2019 Divisional Round Weekend Recap

Sometimes of these weekends and there's a reason why everybody's like, oh, it's the best weekend of the year, um, including me saying you, Um, is that because you have all these great teams at this point in the flotsam has been jettisoned, The jetson has been jettisoned. The Jets have been jettisoned. Um. Usually you just have great games. And we took forty nine seconds for the Jets to be mentioned on the show. You struggle, Well, the Patriots won't come up much either

this week. I can tell you. Actually, no, your wider evers in jail right now. We'll get to that. He broke out Beverly Hills. They can't they can't keep him down. We'll get the zolac to what a mess. Clean it up, bro professional. All right, all right, let's be pros ourselves. We did not have a close game for the first

three games the Divisional Round weekend. Well there was the first game today got close, and then it got really out of control, and then finally the late game the Seahawks show uphulse and turn that into a nail biter down the stretch. We needed that West. We wanted at least one nail biter in Divisional Round weekend. Well, Greg was pulling for a close game. I was pulling for

the Packers to do away with the impostors. Who are the Seahawks basically Russell Wilson carrying a injured, depleted roster into the playoffs, and I didn't think they belonged to the playoffs. I think overall, though, it was a great Divisional Round weekend because you got the first one ended up being a dud, but the other three were fascinating in their own ways. Like this last game it was close, the other two are more fascinating to me. I mean,

that was like a divisional round game. In the Ravens game, anything, we'll remember a long time from now, and we've never seen a game quite like Texans teach, so even though they weren't closed at the end, they like blowouts can be kind of fun and interesting too, I'd say the four of us. I enjoy blowouts for multiple reasons. But what but in this case, like forget the close games, like insane plot points written and authored and filmed. I mean,

stuff happened that shocked the senses. So I don't care if it's a close game when like things are happening that completely changed. We got a much needed, fresh, fresh batch of narratives. I do think through an entire offset, I think some things we're getting a little predictable in stale where you we thought, and even on our our network show on Friday, authored a prediction from long ago that I thought was rock solid, and it got blown up in two minutes. Everything we said on that show

got blown up. For the most part, actually everything I said played out. I think my vocative, my Vikings pick looked great. Mid Saturday afternoon. All right, so let's get to the game, and let's go like we did last weekend reverse order um from the game that just got finished to the first game that was played. So that then takes us of course to lambeau Field Rogers and the shotgun takes the snamp rushes on, looks it over

the right side to Boston. Cover the shoulder text golotles trust the fifty first down green by the forty six yard lot of Seattle. That was huge, hop beautiful flow over the shoulder catch Tavante Adams, Oh, Yes, Wayne Larvy with the call for the Packers radio network. Yes. With the Seahawks charging herd in Russell Wilson looking at crushed hearts and green Bay, Aaron Rodgers delivered a I'm Aaron Rodgers,

damnit moment, the one we've been waiting for. Two huge third and long conversions uh late in the fourth quarter allowed the Packers to run out the clock punch their ticket to the NFC title game over Seattle West. Let's go back to your cornhole analogy with Rogers um sometimes in that in that fine parlor game, the hardest point to get is when you know it's seventeen, Just put

it on the board and you win. And Rogers was facing that moment he needed to make that throw to get him home, to send the Seahawks out of the party, and that's what he did. I feel like the Packers were up like seventeen to ten and cornhole Seahawks brought it back and then there's six bags blocking the hole and Rogers throws it and knocks, pushes two of his in and then goes in right behind it. It was It was a perfect throw, and I think that was

part of the analogy to begin with. He can make these throws, and that's why he keeps trying to do it. And today he didn't miss on the tough throws. Eric Eager of PFF pointed out he was perfect on throws that went over ten yards, six for six for a hundred and forty five yards and two touchdowns. And you think of the end of the game, which also included a clutch throw to Geronimo Allison on the drive before which he'll burn some clock the throw to Jimmy Graham.

But you also think early in the game on the first drive, there were a multiple third and longs where he hit the throw on time to his first read, which are the kind of throws you haven't seen a ton from the Packers, or at least not consistently. And he was hitting his back foot and he was letting it go and it was looking like a vintage Rogers performance for the most part. You know, I wonder where they will wind up because I'm still concerned about the

lack of weapons. I mean, they're in the NFC Champion No, I'm just saying, I like, as we as we have to mine on and start to look at that game, you're gonna be facing a completely different defense than the broken down Seahawks defense that you know. I thought they hung around in this game Seattle, because they themselves simply do that in every single game. But this, for a long stretch of time, looked like green Bay might just completely wind up dropping a mega hammer on Seattle because

they could run the ball. They were just sort of having their way on offense. And it's not I don't feel like we've seen a lot of that from green Bay's you know, attack of late, but they were playing a team that was on at last gasp of air and that's not going to be the case when you go into San Francisco. Four touchdowns in their first six drives, I mean, that's a pretty dominant though they went dark and Davante Adams was fantastic, but all other Packers wide

receivers combined for nineteen yards on two catches. Alan Lazarre to help without a catch, and the other wide receivers were outproduced by December waiver pickup kick returner Tyler Irvin. And this is on Dan's radar. I know that the Packers in August like they ignored the position. They waited for these second year guys to step up. It never happened, and it's too late now to fix it. So now it's just Aaron Rodgers. It was an A plus though.

I mean they had eight possessions and they scored four touchdowns and then they killed the clock to win the game at the end. That's five of the eight possessions. Maybe not in a plus and a a minus. The defense for them couldn't get a stop in the second half, uh, and they did what they could. I'm looking across the field that Russell Wilson and thinking who has you know, more help, Wilson or Rodgers. Yeah, you have locket In Metcalf and that's shiny, but got an off all offensive line.

You've got Marshall Lynch running twelve for twenty six, and you've got Malike Turner dropping the first down throw on what turned out to be the Seahawks's last drive of the season, which to me is kind of an overlooked moment in that game. I mean, that was an easy

thirteen yard completion that went right off his chest. They end up taking a sack which makes it fourth and eleven, and they end up putting the ball, which I think is a questionable decision by Pete Carroll that at least of all the third intent that they've picked up in

this offseason, I get it. I mean, it's not a Seahawks game if you aren't questioning Pete Carroll's you know, approach to something so well here, when you're getting an a p when you're getting a Hall of Fame quarterback at the very peak of his powers and you're doing

your best to limit his impact on the game. I think when I would say though their approach out of the gate, I wish they had just sort of ran the entire affair the way they did in the second half, just just basically he's true, but that, but but but they continue to do that, they kind of drive you nuts because there was way too much marsh On Lynch like in the middle of the field, or let me give you a stat Marshawn Lynch and Travis Homer carried

thirty two times for fifty eight yards in the playoffs, less than two yards of carry, and they stayed with the stutter stepping Marshawn Lynch. I understand that the goal line you're gonna do that, but not in the middle of the field, right. They had three huge plays in the last three and a half minutes of the game.

You had the third and five Seattle after their own forty two three to twenty two to play Preston Smith, who's been doing it all year because Brian Gouda Hunts knows exactly what he's doing duty, He's got my executive duty. It's made up, John Lynch. That was a huge sact by Preston Smith with Jacob Hollister at tight end trying to block. This is after he signed the Smith Brothers, so he killed at Preston Smith. It again steps up with a huge play the fourth and eleven. They punted.

As you said, Greg, it should keep in mind that as great as the Packers, where they had scored three consecutive touchdown drives of seventy sixty and seventy five early in the third quarter, they had they got him off the field the Seattle defense twice in a row, three plays and out and then an eight play twenty five yards and out. So I guess Carol said, we have the momentum, let's kick it away. We don't want to lose this game. On a fourth and forever, which is

fourth and eleven is getting in that range. But and what I think was so huge that stop on third and five. The green Bay defense was gassed because they were going up and down the field Seattle. They had scored three consecutive touchdowns, and like I just said, the green Bay offense was getting on off the field quickly. So to step up with that sack was the play

of the season I thought for green Bay. Before the two passes by Rogers when they got on the field, the throw that we heard to Davante Adams, then Jimmy Graham, who hasn't made a big play in forever. Uh, with the game hanging in the bed, Allan's again third and long, A nice pass by Rogers, a little low and and Jimmy Graham went and got it and then fell onto the first first down line game over, so in a in a season where Rogers hasn't had a lot of

weapons outside of Dwanta Adams and Aaron Jones. He've got the last little bit of playmaking ability at Jimmy Graham and there in the final four because of it. You got to give the coaches some credit too. I think having Davante Adams matched up against Uga Amadi, who I think was viewed as a weakness of the defense on like a slot fade, which is you know you've seen a lot this year on third. I mean, that's great coaching and you see Rogers recognize the Blitz Aaron Jones

with the great Blitz pick up. I mean, they picked the right matchups when it mattered. Hats off to Russell Wilson, who's playing style sort of reminds me of the Harlem Globetrotters distilled into one corporeal entity. This is why West makes a big bucks. The Seahawks did not plan to go into the postseason with Russell Wilson, Travis Homer, Marshawn Lynch,

Jacob Pollister, and Malik Turner is key figure. I mean, that's congratulations to them for getting this far, but that was not a playoff roster the last two weeks, right, But in you're right, and I was. You know, before the game, I said they had a disadvantage of quarterback. The Packers did in this game. I think both quarterbacks played outstanding. But I think and maybe it's because I followed too many people on Seahawks Twitter. Although is that possible,

you know, Seahawks Twitter a humble back. I don't know. I'm thinking. Here's what I'm saying. They're all they're all obsessedive, like, are we maximizing Russell Wilson? Is he having to overcome this coaching staff, but not only Brian Schottenheimer, but Pete Carroll will Okay, Brian Schottenheimer, is this the right guy to be running their offense? And then Pete Carroll's the defensive coaches coached to mediocre defenses in a row. And that's fine if you play that way. But we talked

about it. I talked about it in week four or five. He's coaching this team. He wishes a yead that could run and play defense. He doesn't have that team. Well, that's that's I think The point we made before is like that they kept trying to be what Brian Schottenhamer wants him to be until they said, wait a minute,

we're going to get waxed if we continue that. On the flip side, Matt Lafleur, I feel like, now you know, no matter what happens, had they lost this playoff game, you go into the off season with a lot of questions about a thirteen and three team that wasn't really the record. I this is a huge win for Matt Lafleur, But that said, you are right now at the same precipice that Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers had been at throughout essentially the entire last decade. And I don't like

their chances in San Francisco. But this is the same song and dance for Aaron Rodgers a hundred times. I'm not raining on his parade. You better team the better team one, But I just I am not convinced that the that Aaron Rodgers gets any better than this game to be. I don't know what the Desert Says says, but forty Niners are going to be a favorite in this game. People are gonna disregard the Seahaw the Packers, But I mean, listen, it might be you guys don't

sound like you are. I'm not, no. I think it's too simplistic are the better team, of course, but I just think that you're I'm just saying it's a little Maybe it's too simplistic to say this, but a team that's won fourteen of seventeen games in an NFL season and we're getting into mid January should not be completely diskissed,

and we would be. We would be fool at this point to try to sell anyone watching this a bill of goods saying we know exactly what's gonna happen, because these these games are a complete dart at a dartboard that's forty yards away in the middle of the night. But but I still I still think just to even get it nearly what I want to throw by you to complete that analogy, and the dart was wavering, I didn't think it was get the mark. Just used a

parlor game analogy. And that's how difficult that must have been. Well, we got you know, this side of the table is both used parlor game analogies to discuss the packers at this point. So your turn, billiards what a sport? And you got the que ball you No, I don't have anything yet. Uh, Speaking of Aaron Rodgers after the game, I like Aaron Rodgers cliches and uh and you know, scripted answers. I just think they're fun, obviously. Aaron Andrews a Fox is a nice little relationship with Mr Rogers.

It's been going on for years now. They've been in the league together, her covering the league, him as a star. She asked him after the game what he's got kind of cooking in his mind? As they prepare to face the forty Niners team that blew their doors off about a month ago. You're you're the king of mottos? Do you have one? Heading into the NFC Championship against San Francisco?

What do you got? Come on, I'm just gonna enjoy a nice glass of Scotts tonight and get onto the film San fran and be ready for a tougher port. All right, old man, I can joke with you about that. Congrats the King of mottos. You know how we know him, you know, said r G three is to hear that that someone else is the king of motto. What a man after your heart? Though, Give me a glass of Scotch and I'm I'm gonna is that everything. Okay, I'm

gonna tape dog all night with my Scott. Feel like that's at least the fourth time I've heard Rogers say after a game, I'm gonna have a glass of Scotch, and that's his movie. He does feel like a pulld al at some point where you're just stop it. It's funny because somebody put an umbrella over Cessler. It's raining. It's funny because this whole year I'll I heard about that these two guys are on Seahawks corner. They couldn't have been rooting harder against the Packers. This game ridiculous,

really simplistic. I was on Seahawks corner because they're fun team. That's always the mix. I locked up the Packers, thank you, because I believe that they were the better team. Seahawks. We're a team that was so beat up. I'm with you. I'd rather see this. Hopefully their running game gets worked out. I love Marshawn Lynch, but I don't really need to see him on the field anymore. It's cool that he had four touchdowns the season to end what is a Hall of Fame career in my opinion, but they need

to get better and help. I would say one thing, Seattle beat San Francisco and took them to the brink with that banged up roster. Green Bay did not match up well the first time. I'm not trying to go down this road over and over, but we agree with you. But it's just I think this is a nice night for the green Bay Packer. It is it is, and it's just got disregarded as a number two seeds, you know, home the better team, better team game, and Dan was

I feel like Dan was pulling for the Packers. You were definitely pulling for Aaron Rodgers to hit that past. You know. I'm just I'm keeping a real just as a football fan and someone who's going to be lucky enough to be covering the game. Patrick Mahomes Aaron Rodgers super Bowl feed. It put in my veins if that's how it works out. I actually would be cool of any Super Bowl combo, but that one is the one

that I really want to say. I mean, there is something special about especially in a season where Rogers wasn't at his best, to maybe have his best game of the year or one of his best games of the year in this spot. I mean, he's so legendary. After the game, Marshawn Lynch entered the Packers locker room to do a jersey exchange and and uh, you know, signed with Aaron Rodgers. Not many people are getting that sort of respect A couple account raduates for his old team,

his all teammate. I get it. But still he also can't do in that for anyone. Mark, he came into the league. He's a tooth, was in ten draft class, right, he came into the league when you and I came to the NFL. I don't want the sun setting on his career, because if it's setting on Aaron Rodgers career, you know, we might be in trouble. To we're talking to who came in to the league in two Aaron Rodgers much earlier than that. Oh he want a super Bowl in to Dunton. Yes, yes, that is true. I

mean that's what a long time. That's what advantage we have on these players. You know, their their careers are in the sun is setting as they hit forty. We're just we're just about to enter our prime. Damn our broadcasting a bit more like a Romo scenario. I'll go with you. That is that is a wild presumption by you. But alright, alright, so Mark their Packers are still alive. It's going to be that way for another second. Could it be happier? But the three of you couldn't you

were also pro packers. I have to offer that challenges lie ahead, challenges disagree like Packers, packers, Chiefs, super Bowls. To your point, yes, Mark, three of the teams that played this week, and that one their games should be miserable because they will have j Lee Lewis. Only one team ends up is the ultimate and I don't I don't want next Sunday if the forty nine has win thirty eight twenty, I don't need some Sessler monologue about how you saw it coming and we didn't. That certainly

can happen, but they shouldn't. I'm just saying they shouldn't be discounted in that game. I don't think that anyone I would not do that. We all agree that that's this is just the normal thing, is that San Francisco's gonna be favored and they I wouldn't be surprised if they took care of business without any issues. All Right, that is one game. Let's now move to the next game that occurred on Sunday, and uh yeah, it got weird at arrowhead. Kelsey trunks and motion across the face

of my home. She's sprints out to the last side. He's holding it. He's gonna try to hold it close. It lake and isn't cold. It's called touchdown City. The Chiefs takes the lead and Kelsey with the leather catch, let us spread out, run pass often again and Kelsey gargling in this eat nectar of Ryan Varley behind the glass. It's good one. Mitch nailed this one, they say, gorgling, gargling, gargling that nectar. That gargling. Yeah, it's kind of gross

because it's thick, the nectar. It usually it's a tough thing to gargle. I imagine. All right, here we go Mitch Holt with the called Chiefs Radio network. Down twenty four nothing with eleven minutes to go in the second quarter. The Chiefs they had a lot of work to do just to make the game respectable. Well they did more than that. Patrick mahomes through four touchdown passes uh and the rest of that second quarter, giving them a lead by the end of the second quarter, a lead they

would not relinquish. In fact, they build on it quite a bit by the fourth quarter. It was a laugher. Final score fifty one thirty one Chiefs over Texans and they head to the a f C Championship game. Greg, this is one of the wildest outcomes in a long time in a game that is this term gets thrown around too much. Unique. This was a unique You we've never seen a game like this, never, certainly never a

first half like this in the playoffs. And yet some people on the other side of the table here Chris Wesley and Mark Sessler saw it coming. I think that the minute that Bill O'Brien didn't go for fourth uh and inches to to possibly go up twenty nothing, they kick a field goal, they make it twenty four. Once the Chiefs get back in that seven, they're very confident that the Chiefs are gonna come back and win this

game comfortably. And that's exactly what they did. And my big takeaway from all of that is everyone killing on Bill O'Brien and pointing out the fourth and inches or other decision, the fake punt. It's like Bill O'Brien wasn't playing defense for the Patrick Mahomes. You're gonna give credit to the Kansas City Chiefs who scored seven touchdowns in seven possessions. I don't one play call is not going

to change that. What happened is just the far better team offensively exerted their will and that was gonna happen at some point in that game. I think, no matter what Bill O'Brien did, I'm not gonna kill Bill O'Brien. I thought he got the risk reward wrong on the decision for the fake field goal and then uh, the decision to go for the the field goal and then the fake those were backwards. I thought the risk reward

was wrong there. But this the problem with this team is they have a really bad secondary and that's been true all year, and then they lost two of their top three safeties in weeks seventeen and eighteen, and they're playing Lonnie Johnson, a rookie cornerback who they traded for Gary and Conley and picked up Vernon Hargraves off waivers so they could bench Lonnie Johnson, and then in the playoffs they were so desperate they had to put him on Travis Kelsey and that was a lopsided matchup, one

of the most lopsided we've seen. And that's why I don't hate what O'Brien did, although I know he went for the field goal that was a little weak. Just give it sometimes, just give credit to the players, I guess is what I'm saying. It's like Mahomes Walkins Kelsey. They're making these plays and Daniel Sorenson made a great play on the fake PNTY. I think if you had watched, if the Texans coaches are watching that play again on fell, they would still call it again, like it took an

unbelievable play topic. You know, Brian said after the game. He made it clear. He was like, we thought we needed to score touchdowns. We could not give the ball the Chiefs. He spoke on that, and I'll the Chiefs basically did to the Texans what the Texans did to the Bills a week ago. They played ay, they got they they had mistakes. You know, it was two special teams gaffs that put the Chiefs in a hole. It wasn't their defense getting burned left and right right. I mean,

just like uncharacteristic play. But unlike like the Tech. You know, they they fought back the way the Texans did against the Bills, But unlike the Ravens, will talk about they got out of their own way and and solved their issues, went on and scored. The possession chart is insane. They became the first team to score on six straight drives in a Divisional round games since the Packers and the Mike Holmgren Sehawks in two thousand and seven. But then

they went on to score a seventh straight touchdown. And I don't blame the Texans. They just basically drove a bike into a shredder. I mean, you cannot do a whole lot against the Chiefs when they suddenly like gigantic one of those like when like you just a bike goes off a jump into one of those giant shredders, but only it's got to be large enough than a typical tree shredder, so the bike in the person could

go into it. The bike in the person representing the entire Texans team went off a jump into the shredder. And then they got it was more than a funnel. It was a separating the entire team into a billion pieces. Um. Yeah, people see what they what they want to see. Uh. Sometimes us included we're all the same, you know, and um in this case, it was like Twitter, everybody's watching the same games now and it gets crazy. It was like a Chernobyl level Twitter meltdown with the analysis in

this game. Within in the first half hour of the game, in real time, everybody wanted to say, Andy Reid needs to be sent out to pasture. Who's who's put ten ft ten feet under the ground. An hour later, Bill O'Brien's getting run out of the country. Three little. I mean, it's just these get It is not healthy for you know, eighty million people to be watching and commenting on the same thing at once. This is a very two thousand twenty issue that somehow we need to eradicate. Putting some

type of system, a lock system. I think someone threw it out there downstairs in the newsroom. Everyone gets too tweets per game, and make them count because you don't get to flip flop, and it will keep the sheer volume of hot takes down. I like that. I can some people that don't deserve to either, but that's that's and some people don't. You have to clear a certain can you get tweets taken away? Tweets get taken away. We have to install some type of cabinet of people

who confer and decide who gets to like it? Sounds like a job for Clay on the cabinet, that's right. Um, yeah, but so how about that, oh, Zola? What is going on with Zola? I mean he was bombed, right, Zolac? I gotta read some of these. He had the flu, but I mean had all sorts of flu. I mean he uses a derogatory term that I won't say on the air here for Travis Kelsey questioning his manhood and calling him a fake and all this stuff. Travis Kelsey, who what went ten for one thirty for one thirty

four and three? He had an early drop like the rest of his teammates, and then he proceeded to die the minute that tweet went out. He does essentially turned into like a human fire. And Scott Zolac, for people that don't know, is the play or the color guy for Patriots Radio Network. He has obviously free time this weekend, so he ridiculously over the top Patriots color guy. Yes, and Zolak. He also claimed that he had the flu and that is why he was tweeting in this manner.

I cannot tell you. I don't remember a Sunday where more listeners of the show. We're hitting up my mention saying Dan, you're aware of this, right? You see what Zola is doing on Twitter? R Hey Dan, just putting this on your are so. Yes, we were tracking Zolac who went dark, and it made me wonder who shut down Zolac? Was it his wife? Was it someone from the radio station he works for? Was that the Patriots themselves? Because he did not have the flu? It was the

man flu? What we've all had the flu before. Have you been tempted to tweet crazy stuff because you had the flu? I don't. I don't see the connection on why that led to tweets. Yeah, I've lied before, and that's what that felt like. The Texans defense was so bad. I guess that Bill O'Brien didn't expects He's like, he's my man, and no one claims, and I'm surprised. I was more surprised that everyone, like, how many people follow Scott Zolak? What's wrong? What's wrong? You're offended? It's sort

of on you at this point. It's twenty If you've got bad people in your Twitter feed, that is entertaining. I will say this, Greg is smart because we will see him in a couple of weeks on media night at the Super Bowl and we were couched near him a couple of the hangover wellfare question. I I think you can tell a lot by what Bill O'Brien said after the game that basically they had no faith in

stopping the Chiefs. And if you think about the start of that game, it wasn't like the Texans were stopping the Chiefs. The Chiefs were stopping the Chiefs. J. J. Watt had a had a rough day against Mitchell Schwartz, Whitney Merciless, you know, didn't really make much noise. And then what's ultimately a slow team at the linebacker spot and not a very good secondary just had matchup problems everywhere. I mean, Sammy Watkins is making plays, Damian Williams is

making plays. Nicole Hardman made a play. And there was a tweet about Mahomes in the locker room after the game, like laughing while looking at the statue and they asked what and he was he was surprised how many rushing yards he had, Like Mahomes to me, this is just another example of that he's the biggest dangerous weapon, whatever you want to call him. To me, He's the most talented quarterback that that's ever played in terms of like every box being checked, and this was a great example

of it. I mean, those throws he was making on the run to Kelsey, we're outrageous throws. The Texans basically had the right defense on those plays a lot of times with two on Kelsey and he's on the run thrown across his body. We've taken it almost for granted that Mahomes just does this because no one else is doing this. Sorry, Aaron Rodgers, He's not like, no one else is doing it at this level when mom, Aaron Rodgers has done this. And it's kind of perfect that

it happened this weekend. Last year, Mahomes was the bell of the ball in the m v P. He threw fifty touchdowns, all that good stuff, and then Lamar Jackson mania took over. And Jackson deserves every bit of positive um you know, energy and and uh comments his way because he was incredible this season. But on the same weekend that Jackson stumbles and goes out of the playoffs, I felt like this was just Patrick Mahomes reminding everyone, dude,

I'm the best. I'm am at the top. Of my game right now, and I can do things nobody else can do. I would say also because it's always every the one thing I feel about the Chiefs, it's always lost in the offense. And it makes sense because of

the gaudy numbers. I don't think they get back into this game with the speed that they do without Frank Clark absolutely devastating the Texans on Keith ur Down's three sacks in this game, and they really like they the Texans offense went to sleep in a big way because they were discombobulated. They allowed twelve sacks and two postseason games. That's a problem. Frank Clark. We talked about in the preview show that Clark was a guy that was had turned into a major menace in the second half of

the season. And he had three sacks, three tackles for loss, four QB hits and he did it when they needed him, uh to do it because they're playing shorthanded. Uh this, I mean, we're feeling really good about this Chiefs team, right they absolutely are. Without getting ahead of ourselves, it's not a good defensive performance. I mean, you gave up four forty two yards to the Texans. You I know, special garbage. Special teams was a problem early, but you gave up a lot of big They're not the same

without Chris Jones. To me, this was a lot closer without one Thornhill and Chris Jones on a field to the let's get by and let's you know, count on Patrick Mahomes to put up forty plus points type of defense. Then a defense that was really making a lot of plays. I mean, Deshaun Watson played great in this game too, He made a ton of plays. I mean the Texans offense to me, with Will Fuller played well enough to win this game. Well, there's defense, isn't They're not stout

enough to stop Derrick Henry. But the difference is when the Chiefs fall behind, Mahomes is going to pass him out of it, When when the Ravens fall behind, They're not meant to be a past first operation. They're meant to be a run first operation, right it is? I

do like that Will Fuller play in this game. He at five for eighty nine, Hopkins goes nine for one eight teen, Kenny Stills gets a touchdown early where they victimize uh Swords and like, at least to me, this was the Texans team saw the representative effort and they weren't good enough. That's fine, but to find the Texans you have got to go into next season with a duplicate of will Fuller that is actually able to produce on a week to be well and just made some

plays this year. He has the numbers and you broke it down last week when he's not on the field. Will Fuller, I mean, the offense is compromised. You've got to they have work to do. I think they have. They're in a good spot though relatively, even though they trade away that first round pick. The offense is pretty young. It has good continuity. They have all the caps based

in the world. The defensive players for the most part, other than maybe like DJ Reader, are all under contract for next year, like they're gonna we know, Bill O'Brien's gonna spend money. I mean, there's no reason not to expect them to be right back in the mix and maybe be better defensively. Romeo Cornell might retire or get forced still on this team. Why did they let him go on the first place. Could they not afford it

last year? That's a good question. They didn't think he was worth the top level money that Kansas City got and they were wrong. And I think Honey Badger wanted to go play for a Super Bowl team. All right, A couple more numbers and then I, uh stats, and then I want to throw it to Andrew Reid for the last word. The Chiefs of the first team in NFL history, regular season or playoffs to trail by twenty four plus point it's in the first half and be

tied or leading entering halftime. Again, truly unique. The Chiefs scored fifty one points in a span of thirty two minutes. And they they also announced on their big video board late in the game that they had run out of fireworks at Arrowheads. Literally the Chiefs that scored so many points and so many times they ran that break out. That was uh. And finally here's Andy Reid on what he you know, said and what he was projecting to

his players when things were looking very bad. I just said, listen, this isn't you. I mean, let's just get back relaxed, pump the brakes here for about a second, and uh, focus, refocus, and let's go. I mean, that's it's that's simple. Really, I mean, you're in that situation You've only got a few quarters to play this game, so you gotta get it done and uh no need to panic, right, that's not gonna help it at all. So you just try to fix the problem. And that's kind of what we did.

Speaking of Mitch Holt as I listened to a tiny bit of the radio broadcast near the end of the second quarter, and he pointed out, uh that Andy Reid is the king of the flash point, like he is a guy that when things are going sideways. He one of his great skills as a head coach is getting a team under control, making sure they don't panic, making the adjustments, and also being that type of figure, uh that you could kind of not get spooked by get

spooked over. Um, so read good coach. Good number one overall pick in the coaches. It was you, Dan, I think who said that you had a envisioned of course to circle back, but you envisioned him at opening night of Super Bowl week. Was I mean you You've you put a lot of people into that envisioning role this

when you put Rogers there, I'm sure there's three. I think you're gonna get your wish on me with the Ravens to me with the Ravens out, Mahomes read, I, that's the that's the that's the a story, at least for me. I'm sure obviously fan bases would feel differently, But you're confusing me with Greg By the way, he wanted someone on the riser. I couldn't Kirk Cousins wanted Cousins, I know, but I dismissed. I dismissed that vision at this point. Yeah. Uh, Like Andy Reid's one of the

greatest coaches of all time. I mean he to me, he's much more of a Hall of Famer, you know than some some coaches that are in the Hall of Fame. And he's got his young quarterback like this. If ever there was a time, this is his time. The Patriots lost to give him this by you know, the the Ravens lost to set up home field advantage, like if not now, then when he took it. Yeah, one of his crazed, maniacal tweets Zolac today was, no, no, this will be happening if we just beat the Dolphins. Well

that's true. About to take care of business, all right, let's add to halftime sit By the way, you mentioned coaches that belong in the Hall of Fame Jimmy Johnson. One of the great UH studio moments I've seen in a long time was the Big Man from the Hall of Fame, your boy Mark David Baker, bigger than a front tour. He lumbers out that guy is a man

and he makes the official announced. Jimmy Johnson immediately knows what it means when he sees big Man Baker coming and fit all four of us inside of David David Baker's form. He's a man and UH and Jimmy Johnson on live television during the halftime of the late game, finds out he's going to the Hall of Fame in part of the NFL one class UH. The day before the same dogg and pony trick was pulled. UH. Well, Baker went cross country. He was in New York for

the CBS show and Bill Cower also getting in. But the Jimmy Johnson one was excellent because he could barely talk. He was so choked up. All of us with asthma were running through our running for our inhalers. What it looked like. He was so choked up that he was having trouble breathing, And I thought, whoever the producer was that that said, let's shoot, let's get a Troy Aikman

shot here. That was gold. Yeah, And I think, like what we we talked about our favorite announcer duos at this point, and I had to go with Aikman because of just my early football fandom and what that Cowboys team and what Aikman meant to me. But Jimmy Johnson

is so tied and woven into that. I know that he was there for you know, about half the time that Aikman was, but he changed NFL history and I and I feel, honestly, we're at the point where it's not just these old timers getting to the Hall of famous people that we watched and kind of bathed in

their careers and saw them do what they do. And I I honestly, because I was walking in as it was happening, dams like get over here, it made me feel something to watch Jimmy Johnson and I did and it wasn't that was a whole different experience, but it was this. These are the things that Mark felt all week, and I remember things that make me love football because it's like it is a crowning achievement on someone that

probably should have been in a long time. And he's one of those guys to all the other coaches revere like Belichick and all the other coaches revere him as one of the all time grades and couldn't understand. And it wouldn't surprise me if not only Belichick helped him get in because he was on this, you know panel, but our old friend Elliott Harrison and Gil Brandt, who Elliott would stump so hard for Jimmy Johnson and he

was in that room as part of the panels. So I think Jimmy Johnson was a guy who was like a mistake getting corrected. Actually, I have footage of what I called Mark. I was like, Mark, come here, I sit on my lap. Oh yeah, that is it has been a weird show. That is not how that went. I remember learning like five years ago that Jimmy Johnson was not in the Hall of Fame, and and I was just shocked by that. Right, how is he not

in the Hall of Fame. People forget how much of a wild leap it was to have a college coach come in and suddenly take over an NFL team. Really got upstaged, you know, because it was a cowards moment was great too. Nice moment for Bill too. It's great. In other future Hall of Fame head coach news, the Cleveland Browns have made a higher Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski is their new head coach. NFL Network insider Ian Rappaport reported Sunday morning comes a day after the Vikings

season ended. Uh. In that loss of the Niners, which we'll get to in a little bit. Uh, but that didn't deter the Browns, who, after eight interviews, Robert Sala the Niners d C was very close to getting the job, it sounds like as well, but did not happen. The ghost Stefanski, who was the eighteen full time head coach in franchise history. But I believe it, what is it twelve, It's it's a lot in the last decade or so. Anyway,

Mark Stefanski in for Freddie Kitchens. Your take, Well, it leaves me, you know, it's hard to even know who Kevin Stefanski is, so I it's to wait and see on that. And they and they've interviewed him now for about the range of sixteen seventeen hours over two off seasons. And Paul de Potesta, their analytics guy wanted him last

year and got his way this year. And I truly do think he got his way because the the word essentially is that Josh McDaniels went in there and what he wanted to do was suggest massive sweeping changes to the Browns top down, take the organization, put it in

the blender, and recreate it in Josh McDaniel's image. Right, And Stefanski and I mentioned here on a tweet that I thought he looks to me a little bit like a hot dad with a complicated home life in a Netflix dramedy, because he certainly is a good looking coach, looks the part. I don't know what much more about him at this point, so that's my the end of

my commentary on him. But it was it was Stefanski who went in and said, I will work with Dee Podesta, which includes at this point it sounds, according to reports, having an analytics person in your headset, which is not offensive. That makes total sense to me. But also a lot of do that. So that's like, if they weren't doing that, you're catching them up, and that's fine. But also Jimmy Haslum did not want to part ways with certain structures

and certain people inside the organization. So I think whatever happens with Josh McDaniels down the road and where he goes, they will always be measured by these other coaches that they did not bring into the building because Stefanski essentially would do what Haslam wanted to do without blowing up the apple cart. What about the report from Dustin Fox that the new head coach will have to hand in his homework on Friday so Deep Podesta can take out his red pen and make it copious notes all over

the game plan. I mean, I don't again like it's the Browns are gonna get killed with that kind of report. Other teams are fewed as forward thinking and right where they should be, because yeah, you don't have to find the Browns here. What would you think if any team decided that all the work you put in during the week on your game plan, we have to run this

through an analytics calls to see if it's okay. I think that the Browns have been b line dysfunctional, and that feels a little bit like you're not empowering your coaching staff to me. But again, I don't like I want to see what thirty one other teams are doing. It's one of the things we you know, we hit on the show every year at this time of like the front office and the coach being totally aligned, and it's tricky when you're not hiring both at the same time.

And this is what happens. You have a group of people interviewing potential coach isn't where where if you hired McDaniels, he would essentially make the some of the people interviewing, you know, redundant or out of a job. So of course they're not going to hire him, and that's that's sort of that's potentially problematic. But if the structure that has them actually is setting up, you know, is a is a good idea, then it will work out fine. I mean, it's just, you know, past history doesn't give

him the benefit of that at all. Josh McDaniels not hired. Looks like he'll be back in New England for another year at the very least. Um, I feel like Browns fans seemed to be hoping it was McDaniels. I think I think that doesn't feel like a huge miss there. I mean no, but I think that kind of like Salah just because I wanted to see what I just

Salas felt like a wild card. Well, but also did you see the clip where, uh, there there was some sort of interview being staged and there's a Niners sort of office door behind it, and the door barrels open and Sala runs through on his cell phone and like sees the camera and darts off screen. And that was like was he talking to the Browns on his phone right there? Because it was like right before the Vikings Niners game, which we'll get um real quick because this

would fall through the cracks otherwise. The Broncos make a move on their coaching staff that surprised people. Rich Skang Garollo Skanks Skangs. He's out after one year as the o c there um and he's replaced by Pat Shermer, the recently h dismissed head coach of the Giants. Shermer obviously has a long history as an offensive coordinator and an offensive mind. Uh that makes sense that they would want to bring him in the building. But people were

surprised Greg that this whole angle drew lock. He's had the nice ending to their season. Their offense got better that near the end of the season. Why kind of blow things up and start over your thoughts. Oh, I think Elway. John Elway just is dead set on improving this offense. And they weren't. They weren't in love with you know, Skangs as a first year coordinator. They're getting a guy who has a lot more experience in Shermer. I'm not sure you're gonna go wild about Pat Shermer either,

but kudos to him for the old double dip. He's going to be getting that nice Giants head coaching check and then get a little something to Mr vic Fongio was determined, Fania was determined to this offense, and it was not improved. At the end of the year, they averaged two eighty nine yards and Drew Locks starts compared to three huntert Nate from the other quarterbacks, and they were the only team in the NFL to finish bottom five and all four of points, yards, third down percentage,

and red zoom percentage. Maybe this is a little lot of ra mcnefe coo that despite what always said at the end of the season, he's not that freaked out that Drew Lock has to start over with the new coach, because maybe he's not in love with Drew lock anyway at this point, who I was saying, if I if he really did finish struggling, and you really believed in this kid, he's my future, maybe you would hesitate to

make a change here. I saw it for the sake of continuity and Shermer's solid, But I did see a tweet that's stuck in my head a little bit, just like Shermer's, you know, gone a long way the last few years with you know, on the reputation of an offense where case Keena played like Lamar Jackson for eight days, for eight games, you know, like where Case Keenan was just basically running around and you just been like, like Case Keena was running around at defenders were like clashing

into each other, like falling all over before he threw like a sixty yard bomb and sudden they suddenly pat Servers getting all the credit for it. I mean, that was about like can you remember that? That was a wild time the case King and Vikings hal All right, that ends our halftime. Let's get back to action. Let's head to Baltimore. Shocker at the bank, Tannehill under center, play fake Tannehill looking throwing deep down field, going for

Raymond who's there? Can he hold it? Yes? Touchdown? Titans. Raven went to the ground as he laid out and storing in the divisional round. The hey is outside the barn, it's everywhere, and it's not going in for the Ravens. As Mike Keith just told you, it was exactly the opposite of what people expected. The Titans show up and blow the doors off the Ravens to twelve at the bank. Ryan's Hannehill making big passes early on Derrick Henry doing

what Derrick Henry does. Thirty carries a hundred and ninety five yards. That's big boy football, Chris Westling. And here we are the nine and seven Titans of now won two playoff games, and they knock off the number one seed in the a f C and the team that everyone seemed to believe was the number one team in

the NFL. How they do it well. I loved what Vrabel said after the Patriots game when they asked him about how do you measure a team's toughness, and he said, short yardage, both lines, kick coverage, in the run game, and the Titans excelled in all of those areas. And I think everybody knows that the two fourth down stuffs were the turning points in the game. After the first one first play, Tannehill hits that perfect play action bomb to Cliff Raymond, and after the second one on third

and one, um Derrick Henry goes sixty six yards. After that,

those were backbreakers. I did think the other really deflating sequence was that drive just four halftime, Lamar Jackson's best drive at the game, where Iron Eagle is trying to tell us on third and sixteen they should go conservative and just you know, go for something and just punt it back to the Titans, and he ends up hitting the pass and they're taking straight here that great one handed catch by Holly by Hollywood Brown in the middle

of a Bermuda triangle of Titans defenders. But it's so deflating to have the clock beat you right there and you run out of time. Got a shot at the beard while we're here. No, just like this is two thousand twenty, not nineteen. You don't you don't just run the ball into the line on third and sixteen. I knew it sounds come on. I would like to hear more. Come on, bird and we you know, we've kind of liked. You know, you're a huge fan of the Bird and the Beard. The Mark once told an entire bar full

of people they better start reflecting respecting Iron Eagles. Well they weren't. Did they respect him by the end of I don't know if the message was extremely clear, but I I know this sounds so basic, but the one thing that hit me watching like the Baltimore's two losses this year was the only way to kind of get them out of the monster's flow they seemed to get in every game was to get lucky with major mistakes and they and and turnovers. And that's what happened in

this game. And it and unlike the Chiefs I really expected. I was watching this at home with Calton, who was like, thought the Ravens were real the super Bowl was kind of blown away by what was happening because the Titans, like are just not had not been on everyone's radar to this degree, especially not this juggernaut version of the last couple of weeks. And they could not get out

of their own way. And I just waited and waited for them to get back on track in their flow, start doing what the Chiefs did down the stretch today and it never happened. It was like observing just a bad dream that you expect to wake up from and it's actually October eight and their seven And oh, I wouldn't say that Lamar Jackson and the Ravens were on tilt in this game, but you could see it in their faces and you had sense it in that crowd that there was a bit of shock that they don't

play from behind. They haven't been any situations. I think part of the shock was it didn't feel like there was this was luck that was leading to the Titans, uh pouring it on and jumping out to this four team nothing leading and essentially coasting to win. They just got beat, and they got beat handily, and that is pretty hard to figure out. And we were talking about it last week. Mark, you were making the point that people tend to get two wrapped up in the team

that just played and forget about the bye week. This was the other side of the coin where the team that had to buy and then the team that was so good that they didn't even play Week seventeen. They're big guys. They come out and they did look rusty and I and I do not want this to be like the storyline that everyone talks about. But it's fair to bring it up that the Ravens were just cooking all season. They disappear for twenty days and when they

come back they're a different team. They were taken out of their element. I mean they're running backs at nine carries in this game, he had a runner to where he looked okay, But you know they didn't use Gus Edwards. They just didn't like hand the ball off. You know, when markis Brown is catching seven, Snead catches six, you know, it's just like that's that's not exactly who the Ravens are. And I give so much credit to the Titans for taking them out of who they are, especially on offense.

You know the Ravens the Titans offense. That is, the Ravens built their team from the back to the front, and I think I think the Rams did this, I think the Patriots is I think the Titans have done this. That it's an interesting, maybe smart way to use your cap space, build up this big secondary and blitz. They've been blitzing like crazy. All the money's back there. They couldn't even play those guys like Jimmy Smith barely played in the game because the Titans didn't have many receivers

on the field. It was they had to defend something they weren't really totally ready to defend. You can't blitze every down, which is basically what they did all season when the other team's not throwing the ball. It was like they kind of neutered what the Ravens were do being so well And I think that was Drew on the other side, where they really dared them to pass all game, and the Ravens obliges and and they couldn't

do it. I felt like Lamar Jackson's passes were, you know, he's been a crisp thrower in other games to the point where that was one of his biggest, you know, elements of growth this season. He just seemed to be off. And how many name another game for Baltimore this year where they had a drive crumble at the thirty six with an interception, another one crumbled the thirty one with Lamar Jackson pick, and then a drive that crumbled on

downs at the Titans eighteen. That's they left they Lamar's on the board, and then they got into a really rough because I think I actually think Lamar played and through the ball pretty well after the first quarter, but the short yardage runs that got stuffed were killed in an absolute killer. Why is he throwing the ball fIF and then and then the two he had three turnovers. I'm not really gonna put the first one on him. That was the sort of bad luck that you're talking

about that suddenly it got spooky. That was basically a drop by Hayden Hurst. The other two turnovers were on him, and that's not what he did during the season. I mean, he threw a bad pick and he and he fumbled and lost the ball that he shouldn't have and that fumbled to me was what was pretty telling that game to Jeffrey Simmons just took the ball away and forgetting

right now, who was the raven that was there? But when Lamar fumbled it, there was a Ravens player there first it seemed like he had recovered and Jeffrey Simmons just comes in there and steals the ball and like that was kind of like one of the big players of the game is he just like grabbed it away from And on the flip side, you have John who Smith making one of the better catches we've seen in

you know, ten years worth the playoffs. But they were just making the the split butt sheet catch like they're just making they were making plays and the little trick play from Derrick Henry into table. I mean, they just they got creative and they against the Patriots. They didn't care about New England's legacy, they didn't care about Foxborough or any of that nonsense. For Scott so luck. They

had no fear. And my question was would that carry over to this week because we talked about the Titans being loose, but the Ravens have been loose the entire season and they just simply carried on with the same exact force and power or of a week ago. You talked about that no fear, and to me, the one play that is emblematic of the Titans team is Derrick Henry shoving Earl Thomas around and the stiff arm and

then shoving him in the back. I wrote an article in two thousand and sixteen when John Robinson was hired as GM. Their purpose in life is going to be get big and shove around all these teams that are going nickels dime packages, getting small and speedy at linebacker, and the Titans plan was less. Draft Jack Conklin at right tackle, put him with Taylor Lawan, pick up some guards and plile Derrick Henry through your defense. And that's what they've been doing. This is a tough team, and

they remind me so much. Mark, We're old enough for this. John Riggins and the Hogs with the Redskins where they are on a historically great playoff run, with their running games. When the Texans go up fourteen, nothing than twenty one, nothing than twenty four and nothing. The reason why I felt like the Chiefs had a chance is because the Chiefs are so explosive, obviously, and the Texans they didn't

have like a Derrick Henry. That's why whence it got to four teen nothing in this game, like they also have Derrick Henry, who is the evolutionary Earl Campbell. Right now, you knew the Ravens were in serious trouble. And that's and I do not want to overshadow what the Titans did because and the Titans fans always think I'm a get you. I'm I am really, how how could you not be out? I mean, the how impressive they played,

it was incredible. But I keep going back to I cannot believe the egg the Ravens late in this game. I mean they were eight for eight in the regular season on fourth and one. They go over too in this game. That's insane. They had five drop passes according to PFF, the most in the game that they've had

all season. And it just and you know, Lamar Jackson, who I didn't think played poorly, but it's crazy throughout fifty nine times he ran, how many times he touched the ball and more plays in this game than any quarterback in NFL history. It's like it was just like marketing and banged up it just like, uh, Lamar save us and one player can't do it all. It's crazy and there's a lot of that padding at the end of the game. But Marlon Humphrey, uh, the Ravens safety.

He he was very honest about what he felt happened to Baltimore in this game. You gotta look some from here and I think it's this team right now is identity is get the playoffs and show and just you know, it is what it is. That's just the hard truth. They haven't they haven't won a PLAYFF. You know, they've lost, they've lost, they've you know, the Jaguars have won two more playoff games in the last five years, and the Ravens,

the Ravens haven't haven't won anything. I don't think that's I don't think enough time, right, I don't think that's true that that's their reputation. I think he's just that's his way of of dealing with anger and a defense. Like you know, the offense for the scoring twelve is wild, that's the lowest that the highest scoring has ever scored. But the defense played pretty poorly too, as good as the as good as the Titans defense was in short yardage.

I think of the three runs that Tannehill picked up, and tanne was not getting a lot of love for these performances, but he had one for a touchdown where he made a great decision not to pass it off, made a great read like kind of bowled over a guy into the end zone. That's the type of Lamar Jackson play. He had another first down he picked up with his legs that led to the first touchdown of the game right near the goaling and he had another

quarterback sneak later in the game. So I know his numbers haven't been like unbelievable he's he's done his job. They just haven't needed it. They're just doing it a

different way. It's pretty incredible, though, under a hundred yards passing in both games, first and the first quarterback to win two playoff games in a row like that since Terry Bradshaw and the I forgot who tweeted this, but they their hope was that the Titans would win the Super Bowl and over the course of four playoff games, Tannehill would throw for less than four hundred yards, which seems possible by the way. Footnote, Dan, you won your lock.

I not boldly, not boldly locked up the Ravens, kind of hedging my bets trying to get into a late season showdown with Greg lost the Ravens always there is a there's a history of that. But Dan and I now sit two games behind Greg, so we are just aiming for a three ways high and whatever he does to play, Yeah, I just gotta get one right. Jack's Lamar Jackson set career highs in completions thirty one in completion pass attempts, fifty nine passing yards, three sixty five.

As Greg mentioned, he runs for a hundred and forty three yards. Uh. He really did stuff the statueet and if your box score scouting again, you're saying, wow, he had one of the great NFL games in a losing effort. Ever, but that wasn't the case either. He didn't point in his a game either. It's just to me remarkable what happened here. I was kind of proud of football Twitter. You had to kind of hunt for people to have lousy takes on Lamar Jackson after the game, as if

they were going to bury him. You had to go and find them. They weren't out there. I found a couple of howlers if any. If anything, the more annoying thing was the guy in the press conference. And this happens all the time, who goes you know, Lamar? You know, you know a lot of people are gonna be saying, you know that you struggled with the playoffs. How hard is it going to be for you to deal with, you know, people saying that. It's like you said it.

You don't have to ask that. You don't have to ask. It's like people are gonna be talking about your playoffs struggles. No man, you're talking Oh your criticism all right? The Ravens, little punk get that little punk. We'll put a name on it if we're going to. Really, I don't know who it was, actually I did. I did rewind it because I kind of wanted to figure out by the voice what who was. But I do want to get what I don't know what it does or what it

doesn't do. But the little calf massage has your gun that Marketing Ram was using, and you knew once he was doing that is that they're done. It was it was it was like pointed. It was going on, I have, I have one of those things, and it's the goddamn best thing in the world. I mean, it got him back. It's not pointing like that. No, it's the more conventional one you've probably seen, like you see him on the

sidelines like a third child. You know. I went on a trip with Marketing by the way, mentioned but there was a player that had the massage than Gregg is talking about, and I thought about that, but this one was much more. That was Chris was much more pointed and very dangerous. Look almost like a medieval weapon. Yes,

it looked to medieval to some degree. Quick update on on Rhoda Keisha's mom Big Lamar Jackson and she had sewed her own like Lamar Jackson Ravens pants and socks, and went and went to Buffalo Wild Wings to go watch the game. And you know, she went to be Dubs. She went to here for a St. Louis Rams fan. By the way, we don't have a sponsor, so Be

Dubs come at us. She was kind of desponded, but had a really positive attitude after the game and basically said, this is a confident, growing quarterback and it's a good team. All they have to do is get stronger next year, surround him with better weapons, and we're talking about an m v P embracing the challenge and coming back even better next sounds like a mother It is hard to get back. But they are set up great. They Marshall

Yanna might retire, Jimmy Smith is probably gone. That they have not nearly as many you know, changes as they made a year ago. Cap space like, I don't know, They're they're set up pretty nicely. Is Derrick Henry gonna have the greatest playoff run in the history of the NFL for running back? He's been, Yeah, they need to win this next one and unbelievable. So the Tennessee Titans. We'll play the Kansas City Chiefs in the a f

C title game at Arrowhead. Let's close it out with the first game of the weekend at Big Bell Bottom Third, doubting that here comes the gold Rush. Dozens backs get intercepted by Richard Sherman. I'll take it back etside the thirty yard und dropped down him at twenty eight yard line. Your best players are playing their best right now. Good call there, Greg Papa, Niners Radio Network. Richard Sherman, he saw it coming, he read Kirk Cousins. He made the

play a big interception. The Niners get the ball back, they run it eight times in a row for a touchdown. Goodbye game over. San Francisco cruises to to ten win over the overmatch the Minnesota Vikings. Mark the Niners dominated this game on defense and in the running game. I don't care what error were in. You in good shape

when you're doing that. I mean it's one of those games where you could tell within five or six minutes that the Vikings, and they have done this a number of times late in this season, pulling West, as you tweeted, just an ultra no show and they just were not there. And and that's why I just consider the nine are so dangerous because they got finally healthy on defense, and I thought de Ford made a couple of plays earlier

that mattered. You're getting big plays from Kendrick Borne. You've got Tevin Coleman, who has been relatively you know, not not really the big part of this lineup used excessively. Kyle Shanahan must have just thought this is the guy

to lean on this week. Jimmy g doing what he needed to do, one turnover early, but really made a lot of great throws and they just absolutely dominated the vikings to me, did not The one thing that concerned me, and we mentioned this on the on the preview show, was you have to establish right away Dalvin Cook like they did a week ago against the State. They really really tried to the point where it was like, give

me a break. But he had like I think he had eighteen yards on the entire day, and they just could not play the kind of offense they wanted to play. And at the point where we talked about Kevin Stefanski and they were saying that Cleveland was looking at that game as a referendum of Salaver's you know, Stefanski. I mean,

Salah absolutely dropped an a bomb on the Vikings. So I don't know how they came out with the answer they did on that front, but this was don't you gonna get No, I don't, but you're gonna get one of these every divisional round weekend. I feel like, justin justin Apps almost you have to just sit back and accept it a beat down and this is what this is,

that this is. I think Vikings fans probably within fifteen or twenty minutes of kickoff just said, I understand, We're not we are not going to compete in this He is an easy one to digest if you're a fan of the losing team, because yeah, they're out gained. Well, the Niners only put up the under in a total yards are off offense, But when you put up a hundred and forty seven and a big chunk of that comes on a digs play early on. Uh, they just

were unable to do anything in this game. And it was so clear even though they were hanging around score wise for much of the first half. UH, and even early in the third quarter, the game just felt over pretty quickly. Yeah, even in that third quarter, the forty Niners were only up by a little bit, but they

had twenty first downs to the Vikings four. At that point, that's a perfect and then twelve straight runs down your throat to put the game out of each just disrespectful and a reminder about the forty Niners that when they're healthy, this team is exceptionally deep and talented, to the point where you've got Matt Brita as a garbage time afterthought. You can do things like put a Manual Moseley in your starting lineup and take a Kello Witherspoon out if

he's struggling a little bit. They've just got a lot of parts that they can move around. You can have D four, it is a designated pass rusher when he's healthy, Kwan Alexander and they're making plays. This is a deep, deep, talented team. You have that drive where they just ran it down. The stats really the whole game. If you watch the two running games, I kind of was thinking, you know, you had Kubiak on one side and you had Kyle Shanahan on the other side, and he's like,

I am the real Shanahan. I am the real son of Mike Shanahan. We have the Broncos running game were the offensive line that you can just put in anyone behind like Braheem Most or call you know whoever it is, and we're gonna be able to run the ball. Whereas you have an all pro running back and you're trying to be the Shanahan running game and it's not really happened.

I think the surprise was because coming off of last week, and one of the reasons, I think, Greg that you were high on them was that the Vikings defense looked like they had turned a big corner. But it mattered a lot to get Mike McGlinchey and Joe Staley back at tackle. I mean, to your point, when they're healthy. Now their line is healthy again, and I just I don't see uh an overt weakness because you don't have to have Jimmy g do what Patrick Mahomes is doing.

He through for a hundred and thirty one yards. But they imposed the will. We've got a lot of these playoff teams at this point that when you run the ball at this time of year, like and I know that's super cliche, but the Niners simply do it effectively. And the Vikings did not have a first down in the second half until five minutes left when the game was over. Well, this defensive that that was so unbelievable in the first half of the year, partly because of injuries,

but I'm not putting it all on injuries. That they weren't the same down the stretch. You just wanted to see that kind of before and you saw it. I mean Armstead, Bossa and Buckner combined for twenty two pressures. I mean those three guys alone just they killed him. I mean Cousins didn't play well. He had a bad pick. He there was a couple of times where he had some time and he just took an easy check down. I mean Dalvin Cook had six catches for eight yards.

But it's I don't know. I don't think it would have mattered if you played well in this tweeted this, so credit the end. But how about your quarterback makes a play out of structure just one time. How about when the running game is shut down, you find a way to make plays when they pressure you. I mean

you're allowed to do that. And for the second time in four weeks, they basically came one floater two stephon digs away from a in aptitude on off my My lasting image from this game was just Cousins with his with his hands over his ears. He's like, I can't hear I can't. I mean, didn't you guys see that a million times in this game as he's just like he's kind of shaking his head trying to hear the play because it's so loud there, and then check down.

It's been a good year at the Big Bell Bottom for a stadium that's gotten a ton of heat and criticism to the point where some people can't even sit on one side of the stadium because it was built in the wrong direction. It's all sorts of heat around Levin Stadium, but there have been several spots where that place his sounded loud. Here's a stat um that where was it? Did I lose it? I was so excited talking about the Big Bell Bottom while you get there.

You know, one visual that I thought illustrated how this stadium had an ability to explode was when Joey Bosa, who was dominant yesterday with two sacks, was down on the ground near the end of the game with an injury and it looked like he wasn't moving for a bit, and he was kind of whispering and not moving to

the trainers. Then they kind of got away from him, and his body started shaking like Hulk Hogan, like or what's they talk about all these other wrestlers Ultimate War just like his body and like rising up, stood up and just started dancing up and down the field in the state he went litterally. It was Tidwell moment. Rry maguire exactly after Tidwell stopper is a massive brain injury. He's doing backflips in the end zone. Uh, here's the staff.

The forty Niners are the second team since the nineteen seventy merger to allow fewer than thirty rushing yards and have more than six sacks in a playoff game. The other team the Bears and Super Bowl. Anytime you get connected to the five Bears, you're doing something very very good. Oh my gosh. That is why it could have been a lot worse. Like the forty Diners didn't need to score more so, and I almost felt like they took the foot off, you know, the gas a little bit.

Like they played really well offensively. Five of their first six drives had eight plus plays. Jimmy Garoppolo and his wide receivers made plays. Especially the numbers aren't that crazy for Jimmy G. But if you look at I think there was three or four different third and lungs which were high difficulty throws under pressure, and guys like Born, Samuel and Sanders like made tough catches too off of good throws like Jimmy j played well too, kind of

like Tannehill. The numbers weren't great, but other than the interception he played, this will this will be very, very tired even by Tuesday's episode, but you are going to get Kyle Shanahan versus Matt Lafleur now, which I think is a nice master student show which we just had that Kyle another another potential for I am the real Shanahan. I don't think Matt, I mean he was he was there. He was there in um in uh Washington, that would

that's an aggressive claim. He was there in um Hooters once uh Jeff Darlington introduced me to the this brand new like Washington Redskins coaching staff, and it was just like, you know, it's Kyle Sanahan and a bunch of his friends. And they looked, you know, they were tenures. They were younger than me. But then I was like, what is happening right now? The flower If he can go into San Francisco and and get a w the bearded boy becomes the bearded man that I think he's not a

boy now, he's moved beyond boyhood. He's he's an adolescent with a beard. Now the bearded team, then he'd be a man with a beard, and no one has a problem with a man with a beard. Uh. Richard Sherman, you heard at the top thirty eight career interceptions, and he's been down this road before West. He's been in the NFL's version of the Final Four several times. Uh. He knows how to play the narrative game. Going into

the big ball game. People just keep disrespecting us um And at the end of the day, all you can do is go out there and impose your will and execute. And that's what our d line and our secondary in our linebackers were able to do. Our offense did a great job of scoring points um and take advantage of the opportunities. Felt good. It felt good. That's that's what we look like. More. We're totally healthy. Have they been totally disrespected? I mean missed something there by Greg he

was talking to be forgot. I mean, here's what happens if if if fifteen of the like analysts out there pick against your team, then it's like wild disrespect or you know, it's not like yeah, of course, like if you have there's a million idiots like us talking about these games, and so yeah, like eight, only eight out of ten pick the forty Niners. In an incredibly unpredictable sport, it's necessary, you've got to craft some straw men. As that said, it was a horrific prediction. I mean, this

was the one sided blood beat. I mean, in your defense, you've also predicted the Vikings to lose by thirty points in the Super Bowl, so you didn't totally get wrong. They lost convincingly. Was just earlier any final thoughts there was before these playoffs started, there was one team in the last decade that ran on at least six of their plays. Now there are four. The Titans have done it twice in the forty Niners did it. It's a running playoff. It's well yeah, and it's crazy that the

Ravens aren't involved too. I was thinking that with the Titans, it was like this team who's kind of like playing football a totally different way. You know, went into Baltimore and beat them, like Ryan Tannehill as your revolutionary leader, and den Pas Dean Peas is just mowing through organizations who didn't want them anymore. Go up and take out Belichick, go up and take out Yeah, the Ravens out. You try to retire me, please, I'm Dean Pas, Jared bel

dear Marshawn Lynch. Dean Pease, retirement means nothing these days. Bad job, I asked. We talked about coordinators all the time. We didn't bring up Arthur Smith once for the Titans. Oh my god, Arthur Smith, great job? What PA call? It's funny because that's that's like the perfect call where if that did not work, everyone would have killed Arthur Smith. Like,

but like, how could you have there? And you're trying to get Q on third down in the biggest spot, butter that you know, Derrick Henry is a baller and great call. He's in the zone. But Mike Vrabel isn't just one of these typical defensive coaches who hams you, who ant cuffs his offensive coordinator. He told Arthur Smith at the end of that Patriots game on a key drive. Go win the game, call whatever you have to call to win the game. He didn't say run the ball,

do this to the clock. He just said go win the game. And I think Arthur Smith is getting a lot of his confidence from Derrick Henry, who's the power source of that confidence. And Mike Vrabel, he's not putting un fourth in a lot Mike Rabel arrow up um. One of my favorite tropes also analysis played by play tropes of a big game or around a team, that team takes on the personality of their head coach. The Titans are there, Mike Vrabel, personava. That's the thing. Yes,

I mean, it's just you know, so what okay? What so? I mean if they're what are what are the Packers? They're a flower and they're so what what are the forty niners? They're like, they're like a cool who likes Little Wayne? I mean, Kyle Stanian's gotta be a little worried. He little solid, a little little as us. As their friend Andrew Hawkins point out, he named his kid after a little Wayne, and little Wayne is a Packers fan.

That's some problems, some problems at you know, he's got a lot of issues little Wayne Um chemical dependency, Like what does that mean for Perry Fuel? Like if you take on the personality or head coaches, that mean because the Panthers got blue blown out like four straight weeks, that Perry Fuel is like some type of like I think it's typically when things are going to your point,

I feel like it doesn't need to be said. I feel like, if you're a football fan, you're watching your team over the course of a year, you feel that pointing that out feels a little excessive. I once saw the Bengals take on the personality of Dave Schuler when the linebacker came over and patted him on the head on the sideline. All right, good recap, guys. Oh, the a f C Championship NFC Championship schedule is as follows.

Uh vamp, somebody say something, Well, if you wanted me to say it, yeah, that Titans in the Chiefs play at three or five eastern. They're up first in the NFC Packers in San Francisco six forty eastern. I like these matchups. This is nice. I would there's no matchup where I would be annoyed. And that's usually well, usually the Patriots are involved here so we're totally in the clear there. Um, yeah, it's been unlike Julian Edelman, who is not in the clear right now. He is Actually

they did the rest of his life in prison. Well, here's the thing with Edelman getting a misdemeanor for jumping on someone's car in Beverly Hills. You know, I did the Google Maps just to see where that was, and it's where I thought. It's basically like a like a popular shopping sort of street in Beverly Hills, like the last place that you should be like trying to be going out on that. No, it's not even that. It's more just like who are you trying to fool that?

Who are you trying a kid that you're some sort of like cool tough guy on the town like doing things You're you're out at Beverly Hills near like Earth Cafe. Well, what give me a time? Did it occur that it was? I was going to say, I like a man walking down the avenue at three pm, you know, having come from That's what I'm saying. This is a very quiet, boring part of like like the richest part anywhere. It's pathetic. He may not have been operating at full capacity may

have been. You know, it was not a rigorous decision making process going on in Edelman's head at the time. And I have done dumber stuff in my forties, so I can't say anything. I was gonna say, Yeah, none of us are perfect, but you know, you're a grown man thirty three years old jumping on Lamborghinis. The first thing I thought when I read there's a there's a series of images that came to mind that I'm glad

I didn't get caught for uncertain little time. I'm not saying it was I didn't rob a bank or something. Is that true? I just hear that in my year. I mean, that's it's definitely the wrong place to be jumping on cars because they're going to call the police everywhere else that's just Thursday night. But Beverly Hills, they're like, someone just jumped in my car. Get this, get this, uh, get this Edelman out of here. And it was Amundola and Edelman hanging out together last night. Yea and Paul

Pierce Amundola. That's where like taking out windows with a baseball bat, like I think they went out for drinks and he tried to be a cool guy and jumped on someone's car and he play pay it off. He got arrested. We've all done like arrested. Yeah, I jumped on cars every day. How do you think I get to my car at the end of the night. I hopped from hood to hood like it's just what people did. Of course, that's what everyone That's what I was arrested, but that it was college. It was, but that was

also from you know, bad boys. Also, I've been in trouble. I'm not I'm not gonna say anything about Adaman. Stay tuned for the air show where we go through West and Gregg's rap sheets arrest by arrest, and we dig into the aftermath and what it what it meant in terms of the family and the penal system. It's going to be a great show coming up. Maybe it'll be a segment on our our TV show Friday Afternoon. It won't be, but that would be imagine that six o'clock Eastern,

potentially our last TV show. Who also check out that that all important Saturday three a m Eastern h airing, which is also sentleman could have watched tonight our time. Well if they had a TV and the slammer. True. He was in there all right. We'll be back on Tuesday's Dan Hands signing off four Quiet Storm, the Mailman, the Old Boss, Rick Hollywood, Bryan Bartlett and the whole gang behind the glass. Thank you to everybody. Till Tuesday. Talk to right