2021 Week 13 Recap - Good Bad Teams and Bad Good Teams

as well. Um, it happened to you with the first game we're gonna talk about once again. NFL season, just when you think you have all the answers, they go and change the questions. It's a very hard season to figure out. It's Um, it's a muddled mess. Because I thought I was doing my job by you know, observing games from last week and games leading up to last week and coming away with observations that I thought were

informed and strong and and they're shredded entirely. And also on a more psychological level, I spent all of yesterday thinking it was Week fourteen and did not realize until I got to work that it was week thirteen. So I'm just saying, you know, it is a bit of a marathon, and that was a mental misq on my part. I mean, yeah, the the emotional ride that Mark has gone with his belief in certain a f C North teams.

How about all those afternoon games, like all came down to one fot you change one ft in the Washington game where car misses the open touchdown. Certainly you know we'll get to the Ravens game. And then that forty Niners ending Al Pacino told us that us how football operates. We we thought this was the worst week of games on paper, but it was a good Sunday and ended up. Are you talking about just what I thought I was out on any given Sunday? Yeah, well, I mean maybe

somewhere in between those eras. You know, he's do you know, you know the speech that everyone knows, the speech I'm discussing. He's just in the locker room. He's going saying a little bit more. They're trying to take it away from you. The inches, Greg, And that's what I'm trying to you know, good good call back. All right, It's not there's not enough good football movies. I agree with that that I feel like I'm the only one some niche French film.

Well I used to say that, and then I saw the trailer for the new Kurt Warner movie, and now I think you're back in here. You're back in. We got a chance. Okay, American Hero. Great title for a football film. Yes or no? Greg? Is that that? Are you sure that's the title? American Hero? Grave Digger? Ah, what did I say? That's what I said right now. You did not say that. But that's all right. So we're gonna get to all the games that are played on Sunday. Uh? And why not? Why not start? Yes

with the late games? Uh? There are there are two that ended within minutes of each other, high on drama and yes, the first one a f C North buckle up baby whoa freeman stands to his right, freeman gets a big, big rush, he throws it. He is a lab part. Mark Andrew's pid one hand on it out in the red plantet and dropped the ball and the Steelers preserve a victory with twelve seconds to go. Wow, bhil Hill Grove with the call, all right, let's that was not a drop by Mark Andrews and he got

a fingertip on it, a two point conversion. That's what John Harbaugh said. The Ravens scored the touchdown, pulled in one point. They said, we want to go for two. We want to win the ball game. John Harbaugh said, play like a raven all that stuff. He went for

the wind. But that gamble cost the Ravens and kept the Steelers in the mix in the a f C North the past when incomplete, Lamar just overthrew his tight end twenty nine team final, Sammy Watkins had the big touchdown catch on a great little route to get it within one with twelve seconds to play. But Pittsburgh got to stop or got a little lucky, whatever you want to say. Either way, they got the win. Marky, I try to warn you. I said, don't you can't count

out Pittsburgh. This is what they do. And this was a spot where they were desperate for a win and the Ravens could stand to take a loss, and all of it all played out and the Steelers are in the mix. Though. Yeah, I mean it's um It's like, I'm not uninformed by the idea that Pittsburgh is a

resilient team. That does things like this. But what I had seen coming into this game, and frankly, what they showed on offense for the first three quarters of this game all played up to what we were saying about Pittsburgh's like insufficient offense, I mean, just an absolute mess.

They had eighteen plays in the first half, they had ninety three total yards, and the Ravens put up twenty three minutes of time of possession, which is the most the Ravens have had against any Twin team in twenty years. Where Pittsburgh was staying alive was they were doing what other teams have done to Lamar Jackson seven sacks on the day, coaxed them into an early costly interception, and then at that point Pittsburgh's offense I think they found themselves.

I mean, we've seen it for Spurts in certain games. But the Naji Harris and Benny Snell started to get to Pittsburgh right up the middle with runs right up the gut, and you finally started to get plays from Big Ben. He hit Chase Playpool on a forty yard er. Deonte Deonte jack Harris like started to completely come alive in this game. They Deante Johnson. Sorry, they absolutely like fourth quarter wise, you give it gives you hope if

you're a Steelers fan. The way that they were able to I think use play action, which you know Tony Roma pointed this out too, that their only successful plays seeded to come off that, and they started to use a little bit more in Big Ben's arm. He threw on some of the better passes he's thrown on the year to get them back into this game. Um, it was a classic Steelers Ravens game in many different ways.

If this is the last Ben Roethlisberger victory, and you know, Mark was saying all week, they're not gonna win another game all season, so it's possible they got They got a tough I'm just having fun because I don't think Mark really believed that, so I'm having fun with it. I also don't think Mark I believe they were done as a playoff team, and in this a f C, they're not done that that still might end up being true with this schedule, they're not in the playoffs right now.

But you went from believing that too when they finished that touchdown drive and Deonte Johnson put it on Marlon Humphrey and I believe injured Marlin Humphrey because his route was so good because Marlon Humphrey's hurt. Now, uh, at that point in the game, you said, oh, Ben Roethlisberger is going to be in the a f C championship business. We see it now and that is that is an unbelievable fourth quarter. To go four for seventy eight touchdown,

ten for fifty eleven fifty touchdown is outrageous. And for Lamar to get them back in that position then come up about two inches short if he if he just puts that ball like Big Ben did this little thing where you like points up to the sky and let it's just like I'm gonna be He's not out of my life. And well, almost like what Greg alluded to, there was a report that came out Saturday that this

is going to be Big Ben's final season. And if this is the end for Big Ben, I guess if you're a Steelers fan who has been nostalgic thinking about that and all the memories that have passed though during his long career, this was a bit of a vintage throwback game. Now, um that decision by John Harbaugh. It was fun as hell in the moment. We all applauded it in the newsroom. We all stared at our screens and um with with awe and reverence for a man

having onions that size. But there was also a strategic reason behind it, according to Harbaugh, who told the media after the game that issues in the secondary helped prompt the decision. Intision, try to win a game right there. We were pretty much out of corners, you know, at that point in time. So here's an opportunity to try to win the game right there. So there you go. So Harbaugh said, my defense is so be up. I

don't like my chances in overtime. And uh, Greg, I mean, ultimately, it was a good play call to the two points. It just wasn't executed. Was it a good play? I mean everyone's like, okay, he was open, yes, But if you watch the play, Lamar Jackson has to move shift up in the pocket with like a lateral quickness that basically no other quarterback in the league could do to avoid t J. Watt and then throw it over his

outstretched hands. I thought it was a pretty good throw at I know what you're saying, but it was not. What I'm saying is how great of a play call is is I think Lamar Jackson did a pretty good job on that play and and and Mark Andrews did a pretty good job on the play, like trying for it and they're two great players and you couldn't execute it. I mean that was it was a difficulty. I mean the theme also that was the t J. Watt was

in his face. He was in his face the quarterbacks he had to have stop all that close in that spot considering what never bought the play fake. So if you're gonna get credit to the play fake, then you have to confuse t J. Watt on that play, and he read it and he had a monster game. So and also I think part of this Mark win when you were kind of all in on the Steelers being all out. We know the offense is still limited. This

is kind of who they are. They're just not gonna score a lot of points anymore at this point, at least until they get a new quarterback, which is coming sooner, sooner rather than later. But I think the defense stepping up after they got embarrassed by Cincinnati the week prior that showed again that they are a team that they're not gonna go out easily and in Baltimore on the TV show on Friday, I set up the Ravens by

asking you, guys, can the Ravens keep doing this? Can they keep playing teams so close and always finding a way? And they almost did it again in this game. But it just goes to show you like there's regression involved here. If you play this many close games, you're gonna start losing some of them. They just have to play more complete football. Well, and if you the Blitz versus Lamar

is for real. I mean, his numbers are staggeringly different and you know, not shiny when he's dealing with the Blitz. They got to today, I mean last week Cleveland coaxed him into a bunch of turnovers. I'm not calling saying that he's teflon because he still does things that are really special, but he looks like a one man show for large parts of this game today, and I don't

think that is sustainable. You get to the playoffs, yes, but are you gonna go in a three game win streak in in the postseason with Lamar being Lamar and dealing and with what teams are doing right now, Well, he's struggled for more than a month. The red zone interception really hurt the average four point seven yards per play. Their offense isn't great. I mean, Sammy, what that the touchdown drive at the end of the game was kind

of amazing. Sammy Watkins makes a couple of great routes and like looks like old Sammy Watkins and Lamar kind of has an m v P type of drive and you can't finish it. But the game ends. And after the game you hear that Marlon Humphrey is out multiple weeks. Their best cornerback, Patrick McCarry, who to me has been the key to that offensive line at right tackle, kind of coming out of nowhere and it's been off and on.

It sounds like his injury is pretty serious. So you just lost two more of your best players to a team that's been really banged up in It gives the feel that this a f C North. We went into the season thinking maybe all four of these teams have a chance, and I still feel like all four of these teams at least have a chance now because of this result. Um, all right, let's move on to another game that went down to the final seconds, this time in Seattle. The building is shaking with a single setback.

Garoppolo looks Paul is tipped up in the air. It's gonna fall in the ground if we're gonna win this football game. Brook fourth the three paths was tipped with the line of scrimmage. I don't know who kripted, but I want to go down and ship that man's hand. I might have been done. It was Carlos Dunlop, who has been quiet this year, but stepped up in this game. He had a sack uh that play on fourth down, saving the Seahawks in a thirty three win over the

forty Niners, ending a forty Niners wind streak. Crazy game. Here by the way, the the Niners took over after an incredible goal line stand that ended in a Gerald Everett turnover, and Gerald Devert had one of the worst games you will ever see any tight end ever have. You will be stunned when you watch this tape of

Gerald Everett and the Seahawks. Uh. They take over the Niners at their own two and march all the way to the other end of the field and have that chance, gets the fourth down and Dunlop knocks that ball away and the Seattle Seahawks. I mean, listen, they're still probably cooked at four and eight. But this was a game, and I locked up. The Niners took the l Mark, you have first place in things long term. I'm not concerned with where I am in the standings at the moment.

I mean the way that a champion, the way that Mark was celebrating every good uh Seahawks play that is during and then when Dan came to the office, then it got quiet. Then then he didn't do it, and he loves It's funny because he was how much he likes Dad comes in and it's just total silent, total fiction, an utter fiction that you've created verbally, I acted anything. I like the idea of Seattle being taken out of

the landscape. And I've been rooting for the Niners. So I wasn't sitting around believe Greg in this case because I know it well. Of course you do, but it's not, it's just not. This is just fine because you do love the Locks competition at a level that I think surpasses any of us. That's all. That's fine, it's cool, you're competitive guy. That does not make Greg's story accurate, even though what you said is true. I do care about the competition, it doesn't turn that into a true

story like I like your competitive spirit. Mark. Okay, enjoy it. But let's get back to the game three. They got this stop and I thought this was interesting the Seahawks that we saw in this game. And this is a weird game. It had seven turnovers. I had the aforementioned Gerald Gerald Everett melt down, a drop in the end zone on a wide open paths that turned into an I n T. A fumble down at the goal line that almost swung the game the other way. Another fumble

that he lost. I mean, it was out of this world. Uh, there was a safety in this game. But ultimately I thought the takeaway Mark was that the Seahawks, who looked dead and buried as dead as the Steelers looked last week. Um, they played like the old Seahawks and again they give the forty Niners problems even when the forty Niners were at their height. And if if there's one other thing

I took away from it from the Niner side of things. Man, you know, I'm not saying Jimmy G's the reason they lost this game, but you could tell Kyle Shanahan is just frustrated by the limitations that his quarterback presents in front of you. It was the safety where I you know, they cut to Shanahan after Jimmy G is taken down

in the end zone. You know, this is after they were clinging to a lead, and Seattle I thought grabbed momentum if if we're allowed to believe that that exists um with that safety and Shanahan looked cold and old to me on the sideline, and he also looked super steamed at Jimmy G after a later really bad interception. Jimmy G was later stuffed on third and one that led to a punch in a really tight game. Going back and forth, it was like, we get it. Jimmy G is not the future, but he's not even the

short term future when he's playing like that. Did Elijah Mitchell come back or was he out? He did? He came back. He suffered a head injury. But the two yards percaring they didn't run the ball. In general, the offense, they got off to a nice start. Um oh, I should also mention there was a after all those other things I mentioned, but also Seattle opened its scoring on a seventy three yard Travis Homer fake punt run for

a touchdown. I mean, this game had it all, um, But San Francisco's offense was basically George Kittle being unbelievable. I mean, George Kittle when he's healthy, is better than everybody else that plays that position. I I really do believe that his health and staying healthy has been as big as challenge. Um. But yeah, they they didn't move the ball too well for stretches of this game San Francisco, and I thought Russell Wilson thirty of thirty seven to

thirty one two touchdowns. He had one of those very pretty rainbow touchdowns to Tyler Lockett, and I thought to myself after it was thrown, It's like, man, I haven't seen that in a while, So I'm not We'll see if it wakes up Seattle and they end up either playing spoiler or somehow getting back into the playoff race. But for San Francisco, did awaken some maybe demons that cost them earlier in the season. Did Lockett come back into this game because he left for the locker room

when he also came back. Well, they're in the NFC, which is the best news for the forty Niners. So even with like a loss, they're a loss up on the seven seed. There there there the eight seed. Rather they're in the playoffs. And the Seahawks, you know, they do have that. They have the Texans, Bears, Lions still on the schedule. They do have some tough games at the Rams Cardinals. It is nice to just see the

idea that Russell Wilson can play quarterback again. Though when you would have thought, if you can put up this many points for the forty Niners the way Seattle has been playing lately, you win this game. But to score one points for Seattle in the second quarter is pretty awesome. And this like this rock scissor paper thing going on in the NFC West is like the one predictable thing in all of UH football right now that that like

it's it's destructible. The Seahawks have beaten them sixteen out of eighteen times like that proceeds Santahan even but that is outrageous. Nothing would be more emblematic than the fifteen seated Seahawks in the NFC grabbing a playoff spot in on January nine, or whenever that is. The game started in a very scary way on the kickoff when Trent and Cannon running back uh collided with a teammate and

it stopped the game down. An ambulance came out and the face mask comes off and all that scary stuff. He's taken to the hospital with the concussion. He's in stable condition, remaining overnight for observation. And one no one. Kittle just the second tight end in the past five seasons with at least a hundred yards receiving and two touchdowns in the first half. His touchdown where he danced along the sideline his second score, Uh, just special stuff. He is just such a beast. He's fun to watch.

They gotta get healthier. They they didn't have Fred Warner, they didn't have Deebo Samuel. These are their best players, Marcel Harris, Manuel Moseley suffering an ankle injury. They need to get healthy. All right, Let's move on. So those two games, Saucy. Now up next the Detroit Lions. Could they finally get it done? Could they get a w Let's find out the four seconds to go, they can win it with a touchdown, first victory of the year. On the line back looks cross and touchdown and if

they get it Ross Brown again. Oh they're rusty the field, Big John, it great, zero the claw. This game is over. It's over. Shall it go to Ama Rossa Brown his first career touchdown? And how big is that? Oh? My goodness. Dan Miller with the call. I thought the lines would get the bongos. Freaking event team ever to serve the congos. Dan Miller, w j R. With the call and a

great call. It was Lions fans rejoice. You got your w Jared Goff through an eleven yard touchdown past two Aman ross St Brown as time expired, lifting the previously winless Detroit football club to win over the Vikings of Joyce Ford Field. We told you, We told you about the Vikings this week. They could not be trusted Greg. The Lions needed to go seventy five yards and a seconds with no timeouts, and they freaking did it. It was one of my favorite games and certainly one of

my favorite moments of this entire season. There's something about when the last team that doesn't have a win get to win, especially when it's this deep, that is joyous. It reminds me of Cleo Lemon to Greg camar Rio to get cam Cameron off the Schneid in December for

the Dolphins like a decade ago. It was. It was heroic by Jared Goff, this drive where they just stayed patient and patient, and Godwin Iguabecke made this great play on a catch, this running back to pick up a third and ten and get out of bounds, and I just kept saying, Wow, they're not going for the ends, and they're not going for the end zone, not one time you get to the twelve. And give golf credit,

he had great timing throughout this game. He releases that ball in perfect time before aman Ra st Brown turns around the throw was there the rookie first touchdown of his career. What went a way to get it? And uh, Vikings fans are just gonna be killing Cameron Dancer. But he was held by Jared Goff, who was looking up the seams with his eyes where they had been killing the Vikings all day because they didn't have Anthony bar they didn't have Eric Kendricks, and he had been going

up the seams all day. So it looked in the first TV copy just like bad defense. But that was a great job by Jared Goff and then a great job by god to immediately sprint to the sideline and hug Dan Campbell, who was celebrating like crazy, Uh, you did it. We asked you to go win a ballgame, Jared Goffna did it? I mean, and yet we have been sort of pet Vikings supporters and and that fan base right now, uh is as long as not we. I have enjoyed the Vikings all season long, and that

continues every week. They play exciting, fun, ridiculous games. I'm just so happy I'm not a Vikings fan because I supported their season because it's fun. This is an exciting, fun game on its own. But I think that fan base feels like they've been dragged through the mud after they were down nightmare scenario. They were down twenty two

six in this game. If you're a Vikings fan, you come all the way back to take a lead, you think you're gonna keep it, and then the Lions go for it on their own twenty nine with five minutes to go up too. This was the This was ballsy er than the Bill Belichick going up against the Colts play who they famously did it, you know, more than a decade ago, because they had they had the lead in that game, he goes for it, and you know what, the football gods rewarded him. That's twice in one day.

Campbell went for it on fourth and one in his own end. They didn't get it either time, but I liked it because they're trying to win it on offense and if nothing else, it didn't give the Vikings too much time to waste. They were either going to get their field goal or touchdown quickly and the Lions could at least try to respond. They got the touchdown, which was not the outcome you wanted that the Vikings did, but at least gave the Lions a little bit of time.

Uh to go the heroes, I think the the Viking. And it's just it's funny because it's been saying like they could beat any team, they could lose any team. And now, and I'll use the Power rankings is the framing because I'm known to do that. The Packers are the number one team in the Power Rankings. They beat the Packers. The Lions entering Sunday with the number thirty two team in the Power Ranks. They've now been beaten

by the Lions. And it's just like I and you've been You've been mentioning this market times that Mike Zimmer is a guy who could be in trouble. I think if Zimmer, there's a pretty decent chance he goes in January, and if it happens, you could trace it right back to what happened here, because not only just the the frustrations building within that organization, within the fan base, and to let this game get away in the wide open

NFC and you just never know. Again, let's not get ahead of ourselves and say the Vikings are dead now because the NFC is a total uh exactly, But like if they end up dropping another one of these type of games, or you know, just fall short and he gets fired, we'll remember this game on December five. And speaking of remembering, uh, Dan Campbell, this was really nice.

After the game in this press conference, Campbell gave the game ball uh to uh you know, like he dedicated the game to the victims of the Oxford shooting, that horrible tragedy that happened in Michigan last week, the school shooting. Uh. He named the victims, he said those names will never be forgotten. And that was incredibly meaningful I imagine for that region because that was such a horrible thing that happened. So just like in a season of such frustration and

uh for the Lions, this was a nice moment. Yeah. And you know, I have often found Jared goff Um to be a little vacant in terms of being all in an electrifying personality, but he spoke after the game as well about the Oxford incident um and was brought to tears. And I just think like it kind of shows you that regionally but nationally that that was um

on their hearts. It was a huge moment. And I will say this, Um, if you're the Vikings, you have a game coming up against the Steelers on Thursday night, that becomes a massive Thursday. The injuries are such a huge story. Before the game, we found out that both those linebackers I mentioned were out there. Left tackle Christian derre Saw was out, cam Binham, who's played great lafety lately, was out, Peter Rick Peterson was out, and Adam Thieland

went out during this game, which helped Justin. Jeffers had go off for another eleven for one eighty two. He's on Cooper Cup's tail. I think for this offensive player of the Year, it was not enough it was not a flukey there. Kirk Cousins got away with a couple would be interceptions. Dan Campbell was his calling the plays and was really out Fox and zimm Or at least for the first half. Then it kind of slowed down, but they were going up. That doesn't cool zimmer seat now,

no zimmer seat is warm it up? All right, let us move. By the way, I had asked Rigging Grave Digger to pull the Paul Allen Vikings call, and he was very even keeled because it's like, first of all, Paul has been doing it a long time, Like as a Vikings ven you kind of see this gum stuff coming. Now it's just like every week what happens. It's a stage play for every week. That was next level unbelievable. All right, Let's head to Cincinnati where the Bengals couldn't

possibly be stopped or could they? They go Jumbo scop face in his hands, scooped up by Campbell, ten touchdown Chargers, sixty yard fumble return for Tavan Campbell, no money, the voice of God on me around the NFL podcast Power Rankings Cohort. He had the call or k Y s R. Tavan Campbell returned to Joe Mix and fumble sixty one yards for his score, helping the Chargers hold off the Bengals.

Greg This was a game defined by streaks straight for the Bolts to start the game, twenty two straight for the Bengals after that, and then seventeen straight by the Bolts to close out after that, And it was the Campbell play that changed everything. It was. It was one of seven turnovers. I think the Charges had three straight at one point, and hence the Bengals scoring twenty two unanswered, and the Bengals are going in for what would have been a go ahead score midway through the third quarter.

I mean the Chargers, if nothing else, they're doing their charger in a little earlier this year. That's a good way to do it. Get it out of the way night. At the end of it, they were up twenty four nothing mid second quarter, and then they were holding on to a four to twenty two lead while the Bengals

up driving mid third quarter. One quarter later, like fourteen minutes of game or fifteen minutes of game time later, that fumble changed the Ekeler had a couple of fumbles mixing out a couple of you know, great players kind of giving up the ball, but I thought it was deserved because the one constant throughout this game was they got after Joe Burrow and I was kind of shocked by that because the Chargers have not been good in their terms of their past rush all season. Joey Bosa

got a concussion in this game. If you remember last year, he was out for a long time with a pair of concussion So that is a big time concern for the Charges and that was very early in this game. And yet as it kept coming, Burrow played fantastic, had one of the best performances in a quarterback that ended up getting blown out. I've seen the bad hand right with the pinky hurt, making good decisions throwing the ball against pressure. It was not on Joe Burrow, but the

the Chargers kept getting them in the running game. They were getting mixing for negative plays, including that force fumble was a jackknife into the backfield, and the Bengals were short too offensive linemen. I can hear the Wesseling brothers say say that they were injured. Okay, they're injured, speaking good. You know Nick him he's the best, but he's getting

after the games when it's twenty four zip. He's texting us and he's saying, I actually had two recordings, one to go against the Bengals, wanted to go with the Chargers. I sent the wrong one. It's like, no, no, he didn't say he sent the one, not the accidentally, but he said he made the wrong decision. Yes, I think he's sort of maybe, you know, removing himself from the rest of the group, saying I was on you know, on both sides of the fence, but um in fighting

seems to be a consistent problem for that group. It's good. Do you believe that, by the way, do you believe that he actually made or I absolutely believe that he made two recordings and he was debating and Nick send me the other recording with the timestamp. Please. It makes sense though, both these teams deserved to be seven and five. I'm sorry, Bengals, I don't think you deserve to be eight and for this is who you are. And the Chargers deserved because they they were dictating early. I like,

they threw the ball deep, they went tempo early. Uh. They know Mike Williams making plays down the field like I like that. When they were aggressive, they were moving the pocket for Justin Herbert to try to like fix their offensive line problems. And it was a very aggressive game plan and so I think they got But I'm not doing this again where I, you know, fall for this is the team that I felt so hard for and went on like a one man pr campaign about

how the Bengals can beat anyone in football. Well it's nonsense, because that's true. Dark was fired up during the early games too, and I don't did you have money on this game? Because he was no, not I'm forbidden to do. He was dying that the Chargers were winning this game.

And I couldn't think of watching. One reason is you and we somehow like we're kind of like we weren't arguing it all, Greg, but like you were very pro Chargers, watching, very you know, very juiced up, and I was watching you. I'm not I don't hide it. I'm not walking around rooting for the Bengals. But it was more just like this exactly. And you find out that you I should have figured this out two months ago. Nothing sticks from week to week this season. Stuck your neck out for

the Bengals and don't move. And that is and we talked about it late last week like that is that's a tricky move because as good as they were uh in those last two wins, it wasn't so long ago that they were looked terrible in back to back losses and they're just like they're just like, well, maybe a better version, but like the Vikings, they could beat any team, and they've shown that they could lose and lose convincingly

in a big spot as well. It's just why the league is such a jumble this year, and now watching the Ravens lose later, obviously they're happy for that they're one game back, but they could have been uh in first place. Huge wind though, I think for the Charge to get this offense going, guy in and Alan and everyone was making place for them to do. Do you trust them at all to do that next week? I don't care who they're playing of the Chargers are even

even less trustworthy to me. But it is it is destabilizing to my eyes to deal with this, but it is the new way it is if you like kind of just like embrace the madness. Yeah, yeah, this has helped me with my powering his assignment. Otherwise I would start to have some mental issues over it. Just embrace it and understand it's not your fault when you get these things wrong, because who can tell. We have much more freeing to just say I have no control, you

control me, all right? I like that. All right. Let's take a break and then get to Nick Shook. Why it's not for Stafford. He's snacks it with one hand, gathers throws mental cop I put the crops winning, damn question the field touchdown Cooper Cup touchdown l a yard from Matthew Stafford. Oh man, the Rams needed a layup, and that's what the Jaguars are. Let's be honest. JB

Long our buddy hung out with JB this summer. Gonna do it again next summer, maybe even before that in the winter, maybe the winter, maybe the spring will hang out. Every season will hang out. Once Matthew Stafford snapped out of the slum with three touchdown passes, including get another scoring connection with Cooper Cup in Los Angeles rolled to a thirty seven seven win over the unwatchable Jaguars. Hey Shook,

So we are newsroom right next to the stadium. I actually when I was throwing out some trash because for some reason in this new building, they say, let's build a ten thousand square foot newsroom with four trash cans. You know we're talking. The closest trash cans is about forty yards away. Here's the I'm with you that it disanoys. You have to get up every every you know, twenty minutes and walk with your paper plate or whatever and

find a trash can. But on those Sundays in the Culver City office, around um three four o'clock, those full garbage cans started to have a putrid stench. And I

don't miss that. That's all I'd say. Anyway, So when I walked to the trash can and I went to the big glass partition that shows the vista of the Sofi Stadium, all those happy Rams fans filing out after a blowout win, I thought to myself, I wonder what it's like for you to walk out of a stadium as a fan of a team after an easy win like that choke Because the Rams needed it, Yeah, they definitely needed it. And Jacksonville came to town at the perfect time, you know, to to break this uh, this

losing streak for them. It was one of those games where the Rams get off to another slow start. Offensively, and it was it's kind of like, well, they're still haven't really figured it out. And then they hit halftime and it's almost as if they realized, oh wait, we're playing the Jaguars on the other side of the field, but we should be able to do this, and they woke up and and Matthew Stafford specifically with three touchdown

passes in the second half. They cruised. I mean, it was an easy operation for them in the second half. The big thing for me, I think that that really encouraged me for the Ramsas. And I know it's the Jaguars, so like you have to take it with a grain of salt, but uh, Sony Michelle break rushing yards today for a touchdown. That was a welcome development for a team that has not been able to run the football consistently for most of this season, and it helped brings

some balance them. And like I said, they just they cruise. You know, you're playing the Jaguars, the Jaguars, you're one week closer to the office. Henderson I was watching that game and thinking they miss Henderson didn't end up mattering. Obviously he was hurt. It was like Henderson would have had to though the whole that they were blowing open for Michell were We're enormous, and I'm beginning to think like an offense where la Kwan Treadwell is your number

one receiver for two straight weeks. Maybe not that explosive Jack it would have been. It would have been explosive where he was drafted here. The one note that I took on this game because I wasn't able Nick to track it as closely as you was the look on urban Meyer's face, um like roughly kind of late third quarter, early fourth, as if someone just had stuck slices of lemon into his mouth. I mean it just he does not look like he's having any fun out there on

any level. There's that memorable photo of urban Meyer after he lost to I do remember who wasn't I think the big tent title game in the Battles of Lucas Oil Stadium eating Papa John's pizza on a golf cart. That's like his entire season has been that photo. Dan wanted Aaron Donald to like do some things, and he was totally He started the game literally by picking up James Robinson throwing him while knocking the ball out, which was exciting, and then he totally wreck shopped the rest

of the game. So you know it's against the worst offense any of us have ever seen. Hey, it was start there in a big spot. We're gonna need Aaron Donald to win a ball game, but that's that is a good start. Oh, I like to stay on Aaron don old thing. This is gonna b J like the one yard touchdown to make everyone happy at the end. That was fun. So what do you think about the Yeah,

he's got two in two weeks now, Um? Well, I mean, hey, it was a jump ball in the end zone and they were up by a ton of points, so it doesn't matter to me. He had also saved his body on one of those, to be fair, And you know that play that everyone killed him on in Cleveland for not going for the play that he didn't go for today, and the end zone was five times worse. It was. It was like the other one was questionable. This one

was like, I am not going to hurt. But you know what about Chuck if we just put I'm not saying you need to have trash bands for every desk, but just in different quadrants of the new news room. What about that I'm stunned. I mean, you guys have state of the art equipment everywhere else. Um, you know, you got great desk chairs, you got standing desks, you got your names on the trusted glass or whatever it is.

I mean, for somebody who's never been there, it looks fantastic to hear this development about a lack of trashing. We got the hall of a party on Tuesday. Shook. I mean, you did choose to move to Cleveland, so I mean, yeah, well, yeah, I was lured here, Like Shook, do you have heated toilet seats in your house? Because that's what we have here at work. If you were to come to our work, that kind of grows. I hear there's also bid days there. There are yet to

try that said podcast. All right, Chookie, let's let's move on to the next game on your docket. Can they by the way, can you expense a flight for the holiday party? I would love to, um, but I think it's too late to make that manageable. All right, let's hit the next game. Big Shooter takes the snark, he backs up. It looks hey, here's look agin catching it gotter and for a second, tuxdown made it look easy.

There's that guy again, Merril Reese and Mike Quick w I barter means you started in place of an injured Jalen Hurts lead the Eagles to scores in their first seven possessions eighteen. The final over the Jets at the Meadowlands shook. Minshew had open receivers all day long against the Jets defense that, according to some players, had no said they had no idea that there could be a scenario where Gardner Minshew would be playing in the game. It looked like that all afternoon. It seems like a

lack of preparation. But yeah, you're you're right, it did. He had eleven straight completions to start the game. Uh, he was. He was very sharp. I mean he's Gardner Minshew. It's not like he's Aaron Rodgers back there. But he got the offense move and kept him moving to the point where late in the game, I'm sitting there thinking, come on, Jets, like take another two more minutes off the clock on this drive when you're already down to scores.

We gotta finish with a scoring result on every Eagles possession. I want some historical outcome from this game, just because it was already decided at that point. Ultimately they had to punt on the following possession, But before that, I mean, he was efficient and um really paced this offense. Miles Standards also got involved in was a huge part of their offense today. Hundred twenty yards in the ground, a Sony Michelle like game, if you will. He left for

the ankle injury, so hopefully that's not too serious. But the big story I think for me, besides Gardner Minshew, was Dallas Goddard. I mean, how can you not love Dallas Goddard. Since they traded zach Ertz, He's he's stepped up and I think kind of owned that tight end one role. I mean, that's how he got that extension and he continues to and in games like this where you have your backup quarterback and you know he needs to rely on the tight end, you have too explosive

touchdowns out of it. He wasn't. It was like he wasn't even covered in the first half. And if you if you think that the Eagles fan base and those reporters in Philly um aren't clamoring for a QB battle here or a controversy, you don't know Philly Sports. After the game, Nick Sirianni was asked if Gardner means you might have a chance to steal the job from Jalen Hurts. But with Jalen being our start, I think he's played good football. Um, you know, I think he's played really

good football. You know, I think there's been there's been there's been uh times where he's been one of the best in the league with the way he's moved around, made plays and um, you know, with his you know, we look at that quarterback rating and what he what he's had there, and so, um he's played, he's played really good football when he's in and so when he he's healthy and he's back, he'll he'll be our starter. Well, they got a bye week coming up, which might have

informed the decision not to play him. They're just he Hurts is the identity of that team, because their identity is a running team. Now, the fact that they were able to run for today without him shows it's it's not just Hurts, but they were they were playing the game and that's only eleven yards from Minshew. I mean it's Minshew. I've done calling Andy Dalton or anyone else the best backup in the league gets Gardner Minshew. He's an assassin. Minshew is a very good backup. He's great.

I think the only thing I'll say about this is, and this has happened with other teams, with the Jets defense, the Jets events is so bad. It's like trying to draw too many conclusions. I'm I'm I'm worried about the whole operation with slid because I know they're under man they don't have a lot of talent, and injuries have taken some of their best players. But they are just completely non competitive on some of these weeks, and I thought that maybe they had patch some things up. They

were impossible to watch in this game. Sounded like Zack Wilson though, has a great start to the game, like what's the boy who shall lead us? The boy who shall lead us? On there? And this is my favorite Jets stat in a long time. The Jets scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, but after their opponent's first three possessions, they were losing by a field goal. You can't make that up. Kicker number thirty seven missed two extra points and did not see the field again except

for kickoffs. Uh and then they went for two and missed on their third score, and then that was it for their offense. Uh In the defense of Michael Floor and company and Zach Wilson, they didn't even see the ball in the third quarter. They had the ball for seventy seconds in the third quarter. Uh So there just wasn't much going on after those first three drives. But it was progress. He came out shook and he was

throwing darts and he looked comfortable. And that had been a major issue this season for Wilson coming in into these games and looking terrible. He looked genuinely great early on. Yeah, I was. I was really excited to see that type of composure and the ability to get the ball on the field in the first half. I thought we were going to be in for a four quarter game until the third quarter happened, and like you said, Jets didn't really see the football and the Eagles started to pull away. UM.

But I like the competition from him. I like the fact that he was able to kind of go toe to toe with you know, Gardner Minshew of all names, but still an NFL offense on the other side of the ball. Um that that you know, he kept them in the game. The Elijah Moore thing is building steam but still not there, but it's building steam. I'm excited about their future. It's just like you can you can pick small things out of it, Like it's not a

complete loss. Like when you watch the Jaguars, you're like, I don't even know where to talk positively about this team. There are moments of inspiration. It's just they haven't put it together. And that's teams like this that tends to be the case. That's six straight losing seasons. Now for the Jets who are three and nine and Minshew, I seek it out if you haven't seen it. Minshew celebrating with his dad after the game. He is a pretty He's a funny dude. Minshew. He's got chu. I don't

know what I don't know. I would love to see, like what his day to day uh deal is because he seems really interesting. All Right, there's one more game with Shook, and it is the other New York team is actually there's only one New York team. I mean, is that the person with that accent. Probably, but it wouldn't be saying that so much with the Western New York price and but I don't know what that is. Oh, yes, Bill so Special, Classic Buffalo would News. Now I'm to play.

Oh that's Jenny to Orchard pot. We'll lunch in some of them. Jimmy Seplo with the call for de wu q a m. The Dolphins keep winning to its low through a pair of short touchdown passes. Dolphins extend their winning streak to five games, topping the Mike Glennon let in. It will be Mike Glennon well if he's healthy for the foreseeable future. Daniel Jones is gonna miss multiple weeks for this neck issue anyway. Nine final score Dolphins on the most beautiful natural turf in America shook from one

and seven to six and seven. With a favorable schedule ahead, Have the Dolphins do it on Sunday similarly how they've done in the last month. I mean, their defense has really given their offensive runway to either succeed or were struggle, And today was more of a struggle. Not on the part of ta who had a very strong game. I think he has four straight games of the passer rating

over a hundred, which is good for them. But um, I mean we've seen this from the Giants kind of the last few weeks is that their defense has come together. So it's kind of a scrappy, grinded out sort of game that the Dolphins ended up pulling away in, not not one that's super aesthetically pleasing, but because the Dolphins.

It's like you've got two teams that are kind of similar, but the Dolphins as a little bit better in certain areas and that's what produces a twenty to nine win um and the ability to come through in the clutch. It's just something that the Giants still haven't been able to do, is you know on key downs. Uh you know, they're six or sixteen on third down. Not that the Dolphins were much better six or fifteen, but there's just

a slight difference between these two teams. And the Dolph and had that positive momentum going because they can rely on their defense and hope they get enough out of their offense. And they got enough out of it today. And I continue to be very impressed by Jalen Waddle.

I mean, he is the go to guy in that offense, and and he went out with cramps and for a moment it was like we're fearing a knee injury, and then he came back and he was smiling on the sideline and it was like all of Dolphins Nation, wherever they reside in Miami or other eyes, they were all rejoicing at the fact that their greatest offensive hope is still good to go. I know Miami has um a consistent wandering eye under center, but I feel like the to uh experience of the last couple of weeks has

shown you that he is accurate, he's efficient. Uh. They've put the offense around him in a way that I you know, with Waddle especially, the connection has been uh valuable for them. Like I don't know if it's enough to keep the job with the way they operate, but he's making an argument for himself. Yeah he was. There were one rare Jalen Waddle drop away from maybe having another touchdown on the board because he hit him on a quick slant and he had plenty of room a

running just didn't catch the ball. Um. So maybe the stat line looks better and and maybe that's the highlight that you lean on. You're like, oh, look, there's the connection. It's really starting. You know, he's got the job, But I think he's done enough in the last few weeks and we'll see, you know, they still got five weeks left. I think he's done enough in the last few weeks to at least earn a right to the discussion for

next year. And if he can continue this type of play and they can somehow like maybe sneak in the playoffs, would be right on the edge. It's gonna be really hard, I think, unless it's Deshaun Watson and you figure all that out, uh, to necessarily move on from him if he you know, finished the strong. You know what we should do, as long as this winning streak continues, we should not bring up that name. As long as the Dolphins keep winning, we should have a moratorium on that

name until the Dolphins fall. It's not us though, it's it's the owner. And like, well, we're mentioning him every time we bring up the Dolphins. That's fair. But I just mean, like that, the fact that they went so far into it because you said, like, okay, hey probably

have earned like another look. If they got rid of him after this season, it would almost be unprecedented for a top five pick with the numbers that he's had with you know, people, I'm not a big QB wins guy, but it's like, yeah, they've won way more games than they've lost with two as the starting quarterback. If you go back to last year, they're like ten and seven. They bounce back from one and seven. Now most of it is the defense, but he does specific things really well,

and they've they've they have. It's hard to get too excited when you're beating like Tyred Taylor seventeen nine, and you're beating Joe Flacco seventeen and you're beating Mike glennon by, but they've done their job and there there. It is amazing for a team that we all said was like a mess internally that they've turned it totally around and say, it's unprecedented that a team would move on from a

quarterback two years in considering all the factors. Well, it's also unprecedented that a potential guy can come on available. But we're not. I'm just saying, like a pick that high, who's throwing like twenty three touchdowns eleven interceptions, with good numbers like winning games, It's it's pretty rare to even be talking about it, all right. I mean, Daniel Jones would like kill a small family for number and wins like that, we don't know that probably no, I don't know. Well,

maybe we don't know. That's like that, Hey, Nick Shook, do you fancy a barrel of a Niagara Falls? Do you? Hey? Would you like to stop over in Rochester and get yourself a garbage played on the way to Orchard Park. That's my birthplace, Rochester, New York. By the way, you were there twenty years later and was mugged there outside of a bus station, so it's like, welcome back to the place of your birth some soft muggy and I hadn't I had like a Blockbuster card in my wallet

at the time, so it wasn't allowed. Would you like to rent a video tape in Rochester? The birthplace of Mark Sesla? Stay out of Rochester, Mark, you no longer welcome. Alright, Joe, see you buddy. Alright, guys, take a break and then we'll hit the defending champs from ber Love. The snapped

Brady has passed all the ends all caught ball. Not funny, but I think Dan's vat at Hilly lapped like six out of the seven times decker Hof not Funnay, w f U s with the call Tom Brady Threugh fore and four touchdowns, two of them to b FF Rob Gronkowski and the Bucks move to the brink of clinching the NFC southt SEV win over the Falcons. That's three with every every other team in the NFC South is like four and six or something. It's just like it's

a complete slop fest. And then there's the Bucks. Three straight wins for the Bucks. They have a four game lead in that division with five to play. Um, it's funny, like you know how we on our TV show on Fridays, which everyone should check out on Saturday's on NFL Network, Um, we talked about when we get to the a f C South, we always struggle whoever lands on either the Texans and the Jags, Like, what are you gonna talk

about for two minutes? I continue to have this issue with the Bucks although they're this you know, juggernaut like racing back to the playoffs, because I don't really know what what to add because they're just taking care of business. I think it's interesting Gronk healthy again once again, is such an important part of the offense, and you could tell just Tom Brady is more comfortable when he's got that guy on the field. He had twenty seven yard

and eleven yard touchdowns. Brady's at forty four years old, throwing fifty one passes in a game, completing thirty eight and we've been talking about it greg and will get

to Kyler Murray a little bit later. And I know Jonathan Taylor is having a huge season, but you cannot take Tom Brady out of the m v P conversation because he did have a bad pick six that Marlon Davidson showed a lot of athleticism right at the end of the half that made this game almost interesting, but ultimately it was Brady and Cruise control and he's just piling up the numbers once again. Yeah, he sees Gronkin man coverage in the red zone. Gronk's gonna get that ball.

He sees Chris Godwin in this game, period, and Godwin's gonna get the ball. Fifteen catches for god When the most of any player for any in any game all season. Matt Ryan took eleven quarterback hits in five sacks in this game, whereas they almost the Bucks that is, their offensive light almost had a Gholston, which long time listeners will know is no quarterback hits, no sacks. There was one quarterback hit on on Tom Brady and that's it. They The only thing I'm watching is like, can they

stay healthy? Carlton Davis returns, and then Jamal Dean, who's the other starting corner, gets a concussion. Edwards is out because he makes the you know, the funny vax card before getting vacks anyways, which is like the dumbest thing ever. So they seem like they have these things, but they're piling up their wins. Do you come away with any concern about what Atlanta did on the ground earlier? I think they had like nine nine yards rushing when the

Bucks had eleven. And we know that Tampa's you know, run defense, um can put it to teams week after week. Is are they Is there any And I wasn't really concerned at any point watching the game, maybe not personally, like, yeah, I probably where the Bucks concerned. You'll have to ask them. I I couldn't tell you that, but I'll get on that. Yeah, they gave up some yards last week. They can't pass protect Atlanta and their quarterback can't move and again, it's

just like they're a hard watch for me. The Falcons. Because of that, and Matt Ryan, I just wonder there's you know, what his long term future is. I know he's the money makes him the guy again next year, But is Arthur Smith watching this guy week after week and be like, man, is this the guy want to go to war with? Where another seventeen games next year? That's not a popular opinion. Another team that passed on Justin Fields and Mac Jones. I mean, I think took Pitts,

but it was a decision. I just wonder what happens and how complicated how much the money complicates any decision that they make at quarterback. Which is not to put this loss or this season at the feet of Matt Ryan, but it just feels like he's an odd fit where this organization is right now. He is, but imagine like almost all of the rookie quarterbacks outside of Mac Jones being shoved into that offense this year. It's a cupboard?

Is bear say they are showing in a total lack of depth or coaching by playing Jalen Mayfield every week? It's just like there's that one guard. I feel like every season that, like every one who watches football, it'll just makes fun of because he gives up like four sacks a week and gets dominated. And that's Jalen Mayfield. Like the opposing team, everyone is fighting to line up against Jalen Mayfield and just like beat him like a drum get you know, just have some mercy. Take him out.

Does not sound fun? Take us not sound in enjoyable. By the way, that's now ninety touchdowns in the regular season for Gronk and Brady, passing your boy Greg Phil Rivers and Antonio Gates for number two in NFL history, the only duo to have more connections, and it's by a considerable amount, twenty two more Peyton Manning and Marvin Prison. It's so weird because Brady's season, I would say, is not better than he was last year overall, and he wasn't even an m v P. Rodgers That's what I mean.

Right now, he's number one on Mike QB Index and so then you you would have a shot to win, like whoever is the best quarterback is gonna have a good shot. It's this is a strange season, all right. Let us now move to Chicago or the Bears were hoping to pull an upset with Andy Dalton behind the center.

Murray takes the shotguns snap straight drop back, washed out of the pocket, rolling right, being chased, he talks, he runs at the five and he heads to the corner and he's into the end zone for the touchdown Dave pass with the call kt A are welcome back, Kyler Murray. Cardinals got their store star quarterback back on the field and it paid immediate dividends. Two passion touchdowns, two rushing scores, and a thirty victory over the moribund Chicago Bears. Mark

DeAndre Hopkins was also back in this game. He caught a touchdown pass. Cardinals keep winning. I think from the side of the offense, you love to see that. Kyler Murray had a season high fifty nine yards on the ground off of ten carries. He looked good, he looked healthy. And DeAndre Hopkins had a couple of catches in this game that showed you that acrobatically athletically he's fine. Um.

The story of the game was this defense. This is I think the most balanced team around right now, and you almost forget about them because they went through the Colt McCoy thing. But this defense has delivered week after week and they gave Kyler Murray and the attack the ball on four interceptions on the Chicago twenty eight, again on the Chicago, the Chicago fifteen, and the Chicago twelve. This was not a game where Arizona playing in a pouring rain, and I don't think that's the best environment

for this offense. They were not their typical selves. Kyler Murray had two fumbles on those first two drives, recovered both of them, but he looked to be affected to some degree by the weather. There were a couple of passes it didn't matter. I mean, they're just they were too complete and the Bears are a hot mess. Um. It gets boring to even discuss Mattnegy, but I do feel like he's starting to come undone on the sideline

a little bit. He had it's like winter hat on that was like crooked over his ears because of his microphone. He's just always jawing at the refs. At one point, Cliff Kingsbury um bumped his mouth into a shoulder pad of a Cardinals player and was like spitting blood out of his mouth. They cut it like Bears consultant Mike Petting up in the booth and he just looks sad

and lost. So it was a long he's consulting on the he's a consultant on the team, you know, and he they cut to one of those booths with everyone and just I was like, that's Mike Pett. He's just staring out at the clouds, like our salary times eight or something. I mean, you think gets paid, yes, more. I think that's a good ound. I mean, well, I don't know what player minimum is right now. I would guess a little less than that if I had to guess.

But good work doing fine. I don't mean consultant. No one knows what you're doing. Anyway, there wasn't like a bit market for his services this offseason. Probably he might still be getting paid. Um. I want to do an impression though for you guys, is it a British accent now Western New York? Because that been killed above? What do you guys talk? I left the whole time. That's

why I'm pushing back on this. If I had a sour look on my face, it was because I looked down right when you were talking, and I was thinking, oh, I had some great Joe Judge points to make that I forgot. But you know that's what the Tuesday? You just you just chamber that one and that's what the Thursday. Here's the impression. Um, it's a Mark you Dalton like that was that was something that happened there, Dury during today. And then another another impression of Mark during this game. Yes, yes,

and uh he was that was disgusting. He was so fired up. I'm fired up during during this game. He was yelling at Andy Dalton. And because when Greg tells an accurate story about me Elsie, that's every time Mark speaks, Greg concoct some live not that time. I I just like want to see the Cardinals be like all they can be, be a dominant team and they's got a little close at the end, where like the Bears with David Montgomery, who I think it's it's the best thing

we have an offense right now. Donald Mooney had like one catch four quarters in this They were just poorly organized. I want the Cardinals to win. It's not only that, though, because you sometimes have it in for certain teams and coaches and you hate the Bears. You hate how boring they are, and I get it, yeah, I hate Bears. Want you want that misery to just compound in snowball

until everyone's fired and the team starts over. So I think it's to me, having sat next to you watching football for ten years, I'm guessing it's more burn the Bears rather than Cardinals. It's it's definitely like in a special intensity. Today there's no bye week. There was a bye week for the Browns. Maybe that was part of it. You're just like enoying. I have preciated it when you have Cowboys lock on Thursday. So that was out of the way. No more than Patriots over Titans with like

eight healthy players. But anyways, you know the Titans are the number one seed last week. But yeah, but that's like on a on a week up week to week matchup. You have to say that was as fugazi as what I pulled off. But Andy Dalton, to me, if you're doing what the Bears are stuck doing with him right now, you're at the end of the road. He's an end of the road scenario. And it's this game isn't about

Andy Daltons. I know, it's like a driving rainstorm and they outgained the What a weird box score that the Cardinals have two hundred and fifty seven yards it's a short drive. They lose the turnover battle for to nothing. The Bears have for turn It's just a strange game. But that's a move it along, nice job. Let's move along bar It de fits the pedal. He's the last play of the game. Carsually washed by three steps up. He's gotta launch it. He does. He's got the arm

to get it to the end zone. Three Raiders receivers. There, it pops up in the air. It falls incomplete. Washington on the fourth take it out of Vegas. Bongos. I want to give it the bongos of the lines. This is a you can make the choice here, controversial decision

behind the glass, but here we are anyway. Tyler Taylor, through two touchdown passes, set up new kicker Brian Johnson with the game winning forty eight yard field goal thirty seven seconds to play, and they did get that stopped right at the end on defense desperation heat from Derek Carr seventeen fifteen. Washington over Raiders regularly watched that last kick live together. I thought there was no way and maybe this is just my Jets fandom and they're horrible

kicker situation coloring the situation. I thought there's no way an unknown kicker would step up in that spot. But the football team has some juice right now, Dave. They just have this feeling to them that, yeah, they're gonna win this game at the end, that things are gonna

break their way. That Taylor Heineke, who throws an interception in the fourth quarter on the Washington second to last drive to set up Las Vegas to go take the lead, and then throws what would have and should have been a pick six that Travis Morrig there on their last drive, just forcing passes that he shouldn't. And that's why I've

kind of stayed off this Heineke bandwagon. He's fun to watch, great back up like he does it all, but it's just like these these loose places have been there throughout the course of the season. You figure they're gonna come back to bite him. Goes right through, right through More's hands, and then in Heineke, to his credit, makes a couple good plays to set up that field goal and they

get it and they get the win. But these games, it's just like these late afternoon games, they were all afoot that Carlos Dunlap, you know, tips that Jimmy g pass, he has the open receiver the forty Niners. Gonda tied it there. Uh. You know, we talked about using play by Lamar Jackson on the incomplete I watch. I wanted to watch this with you. It was a good play by t J. Watt, but yes, two or three inches

closer and they make the play there. And then Derek Carr, who I think played a very Derek Carr game, very solid, didn't make mistakes, move the ball well, had two throws that he absolutely wants to take back. He had an open two point conversion that he just sailed in the fourth quarter, and then he had z Jones streaking wide open for a touchdown. Uh in the fourth quarter. They ended up settling for the field goal to go up

fifteen fourteen, and he missed both of those throws. If you're the Raiders, you want to be different than the pass Raiders team, make those throws, receivers, the somebody's got to make a play and it can change your season. And instead of being you know, in position entering Sunday Night Football to be in first place, you're again back

to six and six and again facing all the same questions. Uh, specifically now about your offense and the ability to score in its presence date, Yeah, I mean, I think the Cowboys game stands out as a holiday aberration because the Raiders prior lost uh to the Giants, Chiefs, and Bengals and did not top sixteen points in any of those games. Their schedule as much as any of these muddled, bizarre, you know, middling teams vying for playoff spots is rough.

They've got the Chiefs, the Browns, the Broncos, the Cults, and the Chargers to close the season and no Darren Waller today was was a killer. I wasn't too surprised that they didn't move the football that well. I was surprised by the Washington Football teams social media account after the game. I don't know if you you saw this, uh Dan, but they have a picture photoshop of Terry McLaurin uh spray painting Welcome to as Vegas. No no, no,

no no, it's l O S. S Law. Oh. I thought that was that they done what you said better. That would have been a good burn. I thought it was. I was like, Wow, they're really taking this social to another level. That's stupid. That's a bad photoshop. And it's tacky as hell, and Washington should set, you know, sit out a whole bunch of plays. That stuff comes back to a Vegas would have really guess. I was surprised

that it wasn't a bigger story too. Is there some amazing I think maybe they played in a super Bowl, but like an amazing Washington Raiders rivalry where you have to be doing, you know, no outside of that super Bowl on Twitter, they played once every four years. They're feeling themselves, you know, all right, Well, good for Washington, they are. They're kind of a fun team. I just

I think Heineke is a fun guy to watch. The absolutely Antonio too made the play of the game, one of the players of the game with a third and one early where he should have been stopped for about a seven yard loss, gets the first down, ends up setting up their first touchdown was right on the goal line, like he's been awesome, all right, let's take a break, and then we finished out. We got two more games.

While they Cox motions on the left side, they get off to Taylor right up there, gut touchdown d hy Jonathan Taylor with this second rushing score in the Hall game, and the Colts have broken an open twenty to nothing. Jonathan Taylor was back on his game. The m v P candidate ran for one, three and two touchdowns, and the Colts rolled to an easy thirty one ZIP win over the hapless Texans. That was Matt Tallard Matt Taylor, by the way, w f N I uh, Texas turned

the ball over twice in the first quarter. Tyrod Taylor got benched in a weird year he's had, and the Texans mark are too intent. Yeah, I don't think uh, we need to unfurrol like a verbal Russian novel. On this game, it went according to plan for the Colts, who regularly hammer terrible teams like this. They got off to a little bit of a slow start on offense, but their defense had the two takeaways that led to

its touchdown early on in a missfield goal. But then it's like you're waiting for Houston UM, as we have been all season to awaken on any level. They had forty eight yards at half three first downs, five of six drives went for less than eight yards. Uh. It was a disastrous showing by up there with Jacksonville the least watchable attack around UM with very little hope, and I don't know what you just need. You cannot the off season cannot come quickly enough for them. Uh the Colts,

they just took care of business. Uh. They to me, they showed their defense right now, which leads the league, and takeaways, points off, turnovers and force fumbles. Put it to Tech, put it to the Texans early, and there was just no coming out David Coldy finally, to me, looks like someone who's sort of being kept there against his will on the sideline. Yeah, we don't need a seventeenth game for some of these teams. Like it feels

so late for the Texans. They dropped back to past thirty one times today and they ended up with fifty seven yards. That that's next that's next level. I have two pro football. It just was hard to watch. If I if I became a head coach, there's two things I would immediately try to do. Game management. Let's here here it is. Don't bring it this so late in the show. Don't give Jonathan Taylor or guys like him thirty two carries in a game like this. This this

stuff happens all the time. The other thing. The other thing, and I really think this is gonna take over someday. There's so many teams that snapped the ball with like fifteen seconds left when they're up two or three scores, like throughout the whole second half of the game, like with twelve minutes, like like start already milking the clock,

uh much earlier. It alds up so fast and and and even like the Patriots to it, they'll snap it with like twenty seconds up seventeen points with twelve minutes. Just yeah, I think we talked about the running clock would work in a game like this. Just let's get home, let's get out of here. It's it's about healthy and safety.

There was a couple of weeks ago, I think a Bills game where they were blown out an opponent and like Josh Allen's dropping back and throwing crossing patterns to to Stefon digs when they're up thirty points, So like, what are we doing here? I mean, if any think they put Davis Mills in, if anything, I mean Taylor was a little little banged up and he could have played. But but you're right, I mean I would just melt away the final ten minutes of games like this into oblivion.

There was a stretch in the first part of the game, just like watching like the Possessions, where they just kept The Colts kept punting it from the fifty to the ten, and then the Texans kept punting it from the ten back to the fifty, just back and forth, three and out's ten to fifty. It was like that this is the last game. Let me just really quickly read Houston's drive chart before we kill them for the week. Interception, fumble, punt, punt, punt, punt,

punt downs, punt downs downs, check you later. The cult. The cults simply massacre the league's have nots. And by the way, the Texans, who again, when the season ends in January nine, they will memory hole this season. It will have never existed. You won't even be able to find it in the media. Guy. They are the first

team to be eliminated from playoff contention. December five, the Colts would be the sixth seed in the NFC, but they're still stuck at ten at seven and six in the a f C. The a f C sneaky, even though it's not great, it's sneaky deep. There's a lot of teams with winning records, whereas in the NFC, there's only five teams with winning record. There's a lot of good bad teams are bad good teams in the like,

there's a whole mess of those guys. Bad good is maybe maybe would go good bad like I'll use your team the Browns on a bye. Are they a good bad team or a bad good team? Just flat out very annoying to the sense I think they're a bad good team. The Steelers are what is the different? Yeah, there is. The Steelers to me are a good bad team. They're maxing out what they can do. That the US are a bad good team, right because maybe better than they're intrinsically too bad to be good because I don't

think they're intrinsically bad. I think they're intrinsically good. But they're really bad. They're on the lower end of what goodness is. I mean I should understand there in the higher and the highest end of what a bad team could be. I mean, they all sort of suck. That's how I feel about Texas suck. That's that's the Patriots all right. Sunday night football, and they keep the drive alive.

Ridge Water under pressure as he throws it's intercepted by Daniel Sorenson and Bridgewater can't knock him down and shortens He's gonna go all the way. Hrey cut that on al Michael's with the call. Here's the here's the good news. Tenny really went for the tackle. One's but that was the only positive of that play for the Denver Broncos. A game deciding pick six by Daniel Sorenson that allowed the Chiefs to ease to a two to nine win

at Arrowhead, A game that Sauce once again greggy. The Chief's offense unable to really get anything going to finish with two sixty seven yards of offense, so they were easily out game. And yet their defense once again the slack for the offense. What kind of world do we live? At a certain point, you have to just say that this is what the Chiefs are right now and that it's working. I mean, it was almost identical to the

Cowboys game that they won nineteen to nine. It's very similar to that Packers game they won over Jordan's Love when it was thirteen to seven. Like, think about the biggest plays in this game. That that was the biggest one, that the Teddy pick six off the tip pass there was the Teddy interception that was just a bad decision in the second half, there was the fourth down stop on the twenty yard the twenty play drive, and then there was the special teams recovery of the fumble that

they had. None of those plays were offensive plays. They're like the Vikings where they go and get an opening drive touchdown every week and then they don't really do much the rest of the game. And that's fine. At least it's fine right now. Well, I mean, their defense is legit. They've allowed under twenty points per games since October ten. Essentially they have transformed on that side of

the ball. After a big narrative being how you know, self destructive they were, I mean, and their offense and it wasn't even narrative. They were like, statistically the worst defense. We talked about it. I just mean, it's crazy that that kind of turned around, right, I mean, I just I mean, I don't know. This game frustrates me from a from a Broncos angle. Maybe we want to get into another way. Well, no, it frustrates me from a

before we turn to the Broncos a chief's angle. I mean, I guess I'm still not ready to live in a world where we've now processed that the Chiefs right now win because their defense. I still don't understand how we got to this place. I still I see Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid and Tyree Hill and Travis Kelsey, and I see the Chiefs with two time outs and a minute plus to play the first half, running the clock out.

I see the Chiefs getting a turnover on a punt and going nine yards on fourth and one, kicking the field goal to go up sixteen three instead of the dagger shot. It's just to me, it's working now. And who's gonna complain about a team that's won five in a row and seems poised to win that division. But I am too, because I still think in this in our league, your defense can look really good for a stretch, but you'll be exposed by a big time offense in

a big spot. And if the Chiefs do not get this figured out, they will get dinged and knocked out of the playoffs earlier than people think. Now. The other side of the ball, the Broncos, Uh, Greg, we talked about it, setting it up, how this was kind of not Teddy's chance. If you wanted to look at it that way. It's kind of how I posited it last week. But Denver's chance and to really make a statement, say we are for real week, We're gonna be hanging around

in this race. We have a chance to win this division. And they kind of feels like they were exposed as a pretender here they were. They were never there offensively like the players they tried to make down the field to Courtland Sutton has killed them the last handful of weeks. Six targets for fifteen yards. You know, it's bad weather. It's like neither passing game got going. But they're they're not good enough to like survive a night like that

where you're turning the ball over three times. I mean, Fongio's defense has held Kansas City to twenty two points per game in their five matchups since he's been there. They're scoring about ten points per game in those. It's just like the Chiefs. I just I feel like into in when you go into seasons like this, and it's not I'm not not Teddy Slander or anything else, more than just they are built to win with defense and a quarterback who can get them there when he doesn't

make mistakes. Sometimes even when he doesn't. And today, when you get the killer mistakes from Teddy Bridgewater, you you don't stand a chance to survive. You're a six or seven win team when he's not playing well. Yeah, their defense part of the you know, they almost artificially key points down because they give up these long drives that aren't aren't particularly a good sign of your defense, you

know what I mean. Like, that's why they struggle so much with the analytics, even though they're they're giving up not that many points. Tonight, they played well, and for the most part the last four or five weeks they played well. That's why they had won three out of four. But they feel like they've overachieved to even get to six and six. They won't go away because all these a f C teams seem like they'll never go away and they'll probably keep winning every other game. There's really

no reason, uh not. But of all of the teams, them and the Steelers feel like the biggest pretenders and they're they're good bad too. Exactly, yeah, exactly. Now I'm starting to understand the definition. It is crazy that the Chiefs two leading receivers were there running backs. I mean, we're getting it seems like Darryl Williams bills Mahomes out of certain situations. You had that points, so you had to pick six Mahomes interception. I mean, it's like you

had to pick six. So we're down to fifteen points produced by the offense. You had a again the muff punt that led to the few bill where you went nine yards, so that's really three more points. So the defense special teams gave you ten points. The Chiefs scoring twelve points on offense in this game. It's just it's

the twilight zone. Man. But you also at one point when they get to fourth and two from the Denver eight, it's thirteen to three, and they line up to kick the field goal, and we're watching this in the large theater area next to the studio here, and Dan's going kill shot, kill shot, just go Ford and fourth down and keep going and killed kill the Denver Broncos. And they don't do it. I mentioned this a little bit, Oh you did. I'm exhausted. It's like, was I not.

That's one of the rare times that I was ultra checked out while you were speaking. I normally am very engaged with what you're saying. I apologized, but I'm not I do the same thing to you sometimes. You know, we've done a lot of shows over the year's mark. It's deep into the night, been a long day. This game was not in the exciting to anyone, even like Chiefs fans. If the Patriots were winning this way, you'd be like, oh wow, this teams were soreful. But even

Chiefs fans, I don't think are enjoying this. Broncos fans are annoyed that this game got flexed into Sunday night so that, like the whole country, I had to watch it. I'm annoyed, uh that I had to deal with this like this, this hurt me more than then, Like I don't know at this point, Teddy struggling hurts me more than the Patriots. You've infested a lot of your emotional being into Teddy's ups and downs, and tonight was the downs.

It was. It was a down before we go. There were a lot of injury news right before we left, So just throw that up there that Marlon Humphrey is out for the season. Big loss for Baltimore. That is massive. Adam Theland has a high ankle sprain that ain't going away. Anytime soon. That's pretty soon. Vikings are going away soon'll be sure. I'm just saying between between now. In some January hour was out for the season for the Raiders.

Logan Thomas you mentioned, has a torn a cel that was unfortunately came back on a low hit on him. I think it was made a couple of plays and yeah, alright, so that's a situation. We'll be back on Tuesday. Um, big holiday party Tuesday night. So you know before that happens, it's gonna be like this buzz in the air. I would think, Yeah, Erica and all the twenties somethings, Erica your last holiday party as gotta gotta make it count,

gotta make it count. Justin, you are in charge of Erica because remember the night before Thanksgiving you were basically her bodyguard making sure she didn't get arrested or anything. Justin's gonna have to be that for you again. Yeah, I don't know if I mean Justin is a very um capable individual. That is a large task, right, Plus you work for Erica, that's not really like, well, it's d that's your boss. It should be interest. What's a sober ricky Hollywood at a holiday party in a suit role.

We want to roll rousing causing trouble. The night before Thanksgiving, Ricky, a very attractive blonde woman walks by. She grabs the blonde woman and tells her to take a photo with me and tag me and like, oh, this is Dan Hansers. Don't you know who this is? And she thought it was the funniest thing. It was very funny. And I was like, did the woman know who you are? Of course not like you know, I would presume that she would very good looking and Dan Dan was hamma, hammamma.

And I was like, taking picture, this is I'm a married man. I'm not like that. You were just you weren't coming off as like, oh yeah, Mr Daddy big, you know, be daddy big, Daddy big. And I was like, don't you know who that is? Dan Answers. So justin you you will have to keep her under control. So which is it you want me to be? I want you to be out of control and I want Grave Digger to be on control. Business grea some semblance of um non anarchy from you all right to him? Good stuff?

All right, We'll be back on. There's one more game. By the way, of course, Week thirteen, Buffalo, Buffalo, New England. Uh, the the weather conditions are supposed to be crazy. Is that's still a thing that's interesting. It's gonna be a big game in the a f C, and we'll have a recap of that on Tuesday and all that other fun stuff. Thank you to everybody for listening. Let's get on at it. Succession Sunday night. The strongest aspect of

my marriage is when me and the wife get together. Succession. I know, but the show ends like four weeks. What happened? What happens now? I don't know untill that need the call.