2020 Week 9 Recap

give it my best for for that hour. Um, feeling okay, Just trying to get rid of this pain. That's been the main that's been the main problem all along, is just pain. My doctors are pretty happy that the tests are showing that the cancer itself is under control. It's just that we found nothing to give me relief from from so Um, that's the next I guess the next frontier. Unbelievable. Well that is great news in one part and frustrating news in the second bar because we know how long

this has been going on now. But you're a tough s ob, my friend. And in that facial hair is looking it's looking hot. I mean, whether you're struggling. The facial hair is not struggling. Well, I have to keep up with my son, not not facial hair wise, but but cuteness wise. You know, he's getting all the Instagram love lately. So I think we should have got to compete. The special focus on not assigning West to anything related to Chicago's offense in terms of reducing pain, um and annoyance.

That feels fair. Um so with the West returning to the flagship show. And yes, this is our comprehensive look back at the Sunday that was in week nine of the National Football League. West was our eye in the sky checking in on the various games and the to the gang here had our game assignments and of course, uh Nick Shuk will join us a little bit later. He hits a couple of games every Sunday. So we got the whole thing working. And and before we get

going sciss oh I'm sorry. Yes, so that you know the cough button didn't well that was that was a disaster. And that's that's the second um time I've been uh completely embarrassed. Uh you know on Live Era if that we want to call it with the with the car, we could edit it out, but we won't. No, I know we will not. Like I I understand where this is going. Apologies to the hundreds of thousands of people that were um dismayed by that. That was gross. And yeah,

you you mentioned the numbers of listeners. Um, that's a nice segue. Mark good recovery, even if it was accidental. Ricky, come in here real quick. We did. Our first recap of week nine was Thursday night football, Uh, Packers Niners tilt. That was sleepy to say the least, especially if you were a fan of the team up there by the bay.

And during this happened during you know, the grips of the presidential race and the counting of the ballots, and and we we wondered at the end of that brief recap if anyone was listening and to send us a little hashtag. And I happen to be wearing a Godzilla T shirt. So Ricky suggested, why don't you make it Godzilla if you're still listening at the end of the recap, hit us up on Twitter. Well, it turns out by Saturday morning, hashtag Godzilla was trending in the UK, so amazing,

incredible testament to our listeners loyalty right there. We put over the whole sound Yeah yeah, eric I, which I found to be a bit of a reveal magnificent that she basically just trowned out these responses from these loving listeners. But we put the over under it ten responses, and I think that it was closer to UM ten thousand. I mean that's stretching it a bit, but I'm going to say ten thousand channel and see if some creature isn't crawling out of there like that. So yes, that

was very cool too. So all right, so thank you to listeners. We've got a lot of games to get to. Let's start out with a great inter conference showdown. Josh Allen in the gun, takes his snaff, gonna keep it himself, runs to his right, gets inside the five into the end zone, touchdown, Buffalo. Josh Allen then only took one play to cash in on Tournavian's white amazing interception touchdown Buffalo, John Murphy. It's not like he was up late. A

lot of Americans up late this weekend. Boys gave way a little bit, but he got the call out w g R. Josh Allen threw for four fifteen and three touchdowns. He rushed for another score, leading the Bills to a forty four to thirty four win over the Seahawks and Orchard Park. Alan entered this game in a personal slump, but Seattle's defense was the perfect remedy. Even with Carlos Dunlop on the field and Jamal Adams three havoc near the line of scrimmage, it didn't matter because Seattle can't

cover anybody. And that was my big takeaway from the game. This has been something that's kind of been on the radar um of a lot of people, myself included that the Seahawks defense is just such an issue that, uh it's hard to take them serious as a true Super Bowl contender. And I thought it was interesting what Pete Carol and uh Ken Norton did here. And I would be curious if the scientists could give me a little more inside if this is typically how they run their defense.

But they just went mad with the blitzing. They were just bringing the house at Josh Allen, and I don't know if they they scouted Allen and said, if we can just disrupt him that way, we're going to um find a way to take advantage of mistakes, as Allen is prone to, of course, but it got to the point where it was just they were coming after him

every time and if they weren't getting home. And they did get home, they had seven sacks sales defense, but when they didn't get home, it was you know, an open prairie field in the secondary, and the Bills just kept piling up points. I got off to a seventeen point lead, um as you might expect Russell Wilson and the Seahawks mount to come back and make it a

one score game in the second half. But Wilson, again, just like in their first loss of the season, he has such a thin line of error that and I talked about the Seahawks as a team if they don't if he doesn't play perfectly or close to it, they have a good chance to lose if they're playing a good team. And he had four turnovers in this game, two interceptions, two lost bumbles that accounted for sixteen Buffalo

points and that's how it went. I I think that Pete Carroll is gonna have regrets, and I want to watch this game more closely. But I heard his you know, comments after the game where he said we had a real nice plan for their running game and that they were very surprised that they totally ditched the run, which seems crazy to me. This is the NFL, and no one watching the Bills, despite them running the ball pretty well the last two weeks, would consider them a better

running team than a passing team. They had two good matchups the last two weeks, and they ran the ball well against them. But it's the NFL. You always gotta start by stopping the pass. And to put it even in more context, the Bills have been stopped by a pretty consistent game plan over the last month in terms of Josh Allen of backing off, not blitzing, uh, making him sit back there and make decisions and slowly, you know, move the ball down the field and see if that's

how he's gonna make a mistakes. So it seemed just listening to you that it plays right into the Bill's hands. I can see how Pete Carroll's approach. Um, to answer your question, Dan, the Seahawks are not known for blitzing and getting after quarterbacks. They don't really get after quarterbacks at all. Right, Um, it could be games planned specific maybe the book on Josh Josh Allen according to the circles that Pete Carroll runs in is this is the guy you have to pressure because he can get rat

But like Greg said, this is a passing offense. And moreover, they're a passing team. They're a bad defense, and they're a bad running team. So what do they have left? The passing game? And I don't think it's any coincidence. They looked a lot better with Smoky Brown healthy. He's a bit of a Jenga piece for them, had not been playing well, had been injured and missing time, and they really missed him. Um to me, this this team lives and dies with Josh Allen. He is their offense.

Yeah what I mean? You know? Pete care also said after the game, I didn't recognize that contest. I didn't recognize that game that they've been in every week. Well, but it doesn't happen every week. In terms of Russell Wilson throwing two killer picks, um being destroyed by Jerry Hughes losing two fumbles, he's been pristine. They've been relying on a completely pristine version of Russell Wilson. When that falls apart, this happens as well so to that point,

and credit Brian day Ball and the Bills attack. They call up their first twenty two plays of the game twenty or passes. So this was a concerted effort to attack Seattle's defense through the air. Alan threw for a hundred and fifty six yards in the first quarter alone. By the half, he was up your three hundred yards with three touchdowns already, so it was in two touchdowns already. It was really another ugly affair for Seattle's defense, and um, Quentin Dunbar stood out to me as someone that was

a major target, uh in that secondary. He was getting picked on all day by Stefan Diggs and to the point where he eventually got benched in the fourth quarter. Lyndon Stevens comes in and um, yeah, you tell me, and um, you know Jamal Adams return, he did, he was there. He's he makes impact plays near the line of scrimmage. But there are also several plays in this game where he's running through the secondary chasing guys after

they lose him en route. So it's like, I don't know. Obviously, Adams is a big gain to this team in terms of his playmaking ability, uh near the line. But for a team that can't cover anyone that was never his fourte with the Jets either, Um, they just have a

lot of issues. And for the Bills and Josh Allen, especially after those four great weeks and then four so so to bad weeks, for Allen to get back here now be seven and two, UM and being in control of the division, Uh, you've got to be feeling very good. It's such a massive win for them. And we said it coming off last last week, how should you feel about them? And and and I said, in a sense, they should feel okay because they have the players to play better in their six and two so the whole

season is still in front of them. They have big time goals. But to get a convincing win like this where you put forty up there, their defense they're kind of playing the same game as the Seahawks where their defense just needs to be average. Seahawks have not had an average defense. I think the Bills defense should get to be an average and maybe maybe this at least turning the ball over against you know, getting forcing four

turnovers is a start in that direction. And all right, so let's move now to too great all three late games went down to the final play just about. So let's cycle through a couple of them, starting with a trip to the desert. This will be a forty nine yard and the kicks, so we're tied with one's short. It was the middle and blew it dead. What a

break for the Dolphins. I thought the same thing as Jimmy Ceppalo, Jason Taylor, Joe Rose w q A M. You know, I had a lock on the line here at the Cardinals and Zane Gonzalez lines up fore yard or straight down the mill. This is the hey son, this is the NFL. We don't fall short on anything sub fifty in this league in perfect condition. So that was a stunner for the Cardinals. Uh. And that was the difference because to a tongue of Valoa and the Dolphin really showed up to play in the desert. They

escaped the desert. Well, I'm gonna just keep saying the desert with a well earned thin. And that's four straight wins for the Dolphins. Greg, I mean, unbelievable. I I made you know, a little sound going into because it's wow. The Cardinals Dolphins making it all the way to the second spot in the show. But it it uh, it deserved it. I've had a bad streak of picking bad games um coming into the Sunday, I've had a lot

of clunkers. So this one was good. This one, you know, maybe gets me on a winning track here because it was one of the most fun games I've had to watch all year. To versus Kyler and to a tongue of Voloa, I think has to make Dolphins fans so excited. And we can go into kind of the strategy of what went into that field goal attempt and everything that happened in the the last couple of minutes. But I want to take it back to the end of the third quarter.

It was thirty one, the Cardinals were rolling. It felt like maybe the Dolphins had given their best shot their back up against their own goal line. It's third and nine, and after that point at twa had one of the

best drives I've seen all season by any quarterback. A third and nine where they come after him, they get the pressure quickly, they get the matchup they want really quickly, and he throws a perfectly accurate throw to Hopkins on third and nine to the right shoulder or else that might have been a pick six, but it was so

accurate he gets it done. Then another third down where he evades a number of different Cardinals rushers, looks athletic, picks up the first down, has a seventeen yard throw to to Parker, and then down towards the goal line, he makes an athletic play just kind of with a twitchiness that makes you feel like, wow, this guy has

got some of his juice back in his legs. And you know, cap the drive with a beautiful touchdown pass and that drive just made me feel like I already felt like it when they made the decision because they have I think they have to see what too was all about. But that drive was kind of the moment where it was like, well, of course this was the right move because they need to have this guy on the field and see what he can do the rest

of the way. And he is already showing the type of potential that he has in a game like this. I mean, that's seventeen yard run that he had was that was electrifying. And you know, we we're up here where you're watching all these games at the same time, and I and I thought that, you know, lost in last week's Miami victory was to uh just did not look good at all. I mean, he in the whole offense didn't. And I think they want to surround him with a strong run game and they are battered at

running back. They just can't do that right now, and so a lot of it falls to him and today was such a positive step. And you know, Dolphins fans have gone decades without a quarterback to root for. We all know that. You know, post Dan Marino, you saw something today and I think it goes beyond just two a two. This is a mentally tough team. They're really well organized. They do something with special teams every week. Uh, every time I look up Emmanuel Agba, who was a

cast off in Cleveland, it's making plays. It's a bunch of guys who probably the average fan has not heard of, but we'll hear of soon because this team team is intriguing. Their five and three, they are a threat. Yeah. Greg mentioned that you have to see what ta has this year just because you have to make a decision next

year at quarterback. But I thought it was interesting. Go back a week and Jay glazer Um with Fox Sports reported that the Dolphins made this decision for this year they believe that to it gives them a better chance than Ryan Fitzpatrick the rest of this season. And that was eye opening to me because you just don't see the situation in the NFL. You see a lot of times where the the team isn't good, so why not

go with the rookie. But the Dolphins were playing well, reaching their peak in an open um a f C East, and they decide to go with a rookie because they think he's better. And you know, there was also another

report connected to to AH that circulated this weekend. ESPN is Adam Schefter reported that the first and second round picks the Dolphins have acquired from the Texans played a role in the decision to start to A. As crazy as this sounds, they have enormous draft capital uh at the highest level of the drafts this upcoming spring, and they are not ruling out the idea of going after another quarterback if they don't like what they see from two US. So they want to get him on the

field as soon as possible, which all makes sense. It's also kind of mind block boggling because he's played four quarters and now it's like he's playing for his job. They made that report even before he got the starting job, to be fair, but it totally makes sense, right, But then it popped up again this weekend though maybe his phrase differently, but people out there right now, Yeah, he he wrote a world for some reason, you know, noticed it a week later. Um, and it it makes sense.

And I and I think it's because you've got to see him play in a game to know. And I'm sure they love what they saw today because he's crafty, I mean, and that he doesn't necessarily, you know, have every trait that you look for in a number one overall pick. His arm is not stronger than the NFL average. Um, he said he felt like he was running quicksand today he's not slow, but he's definitely not um a run

first guy. But man, his decisiveness and his way he keeps his eyes down the field and the way he made defenders missed two as a runner, even if he's not like the fastest guy, and just kind of a feel for the game that it's hard to define from a quarterback. It looks like he has that and some of these quarterbacks coming into the league, but they just seem so much more ready than they've been. I mean crafty can also mean a very high ceiling. I think

Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers are crafty. You know, Teddy Bridgewater's crafty too, on a different state, but that's the type of quarterback I think two is gonna be and man like out. I'm not gonna say he outshined Kyler Murray, who was unbelievable, but he in the end he got the better of him. Is crafty. That guy does something crafty every week. Right, I'm gonna get on Cliffs kings Cliff kingsbar for the second time in three weeks, Um for being a little gun shy in a big moment.

Didn't love bringing out Zane in the first place. There that games spelt set up for two of v Kyler and these two guys were gonna settle it um. And I kind of thought that Kyler Murray after they fell behind there on the Jason Sanders field goal the second one, that he was going to lead him down the field to score. And they got a little bit of rotten luck the Cardinals where they kept on falling short of

the first down marker by a yard or so. It happened on three different occasions and led to a turnover on downs. It led to the missfield goal with them maybe a little better luck or a better spot from the officials were not I'm not talking about this right now, but I would have loved to keep Kyler Murray on the field fourth and one when a long field goal is the alternative. That didn't quite add up to me, and you ended up getting burned by not being aggressive.

Plus you've named someone saying, so there's going things are going to be. It's gonna be an up and down. I was like a lot of people, just like the announcer there that I just I put my head down after I saw it was, you know, middle of the uprights. I don't know. I just sometimes don't watch the field goals all the way through. And then here it was good. Here the announcers say it's short, just because you'd never expect the fort never that he he had a fit

if fifties six yard or earlier this season. But to your point on the short yardage, as great as Kyler Murray played, and we should point out he had four touchdowns and only five in completions, and he ran for a hundred and six yards and his his running is the most unstoppable playing football. This was the best game I think he's ever had running. He did have that that fumble that was returned for a touchdown um where

he kind of ran into it. And then on the third and one play you mentioned right before the field go the throw was there. People killed them for the play call in terms of throwing the ball, but he just kind of short hopped the throw. So on on one of his best days I've ever seen him, he just had a couple of regrettable plays. And he can't make plays like that against the Dolphins. They'll make you pay. I like this Dolphins. They're fun. They're a good team.

Henry Hotson, Neil Reynolds, all those Dolphins fans are having a little bit of fun this this year. All right, let's move on to another epic finish in the late games. One second on the clock, Herbert's gonna take the snap, four man roch Lava to the right high Cad grabbed in the air, shaking touchdown. They went over to six eight. Donald perram So has a review here. We're looking at the replays. That ball popped out on the ground, rolling on the field has been changed. The receiver did not

know Jack Pot Vegas wins Brett Musberger. That's his call. Jack Pott, Vegas wins Baby kr LV. Yes. For a moment, it looked as if the Chargers would finally have a storybook ending of their own in the final seconds, but no, Lucy pulled the ball away from Charlie Brown once more. Raiders thirty one bolts in Hollywood park Um, actually twice.

This one was crazy. I mean, we we talked about the Chargers every we blowing games, but this one twice in the final five seconds of game time, Herbert appeared to connect with the receiver on a game winning score. You had Mike Williams with five seconds to play. He nearly comes down with the ball, doesn't survive the ground. Uh, then you have partners partum parum, partum parum, Donald partum, who appeared to have the game winner until we got to the sixth or seventh ree play. And it's only then.

And that's what makes it again, with the teams that are truly the teams that are in the pain, the true top tiers of the pain rankings, it's that little extra bit of pain that separates him and the Chargers of the team that the first six replay show a game when he catched the seventh three play shows the ball clearly hitting the ground, So instead of a season saving win, it's likely curtains for the Chargers. At the two and six and the five and three Raiders, they

probably know they got away with one tonight. Mm hmm. I I don't know what to say anymore about this Chargers team. I mean, it's it's epic. I know, like the pain ranking, you don't change him each week and all, but this, this stretches wild. This, this doesn't happen. This, this last couple of years of Anthony Lynn is just wild. The different ways that they lose, and this felt like it was going to kind of be a flip situation, um, you know, just because they're the ones with the ball

at the end. Herbert played great. Some of his deep passes were just outrageous. Uh in this game again, But it's the same thing every week. He plays great and they find a way to lose. I just I mean, I think from a game to game experience, the Chargers are something there's no there's really no rivalry like what they're going through with these last minute um implosions. There's

nothing to touch it. At the same side, I would not put them in any pain ranking right now watching their quarterback the way he plays, it's just to me from a from a larger bird's eye view, and like I like, I think Chargers fans like they have a right to feel, you know, heartbroken after a game like this and all these other string of um issue games. But at the same time, like you are watching someone who is going to change the NFL and change the

Chargers forever. I mean, he's literally going to completely alter that franchise. And every time they have the ball, you feel that they can do anything. And their downfield passy

game is so active, so vibrant, so dangerous. I thought they gave the Raiders a complete run for the money and could probably beat any team in the league if they were I think, frankly a little bit better coached with some of this last minute stuff, I mean, and it probably puts ownership into a weird position to seeing depending on how the season ends, because now you have like a precious jewel at the center of your offense,

you want to treat it correctly. You don't want to be in these games situations where you don't trust the coaching staff, so they've got to prove to ownership that they can pull these games out. You got the rest of the season to do it, but the DNA tells

us they cannot so far. Yeah, I totally agree with you, Mark, I I know, I think about sports paying a little bit differently than most people because when you've got Justin Herbert and and maybe he's not Dan Marino where he comes in and you haven't seen a quarterback like this before in your entire lifetime as a rookie, maybe he's not quite that, but to see a guy this aggressive and making that many chunk plays and big plays under pressure every week and you're waiting for it to stop,

and it never stops. It just keeps doing it week in and week out. To me, that's the best hope you got. That there's no pain at all there. I mean, I know they keep losing in them now, but they've already got Derwin James out for the year. They're not going to be a super Bowl winner. To me, this is a good feeling team just because of what you got going on in the most important position in sports. I know, you guys, that's a nice viewpoint to have.

From thirty five thousand feet. But if you're living and dying with your favorite team, you're not feeling too hot right now, You're right? I agree. Justin Herbert changes the trajectory of this organization. We've talked about it when they moved to l A, like, who do you build this team around to get people excited? There is Justin Herbert, the twenty two year old who's doing it week after week.

But I mean that is the big picture. The small picture is that this season is in what's too many seasons as the charges for and do you have regrets about how games and the fact that they're piling up week after week and Herbert as great as he's played like, it's it's incredible. I think he has one win and four losses and he could easily be close to undefeated right now. But they just they just don't know how

to close these games. Let's give a little bit of credit to Isaiah Johnson because he is a second year

cornerback for the Raiders. He's the one that knocked the ball out of Mike Williams hands in the end zone and then with one second to play, he was involved with knocking away from Parnham too, So he played a major role in the Raiders, a team that no one is in love with, but you have to respect that they're five and three halfway through the season and they're gonna be around in the playoff picture to the end.

That's what I think. I like them. So I saw Derek Carr make a couple of amazing plays we all, you know, the the the diving, you know, put his body into peril um for his team, the way he dove over that one player. I mean, just making a couple of money throws down field. Like I feel like my opinion of Derek Carr has sort of been the same. I've been disappointed with him for a really long time. Um, it's gonna take a little bit more for me to

get out of that headspace entirely. But this year's version of Derek Carr is what Raiders fans have been saying he's been when I've never never bought into it. I mean, this is a this is a tough, tough quarterback. I will not even try just go on with your sound effects. I am. I think it's go on. I think it's the best Derek ever. I think maybe he saw Dan's inspirational words. I think this is the best season he's had.

I always thought that that his quasi m v P, where people said he was in the m v P mix was a lot of smoking mirrors. And you know what, Derek car you're gonna get each and every week. He's not. I'm not even saying he's a top eight quarterback to me, so I'm not going crazy. But he's very steady, he's improved some of his weaknesses. And uh, they're They're a team that's a problem. They really are. By the way, though, I do want to say, like the Chargers make their

own bad luck. Their special teams messes up every week. They're the worst special team in the history of football. Dead last last year in d v O A dead last this year, they fumble it and set up three points at the end when their defense actually closed this game out very very well. Uh. And then Anthony Lynn didn't take a time out during that last drive. It blew twenty five seconds off the clock just because he's had a total mind freeze, and they didn't say a

word about it. On the total mind freeze, twenty five seconds on the last drive of the game would have given him at least one more play at the end. There to try to go. That's what I mean. We're like, if you're gonna if you have a crafty front office and ownership group, you have to take a strong look at this. We all love Anthony Lynn the guy, but there's this doesn't happen just due to bad luck. There

are decisions that you could diagnose week after week. The point back to coach, Yes, you're not buying the Derek Carlove. I can see that. No. I think it's it's another it's another recency biased. I mean, it's crazy. There's a reason why he was mentioned in the m VP debate because he was the one carrying that offense. This year. It's a Josh Jacob centric offense and Henry Ruggs is is the wild card, like he's one who provides the spacing. I don't think it's like Derek Carr's playing out of

his mind. Now. I respect the way he's playing. He's been the hardest guy for me to grade because I feel like they kind of coach around him at times. Um, it's not a quarterback centric. He's not the engine that makes that offense go. That's why he's hard to grade. Um, And I think he was quite a bit better a few years ago. Um one last thought on Len missed

that scientist heat. Yeah, yeah, that was nice. When last week Greg you had noted he had a kind of like a visceral guttural reaction on the sideline when the game got away from on the last play, it happened again. When they finally made the decision, they made the announcement that it was incomplete, he like real reached up instinctually and grabbed at his face guard, his pandemic face guard, and just like yanked at it, like he just lost control of his own body. He was just like in

like a nightmare that he can't wake up from. Tough times. Oh, before we move on, I had to see what happen been with our good buddies Matt Money Smith and Daniel Jeremiah, who called the games for the Chargers. Uh so, Ricky, can you queue up to when they announced that it's it's not gonna happen, that it's become clear it's an incomplete pass and now the Raiders are celebrating because they saw it. Took six or seven different replays to finally

come up with that angle. I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen anything like it. I'll tell you DJ. The h the signal went up from John Jenkins, and I didn't want to call it a touch I really didn't. I just I saw it and I was like, IM tired of doing this. I empired to call in touchdown only to happen board yet again. It will be taken off the board and it will result in another loss for the Chargers. Money's dying. He's gotta make like a mix tape of like money in DJ and these last

second calls that you give to a Chargers family. If you broke up with a Chargers fan, you give them that mixtape. He's they're killing them. The Chargers are killing that Money Smith, all right, let's move on. Snap gives it to John of the Taylor off right tackle. He's got a hold cross the forty yard black spilt turning all the way down to the ball comes out. If we'recovered by Chuck Clark along in her sideline Colts forty checked up by Mad Colonolds, Philip Rivers plenty ten five

touch down Ravens. Chuck Clark picks up the fumble that was forced by Marcus Peters and the defense puts the Ravens right back in the game. Jerry Sandusky w b a L. With the offense scuffling, it was the Ravens defense that got things going. On Sunday, Chuck Clark's sixty five yard fumble, recovery and touchdown put Baltimore on its way over the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mark, this wasn't the get right game we expected from the Ravens exactly, but they got it done. They did, and

it was for their offense. I thought it was, you know, another one of these tale of two halves type contests. They had fifty five yards at halftime, two point two yards per play, eighteen yards on the ground. This is a team that you know, bullrush the Steelers for two hundred down the stretch last week. They were not that team. And you know, you preview these games and you'd call like a strength on strength the Cults run defense versus the Ravens, and usually one of those two just don't

add up. I mean, by the end of the game you could point to both sides and saying that they got they got the work done, because that fifty five yard first half had a lot to do with I think a Cults defense that has incredible team speed. UM had exactly a great game plan to diagnose Lamar Jackson. Al Kadeen Mohammed had a play where he blew up Lamar Jackson for a thirteen yard loss. Denico Autry was snuffing out Lamar on a third down right before the

half that just prevented Baltimore from getting on track. There were one guy after the next. I thought DeForest buck he got in there. I mean Darius leonard Is. It's a week after weeks story. When he's in there. There a completely different defense. They made life so tough on Baltimore, and you know, you went in a hat time thinking this offense might just completely be broken, and because maybe enough teams have shown and put up tape on how

to beat Baltimore. At this point, the Ravens defense gets a ton of credit for me, because you get the Chuck Clark touchdown, you get um a huge turnover in the second half that led to a Ravens TV and touchdown, and this is good coaching. Marcus Peter had an interception that essentially they called it just sort of a dropped ball. Harbor went back and challenged it and essentially they called it. I mean it was an interception that Peters himself fumbled.

Um the Ravens recovered. But that turned things around and led to a hard fought Ravens touchdown on the ground by Gus Edwards. And to me that Baltimore found their offense a little bit in the second half. They fought and found their way back into this thing. The Cults offense is a hot mess from what I see. There is no anchoring force. Philip rivers Um has his games, but this was not one of them. They really struggle.

His longest completion was twenty one yards. So as much as the Cults defense Um nearly gave this game the Indian the first half, I think Baltimore's defense showed up to be the one by the end of the game that kept a really sinking offense alive until they found some life themselves. That Peter's interception call, to me, was the play of the game. Yep, that changed everything. And it was a very shaky call. I think us the average sports fan at a bar, how how that should

be called? And he would say in completion, not a reception. It was a very shaky call. Give the Ravens credit because they completely shut down the Colts after that um And to me, we can blame Philip Rivers again, but that they've got the same problem they've had all year, these rookies that they're counting on Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman, and you can throw Paris Campbell in there as a second year guy. This is supposed to be the big

play element in their offense. Taylor and Pittman's specifically were brought in to fix the lack of big plays. Taylor has been terrible, absolutely brutal this year and he he was bad again today, had very costly fumble. Pittman's not making big plays, Paris Campbell's injured, t Y Hilton's out. You're asking Philip Rivers to be a big play quarterback

when he's got no big play elements on his office. Right, They had one yard in the third quarter, and it's it's due to a lack of those guys you mentioned showing up where you thought by now that would be it would be the opposite, But they're they're playing against Ravens defense that other than that, Chief's game has been the best in the league, you know, statistically, and they're pretty close they're pretty close to the best in the

league statistically with that that Chief's scheme, they they are a better Ravens defense overall, I think this season than a year ago. And Lamar is now twenty five and five. You know, the Ravens are twenty five and five and games that Lamar started and that the two biggest reasons for that are the run game and their defense. And for the most part, I know they struggled to run the ball today, but still, you know, one of the top two or three rushing team in the league. For

the most part, they have that this year. They I don't know how far they can get by what they're passing him doing this little, but they have the run game, they have the defense, and there's still a lot to deal with. Jonathan Taylor did not receive a carry after his first quarter fumble until six fifteen to play in the fourth quarter. He finished with a season low six carriers for twenty seven yards. Uh The Colts averaged three and a half yards per carry as a team, and

this doesn't feel like it's gonna work. They have a good defense, but if they can't really run the football, putting that much on Philip Rivers plate in twenty. This seems like a experiment that will be doomed to fail unless they figure out something. Well, they need the guy, they need everyone healthy, and they need t Y Hilton healthy, and then maybe maybe it's always hurt now though maybe early December or mid December they are a different offense.

But right now they don't have the juice. Big t NF this week Colts Titans, you know, because you're right, those two are to me are pretty well below the top tier in the a f C. You could argue the Titans on that um, but that you know, the Colts find a way to win that game, and then they're feeling okay, all right, let's move forward. Three seconds left. He's back steps up, throws it for the goal line, and the pass is broken up at the goal line.

Make a Fitzpatrick and that ends the football. In the end of the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers are eight and oh and they barely survive a great effort by the Cowboys. Oh man, my goodness, gentlemen, I felt like like light up a cigar there, Wow, relaxed vibe there in the boot. Makea Fitzpatrick put the finishing touch on a strong game. By breaking up Garret Gilbert's desperation end zone heave with deflection allowed the Steelers to escape Jaral World with nineteen

win Mark. When we previewed this game, we talked about the possibility of a Steelers blow out a biblical proportions. What happened, Well, I mean, I think you know, when a bunch of talking heads get together and make predictions, they often go wayward. This went completely wrong. I think that you know, a Garrett Gilbert's a little bit better than people planned for. Um, And you know this was

This was Pittsburgh's defense all year long. They have been getting to the quarterback and causing total havoc that didn't happen in the first half here, and Pittsburgh's offense just looked completely out of sync. Uh. You know, maybe, Mike Nolan, Um, I don't think it's ideal that you say my offense or my defense will start to look like what it's supposed to be in weeks eight and nine. But two

weeks in a row they've looked pretty solid. A guy like Layton Vanderesh to me, Um, I'm seeing some speed, I'm seeing a little bit of a little hint of the old Layton Vanderesh of old um Neville Gallimore, their third round pick. Um had a huge game today and Big Ben, you know, he he looked to me seriously injured when he hit when he had that knee hit in the first half, and um he allead. I mean, this is sort of a big the experience of Big Ben.

He has these injuries and then he has sort of the flashy hobbling around and makes the heroics row and he had a touchdown drive right before the half that probably saved the Steelers. Team came back in the second half. Didn't look totally impacted by it, but it you know, it's it just sort of lessons what Big Ben can do. I think in general, I would point to Jayalen Smith, though there were this is someone who's not going to

enjoy watching film this week. Cowboys linebacker Jalen Smith Dallas was up nineteen to fifteen and the fourth quarter, um Alden Smith had a fumble recovery of Big Ben and was racing down the sideline. This probably could have given Dallas a legit chance to win. Jalen Smith was nailed with the legal contact wipe that out and the Steelers go on to a field goal drive that gives them

a night lead. Uh. They then with nine net with four minutes left, Jalen Smith is hit with a killer roughing the passer call on third and ten that would have ended a Dealers drive. The Steelers. I thought it was ticky tacky, but I mean it's still you know, if I'm gonna go by what Romo says, they both they basically said you cannot do what he just did, and so a lot of these calls feel ticky tacky

to me. This is not nineteen seventy six. They don't allow them to exact punishment like they did in the past. But that was a killer flag that led to the Deontay Johnson or the Clay Let's see the Eric Ebron touchdown with you know, minutes later, Deonte Johnson had a forty two yard catch and run, which was really the first big play that Pittsburgh had, and then they just hung on. I mean, this was not the Pittsburgh performance

that you'd want. What I think they did effectively, though, was that when Garrett Gilbert had a chance to really give the Cowboys a game winning drive, they went five man rush, They got in his face, they made life tough, and they destroyed him on fourth down and he had one chance at the end, you know, to to do it. And um, I think Gilbert showed them a lot. He looked better to me than Andy Dalton did in that one game. And Gilbert, you know, do not forget, was

the uh rather fascinating. Orlando Apollo's a f um passer of the year. And also that team went on to win the championship in that league. So Gilbert is someone that I think coaches around the league um know about. Steve Spurrier said that the only difference between him and Nick Foles is that Nick Foles makes twenty million a year and Gilt I mean, is it fair to get on them for starting Gilbert was signed off for practice squad. I don't think that he had a full grasp of

the offense. And they said that Garret Gilbert though, basically stepped in and learned the offense quicker than Cooper or than Cooper Rush. So you know, look at he came in and he looked good, look good for what you'd think a fourth string quarterback would do. So I know what it means for Dallas, But this was an odd game Pittsburgh. I think just had that one week where they were not themselves. Yeah, I don't think Garret Gilbert looks so good that you kill the Cowboys for starting

someone else. Um. He was definitely an upgrade, but I thought he had a lot of very narrow escapes out of the pocket that could have gone the other way. And credit to him for getting out the pocket and making escapes Houdini like, but he could have easily had a series of turnovers instead of getting out of the pocket. Um. Any seasoned watcher of the Steelers knows that under Tomlin they have these games once or twice a year where it's a team they should win by three touchdowns and

they go in and they usually lose that game. Today they were lucky they were playing against the four string quarterback UM and a bad defense. But I thought to me, what was into you know, outside of t J. Watt and Cameron Heyward taking over, he had another game, UM, just dominating down the stretch. To hear Romo talk about you can't keep giving the Steelers offense more chances because look at their wide receivers. Can't keep Claypool, Deante Johnson,

Juju Smith, Schuster and Ebron under control. Play after play, sooner or later, one or all those guys are gonna bust bust loosen to me, when you look at this Steelers offense this year compared to previous years, that they have a loaded wide receiver corps. They can't run the ball well though, they really struggle on the ground. I guess when you're two and six, you're gonna be aggressive.

Mike McCarthy allowing Gilbert to throw the ball on third and goal to Pittsburgh five with twelve minutes to play in the fourth quarter ends with a catastrophic interception. If you play a little more conservative there, you kick a field goal. I believe you're up eight points in that situation. Instead, that was the beginning of the end for the Cowboys.

I want to say one thing on the other side with Big Ben, because I know it's not a popular sentiment on this podcast or really anywhere, but I think Big Ben is a tough guy, and I thought it

was interesting he's an old man at this point. He is a tough guy, agree with and I get I get the the the fun kind of element of it that he plays up injuries, and I think that's there's an element of truth to that, but at this point in his career, he takes a hit on his knee where he could you could tell he's in a lot

of this comfort. Not only is he staying the game, he takes them all the way in for a touchdown where they only passed the ball in the drive, links into the locker room, and then comes out through throws two more touchdowns. That's why he's going to all of fame. I just I've I've really enjoyed watching him his whole career as a quarterback put everything else on the side, and that was today was just another example of that. For me. It's like a classic Big Ben game. Yeah.

I think that's why he's interesting because you don't see that combination of a guy who is actually tough yet plays up injuries as if he's got a hangnail and he's gonna kill him. Um. It's a weird combination. And he's handed his whole career and this team is tough.

It's a fine line between you know, you think in they're lucky UM, and they're you know, one of the lesser eight and O teams that that we've seen UM, and the flip side, which is whow they've proven they can win games in the last you know, fifteen twenty minutes of each game. If that's a learned trait, they have it. They've done it basically seven out of eight weeks where that game was in doubt within the fourth quarter and they close, and they do it time after time,

and I think there's something to that. You're putting a little you're putting a little deposits into the Mojo bank. You're getting cash cash out in the playoffs. That is very well done. Greg, let's move to the music. City Folds tries to screen at Montgomery on the right side. Vick Jeff is there. The ball comes loose, the kite pick it up fifty ten five times. Ten k tumped into the house. Mike Keith with the call w g

f X, Welcome to Nashville. Desmond King this slot corner, making his Titans debut after a trade deadline, moved from the Chargers, scooped up a loose ball, took it to the house sixty three yards. Knockout blow for the Titans and seventeen win over the three falling Bears, who have lost three in a row. Greg Tennessee's beleaguer defense found the right, get right opponent. They did, and um, they should get credit. You know, they didn't have Clowney on

the field. They did a great job. But when when it's when it's weakness on weakness and one and one weakness dominates, I tend to just put more on the weakness on the bigger weakness that's the Bears. And so to me, it's more about the Bears offense than it is about the Titans defense. Let's let's count the ways

the Bears offense was embarrassing in this game. The Titans were kicking their um kickoffs short to the upman and letting the Bears start at the thirty yard line because they were so confident the only way the Bears could score a touchdown would be Cordurell Pattersons. Okay, just started the thirty um. There was what I like to call a six and out where you go three and out and then you do a fake punt and then you

go three and out again. So that's like a Bear and I've seen that a few times over the years, Like this is that was ay. They had a six and out. So what they got to that six and out because Barkibias Mingo ran the ball for eleven yards on the fake punt. He was their leading rusher the Bears through through eight drives of the game. The Titans went into this I got a couple more. The Titans got went into this game as the worst third down defense in NFL history just about. The Bears were two

for fifteen on third downs. And finally, here's what to me summarizes the Bears offense. There's so many plays in this game where it was third and long and they tried to do give up plays like where they would throw the ball four yards on third and fifteen, or do they throw a screen on third special but they couldn't complete those. Those guys were covered like they you know, they like the Titans knew they were going to throw the ball three yards on third and fifteen, and so

they couldn't even complete those. And the touchdown that King had was on one of those plays, which was a screen that they were all over and they ended up, you know, forcing a fumble and returning it. So it was just it was one of the toughest I know, they put it some points in garbage time, but it's one of the toughest offensive games I've ever seen. I mean, PF said basically graded it as the worst Bears first

half since two thousand and six. And so I had people telling me, hey, look at Foles his box score. It's the same as Justin Herbert's. No it's not. No, it's not Don't tell me things like that. Don't tell me that when I have to watch this offense week after week, that is reducing my joy of football. Um. And if you're a defensive coordinator studying for how to stop the Bears, are you done by like Monday night?

Have you figured it out by Monday night? I can't believe did that to you and came in your mentions like that. I would imagine most of them would be disgusted. Well, I I labeled them at that They had, you know, quickly moved right back into the painfully annoying zone which they specialize in every week. And it's like there is no growth, no development with a the players here or the scheme. It's it's all devolving. And so I mean, if they stick around with this, they stick to this

coaching staff after this season. If I'm a Bears fan, you get a little bit close to that Chris wesleyan zone of I might have to ignore this team until they show me that they actually are striving for competence. I like, I like the idea of an in ordinous team. I would just like to point out, aren't there like two different levels of incompetence going on with this Bears offense. You have the normal incompetence, which is every week, and then you have today where they were without what four

starting offensive lineman. Yes, you have to at least point that out. Yeah, that that's absolutely fair. But you can also point out, like the Titans had twelve transactions on Saturday, twelve transactions related to COVID nineteen and injuries and practice squad. They're missing their left tackle Roger Staffold got hurt their shoulder today. Their first round pick Isa Wilson comes in there. He was struggling. They didn't do well. They had seven

three and ounce in eleven drives. They actually were out gained in this game by a hundred and fifty yards um. They the Bears defense played awesome, about as well as they I think, you know, they've played great all year and this was, you know, another great performance where I think that the Titans had three points in their first six drives. There were there were more punts in the first half of this game than any NFL game all season.

So the Bears defense did their job, but Derrick Henry, like on a third and two, drags the pile and they end up scoring a touchdown on a perfect throw and a perfect catch that like no defense could stop to a J. Brown And that's what good teams do. The Titans they found a way. But Vaybell called it a crossroads game and it they are all sorts of banged up um on both sides of the ball and got COVID issues that they this Thursday night game is gonna be tough for them, I mean teams right now.

It's like, I feel like we need someone on the podcast. It's like stat Boy that just comes in to give context at the end of each game and list the a numerable COVID and injury issues on each team because it's just like such a huge part of every week fun gig. By the way, the fastest go route Allen Robinson will ever run is the one out of Chicago

and free agency. Let's move on. Also to play Devil's advocate with myself, Joe Burrow was missing three offensive linemen and had the best game of his career against that Titans defense. Right, well done. Moving on, this would be an NFL record field goal to win the game. This will be a sixty seven yard attempt. She's had to be careful to hold the water slide, big leg, but kick us up and it is one ride. Bitch? Oh good?

What is good? Kansas City gets the victory to go eight and one at the bye week on all hard fot victory. Mitch Holt is with it called w d a f You know, one of these days, Joey Slye is gonna reward that rule's faith with one of these seventy yards. But it would it wouldn't be Sunday slide missed as you heard why right. Paters fall thirty three to thirty one to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Mark. Carolina did just about everything right in this game, but they

still couldn't find a way to close out the chance. Uh. This this was I am really proud of the Panthers. I don't feel that way about football teams that often. They came in and fought so hard, and the Chiefs by the game's end and everything that you'd expect the Chiefs to do. We can get into that. But Kansas City rolled into this prepared for a fist fight. I give them credit for being The Panthers rolled in into

that and they were just so aggressive. UM their opening drive fifteen plays, seventy five yards, they wiped out nine minutes of the opening quarter, and that included a drive where they went forward on fourth and three UM to allow them to move on and get a touchdown to Christian McCaffrey his first game back. He looked pretty good. They're not using just him though. They still have a little bit of Mike Davis going on here. On the

next drive though, okay, they refused. I just thought that they put thee They put their foot on the pedal and did not let up. They got into a fourth down City situation. Your seconds into the second quarter, they roll up a fake punt Joseph Charlton and the punter hits Brandon Zilstrap for twenty seven yards and it leads to a touchdown drive by Curtis Samuel passed to Curtis Samuel.

There is later in the game, Teddy Bridgewater what I think is one of the plays of the season, a dangerous scramble into peril fifteen yards on third and fourteen, and it says everything about what Matt Rule and Teddy Bridgewater want to do together and the faith that Matt Rule mentioned Teddy Bridgewater in the offseason when we talked

with him. They come out, they come out of that and with ten minutes to go in the game, they dial up a fake punt because in some of these teams that get overly cautious and just gonna hand the ball back to Kansas City. It didn't work, it didn't go their way, but you cannot kill him for it. They just absolutely went for every chance they could to get an advant an edge. At one point, they were down one at the end and they fought their way back.

I don't know, just they never they have an element to them under Matt Rule where they refused to give up that said. You're still dealing with Patrick Mahomes, who threw four touchdowns. He has nine touchdowns and two you know over the last couple of weeks he looked absolutely beautiful today. Um, it's just bend, but don't break against

the Chiefs and then suddenly you break. They're too powerful on offense and this you know, the Panthers do a few good things on defense, But the idea of containing Patrick Mahomes the whole time impossible. But the offense fought and fought, and this is a fun Carolina offense to watch their parts work right now. Teddy has had good weeks. He's had bad weeks. He said, throws he can't make. He said throws that maybe you'd be surprised he can make.

But to me, the most impressive thing about his season is if you've watched every game, you'd never know he had a career threatening injury. He has not changed the way he's played. He has, like you said today, Mark sacrificing his body like at the first down, sticks diving what five six yards in the air going forward to get that first down. He has thrown caution to the wind um in a good way, like not to the

point where he's to get himself injured. But he knows when to slide, when to go down, when to go for the extra yards. And you just never know that he had a major knee injury. Yeah, his courage in the pocket, his his pocket presence, I think is his best trait. But that's it's also why and it's not like I focused on this game, but these great effort. Panthers games, you want to finish one. And they had their chance. They had their chance to win an arrowhead.

They had the ball and they only needed a field goal. They had fifty seconds. It's not all the time, uh or more than that with no time out. It's not all the time in the world. But he you know, they threw two checkdowns in the middle of the field, um, you know to start the drive and it was almost over right there. And those those are mental errors and there's something he'll learn from. But you know, they a

better like a braidy or a breeze. They're throwing those balls out of bounds because they know those two yards you know, throws over the middle ultimately kill you. And they kind of ran out of time there because I really was excited to hopefully see a Joey Sly winner. But you're not gonna hit it from sixty nine. Thought he had the distance though, Dan what he missed it by about Yeah this time he might have actually been yet clear the crossbar, but it wasn't dead on this time. Yeah.

Mahomes is just such a treasure to watch. He's now thirty two and eight in his career as a starter, he's got the MVP Award, he's got the Super Bowl m v P. He is up to twenty five touchdowns this year with one interception, and his numbers west. Uh, I mean, give me an update where he is on your quarterback ranks, although I suspect I know where he is.

He's at sixty completion percentage, passer rating of one sixteen, and he's at career high marks in completion percentage, touchdown interstitation, touchdown to interception ratio, and passer rating. Uh. Is this the best you've seen him? Look? No? No, I think um, his his first year as a starter, when he was the clear cut m v P. I think that's the best I've seen him. Look Um, he's been number three most of the season in the QB Index. I think

Aaron Rodgers has had a better season. I'll have to look because he might pass Russell Wilson, who has had three turnovers and what two of the last three weeks. But Aaron Rodgers to me, goes to number one on the list. All right, let's keep moving. Thirteen yard touchdown, rod and the Jags are a two point converged it away from a tie with a minute thirty to go here, they go for the tie, and here's the snap of

the two. So throw right side at egg cup plate too low for Shark, and the Texans lead by two with a minute thirty to go. Mark VanderMeer with the call k I lt so close, Jku, Tom Luton luten loot so close. The Jaguars rookie nearly pulled off to come back in his starting debut, but that two point conversion attempt at g J Shark no good. Texans hold on. Greg Houston has shown an ability to keep any team

in the game this year. Add the Jags to that list. Yeah, they've shown the ability to beat the Jags there too, and oh against them and nobody else. Uh and uh. You know, this game I think can be best described by explaining the exploits of Josh Lambeau. I didn't think I was going there, but it's a it was a

Lambeau type of game. Early missed extra point. Oh, ends up mattering a little bit when you have to go for two at the very end with Jake Luton, who has spent about twenty five seconds celebrating his touchdown on what should have been a legacy drive, and then like you know, and I don't blame him. He's a seventh roud rookie. You played, you know pretty well. Uh, and then realized we've got to go for two and totally short armed. If if there is such a thing as

like getting nervous and your shoulder feeling a little heavy. Uh. He threw it in the dirt nowhere near his receiver on the two point conversion. But that that wasn't all of Lambeau's contribution. He had a fifty nine yard or

in this game. How about that, Josh Lambeau, And he went out of his way to get in the middle of two other guys who were fighting, which I've never seen a kick or do like two guys kind of John And then Lambeau's in there instigating, And if you look at him, it's not too shocking because Lambeau and a lot of these kickers are jack these days. But Lambo is like another level of kicker jack. So you know, he's like the Jaggers, a lot of fight, a lot

of spirit. And they lost in the end. Late Thursday, very late Thursday, I was watching election coverage and decided it was time to put up my long awaited kicker Power rankings and maybe maybe Josh Lambo didn't see himself on that list and said, you know what, I need to start kind of putting myself out there missing a p A T is not gonna do it. But where was Where was Jason Sanders? Jason Sanders was snubbed because Ngaku is so good at onside kicks, But I immediately

regretted that when I was watching. Also, like entries like two through five were um a split up centens sentence explaining that no one's going to uh knock out the Ravens kicker from number one's not to get one. Sanders hit twenties straight now, I know, in like a couple of bombs today under pressure. All right, he's number eight now, but number two through five is kept empty out of

respect for Justin Tucker. I think that's only fair. I would have before today, I wanta had Chris Boswell Hire on the list, who only had one bag year really in his career and has been a Tier one kicker outside of that one big year hit a rough day to day and that may have been his his lines fault because he was Tyrone Crawford who was coming through the line every single time on the kicks I mean, I can hear Texans fans out there being like we've never won a game, because you know, you guys are

just talking about, Hey, this is what happens with two one in six teams go against each other. Just the difference to me was Jon Watson ran the ball today in key situations and scrambles. He had more rushing yards than any game he's had since the week seventeen of eighteen, and I've been waiting for that. He's so athletic and like he just doesn't take take off and sometimes he needs to, and he did it a lot of a lot of times on third down. He was very sharp overall.

Uh and Jake Luton had great numbers, made some good plays. Was lucky that he only had one fumble and one interception. It could have been more. And was playing the team that lost their two best two of their three best pass ushers to COVID and their best cornerback Bradley Roby. So it's not a good Texans defense and they definitely had some mishaps today. But for a for a rookie quarterback, he looked, you know, quite good. He had a nice day.

Let's check in on two more losing teams first and ten from the thirty handoff, Calvin shakes attack, look and the race is on and it is a loose touchdown. Seventy r touchdown this time by the best in the business, baby, Dalvin Cook. Paul Allen spice. I think Paul Allen's the best of the business, kfa N Dalvin Cook, Yes, superstar, like he's running back. I'm gonna I'm not listen, come

after you if you want. I think he put himself on the m v P radar on Sunday with his second consecutive yard game from scrimmage, which included the game icing seventy yard touchdown sprint in a win over the Lions at US Bank Stadium. You know, Dalvin Cook, he scored a touchdown in every game he's played. He has four games this year four we're halfway through the season where he scored at least two touchdowns in the game. He is one of those guys, one of those very

and it's actually a great conversation. And obviously you know what Paul Allen feels about this. We talk about who's the best running back in football CMC. Obviously he needs to be in the conversation Alvin Kamara needs to be in the conversation, and obviously I think Dalvin Cook needs to be in the conversation. I think that's the big three. If Derrick Henry in maybe Okay, if you want to put Henry in there too, I would have him just below. But I get that for sure. Reigning rushing champion and

he is a monster. But anyway, uh, yeah, he You know, for the Viking is to get back into the playoff picture. I was talking about on Thursday that I harbored some type of hope, however psychotic it is that the Vikings are actually gonna get back in the playoff picture in the NFC. Cook's gonna have to be this type of special guide like Adrian Peterson was in two thousand twelve, by the way, the last running back to win m v P in the NFL. He was with the Vikings,

of course, and that two thousand yards season. He's gonna need to go bonkers the rest of the way. And what's happening here, Wes and I know, Uh, Kirk Cousins is always a subject of fascination, but maybe not as much in the past, uh this season because he's just his play has come down and he's just seemed like

just another guy. But this is kind of what happens when you're running back is playing this well and you get things calmed down and Cousins can just operate in his own little realm and do his little play action game and you don't put too much on his plate. All of a sudden, those two eight yard, three touchdown, no turnover games start to pop up again with him, and that's what he's been. He's been kind of back to good Kirk Cousins the last two weeks. Yeah, as

because of Dalvin Cook. I mean that it's so much easier to play the position when you have the most explosive skill position player in football, and that's what Dalvin Cook has been. The way he ran last week a hundred and sixty six yards after contact according to Pro Football Focus, that was the best I've seen any running back look all year by quite a bit. You can

say Alvin Kamara is better in the passing game. Sure, you don't want if you could pick any running back to be one on one with a linebacker safety, you're taking Alvin Kamara. But the way Dalvin Cook ran the ball so much more explosive than any running back I've seen, and today was more of the same. He is shot

out of a cannon. Um. It's not every year you see a running back with the synchronisy with his offensive line and his own physical talent coming to the forefront for a long stretch like we saw with their Henry late last year. We saw with Levy on Bell a couple of times. With the Steelers, we saw I think for probably a couple of early last year Christian McCaffrey. UM.

But it's not every year you see this. And it's fun to watch Dalvin Coke, who looks phenomenal when he gets the ball right now, it's like they you know, they're big on the toss. They pitch it to him and it's like as soon as he gets the ball, it's like he's going downhill and he never gets taken down by first conduct contact. He had over nine yards to carry us today he went over two hundred yards rushing on just twenty two carries. I mean, he every time he touched the ball it was a chunk play.

And the Lions are just such a mess. There's just no progress with this team, and you try to start to get a little excited around them, um when they had that mini winning streak and you saw their schedule and he said, okay, okay, there's a chance here. But

they're right back to square one. And Matthew stafford Um, obviously he's having a really tough season for a lot of reasons, and he has speaking of COVID nineteen, it touches all these games cause he didn't practice this week because he was in the protocol even though he wasn't uh, he wasn't infected with COVID, but he was in the protocol because of close contact. But he comes out and he's up and down with the rest of the team

before leaving with concussion, uh for a concussion test. I don't know if he actually got diagnosed or not, but but Chase Daniel finished this game. I mean, just a really bummer of a game for the Lions and the Vikings. They're hanging on the periphery with a schedule that is not too bad, looks pretty good. The Bears are the only team with a winning record in their next four and that's next week and that's the Bears, so they

at least have a chance to win. You know, three of those four gets to five in the NFC that you know that might be still uphill sliding, but I wouldn't put it past him. I wouldn't put it past them getting right back in the mix and then Kirk Cousins having like a bad week sixteen and then they right. But to your point about Cousins like the environment that he's in the three games they've won, I think he threw the ball fourteen times twenty today and me be

twenty one the other. You know, you don't have to trust Kirk Cousins if you can do this exactly. And it reminds me a little bit of what they do to Baker Mayfield in Cleveland when they're playing well, which is, don't have this guy throw the ball forty times, same offense. Same with Kirk Cousins paying him a lot of money. You all the money should be going into the bank account of Dalvin Cook right now, All right, west, Any final thoughts before we hand off to Nick Shook. That

was that was the best hour I've had in weeks. Um. I enjoyed talking ball with you guys. That made me forget about a lot of things and just get caught up in in reality. And uh, it was a fun hour. Thank you guys for the escapism than we love you. It's always better. And Chris Westling's around all right, West have a good rest of your Sunday. And now we welcome in Nick Shook Shook looking big somehow, you look even bigger. I don't know what's going on with the BOD,

but it's completely out of control. And that's a compliment, you know, just the weekly worked d and you know it's the grind, it never stops, and all those other jimisms that I can just feed you, even though I don't subscribe to most of them. Put out a book already. Let's let's get up and going. All right, let's move on. Chook helped us out with two games. Let's start with one in a town? Is that a thing? Here's Ryan

gonna put it up for grabs. Jones, here's what open well the Atlanta touchdown Western with the call w z g C good call. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are in the vintage groove of late the veteran QB through for two eight four yards and three touchdowns, including that twenty one yard strike the Jones. The Falcons roll to at seven, went over the Broncos, who can't get at a neutral choke. The Falcons have played pretty well since

the younger two point oh era took hold. Yeah, you know, I don't want to say necessarily that firing dan Quinn was the answer, but it definitely I think woke the Falcons up. But really what really happened was they got a lot of key guys back on defense and they've played well in the last few weeks. I know, Um, we've talked about it on the podcast before. I know

Gregg's tweeted me about it. Uh, they look like a different team because of the reinforcements they got, like Keian O'Neil and the you know, continued improvement of some of their linebacking corps A Lucan, A Lucan something like that. I always struggle with his name. He's really it's pret clere to watch. And and for the most part, um,

that's all they really needed. I mean, when they played earlier in the season, their offense did enough, they just couldn't do enough defensively to kind of even things out. And and today, you know, they got stops early. They they stifled drew lock in the entire Broncos offense, and they used that to score a bunch of points and build themselves a lead and managed to hang on. And I think if you in any football game, if you you take that kind of approach, you're we're more than

likely gonna win. Uh. They almost falcon it away, but not this week, not in Atlanta. But but you know what, the Falcons are falconing. This is what the falcon do. They start out slow. Uh, they totally bury themselves and then they go on a run that like makes Arthur Blank think they turned the corner. That they do it every year. Literally, their defense, it's always the same script to It's the defense, especially starts poorly and then comes on.

Now they've started this little run a little earlier. If it wasn't for that ridiculous Todd Gurley, you know, touchdown that he's scored by mistake, they'd be four and oh and three of those four wins would be fairly convincing,

which is hard to do in the NFL. I don't care who you're playing, they're they're a pretty good team that at least for the national games, they'll be on the rest of the way, and they do have a few It's like I'll watch this team and that's that's the like low bar, I want a team to clear, they're gonna clear that. To your point, the Falcons are

three and thirteen. If you combine the first eight games of the last two seasons, three and thirteen, and there's seven and two in the back nine of two seasons. So I mean, I don't know how it. I think that's the point you're making, Greg, I don't know how this really helps the organization because you not getting a high end draft pick if you keep this up, but you're also instilling some sense of hope and you make

the games on a base level. And Mark, you and I have struggled, and of course Nick as well have struggled with this with years. You would you would sign off if your team was just fun to watch and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose instead of just getting your ass kicked year after years. So the Falcons make things interesting to watch, but they're not actually you know, moving in a positive direction. It seems. You know, It's kind of funny because a few weeks ago we were

talking about trade. Everybody trade Matt Ryan, trade, Julio Jones. Well, you can't trade Matt Ryan because it's financially prohibitive, but people talked about it, and and now now that they've actually kind of lured out who they are a little bit um, that's like the last thing in anybody's mind, and rightfully so. And today, Uh, he made the most of not having a fully healthy receiving corps, you know, missing Calvin Ridley, but he was spreading the ball around

to all kinds of different guys. Oham's a kiss um Russell gauge among the group of guys you got involved. He had a touchdown pastor Julio Jones who ran a beautiful post corn that left the safety looking for his jockstrap if those are still a thing. Uh, I mean it was. It was just a good day offensively for them.

And and I do give credit to the Broncos because we do have to talk about the Broncos at some point in this game, because they had a really strong fourth quarter, but they slept walk through the first three quarters and the Falcons took full advantage. I think that's what a winning football team does. It's just it's kind of a bummer that they dug themselves such a whole, and especially with the losses that they suffered earlier, you know, but the lost to Chicago, the loss of Dallas, those

are games, like Greg said, they should have won. I mean, right now they'd be looking at what five and four, and it's like, you had a chance to build up that miracle win last week and then you go and you lay an egg against the Falcons. Yeah, but you know what two weeks ago, I don't know if they should have lost that game. If Todd Gurley figures out how to stop his momentum like a superhuman or something instead of falling forward into the end zones, I mean,

it all kind of evens out. But it's frustrating with this team because, like if you trying to plan down the line with this team is where they where are they gonna go? Are they gonna be this team? And they're gonna be that first half of the team again next year? I think market I had to get in a few times, but he was muted and it was it was sad to is that what happened to me? Yeah,

was waiting for you to talk what an absurdity? Well, I was just gonna ask if this, if this like special road leads to Raheem Morris getting hired, that would not be that would be an improbable is what you said. The first time I muted, I am dealing with a hideous cough, and so I have to keep muting, um the button to cough so I can survive this show. And then you know, in probably or not probably, I guess I've not un muted on the other end of these And sometimes I thought I was muted, and then

I coughed and everyone heard it. So it's a second trauma on top of what we're dealing with. To begin with you, it would be an Arthur Blank thing, though, because he that's how dan Quinn kept saving his job with these strong finishes. But I don't know. I mean, it's a long way to go. If he goes nine and two, you gotta keep him, I think. So I have a great When was the last time that an interim head coach got the job full time? I'm with you, nix see, I think you can fall for that, and

then like they have to go or he's not. He's been in the building for a long time. When he took over the coordinator role last year, they immediately improved. If he goes nine and two and you've known the guy for four or five years, look, they should know already whether they really think he's um a strong candidate or not. But I wouldn't I wouldn't rule it out.

It doesn't mean it's a continuation of Quinn. I would just do a wide search because that you know, Nick, and I know what happens when you when you fall for someone like Freddie Kitchens. And this is not Freddie Kitchens, but it's like you fall for that late season you know bump, and then suddenly you're into a real you know, you gave up on someone who could have changed the team. We got a long way to go. We got a pretty good look at Rhee Morris and Tampa not too

long ago. Also, but whatever, hey, um Todd Gurley is on pace for the funniest seventeen touchdown season in the history of the NFL. Seventeen touchdowns. All right, let's move on Smith. Out of the gun, back to Krawl has tod over, I'll intercepted, picked up by Logan Ryan, and he slides down the seal the deal. Interception sealed the deal for the Giants, who nearly blew a big lead but managed to hold on for three to twenty win

over the Washington football team. Shook this was another game that featured an ugly lower leg injury for a Washington starting quarterback. Yeah, I mean, I hope it's not something that just like is ingrained in the franchise at this point. That would be three in their history and and two within the last few years. But the guy who suffered one and managed to come back miraculously was actually pretty effective in this game and wasn't through that interception. But yeah, yeah, well,

here's the thing. Before he threw the interception, Uh, he was in position to lead them on a potential game winning drive, and then through the interception, and then oh, through one more interception, just a really seal of things. But he's like trying to how can I somehow lose Comeback Player of the Year. Yeah, the greatest comeback player of the Year story of all time, you know. And here's the thing with the whole Comeback Player of the

Year award. I am too worried every time Alex Smith drops back to pass for me to consider him for an award when I'm worried that he's going to survive the game just because of how bad his leg injury. I mean, that is an incredible thing to overcome, which I guess is inspiration for the award, But at the same time, I just want to see him make it through a game before we think about, you know, comeback

Player of the Year awards. Oh and he also like probably needs to lead him to victory a couple of times. I think, you know what happened, I think to win games to win it. But anyway, what happened to Kyle exactly? He suffered what what was it? A broken ankle? It was pretty gruesome. He was parted off the field afterwards. Um, and yeah that's and so it wasn't It wasn't quite as serious as it looked. Um that there. You know, I don't know what the full diagnosis is, but it

wasn't as grizzly in terms of the actual injury. So the question is is does Ron Rivera now you know, kind of like wave the White I can activate Dwayne Haskins, I mean, because he hasn't been a factor since he benched him. It was the Kyle Allen Alex Smith Show. Uh, just do we turn back to the rookie is your I think they announced that players are backup. I think they said so they're gonna go with Alex Smith one and oh they go with Alex Smith. Yeah, I think

they decided the dog out. Yeah, he decided to give He gives them a better chance. That's why it was the backup. I suppose you you watch this game. I mean the they averaged eight yards per play to the Giants four point seven. They lost the turnover battle five to nothing, which is you would not expect it it to only be a three point game, so they moved the ball. I guess you think the Alex Smith story

has a little, uh, a little run here. Yeah, I think it's got some legs, especially with a team that doesn't really have much else to play for, still trying to figure out how to play under a new head coach. And and if he believes that Alex Smith is the guy, then let him run for as long as possible. I mean, if he's gonna get ample opportunity, at least will have a chance to prove it. Um, he was adequate or

a little bit better than that at times today. But again their offense runs into the same issues, whether it's turnovers the two at the end it kind of inflates that total, or just not being able to convert on third down. I think what was their third down conversion rate, it was three of eight, so not exactly what you're looking for in a team just trying to win a game.

And that's how uh you know. On the other side, the Giants, you know, force five turnovers only win by three because their offense isn't exactly the best either, although Daniel Jones was a lot better this week than he

was a week ago. And the frustrating thing with Daniel Jones, I'm sure you guys have plenty opinions on this as well, is he'll drop a dime in the bucket to score a potential game time touchdown and then below the two point conversion passed because he double clutches and hesitates because he's thrown so many interceptions that is probably in the back of his mind. He's that kind of guy. You

can't rely on him. And even though it's twenty three or thirty four today for two or twelve yards in a touchdown, it's still like, what is you're dealing with this guy? Twice? He fumbled twice. I hear them honking about, well, I didn't turn the ball over to you don't get any credit that people didn't pick up your fumbles. I never understood that like either are either fumble or not, and like fumbling just as bad as an interception, any fumbled twice. That don't just mean I like Daniel Jones.

You do not like Daniel Jones. You want I'm just saying, like the Tonamo Bay at this point, I mean, we get it. This is like the four shows in a row where you've destroyed this person. They closed with three punts and then the game ended. I mean the Giants now fumbles bubbles that are recovered by your own team are as bad as pick six is with Greg No, I said, but I I I do believe that all fumbles are equal, whether you lose them or not. Like it's silly to make a case between them. That's all

I agree. You were saying something work No, not at this I've given up on the show. A um, get well soon, my friend. We are almost only have one more game to get to Sunday Night football. Sun Freeze hangs in the pockets and wide open in bounces. The question Smith for the touchdown, tray Kuan Smith in the

end zone. They left him alone, kept his feet in touchdow stage tray Kuan Smith, Yes, all alone in the back of the end zone, gets his feet down, al Michaels with the call, and that was just the first and many scores for the New Orleans Saints, who romped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thirty eight to three in Tampa in one of the most surprising outcomes of the season. Saints moved to six and two, uh extend their winning streak, and the Bucks now three losses, two of them to

the Saints. And that's a problem, Nick Shook, I R. You were surprised, as everyone else here. Yeah, so surprised in fact that I might have to change my mid season Super Bowl pick. And I know that sounds draft stick, but this was an embarrassing showing from the Buccaneers, who had strung together some really nice games, notably that went over the Packers when they overcame attend nothing deficit and

really ran away with that one. And you thought, well, this would set up to be a competitive game, um, you know, because you could kind of discount their first meeting this year too. While the Buccaneers didn't have everything figured out offensively, and they had really seemed to hit their stride in the last few weeks and then fell completely flat. And not only did they go down twenty eight and nothing like it was nothing. Uh. They they didn't have any semblance of the defense that had been

such a strength for them. Uh in the week's prayer, and I know field position kind of affected that a little bit. But you know, giving them the ball, given the Saints the ball deepen in their own territory, did

not help. But overall, a team that is expected to win, at least in my opinion, doesn't put together performances like this against division rivals in in a division that they're probably not gonna win now, um, unless you know, they lock out in the Saint lose a few games, and they can kind of re game the lead that way because if it comes down to a tie, obviously they don't have the tiebreaker anymore. It's one of the most surprising games of the year. You have to say that.

I mean, in more importantly, it's one of the most influential games of the year because you said it. The Saints have an easier schedule than the Bucks. After this, they're up one in the lost column and they're up you know, to with the tie break. Now, it's not crazy to blow what what amounts to a two game

lead the Bucks could still win this division. But for the Saints to play this well and the Bucks to have no answers, especially the Saints defense, uh, just makes you feel like, Wow, this Saints team is getting better as they go. They survived a few games without Michael, They survived half a season without Thomas, They survived a few games without Sanders and Thomas and Marcus Callowie who

was back there giving them some death depth. Marcus Davenport has been really good for them since he came back in David on you Mata and that Saints defensive line through Brady or don't. I looked at the stats and you know, the the QB hits and the sacks, it's like it's nine in three and that feels big. But it felt like it was even more than that because because Brady was pressured so many times where he had to let go of the ball early and they had

no answer. They really missed Ali Marpet their guard. But you know, you can't. You can't put on a thirty eight to three loss on your guard being absent. That was just a blood right. And the Bucks are one of the most or the most blessed team in the league in terms of health of their offensive line. That's the first time anyone on their line had missed the start this season. So you know, everyone deals with diversity

eventually on your front line. And I don't remember, you know, I've watched so many, just like you guys Tom Brady games over the years, hundreds of games. Uh, and you remember the low lights because there are so few and far between. So yes, he has had tough moments during his long Patriots run where you were like, oh, this is he looks. I don't remember him looking this frustrated, this down. Uh, this is certainly in that small group handful of games where it's just like, man, the frustration

on his face. And even you know, the turnovers, and I know at certain point just got a desperation situation his third pick where essentially just threw it up for grabs. I mean that is something Benny Denucci does, uh, in

that type of spot. So to see him so out of sorts, to see the defense so out of sorts, Lavante David on numerous occasions, multiple occasions, waving his arms frantically trying to get the rest of the defense in the right position as the Saints game chunk plays and touchdowns, and they let Taysom Hill, who has been you know, a divisive figure, uh for Saints fans to let him come in and have a huge game in prime time. I mean, I don't want to call it a lot

rab magneefee call for the Bucks. But also don't be so quick to say no, Greg, because this is the type of loss or it's just like huh we we we brushed the Giants game under the rug last week with the Bucks and said, ah, you know, not everybody's gonna dominate sixteen weeks, and then they followed up with this epic stinker. It leaves, it's gonna leave some It's gonna leave a mark. I'll put it that way. It will. And they gotta play the Chiefs, you know, coming up,

so they'll keep getting tested. I only discounted because you know, these teams have been changing. Godwin comes back in, he's still not quite right with his fingers. Antonio Brown added to the mix. This team has shown their high level is extremely high, and now we've learned their lowest game is extremely low. And that's that's worrisome. But you have seven games to figure out, you know what what you're gonna do these teams are still kind of learning each other,

especially Brady Uh in Tampa. But it's the worst loss of his career. I mean there there were in terms of point um uh the deficit. That was the biggest loss he ever had. So the first time he's ever lost to a division an opponent twice in a season. So so do we are hitting We were hitting some uncharted territory and we didn't think. We didn't think the floor was this low. No one expected them to have

a floor. Not in a game that was advertised as a potential back and forth and trading of of the passing touchdown record, it ended up being only one guy finding the end zone, but to a couple of points. I mean, one of the adversity thing, you know, not having a guy like Calli market if this is what you're contending team, if this is how they perform, when you have a situation where you're dealing with some adversity, that's extremely concerned and going forward because there's no guarantee.

In fact, there's probably a guarantee that you're not going to be a hundred percent or near a hundred percent healthy once you get to the playoffs, and you're probably going to run into a team like this or this specific team. Again, there's I can't trust this team in a playoff matchup with the Saint time know, it's really hard to beat a team three times in one year. But after what I saw tonight, combined with what I saw in Week one, I mean, i gotta take the Saints.

Not necessarily running away, but I'm pretty confident in that pick, which is not where you want to see these Buccaneers end up. And then also it's it's just the fact that defensively, you know, we've we've kind of praised in the last few weeks how Todd Bowls has helped them, you know, whether it's schematically or personnel wise, has helped them kind of reached I don't know, what maybe might be their peace mind sight by the end of the season. Makes me wonder, did you try to get too complex?

You talked about Danny talked about all the confusion on the field with the Bonte Davia trying to get guys in place. That's not something that should be happening in week nine. You should have, like though, it felt like, if anything, they weren't as aggressive as they normally are. They you know, if Bowls has a weakness like Rex, like like a lot of these sorts, like Dennis Allen on the other side, frankly, where they're a little bit of a game plan defense. When it goes bad, sometimes

it goes really bad. But they actually felt a little less aggressive tonight, and Breeze played really well. We should give most of the credit to the Saints for just putting it on them in all three phases. Breeze made great decisions. He was so calm when he did get pressured, just like evading the free blitzer, you know, throwing open Taysom Hill was awesome. Like everyone on their team made plays for him, Deante Harris, uh Sanders like people like

everyone on their team just dominated. And it's worth pointing out the Bucks have never been in any big games. None of these guys as a team have ever been in a big game. And the Saints have been in a billion big games. I mean by right, and I'm just saying this team the team, they're a team and they and it's amazing. They've won thirteen to three the last two seasons. And guess what, they're halfway there again.

They're probably gonna win twelve or thirteen games. New Orleans and guess what Drew Brees, for all the flaws in his game at this stage of his career, probably gonna throw over thirty touchdowns and complete sixty eight percent of his passes, and the offense is gonna be a top ten offense no matter what metric you're looking at. The Saints are gonna be again. He's got Jai James Jamis doesn't lose to the Saints. I should mentioned marcusn't here.

By the way, Mark was feeling a little under the weather, so he took the rest of the night off and and he doesn't get to enjoy this Taysom Hill performance because this is the first time Tayso Hill truly felt like he was unleashed in a way that really jacked up the game plan at the opposing defense. To defining things from this game that still really stick out to me. One, what do winning teams do when they're presented opportunities like takeaways?

They capitalize on them. The Staines capitalize on every single one that they got tonight, whether it was field position or whether it was turnovers, they made sure that they

turned that into points. And the other one, whether really the defining plays or sequence of this game for me, when it was already out of hand, with Sean Payton having no respect for the opposing defense, putting Tayston Hill back there and running the same play multiple times to the strong side of power, motioning a blocker from left right and then from right to left and just daring the Buccaneers to stop it. They didn't stop it. It

got him inside the five on one possession. He ran it two more times in the second half on the same drive and they didn't stop it then either. And I think that type of confidence and also understanding that you've got your opponent in the palm of your hand, that's really, really, uh an encouraging sign for the Saints. And and I'm you know, I'll say it now. I think I'm back on the Saints train. I didn't know

who they were early in the season. They did go through a few valleys and go through some through some struggles, but going forward, I'm pretty confident this team. Now. Who, by the way, who gets more piste than al Michael's when there's a blowout? Oh yeah, he was disgusted by the second quarter. He never recovered because this was the big game. This this was like the one of the best, if not the best on their schedule, and the bucks um, you know, go out there and give a stinker, which

which is disappointing. Not enough people saw Jamis Winston go creep into the back of Drew Brees post game interview and eat the w like you did on that gift, so I knew that. You know, My favorite part is imaginating Jamis Winston waiting like ten minutes after the game so he could creep back like everyone else is back in the lack of eight. That's w Yeah, Jamis revenge good for him. And you know Al and I love Al. I already miss Alan. He's still here because you know

he's not gonna be here whatever. So I appreciate every game that Al Michael's calls on Sunday Night, Alice show business, and Al is about ratings and he's about the bottom line and he was not happy with this, and that's something that makes me love him even more for some reason, seeing how upset against and Collinsworthy just rolls along in his folksy way. But Al was stewing best learn a bad mood. Stewing. Al is also about the math people

out in the desert too. Don't forget about that. Well yeah, always all right, that's it. Good show tonight. We got Chris westling back and that was awesome, heroic performance. I mean,

he's going through a lot. I meant a lot to hear what he said to us that it was the best hour of his week because he wasn't sure, he wasn't gonna he was gonna do this show throughout the Dave and so we were lucky to have him, right and he I mean he was being modest, but before we started taping even he says he didn't want to mess with our flow because he hadn't been doing shows for the last couple of weeks. Hell no, West makes our show better, uh, through his knowledge and his personality

and just the fact that he's our friend. Uh. So this is whenever we get to do the show with him, it makes our day better. And we hope to get more of those as the season in the year progresses. Shook, you've done it again. You've been six men of the year. Like, who's your favorite six men of the year. Oh, it's gotta be your boy. Yeah, come on, j Smith, come on, it's got the pipe man. Yeah, that's you. That's you. You love being you love taking your shirt off. It's

just you're just like j R. And uh. Yes, Mark feeling a little bit under the weather, but hopefully he'll be back with us on Tuesday as well. Thank you everybody for listening. Until then, the stand Hands is signing off for a quiet storm. The Old Boss who still don't have that ship nickname lockdown yet working on it. Uh quiet Storm, the Mailman and Ricky Hollywood behind the virtual glass until Tuesday. S