tunnel for halftime and do a little bit of news. Keep pounding isn't just a slogan,

it's a way of life. That's what Matt rule sounds like. I mean, I thought this, this change of coaches was maybe a chance to move on from from keep pounding. I mean, I know, Ricky, keep pounding is near, and dear to your keep pounding sons. It's gonna be tough. You might not think you're gonna get there, You're gonna be tired, but you got to. I mean, this is five years old now. It was cam like chopping wood, keep chopping wood. No, it's so different. It's like when

when it is quite. Yeah, it's it. It could it could inspire our sound drop. You know, it could inspire orson wells. I think taking the Panthers all the way to Pound Town. Panthers signed that rule to that seven year deal. Seven years folks, and you would be uh speaking with a little pep as well at your press conference. Any takeaways from the rule press or? I thought, he you know, it's just what is winning a press conference? Mean, I don't know, but he reminded me of like a preacher.

I mean, he's such an amazing public don't like, he's such a good public speaker. I think everyone watching that was just understood why he's he has them offering a seven year contract, and why every team that's met with him is wanted to do it, and and everything he said. I think is what you want to hear too, if you were a player or a fan, like I don't think he's he's walking in there saying my way or

the highway. Uh yeah, it should be optimistic times in Carolin, it seems like the kind of natural place to watch these pressers in our newsroom is one of cynicism, where if anyone missteps or does anything that isn't appealing to everyone in the room, it's the guy is gonna get absolutely massacred inside the NFL Network newsroom. And a lot of jokes and all that stuff, I get it, and some of them have earned that because someone get up there and they don't seem prepared and they're spitting out

coach speak and mantras and philosophies. Rule hit me a totally different way. And we talked on Tuesday about how it was Temper the owner who went and really sold the Carolina Panthers to rule. But I could easily see why any owner would be, you know, swayed immediately by this guy. He I don't think he's just a bunch

of statements. Everywhere he's gone. He's transformed the program. And does that happen in the pros totally different situation than college, but a lot to like off of the first experience of seeing him. The recent history of college coaches with no NFL coordinator or head coaching experience is hideously ugly. It's that aside. I love the press conference and I am. I think that Temper is the owner you want as a fan too. I think it's a great time to

be a Panthers fan. What do you think about? Temper tried to change the game in terms of the head coach introductory press conference. He went with lock up music for both him and Matt Rule, Um, which I thought was fun for you know, for Tepper it was a magic Dragons Lightning in the thunder Matt Rule bringing Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker, one of the great blue

songs that was. That was a little better, but um, when you were doing lightning in a thunder, it suddenly felt like it was like Silicon Valley and it's like that clip of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer like rocking out on the stage. I don't know if I needed that, but that's by the way. Temper is a guy. You know, cool dad is the vibe I get off Temper, and it was like my my son's five and three, Imagine Dragons are the greatest, but they're the Beatles to my sons.

They think there's never been a better band than the Imagine Dragons. And then when they did that End of Decade all those retrospectives, like the four of the six biggest modern rock songs of the decade was Imagine Dragons. So Temper probably crowdsourced this one from his people, and so we don't know, we'll connect me. I don't know. I think he's that, I think he's listening. I think he likes Imagine Dragons. Oh, he loves Imagine Dragons. Um.

All right. Then the press conference that really grabbed me. Yes, it was Joe Judge. He is introduced by the New York Giants and you want to talk about winning a press conference. I'm not saying the jury could be out if you think he wanted it or not. But I've never seen a guy that was more determined to win a press conference, a man that clearly put in the work. It's like West getting to the office early today and tape grinding. Uh tape dogg and uh. I couldn't believe it.

It was basically a crack at dawn or West is at his desk just studying. Um, that's ever went to sleepless en. That's what I felt watching Joe Judge, who who was intense, he never broke eye contact. It was almost like if Bill Belichick could create like a protege head coach in a lab and then put it on a stage and and have it talk and move, it would be Joe Judge. So did did I think it worked? I don't know, but I certainly I understood why people

were impressed by it. Let's listen to a little bit of Joe Judge, who also did the great move of because the big thing around Joe Judge, of course, it's like, who is this guy? Joe Judge? It's not about Well, maybe I can explain that a little bit better. But instead of saying who am I if by telling you what's relevant this conversation with being a coach New York Giants, what I'm about and what I'm about is an old school physical mentality. It's a tough division in cities full

of tough people. People in this and they expect to see program, They expect to see a product that represents them. And I'm gonna do everything in my power every day to make sure the people of this city and this area turn on the TV or sit in the stadium seats and are proud to say that we're there, New York Shiants. This dude put up. I'll go through the wall for Joe Judge. All rise, baby, you're you're, you're, Your heart was a flat. This is what you wanted

out of Adam Gaze is opening. There was the opposite of the Adam Gates in fact that talking to a very respected Jets Beats Beat reporter Adam Gates, one of the things that that was a disaster about his presser wasn't just that he was looking all over the place and and just was flighty. He was unprepared. And what Gates didn't get in Gaze's big problems that he doesn't get things, is what this guy did get. And coming

from Bill Belichick, you you are a prepared person. He made sure he wanted to make a good first impression, and I think he really did. I think within the building, I think with certain members of the media, the fan base I think is gonna be all about this press or. It's kind of what the Giants needed after what I got there early and shook every reporter's hand before it started. He seems very um. I could see why the people

who revere Tom Coughlin liked. My favorite line of his from a tweet, Jude Judge says he's not interested in some fancy in quotes guru scheme, kind of just blowing up everything that everyone thinks they're about these days. He's just like, I'm gonna come in here and coach the giants. You know. Dan Steinberger, the Washington poach, had had one

of my favorite tweets ever last week. Life is a never any succession of NFL teams adding ping pong tables with stories about how they're finally coming together as a family and enjoying each other's company, and NFL teams removing ping ping pong tables with a story about how they're finally taking football seriously. And this is sort of a coral area of that. We're done pussy footing around with this,

with this fancy offense stuff. We're going defense, toughness, physicality, which marries up you can see what Dave Gentelman likes about it, so that I also go ahead, no, just gonna say. ESPN dot Com reports that Judge is expected to speak with former Brown's head coach Freddie Kitchens about being part of the team's offensive staff. They worked together for a long time in the past in some college stops.

One point, Freddie Kitchens, when Judge was just uh younger on the totem pole made I've never been on an airplane. Who's switched one saying that Freddie Kitchens, it's he's gone. I know, but that feels slightly. This is what it's what Dan and Damage used to say about me. Rights. It's gotta be a reality show, Freddie Freddy in the big city like, uh so, this is Tom Square, down on his luck, coach tries to revive his career. It's

a big half had about of potential. Joe Judge down on his luck, making like six million a year to do nothing right. Joe Judge had an interesting back. He he used to be a kindergarten pe coach and you could tote only imagine that that of him as a pe coach. And and if he dealt with the problems in kindergarten, he could deal with them on the football field.

What I learned coaching pe okay for three days in West Point School district, the patients you have with children, Okay, I mean I had kids, you know, dancing on the window sills. I had kids, you know, peeing themselves. I had kids doing everything. I just liked hearing them. A terrible substitute kids peeing. Introductory pressing, Um, alright, coach judge, and then Mike McCarthy and anybody have a takeaway from that.

I regrettably missed the Mike McCarthy introductory press conference in Dallas. I it was what you would expect, a lot of backslapping, and you could you could tell him buying into the Cowboys mystique was sort of important. Like he talked about how he told the story of how Jerry Jones finished this long speech of out the history of the Cowboys, which he basically gave it the press conference too, and then he stood up and he said, and you're the

man to be the next Cowboys head coach. And then you know, Mike McCarthy, you know, gave him a hug and he said, I knew at that moment I would be telling that story for the rest of my life. Like he's you know, I think that's what Jerry wants. He wants someone who's gonna totally buy in. Doesn't mean he's gonna do a bad job of it at all. But he seemed perfectly comfortable up there, like making Suddenly, Mike McCarthy is like cracking a lot of jokes about

you know it's or whatever. Yeah. He also he told Jerry Jones that he diligently poured over tape of every single Cowboys game from last season. Then during the press conference oddly took that back and said that wasn't true, but he's glad. He told Jerry, yeah, that's right, he said. Yeah. They were like, oh, yes, he watched every Cowboys play, you know, as you and he was like, wow, you know you say some things when you're in interviews to get the job. Oh my god, I guess it is

too late. They pen has gone to paper. Part of the Cowboys mystique is real though, Like the facilities, there are more good talking about. The history is a little richer than some other. Player ratings are higher, and there's way more eyeballs on what you're doing. There's way more people who care about your team than most franchises. And and unlike you know, rule is going with these position. Coaches are college coaches, at least as coordinator that have

no experience that we don't know much about. You know, McCarthy's assembling kind of an all star calft and I think that's what he was getting, you know, hired for bones fossil uh is coming from the Rams? How about that? That's that I found to be one of the biggest news. I don't know. Joey Phillips, I think is going to do the offensive line. So he is a guy that has a lot of connecting. He's been in the league. He has yet staff ready to go and killing the

Rams are losing bones and Wade Phillips. Okay, uh, Ricky, you you had to take away from the pressers to I just think we had a lot of great pressers, but I feel like this was my most favorite moment. And we're interviewing were going on in Marty Hernie, you know, so you know, Marty is going with this toughness is questions. That was cool, dad mocking funny to me. Like to hear that on the TVs and it had like no contact. You know, years ago I could have translated that for you.

Marty Hernie was still technically the GM of the Panthers. Right. It's funny. I was listening back to our great Peter Schreeger conversation, and Schreeger made a point like one of the reasons why Panthers were able to seal the deal with rules like it was just one on one mano Imano, and it was it was the owner Tepper straight to rule and the Giants had a four man army that needed to work things out. That was Marty heard even like invited to any part of this process like this

is worse than how he rosemen under. It's very similar. He would not be doing these little mocking voices of Hernie if Ernie was in the position of power party quit. No job's worth it. Hey, I keep your dignity, bro. I disagreed. That's five. Whatever he's making to do, whatever he's doing, it's gonna be setting up the Hernie grandchildren for years. Just keep your mouth. Tepper is doing the

total CEO thing. Whenever you take over a company, you spend the first year or two making it very clear that you're the dude and no one else will challenge you on any level. And he's has some experience all these yellow toxic Martyn has never been to a southern state. Apparently like this is like the eighth person he's slashing through based on dialect. He's from New York. We know what he thinks about. That's not true. It is entirely true. So you can't see, you can't go. Dan only loves America.

And now you're gonna narrow me down further. Yes, we can do that the entire continental United States. Alaska, I don't know. I don't know about Alaska. I love Alaska, all right, I'm in Alaska to love. Did my honeymoon there? Give me all fifty All right, let's get back to it. That's what's happening. America now feeling so much better about itself. Uh, let's go with the Sunday games starting three oh five Eastern kick off the Houston Texans at the Kansas City Chiefs.

So of course the Chiefs coming off the bye and they are ready to roll. They got some demons. We know that the divisional round Arrowhead Stadium. Some bad stuff has happened there in the last years. But this is a fresh start, and they get the Texans greg Um who obviously had that great comeback against the Bills. But also if you're the Chiefs, You could watch that game last Saturday and be like, oh, we got this, we got this right. If yeah, if they play that way again,

if the offensive line doesn't show up. That was the takeaway I had after having a really good season overall protecting Deshaun Watson, they were a total mess. And I would say that that really continued in the fourth quarter, that this was a game where re watching it, it really made me appreciate everything Deshaun Watson did. I think West hit the nail on the head when he said star players kind of stepping up in the fourth quarter and taking over because Watson wasn't getting a ton of help.

Hopkins made plays on his own. Every time Duke Johnson touched the ball. What a great game. Look he he made a huge play, six touches, almost all of them, he made a huge play, merciless ended three drives in the fourth quarter alone with big plays. And we've talked about J. J. Watt. This was the players and the takeaway I would have if I'm watching Kansas City, I'm Steve Spagnola's They could not identify where the pressure was

coming from. And this is kind of an old Texans problem and whatever it is that McDermott was doing in terms of how he was sending people the offensive line, Watson, the coaching staff. I didn't know what to do. There were so many times in that game where they max protected like six seven players to block four, and there was a free rusher where two guys are Garden to another two guys are Garden two, and then up the like and then there's a free rush and you just can't, like,

you just cannot win. And who is great greater at doing that than Steve Spagnolo. He's done a great job with that all year, and he's got the players, Chris Jones, Frank Clark. The last time we saw them, they were bawling. And I just think that's a mismatch that that the Texans. There's no part of their team to me that gives the Chiefs as big of a mismatch as that could be. I think it's heartwarming how much you've warmed to Steve

Spagnolo and have credited him all year. It's had a good year, and I think you mentioned what they've got going up front. This is the third time now in in Honey Badger's career where we've seen him reach all pro level and sustain it for months at a time. And they've been I believe, the number one defense in the NFL since Week eleven, also the number one passer rating against since Week eleven, stingiest past defense in the league.

This is a transformed defense, and I think it starts with Honey Badger, and I know they lost one Thornhill, but they've got an experienced guy and Daniel Sorenson who steps right in and they don't lose much there. That's why I throw out the Week six result largely where they put up thirty one point on Kansas City. And you know, you can look at what Seattle did and say, well, you dealt with Josh mccount. Of course, so we don't. We don't want to see what they go when they

go to deal with the real opponent. But I the Texans game, to me, the Bills learned a lot, I hope as an organization because they came in with zero game plan in the second half, showed no ability. You can talk about the Texans not scheming well for certain things. I mean they faced a team that just completely fell apart, and the Chiefs are not going to do that With Andy Reid. I understand that any read in the playoffs has been a different experience. But that's not Patrick Mahomes

and Andy Reid and there are another team. They've been gone for a bit. You can kind of forget about him. But Travis Keltzy, I mean Tyreek Hill, Patrick Mahomes, I don't see any problem with knocking out of Texas team that you know you traded for Laramy Tunsil and you know he was a penalty machine last weekend. What was going on there and getting protect either. I think he had his worst game of the season. And and that's

partly why this Chief's team is different. That the Texans are different too, because of especially if will Fuller plays and and why is himself, Well, he's not gonna drop three touchdown passes again like he did in Week six, right, um, But the Chiefs kind of rarely had all their guys together. And now you've got McCole, Hardman, Damian Williams. I think adds a lot compared to what else they were rolling

out there. Frank Clark wasn't really healthy for much of the year, but finnished very strong, so they're they're a healthier team than they used to be. Clark had seven sacks, eleven QB hits, nine tackles for loss, three passes knocked down in the last eight games. That's what this game comes down to for me, is after that Neil Hunter production. Yeah, after that terrible and after that terrible performance by Tunsil and the Texans. If they if they deliver that type

of performance again, this game is gonna be ugly. It's gonna be one of those Bill O'Brien losses that you know Wesselby dancing in his cubicle over. But I'm telling you that that this game, this is the game team that is most likely to end up in a grizzly manner. And that's why I'm locking up the Chiefs this week. I'm also locking up the Chiefs this week. Okay, good? So am I Wow, we're all together? You're locking him up.

I I adore this. I mean, I'm not exactly because there is another scenario where Shaun Watson just special strange things and everything goes weird. Absolutely. I think I think there's a route for every one of these underdog teams to win, But this one I just felt slightly better. I'm Gonta only because I need to make up ground here is this the Ryan paceball? The Ryan paceball? Yes? What? Why is it the Ryan paceball? He bypassed both of

these quarterbacks to bowl? Is the right? Right? That would be the concern because Watson, I think played really well last week. You wonder if they they'll make him running a little bigger part of the game plan, like going into it. He ran more last week than he did all season. He's he's run less and less every year of his career in terms of times per game. And yet it's such a big weapon and if guys, if ever you're gonna break it out, it feels like this

would be the week. He's to me so close to Russell Wilson to where you you gotta drive a stake through Russell Wilson's heart to kill him, to make him stop coming back. And Deshaun Watson is the same way. They both make pretty good decisions with the I mean great decisions with the ball in their hands. They're not

just runners, they're great decisions. I mean, Dan, you know in those like the the old films about being out in the jungle and they'd be traveling through and then you'd fall under one of those traps where it's a bunch of sticks and leaves and there's just a big west and Greg just went right in that hole. You just you just saved yourself if I waited till the end of the segment and then then you would have

just been stuck. Like someone throws a vine. I pulled up and there's Mark and he looks so hot, just like he's wearing like a Safari outfit and a little bit of sweat, but a little bit of dirt. But also just like I've never seen his body looks so great. Yeh, keep pounding. Um, I'm not concerned about that cartoon scenario.

You it out there, don't be about it on Sunday night. Yeah, concerned about your Let me let me say the people should kind of check themselves a little bit, as like with playing the will Fuller's back so the Texans will be back with their offense. Um, because how do we know if this guy's got any if he's got more than three series? And I guess you could say the same thing last week about j J. J. J Watt a superhuman running three and J. J. Watt frankly did

not you know. I think if they look at last week's game, he'll probably be stronger this week, but they struggled on some of those runs to the outside, a lot of the misdirection. He had kind of a on J. J. Watt game. As as a run defender, well, he wasn't even on the field for run players early, which is why, which is why I think they kept him off was maybe that wasn't gonna be his m O right coming

right off to bed and maybe he'll be better. But if you think about they're like speed at linebacker and just the things that Kansas City can do in terms of running, whether it's hard Aman or Hill or Williams on these end a rounds. I mean, man, Andy Reid with a couple of weeks off, he just he's gonna throw a lot at you and test like the edges. It's the defense I think Watson might play right, and it's just the defense. I can't imagine for Houston to

Hill against these cornerbacks. I mean, I just had visions of that Steve Smith game against the Bears where he's just going bonkers for two yards. All right, let's pick it. Mark Um Kansas City thirty two, Texans, Chiefs thirty four, Texans eighteen. I got Chiefs forty Texans ten. Has any humans ever tracked these Chiefs not locking it up? No, I did lock him up, but I had to pull out for them down two games, so I gotta go go back in that trap. I have the Chiefs thirty seven,

the Texans seven. Watch out for this guy, Rashad Fenton. They suddenly played him in week seventeen last and yeah, he's a cornerback for the Chiefs and he bawled out and he might be who knows. I wouldn't be surprised if he's starting this game. The final game of Divisional Round weekend is a six forty pm kickoff Eastern Seahawks at Packers. Seahawks survive the Eagles see squad last week.

UH need to be better to beat the Packers, but we also don't know quite what to expect, greg from the Packers, who coming off of bye week and their last here's a here's a number of very interesting. Actually I didn't even notice this, but their last four weeks of the season twenty points, one points, twenty three points, twenty three points. They just don't score a lot of points, and that removes margin of era for any team, especially

a top seed. It's unbelievable to enter a Packers playoff game where they're at a disadvantage at quarterback and think, I mean it's not arguable. I mean, who knows. Maybe Rogers play is great, but he wasn't. Would find people that would argue, but he wouldn't. He wasn't in the class of Russell Wilson throughout the season and certainly not you know in December how Rogers was playing. I mean it's probably back who was their quarterback the last time

they would have had a disadvantage. Did Don mccowski ever make the playoffs? I don't think he ever did. Yes he did. I mean he didn't get the nickname magic Man for nothing. Greg And hopefully hopefully UM Seattle recognizes that and they let Russ eat, you know, let him cook Russ versus the world, bombs away, throw on early downs,

don't wait till third intend. If you're Mike Patton and you saw what happened last game with the Seahawks, you're like, yeah, please run Travis Homer between the tackles against Clinic Clark. So what I'm kind of saying, same thing with Brian Schattenheimer is the same thing with Bill O'Brien in the

last game week talk. You know, watch this game film, see what didn't work last week, and you know, lean on what works and do what Russell Wilson does best, which is bombing teams into oblivion, making plays with his legs, just like the Sean Wauson shouldn't be waiting until the third quarter to be using his legs to make the offense move. Uh. Schottenheimer is always a guy that's a figure that you study and say, oh, is he part

of the solution or the problem? Um? But I don't think this is a game where you need a monster performance from the Seattle offense. It just doesn't seem like why not why not go for one? Well, I mean sure they'll try. I mean they also feel like a car where like running out of gas. I mean you you're you don't have your top three running backs. We don't know what's happening with Dwayne Brown. There's whispered cities

might that he might play. But Pete Carroll kind of famously kind of over those situations ons he pumps up with the available. I think they had four offensive lineman miss four practice. Iggyanza will distly has been gone forever Michael Kendricks went to our I mean, this is a roster. You know, we're talking about the the Niners and the Vikings and other teams getting healthy. These guys it is.

It is smoke and mirrors right now. And I couldn't have any more admiration for the Seahawks, but I could see it coming to an end. Uh in a game where it's meant to be about twenty degrees and that does not count the blustery winds. Well, that's a difference between the two quarterbacks. And and that's kind of the equalizer that Aaron Rodgers has played thirty one games below freezing and his numbers in those games are better than his career numbers. He's a better quarterback in bad weather

and Russell Wilson's the worst quarterback in bad weather. In the the matchups for Seattle, like for the most part, are terrible. Um, but they did I thought stay pretty aggressive after they got in that two minute situation against Philadelphia late in the first half. I was encouraged that they kept going bombs away, not just to finish off the game on that third and ten, but like the first play after they hit Metcalf for that long touchdown.

The next first down they have, they go long and those receivers lock it and metcalf, especially against these Packers cornerbacks, I don't know that that's that's your route, I think, And you're hoping that Pat and s the house and you get some some man coverage and Russell just makes you look bad by evading free rushers and goes deep. Well, there's a flip side to that, and Russell Wilson is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league versus pressure.

This year he has been has been less than what he's been in years past when it comes to pressure, and part of that is because their offensive line is a little bit worse than it was last year, worse I think. And the Packers have the um they had the highest pressure rate in the NFL all year. Is it Arias Smith, Preston Smith, and Kenny Clark all bringing there was There was a lot of similar places with their offensive line to where they left in seven players.

I'm thinking of one of their big play that the Russell Wilson twenty two yard run where they had seven guys into block four and they still got pressure on Russell Wilson and he had to run to kind of save the day and like the matchup the old you know truisms, like you win football in the trenches. It's like the Packers trenches, well trash the Seahawks trenches voice on both on both sides of the ball, like the defensive line Kenny Clark and and Zadarius and the offensive line.

Your clowney was okay last week, um, but he goes for so many big plays that he gives up some big plays too in the running game, and that that's tough against. I know it feels I know, it feels like twenty years ago, but that first half against the Detroit Lions raise some just genuine concerns about the Packers ability to go through, you know, multiple games in the NFC and score points when they need to. I think outside of Davante Adams is just like who can you

count on. Part of Aaron Rodgers struggling is and I know, you know, other other quarterbacks don't have a flurry of weapons around them either, but he's just there's not a lot of guys in the passing game that Aaron Rodgers can make can consistently make plays with. Here's the thing We've been very patient with you Aaron Rodgers. It is time for you to be Aaron Rodgers again. So and if you're not, let us know, be terrible in this game.

Lose to the Seahawks at home in the divisional rounds, so we can officially recalibrate who you are because you look at what he's facing. This is a Seahawks team that can't stop the pass, that can't rush the quarterback. They're beat up. You're in your building. You've had two weeks to prepare, to prepare till you put up thirty points. Aaron Rodgers, will you go in a football game? Dude? Do we need to sweat out twenty to seventeen here?

Can we win a game? And I'll lock up the Packers because I I'll be on the Rodgers hill for this game and I've been waiting for two years for him to get back to being Aaron Rodgers. But if he if they fail again and they put up seventeen points and they let Russell Wilson do something Russell Wilson like and get beat at home, the whole thing, you gotta take a closer look at this entire operation, starting

at the QB position. He's not going anywhere he's not going anywhere, and you have disappointed Dan, which I think would be. But this idea, this idea that we've always said, well, the only problem with the Packers offense is they don't have enough weapons around him or they can't get in sinc Well, let's see Aaron Rodgers rise above it. Let me drop my corn hole theory on you. Yes, so you've gotten to the point now where you're pretty good

in Cornal. You think you can hit the hole pretty much whenever you want, no matter where the other guy's bags are. After a couple of tu Yeah, so you get to the point. I think a lot of good Cornal players get to the point where they stop worrying about the other guy's bag and just go for the whole. No matter what the situation calls for. They're still going for that whole because they know they can do it. You want the challenge. That's how Aaron Rodgers plays quarterback

the last few years. I'm going for the hole every time. I'm not going to take the check down, I'm not gonna take the slant. I'm going deep down the field all of these Oh, he just barely missed a throw with perfect loft, perfect trajectory, perfect timing. He wants the big ones because the guy's it's a hard throw. You're you're putting it into a keyhole every time. To extend this analogy further, let's say you and I are throwing corn, we're throwing bags. I throw first, alright, your on or

your honor. I put it not in the hole, but right in front of the hole. And your famous line when that happens is what I think, son of a biscuit, you might say, uh, because that yeah, that jack's up the round because you have a blockade rogers, instead of playing a more strategic game and taking what the board gives, still going for the whole, start just trying to points. It's but there's a thing. When you are good enough

to hit that whole, than you're the best. And I think when he when he thinks about how to play quarterback, it's like the best quarterback has to make the best throws, Whereas I think Brady and Breeze think the best quarterback has to make the right throws. And he could do it, but he throws the ball. He also throws the ball away. More interception, all right. But to extend the corner an alogy, so he's always going for the whole. He's going for

the airmail. He's putting it over the back, taking what the board gives him. What defense is more suited or more known for kind of giving you the easier throws, but not the tough ones than the Seattle Seak. I mean when I think Pete Carroll's defense, that's what I think they're gonna make you. They're not the most talented Seahawks even, but they're gonna make you work down the field and is Rodgers is good enough, he's good enough to do. They're not a defense that gives up big

plays there there. Okay, if you can go down and tend plays and beat us and do everything right, go for it. What's Every quarterback has a style they play with. What's his style? I would argue that it's that sideline throw to Jared Cook. I'm gonna make the most difficult throw and I'm the only one who can pull it off. That's as playing stuff little Bragg. I think that might be his personality. To win in cornhole, you gotta win, you gotta get twenty one. I don't want twenty one.

This is where the analogy ends. I want thirty plus points. It's and I want I want thirty to fourteen and go win a ballgame and coast into a championship Sunday. Locking up, GiB, I don't know what you're doing to day with that one, but you're just con Oh yeah, that's right for you. I mean, that was always a manufactured joke. It's not you're lacking against them, No, it has enough. It's never being on Seahawk corner to me doesn't mean that I root for them. I root for

the Jets. It means they're a fun team. They're not. You read the tea leaves and properly in August and said, oh, they're not gonna be good this year. And I said, Greg, this team figures it out. I'm going on this corner while you bail. So. But I don't think it's a super Bowl team, and I just and I don't think quite frankly, the Packers are either. But I think this is a good draw for Green Bay, who might be a little vulnerable. But I think the Seattle Seahawks are

the worst batterally disappointing to lose this game. If you're a Green Bay I get that they're not the same. Thirteen and three teams that you know that ers or something. But give me a break if you don't. They're talented. They you know, they've had their moments. And defense is playing great lately, right I don't know if Aaron Rodgers

needs to have that big game. The Seahawks have given up a hundred and sixty two yards per game on the ground over the last five per I mean, they were one of the you know, we were talking about their lack of a pass rush that that's one of the worst rush defenses in the league. Even the Eagles with Josh McCown and in Boston Scott had a pretty good day running the ball against them. They have not been able to just slow down opponents. And so it's you know, Aaron Jones I think could be the one

who ends up. You know, why not have that be your plan? I mean, like spend the first half trying just to maul them with the run. And by the way, Don mccowski went ten and six with Packers but did not play a playoff game, but he did play a playoff game with the Lions. For any Packers fans trying

to construct a tweet, right now, delete it. Pick so Lynn Dickey was the last Packers quarterback that might have had a disadvantage in a playoff Gamelyn Dicky, Um pick the game, Mark Um, I think green Bay will win this game. I'm gonna go Seattle. Seattle wins the whole time. You are gonna pick green Bay. But now that no Seahawks corner two. And as much as you can describe it as you think it's a sham or something, I genuinely find them fun in the playoffs and would like

to see them advance. That game was very fun, Josh McCown. And you know suddenly dk metcal Metcalf takes off into the sky. I'll set the Seattle West Packers Seahawks, says the guy on Seahawks coring well till August umty seventeen. That that's my my pick. Wow, give me five touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers, let's go. I do have the Packers winning as well. Okay, good stuff. Uh. We we'll be back on Sunday night recapping all the games we just previewed,

so make sure you checked that out. And a reminder that the Around the NFL broadcast our television program in a limited run on NFL Networked will air Friday, six pm Eastern, three pm Pacific with Rias in the early morning on Saturday. So please support it, check us out and we did. Mark was right, um what he said on our last show that we got good, good numbers. People what turned out and turned on the TV and watched our show and that was awesome to hear. So

please keep supporting the show. We love you and um they do say in TV the whole thing like we got we rallied everyone to watch last week, but people in general, don't you know, they have other things to do come week two. If suddenly we were the eighth or ninth show out of eight or nine, don't existance. Well no, I mean we're going to rock the ratings, but that requires people that we're getting the game, like

lead in, we just gotta roll? Is it? Is this still done with like people a little machine Nielsen rating box on top of someone's like television, TVR DVRs are part of it. Feel like we need a physical box on top. Let's works. Dan handsOn signing off for Quiet Storm, The mail Man, the Old Boss, the whole gang behind the Glass Still Sun. There s