2020 Week 15 Recap

are in it. It is the week before Christmas and we had a wild day of games that, um, we're gonna make the last two weeks of the season a lot of fun to watch. Um. We had a certain winless team finally get off the schneide, and we'll discuss whether that's a good or bad thing, of course, all subjective, and um we'll talk about the Kansas City Chiefs who continue to win, and maybe a Saints team that's taken on water at the wrong time of the year. This

what are you thinking right now? Um? I thought the afternoon games were as good, uh, like three games slate. I don't know, they probably have been some others. But if you looked at it on paper and you're just thinking this is one game, it's Chief Saints, which I think had a lot to sink your teeth into. But then the Eagles, Cardinals and Jets rams at the same time. It was a nice It was a nice little entree

for the day. Where's your energy level at Let's pull back the curtain as we record this, the Browns and Giants getting ready to kick off. Mark Sessler, Uh, you know I just heard Steve Kardoncki I believe his name is on NBC. Let the audience know that the Browns lose their out of the playoffs for the time being. Where are you at right now? Take us through it? Well, that would lead to nervousness. Um, you know, I don't have years of trust to UH bank to put in

the bank when it comes to Cleveland. So I'm I'm pins and needles. Basically, you know, we'll get into it. But so it felt like all the the whole a f C playoff field held serve today, so that you know there is added pressure. It's not like eight, Um you know eight eight eight people that they're competing with crumbled. They did the opposite, So take care of business against the Giants team that, Um, it's not your equal. I would I would assume on people, we'll see what happens.

Stay tuned. At the end of the podcast, Let's get into all the games, starting with yes, a game that could very well be a Super Bowl preview. Well if the Saints can figure some things out. Let's dig in sprint option action. Mahoks keeps it pitches in Lake bactr Bell at this right sideline touchdown Kansas City sprint option. It was Texas Tech pitching the Michigan State and the Chiefs get the coveted two possession lead on a thirteen

yard sprint option run and pitch by Mahomes. Barrel finishes it off another great call by Mitch Holtis of w d A. F Yes, Drew Brees returned to the line of for the Saints, but it wasn't enough to topple the Mighty Cheeks, who improved to and one with a

twenty nine win at the Superdome. Patrick Mahomes through three touchdown passes, had that nifty little lateral to Levy on Bell for Kansas City's final TV in the fourth quarter, And despite the New Orleans offense coming to late life in the second half h there are still plenty of reasons to be concerned. If you're Sean Payton. Drew Brees came back west in this game, and he didn't look quite right. He looked he looked like a guy that was rusty, would be maybe the nice way to put it.

For most of this game, yeah, I was a little worried. From when beginning of fourth quarter, I was wondering who was going to have more yards for the afternoon, the entire Saints offense or Bears running back David Montgomery. That was That was the straight the dire straits the Saints were in. And then a nice drive towards the end.

Spice Tracts boy little Jordan Humphrey made a in appearance after they called him up from the practice squad, scored a touchdown, pulled the Saints back into the game, made a game out of it. But this was not an offense. Just scared any team watching at home now. Michael Thomas was put on injured reserve before this game, um, which means he's out you know, the rest of the regular season.

Drake Uan Smith gets hurt during the game. Wasn't exactly a rocket ship of a passing game before that, and Bruce came out, you know, looking looking old, looking indecisive, not knowing where you want to throw it. You can't really put it on physically, um, because I think he made the throws he wanted to make eventually, and he did play much better. I think in the second half.

It just wasted a pretty nice effort out of the Saints defense when you forced Patrick Mahomes to punt five time in the first half, another time in the second half, and you, you know, force a fumble on him. They did enough, They did what they could do. They were out there fighting and the Saints just kept giving the ball back. Uh. And it was a day where I think it would just reminded me that my Homes is just better than everyone. I mean, he's the best player.

I think he would be my m v P right now, but he's just like better because he had to make some ridiculous degree of difficulty plays for them to put up thirty two points in this game. Yeah, it does. Um. It raised his weekly concerns for me that this is

a hollow exercise. Um. I mentioned this before the entire autumn, leading us to a known result on but the Chiefs, I mean there as West would call it a little bit of a pyric victory in the sense that Clyde Edwards Hilaire at the end went down with that knee injury, and then leve Bell got hurt. Want to see what's up with Clyde Edwards Hilaire. But um, I enjoyed Tyreek Hill drinking um pickle juice on the sideline out of what looked like a little shot bottle. Well, I believe

that's what it was. I mean, I thought it was to raise the discussions around the merits of pickle juice. A lot of people were into that, But um, the Chiefs just feel I don't. It's like we kind of mentioned this on Thursday. It's like, sure, go play the number one scoring defense, go play anything. It doesn't really matter. And they seemed to outwit anything that comes up against them.

And I know that we'll go through the exercise of the they're they're not blowing teams out and X, Y and Z. But um, this is the best the NFC has to offer in theory along with the Packers, And it didn't really seem like that much of a challenge to me for them. The last two weeks, they've faced two good defenses and we came out of the game being like, oh, Miami, Dolphins on defense and more than enough to win this game. We say the same thing

about the Saints here, I agree. But meanwhile, the Chiefs put up thirty three and thirty two points in these two games, which again just speaks to the greatness of Mahomes and this offense. And my my favorite play of the game was absolutely the scoring throw. The only Mahomes can make this throw to play in the third quarter, Uh, nobody opened and Mahomes decides, I'm just gonna throw a touch pass, float it into the back left corner where the pylon is, and if McCole harman gets there, it's

a touchdown. If he doesn't, nobody else does. And McCole harman got there because they have all these speedy guys that can do things other teams can't do. And it was just the genius of of Mahomes on display. So you know, they they're not blowing out teams, but it doesn't matter. They they take care of business. I don't see a huge flaw in this team. The Edwards Hilaire, I don't think we're gonna see him again. Who knows, But that did not look good. That injury. It was

labeled as a leg and a hip injury. Uh Levy on Bell, that injury looked like more he was shaken up on a face mess. So you think he'll be all right. And although I think on balance Bell has been kind of what I thought he was with the Jets, which is not too impressive, it's a pretty nice pickup.

Now if you're not gonna have the rookie going forward, I think you can't underestimate like how difficult and how good a job that the Saints defense did, Like the Chief's average four point five yards for playing this game, they ended up having ninety two plays. Like I was thoroughly entertained. I know, Mark, you say it's like an exercise that feels like we know the any and maybe that will happen, maybe maybe it won't, but man, that's entertaining.

On the way I thought my homes made like seven or eight plays in this game that like we're that almost no one can make, and that he's sort of breaking football because the Saints have the best rush defense in the league. They're dropping back seven, they're sort of not they're begging them to run, and they still refused to run, and some of it worked, some of it didn't, and it was just like, no, you can do. You can throw every defense back there to try to prevent

us from passing, We're gonna still keep passing. And another play that you know that made me think of Dan was when Mahomes just starts backpedaling for for yards on one third and long before he ends up finding someone. It's like, there's there's no defense for that. I am.

I was thoroughly entertained. Even if we kind of felt like we knew what was to happen and this wasn't the best Saints team that they're gonna have, you would hope that Drew Brees in the offense would be a little more in gear once he's back for a few weeks. I'm not arguing that they're unentertaining, by the way, and I don't mean to normalize what they do every week. It's just that they faced great defense. At one point they were forced into punts four to five drives. They

still put up thirty two points. Because you've got given it back. You gotta play both sides, you gotta you gotta play so well. You gotta fall on the ball in the end zone when you have a chance, when

you get a fumble and special teams. Saints now ten and four, they've lost two straight, and of course the Packers, who are ahead of them, uh by a game in the standings, also now have the tiebreaker in addition, So it's gonna take a Christmas miracle for the Saints to get that by and get home field advantage not happening, and then we are happening as we know, West, you don't want to put this New Orleans team like in

lambeau Field, with this version of Drew Brees. That's a huge setback not having home field advantage for the playoffs. I think I put we're stocking this than somebody like Greg does. I hate the idea of Drew Breese in an outdoor game with any semblance of wind whatsoever. I just think it makes a huge difference. And his career has been reliant upon plane in a dome stadium. Now I'm with you. I feel I almost feel the same about Van Roethlisberger right now, and Drew Brees is like

that times two, two or three. And like you said, Greg, the Chiefs at thirteen and one, it looks like it's a lot that they're going to have home field advantage, and you know, maybe maybe you're right, Mark? Was your was your comment that it's already decided that Chiefs are gonna win the Super Bowl? Sound like a like to be sort of cynical or just sort of throw the whole thing away. Um, just that I can't find a team out there that's gonna untracked the Chiefs. You have

to put Mahomes into the center of hell. And even with the bang up offensive line, it doesn't seem to really matter that much. Show me. I invite a team to come show me that they can prove me wrong on that. All right, let's move on, and now that we know what happened with the Saints, let's uh quickly dig into the Saturday games and the Packers, who yes, are in the driver's seat in the NFC. Fridgewater under center tries to go over top and stocked out of

his head. It scooped up by Kevin King forty and he tackled over midfield. Bridgwater tried to launch on high and he got spiked away. It was a follyball swath that liberated the ball on the Packers pounce. Did they have it in Pantherer territory? When Carolina was on the doorstep beaches away nice called by John Sadack of Westwood One. Rookie linebacker Chris Barnes poked that ball away from Teddy Bridgewater. Kevin King returned to forty eight yards to set up

a Packers touchdown. That was the swing play of the night and the Packer steen win at Lambeau um Mark. This was the rare game this season where Green Bay had to find a way when Aaron Rodgers wasn't dominating. Yeah, and I thought that he had strong comments after the game. You know, we're we're on alert with the Saints um but it was Aaron Rodgers and said, if we're gonna play the way we did in the second half, I mean, this was a game that looked over to me at halftime.

They had six point two yards per play in the first half, two point one in the second, and uh, you know they just to me. Do I come away having learned learned a ton about the Packers or what this really means? I don't think so. I think that they ran into um A Panther's pass rush that was more lively than usual. Derek Brown got going, Brian Burns.

I thought they caused disruption and you just didn't get the normal um full like a full four quarters from Green Bay, which you know, if you look at the Cults game, Um, there's there's some share DNA with what happened there a little bit. And uh, you know, for me, it's like these Panthers games seemed to all come right down to the end one way or another. And uh, I'm with you that turnover this was if you're gonna go deal with Aaron Rodgers, it's not that unlike dealing

with the Chiefs, like if you're the Panthers. Um, they got a lot of production out of DJ Moore and other guys, but you can't make the killer mistake or two they made it. They lost in a close one. Yeah, the next game the Packers play is against Tennessee and that would be you know, a great playoff tune up because you win that game, then you got the Bears in week seventeen. You've already got to buy the Packers. All they gotta do is been one of their two

final games. So it's a big game for them. But if you know, you have your week off, who knows if they're gonna play starters or not. I'm not gonna freak out too much that the offense had a bad half after they kind of took control of the game with their offense. It is disarming to see them have nineties six and net yards passing though against the Panthers, like a week after Drew Lock lit him up. It's it's it's surprising, um, but ultimately it's like they did

what they needed to do to win the game. They put it. They got a huge lead early, they got the yards that they needed late, like that's what good teams do. Yeah, it's a little alarming because it's a few times now that we've seen that. Mark mentioned the Colts game. You know, you saw it through the whole the totality of the Bucks game. Well, you think the pack the Packers can just turn it on at any point, and when they don't turn it on, it starts to

get worried. So their guards, their guards are struggling right now, and you're used to seeing their offensive line be so good. But after Corey Lindsley got hurt, then you moved Jenkins to center and the guards got eight up, eight up by Mark's boyd Derrick Brown and a couple of others. F a Obata, the big sack about that. Every time f a Obada does something good, I know about it because Henry Hotchon tweaks at immediately that is a England's shining sun. So it's good to see him making plays

week after week. Um. I thought it was interesting. Matt role, Matt Rule was um. At halftime, he told Melissa Stark like, listen, we don't stick the ball out at the goal line, which is the old Bill Belichick thing, opening his criticism there of Teddy, but not in a you know, mean spirited way or anything. I think that's just a frustration

because the pastors at four and ten this season. Um, you know, they I think have been an eight one possession games now the season, and I think, uh, I don't think it says anything bad about Rule or the Panthers, but four intent probably not really what their record should be. And who knows, if Christian McCaffrey's there yesterday could have been a totally different game. I want to see, Like, I don't know a little more out of this Packers defense in general. I guess they did again in this game.

They did a job. I'm not sure if I'm at the point of trusting them in general, they're pretty weak up the middle. You can run on them. Their linebackers aren't great, their pass rushers aren't quite the same as they were a year ago. So that makes the NFC fun. I feel like it's even though they're the one seed, I feel like all the like, every single team making

the NFC has some big flaws. I mean some of those um, some of those Panthers one possession games have been like Joey Slide kicking the ball from like mid mid court, you know, at the end of the game there. But um, I do think that that would be the takeaway for them because they've done a nice job developing young players, um their free agents at in productive So there's something good going on. But you have to learn to close games, because you could argue they should be

like six or six seven win team right now. Did anyone else think when Rule and it had some people scratching their heads on Twitter when Rule chose to kick the field goal to get it from ten to seven as opposed to try to get into the end zone like he did that so he wouldn't be in a situation where we're sending out Joey Slide for another seventy yard like, is it in his head at this point? And one point Joey Slide has got to be like dude, like I you know, you know my ceiling, like stop.

You know we've talked about this, coach, you can't send me up there. I thought it was more that rule had had, you know, the Panthers, you know, plus eight and a half. That was what it was. It cut it. It It cut it to eight, and then they kicked that field goal. I was like, wow, because you're at that point, you're counting on and they and they did get the stop, but you're counting on a stop, a touchdown, a two point conversion, and winning in overtime, which is

it's a lot to ask for. All right, let's check in on the Saturday game, which decided a division. Now the snap, Rocos rush five, Josh gets away from pressure, gonna keep it in, run with it inside the fifteen, inside the tent, hit it for the end zone. Touchdown. Josh Allen twenty four yard touchdown run for the Buffalo Bills. He made it look easy. Nobody touched him. Nobody touched him.

Oh goodness, gracious, calm down there, Steve Tasker. I know, and it's been a long it's been in twenty five years, but you know, let's let's be professional in that booth. Josh Allen accounted for four touchdowns, two on the ground and two through the air, leading the Bills to an easy nineteen win over the Broncos to clinch Buffalo's first a f C Title East title since Yes nine. When Wonder Walls on the charts, I mean, we're going back

in times, Sester. This is you on the Colorado River with your buddies in the flannel to some degree west. The Bills are getting more and more fearsome by the week. They are. We have we've expressed doubt about their defense at certain point, I have expressed the sentiment that smoked Brown is a bit of a Jena peace for this offense. We've worried about their running game. We've act we've acted

like the Broncos have a pretty good defense. Throw all those factors out the window, because this was a absolute tail kicking from start to finish. Pay no attention to the score. What it should have been even worse than that, and Josh Allen had one of the better games you'll see total QBR point too. Total cute QBR doesn't go any higher really than So that's how you know how good of a game he had. His throws were just unreal.

I know, the Broncos don't have any cornerbacks. You know, they're they're starting guys that they cut and we're on other teams earlier in the year, and you know that that's part of it. But so many of these throws were against pressure and they were just like you know, the throw where he's falling down was amazing. Obviously, the touchdown to Kumro and you see it with him and Herbert more than anyone. Arm strength matters in the sense uh most that like defenses don't have time to make plays.

It creates you know, touchdowns like that to Kumara where they can't catch up to it, but it also creates yards after the catch because the defense time is getting there for the tackle much worse. And Alan is on a freaking roll. I mean that is it is fun to watch right now. They are They are the team more than any team. I feel like that is the peaking in December team. If that's the team you want to be, they are that team even more than the Chiefs. I'm with you, um they beat up bad teams. Um,

they hang out and win against good teams. Uh. We asked last week if Josh Allen is a star, and I think my definition is different than others. Um, I know what most of Western New York would say. I think that he has bloomed into something that no one expected. Super super well. I mean like he's getting there, he's getting there, he's on that path and and you know, there's different ways to measure these guys, but um, I

just think he's playing with extreme confident. Um. The connection between him and Stefan Diggs is a huge victory for the organization. Uh. They probably only have a couple more weeks with Brian Dable, who has been an awesome play caller. With Josh Allen, maybe not so much UM at previous stops, but he fits here. There's just a lot of things that fit really well with the Bills. I'm a little concerned about if they got into a scenario where they need the run game to thrive. Um week after week.

But who cares? Like team finds a way. That's funny you say that, Mark, because one thing that I took from yesterday's game, and this has been building. It's not just what happened yesterday is that No, Josh Allen is not Patrick Mahomes and the Bills aren't the Chiefs on offense necessarily, but they might be edging into that territory. It's like, who cares if they running game doesn't do much Because what Josh Allen does both as a passer

and with his legs, they're fine. They're always gonna be able to score points, especially when you have Stefan Diggs doing what he's doing. And oh, by the way, Cole Beasley after another big game is knocking on the door of a thousand yards too. That's that's been a huge development for them. We talked about how John Brown his loss was big. Beasley is stepped up in a big way.

So even if they never do establish the running games, some teams, you think to yourself, like, I'll use the Cults as an example, they need to figure out a running game to balance out their offense. I think Josh Allen has hit this level west where they're gonna be okay if he's just the man front and center all

the time. Yeah. I think this is a is a relatively new idea and football circles and the Chiefs started it in a lot of people's minds in the last couple of years, did a run is almost a waste of a play when you've got Patrick Mahomes And if you're a Bills fan, I don't really want to see a run. Zack Moss does not excite me at all, not one bit. Does that guy excite me? Josh Allen excites me, right, And you only need to run when

you need it. I mean, I don't think it's too different from the first five years of the Patriots, you know, two thousand tens, and they they used a run when they needed to. Like that's what I loved about this game. They ran the ball really well actually when they wanted to run, which just they didn't bother because why would you want to when you have Josh Allen, you had Alan Moss and Singletary. I'll rip off a few runs like they sprinkled it in here and there. But I

love when you have the lead and you just keep throwing. Also, like like the mere threat of Allen on the ground, even if he doesn't run, is part of your running game. Where if you had you know, Joe Flacco back there in two thousand and seventeen, the defense is not going to view you in the same way. I mean not even within two universes of the same way. He's just been so good this year. It's it's one of the real storylines of this season where where Alan came from.

Think about where we were, and there's still playoffs to be played, but where we were the conversations we're having about him this year after that meltdown against the Texans in the wild card round of the nine playoffs, and now the guy looks like an absolutely a towering force. All right. Now the Bills are the a f c S champions. Congratulations to them. Let's now head to the boy him of the division where something weird happened. It is third down in six at the Rams forty eight

yard long. If the Jets get a first down on this play, the game is over. They will have victory formation on the other side of the two minute warning waiting for them. Donald takes the snap, drops to throw, dumps it over the middle. It's caught. It's the first down. Frank Gore's got it. A big fist pump from Frank or he knows it. That secures the first down and

that should secure the Jet victory. There he is. Bob was schusing great played by play man completely absent on this program this year because the Jets had never won a game until now. Yes, Sam Donald dropped back found all reliable Frankie Gore, who took the ball across that first down market a clinch a win. Four guess the Jets in the biggest upset of the season, at least

according to the Desert. With the win, the Jets avoid becoming the third oh and sixteen team and under that history, but also fall behind the Jaguars on tiebreaker in the Trevor Lawrence sweep steaks and we'll get to that in a second. Greg, how did the Jets shock the Rams today? How did this happen? By giving the ball to frank Gore? You know, everyone would have been chopping at the end

of this game. Let's be real though obviously it wasn't the key to the game, but when it came down to it, you had to get a couple of first downds to go win it. And and if they had handed it to frank Gore giving it him the ball five straight times like they did and it hadn't worked,

all anyone would be doing is killing Adam Gate. So I enjoyed seeing, you know, my favorite player since we've been doing this podcast, have an big eight yard run, pick up a first down on the ground, and then have that catch where he's just like calling Sammy, throw me the ball and you could see and I watched some of the interviews afterwards, you know, Donald said it was an amazing feeling and Gore said, it's gonna be a happy Christmas. Like these are all professionals, they mean,

it means a lot to them. It was mostly the Jets defense, and it was I think if you're a Jets fan, the best thing about this game is watching quinnin Williams and Aaron Donald go back to back and forth kind of as these game records. And quinnin Williams, until he got concussion unfortunately or checked for a head injury, was holding his own and was dominating and it was a huge, huge part of this win. It really was about their defense. It was that it's unbelievable the Rams

could not get anything going in the first half. The Jets built a thirteen nothing lead. One one of the weird stats of this season. The Jets have the worst offense in football, but now they have eight straight games where they've scored on their first possession. Go figure. They get on the board first to put go seven nothing on a Ty Johnson screen pass touchdown, and I think that was huge because it it I think tightened up Los Angeles. It's like, oh, wait a second, could this

really happen? Is this happening? Is this happening? And even though a couple of crazy things in the second half, because you knew if you're if you follow this team, the Jets all season, they've been in games at halftime, and then the adjustments are made and Gates gets his ass kicked in that department and the other team is

going away. And that's what happened again here the Rams offense figured it out at halftime, came out at the half, started putting up points, looked like they actually took this took the lead on a cam Aker's touchdown, and we're about to with the pH t called back on holding.

Then after the Jets three and out, they get the punt, They get a punt, they nearly take it to the house and the Jets uh punter And maybe it's an infamous name now for Jets fans, depending where your perspective is Brandon Man saves a go ahead touchdown for the Rams on a punt return, and then the Jets are able to somehow miraculously close it out. It's a brutal loss for the Rams, who see their chances to win

the division take a crushing hit. Uh. And if if you're a Jets fan, you're trying to figure out how to make sense of this. Although it's kind of like and in a way the past election we just had, if you already had decided where you came down on what the two options were here, you weren't going to change your mind. Now. I've been in the camp of I hated this oh and sixteen thought. I thought it was completely um unfair and terrible to think the only way to get the number one overall pick is to

go oh in sixteen. So it was like there was a no win situation. And then I thought to myself, why are the Jets even in this position? The Jets would still be a team that should have the number one overall pick. Who's finished one in fifteen and didn't get the number one overall pick. Well, in a non expension, you're could be the New York Jets for the first team Ever. According to NFL research, only one team did not have the first overall pick after going one in fifteen.

It was the two thousand one Panthers. And that's because the Texans came into the league as the expansion uh UM team. And Mark that what that tells me and West you say it all the time. History is instructive. Minshew Mania Chicago Bears next week. Come on, get it done, do it baby. The problem is you know, I mean, if it's if this relies on the positive sort of psychic connection between you and Gardner. Min too. I I see a lot of problems and you're getting what you want.

But I'm with you that, I mean, I the hope is you get out of here one in fifteen, you get the first overall pick and you don't have the stink of o N sixteen, which um having been through it like, if the team gets good, no one talks about that season anymore. So it has almost no effect on me as a person fan wise. But I think you and I might be in a little bit of

a different camp on that. And um, I would hate to see them lose out on what is one of the most exciting quarterback prospects of the last twenty years because of Frank Gore and uh, you know Adam Gates. But that said, I mean, let's see where it goes. Um. I like Sean McVeigh I thought after the game, he said, this is it's this is going to be embarrassing. Um.

I'm sick to my stomach. And I do think that that is about as rugged a loss as you could take as an NFC or a f C contender to fall to a team like this at this point in the season, and the way they did in the whole thing, and they've got to package this thing away and you know they got West. They gotta bury that ball like that's this is one of the weeks and the soft l a you know, landscape, dig a hole, put the

ball in it, patch it up, move on. If you want to take time out of your week to do that, if you're even allowed to do that anymore, I'm not sure what we were allowed to do anymore. Okay, I don't think you can count on the Bears. This team's averaging thirty one points a game since they're bye week four weeks ago. They're a different offense right now. The Bears are m all right, I'm not gonna necessarily pack in my hopes because Mitch Drobiski has had a couple

of months. Yeah he never know. Jack's have been competitive with some with some good teams, so it certainly wouldn't be a total stunner. They are trending in the wrong way, but so are the Ramps. I mean, the problem with this Rams game is that it looked too similar to a few others. So I think of the first half there was a five drive sequence where uh, the Rams had two total first downs and an interception. I mean the Rams. The Rams defense actually did everything they could

to keep them in this game. Uh. They basically shut down Donald for a big chunk while while the Rams offense is just handing the ball all over in perfect scoring position. And it wasn't all on golf this time. The offensive line for the Rams was really bad. Um, And but that's a problem. You know, their interior line struggled. Maybe when wit Worth comes back that helps. I think

the defense is solid, but it's an offensive league. The only thing I'd argue with you on dan On on anything is that that this game was was devastating for the Rams. Chances they went out they win the division, So that was that was the same. That was the same coming in because they have the tiebreaker on Seattle UM. They obviously lose a margin for error here, but the big game is next week. They got to regroup though.

I mean, you can't be losing to the Jets. I'm not saying that's not embarrassing, but you you beat the the Seahawks and the Cardinals and you and you win the division. I just I feel like with the Rams that you know about ten minutes into a game which version of the Rams you're gonna get and not every week, but it just kind of feels that way. They're either on or off, and I can't like there's a lot

of reasons to like the Rams. Do I trust that they're gonna get into the playoffs and destroy three people in a row? Not at all, but proved me wrong. Who who would you in the end? NFC? I guess maybe the Packers, But you're right, Greg, Two things desert stuff the Jets. Uh, we're seventeen points was the spread of this game. It's the second largest upset win for

New York in the Super Bowl era. The only larger upset was what West Super Bowl three correct, And if we're gonna hear from Bob was shusing for the first time this season. Damn well, right, we're gonna hear from Keith Hands. His name is Keith. He'll get about what he called say games he today, Well, the Jets upset

the Rams today with a great victory. But I have to tell you, as one of the most die hard Jet fans, today was one of the most difficult days where actually at the very end, I was rooting against my team, which I never do, so that to me was very strange. But I'm happy to day one and we'll see what happens before the season ends. But that was a new one for me. I mean, my dad is not into any of that stuff like tanking and all this stuff. My dad is like tried and true

fan of his team. He turns them on to see them win on Sunday. So for that to happen tells you how strange and bizarre this was. Yes, I'm hoping this garden Meanshu Karma is gonna come back, come back to haunt me. Market you You are the exception. Dan, By the way, it really feels like Jets fans truly were If if internet polls are to believed. Jets ends really did brute again. They're upset, They're they're they're totally piste off. But one one last thought, we don't know.

Trevor Lawrence could be amazing. Did Jets can get Trevor Lawrence still? But justin Fields could be better or whoever could be better. There's this assumption that you're missing out on Joe Montana. We don't know anything, So just try to live in the moment. I'm going alright, let's uh move on. So we talked about what happened with the Bills, uh and the Jets. Now let's swing over to a former Jet and his Seattle Seahawks. Giving the ball off

to Hide. Did he breaks free inside the forty down of the thirty, He's on the run twenty He's gonna go in touchdown? Seahawks Steve rabel k i r Oh Carlos Hide ripped off a fifty r touchdown and the Seahawks season defense continued it's second half surge and a win over the Washington football team. The victory, as we know because we just heard, helps Seattle immensely in the NFC West Race, and it also represents the clinching of their ninth playoff birth and eleven seasons of Pete Carroll.

What a run, Greg. It felt like Watchington's defense was gonna make Seattle work in this one. That's what we talked about heading into this game. Is that how it played out? Yes, and no, you know, I played to type, but it was also twenty three, you know, mid third quarter, and it felt over. It was almost like the Seahawks ran the ball too well, and I and I and you feel this creeping in on this team that Pete

Carroll is more comfortable focusing on the running game. Russell Wilson I think had about ninety something yards on his first twenty dropbacks. If that they were they were really you know, playing good past defense. But Seattle was moving the ball, you know, they the Washington offense looked terrible. The biggest surprise was that the Seahawks offensive line, I thought, really controlled this game. You know, for the most part, they protected Wilson well, and they controlled the game on

the ground. But then suddenly Haskins puts two nice drives together, gets the ball back even in the in the fourth quarter, with the go with the chance to go win the game. This is who the Washington football team kind of is. Is that it looks ugly and you can say, all this game looked over, it was a mispatch. Well, they got the ball back with four minutes to go and

with a chance to win. And this is kind of how Seattle is playing, where teams are playing tight to them and Washington always finds a way to you know, be in these games more than you expect them to. It feels like a legit concern for the Seahawks to they're winning now by playing opposite of the way they were winning and in September and October when we thought they were playing at their best and most imposing. And like you said, Greg, it's trending in the direction we

don't want it to trend as far as our offense goes. Yeah, it's weird, you know in this game specifically, you know, he threw it twenty seven times for twenty one yards. So like you you couldn't even kill them for you know, running so much. It was more effective for a chunk of the game. Uh, their offensive line I think is

better at doing that. You know, give Washington credit. They always find a way to make a couple of plays, whether it's in the red zone, or to force a turnover to make it look closer uh than it felt. But you're right at this Seattle team, like, how confident are you, like Mark, like in them winning three straight

in the NFC. It's like, I don't know, Well, no, I think to you to your point before that, it's hard to find any team in that conference, but Seattle's they're freaky enough that, um, I've seen them do it before. They've got a little they can get a little magical. But I mean when you have dk Metcalf and Tyler Lockett combining for less than eighty yards, Um, that's getting to West's point. I think we're getting away from what built trust, in my opinion, in their explosiveness and their

ability to win shootouts. I don't know if Carlos hide is what you're anchoring the efforts around heading into imposed

Christmas part of the season. Here, this does guarantee, by the way, that no NFC e's team um leaves the regular season with a winning record, which I feel like, you know, it was a safe game, but yeah, I feel like that's ultimately what's gonna you know, cost Washington right that their offense a stat flashed up before they woke up in the second half when they kind of went back to over the last two games, and the

offensive output had just been grizzly. Um as good as frisky as this defense is, they're gonna muck up games like this and hang around and steal one occasionally, but they just need to get better on offense. Well, Haskins I thought was a step down even from Alex Smith, although Alex Smith was taken on water and I think was struggling more each week that he played. Haskins struggled, made some pretty bad decisions. They were struggling to pass

the ball. But then he puts together two nice you know, he put two nice drives late. DJ Reid looked like Darrell Reevs for the Seahawks in the defensive backfield. So they put together some nice games. But if the Seahawks offense is struggling, you get the Rams next week. That is a prime kind of playoff get ready test? All right, let's move move on and check in on another NFC

playoff hopeful. In fact, two of them. Two seconds to go, Cardinals lead by seven, wall on the Cardinal thirty one Eagles out of time outs hurts in the gun play clock at one snapped, the Hurts rolls to his lap. Hurts lobs at the middle of the end zone. Four guys down their passes knocked the way in complete. Cardinals win Byron Murphy got a piece of it. Cardinals get their eighth win. They hang on to beat the Eagles thirty three to twenty six, and they can start to

smell the postseason. But it wasn't easy, was it. You know, Ron, we we cut these highlights. One of the reasons we doom. It's for you, Wolf. We want you to bring up, bring us something real interesting. Comments to that end of the call. We didn't get it today, but there's always next week. K c Are with the call. Dave Pash also there. Jalen Hurts played valiantly, but his last second hell Mary fell incomplete, clinching the six win for the Cardinals.

Hurts was the focus on Football Twitter in this one, but Kyler Murray returned to game wrecking forum. Uh, and that's a big storyline going forward. Mark, This is a

fun one between two exciting young quarterbacks. Yeah, this kind of reminded me back in the day when you know, we'd be sitting at our desk um, you know, banging out these what we learned, and I was like thinking, if I had to write one on this game, I would have been, um quite annoyed because it was a game with like forty five different, um incredible things that happened. I would really suggest someone check this out on game

pass um for the quarterback. These two Oklahoma quarterbacks going back and forth, they made their share of mistakes, both of them. But I mean Kyler Murray, UM, I don't think that his game to me looks like his box score where he threw for four and six yards, but he kept producing. That's four touchdowns. Jalen Hurts will be the talk of the week because we've got the morning beginning with reports that Carson Wentz doesn't want to be

a backup quarterback to Alon Hurts or anyone else in Philadelphia. UM. So then it's like, will we see once again this season or ever Hurts comes in today and I just again brings total life to this offense. A week after he ran for a hundred yards UM. He accounted for four touchdowns today, which something that Carson Wentz has not

done since the beginning of the eighteen season. All I can say is guys like um, zach ertz uh, Greg Ward, all these all these other players on the offensetead have been ghosts and traveling um like another world for so much of the season are involved now and it was it was a fascinating game for that reason. And it was Um the Eagles lost their punter. Excuse me, there were like four or five scenarios where they kept going forward on fourth down. Was like, what are they doing?

Like five other things were happening during this game, and they lost their punter and their and he he serves as their holder as well. So Doug Peterson just trusted Hurts to go forward on fourth and six, um, and in a couple other situations, and he kept delivering. I mean again, he made a few mistakes here and there, but this was, um, sort of me a quarterback situation, a quarterback duel that would not have happened ten years ago.

I don't think either one of these guys would have been put into this situation or even have been developed the same way that they are now. And um, you know, Hurts went through a lot in college. Um, his future appears very bright, and part of me wonders, I think

a lot's gonna happen with the Eagles. Part of me wonders if he could even save Doug Peterson's job because Doug Peterson has looked a little bit more flexible and a little bit better, um during all this with Hurts in there doing what he's doing, so UM, you know, I think it just leaves the Eagles with immense, immense questions, um, you know, in whispers between now and the rest of the of the of the season and then into a very huge offseason and the in the Cardinals, Um, if

they get in, they deserve it. They're they're just enough. DeAndre Hopkins was amazing in the fourth quarter in this game. Uh. Their defense is not the greatest on the planet, but they disrupt, they caused turnovers. Hassan Reddick had another huge game today. It seems to be two or three p popping up on that defense every week in Arizona. That

that report before the game. Sometimes I think these agents, who I'm I'm just gonna assume it's coming from you know, you don't know, but it's either an agent or the player that's saying that he's not happy. I think they're

doing a disservice, you know, to their client. You know they're they're putting it out there that well, it makes him looks sort of petty, doesn't that he's not happy and a how about you go watch your teammates play a thousand times better without you, because that's gonna hurt your value a lot more than your agent putting your value out there to get some team's interests. I'm not saying he wouldn't have interests or that his career is over,

but let's just look at it. I'm not sure if Hurts can save Peterson, if that is the direction they're going, if Peterson is the one that was was pushing to keep went in the lineup, because if anything, it looks like he wasted a lot of time wasting so long with the dead quarterback when he had hurt sitting there. I saw you tweet about that too. I gotta push back on that one, Greg. I just I think it's so easy to to say that now because Hurts is coming and and he was okay last week and he

was really good today. But again, it's that bigger picture of what Wentz was and what he represented entering this season, and the head coach that had loyalty to his starter for the past three years and was kind of waiting for that guy to come back, and he just never did. And it it's submarine their season in a lot of ways. But it was to me like one of those football things that it just happens like and there's no way

to explain it. If you would ask a hundred of the smartest people in the football world entering this season, nobody would have thought Carson Wentz would have had the season he had. And Peterson is in a very difficult position of navigating that in real time. So if you you're saying he should have put him in three weeks before he did, all right, But I guess these decisions

don't get made in a vacuum. They're they're bigger than just um, you know, stats, And in that situation specifically, Monty play such a huge part of it, more than most quarterback controversies because it's hard for the Eagles to get rid of Carson Wentz after this year, trade, release, what have you. It's just hard for him. So so if you're the head coach, you gotta you gotta try

to make it work. You do. It's it's just that he was so lost and and Peterson used the reason that they're trying to win the division and that going to the backup is like, you know, sending a message. They're given up. Well, guess what they're by far? You know, they're two best offensive games of the year by far, are since they benchent Wentz by the way, they're not out of this NFC East race. I know that sounds crazy,

but they play the Cowboys in Washington. So if you win those two games, all you need is Washington to lose next week against Carolina. Like you, you don't need that much to happen. If they can win those two games, they actually have a little bit of life. If they hadn't come into this game losing three defensive back starters their best three, on top of another offensive line like

who you know? Who knows? This guy could just put up three thirty eight and three passing sixty three running And I'm just I'm just saying it's not as good as it gets. We've talked about that Eagles Washington game is potentially the prime time Sunday night affair in week seventeen, which had people would have boss it's a month ago. It makes it just makes more sense now than ever before. Shockingly, Al Michael is gonna be like, I'm gonna take another

week off just to be safe. You got this one, Mike. Let's move on. Another big game with huge implications for the playoff race in the NFC went down in Minneapolis. Staff back to Kirk Cousins. He's moving, he's launching, he's going into the end zone, and I'm a pass He's battered away in the end zone. Sherrick Mpannis, Bears, British to deal. They take one in Minnesota. Fade too black,

You're still alive. It's seven and seven had a thirty three twenty seven win over Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings. Jeff jon Yacht with the called w BBM. See, like, of all the things, a five and one start gives you so much rope that you can completely collapse for most of the season that follows, and then you get a hot a little bit, and all of a sudden, here we are right in the middle of everything. The

Bears are. Kirk Cousins threw up a prayer, but there would be no Christmas miracle for the Vikings became the latest team to feel the pain of Mitch Trabinsky and the resurgent Monsters of the Midway Bears thirty three, Vikings twenty seven. Yes it was a loser goes home match and it was the Vikings who say goodbye to relevance in the NFL for another year. Greg, is something special happening in the Windy City? What exactly what's happening here?

I don't know about special, but the intonation and uh in our play by play man's voice forgetting the name just told me everything I want to know. Like they're getting back on the Mitch train, like they're excepting, they're getting into this. This game had everything I wanted from like a week fifteen game with two flawed teams need

to eliminate the other and like all this backstories. At one point, the Bears had scored sixth straight times, sixth straight possessions, and I was about to like I had a tweet already. It's like, if you give up seven straight scores to the Bears, like you have to take

the rest of the season off. But at that very moment, they intercepted Mitchell Robinsky when the in the red zone in the end zone, when the game looked absolutely over, so for the ending, so for the ending to go Mitchell interception, then the Vikings can't pick up a third and one or a fourth and one with Cousins back

pedaling uh to ever forever. And then then Naggie doesn't trust Mitch at all, doesn't let him even throw a pass, just says, oh, you know, we're gonna just kick a field goal, like we don't even want Mitch to throw another pass. You try to go score a touchdown. And then Cousins setting up for a hail Mary and throwing these short passes, and it's tough with only a minute left and no time out. But after the game he said, our entire goal was to set up for that for

a hail mary, and and we got to that. And sometimes Kirk Cousin says these things after the games, and and and I don't say that, Wait, what what are you talking about? There's fifty five seconds. That was your your whole goal. You got the ball at the thirty. You only moved at twenty yard like you only that

that was your goal. I don't get it that this Vikings team deserves to go by by the one thing that really impresses me with the Bears um and if you go back to the when they were falling off that five and one record into um, a total pit. They had huge Corona issues along their offensive line. They had injuries along the line, and it sounds like, um, from some stuff I read today that David Montgomery, who, um, we're finding out what kind of running back he can be.

Because you know how many um weeks and months in a row did we hear from the Bears. We the run game matters to us. We want to establish the run game. Then they go run for thirty one yards and it's like, please, um, shoot an arrow into my head if I hear that one more time from Matt Maggie. But here comes Bill Laser, here comes some combination of

new play calling. And I think the line today sounded like they were pretty dominant against the Vikings and it opened up big holes from Montgomery and this is sort of closer to what the Bears have been advertising to us. Is it sustainable? Um, I'd be concerned if you if this, if we get too much it's too excited about this and keep all the parts in place. But um, it's not. They're not boring at least. I mean, that's sort of what when we're killing the Bears It's not just that

we want them to lose. I'm tired of the Bears being um an eyesore and they are not over the last month, Mitch was your guy. You're getting back in no. But for a quarter of the season now, David Montgomery has averaged a hundred and forty four yards from from scrimmage and a touchdown in a half per game. M That is getting it done. That's huge they did. He did have the open holes. He ran great. Mitchell ran great.

That was exactly what m. Zimmer mentioned coming out a half time is that we need to shut down Trabinsky's legs, which really did create a lot on third done. He Mitt Rabinsky. You know, they only asked him to do so much. He only about twenty one throws here. Um, but he until that interception, and then he always leaves you with something. Until that interception. He played terrific. I mean, he he was accurate. He Mooney and Robinson are a great one to my boy, Darryl Mooney out of two lane,

looking like a real keeper. Like they're they're not bad. They're gonna get to that Week seven team game. I think they're gonna beat the Jaguars. I think they're gonna get that to that week seventeen game alive. They don't need some help. They they punched it on their first drive and then they scored every other drive until that interception.

And it's just, um, it's the unpredictable, unpretictability of sports and of the NFL that you know, if this Mitchell Drabinsky saga ends with his fourth season being this like crazy ride to take a playoff spot, I don't know what that does, and there's no sense really speculating on it because it can all go to hell next week. We've seen enough bad tape from Mitchell Drobisky know not

to put too much faith in him. But it would be kind of fitting if this this kind of crazy soap opera around the Bears and and what happened on draft Day and then giving up on him entirely, not picking up the option, and then saying Nick Foles, we

want you to save us. I mean, you could, I guess say, and I know Trabisky had a shoulder injury in there somewhere, Greg, but you could I guess say that, uh, Naggie maybe would have been better having less loyalty for Nick Foles and getting Mitch in there sooner the way he's playing right now. The Bears fans have certainly said that Travisky is a free agent. They didn't pick up the fifth year option. Um just knowing this ownership, though, I think if they want out, I think I think

that would save Naggie's job. You know, if they beat the Packers, there's no way they're firing Matt Naggie. Now what they do with Trabisky, that'd be a little harder to figure out. I also think I just wouldn't be shocked if Kirk Cousins names comes up this offseason. We don't need to get into that conversation now, But this, to me was like the opposite of the Mahomes game, where Mahomes to me looks so much better than the box score showed. This was a Cousins did not look

as good as the box score showed. He did not play his best game here, alright, So Cargo, they keep themselves in the mix. Minnesota, Bye bye, And now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers they look to solidify their playoffs standings. Here's what went down in Atlanta. Transition prop looks off. Heel wants all of the tose told together kind a receiver all with hitch that Tonio Brown touchedtop Champa Bay Buckingers take the lead for the first time of the game and Brown has his first touchdown is a Bucaneer.

Jane knocker Off w f U s with the call God, I love that guy. I want Chris Westling to write it. This is what I want. I want Chris Westling to write a book one day, okay, and I want west to be like, I put so much time into this book. I'm not doing the voice over too. I'm not doing the audio book. Found somebody else and then I'll say we'll get Jean decker Off to do the Chris Westling memoirs. What do you think? Wes A final choice you could

not make. Tom Brady connected with Antonio Brown on the go ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, leading the Bucks to win over the Falcons. That moves Tampa Bay to the doorstep of a playoff. Berth Um They're nine and five. The Brady the Brown connection marked the fifth consecutive scoring drive for Tampa Bay and Um in the in the

second half. They entered halftime trailing seventeen nothing and it was as bad as it looked not only was the offense doing that thing that it does on occasion this season where you know, Tom Brady looks at a swords and they somehow despite all these weapons, we're not seeing a lot of separation, and it's just like, uh, they can not getting the running game going. It's just like,

what's going on here? And then a flip got switched and they scored on five straight possessions after halftime, four touchdowns and a field goal, and so they were down seventeen zip. They come out of the locker room, uh, and they score a touchdown, and then the defense let's down and gives up a touch on right back to Matt Ryan, who played well, really well for most of

this game. So it's back to a seventeen point deficit a few minutes into the third quarter, and then the Bucks kind of took control of the game from that point. Atlanta failed to pick up a first down on four of its last five possessions, UH, the only exception being a drive that ended with Young Hoku Young hokus fifty two yard field goal with a twenty two that gave the Falcons lead. But then Antonio Brown made the first big play of his Buck's career, so you know it's

a game that you'll watch it. In the first half you would be like, oh, the Bucks are an afterthought when you talk about who are the real Super Bowl teams? And then you'll watch the second half in bag Okay, I mean you could. You can see it. You can see if if some if they just if they flipped the switch again and they got hot, like the way the Bills are now and the way they were in October, maybe they would be a tough out in January. You

got both sides of the coin today in Atlanta. I give them credit for being like consistently inconsistent or like consistently streaky, because it seems like, um, every game, can you can pick two quarters you know what they'll be, but they'll go to sleep and then there'll be another two quarters where you get this. I think I tweeted out at halftime like the Buccaneers are boring because I feel that's the way I feel when I watch them

when they're when the light switches off. But then they make you look like a fool two hours later, and so I I am completely flummixed and have no idea what to make of this team or what its destiny will be. I mean, is it the some of its parts on offense? No, sometimes it was the second half, it was sometime half. Yeah, I mean it's they're not I think you put it well, consistently inconsistent. That's not usually what gets you Super Bowl victories. But it was

enough to beat the Falcons today. Well, they're boom or bust on both sides. You know, even the defense is boom or bust. So it just leads to a lot of variants where they go on these streaks. It's been that way since like since week two, really even week one, like they have been that team. You're right, mark every step of the way. Um, but for Falcons fans to watch Tom Brady come back on you, I mean we I know it's and these comebacks feel like they happen

a lot. I mean, this is the biggest Bucks comeback since and uh, to watch Tom Brady come back like that while you still got the old you got Matt Ryan back there going you know, three and out punt negative six yards, three and out, you get a field goal, drive, another three and out and then four and out downs game over. I mean, as if these Falcons fans haven't been through enough. It's another kick in the groin. Why

they why they rank high in the pain ranking. Well, if they're still watching these then they're put setting themselves up for this disappointment. But you know, there are things you could be doing outside, um, you know, walk around your town. Maybe I don't know. Yeah, Raheem Morris is not keeping this job. And and Matt Ryan is another interesting figure as you look ahead to the NFL and

some of these veteran quarterbacks potentially at a crossroads. He was thirty four or forty nine, three fifty six yards, three touchdowns, this without Julio Jones, who missed another game with that hamstring. But in kind of true Matt Ryan form and not to call back to again, but after he connects with Hayden Hursts for a seven yard touchdown, uh in the third quarter, it was basically lights out

for the offense. It's just like a switch got flipped for them too, or more like somebody pulled a you know, a cord out of the wall and shut the whole operation down. So, you know, good good for the Bucks. That would have been a bad long u this time of year. So that the fact that they were able to turn it on. Good for them. But at the same time, if you're a Bucks fan and I know I know one, uh my buddy Shellin, he's he's been up and down all season with his emotions about the team,

and he's not alone. They're They're a hard team to kind of figure and a tough team to love. Quite frankly, young Way Cou deserves better. He's an All Pro second team. I don't care what anybody you know, just the Tuckers number first team. But young Way Cou deserves it. He's been automatic all right, Uh, let's move to it intra conference game. I don't know why. Fake Tannehill deep drop, looking deep, throwing deep going for Davis. Davis has got it at the thirty, at the puts on the move

to the tan, another move to the five. Okay, d c d seventy five yards churchdown Titans prey Davis too? Is intra Did anyone never decide this? We don't know. I can never figure it out. It's never Yeah, it's never gonna stick with me. I always say, out of conference the publice. There's nowhere else in life where I need to know. The definitive conference is definitely inside the conference intro. That's inside cross conference across. That's a conference game.

Why say intra conference? Just say conference because sometimes with the language it's it's just wanting to have the victory and one day the victory will be mine. What about a FNFC crawl pollination tilt uh, Mike Keith and Dave Beginnis with the called w g F X. Ryan Tannhill ran for two touchdowns, he threw three more UM and Derrick Henry ran for a hundred forty seven yards at a score to move the Titans closer to the third

playoff season in four years. They route the lines, Mark Henry gets the pub and he deserves it, and he's still two thousand yards is there for the taking if he delivers a couple more games like this. But Ryan Tannhill has been nothing short of brilliant in his two seasons in Nashville. Thank you that That was my takeaway. And I really just enjoy watching the Titans and who they are on offense and it's UM. It's a real pick your poison attack. We know that they have a

high floor UM they produce week after week. It is Henry, but Tannehill is just completely UM, fearless, when it comes to taking a shot, seeing someone downfield delivering the ball. The Corey Davis has been um consistently great for them for you know much of this latter part to the season. A J. Brown is there, John Nu Smith had a big catch today. They just look unstoppable on that side of the ball when they get going. And um, you know this this game, I would say raised a small

alarm for me. I mean, the Lions eliminated today, so we don't need to worry about the bandwagon and all the other business with them. That thing went off a cliff into a hideous wilderness. But the Titans are alive. My one concern is that, you know, you have Matthew Stafford coming off a week where he didn't practice and Chase Daniel coming in and throwing for four hundred and

thirty yards on this defense that that has zero pass rush. Um, I mean the Lions hung around because and we saw this with Cleveland, and we saw this in games where Tennessee kind of gets worked over. I mean, they're gonna have to win shootouts. They can do it, but at some point, um, you know, you'd like to see that the Tennessee defense step up and do something today. They had just no answers for um An offense. It's been better under Darryl Bevil, at least much more watchable. Same

story all year with the Titans defense. Keep waiting for the cornerbacks to pool play better. I think we've stopped waiting for any sort of pass rush whatsoever because it's just not happening. You look up every game and it's zero sax. They're They're right there, though, I think with the Chiefs and the Packers, is the best offense in the league. Some of this, like the explosion the last couple of weeks, is partly scheduled base but I believe

I think those are in the Bills. You sorry for sorry Bills Mafia for forgetting you know, putting them in. But that's that's your top four. You're already dead over the course of the entire season. To me, they are right there with the Chiefs and the Packers. Yeah, their top gear is as high as anyone's. And talked about it on the Thursday preview show. Like Derrick Henry, I think he needs about three yards uh to get to

two thousand, which is obviously doable for him. In the last two weeks since he's basically averaging that every week. Ryan Tannehill is on pace for like thirty seven touchdowns passing and like seven touchdowns rushing. It's like pretty crazy. And then we all know A. J. Brown how special he is as a receiver. Corey Davis has had a nice season for them too. It's it is quite an attack they have. It really is impressive to watch, as bad as the defenses that often scores them at a

holes all the time. I'm really curious. We'll see what how next week goes, because the Colts and the Titans both have really tough games, the Cults of the Steelers and the Titans of the Packers. But depending on how you go in to week seventeen, how how much does a division championship matter to you when you know you are just you know, gonna be playing the next week? And then how much is two thousand yards matter to you?

For Derrick Henry, because if the Titans somehow clinched going into it, it's like, I don't know why why, I don't even know if I would play for a division championship that's sort of an existential question. Or would you worry about resting starters before we move on. Just say a few words in respect of Alexander Meyers, who was done away with by a Derrick Hendri stiff arm today. Let's listen to that because it sounded like a gunshot stiff And I know that this is an audio medium,

but you could hear that stiff arm. Alexander Meyers, My goodness, he is unbelievable. It sounds like someone being hit across the head if they were wearing like a motorcycle helmet with a two by four. Right, we don't, we don't. We all don't get to pick what our legacy is. And maybe Alexander Myles uh Myers will go on to have a successful NFL career, but that might be his football tombstone right there. Oh, he was the guy that got stiff arm seven ft underneath the ground in week fifteen. Um,

all right, let's move on. Twenty eight seconds to go, fourth and five, game on the line. Here we go, Watson waiting on a shot gun, Staff takes it, looking fires upfield. It's a tight window. Put my kicky, he taught him. Stiff bubbled into the zone. Who's got who's got the football? There's a scrumpt no signals in the Colts habn it's a touch back. The Cults have bubbled

or recovered the bubble here the end zone. K Cuti had it and as he was crossing the goal line, the balls put it up the field the end zone, and like Pults having fabio uriki, it happened again. Matt Taylor w f and I with the call. The Texans yards away from the potential game time score. The Colts punched the ball away. This time it's and Andy fell on the ball in the end zone. They secure a twenty seven to twenty wind. Uh. And it goes to show you there's more than one way to skin a cat.

And that's a bizar saying, because who would skin a cat? I mean, I don't like guests, but who would do such a going? Um? I thought that I don't like some allergic. Who has some allergic? It's different. Um. So, Tennessee, the Titans absolutely dismantled their opponent. The Colts win. They find a way. They get it done against the Texans, who are obviously always gonna be a frisky opponent with

the Shawn Watson. And if you're Watson, you're like, you know, a couple of weeks ago, when the center fires the ball at his shins, leading to the game design goal line fumble against the Colts. He sat on the bench for the next ten minutes with a towel over his head, just shocked that, you know, this season has gone so terribly and how crushing that loss was this time he kind of had like a be mused look on his face, like, Hell, this is this is not my year, this is not

our year. Let's get the hell out of here and hit the reset button. Uh. So, a good fight by the Texans, but the Colts take care of business. They've won three straight, they retain a share of the a f C South lead with the Titans, and uh they survive and they advanced greg even though maybe it's not the uh type of win Colts fans want to see against a lesser Texans team. Yeah, division games, they know each other so well, especially watching that game two weeks

ago so closely. I'm not surprised because they looked about as even as can be. But DeForrest Buckner who got injured on Thursday, to to play this game on limited snaps and and hurt and get three sacks, um is kind of under underscores what he's meant to this team. It hasn't always shown up in the box score. Today he did it did and he dominated well. And to

see great players made great plays. Darius Landard the play he made on that fumble, come from behind and swatt it out, just punched that ball out, perfect time and placement. Good for him, and that was the key in the game. It's uh. I mean, it just shows you. With the Texans, they lost by six in overtime to Tennessee. They lost to the Colts by six and seven points a year

ago when trilling at halftime. They were four and five in those games, oh and nine this year and one score games they were seven and three a year ago, two and six. And it's like you've got a quarterback operating at the highest level of doing everything he possibly Again, he's had nobody's at wide receiver weeks in a row and they're still hanging around. So, I mean, there is I think if you get a new coaching staff in here like there is, you could just say you have

Deshaun Watson will figure the rest of this thing out. Um. The Cults are a better football team this year. I'm encouraged to see they can run the ball um at this point in the year. Jonathan Taylor had sixteen carries for eighty three yards and a touchdown. He looked especially good early on in the game. And he's just a you know, a great tough runner, um and his rise has been important to them and will continue to be important to them. Philip Rivers he's you know, he really

does gain from that. He was twenty yards and two scores, so, um, you put that together. Darius Leonard makes the big play Deforrece Buckner has the huge game. It was, you know, the culture, a well rounded team and they get They have a great kicker in Rodrigo Blanket Ship who kicked another nails d plus yard field goal. He's been doing that all year. Um. It's just a great balanced team and uh, they're going to be a trouble for somebody

in the playoffs. They did not feel like a twelve and four team, but that is on the table right now. All right. Another team that is surging right now, the Baltimore Ravens. They got the Jacksonville Jaguars at home. It went as we thought it would. Jackson wants to throw back pedaling at the twenty. Now he'll dart over to the left, extends the play fires at the end, yall touchdown Dez Bryant his first as a Raven and I'll flash the X to the stands. I'm so happy for

this man. Yeah, we were just talking about that mark on the Thursday night game last week. That would have been a for a guy that made it all the way back. And then Blue was Achilles with the Saints last year, and then for that ridiculous covid UH designation he got hit with, not that it was ridiculous, but the timing of it with the Cowboys game coming up for him now to score his first touchdown in years, that's nice. Jerry Sandusky w b a L. No drama

for the Ravens this week. Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score. Ravens built up a twenty six point halftime lead, coasted to a fourteen win mark. The Ravens are back. There's no doubt about that. Man. They are If you're gonna get this version of Baltimore, and why aren't we going to get it? This is who they are right now. Um. They lead in yardage two twenty one to sixties sixty one. At halftime. And this is where you get a little bit concerned about your gardner.

Minshew hopes and dreams just they just they had they had no chance in this game. Lamar Jackson started a little rough and tumbly. He was picked off in the end zone on their first drive. But then right away the Ravens defense stepped up and dropped Minshew for a safety. Uh. Then the Ravens just got going. On their next drive, it was suddenly nine nothing and like you know, you know how we do this one is are just like this game was over four minutes ago, but as officially

over right now. They ran all over ja Xonville to me, you know. And I will say one weird thing. This game had a safety. The Eagles game that I covered had a safe, had a safety, and the Detroit game that I covered had a safety. I cannot remember a time in my life when I covered three games on a Sunday that all had safeties. I guarantee you that's never happened. Let Sports Bureau, I'll call him up. Sure,

I'll call him up. Um. Yeah, the Dez Bryant was it was to me, I think a little bit of um, a little spice about what this team is right now, Like that thing could have gone differently and it would just sort of show the Ravens and and you know, Dan, you mentioned that you thought they were gonna win out and Um, I'm with you. They're gonna go eleven and five and they're a very dangerous team right now. Janak

and got Way had a fumble recovery. It's sort of seemed like everyone um took out a lot of aggression and anger on the on the Jaguars today, who do not look to me um any better than the Jets. Yeah, that's that's a big power ranking's decision to make video that is that's gonna be that'll keep you up at night. Speaking of let's call the Associated Press on that. This is the This is my favorite thing. By the way, speaking of Gardner Minshew, this is the greatest Gardner Minshew

stat line ever. He's the best of this. Two six yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, a passer rating, final score four Ravens. He's good at that. His numbers always look good, even when the score doesn't look so good. Mm hmm. Ravens gotta feel good just throwing the ball a little bit. They gotta throw they know they know who they are,

but they also need to have some efficiency throwing. So I don't care if it's against Jacksonville's B teamers or what, just to get something going in terms of Lamar's yards per tempt like he did, you know in the crunch time against Cleveland. That's a good thing, all right. Now it is that time, yes, where we say goodbye to once one handsome bald man and say hello to another. Nick Shook, welcome to the show, Chris Westling. Any final

thoughts before you signed off for another night. Oh, it's good. Didn't make it through and this was a tough one for me, so Shook. Bring that energy level up for the other guys there. God, you have west great lawyer. Merry Christmas, Mr Westling. Uh, the wife and I have a delivery head in your way. Uh, Chris, So stay tuned, stay by the door, stare at the door. That will give you something to do this week. All right, let's

continue to roll through the rest of the week. Fifteen Sunday schedule up next, The Throne of Ease in Trouble. They're gonna go for it on four thousand three, Damn Newton shotgun quick Myers in motion let's come on, and they got to him. They caught her. It's a it's ninth sack of the year. I've been stuck on eight. Good to see him get nine. And what a great time to get it. Jimmy just all but end the

football game. Jimmy Well, I'm agnanimous of er Jimmy Cefalo and Jason Taylor with the call w q A M. Yeah, the big stop at the game on Cam Newton clinched it. Undrafted rookie Salvin Ahmed and veteran Matt Breida combined for two eight yards rushing to leave. The Dolphins played twenty two to twelve victory over the Patriots. The Patriots who have been eliminated from postseason contention. It's the first year

they will not be in the playoffs. Way back with two thousand eight, that was the Tom Brady for an A c L season shook. Uh, how did this one go? Twelve? A slock? Yeah, a little bit of a slog, especially in the first half, and and kind of like what I wrote in uh and what we learned for this in a game between Bill Belichick and a guy who used to serve on his staff in Brian Flores I mean, could we really expect anything other than that we're gonna get, you know, a total of sixteen points by the late

third quarter between these two teams. You know, it's pretty much I was like, yeah, alright, this this makes sense, um, But the Dolphins gotta give him credit and really gives to a talk a lot of credit as well, uh for picking it up in the in the fourth quarter.

And the fun thing about watching the Dolphins in a week to week basis with two at quarterback is every time you go through the course of the game, he makes a mistake early or or he's just a little slow to react and it costs the Dolphins any key situation early and then he runs into another similar situation later in that same game and learns from it and applies what he's learned to make the best out of a situation. Whereas like in this game, for example, he

was on New England's three, he threw an interception. Uh, they didn't come in with any points there, obviously they cut You find themselves in the same situation early fourth quarter, he takes it himself, escapes the rush, gets across the goal line for the first of two rushing touchdowns for him, so, um, you know, they kind of came to life as he got more comfortable, which is something that you see in a weekly basis with him, is throughout the course of

the game, he just gets more comfortable and kind of sparks their offense. Statistically, it's not there for him right now, but that's okay because as they have a running game that they can rely on, Uh, you know with Uh Ahmed and uh and Matt Brita who you know, twelve rushes for eighty six yards today looking as fast as ever. Um, they played with some decisiveness offensively in the second half and really executed better than I thought that they would

or that they have in a while. But yet we had to fight through a little bit of that mud in the first half between two very good defensive coaches. I mean, they're they're missing Grant Parker and Gisicky and I came into this game thinking they're gonna win because flores is the chosen one. And you watch this in terms of you know, the Belichick disciples. Wasn't Mangini, It's

definitely not Patricia, wasn't McDaniels. Floress team comes together, they're greater than the some of their parts like those Oh one Patriots marks mentioned throughout, And isn't this, uh such a No. One Patriots type of game where all your skill position guys are hurt and you go win the game with Durham Smith, Lynn Bowden and Isaiah Ford as your top three, none of whom like, we're teams that

guys anyone really wanted. The Raiders gave up on butt them, The Dolphins gave up on Foard they traded him to the Dollar, the Patriots a month ago. They're only taking them back because they're in desperation mode. Um, it's I'm just not surprised because there's you just watch them each week and I think they're really well coached. They have a maybe they have a low ceiling, but I don't know in the in the a f C, Like, what does that even mean in in a single game elimination tournament.

You're telling me they wouldn't have a chance against you know, anyone, maybe not the Chiefs, but against just about anyone else. Well, this is gonna be really cliche, but they're winning with defense, and defense can win you a game in the playoffs if you get to the playoffs, And right now they're

in a pretty good position. And it's hard to argue with where they stand right now because week after week, whether it's against the Chiefs they lost a close to one last week, they were very competitive, or it's against the Patriots, who obviously at the Patriots of old, but are still a team that you have to expect that you have to you have to come out and play really good football in order to beat them. They've done it on a week to week basis. So yeah, I

think you're right, Greg. The ceiling is not super high to us. Still a rookie and they're missing those guys like you mentioned, But they're a team that you have to watch and you have to take seriously because of how well coached there, and they had an attitude. Man, they really play with an attitude, especially the defensive side of the ball. They really embody their coach. What a turnaround,

What a turnaround. I thought that really stood out when they got into you know, huge fights on the field a couple of weeks ago, and it was Flores who led the charge marching out onto the field. I mean you think I think I could tell you a lot of coaches are not going to do that, and um, they may not have the highest ceiling on defense or offense or special teams, but the floor for each of

those UM is impressive. They're very watchable, they're very balanced, and yes we've said it, they're well coached and what a day. I mean that if I were to point to one thing, it's because of injuries and other stuff that is not worked for them. They could not support to UH with a ground game through so many of these weeks and to today with all the guys you mentioned out of the lineup UM, the fluid and fluidity and flexibility to go run for two hundred and fifty yards.

That reminds me of the Patriots when a bunch of guys are going on, we're just gonna change who we are going to throw it an attack in a different way. Ahmed who was actually he's had a couple of good games, So I mean they find dudes to step up, and it's every week it's different names. So I'm with you that in the A s c UM they could pick off anyone they called. They made life difficult for Patrick Mahomes. It's not enough, but they but whether they're one of

the few teams that did that. By what was a thirty yard stack, the worst stack of Mahomes career. I mean, so today they went and put it to a um an offense that has a putrid smell attached to it. In New England, the Patriots have been sent off to the cornfields before Christmas. It's it's kind of hard to believe after all these years, that's your Christmas gift in

from us? How did Scotzolac take it? And the snapbacks you didn't get, fourth down captains and troubles cat has got a good stack, and kep saying anything to the Dolphins are celebrating, So it really it was the kif that song given he's a Jelly of the Month club. What does that mean? Jelly of the month club? Like a low wattage gift or I guess you keep getting it, he said, the gift that keeps on giving. So I'm guessing he's like talking about turnovers or giving away negative

plays and you get one each week or month. I mean, you know they didn't hire Zolac for his word play. It was just that, you know that that bright intelligence. All right, let's there's gotta be more. Is there anything else? There's two thousand eight last time of the Patriots did not make the playoffs until campaign. That's gross. I mean, I'd rather take one like the Ramps. I guess the team that okay on paper and structuring, coaching, there's a

lot better on us right now. You could take it your tail kick like that, not from this or unmanned team just took it to you down in South Florida. Oh, the disrespect of the Dolphins, right he referred to them as a unmanned team. Undermanned, undermanned they were because they were banged up, you know, because they were missing, because they were because they won in the same way. And

that's why I've I've believed in them. They went in the same way every week and every losing team like trying to turn it away from the Patriots and back to the Dolphins page. Take us, take us through your thought process right now, Greg, it's finally over. You're just another This is it. I came into this game with living and dying on it, and it it hurts. It hurts us one of us well. And he's the lack

of saying he would rather lose to the Jets. We could arrange that two weeks from now, Mrs Alack, I don't know. I guess I had so low never it was never to it. You. You are more invested in this team than than I have been, and I'm I'm happy for you. Dan Well. I I mean, listen, I get things all wrong all the time, we all mess up, but I have this one nailed. I knew the Patriots are in trouble with Cam Newton and wait, you told

me all season that I was. Wait, you actually many times kept saying all season like you're way too done. I don't know why you don't think they're contenders. I was like, I don't. Never I think there are six or seven win team, like back in Week three. I have never come off my messaging that the Patriots were a seven to nine win team that was not special. And and when everybody was going nuts about about Cam and everything early in the season, it never I never

called on. Maybe I just because I didn't want it to cut catch on, but it never did. And I think, you know, are we gonna see Jared's Stidham the rest of the year. That's that's something I think they're telling us what they think about Jared Stidham. Oh that's true too, all right, And Scott hanging there. I'm sure there's another generational quarterback right around the corner for you. All right, let's move on finally, San Francisco at Dallas, Dalton's under sudder.

Why he's gonna give it a Pollard calling on the right side, first down rights to tackle, running the light off, Tony Color straight tip touchdown roun Tony Pollard. Zekiel Elliott was a late scratch on Sunday. So Tony steps up and plays like a star. Scores twice, including that game ice and forty yard scamper. Late in the fourth quarter, they added another touchdown on a Seedee Lamb on side kick recovery, and the Cowboys keep their playoff hopes alive

with a three win over the Forts. What a world, Nick Shook? What a world? Yeah? What a world? I mean, you don't help yourself when you when you go down to Dallas, you're already underman. Speaking of underman, the Niners are probably the most underman team in football, or one of the three most undermanned. Uh. And you immediately turn the ball over twice deep in your own territory and basically gift them two scores, and you dig yourself a fourteen nothing hole before you can even blink. I mean,

that's how fast it was. Um, you don't give Nick Mollins the ball expecting to throw you in to a multi score comeback win. And yet there they were right there in perfect position, and then gave it away again Mollins with a crushing interception late. And then see Lamb showing off his athleticism after they get a field goal to try to cut it to a one score game and he takes the onside kickback for a touchdown. It entered the realm of the absurd by the end, capped

by the Tony Pollard touchdown. It's probably not what we expected. We might have expected a lot of points or a decent amount of points from the Niners, considering the Dallas's defense is still a mess. But you didn't expect it to blow up like this and and have people, you know, celebrating on a Sunday in December and what was what could be a lost season if that division wasn't so bad. I had so much hope for this Niners team, and I think that there they seem, you know, and it's understandable,

sort of psychologically broken. At this point. They've used over seventy five players. Um this season. You know, it's easy to forget, but they were forced to move to a different city a couple of weeks ago, and I think it's just added up to be too much, and it's too much to overcome. And you know, now it's we we learned today that not surprisingly that Jimmy g won't play again this year. Why would he? Um? But I wonder if I'll ever play again for them. It's it's

it's one of those lingering offseason questions. And um, I don't need the Cowboys to go on a run here and make the playoffs. And I would hope their fan base doesn't need that either, but I'm sure they say they do. I'm not. I'm not getting sucked in that the Cowboys are gonna follow this up with another big performance.

But I mean, if you told the Cowboys fans six weeks ago that you're gonna enter Week sixteen with a chance to win the divisions, so you think, really, if you told them on Thanksgiving after they got destroyed, uh in their building, if you that they were gonna have a chance to win the division, however slim it maybe? Uh? So you know you have that you get to celebrate Christmas and then look ahead to a game that matters, which I don't think anybody predicted, so well, someone's gotta win.

They play the Eagles, so one of them, one of them is gonna win. And then that is a true elimination game. You don't get a ton of those, not even just met a oracle like like the Vikings are you know, technically still alive. Actually, that is a true elimination game. And C. J. Beathard, by the way, will be starting for the forty Niners the final two weeks. Shanahan confirmed what was the what was it? Did he play play the sec now he came in for a

junk drive? But what's the Mullins got hurt too, but he said, regardless of the injury, is going to give Beth to Mullins is killing you with two or three um disastrous throws the game outside of being otherwise sort of productive. It's yeah that in the Niners, you know, with all the injuries and everything that dealt with, they also have not taken care of the ball. Uh. The negative eleven UH turnover differential one of the one of the worst in the league. And it's gonna kill you.

No matter who's in the field. And Zeke missed missed with this caffe injury that's been lingering. Um, you know, he's a high paid veteran running back coming off his worst season of his career, and he wally pip possibility here with Tony Pollard. Did you did you like the white Pollard look or was this seemed like a one off for you show? I mean it depends do we take this seriously to get sucked into the whole playoff hunt? Because is this a team? This is gonna be my

question earlier? Is this a team that even if they made the playoffs? I mean, you're I just mean Pollard? Yeah, I mean he had that nice touchdown run at the end of the game. Um, he's he's a nice complimentary back to I think what Ezekiel Elliott is which better back. He's a better back than Ezekiel out today. I thought that is going to help their offense. I don't think you're gonna watches the Cowboys can argue otherwise this year. Yeah, That's the thing is Zeke has had a bad year.

He's looked bad for the entirety of this season. And Tony Pollard when you come to the change of pace is faster, he's he's shiftier, he's smaller. Um, yeah, he's a better option right now, which is sad to say considering how much money they're paying Zeke. But again, how much do we really you know stock we're putting into this? You know, are we are we paying attention to the Cowboys? You know we're really watching closely in the final couple of weeks, um, you know there they could have a

home game in the playoff break their way. Um. And while I check over the cap dot com to see what the salary situation is for Ezekiel Elliott, we pause now before heading to Sunday Night Football Night, Jones and motion Mayfield? Who's right for Landry? Who holds on for the touchcot? It was that easy for the Cleveland Browns

on Sunday Night. Is Baker Mayfield? That's twenty seven of thirty two for two touchdowns, no interceptions, two nineties seven yards, actually had three hundreds and lost then and I coulive play. But that's the only negative thing for the Browns in a twenty six win over the New York Giants, taking Cleveland one step closer to her first playoff appearance over a decade. Here we are with two of the biggest ground stands you'll find, Nick Shook and Mark Sessler. Shook,

I'll start with you. Uh, this is what they've done all year, show kie. They take care of business. Yeah, I mean another complete performance. Um. I'm a little concerned about their ability to stop the run. Showed up kind of early. But uh, for the most part, I mean they maker Mayfield with a solid game. Uh. You know, they had a good pace offensively, he was letting it ripped. There were nine for thirteen on third down. Um. You know, there's nothing to really complain about when the Browns have

the football. Um, even after they suffered an injury right guard when they lost Chris Hubbard who was playing for White Teller who was inactive, and then the late round pick Nick Harris comes in. I was a big fan of him out of Washington. It was nice to see him play well, uh, coming in and relief his first big time professional action in his first year. So, I mean, you know, this is what I expected this from the Browns. I'm sure these amount of people did. Um, and they

keep moving forward. Greg, you're smiling, what's up? Well, it's just it's just like the Browns are it's like making the playoffs for the first time in thirteen years, and it's just like ho hum the brown you know, it's just like moving forward. It's almost like they're so good, they're they're boring. It's amazing. Wait, I don't know now, but they're they're all, they're all. But well then, so they could have slipped up here and that would have been um egregious on a day when everyone else that

mattered in the A F C. One. Um, And it kind of felt this game to me. I mean, part of it is because we take part of our show and then you you dive into SNF when it's when when we're done with that. But um, to me, sort of like when you when we when we used to go to work, we go to the office and you'd have a day like a random Wednesday. That meant I don't have real memories from it. Um, I didn't do anything terribly wrong. I got the job done. For the

most part. That felt like this Browns game. And it's weird that, um, that's actually a win for them. I'm so with you. Shook On the offensive line performance, Bill Callahan has been the secret Sauce the All Star for this coaching staff, and um, Nick Harris played really well, and it was pointed out by Chris Collinsworth, UM smartly. I don't know. My thing with the Browns is this, like when you get this version of Baker Mayfield where he's not making big miss stakes and stuff like, um,

they thrive and it was. It was sort of just a workman like performance. And I my my concern, like the the jaded Browns fan version of me, is just don't go in and drop these two games to New York and have like this season and in total calamity. And so you're halfway from that not happening. That is what I've thought about deep in the middle of the night. Um, that's where I'm at mentally, and so take care of

your business and you move on for another week. Yeah, that's the point I was gonna make, is it Old Browns? The old Browns would lose this game. The old Browns would that that fake field goal would work, uh, and the Giants would have scored a touchdown and and the Browns, the old Browns would have fallen apart. They would have lost this one. It would have stretched in the next week they would have lost the Jets and it would have fallen apart like Mark described. But that's not this team,

which is exciting to see. It's ho hum. Uh. You know, there was probably eight or nine minutes left in the fourth and I was watching with my girlfriend and I just looked her and said, this game is over, like there's there's we could do the majority of our recap right now because the majority of this game is over. And that's a that's a really good thing for the Browns who have not been that team in twenty years, if not in most of your lifetime, I mean, like

the vast majorities of your lifetime. I thought that Joe Judge Um called this game for the Giants with almost an admirable level of desperation. He knew he was in a lot of trouble here with Colt McCoy is his quarterback and um Freddy Kitchens as his offensive coordinator. And you saw that when they go into the red zone um three times and the three first three possessions. But like we said, going for it on fourth down that didn't work, trying a fake field goal that didn't work.

It was just not gonna happen. And the way things are with Colt McCoy. Yeah, he's had good for Colt McCoy, he's set himself up for life over the last ten years, being a backup for most of those years. But he's a tough guy to watch, to be honest. And that's why this game definitely felt very much in the bag once the Browns went up by two scores because the Giants just didn't have the firepower. Yeah, came down to those two plays, the fake field goal and uh they

failed fourth down in the red zone. But it just got me thinking this game, I mean, there's only fourteen drives in the whole game. I'm big in the drives and like and two of them were the Giants kneel on it once at the end of the second quarter. And then there was like a minute at the end where Garrett got a sack, uh, where the Giants weren't trying to do anything. It was really twelve drives in this game. For comparison, like the forty Niners and the

Cowboys each had fourteen drives. And so I'm thinking back to and I'm thinking Mark Sessler fell in love with those old Callahan Washington are works and he was just like Hey, they might be losing, but they go on these long drives and they get Mark righting up to what we learned nice and early. And that's what these Browns are. Callahan, he heard Mark. He went to Cleveland. And this is what they do each and every week

their touchdown drives. Thirteen play seventy five yards, ten plays nine yards, fourteen play a hundred and fifteen yards if you count the the extra yards they had the game for penalties. Like, that's what the Browns do. And they kind of do it every week. They usually do it in the fourth quarter. Now they do it a little earlier, and they're doing it all for Mark Sessler. And it really is it just and for Nick Shook and and for and for Cleveland. And it's um to me, uh

what the difference is with Kevin Stefanski. And it's nice to watch the game this time, Dan, I didn't watch it in the garage. For a couple of minutes. I did, then I went right back inside. I watched it with Simone, and Simone doesn't hate watching Kevin Stefanski coach of football game. I think, um, there would be other people that would agree with that. But you're right, Greg, that Bill Callahans,

you're saying your wife's hot for Stefanski. Is that what you're saying to the point where like she likes watching the game war just because he's I'm just saying she noted that he was not. You know, among the there's the Vic Fangio's. I'm not saying he's an older man. But then there's the Kevin Stefans Ken Stefanski sex got angle harder than Mark. He ever connect out at a

certain point. I don't know. I don't know about that part of the god um the god aspect, but I would say he's you know, he's a new a new age, new wave coach young. Um Oh, I don't have to gain a hundred and fifty pounds because I'm coaching a football team between August and December. It's like I actually can keep my shape. Um, I will keep my wits about me. Um. I love I just I think that hep side. If he gained a hundred pounds, maybe they'd

be undefeated right now. Did you think of it that way? No, I definitely did not think of it that way. That makes literally no sense. But you don't want to paint yourself in a corner. What if, like year eight, you've got two super Bowls under your belt and he just starts letting it go, and you know he should at that point. I would love him to just balloon up.

And I think Nick would Nick Shook would balloon up at that point two super Bowls, Like I think you already have ballooned up, if you know what I'm saying. I mean, at that point, you're just riding out right in the wave. You're you're beyond it, You're but what's there to live for? You already achieved the success. Might as well just gorge yourself and all the train off the um. Alright, So the Browns ten and four they

are ready, they are ready for January. The Giants um not out of it with the NFC East being the state that it's in, but obviously damaging loss of them. So we're gonna see how that all plays out. Before we signed off, let's check in on the lock of the week's standings. Greg finally takes an ol needed that we needed that Greg had the bad job. You know, just just go with your your head and your heart. Just go against the Patriots. That's what I wanted to do.

Did in other forums and didn't have the guts to do it here on the season. Good job by you, Mark. You got behind your your hometown team. Well you're opted hometown team. Well you've never been in Cleveland before. But the Browns and the Browns win. I took the Chiefs, the Chiefs win, and Ricky oh, Ricky joined me with the Chiefs and and broke that curse as well. So good job everybody. Just tightened up the standings a little bit there, Greggy, And I know you act like it

doesn't bother you, but you want it. You need it, you want that title. You want to go back to back. Just got a little trickier. Hey, it's always it's always gonna be um, yeah, it's always gonna come down to the final weeks, right. I guess it didn't last year, but you know that's what you expect with a bunch of competitors, you expect this thing to go to the end. Well, Well I'm competitivefessional answer. I liked it all right, good stuff, Shook, Thank you, good man, look at you shook. On top

of the world. He's got a he's got a pricey condo high rise in Cleveland with the girl of his dreams eating popcorn and watching the Browns walked to a win on Sunday night with a with a little thing in his pocket. He's ready to pop out on Christmas Eve. Maybe even that's that's too much. I'm not sure what that means. You mean a ring Okay, yeah, no Stefanski situation there. And we'll be back on Tuesday. We have one more game from week fifteen that we'll be breaking down.

That's uh, Steelers Bengals, and we have a Christmas week filled with content, so make sure you stick around for all that. Thank you all the listeners, and of course Chris Westling, who again week after week shows up for this show when he's not at a percent or close to it, and there's that's so commendable and we are proud to call him our friend. We love you west all right. That's stand hands a signing off for a

quiet storm. The Old Boss Nick shook Ricky Hollywood behind the virtual glass until Tuesday