2019 Week 6 Recap from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London

We are still at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at one am after the Panthers and Bucks went at it ages ago, and we're recording this from Commissioner Roger Goodell's suite high above the field. In fact, I hold in my hand boys, a bottle of Ruggiero Prasico Dott and we will be opening this at the conclusion of today's episode. And Roger, you could build us right. I guess my one suggestion for our commissioner would be, you know, don't lock the fridges.

You know, all the drinks that we can find around here, and I'm just talking water in soda are warm, so the cold beverages are locked. They thought to do that, but the warm ones we can steal. The great thing is is for a commissioner who we we certainly respect, a lot who has never heard of our show. Likely well, now that's not true that at this point, you know, the biggest impact we've had on him is stealing a

two bottle Champagne. I've never seen at our shadowy league figure that's in the room look more uncomfortable than right now, furious just to have John Runyan sent us a FedEx envelope like we're vante is perfect and isn't it? Isn't it mark fitting that in the Commissioner's special suite, right in the center of the room there is a glass encased in glass Lombardi trophy. And even in this setting, Greg is closer to the Lombardi than you and I. I mean, as far as the east is from the west,

is how far away I am from it? At this point you're you seem a little bit closer. Today You've got you got the bouncing your step. The old juser got a w alright, a lot to get to and yes, it was a really fun special day. Uh here in London as we end our hopefully annual trip to England, Jolly old England, Um and we had such a great time on the field here at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. We

did uh. We did multiple rounds of work with Sky Sports and our good buddy Neil Reynolds and company, and they, as always were super inviting and uh, that was great. We we did a lot of media. Greg. This was a this is one of the busiest days ever for the podcast. We learned how difficult sideline reporting is with like massive video was playing in your ears as Hannah Wilkes from Sky Sports was trying to ask us questions

and we're just guessing what to say. Yeah, she's a total total pro, and I mean we were learning on the fly. To me, it was like I've always wondered what it would be like to be reporting live from Bay Route under fire, and it was like, that's how it would sound audibly a thing, very loud, disturbing. We're also on the JumboTron for the first time in front of like thirty thousand people, doing a fifteen minute mini pregame show. That was pretty surreal. One of the more

surreal moments of our careers. Greg was a lot from the Greg was feeling himself. He got the Panthers to give a nice shout. Well, I've always it was a career goal here. Ever since I was a little boy, I've always dreamed of saying, are Anny Pentthers fans in here? And they responded, And then the producer of the hit as soon as it ended, he was a gentleman from around here. It was like you never ever do that. It worked. It was good. I like it. You worked you.

It was a high wire act typical of Greg who is just his whole career has been one high wire act of excitement. That's the way I look at it. We got a lot of games to get too, so, yes, we were at this game. Uh so why don't we, as we spent through all of the games on Sunday of week six, why don't we start with a game that we attended. Yes here in London. Hit it. Ricky Panthers going on silent count. On first down, Allen looks smiddle, no rechiever. Jonathan McCaffrey is left flat. McCaffrey to the

spinds away touchdown Carolina McCaffrey left side. He made three or four Buccaneers look like they've never practiced. Panther's radio network with the call, Christian McCaffrey scored two touchdowns, and Carolina turned five interceptions five interceptions by Jamis Winston into seventeen points. That's four straight wins now for the Panthers after thirty seven to win over the Bucks, and wasn't even really that close because Carolina from from the jump

was the superior team. The very first play from scrimmage was a Jamis Winston interception interception, which was obviously a sign of things to come. Winston under constant arrest. The right side of Tampa's offensive line was missing with an injury, with injuries, and you could see it. Um, we had, you know, we were lucky enough to be down on the field for large portions of this game. Uh, and also in the press box which had a good sight line,

you know, line of sight. Sum, this is such a great place and you could see it, almost see it on Winston's face. The Uh, he was shook, as the kids say. He was never comfortable in the pocket, and that led to turnover after turnover after turnover, and Carolina didn't light it up offensively themselves. I believe they finished under three hundred yards of total offensor were certainly in that neighborhood but they didn't need to because they kept

on getting good field position. Christian McCaffrey was held at about a hunt hard and a half a carry, but still scored two touchdowns, including uh that twenty five yard play where you broke about seven pairs of ankles in the Tampa secondary. So the Panthers get the job done against a uh A Tampa Bay team that seemed jet lag quite frankly. UH four wins in a row, four and two Now for the Panthers, I believe in one of our myriad prediction exercises, according to some of our listeners,

I predicted a five interception game for Jamis Winston. We preview this game like forty seven times. It's hard to remember which I didn't see this much of a meltdown, and I don't know how much of it is on the offensive line, but back to back sacks in the red zone, wanna lost fumble, and then the five interceptions. It was it was you know, you're waiting for Jameis Winston to show tangible signs of improvement, and for the first two or three weeks of the season, you could say, hey,

they're moving the ball, they're scoring points. It's the offense that's carrying this team, and now it's just it's the same Jamis Winston where it's one step forward, two steps back. You just can't trust him not but sits a check and you know he can't trust him not to get rattled, and for that offense to have rhythm for an entire game, it just doesn't happen. I really like that cameo by

Paula Abduel, and I think mc scat cat. I feel like we've been building to this moment on the Around the NFL podcast since the moment Jamis Winston was drafted number one in two thousand and fourteen. It had to end here, like our journey of me defending Jamis Winston had to end in person in London. After you're gonna stop defending him, I I mean, what's there left to do? I mean five interceptions, seven sacks, two fumbles. It there's

no more. There's nothing left to defend. And and we'll get to Marcus Mariota later, but he was benched for the first time in his career while he's healthy. In this debate we've had forever is the most pointless debate evers Winston. Even before this game, was started, was in his own head. He was just holding the ball just like he did in New Orleans. And I think he was beaten by the coordinator Ron Rivera uh in Carolina and everything that was going on even before they started

the game. It was the ultimate at the end of the day, much ado about nothing with these two guys. And maybe maybe the last chapter hasn't been written with these guys, but that will be the storyline that comes out of uh this Sunday. That and we're gonna get to Mariota. But Winston I don't know if he gets benched uh going into next week. Bruce Arians, Greg, I think you might have heard or read that he seemed very annoyed after this game, as I imagine he would be.

But the window now you can imagine, Mark is closing very quickly on Winston to be able to make any type of impression on the new coaching stamp. Well, it's the whole messaging was that, Bruce Arians. It wasn't that he was going to make Jamis Winston into a yardage monster, because he already was that he was those things to begin with this hundred yards A lot of it coming into you know, late in the game when it didn't really matter. I mean to me, arians has to look

at this quarterback. He's been around a lot of them and say, if I can't get this guy to play safer football, protect us and not put us in this position. This is an un manageable mission from a quarterback guru's perspective. I will say this too. They played a defense in the Carolina Panthers that is becoming an absolute chaos spinning unit. And one that this the you know, the these NFC South teams all were locked. They don't feel locked to me right now. The Panthers with this defense, and we've

seen this with Ron Rivera before. It doesn't matter who's at quarterback. It doesn't matter that Christian McCaffrey was held to about fifty seven yards today. The defense made all the difference. Now, you're not gonna play Jamis Winston every week, and you're not gonna get some of the throws he gave them. But they're doing this. They're disrupting the pocket week after week. You know who had a ton of injuries on the old line to Carolina, who had a

ton of injuries on defense? Carolina. They they're getting to thereby at four and to Kyle Allen made a couple of nice throws today. He has not thrown an interception yet in his career. I know he's had the fumble problems. That was not a problem today. I would say both of Winston and Allen, their best throws of the day were dropped. It was a sloppy game here in the

in the bucks, especially who arrived on Friday afternoon. I tell you, I mean, I know we're not experts on jet lagger, but that doesn't feel like everyone here thinks that's just not enough time. It seems great on Friday. We're still up to four am every just it's hard to it's hard to sleep. But that was my my two takeaways um from a player perspective, nice revenge game by Gerald McCoy. To Aaron is probably the best player against Tamby. He was all over the place, living in

the backfield. And yes on the day that Kyle Allen has a nice day, not a lights out day, but a nice day in a resounding victory for the Panthers. Our own Ian Rapp Report puts out a report this morning that Cam Newton might not immediately get a starting job back Just when when when? He gets healthy, which

might not be uh for a while. We're still figuring out how long he's going to be out, but that we had heard whispers of that earlier this week, and then the report comes out that Kyle and as long as they keep winning, you're not gonna see Cam just waltz back onto the field. So that's a big subplot.

And the final thoughts from this game. Let's say one thing about the crowd here, because if this game we're happening in Tampa, the stadium would have cleared out early third quarter when the wheels were completely spinning off the vehicle. And it's special here. People don't leave, and that's a unique thing. I understand why if you're a season ticket

holder in Tampa you're very frustrated. But I think for the Bucks who this was a home game for them, not in theory but in practice, and they felt that that support today even when they were not giving any reason for that. The crowd was going crazy when they were scoring a touchdown down thirty twenty, when they were picking up first downs down thirty seven to six. I

was really impressed by the crowd in general. It was a home game in practice, but not in theory the other way around both, but in practice I don't find home games to be in London necessarily they had, They had a better crowd than I expect. I figured it was gonna be heavy Caroline. It was, and I would say it was a little final thought West, Well, I've got two of them. First of all, you can't bench Jameis Winston, Ryan Griffin. The backup doesn't have an NFL arm.

There's no point there. Two and four. You're gonna play this out and Bruce Arians specifically cited Jamis Winston as a franchise quarterback for the reason he came back to the to the NFL as the Buccaneers coach. The second thing, Dan, We've noticed um in London there's a bit more of a wild West atmosphere as far as things that people can get away with. We noticed Thursday night at one of our shows they were handing out beers to the audience, which you would not see event never excuse the drink

in England. In the press box today, towards the end of the game, Michael Pollardi, the punter for the Panthers, unleashed one and the press box announcers announced this way and this one is not fumbled by Bob Bobo Newsom the returner. You would never hear that in American Stadium, No, you wouldn't. All right, let us move on to to me the best game of the day. In Kansas City four to three at the Chiefs twenty seven yard line. De Sean puts the light down. Here's the snap Watson throwing.

How do you top gets for a first down? The game is over. The Texans can kill the clock in Kansas City. What a cutsy call. Fourth down, Watson too, Hopkins to drill the knife in the heart of the chief. Mark vandermere with there's that terrible new music, Ricky. We are going to address this together. We get back to the States. Now. We gotta find another alternative. If if, if we're gonna be robbed of our rightful music by the shadowy league figures, we need to find something better.

Mark vander Meer, Texans Radio Network with the call the Shaun Watson. Well, you can bring it back up while I'm doing the read. Well, you don't like it. Deshaun Watson threw for two yards and a touchdown. He ran for two scores and Patrick Mahomes could not keep up the Texans a thirty one to win over the Chiefs in Kansas City West. The Texans could have had The

Texans could have won this game going away. Have they executed executed better, but even imperfect performance, they won an Arrowhead and again announced we are a legit a f C contender. Yeah, it looked like Will Fuller dropped a couple of potential touchdowns. DeAndre Hopkins had an uncharacteristic drop in the red zone. Deshaun Watson threw an end zone interception on fourth and one. This could take her issues.

They could have scored over points in this game. And and this is how dominant was It was the highest time of possession by an opponent in a non overtime game at Arrowhead Stadium. Ever, whoa they kicked them up and down the field. Chiefs defense could not get off the field. They ran for over a hundred and ninety yards on forty carries. This was a just it seemed like the better team one And this is going back a few weeks now. The Colts were the better team

against the Chiefs last week. The week before that, I thought the Lions were the better team against the Chiefs. This this is a team that's not helping his quarterback on a day when Tyreek Hill comes back and has a couple of at least one spectackler play and another touchdown. This was an arena league type of game where a stop kind of counted double. You know, you said they could add forty five, but a lot of those dropped plays they end up scoring anyways. They they didn't punt.

The Texans did not punt. The only the only way they were stopped were a mistake UH. Carlos Hide fumbled on the first play of the game. There was an interception um on a on a late throw from Watson, which was an incredible one handed catch by Tcharvarius Ward. But other than that, they did whatever they want. It was downhill. The stat that is just wild to me. Once the Texans took the ball UH late in the first quarter, they had seventy two offensive plays to for

the Kansas City Chiefs. That is playing downhill. That is domination. But this was also a banged up Patrick Mahomes that's been weeks in a row at this point, behind a banged up offensive line. Right, he's not physically right. And on the flip side, you get to Shaun Watson when when you get these games when he's not not thrown

around zero sacks and you have Carlos Hide. I don't know what sort of body double switch occurred with Carlos Hide at some point here, but they bill O'Brien he went after him, and a lot of people critiqued that move, and for good reason, because Carlos Hide has just not been a thing for a while, floating from team to team. Twenty six carries a hundred and sixteen yards. They favor him over Duke Johnson, There's no question about that. And today you know he did he he was a grinder

for them. They you couldn't get them off the field. We have enough evidence now to to say that O'Brien he had mightus touched in that month heading into the season because Uh and Laramie Tunsel, they got the left tackle they desperately needed. And for the second straight week, Watson was protected incredibly well. And when you protect Deshaun Watson, well, he's as good as any player in the entire football

National Football League. So it's that type of thing. And in the running back tandem that was a major issue with this team. UH, they were gonna lean on Lamar Miller, who even though I used to be a fan of Lamar Miller, he never was a guy that scared anybody. And now they have this two headed attack. It's amazing. Just five years ago your team at the end of August was your team for the year. That's how the

NFL works. And now you know, you got Carlos hide in, Duke Johnson who aren't even there for training camp, and it's a whole new backfield. Your left tackles knew. It's just a different NFL combined into Duke Johnson had a receiving touchdown was really an athletic play to get himself into the end zone. I mean, it was just an unbelievable And the Mahomes injury which he the ankle injury suffered on Sunday Night football. It's been a rough um

seven days for this team. He got it rolled up on again in this game, and you could tell that he's not the same guy right now. Well, he took two massive hits or in the first half, where you're just not used to seeing him hit that hard. That said, they didn't punt either until the fourth quarter. They didn't have the ball in the second half, and they went three and out twice in the fourth quarter, and that basically was the ball game. The key sequence was again

his protection breaking down late in the first half. And your boy, it was about thirty seconds left and they're trying to get a quick three points. Well, what's your boy's name? You know who I'm talking about. The Texans past Charles comes, he gets the he gets the strip sack, and the Texans pick up a quick fumble and that was a ten point swing, and that to me was the key. Yeah, Mahomes is banged up, but that doesn't explain what's going on with this defense. This is supposed

to be an approved defense. A couple of weeks ago, that was you know, a buzz a buzzy narrative around it. Well, right now they don't look too hot. Well, by far, the best player on defense is Chris Jones. He's one of the best defensive players in the entire league. He's not there. And their defensive end tandem of Frank Clark and Alex Oka for have been almost non existent from a past rush standpoint this year, and teams are running

all over them too. Wes, you're worried about the Chiefs are is this just a little bump of the road right now. I think we'll see a different team on offense when they're fully healthy, and now that they have Tyreek hillback, that doesn't bother me as much. When the quarterbacks healthy, in the offensive line is healthy, they'll move the ball. It's it's the defense where I just I don't see that backbone that you need for a championship team.

They're the team that needs the bye week to happen sooner. It doesn't happen for months for them, all right. So the Chiefs couldn't get any stop stops. Let's check in on a team that plays in the NFC West that couldn't stop getting stops. Can't stop getting stops, that's a thing. Ports and goal one yard line. They walk to the line. Here's a GiB, dam Malcolm Brown. He did not get the goal line stand. They will take over on their own one yard line. Greg Pop and Tim Ryan with

a call. Yeah, that was really the turning point of this game between the Niners and Rams of the cal seeum a goal line stop by that San Francisco defense in the second quarter, and the Rams never really competed again. The forty Niners seven a win that even the score even it was a convincing win score wise, if that doesn't quite tell the story here of how dominant the

Niners were, uh. I mean, this was a game Jared Goff, a guy who this time last year was getting m v P chatter and he's been up and down this year as we know, but he was held the seventy eight yards passing a career low and no Todd Gurley. They ran the ball pretty well, the Rams did early on in the game, but eventually San San Francisco just squeezed the life uh out of the Rams in their building.

I mean, that is a big, big win for the Niners, who are now five and oh and any questions greg about the Niners are being answered over the last six days with their performances against the Browns at home and the Rams on the road, and all these concerns that have been in the periphery around the Rams are now coming to focus as if to tell us the Rams might be in trouble. They are because the forty Niners and the Seahawks are in their division, and the forty

Niners almost feel chemically engineered to beat the Rams. The rams two biggest weaknesses without a doubt right now our past protection and so you play the forty Niners in this front and Jared Goff has no time. Jared Goff had one more first down than Blake Bortles did today. One, that's it. And then the other big weakness the Rams have had, really since Wade Phillips has been there, has

been their run defense. It doesn't hurt you as much when you're head in games, but it certainly hurt today and you fall behind against the forty Niners and they were able to control things in the second. The Niners when they are good, are absolutely ferocious bullies. And it's a lot of these parts that you know the past couple off seasons and seasons they've had players on defense and offense and when will it all gel come together and turn into wins. Well, it is happening right now.

And their formula when they get up early in games or they start to tire out of defense, then unleash their ground game. They're unstoppable. And it's every team that deals with San Francisco comes out of it with that.

That city's media questioning the coaching staff, questioning the quarterback attached to that team because they're going in and dropping mega hammers on people left and right, and anyone who thought, oh, you know what, well, you've got to go actually beat the Rams for us to believe in you will box checked a day. Yeah, two weeks in a row. They played against overrated offenses. The Browns offense isn't very good. The Rams offense is not good. And there's a lot

of listeners asking us to talk about Sean McVeigh. I don't think that he all of a sudden got dumb, and he's a smart coach. They had the two thousand seventeen Offensive Player of the Year and the first team All Pro who is now the last ranked running back in Pro football, focused their entire offense based on Todd Gurley and how their run looks look the same as their past looks. And now it's not happening. Jared Goff hasn't played well, and the offensive line is materially different

than it was. I just think, gone from one of the best to one of the worst. You've gone those three things are happening, and I just Okay, maybe some coaches have a blueprint on Sean mcveigh's offense, but it also isn't the same offense without Todd Gurley. You know what happened to him. He got Robert Salad, right, And that's why you gotta with If you're Greg's earl and you gotta kick, you gotta hit that kick last week in Seattle, because you don't know when you're gonna really

really need it. And at this point their three down in the division and they have to go to San Francisco later and they're not good wes you were talking about, you were talking about in a similar situation a few a couple of weeks ago, although their fortunes have changed dramatically since then. That people just putting the making struggles on Kirk Cousins. We're not looking at the big picture. I think golf is going to get the Lions share

of the heat here after having a miserable game. But for all the reasons that you're you've just stated that the offensive line is not playing well, that Todd Gurley was one of the best football players in the world eighteen months ago and now he's just another guy. Potentially, the Rams are in a bit of a transition that they're going through in real time, and sometimes that can

cost you a season. We we always simplify it because it's way too complex for us to understand, and we're not close enough to the situation to know exactly what's going on. But it's it's never just the quarterback's fault, and Golf has not played with the same confidence. He's dropping back a lot more because they can't do as much play action without a good running game. So I think you're seeing part of that. But yeah, I think

it's four or five things that are going wrong. Jimmy G is a great example of it's not just the quarterback. He's throwing seven touchdowns and five interceptions. That the RAMS defense, they'll take what they gave today. They're not really built to be a dominant defense. They had the ball eleven times, they scored twenty points, they got about three hundred yards. You know, that's that's kind of what the RAMS defense

is going to do. Jimmy G's okay, but he's supported by right now, kind of the best supporting group in the entire NFL. I would suggest, I know that people will want to, you know, check this out on a condensed forty minute version of the game. I would I would suggest that you watch the entire thing in real time Uh, the announcing was a little rough, but you

could gather your friends around. A little bit rough, but you could gather your friends around and play a rock is drinking game for every time the Niners defense, according to Robert Sala does a fist bump on the sideline as his defense is coming off the field after reaking total having Sala, you never hear it announced the same way twice. I think it's Sala that is one of the images you got to be a head coach will

be the Redskins head coach three weeks from now. He's too he's too buff, and he just looks like his own as are watching and it I've I've this is one thing I've learned over the years. It's not much more complicated than they just if Ian and Adam Schefter say like, oh, here are the hot coaching canons. That's just who they interview. It's the combination of that and how they look kind of like do they look good? And has Ian and mentioned them that's the key and

so those two things. Sala's got it. That's an interesting theory. But most of these teams are now hiring consulting firms to do their coaches or Charlie Castle corn Ferry or asked Peter, you know what, on second thought, Mark, it wasn't in the private conversation. You didn't say hot, you said beautiful, beautiful and there. Well, and I know this gets to overplayed too much, but Jimmy g helmet off along the sideline, rallying the offensive line. He has gotten

a little hotter. I'm just gonna be honest. I don't know what's happening. He's gotten ver. We've been here for like fourteen hours. All right, let's move on. It's a good goal, Heyfield, Look getting kJ right up all is tipped off of the receiver Hill, You're kJ right is right there. He reaches out. The Browns trans are heading for the exits, and kJ right he's heading for the end zone to kneel down and have his picture taken.

Four turn overs, three interceptions, one fumbled by these Browns, and k J. Wright comes up with a huge takeaway, his first pick of the season. All Right, you know, Seahawks radio network, with the call now market, it was not supposed to be going this way in twenty nineteen,

but here we are. Baker Mayfield. Baker Mayfield's fourth quarter interception is third of the game and eleventh of the season, a backbreaker for the Browns and a game changer for the Seahawks, who wiped away a big first half deficit and route to a thirty two to twenty eight win in Cleveland, where the Browns are oh and three this year. Mark the Seahawks are the one team that can look at a twenty to six deficit, which is what they faced in this game of the first half, and they

don't blink. Yeah. I mean, you and I were watching this and we said that to ourselves because you never felt safe to me that Cleveland jumped out to that lead. Their offense I thought early on looked good. Baker Mayfield was pretty well protected in this game. It was twit they jumped and it had twenty points before the first

quarter was over. They scored eight more the rest of the game, and it was just total collapse in the sense of not kind of unlike the Bucks offense too, where turn you cannot This team cannot overcome incredible mistakes against a team like the Seahawks that are playing like an NFC title contender right now. And it was the

three interceptions Chubb had. Nick Chubb, who played it otherwise a fantastic game and looks like one of the best running backs in the NFL right now had a very costly fumble and you know, sandwiched in between those mistakes was a blocked punt that turned the tide as well. Cleveland just they I when I watched Freddy Kitchens a lot, he is getting killed after this game for a series also, And I will try to make it and I'll explain

it and compact fashion. He essentially, Uh, they drove down deep against the Seahawks and they went forward on a fourth down and something like outside of the red zone. We watched that happen and they got it, and then they got down deep to fourth and one, and it's like, listen, you gotta go for it again. You already went for why would you now kick a field goal? And they attempted to and this was at a key point in the game, and Nick Chubb rolled in for the touchdown

to cap what was a successful drive. But Freddie Kitchens had thrown the challenge flag right before he crossed the goal line for a previous play where Jarvis right, Jarvis Landry looked like he had been you know, fumbled the ball into the end zone essentially, and there was a lot of rigmore around that that call was not upheld, so the Browns had to go for it again and they did not get it, and then they come back.

No Seattle at that point actually was forced into a punch and Cleveland did come back and score the touchdown they did. I would say this though the field was right now. My point is that Freddy Kitchen should not be killed for being aggressive and doing what he did. There are times when this offense and it feels like it's a coaching thing, just is a little overwhelmed and doesn't have a full game plan together. The point I was the part of the game I was thinking of,

Browns are in control of the game. This seems to have happened a couple of times now where Cleveland has a chance to really put a stamp on a game and then things go sideways. They're marching down the field late and a half uh up I believe double digits.

Baker throws an interception uh in the end zone and then to compound matters, the defense and lets down in Seattle marches all the way down the other way and the other direction that scores a touchdown it's just been that's the type of stuff that's happening with the Browns this year. They just don't They are not executing the way they need to execute. And there's two and four because it's also the stuff that's been happening to Seattle, because there is total team belief. They are as well

coached as any club in the league right now. And I think it's a lesson. And I know everyone wanted Cleveland to be six and one at this point. It is a lesson against a team that was better prepared, has players that don't make mistakes, and Cleveland still learning how to play. They've had to deal with the Rams, Niners, and Seahawks over the last three weeks, and have the Patriots after the bye. They've they nearly beat the Rams, they nearly beat one. Today. They lost to a better

team today. The Seahawks are an NFC title type and they lost. They were short three offensive line in the c X. But you know what Russell Wilson and m VP candidates and good organizations like, do they close they get that end of the first half touchdown. The Browns took the lead in this game with nine minutes left, and what does Wilson do. He goes nine plays, sixty four yards touched down. The next time they get the ball, it's not over yet either. They get their two first

downs to say bye Browns. They closed out the game. They picked up the interception Mayfield is just like a hair bit behind his receiver. Hilliard makes a bad play and it gets picked off. And that's just that's just what's killing the Browns. It's just these little things. But they're not closing. I should mentioned to Baker played through a hip injury that I I wouldn't be surprised if it knocked him out for a game or two, because

they got noticeable pain. He's going through the painful process of trying to become what Russell Wilson is and he's just not there yet. And we talked about on Thursday. This was a big game at home and they got They need now a really season changing win and maybe it's against the Patriots, but right now it is not looking good for the Browns. Let us move on third

down and goal from the five. Bridgewater in the gun, three receivers left, one right, Jack Rush for Bridgewater, throws back of the end zone, Jared Cook touchdown back of the end zone, and that is a huge score by the New Orleans Saints. Cook is Cookie, Zack Stree, Deuce McAllister Saints Radio Network. Teddy Bridgewater found Jared Cook. There's Jared Cook. Jared Cook making a play four yard score early in the fourth coarter of the Saints held on

to beat the Jackson Jaguars to six. New Orleans is now four and oh without Drew Brees West, the Jags and Gardner Minshew are the latest to feel the wrath of New Orleans swarming. I felt the raf too, because I locked up against this team as wearing historic territory. Though I am in my own head so bad, I feel like I have a good beat on this New Orleans Saints offense. Um Teddy sailed a bunch of balls early.

They were not impressive, but I've I've underrated the defense's ability to keep the other team's offense from really cracking double figures or doing much of anything. They just play so well as a team together. They've been doin it ever since Drew Brees went down with the injury. They did it again today. This was the first time that Gardner Minshew really looked like a rookie he was overwhelmed, did not complete fifty of his passes. They got the ball back with seven minutes to go and a chance

to tie, and went three and out. Never got the ball again. Because the Saints are playing that winning brand of football right now? Is Dennis Allen doing better than any defensive coordinator? And they're like, I don't know if we've said I don't know. I don't know if we've said Dennis Allen's name yet. But if you go through the game plans of the teams that he has shut out and shut down in a row, whether it's Seattle, Dallas, Jacksonville, who am I forgetting last week? I mean he has

one against his opposing offensive coordinator week after week. Dennis Allen. Just keep him as a coordinator. I'm not saying you didn't need to be a head coach. I mean that's that's a great job. He's making a lot of money, making a lot of people. I wasn't saw Dennis Allen at the combine and he was coming out of the men's room as I was going in, and he was very nice and held the door for me and couldn't have been a nicer gentleman. So I would support him

as a head coach. Canadidate, Now one of those guys who are kind of like, are weird and we'll try to like get by you because they don't want to touch the handle of the bathroom. No, calm down. He handled very well. I was sick with the flu at the Combine, Remember how sick I got? And I was waiting in the airport and I saw Dwayne Haskins go into one of the family stalls, like the single stalls, like a family one, and he was in there for

like twenty five minutes. And I texted Eddie and I was like, this guy, I got a weird vibe, I'm telling you. And I called it, that's a good story. Twenty five minutes. Wait, you camped down flag. I was at a restaurant. I was like eating, trying to get some soup, and I saw him go there was like a mom and kids, and he went into the single bathroom. Might have been a medical you might have been an emergency. The red flag could range from anything any number of things,

but none of them good. You've been holding onto that story like a pro for a while. Aware dropped the bob and rocks sweet and a big spot. You know Mark, you and I it's become a little rivalry about the belief and failure to believe in Gardner Minshew. I'm not going to pile on because it's one game against a great defense, but I did think that he's in trouble. When I saw the ESPN profile that called him a genius this week, I said, Oh, that's gonna jinks him.

It was a bad game. I mean, okay, but I think I look at the rest of the offense around Gardner Minshew, and I feel like he's done a lot with a little. They just don't seem to me to have all the parts. Alvin Kamara looked very banged up in this game, and he's producing like a guy who's banged up. It wouldn't surprise me if they sat him down. It seems like a good idea. Any other thoughts on this game, gentlemen, I'm gonna quit picking against the Saint.

Let's move on. High formation, play action, Kirk straight drop backs, it fires, step cockdown bless sorry, Bro, Paul Allen Vikings Radio Network. Kirk Cousins Stefan Diggs three times. It worked. Kirk Cousins through four touchdowns overall, three for three for three D three. It is one thirty one am yards. The Vikings destroyed the Eagles thirty eight to twenty in Minny. In Minneapolis, Greg, you have to hand it to the Vikings.

Two weeks ago they looked like a team on the brink of implosion, and after Sunday they look like they look like a team that can take out anyone in the NFC, especially in their building four and two. We asked the question going into this game. This is partly

the question that got inside of Chris Wesley's head. Do the Vikings in mind Kirk Cousins, We said it on Thursday, Do the because the Vikings trust Kirk Cousins to go over the top of the Eagles over and over, because that is so clearly the way to beat them instead of trying to run into a brick wall. And you know what we found out. The answer is yes, he can do it. I mean he got Stefon Diggs almost the two hundred yards by the beginning of the second quarter.

I think Zach Round was the linebacker of the Eagles who called Kirk Cousins the weak link of the Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately, the weak link in this game was Sydney Jones. You don't want to ever just pick on one guy, but we do it with Cousins and Sydney Jones. The cornerback for the Eagles was just flayed up and down the field throughout the game, had some penalties. It was it was a disaster. You cannot say with the sound I'm

going to which one just all of them. I don't mean I want you to, but just my mind, it was stupid. No Kirk Cousins shout out to Kirk because it's the every week Kirk gutie Kirk and uh, he's a guy that you could you could hate on Kirk Cousins, and I get it, but he is not a guy to completely disregard because oh no, this game didn't exist, he didn't have an on national TV with everybody watching. So it doesn't count that I think this one doesn't.

That doesn't fall under the classic Kirk Cousins dominant because this is against dominant performance, because this was against the a good Eagles team, maybe an Eagles team that's not quite as good as everything including myself, have thought them to be. Mark. I knew entering the season you and I were on the same page on this. My mind is very confused about this right now, about where Philly

stands as a team through six weeks. But this has been a great bounce back by the whole teams, but especially Cousins, who was really under a lot of pressure to perform in the last two weeks. And that's exactly what treading the Vikings for, just simply not believing in a lot of things about them. And I will be silent now because this is one about the next week. If well, no inspect everybody thinking Kirk Cousins just flat

out can't play football for something. But I but I don't think like I think, at least with the four of us, we've come to the conclusion it's not just simply a Kirk Cousins thing. When the line was giving him constant issues, I think they correctly went and attact and Eagles defense and outside of that Jets game, you know, minus Sam Donald, which means nothing is giving up about twenty seven points a week, and is is not a strong defense, and is that I don't see the quick

fixer how that's going to change. And the Vikings, you know, I wonder if they had internal meetings at some point to say we need to be more than just Dalvin Cook running the ball thirty five times a game, And there was maybe that was at the center of that entire controversy around the team. Around the team. Two weeks ago, Adam Feeland spoke up Stefon Diggs tried to pull an Antonio Brown for a moment there and and I guess changed his mind. They said, we were really good on

offense last year. Let us be us and you could and you could essentially have Dalvid Cook still be special while also keeping our passing game relevant and competent. And that's what we've seen. Those things can tear a team apart from the inside out, and the opposite has happened here, right, And sometimes it just comes down to hitting one play, you know, and that just changes it. They hit and he hit a nice throat to Digs early. Then there was a total busted coverage where he had two guys

that could have had a fifty yard touched on. He makes the right play on that and suddenly you're rolling. But the difference between when I was watching these two teams, the Eagles offense, every thing they do is hard and contested, and Carson Wentz is working really hard for it, and the receivers are working hard for and Howard and Sanders are working hard and no one's like no, they're not

that open. You know. I'm used to seeing things be a little easier where the scheme is helping out the Eagles, and instead it's Carson Wentz needing to play really great to not even keep up with the Vikings. And that's a problem the the Eagles offense also needs to be. It doesn't help the people wondering if Frank did the Frank Reich argument where you lose a lot of offensive coaching talent and they're offense talking about that is he has a good coach. He has a good coach, and

there's no question about that. But they've never been the same offense they need. Really, they really missed Sean Jackson just because they don't have anyone that stretches the field. And that's a weakness of their roster right now, which everyone like me talked up because Aglar is just not a guy you can rely on right now, and their rookie are are Taga. Whiteside has not earned nice. They're

also a team. They have two losses that came on essentially dropped the passes in the final minute or two. I mean, and they're tied for their division lead. They're tied for their division lead. Spoiler, They're okay, but they've been three and three is disappointing. I think to battle out of this too, But but there are They're not a dominant looking by the way, hated, hated, hated uh late in the second quarter, because I think the game kind of got away from after this point. Down um

I believe was at that point. And there they have fourth down, they have a chance to kick a field goal, go into the half field, good about themselves. Instead they call fake field goal. Jake Elliott throws an interception, uh, and it was kind of all downhill from there. I'm not saying that's why they lost the game, but I thought, maybe take those points, you're you're coming back on him a little bit. Maybe it's a different outcome. But you know what, the Philly special worked in the Super Bowl.

This one didn't work. That's the way it goes sometimes. Yeah, this Vikings team has one of the best home field advantages in the NFL. I've already said I'm not gonna pick against them all year at home, and they're gonna lock him up. No, but they close out the season. They close out the season with home games against the Lions, Packers, and Bears their division in three of the final four games. That is a huge advantage. For its huge advantage, it

just doesn't lose at home. But also a lot of pressure. There's still as much as I just tucked up Cousins, those are games that he's gonna have to slay some uh some internal mind of dragons speaking of you know what, Johnny United would say that the quote is right above us as we tape this. I like to talk is cheap. Let's go play exactly. And that's what Starn did on Sunday at the Meadowlands stopcom for Prescott. See Kelly it to his left, Jets with Elliott now motioning to the left.

I'm Prescott off his back foot. Hey so hey, hey, threw it at the feet of what the Jets get the stuck on a two point player forty three seconds to go. Thank god we get to hear the Great Bob was choosing of the Jets radio network Jamal Adams perfectly time Blitz fouled up Dak Prescott's two point conversion attempt in the final minute clinching to win for the

German over the Cowboys at the meadow Lands. Sam Donald's returned and then everything for the Jets, who looked like a real life NFL offense after weeks of an aptitude during Donald's about with the mark kissing disease normally suffered by teenage boys and girls exactly. Uh, Tony Romo did this game with Jim Nance uh, which you know, I think Tony romans calling the shots West, you know these days.

And the chance to not only talk cover game featuring his old team, but the quarterback and Donald, which we knew from last year that he thinks of special and it it all lined up because especially in the first half, they cooled off a little bit in the second half, uh, or a lot of it, I should say, but Donald was light out in from about the midpoint of the

first quarter through the end of the first half. The high point during a twenty one point surge that put the Jets ahead twenty one to three and twenty one six and a half was a beautiful ninety two yard touchdown pass um a gorgeous rainbow where he he bought a little bit of time and you see that he has such great footwork, and he's such a fundamentally sound quarterback and he's only twenty two years old. That's what gets you so excited, uh when when you watch him

and he's feeling right. But he threw a beautiful rainbow right into Robby Anderson's hands, who takes it to the house. Anderson went over a hundred yards, as you should when you have a ninety two yard touchdown. I think Jameson Crowder hit a hundred or perhaps ninety nine yards right

on the nose. Basically, the Jets were back to being a real team again, which just tells you, um A, how horrible the Jets quarterback situation was without Donald and b how promising Donald is as a aspect, and how good the defense has been too that they've kept them in games if they had a quarterback in this game, they did and then they won it. Yeah, we've got this quote again, Greg, talk is cheap. Let's go play. And I've been calling the Cowboys the most talented roster

in the NFL. I still believe that, but they're not playing to that talent today. They right out their left tackle and the right tackle, two of the best tackles in the NFL uh their defense same personnel as last year. They add Robert Quinn, the Marcus Lawrence not playing nearly as well as like coming off a very major surgery and Greg you raised these points in August, Guys like

de Marcus Lawrence and Byron Jones. You can't just expect him to miss the entire offseason, come off surgery and play at the same Pro Bowl level they did a year ago. And they're not playing at They're not disruptive

this year. I thought that Adam Gates was a huge winner today because we got to see someone who was able to coach using as Romo mentioned, the entire playbook at his disposal with a quarterback and Donald who threw the ball great, who knew how he's gonna look coming off of this app since it's not an easy like illness that he went through and probably is still going

through to some degree, looked fantastic. And you know, I have a childhood friend Peter Acton, who you guys have met, who listens to every show and is a level headed Cowboys fan who wrote me after and said, I Garrett is time for Garrett to go? And how many times as he said that in fact, very very infrequently, because it's three games in a row against the Saints, Packers in this inexcusable situation against the Jets, they're pretty banged up. They are, but they have been ill prepared to have

They have no advantage from the coaching position. Well, and good luck in the NFC. I'll say this because it's the Jets. Season was so weird that when we were all going into Week one, I think we were all on the same page that the Jets could be a very competitive team, maybe not a Super Bowl winner, but a team that could, if things broke the right way, win nine or ten games. And they looked like that for most of Week one. Donald disappears and they're arguably

the worst team in football. Now that he's back, with a Greg Williams defense that continues to perform him well, the Jets are probably a pretty decent team. And I think it's no sin against the Jets that with Donald to lose when you're that banged up as the Cowboys were, because not only were they missing the players we mentioned. Uhmari Cooper goes out after one catch for three yards. He's not right, and I will give Dak Prescott uh and the Cowboys offense. Credit Zeke Elliott really heated up.

He looked like Zeke in the second half, and they were able to score those last two touchdowns and they couldn't get the two point conversion to force overtime, but they they did put it in a fight. They didn't roll over and die at twenty one three. And my last thought on this game is that in week one and Donald was already feeling of the effects of the motto, which you could, um you know, put into his performance

not being up to par against Buffalo. But one of my big disappointments from week one last time we saw him was he wasn't able to lead them in the fourth quarter when they needed a big drive in this game, when the Cowboys started their charge and late in the fourth quarter and they need did some insurance points, Donald let him down the field. They got the field goal, which ended up being the difference in the two point games. So it was a big day of progress for the Jets.

I think the next step for this offense is I'd love to see Levan Bill have a game where he's doing the marvelous things that were used to where he's dominated, because that's why they signed him for I think the line is going to be an issue getting in the way, but I think he has the potential to I love the game ending though on Jamal Adams blitzing on the two point conversion really win because to me, that's Greg Williams defense and and Jamal Adams is clearly the leader

of this team and it's gonna be aggressive. And Greg Williams is really good at improving the team he joins in year one and that the games don't always hold into year three. But man, it's it's just a proven track record that in year one they play their ass off and they are this year. They are not a talent heavy defense, but they are playing pretty well this year. All right, let's move on for two and to win. Fitzpatrick gonna go under center two point conversion for the

ball game. Fitzpatrick takes throws it off, it is muffed. The Redskins gonna win this ball game. As they boxed the two point attempts, don't even know what they were thinking. I think it was gonna be a trick playing now the Redskins gonna walk away with their first win of the year. To take it pick yet, we'll take it Coolie take it. Yes they will take it, Yes they will.

Larry Michael and Chris Coolie of the Redskins Radio Network with the call the Dolphins game, so close to their first victory with a helpless some fits magic, but a two point conversion failed and allowed the Redskins to escape with a seventeen to sixteen win, their first win of the season. Mark somebody had to win. Somebody had to win, Someone had to win. And you know it's we could. I could dig Russian novel style into the twists and turns of this game. I don't know if anyone's begging

for that. If you are, hit me up privately and I will send you a personal voice recording. I would love to see, uh like five two you know, pages of words translated by Pavier and Volshansky, you know into English that you wrote. It's possible that may be coming.

I mean. The thing that that feels like it's no longer in the mix for the Dolphins is whatever they were planning to do with Josh Rosen this year, or whatever they were planning to see, you know, days after they announced that he's going to go with them for

the rest of the year as their starts two quarters. Yeah, I mean he and the one matchup concerned for Miami every week, but I thought this week, especially Washington's past rush, which has been active which gave Tom Brady some fits a week ago, quickly dropped Josh Rosen to the map five times in this game, and both quarterbacks case Keenum and Rosen combined for about a hundred and twenty yards passing in the first half plus just got benched right.

Ryan Fitzpatrick came in, Well, he got benched because he was getting battered left and right and it looked terrible through two interceptions. Fitzpatrick came in, and it's not surprising he can see the field more quickly than Josh Rosen. He goes through his progressions more quickly. He's just the veteran guy that quickly brought life to the team and brought them back and they had a chance to, you know, win the game with the two point conversion. I don't

have to tell you. They mean the red skin sid exactly what they said they were gonna do into Bruce Callahan. They ran Adrian Peterson twenty three times for a hundred plus yards. It was not an impressive showing at all. But they eked out to win against two teams going literally nowhere. Right now, that recipe works against the worst team in the NFL, I don't know if it's gonna work against any other team. I mean, and it only worked by what two yards? You know, if they who

knows if the Dolphins kick that extra point. I'm disappointed in the trend of going for two but failing. So this is the third time this year that I can think of. So you want them to go for two, but going for two, but they're all for three this year. I think this is the third game this year where a coach has tried that to win the game, and none of them have worked. And even if he didn't drop this pass, it did not look like it was

going into It's a terrible play called. Terry McLarin is the maybe one of the lone bright spots for Washington this year for for one in this game and two touchdowns. And Adrian Peterson mark you mentioned he went over a hundred yards but did not score. I'm pretty sure he's just in the league now so he can pass his boyhood hero Walter payton Um. The rushing touchdowns all timeless. He's three behind right now. And when you go for one eighteen on a crappy Redskins team, you don't find

the end. Zoe I bet he was sneaky, annoyed that he can scored today. He's got bills to pay. Is certainly all right. So the Redskins get the whim. The Dolphins dodge a bullet. Let's face it. They're not looking to fall behind the Redskins for the number one overall pick. Uh So perhaps two teams won on Sunday. Let's face it, and let's move on second down in six pistol formation, ingram is the back, Jackson will keep it off the fake left STI ten five, Jackson chicking out of a

one yard line, just shying the Parlon. No that single touch down he got in hitting the parlan Jerry Sandusky w b A L with the call. Lamar Jackson was back in dominant mode on Sunday, running for a career high one and fifty two yards. What then a touchdown? He threw for two hundred and thirty six yards, and he guided the Ravens past the morabund Cincinnati Bengals. Seen Greg We talked about it. On Thursday. Lamar was due for another banger, and a banger was delivered. Yeah, I

mean Lamar is it delight? And maybe right now he's a little more fun to watch than he is like a dominant top five quarterback, but no one expected him to be a dominant top five quarterback right now, Maybe he's better in fantasy than he is in reality, because Lamar is a league winner right now. If you're if you're rolling out Lamar every week and you drafted him in the twelfth round, you're doing pretty good in fantasy.

And for people that didn't watch this game, don't worry about the final score or don't worry that they didn't quite take advantage of all the opportunities that they had. They held the ball for so much of this game, and the two Bengals touchdowns came on a kick return to open the game. That's seven and then a garbage time touchdown with one minute left. That's seven more. The

Ravens defense played really well. The Ravens offense held the ball pretty much the whole game, and it was dominant, and it's what you expect when a team that's not a you know, a dormat plays the Bengals these days.

They went easy, so we learned nothing. I think we learned the Ravens are two games up in the division, and even though the Browns have the win over them, if the Ravens can be the type of team that takes care of business against bad teams and that their defense continues to get a little better, they're in good

shape right now. I think we also learned that it's not a matter of if Lamar Jackson is going to eventually break Michael Vick's single game rushing record for a quarterback of a hundred seventy three yards, it's when he could done it today. He didn't run much at the very end of the game, but he is an absolute uh monster running the football. He has three career one hundred yard games, tied with whos Billy kill Kilmer for most by a quarterback in his first two seasons. That

Billy Billy fast huose. That's what the West is definitely looking for. The heat seeking trivia questions at two o four am and Jackson's first one hundred yard game came last November when he first played the Bengals. I was just thinking about speaking of that. We're past two am now here at the Big Top. This is definitely a record itself for the longest anyone's ever worked at this building. I think we can put ourselves in the record books

for that. Lamar did set a record too, By the way, no one else had ever run for one fifty and past for two. D Van Taylor said that he was It's like the rarest athlete or one of them that they've ever seen on a football field. They were like, what's like, what can you really come up with? Because a lot of the plays he ran we're not called. Of course, they were scrambles on third and longs and that was kind of key to their Another Fantasy winner is Mark Andrews. If you got him at tight end,

I think he is perfect for this. Remember remember old and the old Fantasy preview uh from on High. Mr Evans Silva laughed his little head off at the Mark Andrews Lamar Jackson double sandwich. I was suggested eat it silver. Credit what you say at two in the morning, Greg for your talenting ability. Silva had some logic behind it, but sometimes the players just really good, and I'm sure are in that same preview. I had to defend Christian McCaffrey at some point, and I also said the draft.

Jordan reed, So you know they can't all be winners, alright, So Lamar Jackson undoubtedly a star in the rise of quarterback. Oh now, oh look it's a falling star tree to the right, to the left. On this third of nine, chuck and snap five fan pressure bar. You look at her a place to go down. He throws the ball. The ball will be intercepted by Chus the seventh Dave Logan, Broncos Radio Network with the call. Sunday, October two thousand, nineteen,

the end of the Marcus Mariotta era in Nashville. The fifth year passer struggled mightily against the Broncos, failing to lead the Titoons past midfield before giving way to Ryan Tannehill, who fared no better. The Fagio's Broncos get the shutout win. What was the thirteen zip? Was sixteen zip? Hey, Wes, you seemed almost pleasurably disturbed by the game as you watched him. This game was exactly what we all thought

it would be. By the by the beginning of the fourth quarter, I think Marcus Mariotta had led an offense that had eight total yards. He had a single digit passer rating through the first two interceptions of the year when he finally stopped taking sacks. The Broncos at that point where one for twelve on third downs and the only touchdown in the game came from a guy who lives with his parents from West That was Philip Lindsay's a good player. But there were some takeaways in this game.

Marcus Mariotta and this offensive line or a combination that just has run its course. We don't need to see it anymore. It's not working. They went they had seven points in about a seven quarter stretch. Going back to last week, Ryan Tannehill came in and took even more sex than Marcus Mariotta. He had four sacks. They had a chance to finally break the end zone and um another fourth down debacle. The Titans just are broken on offense.

And I don't know how much of it on their first year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, but it does seem like Mike Vrabel when he was looking for an offensive coordinator, wanted one who's willing to play games that never go over twenty points? Did How did Tannehill look? Doesn't seem like he got the offense sparked by this. I mean, he had more than double the yardage, and he moved

the chains a little bit better. But you never know in a game like that, how much of it is that the defense is taking his foot off the gas pedal a little bit. They're up comfortably at that point. I think he came in and moved the sticks, but

I don't. After the game, they talked about and Mike Rabel didn't sound like he's ready to make a change, and nobody knows what they want to do yet they're gonna, you know, they gave the old let us watch the film thing and we'll talk about it and come up with an answer once you once you make the in game change, whether or not he starts next week, it just seems like what everyone is saying here that this feels like potentially the beginning of the end, because now

he's what happened today. Let you know that he's used up all of his rope. He's not the same quarterback. I mean, believe it or not, when Marcus Mariotta first entered the league, he was fun to watch, and the Titans offense was fairly fun to watch at that point, and he's regressed along with his past protection key back. No matter who you put a quarterback for the Titans, it's gonna look like Marcus Mariotta. We should give we

should give Vic fangio Um some credit here. His defense gets a shut out, had a nice, you know game in Los Angeles last week. Well, I'm just gonna put this out there. They play on Thursday night. They play the Kansas City Chiefs, who have lost two in a row, probably the Broncos. You know, they're an underdog in that game. But should they win that game, they are one game back in the a f C West. No, I'm not. I'm just saying they have coming up on Thursday, and

they're a little worried. Immanuel sanders hirt. Their offense doesn't look very good, but they have something to play for Thursday night and then try to figure things out. Well, let's give them credit for a defense. They've made two huge changes that have paid off in the last two weeks. They moved Alexander Johnson into uh the starting lineup at inside linebacker. He's given them a lot more athletic ability, more speed, uh more playmaking ability. That has worked great.

He got the game ball last week, had nine tackles today in another sack and a half, and then they moved Mike Purcell into the starting lineup at nose tackle. Shelby Harris moved outside the defensive end where he made so many plays last year before they moved him to nose tack and now he's making plays again. DeMarcus Walker, one of the reserves, had two sacks to days. This is a different defense than they were earlier in the years.

I mean that Jacksonville Jaguars game that they lost and in glorious fashion, and it had a lot to do with the whole sort of full team breakdown. They were dominant in the first half of that game defensively, so you could go back couple bad offensive absolutely really Chargers game they played well. I do want everyone though out there, if you're just a game pass head and you're gonna have crank through the game. Um, when you're watching this game,

just think this is the West Bowl. This is football as approved by Titans, Broncos, Fir Sir DeShawn Hamilton's It's all happenings correct. This is the type of brand that's correct, this narrative. The only reason I had this game was because the other three you guys messed up the draft order. It wasn't because I wanted it. We didn't mess up the draft order. Were draft last and teams bad back up round up with two games, and I watched West the entire uh you know, from what wire to wire

this game simply endure Broncos tight. It seemed to go on football. I mean, good, good Broncos defense. But I mean, I don't know that Titan's offense is broken, so who who know? Who knows? All right, let's keep on rolling. Third down in five and the Cardinal thirty Murray takes play action. He's rolling right, and he's looking to Ronnie's on the near side, and he's close to the first down. As he stepped out, they spotted right at the thirty five yard line. It looks like enough to move the

chains and win the game. With a minute thirty eight to go, Kyler Murray Kyler Murray Dave passed Cardinals Radio network with the call Kai Murray Stroke, you're all growns up, and you're all growings up, and you're all grows up, and you're all growns up. Maybe the number one Tick did his finest day as a pro with a third down run. They picked up a first down and clinched a thirty four to thirty three win for the Cardinals

over the Falcons. The game would have been tied at that moment had Matt Ryan not missed an extra point on Atlanta's previous possession, Greg Uh, this was a great QB duel between a former m v P and a rookie with potential to win an m v P himself one day. All right, about is entertaining a game can be with two fun quarterback performances. That doesn't really mean

much at all. And the Cardinals and the Falcons are kind of prone to playing these sort of games right now because the Falcons, as I said last week, they will give your offense rhythm. If you're out of rhythm, just show up against Dan Quinn's team and start the game off with a fifty seven year drive field goal, nine year drive, touchdown, seventy nine year drive, touchdown, seventy one year drive, field goal, fifty nine year drive to

These are the Arizona Cardinals they're talking about. It's not exactly the Rams, but I give Cliff Kingsbury and Murray credit. The receiver group is so thin. I mean, it's demere bird in Surefield. You know, behind Larry Fitzgerald, you're just working off Murray and play calls and David Johnson, and you're making it work against a veteran team in Atlanta that's been together for a long time, and it's just

completely imploding on deep. My one takeaway watching this was that every time I looked up Kyler Murray was finding In one case, it was David Johnson, in another it was Max Williams. Guys who were wide open with no one within twenty or thirty yards of them, and one of them led to a thirty yard gain, another twenty and they led to scoring drives. And the Falcons defense feels like one of the first this season that has essentially just stopped listening to coaching with whatever is happening.

They just feel broken. They look like they've given up. They look they were completely schooled today and that this was dan Quinn's calling card and and for a while it worked. And I remember talking about how the Falcons would be a team that would draft these guys and developed them so quickly, and there was a vision and

an identity and it's all been whisked away. Dan Quinn probably won't survive this unless there's some type of great turnaround, and undoubtedly he'll get a defensive coordinating coordinator job next year, maybe even gets his another head coaching job right at the gate. I don't think we've seen the last of Dan quinn um as a relevant head coach who has success.

But you do get the feeling that this is one of those situations where things have kind of run their course, uh for Quinn in Atlanta, and we'll see it'll be very wrong about that, but things just do not seem to be going in the right direction and it doesn't seem unlikely to change. This two thousand nineteen football season, his percentage points worse because the Falcons are wasting Matt Ryan.

He is playing at such a high level and if anyone stars out there, if any of your friends tell you Matt Ryan isn't playing well, he's no good, it's the biggest giveaway. Yet. This person has no idea what they're talking about. They're not watching games, they are ignorant. Feel free to tell them all that, yeah, we should, we should point as bad people. Ryan had. Yeah, these people get new friends watch football games six inner incompletions.

Today he dropped back thirty six times six and completions four touchdowns fifty six yards and led them again on what proved to be a fruitless but furious second half come back. So they've at least made their games a little fun to watch. Ultrue depressing this team a good turn of phrase, Greg get out to in the morning, parent, fruitless and furious in a big spot. Talk is cheap. Let's go play, all right, there's one more game to talk about tonight. We won't be doing it. It's going

to be the Electric Dynamic. We is even a little nervous about it because the chemistry is so off the hook. It is Lakisha Jackson Westling, and yes, you know him as Kyle the boy Wonder from Kicking and Screaming, the somewhat well received two thousand and five comedy starring Will Ferrell as a soccer coats. And also he's trying to get his wife back because he just wants to be with his kids. I never saw the movie on. In that film, a lot of us, you know, dense, rich subplots. Anyway,

you got Westling, a different Westling, you got Bergman. They're talking Sunday night football, So let's throw it to them. Rivers under center with one look, two tights to the left up and they got it to the churn five and there's touchdown. Factship touchdown that will ring on the ball with the bat first pass recovered by the detail the pockets the left a touchdown and as as Philip Rivers was trying to flare pass it out to Ingram, he went rail over his head and Bush picked it

up and ran into a touchdown. That was a great play. That is Bill hill Grove and touch Ilkin from Steelers Radio Network with the call. That was Steelers rookie linebacker Devin Bush on a nine yard fumble recovery for a touchdown to put the first points on the board for the Steelers in the seventeen win over the Chargers. In l A, I'm Lakisha Wesley and a ka the paramore. I have Jeremy Bergman to my left and Steve Manny behind the glass. What's happening? Thank you for having me

tonight up? What up? Welcome. We're basically filling in for the heroes right now. They had what like a sixteen hour day. It was a long day. Uh, they were whining a little bit about it. Erica tam Posey going strong past four am for thirty am, still during the and that was when the football game was still going on. So if they would have did this correct, you watched the whole thing. The other guys I don't know about.

Lakisha was in London this morning, right and you has got off a plane and came right to the office yesterday, got back here yesterday evening and just kind of slept all night and just back at it again. That's how much is about work, folks, that she cares about work that much. All right, Well, let's just get right into the Steelers. It was Devin Bush. You had a good, huge game, Jeremy first quarter, Devon Bush was on the

receiving end of two turnovers from Philip Rivers. Philip Rivers had a rough game, but it really went downhill right from the start when Rivers you heard it on the on the replay through that backward lateral toward Melvin Gordon in the flat and it went five yards behind the line of scrimmage, pushed Bush picked it up, uh and ran it back in. And then Rivers on the next possession throws a pick that was tipped at the line of scrimmage and Bushes on the receiving end of that.

The Steelers go down and score right after it's fourteen nothing in the first quarter. Uh. You know, there are few Chargers fans in sight the stadiums going wild with terrible towels and you can just see it, you know, snowballing from there. The Chargers went down eventually, uh twenty four nothing and then you know they couldn't come back

from that. Yeah, it looks like Devin Bush was everywhere, everywhere, everywhere until he got hurt in the third quarter or in the first half and they had to take him out of it, but he came back. He's a defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. He's had a really strong start to the year. He's not the only player that's playing really well on Pittsburgh's defense right now, which has had to pick up the offense as they've gone through the injuries. T J. Watts played really well. Cam Hayward

the same. Uh. But Devin Bush making a name for himself on national television and uh part of the reason why the Steelers got their second win of the year this h tonight. Oh Yeah. Another Steelers player who had a big game was James Connor running back. They basically gave him the ball majority of the game and just kind of health the offense on his back. Yeah, this was something we'd seen in week four when the Steelers UH came back to Pittsburgh, oh and three Mason Rudolph

making his first start. They said, we're taking the ball out of Rudolph's hands, We're putting it in Connor and Jlen Samuel's hands. Same same thing happened this week with Devlin Hodges, a undrafted rookie free agent out of Sanford, making his first start because Rudolph is still in concussion protocol or something like that. It's it was James Conner

from the get go. On the Steelers first scoring drive, Connor touched the ball on all seven of the Steelers plays and then he caught the twelve yard catch and run uh to end that drive. He became the first Steeler since nine three to Lager receiving touchdown, rushing touchdown, and at least ninety plus yards from scrimmage in the first half. And that was indicative of just how the Steelers wanted to go about this game. Take it out of Hodges hand, tell to tell the rookie do what

you gotta do. Don't throw the ball too far. He only threw the ball past ten yards past the line of scrimmage four times, and one of those passes intercepted. None were completed. Um, so it was the running backs game tonight until he got hurt, and then it was Benny Snell's game. But the Steelers came out with the win regardless. So how did you think did for like his first NFL start? You know, Hodges did what he had to do, and the Steelers told him, like I said,

you know, don't throw the ball too far. It didn't work when he did try to test, uh, test the ball downfield. Juju was not a factor. Uh, Moncrief was not a factor. Neither was Deonte Johnson. The game really went through James Connor, uh between the line of scrimmage and ten yards past the line of scrimmage. So I think he made smart decisions, only one interception, a few mistakes and uh, you know the duck caller, and you took the words out of my mouth. All the duck

had a quack of a game? What about it? Yeah? He won? What is on duck calling champions? Yeah? I think Alabama State champion they played a clip on the broadcast of him making the duck call. I thought he should have tried at the line of scrimmage. Maybe that would have, you know, thrown the Charges off, but he didn't need it. So that's how I got the nickname Duck Dynasty. If you, I will say on a day that Gardner Minshew maybe came down to earth a bit Minshew mania at home, kind of taken a dip into

the Jacksonville waters. I think that Hodges is taking, uh leaping Minshew in the power rankings for like Southern swag of like a quarterback that you didn't really hear of before the season. I think Hodges is now one Minshew one A has that real southern, real Southern surprising. In the postgame interview with Tafoya, real real shock at the Southern accent and now on the Charger's side, Philip Rivers, Yeah,

did not look like a Hall of Fame quarterback. Like I kept saying, like, what the heck is going on? I I don't know. I think this is the two weeks with Philip Rivers kind of throwing the game away in the first quarter. The Charges went down fourteen nothing because of Philip Rivers is uh poor decisions. Listen, it's not all his fault. He's gonna go into the Hall of Fame probably, But you know, the offensive line, You're missing Pouncey, he's on I R. You have to move

Dan Foene to center. Sam Tevy is still at right tackle. Russell o'cung hasn't played at left tackle all year. The offensive line is a mess, Anthony Lynn centered after the game. He said that even with the running game and the passing game, it's mostly the blocking up front that is

not giving Rivers, Gordon Eckler, these guys times to make plays. Uh. And you know, Rivers came back in the second half and the Chargers scored seventeen points to close out the game in the fourth quarter with him hitting uh Hunter, Henry, Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. But it wasn't enough. And you know, Rivers did look a little shook. They asked, uh, Anthony Lynn after the game, did you even think about

going to Tyrod Taylor? And Lynn shut it down. I mean, Rivers is not the entire problem here, but there's something wrong with this offense and it starts with the decision making at quarterback. Right now. And I have to say this because Tony Dutchy Duchy said this during the broadcast at halftime, like it's inexcusable for the Charges to play like that, Like that's how bad the first half was. It's inexcusable to go down to devil and Hodges. No offense,

the devil and Hodges. But you you know this offense is they're broadcasting what they want to do. You know, they want to throw the ball short, they want to run the ball, and uh even on the defensive side of the ball, Like you can't let them in it. You know, Pittsburgh couldn't make mistakes and the Chargers. All they needed to do was not make mistakes, and the Chargers committed you know, these three turnovers, two of which

came in the first four minutes of the game. And that's how you let bad teams win in your home, even though your home is being invaded by a bunch of Pittsburgh Ians. I don't know what you call him. Definitely was a Steelers home game there and then, like the Chargers didn't even get any points until the fourth quarter in what was it, Hunter Henry scored like two touchdowns too, a little too late. Yeah, Hunter Henry was inactive for most of the year and then uh came

back today. It was That's the one of the main positives that came out of this one for the Chargers. UM. Eight catches a hundred yards uh, too late, scores, unstoppable in the red zone. UM. Philip Rivers was really strong between ten and twenty yards past the line of scrimmage, and Hunter Henry was on the receiving end of a lot of those plays. But it was too little, too late. Um. You know, I it's good to have Henry going forward, in addition to Mike Williams, who looked a little banged

up as well, and Keenan Allen. UM. But you know, you also saw the return of Melvin Gordon for the second straight game where he's had a really rough go of it coming off that hold out ten touches yards again. Anthony Lynn said after the game that the offensive line wasn't opening up lanes for him. But you know, the Chargers were really strong with Austin Ekeler as the starter catching passes out of the backfield run of the ball. Uh. In the early goings of the season. You bring Gordon

back into the equation and suddenly the offensive broke. The offense is broken. You know. Part of that is again the offensive line, part of it is not. The trade deadline is October. Make of that what you will see what happens. So final score for them Steelers um, Steelers tied for both of them are third place in the AFC North. In AFC West, that's right, the Chargers are two and four with the Broncos who got their second win.

But you know, we we thought that the a f C West was a division where it's the Chargers and the Chiefs going a game for game and with the Chiefs, you know, losing too straight. This is a real missed opportunity for the Chargers to actually make a run at it. Uh in the a f C North. Suddenly, because the Browns, uh, you know, Baker Mayfield can throw to people in his uniform,

Browns are two and four. The Steelers are also two and four, and uh, you know, I think this is gonna be an interesting race in the wild card where it's not there's not a lot of deep teams in the a f C UH, so maybe the Steelers can make a run of it. They have a biased so Mason Rudolph can get healthy. Uh, and then right after that they get three straight home games, the first of

which is the Dolphins. And so you might be looking at three and four going into week nine, right, well, we shall seem and that is it for us in Culver City. Have to do a shameless plug. If you haven't yet, police, check out my YouTube video series called NFL on Court and if you like it, go ahead and hit that subscribe button. Pop them bottles. All right, let's send him back to the heroes who have finishing up in amazing week in London. Dan, all right, thank

you too, Keish and Burgo who again for any streaming service. Uh, there's a blockbuster around you kicking and screaming. Great work is Kyle. Look for the one that looks more are engaging, it's the other one. And if you're into more, you know current forms of entertainment. NFL on corked on YouTube hosted by Lakisha but now hosted by Lakisha and Bergmann. Because that last thing went so well that all right,

so it's time to get out of here. It's time to not only get out of this episode and this commissioner's suite here at the Big tot Um Tottenham Stadium here, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium here in London. Thank you. They've been very nice to us, everyone in the staff. But we want to thank all the people that helped get us

to London for a second straight straight year. Nick Pike at the nfl UK office, Great Chap Charlie Copsey over at the Underground Fan Club who handled our Curtain Club show, which we didn't even get a chance to talk about today. Maybe we'll do that on Wednesday our next show. Uh. The Sky people, Neil Reynolds, Hannah Wilkes, Alex Mason, Patrick Crowley, all great people. Also the nfl UK team. Charlotte offered Jamie King, Hannah Cooks, I'm in gunna bey Uh. He

he handled the camera shooting. He's Barbara I hearn Uh. And then Alistair Kirkwood's Barry I heard Barry A hearn Alistair Kirkwood, Shannon Jones, and of course Henry Hodgson, and of course the great Mark Brady who's staring at me right now, who did great work with us all week and uh organized this whole venture. Uh. And we are

hernally grateful uh to Mark as well. So we get on a plane and head back to the States, and and of course, I mean I'd be remiss not to say thank you to Erica Tamposte, who, in addition to being our producer uh and friend um did a lot of heavy lifting of heavy cases that really built up her forearms and buys and tries, which maybe she just should say, you know, thank you to us for that, because your bod is probably improved as a result of

this welcome. She's actually ud work out with the Patriots. She might take their fullback position coming up week seven. All right, so I'm opening the bottle right now. I was not kidding. How much was this We don't know. Well, I think it's roughly okay. So we'll be back on Wednesday, as we said, usually do a Tuesday show, But we gotta get on a plane. We are gonna be jet lagged. Uh. Ricky's going on another vacation, which seems weird, but we'll give her a pass because she was so great during

this trip. Thank you everybody for listening. Thank you to all the UK people here. Don't worry about it, Greg, all the UK folk Dan on corking the bottle nearly hit spiral alarm device for all the great work and all the fans here who were all so nice except

for the one guy that spit all over us. But you were drunk, so we let you up up to you know who you are, all right, spit on before, But this is the ah, this is Dan hands as signing up, or the quiet story from them that the old boss Ricky Hollywood and Mark Brady from the commissioner Sleite. Thank you Rock for the prosecco until Wednesday,