2020 Week 16 Recap

Christmas it's over. Well, we were just talking. We all had our nice Christmas is um, you know, the pandemic can't take away, as he said, Dan, the joy of a child on Christmas morning. So it's nice to have that moment this year, at least in a year that has been trying for the whole world and this country

and this podcast with what West has been going through. Uh, it's good to appreciate the good things and the fact that we all have healthy child drin and we get to celebrate the most special of all days, Christmas with them. So that was great. But you know, then it was time to get back to ball. Sessler and uh that was That was today Sunday, and there was a Jets Browns game that I don't think really somehow ended up

making either of us happy. But I'm sure you much more unhappy than I. There are also some clinch games divisions were decided, and other other divisions and other playoff spots are wide open and up for grabs as a result of the action today. So what we're gonna do is spend through fifteen games and we you know, boys, sometimes we we we could be a little bit, you know, elaborate in our descriptions of things and games and intros and to getting into games intros at the beginning of

a show. Even Uh, we're gonna have to really be economical, can we do it? Mark? Yeah? I mean I could also just I could sit here and say nothing the entire show, which would remove probably forty minute some content. So you know, that's a team effort. But it's gonna take all three of us and more potentially to us as long as you can listen, tell me why Nick Chubb didn't run the ball thirty times today? That's all I know. We'll get into a very popular narrative popping up.

I'm I'm sure everyone has more of a clue than the Browns coaching staff at this point. All right, let's get into it. It's that type of day. Uh. Let's start though with a big game between the Colts and Steelers really a tale of two games. Let's get to it. The thirty nine of the Colts. He wants to throw it deep and he throws it down the right side line, Deante Johnson diving through the end zone and he caught

it for the touchdown. A thirty nine yard strike on first and ten Ben to Deante Johnson, deante seventh touchdown reception of the year. He had a step on rock you're scene and then Dovid caught the ball that right there was the turning point. Bill Hilgrove nails at w d V Ben Roethlisberg and thrown through a perfect dar to Deante Johnson, a touchdown pass that seemed to rouse

the stealer Steelers from a week's long slumber. Roelinisberger through three second half touchdowns and the Steelers rallied past a stunned Colts team. With the win, Pittsburgh claims their first a f C North title since two thousand seventeen. Greg and that was a turnaround that was hard to see

for coming. I was stunned. I'm sure the Colts were two and they are entering week seventeen now on the outside looking in of the playoff race, which is wild at ten and five and considering how well they've played. I wrote down on my you know, my little notebook at one point, Steelers so lucky to be down seven, because at that point in the game, when it was seven before the comeback started, it felt like it could

have been forty two nothing. At that point, there had been a sixty five yard played by the Colts, you know, called back by a penalty that they didn't need to do on the in the back. I thought that really changed the game. Uh. The Steelers had fallen on a couple of fumbles, including one forced by t. J. Watt that got them their only early touchdown, and the Colts had quadrupled them in total yardage to that point, and

they were dominating. I felt like up front on both sides, and that was a perfect play, uh, to highlight because when Ben hit that Deonte Johnson passed, it got them rolling. The defense had just stopped the Colts three and out

to set it up. So the defense, which did not play well for the first quarter and a half of the two and a half quarters of the game, suddenly did their thing, and the Steelers started going deep and a lot of credit goes to Roethlisberger and made throws that he hasn't made all season and we've been making

fun of him. And a lot of credit goes to their line, who I really thought, uh Past protected terrifically well and I thought that was a big difference in a day where the Colts were missing their top three tackles and they couldn't protect rivers well at all. I thought the like, you're right that it was a tale

of two halves, one of those types of games. The Colts offense just seemed very res billiant to me early on with long drives and answering um, you know, tougher moments with long drives, and then they closed the game with a punt field goal, three straight punts and interception in a turnover on downs. They are a team that strikes you is they can play a really great half of football and then they can give you something way

off the mark. And I for Pittsburgh, I just feel like, weren't they at some point, whether they're a great team or not, that's a different conversation. Weren't they going to break out of this slump at some stage? I mean possibly, like they wouldn't. But that's just not the Steelers team I know. I also know a Steelers team that can go into January and offer up another stinker. They've done that multiple times under Tomlin. Yeah, I think Pittsburgh is shown now all sides of them, and I don't think

anything would surprise you. They're kind of, to me the A s C version of Tampa Bay, where they have this high ceiling and very low floor once you get to January. So it'll be interesting to see what version of them shows up, you know, and was all set to come on the show and take a big l for being completely wrong about Philip Rivers, which I still am.

Phil Rivers has been really good this season, but I mean I was all in on Ben Roethlisberger this year and all out on Phil Rivers, and at halftime of this game, it was like, oh jeez, it couldn't be more clear which which a f C contender had the right old guy at quarterback and maybe the maybe the Colts still do, but the Indianapolis just looks so weak

in the second half. Every bit is um dominant as the Steelers looked, and you know, Roethlisberg is hard to figure out because it just seemed like they were completely broken in this game, like we saw it coming for weeks.

And then when they failed at the goal line on that they want, they lost the ball on downs where again they tried to run the ball and they're like, oh, we're not even gonna bother and then they were unable to have the drop by Chase Claypool and then the throw to the pylon they get knocked away in a nice play by the indie defender, and it just felt like it was not gonna happen. So, yeah, that Deonte

Johnson touchdown. I can't think of too many moments in this NFL season where things change as quickly as they did with that play. I know at that at that point, Romo was talking about, you know, how high a seed that the Colts could get to, that they could get to like a two seed, and in a quarter later

we're talking about them maybe not making the playoffs. The Steelers. Meanwhile, what a huge when not just to get a nice taste in your mouth and some confidence, uh that they could beat a good team and that they're not the most broken offense in the league, because yeah, through seven or eight drives, they had about fifty yards in this game, but they could also rest their starters next week, which for this team, which was rolling out the old excuses

to Nance and Romo about how tired they were and that they haven't gotten their bye week that they got, you know, kind of jobbed out of that, which is true. But a lot of teams have dealt with a lot. But you've just been hearing that more out of the Steelers. Now they have the division. I think it's debatable whether

they should care about their seat at all. I don't personally think it's that big of a deal, and I think they're gonna get some some good players some rest, and they did it on the backs of t. J. Watt. By the way, West isn't here, but I'm sure he would be mentioning how why in a big spot got a huge force fumble, two sacks Stefan too and another one And if you wanted to vote for what defensive player of the year, he gave you some some nice

little moments. I kind of feel like he's locked it up, depending on how you how you vote for these guys and Aaron Donald's got I think Donald's got a pretty decent chance. He would have my vote. But my my one thing though, is that, I mean, they're both so equally important to their teams. But t J watt Uh to me, just what he's done game after game, like in what the skid that they've been on, Like, he's my vote, um this year, Stephen Holder, one little note

for the Cults. I know it was a bad second half for the Cults, but Jonathan Taylor, Stephen Holder, the long time beat writer Cities, never in his time covering that team seen a rookie developed as quickly. Um, you know, after a rough start. That's that's like midway through this season that he really really has come on. So that gives me a little bit of hope that you get a different version of the Cults a couple of weeks from now. If they get in, they gotta get healthy too.

They were playing without both their tackles Anthony Costanzo with an ankle, right tackle Brandon Smith, he was on the COVID nineteen list so and they lost another one during the game, and that was a huge factor on the final fourth down play, which Rivers gave pretty good ball. Um, you know, the third tackle. They were down basically to their fourth and their fifth tackles actually, and he gave up a quick pressure and yeah, they need they need

them back. Uh season high five sacks allowed against the Steelers. All right, So there you go. The Colts blow it. They had it all set up and now they are. They will be fighting for their lives in week seventeen. The Steelers. They are the division champions. Now let's check in with another division race that was decided out West

Ross with a shotgun snap. Looks he's got it down Hawks, I got everybody on the Rams was looking for a short run and here it comes Russ scorn for the throat and he finds Hollis for the Corners off for six, stretched their lead. Have they are two minutes and fifty one seconds away for being NFC West champs. Good call by Steve rabel k I r oh yes, Russell Wilson through just one touchdown pass on Sunday, r I p

let Russ Cook. What a fun time that was. But he made a count connecting with Jacob Hollister on that thirteen yard score. That's salted away. But twenty nine win over the Rams the Wind clinches an NFC West title for the Seahawks, their first. It's two thousand sixteen surprised me a little bit while the Rams slipped deeper into their offensive funk. Greg Seattle won this division because their defense figured out in the second half of the seasons.

I'm gonna say false, okay, because I would still give it to their offense and Russell Wilson over the course of the season, and they've played bunch of garbage quarterbacks and offenses in a row. But it's crazy that I have to throw Jared Goff into the mix with Colt McCoy and Sam Donald and Dwayne Haskins and and the other quarterbacks that Seattle's stopped. They deserve a ton of credit. It's a massive win for Seattle. And I was there. I remember when the Rams scored forty two points on

Seattle in to win the division. Seattle hasn't one of the division since it's their first and four years. It's the first convincing when McVeigh has ever lost to Pete Carroll. And so their defense was huge and Adams makes a monster play Jamal Adams to stop a potential rushing touchdown at the goal line. Um and and that sequence to me was maybe kind of kind of told you everything the Rams had you know, five plays there, Adams gets him down at the one and then they have four

plays right at the goal line. They don't trust Jared Goff to throw it once the Rams are down to their third running back after Henderson got hurt in the game, can't can't get one yard. And part of it, I really think gives that Sean McVeigh wasn't trusting Jared Goff. No, no one was trusting Jared Goff. Troy Aikman's teaing off on Jared Goff. Everyone is Mark Sesser has been doing it all season. You have the floor to dance on his grave. Mark I I don't wish to do that.

I mean, I think if anything that we you know, even on our Thursday preview show, when Goff's name came up, it's like we've already talked about that he's a problem. We get it, um, except it's a lingering and current problem when his you know, terrible interception puts the team back when he's when he's fumbling. And for me, I I this game, when it was thirteen to six, after Russell Wilson waltzt into the end zone, I just thought to myself, this is Pete Carroll's UM type of game,

and it's not Sean mcveigh's. This is not the way the overall Rams experience. UM is wanting to be going there, and they have like an elite past defense and they have a super Bowl level defense, and you're not really asking that much of this offense UM compared to what some teams have to go through. Think about Deshaun Watson on a weekly uh level. And so for me, it's just disappointing because you are looking at a team that I think could be very dangerous, but you simply can't

trust one half of the ball. It hurts. It hurts that Cam Akers wasn't out there. I think he's been a big part for them, but the passing game either goes UM hot or cold, and you know pretty quick into a contest what it's going to be. I mean, it seems like to me that he's going from to

an actual liability on this team now. And I thought that the first half interception he through was just like a head scratcher, and it was exactly the type of play that led Sean McVeigh to publicly admonishes quarterback a couple of weeks back. That was you know, that public move by McVeigh was meant to clean up his quarterback's head a little bit too sharpen up because this is now the end of the season and it's time to

to win divisions and and make playoff runs. But now the Rams go from entering last week against the Jets, they were in the driver's seat that when the NFC West and win eleven or twelve games, and now it's all up in the air. I mean, the Rams can still get to the playoffs if they beat the Cardinals in weeks seventeen, but they can now miss the playoffs entirely if they lose to Arizona and then Chicago beats

Green Bay next Sunday. That, I mean, that is quite a turnaround for a Rams team that just seemed to be in such a good place. And I'll push back on that, Greg. I Uh, I absolutely think the Seattle Seahawks were going nowhere fast with this defense. And you can say you could look at, uh, their opponents, which is fair also, but also you know, you play who you play, and they have held i believe five straight

opponents now under twenty points. Uh. This was something that you could not have just like you couldn't have pictured the Steelers going to the tank the way they did and then coming out of it. I would have never thought there would have been a five game stretch this year where this Seattle defense against anybody could have pulled off five straight twenty points or less games. So you gotta hand it to Ken Norton and Pete cal for

getting that figured out. Yeah, I'm I'm wary, just because you know, I still have it in my head, like sometimes people say, like your defensive ranking is more about your strength schedule than anything else, and so I want to see them against a good offense. But you're right, they couldn't have stop anyone early in the season. Adams

is the biggest difference. I do worry that they're that that Carol thinks being conservative on offense is why they're winning, and I and I know they're not turning it over, so maybe that is part of it. But they're they're they're often struggled today. Um and the Rams. You know, the Rams defense played more than well enough to win for most of it. It's thirty nine midway through the third quarter, and and the reason why it was even that close, I mean, golf was lucky didn't turn it

over three or four times. That's why we're ripping him, if you I mean, even though the stats are bad, it could have been worse. He threw one just as grizzly as that interception that the Seahawks drop. He also fumbled it, as you mentioned, uh, and then hurt like he he well, he hurt his thumb. That was pretty deep into the game. He actually made a couple of nice throws after that. With those, he looked like he totally um dislocated at his thumb and the camera caught

him putting it back into place. It was. It was fairly gruesome, but by then the game was was over. And Uh in Seattle, Yeah, you're right that they deserves it. This is a dangerous team. I don't think anyone is a huge favorite in the NFC. And when you have Russell Wilson, uh, you have a chance. Because he had a third nine, a third and eight, a third and seven like late in this game where he just sort

of made the Russell Wilson type of play. And that's that's the advantage of having It's almost like what what we could say about Seattle in early September can be said about them to some degree still as they enter into the NFC playoff race. Anything could happen with this team. All right, let's spend through the games that were played before Sunday, uh and start with the finale to Saturday. And it was a memorable one, all the style, pick yourself and it's good, good, I'm gonna win this game

with one second left, It's Miami the Raiders five. I hope you did not go to bed tonight until this was over. Jimmy Steppolo And well not that was not Jason Taylor, wasn't I don't think so. W q A m with the call. Yes, Jason Sanders made the kick, but this was this was a case of peak fits. Magic. Ryan fitzpatricker leaved an ineffective to a Tonga by loa and led to Dolphins to one of the most improbable

winds that franchise history over the Law Raiders. Uh. You know that in thirty four yard miracle completion to mac Hollins pass by Fitzpatrick that was made while the quarterback's head was being damn near torn off by the face mask mark. That that was magic. That was fitz magic. It was you know when it just made me. Um, it made me happy for Dolphins fans, who you know, I think people that go Dolphins fans had all this fun in the seventies and eighties. Those people are seventy

years old right now. Younger Dolphins fans have been through so much, and so I know that the conversation coming out of this is how do you handle if it's magic and tuah and who should start? But I think for if you're if you're a Dolphins fan that's waited so long for this moment, that is something you will never forget. Imagine a paw the size of art and keys grabbing your nose and eyes as you attempt to do anything in life, and to do it well. Still, I think that it's magic. Um. He is this sort

of Devil may care figure who keeps popping up. He's unkillable, and I don't think it's the last time we'll see him. If they need him again in the playoffs, dement no matter who starts next week, I think they are right now. Um. I don't know if it's a Chan Gailey thing, and some of the plays that they decide to call and expand the offense when he's in there, they just look,

the flow is better, there's more comfort. I think to us still does some really good things, but you're here now to get into a playoff race and do whatever it takes. So I don't mind the way that some people do. And you guys might disagree with sort of flip flopping between quarterbacks as needed, No, I like it. We we talked about it when they did this before that it's okay to treat I think it's okay to treat quarterbacks like adults. And Flora's said it well after

the game. You know, I'm I'm concerned about everyone in the slacker room and we're out here. You're trying to win, and if I need to call on the relief pitcher, that's how he used the words um in a certain situation, I'm gonna do it. I just how can you be mad that he's having his cake and eating it too. You know, there's six and two and two US starts and they're going, they're probably going to the playoffs, and these snaps for two are so valuable. Now, is Ryan

Fitzpatrick a better quarterback right now than too? It's yeah, I mean, obviously I don't think that's that's I don't think conversation. Then let's be honest here this thing where we want to protect to uh, but also make our points that it's a big boy stop protecting him there. It's like Patrick starting, and I know Flora has already announced it that it's it's to us starting with seventeen.

I I can't believe that. I think Ryan Fitzpatrick at this point is earned starting with this team and getting a full game. And let's also remember that they don't win that game without a miracle and the Raiders becoming a total joke on defense these last few weeks. That's the only reason they ended up winning the game. They waited too long to go to Fitzpatrick. VI ask me, I don't get the loyalty to start a rookie when it's clear the veteran is coming into every week and

showing you he should be the guy. Yeah, I mean there might there might be some thought that it's like Fitzpatrick over the course of a game is going to turn it over, and they had had a good formula with to it. Now this I think it was his worst start along with the Denver start. I mean he he was holding the ball way too long, uh, And you had to take him out of there. But you're you're right about the Raiders defense. Um, Like, people got on John Gruden a little bit for not taking the

touchdown when the Dolphins were giving it to him. They were trying to let the Raiders score late. And if you had wanted to do it on third down, after you took the clock down as much as you could, you know, there was about a minute left and you would have just had to stop them from giving a touch when I you know, the more I thought about, I don't blame him because ultimately, how can you say to trust your defense when what you just saw happen.

It's the only reason Fitzpatrick didn't go h touchdown touchdown field goal is because Mac Collins dropped a potential touchdown on Fitzpatrick's first drive. So like the second Fitzpatrick came in the game, they totally collapsed. They gave up a touchdown in like twenty seconds the drive before that. So it's like, no matter how you want to, you can't.

Really I don't. I can't. I can't blame Gruden for that. Well, no, but I would say for what Pittsburgh's gone through up until today, and you know, turning that city almost evil against the team with what what the Raiders swoon and it was a couple weeks ago there. They couldn't possibly duplicate what happened a year ago. They just couldn't. It's it's a different team. We trust them, and they did duplicated and their defense fell off a cliff to such

a degree. And I know that there's some injuries and stuff there, but they go into the off season with all the same questions they had last off season. I think Gooden is just quickly. I went and looked from week thirteen onward, this is a weird staff. But from week thirteen onward, in Gruden's last six seasons, his teams are eight and twenty four. Because I remember his Bucks teams always collapsed at the end too. That's how he got fired three two of the his last three years,

they collapsed at the end. And now he's doing it in Vegas too. I don't know, there's something about John Gordon. He just collapses at the end. I mean he's gonna he's gonna pay for that in the sense that that's going to be the narrative around him and the Raiders in this offseason. But when you signed a ten year contract. That's as far as it goes. You just have to deal with headlines that are annoying. But Dophins team. I

love this team. This is my favorite funds. I was happy for Henry Hodgson and that those type of wins. I don't care who you root for, they don't come around very often. Um So I hope Dolbin's fanned enjoyed it, and I think they did. And if you're if you've been following this podcast, one of our favorite UH things on Sunday was the listen to Brent Musburger make UH his play by play calls for the Raiders. And we haven't heard much of Brent obviously is Vegas has gone

into a total swoon. But I did ask Ricky to to pull up a sound of Brent calling the Ryan Fitzpatrick face mask completion, and it did not disappoint. Here we go. A win is a win, is a win. We'll take it. That's right. You never give one back in the bags. The penalty flags come flying. That was completed across midfield to the and he got a face. Oh my god, how does someone get I don't believe this. They got ahold of the face mask and Fitzpatrick somehow

got the ball off. He somehow launched the ball wide open at the only one yard line of the Raiders defense. This fifteen yard penalty will be added to the end of the play first down. I've never seen anything like this in my life. Like he's been doing this sixth years, he's never seen anything like it in his life. Welcome to Raiders Football, Brent Musburger. All right, let's move on to more wild events unfolding on Christmas. Uh In a game between the Vikings and Saints, handoff goes to Camara

looking for space on the right side towards the goal line. Touchdown. Alpa Chimara, Mama, they're going at man again and you see the snow. Snow everybody so. Alvin Kamara, with his sixth rushing touchdown of the game, ties the most ever in an NFL football game. Ernie Never's back in nineteen nine, boy Zach Streep induced McAlister with the called w w L.

Did you start Alvin Camaro in your fantasy championship? Alvin kamaras had a ninety one year old NFL record with six rushing touchdowns a fifty two to thirty three Saints went over the Vikings that clinches New Orleans his fourth consecutive NFC South titled Kamarrow also set a career high with a hundred fifty five rushing yards, scoring on runs of forty one, five, six, seven and three yards. Greg, That's quite a performance by your boy, oh man. Hit.

It was awesome to watch because I think it showed off what what doesn't get enough attention from Camara is that he is so strong. Like Hit, it's one of this load of the ground things, but his core and whatever it is, like his let when he gets in his mind that he's not going to be tackled, he his balance and his strength is just incredible. And you just saw Vikings to tens of players get some good players like Harrison Smith sometimes just like bouncing off of him.

And it's that strength, along with everything else that he does that makes you know, for me, he's the one. He if you need one running back, that's the guy for me. I mean from a fantasy angle, you have made your point. Um. I am one of the ultra losers that in one of these stupid consolation games that couldn't be more meaningless and Fantasy went against Henry Hodgson, who you mentioned you had Alvin Kamara, and I just said, I I'm not checking the score again again because there's

no reason to you. This thing is a wash and it's over. I mean, you knew right away that he was lightning strong and ready to go when he had that forty yard touchdown blast. And it's kind of cool to watch a game like that. That's super historical. How many young people would have maybe watch one of their first football games on Christmas night and say this is what a star player does. I mean, you'll wait another seventy years for that to happen. But and um Saints

in Almos six hundred yards offense. It kind of makes you think, I'm not sure there's a dominant team here. But if every team is on in, they're oute their best. The Saints are pretty spicy. Yeah, And I think it showed you that the Saints don't need vintage Drew Brees to operate with great efficiency on offense because Kamara is the engine of that offense and you just need Breeze to be, you know, a decent facts simile of himself.

Now that's up to debate if you can even be that at this point but when you have Camaro, by the way, it's twenty one touchdowns this season, I think he has around seventeen hundred total yards UH through this same And this tells you this is why fantasy football is maddening, why you can never predict anything in sports. Uh. Albercamara had two touchdowns through the same stretch of games fifteen games last season. He had to all of last season h entering week sixteen. UH. This year he has

twenty one. But I just thought, you know, on a day where Drew Brees through two interceptions didn't have a touchdown that they score still put up a fifty burger that would have been unfathomable five years ago because Drew Brees was the offense back then and then on the other side of the ball, Like, you know, not much needs to be said about the Vikings other than uh, the fifty two points were the most allowed by the team since nineteen sixty three, and the five eighty three

total yards by the sentence represented the most yielded to any opponent in the history of the franchise. Mike Zimmer not mincing words after the game. Yeah, this is a bad defense, worst one I've ever had. By the way Mike Zimmer has been coaching for twenty seven years at the pro level, He's he's had not a lot. I mean, there have been some shaky defenses that he's been a

part of, and I think he meant it. And I know they came into this year with no Danelle Hunter and they traded away Yannick and they haven't really had a pass rush. It's not been perfect. But he was legit fiery after that, and um, I think it's this is as frustrated a team as there is in the NFC, right, I mean, yeah, I think that's an emotional thing to say. And uh, you know, because it's ultimately kind of like

a hey, it's not my fault move. Um you know, it's like, hey, I've been coaching all this long and they've never been this bad. I think they'll he'll be around another year. But it really was such an encouraging day for the Saints, who are still gonna be playing for home field in week seventeen. So that's it's tricky, you know that they're gonna be playing, but I think

to to go. I know Breeze got intercepted. One was on a tip pass, but he did throw it twenty six times for three D and eleven yards, which is incredible efficiency. Uh that you know, the arm doesn't look great, but just the fact that they were able to generate any that that sort of efficiency without their top you know, two of their top three receivers, their stars, Cam Jordan and Marshawn Lattimore, I thought, played like stars on defense. So it's a good feeling win for them to kind

of head into the playoffs. And I did really appreciate Troy Aikman like quietly apologizing for giving Tastom Hill too much love a few years ago in the playoff when the Saints had and in sort of taking responsibility for some of the hype that Tastom got after that. It was just another moment and what I think has been an m v P season, not a Troy Aikman. I love having Troy troyce a week. I think it's been

a different Troy. I don't know if it's because he felt the heat from Roma, but I'm shocked to say I think he's the He's the analyst m VP of the year. Are you that's that's that's a big take? Are you referencing the Taysom Hill was the best player on the field game he played. Yeah, that was the game. That was the game because it was against the Vikings and he played seven or eight. It's also I mean, if you're Troy Aikman, you're saying I have so much influence.

And I love Troy Aikman as much as anyone growing up watching football, but I have so much influence over the football world. That was huh. You know, he doesn't listen to this show, that is confirmed, so he won't hear what I have to say. Well, he watches every

single minute of Good Morning Football. I mean, if he could just give us that he check in on our flagship show, even like for twenty minutes, just while you're going out on your job, maybe you'll like it, Troy, and start giving us giving us a shout out on Thursday nights next week. I don't know next year. Alright, let's move on another blowout. Brady play actually fake dropic

of the look Staffield. Those are deep ball right sideline called Paul Gronkowski touch staff Champa Bay holy rock a moley. What a ronominal pitch by the big former debate of

Tom bradyho New England. Oh a modelie I love Jane Decker half w f U s The Fox are getting hot again, Tom Brady through four touchdowns and one half of play, including another hook up with Gronk as the Bucks took a thirty four zip lead into halftime, Enter Blade Gabbert Cruse to forty seven seven win over the corpse like Detroit Lions in Ford Field, I mean, what

is the state of the Lions bandwagon now? Mark? I mean, is it just like is it like one of those um coal minor things, the seesaw thing that just like wandering along on a track through the through the dusk gip, very dusty, very you know, probably just alone, no one chasing it. Um, some decrepit characters still hanging around on

some skeleton's. It's a mess. Mark. The Bucks continue to look like an X factor in the NFC playoffs here, Well, I think we've sort of been feeling like with the Bucks that there there are two Bucks teams and when you get this one, um again, it's it's not onlike the Saints where you just think like, I'm not sure, um, where to say this or that is is impossible because

Tom Brady um to Greg's point about Robert Guerrero. Is that his name, like trainer guy, Like he's turning back time to some Alex Guerrero probably has a brother named Robert. I wouldn't be I know it's not Pedro. I am aware of Pedro Guerrero's career, but I just you know, like, how how many times in a season, no matter the circumstance, do you see a quarterback taken out at halftime because you just know there is no way the other team

is going to creep back? And I mean, look at to be fair, they would have crushed die right Anyways, Detroit looks completely asleep at the wheel to me. But you're coaching staff wasn't there. You're coaching staff has been wiped out from Corona. I mean, I just think that some of this stuff, because we'd have no idea what a coaching staff needs to do over the course of like forty eight hours, um, to prepare or make these changes, some of the stuff just slightly insurmountable. And you're a

bad team. Matthew stafford Um, you know, minutes into the game is hobbling around on one foot. I mean that this thing was cooked, was up. The last time you see Matthew Stafford in the lines uniform. The guy's got all sorts of injuries now an ankle. It doesn't make any sense to play him in week seventeen and his status is up in the airs. That lines, you know, have to weigh how they want to handle this, and it would not be as surprised if it's a complete rebuild.

The Bucks clinched the playoff birth with the wind, so you brought Tom Brady into your building to class up the joint, to make it professional again, to get the offense reaching the heights that you thought it could with the playmakers. And now you have a double digit win sees and you're not gonna win your division. You're not gonna be talked up as a favorite in the super Bowl. But I kind of like where the Bucks are. If I'm a Bucks fan, I like where they are right now.

They're playing with confidence, and they have Brady in January. You know a lot of things can happen. Well, I like where they are because where they are is the five seed, and so they they have to win next week to make sure they keep it. But that means they play the NFC East winner, and so that's a nice that's a nice first round matchup. Whoever the NFC East winner is, I'm gonna pick the Bucks to beat them. Um, you know we we say, okay, it's the Lions, you know.

Blah blah blah. Brady had six hundred and sixty eight yards in six touchdowns in a four quarter stretch in sixty five points those against NFL teams. And it's not like it's just like these wide open guys, you know, trapes in through broken coverage. He's throwing dimes like the throw of Gronkowski was insane. The touchdown to Brown was insane. God, when I thought at his best game of the year, like these were, he throws like if you protect him,

and it's not gonna be as easy in January. But when he's protected, no one goes through his reads and and slings it as as well as he does. Like some of these were third reads. It was awesome. Counterpoint. How many yards need throw it for in the second half? None? Very streaky. These Bucks. Don't trust them, you know, it's good to have both sides of the coin. And this is the same Bucks team, by the way, that was shut out last week in the first half against Tins.

Then they dropped thirty four this week. But the Tampa base four and ten yards of total offense in the first half was the most by any team in any half since two thousand and ten. Uh, can you guess which team it was that was? There was a special team in that year. Well, I people forget the two thousand ten Patriots was the second best Patriots offensive all times.

So I'm sure it was the Patriots. You're incorrect. It was the Eagles confidence remember that before when the the VIC Eagles peaked obviously before the end of the season, but when they were on they were outrageous. It was a Week ten game against Washington where they went off for four d twenty five yards. Um. All right, there you go. So the Bucks cruising the Lions. They got a lot of work to do. Let's continue to power through the Saturday sleeps. Here's Murray get a lot one

for the end zone. Natersupted by a Kellow weatherspoon. He undered through a Christian Kirk and a Kello makes up for the fourth down and inches run play by jumping in here. Look at Robert Sala hopping on the forty Niners sideline. A huge takeaway by a Killow Weatherspoon Greg Pop with a call k n b R. Now, do not take this as me being negative or critical of Robert Salo, But do you think that guy likes the camera? You think he's playing to the camera a little bit.

He was on camera for about of that telecast. I would like to see the numbers because I'm not even being I'm not exaggerating that guy. There's a love affair between the camera and Robert Sala And it was his show on Saturday in Arizona. The d C was all over your screen of San Francisco. Was defense made life miserable for Kyler Murray in a twenty to twelve win over the Cardinals. Greg, the Cardinals reverted to this enigma status uh in this game, well, San Francisco authored another

reminder that they lurk as a monster. With some better luck it is, it could be a devastating, you know, season ending type of loss for Arizona, except now because of the Rams lost. Um, you know, Arizona has a winning in scenario. So they got they got helped out on Sunday by the results. But I wasn't shocked just because I've seen this out of their offense before. They're there. Um I call them narcaleptic. It's like they just go

to sleep out of nowhere. You never know when it's gonna be, but they can just go to sleep for halves at a time. This was the moment of the Christmas weekend where I was like, what are you doing to me? NFL here. It's like my son Walker didn't even want to go out, you know, during the buck Lions game, we ended up going out. I was like, I'm gonna game pass that one later because he just wanted to watch football game. And then we're back here watching.

You know, we gotta get it on Prime. That's fine too, but like they're they're not doing anything the whole game. It's like, let us have a family, Like, let us have a little family time. But at least, you know,

at least the forty Niners showed up. But I do have a theory that Greg actually plays nothing in his house and never has played anything else in his house other than Pro football, so that Walker probably would be very interested in other programming but has no idea that other programming exists for human beings that he does not have a choice. It's kind of like, remember what was it Tom Maronovitch. Sure was that his father who just hammered him to be he's got the bug. You had

it to Sessler when you were a young boy. He's got the bug. He's just you know, he's addicted. You got to get him out of that. I can appreciate that. I mean, he he must have enjoyed um. You know the Kyle Shanahan's Solid version of this. I would say this, Dan,

I think Solid is that way all of time. And so when the producers get um a little bug up their butt to like focus on him in a game like that where his defense was rising up, you just get I don't think he suddenly becomes like animated Sala because he senses that a camera like from the meszzanine section is like folk. I think that's just who he is.

But he also knows now because it happens. Remember his big breakout was when we were in London last year and he was all over the TV and everybody's talking about it. Now he knows that cameras are there. So I think there's a little bit performative. But you know what, Listen, this guy is trying to get a head coaching job and he's telegenic, he's a good looking guy, he's jacked,

His defense is playing well. You could argue, even though last year's Niners uh nearly won the Super Bowl, that this version of the team is making him look even better. With all the injuries and COVID madness and everything this season. When you combine all those factors and the fact that he's a television darling, there's gonna be an owner for one of these teams that is absolutely gonna get sucked in uh and might it might payoff handsomely for that

team and higher Roberts. I don't think there's any way we come out of this cycle without Solid being the head coach of someone. And part of the reason is the games like these, these showcase games where the defense is playing great and he's all over the camera for the audience. I think it's like what he turns Kwan Williams into it, like everyone that plays for him plays

so hard. And I mean, I do like a team like the Niners, and we know how I feel about Kyle Shanaham, but in general, you know they've been through a lot, and they have they played as tough, and they played with total might yesterday and it's a divisional game, and if you're the Cardinals, you're probably thinking, I don't want to deal with the Niners in Week sixteen because of what they can do to anyone inside their own division. And I'm just like Jeff Wilson blowing up for a

hundred and eighty three yards. You kind of knew by halftime this is the Niners team. This is what they can be no matter who's on the field. Sometimes um, but they seem to me as someone you have to look at with extreme caution and danger heading into next year if they were ever to stay healthy. This team is pretty freaking badass. I kind of enjoy watching them. And back to the Cardinals, shame on them. A game you need your opponent's planning for nothing more than pride.

They have a third string quarter quarterback C. J. Bethard, who lights up Arizona's defense for three touchdowns. You mentioned Wilson goes for a d and eighty three on the ground. I mean you gott. I mean that's a bad reflection on the team and the coaching staff performance in that spot. Ugly stuff, bad job out of Kyler Murray. It was a tough game for him. I think that's just who they are. I think they've been an eight and eight type of team all year, and if they lose that,

I mean obviously not. I locked up the Cardinals because I thought they were coming out of that funk last two weeks and it seemed like they had they had been in their valley and they were coming out and the Niners were going the other direction. But that's you know, you can't. That's why, like when anybody wants to get on people, oh you're locked. It doesn't have enough enough Onions's this with this league of hours week to week. Let's bring in Shook. Here he comes, Nick Shook, you

are a special man. How you doing today? I don't know. I think the only person who's really looking at especially special today is Gregg and his glasses. I know he's all business, sharp, smart. If going on, then he would be even sharper, I would imagine, yeah, ute, right, So Shook actually brought you in a little bit early. But that's fine. You're already here, so let's get into it. Moving on to the NFC East and a big showdown

between the Eagles and Cowboys, Big third and three. They really need this at their own forty eight Dalton back frowze it down the right side, over the top from Lamb at the thirty hard the run of that zone. How about Andy Dalton and Ceedee Lamb and fifty two yards and the Cowboys have back to back touchdowns all

right back to Sunday action. Bring the bomb goes in Brad Sham the sham god k r l D with the call, Andy Dalton had his way with the eagles woeful secondary, throwing for three seventy one yards and three scores, two of them to Michael gall and that pitch and catch strike with Ceedee Lamb thirty seven seventeen Cowboys over the Eagles, who are now eliminated for playoff contention with that loss. Meanwhile, the Cowboys playing for chance of the NFC at East title on Sunday, shook. That is insanity

when you remember where this team was. It's recently it's Thanksgiving. Yeah, I feel like we're in different years with this team. Uh. In this last month, especially for them, in the last three weeks, three straight wins, Uh, they look like a completely different football team. And I'm sure Andy Dalton has a bit of influence on that, considering that he hasn't either been knocked out with a concussion or left because of COVID. He's been there. He's been able to establish

a bit of a rhythm. But really it's their entire offense has really come into form. He's relied on his receivers a lot. Especially today. He hit long strikes on Mark Cooper. Michael Gallup had a day. He hits Hede Lamb on that play that we just played there. Uh, two of those three guys absolutely dusted Eagles defenders in one on one situations at the line, which kind of put them in a good position to make those plays. But Dalton looked composed. He took the check down when

he wanted to. There was one drive just before the half where I thought he was gonna check down his way all the way down to a touchdown. He ended up hitting Gallop on the long strike down the sideline to kind of break that trend. But they just looked like a much better off It's even Ezekiel Elliott broke a hundred yards that was kind of um uh buoyed by, you know, a long run in the fourth quarter kind

of ice things. But the thing is with this team, and I think it's because they played against an NFC opponent or an NFC East opponent, excuse me, um and the Figle Eagles specifically, who couldn't get out of their own way, committed twelve penalties even when they won, when they were up by twenty, this game was still a comedy of errors. I mean, in the fourth quarter of the Eagles had multiple opportunities to come back to get

at least within a touchdown. They were granted I mean gifts in terms of field position and did absolutely nothing with it and then would give the ball back to the Cowboys. There was one instance in the fourth quarter where Jalen Hurts throws an interception in the end zone. The Cowboys go three and out and gained zero yards before putting the ball right back to Eagles, who find themselves in a similar scenario. Jalen hurts fumbles review was kind of I don't know, you could you could argue

one way or the other. I think he was down, but that didn't really matter because the Eagles still can't get out of their own way. But when you're right, when it comes to the Cowboys, you know, I don't know if they're gonna find their way to the playoffs. I know we laughed about this a couple of weeks ago when we talked about this, that's not gonna happen, Pitch Posh. Well, the Washington just left the door open

for them, and if they get in. I know this division has been bad, but they could actually give a playoff team a little bit of a run as long as they can defend. We have a knack for laughing at things that come true in hideous fashion weeks later, so I wouldn't put it past us. Well, they also are now big Eagles fans because you know, they are eliminated. Both the Giants in and um the Cowboys are eliminated. If Washington finds a way to beat the Eagles, uh

next week. The Eagles are so banged up shook after watching it Hurts today, Like what, what do you think the chances are Eagles can go out and get it get a win next week, you know, like because otherwise otherwise Washington is gonna get into the playoffs. I think

it's the chances aren't great. Jalen Hurts had a nice little run in the second quarter today where you know he was he was completing passes and look comfortable and it was fun to watch him he kind of ran into some struggles in the second half with defensive adjustments, which talking about the Cowboys, that's kind of funny because Cowboys defense making adjustments with that um and I think that obviously Washington has a better defense. I really think

that game comes down to the availability at quarterback. Can Alex Smith play in that game, because Taylor Heineke did a little bit for them this week when he came in in the second half, and he was when Dwayne Haskins was benched, But if they're forced to go with either of them, I don't have a lot of confidence in that team. I mean, Haskins was horrible before he was benched. Their offense had no life and they had to rely on their defense. They put their defense in

a hole. They turned the ball over three times, a muff punt returned for a touchdown and then uh an interception on the part of Haskins and a fumble. It was just it was like I know and and it was, but it was ugly. So I don't think that the

Eagles have a great chance it's in that game. So I don't think the chances are great for the Cowboys, but there is still a chance Eagle score touchdowns on the first two drives, including you know, the eighty yard strike eighty one yards to g Jacks three points after that, and then on the other side, you know, the Fletcher Cox injury was big, it seems for Philadelphia on defense because when he goes out with the stinger, that's when

Andy Dalton started feasting, feasting. Uh. No one better to find toast more than poor Michael Jacquette, the Eagles cornerback who was targeted nine times. He was covering Michael Gallup mostly but a Marii Cooper to uh nine targets, seven catches, a hundred and eighty two yards eventually got benched. That's the second most yard is given up by any cornerback in the NFL UH this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

So the Eagles aren't you know, maybe who knows what the NFC s. It's such a ridiculous division that to write off any team, Well, the Eagles you can because there eliminates but uh, I'm off. Yeah, so I will write them off. Actually, but I'll say this, they if they can fix their secondary, they seem to have something with this young quarterback. You know, maybe they can get back into it next year, but it just was never

happening this year. They had too many issues. Yeah, and I feel like we do that as much as you do that with the Cowboys to do that with the Eagles too. I mean, they're gonna have to prove it to me before I'm all of a sudden, No watch out for the Eagles next year. But that next year is what they have to look forward to. Now. I will not be watching any of them deeply for the next leg six months. Get let's get through this playoff part. Well, you might get like Tom Brady versus the Cowboys or

something in the playoffs. So you're gonna that's spicy? Why not? Now? Indian made himself some money if nothing else today. Now onto the Washington football team. Teddies in the shotgun. Ready, Davis too is right now. Davis switches to his left hip as Bridgewater has the snatch that's pumps throws into the flat complete Anderson. Anderson left pile on scores a touchdown.

Mick mixing with the called w b TA Teddy Bridgewater connected on a fourteen yards scored to Robby Anderson and the PAFs defense at a field day against an overmatched Dwayne Haskins in the thirteen win over the Washington Football team. Yes, that loss, combined with the Cowboys went over the Eagles, means the NFC e s Yes, comes down to a

bunch of bad teams playing for a division title. In Week seventeen, uh, Dwayne Haskins Shook had a pretty miserable week all told, the well earned embarrassment of the Strip Club visit and signed and uh fine, and then being stripped of his captaincy and then being so bad and the three turnover game that that there's a man named Heineke coming in for you late in the game. Yikes. Yeah, you know, for that whole thing. This week was interesting because it was like, all the shame on Dwayne Haskins,

how could you do this to your team? And then he was he basically turned it around and was you know, uh demanded to speak to reporters. And also it became a what a what a stand up guy owning his mistake and he's going to go out there and lead them to victory. And then he and I mean he just he looked bad. He looked worse than he did earlier this season. You can see why Ron Rivera benched him for Kyle Allen when he did, Um, he's slow

in the pocket. His best two plays of most of the game were improvisational plays where he just kind of built out of the pocket and made something happen. The second time, it was because the receiver his defender got picked off in traffic. For the longest completion the day, he was fifty yards. It just wasn't good their offense and have really had any life and and um, and they put their defense in a bad spot and made it a very difficult game and made the Panthers look better.

M hmm, what a what a crazy way because the announcers in the game said, you know, we probably won't see Haskins play for them again. Ian Rappaport said as much in a in a report before the game, which is a weird thing. So this was such a unique circumstance that Haskins was going into this game maybe even knowing like this is his last chance, but he could win the division. It would have been a really interesting

story if he had. But he didn't. He flamed out and now it'll probably be his last bom and with the team. Because even if Alex Smith isn't ready for next week. The way Heineke looked, you probably figure they're gonna start him. What a what a weird season on a day where it's like it was Ron Rivera's big return, you know, the you know, playing the Panthers, and they brought they made a big show up, bringing out the Rivera strong shirts, i think for the first time today

and then and he put up this stink bomb. But the that's how this is how the NFC East deserves to go down, you know, in kind of uh down to the week's seventeen game that no one wants to watch. It looked like they were turning the corner as a Division two. You know, a couple of weeks ago there was some u the giants in Washington were really started

to establish themselves. But now everyone's you know, gone on the tank because the Cowboys have risen, and it's like we know the it is gonna be uh, this will

be a season to remember or perhaps to forget. And you know, we don't need to pile on Dwayne Haskins at this point and and you know, be his daddy, but it's like, you know, he's not too far away from Josh Rosen now, so you gotta be careful because as if Washington doesn't tend uh, you know, to dump you, you might be a guy floating around on practice squads at five years old if you don't find a way to change things. Because obviously whatever has been happening so

far in his career not working. Yeah, he's he's one hurried up trip out of town. Uh and then uh two more practice squads away from being him. So he's on his way. Yeah, it's just it's not a good situation for him. And you know, we get sucked in. You talk about this whole division looked like they were

turning a corner. We as as people who watch all these games, we get sucked in a little bit when you see an encouraging performance like this and um like from the Giants for example, it's just, um, I don't know. Week by week football is not as consistent, I think, as we all know. But Dwayne Haskins, when you roll him out there, you don't have a great chance. Speaking of the Giants, let's just get through. Let's get through this. NFC East, My goodness, people fast forwarding Jackson dropped the

throw fire to the end zone touchdown. It is tes Bryant too weeks in a row flash the X again and the former Cowboy has found a home. Not only were the Ravens, but in the Ravens ends all too easy Jerry Sandusky with the called w B A L Yeah, Lamar Jackson four scoring drives in the first half, one of those possessions ending with that strike to Dez Bryant, and the scorching hot Ravens beat the Giants to thirteen

for their fourth consecutive win. Uh Paired with the Steelers win over the Colts and the Jets upset of Cleveland, the Ravens that control their own destiny, needing only a win over the Banks, we get back to the playoffs, Greg, here we are. This is the proverbial team nobody wants to play. They are And and it came into the day thinking weirdly like, wow, the Ravens really might not make it. After the Dolphins game happened on Saturday night,

thought wow, they really might not make it. And then the Colts and Browns, you know, slip up and now they're in the sixth seed, and you watch this game and you think, like, this is it. In the first twenty five minutes of this game. They had the ball for twenty two of those twenty five minutes. They were leading two seventeen to thirty one yards. Uh. Lamar was you know, on the first drive, was four for four making throws from the pocket. Did hit a couple of

throws outside the numbers. They just need that like a little bit because now you're getting the Lamar that's running for eight yards and you're getting Gus Edwards and JK. Dobbins running combined twenty one six two, And I think more than anything, I think that's what's changed over the Ravens the last month is that the other running backs

other than Lamar are getting it done. The rest of the running game was not great this year for for Baltimore outside of Lamar, and now they're getting it going and Dobbins has been great and they kind of cruised after that. It was just it was one of those games just out often where they strangled m early and then it was really over at halftime. It's like, we know what they are, and they know that we know that what they are, and and they're gonna try to

do it anyways. And when they're this good, it doesn't really matter. And you know, I know it was the Jaguars a week ago, but they're They're halftime yardage compiled compilations were like jaw dropping, and they did it again today. And you know, Mark Ingram, who was a huge part of that offense, is an inactive, healthy scratch week after week. Now they found other guys and I think that the um better play and the and the way that they plugged in Mark Andrews has been big for them over

the last couple of weeks. Andrews really just uh was not the guy he was last year. And I think their whole tight end group lacks some of the depth that they had a year ago. UM, but when you get a daylight today and the running game is working, I this is a team that could beat anyone anywhere. And Andrews as a beast, he is kind of taking over as their true number one receiver. The closest thing to happened. It is wild that that Dez Bryant is

scoring touchdowns in a playoff run. Like Andrews also acknowledged, like they're like, are you scoreboard watching? Everyone has this like sort of holier than now, like no, of course I'm not looking at the scoreboard. He was like, hell, yes, I was watching that the entire your time, so thank you for a human answer to that question. I'd be watching it. And then on the Giant side of things,

you know, they were ready to be eliminated. They just needed either Washington or Philadelphia uh to win in the late window. Uh, and neither of those things happened. So insanely, the Giants could win the NFC East next week if some things go their way. But this is also now Giants team that's lost ten plus game in four straight seasons, six out of the last seven. And they're also oh, by the way, they are oh in three uh since week fourteen. Uh. They entered that week in first place.

So you know, if you want to kind of point to the Daniel Jones ankle injury, is the turning pointed season? Or perhaps it was just as a team that was playing over its head and then got exposed down the stretch. I tend to think it. It's probably a little bit of both, but more the ladder either way. The Giants, you know, they seem cooked. But again, the NFC East, you have no idea how this is gonna It's pretty simple. I mean, they did the winner of Cowboys Giants wins

the division if Washington loses. So if Washington loses, that that Giants Cowboys game is to win the division. So it's not like they need a ton of things to happen. That's they're also eight points seven points per game. Actually drama necessarily, but now it's not high drama. Danta Jones actually thought, I thought he played fairly well today, but the offensive line and everything else about the team, the defense has kind of collapsed. We gave him a lot

of atta boys all year. In the last three games they've collapsed, especially with today. Speaking of collapse, alright, buckle up, we got the Cleveland boys here, shook and cessler. Let's head to the metal. Ends Jets get to stop the games over fourth down and a half yard mayfield under center,

counterback steeg the pile ts it off. Let's see if the art official well the sea from the nearer side really on the field during the fourth down play, Remember the offense other than the fumble and recovered the ball. The ball will be returned the spot of the fumble, resulting into change. Because first und the Jets at the football, they will say, mayfield the ball up. Bob was shoots him with the call for w E P N Yes. Baker Mayfield bubbled on each of the Brown's last two possessions,

last on a QB keeper deep an opponent territory. They were misused that allowed the Jets to escape with the sten win at the Meadow Ends. That's two straight wins with the Jets after thirteen losses to begin the season, while the Browns now fighting for their playoff lives during Week seventeen, Mark, how much of this loss do you put on the COVID nineteen protocols that wiped away Glebland

wide receivers. I don't put all of it on that, but I think that it's um a bit um acid on some of the takes that I've seen out there, and and and even to some degree um Trent Green sort of dismissing um the concept that Baker Mayfield had no starting wide receivers when this passing attack has thrown for an average of three d and thirty yards a game over the last three weeks. Uh, they were compromised. I think equally compromising was not having the identity of

this team as their offensive line. No. Jed Wills, um know why a teller and you saw Baker Mayfield under pressure.

And you saw Baker Mayfield at times some of the some of the times, and I thought he encountered pressure where there were a couple moments where some of these fill in the blank practice squad wideouts were running the wrong route and so you know, Baker, uh, you know, you can't turn the ball over, and Kevin Stefanski said as much, and I thought that they I think the relationship is strong enough where Baker gets what he's saying.

Baker blamed himself for the game entirely. This has been an environment offense for me where Baker Mayfield sort of mistake free um play over the past month, which is, uh, you know, is that who he is? I think part of it is the offense he's in and that environment

was completely taken away today. And I know it was like, why didn't they run the ball a bunch and only do that out of the gate, But the Jets are stopping the run, and I think that the Browns were trying to create balance and I think they maybe forced that a little bit um or a lot. It didn't go their way. The game got a little out of hand early, and I give credit to the Jets. Um, they made a couple. They went for Jamison Crowder through a perfect pass on a trick option play that put

the Browns in a hole. Sam Donald, I thought he set the tone for the Jets on offense to some degree, went on on a scrambled truck to Brown's defender Malcolm Smith to the ground. I mean, the Jets wanted this game. They're not total dogs. I think they looked better than the Giants over the past two weeks and Cleveland, I don't know, Nick, the worst possible time for this to happen. I mean, this was a hard This is like, you

have your Sunday's right, we all do. And if you're a Jets fan, you've been through helen back this year. But I couldn't believe what I was watching, and I I couldn't believe what I started to watch on Twitter yesterday on Saturday when you started to see what was happening to this team, and in the most critical game they've had in a decade. So, um, you know, a really rough watch and they're in hot hot water right now. Yeah.

I think that the marks right and that it had a lot to do with it, But it wasn't entirely on the COVID thing. And and the thing is too is the Browns follow protocol. Don't get in a hot tub with guys. I mean, how it's not that difficult. There's a reason the league makes these rules. And then you're not in this situation. I know you can be frustrated if you're one of those players, but follow protocol

and you're not gonna be in this situation. UM. I do think that the Brown's offense became very predictable, um, and especially when they were trying to come back in the second half, because basically Baker Mayfield for an entire half didn't look at any of those receivers. He probably didn't know their names. He definitely didn't know what routes they were running on certain occasions. He was primarily looking at his tight ends or his running backs out of

the backfield. And when it came down to them trying to mount a comeback, I basically would look at the down distant situation and say, oh, they're probably gonna try and run a screen or dump it off the Kareem Hunter Nick Chubb. Here, I saw Nick Chubb catch more passes out of the backfield today. I think I've ever seen in one game in his career. This is something that he's worked on. He worked, He spent a lot of the twenty nineteen summer working on that, and he's

gotten better at it. But that's not enough. So I do think that it had a lot to do with it. Then again, don't dig yourself a twenty to three whole. I know your offense isn't helping you out, but you gotta play better defense. You can't get caught with your pants down on that trick. Play uh and allow them to score like that and and take momentum. I know there's no fans in the stand, but you know they still had some momentum going there. And I think the

moment was too big for them. I don't think it was too big for necessarily for Baker Mayfield, even though we fumbled on fourth and one. But I think they realized as the game went on, oh my god, we're the victim. We've lost our starting receiving corps. Now we're losing to the Jets. This is a disaster. Woe is me. Baker helped kind of lift them out of it, but couldn't bring it home. And uh, and that's not what you want on your football team. That's also how they

acted when they played Baltimore in Pittsburgh this season. The first time they played Baltimore and when they played Pittsburgh they got blown out. Both times. They weren't prepared. They weren't there and ready for the game, uh mentally, and I think that that's really what got them in this instance. Uh this week, m hm, you must have felt we were dan watching this one. I didn't watch it. I was focusing on the Jaguars. I did turn it on

at the end. Um. I kind of was coming up from the angle of once I saw the Jaguars laying down like dogs and you know, good luck there, Trevor. Um. I saw that the die had been cast and it just wasn't gonna be meant to be. So it was. It wasn't like last week where I was, you know, super torn about it and not even torn. I I didn't want the just to win last week, uh that much.

I was very torn, But this one was like, Okay, there's some there's some hard here on display, and they do if nothing else, they play hard for gaze and you can't take that away. Uh. It shouldn't be any excuse to keep out of gaze around and that's not gonna happen. Every everything you hear is that gaze is

done as soon as next week's game is over. So now I think the decision with the Jets, with Trevor Lawrence out of the picture, is do you use this this war chest that you have and all these draft picks, uh to build around quarterback? Uh? Not necessarily with Donald as you were, guy, but with the understanding that, um, if you prove everything around him, including the head coach, that the team will get better quicker, or do you just restart everywhere? And there's a case to make on

both sides. Uh. And that's going to be the narrative around the Jets this offseason. I Mean, here's the thing that the Browns like, this was a disastrous Sunday, um watching them, and it was a disastrous luck you know coming into it. But the Colts lost. You know, the Steelers really helped them out there. Um, that was a massive result for Cleveland. That all they gotta do is winning in against the Steelers who have nothing to play for and very likely I I believe will be will

not play their starters throughout that game. We probably won't know until the game actually happens, but they've been you know, I just think it could have gone worse. I guess is how I would say, just because of the results their tenants five the Jets would have. You know, if it wasn't for that the zero blitz thing, the Jets of one would have won three out of four. Again, you know, the Rams had everyone available last week and they lost to the Jets. You know, the Raiders, we're

hoping to make the playoffs. They lost to the Jets. So it's I guess that the way it's going right now, it's not totally shocking without all these players that the Browns didn't find a way to win. You know, if they had won that game, Adam Gays will be putting together a run reminiscent of one former Jets and former Brown's head coach one Eric Mangini, who saved his job with four straight wins to end of season. That would

be the disaster scenario for dance Jets. Yes, I don't see it happening, but you know, never rule anything out. As a Jets Van Nick Shook, you're a total pro. You are. You're the pipe man. That's what I call you six Man of the Year. Thank you as always, and enjoy the rest of your Sunday. Yeah, no problem, thanks guys. All right, let's move on and check in with the number one seed in the a f C.

Thirty nine yard field goal here attempt by Coup. He's only missed one all year, thirty five out of thirty six. He's the NFC pro goal kicker. Wisps down, cus kick is up and the kick is bet. It is no good, no good tools all invest one all year? Remember what the Chargers. He struggled early in his career and thought he would never kick in the NFL again. Young mrs only his second field goal attempt at the season. Mitch Holt is w d a f How cool you see

what he did there? Not bad? Not bad? Young Waiku had been brilliant this year, but he pushed the thirty nine yarder in the final seconds on Sunday, allowing the Chiefs to escape with a seventeen fourteen win over the Falcons. Patrick Mahomes salvaged a frustrating afternoon with the go ahead touchdown past the Mcole Hardman in the final minutes, but then even then, the case Casey defense was unable to close out the Falcons on offense, uh in the final drive,

but then Coup bailed them out. So you know, one of those things, guys, where sometimes it's to be both lucky and good. It seems unfair to the rest of the NFL. They have been lucky. A J. Terrell had an interception of the homes you know, which would have been you know, the second one right in the red zone in with two minutes left that would have ended the game. He just survived the contact with the ground

like that that moment. Again, not saying that everything is about the Browns here, but it is interesting to think about how Week seventeen would be different if if the Falcons win this game, the Steelers would have had a chance to play for home field advantage. Now the Chiefs have it. The Chiefs will have the decision whether they want to rest for a couple of weeks or not. But uh, this team is confusing to me because you know, they feel dominant, but they haven't. Um. You know, we

talked about the desert and uh, I don't know. It's weird because on game debut, like we can just say the point spread, so why can't we hear maybe we can I think probably find there. The Chiefs have not done their job. Put it this way in terms of the desert since they play the Jets in Week eight. That's amazing. So they are the worst team in the NFL against the against the spread right now, depending on where you're going right um, which is which is wild.

But it's just a reflection of people expect them to win by two scores and they never do. And the Falcons are always close. Falcons have a game that matters next week too against the Bucks, so that's something to watch. But it's weird. It's a weird team. When I have a feeling they'll be able to flip the switch in the playoffs, but they never really totally flipped it in the regular season. They do at least overcome mistakes. I mean,

this could have gone either way. But and then one or two other games from Mahomes has been gotten to and created some errors. Like they they're powerful enough to get through that, so I can consider them incredibly resilient. And I don't know, maybe maybe it's a little bit um it just became a little too easy, uh, collectively, just to assume the Kansas City would wipe people out and to assume that they had been wiping people out

when they actually had not. Um. I probably fell into that trap a little bit of even like if Mahomes throws two bad passes in a row, I'm relatively stunned by it because you're just expecting perfection at this point, and they're gonna have a couple of games like this and it's still a matter of who do you trust the most to go on a three game run. Um, I'd put Baltimore there right now, and I'd put Kansas City. The rest of the teams have issues. Yeah, I'm with you.

I mean as much as they could be frustrating because from our perspective, especially you after watching them win the Super Bowl last year and how incredible that run was, with all those comebacks and the point explosions, you expect them to just dominate the opposition. Uh. And then so you get on them for these close games and it's seeming like they're getting lucky. But then you look at their fourteen and one that is the most wins in the single season a Chiefs history. Uh, they may not

be dominating the way we want them to. And I'm sure if you're a Chiefs fan you're you don't like that you're sweating out a game against the Falcons in week sixteen, but you know at the end of the day, you're getting it done. And if you the only the only way this is an shoe is if you actually do believe that the way these Chiefs have been playing this last month or so, where it just they seem to turn it on and off and go into little funks, if that's something that is going to follow them into

January football, and I just don't see it. And I think a lot of people expect them to essentially flip a switch that stays on this time around. But even I say that, but even their playoff run last year, they went through the funks. So they went down double jig. It's ten ten points, fourteen points, I think, twenty points against Houston something like crazy like that, and it didn't matter. So just enjoy the roller coaster that is the Kansas

City Chiefs. I would be worried as a Chiefs fel I don't like the whole rest theme for two weeks, which is basically what happened last year too. And you're right, they dig dug it. I think it was twenty four nothing hole against Houston. UM, I don't like that feeling. Go out and just lace of wood on the Chargers next week and feel good about it. They're not gonna

do it, so you want them to. They're not. That just makes sense, But it probably will come down to they have not in a play for and and part of it is because of Andy Reid's track record. He this happened to him in Philadelphia. Sometimes it's happened in Kansas City that he rests the starters. At this point, most of the NFL rest starters. He was kind of

ahead of his time. This is the one year where if you wanted to make um probably a failed but out there pitch to not get the bye is that the bye week opens up all these avenues for one um flunkey to go catch Corona and have half like your team wiped out. It's like I kind of like keeping these teams on a very systematic, robotic schedule. UM, and you know, I trust the Chiefs to keep a lin on it, but you never know. Alright, good take Mark. That was a little bit of a p s A

for I like it made. I think it made a lot of teams think when they hear it all right, we just talked about the best team in the a f C. Now the worst. Wiskey back out of shutter, back on back snap Tramiskey, play fake, gonna roll to the near side, Gonna keep it at the five? Why open to the end zone? Touchdown Metro Trabisky touchdown Bears Jeff John They a w BBM Mitch Drabinsky ran for a touchdown through for two more bolta veteran Jimmy Graham.

Jimmy Graham and the Bears whipped up on the Jaguars to set up a winning in scenario next week against the Packers. Uh, you know, I don't know. It's a good job by Chicago. Let me say that first. What they've been able to do the last three weeks, especially on offense. Uh, Travisky has gone from laughing stock to a legitimate, you know, solution and a quarterback during this stretch of games. And a guy that moves the offense

with efficiency, makes plays with his arms and legs. I mean he They would have scored maybe a fifty burger in this game if he doesn't exit the game early in the fourth quarter because it turned into such a grizzly blowout. And it turned into a grizzly blowout because the Jaguars tried to lose this game. Let's not. Let's not you know, even hint that they were trying to win this game. You know, when you start Mike Glennon, uh and cite a quarterback competition this week. Doug Marone

being a good soldier there. Who knows if they you know, he's trying to kiss up to the cons to keep his job. Who knows. But Glennon was terrible and uh and the Bears, even if Glennon was out and Minshew was in, the Bears are going to score a lot of points in this game. So Jacksonville gets what they really wanted in this game. The number one overall pick is now clinched. They should have Trevor Lawrence under center next September, barring some type of manning scenario. Oh and

I would love that. I will love it. You're yeah, you're a little You're a little salty about it. I'm a little salty. I just didn't like the way they went about it. It didn't it didn't. It didn't sit with me the right way the players were trying. I mean, this thing was like ten ten midway through the second and then they know the next time I checked the score, it's like thirty four to ten, like five minutes late. Um,

It's it's crazy. I get, you know, they've had a pretty rough ten you know, run here the last fifteen years of Jaguars. Now they get rewarded with trevor Or Lawrence. I mean the Bears are I guess, a good you know example of how you can't always count on, you know,

a high quarterback to to solve everything. But they do have Mitch who just this morning, before before the game started, I saw one of my favorite headlines of the year from Adam Schefter, and it was NFL executives colon like, Bears, you know, should resign Mitchell Robinsky, Like because he's playing so well. Yeah, it's like, maybe don't listen to those you know, anonymous NFL executives telling you to sign Mitchell Drabinsky,

Like how transparent is this? Like, hey, by the way, your competition really thinks you need to stein mit Mitchell Robinsky. Now that's room that threw me too. And uh, I mean, if anything, it's good for Mitch Drabinsky and and you know, for I've critiqued the Bears because I am not into Um, I like good defense, but I'm not in a team that like they're trying to you know, win games. You know,

with the offense consistently scoring seventeen points. This is the first Bears team to score thirty LUs in four straight games since the sixties. Um, So what's what's not to like right now? If you want to talk about who's going to get in? This team is as exciting to me as the Arizona Cardinals on some level. So it's like my critique of the Bears was more like, Bears fans,

don't you want an offense that's productive? And I I would just, um completely ignore questions about what to do with the quarterback and the coaches and all that business for another day. If I'm the Bears, I wouldn't let the Bears general manager make these decisions to start with. I would like, I would like to see how the Bears do when they're actually playing a half decent team.

Their three wins, which by the way, followed a six game losing streak or against the dead ass Texans, the dead ass Vikings, the dead ass Jaguars, and the Packers, I believe will have something to play for next week, right, Greg, I don't know, we'll see um, but that is that's a pretty cushy schedule to get yourself back on track in eight and seven. Not taking anything away from them, but it should be stated that they have not been

beating up on elite defenses. Yeah, I'm happy that the Packers are gonna have home field advantage to play for UM in in week seventeen because I really don't like it when playoff spots and we've seen it plenty of times get decided UH on teams resting their starters. So the Packers will have plenty to play for and and that's good because the Bears will have to earn their

way in now. They could potentially lose that game the Bears, that is, and if the Rams take care of business against the Cardinals, the Bears still get in, so they have some they have some wiggle room, and UH, Bears Saints is about as likely as a playoff matchup we can There's almost like no likely playoff matchups. Everything is so up in the air, But Bears or Cardinals at Saints sounds like a very possible wild card to seven matchup.

I just want to see Mitch throw for three yards and four touchdowns and run for another next week, and then play great in in a heartbreaking playoff loss that's not his fault, and then just be like, hey, Bears, figure it out now, Yeah, it's in play potentially here. This is another thing that we joked about two months ago, and now it is a very strict in real possibility. So knowing their ownership, I think Naggie saved his job

no matter what happens. Strabiski, I don't know what's going to happen, but I would be surprised if Naggy losing. Naggi saved his job by giving away the thing that he claimed to be his special trait, which is play calling. So that should give you pause. But I think you're right that if they make the playoffs, I don't think there'd be much debate there. Hey, Ricky, set the clock on.

These last two games were in the corn fields now with Denver and the Los Angeles Chargers locked the pass, they rushed three Setsuski climbs the pocket now and he left this fly. It's gonna be short of the end zone. It looks like spotted Mike Williams with the interception. There you go, big Mike, get yourself one more reception in the game. The game is over the charge or win. Heck of a reception by Mike Pick Williams from Drew

Lock to end it. Matt money Smith, Boy, I'm a call k Y s R. And am happy Matt money Smith because he got to call a nice, clean play to end the game. No questions, no reviews, no drama. It's just over Drew Locks. Hail Mary head went unanswered, and Justin Herbert broke Baker Mayfield's rookie touchdown record and the Chargers nineteen sixteen win over the Broncos. That's three straight wins for Los Angeles. Mark Uh, you know, good

for them, Yeah, good, good for them. And you know, Justin Herbert also crossed four thousand yards, so an awesome year for him. I will say this game got um like all the others, quite chargery because it was sixteen to three Los Angeles seconds into the fourth quarter, and during all this they allowed the Broncos to score on four straight drives. This was a Broncos team that had sixty seven yards passing at the half um and it

created this final drama. But the lock um drive at the end there, which which ended in the Mike Williams interception in the end zone. It started with him um missing with Jerry Judy on a on a big pass down field, and then in the one driving narrative of this game, beyond two teams that are essentially staring at the offseason, you want seventeen regular season games, you want more of this, go get it for yourselves next season, NFL.

But Jerry Judy fifteen targets, and I really liked him this year at times six catches for sixty one yards and five drops. I mean, I think that honestly was the difference in this game. He had a couple of big opportunities and they just lot. You know, you get the quarterback that comes in there, and I point to Justin Herbert where everyone around him becomes better and these guys that have been not been making plays start making plays.

Um today, he did that with a couple of people, even without Keenan Allen in the lineup, and Drew Lock just does not seem to be that guy. And so they, you know, they spent the whole second half of this asking the same questions we do about Locked. The gonna be you know asking for months into the off season. And that's all I gotta say about this game. If you want to say something for three seconds, say it. Wow. Marks setting the table. He took the whole two minutes.

I didn't realize that I wasn't attempting to do that. He set the table. He ate, He cleared the table. Let's move on, Sam hut right into the hands of Marcus. That's an interception for the Bengals. As Hubbard got to the right side of Watson poked the ball out of his arm. Watson is hurt and the ball fluttered right to Margus Hunt for the pick. All right, let's try this again, dan Ford w c k Y with a call.

Tell me if you heard this one before. The Texans were driving for the go ed score in the final minutes when insert tragedy here, this time Shaun Watson sacked by Sam Hubbard, forced to fumble Margaret's Hunt. The greatest Stodian recovered. The Bengals added a field go after that thirty one they win. They beat the Texans that since his first road win a two year Sessler. Yeah, um, quick nugget on this one. Watson seems to be okay.

According to James Palmer, um that he's you know that the injury at the end, he looked like he was in pain, should be okay, this is a Texans team. You mentioned the Bears going up against him. Brandon Allen through for three hundred and seventy one yards and was not stacked, So that kind of should tell you all

you need to do. I came out thinking like, yeah, for the Bengals, Zach Taylor, I thought, put together a really good game plan, but you are playing the um one of the worst past defenses I've ever seen in my life. They the Bengals had five and forty yards. I thought Brandon Allen actually played well against the Cowboys, which is a crazy thought, but they kept turning it over. That wasn't related to Brandon Allen. I don't think he's

the worst backup in the league anyways. I do think these games I always find them interesting, how they change what's like huge decisions even though they're meaningless. If you know, we know Zach Taylor is not getting fired there if there was any chance of that, the last couple of weeks got rid of that. UM we found out Fangio is not getting fired today. Um our Network and ESPN reported that, which which is interesting. Um, and uh, you think about who who did who did fand you and

I think Anthony Lynne Anthony Lynn. I know we're not on that game, but like I think he may avoid getting fired because of these because what does it mean for Tom Talasco, who's already fired a couple of coaches. Does he go with them? The Chargers just might be like too lazy to do it? And uh, these games that really don't mean anything. A lot of times like changed the next couple of years. Well, I've watched the Chargers this year. All I could think of is bring

back Anthony. Isn't Yeah, it isn't that terrible that like we're making it happens so often, but it's the most perilous way to make a huge decision. Well, it's also it's also about different organizations, you know, like the Chargers. I feel like I don't want to spend the money or started it all over, you know. And a shout out to David Johnson season high and rushing yards, scrimmage yards, touchdowns and it's his first one yard games since week

A lot in two. Thousen that trade was worth it to Sunday Night for Ball Sunday Night play Action Rogers looking for his fourth touch that flash of the night ditch its welcome back Al Michael's at the call for NBC, Aaron Rodgers locked up the two thousand twenty m v P Award with another big showing four touchdowns, three to

Davante Adams. Unbelievable the year those two have had. Uh what a fearsome pair of pairing at fourteen win for the Packers over the Titans, a blowout for Green Bay winch one step closer to the number one seed in the NFC. Mark Sessler, the Titans, you know, their defense has been their achilles heel all season. They just weren't up to the task at snowy lambeau Field. Yeah. I thought it was interesting to hear Chris Collinsworth note that Matt lafleur Um, who you know, I think we like

on the show. But we've taken we take a little throw a few little arrows at him with his boy with a beard scenario. He's not a boy anymore. But he talked about the fact that he Um felt like they could open up the playbook, can use plays that they wouldn't use in other situations against other teams, UM, basically because of Tennessee's pass rush. And this was just the kind of game where I thought, Um, the Titans are not totally built to win this kind of um

situation in the snow. I know everyone thinks it's just Derrick Henry, but so much of their offense because they are more balanced than I think that the perception is around them. Um that the play action passed, the boot pass, a lot of that stuff got removed early. And then you have, um, the Packers running uh you know, rough shot over over the Titans defense. And I just think that when they can run the ball this way, it sets up Aaron Rodgers for glory and they looked unstoppable tonight.

You have. It builds my belief and who they can be. H. I mean, there's a lot of ways that Titans can win. But if Tannehill throws two in or exceptions, uh and goes eleven for twenty one yard, it's not gonna happen. Like if this is all the Packers need, but you know, to get that sort of defensive performance. But they could have played this game all night and the Titans would have gotten anywhere near Aaron Rodgers. I mean, almost anyone

could play quarterback. Rogers was good. But the amazing thing is so many of great Rogers is greatest games this year. He hasn't had to make like Wold plays. There weren't a ton of wild plays tonight. Like they didn't need to. They just moved the ball up and down the field. Guys were wide open. It's just such a professional offense, the way they go about their business. Yeah, thirty seven

carries two and thirty four yards, two touchdowns. A J. A. J. Dillon went off for one, Aaron Jones went off for ninety four UM and it really should have been about sixty four, but Mike Brabel did not toss his red flag on that run. That's set up a Packers. I mean that just that was really the Titans night in a nutshell. They were just a step slow and just not all the way there. Chris Collins was said something

a little bit unfair. I thought, at the end of the know that the Titans are type of team here that weren't ready for playing in these type of conditions. I don't think the Titans should be labeled that way. I think they showed that they were a tough team last January. But on the flip side of that, this defense is going to get them beat at some point in January. I just don't. I think that's just one of those things where I look at all these teams, Well,

if they even get there, I shouldn't. I shouldn't assume they beat the Texans next week to make the playoffs. Anything can happen. But this defense week after week and these big matchups against contenders. Remember we saw it with the Browns a couple of weeks ago, even a total destruction of their day. So when Ryan Tannehill doesn't have it, and there's been a few weeks where he hasn't this year, he's had a really nice year, Uh, there's no coming back.

This happens. Well, it's like and and honestly, I look at the Houston game in Week seventeen, and Houston's offense when they want to be it can be super frisky. And I don't love that for Tennessee. I mean, if you you know you do that, and this is a smart thing to do. Greg does the worst position group or best position group in a game. And the Titans

defense just has not impacted quarterbacks all year long. So I think you know, you look, you could go chart a couple of Titans games were certain offenses that need to get off the humper, like quarterbacks that needed to shine, had some of their best games against Tennessee. Because they're unaffected, they're not badgered in those games. That would concern me. Right, So then you then I not even play. I mean, if the Texans beat them, everyone go home. The Texans

can't beat the Bengals. The Texans, you know, they've been somewhat competitive, but not overly lately that it's just we don't even know if Watson's gonna play. But yeah, you're right, they do win the division the Titans if they win this game. I do push back a little and like Collins or, I think he holds a lot of sway because a lot of AP voters are just kind of like tuning in right now. It's like he said, the m v P race is over. Don't tell me it's over.

I mean, first of all, there's a big week left for this Packers team, Like that's a significant part of the sample. And and I don't think it's like some huge difference between Mahomes and Rogers. I think Mahomes will even if the season ended today, would get some votes. And they're both gonna play next week. If if Rogers like had a stink bomb, you know that that that's part of it. Um. I don't think it's over. And

when I remember this season, it's crazy. I think I'll remember Davante Adams just as much because we have We've always talked about like, oh, Adams is one of the best, the very best receivers in league. But this is the year to me where he is the the the guy. And because he missed a couple of games, the numbers aren't quite as crazy. He's still won ten for over right now. But man, he has just been dominant and

tonight was another dominant night. And on the flip side, like you like it, it feels like game after game you're watching a J. Brown limp off the field. He's been dealing with a lot healthwise. Corey Davis didn't show up tonight. This just was not Tennessee's evening. It doesn't really lower my opinion of what they can do if they're on, but they're just a insided team to me. And but there's the a f C has a lot of this going on. So I don't know what will

happen obviously, that's why they keep doing this. Otherwise, I tell you right now what will happen. There you go, and then personal milestone watch. Derrick Henry finished just under a hundred yards in this game. He needed to get about a hundred and fifty to stay on pace for two thousands. So now he would need an absolute monster game against Houston next week to do it. But you know what, don't put it past Derrick Henry, especially against the Texans defense. Uh, and Greg you are You're good

with this stuff, so I'll see it up. The Packers have the number one seed locked up. If they win next week, they are the number one seed in the NFC, they get the bye and the NFC playoffs go through lambeau Field. But two other teams can get that by as well. How does it happen? Well, yeah, original Steve Correy, Cornaki Karnaki, baby, yeah you could be Corneck. Well, if it's a three way tie, the Saints can get in, which so the Saints are not out of it yet.

They have that um that game next week because shoot, now, I forget who did the Saints play off the top of my head. Bad job the Panthers. The Panthers uh, and then uh the Seahawks Uh still haven't out have a chance to because they would win the tiebreak over the Packers. If the Packers lost the Seahawks one and the Saints lost, then the Seahawks still have a chance at field advantage. So it's nice that, like all these teams have something to play for. And I think people

are gonna be frustrated. I don't know if you're gonna get to this about the Sunday night game. I know Mark's not happy about this. Feels corporate, like very corporate. What do they what was the announcement? So it's the Washington football team versus the Eagles and get out of here. So, you know, the more I thought about it, because I always try to guess these things, and I had a flaw in my guests, which was was Rams Cardinals. They're in a tough spot. They can't pick a game that

has a potential to be dead. And they also can't or at least shouldn't, and I think they don't pick game that could change competitive that could be a competitive disadvantage of a team making the playoffs. And I'm pretty sure that eliminated every single game except for Washington Eagles. If you pick any other game possibly on the slate, it either could not matter at all um for both teams, or it could not matter for one of the two teams,

and they would have rested all their starters. Like let's say the Packers or the Rams if they knew they were in before they got to Sunday football, then they rest their starters and suddenly the Cardinals, for instance, make the playoffs just because they got to play on Sunday night. But it sucks. It's about a third rule. You have to eliminate the game that could feature Tyler Heineke started.

That's very fair. I would rather roll the dice with a game that could be great or have compelling storylines and good quarterbacks involved, than lock yourself into, you know, the worst division in the history of the fessional football limping to the finish. I don't know. I understand both sides of it. I know what you're saying. I do think they did not want the chance of putting um Mason Rudolph and Myles Garrett back in prime time. Well right, or well, it's not so much that is just they

don't I don't want to deliver a team. They don't want to deliver a team to the playoffs. For instance, let's say they put the Bears Packers in there, and the Bears knew they didn't have to to play, then you know it's a dead game. Or you know they could have had the Rams sitting everyone, and suddenly the Cardinals make the playoffs because of that. It's a tough spot and the same thing could have happened with almost every a f C team, So I know a lot

of options. I will say for us, it's bad luck for us if the Dallas Cowboys make the playoffs and the Cleveland Browns do not. I my personal UM rule to myself is that I will follow no human rules through the entire off season, UM, be them personal or societal. I do not follow any rules at that point that to me tells me everything is broke and down to such a degree that, UM, I'm not interested in what else thinks or does total spiral scenario on deck for Cessler.

Let's hope it doesn't play out that way. I have to say that, UM, I don't know Mike Tomlin, but I followed his coaching career and I know what the Steelers what they just came out of that horrid funk? Am I certain that Mike Tomlin was not gonna say, no, we gotta keep grinding, we want to go into playoff sealing strong? Does he really want to bench his entire offense when they just came to life after they went into that deep slump. I want to I want to

bank on the Steelers rest in people. I don't. The only thing is they had no boy and that was such a sticking point with the roster. As I mean, I understand a sound of gray, wonder if it's press certain people but not others. But that's the one team that I thought how to legit beef with how they were moved around left and right and lost the week off which every other team has. So do you use it for that reason? But do your point Dan, like I mean, have they earned a week off to go

sit in street close watching backups toil? No, they might want to stick it to the Browns to you know, his division ride might one who I'm sure they I'm sure they would love to, you know, open up with that little beautiful nightcap. Two things, Jared Goff, there are reports out there that that thumb injury that he suffered in the second half of today's loss is a broken thumb, which puts his status for Week seventeen very much in doubt.

With the Rams potentially needing a win to get to the playoffs, and the backup quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams is John Wolford. People about that never taking a snap in the NFL. Now you know he's He's had some fun ones. In the preseason. Ian Rapport did the weird thing where he said teammates are made, some fun made, some fun place where I was like, Wow, John Wolford, I'm surprised, um and uh Ian Rappaport. Ian Rappaport said, like his teammates have been really like excited, you know,

about what he's doing in practice. It's just almost like you don't even pass that along. That's the first agent asking for a favorite. What's happening here? No, I mean I was more getting wondering, like, is this the first little bread comes of Wolford comes in here, has a decent game, gets them to the playoffs, and we've got the golf golf controversy all offseason. I tried to call it the golf troversy. Right off the bat, and uh, I like it. I like I like that to hold

my breath on that one. Um And finally we talked about Christmas at the top of the show. And I want to say a big shout out to Stephen over at Stew's Wood. You know, some people think that Stew's Wood the wood craftsman who does incredible work and has done stuff for the show, including crafting um our Lock of the Week title one year, and I know he's done projects for Chris Westling. Uh it's Stew's Wood is

the company, but his name is Stephen and uh. I reached out to Steven and asked him to put together charcooterie board is what they call it for My wife was asking for that, and you know, he did great work. As you look at the craftsmanship there, it's nice. Do you put on that just like cheese and crackers and stuff just things that you don't like cheese, crackers, things like that. But I'm just asking that's the main purpose of it. So shout out to Stephen over at Stew's

Wood and Stewswood dot com. Check out his website. Also on the Graham and Twitter. So thanks to anybody else have anything that I would request that Steven build me a second house in l A out of wood. Can he does he have time for that? A tinder box? All right, Steven, reach out to Mark and maybe you can make that happen for him. All right? The week ahead Tuesday Show, Get excited. No Thursday Night football, that's over. In fact, next Sunday's show. Every team plays on Sunday,

so a monster Sunday show. And that will also of course decide the playoffs. So yes, we are here now that we're heading towards the season finale, the regular season finale. I look at it like a television show. So's you can't miss this week on the Around the NFL podcast. Thank you to everybody, uh for listening. And until then, this is Dan Hansons signing off for a quiet storm the Old Boss, Ricky Hollywood and Nick Shook the pipe Man until Tuesday m