2020 Week 2 Recap

feel like it happens every year. There's always one week where it feels like the football gods were especially cruel and reminding of us of mankind's mortality and that we are fragile ultimately, no matter how how much the greatest of us builds up the body into a temple um Nick Bosa, Salmon Thomas, Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostard. That was just one game that I covered today. S Kwon Barkley, Drew Lock, Paris Campbell, Malik Hooker, Christian McCaffrey, Anthony Barr.

If I'm missing any, shout him out. But that is a lot of big time talent, and many of those injuries are of the serious nature. It sucks, but that's football. Yeah. I think we expected that going into this COVID year. Just like that, there was for whatever reason, they're gonna be a lot of injuries or a lot of like which team is you know, gonna actually keep have the roster that they expected to and then there was all those opt outs and then they're really it's been normal

since then. I don't know if this has anything to do with the fact there's no training camp. Who knows um, but it was it was aggressive. I mean, seasons changed. I mean you're right, like the Falcons, for instance, last three starters today too, even like big time names that maybe you know it didn't make the headlines. It felt like every game there was three or four starters going out. I agree with Dan. I would point to the football gods.

I think they were the ones that are behind this, along with you know a lot of other nuisance generating actions levers from the gods. But imagine a week ago, if this all happened a week one, the hot takes coming out about you know, shortened, no preseason, truncated training camps. Let's never do it again, Let's go back to the norm. Well, I if there's one good thing, it's you can't tie it directly to that at all. It's just freaky nature. A lot of great games though today a lot of

great games. You enjoy the reasons. Yeah, one of the reasons we appreciate sports is because we all understand that ultimately our bodies are going to betray us. But for three hours you watch other humans game mastery over these bodies, and um, they lost that battle today. Why would the gods smite us? West? You're a man that you know things, philosophical type. Tell us why did they smite us? That's the deal we're given. You know, at birth, you don't

have mastery over your body. It has mastery over you, and you answer to it, and we can we get to haudience. So they must remind us to not be so haughty. Thus the smiting. All right, Greg does point out, and it shouldn't be lost, and it won't be lost because we're just about to go through every game from Sunday of week two that there was some fun football. It wasn't all about injuries and your fantasy team being ruined. Get off, get off your own high horse, get out

of your own world. It's not just about your fantasy team. Oh sorry, you at se Kwon Barkley man. Come on, that's a human being. Bro. I thought like ten or twelve years ago, we all kind of reached the point where we realized nobody else cared about our fantasy teams. But this year it came back with a vengeance. Like I have heard, I have had to hear about so many different people's fantasy teams, even though we all know nobody cares about it. I mean, how annoying as Eric

had been. Just I just pop back in to tell you because Jets sitting on the couch right now and my speakers are on, and she's like, oh, Dan's just mad about fantasy because she's kicking your ass this weekend. So she just a mean to let you know, like all of a sudden, now you're mad, but you're losing pretty bad. Now. It's like, now let's not care. It's too it's cool to not care about our team. Well, you gotta find that happy that balance, you know. Don't

get me started on our in house league. It's not being run with a steady hand. I'll just leave it at that. Um all right, So let's get into it. What's that? Who could see that come in a couple of weeks ago. Let's get into it. A lot of good football to talk about, so let's dive right in and start with an excellent game that went down to the final second forty six for the win, no time outs. Good snapped good home forty six yards. Yes, sir kiss,

start of pain, this getting bad and this comeback. Deserved to have a hundred thou people in this building. Brad Sham the sham God, and I think that was Babe Lautenberg reflecting on pandemic life. At the end, there uh, Greg's airline kicked a forty six yard field goals time expired in the Cowboys somehow overcome four fumbles a twenty point deficit in the first quarter. They beat the foul

I mean, come on, topics forty thirty nine. Greg An absolutely wild finish as thrilling for the Cowboys as it was devastating for the Falcons and Arthur blank who was cut you know, cutting over to Arthur Blake on the sidelines again with two minutes of both what could possibly go wrong? Oh my gosh, this is one of the worst losses I've ever seen. I mean, I know the Falcons gave their fans the worst loss um that people

have ever seen in terms of blowing the lead. It's not just that it's twenty to nothing or to ten or the fact that the Cowboys had to score three times to catch up from fifteen down with fifteen minutes left, because they missed the two point conversion where you really figured, uh,

it was the end. It was the execution on this on side kick, and the Falcons did not approach the ball that you could see the mentally freezing thinking well, if it doesn't go ten yards, we don't need to touch it, and then nothing happens, and they just multiple guys freezing at the same moment. And the second they made that mistake and the Cowboys fall on it, you know, Greg, the leg is gonna capitalize because the Cowboys are going

up and down the field. And that gets me to my larger point that you know what, Falcons, you didn't deserve to win this game anyways. This isn't like a game where hey, you're the better team. There's no rule you have to give up four touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The only reason they're ahead in this game is because they forced and recovered three fumbles in the first quarter. But at no point watching this game did I think, hey,

the Falcons are a better team than the Cowboys. They looked very similar, which is exactly what I expected going into it. Two teams whose defenses have not showing up for the start of the season, and two teams who, despite Cowboys missing all their offensive linemen, had no problems passing the ball and moving the ball up and down the field. So they're very similar teams. And I don't want to hear how you're you're unlucky because your defense is so lousy, Like, it's not like they deserved a win.

Especially there was this incredible number put out after the game, and it shouldn't be that surprising that it's lopsided in one direction. But the Falcons had thirty nine points and zero turnovers, and entering today, since nineteen thirty three, teams are four hundred and forty and oh. When they have thirty nine points and zero turns, four hundred and forty and oh, that record now falls to four hundred and forty and one. Wow, only the Falcons. It's insane. Well

that that's the thing. Like, if you watch this game as a Falcons, I know what they were thinking throughout it was they should have way more than thirty nine. I know, it's hard to put it on the offense. Mattie Ice has played as well as you can possibly play to B O and two. Calvin Ridley is making the leap. I mean he is a true number one receiver. They they at one point scored sixth Street positions. Then again, they picked up those fumbles in the first quarter in

field goal range and didn't get touchdowns. Julio Jones had a ball hit him right in the hands that would have been a fifty yard touchdown, one of the best passes of the day, and it was from Falcon's wide receiver Russell Gauge on a trick play that Jones dropped. They never got those points. That was actually the only

punt they wound up having. Uh in the second half, there was a bad call of twelve min on the field that presented them from even going for a fourth down, so it felt like they could have had even more. But I still go back to Dan Quinn as a defensive coach whose defense just can't get any stops. So it's like, how much can you complain. Maybe they didn't cash in the way they could have early on, Maybe Julio Jones should make that catch, which you definitely should have,

but they still put up thirty nine points. Take that game home. My goodness, that is absolutely terrible. And yeah, this is the one hundred I don't know. I thought last year was the one hundredth anniversary of football, but maybe next year is I have no idea. But this is also a historic game. The first time in NFL history that quarterback passed for over four hundred yards and ran for three touchdowns, which is what Dak Prescott did

and West. It looked like when you're watching this game for most of it that it was just gonna be one of speaking of fantasy, a hollow monster fantasy game, but that all came back to be very important, just continuing to put points up on the board. Yeah, credit Bones Fossil. They hire him to be special teams coordinator

and he lures Gregg the legs are line over. That was one of the best on side kicks ever seen, the way he had put the English on that ball and had a spinning and then the Cowboys got out in that little Turkey buzzard prayer circle to psych out the Falcons and and you're not even allowed to touch the ball before ten yards. And I'm convinced that that was a role around and watched the ball. I was I was thinking about that. How Bo owns, who's one of the best coordinators in the game. He got out

of l A came to Dallas. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe you guys know who the special team coordinators of the Falcons is. But either those guys didn't execute in the moment or they were not they were not properly coached. That's crushing. I was just I was just rampaging on Thursday nights, the Thursday Night Football Recap about on side kicks and how ineffective they are. They still are, by the way, but that's how you gotta

do it. It It has to be a perfectly placed kick and then you need something zany to happen, which is how that played out. I mean, what a what a wild finish. Don't you feel like we're like we're I mean one or two plays away from a full helping, a week's full helping of Mike McCarthy hawk takes had the Cowboys lost this. I mean, it's just interesting. How think you might have been involved with a few of them, Sessler,

if if they didn't allow this game out. I I don't actually I think I think it might like Mike McCarthy's lower on my radar than than on some. I mean, the early season is whacky. You come out of this one and one. Um, you know, the Rams game I don't put on. I don't have a big problem with that. I don't love the play calling in the Rams game at the end for Mike McCarthy, But I mean he just avoided all the heat that is landing on dan

Quinn right exactly. Dan Quinn's gonna get it now. That's why, first of all, I always think people when they get on guys for racking up in garbage time, I usually don't buy that it's actually garbage time because it is always possible in this offensive league, especially this season where they're not really any penalties. They kept putting pressure on the Falcons to keep responding, and for the most part

they did. Um. Dak Prescott does deserve credit because and so does Kellen Moore into a degree, Mike McCarthy, because he's an offensive coach. Because they didn't have three of their offensive lineman Tyrann Smith was out, they adjusted their game plan. They they threw shorter passes. It was some rollouts. Uh, you know, you had dak Um running obviously near the goal line. Zeke looked really good against Ceedee Lamb made plays late and so I think they did a good

job adjusting. They just didn't hold onto the ball in the first quarter. Otherwise you know they would have up forty five or fifty. And for the Falcons, you know, dan Quinn's in trouble and this is brutal, and they lost their right tackle Caleb McGarry looked fairly serious and they lost tack McKinley early in this game. Kanu Alan Ricardo Allen rather was in and out. I'm not sure if you even finished. So they cannot get stops right now, and both of these teams can't. I'm amazed how bad

the Cowboys defensive line has looked through two weeks. I mean, they were a disaster today to all their pass rushers. Really, it might be time on Tuesday show to roll out the version of the hot Butt rankings to see where some of these coaches are after a couple of weeks. That's of conversation to take offline. For now, we move on to another game. Oh what a lock for the Zoo sir Uls. Until my mention started popping off about it, I mean, I mean sometimes the football gods. They're smiting

some and kissing others. And I got one right on the forehead from the football gods in that lock so too, and oh all right, and get too comfortable with the football godstand. They seem to think about you in various ways, not all later in the show. I take my I take my forehead kisses from the football gods where I could get them, all right. Here's another game that ended on the last play, a fifty eight yard attempt. He's had plenty of a leg on the first two attempts.

Fucker's kick us up. He lines it up, that kickers long enough. It is good. Harrison Budker money money, money penalty trying to freeze him. He falls the Chargers with a twenty three and twenty walk off fifty yard field goal, tying a Chiefs record, his own record then he tied earlier in the game at two minutes to go. In the overtime, the Chiefs go to two and oh and continue their dominance over the A. S. C. West. Oh Yeah, open bar and the Kicker Club. Tonight for Harrison, Butker

in his entire entourage. He drilled the fifty three yarder loan dead due to a false start backed up hit a fifty eight yard blown dead after Anthony Lynne attempt at ice out nice try Tony, but Harry Butcker would not be denied. His third attempt also split the uprights from fifty eight, this time accounted, and the Chiefs escaped Anglewood with a win over the Chargers. Fun game. Remember I gave that pep talk to the Kickers closed door meeting.

I mean, Bucker did. Bucker didn't need it. Bucker's you know it wasn't for Justin Tucker. Bucker would be the best kicker in the league right now. But West. You know how it is with sports teams, like the manager of the coach, he gives the speech and then he needs his leaders to step up and kind of make that message really land. That's what Harry Bucker did for me. Um anyway, that's why he is. It was a fun game.

Included a Beyonce like surprise album drop of the Justin Herbert era Greg that defense for the Chargers spot it's but ger Off. Yeah, I mean this this was a classic. Maybe I was m jazzed up about this day because I got three classics. I realized what a job I did on draft day. M Herbert comes out there for the first snap. It's very mysterious. Tyrod Taylor's on the bench. We find out now Tyrod Taylor as we are taping. Uh, you know, Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, Tyrod Taylor's in

the hospital. So it was a legitimate injury. He had a chest injury through the week that apparently he made worse. Um, you know, he was on the injury report that he made worse during pregame warmups. He was clearly in some pain on the sidelines. And Herbert comes in there and I don't think he's gonna come out of there to me, even though. And we'll get to what the Chiefs did and all the details of this game, but to me, the takeaway was this Chargers team is frisky. I really

like what we're seeing out of their defense. They played an outstanding game today. Uh, they deserve to win, and Herbert showed a lot. Was fun to watch. Their backfield of Eckler and Josh Joshua Kelly is awesome. I mean Kelly. I wish we had mentioned him last week because he played so well last week too, and he did it again. They racked up I think over two hundred and sixty

yards between them today and they lost this game. And I know you were not supposed to give out lollipops, and there's some things you can fought with Anthony Lynne at the end, but I'm gonna go ahead and give them a lollipop. They It took some highlight level god level plays from Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs to win this game. One lollipop for all of them to lick with their tongues. I mean, I here's here's the thing. I would say, right, it's a rough it's a rough loss.

And I'm not ever a huge fan of a team like the Chargers handing the ball back to someone like Patrick Mahomes in overtime. Um, there weren't a lot of other options there, But I don't know, maybe you're kind of sealing your fate at that point. Well there was one run the ball and see you've been running a great all game. I would just say, anyone would say, we get why Anthony lynn did that. If they for if they didn't convert, you'd get why you'd why you did it, And now you just you don't even try.

I but I I don't know if you guys were with you. I was just really down on Justin Herbert coming out of hard Knocks for no other reason than it was sort of the overall Justin Herbert experience seemed a little mousey, a little bit in the distance, not really an alpha male type guy. He did, I mean not, and not every rookie quarterback gives it off to such a degree. But I mean to watch him play today.

Um My issue with Tyrod Taylor, and I wish him the best, we all do, but is that you think he's a very limiting quarterback and he limits what you can do. And like I just was very suspicious of the whole Chargers operation. This whole let's win games twelve to ten. That's cool in thirty something years ago. But now with Justin Herbert, if he this is a template

of what he can provide. Wow, I mean they have somehow backed into an interesting young quarterback who changes the course of their season the same way the last couple of times Tyrod Taylor went out and was replaced by

a young, high pedigree upstart. Yeah, if he wasn't passing so well, I'm not sure even makes the mistake of the game when he clearly had the easy first down running um and decided to throw late across the middle against the grain um and it was intercepted, and Tony Rohno pointed, pointed out, those are mistakes you have to make, so you learned never to do them again. Um. But but without that play, it was legitimately one of the most impressive starting debuts I remember, I mean it was

it was he changes the nature of that offense. And you pointed out Joshua Kelly. Greg I thought they didn't win last week's game without Joshua Kelly, but he gave them their offense in the fourth quarter. And Romo said, at some point in this game, Eckler and Joshua Kelly are one of the best backfields in the NFL already, right. Romo's um praise of Herbert Um I think helped cement

it for me. You know just how many next level plays he was making in terms of like looking off the cornerback on his touchdown throw and then just throwing a dark look. He that was that interception changed the game. He also missed a couple of rows on on third down that that he would like to have back, that we're pretty makeable throws. So it wasn't perfect, um, but

he's just a better version of Tyrode. That was the thing where I thought Romo was a little off base, you know, wondering how much they gotta change the offense so they have the old River stuff. It's like nor Herbert, if anything, is a taller version of a very athletic quarterback that you know might miss some gimmes here and there that was known to be a little too safe

here and there certainly wasn't in this game. Um, but on some level that him and Tyrod made sense as a pair, and you're he's just gonna start the rest of the season barring an injury. Now they're just I just can't imagine they go back to Tyrode well. And also I mean quickly, like the debut didn't come after a full week of practice, Um taking starting reps, finds out minutes before kickoff that he's jumping into this against the Chiefs. I like these surprise album drops for a quarterback.

Obviously I don't like the circumstances behind it, but more more teams should do it because the quarterback who's has very little will experience no experience. In the case of Justin Herbert. You know, he doesn't have to deal with answering questions all week and dwelling on the media focusing on him. Then bang, he's out on the field. In fact,

do we have that riggy? How this is so unusual for it to be a situation where they thought he they thought Tyrod Taylor was playing right up to the right, up to the coin flip um And then even the play by play guys, the great Matt money Smith and uh move the sticks were surprised to be looking down on a field that did not have the starting quarterback that they anticipated. Let's listen to that. And how about this? Justin Herbert is out to take the first snap in

a pistol formation, fakes the handoff. Actually no, he does, in fact hand it off to Austin Eckler, who pushes past all the way up near the thirty. That's gonna be a gain of nine. He's staying out there, Herbert starting this game. No inclination that that was gonna be the case at all. We talked to Tom to LESCo, we talked to Anthony Lynn and what a secret. As just sin Herbert makes his NFL debut with a hand

off to Austin Ekeler. That goes for nine now under center, the number six overall pick very odd and I just I know you handed out the lollipop a ready and everybody's looking at it's filled with saliva of many mentions. But come on, Anthony Lynn. We talked about this last week. One thing that holds him back as a coach is how conservative he can be. You cannot punt that ball back in overtime. I don't care. If you're on your

own thirty four yard line. You need one yard. The offense has had a pretty solid day all things considered, very solid, almost five yards right, and if you and if you pump the ball away, all Patrick Mahomes needs to do with the second best kicker in the league, by the way, Justin Tucker, still the best is getting to field goal range. You can't do that. I mean, I think Anthony Lynn really really let down his team

today with that decision. I agree, but I do want to point out he went for fourth down twice in the first half, which I thought was you know, it was on the other side of the field, but I thought that was a good sign. It was it was like, oh, maybe it doesn't right now, I get it, but it was on this you gotta have a feel of your team and and the way they were running the ball. I thought, there's so many different plays you could do there, whether it's throwing it to your running back or actually

running the ball. You're right, you gotta keep it away from him. In his defense, I think he had so much. He had a lot of faith in his defense. And you saw it. You saw that they only got to kick the fifty yarder. You saw that the Chiefs were in tough third down situations when the when Mahomes got the ball with two minutes left, everyone including me said, Okay, Mahome's gonna go score a touchdown. But you know what, he didn't. They punted five of their first six possessions. Uh,

the charges really dominated the game. It really took Mahomes throw to Tyreek Hill, which is one of the best throws you ever see, and again an unbelievable catch too by Hill, followed up by one of the best two point conversion throws that just looked absolutely in human you'll

ever see. So that's sort of what it took. And on on the rest of the drives of the game, they either punted, were kicked field goals or the one really clean drive they had was kind of like last week where they had to go fifteen plays and everything. So man, they made the Chief's work and it was still a terrible decision by Lynn. I criticized that at the time, but I do at least understand the faith

he had because his defense was playing. So can I can I just say one little beef that I have And it's not the Chief's fault at all, and it's certainly not Patrick mahomes fault. But um, you know, Twitter middle school is really struggling when Patrick Mahomes does the new greatest thing he's ever done. Uh, no one knows how to describe what he does in words in any interesting way. It's just simply Mahomes is just so amazing,

Like thank you, thank you sports Twitter so much. Yeah, well it's a little hard on Sunday, but I just like, you know, people struggling to describe the physical feats to Patrick Mahomes is um troubling to me. I'm sorry, Mark, sorry that you have to deal with that. It's that hard on Sunday. It's the perfect day. That's the day I said that the tweets I don't read anything. Alright,

Let's let's keep on moving. Let's talk about another superpower of the a f C fort Lamar Jackson splits out why to the left, It'll be a direct snap to mark Ingram running off left tackle. He's got a huge hole. Twenty ten five touchdown or Ravens. What a play call by Greg Roman. He went direct snap to mark Ingram. Splitt Lamar Jackson out wide to the left. They needed a yard they got twenty one of them at a touchdown. Are you paying attention the Adam Cases of the world.

That's how you have to run an offense. You gotta keep teams off balance, you gotta give them different looks. You gotta keep everybody on their toes. Mark England takes a direct snap on fourth and one and then takes it to the house, and it was the dagger for the Ravens who post with thirty three sixteen win over

the Texas in Houston. These just feel like two teams on different levels and as cruel as the NFL was to be Houston Texans for giving them at the Chiefs in the kickoff game and then the Ravens in a week two well, at the same time Bill O'Brien's team has to show up, and this they have not come ready to play. Deshaun Watson again feels like he's he's got the world on his shoulders, and you could see that strain that nothing is coming fretting easy in this offense.

Remember the whole will Fuller thing. Will Fuller will become the number one guy. Maybe he is, but today he was shut out. He had let's see, did you ever have a catch? No, he never had a catch. He wasn't even targeted. In fact, he had one carry for zero yards. Thanks for playing will Fuller. Uh So, the Texans offense is trying to figure out itself at average three yards to carry, and the Ravens they've just picked

up where they left off. I mean, the January playoff exit was ugly, but through two regular season games we are now coming on. If you combine these two regular season games with how they finished and really performed the entire regular season last year, this is one of the great dominant runs September through December that I can remember any team having no argument there. I I saw some something today that it's like, Wow, the Ravens have gone taken what they did last year and they've gone another

three steps. It's like, all right, let's slow down. That's one of the greatest regular season teams I've ever seen. Like you're not going three steps further, but continuing it and adding new elements to it and playing a little more consistent defense from week one on, which they were not last year. Um, is gonna make them so hard to be And they play the Chiefs next week a little too early in the season for my taste, but

it should be fun. I mean, I think the one issue was Lamar Jackson, Like if they were if you wanted to point to little elements of his game they needed help. He shored them up. I mean, he's gotten distinctively better over two off seasons. And um, you know, I around halftime and I was kind of tracking this one off on the side, I was thinking looking at their box score, thinking they're not really running, Like it

doesn't seem like they're dominating. They didn't have like a hundred yards hundred and fifty yards rushing in the first half. It was like a little bit off. And at the end of the game they have two and thirty plus yards on the ground. I mean, they really right, they can do everything they did a year ago. They just you throw in JK. Dobbins, you throw in a couple of other guys. It's like they simply have more weapons. So I think last year's last week's game against Cleveland

was absolutely authentic. Today's game is absolutely authentic. This is who they are. Uh, there's probably one or two teams in the league that could touch him right now. They're so good that that they psych out other teams. They psyched out Bill O'Brien early in the game. He went for fourth and one on his own thirty four yard line, And I just don't think Bill O'Brien does that against

other teams, maybe the Chiefs. And it's been a tough measuring stick for the Houston Texans these first two weeks, when you have traded your way into going all in and you find out you're not nearly good enough. They're definitely right now they seem a step below. But it is interesting when this it is one of the toughest

starts to a season any team could have. And I still have some faith in that that building, that end, with that quarterback and with the coaches achieved there in terms of fielding winning teams that they'll get back on the horse, as it were, and they'll be competitive and they'll be in the mix. But right now they're just I think even if they had a more favorable schedule, we'd be talking about right now that the Texans don't have their stuff figured out. They just seemed to be

a step behind right now. I think you're right, And the problem is, like they and we've seen what was was it two seasons ago where the Texans won like seven or eight straight to go into the playoffs and they became a different team, and so maybe there's that

ahead for them. But this schedule is what would be at the end of your season two if you want to be one of these playoff teams, and I'm just not They're just not there with with the higher upper echelon an FC teams, And I don't think there's any six game winning street coming because teams like the Titans and Colts in their division are so much better than they were a couple of years ago. Yeah, the Ravens too.

It sounds like they lost Tavon Young, who is a harder for them potentially for the season at torn A c L feel bad for me missed. I think a year and a half with a neck injury only to come back and and tear your a c L. But J. K. Dobbins is the first thing you think of of like them adding elements on on offense, but on defense man class Campbell seems to be making a big time difference. You know, it's like that that really makes a difference

for them. And at least Dan, you know, you watch this closely, it looks like J the old J. J. Watt is back. If there's a if there's a positive for the Texans, maybe that's it. Yep, he had a couple of secks today and he's healthy and still looks like that guy. Um, so that's a positive. But they just they need more and that yeah, I think the Fuller and credit goes to Marcus Peters, who's you know,

obviously very good. But will Fuller getting shut out and not even target and just disappearing that that's putting Deshaun Watson in an impossible situation, Like I don't know what, I don't know what you do in that situation, like if you need him to become that guy. And at least in week one he kind of picked up stats and garbage time. Week two he doesn't exist. Luckily, Randall Cobb at least showed up in this game, and they got some other places. But this this offense has a

lot of work to do. And then you get to go to Pittsburgh next week. You thought the schedule makers were rough. They get the three best NFC teams right off the bat. That's a I mean those that's to me, those are the three superpowers of the a f C to me right now, with all due respect to the people up in western New York, you can make a case that that's another big time team up there, but that who that. I don't know if I can remember another team that had it that tough out of the

gate um. All right, speaking of superpowers, Roethlisberger back looks out to his left, lost one along the sideline going for Chase Claypool, who catches it and strike Claypool stays abound, crosses the fifty and the ten. The rookie Chase Claypool, in for his first NFL touched out eighty four yards. Roethlisberger to Claypool, while Ben through that long and Chase Claypool ran under it. And that's that's what Chase Claypool does. We're already two years, two games into his career at

the That's what Chase Claypool does. That was Rob King of w d V and tounch Ilkin. The Steelers are looking good through two weeks. Big Ben hit Chase Claypool for that long score and the Pittsburgh defense held off a stubborn Broncos attack led by backup Jeff driscoll. One the final West James Connor had a big day as well. It seems like Pittsburgh has playmakers coming out of their

ears right now. Well, that James Conner numbers are skewed because he got loose for a very rumbling, slow fifty yard run um right at the end of the aime. So it's not like he was hammering out five six yards at a time throughout the game. Um. But the clay Pole, uh, the adding him to that offense and then Deonte Johnson kind of making the leap to as

a run after catch guy. You watch his team play and they've had some stops and starts, they've had some fits, and maybe they could have run away with this game. Um but but I look at this team and they've got dimensions that you didn't think they had with with Claypool. I thought about my oncologist after that touchdown. He is a die hard, obsessive Steelers fans, and you know the type that they're not casual in their fandom. Um, and

he's gonna be I'm gonna see him on Tuesday. He's gonna be talking Super Bowl because you know, with all due respect to the Ravens and Chiefs, this Steelers team had the number one defense in the NFL in my book last year. They look even better this year. Everything you could have possibly envisioned for t. J. Watton, Bud Dupri when you drafted them. They played to that level last year and and riaking more havoc this year. I think Watt had two and a half sacks today. Dupri.

His pressure led Lock into Dupri and that's what caused the fumbo and the injury. They sent Drew Lock out of the game. That injury. I mean, it's they say two to six weeks at this point, uh sprain d C A C joint. I just I don't know. For me, I was really excited about I need, like other teams to rise up and capture my fancy during the course of a year and the Broncos became one of those teams on Monday Night, and um, it's a whole lot

of different with Jeff Driskell under center. I feel like my excitement will be shelled for a month or so. Although I mean you said about that, you said you're on collegis will be all excited. How excited should he be about a five point went over Driskell? I mean, I'm looking at the stats look pretty decent for dristcll in this game. Well, DRIs school is what he is. He's gonna give. He's gonna make his defensive job really hard because he moves the sticks inconsistently and he he

forces a lot of mistakes while doing that. He's just not a very good passer. Into his credit, he did move the sticks a little bit today. Um, if I'm a Steelers fan, I'm excited because the Broncos have pride and they're not untalented. Credit to them for losing their starting quarterback and still coming at the Steelers. But for me, when I look at the Steelers as a fan, I would think we've got everything we expected to have with this team, and even more. We've answered questions about Ben's arm.

We've answered questions with the receiving corps. We've answered questions with the offensive line and our defenses lights out seven more sacks. Today they come at quarterbacks like it's the nineteen eighties. Your first job is to survive four quarters and stay in the game. John Elway, though, your boy, Dan, I mean we this isn't second guessing. We killed It was like the thing I would. I feel like we've talked about more in then on our podcast this offseason

than anything else. Why is John Elways so raid to sign a backup quarterback? Like what in a c in a year when backup quarterbacks are all over the place. You know, Andy Dalton's outside of Walmart. You know, I was enough signs looking for jobs. Jamis Winston, you know there's a there's a million and in La really said like he didn't want to threaten. I don't know, it's just what it was. He he kind of staked his claim that Drew Locks is guy, and he didn't want

Cam Newton in that building. He didn't want Jamis Wintson's somebody that would potentially undermine locks confidence or cause internal questioning over who the guy really is. And he got what he wanted because there is no question coming out of training camp that Drew Lock was their quarterback. But yeah, when you fly with when you're on the trap, he's without a safety net. D Jeff Driscoll sometimes happened, so good luck with that could be a season breaker for them.

If he's out a month, month and a half, they're already owed two. Right, it might be too late by the time. We don't even know not to be labor this point, wouldn't even know if Drew Lock can really play, and he might come back in a situation where they have to win, you know, seven of eight games to make the playoffs. Depending on how this goes over the next few years. It's it's a bad situation that could

have potentially been avoided, if I agree. I think we tend to think of when quarterback injuries happen, Hey he's out for the year, and you have no chance anyway they were in on offense. But sometimes it's just two to three weeks and if you can get by and stay in the race, you need a backup good enough to do that. And I question whether Driscoll was good

enough to do that well in a year ago. We're coming off you know, Vic Fongio saying that Drew Lock isn't even prepared to play in the NFL last summer, so it's like things happen fast, and if you just go in with one quarterback, I think that you know, the Bears that had a little bit of some of that action to where it's like we're we're protecting our starter to such degree, and that's fine, except your starter is not in eighth grade running a middle school Pop

Warner team with a fragile psychology. If he is, he shouldn't be an NFL starter to begin with. Bringing the best possible backup. Isn't the whole Drew Lock experience partly like, oh, he's got so much confidence, he's got great flow, and he's rapping on the side lines and he's got moxie. Well, then if he doesn't sound like he's a flower, right, But also that also just isn't Truelock's fault. That's John

Elway's issue, which I think we agree on. It's not Drew Lock's fault that he sprained his A C joint either. I mean, I think he has been promising, so I think the evaluation is fair Undrew Lock. But the environment is what's questionable. Okay, By the way, West you mentioned use the term move the sticks a couple of times. I like that as a football term. If you like that, like a good name for a podcast. Anyway, let's move on adopt that as an online persona just the thought.

Makes a handoff to unclaimed deep, takes a long look downfield, going deep again. He's got a man right up with. John Brownie makes a catch, touchdown, touchdown Buffalo. John frown from Josh Allen touchdown Bills with three on nine to go, They're up by Tanna forty six yard touchdown pass. What a play dagger? What is this? Twenties swingers? Where's the flappers? At Ricky w with the call? John Murphy, Steve Tasker.

Josh Allen threw for four hundred seventeen yards Rosie, four touchdowns, Rosie both career highs, and the Bills wiped out a fourth quarter depsit, knocking off the Dolphins mark. There was endless talk about Josh Allen in the need for him to take the next step in his third season. I imagine just based on this box score and where they're at right now, that Bill Bills fans are feeling pretty

good about their guy right now. Yeah. I mean, if it's a roller coaster ride, Uh, this is the part of the ride where you're you know, you're up on the top. You can see all of Los Angeles or in this case, all of Western New York unfolding before you. And it's a beautiful early September day. Even Niagara Falls is beneath you. Sure you're above the falls, so every

thing is great. Um for me, I think has a lot to do with Brian Dable, who we've mentioned before a bunch and you know he has been all over the place as in O C. But I think he helped Alan down the stretch last year. I think he continues to do that. Alan and I really don't care about passing totals. It just seems like a lot of it can be wacky stuff, but these are coming in wins. This isn't garbage time. He's the first Bills quarterback to throw for three d yards and back to back games

since Drew Bledsoe in two thousand two. I think that just tells you how low functioning some of their passing attacks have been since. But this, to me, the game I looked at the Dolphins about three quarters and now you know, and you Greg's talking about he got a great draft. I probably had one of the worst UM Weekly drafts you could you could conjure up for games, because when this thing sunk into a weather delay about an hour and forty minutes minutes into it, I thought,

my heavens, what have I gone on? What's going on here? The Dolphins to me looked identity free and just like a team with really nothing special to offer at all. UM three quarters through and maybe that special element is when TWA gets on the field at some point. Not terrible, I mean, they're not last year's team, but they're kind of last year's team. And Buffalo, you know, basically just

plotted and moved their way to a win. Here. This is a game where I think, but this Buffalo is not gonna win the same way that Kansas City wins or or really even Pittsburgh. I just think that they are who they are. UM, it all rides on allan not to be totally cliche about it, but it does. Stefon Diggs is working out. I would say that the Diggs connection, the whole signing, there's another sliding doors world where Diggs is upset already, UM, and he's annoyed at

Josh Allen is thrown in. There's eight interceptions. Off to a really good start. I like the what eventually. I'm just trying to keep it positive here. I mean, Devin Singletary and Zach Moss are an interesting backfield combo. They just had. You know, you look at where they were two years ago on offense and where they are today and how quickly they built around their quarterback. For some of these quarterbacks that are are not functional, that's part

of it. And Alan had doesn't have the excuse, but nor does he need to make him. I mean, he's these are two of his better weeks around. I think the Dallas game last year was a high watermark for Allen and he's he's heading into that territory right now, and so so far, so good for a team that should win the division. Um if the Buffalo or if the New England Patriots stumbled, the Stefan Diggs move right

now looks like a master stroke. And I will say it wasn't as obvious now as it seemed then because when they pulled the trigger on that trade and gave a first round pick UH to the Vikings, There are a lot of people saying, why would they give up a first round pick for Stefon Diggs when the greatest wide receiver class in twenty years is coming up and you can get somebody cheaper and perhaps even better than

the Stefon Diggs. Well, then real football starts and you realize that, oh, it's good to have a twenty seven year old Stefan Diggs and his prime Uh, immediately hitting your roster and playing at a high level. And that's what this team needed. That guy to step in. And we're gonna get to the Vikings in a little bit. A team that seems totally lost on offense without Stefon Diggs. Uh, their quarterback doesn't know what to do or who to trust. Through two weeks, he's been a monster upgrade for them.

He's really good. Um. You know how Bruce Harrian's has that postgame routine where he waits for all the fans to leave and then he he takes a few people out to the old pick up truck and does the He does the real tailgate actually on Sunday nights. I think if you're a Bill's front office operative, you gotta hit Lake Erie and Terry Pagoula's yacht for for a

postgame drink after this one. I mean, look at you drafted a very polarizing quarterback who had as many physical gifts as any any quarterback to answer the league probably um and this is against two bad teams, But so far it's working out like your investment is paying off. And what you did to surround him with Smoky Brown and Cool Beasley and now Stefon Diggs, it's really working out. And Josh Allen seems to be improving by the week.

The key is having a plan for it. I mean, look, it has been against the Jets and the Dolphins, and I'm looking forward to watching this game because I saw that the sideline throw of digs On on their key drive at the end of the even that was an unbelievable touch throw by Josh Allen. And if he can keep doing those things, you know, the sky is the limit. But to me, it's a schemed up offense. And I always say to me, he's he's the poor man's Cam Newton.

And when I'm saying that, I'm talking about a young Cam Newton that you know, one of the great college prospects to ever come out and one of the most physically imposing players I've ever seen. I'm talking about the young Cam Newton, and Cam Newton is ultimately kind of a scheme based quarterback that you gotta have the right system around him or else it's gonna be up and down. And right now they got the right system around now. I mean Newton had that MVP season. Hasn't been a

top ten quarterbacks since because different things have have happened. Uh, And right now it seems like with the talent around Alan that they can eat up on below average defenses. And if you look at their schedule coming up, that's all I see for a while. I mean, you got the Patriots, I guess in a month, and we'll see how good their defense Isn't that the Rams are fine next week. But for the most part, they're an offensive team.

And that's one of the reasons why I wasn't quite as trusting of the Bills, in addition to my you know, skepticism about Alan being consistent. If they can be an offensive team like then then the sky is the limit for them. And they clearly have been an offensive team through two weeks. One like five second note on the Dolphins Mike Kasicki hundred and thirty yards. We've been waiting for this guy to kind of do it. Um he

looked good today, all right. Speaking of Stefan Diggs's former team, Let's see how they fared after the ugly week when showing against the Packers spoiler alert, they sucked Becausin's three receiver stack to the left side, empty sept. They getting his own end zone to throw, and the cults have them for a moment, and they have them now in the intew and somehow gets out of it and he physically now he's passed the end zone at the two yard line. But taking a look at the officials town below,

they have their arms up to signalize safety. That's gonna be Justin Houston and DeForest Buckner combining on the sack of the Colt Matt Taylor w f n I with the call, Yeah, that was Kirk Cousins data nutshell, nowhere to go, nothing to do. Failure ensues. The Indianapolis Colt has become the second team in as many weeks to bully the Vikings. Jonathan Taylor went over a hundred yards with a touchdown in the indian defense smothered Kirk Cousins in eleven win for the Vikings. It was just another

ugly day. Cousins about this, I know you guys hate passer rating or whatever opinions. I think it's fine. Stat It's not perfect, but nothing is. Kirk Cousins at a zero point zero passer rating late into the third quarter. UM, there were some drops in there, but in general, the offense just cannot get in a game flow. Same thing happened last week when the defense couldn't get off the field with Aaron Rodgers. Uh, this time Dalvin Cook again,

who should be the centerpiece of this offense. But they keep on falling behind and it throws off their game script and they end up in these situations where they need Cousins to make things happen. And the problem right now is that he trusts Adam Feeling, and I don't know if he trusts anyone else because he just doesn't feel like he's confident going through his progressions and and and trying to move the offense which has been really

at a standstill now uh for two weeks. And the defense it wasn't embarrassing as embarrassing as it was last week against the Packers, but still not a great job. They got a bunch of stops and that led to field goals that kept it from getting completely out of hand here. But you know, Indianapolis had almost seventeen minutes advantage in time of possession and they let you know, mo Ali Cox go wild on them for five catches for one eleven. The Colts ran forty times for a

hundred and fifty one yards. The Vikings are a team in transition right now, where their offense is trying to figure out what their identity is in a digslis world, and the defense is a bunch of young guys and they don't know what they're doing yet. And when you combine those two things against two quality opponents, that's how O and two happens. And it's not looking good right now. In transition. Sounds like a very um kind way to put it. I mean, that's what you hope if you're

Mike Zimmer, that they're gonna figure it out. And I still think they will, but I mean right now they're just not ready for prime time. They're gonna establish the run team, and when you try to establish the run but you don't go anywhere, keeps putting the quarterback in awful situations, especially when you want to be a play

action team. Well that's their identity. Last year at this time, we're talking about how great Dalvin Cooks looking, and they're running over everybody with Madison playing behind him, right, I mean, because I mean Cousins went back to pass thirty times and uh they have nine yards passing. So then you can you can make up a bunch of other reasons in terms of game script or the running game and their defense and that those are all true too. But

that stinks. I mean, that's that's pathetic. That's you know, the worst passing attack in the league. Justin Jefferson. I mean, I'm just saying right now, they looked actually thought they looked good offensively last week. I thought it was almost unfair to criticize the offense at all. It was such a strange, strange game that was kind of like to me, Yeah, I I really did. They moved for three quarters last week.

They moved, they moved the ball. There were some things that happened in that game obviously that they that they fell behind, But I don't think it was a disastrous offensive performance. This this clearly was and Cousins after the game, to me, was disastrous because they asked him how disappointed is to be oh and two and he answered it, and I like, well, of course, you know, if you want you you set out to win each game that

you played. But then he immediately pivoted to I really wanted to focus this season on, you know, improving a little bit more, you know, making plays off script, making plays with my feet, and I think I've done a good job of that through two weeks. And I'm like, are you kidding me? Because I keep hearing this on these vikings telling that's all Kirk Cousins has talked about. It's like, well, we want to improve. You know, he

can't really make plays off script anymore. It's like, great, you ran for seven yards once last week, and you made like one throw on the run this week or whatever happened. It's like, what are you talking about, Kirk Cousins. He's the only guy in the world who thinks he

can plan to off script exactly exactly. Didn't he didn't He have a quote before the season that he wasn't afraid to die or something, maybe just from yeah, maybe the maybe like the streaming Kirk cousins tweets aren't the first thing the Vikings twitter feed needs to be offering us. I want to ask you, though, Jonathan Taylor, I've we've been excited about this guy. How did he look for the Cult stand He wasn't. I wouldn't call it an electrifying game where he was jumping off the page, but

he was absolutely like the guy. Uh. He was their guy and and obviously the numbers back it up that he was a part of moving and they moved the ball pretty well. The Cults, they they weren't great um punching it into the end zone, but Philip rivers through one pick but he was he was fine. Um. I thought the offense overall was solid. They did get bad news in the second quarter of Paris. Campbell, a guy

who just cannot catch a break. He had a seven yard rushing attempt near the right sideline, went down, grabbing his knee, doing the whole thing that you never like to see, pounding the turf and then looking distraught as he's being carted off. It's not clear as of right now how serious it is, but it didn't look good. MALIEK Cooker, their safety former. First there was an update

on Paris Campbell. After the game, they say they believe it's not an a c O. Okay, well that's good because it certainly looked like a season ending injury at the time. And then Malee Cooker he had an achilles injury. I don't know how serious that is, but this comes one week after. Of course, Marlon Mack was lost to the year to a blown achilles But Campbell's injury story is crazy. Now. He played just seven games last year.

He was a big time player at Ohio State, but he had a hamstring injury, an abdominal injury, a broken hand, a broken foot, and now a knee injury. Knee injury. It's just sometimes these guys, certain guys just cannot catch. He's been like getting great reviews from them all summer too, and looked good last week. And they and I did say though that this was sort of the DeForest Buckner game you could point to where he was absolutely reeking um chaos on on the Vikings offense. I mean, Rivers

got to stop throwing picks inside the five. This this is a team that kind of defined itself for much of last year, has a great red zone team, and they've been getting pretty bad in the red zone through two weeks, so he he's got to clean that up. All right, let's keep moving. Rogers alone with the shotgun now, Aaron Jones joins him in the offensive backfield. DeVante to the right, single receiver left less. Argiv Is to Jones, I'm the middle rightist. Yes, it's gonna be secretary at

the Delmont him chust Jone. I mean, it's so weird without seventy thousand screaming cheese heads there, but still an inspired call by Wayne Larity of w t MJ. Aaron Jones went off her career high a hundred sixty eight yards, scored three touchdowns, including that seventy five yard surge you just heard. Packers rally back from the early depthsit to beat the Lions forty two to twenty one. West Jones also left Green Bay with sixty eight seaving yards and

four catches. The Packers have started this season looking legit. It's funny Aaron Rodgers has with a first round pick at his position, has one of the best games he's ever had in Week one, and then Aaron Jones, with a second round pick at his position, has possibly his best career game in Week two, and a reminder that oh yeah, this isn't just an Aaron Rodgers team. They've got a running back who scored twenty touchdowns last year

and in this game went wild. Uh the two thirty total yards during thirty eight three touchdowns, had an awesome catch backward twisting, leaping catch with a cornerback and man to man coverage down field. Had a really impressive blitz pick up on about as Scantling's forty one yard touchdown

or a forty one yard catch. It was really impressive Aaron Jones performance and to me, a grown up game for the Packers where we we questioned how much of last year was sort of sneaking up on the people, taking advantage of the schedule, and how much of it

was staying power. And to me, if you've watched this matchup in the previous couple of years, you know that Matt Matt Patricia's Lions defense really takes away what the Packers want to do, takes away their big plays um and Aaron Rodgers style to me, has always been kind of like a matador. He he wants everyone in the stadium to have the attention on him because he's he's

out there putting on a performance. He had to kind of like play a mature playing close to the vest, take what the defense gives him, um and settle for that. Letting the running back have the spotlight look like a very grown up performance after the Lions jumped out to a big league I love you comparing him to a matador. I think that's a perfect uh comp for Aaron Rodgers. Come on, you know he wants to be out there with a rose between his teeth. Absolutely, I think it's

perfect yards on offense. I mean, I would imagine if you dig into Matt Laflour's brain, he would rather it look a little bit more like this than Aaron Rodgers having to save the day or do it all on his own. He wants to be run happy. I think that we saw that last year, and this seems like the perfect marriage of the two, right. I mean this, this,

this is the best case scenario for the packer. I think they've had one of the most meaningful first two weeks of the season's so you know, we say you can only take so much, Well, you're there are two games ahead of the Vikings and the Lions. Two teams you know various members. I thought the Vikings would be very frisky. I know Dan did too. Mark like the line there are already two games ahead with wins in

in hand, and they're showing some signs. I think, to to West's point that Okay, yeah, they got lucky to go thirteen and three on some level because they want so many close games. But there is another route towards UM how you you know, repeat, It's like the luck that you are supposed to lose doesn't matter if you

just get better. Like if there were a significantly better team and they were a fairly young team on defense, UM, and they certainly had some areas on offense where they have big time talent, Like they can just be a better team. And if the division is shaping up early, how it looks like they have to feel very good about where they sit in mid September. Looks get better from from your own guys, developing UM Fox foxes Jen Hale sibon reporter who listens to our show and sent

me a very nice message about my cancer battle. UM reported, Yeah, Jim, they got a pretty pretty stern tongue lashing Packers defense got a pretty stern tongue lashing in halftime. But Russian Gary, their first round pick, had had the game of his career so far, one and a half sacks in addition to the pressure that contributed to a pick six for Chandon Sullivan. So they're getting some improvement on a day when they didn't have Kenny Clark out there from a

guy they drafted early last year. If you're looking for one potential negative to take out of Game two for the Packers, it's Davante Adams. Sounds like he got beat up an ankle issue and he got rolled up on early, and then there was some type of hamstring issue later in the game. Targeted only three times, So hopefully that's not too serious. West, because as much as everyone made a big deal about uh Lazard and MVS making plays in Week one, is still remains a wide receiver group

that very much needs Davante Adams at the forefront. Hamstrings are now notoriously tricky. But my sense just from watching the game was that if they needed him, he could have gone back out there. Um well, we'll see how it shapes up. But he didn't seem to be like distraught or anything about the injury. You know, what annoys me about the Lions and it's it's so easy just pointing Mapatricia Bob Quinn, general manager. I want to put

him in a room. I want you to tell me what it is you perceived to be the makings of a team progress. But hang on a second, mark, hang on you and many other national pundits were high on the Lions by saying that it was a roster that was ready to make a move. So now you can't come after Quinn after two losses. Wait a minute, how about I finish my statement, Like, first of all, you get into hot water and signed Adrian Peterson and suddenly

your offense. Like when we were crowing about the Lions, it was the idea of these parts working together and DeAndre Swift being someone I thought would make a big difference. He has a key drop in the first week. He's part of a committee backfield. There are committee back fields that work, and their committee back fields that are there because the team just seems direction lists. This seems the ladder in me and Mina Kimes and fill in the blank.

Jumping on the Lions in mid August feels like one of the dumber developments of the last year, So I'm not I'm not arguing for myself, but I would say that whether or not they were frisky this year, Bob Quinn acts like he's gonna sit in this chair for twenty five years, make it happen, or put someone in

there who will. But I still don't know. And I'm not trying to cause an issue or a riff between you and may Mark, but I'm trying to make sense of your logic right now that you were high on them as a team that really had the ability to well prize people. And the Adrian Peterson signing was done at a necessity because the injuries, and he was pretty effective in week one. I mean, I don't want to it's reducted to put it on the head coach either, but that I mean, it just feels like this is

a team that has talent that isn't coached well. And here we are again, oh and two, staring down the barrel, another double digit lawsuit from another angle, Like you know, Kenny Gollady is not on the field or your backfields not going the way it's it's meant to. And you were flamed last week and this week, um largely because your secondary is in total tatters, and your number one draft pick isn't on the field, so that that I can't put on Quinn. But in general, the overall Bob

Queinn experience is slightly questionable. And what this the third year of Matt Patricia's defense. They've really invested in the defensive front. And where's the pass rush? I mean, it's not Roger's best statistical performance, but I think he might have got stacked once he had all day to throw for most of the afternoon. They just have no no identity on this defense. Well, their identity is a three man rush. I mean, no one loves a three man

rush like Matt Patricia. No one loves a three man rush and in the eleven yard completion for the opposing offenses for a first down more than Patricia. That's that's his that's his identity. Let's check in with another NFC North squad. Plenty of time of the play clock, hard coup. They rushed three drop eight mission, the pocket now darting around thinking about what to do, resettles now flips it

into the end zone. Left side cup of their make it attach touchdown bears dart Alboni, who I love an instrument con I mean note it is is a masculine sey Dan Horde w C k y with the call. The Chicago Bears are two and oh how about that? Mr Bisky threw a pair of touchdowns in the first half, and the Chicago defense held off the late Giants comeback attempt at what sounds like an utterly thrilling seventy and

fourteen final at Soldier Field. Unfortunately, the biggest story out of this game was an apparently serious knee injury suffered by say Kwan Barkley. What happened, Mark, Well, it's if you're a Giants fan, you know, and we both know a bunch of them, you gotta ask yourself if it's hurtins to some degree? I mean, se Kwon Barkley torn a c L um sterling Shepherd? Is that confirmed? Is it an a C L tarif for Barkley? That's what

I read. I will it's believed. It's one of those where they say that's the new way to do it. Is we they believe it to be in the m R. I will confirm it, which does that's a killer and they actually, I mean Wayne Goldman was a healthy scratch, so they they were in hot water. The minute that happened, it happened early Sterling Shepherd hobbled off. You know, it's this a c l for se Kwon Barkley, one of the most supremely talented running backs we've seen in a

long time. And now you're gonna blow out his knee after you the knee lit the ankle ligament issue last year. That is that is not fair. That makes football less fun. Yeah, and it made it made Daniel Jones a whole lot less fun to who um, you know, And I came out of the Monday night game that we all know he's gonna turn the ball over. He's gonna make things a little too interesting at times, but I find him

exciting and I love um the Daniel Jones experiences. But today you got the killer interception, you got another lost fumble. It was the Giants just put themselves into a hole. The injuries mounted, and the Bears, you know, look credit for It was kind of the reverse of last week's game where the Bears were pretty good out of the gate.

Mitch Drabinsky made a couple of darts and I'm really reluctant to get on the Mitch Drabinsky um bandwagon if there is such a vehicle roaming around, but I don't know if it exists, doesn't exist, and there's no way you would jump on it. I said, just if there was, you know, he's two and oh and there's people forming a Mitch Robinsky bandwagon. No, no, that does not exist. But he made a beautiful a beautiful touchdown. Um tossed

to Darnell Mooney. Mooney the rookie. He did some good things and then in the second half, you know, it just it wasn't the same. I don't want to call him a soft to and oh, because you can't blame who you're playing. Um, you beat a banged up Lions to him last week, you took her of a very banged up giant. I mean, it doesn't get much softer than Swift dropping the ball in the end. No, it's but it's not. It's just that I think the Bears are probably um a competent nine and seven type team,

and they've gotten off to a fast start. I'm not going to kill him, but they just you know, you look at how it's played out so far. I mean, there will say this, Yeah, I'll say this. Mark he's gonna start Week three for the Bears, and I I'm surprised that he's made it this far and maybe maybe he'll bomb out week three and we'll see Nick Foles

after that. But if you're a Bears fan, you're probably feeling like, obviously you feel good about two and oh, but it's like wow, everyone probably had this in the back of their mind, this idea that they were going to create her and then they're gonna turn to Foles to try to save the season. But instead you're in like very good shape as you hit late September. I mean the team is I I would say, I mean, unless you're like a Bears fan with blinders on, why

what do you roote? I think you've probably confused as to what you're rooting. Were to happen at quarterback, where he has the best possible he has the best possible opponent next week, makee the Falcons. I mean, that's the thing. They don't You don't have to give those wins back. And you know there's no asterik that uh you know, Shepherd and Barkley got hurt here, but this is it

just reminds you the Giants last year. I I am really disappointed to hear this because because of the watchability factor Dion Lewis after Barkley goes out, Barkley was four for twenty. Dan Lewis goes ten for twenty. It was

a weird signing. And I thought, as there as their backup, he just doesn't look like the same guy and then you're one dimensional, and I thought it was I mean, it was such a telling stat that this was the first game in Daniel Jones' career, first game where he took a single snap with Shepherd, Tate ingram Um and who am I forgetting? And Barkley all on the field at the same time, with with Slayton, who has been good like this was it? This was the first time

that one of those guys wasn't hurt. And Barkley tears his a c L and Shepard gets hurt last minutes and I mean it's you know, you like, I like the way that this team has built, but availability is everything and they have been the opposite. Can someone clarify this to me? It's a modern athlete thing that pops up every few weeks when a when a player is usually surrounding a contract squabble, but in this case, se Kwon bar Barkley suffers a devastating injury. Today, he's obviously

frustrated and upset. He, according to an article in The New York Post, went onto his Instagram that has more than two point two million followers and scrubbed every Giant's reference photo from his instagram. So I don't know what what that's about. But this in general, like this idea of scrubbing your team from your social media is one of the weirder ways to send messages through. This is our age. This is our age. But Alan Robinson on the other side of the field this week, Wait, tell

me how, Tell me how that shows our age? Like what is that? Like? Tell me why that is something that happens? Like, I don't understand you're allowed to be very passive aggressive in today's age, where when we're growing up you weren't. It's almost so painful for you to be. Well, here's why it shows our age because we don't understand it.

But I think if you're under thirty, it's it's some It makes more sense that all right, well we grew up in someone under thirty connected to this podcast, let's bring in Erica tamp Post who's gonna explain to me, the old man, why it is an effective way to express yourself rather than post something on the Players Tribune or or speak to a Beat reporter you trust or we're not saying anything at all, to delete all references to the team you play for from your social media.

Help me? Well, we're talking about it, aren't we. It's good. I think it's also it's mysterious. We don't know why he did it. We especially it's completely why do you want to be talked about when you just tore your a c L. He left one post. It might not have anything to do with the Giants. The post was like Kobe Bryant, and so maybe that that's his thing, is like now he's he's he's getting he's getting into

the Momba mentality. Whatever to do with when you delete the photos at showing his distaste in potentially the Giants organization, and maybe they he feels that it's their fault that he was He deleted everything that's personal on his page too, like that had nothing to do with the Giants, And in Alan Robinson's case, it's kind of like just I

don't know, it's apparently the relationship so painful. It's like you just have to forget about you know, he was trying the statement now right, Robinson worked sends a statement an actual statements. Are we trying to argue that are we trying to argue that passive aggressiveness is in a trap? But what do you want him to do? Send a like a carrier pigeon lest it's honey, even some kind of a racing speaking addressed. He's not he how he is?

He's got two point two million followers. We're talking, Yes it is. He's pissed at the giants and we all know it, and he doesn't want to be there. You can appreciate now. I could see a twenty five year old Dan like he had a really bad day at work, and it's like, we're just not sure what we're doing with you at this network, and Dan like scrubs all NFL network content from his Instagram feed and like drives

home eighty six miles an hour. Year old Dan from a different world, not his world just collapse and he just deleted everything on his social because his world is very black today. I think it's a little bit of a jump to say has anything to do with the giants. He deleted everything. He's focused on rehab. That's that's what he's telling us. Everything else that changes the story, right,

every one irrelevant sports book there's ever been. And uh, I feel like, you know, players spoke their mind a little bit more back in the day if they were upset. Perhaps maybe this is another example of guys don't want other people to you know, repurpose their quoting into a different narrative. I don't know. I guess I am too old to figure. I think that's a big part of it. It's also that there's so much money at stake now that they don't want to say anything that could come

back on them. So join this is a way of passive aggressively saying something, Well, we better wrap this up because I hear say Kwon Barkley's going to the town square and he's gonna, you know, make a large statement to the group. So we would get the flutist with him in a little guitar player to make a big impact with thank you, thank you as always to our team. Correspondent Erica Tamposte. Let's keep moving, seconds remaining a second. Harold Langry, the man who patted it big Jeff the

man who caught it, Harold Langry and them. That show ends as the curtain goes down seven seconds. Okay, great team, Mike Keith and Dave McGinnis of w g f X with the call. Yeah, the Titans got a forty nine yard field goal from Stephen Giskowski. How about that with a minute thirty six to play, and then Harold Landry snatch that fluttering Gardner Meanshew pass out of the air in the final minute to seal a thirty three to thirty victory for the Titans over the Jaguars. Greg Good,

teams figure out a way to win close games. The Titans have done it twice in six days. Yeah, they have. And the Ghost was a key part of it. I mean he hit a long field goal over fifty yards to end the first half that came off of a special team's misqu by the Jaguars. That the Jaguars have to be kicking themselves in this one because their offense played so well. I was so impressed by Gardner. Minshew.

You look at the box scorning, you see two inner exceptions and and you know what happened at the end. It was a tip pass at the line of scrimmage. We tried to fit it in and he is a little shorter, so I don't know if you want to put that on him at all, but it was bad luck. The rest of the snaps he took were awesome. I've been so impressed by their young players in general. Minshew being the key one. He sees where the blitz is coming. He's been very accurate. He's he's had some great touch passes.

He did connect one down the field. I know they lost this game, um, but I watched this team with James Robinson really running well today. We we talked about C. J. Henderson last week. Uh. They just got some young players that I think that they can be excited about and and kind of in an opposite situation. Labisco Sonaut's another guy I wanted to mention it just wow. When he has the ball in his hand, he just moves a little different. He played a lot of running back today

in addition to receiver uh and played great. Unlike last week. They they were the team that out gained and I thought outplayed the opponent and they found a way to lose, which was kind of the opposite of what happened against the Colts. But I think if you're a Jaguars fan, the defense is at least a year away. Um, But you're thinking that this offense with Jay Gruden and these young players, there's something there for this year that's gonna be fun to watch and uh and for the future

because it's a really young group. You also you almost wonder if Jake Gruden would be given another chance that a head coach role at some point, um, depending on how this is early. For that, it's for that, I know it's early. I'm just saying like it's you know, he's he has transformed the attack a little bit. I'm looking at this drive chart. Outside of one punt here, they had a stretch where was touchdown, field goal, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown.

I mean they this isn't doesn't sound like a flukey offense at all. I mean to me that, yes, the Titans deserve credit for pulling out two close games, but the Jaguars, you know, talked about fourteen days ago as a confirmed tank job. Um, feel like the complete opposite of that. The Titans do deserve credit. And there was a lot of skepticism of Ryan hannah Hill after the Titans won in the playoffs last year without him having to pass much. But they paid him like a franchise quarterback.

And what tells me he's a franchise quarterback because he doesn't really have bad games anymore. He almost always has a good game. And and now with Derrick Henry bottled up two straight weeks with A J. Brown contributing nothing, he still looks good. He still moves this offense. You're right, they were a good offensive team. And I thought this was similar to last year in the way that he didn't have He only had like a handful of throws

that he had to make, but he made him. And that was what the Titans um did so well last year. Tannehill's go ahead touchdown was to me, all as good a throw as Mahomes is. I mean, the that was as great a touchdown under pressure, getting absolutely hammered. Um put it up in the air. Uh and in a third and long situation, who was it that caught it?

Now it was Adam Humphreys in the third quarter and he got up and he immediately like yelled out and one was And to me, that was such like an awesome like reaction by Ryan Tannell because it was a badass play. He only had to make a couple of them in this game. They protected him really well for the most part, so that that play was a little different. The Jaguars have no pass rush right now, but man Tannehill, uh, he can. He can spend some pretty ones when he

gets a chance. All right, let's keep moving. Shotgun snapped to. Murray steps up and takes off far side of the twenty got room at the tan, cuts right to the five, jukes the defender and scores touchdown. Tyler Murray a twenty two yard run, his second rushing touchdown of the game. That defender is in multiple pieces at the five yard line. Dave passed. You know, Ron Wilfley always gets the glory for k t a r but passionate I was called a big spot there. Yeah. Kyler Murray right on schedule

and he's making season. His dual threat skills off the charts right now. Over Washington. He threw for six yards and a score, but ran for two fourteen and twenty one yards, So he's doing it all right now. Mark and Washington which looks so dominant getting after Carson Wentz different bit of a different task for than this week. And it did not go well. Yeah, they followed their little game script, which is, let's fall down seventeen nothing and then see what happens. And last week it created

a really likable story. This time around, no, and I don't think it's the last time they'll be down seventeen nothing. I think it's hard to evaluate someone like Dwayne Haskins right now, Um, with the environment that he's in. I mean, Terry mclaurin's awesome. Uh, there's not a lot else happening on that offense, and when you get down seventeen nothing, there's it's it's against this team. Especially, it felt like Curtains. This game felt like it went on for four and

a half hours. I will make that personal observation. But Ler Murray to me, um is such an I enjoy Kyler Murray because it's one of the kind of rare scenarios where you hype someone up all off season and he may be doing more than in some ways than people expect it. Just consistently he's throwing. He threw for sixty eight percent completion percentage today. I mean, he just is. Um. He doesn't make mistakes, Uh, not a lot of them.

Uh he he keeps a defense like Washington's completely off on their toes the entire game because he can do everything, and this offense like functions around him really well. I the thing I look at a little bit with them is just that they don't have like some of these other teams. Um what if I don't think they have like a dominant ground game, except it kind of compiles by the end and Drake ended up with eighty six yards.

But you don't that part of it is that Murray is such an integral part of that ground attack that like he fits right in and you don't worry about the back so much. I I just look at this team as a playoff team. I just do. I don't think that this is division. No, it's a tough division, and it's it's also like it's probably comes down to health and an injury luck. And we're about to get to the forty Niners. Not to jump in mark, but we're about to get to the Niners, a team that

absolutely got bombed out by injuries today. That changes the course of their entire season and potentially opens the door for a team like the Cardinals to step in, right. Like, I'm not saying that they're the you know, clear cut second or third best team in the NFC. But with the way things are going, and if they stay healthy, they're gonna be there in weeks seventeen. If not, like having sealed something and I you know, the defense switched

people out a lot of questions. I mean, it's tough to tell against Washington, but the fine I just think this is an interesting team, really well coached and fun to watch. Alright, speaking of the forty Niners. And he gets the right edge and gets down the sideline and he's gone right. He mostered is gone down the sideline. First play of the game, there's a toss, sweep and a touchdown on San fran Let's go. It feels great, baby. At the time, it did feel great for the forty nine.

Is Greg Papa and Tim Ryan with the call for k n b R. When is a win really a loss? The forty Niners had no problem with a future Jets team at the Meadow Ends, but at thirteen victory tempered by a host of major injuries that could doom San Francisco. Nick Bosa hurts his knee as he's being carted to the locker room. What with what Kyle Shanahan would tell reporters later as a likecal likely a c L tear.

Sam and Thomas goes down the number three overall pick in seventeen with a like likely a c L tear. They go down within about five minutes of one one another, decimating one of the strengths of that team, the defensive line. Jimmy Garoppolo couldn't even move. He was sitting duck behind the line of scrimmage uh in the first half with a bad ankle. And even though he had no problem picking the Jets apart because the Jets stink uh, he

came out of the game at halftime. Whehee Mostard who you heard go untouched around the right end for eighty yards on the first play from scrimmage. He also has a ankle issue that he needs an m R I on. I believe it's a sprain. At this time, this was a forty Honors team already missing a host of impact players, including George Kittle, Deebo Samuel And it's hard to be optimistic about the defending conference champions right now. Nice, but what do you do from here? And where do you go? Well?

Speaking about how old we are, I tweeted Mark that this was reminded me of Techmo Super Bowl back when you would play on season mode and they would conspire against you. It would be a string of injuries, fumbles, interceptions in the first a few games and you just say, Okay, I'm gonna reset this thing. Just seasons lost? Can this season? I know it's like everything's conspiring against him right now.

D Ford was out of this game. Richards Herman is on I R. DeFord hasn't been healthy basically since he got there, and they're gonna need him now. I watched him pretty closely last week and he did not look right. Now. He has a neck injury which has been recurring. Uh yeah, it's one of the big developments of the season, especially Jimmy G's injury. I wonder, like we'll see, we'll see, um where where they got quarterback? Are they really worse off?

Are they that much worse off? I mean, I like Nickles stats would tell you that he is a average to above average starting quarterback. I don't know if I'm there yet, but that's what his stats. Remember, Shanahan coached him up a couple of years ago. That's what I mean. Nick Moles had a minute on football Twitter with like the Greg's of the world where everybody was getting excited about him. So this this could he was a rookie draft.

When we get fascinated with young quarterbacks, I guess it is I don't know, you seem to be very much. I am. Certainly I'm head over heels for Kyler Murray for instance. That's that's a young quarterback. But it's funny A No, Nick Mullins is a guy who could be in action because he Garoppo was really um compromised. There was a play in the first quarter where he went to plant on the bad ankle and it just kind

of went on him. I know, I think he got tripped up a little bit from behind by Quinnin Williams, but he he just went down and I was like, oh, did he just suffer a serious injury. It seemed like the type of injury that probably could use some time, uh to get right. But unless they really, you know, feel highly that Nick Mollins could can step in and make plays, they need Jimmy g to be in there and try to carry this team right now, it's a

very bad situation. It's not good. When Jordan read in his and his you know, a couple of touchdowns in his presence is so crucial to this team. He's turned into a nice signing for them. He especially the first touchdown showed and Greg, you had talked him up a little bit before the season that he still he still can move and he's still has athleticism. It just becomes an issuable his body allowed him to do it week after week. Nobody outside of San Francisco seems to believe

in Jimmy g anymore. But it is worth noting they've played about as many games with him and without him in the Kyle Shanahan era, and their winning percentages over eighty with him and it's under thirty without him. That's that's fair. That's fair. And the Jets, um dan uh I thought they had a chance to maybe be the worst team in the league going into the year, and uh wow, that you have to be a little disappointed, though I know that I know you weren't expecting to

be good, but a little this is embarrassing. I actually think this is. I honestly think this is the worst Jets team in my lifetime. I think this is and Gaze might be as bad as co tight was and I don't even want to waste any more time on the Jets because I'm gonna let uh my old man share thoughts on the Jets today. But it is an embarrassment. And if Adam Gaze is not fired by Thanksgiving, the team is out of its mind because we don't need to see anything else. Uh. They have the wrong guy

leading the ship and it's bringing everything down. Keith, take it away now. His name is Keith. He'll doubt about it. He's a big Jets fan. You go to say little games to day, go little game today. Dan raided the Jets dead last in the power rankings last week. This is not gonna change. Defeat today was a disgrace. The forty Niners, with three injured players in the first quarter, still destroyed the Jets. The Jet offense was anemic. Notes rows downfield and where are these calls from Gates that

we're supposed to be waiting for? Three and out is a way? Is the Jets current way of operating on offense. The play of the day, in my opinion, was the third and thirty one for and they get a fifty five yard run. You can't make this up. The Jets have been a disgrace, Dan, Next game, please, Dan. Whatever we're paying your dad to do, to do this, we need to be doubling it because the Jets correspondent um role, which is which he thrives at, is um concerning what

about me? While right here you're gonna hear the gravitas and Keith voice. That's my Walter Cronkite right there speaking with purpose today fireside chat. All right, next game, thanks, pandoff run the ball for that slashes her way to the forty five, the thirty. I don't think I'm gonna win that sandwich shop that they're gonna be in the playoffs. Wow, wlashed up the gun, foul daylight put out right, and everybody fire. Look, Cannon's can have gone all right now

the handoff happens. Oh but first everybody, that's Johnson calm, friend of natives or enemy. Hey, Chris Wessling's gonna jump off and jumping in the Great Nick Show. So out one handsome bold man in another, thank you, thank you, all right, taking away shuck. Tom Brady got his first win with the Buccaneers, and Leonard Fournette went over a hundred yards with two touchdowns. Sen in over the Panthers shook, what a great ally we have and Nick Shook, who

knows his stuff, and watched two games. First today tom Brady through for two seventy yards touchdown and a pick. How did this offense look in the second week? Again, So from the start it was really encouraging because last week and especially in the second half of New Orleans, you know, the Buccaneers almost said the Patriots, but the Buccaneers they just didn't have enough to keep pace with

their NFC South rival. So then they faced another NFC South rival to day and come out of the gate firing. They scored two quick touchdowns. Tom Brady connects with Mike Evans over the middle for a long play that that's up the first touchdown, which is Ronald Jones run. He finds Mike Evans for a score. Later, they get to halftime, they're up twenty one to nothing. They're rolling and I'm expecting an absolute blowout, and then they just got a

little complacent. They just hit a wall and slowly the Panthers built their way back into the game and came within a touchdown before well they realized they were the Panthers and uh and ended up flowing behind by two scores and ultimately losing. But it was it was a step in the right direction for the Buccaneers offense. But I still think they have a ways to go uh

in a number of areas. And of course they were without Chris Godwin who wasn't available to play, so that definitely played a role, but a step forward that they still need to be better. But I mean, I I read that Brady was like super super zoned in all week, not surprising, like it's like the only thing he does in his life is practiced for, you know, prepare football. But but then it was like he was agitated by the narrative and what happened last week? Did you see

a cleaner version of Brady? Is the chemistry improved and maybe they just lack like the killer instinct that Bill Belichick wanting to wipe out civilization has in Tampa Bay at the moment. Yeah, I think the chemistry with Mike Evans has improved. I think everybody else is a little bit of a maybe a step behind. Rob Gronkowski still looks like he's old and and didn't really factor it all.

He had one target, no catches, was a non factor. Um. And you know, again they were without Godwin, so that again this time next year on the islands is not gonna happen much Well, Gronck Beach version two next year. I'm sure sure there was a path to Uh. One of the backups, I can't remember the last name is Grayson that the ball went off of his helmet, and Brady was just in discuss like you've got to beginning.

He said some things that I can't repeat here, but you could, yes and uh, but but ultimately yeah, you know, they still need to take those steps forward. One thing that I was encouraged by was Leonard Fournett caught a pass beyond the line of scrimmage and he actually set himself up for a rushing touchdown, which was nice. Um. And then four Nett served as the closer in the end, which was interesting. But I'm still not super impressed. You know,

I know West just left. But I would agree with Wes's um summary of four Nett the last time he saw him playing the notes that he had tweeted out, which is, you know, when he gets the ball for the most party's unremarkable except for when he rips off a game ceiling forty six yard touchdown. So it's like, you want to be like this guy, yeah, you want to say he's just average, and then he ripped something off like that. All Right, I guess I have to continue to believe in him. But it was a better

game than last week. Again, they were playing a lesser opponent. This this Brady versions really fascinating to me because you know, PFF ad him as having five big time throws, which you know a way that they measure things, and and from what I've seen and I thought this was the case last week. Actually the last two weeks, he's he's made a lot of flashy, really impressive throws, which I'm not surprised by. I think he was capable and did some of that last year. But the team's sloppy and

like the offense doesn't have a lot of continuity. I I I I have a friend who sort of jumped to the bucks a little bit, and um, it's like they're frustrated by the coaching there. Like the like, it's a lot of penalties, it's a lot of sloppiness. It's a lot and I guess you can expect that a little early. But at least Brady is showing something that they're making some flashy plays. It's sort of the opposite

of the Patriots were quietly efficient, just terribly ugly to watch. Yeah, kind of on that subject, there was a play where they ran a screen to the Shawn McCoy and it went for a pretty decent game that got called back because alignman went downfield and just blocked the guy in the back, I mean, didn't need to touch the guy and blocked him the back. It's that type of discipline

that they're still lacking. The one thing that kind of stuck out with me with Brady too, and Greg, I think you'll be able to offer more on this than I will. It's like a lot of his short passes that he was trying to fit to guys who weren't even really in that tight of windows. They all had

like a nose dive on him. And I don't know if he was trying to throw passes low or not, but there were multiple times where his guys had to get down on the ground to catch passes where they literally came out of his hand at a downward angle, and that was a little concerning. Yeah, pretty much. He's a tall man, so you know it naturally goes down. But I don't think that's the plan. I don't think you want that. You want the downward that was that was the analysis that you were looking for. Yeah, I

don't think Upo is back there. He's about his tail end of career. Christian McCaffrey held in check. Three point three yards per carry, held under a hundred total yards was like never happened last year. And then he went down with an injury. What are you hearing about that? What have you read? So he was questionable to return, and then with a minute and a half left in the game, out of hand, he was ruled out. You know, what's the point of that? He had left to get

his ankle retaped and just never showed up again. Interestingly enough, they got down in the red zone again late. It was fourth and five there, down ten, and Matt rule elects to kick a field goal with less than three timeouts around two minutes left, as if he thinks he's gonna get that close to the end zone again, And of course they didn't get the onside kick, and then one touchdown run ended everything. I thought that was a little interesting, a peculiar strategy, I think for a coach

who's definitely operating with less than his opponent. Conspiracy theorists might suggest he had, um, you know, some action on the game or something, but it didn't even that didn't work out, Like why are you trying to cut the lead to seven? That is an interesting um accusation that believe in that NFL coach, but emanating out of Rosenthal headquarters.

No less. All right, let's move on. Golf ficks the hand off, rolls out to his right, sets his feet, throws back left over the top to the end zone. Caught by Tyler Higby. It's a three touchdown day for Higgs. There is j B long our boy for KESPN with the call Tyler Higbee. Three touchdown passes received from Jared Goff, including that twenty yard hook up in the fourth quarter nineteen the Rams spanked the Eagles in Philadelphia. Completed his

first thirteen passes, including a pair of tds. The Higbeet Rams jumped out to one three lead and the first half shook. It sounds like the Rams are just on a different level than the Eagles, right. This is two straight weeks for the Rams have gotten off to a hot start and their offense has been fun to watch again, which we haven't said that about them since they made

the Super Bowl. It felt last year like they were stuck in quicksand or mud for much of the season, and now that they don't have Todd Gurley, it seems like Sean McVeigh again feels like he has the freedom to call what he wants. One of their touchdowns was an end around or a reverse to Robert Woods for

a rushing touchdown. Cooper Cup was a big part of the offense as usual, but the variety was back, and it really made it interesting and exciting to watch and it and it contrasted very well with the Eagles, who kind of just don't have an identity offensively right now, especially when they put the ball on Carson Wentz his hands. This is two straight weeks where he just hasn't looked comfortable. He hasn't made smart plays, He hasn't really made a

lot of big time throws. And I think in a battle where he's facing the guy who went right ahead of him in the draft, Um, he definitely came out on the shorter rund stigma. That surprises me about um Wentz because I was so impressive what he did last year when they had all the injuries, and yet he kept on slinging it and kept on um piling up yards and and got on the page with Miles Sanders or they're able to kind of will that team to

the playoffs. And now with some better health, and I know they're not all the way their health wise, he seems to be kind of really stumbling, especially in the second halves of these games when they need him to make plays. You know. I think that some of his

offensive lines struggles have affected him, especially last week. He got to the point where he had been sacks so many times against Washington and he was stepping into sacks and he was trying to get rid of football and I think it kind of affected his rhythm again this week, and they just again they haven't really established much of an offensive rhythm, and he just doesn't look like he's in the flow of the game, like he trying to

do too much. And they were operating, uh, you know, trying to come from behind early in this game, and I think that got him out of his flow a little bit too. And it just hasn't been a very pretty two weeks for the Eagles really, since they had got off to a nice start in Washington last week. Now, on the flip side, we talked about Jared Goff and how he started thirteen for thirteen, I'll make another video game comparison, since West did that recently with the Tech

Mobil thing and Madden. Among people who play Madden, there's a thing called robot QB where a computer controlled quarterback cannot miss. He'll go perfect or near perfect for a game. Jared Goff was robot QB for almost the entire first half, which was really fun to watch. That's that's him at his best, and that's why you know, yes, things have to be right around him. In certain ways, he doesn't deal.

You know, he's not going to create plays, but when he's playing well, it's pretty I mean, you can see why he was taken one and why McVeigh believes that when you're seeing the mid range game now you're seeing a lot of those twenty yard passes in this game. It was a little shorter in week one, but four different receivers with plays over twenty. I mentioned the pa Ackers having a meaningful two weeks. I mean this was

a meaningful two weeks for the Rams. I think the way that these NFC West teams, because it's gonna be a blood bath to try to win this division. How they manage this lousy NFC East is gonna be key. And and here the Rams start with the win over you know, presumably to the two better teams Cowboys and Eagles, right off the bat, that they're in nice shape to

go four no against the NFC East. I think that's what it might take from the Seahawks and the Cardinals and and well, you know, the other NFC West team is like, you're gonna have to roll up winds uh to get into that NFC wild card to possibly win this division. And that that's a great, great start of the season for the Rams. Yeah. Another encouraging thing for the Rams going forward is their committee backfield teams to

be working. They didn't have Cam acre acres today, but the other two running backs combined for a hundred twenty eight yards and a touchdown. They look effective. No matter who was back there, they still moved the ball on the ground effectively. And of course, like you said, those those short to intermediate throws. Cooper Cup thrives there and today was Tyler Higbee's day thriving there. And I think

anytime you can get the tight end vaults. With that type of production, it unlocks your offense in a lot as you to reach greater heights, and I think right now they're they're trending toward that direction. It just seems like McVeigh has a lot of you know, the whole weight of having Girley in his contract a year ago, so much more flexibility with a committee backfield and using guys. I mean, I see that like not eight people had rushing attempts today, So he's using people all over the place.

And the emergence of the tight end position and a guy like Jefferson the rookie, the rookie wide receiver, there's just a lot of new parts. And I give McVeigh credit for essentially relaunching Rams two point oh here On offense, Yeah, Van Jefferson is really excited to watch. He made a nice catch early in that game down the sideline on one of their first drives that set up a touchdown.

And really, um, if you if you kind of just consider this offense entirely and how they operate when you get out of this game afterward, Sean McVeigh has gotta be really excited to not have to answer questions about why Todd Brialley didn't get enough carries. I mean, he's gotta you gotta get done with the game and be like, I'm gonna be one. I don't have questions about this. I can go hang out in my l A mansion.

This is great. Meanwhile, Eagles fans would have been happy and not if the Cowboys hadn't made that come back. But now that the Cowboys made that come back, this is dark in Philadelphia art. Yeah, you know it's they pumped crowd noise in. I'm pretty sure they were pumping booze in today in Philadelphia. I noticed that actually after the last Wedentz turnover in the stadium, not in the stadium. Look, I I gotta give an award of the person because that takes some guts to do that at home. You know,

you're really going for realism there, so experience. Yeah, that's the real that's peak Philadelphia right there. And let us now move to Sunday night football. Sunday night. Damn, he's gonna take it and sbody doesn't get in and then you're gonna win the game. Line up with the power formation and you've got L. J. Collier and Leno Hill

are the two guys who were there. The Seahawks defense bends, but it does not break when it matters most Al Michaels with the call for NBC Cam Newton at the goal line with a chance to win it on the final play of the game gets stuffed. Seattle Seahawks thirty five, New England Patriots thirty and another instant classic between these two teams. I don't know if they are capable of

playing a boring game. Certainly was the night. This was an awesome game, um, where both teams look like we'll see them deep into January, potentially because they have a lot of things going for them, even if only one team one today, Nick Shook, Uh start with you here, Um, you are a master of the offensive line study game Shook. What what were your thoughts on that last play call?

Cam is obviously feasted near the goal line this season and have that great little fake for the touchdown toss earlier in this second half, but it did not work there. I mean, as an offensive lineman, as a blocker, the number one thing you love to do is run block. I mean, nobody likes to pass bot, but they love to line it up and go man on man and try to outwill your opponent move that guy? And all you gotta do is moving three feet there to create enough space for the ball carrier to get into the

end zone. But unfortunately, Chris collins Worth, you know, called it prior. I mean, we all knew what was coming, and especially if you really think about it, with the stakes of this UM, I don't know if you would call it a rivalry, but the history that has been there in the past, and and the Seahawks throwing the ball on the goal line and the Super Bowl and everything else that happened there, you knew the Patriots weren't

going to make that mistake. They were gonna give it to Cam and try to let him do what he did. But a great job by Seattle blowing it up, you know, not allowing the fullback to kind of create the edge there, seal it off and allowed Can to try to get over the goal line. Yeah, like everyone's immediate reactors like, well I would elect to them to spread it out and then run it into like a thinner box. It's like, well, what what do you know? What are you talking about?

First of all, they ran those plays a million times in this game and it worked. And and their offensive line this is what I want as a fan or when I'm watching other games, go with your strength. Their offensive line and the guys who failed on that play were awesome all night. The only thing you could say that made it tougher is you know you're coming off a two straight time out, so you know, the defense did get a chance to kind of get their breadth there,

get their energy up. But the seat the Seahawks won that play, Uh, it makes that that comeback um so tantalizing because for most of the second half you you had to think the Patriots, well, you just gotta hand it to them, because Russell Wilson, the touch the touchdowns that you throw were just so ridiculous that it almost felt like what a great moral victory for the Patriots that they found this quarterback Cam Newton, who is dragging a pretty lifeless group of skill position players up and

down the field. I mean, has the worst group of skill position players ever put up thirty points and in whatever the yards that they put up, uh than Cam Newton and this crew in this game. Like I don't know, but once you got that close, the ball goes through Edelman's hand where they tried to uh not take the time out and then you get one or two yards short on the nikkil Harry catch. Um, it almost was

an unreal comeback victory by Cam Newton. Well, I just feel like we're lucky to watch the first two Sunday night games have been two of the cleanest, most interesting games of this young season. Well, that doesn't always happen on prime time, So it was just like a thrill to sit back on the couch and watch this thing. Man, it felt like a clinic of awesome team preparation of One play that stuck out to me was when they hid Tyler lock at the Seahawks in the backfield behind

Russell Wilson and behind the offensive line. Yeah, as an extra as an extra wide receiver that you know, And it was, And the Patriots are so well prepared that there were guys pointing that out before the snap. I love um. And this is going to annoy a lot of people, but the Patriots are so fun to watch right now. They've shaken off some of the old, stale cobwebby vibes that felt to me just like the same

team all the time. I feel like this team is heading um into They are a playoff team in my book, and they are so well coached, and the whole idea that you could just take these players and put them under a different regime. Bill Belichick is such a difference maker. And Cam Newton had a string of throws tonight that told me his arm is all the way back. I mean, I'm not I don't know, I'm not talking m v P. You're necessarily, but Cam Newton made some incredible throws and

Julian Edelman, who you know, like, put up career totals tonight. Um, they're in sync. It's just very Patriots esque. But they fought to the final final second. And I would never count this team out. The way they're constructed, the way that they operate week to week. They're just beginning to find out who they are. And Cam Newton fits. Cam look great, he really did. He looked like two thousand fifteen Cam in this game. He did. I mean he finished,

should have thrown a pick six that almost happened. He had the one other interception, so he wasn't perfect, but he made so many big time throws uh in this game that again you can see it if his if his body holds up if he can do it, and he had eleven more carries today. Um, they are gonna be a tough out. They're gonna give the Bills a run for the a f c's title and they will not be an easy out in the playoffs. And it is it is interesting to me, like because the Seahawks

have a great coach too. It's it's it's so especially if you root for a team that has bad coaching, like you you see it. You see how different football is when you have a team that is disciplined and understands their assignments and knows what they need to do and you see them play for each other. Uh. These are just two organizations that are to the best organizations uh in the NFL for years and years now, and that's why they play these great games. And that's why

they'll both be playing in January. So yeah, well, I while I'm um fine with the Patriots losing, that's never a problem for me. You can't be two down if you're a Patriots fan today. You just can't because you know that your team is there again and this has all the ear marks again. If you keep your health of a ten to twelve win team, potential of a fun team, and you see the progress from Cam throwing the ball. But man, their their weaknesses are pretty weak.

So you know, you guys are putting them in January and and coaching wise, you definitely figure that they'll figure things out as they go. And but they have absolutely no pass rush. I mean, Wilson could do what you want, and and the throws that they forced them to make, I guess maybe that they would defend that that. The David Moore catch was one of the most improbable catches you'll ever see. The DK Metcalf throw and catch for

the touchdown was ridiculous. Really, all three, even the locket one, like all three of their first touchdowns were great plays by Wilson's so you hand it to him. But they have no pass rush. And I'm not kidding that Edelman. Look he he wore Jamal Adams out a little bit in coverage. But I mean their best outside receiver is Demere Bird to kill Harry cannot move. They're they're running

backs went fourteen for twenty tonight. I mean, I've seen Cam Newton carry a team before, and they have a good offensive line, but it's really interesting that their weaknesses are so weak and at a certain point that that will probably be a bigger problem. I think Seahawks roster

overall looks a lot better. Yeah, you know, I think he made a good point about how they have no pass rush any time they ever really got to Russell Wilsons when they brought guys down into the box who wouldn't typically be rushing, and they brought him off the edge and forced him into some situations where he realizes that's not a defensive end that he could outrun or defensive tackle, but a defensive back. But on the on the flip side, I think that Seattle surprise, and I

know they gave up thirty points. I think they put together a fairly decent blueprint on how to fluster Cam Newton or fluster this offense a little bit and kind of short circuited at times. I mean, there was more than a handful of times where Cam dropped back and had pressure in his face or he had to get rid of the football and it was kind of an ugly result that usually didn't go for many yards, if

any at all. And I think going forward, you know, not not including the final play, because we kind of knew how that went. But going forward, I think some teams could look at that tape and think, oh, well, maybe this is a few ways we could kind of defend them. But ultimately, like you said, you know, when you're relying on Julian Edelman to catch eight balls for a hundred seventy nine yards is the lifeblood of your offense. I mean, although you can't. You gotta have more than

one option. They're so slow in the middle, like Jawan Bentley there inside lineback. It's just I'm not used to seeing like such subpar starters from the Patriots, and well, that's something that they're gonna that's something they're gonna work on. I'm with you, But I to Dan's point. When you're accustomed to watching um half baked coaches and I literally mean half big sometimes um running uh you know, middling teams there, you can point out all the weaknesses you want.

And you know what, Seattle doesn't have a pass rush either. These are still two teams that I trust just to be there in the end and counteract um and find the antidote to teams that do have pass rushes. The Seattle, though, I don't know if you're going to confuse Cam Newton and cause some of the issues you have if you don't have Jamal Adams. I mean, and and it's it's Dan, it's ponderous for you to have to hear Jamal adams siloquies.

So I'll keep it short, but I mean, you don't have to say that every time you bring up Jamal Adams. Well that's why I know it's annoying to you. But it's just like annoying that you keep bringing that up. Just talking about Jamal Adams. It's fine. Well, I think he's incredible and like I think for Seattle to be plugged into the right scheme, he's worth whatever they gave for him. He wouldn't have been worth it if you went to the you know, some other, some other operation

for two high picks like that. But Seattle, um, who you know. It was like, oh, he'll be bored there. I didn't look bored to me. He looked um. He looked completely on fire, and he changes that defense entirely. They'd be they'd be in hot water without him, I mean distinctively. Two other points on the Seahawks that jumped

out to me. You mentioned Metcalf DK Metcalf holding his own and then some against the reigning the Fensive Player of the Year stuff on glor He's metcalf is a special talent and he has the perfect quarterback to maximize his skill set. And speaking of that quarterback, Ricky Hollywood is a little annoyed before we started rolling here that the telecast is giving so much shine to Russell Wilson as a potential m v P guy. The reason that's

the case is that he's essentially a perfect quarterback. Russell Wilson is a perfect quarterback. Even his one mistake today was a pick six that was on the tight end, not on Russell Wilson. I think he might be the most under celebrated great quarterback of my lifetime. I think he's just a first ballot Hall of Famer smack in the middle of his prime. I think he's mastered the position, and what we saw today he was just another clinic. But he's better now than he's ever been. I think

he's a key. I don't think everyone knows Russell Wilson. I don't know he's been a top three quarters. That's kind of like think he should have never gotten him v you vote, tell me the year where he was the m v P the only vote for one person right now playing it at a higher level than anyone can possibly play. I totally agree with he's been doing. Absolutely, He's been a great quarterback for years. But there's something

right now watching him. It's he's masterful. And I think that you cannot count Seattle out when you have someone that has mastered that position and they're right at the peak of their powers, and they are. Their offense has changed, they are, they're real so far about letting him you know, because the point it almost cost him the game. They let him throw the ball in third and one deep and they went for it. So I don't problem with that.

I mean, they're like every other throw tonight. That's why I give you give him the benefit of the doubt, Like, all right, he tried to win it there, what are you gonna do? I'm sorry, but this, like, there is this thing on the minute they the minute the broadcast made the m v P comment how he's never gotten a vote there it's so twitter but it was like, well,

he never deserved an m v P vote. Sorry, Like I'd have no problem with someone over one of these years, saying Russell Wilson is an m v P level quarterback. Every year. I get that there are people in his way, like last year who it's like then you asked the person what year, what have you voted for him? And there isn't there. Well, I'll go back and I'll go back and find a year. I just don't think it's judge whether a quarterback is truly one of the all time greats by some dope m v P tropes like,

that's not really what it's about. Shook, you get the last word. Well, I can't kill them for throwing that on third one because that's the same play that they ran to beat Filly in the playoffs last year. It just didn't work out this time. But you know what, Russell Wilson might not be underrated, but you know what he is on limited very well, that's how you fun a tap on a great Week two recap and Shook. I know it's late where you are, it's right around midnight,

but this is some characters like you. This is when you get your pumping right. This is a good time to get a little yoked and and it tells the body never rest, never, never take it easy. Yeah, I mean the gym is not open right now. But if it was, and yeah, I'd be there. I've had he had been, I've had a key to a gym and been there overnight making those noises. Yeah please those noises, especially that last one. Yeah, thats like have you passed

your bowels on the gym before? All right, that's uh, thank you Nick Shook for helping us out and uh reminder that we'll be back on Tuesday with I believe Colleen Wilf will be sitting in the Chris Westling chair as the plan so look forward to that as we turn our attention to week three. Will also be of course on Tuesday recapping Monday Night Football, the matchup between well it's the same thing. Yeah, thank you, thank you.

From the Death Star. This is Dan Hansons signing off for Nick Shook, the Mailman and Absentia the Old Boss, Quiet Storm and Ricky Hollywood from what's called World Don't Do the Night Who