2022 Divisional Round Preview: The Best Weekend of Football

that blew me away. There we're listeners from Alaska, New York, Chicago, Bay Area, Portland's Indiana. Like the l a uh listeners almost were sheepish, being like, yeah, I just drove from Pasadena. It's like, but don't apologize for that. I was. I was amazed by it now. I was just expected it to be like a seventy eight percent like l A crowd, maybe with maybe a smattering of you know, additional uh

places of origin. But it was incredible. Was like one person after the next, like flew in from all over the place and like, I we are like the one thing with about this show because we you know, we'd like to go out and talk to them for a while afterwards that goes on for a while. I wish we could just give them more time sometimes because it's

like there's just not enough, Like they can't. They put so much effort in come to the show and it was a fever dream and it was maybe a planning snap food to have this show occur hours later, but that we just keep rolling up. Who did uh? Or I should say I old Juser deserves a little tugboat credit on this one. I reached out to Drew nine ft six to forty al muscles and said, we gotta push back this Thursday taping. Yeah, smart, and as you could tell from my voice, we needed a couple extra hours.

The The experience though, of the live show I think was highlighted really and uh the money drop alluded to it here by the solo dance performance between Jessica and Justin Graver on the stage. One of the most awkward and painful and delightful moments I can remember, digging awesome work out there. How how was that for you? Thanks? No, it was. It was awesome to be able to share

that moment with Jessica, my love. It was the best part was that you know, Justin as the producer, will do various mechanics in terms of how long things will be and m once we cleared the stage for them to dance the Careless Whisper the Wham classic classic. Um, there was like a two minute thirty second cut that Justin had a super cut and two oh three and like again, I had to go and hit the space bar to pause it just because like I knew like it had reached what it needed to be and I

didn't want to start making everyone uncomfortable. And then yes, I was way too late for that. Yeah, Jessica backstage after show is like, we had a dip planned. You didn't let me do my dip. I mean, they're that's Mark imitating. They're a wonderful couple, but there are some stagecraft elements involved, and I think pressing the space bar might have been at at that point. Yeah, well I would have liked to see the tip. I think, well, that's fine, we learned our Lesson next live show, I'll

make a one minute cut of this. Every live show will feature a slow dance on the stage for a grave Digger and his lovely gf UM. Anyway, thank you everybody for coming out like Keishaw was there too, was amazing. We brought her up on stage and we talked about Chris at the end of the show. So a special night. And as I said at the beginning of that show, um, you know, it does make you like kind of reflect a little bit about um, how we all ended up here,

and you know the famous kind of Hollywood dream. People come from all over the country in the world to Hollywood to make it. We didn't come to make it as actors. We didn't come to get into entertainment and upon stages and doing shows for people where Jason zumwaltz up on top up stairs playing god. It just got to happen that way. But we all did come here to to achieve something and strive to be better in terms of building our career, and that was kind of

a really nice find it out. At one point, I was thinking, like our first role for Dan and I, at least at the NFL, we're three day a week anonymous editors, just you know, cutting up copy. And it's like ten years later we're doing like a nineteen mid nineteen seventies variety show where it's a lot of song and dance, and like I wasn't trained to do this. We were just smoking cigarettes and drinking rye the entire

show totally bizarre. Um, all right, awesome, But we got a lot to get to because a lot of people we don't care. We don't We're not going to see you, guys. We're building up anticipation for the next blue eyeballs. Away from naval we shall each other's navels and uh turn our attention to the greatest round of football all season, Divisional Round Week again. We have an unbelievable slate of games. We're gonna get to all four games teams and then

there's only eight there. I mean, ain't do anybody too It's four games to talk about, So let's do it. We gotta. We got a friend from overseas actually is gonna join us at halftime. We got some league news to get to as well as teams, teams that aren't quite ready to fire their head coach, but they gotta do something. That something means other people lose their jobs on the staff. We'll get to that only five head coaching changes if if we've reached the end of that.

But you know, it's funny because it's all obviously connected doesn't it feel like we have more turn in the coordinator ranks this year and everyone needs an coordinator, right, All right, let's get to the games. Let's start with let's go and order. So let's start Saturday, Jaguars at

Chiefs Hamina Hamana Hameda um Greg. Obviously, the Jaguars got here um by virtue of one of the great comebacks in NFL history, down twenty seven nothing to the Chargers, and they deserve all the credit in the world and a lot of ways you could look at the Jaguars right now is house money. This is a organization in total tatters after the clown buffoon show that was Erban

Meyer in the NFL. And not only did they get back off the mat, dust themselves off, become a competitive team, steal a division, win a playoff game that will not be forgotten. Now they go to the Kansas City and even just hang with Casey would feel like it would be a victory. But maybe maybe Greggy after UH weekend, one of the playoffs that had a lot of chalk,

things get weird. This could be a weird spot. I agree, because the Chiefs have had trouble winning convincingly against most everyone and you could even say that was true against the Jaguars when they played back in Week thirteen. That was the last game where the Chiefs didn't have to sweat out a fourth quarter. But it was also a game if you if you watched it, that the team seemed even and there's a couple of flukey plays at the beginning, turnovers and whatnot that that go the Chief's way.

And I think the Jags have the confidence right now that they can hang with anyone, and that if they're behind in any situation, they can come back from anyone. Like their last five home games, those were double digit or nine point comebacks and some of them are seventeen. And these are two good team, So I think both of these teams will feel like they can come from behind.

And I look at what they do well, which is get the ball to receivers in the middle of the field, get the ball out of Trevor Lawrence's hand quickly, and I think that matches up pretty well against the Chiefs. You think Nick Bolton, who's great, can cover Evan Ingram,

I don't think so. I think you get it to Kristen Kirk who balled out last week, and these guys can make plays after the catch, and they're gonna force the Chiefs to tackle, And I just don't know if the Chiefs are like an amazing tackling sort of sound defense, and I think you could see a lot of run after the catch, Trevor Lawrence not holding onto the ball

too long. Yeah, I mean, I think also flip side, Jacksonville's defense um which was a set nil here, has stepped up over you know, the last half of the season. Josh Allen, Trayvon Walker. They've created the second most pressure among really any defense in the league, and I think that matters against the home Like his drop off rate when when pressure is on him is drastic. It's the it's like the second or third most among quarterbacks. When

he's pressured, his performance struggles at some point. So if Jacksonville can do that now, it's that's no easy task. But I mean, Trayvon Walker, Josh Allen last week, in the last couple of weeks have been big impact players. And I think if you're Jacksonville, you also have that mental aspect that we got down last week. Everyone counted us out at halftime. Our quarterback had absolutely apocalyptic first half, and yet you never really felt like they were out

of that game. It seemed like they could climbed back in well, but it was it was when it was twenty seven and seven a halftime, it was like, I wasn't too because I think we've talked, we've seen this happen before with teams this year, and I thought it showed me that Doug Peterson, who when he ended his career with the with the Eagles, it was like, all right,

I'm not sure what to think about this guy. He wasn't a coaching advantage that game down the stretch, and I think you're going on against you know, Andy Reid, who is about to become the essentially third coach in league history to have twenty playoff victories if he wins this game. So he is is legit as Tom Landry and Bill Belichick. But Doug Peterson is someone that helped get Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the crew out

of a jam a week ago. And I like that about this team, and I think it's interesting there's the Big three in the a f C in Kansas City by virtue of the bye that was, let's face it aided by what happened in Cincinnati in Week seventeen on Monday Night. They end up winning that last game, getting the fourteen and three by and then watching the two other superpowers kind of struggle and and and have to scrape their way to get out of the wild card round.

Now they have big time rest. They have Andy Reid and his coaching staff of the ability to really plan um and and study the Jaguars, including what they did well and what they failed at against the Chargers. And then there's you know, this unfinished business h for Mahomes. I think Mahomes is one of the great quarterbacks ever.

I think he's already that UM. And he said himself that he choked in the playoffs last year, Like he said he choked against the Bengals in the championship game, and he did the whole team did in that second half collapse. UM. I think that is major motivation for this team. And then you look at what his history is in the divisional round. And remember, when you get

to this round, there's no more. You know, sometimes an underdug sneaks through the wild card round and then you end up getting kind of a free past the title game. But usually these games are big time matchups with superpower versus superpower in four games on the divisional stage, nine touchdowns, zero picks, a passer rating of almost one fifteen. He's one of the great ones. Then the great ones played

better when the stakes get higher. I do not expect him to do anything less than you know, contribute you know, thirty to forty points in this game. And then it becomes like, can Trevor Lawrence do something that we we know is probably inside him? But can he do it this spot, this early in his career? Right I'm curious how the Jags approach it, because their defense and the Chief's defense improved a lot down the stretch since week fifteen.

These are both top eight defenses according to d v O A like six and eight, and they did it in similar ways. You mentioned how the Jaguars were pressuring better late in the season. The Chiefs have to Carl Loftis and um, Chris Jones has just taken it to like amazing, to like the best that Chris Jones has ever played. And they're getting pressure from different spots and they're gonna be trying to force Lawrence into a mistake or two. I when you say, like, can Lawrence keep

up with Mahomes. I do think that that's what it will take. Maybe you gotta turn over to from the Chiefs. Maybe not, But can Lawrence like make two or three plays that are totally off script like Mahomes will when the defense actually has the right answers. I'm not quite there yet. I still think people are putting the cart before the horse in terms of putting Lawrence in that class of quarterback like to me, for instance, you know

we talked about him versus Herbert. He just he hasn't showed that level of play to me over a long enough period of time, and especially doing all the extra stuff. I think these two guys are really good before this snap. I think he's extremely smart and accurate for such a young quarterback. But I don't know if he does the like wow plays. He has wow throws. But I'm talking about when the Chiefs come up with some plans here with Spagnolo where they get some free rushers or that

he has to move off the spot. Like how many great plays Trevor Lawrence. I think it's fair to wonder where we'd be with Trevor Lawrence had someone like Doug Peterson been there a year ago because his his rookie season was sabotaged. He's made a warp speed jump mid season two now. But I'm with you. I think Trevor Lawrence wouldn't say he's at Mahomes levels and Josh Allen and Joe Burrow levels at this point. I do look back on that game in Week ten because the Jaguars

they had an interception and two fumbles lost. The Chiefs had those three turnovers and the Jaguars still scored seventeen points. This offense feels different to me now because that this is that Trevor Lawrence is a different quarterback now than way back then. I really do think he is. Something else happened in that game. That was a game where Patrick Mahomes really shredded Jacksonville with his feet, and it was almost like what can Patrick Mahomes do beyond when

everything else does? And it's like he's had games like that down the stretch for his the way he's run the ball and it's not Lamar Jackson or Daniel Jones, but it's been key first downs and a couple of big touchdowns and they've been money in the red zone.

And then also in that game that was the ca Darius Tony game where he had a six yard touchdown catch, a thirty two yard end around, a twenty three and twenty two yard catch, And I think Tony is like me, it's we saw against this is your special, this is your secret, little woman who's not so secret? But Jacksonville was the first team that kind of got flamed by him.

And Kansas City is healthy for this game relatively, they are going to be without Nicole Hardman, which clears out potentially a path two more snaps and looks for Candarius Tony and Sky Moore as well. Remember that was entering the seas like, oh well, sky More step up. Well, I think it could be Tony. Ultimately, that is that guy that's a difference maker. Remember Jack McKinnon has scored in how many weeks in a row? Six or seven

weeks in a row? Um, And back to the Lauren's side of things, Yeah, he's obviously he doesn't have much of a track record yet. But sometimes these these jumps to become that guy happen on like the stages like this and the Last five Possessions, And we talked about it on on Sunday night when we're going over that crazy game with the Chargers. Like the way the game played out, Um, Greg, you made the point like there wasn't a lot of room for error for the Jaguars

in terms of the ability to come back. So what did they do their last five possessions going into this game? Touchdown at the end of the half, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, march inside the red zone and kick the game when he feel goal. This team is gonna go in there fearless and confident, and if they get ahead, it doesn't mean Kansas City won't come back, because Kansas City has come back and playoff games from seventeen down from downs.

But you know what, would it surprise you if if you look up and it's ten nothing midway through the first quarter and the Chiefs have to do that again, It would not surprise me. I think this is a kind of a good spot for the Jacks in terms of where they're at. I'm with you. Eight points, eight and a half points feels like too much. I took the Chiefs to win, I took the Jaguars to cover. I do wonder if Travis E. T n is a huge factor. He was a problem in that first game.

He's not great in past protection. Spagnola really tests you there. I think they're gonna kind of attack him. The offensive line for the Jaguars has been good, uh and Lawrence's superpower is definitely getting rid of the ball. But I think they'll send pressure and if they're one dimensional, I worry about them more. I do like though that Doug Peterson, and he showed it last week, is great at adjusting, is great at figuring out what the other teams doing

and coming up with a plant, whereas Andy Reid. I feel like it's just a beautiful mind that comes up with an incredible plan, and you don't think of them necessarily as like em adjustments. You think of like, we're gonna do what we're gonna do, and we have fifty different things we're gonna do, and we're gonna do it all over the game. Like try to stop that, and you kind of forget that this is, you know, a little pupil versus teacher. I mean, this is where Peterson,

I think learned all that beautiful scheming. So I'm are you still a pupil when you're like sixty and you've won a super Bowl and one a ton of games. I guess well as a coach in Kansas City and in the corners, and I love it because it's offensive football and you kind of expect this game to be

in the thirties. I like the over. That's what I meant about Peterson because going hurry up in the second half completely changed what the Chargers have been doing in the entire first time first half and like it's it put Jacksonville in a great place and they played with such confidence. And as for Travis c t n, only Christian McCaffrey has more scrimmage yards since Week fifteen, Like

he is a factor. And I think if you can it's it sounds cliche to sun degree, but it's like if you can like have longer drives where you're take keeping the homes off the field, I think that matters a lot because the Chiefs like to have these long, a long gated drives this year with a billion plays and go eighty nine yards. One quick matchup to watch

is just at cornerback, the slot corner. Trent McDuffie was not around for that first game, and he's a rookie for the Chiefs who's really played well down the stretch. Might be their best cornerback in his in his rookie and he's probably getting that Kirk matchup Kirk. We gave all this credit to Lawrence, and I think it got lost in the shuffle a little bit. Like Kirk had to make incredible contested catches, sometimes on the outside, which is not what he's known for to win that game,

and he did it. He was clutch as hell. Can we get oh, Justin Peterson is only fifty four years old, not six. Oh yes, I don't want to age up. That's not fair. But but didn't Andy Reid once coached him? Literally? Was he on the Packers staff where Peterson was Barbs backup? So I'm just that still counts even if they're only eight years apart. There the true pupil then, right, he's not Bloomer, He's more the gen x Mark Sessler bracket. No, he's not in my bracket. I mean how far does

that stretch? Like what's kind of like like we think of Mark a little bit as a mentor and we're his pupil sometimes port with authority that you don't view me as a mentor? Can we give some love to uh the Jags offensive line? To have we given love to the Jack's Office line. You know, since week fourteen they haven't lost. Okay, they're averaging about thirty points a game. That's that's a whole team, I think. But Trevor Lawrence has been sacked one point two times per game since

this winning streak started. That's that's pretty big time. And that's the top five metric in the league. So they're giving him time that big. With the game on the line, they blocked up that Travis e t n run around the end that set up the winner. I just think this team is gonna be feeling it. These are two very hard quarterbacks to sack, not a lot of negative play. And I gotta say Greggy because obviously, um, can we

bring up the standings for the Locks. We are now in in crunch time in the Locks Challenge here and Greggy holds a um two game lead over Mark. Um Marv, it says Marv Cesler on the ground. We're back to this. Is there a Marv in your family? Uncle Marv? So Greg at fifteen and four, Dan and Marv at thirteen and six. The West Brothers West Brothers have to sweep just to get to a tie, and Grave Digger just looking for respect at nine and ten. I um, I was hoping you were going to lock the chiefs here

because that was about it. I think, and listen, my first I think we're going to be lock bros. On this. There's two ways to look at it, Dan and Marv. We're gonna need the only way you and I win out right. That's what you're looking is it's take that getting pup with my strategy. Maybe I'm looking for the tie. Who remembers the ties? The trophy? I think the trophy that's sitting behind me in my homest udio that doesn't come in if we tie, that's just gonna stay there

for another year. You gotta take it from me. That's very true that our nonsense ties down count. Anyone playing for a tie is essentially like this one. All right, how about this? If you're saying that, do we want to have some type of tiebreaker super Bowl Sunday to make sure that we don't end on a flat tie. I'm willing to and I'm open to that. I don't want to do it right now. I mean, I've got

Marv Cessler right next to me. It's we can bring this further involved in the locks but it probably won't come to it. Um. But at the same time, if you have you and I Mark are two games out, we don't have to be on the same path right now. But I think you're thinking the same as me. We've already already. The producer or Drew said before this that you guys are all the same thing. We've done all of this too long, like we were all thinking three steps ahead, we know what each other's gonna do. I

was thinking this, Can I see the topic one more time? Yeah? It said congratulations Greg? Of it the one arrow that pierces Greg's armor and gets him annoyed when people prematurely congratulate him. We'd like to see a congratulations comma Greg, Just oh, that's a shot at seven ft eight man. No, I mean it's I don't know whose team who do tremendous work. The rest of it is tremendous. They also got they also got my name wrong. So so you

guys fixed the comma within two seconds. But Marvs stays, yeah, so I think it's fair game for me to critique this, you know, the overall Alright, anyway, let's take a break and then we'll hit the next game on the Saturday schedule. All right, welcome back, Let's hit the Saturday night game. And I love it at old NFC East barn Burner between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles, and my goodness, And we talked about it with Pat Leonard

to The Daily News earlier this week. The Giants were not happy about how the Eagles went about their business when they blew the doors off them about a month ago. Um. But at the same time, mark that Giants team that told the media afterwards, We're just not at their level right now? Are they at the Eagles level now? And I know there's a lot of mystery around the Eagles after they're bye week because we gotta see what version

of Jalen Hurts we have. But do you think the Giants as they are currently playing matchup well against the number one seed in the NFC. I don't think they match up well, um, But I think that team back then.

One distinct difference about this Giants team, and Pat Leonard talked about this too, was that there's just way more trust than Daniel Jones in the passing game and generally talked about the fact that it used to be Sae Kwon Barkley with Daniel Jones as his sidecar, and it's kind of flipped now, and like, it doesn't mean that they both aren't major core contributors here, but Daniel Jones coming off the best game of his career in a money spot, UM, I have more trust to that for

them to be able to inflict a little more damage. They were wiped out against the Eagles. My concern is a couple of things. Number One, like the Giants offensive line, which has I think the six worst worst like PFF

pass blocking grade in the league. You know, some of that has from earlier parts of the year when they were injured stuff too, But that's against one of the better defensive fronts in the league, and you flip it in the Eagles offensive line makes it really tough for guys like Cavon Thibodeaux and the rest of the crew Dexter Lawrence to get to Jalen Hurts if you get the version of Jalen Hurts that we got way back then, because Jalen Hurts played one of his best games in

that Week four teen wrecking of New York and it was a j Brown Doante Smith. I mean, they absolutely had their way against New York's corners, and so has that the MP front runner in my opinion at that point in the season. I agreed like, I feel like we've it seems like we haven't seen the Eagles that we knew of when you had the number one in the power rankings when Jalen Hurts and my QB index was like rioting number two and maybe about to go

number one if something went sideways with Patrick Mahomes. I feel like we haven't seen that team in like three fortnites. So at this point it's like, yeah, we just don't know what the Eagles are with Hurts, but the Giants on defense they've gotten a little better. Nights would be six weeks, six weeks. I should be easy, actually easier to say six weeks than three fortnits. And I even when I said that, I was like, how long or

three fortnits? I'm not sure. I thought the fortnite was ten days and fairness game that you're talking about against the Giants, it's more five weeks away. Think it's how long you'd stay in the four Mexicon came from like maybe when trouble struck in the old like Kingdom, you'd stay in the Ford for two weeks revolutionary war terms. Still they still use that for like Wimbledon. They'd like to say, well, of course that's a that's an organization.

It isn't Fortnite like a video game that come to you. It is on. Yeah, I've got the cold Dances. I I think I I think it's a tough matchup for the Giants, but I try to think, especially on offense, like how can they win this? Cheeks Just I look, everyone knows they've become, you know, a huge Giants believer in the last couple of weeks. I do mean it

that I think they belong here. That by the end of the season they became one of the eight best teams in the league, Like what or whatever the number is eight or ten best teams in the leg that they're playing their best football right now. I think defensively, that's where the biggest improvement came from. Daniel Jones has also improved. But I think of like, how can their offense match up against the Eagles defense? How can they get over the talent mismatch, because I think that's where

the mismatch really is. Evan Neil has struggled at right tackle, including last week. Just personnel wise, other than Andrew Thomas, they don't really match up. And I just think of Daniel Jones and s Quan running the hell out of the ball like that is how they win this game. Daniel Jones didn't run much in the Eagles game a month ago, and yet the Eagles have really struggled against running quarterbacks. Their numbers, uh like their ep A, every

thing like that against running quarterbacks is actually terrible. So I think you got to use what the Eagles do. You have two great running quarterbacks and this game you have two uh r PO heavy type of offenses. But the difference is one as Juan Barkley and the other doesn't. And I think how like you know, how running quarterbacks make their running game better, like they're running backs better, like Lamar's helped all the Ravens running backs, Jalen Hurts

helps Miles Sanders. I think it's the other way around here that se Juan Barkley is so dynamic and their coaches so creative and how they use Barkley and where they put him on the field, that he makes Daniel Jones even better as a runner. And so I think you gotta look at those two guys as a tandem, and the only way they win this game is with great play calling and a hell of a lot of running and those two guys going on long drives and just being better on the ground. And I think that's

where Philly is weak. I have the Giants at number seven in the power rankings above the that does that include like the Lions for instance? The lines are now they get moved out once you move to the divisional round. It's just four teens. You should keep them like just up until like we must. Like I was trying to think, who is the best team that missed the plant? Is probably them? Like where would they fit in that? Yeah? Yeah, no, the thing is and we did in the live show

last night. I throughout it. What's more likely? What's more likely Daniel Jones comes down to Earth and all this talk about him getting a one hundred million dollar contract doesn't seem so simple a week from now, or the Eagles are that classic and one of the great examples of a team that peaks too soon and they kind of come out flat and the court alright, nice, and the quarterback doesn't look right and we'll kind of remember the season as you know, man, if it hurts, just

what have stayed healthy, maybe things would have been different. I think that's that's in play here, and we're not gonna know for sure until we see how Philadelphia uses their dynamic quarterback. I think now that you know we're here divisional weekends where the rubber meets the road, they're going to I think have their a game plan and just hope for the best. That would be unless there's something really bad going on with Hurts that we don't

know about. And I come off the injury report which almost felt like a showy yeah, and it's just like, can can he withstand the punishment of a Giant's defensive

line that can go get it? I think, and very fairly Dexter Lawrence got a ton of pop um based on his performance on Sunday and through the week, and it kind of reminds you again the Giants that they're just good at building defensive lines, and with Leonard Williams there and Cavon, they have just the ability to create havoc and make players uncomfortable, like the Kirk Cousins check down on fourth down that was because he couldn't hang in the pockets and it put him in a situation

where he's like, do I just throw it up for grabs or throw it to that guy open and underneath and see if he can make one or two plays. Um, can they make Jalen Hurts uncomfortable? Can they put some pops on Janaleen? You don't want to see anybody get injured, but make this guy pay for it when he tries to be physical and running the ball. All the Giants have a chance to dictate the flow of the game by what they can do upfront. I'd like to think they do. I mean I also think as Theesel Glari

who will be on the injury report. Brian Dable said he he had he was out there for a walkthrough. We'll see what he can do. What version of me you get? Um, Lane Johnson back for the Eagles thing? That's huge. I mean, there's they're a different version of Lane Johnson, that's the version of him, and Hurts almost

feels like the biggest X factor. I think that's why we don't know, because I will go back to the fact that, like for all this stuff, the way that the Giants have evolved, how have they evolved to stop Davanta Smith and A. J. Brown who wrecked them in that game. I just don't see where that's where that's changed. And if Hurts can, if Hurts is healthy, like that to basically pays though, Dorry Jackson and Xavier McKenney are there two best players in the secondary. They were injured

throughout this season. In their return, like really, I think helps out that secondary. I uh, I think about that pass rush that you mentioned with the Giants and like, this isn't the Vikings they're going against. This is a future Hall of Fame er potentially. Wow. They put that on way too early for Jason Kelsey, but he'll get considered, um not early in his career. Just I haven't thought about it. But he has like the numbers in the All Pros and all that to do it. He's at

center a good interior line around him. Um. You know a very popular podcast executive produced by our old producer T d with Jason Kelsey. And so it's not the same matchup Garrett Bradberry and the Vikings offensive line. No no pop, no podcast, no Hall of Famers. I just I see something happening in this game, and like, I look, I picked the Giants to win an overtime, and I think they're gonna hang around and make this This is gonna be like a point of departure for Brian Dables

Giants that I think goes win or lose. You go into this offseason with more hope around the New York Giants than we've seen in a million years since the Super Bowl. But because they're coming off of Daniel Jones day where he shredded in Minnesota Vikings past defense that is the worst in league in the league, and you pair that with the way that we viewed the Eagles for two plus weeks, it's like, oh, maybe they're not the same team, Like what's going on with them? Like

they're not impressing us. I'm not sure any of that is actually factually relevant to this game. But you're not going to bring up all of this when you retweet the Giants social media that's pointing out you're the only person that that Yeah, well, of course, of course, But but I I said that I picked him, and I'm gonna roll with it because it's exciting and fun. But I just think the Eagles are getting a little looked past right now. I mean, they were dominant for of

their games. Yes they were. Um, I need to see that team again, and we just saw with their division made the Cowboys another team that we have far less reason to trust based on their recent history. They hit the pedal in the medal as soon as the playoffs started and looked like a different team a little. I just maybe this is just as my New York Jeff fan scar tissue here. Um, Like I said, my old man dad hates the Giants, but he's still in that

market with the media and fans all around him. I moved to California, big Keith fan, thank you Mark as he is of you. Um, I came here and I lost all that giant vitriol. But then, like in the text, the text threads with my buddies back to East. They're getting They're really feeling themselves. Greg would hate it that the Giants fans and the way they talked about the quarterback is as if they have now found a generational talent and Daniel Jones And I'm just gonna a little

bit of cold water. Okay, when did everyone start talking about Daniel Jones making this big leap? It was starting with Christmas Eve. It was I know, he kind of got better as the season came along. But all this talk about like now the offense runs through Daniel Jones. Daniel Jones is the best player on the offense. Daniel Jones is he lit up Minnesota in Minnesota, absolutely walked over a colts team that doesn't even deserve to be in the league right now, and then did it again

to Minnesota. Those are that that's bottom of the barrel in terms of defenses and schemes right now. And to now ask him to go against the Eagles. If this guy balls out against the Eagles, I'm gonna shut my mouth and be the first one to sing this guy's praises. But I'm a little concerned about the Danny Danny Times hype against how he's built up that hype in the last month. It's totally fair. This is a like a raging litmus test um that would change perceptions about him

forever if he went out and did the same thing. Uh, that doesn't feel like people have already made like I've been in I feel like I've had some Daniel Jones stock from the beginning. I wrote A regrettable long season wasn't quite a long off season long form, but it was close about how excited I was about him and Drew Lock. I think he's been like rock solid all along and maybe saying it was regrettable. I've taken fire for this article on Twitter quite a few times, and

and I am stupid. But then the Daniel Jones part of it, I think he's always been better than people gave him credit for. And I think the surrounding talent and certainly the coaching hasten never call you Greg. Also absolutely we got into it after a Monday night game when you fried I a gent I like Daniel Jones is a little spicy, and you were like, he's the worst quarter is one of the he's the worst quarterback

in the league. With your Giants takes right now, you're kind of all over your I think you're trying to get in on this and you're struggling because it doesn't you know, buying this. You had a think piece about Drew Lock when he was going against Geno Smith as

Seattle's quarterback. It was more than two years ago. It was the off season piece that I was excited to watch them coming out of their history once they're fair their rookie season, and and you're right, I have been a little all over the place, like with this Giants pick,

and you mentioned the Cowboys before. With this Giants team, you mentioned the Cowboys before, and the Cowboys, I think last week it was a good example of a team like you were looking at what had happened recently and no one was really as focused on like one team's twelve and five and one team's eight and nine. For a reason, one teams loaded a top five offense defense on both sides of the ball, and I think that's

the case here with this Eagles team. Even though I think the Giants are belonging this game and I think that they're gonna survive, I don't think they can cover Dallas Godder, I don't think they're linebackers can play a lick. And I'm turning back around. I'm the heel. Let's go, we're locking it off. Greg Is he's growing his craft as a showman. I'll give him that, because he just went like kind of w WF wrestling. Are you insituating

that you were the hero before this? But it comes to picking the Giants games, it's more fun for the lock bros Than to embrace this Giant's team as our lock off with Greg. The only thing that does annoy me is if we lose this lock, Greg gets the saunter through Super Bowl Sunday without a care in the world. Yeah, but that's we're at that moment, were at that moment. It's a crucible. He's gonna if he's if he wins in pick no matter what else, it doesn't matter. So

we're doing it on three. Yeah, alright, on three on three, we're go get up, let's go. Gee, let's go. I mean, who's the showman, Now, let's go. I am making this a double lock off because I'm going to lock the Eagles and that's actually that's gonna like this. So the guy with like the winning percent just aligned with Greg. Good. But Greg, the thing is, you can't go now change to the Chiefs. No. I I thought about how all

the ways this show could go. Let's go. This felt like the most excitingthing, which is I felt like you guys would come with me on this. This is fantastic. We all could do it in this lock and if you guys want to. Um, someone just got in my year I believe he's nine feet tall and said, there's some interesting stuff in that Drew lock article if we want to surface it at any point, maybe that's a I don't know, there's some people working against you behind

the scenes. I mean, if you brought it up, it's on NFL dot com. I can't ride from it. I mean, I think we all have a few things problematic. I want to I think so. Well. Actually, no, they redid the content management system and wiped all our body careers like two World right up on Kim Kardashi and having a crush on Tim Tebow. That's not the way to start your career here. Where where's your life's worked in? Oh? I don't know, it's lost in the digital abysses. Oh

they changed cms is so I don't exist anymore. I think it's like a Julia Roberts movie in um, all right, dude, let's just pick the games before week. We're gonna take a halftime break here and visit with a friend. What do we have, Jaguars, Chiefs? What do we have for scores there? I had the Jaguars covering and losing in in the thirties. I think it's gonna be Chiefs seven Jaguars one. All right, I'll go Chiefs thirty eight, Jacks

and Giants Eagles. You know that my whole um Daniel Jones thing, I kind of you know, I believe what I say typically on the show, and even it's not always right a week and extremely um apprehensive about Danny Dine here, but it's too late to back out now. So yes, the Giants in a classic again. And I've been, you know, watching the Giants for thirty years, and these Giants playoff runs. They usually don't go one win and out. They take on a vibe like midway through that Vikings game,

you just you knew it. You knew the Giants are gonna find a way because sometimes again, same thing with the Chargers on the other side, you could change the players, the management, the coaches, but some teams they just have this thing that sticks to them. And the Giants go on these memorable runs. They're gonna win another very close game.

I'm gonna say the Giants locking it up. The eight six and ninety teams were dominant um punishing operations under Bill Parcels and Bill Belichick, the two Eli manning teams. Though you are so right, you get vibes with this team. I'm not saying that they're the equivalent talent wise, but those teams went into the playoffs with shaky records. Um just squeaking in and then some magic took over and it was like, we don't are you playing. I kind of feel they've got that thing. Maybe it's next year

if it's not this year. But I picked them in this fantastic thing that happened in our picks thing online on Twitter to twenty in overtime, which means sa Kwan Barkley rips off like an eight four yard touchdown run after the Eagles goes free and out on their opening overtime possession in New York moves on. You know, I didn't feel like amazing about either of the Eagles or the Chiefs, which are the two obvious ones. I had the Giants covering on on the game picko, like a

Giants win would not shock me. But I think the Giants have way more weaknesses. I think it's on defense, especially those linebackers. Just picking on those guys with Sanders and got Her And you know, while we're on the subject of predictions, Mark um Greg brought it up on the Live show, and I feel like I should bring it up now that you know the Bucks, the NFC South winner did not win a playoff game, and yet

you did not surface that information. You didn't take the l on the Monday show and a Tuesday show, and I thought, maybe this is something. Well, I didn't lock your a dress. I didn't lock it up. Um, you spent like fifteen different shows talking. I'll be honest, like those Sunday night shows sometimes like I want you to believe me, I forgot to. It was it was the Tuesday show, all right, especially by Tuesday, I forgot to.

But you're right, so you're seeing where my mind is. Um, I that's I'll take the ELM that I should have done that, because if I'm gonna, would you have brought it up if the Bucks won? Of course, of course it would have been more in my mind. But I would say this that, like if I'm gonna walk around prance around the studio telling Greg to be more of a showman, I've got to take the el's with the W. So that's on me and it's a learning point. All but I took the air. But you know now you can't.

You didn't back down on stage in front of the sold out crowd. But this is nice you've but you just have to keep like you know, you don't take punches, you keep throwing them. It was it was it not. There were one or two people in there that were a little two liquored up. There was one gentleman that just kept shouting at one point of miss Lake. There's always one way more in England. I mean, I don't

know if the people of England ever stopped drinking. I believe that country is perpetually in a inebriated and I'm cool with it. But it's sometimes again, like we tried to do two years ago, back to back live shows. Uh, it was when Mark wasn't with us. You were ill Mark, and it was Greg and I And by the second show, the people of England were so drunk. London was so underwater with al that we couldn't even hear ourselves in conversation. It's a little different in l A. I think we

could ask our halftime guest about that. Yes, let's take a break and talk to one of the very drunk men of London. All right, welcome back. I mentioned we were going to have a a buzzed Londoner joining us now, and here he is. God saved the King, God saved Henry Hodgson. Well, come back to around the NFL our good friend who we miss dearly in the States. But we know you have more important things to handle now, Mr Responsibility, Hi, guys, I miss you guys a lot

as well. How you I don't know about your nickname going from Handsome Hank to Mr Responsibility. That seems like a bad life. Stick with the prior. Yeah it's still true. Yeah, Um, Hank, we are um stopping down our preview for a little halftime assignment because we want to share. We have this great passionate overseas listenership and rapid rabbit. For America, we're having another cultural disconnect. It would be rabbit here, but I agree, I kind of agree with you. Well you're

from sorry, so like the American dictionary not the English dictionary. Um, anyway, rabbit is the correct pronunciation. Um, let's get to it. Let's share the game. The home the designated home teams Hank for the International International Games two thousand twenty three. Let's bring that that tune up again, that classic national and classic iconic even historic. Did I like God save

the Queen better? I thought a little bit of a little pop to it, a little more a little more kind of your own king, save yourself, a little more feminist. But right, Hank, the National Football League isn't think if we were called this time last year when we talked about this, mock predicted that maybe a change in mock. You know what, I mentioned that even before the show, Like, um, it happened very soon after. It was weeks before Henry

He basically did it himself. Yes, you mark your sentences to watch the Crown all the way through this entire weekend. I have no predictions about Prince Charles, who was young and vibrant as far as I can see Sunday, he's young, vibrant. Uh, let's get into it. Yes, um. The NFL announced five teams set to play in the three international games. The Buffalo Bills, the Tennessee Titans, Hey there, Grave Digger, Jacksonville's Jaguars of course, the Kansas City Chiefs and New England

Patriots will all play home games. Uh. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Hot Toddy, the Big Tot will again host two of those international games. Uh. The Jags will return to their home away from home, Wembley Stadium as a part of that multi year packed And how about that finally, Henry your people after all these years, um, the Jaguars being the designated team and it's like, oh, the a team. Now the Jaguars are a team. What a treat for rules? Um?

Now it actually is cool. So that's great. It's always been cool. It's exciting. This is this will be the tent year. You know what. I'm UK, We've We've embraced it. I actually done. Yeah, it's exciting that they are playing um in in in a playoff game this weekend, alongside with the Bills as well. So two teams. So the two of the two of the eight teams playing this weekend all be playing in London next year. Yeah. So the chiefs of the Patriots are in Germany, Bills, Titans

and Jags h in London. I am always impressed and surprised that the Jaguars fan base in London in the UK is a real thing, and I gotta think this this run kind of takes it to another level. Are there like a lot of Bills and Titans fans? I mean really, are there any Titans fans outside of Tennessee in the studio? Ouchez. Wow, that's a tough one. Greg took that to an interesting place and lots of people excited to see the Titans. I didn't know that was

a question for me. I don't know. It all felt like and then yet I will say this thing like the lineup. I mean, we don't we only know how to line up. But it's like I can think back six seven years ago where it's like you'd send you'd struggle to send competitive teams to London. You'd get these were not always A matchups, there b matchups. These are premier teams that happened this last season too. So I would ask you this because we always get asked this when we go to London and it's like we don't

really know. There was like what will what will football look like ten years from now? It's like, well, we would love to see a team in London, but like I'm you, you know better than anyone where is this going? Like where will we be? Will it look different than this? I mean I think it could do. There's definitely think the biggest issue is always like the inventory. How many

games could we actually take overseas um? But you know the goal is to is to put on the best postal experiences and and then if a team wanted to come and play in London. If they wanted to move into the UK and play permanently there, then we'd have the fan base that could support it. That's the goal,

you can from. All we can do. Yeah, all we can do though is just is just make sure that what we do, the games that we put on, everything else that we do in the UK puts us in the right position if if a team were to want to to take it to the UK. I always thought you could have at least like an eight game slate, like any any team. Now pretty close, But I will say the idea that I personally this is just a

me thing, a mark thing. Like it's now wake up at you know, five thirty in the morning to watch this game, and then there's three It's like seventeen hours of football and Sunday. I love it. It's fantastic. I'll try to learn to speak like you, Henry, which will rise me up through the ORC chart. But like, um, I don't know, it's a lot. It's fantastic, it's great. Pretty like talking trash about these I just do think it's like coaches in general. A few times you've asked

coaches about London. I think they mean. I wonder if a culture change happens here where it's like they don't disruption. I think it is a bit of a distruction. The players seemed to embrace and I love going to England. It's like the coaches need to come around and realize, like, this is your sport. You got to grow the game. I do mean that where it's like it's a good experience, but it's like some of them have a weird attitude about having to take the week and go there and

do all that business they do. I mean, there's definitely a strong correlation between the coaches who have that feeling and the coaches who lose the games there, and then the coaches are wins. It was a great experience and we love to do it again because I've noticed that correlation definitely. I would say, you know that twenty one weeks of the year that the fans here in the UK and Europe everywhere else in the world up until

all hours of the morning. During the NFL playoffs, there are fans in the UK and Germany, you know, watching games until five o'clock in the morning. So if once in a while some teams could could come and coaches. You know, could be okay, we're getting up early in the morning. I think I think it would be okay, pretty amazing. Uh, this will be the first Bill's time time in London, right have they been there? They played, they played before so last year ast you we checked

all the boxes. The Packers were the last team to chalup to London. The Bills I think played in Okay doesn't count. Connor and I went to that game actually Jaguars Bills. It was a Rex Ryan, very very bizarre game where the Jaguars were on fire and the place Wembley was on fire. It is nice to have Josh Allen going over to London. You got Patrick Mahomes heading to Germany. Used to be the VP of all international

Now you're more focused on the UK. Is they're a friendly rivalry here with like who gets the better games and there's a there's a friendly rivalry. We want to make sure that people in the UK have the best possible time in the best game. So yeah, I would say friendly rivalry is a nice way of putting it that that Zappie game in in uh in Germany is going to be a big one. That's your Dolphins fan

coming out and I love it. Um. Henry Hodson, general manager of the NFL UK whoa the job titles, keeps his power, oozes power and you know and you know I've I've stated this numerou as time is both in print and to you personally. Um. When when the NFL has a Super Bowl in London, that halftime show must be the Oasis reunion. Nolan and I talked about it recently when I managed to spend some time with him,

and he is very excited about that opportunity. Wow, that's actually true on shod CON's super yacht with Noel Gallagher and they believe that legitimate anyway, Big Cowboys fan, Big Cowboys fan, Hank, we love you. Thank you for this information, please and we always need your help get us back over there, not for the game, just for diner, Yes, dinner and a show, and yes we we love you, buddy, and thank you for taking some time and get back

to your ale. Henry Hodson, general manager, trust his celebrity anecdotes because one of the first times I met him, he told him told a story about how he and his friends when they were younger and they were they had been out. I think, Um, drinking late and they were having had sort of a hangover earlier in the day that Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow whin that before they had a hag is basically you like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Yeah, he's that, but London and

like high London culture. This is before they had the mutual parting whatever it's called, like like conscious coupling. Like one of the Paltrow scolded Henry and the rest of the lads for their their ways. Yeah. Yes, many years ago, Henry out upstanding gentleman of the highest esteem. UM let's go, let's do a quick spin around the league before we get back to the championship games, um as or the

divisional games. As we said, there's less coaches head coaches that are biting and dust, but there's always got to be someone that pays the price for teams disappointing. And we're continuing to see UM coordinators bite the dust. So this is the latest UM. Ravens and offensive coordinator Greg Roman part ways after six seasons. There was one year left on Romans deal. There's an I think it was

out there that was a team option. So essentially it was Greg take a walk and um, we have I think a do we have John Harbaugh because this story, Remember we talked that do we need to be talking about Lamar Jackson and what the saga is? Yes, when there's news and I think today Thursday, Uh, to me smells like a reunion will happen with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Here's what John Harbor had to say. Lamar

Jackson is our quarterback and he's been our quarterback. Everything we've done in terms of building our offense and building our team, how we think in terms of people and put people around him, is based on this incredible young man. His talent, his ability, and his competitiveness. You know here he and I were talking today too, and and the things about Lamar that to me stands out. He's an incredible competitor. I mean, Lamar Jackson, all he wants to

do is win and at everything he does. You know, I I thought that was telling your right, Dan, I thought that was newsworthy. They said that Lamar would be involved in the offensive coordinator decision. It was interesting to see Lamar Jackson uh retweet. It was a quote tweet something out there that pointed out how he had been in a pro style offense in Louisville's a little different than kind of what Greg Roman had been running. And uh, that to me tells you that, like, he's not going anywhere.

If they don't want him to go anywhere, he's not going anywhere. Because at the very worst for them, they could just put a second franchise tag. Then the balls in his court a little bit, but he would be making I think, overt million dollars. I don't think he would mind that. The Ravens are so well run. That's the reason why they've they've always been relevant, um in part because they handled situations the right way almost always, and they're doing this the right way. They're like, all right,

obviously things are not good with Lamar. How can we fix this? All right, Let's get rid of Roman. Let's make sure he knows we are open to changing the offense how he wants it to be changed, get him involved. It's the things that teams that aren't run well, um, don't do right. And it seems like easy stuff, but it very easily could lead to bitterness. And we'll see, maybe this thing still devolves. But it just feels like between those comments, what DaCosta said, and then Lamar um

his quote retweet there was telling to me and Joe. Yeah, I mean doing things well. Also is having the press conference where you give concrete news like why that's why we're talking about Lamar Jackson at the right time to diffuse some of this because they are run really well, but like a week ago or coming off of Lamar Jackson not showing up to their playoff game, I think things were getting a little strange, and so you've diffused

a bunch of that, which is good. I mean we're seeing that justin Herbert's gonna get a say in who replaces Joe Lombardi. And I think if you're Lamar Jackson, the Greg Roman experience probably has run its course. And I don't know if they did this just for Lamar Jackson. It certainly has a lot to do with him Um, but he should have a say in who he wants to coach him, because that's part of a long term agreement with a star quarterback at this point in the NFL.

The one thing about Greg Roman, I know his offenses in San Francisco. In here they start to stale. I mean we all see that, but he coached up Alex Smith in San Francisco to incredible levels. He made Lamar Jackson an m v P. Lamar Jackson did too, But that offense they really used, like Greg the better parts of what Greg Roman does. Kaepernick stretch to get to

Greg Roman does. It's not for everyone, but he he does have a track record of maximizing quarterbacks in the in the right spot, I'd take him with with all the great running quarterback talent around the league, he he should have a job. They were quick to point out in their statements saying by the Roman that he has set at least twenty six different records in the NFL, and I was like, what, I want to know what those records are? And the what the number that's statistic good?

Records was like an NFL offense unline we've ever totally seen in the modern era, and that that's where a lot of the records came from. A stats In turn, for the Ravens are called into the office like, Hey, we're gonna fire Greig, but we need you to pull up some really compelling positive data about him because we're a classy organ. I had a pizza with Greg Roman at the Indianapolis airport at one time. In fact, Henry Hodgson came and joined us. Have you reached out to

him to extend your condolence? That was half a decade ago, and I don't think our friendship, um really was cemented

to beyond that time. That that is the classy way to fire someone unlike and I know, um the social media accounts are the ones doing the firing, but it's really gotten on my radar lately that they put a huge sad picture of the person who got fired, in this case Byron Leftwich, but I think Roman too, And then they just put a huge fired, like in massive like we don't we don't need to companies that have

had layoffs recently. And I'm just thinking, like, you don't need to have a huge graphic of like fired with the same face. And then all these like like that's why we call it new horizons in my mention are like, oh, you're getting soft, like so soft, like the media is so soft these days. You can't report the facts he was fired, But I understand your points, just like fire

also fired. The Buccaneers have dismissed offensive coordinator Byron Left, which not just Byron Left, which again Todd Boll survives, but Buck's leadership said, you know, and maybe Todd, I don't know, a lot of people gotta go, and it's not just ro c. In addition to left which five assistants were dismissed, including their running backs coach Todd McNair, offense assistant defensive line coach Laurie Locust, and three others

retired in court, including quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen. Also, the Dolphins part ways with Josh Boyer after three seasons as their defensive coordinator. Um. That comes along with the departures of safeties coach, outside linebackers coach, the assistant linebackers coach Um, So big changes there as he went down swing he did that was an interesting game plan. Uh. He had some of the pretty aggressive play calling there by boy Or against the Bills. You know, it kind of worked

and that it absolutely didn't work at moments. It was just very much risk reward. Was one of those that wor. He was on the previous staff. He was a Patriots guy, and I guess mcdaina can go get his own player. It's just interesting. McVeigh also had fired five coaches and two others left with the idea that like they probably were getting fired before they left. So that's seven new coaches on the Rams too, So like a lot of these organizations making huge All right, there you go, you're

caught up. Let's move to the Sunday games and let's start with UM, I think the game of the weekend. It is UH to me the two best teams in the a f C, the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills, two teams with a lot to unfinished business themselves. Of course, we know Cincinnati came so close, oh so close to winning the Super Bowl last year, UH went down against the Rams, and UM, we also had the Bills, who of course lost one of the all time playoff shootouts

against the Chiefs. So it's final what was at twelve seconds after the Josh Allen touchdown pass that led to

a heartbreaking defeat in overtime. So these are two teams looking to get over the hump, and of course we when this game kicks off, Greg, it will be twenty days since the Damar Hamlin incident, when these two teams had what seemed to be a huge regular season showdown to see who was ahead of the other, and that game never was completed for obvious reasons, so now here they are again with the stakes at they're very highest. It struck me last week just how quickly like the

NFL moved on and we all moved on. And I think that was helped immeasurably by the great outcome into Hamlin's life. But I'm thinking on some of these these huge hits over last weekend and everything, and it somehow it feels I don't know if writes the right word, but the fact that these two teams get to play here in the divisional round. I know the Bengals maybe aren't thrilled that this game is in Buffalo. I think that's a silly argument, but it does feel right that

we get to see which team is better here. And I think for Josh Allen to be better this week, to be more consistent, I think it's gonna have him being more patient. I just think he's gonna have to run the ball more. I don't think the Bengals are gonna do what the Dolphins did a week ago and just go kama kaze. Maybe they'll blitz a little more,

but that's not really what they do. I think they're gonna be asking Josh Allen a two, He's gonna have to run the ball a lot, I think to win this game and be too like progress the ball slowly down the field and see if those secondary receivers like Cole Beasley, like John Brown, like Khalil Shakir can step up and not really believe that this team can be patient enough to do a twelve play drive without making

big mistakes. I feeling with Josh Allen. We've week after weeks seen a flood of turnovers in key spots, and yet the good parts of Josh Allen have allowed the Bills to work out of it. He had seven big time throws last week against the Dolphins, which is the most of anyone all season. And I mean there were a couple of deep shots that surprise of me, that was the most of any quarterback against the well that goes back challenging drove him crazy, and they created turnovers.

But then you had like even fifty yard completions that were you know, suddenly not a completion. But it's like Josh Allen worked his way out of it. I wonder if this is the game though, where like because I think we all sort of felt like if if you could keep doing that, it's gonna come back to bite you and the Bills at some point because you're gonna get to playing better and better competition. The Bengals red zone defense has been awesome. Over the last five games.

They have stopped opponents on seven of sixteen red zone drives. Four of those and and that's no touchdowns. Four of them have come with zero points, whether by turnover or on downs. And you look at a Buffalo offense that as a league high seven turnovers inside the twenty. No other team, no other team at more than five, and and a lot of those are on Josh Allen. He does all the good stuff, but it's just like the Bengals strength right now matches up with the Buffalo weakness

that I think Buffalo needs to be more patient. Like you said, Josh Allen needs to just look at the field a little differently. I look at this offense and say, you look at we just talked about Daniel Jones and the Brian Dable effect on Daniel Jones. He has seven fumbles this year total, which is or six Daniel Jones, which is way lower than in any other season. He's not that turnover machine. He's had way more rushing attempts. They've turned him into the maximized version of Daniel Jones. Right.

Think we're getting to Josh Allen, who somehow seems to have gone back a bit back to the season before his evolution, not with his big plays, but just that he was super clean when he was at his heights under Brian Dable too. It's it's gotten to the point where of Josh Allen's like keeps telling us this is who he is this year, we gotta believe him and no longer be surprised when there are multiple turnovers, and then it becomes about how does the other team react

to that? And he had three turnovers against the Dolphins. They turned those three turnovers into eighteen points and it's the only reason that game was competitive because Miami with Skylo Thompson could not move the ball. Um. I believe the Bills gave up one touchdown drive on defense legitimately, and so that side of the ball I'm not worried about. It is the Allen thing. You mentioned seven turnovers inside the twenty. He has twenty two turnovers overall this year.

Josh Allen. He's got six team picks, both of that leads the league the twenty two turnovers, and it's just like, how does that version of Josh Allen uh? If that happens again against a better team, can they get away with it? Now? The other side of the ball with Cincinnati is I trust Burrow more than I trust Allen right now. But at the same time, I trust Allen's

offensive line more than I trust Burrows. We know the injury issues that Cincinnati has, and yet Greggy, this would have been the game, This would have been potentially the Von Miller game. And and the fact that the Bills don't have uh their closer against this um obviously compromise Cincinnati offensive line that could be missing three starters. UM. I think that is a big factor in this game as well. Can the Bills are they built to take

advantage of the weakness of Cincinnati's office? They should be. Greg Russo has still been a good pass rusher. Ed Oliver is still there, so you have two really good pass rushers, and then you have other guys who have rotated in and played well at times. Boogie Basham had a good game last week. I think what it does, though, is like they don't have to send any extra guys,

You're right. If they had von Miller there, I would feel amazing about the Bills, uh and their defense getting all over Burrow without him, then at least Cincinnati feels like they have a chance. It's kind of up to Burrow of like how much does he want to turn back into the quarterback he was a year ago, which was holding onto the ball lot longer to try to make a big play, and he would take a lot of sacks. And he's cut way down that on that his time to throw has gone way down this year.

He makes quick decisions, he gets rid of the ball, but I think he's gonna be tempted to hold the ball a little longer here, even with that bad offensive line, and see if t Higgins in Chase especially can win those matchups. I don't think trade Avious Whites all the

way back to being what he was. Kyer Elam had a nice game last week, but he's been very up and down this week, and like, I think Burrow is gonna have to have his own risk assessment, kind of like Josh Allen, where it's like I need to make some big plays here. I don't trust us to go up and down the field with twelve thirteen play drives either, and so he's gonna have to calculate that and and I'm with you, I kind of trust him to do

that even more than Josh Allen. They did to have those elongated drives against the Ravens, which was a really kind of tough game to watch. Was a four teen play field goal drive, a ten play touchdown, another twelve play touchdown, and I mean, we saw what the Ravens did. They basically we're just gonna put too safety is back there and try to take away the big play. The

Bills don't have Micae Hyde. I think that matters a lot, Like I'm not sure they can run that same system, But yeah, I think von Miller was the guy that was basically brought here to do what for the Rams and to do what the Bills did against the Rams in Week one, going back to what their DNA was, and like they're missing that piece. Um, it would have been so valuable against this Bengals offensive line. And I guess Joe Burrow, I mean I feel a little bit

the same way I do about Buffalo. It's like the Bengals offense has been hot and cold. We see them go to sleep for halves at a time, like the Belt, Like Buffalo, they've worked away out of those jams. But this is a for me, it's the toughest game to pick because I don't really trust either one of these offenses compared to where I did earlier in the year. I was gonna say, like, I was curious where you come down on this last few mark Um, and then I'd love to hear from you too, Greg, both of you.

Actually I'm excited kind of questions Who's wild card performance um concerned you more? Because neither team covered themselves with glory on wild Card weekend, And you could say the Ravens out played Cincinnati and there was one massive play that's fourteen points swing, and then the Bills, we know the mistakes they made and barely getting by Miami. I think Buffalo's defense was it kind of got lost in the shofle Is having a dominant game against a team

with a third string quarterback. But I would say Buffalo's overall performance concerned me more just because I feel like that version of the offense, if you're gonna have the turnover worthy plays, the turnovers, it's like I said, it's gonna come back and sting you at some point. The Ravens in the Bengals, that's a division game. The Ravens have matched up well with with the Bengals all season, and I just take less from it because they know

each other so well. And I think the Ravens defense, uh was a sneaky, you know, higher level defense, and people would notice because their offense is so unfriend to watch.

I have the same answer because of the opposition. But the difference is only one of them lost their left left tackle in the game, like the Buffalo got out of it clean and I and I think to your point about the Bill's defense, they have Edmonds and Milan on the field at the same time, and they have for a lot of this year, but they both were off the field at different points and man Edmonds was maybe their best defensive player last week. We know Milano's good,

he's an All Pro. Like that, those are two great linebackers who can help just make this Bill's defense a lot more versatile in terms of stopping the run and the short passes that that Burrow likes to have. But the Bengals have their guy to your boy, Jem Brien Pratt and Logan Wilson. They're the ones who really set up that long play and they've been great. It's at such an even matchup. I'm gonna turn and Travis White obviously coming back from the knee injury. But a lot

of tape dogs out there. I took note of it, checked out some of the video, and the cut ups said that maybe that was his best game lass week and maybe he's starting now to round into form and being that guy he's a big time uh defensive back for the Bills went healthy. We have another um lock to discuss. By the way, well, I feel like I know where this head to the Midwest. Good afternoon, gentlemen. January and I'm an Uncle Rick's House and a T shirt.

I know what you're thinking, you're crazy, Himan being there's no way at seventy degrees in January in Cincinnati, but it is. I'm pretty sure it's a sign from the heavens. I've done two other recordings and Uncle Rick's House mo for two both times, both times I took the Bills. I don't think I'm gonna make that mistake again. We're gonna ride the horse that got us here last year. The Bengals got us with him one going into the Super Bowl before we fell to the Mighty Dan hands us.

This year, it's going to be a little different than different. It's not fair. The Bangles take care of business. Lock that up there. It is also keep in mind that he just datelined that one day in advance of right now, So maybe he knows things that we can't even he's

he's he's been. I'm so savvy that I'm going to be concerned when he's elevated beyond our status to host like Game Day morning next season in the Eagle, just shoots through the heavens and yeah, Uncle Rick, where he taped that, That's where where Chris's ashes are, Chris's favorite placed on on Earth. I think that's despite the O and two record, he was taking the bills when he was there. I think that's a great sign for the Yeah, let's pick the game. Um, this is a total coin flip.

This is as hard as it gets to pick a game. Um, and I'm just gonna go with the shoot. I'll go bills and it's I don't feel strongly about it, but I just think thirty one thirty something like that a classic game that we will remember and talk about for a long time. I was shocked this line went up to five and a half during the weekend. I think that's the offensive line and the concerns and the way

they looked as a compromised unit as a result. Cincinnati, I think there's something in this Cincinnati team's DNA that is special and that they can overcome that. I'm going to have them winning. I think they can attack a couple of weaknesses with the Bills in terms of the receiver depth, cornerback depth. I'm not locking them up, but

I am picking up to win. Let's go Bengals. I Uh, it's just a tough one because I kind of think Buffalo's journey they'll just so built to like not look perfect, but get out of these situations over and over and over, and it's like it would be sad to see them go. But I just see something like Cincinnati thirty seven Buffalo thirty four and like an absolute blazing showdown, which means it will be tend we see this game to be a classic. I want it. I would be obviously okay

with Cincinnati winning. Would be happy for Nick and all the family and everybody out there in Cincinnati at the Zoo. But I just think it's the Bills year and the Bill's time. I've kind of wavered on that, and I've said the same thing about Cincinnati too, but again, this is a tough one to pick. Let's take a break and we'll hit the last game. All right, Welcome back, and it's time now for the Sunday Drive presented by Toyo uh and we're going to talk about the Cowboys

and forty Niners. It is the Sunday six thirty pm Eastern kickoff game at Burkhart. Here are the announcers, Burkhardt Olsen, Cowboys, Niners, Nance, Romo, Bengals, Bills, Davis Moose, Giants, Eagles, Tariko Collinsworth, Jack's Chiefs. So you got big time announcers to see. That's this, This is what this weekends about. The best at the juncture in the season, the best of the best, separate Mark Sanchez. Well, I think Mark Sanchez will be there next year. We

keep saying that. I believe it. And you know what, Al, if you give al Mark Sanchez, how about that Alan Mark Sanchez, that would yeah, that would be an interesting and I love who's Mark does it with excellent Yeah, I'm taking Googler right now. Need some Mark Sanchez, you know, dungeeyeh Dungeon, Tony Dungeon. Sometimes things change. We got you know there's no Tom Brady this weekend. You know there's there is a Dak Prescott. All right, let's get to

it is das back in this. Let's talk about Dad because he is the the the shining hope for the Dallas Cowboys against the Niners, the Niners, who, by the way, uh to your point about Bengals Bills, Like the Bills are a bigger favorite than the Niners right now. I guess that's that's Vegas and the Cowboys and all that juice that they get. But like that's surprising to me because I would think the Niners, winners of eleven straight, they should be the team that everyone is locked in

on right now as the best team in football. That's how I feel. And as good as the Cowboys played greggy last week against the Tama Bay Bucks, this ain't the Tampa Bay Bucks. And Dak Prescott to give this team a chance to win almost needs to bring back that level of performance. Can he do it against San Francisco? It's a big difference it is. I think he can because he's that good of a quarterback. Of yourself, some Dack, you're a deck a holic. Bra It's like Drew Lock

number one Stack. I'm definitely not a fan. I mean, I think Dack's high level is just higher then then he's given credit for that. His high level is right there with the top quarterbacks in the league. Like a graphic went around on Thursday on Twitter of our network Total Access where they're like breaking it down prettier Dak who's got the better you know, different attributes and Purty wins at three out of five that he's got better poise, give me a break like Dak Prescott poise who they

gave it to Purdy. They gave it the accuracy to Deck. Have you watched Dak Prescott played football. You can come up with some things he's not great at, but if you give him time, he's the most accurate guy. And they gave decision making to Pretty. It's just like, come on in those type of conversations. But I love that program. I love NFL network, I love too. I just just agree with this. I also love it particular analysis. I

think he's good enough to be a great defense. We've seen the forty Niners give up points in bunches occasionally. They did it to the Chiefs that first half to the Seahawks, they went up and down the field, like I think it can happen. Greg, I feel like you're a little you've been a little down on the Niners, uh, compared to where I am. He's note, I've picked them every week as they win in their huge favorites, and I picked him this week. You are picking them all right.

I'm just waiting to see someone slow down San Francisco for more than like a half, Like nice job, Seattle, but then the doors fall off because you can't hang with this team. And it's like Dallas to Meds before they took off against Seattle. I know, it's like it's even there, even there half where they struggle, they're still

doing what they do. And I think it's a huge game for like the Trevon digs and like Laden vander Esh's of the world, where like Digs mrs tackles and it's like you now have Deebo Samuel and you've got Christian McCaffrey who can flip flop in the slot, flip flop in the backfield. Both do the same things. Uh, they are yard after the catch monsters, and I mean there are wide open holes created for both of them

where you've got wide receivers blocking down field. Last week, Purty through for a hundred and seventy nine passing yards to wide open receivers, which is the third most by any quarterback in the playoffs in the next gen stats era. I think about Purty is like, I don't know if he has how all those traits better than the next quarterback.

I don't really care. It's just he's in this perfect position where he's delivering absolute gems inside of a system that just creates these opportunities, and they're Kyle Shanna has never had this offense, not this way, not with this many star players, and it's on Dallas to go. Essentially, everyone's talking about Dak Prescott. It's all eOne can focus on. It's like that can be pretty great and they can score a ton of points, but you've got to stop

San Francisco from dropping thirty eight on you. I just I don't love it. I think the Dallas is a really spicy challenge for the Niners, the most in a long long time. But like until some one slows both sides of this ball down. This is the best team in the NFL in my book. Yeah, they have not lost since October and they've scored in the last four weeks San Francisco thirty seven, thirty seven, thirty forty one. Now we know the Dallas defense what it's capable of.

Said this last week about um Michael Parsons, and you know, go kick Tom Brady's ass and win that game single handedly. Once again, You're gonna need your best players to kind of really make big plays. Parsons got to stack up, step up. Maybe Treyvon Diggs has a huge interception or a pick six, something like that. I think the Cowboys are gonna have to steal a possession or two. I think a special team score. I think it's that type of matchup. And I have respect for Dallas, but I

just that's the way I'm at. I'm at too. If I didn't put it this way, if the lock competition wasn't about making up ground at this point, San Francisco would have been my lock of the week because I think they will handle their business here and do it in fashion that double digit points fashion. That's shocking. To me, and you know, I could see it. None of these games,

like almost any result isn't gonna totally surprise me. But I look at this Cowboys team, and I look at let's say e p a per play for the season. These are the best two defenses in the league over the course of the season. The Dallas has been up and down, but we've seen what they can do. They have a coach in Dan Quinn who knows Kyle shaneing well. I don't know if that's good, bad, or indifferent, but they obviously know each other very well from from their

time together in Atlanta. And he's very creative coming up with game plan specific uh ways to highlight his great players and Micah Parsons, and they have great players, DeMarcus Lawrence certainly, and they have a lot of safeties that can be versatile. I just feel like there could be a bad, pretty game in here. I don't expect it, uh, And I do worry for the Cowboys that they've worked a lot harder to get here. Last week, for instance, Parsons San Francisco might disagree with that, but go ahead.

I just mean that they're not play much lately in the last two weeks. For instance, both has played forty five snaps I think or sixty total snaps combined. They got to sit there, guys, and they were like rotating.

In week eighteen, the Cowboys are on short rest. Parsons played more on Monday Night, like twenty more snaps than any of the defensive linemen have played in the last two games combined, which is just I think that is a factor here, that the forty Niners are arrested and ready, I keep reading that and like, yet, it certainly seems like a logical factor. These are human bodies we're talking about, but I don't think we really know. Um, the effect

on MIKEA. Micah Parsons is a superstar, Like I don't imagine because he had twenty more snaps than the Niners defensive lineman that we're gonna get a worn out, broken down at the end of this is this isn't the Cowboys defense that gave up under twenty uh to start the season five weeks in a row. I mean, they gave up forty to the Jaguars. They were last for thirty four against the Gardner Minshew led Eagles. Um, they

flatlined against the Commanders. This is all in the last month, they played a broken down Titans team and look good, and then they played a broken down Bucks team in the defense show. It's like, I I just it's the same thing I feel about the Eagles and reverse for the Cowboys, that that Bucks team that was ready to be shipped out to see was dominated by the best game the Cowboys have played on offense and defense in

a while. So they look good, but it's like, is this really do we trust Dallas doing this two or three weeks in a row. I'm the strange things that happened in the playoffs. It happens all the time. It feels like it actually happens almost every year. A team that you don't think much of wild Card Weekend all of a sudden is playing in February, like it certainly could happen, and I don't want to rule it out. It just more respect that I for San Francisco. I

want to talk about a major subplot of this game. Um, it gets overlooked all the time. We talked about it a little bit on Tuesday, the Cowboys kicking situation. So um throughout the idea of why don't teams have backup kickers for how important the position is. Carry two kickers, have them both on the active roster, give yourself some wiggle room. They're not in that, but they did. They

did kind of have a half measure. The Cowboys signed kicker Tristan vis Gayano to the practice squad um this week, and then they had both guys kick and practice and Brett Maher, who of course set the NFL record by missing four extra points in their wild card win on Monday. He's kicked very well in practice. Apparently this Guyano was mah Um, so it certainly seems like they're rolling forward

with Maher. It's just and I saw something on Twitter, a nice little sideline back and forth with Ceedee Lamb pumping up Maha telling him not to hang his head uh. From the Monday night game. That one of the most kind of um nerve racking subplots for me as a football fan. We'll be watching that first kick by Maher because it could dictate the flow of the game and a lot of different directions, not just his mix misses and makes, but how Mike McCarthy has to roll out

his offense. Yeah, I mean watching a kicker in this situation where you have no idea, what the results canna be? UM. It very much feels the same way the audience feels anxiety watching like a public speaker crumble at the podium. UM. That happened to us a couple of years ago on some sort of event we went to. It's just like you're all rooting for this person to get out of this situation. Is this well it was well, I don't

know where. It was, some some corporate thing we went to where like the speaker just like I remember being like a sixteen year old where that happened to me one time, and some stupid speech I had to give him was like you just flatline and behip. Absolutely. It was like I didn't think that degree existed back then, but now it's like you're I feel away with Mara I. I. I always think about like Bill Parcels saying, you treat certain players one way others another. You can go at

someone and it motivates them. If you go at the next guy, you break them and like ismah or the guy that like UM thrives because you brought in someone to kick against him in practice and everyone's watching, Like what if someone said, hey, Mark, we're gonna bring in another guy to do the show for you today while you stand out behind the glass. Alright, just so you know what I mean, It's like that would not motivate me,

Like I look like that sounds great Marv Sessler. Let's hear from McCarthy a practice on Thursday about, um, the idea of bringing in another kicker this week. It doesn't take anything away from you know, our trust and bread. I just think, you know, it's part of the responsibility, you know, you know, player acquisitions a sixty five day, this is nothing out of the norm for us. But you know, I think the fact that you know, I have a chance to watch Tristan you know, I'm I'm,

I'm you know, looking forward to seeing him work today. UM. I think he's a talented, talented young kicker. So um. But yeah, I just think when we just wanted to make sure that we're you know, in position to you know, just always adding depth to a football team, how would you know from a couple of practice things, you're so extra right, myer is probably fine in practice they could keep them both active. That would be unconventional. You'd lose a special team spot. I think in this case, they

could vinced themselves. Maybe that was worth it on Sunday. Otherwise, you just got him in here just to see him in practice, and you know, hope that Maher survives. And I think with this game though, and it's the game previous is That's why I love Divisional Round weekend. I think we all do. Both of these teams can win the Super Bowl, and so I'm just trying to give the Cowboys that credit. I think they're sick. I would be surprised personally if the Jaguars or the Giants won

the Super Bowl. But I feel like every other team that's playing this weekend can win the super Bowl, and and the Cowboys is highest level. It's pretty high. Like we talked about all these forty niners guys, but it's like, I know, the offensive line for the Cowboys is all shuffled around. It's a little worrisome. Tyler smiths now at left tackle, but he had played there before. McGovern has moved all around. He was left guard and he's fullback center and now he's back at left guard. But they

still have like a Hall of Fame right guard. That that's a talented player, Tyryne Smith. Talented player. I don't know if the forty Niners of guys like that. Up front. They have Tony Pollard, who's not Christian McCaffrey, but he's pretty damn close person nap. He's one of the best running backs in the NFL. Ceedee Lamb I would take over every forty Niners receiver. They don't have the depth, certainly, but they have a great tight end and Dalton shot, yes,

they would right now. I think Ceedie Lamb is at that level. I love Ceedee Lamb. Actually Pollard about equal to see him. They didn't say about equal. I'm saying three top four. He's like in terms of what he does per snap, like he has been getting it done. He is. He has a reasonable to like lower the workload for Zeke because that's been We've been talking about

it for weeks. It's like a little last week. But no, not for the Cowboys on it's gonna be their rookie Tyler Smith, who's played well at left tackle at for most of this season. He's moved around. Um, They've got concerns, certainly, but I just think they have a chance. They have a chance here, and they have a chance of all right, let's pick the game. I have already said what I think.

So thirty niners to the NFC title game, I've got niners, uh, thirty five to I have it seven twenty three forty nine, which is actually over the line. Now the line has moved down to three and a half. People are betting on the couch and well, yeah, I mean, what are we e been doing here? What matters? Well, if you're gonna pump them up for fifteen straight, they consistent on all our platforms, you know, and I already we got our picks in on that's inconsistent. Maybe I could flip

it is what you're saying. I don't know. Yeah, we won't hold it against you if you're going to win your picks competition on the other show. You know where it is. Just you know, it's fine game debut, check it out. And that that's my with the great Rachel Bonetta. She was at our show, Patrick Cleb's show, you know who I missed though, at our show, and I wish was there because she she's so great behind the glass every show is Parker. I wish she had I wish

she had made it to show. I assumed she was there. Yeah, I had a seat saved for her. It was just sitting there. That was that lonely little It's like you know the old the show, like the TV show where the kids in his big their concert and looks over and then Dad's seats empty. Yeah, I cannot. I mean, I'd really assume that Parker was very busy doing something

else not at the show. Well, we can't get everything we want in life, but we will get great football this weekend, and it's going to be the best football of the season. And that was Sunday Jive presented by Toyota. Get ready for some great football, everybody. As we say goodbye, thank you to everybody, uh for listening, watching, coming to Our Lives show. We're very lucky. Thanks for keeping us around until Sunday night. He the call s