2022 Super Wild Card Weekend Recap: The Product is Good

After what was Sunday Night Football Bengals Ravens that Paul just slipping right outside of James Prochet's hands. But I guess it's fitting crazy, crazy weekend. Yes, Mark, it was crazy, wasn't. I mean? So after this, after the Seattle San Francisco game, I thought maybe the league, to some degree, now that it's playoff time, is returned to the form that I recall from when we started this show, where you get a dotting of playoff games that are close but a

couple of blowouts in there. We've gone totally acid trip with the league. Like everyone outside of that contest, which even was close at halftime, every game seems to veer into the totally absurd and bizarre and wild and wonderful plays in perfectly too, and listeners of the show, longtime listeners, No, I I've done this before, pro bono. By the way, um I offer up league slogans. I have one, just one to share the NFL. We're not perfect, and by

the way, neither are you. But our product it's good. It works. How it just take out the whole first sentence and go right to the product that's get Sometimes I don't let you know. Of course, the NFL our league, it's a big target. But how about we look in the mirror before we start throwing stones. That's part of that's a part of a broader message. I wanted to get out there to people's Yeah, they're protecting themselves in a way that no one can critque. You was shooting

from approved glass. Why don't you step aside so we could actually critique of our sports? Oh yeah, I think the through line here was like, oh, you don't like some of our calls or something like that. Were you not entertained? Have you seen our ratings? What if we just pivot to being like a totally carrying the water podcast for the next twenty years. I think it would be certainly. So anyway, we're gonna get into all the games. Let's roll through it Saturday through Sunday. And there was

and here's the thing. To Mark's point, there was only one blowout uh this weekend. But even that game, the team that eventually got blown out was freaking winning at halftime. That's that's how wild Super wild Card weekend was. So let's head to that big bell bottom where the San Francisco forty Niners looked to make their Lombardi Trophy march. Well,

get it going, let's just just play it. They roll pretty pretty gonna all back man, a wide open Deebo Samuel down to psych forty taboo debot touch down Said Francisco, where the forty Niners wanted to start their march to the Lombardi Trophy in style. That would have been a better way to get into that highlight. Well you did it anyway, Greg, Papa k n b R with the call depot. Man, it's good that he's back. All this like excitement about brock Purty happened with Deebo Samuel resting

up getting ready after he was injured. And now he's backing He's just another weapon for this incredible Niners attack and a great defense to boot and you saw both sides of that in a win over the Seahawks. And Greg, I gotta start with Purdy here because I know he wasn't perfect, especially in the first half, but as he heated up with the rest of the Niners and they

went on at run uh and took control of this game. Um, it just showed once again that this team at its top gear looks like they can beat anybody, even with a seventh round pick start making a sixth start. Yeah, you just start wondering who can stop this offense, especially in the NFC, although I look around the league and I don't know, because I think Purty Struggles pointed out how incredible this offense is. I agree with that. He was cheeks in the first half, as the kids would say,

like he played poorly and it half time. I kept seeing this like analysis like, well, the Seahawks played a perfect half, can they like back it up? And I'm thinking, like, yeah, they had the lead. Offensively, they were doing great. They gave up two hundred and fifty yards in the first half and only stopped the forty Niners one time, and it felt like they were just like trying to hold the damn water back and they're giving up explosive places.

And again that's with Purdy being erratic, trying to throw intercept interceptions, like being late in terms of his trains. But but just the first few drives, like throwing towards the little he seemed to have some nerves. He is a rookie. But it didn't matter. Like they found they got the open receivers, they moved forward and then he started doing his purty thing and it was just a nightcap.

It was over. I mean, we we constantly credit other young quarterbacks for working themselves out of corners and you know, not not losing them. Sure, I mean, but he but he but he's had a couple of games here where like he was perfect early on. This obviously was a different case. And it didn't It just doesn't seem to really matter with the Niners because over the course of

sixty minutes they just simply overpower you. I think it's a scheme thing to to some degree, because all three of his touchdown throws were to wide open receivers who had five plus yards of separation. He had a hundred and seventy nine yards of wide open receive of her yards after the catch. I mean, it's like this offense is set up to fly if you can play competently at quarterback. But he's more than that, and it's much more than that. I think what's really interesting when you

hear from whether it's Kyle Shanahan or his teammates. Everyone is complimentary of him, but also you don't hear them saying things like the way you hear certain guys talk about, you know, the top level quarterbacks in the league, like I can't believe what this guy does because this offense is so beautifully schemed up and so loaded with talent that you're right, even with all the throws he missed

early on in this game, they still piled up. They were on pace for five hundred yards at the halfway point, and then when party settled in, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Really it was. It was complete. It was so easy, and it makes me just appreciate Greg Kyle Shanahan and what he's been able to build here even more. Uh and John Lynch of course, working in Tandon to build this roster. It's a fully functional

death machine right now. Totally agree. And the way that they've put these pieces together where a little bit like that twenty six Falcons team, but better where it's like a basketball team where every different, you know, but like at least in terms of the skill position talent, where every player, including Elijah Mitchell, who was a factor in this game, of course, including Kittle, has a different skill set.

They all do different things. And at the end of the game, parties completion percentage over expected was basically even. It was like point three because you would be expected to make those throws. You would be expected to make a five yard throw to Deebo Samuel, You don't expect Diebo Samuel to take it seventy four yards. Those crossing routes were just wide open all day, and this was a great matchup for them. They had dominated the Seahawks on both sides of the ball physically, uh in two

regular season meetings. They did it again. Seattle had no answer Tariquill and kind of got exposed a little bit on those in breaking routes. But you started with Diebo. I thought that was a great place too, because man, that was the most debo debos looked all season. And I think that puts them at another level. Yeah, and I mean with with the Seahawks, because they did hang

around and it's credit to them. And overall you can look at Seattle and say, I'm I'm glad they didn't pull an up set there because the Niners to me are the team that you know mentioned. I can think they can challenge Philadelphia, they can challenge Kansas City, they can challenge anyone. The ad The addition of Christian McCaffrey is like debo times too, because he gets it from as any point in the field and he's explosive and suddenly his thirty five yards down field are running for

a touchdown. But with Gino, I thought they had the Niners had the back to back to back touchdowns and

then coaxed Gino into that interception. They had the Charles and many Hugh like fumble recovery, but that but that fumble was the like everything pivoted right there, and it's like that there seems to be if you go back and look, they've scored under thirty three points once the Niners since Week twelve, and it's like they're just so explosive, but it's like you almost forget that their defense creates

those plays too. And like Gino Smith, it was better than that Thursday night game, but it got ugly for them and you just got hit to a point where it's like Seattle is not getting the way out of this. He played well, I thought Gino in this game, and at that point where he fumbled it, you're right, they were just trying to keep up. Uh. The forty Niners had scored to start the second half to take the lead back at that point, three to seventeen. At that point,

the fort had scored five times in six drives. They would go on to score nine times and ten drives. Like they scored every drive except for that one point. And that sequence I thought was very telling. They had a short yard situation, there's an offensive line penalty. They had a ton of offensive line penalties. It backed him up to second and fourteen. Then it was third and fourteen and they got quick pressure, got the fumble on Gino and it felt like the game's over because there's

no margin for error against the forty Niners. And I think if you replayed this game ten times, I'm not sure if the Seahawks when any of them, and I I don't say that in the NFL too often, but I just don't think it would happen. We had a very good UM to seven game on the other side and the other conference, which will get too later, but this was more in line with what we've seen so far since they have added these playoff teams. You get a team that's in the old days how to buy.

They were so good they had to buy. They were the second seed in the league, they had thirteen or fourteen wins. Now they're playing in the wild card weekend. One of the teams, one of the great titans of the league, and you get this team that's very marginal in terms of making the playoffs. And this is the type of games we're gonna continue to see, I think

more than more often than not. Even though the NFL, even in its new slogan, the product it's good, uh, and it has been, it wasn't so good in the second half of this game. I don't hear from Pete Carroll um I was talking about how it's kind of interesting hearing the way um Rock Party's teammates and coaches talk about him. Uh. Here's what Carol had to say

about Party. Party did a really good jobstand life. I don't know why we couldn't again, and we we chased him all over the place, and um, you know, he's not known if it being the greatest gram, but it looks like fran tarkted out there to day. I want to point that out. I wanted to play that because his best play of the game, um ironically was an incomplete pass. It was after the game was kind of decided,

they were in the red zone. He did this really like savvy athletic scramble, moving across the field, keeping his eyes upfield, spotting Brandon, are you in the back corner of the end zone, and then throwing an absolute dart right in his hands and you couldn't handle the ball. But it just shows how much confidence Party is playing with and and you put it all together, even on a not a truly dominant day by the San Francisco defense. Uh, you know that's in them as well. It's all there

for them to go all the way. I think they have that potential. It absolutely is. And I like Ice called uh, Party like a superhuman being, like a superhuman like on the Thursday Show, which is an overstatement obviously, but I just think it's hilarious that how many quarterbacks around the league that like we're in year two of these people year two and a half. It's like, we've got to have patience with these young like what brock Party is doing right now, and I don't need to

be perfect. It's just like the fact, like from the neck up everything like he's just fits right in and like the idea that with this offense Depot hadn't really done much with brock Party, he fits right in. Like the way that they're operating right now. They seem totally unstoppable because the Seahawks in the first half of this game did what you asked. They were mistake free. Gino played well, they did all they could do, but it's like they can you cannot. You have to play more

than a complete game. You have to coax the Niners into that into like a disaster zone, and you can't do it. I mean, they played fantastic back to back long touchdown drives and then got the sneaky field goal right before the half when forty Niners left them a little time to do it. I I was worried as a Geno fan, as a Seahawks although we did lock up the forty niners. So I was, you know that feeling to me and march At that we were never to work. I was, I was ever crazy, three of us.

That's right, good job, I knew. I knew they were even within seven games. I think you're officially eliminate. You have to be by this, So we keep voting record? Do we keep the people that are eliminated? Do they keep? Yeah? How sports works. I feel like you've been eliminated. We'll see you next sea Like the NFL regular season, you keep, you could still get up to fifth or what do I need to be think you've eliminated yourself perspect if you if you don't want to do it anymore, if

it's important to you to get back to or whatever. Okay, maybe in fairness adjusted, I think everyone's kept picking to the end. Oh that I knew we were in trouble when pretty when he broke out of the pocket and he did some of those Zack Wilson plays where he's doing the you know, turns his back and just starts running around and you get worried, but he usually gets out of it. But at one point he broke to his left and he did sort of like a high

step to the sideline. I think it was Cody Barton coming. I was like, did he just put like a hesitation high step move parton Barton like they're in trouble. He I mean, he didn't miss like Deebo Samuel who was wide open in the middle of the field. I mean a couple of unpretty like decisions the first two or three pretty like at this point, because he's not done

that in these other years. After after the first two or three drives, though, I thought he played a great game that it just was kind of early nerves, I think. And I could say that with some very experienced in this world called legacy scarring um with young quarterbacks, coaching matters and general set up matters, the scheme that you're putting him into. UM. I'm not saying if Zach Wilson was in San Francisco he'd be thriving right now, but I bet he'd be a hell of a lot better

than he has been with the Jets. Mac Jones is a perfect example in New England. He was in a functional offense last year. Uh, it was set up much better for him to be successful, and he was successful. You took some of those elements out of play and Max Jones all of a sudden looked like a guy that was a borderline starter or worse. Um, this is not a knock on party. But he hit the lotto. He really did he. But I think it's I it takes.

I'm not willing to take something away from Purty by saying I know you're not advocating for Zach Wilson, but Zack Wilson is Zach Wilson. Pretty is something totally unexpected, and I think a lot of it has to do with his preparation. The person the locker room absolutely adores him. I mean they just don't even see seems surprised by his progress. There's this is the human being a perny versus just filling the blank quarterback. I just I do

push not pushed back. But it's just to me, this is the story of this jugger, not in a rare case in the NFL where a coaching at GM are allowed to have a vision over a long period of time. And we've seen it reached the Super Bowl, We've seen it reached the NFC Championship Game. But it feels like this is like the full culmination of everything they've been doing. Uh, they're nasty. They're they're gonna be set up next year. I think Geno Smith is gonna be set up next

year too quickly. We do have sounds since we're saying goodbye to him, I don't think we're saying goodbye to him as a member of the Seahawks, though. I want to finish my career in Seattle. I want to. I want to be here. Uh, the town, the city, of the team, Coach Carroll, the organization. They all embraced me. You know, I was a guy who probably could have been out of the elite. They embraced me, and uh,

I want to repair him for that. Between between that comment and Pete Carroll really going hard on like after the game saying Geno Smith has shown us what level of quarterback he is and there's the only reason to think he can get better. And they asked him a question and he's like, I want him. I just think they'll be able to find some sort of contractual compromising. Our guy, Ian Rapports said that they would be willing to use the franchise tag to keep them if they

needed to. So even just hearing that, it seems like I think there's enough common ground there between the two sides to get it. He LOVESO more outside of you, Greg than Pete Carroll, and who's shown more faith from the start outside of you, Greg than Pete Carroll. And it's like, I think you can find a way. You're you're looking always for that rookie quarterback on a contract, you build a team around him, but you can what wait a second here, I thought it was really I

want to repay them for that. That makes you think is he looking to take would he take a hometown discount because this is his one chance to get paid on the open market Gino? And I think that is sort of what it said, that maybe he's not gonna push You cannot you can't tell me that the Seahawks are seriously thinking about paying him million dollars on a

one year deal next year. Is not bad at all for but but the thing, even just having that out there that they might be willing to use it just is a starting point where I don't even think, well, we'll talk about it in the Austins that they'll need to get to that point. You don't there to a franchise on a quarterback unless there's some discord or you can't agree on stuff. I think Gino in the Seahawks Canada would be in a good contract that would not blow the ceiling off the train. It's like a two

year thing with forty five guaranteeders. I know there are there's different like levels of franchise tag. I'm just going off CBS here. The two thousand, twenty three exclusive quarterback franchise tag currently projects to point to four eight million. That's exclusive, which means like no team can give up two first round picks, so they wouldn't give exclusive. I mean, no one's doing that down. I believe that's around. That was another at check on big season of that a

lot of vin Roughly there you go. Let's take a break and we will hit the Saturday night burn burner in Duval. All right, welcome back. This stuff is interesting to me. So just to circle back here with the franchise tag, the exclusive tag, teams must offer the selected player a one year contract no less than either the average of the top five salaries at that player's position based on April of the current year, or of the

players previous year's salary, whichever is greater. The non exclusive is teams must offer the selected player a one year contract no less than the average of the top five cap hits of that player's position or one twenty of the players previous salary, whichever is greater. I don't think we're getting there. Obviously, that's significantly different. CAP's going to be a salary. It's gonna be a conversation, uh with

the quarterback. We're gonna talk about big time. But first let's uh finish up the Saturday night schedule and at his game that started out as a blowout and then turned into a majestic comeback from a Florida to put it down, Patterson's kicks up the field goal is good, good, good, But thatd Woife have wanted, but lad Woife have wanted. But you have come back from twenty seven nothing to win, just made it in there. How good is that? Hey,

break Frangie, that's real good. It's great. Then you get the fungos as a result two weeks in a row. I think, oh man, if Graver did not give the checks the bongos a spite, now he's gonna Titans fans. It's god integrity. Even worse, we'll get to the grain figger and some type of stuff a little later, this even worse. I thought we fanned the Titans when our right back in it freak frame you with a call w O k V and that's how you call that game. We're gonna get to another favorite of ours a little

bit later too. So there it is. The field goal is good. Riley Patterson just sneaks it inside the upright and it allows that Jacksonville's Jaguars to escape with a thirty one thirty win over the Chargers, one of the

great comebacks in the history of the sport. This was a Jaguar team that um lost the turnover battle five zi zi zilch and Trevor Lawrence th dow four picks in the first half and they were down twenty seven zip and yet they find a way and Mark Um when I, uh you and I have been doing this

a long time. And you may remember the January two thousand fourteen Andrew Luck game against the Chiefs where they were down twenty eight points and after a really bad first half, Andrew Luck went nuts and threw for four or forty three and four touch downs in that game. And who is the player that Trevor Lawrence has been compared to Uh. Entering the league, it was Andrew Luck. This was a generational quarterback with a monster performance that

will never be forgotten. Absolutely, and I think that you know a lesser team. I mean, this is a team with zero playoff experience across the board, players that weren't even in the league a couple of years ago. And you could just look around the NFL and see teams that would have crumbled after that first half. And this is this Jaguars team, whether it's Doug Peterson or Trevor Lawrence, is made of something different to night. I think the feelings are opposite. You come out of this game with

it being about the loser. For a lot of reasons which we'll get to. Um this reminded me of, obviously for other reasons, that Cults Vikings game and something that we were texting about in that Coults Vikings game where youth said, Dan, if these if if the Vikings can just get a touchdown before halftime, all the mistakes they've made have happened in such an abbreviated amount of time. Because as I was watching Trevor and s throw pick after pick, it was like, this is a disaster, except

this isn't in the third or fourth quarter. This is happening so early that there's so much time to work your way out of this if you can pull it together. And I want to just point to one thing that I thought that was very um indicative of the last week plus with the Chargers, and it was when they were up seven nothing and it was a third and one for the Charges that their own twenty seven and Justin Herbert planned down audible to a plan down jet sweep.

And I mentioned this because it was the play where Michael Bandy came around. There was a box job on third down, they were forced to punt, and the Jaguars took the ensuing drive into the touchdown and into the end zone seven and suddenly, after all this nightmarishness, you're only down by twenty with a half to go. And on that play, it was initially, you know, weeks ago, it would be Mike Williams who would have done the jet sweep for Christmas Marty, And you kept the play

in the playbook. Bad idea because it was DeAndre Carter, who was Mike Williams's back up, who would have done this. But DeAndre Carter was injured by the time that play happened, and so you got Michael Bandy, who Herbert mentioned after the game was Michael Bandy didn't even know what he

was supposed to be doing on the play. So that is a coaching disaster mixed with a situational disaster mixed with the mistake by a team that couldn't hold onto a lead, and it opened up the doorway for a Jaguars squad that walked right back in goods that I had to go back to like rewatch how this all happened. And that was one of the players where you thought, if they just got a yard on this play, they're gonna win that game, which is crazy to say, but

I really think they would have. They would have ended the first half, uh if Herbert had hit a wide open Alan when they were up twenty four nothing. Herbert played pretty well in this game for the most part, made a lot of players that weren't there. Certainly his life was order. I think the Trevor Lawrence was in terms of he was really having a work for tough place,

but misses that throw. Then you think about the Joey Bosa mistakes, like I can't remember a single player having a bigger meltdown lining up in the neutral zone on a play where they got a sack and would have forced Jacksonville to kick a field goal when they were trying to make that comeback. Was another four point play, then he had the penalty obviously left to the two

point conversions. Like, we can go through all the plays that they messed up, but it's like the other team also has to take advantage of it, and Jacksonville did

the whole freaking time. And I'm just so impressed by Doug Peterson and Lawrence and Trent Balki, especially like every single one of their free agent pickups from last season and everyone's wearing the Balky clown knows to the stadium like all their leading receivers, and then fully fought to Kassi with the biggest play on defense to the game, all free agents that were not on the team. You're

let the Jaguars serve as the ultimate example. Uh, no matter how downtrodden you are, um, things can change quickly in the league. It helps when you have a generational talent a quarterback at the scene, and after making the worst higher of the decade in Urban Meyer, you make perhaps one of the best when it's all said and done, and Doug Peterson, who I thought was amazing in this game, Um, everything he did was the right call and the joe

and the Joey Bosa play. Um after the touchdown, what is the pull that it would have pulled them the extra point after the score would have pulled him within three an obvious extra point situation. And he gets a second penalty for arguing with the reps. So cool gets the second penalty having the distance of the two points for the point after and he goes for two, which he's got. He would, let's be fair, because we'd probably be given him something right now if he if they

didn't get it done. But that was faith in his offense, faith and his players and his scheme, and they convert that and it's kind of unheard of have onions at that level to then set it up where when you do get the ball back, you're winning the game with a field goal, which they did. So Peterson, it's a big analytics thing and you say it's unheard of, but Doug Peterson was doing a lot back in in the playoffs. It's just I just have a lot of respect for it.

Let's hear from Peterson talking about Trevor Lawrence and who he reminds him of. I played with one of the greatest quarterbacks ever and Brett far Of, and there were times when you know, he didn't have a great first half and came back in the second half and and uh, we could light it up. And that's what that's what I love about Trevor and his demeanor and his aggressiveness and the ability to just forget and move on. Um. But he'll be the first one to tell you that

it's not it's not about him. The guys around him to made made plays. Protection was good, receivers were doing a nice job being where they needed to be. UM. But you know, from an individual standpoint, it was, uh, this is really a a great performance by our quarterback. I think that we saw Trevor Lawrence because we mentioned it on the show a bunch go through sort of a psychological shift in that London game where it's like, I'm not going to be the same Trevor Lawrence. I'm

gonna be someone new, And that's been the case. But it's also coaching because if you're Doug Peterson and he was like best friends with Brett Farve, I mean, he's back up forever. Like you have so many anecdotes and stories of one of the great's melting and being like Trevor, You're gonna be fine, and like I just you felt

that with Trevor Lawrence. But there was also schematic because the Chargers and Brandon Staley were adequately, you know, praised for using all sorts of disguise coverages against Trevor Lawrence early on in the game. And if you look at Trevor Lawrence's numbers against the Sky's coverage, it falls off a shelf. He's not the same guy. But count Peterson encountered in the second half with a rash of hurry up snaps, and of their fifteen hurry up snaps, twelve

came in the second half. They average ten point five yards per play. Uh, Lawrence had three passes of twenty more or more yards. They all came like so a year ago you had a co Urban Meyer And it's not just a rip on Urban Meyer, this Tweese, but who has none of those anecdotes of a quarterback dating back to his own playing days and had no concept

schematically how to hell Trevor Lawrence. Everything is new for tangible reasons with Doug Peterson and like all the good Yeah, that's a great point mark, that's a good point mark.

All that sets up one seven left, fourth and one, And despite it all feeling inevitable, they did get to a spot at one seven fourth and one where if you don't get a yard, the Chargers are gonna win a game, win the game anyways, and the Jaguars are getting ready to snap the ball and Doug Peterson runs in with to me is one of the most memorable time out and that that I can remember because it's it totally turned the game. He didn't enthal hyper believe

thet all time. I mean, sure, throw it up to it. How many timelines could be better than that? You basically won a playoff game with that, But he didn't like he saw in that moment uses the time out comes out of it with that beautiful play where it ends up being e t N where they like basically have him one on one on a something Samuel Jr. Good luck with that, and they stuck with the run during

that comeback. I just I just was so impressed. But we wouldn't be talking about Lawrence and or Peterson if

the defense hadn't like started that comeback for them. It was such a great example of like that it's a team sport because the Jaguars quietly stop the Chargers in the second quarter on three straight three and outs while while Lawrence is still throwing interceptions four for sixteen for thirty yards and four interceptions at one point and in the middle of the second quarter that's really where the

comeback started. They stopped him three straight three and outs, including after that muffed punt that they got over at the six. So it's like it's a team game. And the defense really stepped up two down the stretch. They rushed the passer they did, and um, let's here for the Chargers now, because this is um for a star crossed organization. Charger is gonna Charger and all that. I mean the fact that that was a major part of

the discourse on Twitter. Even when they were way ahead, there was almost a, I don't know, a general confidence that this game was going to be close. I think anybody watching it just because this is what this organization has always done. I guess it doesn't matter. They always say it's just a laundry. It's just laundry, But why do certain teams seem to have this type of stink that follows them through the decade a crushing loss. Here's Derwin James, their star safety. UM asked about his feeling

after the game. This is tough because you guys are you guys are unit, You guys have been connected. Um, can you put it into words? I don't even have any words for right now. Like I said, I've been playing football allective and now here is the other star of the defense, UM, superstar of the defense, Joey Bosa, who, as we said, at a very tough game. UM, I'm gonna have this in two parts because they're very distinct.

Here as part one, I need to be more accountable for my actions, obviously, but it's uh, it's a heated game and I'm hurting out there. I'm playing on half a leg. Um, I'm getting dragged to the ground whatever could hurt me along with screwing our team. And yeah, maybe some of them weren't as blatant as I thought, but UM, I don't know. And then Joey Boz says, effic I don't care if there's a FedEx package on my stool one Monday. I think there just needs to

be more accountability on. I mean, if I say something to them, I get fine. But if they blow a call that ruins an entire team's season, they get to they're probably back in the locker room after getting my god got that. Yeah, I got him fifth ten yards a loser. I guarantee it. That's what they're talking' Um, how do you know? I'm sick of those people so far. Sorry, but man, I kind of love it. Yeah. I mean, listen, some of the calls are bad and I have to say, like, um,

and you're gonna see it. You're gonna see the think pieces in the days ahead. The officiating, which has been under the microscope because it has not been good uh this year. It wasn't good this weekend either, and these are supposed to be the best cruise in in the game. And I'm not saying all the officiating was bad, but there were I feel like every game there were major calls, uh that were missed. Saturday was a disaster and Sunday

was good. Well, I don't know, I don't know. There was particularly egregious call in Minnesota that give the Vikings

life on their last year. The one thing that when they are they are jumping in using some of their ability to quickly replay stuff and get it right there at least is that because I mean, I know it seems worse than ever, but I can remember get like a playoff game back in like the nineties, where it's like a missed call just led to a team losing, and it's like there was I agree with both, so that like the refs do it, and then we complain about it for two days and then they're essentially anonymous

individuals and they go on to do their job the next week. But we all remember Joey, Bosa, Melton and I understand frustration, but then it was like non holding calls and I didn't think they were crazy. Bosa and Mac definitely did not show up in the second half of the game, and that it's part of what's frustrating for him is that it really was more on the defense in the second half. The offense weirdly had its problems in the first half while they were getting a

huge lead. But the offense, which everyone shares in a blame like this, Brandon Staley does, Herbert does, the offense does, but to go touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, the one thing the offense did in the second half was actually go on longer drives and limit possessions to the point where the Jaguars had to pitch a perfect game

in the second half because they like this. You're a very vocal member of the Herbert Hive and the and that's a very loud group in the in the Twitter verse. But they scored three points in the second half, and you even said it on So they go seven for thirty seven, seven three. You gotta do better than score three points and then go three and out. That's they collapse.

But in a comeback like this, kind of like that Minnesota game we were talking about, like how many things had to go wrong, they limited to where they had to score a touchdown and then the game winning field goal exactly on every single one of those drives, and they got a touch onw just count. There are moments and like we're talking about Trevor Lawrence the way we're talking about we're forgiving four interceptions because of how we bounced back. And I don't think it's a Justin Herbert

thing as much as like the Joe Lombardi experience. UM, I'm not sure where the argument is to continue with on on with that for another year. I think they had the ball with five plus and they had a chance to seal this thing. They went three and out. There were just these drives that matter, and like the whole second half, You're right, there were some elongated drives, but it Lenton edited a punt, a field goal, and

Cameron Dicker's second miss field goal. Like in a million years, that was a huge miss special teams issue, and I think Staley got absolutely spooked from the chuckle heads like us banging on him for not going for fourth downs last year, and you saw multiple games this week one because you went for it on fourth down and then that weirdly doesn't get mentioned as much as when it

goes wrong. But Staleley did the opposite. He kicked field goals from the four yard line, the five yard line, and then when Dicker missed that kick, he had a fourth and three with under eight minutes to go, where I first down there would have been just absolutely huge. Didn't have the guts to go for it, was going to at first change his mind. They missed the field goal, and justin Herbert, I'm not throwing Herbert off under the rest, but I don't think he didn't play well, but he

also didn't play poorly. He just had like a block point. I love Herbert, maybe not at the Genu Flec level, but I really I see him as at one of

the great young talents in the league. But I think sometimes there's because the discourse around him is it's almost like the political landscape where it's just people just mad yelling about Herbert, where it's like, man, like we talked the thursday, you because you're a big Herbert guy, and you said, well, the reason the Charges win is because they have the best quarterback, and you're gonna see that here.

I only saw one special quarterback of the future in this game, and I'm not I'm not taking away from her but I still think he's excellent. I wish he was on my team. But I thought, I'm watching Lawrence and I'm thinking, we're gonna see this guy in the playoffs for fifteen years. That's a Hall of Fame player just starting his career. And I just thought, like on that stage, Lawrence was special and Herbert Wasn't look at their stats because like it's crazy how similar they were.

They both inefficient each through it about you know, Herbert through at forty three times for two seventy three. Lawrence through at forty seven times for two eight eight. Herbert has the one touchdown no interceptions Lawrence, and I love that callback you had to Andrew luck had the four touchdowns, four interceptions. That was just like lux game. He threw three in that game and then wind up through and fourth,

so they were ups and there downs. I do think it's fair, though, to point out that the Chargers run it twenty five times for fifty yards and the Jaguars have a great running game, that Lawrence has a great play caller who has a sense of the moment and

schemes guys wide open. Herbert has Lombardi who puts three tight ends on the field for a play action plass to start that last drive in Zion Johnson loses a block one on one their first round pick and gives up a quick pressure like I don't think that it's remotely even his coaching is not good. I would also say that Herbert has a head coach who played Mike Williams and his starters deep into the season finale when it was an utterly meaningless task to do so explain

it oft in a weird way. And then if you look at all if you look at Keenan Allen's numbers, when Mike Williams has not been in the lineup this year, they fall off a cliff and you're leading received or is your tight end in in the biggest playoff game

of your life? If you you if you take these two things, um, these three things, the fact that Staley in general has been an underwhelming head coach UM since being hired, to the devastating decision to play his starters a week a team, then lose his biggest playmaker for the playoff game, and then three for his team to blow twenty seven nothing lead. You would think, Oh, Stalley

is gonna get fired. Jim Trotter, who's really plugged in, veteran reporter for NFL Network, who knows that team very well, has been around them and covering them for years. UM did a Twitter thread so today where he he outlined his thoughts and how this thing could play out, and and and that to him, it seemed like Staley there's a good chance he would survive. Maybe not the offensive coordinator,

but Staley would be safe. And I know that's not what Chargers fans who are in their feelings right now want to hear. But that's what Trotter thinks when one of the reasons was because the linking Sean Payton to l A. It's like the way that charges operate. It's not because they're miserly, according to Trotter. I mean, I think a lot of people think that. But there is a salary issue with someone like Peyton. They want to play.

They want to pay first time coaches and coordinators to become head coaches, but they don't want to give up the draft picks. They wanted to use those to develop players. I mean, that's a choice. It's a choice. I don't know if I agree with it. But this this brings me no um joy because this this man has seriously been one of my um favorite broadcasters in in my life.

But um, al, I think we're gonna look back at this game is maybe at the beginning of the end for Al Michael's who terrible job by the way, um by NBC. UM I kind of pointed this out on Thursday that it wasn't with herb Street and I know that's different because that's Amazon, but you don't throw two guys together don't have a lot of experience. You certainly don't throw two older guys together when you don't have

somebody that's an excitable presence. And that's why I know Collinsworth is not a favorite of yours, Mark, but Collinsworth does bring that kind of joyfulness to the to the sport. And you hear his excitement and that plays off well with Al Michael's Alan Tony Dungee, who Tony Dungee is like paint drying listening to his voice. Here is the final call of the game, in one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport. Here we go

for the wind, got it, but there's a flagdown. There's a flagdown as everybody's running out onto the field, but there's a penalty marker and they call it on the defense Tonable. That is unbelievable. Patterson poots them into the divisional round. I love and you're really twisted the knife. I mean, I agree with Oh, I'm sorry to offend you sensibility, of course, I agree with you. Were like listening to the call, Can I just can I say one thing? Because it's it was a lot of people

were talking about it. Believe me, I I am with you before the game even started, and I'm with you now. I totally agree that you need to pair him with one that's gonna bring more energy. I like that that it was I was asking myself all game why did they put these two together? But when it comes to Chris Collinsworth, it's his it is the voice. It's not his analysis. Thing. Is a great analyst, but it's like he's a little folksy and his voice gets on my nerves.

That's more of a aesthetic. I just wish that Al was given someone that would make him why. I don't need to hear I don't need to hear from Tony Dungee on anything. They'll check out his record on opinions on other things in the world. Now you have me in the in a booth in the best game of the year als seventy eight years old. I hope Al

has a long career ahead of him. Still, UM, I just wonder if we'll look back is like, oh, it wasn't Dungee though, batching like the confusion of like the balls at the one yard line, but it's still the two nights. Um. Finally, before we moved off this game, another tough night. Al had a tough night. So did our producer, who tweeted this when things were going all Chargers Justin Graver at Titans Film Room, hashtag Titans for maximum cloud engagement. We're incredibly boring all year. No one

wanted to see them in the playoffs over Jacksonville. But I promise you Titans Chargers would have been a better game than this. Hissing venom, hissing venom, Grave digger. I should have said a better half than this. Huh, how about that that would have worked? How about just keep the Titans out of the discourse. No, this was full of Titans fans were complaining that the Titans shouldn't have even tried to make the play. Now you have a

national international platforms the producer of this program. People are going to see that and amplify that and come back at you. It's amazing. My tweet got over a thousand likes, and I owned the tweet. I got the cloud. I quote tweeted myself and I said I played myself or whatever that was. Have you kept it up and then you made a joke about yourself. That's tweet. It's up there. Whenever it was when I tweeted that haven't you gotten

to aren't we at the point? Now? Where have you have you out about tweeting something in the first half of a game like this where it's a declarative and then you're like, wait a minute, with the way the NFL's like, I'm not tweeting this because it's gonna go south in like an hour. I was literally thinking, like Staley's defense is built to like forced teams into passing all the time. Like that's what he's been trying to build. It's like when you're dealing with that for the next

you know, seventy lesson learned. But you know what, I regret nothing. There you go, that's how that's how you look at it. Let's take a break and we'll move on. All right, welcome back. So we moved to Sunday now, and uh, Mark, you had you had a sandwich prop earlier this season that the fastest game ever would be played. I don't know if this was the longest playoff game ever today that was a regulation game, but it had

to be close. Dolphins Bills. It felt like it was going to be a blowout, but it turned into anything but Alan letting go down to two. Now one takes the snap, hands it off the single tarry over the block of his left tackle tackle. He moves the pile toward the thirty five out toward the first marker. He they have gotten it. How about that? That'll be the ball game? They sick all first, you know, and then Bills can go to victory formation. Wow, that's hard to believe.

How about the effort by Devin single turn and the old lineman pushing him. I don't know if we need that when we have our end of season meeting justin or like, how do we make the show better? Because it's the right call? Could it be? Is it possible it could? I think we made the right pick, Like what is the highlight for the game, Like, oh, that's

the clinching first down. But I'm finding all season whenever we get the clinching first down, Yeah, it just doesn't have the che I think the fourth down stop, I don't know how that calls the driveway check and it was about the same, if not a little worse. Maybe you know, maybe it's a lesson. Maybe just go with the great gave Davis Josh Allen touch that who cares that it was in the third grad. It was a touchdown. It was when we break bread after the season. These

are the things we'll discuss respectfully. We'll get it right heading into year eleven or twelve or whatever it. Devin Singletary seven yard run for first down was the play that the Bills desperately needed to survive against Skyler Thompson and the Miami Dolphins. The final score Bills thirty four, Dolphins thirty one. UM, so they advance Josh Allen despite three more turnovers. Um. He said it after the game one week seasons, man, that's it. All that matters is

surviving and advancing. Doesn't matter how we win, it's if we win. And Greg they did win, but it wasn't supposed to go like that, go like this, even though they were up seventeen sip. No. They will be happy to move on from the Miami portion of the season. All three of these games were funky. I know to have played the other two games and and the Dolphins often certainly looked better in those games, but this was a game where I think Josh Allen and the Bills

offense were really the problem. Even though they got four twenty three yards in this game, Allen was a roller coaster. They were daring him to throw the ball down the field all game, and he obliged and sometimes it worked. That touchdown throw the Digs early was just an incredible throw. No one else can throw. The touchdown to game Davis was an incredible throw when he absolutely needed a first down on third and six in the red zone and

they were trailing, trailing in this game. To the Dolphins, they call the quarterback around, he picks it up, it hits Beasley for a touchdown. Like there were good things, but he had two interceptions and three fumbles and it was kind of all over the place and they were stopped in a number of occasions where they could have put the game away. It was not what you expect

that of the Bill's offense. I think if we go back for a second to like the Seahawks game, it's like, this is what Seattle's defense, if you were the Dolphins needed to do against the Niners to create the chance to a doorway to win. Because the first interception leads to a field goal, the second one, which really bounced off Cole Beasley, led to a touchdown, and then you have a strip sack fumble touchdown like points are coming from a Dolphins defense that I kind of think and

I thought Romokes explained it well. It was like, we just want to put Josh Allen into chaos. We know he's gonna make big plays out of it, but he's gonna make what we've seen up late and earlier in his career Josh Allen esque turnovers, and they've been coming in bunches, so they're not all on him like any interception we see. But but he's lucky they didn't lose those last two fumbles he had. Basically, I mean, this thing was close, though I don't I like, you know,

we were in the middle of the fourth quarter. I know that the Dolphins got a touch on at one point on office, just like the Bill's defense played a pretty crazily amazing game against I thought they should have against this team. I think it goes back to the fact that Monster Raheem Monster was not in this game

the way he ran on Buffalo last time. They had no ground game, and if in the situation they were in, if they could have sustained some drives and kept Buffalo off the field a few more times and just had some way to move the ball more they had like their drives went for like less than fifteen yards. I mean, Skyler Thompson was largely a disaster until he made a couple throws late. I mean this was Buffalo's defense did its job. It's just that it was a truly funky game,

and I look at it. I kind have agree with Josh Allen in this one. It doesn't make me totally think differently about Buffalo. They're operating. It seems like about seventy of their power. But this felt like a weird odyssey with no major larger purpose to me because they did escape. Um all right, So a lot to unpack there. So Skylert Thompson I thought he was. He was eighteen and forty five for two twenty a touch on two interceptions.

I thought he was actually better than that. I think they had some drops a wattle early on him game. He had another bottle is in jury's banged up. Um. But uh, I thought Thompson actually considered considering what we had seen to him this to this point. It quitted himself fairly well. Now that said, they had two thirty one yards of offense, fourteen drives, They had sixteen first downs and fourteen drives. So the Bill's defense did what they were supposed to do, and I guess I disagree

with Josh Allen. I'm concerned about the Bills a little bit because his mentality is going to be different than ours. Our job is sure out of it. I'm just I'm concerned about the Bill is just because, like I don't think they look good against the Patriots in Week eighteen, they hem hims kind of bailed them out with those two big kicker off returns. I thought you saw breakdowns and past protection. Uh, the offensive line struggled to this game,

breakdowns and special teams. You saw more bad decision making by your star quarterback. You saw big drops by Buffalo as well. And that's the only reason this game was close, not because Miami played well. To me, it was because the Bills just were sloppy and playing at s. You'll beat Skywitt Thompson's Dolphins at home, you will get your doors blown off next week. Who do they have next week? Gets Cincinnati? And I know Cincinnati wasn't perfect on on

Sunday either, but you need to be much sharper. This is your year, Buffalo, Like this is it? The window is not infinite. You need to start playing better or else. I don't assume it's the year, that's all. I just will say that on night. I know we even saying

that forever. And it's just like queuing them up is the best team around and like they just Josh Allen does amazing things and you can forgive us miss stakes, but its mistakes are plentiful right now when like it's a fair point, Like we think of the Bills one way, and they used to have Micah Hyde and Von Miller was really important players and not everyone's got injuries right now, but it's been a while. I guess since we've seen the Bills team that we imagine them to be. Right.

That week's seventeen game that disappeared because of the Demorrow Hamlet situation would have been a really good litmus test. And we never saw how that they had that Bears game where they ended up winning easy, but even that game was messy. They were trailing, The Dolphins game was Nippentuck.

They had the like the Jets game where the Jets actually like out gained them the dollars, the Lions game on Thanksgiving, Like they are a team that is battling to win, and I think if they win this Super Bowl, if they keep winning these games, it's not gonna look pretty. It's gonna have to be with Alan being superhuman. I'm

a little concerned about their offensive line in general. They had some pretty good blitz pickups early, but as the game went on, they lost more and more consistently up front, and then on the Dolphins side, they they they have some regrets after this game as well, because they did

not play as sharp as they needed to play. This was especially apparent with a number of either delay of game UH penalties or having to burn time outs, which really burned them late three times, all three timeouts because of the inability to get calls in from the sideline. And you don't know what the issue is now. There was one specific play with the game essentially on the line.

They were facing fourth and one from their own forty eight yard line with two to play again and they didn't have their time outs at this point, so this was do or die. They failed to get a playoff in time, they got flagged for delay of game UH. The penalty pushed them back to fourth and six, and then they could not complete the pass. UH. Here's what McDaniel said about that play afterwards, citing a communication gaff

at the biggest stage of the season. It was communicating to me through the um upstairs, you know, from from the head said I think, Um, I was standing by an official. Uh. I had just had gotten convicted information that it was a first down. UM, so I don't really know exactly who it was from. It was probably the first time all year that that had happened. So, um, you know, you you try to do your best. As it was, I thought we had a fourth and sixth

opportunity that we're unable to come up with as well. So, um, fourth and one most of the time is easier than fourth and six. But at the same time, uh, you know, you just have to adjust to whatever variables put out there. That wasn't a great look all the way around the entire operation and the presser. In my opinion, well, I agree with you. I mean, that's a total breakdown and

you don't want to see that happen. But from a maybe a little bit more of a global viewpoint on on what McDaniel went through with this team, I mean, you're dealing with Skyler Thompson, who essentially was a preseason layer and yeah, things are getting funky in these key situations. If that happened to if he got the wrong information, that's you said, it's the first time all season. That's

how I explain all the other Francisco it doesn't. But I would just say that Mike McDaniel, like the fact that you know he was like, oh, well, Mike McDaniel at some point being replaced if they want Sean Payton or fill in the blank coach. I agree, but I think like McDaniel on his own proved that he fought through incredible adversity. I mean, three times they played Buffalo,

they beat them once. The night game a couple of months ago, was they were saucy, They hung in there and showed something the very few Dolphins teams we've ever

covered showed. And then today when no one gave them a chance rightfully based on who was starting a quarterback and who was out and you got this right, I totally agree that, like in the moment, that shortcoming was very frustrating because it was throughout the second half, and Skoylie Thompson probably deserves some of the blame, but it feels like it's more on the coaching that it was just take everything was taking too long. But I was

taken by his quarter or post halftime interview. You know, he was so confident, like in Moromo and Nance said that too, that he they really thought they were going to go in there and win this game, and they were really close to doing it, and they did get to the playoffs in the end. I know they fell down the stretch, but we know he can scheme up offense. And uh, I'm with you. I think you have to at least give him some credit for them believing like he.

I think he's doing a better job at the sort of global coaching and I think having like his team believe in him and the coaches and everything like that, than I expect that he's not just like a scheme. Like there was one team that Romo talked about getting it was sort of like weird vibes, jitters and kind of on edge, and it was the Bills. It wasn't

the Dolphins. And I get it the stakes are different for Buffalo than Miami and theory, but like, yeah, there was I mean Miami was in that enviable position of no one's given us a chance, and you you see, you sense that McDaniel is an interesting guy still to me, and we'll we'll get into all this down the road. But um, his offense was brilliant for half the year, the other half not so much. There's quarterback issues, we we It was reported today that planned the team plans

to have to a back uh next season. Hopefully health will allow that to happen for Tah and the head injuries he suffered. Um, but you know, McDaniels brought in viewed as a offensive visionary. You gotta put it all together and you're gonna maybe get some better luck. Of course the quarterback health. We'll see. Miami is an interesting team next year. Right now, their season is over and

I'm glad in the end of Bills. You get it done with the state the Miami Dolphins around for another way, I did lock up the Bills and it got a little I was never like the way McDaniels was confident. I remained confident throughout the game it was gonna be all right. It was at one point when they fell behind in the in the second half and then the Bills have like a three and out and they're punt like, what are you? What are you guys? Doing like it would have been a catastrophe for Buffalo to go one

and done in this situation. You know, I thought the Buffalo could probably even like midway through third Corm, I think, still win this game. It was a bad weekend for the games. Over people on Twitter in general, it's always it's the same thing as Justin's tweet, Like this game actually had two of them. Everyone said the game was over at seventeen nothing we should mention it was seventeen nothing that you know, early the second ward, and then everyone said it was over again at thirty four, uh

late in the third. And yet there they were at midfield down three with two minutes and they go They were about fifteen yards away from tying that game up. It's crazy. I have one favorite team, as everyone knows, but I really do like this Bill's team, especially after the adversity that they've gone through in recent weeks. I want to see them get to the super Bowl. So I'm happy that they moved on, and I I really I implore them listen up, guys. We gotta go up

from seventy five to about ninety. We gotta get over the ninety threshold to to make this thing get to the super Bowl. Um, and it starts with Josh Allen be in the playoff Josh Allen from a year ago, like, we're not getting and expectations are high. Anything less than the Super Bowl is failure for this Bill's team. Whether that feels fair or not. But that's the that's the bar they set after last year's playoffs. So we'll see

what happens against Cincinnati. Oh boy, all right, let's move on to the next game on the schedule to US Bank Stadium. Nailed. It takes the snout, he's back to throw, he's on the pressure, got hers the Crows completely to his right, but he's short of the first datas Hackinson, he's wrapped up. I want to play by the Giants. They threw a short to Hawkinson and the Giants railing with the ball and say makes the play of the

ball game. Wow, Giants are grants? That great? Oh it's a Bruges here, what marks it can be bolds people don't understand, can be bold. You don't understand it if you're not from there. Bo Papa with the call w f N. That's the great Carl Banks, great player. Oh yeah, Parcel's favorite. The new York Giants, legimon get a three yard passing day from Daniel Jones on the ground too, and just great big plays on both sides of the

ball in a victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Uh. And I god, there's so much to get to with Minnesota, including Kirk's check down past there with the season on the line. Um, but let this be known that the Minnesota Vikings and this is only the Vikings, and this it felt like it was gonna happen. It felt like it was like setting in the stars that they would set an NFL record by going eleven and oh in

one score games. And then the calendar turned to the playoffs and they lose a one score game in the wild card round, and that is very on brand for the Vikings, and the fan base knows it all too well. But the Giants marks the g men. They stepped up and and really I thought played a beautiful game here

and they're advancing to face the Eagles. Yeah. I think the Giants were the other team in the NFC that you know, we're largely viewed as fraudulent to some degree, not up to the record all year long, but they were really well coached and I think that what we're seeing is that Brian Dabile does and has had an effect on Daniel Jones, who played the game of his life, and we were getting here in bits and pieces with

Daniel Jones. I think we saw it the last time he played Minnesota, that they basically put it in his hands and said, we're gonna throw the ball. It's not gonna be one of these and twenty four passing yard days and we're gonna have you run the ball to You could do both, but he did it there, he did it again. I thought they took great advantage of a terrible defense. So I do feel for Vikings fans who got to this point watching this defense just utterly collapse.

Early on, the Giants out of the gate had seven plays of ten plus yards on the first two drives. Daniel Jones was all over the place in a beautiful way, hitting everyone. You've got guys that people didn't even believe in a month ago making big plays for New York's guys. Are niners open. By the way, too, that the defense was so poor and the scheme for the Giants so effective that Jones was just like it was. He was and you know they have talked about and I you know,

we'll see where this goes with j Jones. They want him back to We've got that reporting has been out there for weeks that they ran a more typical pro passing game where it wasn't just rollouts for Daniel Jones and trying to kind of protect him from stuff he couldn't do that. He's grown in this system and they're having him do more and more. And I know this is the Vikings and it's a bit of an equalizer because they're a mess on on in their secondary and

against the past. But Daniel Jones today like the way you get that version of Daniel Jones and the Giants are a dangerous team. I I mean, they maybe go out next week and we'll see you later, but this is a major organizational win for everyone involved. They looked really well coached. They came in totally confident. You got with you know, they had a huge amount of yardage and it wasn't all coming from se Kwon Barkley was coming from other places, which tells me that this offense

has grown. I don't care if this game was against the Arkansas State red Wolves, like, yeah, that would be weird. He went over three yards with two passing touchdowns in over seven yards rushing. He's actually the first player in NFL history to combine those stats in a playoff game like that was a that was a Pete cam Newton game. That was who I was thinking of, because yes, they didn't call a crazy amount of design runs, but they did it, and he scrambled a ton. He was scrambling early.

He had over sixty rushing yards midway through the second quarter. Then it calmed down and it was him with his legs of the first guy wasn't open. It was him throwing absolute darts on a couple of third and long plays where he was very decisive. The velocity was there. They had the best players and they had the best coaches. Like they won this game because day Bole had guts on fourth down back to back times in the fourth quarter.

It was a tie game when he went for a fourth uh in one in the fourth quarter before the game winning touchdown, and I think it was an obvious call at this point in the NFL because it was like less than a yard, but it wasn't that long ago that would have seemed controversial. Then he went for again fourth in short on his own end in the Giants last drive, and that ended up helping the Vike The them burned the Vikings last couple of time outs, waste some more time, and it would have ended the

game if Darius Slayton hadn't dropped a wide open catch. Uh, they would have ended the game with the ball. Instead, they had to count on the defense to finish it off. But man, that's table I think really out coaching Minnesota's defensive coordinator, who Kevin O'Connell made no promises about at Dontel after the game. I thought that was telling. I mean, yeah, no, the opponent and credit Dable and the Giants, and they saw these guys in Christmas Eve and they lit him

up on Christmas Eve. Also, um, of course, I mean yeah, you always attack the Vikings on defense, and the Vikings are one of the strangest teams in recent NFL history, and the fact that they went thirteen and four, but we're you know, relentlessly criticized in many places, including on this podcast, as punching above their weight. And this is exactly kind of what I expected, and many of us expected. It would be a go down to the last possession.

I thought the Vikings would steal it and find another way to do it. But I knew these teams are even and that's exactly what this game was. I mean, I think the Giants. The Giants are gonna be in a good position next week's against the Eagles because they're gonna have a lot of confidence and Greggy I know that the Giants are a team that you struggle with um based on history, but this is kind of an

easy team to root for in the NFC. Person picked the Giants in this room this week and it was your boy, I'm the real Giants fan the game that said the Saints were better than the Giants on the previous show two weeks ago. Say this one person this week and it was me, And those are the facts I had Gant, I had, I had him. No, I don't believed that this team. I believe you said the Saints were a better team than the Giants. I really do. And I said this on the show the last few weeks.

Think that they've been a different tea in the last four or five weeks. I thought they they were lucky to have the record that they had throughout most of the season, and if they look better on both sides of the all you said it Mark with with the way the offense is working. Those receivers are established and they are really talented. Like there's this idea that they're not a talented team. I mean they have an all

Pro left tackle Daniel Jones is certainly talented. Sae Quon they used him great today fourteen for one on nine and then you look at their defensive line. Dexter Lawrence was the best player in this game. He dominated His matchup was in Kirk Cousins lap all game long. Cavon Thibodeau had a great game. You have Leonard Williams there. They had a Dory Jackson back there. They have good coaches, like they're talented with good coaches out. I'm Dexter Lawrence

because this happens. It seems to happen like once week, the roughing the passer calling Dexter Lawrence, do you remember this from like late in the game where they basically like the crew was like, I'm not sure what else we can ask them to do other than slowly quietly think because I don't think because he hit the helmet. It was but it was so like some of these

that was disgraceful. And you know it's bad when they have to go to, uh, who's the Fox guy officiating dude and Pereira and you know how all these guys are very They tiptoe around this stuff because that's there's part of a fraternity, even if they're no longer actively involved. And when the when you whenever, they throw it to the booth guy or the studio guy and he has no choice but to say, I don't know what they were seeing on this one. It was like the lancing

blow across the faceback. I think it's with the officiating. It's another example that we talked about. The stakes are higher in the playoffs and players sometimes choke under pressure. I think officiate officials see him in the same light. And again, I'm gonna how the damn table on this? You can We have this technology now that allows you to quickly rectify drops or catches and reverse things without

going to break and without slowing the pace. Why not have New York doing the same thing with these potential game changing plays. After the Slaton drop, which broke my heart for Daniel Jones because he played so great and the games should have been over there, and then that roughing the passer call, which gave the Vikings the ball near midfield. At that point, I was a pent in the bag for the Giants because like they deserve to

win this game. And okay, I'll let you over with the Giants at that point with all right, and I'll understand that the Saints are better. Um the but let's let's now talk about that play. Let's talk about it. Let's talk about it. Fourth down. It's fourth down and I believe eight for the Vikings near midfield and Kirk Cousins drops back, Uh, checks it down to Tyler Um the t J. Hockenson, who had another big game. Um, he tries to shake free, he gets to Well, it's

a great tackle that was made. I want to give the Giants mckennyh McKinney made the great tackle. Here's Kirk Cousins. After the game. A lot of people are wondering, how is he throwing short of the sticks in that spot? Where is Justin Jefferson. Here's what Kirk Cousins had to say, try to work Justin. Didn't feel good about putting up

to Justin. And then when I went to progress, I just felt like I was about to get sacked, and I felt like, I gotta put the ball in play, and if I take, you know, I can't go down with the sacks. So I just kick it out to uh t J. And I had thrown short of the sticks on a few occasions in the game and even going back a few weeks, and just felt like, you know, just throwing a short of the sticks isn't the end

of the world. It's just um, you know, it's obviously tight coverage, so I didn't have the chance to pull away, but I just feelt I was gonna go down and take a sack if I didn't put it out. It's kind of amazing this season for the Vikings, everything seemed to go their way, and even the way he said that Cousins is, you know, I throwing short of the sticks a lot, and you know, even recent weeks it would work, and in this case it did not work, And and it just happened to be the last play

of the season for the Vikings on offense. I guess it's very easy for someone to say in a podcast studio, just throw to Justin Jefferson, But Jefferson is a generationally great talent, and you could either get a catch out of it, you could draw a penalty. We already know those officials were flag happy after what we saw a couple of plays earlier. It's just I understand the Vikings fans that are livid that their quarterback who's known for

coming up small in a big spot, made that play. Yeah, I mean, it's it's a bad look because we're accustomed to just automatically critiquing that. I kind of liked his explanation. The only thing I'd say is, like, and T. J. Hockinson was awesome today, But um, I would say that, like, why not if it's your last gasp, your last chance, give it to the guy that basically got you here, which is Justin Jefferson, the Jefferson Cousins connection. If it's if it's against all odds, no one's ever going to

kill you for firing. It's Justin Jefferson that said, I mean, we're sitting here, we don't play quarterback. I don't know they saw what we didn't say, right. They bracketed Jefferson all game. He only had forty seven yards on nine targets, his longest defense. And my answer for like why he didn't do this, because like he did break out of that somewhat this year where he would just give Jefferson a chance to make a play, and so maybe you're right.

I think he was the first read on the play and that they had a lot of defenders back there. But Cousins is so unlike most of the quarterbacks in this league because he can't escape, and you saw today. I think Cousins played a really good game until the end. Basically, I think I think he played well. He was getting hit almost every other snap, and he was hanging in

there and his superpowers. He's been good at holding to the last second and then getting it to his and in this case, yeah, I guess he was hoping Hawkinson would break a tackle. At that point. It was Dexter Lawrence again who was gonna go get that sack, and he was right. He he hit Lawrence on the follow through, and either way, I think that play was just gonna be won by the defense no matter what, Cousins. You can't come out of this game just hating on Kirk

Cousins because I totally agree with you. I thought that, like in a Ryan Tannehill last type of way, he threw some shots down field where he was absolutely brutalized after the throw. Uh that would be um. Long time listeners know a lot of Ravil macnetco. Anybody talking about this game, and everyone just says the lost cos Kirk Cousins joked, No, the Vikings lost because their defense, which was terrible all year, once again, Um it was bad again and this time the offense wasn't able to bail

them out. Let's give the last word though, to Brian Dable, who was asked by a reporter why he seemed to almost be understating how well his quarterback played in his first playoff game, isn't good and good adjective? Yeah, it's good. I'm not a writer, I'm just a coach. So um, look, Daniels, I've said it all year. He's been a good for us and continues to be good for us. And he played a good game. And I think there's a lot of other people that played good games too to help

him play a good game. He'll be the first to admit it. But as leader of our football team, um, you know, I'm proud of him. I thought he played a great game. He did, but table like, who's talking to Daniel Jones more and helping Daniel Jones grow more than Brian Table. It's like it was understated though, because I think that this this the reason we're all in agreement. Greg has finally come around on the Giants. Well, welcome aboard, Greg. I mean you picked the fraudile and vikings over there,

give me a break. Um, the reason why we all feel that they're frisky now, I think in large, First of all, it should be said real quick, Sae Kwon Barkley. If Dexter Lawrence is the best player in the field, San was the second best player on the field. He was explosive, powerful. He is such a badass, that dude. And now he's healthy again. But Jones lifting his play has made the Giant just a different team and they they're interesting now. That's that's something. It makes you think

of his entire career differently. I mean, he wasn't this guy before. But like it was interesting to hear like Jason Garrett in the studio, Um, it was what was interesting about I guess what I found interesting. That's a fair point. But like praising and Daniel Jones, like I love you Daniel great, it's like you're a part of the reason. Like I'm not just to kill Jason Garrett. But the coach and that that Daniel Jones has gotten was very different than this year. Brian Table is a

difference maker with quarterbacks. All right, let's take a break. We got one more game to get to. Oh the Cincinnati Zoo coming up next. Greg just shared with me welcome back, some ratings information about the program, and the only response that came to my mind was what boom chakalaka back? Feeling good? Let's head the final game of the weekend to Cincinnati where the defending a f C champions they were. They had a fight on their hands. Oh my goodness, it's a tough division. That nor from

the one they're running it back. He's a big touchdown, amazing goals. Tyler Huntley trying to extend the ball over the goal line, it got poked away. Sam Hubbard scooped it up and ran the length of the field for a go ahead Bengals touchdown. Dangles fans, these are the Glory Days, special moments. Dan Horde Dave Lapping with the

called w c K, w are you kidding me? Sam Hubbard returned Tyler Huntley's goal line fumbled ninety eight yards for a tiebreaking touchdown in the fourth quarter, and it helped Joe Burrow and the Bengals survive a major scare from the Ravens and backup quarterback Huntley seventeen win for Cincinnati and they advanced. Yes to meet the Bills, right, the Bills Buffalo next week? About that, so they will play once again. We'll go through the whole schedule at

the very end of the show. But anyway, um, CBS not just kidding. I don't want me to share anyone about that. You see, people are like I was ready to tune out, but he just said he's revealing the schedule at the end of the show. People are stuck now, they're trapped. They need it. There's no other way to

get it. Facing third and goal at the one with about twelve minutes left, yes, Huntley try to go over the top of the line for that go ahead score, but Jermaine Pratt and he got stood up by Jermaine Pratt and Logan Wilson poked that ball away mark one of the biggest plays of the year. Yeah, and Logan Wilson, you know, we were watching this together at this point in the viewing room, and Logan Wilson had a big

stop on Huntley earlier in the game as well. But I had my problem with this was that, like we live in a world where I have no problem with Josh Allan doing that, attempting that play. Um, I have no Allen, we have no problem with like you know, people doing like the double butt push on Jalen Hurts to convert Trevor Lawrence had that six ft six and like Huntley is doing the best you can. Huntley is six ft one, And like the ball wasn't at the

one yard line. It was like there was like it was like this was not the play call it would have gone with here. I think let's hear what Joe Burrow thought about the play of the game going through your mind during that Sam Hubard run faster, Sam, go get there. He actually did look pretty fast. Surprisingly this from the next gen stats. That's great. Sam Hubbard reached the top speed of what do you think it was? Well,

I do know. You told me everyone runs to no no, it was three grave give me the bio heightened weight of Sam Hubbard. The third fastest speed by a defensive lineman as a ball carrier this season. Mark andrews Hot on his tail, reached the fastest speed of his career, chasing down Hubbard twenty point seven two tight end, but could not make the tackle. Uh, the athletes, they're good. He was trying to do that Leon Lett thing. He could couldn't play six five. To imagine a man of

that size running almost eighteen that is ridiculous. And the fact that you like sometimes a game does come down to one play because the Ravens and I'll play the Bengals other than that one play. And for a kid from Archbishop Bohler, as our friends spice Rack points out to me, a local Cincinnati kid. When this play happened, I heard a lot about the local Cincinnati high school dominance of athletics, of which Sam Hubbard and apparently spice

Rack in the Wesleyan Brothers were apart. And for like a local kid to make that play that will be remembered forever, and just get out of here and get rid of the Ravens. They don't want to see this team anymore. The Ravens in the last two weeks held Cincinnati under five d total yards. And when I say they don't want to see the Ravens, I mean the Ravens defense. The Bengals average four point one yards for play over the last two weeks. They didn't top two

hundred and sixty yards in either game. They were physical, they really shut down Joe Burrow and when you lost Jonah Williams, their left tackle during this game, at that point, the Bengals offense didn't do a lot more. And that's concerning that is this is really what Wesley and Chris Wesley would have called a pyric victory, because you know, Jay Morrison of the Athletics said that not much celebrating

as they walk into the locker room. The Bengals a lot of headshakes and exhales, like you one, you got out of here, but you have three of your offensive starting lineman um not available tois this week. They were doing the cigar thing last week. I thought that Burrow was certainly affected by the line issue because there was a lot of him having to run around and try to escape pressure. It's like, all right, you did that last year, but to do that two years in a row.

If this is the state of their line, and it is, you gotta problem. It's also different, like Cincinnati is in a different place than they were last year when they were Destiny's Darling and nobody was expecting anything, you know, like Buffalo, they're expected to if they don't go to the super Bowl. Uh, it's a bus this season and and this game, I think they were surprised because I think they knew obviously it's a division matchup, and and

Baltimore did play them tough um last week. But I think you know, at least I know you had a different viewpoint on this Gray going into this game, and you turned out to be right on this, which was they had the Baltimore Ravens were ready for them, and they really did stunt what Cincinnati was trying to do on offense. And then you factor in, yes, the offensive line issues and this is an issue. Paul Denner, who

covers the Bengals, appointed this out on Twitter. They want the first fifteen weeks of the season Cincinnati without having any offensive line injury, a major injury. In the last three games. They lose their right tackle I all counts to an a c l A right guard Al Capita to an ankle, and now left called Jonah williams Uh to a knee. And we'll see how serious that is. It is the type of thing, Greg, where you you really because I really like Cincinnati to UM for a

lot of different reasons. Um, you wonder if this is going to be the thing that does them in as the competition jump. So you hate it because you spend all season, you spent all offseason talking about these teams, and then you get to this point and they're just not those teams anymore. That's how you get Skyler Thompson starting a game for a promising offensive and now this Bengals team that had such great continuity, I think you said it that they had the same group. They were

the only team that didn't have uh those injuries. Now, look, they only had three drives after that touchdown drive where Joe Burrow was magnificent, they did have three long scoring drives. It was a game where Baltimore kind of played the underdog UM playbook perfectly. They limited possessions they made, they took possessions away and kept the ball. They they did a good job offensively. That was a little worrisome too.

I I do think the Bengals offense will have better days and that this is a particularly tough division matchup. Seeing the same team three times in the season yeah. I mean, if anything, we're gonna get a Bills and Bengals showdown where both of these offenses were kind of like. I mean, the Bills are at a different situation. I mean, they were super explosive at times. But this is a Ravens issue for me today. This was a team that kind of bottled up Burrow all year long. And I

don't think it's this, it's who they are. But the line issues, to me could be enduring because you're right back where you started from in terms of your offseason building. All the work you did has vanished, and in the line issues are not just protecting Burrow at all. It's the running game, which has been hot and cold all

season and they basically gave up on it today. I'm thinking one play where Roquan Smith just stuffed mixing on a second in two and then they didn't even try to run again the next down and it ended up being another three and out. That part's worrisome, But you do still have Higgins and Chase and Burrow like, even though it happens in the first quarters, sometimes the games

are one there. He had a couple of great drives early that ended up just being enough I will say, like J. K. Dobbins after the game had some pretty strong comments about that Huntley play that we talked about. He was steam that he wasn't out there. He basically said, in quotes, I'm a guy who feels like I'm on the field at all the time. I could help this team win and I wasn't. It's the playoffs. Why am

I not out there? Twelve carries? It's the playoffs. He also added, if we would have had Lamar, we would have won two. We'll get to that and just a bit. But Dobbins, we were saying the same thing we're watching in the theater Greggy when this all went down. Um the you know when that fumble occurs, Like, why isn't Dobbins, who's been chewing up yards on the ground all day? Why wasn't he getting the ball? He was their best offensive. That's something that's a tough way to go into the

off season like that. That came from a Jeff Zerbiac. By the way, the Ravens Athletic reporter other Baltimore gaps. I thought that they did not handle the clockwell on their final possession. And I'll point out specifically some time elements here first and ten at the sad Tyler Huntley passes to Dobbins for eleven yards in a first down that's at one seventeen remaining. Baltimore I believe had two

time outs at this point. They don't call a time out and they don't run another play until thirty four seconds on first and ten um and it's an incomplete pass and they then take a holding penalty that kind of knocks them back, and all of a sudden, now they're at the twenty seven with twenty two seconds left, and they have these time outs, but now everything's out of swords. They never used them, and they eventually I know they used at least one, but still they kind

of I think they cost themselves there. Here's how hardball explained to the time usage or the time out usage or lack there up after the game. I think we played it right. Didn't work out in the sense that after that we did. We had incomplete passes, so you're not gonna have a chance to call them. If you complete the passes, you get the ball back in the

red zone, you call the time out. So I think it's you know, from an elementary level, you could say, ah, they should have called the time outs, but we had the timeouts worked out, right. He's telling us that we're operating on an elementary level. He's talking. I think he knows a little more. See what he's saying. But the difference is eph Lamar Jackson's in that game, they get

the next snap off. I think, no matter what, even if you didn't want to use the time out there, you want to get the next snap off in less than thirty seconds. I mean not. I mean you can't compare everything. You can't compare anything, Tom Brady. He's getting that thing snapped with thirty seconds left on the clock. That thing is like watching these playoff games with second and third string quarterbacks in there and oh wait, oh well it's not operating like a piece of machinery from

outer space. Well, I don't know. In fairness, they did like a lot of good things. They had three sixty four yards Remember that third and one call where they just chuck it up deep to Andrews and like, right, they kind of let them be better per play than than the Bengals were, and huntingly other than that play

really did a good job. And let's just I want to touch on a couple of Melissa Stark related things here real quick, um, Melissa Stark reports right before kickoff that Lamar Jackson um uh did not travel with the team to the game, which is interesting because he was in Cincinnat did the week before and now he's not at the playoff game and he had also ruled himself out rather than any type of conversation with the team about it. Um. So there's gonna be a lot of

question marks about that. And this is more now, this also I think ties into Lamar. Um. Melissa Stark also, and you know, I kinda got on my soapbox about this couple of weeks ago. I am not about the end of first quarter interview with the coach who's in

the middle of a war, um, you know in football terms. Uh. Here is in full Melissa Stark's conversation with John Harbaugh, who, by the way, is under a lot of stress in the game and with his franchise quarterback potentially just in outer space and back in Cincinnati with Raven's head coach John Harbaugh. And John, you told us your guys were gonna be disciplined. What did you think about that last pedal to Well? I didn't like the last pedal, And so what will you tell your guys? That will be fine.

Our guys will be fine. It's gonna be a hard fought game out here. We're gonna play a good games. And Tyler Huntley with that interception, you said we might see Anthony Brown, what will that take. We'll just see how the game goes. Okay, thanks John, big smile, Melissa, don't ask me another question. I think I think he's young six years old, but I think this Lamar situation and will learn more probably in the off season, is probably aging him in dog years, and uh this is

a tough way end the season. He has an intensity to him just beneath the service. I guess not that far beneath the service. That's like a lot to take it. I've seen that after losses too, sometimes when they're asking him questions and he he would be high on the list along with Belichick of guys you just don't want to ask tough questions. Maybe a mean dad sit under

wraps compared to uhither like a good father. But you know, like if you get his temper going, Actually, do you remember remember this this expose on on John Harbor that came out a couple of years where he allowed us to look at his schedule and he did have like, in the course of like each day, like an eight to ten minute period penciled in to speak to his daughters. I think it was like but it was like so old. That was like a who article. The headline of that

story was a good father Comma me and Dad. I think that's what. By the way, and just uh, I don't want to belabor this, but Greggy, I brought it up to you. Um, you know the thing with Lamar, and we're going to learn more about it, obviously, or maybe we won't, who knows, but we'll see where his future is. And Greggy, I didn't know that you have some reporting to share in a moment um. At one point during the telecast, and this is where I get

a little signals crossed. They remarked that Tyler Huntley's best friend is Lamar Jackson, and Tyler Huntly happens to be playing the biggest game of his life. And then that's when I get I get a little confused. Is it's like if there is an issue with the player and

the team over money. I understand, and there's a business side of this but not being on the field that this guy's your best friend and you want your team to be successful, don't you want to be down the sideline with most of your teammates, like talking, talking to him, taking them through different things. You know. That kind of surprised me that he wasn't in the building. And I know there's gonna be There's always gonna be a sentiment, oh,

you're being pro ownership. That's it's not the case. But sometimes what I struggle with is the being the teammates side of this that also kind of crosses paths with the business side and how bad blood can develop with a with an organization, not necessarily with teammates. I think it's it's complicated. There's a lot we don't know, but as a friendship and a teammate part of it. Look, I think those two men like know exactly what's going

on in each other's life. And the status that Lamar has with the team right now, it might be a distraction for him to be there and be around John Harbor. Now you can a sign blamed to whose fault that is to get to this point, it's not a good point. If you had asked that, you know, if we had this information before you asked that question on the Thursday Show. What's the percentage that Lamar is back for the team?

I want to answer to a lot more than ten per I feel like we're in a different place and I can't help. But notice Rokuan Smith getting that contract extension last week doesn't have an agent. There's just been buzz. I guess that like they were working on a contract for Lamar last week. Potentially like that. This isn't necessarily like I think in a perfect world, like they all would have happened. And I think the money and and

everything got mixed up here along with his injuries. I'm not doubting that, like he has the looseness in his knee, but I think if he's not with the team, that feels like it's taking this whole thing earlier. But we are going to talk about Lamar Jackson, about Lamar Jackson eight hundred and seventy five times. Where did where did you get the reporting on the contract situation? I didn't have any reporting to share. I thought it was was it your paper? Oh well it wasn't. For uh the

Washington Post, it wasn't, but it was that reporter. It was yeah, Jason lock On for uh for I believe a radio station reported to like he he thought this was coming essentially and that he wasn't going to be showing up, and he thinks it's not going to be happy that he's not. He's reporting the relationship between that the Ravens and the Lamar is in a bad place. I do not care what the watching posts. I mean, him not going to the game to me tells I think I don't know exactly, but it's a lot. I

think you're also when you do that. Lamar is savvy enough to know that when he doesn't show up and we're all we're all talking about it now, we're all talking about this whole thing, and it's like that's an extra thing where credit or not. I don't think he's that is his focus he because he doesn't and it like he doesn't have an eight Like he's not managing the pr angle of it. As as a primer, if you don't show up to your team's playoff game and like and you're able to go, what what what are

we doing here? Well? I I think the able to go is a separate issue. I'm not saying that you couldn't get it. I think like he was able to go, like to play in the game, but this indicates a bad state of their relationship. All right, And now what everyone's been waiting for, And remember, there's one more game.

It is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting of the Dallas Cowboys Monday night, and we'll have the full recap and all the other reaction to everything that's going on in our league as we start spinning towards divisional round play on Tuesday. But you've been waiting for the divisional playoffs schedule and here it is. So sorry, but before we get too far, Nick Westling locked the Bengals. Okay, go ahead with this, girl. I just wanna, you know, keep

the audience on their toes. No, that's that's bookkeeping. That's an important part of being a producer. Thank you, Grave Digger Um Saturday. This upcoming Saturday, the first game four thirty pm Eastern on NBC the Jacksonville jack you Rs at Kansas City Chiefs. Frisky. I love it. I think it's frisky. I'm glad we got this because that had been the Ravens winning would have been a whole different situation.

This is nice. I like that. Uh the night game, Oh, it's gonna get wild and salty in the Northeast because then a Gimon travel to the Link to face the Eagles at eight fifteen ESPN excuse me Eastern, that's on Fox. The Sunday games will be Cincinnati at Bills on CBS at three o'clock and Cowboys or Bucks at Niners at six thirty pm Eastern on Fox. Good Slate, very good. It is the best weekend of the year at Division round playoffs. Came within a hair of having the Bengals

and Bills knocked out. We would that would have been utter Kay, this is kind of perfect. You got good games, but you got the top two seeds in each conference through. You got the Bengals through, which I wanted. And the way this Giants team is playing that game is in the way the Eagles ended the season. That game is very way more interested. Endless updates about a shoulder that's not failing up to snuff going on. I mean, Nick Serial did a lot of talk about what a right

healer Jalen Hurts is. Let's see how healed up he is come Saturday night in Philadelphia. Alright, any other thoughts. Boys thought that was good. I thought that was a solid professional, comprehensive breakdown of Super wild Card weekend. We are professionals, and I would just like to let you know, you know and others that we've had a microphone issue and here a headset issue and so the entire night. UM. I like to use the cough button on these machines

a lot, just in times, just to button. It's located um above Greg's lap, because it had to be plugged into the one that Greg's normally and he's one further down. This is what we're opening the common y here to somebody. But like, we can edit this out so it's sar. But I I did not use the cough button once because it seemed too too awkward. So I did use it once, didn't you. I didn't use it twice justin this is when you hit the music. Um, was there

any type of glancing? I warned Greg ahead of time that this was this might be a thing, but I try to keep it to a minute of them. Once, give me a wink if there was a crotch graze, No, not on my butt, not on my call. Whatever