2022 Week 15 Preview: "Gotta Have It" Sunday

get to. No more buys, so a lot to dig into. Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler, um gang, you know what this week is, Week fifteen, tell us gotta have it Sunday, gotta have it, gotta have it. There are seven teams by my count. You want me to share the teams now or as we go along there any of them playing on Saturday, because we do have you know, the three NFL Network games. I know, and you know what, all six teams got to have it? Not really, but well, I was just trying to be a good soldier there.

But they're great games, and we're gonna get to those games. There are seven teams and I'm gonna forget the top of the show and not tell you the seven teams if I try to do it as the games come. So I'm gonna tell you right now. Seahawks on Thursday night, so we already got that out of the way. Panthers, Jaguars, Lions, and Jets facing off Patriots Giants, and maybe we could add to that list if we wish. It's guaranteed that not everyone's gonna have it or get it no matter

what they in just one case. Yes, so we're gonna get to all these games. I'm gonna break it down. Let's start, yes, on the Saturday schedule. Greg, Are you ready for this? I'm so ready? Are you cold? Uh? No, it's just like there's only so many jackets I have. I'm trying not to rewear them. Let's let's go, because that's that's straight outerwear. No, this is inner where it's cold.

It's a nice jacket right side. All right, Let's start with the game one of maybe the game of the week, and it's at high Mark Stadium in Western New York. It is the Miami Dolphins eight and five, A little bit humbled the last couple of weeks against the Buffalo Bills. Our friend Colleen Wolfe is going to be there. The conditions Mark Sessler are said to be there, might get

some on lake effects, snow, wintry. And my first instinct as I set this game up and I mentioned that, which, by the way, you can watch an NFL network is TA and the Dolphins offense in those conditions, I'd be noivous if I'm a Miami fan. Well, it does seem like the talking point this week is, you know, Ken Mike McDaniel possibly figure out how to adjust and get this Dolphins attacked back on track after coin. Isn't it

fair to ask that question? Just it's just funny to me that, um, the way football coverage goes, it's like everyone something. It's like my Mike mc daniel was not born last Monday. I think he's he understands that there's been some issues and they got to work the way out of it. And I would say the one thing I want to watch those that a lot a lot

of it. I think that Staley and Shanahan they use press coverage effectively to you know, get get to what's throwing the ball into the middle of the field to prevent throws there, that's where he wants to throw it, and they did confuse that system. And so that's the response. And when the Bills played Miami way back when in scorching hot Southern Florida, they only played two snaps and pressed me on coverage. So it's like, how are they going to try to duplicate what these two other coaching

staffs have done or go their own way? Because Greg, I think you said it like before the Niners played Miami, you said if they were if this it goes effectively for Shanahan and company, that other teams are gonna try to copy. We saw them do it last week against the Chargers. Charges did it. Will Buffalo take the same approach? I think they'll try. They'll certainly be trying to take

away the middle of the field. They're gonna try to force Jalen Wile, I think, in particular to start winning his one on one matchups because he was awfully quiet last week. I'm not worried about Tyreek kill, but I think you look at the Bills and their week says and what they came into the season, worried about cornerback is still a worry, and it was a worry back in Week two because that's how you lose a game where the Dolphins only had the ball for like thirty

five snaps. That was a bizarre game back then. But you think about all the things we were worried about. If you were going to try to poke some holes in the Bills coming into the season, and there are none of them are going well. They their first round pick can't get on the field at cornerback. They're still rotating through guys trying to figure it out. Trade Avious White didn't return at cornerback till about week eleven. Isn't

really totally up to speed. Their wide receiver position has been so underwhelming that they brought Cole Beasley back this week, and they brought John Brown in a big spot throw and pass it to him back last week. I actually think this Bill's offensive line is a little vulnerable. So these are a lot of things. But what I'm trying to say is this is not the Bills team that's

just gonna stomp on teams. They they found ways to win, But to me, Miami still has the talent to go up and down the field on them, even in tough conditions. UM totally disagree with that. I think the dollins are in the world are hurt right now because I think the Ta has not looked the last two weeks. He's looked overmatched, um by the scheme whatever it is. His

accuracy is off. He looks these throne floaters and now I'm thinking of him, and not to overplay to a can't throw game, but TA in bad conditions up there. I just think it sets up well for the Bills and everything you said that it makes sense, Greg about some of the things that they were hoping to get shored up as the season went along, and they haven't. But then you point to last week against the Jets, and the offense is still not quite right ever since

SHOs Allen heard his elbow. Let's let's be honest there. But what they were able to do without Von Miller, with with Greg Russo, Shack Lawson, Um, they got after the quarterback, they destroyed Mike White, and I just like I could see that happening again here. I could see Tah really struggling to get through this game. Um, and I almost confident enough to do a certain thing. It's not in the zone, but it's not even in the zone. Yeah, which is people feel the way you feel about Miami

right now. And I think, you know, on the Buffalo side. Uh, there's a quote I want to if we can go to this sound real quick up that that Josh Allen had that I think effectively Sho's next level. Maybe you should be in the power chair. Let's roll with it. It doesn't look like an offense that's not roll in the Super Bowl right now. Okay, I kind of love it because it's like this reporter said, you know that Josh Allen simply saying it looks like this offense isn't

good enough to win this. We know they're kind of slumping there. Slump means the reporter said, and Josh Allen just said, okay, cool, and then he, like the in the extended clip, kind of shakes his head like give me a break with this, Like what do you want

this guy out of room? He has been playing through the elbow thing, and and Sean McDermott said that it's gotten a little bit better each week, and he thinks it's in a much he's been throwing more in practice than he has in the last three or four weeks. And so I just think that at one point. The Bills will figure this out on offense, but they aren't the explosive unit that destroyed the Rams in week one

and you thought they're just gonna roll over people. It's been like diminishing by week and they do seem to trying to work their way through things. But I do trust that they will. I do too, But they're there. What they're great at now is being a veteran team that knows how to win in these spots and overcome a lot. The Bills fans and the media have these bizarre expectations. It's like it's got They've got to be

the best team in the league by far. You lost Michael Hydeen Von Miller, literally the two most valuable players on your defense. If you had to pick them, maybe Mulana's there for number three. Uh, other things haven't worked out, and that's what I'm worried about in this match. Why should the Bills even show up on set? I'm picking them to win. My point is that they're a great

team that they've been in these spots. They are. They have the combination of youth and experience that every team in the NFL, which is they have, and so they'll find ways to win because they still have Josh Allen. I think Josh Allen will run well. But I think the biggest mismatch for the Dolphins here is their defensive line versus the Bill's offensive line. They the Dolphins trashed the Chargers last week and the Justin Herbert had to overcome that, and I think Josh Allen can overcome that

by running the ball. But I don't think this is a matchup where you're suddenly going to see a Bill's Uh. Those I like this because everyone saw have a game where we're just our headspaces are totally different. We should be talking about how nervous the Dolphins should be based on their recent play. Uh. And there's also a very high bar with Buffalo because we expected them and they

were earlier in the season just the juggernaut. But they're still second in total offense, fourth and scoring third in yards per play. I understand it hasn't been as impressive in the last month or so, but that's that team is still there. They've gone through funks before last year we saw the same thing and then they turned it on were unstoppable down the stretch. UH. Feeling good about Buffalo here especially. I mean, I know, you know, these teams are all built in theory to play in any weather.

You can't just say, you know, we're going to construct a team that's gonna die in the snow. But I think Miami is the outlier where it's like I don't trust Miami necessarily in a game like this, and it's like a Buffalo can't handle their business at home in this crazy weather, Like who are they? What are they doing? I mean, I'm with you, Dan, I expect Buffalo to take this one. And this is uh an a f C East title game more or less. I know, it's not a hat and T shirt game, as Kirk Cousins

would say. But if the if the Dolphins win this game, they have a real shot to win the a f C because they'd have swept the Bills. They'd only be one back with three to play. If the Bills win this game, it's over for the rest of the division essentially. And I'm with you. I think the Bills will win because I think they're tougher and deeper. But I just think there it's an interesting team because they're not going

to be the juggernaut. I think they're gonna have to like show their toughness through a lot of or maybe they will turn into that when it really counts, but right now they're on. You know, it's tough to be a team like the Bills when you had that big arrival season last year and then had this really exciting playoff run that ended in heartbreak, but you're still hyper impressive. Then everyone expects you to just be amazing. And it's hard. It's a long season and and there's been some peaks

and valleys, and it should be said. And I know the Jets defense is very good. Thirty two yards by the Bills last week, which was a season low by a hundred yards, and they punched on their first five possessions. So if that Dolphins front can get after it, maybe was like, go get me Cole Beasley. Want Cole Beasley back. Let's move to the early game. So that's them Eastern game. Um uh, Miami Buffalo. Now we got the early game, one pm, Eastern Colts at Vikings and Boys. It's gone

too far. It has gone too far. The Vikings hate has officially gone too far. When the people in the desert are giving the Vikings a field goal in this game against the Colts. I thought it was four, But either way, it's even more disrespectful than when they were underdogs to the Lions. I completely agree. I'm dispensed with any d I'm locking up the Vikings because sometimes things look too obvious, and maybe that's sometimes when you get noivous,

But you know, geez, what is it? What could you be watching with the Cults right now and say that they're gonna go to Minnesota and they're gonna stop Justin Jefferson from having a hundred and two and thirty yards and Kirk Cousins, who played really well last week in that loss, from really getting his stat line where it always is, because you know how consistent Cousins is. Ultimately, even Dalvin Cook going off, I just don't see the only way you really could beat up the Vikings is

their terrible past defense. And what can the Colts not do right? I don't think the Indie strengths don't fit well with what the Vikings can't do. I will say though they know Indie strengths by the way, well, they don't have out massive strength, but no team allows per game to wide receivers, then the Colts, I think Justin Jefferson cracks any code though I don't care what the numbers are coming in. They do have a good defense Indianapolis, I think you can. You're looking at a Vikings team

that hasn't run the ball real well right now. But if you get the Cousins just justin Jefferson version that we got last week, in many of these weeks, it doesn't really matter who they're playing. And then you're asking Matt Ryan to turn around. I think we've got Matt Ryan in our life for maybe four more weeks ever, and then we don't know what. We don't know if Jeff Saturday is gonna be in our life. Like this

team is is in a Sunset mode right now. Well, Jeff Saturday undefeated coming off of bye's never been take. I'm with Dan. I think Jeff Saturday playing on a Saturday is feels like, Oh, there we go. Maybe that's why the spread is closed. I think that's probably Dan. I love I love the Vikings covering this game. I like them responding to the loss. I think it's a nice test for Kirk because I don't think the defense is gonna force you to have to score thirty points

because you're playing against the Colts. But if you want to take something positive, you mentioned how Kirk Cousins played last week. I have long said in QB IndX when I was writing Kirk Cousins, these three giest quarterback in the league. Maybe hasn't been this year actually, but generally when he gets hot, he gets hot for about five weeks straight. Was that a start of a hot Kirk Cousins streak? Go put up thirty, make this game easy.

There's no Kenny Moore in this game in the slot, who's a good cornerback for the Colts, and and start building towards the playoffs. I think you nailed it, because I even I think I wrote about this last week in Powering is ahead of his big game the week after, which was which is a humble break. Say what you will about Kirk Cousins, but at the end of the year, he's always gonna have about thirty to thirty four touchdowns. He's gonna throw for about forty yards, and those numbers

are all a little bit down. We are so in line for a Cousin's hot streak that gets everything to where it always is by the end of the regular season. And we saw it a little bit last week. He was awesome last week in that loss, and I think you're gonna see another if you if you are speaking of fantasy football plays, if you have Kirk Cousins locked and load in your lineup, and and you know if you have Justin Jefferson, well these guys are gonna eat. You better have that buy in your playoffs if you

have those two. I mean, I think I think the one thing Justin Jefferson is it gives any quarter back, but especially Kirk Cousins, immense confidence. He makes throws and aims the ball Justin Jefferson in a way that you wouldn't without other wide receivers because you trust Jefferson to catch and do something with it. And it's happening like they've had electric Sundays and they can have an electric Saturday night. And they get to starting offensive lineman back.

That's a pretty big deal. Left tackle Christian Derrissa, who has been a Pro Bowler, and their starting center Garrett Bradberry both expected to be back. That's a big deal for them. Did you see it's a good defensive line Seth Walder for ESPN does a lot of analytic stuff.

He's good um had a article this week five NFL breakout players, five declining stars, and he had under that list Dalvin Cook and if you pop the hood on his numbers, although the stats, the baseline stats are still good, um his you know, making what is the it's a very in vogues that now for a rush right the yards that you're expected to get what you get over that under that he went from being an elite guy two years ago to coming down a little bit this

year and now he's actually below the line. Um since we eleven, yeah, since week eleven, there seven and ep a prush. I would point to the missing your offensive lineman the situation, though I don't. I don't see some big decline. Now maybe you know it's that list is infallible, so don't trust my eyes. All right, let's move to the middle game on Saturday, and we got Ravens. I

mean three points. That's crazy. That means it's moved. I think the only thing I could say is maybe because they've been in more one point one score games than anyone, so they expect it now by nature to be closed. Because it's the Vikings. Cults have been a desert team all year. I would say overrated all year, that some of their underlying numbers aren't as bad as they seem to look. It looks like it's up to four, but early this morning Zeuss going through some things, it was lower.

Maybe they're they've responded to your disdain already, like the desert, You've got too day. The cognizance e there like the desert is. I think the fc UM has you know, beaten down on the Vikings so hard, and I've done that as well that now people are just have lost the plot a loom, right, they're overreacting. All right, let's get to it. Ravens at Browns, we will not have Lamar Jackson, but we will have his backup. And that's

a good thing really for all of us. Quite frankly, as you try to get excited about the middle game on Saturday on NFL Network, it's a big game for the Ravens. They're trying to keep up with the Bengals. They've all but clinched the playoff spot with nine wins here, but getting a home playoff game is very doable for them with their schedule because it's favorable. But this is a tricky matchup. They're so healthy right now. I think it's been a little overlook because Lamar Jackson is out.

Huntley is a huge upgrade from Anthony Brown. You could argue it's as big a gap from Huntley to Brown as there is from Lamar to Huntley. So it's very important that Huntley is playing in this game. I think if you're Ravens fan, the running game look better with j. K. Dobbins back. They certainly look better with Ronnie Stanley back

at left tackle. Suddenly they look great. Oh, by the way, on the back end, Marcus Williams and All Pro safeties back Kyle Hamilton's their first round pick returned a couple of weeks ago, Klaas Campbells playing great upfront. I think it's a really good defense, and I think it's gonna be tough for Deshaun Watson and this running game, which

has been a little haphazard. With Deshaun Watson back to move the ball on this Ravens team, Huntley being there makes me like the Ravens in this well, they the Browns are down to their third center. I mean that started in the preseason when they lost on the opening drive. Back when Deshaun Watson was playing they lost their center in that game. They're done down to the third. He's not a natural center. They're trying to run Nick Chubb out of a hat a shotgun where that he just hasn't.

He's not quite working with DeShawn Watson. I would say this that if you look at the Ravens ever since they traded for Roquan Smith, um, it's totally affected Patrick Queen. Like their linebackers have been dominant. They become second in points allowed since then, best team in the run again to the run in the league right now, and the type for first on stopping third down. So I don't like any of that. And the under dogs in this game three. I think that's simply because Lamar Jackson is

not starting. If you want to, I wonder of Huntley playing. I know, I know Watson was better last week than he couldn't have been worse than he was in his debut. But they are a disjointed offense right now. I mean that's they just seem out of sorts and and I just don't I think that the Ravens are just I just trust the Ravens in every possible way to take care of business because I think Huntley has been really good when he's been in there. At least he's not

been a liability. Yeah, we'll see what with Watson, if if, because it's kind of unprecedented, right, I'm trying to think like another big name quarterback obviously for much different circumstances. But you know, I think Joe montanamists almost two years way back in the day off of that I think was a Leonard Marshall hit in the playoffs. Um, But Watson, we don't know if he gets back to the guy that he was on the heyday with the Texans, and

it's certainly gonna take time. I will say one thing about their offense, a positive thing, like I would say by stock In, David and Joku. Now with Watson, you kind of saw that immediately, Um, that there is something there, and I think you're gonna see a lot of a lot more of a Joco this year. I could see him being a breakout guy down the stretch. But yes, he was better Watson, but still just you know, obviously not quite right. I would ask this because I get

I think we understand there's rust all that. So I've never heard the term rusty more than with DeShawn Watson over the last two weeks. But if he's still this guy three weeks from now, how long do you expect this to be this way? Like there's nothing more you can do. But I think you hit it when you said the shotgun runs. They're changing their offense to make Watson more comfortable. He's not comfortable. It's hurting the running game.

He's not confident. He's not playing with confidence. His interception last week wasn't a bad thrower decision. He was just like a second and a half late on it. He's that speaking with confidence either. I know you shouldn't. I shouldn't be reading this much into it, but watching his press conferences is depressing. He just he just doesn't seem like he wants to be there. It just seems like, uh, he's not. He just has no confidence in who he

is and and that makes sense to me. And he's not confident the way on the field either, and especially his numbers under pressure. He's got a seventeen point eight passer rating, two interceptions, three sacks, and twelve yards. He's seven for nineteen when you put him in the under when you put heat on de Shaun Watson it's like he's not seeing the field real well, he's holding the ball too long, and the offense they've lost their identity. What more can you ask the quarterback to do than

give your offense identity. Yeah, you know, but you're not. We're not rooting for Deshaun Watson. But or maybe you are, but well, i'm not, I'm not. I'm not. I'm hoping the end of season right now. I understand. I understand um, but I wouldn't be nervous about anything that happens with

his play really this season. Now when he goes to a full off season program, through training camp, through preseason, and then if we next September and he's still looking very scattershot, not like the same guy, and you're not liking his body language in the press conferences like, oh this guy million dollar quarterback that we we kind of sold our reputation for a little bit here and now I want to point to like Peyton Manning who missed

an entire year with a very serious injury. You'd have excuses for him to come in and be cold when he was hot right out of the gate. It's like one of the greatest quarterbacks where But that's what that's what Cleveland thought they got to. I hope you're not. Cleveland thought they got a great quarterback and a good quarterback, right,

and that's a yeah. Well so Peyton Manning is like an all time saying he progress the next few weeks that I think you got worried about it long term and j K. Dobbins had a big return fifteen for one twenty, but it was a little sad watching that breakaway run. Clearly he's not he's not healthy. So I would only say about there was a lot of like optimism about Dobbin's back and helping them. Obviously he's a work in progress himself. UM as he comes back from

um all the issues he's had physically. All right, we're taking a break. We're taking a break. We will be back and hitting the other UH Island games. Sunday Night and Monday Night football. Stay right there? Are you ready? It's a Saturday triple header only on NFL networking along. First the Colts battled the Biking, then the Ravens space the Browns, and the Dolphins take on the Bills in prime time, back to back to back. It's a Saturday

Showdown triple header. Saturday, starting in one only on NFL Network. That right, welcome back. It is now time to we have the draft coming up. We have a very special guest helping us out at the top of the draft and looking forward to that. But first let's finish out the Island games as we call them. Let's go to Sunday Night football. The German travel to FedEx Field to face the Washington Commanders to seven five and one teams and it is stupid, uh And I talked about it,

gotta have it Sunday. I looked at the schedules. I'm not gonna say Washington's gotta have it, but the g Men need this game. They have one win in six weeks. Greggy. And if you go after what happened against the Eagles last week, and as disappointing as the tie was against Washington the week before at home, if you got your butts banked here, it's over, Johnny, Who do you disagree? No, because I'd mean, I'd come on, look at the results in the past almost two months. They would have chance.

Because the NFC is so strange with the Seahawks and you know, yeah, I think they're a bottom eight team in the NFL or so like in terms of how they're playing right now and certainly in terms of talent, and that's what stands out to me. They're a team that wins with scheme and not with talent. And I think playing the same team twice in a row if

you're the Commanders, helps that out. And I think the Giants needed that game when they played each other a couple of weeks ago, and they had it because when I watched that game, I thought and I picked the Giants in that game and ended up being a time I remember thinking, do not pick the Giants again in this matchup because the talent disparity when the Giants are on offense and that front for Washington is on the

field and they might get Chase Young back. This week is a massive mismatch and so I just don't see the Giants scoring a lot of points. And I think the only way they win is if they forced two or three tight Taylor hein Nik turnovers, which is possible. But other than that, Washington didn's a better team. Yeah, I mean to your point, in like, this is the Giant schedule after they play Washington, the Vikings, that's tough.

The Cults who knows what goes on there. And then you got the Eagles again, and the Eagles Giants game from last weekend was as big a separation between two teams with winning records that I can recall. I mean, it was outside of maybe that Dallas Minnesota wipe out from earlier in the juice because it was so clear over and about fifteen sixteen minutes, and it exposed the Giants as a team that simply went earlier in the year.

If they're in a manageable game situation, and Sa Kuon Barkley was looking like rookie year Sa Kwan Barkley and Daniel Jones makes enough throws and key spots, you're gonna win tight games. Will you bury them in a hole like what happened last week? They had no way out. There's no weapons really around at Jones at this point in Sae Kuon Barkley is not the guy he was before.

The better running team in this is Washington. They've been more yards per attempt than any any team in the league and a bigger time of possession than any team in the league since Heineke has been in there. And so it's not really they're not putting it all on heine which I like because he gonna kill you a couple of times a game, but will also make a couple of dazzling throws. He's just sort of that dude that's gonna be a roller coaster. But it's not all

on him. They're a really good running team right now, and I think the Giants defense is tricky to go up against in certain ways. They probably want to apply a lot of pressure, but right this version of the Giants is just such a lesser operation. And I was really excited about the Giants. That excitement has faded. They Taylor heinekey, Yes you said it. He's up and down. He's a middling type quarterback, but he saved their season with that fourth down conversion at that Life Stadium two

weeks ago. And don't don't fag he While the Giants got their butts beat in uh by the Eagles last week and went through again the toll of a long season in a December game and see Quan being way less than and now they gotta, you know, plan for this game. Washington had its by so they had a chance now not only study the game tape of the Giants game, they hit. Thereby they get healthier, then come back and get a Giants team that's obviously doubting themselves.

They haven't won a game in a month the Giants now, so it's you know, I think it does set up really well for the Commanders, who are six one and one since week six. I don't think they're an elite team, but I think they are certainly at this point a better team than the Giants. And this one is when I feel pretty strong about and go watch what happened to Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal against the Eagles pass rushers last week. That's what I don't like about this

game either. Thomas has had a great year. He gave up one sack in that game. He he was okay, But the rest of the group, you're right, is troubling and the interior of this Washington line is awesome. What one positive for the Giants is since these oglari return, he's been their best defensive player and Thibodeaux is playing better. So I do think you have two good at edge rushers to maybe force one of those Hyak mistakes. But yeah, if this, if this thing is just lined up and

play even Washington's way better. Yeah, and Barkley. If there was one thing that came out of getting blown out by the Eagles, they got to get Barkley out of that game. Um, but he's gonna, he's practicing, he's got an issue. But the thing is they're caught in a really bad spot. Anytime your star player is dealing with anything neck related and he's a you know, a battering ram running back who's you know, everyone's trying to destroy and they need him to touch the ball thirty times

to win this game. None of this feels like it's passing the smell test. And oh, by the way, Washington has the second lowest e p A per rush in the league. So yeah, somebody's very confident in how this matchup will unfold. All right, thank you, Grave Digger Heroes. I'm back again. Another win last week keeping pace with Greggy three back. Time to play uh football matchup between the Commandos and the Giants. You guys know, I've never

believed in this Giants team. They're not very good. They got really lucky in the first half of the season. Their lucks around out, So it's time for the Commanders, do you know, go ahead and started to take commands of this wild card race. Lock it up? Yeah, very good, well done. I guess I don't I understand what Nick saying that he kept pace in the sense that he didn't he kept paced. Yeah, last week before that he fell behind paid. He's also keeping to your time code demands.

Stand with these, with these clips and suggestion, they are less cinematic in scope now. But I would say I don't want to rein in Nick in that way. I don't think if he needs to go walking through fields again to deliver the content he feels is elite. Please do something. Don't squelch his creativity, and don't put that on me. I don't don't put that evil on me. Mark what I want? Nicky? He said, can we keep it under a minute here? Sometimes talk about us to

make sure we understand. Yeah, well we're not understanding more rage the message. There was a boat, you know, floating a little bit and I had to had to bring it in a little bit. But I don't want it to curtail. You can be funny our podcast saying this, You could be creative without it going too low. You can also do shows to go about a hundred and forty five minutes if you need to. So it's it's

your game. Let's do it Monday Night Football. We don't spend too much time in this game though, the Rams four and nine at Packers from lambeau Field. If there is intrigue, well you know, I know ESPN and everyone connected with Monday Night Football is going to sell as hard as you know. Baker's first game since that Thursday night miracle. So you do have that that gives the Rams at least the little juice at this state stage.

And then for the Packers, I don't know, if you like watching Aaron Rodgers play football, which despite everything else, I really do enjoy watching Rogers, you get that in prime time maybe some elements there, and depending what else happens this weekend, Let's say, you know, the Seahawks fall, that those NFC East teams are falling hard. With the Giants, they they've run the numbers, well, they've certainly got to

have it. I don't think the Packers can do this or will do this, but if they won their last four games to get to nine and eight, there's a realistic chance that that gets you in the playoffs at anner not I'm just trying to sell the game, and I think they'll win this game. There'll be an eight

point They're an eight point favorite. And quietly, I think their offensive line, which was an issue early in the season, since they put Elton Jenkins back at guard, even without Bok try potentially on Monday Night, they've kind of figured it out. And when you protect Rogers and you can run the ball a little bit, you would think that's gonna be enough against Baker. But I mean, they're definitely

not running the table. I'm not going down that road with you, but I would say that there is an air of optimism now because of what Christian Watson has become. It's it's it's like I think there was, you know, we were days away from maybe we just need to put ord In Love in there and put Aaron Rodgers on the shelf because it's more valuable to see what

you have and will Aaron Rodgers be back. I at this point, I'd rather say, like, keep Aaron Rodgers in there and allow him to build chemistry with Christian Watson going in the next season, because I agree, you keep the guy in there that you're paying three years in a hundred and fifty million dollars, like that was always a little bit like there's a lot of melodrama, not just with Rogers himself, but the way people talk about

Rogers week seventeen. But if they win this game, they'll be mathematically alive heading into Miami next week, so that you're obviously when that chatter was coming up about Love, things were very grim, and it was like, do you want Aaron Rodgers to like tear his knee up or something and go into the off season with that It was just shelved him and get a look at Love. I mean it was grim when they were down sixteen three to the worst defense in the league in Chicago

to they got out of it. Oh yeah, I know, but just mean like it looked it wasn't a great point in their season. Would you be would you be stunned if he finishes the season on the heater Rogers? Now I wouldn't. I wouldn't be stunned, But I don't see that with this team. I'd be more I would be much more surprised if Baker Mayfield does like I still think you can limit him in terms of his short game. He throws it well down the field, middle of the field. Can he get like the easy passes

that keep an offense moving. I think, um, the biggest like, now that we have a little distance from that Thursday and I come back, the biggest thing that I take away from that was such a hugely important game for him. Obviously we were talking two days earlier, what kind of value would he even have for teams looking for a backup. I think obviously that showed teams, oh, you want to have that guy in the building if you want to

jump start. And maybe it also you know, showed him like I, Okay, this is this can still be fun, and maybe I can go sign with a team that has a so so quarterback and eventually work my way back into the lineup and take like a Taylor Heineken type route to a starting role. So I've got a team with a older quarterback with the neck back injury that seems like he'll be an injury uh risk and

uh a great coach. Well it seems perfect right. Well yeah, I like that's why they brought him in, not just for it to save this last season, but he just number two because things. Everyone has short memories. He can't now like Crater Monday night and then have a bad rest of the season because then this as exciting as that game was, it probably it will dissipate some of this buzz around him. Finish. He has to finish in a decent manner, but it does give give us the

game some juice. And Brian gudakanst our friend, our German friend, the general manager um from Germany. He was he was asked about Aaron Rodgers, who's turning. I'll wait, Mr grave Digger. I like the early good stuff. It was raw, it was less produced, but you could you could hear the hunger in his voice. Another person that gets a theme song around here? Are you just outwardly begging for the song? No? You You asked if I wanted one on the last show, and of course I'd say you don't know if I

asked in a serious way. But now that you've brought her up, yeah, it's happening. Nothing. That was sort of Mark's way of asking, like the Reddit board to do it for managers getting one wants a song, everybody please give it, give him a song. I am not in any of the submissions. We will will go through the tone in your voice, through the submissions, personalities around yourself and have forty two nicknames, and I simply want a theme song n podcast at gmail dot com and the

subject Mark wants a theme song? What's in that Gmail account? I wonder. I don't know. I haven't checked it in a lot. I can only imagine what's going on. And I'm just saying, you could have just come to us privately and said I really want a theme song, and we absolutely rolled this out. You absolutely would have not lifted a finger if I came to the two of

you privately asking for a theme song. Now it will happen, and it will happen against your will, all right, which you will be forced to enjoy and deal with, which is how I like. I would have liked to be a part of the meeting where market comes to us privately and asked for that there. I wanted to be there. I think that would have been healthy. But I like that you're doing it in real time and putting a gun to the podcast head. Well you forced my hint,

all right, let's get Switzerland over here watching YouTube. You know when you say that no one finds it likable on either side? You know what, people don't really like Switzerland. That's what Jessica is from Switzerland. People like Switzerland. People are happy there Switzerland. And if you slashed it, if you're thinking, my goal in this podcast is to come out outwardly likable, like where have you been? Fair point? Who is from Switzerland? Yes, yes, that's right, that country

redeemed itself. Roger Federer one of the nicest guys around. You know, Roger, I mean everyone loves him Monday Night and all my friends are jerks. Hide is from Switzerland. Are we getting to the draft? Now? Let's do it all right, Let's get to the draft, and let's welcome in a friend man that's not afraid to take a side because he has moral fiber. He'd never say I'm Switzerland. He would say this is how I feel. I'm gonna say it with my chest. He's Kevin Patrack coming at you. Well, well,

well it's about dang time. It's been our resident Lions fan from way back in the day. Yes, hirate my team for your own purposes. I understand that little And I don't even get a lousy letter or call letter. I ripped all your posters off the wall. You just whoop in have all the fun. We've been dying for years and years years and years, and then you three come in for the fun times. You're just speculators here. See,

we got our little neighborhood. It was in dire straits, cleaning up the block, getting rid of the burned out buildings. Oh and then the speculators come in when it's all cleaned up, just raising the prices. So you're saying we're gentrifying the Lions fan base here exactly without saying a little fun. And the worst part, you didn't even reach out. Come on, I'm right here. Wait, hold on, Patra, hold on, Well,

the whole what got email, not a slack nothing. The whole thing is when we interact with you, we want a feisty Patra. So our strategy was was absolutely perfect. You've come on, you bring a lot of fire. That's what we asked for. And so you actually should be pleased with our strategy. Perhaps we stuck by the Lions, most of us did. When they were one in six, the buildings were still pretty burned out back then. If we're gonna get blamed for them going on a losing

streak when we picked them, then we deserve credit. We're bringing a lot of money into this Lion's economy, somebody to go back and look at all the team of eight scills that you guys have done, because they've been trash after the first one. Okay, Cardinals and Panthers are both good, and then after that it's been tough. Yeah, you've got a point. I'm just saying. So you could have called me and let me hey, we're gonna thinking about doing this. Hey, what do you what are your

thoughts here? Uh? The move would have been to clear it with you. You're saying no, I don't even need a clear I just said you could say, hey, we're gonna do this. Hey, would you like to come on and let us know what the positives and the negatives of this, uh, this ride we're going to take. Well, you're here right now. Let's hear it. How's it feeling to be Alliance fan? It doesn't feel like it's come on? Alright, alright, let's let's let's take the temperature down in the room

to the party. Let's take the temperature down in the room. Here. We we did we did fail you, Kevin, and we never want to do that. But now we we are on your side, we are on the and we just want to know what it's what's it like right now to be allians fan uh um, cautiously optimistic. Okay, interesting like the direction. But we've been here before. Um you know if I don't, you guys probably weren't following the nineties, the Wayne Fons Lions. I can remember Wayne Funds see

sawing optimism. He was going to get fired one year, and then they would make a mini run and almost make the playoffs, and then then he wouldn't get fired. And then you know you had Barry Sanders, Loomas Brown from and more optimism, Robert Porchet on the edge. There was pieces that you could convince yourself that they could be turned it around. You were a small child though back then that was a long time ago. Don't antagonize

and we're just getting things calmed down. No, no no, I'm just saying like, this is new, this is new in your adulthood. Get there, let me get there. My point is we've had these Okay, we can see a bright future. We got aman Rah, we got Aiden's plan better. There's pieces that you can see, but will they take the next step. The easiest part of the NFL is going from the seller to the basement. Now, can you take this next step to the first floor and eventually get

to the penthouse. Those are much harder steps to take, understandable. I hear that as a Jet fan, I hear that you need to see that that next step to really feel like you've made it. And we're gonna get We're gonna get to the Jets and lines and in a minute, because the draft is opening, and um, Kevin, would you mind, and again, apologies for everything and basically every yeah, um, but we'd love for you to sit in on the first round of the draft with us, could you would?

Let's do it, alright, First pick goes to Mark cler all right, well, uh, it's a good week of football. I'm gonna go with the game that I most want to see. That's how this works. Uh, Titans at Chargers, which would be taking place, you know, from our work office. And uh, this Chargers team hadn't been last week, I wouldn't have taken this because the Tennessee Titans are a spiraling nose diving operation at the moment um, so they're in like a survival mode scenario. I like that about it.

But the Chargers after Sunday night, I feel like it was a turning point for this team. And I know it's the Chargers, so it's like they'll probably I know, I know, but I just would say this that I think that Brandon Staley really, for the first time in his two year coaching career, has is that a point where he can create genuine momentum around his overall program because last week was one of the first times where the Staley defense made an absolute mockery of the high

powered Dolphins, and it looked like it just worked. It was the way he used Michael Davis, just the fact that that should have been the plan he used, he did it effectively. You got it. On the flip side, you have justin Herbert after months of you know, consternation, it seems like this offense was so pent up that he was injured, He wasn't himself. People are starting to talk about him, he's maybe not the guy we think he was. And then he went and did what he

did on Sunday night. It completely revived my faith on both sides of the ball. What the Chargers could be. Will I be bitten for this likely? But I think they're obviously hitting the Titans at a really good time while their defense, you know is built to stop the pass, and the Titans are obviously a run first team, so that's a big time test for them to stand up. I know the Titans haven't run the ball well lately, but they got a little better for most of that

Jacksonville game till it till it fell apart. I think what was a little lost in the Herbert game was like, how much of this is just Mike Williams, Like justin Herbert has been great all along? How many of those great throws that Herbert made would only have been caught by Mike Williams. And I don't just mean on this charges roster, of course, on this roster he expands the types of throws Herbert can even make. The best throws were to Mike Wins. I mean in the entire NFL.

He's one of the best boundary ball is up in the air, you go gotta get it deep down the field or for a first down if you're out running. He's one of the best in the league at it. And we haven't gotten to see him that much, but he's peaking right now and he makes all the difference for me. And I don't think the Titans have a cornerback physical enough Kevin patrack to to stand up to

Mike Williams. They don't have the secondary. Clearly, The question is will the Chargers defense off offensive line, I'm sorry, uh stand up to the charter Titans pass rush. That's where the that's the key to this game for me is the Titans d line first, the Chargers. Oh, the Chargers on line played pretty well the other day, and

Justin Herbert can make throws while getting hit. But if Simmons is in there crushing the middle, then that's the That's where the Titans are gonna make their hey by not giving him him to find those deep pastors because Tennessee secondaries one of the worst in the NFL, helps stout Corey and and Dinko Attre on the other side, looks like he'll probably be back. Trail On Burke's is not practicing as of Wednesday. I'm not sure what the

Thursday report was. Um, they also had Robert Woods not practicing Wednesday, and none of this sets up well for the Tennessee passing game. Jumping up here, so you're gonna again put a lot on Derrick Henry's plate. What else is new? I wanted to say one more point about herbert Sunday Night game, which was just brilliant and shut up a lot of people, uh that we're saying certain

things about the two quarterbacks involved in that game. My favorite throw was actually the one who made to Keenan Allen. That still doesn't make sense. That was so good a sideline throw probably about ten twelve yards that you watch it on replay. You watch it in real time, and

it looked like he threw it through the defender. And then you should show the replay and it only looks slightly um less possible as it gets into Alan's hands, to the point where Alan turn around, it's like pointing out him like, oh my god, you just did that. And then Herbert's pointing back in me, Yeah I did do that. You did it too, buddy, And like the vibes are good. I think it does set up well

for the Chargers. But also bringing Grave bigger here justin the um this is you know, we talked about Crossroads game they went down the wrong road, uh, and talked about this on the Power Rankings with Colleen. The Chargers are a team that you could totally see coming off They went down their own road, A good road. Oh,

let me go help out the Titans. And then the Titans trip them and push them in the dirt, and they use this game to get on the right cross road, and then the Chargers are left on the other side. The Titans need, need, need to have it, get it. Um My confidence level and the Titans is pretty low, especially if Traylon Burke's doesn't play. But I do think the Chargers run defense is not that good and they're

susceptible to what the Titans do well. But for the Titans to get a win in this game, the Chargers are gonna need to charger like they're gonna need to get some luck. The Titans guys haven't been like making better plays than the opponents in recent weeks. He saw such great catches. But like Za Jones and Evan Ingraman that Jacksonville game last week, I've seen the Chargers do things like that. Mike Williams and Keenan Allen Justin Herbert

make incredible plays for the Titans to win. The other teams got to shoot themselves in the foot a couple of times, and I don't I mean the Chargers have notoriously done that to themselves a lot, So I guess both teams will have like a lose off. Whoever doesn't beat themselves the most can win this game. I mean, only one team in the league is giving up more passing yards per game than Tennessee. I like that with

Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, justin Herbert Triage. I feel like it's a guy to have a game for the Chargers absolutely, I mean they could they Here's the thing is, they look at the schedules. I mean, they could think that they can afford a loss because their next three they'll be even more heavily favored. But I think if they can get past this game, they're going to make the playoffs. They have the second easiest remaining strength of schedule. This is the toughest game they have left. If you can

win this, you can. That's what I mean that it's such a momentum builder for them. And I think that it's Brandon Stale is like, who who you know? You've got that Sean Payton sent things sitting out there. It's like, shut all that up. And I know Graver and all the other Titans fans have looked at the remaining schedule if you lose this game, things start to get very scary.

When you look at the path to the playoffs in the a f C South, You're gonna need another team in the mix that we're gonna get to to continue to play well. But it opens the door for something catastrophic for Tennessee if they lose this game. Let's move to the second pick of the draft. And here he is Kevin Patra, the lifelong Lions fan, and here I am tug Boat, the longtime Jets fan. So Lions Jets, and I do feel Patrick that this is a double

gout to have a game for both teams. Um, the team that wins is gonna be feeling very confident about their chances of making the dance in January, and the and the team that loses understands they have a big uphill climb to find a way in Absolutely the winner, you know, the winner might go to the playoffs. Jets, I think have a great shot if they win. Lions, you know, still you have some work to do, but

they could win out if they win this game. This is the from the Lions perspective, this is the toughest game they've had since since Dallas and they got whopped. There um going on disrespect for the Vikings, but I agree, I mean Vegas would agree with me, so I'm fine there. I think that this is the toughest match up because the Giants Jets defense is so damn good. Even if Quinnin doesn't play. Now, if he does, that's huge advantage for I don't think he's playing with that calf injury.

That's those things can be tricky. That would be so if he doesn't. If he doesn't play, I think that's big. But I still think that they got enough horses up front to do some damage. I mean, you saw, but Buffalo was able to do. I mean we saw Dallas was able to do before that, and New England obviously got after golf and the shutout. So playing on the road for the Lions is gonna be turnovers and the Jets can force some turnovers. Saw us on Amanra is gonna be awesome to watch. I think I hope they

travel him. We'll see. But I think for the Lions have to win this game if you have any hope, and it's a prove it's approve of game mentally beyond the playoffs. I think this is the type of game. All the press clippings are coming out. Dan Campbell's Gray love the Lions. Look at what they're doing. What a cute little team. Win the game, win a big game that you need to keep your playoff hopes alive. If you come out and put a stinker up and golf

throws three interceptions, just burn all the press clippings. Burn them all. Get ready for I mean, Patra is a I think we all get it. We've rooted for teams that have long suffered. But I wouldn't say that the Lion's successes turned Patra into a sort of flowery, overly happy individual necessarily. I love the idea of Johnson, Well, yeah, I love the idea of Ben Johnson going against Robert

Sala's defense. I think that Ben Johnson is someone that no one knew about last summer and now it's like he's become one of the better coordinators in the league. And I think he ran circles around the Vikings last week, and that you were playing a terrible defense. I think part of what was going on there was like that offense matched up so well that Jamison Williams touch Almo wass insane. I think Kevin on it, They're like, I don't think the Lions offense as good as it's been

this year. I don't think this is a great matchup um against the Jets in this spot, and I would feel way more confident if Quinnin Williams was playing. But I still think, yes, they can get pressure on Golf. And I think if if Sauce does what he does all season, which is just you know, neutralize the players that he's covering, so that's either gonna take st Brown out or DJ Shark DJ Reid, who has been another big surprise and a great player for the Jets this year.

I think it's gonna put Golf in a situation where he's got to look elsewhere and then all of a sudden, the internal clocks going off and the pass rush is getting home. I like the Jets keeping the Lions in a you know, around twenty point zone. Now, then you gotta look at the Jets and can the Jets score enough points. We know Detroit's defense is getting better, but it's still not anything close to an elite defense. We're probably gonna have Mike White in this game, even though

it looks like he has a rib injury. They're gonna have him play through it. They only have two touchdowns the Jets in the last two weeks on offense. So can the Jets score twenty plus points? Right? It's week US on weakness when the Jets have the ball in terms of their offensive line versus the Lions pass rush. But the Lions pass rush is trending up. The Jets offensive line, which I think was holding the fort well enough for most of the season, has really collapsed the

last few weeks. It's been tough matchups. I am looking forward to see what Ben Johnson kind of pin points on this Jets defense, because the Jets defense is very solid throughout. To me, it's their linebackers and their safety play maybe over the middle of the field, and that's aman Ra st Brown and you gotta protect golf. They haven't looked quite the same when they've been on the road. Uh,

it's it's gonna be a bad weather game. Like are they a Dome team, Kevin Patrack, Are they Detroit Dome team? I love it? No, No, I just haven't think Golf hasn't hasn't had a big game in a in a crappy situation where he wasn't playing a bad defense or in bad weather. Okay, I'm he's you know, he's always been. He is what he he's always been, top twelve fifteen quarterback.

That's fine, that's what he's gonna be. And when he's buffered by playmaking and an offensive coordinator who's willing to get creative and a good, good offensive line in a run game, he can move the ball. But when that stuff breaks down, and we we saw him get whooped by the Patriots on the road earlier this year, what show me? I think one thing I'd like to say, though, I think this is Aidan Hutchinson's chance to put a I am the defensive rookie of the year. We do

at this point, I'm not feeling that I saw us. Yeah, I'm not feeling that. I'm telling he feels like he's in the mix, and personally, I've seen that out there. I don't think you've got a reason to be like him. Though, If he has three sacks against so so offensive and he changes the game and gets a forced fumble, I think this is the game. If he wants to win it, that he's got to go do it. And maybe Sauce

gets picked on a little bit by Aman Rock. He's played one of the last month, the first month two months, even though he had some stats were not great. And um, we've been talking up golf on this show the last week or so now, but you're right about this. It's the seat you have to close strongly. Have three road games, including back to back games at New York obviously in this game at Carolina, so you know we're gonna learn about golf if he could travel there against better defenses.

And UM, my last point on this one, and I think that's a very close game, Patra. I think this goes down to the final possessions. Um, Robert sal has done an incredible job with this team this year for the Jets. And Uh, after Sunday's game, when when you know you saw maybe doubt could be creeping into the room, he again like pushed a button that I that I'd like to see. This is what he said about after the loss to the Bills. Uh, and the Jets of

you know, lost four or six. Now let's listening. I think I speak for everyone and that we missed an Now we're gonna see these guys again. So I just think we are I just like it. They believe in solid they believe in the messages he sends. And I think he's gonna have the Jets ready and pumped at the meadow ends on Sundays like two Coach of the Year candidates going head to head like that. That's all narrative driven, so it works. Yes, Justin, I've struggled in

the lock competition. I've missed five straight. No you haven't, so that's impossible. This a coin would do better than that, right, Okay, I've outsourced my pick this week because I just can't put it in my own hands. The lovely Sean Kelly Lovely has made my pick this week. Dan. I hate to do this to you, but I'm riding with the team of a t L. They gotta have it. I'm locking up the Lions. It's fine. So the guy that's missed five straight games picked the team playing the Jets.

I'm supposed to be upset about the word. Don't put this stink on us, justin? Come on, um, all right, last pick of the first round goes to Greg Rosenthal. All right, I'm gonna take the best afternoon game remaining. It's the Tony Romo game. It's Bengals. It's Bucks the Bucks not very fun to watch, but this is a big game and I am loving why watcheen the Bengals week after week. We think that Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd could both be back for this game, which would

be massive. Uh, because you look at the Bucks defense right now, probably without Vita Vea, probably without Jamal Dean, who has been their best cornerback. Now they do get two or three starters back in the secondary, but that just sort of speaks to what this Bucks defensive season has been. It's like starters going in and out all

year and they've been good, not great. And I feel like you have to be great on defense to slow down the way Joe Burrow is playing right now unless something crazy happens like the Browns game where you lose your two starters in the first series. So I feel great about them putting about thirty points just make it more miserable for the Bucks. And that's why I'm locking up the Bengals like you could. You could score seventeen points and beat one of the worst offenses we've seen

all year in the Bucks. I mean, I think last week was a watershed moment in terms of high embarrassment for a Bucks coaching staff that I think has been a massive disappointment on both sides of the ball and not a lot of accountability there. And it's They're a tough team to watch. And I love the idea that the Bengals, week after week, no matter who it's I it's the Titans, will go be as physical you as

you and beat you up. If it's the Chiefs, will find a way to win and score enough points to do that and do it in a different way last week against what they They're just to me are the team in the a f C that is on the rise like they were a year ago. Joe Burrow has been insane over the last month and a half. And what's not to like about the way they match up week after week with anyone? What's the problem in beating

Tampa Bay? I see none. I do see a problem. Um. I know you can't just say Tom Brady anymore because there's too much mounting evans of this team is just not very good. But they are on the road. Te Higgins has a hamstring and that was handled very strangely by Cincinnati yesterday. I think last week, I think he played one snap. Ty Boyd busted up his finger on the first possession of the game. They're at practice. I mean they're not out. Yeah, we you You just hope

those guys are themselves and they they're able to play. Um, Trey Hendrickson is likely out there. Yeah, what about blanking on the tight end? Uh, Hay didn't hurt. He's out as well, so that you know they're there. Joe Mixon obviously we've had the concussion issues. There are reasons to think that maybe this team could be limited because of health issues. But yeah, I think it comes down to Patrick for me. Um, do you think at some point that the Bucks turn it on and and score points

in this Brady Evans thing ever gets worked out? At this point, you're just hoping against hope because everything is telling us it's just not gonna happen. I'm hoping we can get rid of the Bucks. I'm so tired of the Bucks. Thank you Primetime games, having to watch him every week. Blah blah blah. It's it's just inefficiency on offense. Nobody's on the same page. They can't block worth of dayg. Brady is terrified to take a hit. The defense misses

more tackles than anybody than in recent memory. It's just not a good operation. I don't know what Byron left which he if he calls one more screen I screen passed, I might burn something down. It's just like get together and have like zoom calls talking about their zoom, their screen pass. No burning in Detroit, though, Patro we're trying to refurbish this neighborhood a profit. No, I'm just saying, like the burned out buildings, that's no longer the case

in Detroit. It's just not it's it's it's it's not fun to watch. It's just like any dire situation. Uh, let's throw a screen pass to Chris God. When I think that'll work, it doesn't. It's just there. I don't understand the Evans Brady thing. It's like they now decided to hate each other all year and this is just playing out like is there some drama we don't know about, because it's just ridiculous. Get down there. The defense might be even more disappointing because they are just awful and

it's not. I don't think it's gonna be close. I can't believe Vegas has this has three and a half. I just can't believe like that we're still asking, will it they had some point turning around. This is just who this team is. I worry a tiny bit that they're short passing attack actually could work against this Bengals defense, which sometimes plays off the weaknesses. Is at cornerback there without Hendrickson, which we hadn't mentioned previously on this show,

But that's their best defensive lineman. But DJ Reader is the new Vita Vea like he is the best big run stuffer pocket pusher out there in the business. So I'm not feeling good for tom Brady and this one. And uh, I do just want to send a shout out to my son who's nicknamed Mini tom Brady at school. He is flying right now, well not as we tape this, but as he's listening to Japan and I said i'd send him a secret message at some point in the podcast.

He likes listening to the podcast. So sorry, the Bucks are gonna lose this game, walker, But Mini tom Brady, you're the man, and have a great trip, alright. What a dad Dad of the year. Another great dad is Kevin Patrick and Patrick I hope that this appearance on some level shows um as an act of contrition from the show that we we did not ask to move into the neighborhood before we did. We should have consulted the real estate council. We would never make a mistake

like that. Again, better late than never, I guess. Wow. Man leaving on a good foot here, Patcher. I love you, buddy. All right, Kevin Patrick, coming at you. Thank you. We'll be right back after this. All right, welcome back. It's time for the Sunday Drive presented by Toyota and Greg. Pinch yourself because it's you're picked. I him pinching myself because I'm locking in Tony Romo early or late and Kevin Burkhart and Greg Olson late. That's that's living right

in the holiday season. That's Cowboys Jaguars early fun game right now. I loved watching Trevor Lawrence this week. That was the best game of his career. Some of the throws he made during a stretch against the Titans were just unconscious and people be like, oh, well, it's the Titans.

I don't care. Like the the improvisation and that he made on some of those plays, and then to stick the ball in tight windows and then does the guts to even try some of the throws, like the deep one that day Jones dropped that was the best throw

of the game. Man, you're just starting to see it, and you're seeing him play with incredible confidence, and you're hearing him talk with incredible confidence to just that he really felt like the Denver game in London was a turning point and that he's he heard what everyone's been saying and he realized like that was the moment he wanted to stop letting his team down. And he's just playing freer because he realizes like it's not gonna get

any worse than that. And you can just see it because the talent was there all along and now I think he's just letting it fly. And this Cowboys defense hasn't been as good I would say over the last month. They lost Anthony Brown is starting cornerback. That shouldn't crush them. But I don't think they're unstoppable. I think this will

be a good offensive game. That comment he made about the London game against Denver, it was a turnover that that haunted him at the end, and that was so characteristic of what we had seen in the first couple of months and last year too, where it's like a chances to win the game, and he just talked about the fact that he want that. That flipped a switch,

and I think that matters for a young quarterback. And he's surrounded by good coaching this year and it's been such a last year was such a train wreck for him.

So this really is almost like players on the team have said, we kind of feel like this is his rookie year because last year was just washed away and the growth we've seen over the last month has to be the most optimistic thing that's happened to the Jaguars since we've ever done the show, but really ever for the Jacksonville because you've got a guy now making throws and doing things that were like a play away from going to the super Bowl, So that who was your quarterback?

Then where's your quarterback? Just say this is organizationally, You've got a coach and a quarterback now. I I think this is a tricky one for Dallas. I mean, I don't really look at the Houston game as a problem for the Cowboys. What I agree with you, he's doing a little Tim Allen home approvement there to agree with you that was a little I didn't know. I don't

know what that was. But there are times in the show where suddenly off in a different universe doing something completely disassociated from No, the Cowboys are here, They're not. They're not playing very well quietly recently, and even I think some of that. There was some cover up, some lipstick on the pig, if you will. That fourth quarter

against the Colts. Uh that game they were going back and forth with the bad Indie team and prime time and then Houston, let's face it, they you know, Houston kind of said, hey, we're gonna let you take this. We're gonna I know, we have first and goal from the one second and goal from the one yard line with a three point lead with three minutes to play, but you know we're gonna do We're gonna just completely

implode in our play calling. Give you the ball back and then stop playing the didn't touch the ground, Jeff Tristill going in the wrong direction. That you're right, save that. And now I don't think this is not Sometimes this is the way we look at it as people just fought football. Oh yeah, the Cowboys could go to Jacksonville and think, oh, we'll be the Jaguars, but they know they're watching the tape and they're saying, oh, man, this team can play and watch Jacksonville sneaky when Duval gets

pumped up. That's a pretty good home field advantage they have there. So I think the Cowboys are in for a real fight here. I think this is a one score game. And everything we are seeing about, um, everything that we're seeing about Trevor Lawrence points to Yes, this

is happening. It's happening. He's he's making this leap. He's even beating the You can't even write to making the leap article on Trevor Lawrence next summer because I think he's doing it now and justin like, this is one of the gotta have a team's Obviously, the Jaguars right now are sound the alarm it's got to have it alarm. They are, well, that's aggressive. They're five and eight, and he's like, oh, why do they gotta have it? Well again,

like I'm saying, you look at the Titans. Of the Titans lose this week, the Jaguars win, it's a one game difference in the standings. They play each other in week eighteen, and oh, by the way, we saw what happened last week. Jacksonville has the tiebreaker, so if they win in Week eighteen, all they have to do is tie the Titans and they could steal this division. And all of a sudden, Trevor Lawrence is starting a playoff game.

These are night and this is nightmare fueld that I'm not trying to pump into your heart justin, but I already know it's already in there. You're worried about it. So they all kind of hinges on the Jaguars kind of stealing quote unquote this game. And I think Doug Peterson, who's a Super Bowl winning coach, is saying that exact same message, like it's their boys, but we gotta go get If they do all that, it's because I think

they're the better team than the Titans. Right. Another two organizations heading in very different directions of this game, and we should mention that the Cowboys lost Terren Steele. They're starting right tackle for this season. Since we last talked, he's had a really nice season, but they are getting Tyrone Smith back. It sounds like maybe this week at left tackle, and you're gonna have Jason Peters not at his normal position, right tackle. So just some big changes

for them. You said, Jason Peters, he retired five years. He is back, he is unbelievably. Tyler smith S somethod we saw him his his hamstring was exploding in training camp. That's just saying keep an eye in there. And they lost Anthony Brown there starting corner of the previous week. Hold on also in the Coults Can you mentioned scored thirty three points in a quarter, And I do like what Dak Prescott did on that final drive to win last week. Like they can be very explosive at times.

The first three quarters of that game. Not so hot all four quarters last week. I'm just saying seven out of eight quarters again, hear you. Literally the two worst teams in the league again though, like they're slump is different than other times its slumps. You can have the Cowboys sometimes I don't trust them. I don't know what. I can't believe. I'm here sitting here defending the Cowboys

and you're not. Because that's a massive character switch. It doesn't define my character the cow of course it does not. I don't That's That's not how I meant that something's going on. Just like it's like I can break here. What's up? I don't know? All right, that was the Sunday Drive presented by Toyota. All right, let's get to the next game. I don't know. Why is this happening on on national television. Let's let's dig into the next game.

I am up. I'm just Switzerland. Pittsburgh at Carolina. I just like when Mark says it's on national television, like, well, it's just there's only three channels here, NBC, CBS, like we're on Sunday. When they gets assumed that they know what is where. People are listening to the podcast for what it's worth, and we love them all. Very good, very good. You've done it again, Greg, Pittsburgh at Carolina. Oh, sound the alarm again, because the Panthers gotta have it,

got to have our Now we're in the future. The Panthers are five and eight. The Panthers are looking to do kind of like if you look at the a C South the NFC South, their mirrors of each other in some ways, because everyone was expecting the Tides just to take care of business and win that division. Everyone's expecting the Bucks take here of that division. But guess what those two teams. They don't look very good right now. In the Buck's case, they haven't looked good all season.

Uh So the Panthers have a chance here, but they have to take care of business this week. And I think that they will because I think the Panthers our team playing with a lot of confidence, just the way they bullied the Seattle Seahawks on the road last week, through their running game going over two yards on the ground. Um, not asking Sam Donald to do too much, and and and leaning on what worked and then having your defense, uh carry them home from there. Um. The Panthers against

the Steelers team, can he picket in or out? I don't know. I like their chances here. So they're splitting reps the Steelers at quarterback this week between Mitchell Drabinsky and Mason Rudolph. Never understood the splitting reps thing in the middle of the regular season. You gotta know who you're starting, right, They're gonna play them both. I guess Trabinsky through a not interceptions last week, that they're thinking

of giving Rudolph a shot. My initial instinct was the same as yours, Dan in terms of the Panthers winning this game, especially going against the Steelers rush defense that got steamrolled last week really against Baltimore. But then it kind of reminded me of that Steelers Ravens game where everyone picked the Steelers in that game, even though it's

like a coin flip game. And of course the Steelers lost, and now everyone's gonna be picking the Panthers this week from what I've seen, and yet I still think it's a coin flip game. The Steelers have plenty of good players here, and they're just like two ugly type of teams, and it wouldn't surprise me if Mason Rudolph comes in and actually plays fairly well. It's not like having Donald

is some great quarterback advantage. No. I think that's the thing is, like we saw Sam Donald basically played around like they were just doing everything that could not really put the game in Sam donald chance. When they got a net goal line situation and had them throw four times, it went terribly. I I think if you can if you can put Sam Donald in his situations where you've got T. J. Watt and other people making life tough

for him, it throws Caroline off. They run the ball so well though, That's what I love about when they get in these grooves where they're hammering people on the ground, you start to believe in the Panthers. If they can if they can stay in that kind of font, that kind of mode, I think they have a chance here. I do think it's interesting that that Derek Brown said that bearded face Sam Donald because we noticed his beard.

He said that that version, the bearded faced Sam Donald is a lot more chill than the clean shaven Sam Donald. So you never know what you're gonna get with this version of Donald. It does, it's the I think it matches where he is in his career. Now. That's a backup, grizzled, backup beard. Um, and I support it. Um. I don't did they I'm interested Donald having to throw the balls.

I don't even know were they hiding Donald? There was a running game working so well last week that is like, we're not gonna mess with this, and why would they? They just ran the ball repeatedly against Seattle in the fourth quarter because I don't think the plan is let's have him go throw the ball forty times and take our foot off the gas on the ground. No. I don't think so either, But I I just push them back a little bit that they were hiding, and I

think it was just working. So we'll see what it looks like when t. J. Watt is coming at him. But yeah, they're gonna have They're gonna have some real momentum building here if they can beat the Steelers. And yes, they'll be keeping an eye on what's going on with the Bucks and the Mason Rudolph thing. How many years do we have to be subjected to people from inside the Steelers building telling us that Mason Rudolph is someone that you know, deserves his chance. How many years are

we in the how could that be the plan? Like? How many years has been going on? Four years? Five years, five years? Half a decade? Like do they not know yet? I think they just feel like give him a chance? Um, Mark, you are up? All right? I'll go Eagles at Bears? Why not? I mean yeah, I mean that I'm surprised of still sitting here at this point. I for me though, it's this Eagles team. I just did. I enjoy watching them so much. What they did against the Giants was

just absolute and a total detonation. And they're just so powerful, they and they're they're the opposite of like the teams that have to do one thing to win. Like the Panthers we just talked about, they can hurt you in so many different ways. And some of the throws that hurts has made like you know, like I doing the QB and next early in the season was like, oh yeah, it hurts his mobile And people aren't watching Eagles, you

don't realize how much he's grown as a passer. And I think that applies also to Justin Fields doing that art that column. No one gets more hate on a weekly basis than people saying Justin Fields is not a top twelve, not a top ten type of figure. At this point, he's just a runner. It's like if you're watching Bears games. His arm is changing, it's developing, he's

making throws. And I think that the quarterback matchup alone makes this so juicy because the Eagles, for all their strengths, when they've gone up against QB rushes, they have been they've ranked last and success rate in the league this year against that and QB runs in essentially yards per carrious. So it's there's a chance for Justin Fields to do Justin Fields type things, and he's gonna have to have a chance in this game because their defense is a mess.

That's why it's kind of the perfect match of the Eagles get to try to work on something that they struggle at. They have played better run defense overall over the last month after bottoming out against Washington, They've been

about average over the last month since then. But it's different playing justin Field, So you get to try to play maybe the most challenging running quarterback in the league right now, justin fields try to slow that down in a good running game with Montgomery, and they've actually called

some pretty creative plays in their offensive line. But you probably don't have to really worry about losing the game or anything like that because you're going up against the Bears and you're gonna put thirty on the great to be a team that's just like, we know we're gonna win. We're just gonna work on a few things in this game. Are you hearing some of this uh chatter out there about Jalen Hurts and maybe he shouldn't be getting as much credit because it's the system and the team more

than the player. Do we have do we have the sound? By the way, we have Jordan my lot of left tackle for the Eagles, responding to Michael Parsons the great Cowboys pass rusher, who um was going down that road? Uh and kind of maybe pushing back on Hurts being a superstar quarterback. Here's what my lot I had to say in response. Yeah, I'm gona worry about the Chicago bas this week, mate, worry about his industry two or even pig a lot. I don't know how part of

my language. Just just worry about you got this week. That's how we're doing here. I'll gon't worry about any of us, Tomas. Anybody said, that's just how we fund this business. You've got Chicago Bears, Chicago Puss, not the Chicago Mica Parsons. Every team needs a feights the Australian. That's my takeaway. Friend. It helps if these like six eight and three d seventy pounds and moves like like a track athlete. Uh yeah, I don't see anyway is there.

It's hard to imagine barring something unforeseen and unfortunate. Um, the Eagle's not putting up like camera. The Bears are healthier. For what it's worth, they got back I think two starters, maybe three, the secondary Brisker and Gordon. There there two rookies, so that will help them put up a fight. But no, they have no pass rush, and yeah, you mentioned it hurts thrown with anticipation. It's like every week. Did you

want to add to that. I'm sorry no, I think I was excited to hear the snake sound to me. All Right, well, I'm gonna go. You know, you pick these games out to get one that's gonna be. I'm thinking hopefully a little bit more of a wipeout Chiefs of Texans. I actually found the Texans enjoyable a lot to watch last week, and I'm glad they didn't show it totally shoot down the concept of running back the Mills slash uh drisk All two quarterback platoon, which I

think threw Dallas off. I mean I mentioned on Sunday it threw everyone off because I was trying to figure out on Twitter what's going on here? Why are they doing this? And like no one quit what there wasn't an injury. Was just like, we're gonna use both and when Driskills on the field, we're obviously gonna run it. I don't know if any of that will happen this week against the Chiefs. I kind of would like to see, though, Kansas City go out and have a really crisp game

on offense. Um, I mean they're having to do things differently game to game Mahomes that, you know, I don't really when Mahomes has a it wasn't a bad game, but he made a couple of bad throws last week. He also did some incredibly circus act like wonderful things. So that's sort of like the worst version of the Homes. I don't really mind that at all. I think it's just like it would be nice to go see Kansas City drop a hammer on someone as they go down

the stretch. Run here. Yeah. I got a note uh from our friend at a t N lock ups this week reminding us of the win lost totals that we did and you know, some some we've been right, some we aren't. Mark's over four and a half. Texans is on the line this week officially will be eliminated here without a win, and Dan I had the Chiefs I believe over maybe I did, I can't even remember at

this point, and they'll officially get over there over. It's crazy to think back the ten and a half was like the line for Kansas City so even though they've had some up down West all the summer hype around that division that well, and we didn't know what the Chiefs would be, you know, minus Tyreek kill, et cetera. They've they've worked that out, um and you know what you mentioned. You know, the Chiefs are due to just

drop a hammer on someone. They did last week. They were winning twenty seven nothing in the second quarter against the Broncos and then somehow let the Broncos get back in that game. And defense never had multiple opportunities in the second half to take the lead in that game, believe it or not, before Mahomes and company regrouped and got that um extra score. Did you do Smith Schuster?

That kind of put that game away. But you didn't come out of the game being like, oh, yeah, Cheeves they are They're fully formed right now, son, Can you trust the defense? It's not gonna be a problem this week. Damian Pierce now is out for the Texans. Who's one of the only watchable guys in that offense. I don't have any interest in watching Houston ever again this season. I'll only do it from a professional standpoint. Otherwise, this team can go away to figure out what they are

and at Nico Collins is unlikely to play. Brandon Cooks probably won't play. So like if you're Davis Mills or drisk All, like who's who's on the field with you, Chris or I don't know? It's act I doubt don't have any uh fantasy implications because no one could have possibly had him in their line of plastic. But he went ten for one fifty. I do like that the Chiefs and this is a good game for it can finish games running the ball a little better this year. Pacheco,

I think can do that. And this is a game where it's like, don't don't ask Patrick Mollhams to throw at thirty five times. You don't need to another quote unquote or quote star close quote in decline in the Seth Walder piece that you were pushing back on Greg earlier. Um Brandon Cooks who his pop the hood numbers in terms of his route running and impact this season, it's not just the necessarily the quarterback play, it's his ability

to gain separation. And you wonder, I don't want to call the man out because I don't know the man, but where's his effort level out after that post trade deadline tweet. Is he really you're getting the best of Brandon Cooks? So even if he's not there, like what, he hasn't given them anything. He's literally their team captain. And then they stripped of it. That's pretty rare to just like I don't know if they see off the

chest like I think you got new Jersey. Yeah, you have to go give that back to the people back there, and they have to take they have to sew it off. I don't know what they did. They sew it off Gregg in the past life definitely a seamstress. Oh well, this is easy. I just sew it off. I just couldn't think of the word of it. I still don't know. Just detach it, I don't know. Detach undo, the undo, the sew job. All right, let's move to I gotta grab a late game. So, I mean again, do I

need to keep watching the Patriots every week? I kind of do. It's my job. It's more frustrating when it's in prime time. Um, but I on a Sunday, sure, So I'll take the Patriots? Who Um do I have them as they gotta have it? I mean I think so this is very important that I don't have it, but they're they're the most gotta have it in the league. I feel like they don't get it. What are you?

Where are they? My point is, I think they'll lose this game if I had to guess, But if the season's over, if they lose it, they got the Dolphins, Bengals and Bills next. Yeah, okay, let's do it. Let's give it to him. Yeah, I think seven and six coming off a fairly ugly win on Monday Night. Great job by the defense, of course, um getting after it, punishing Colt McCoy um. Now they get the Raiders, and we obviously know everything about the Raiders as a tragic outfit.

Last time we saw them, they were their whole season was bursting into flames. That said, I hit it again, hit it again, because the Raiders do gotta have it because they have eight losses. I still think. I still believe not in the Raiders, but I believe that nine wins can get you a wild card spot. So reason had man that loss was a killers was a killer. It was all set up. That's why was on one with that, because they seem to be well set up, but then they blew that game, uh, in crushing fashion.

So here are two teams that aren't obviously overly impressive for different reasons, but they're both in the mix of Patriots actually right now sit in the seventh spot. I mean, the Raiders are owing four this season in games where they have led by thirteen points, and that obviously well that's a terrible mistake to have. But like that Rams collapse, that's who the Raiders are, and it's I literally I

don't think they got to have anything. I get where you're coming from with the you know, you went out and maybe everything else happens to you mathematically have a nice January. But the idea that I'm stilling wrong. I'm not saying that they I believe them as a playoff team at this one have it. They didn't have it. I'm not getting anything wrong. I just I don't think you're saying that. I just I simply am not paying attention to the Raiders playoff chances at this point at all.

Wake me up if if things change, So this is this could be a very different Raiders team, though both Darren Waller and Hunter Renfro appear to be on track to come off. I R and play against the Patriots, and I think this Raiders offense, even though they've had some hiccups, are a reminder of what the Patriots are missing because they're cohesive. They're an old school nine eighties

with a fullback, power running attack. They're better than average offense, you know, with a mid level quarterback, whereas the Patriots are a terrible offense with a mid level quarterback. In my mind, I think mac Jones is better than what they've shown, and they've got terrible vibes. That game on Monday night was the most depressing game that a team has won, and I don't know how long or at least a Patriots team as one. That game convinced me.

That game convinced me this team is done for because they're having to try to convince each other and themselves that they actually support their coaching staff when they're openly rebelling. And they happen to win that game because they were playing the Cardinals, a team that's an even bigger mess. But I don't know if they win any more games. I think they could go and four down the stretch.

I know the defense and they might get Christian Barmower back is good enough that they'll they'll win this game on their own. It's it's certainly possibly never, But I think they lose this game. Yeah, we've never seen a Belichick led team with this much in house angst. And it's interesting that it's McDaniels first Belichick, except that also isn't because both of these teams are hard to watch.

They are. And I can't even really get on mac Jones at all for showing frustration his career being thrown down the two. Yeah, that he's been putting a very bad spot here. And uh, the one thing you cannot do when you're a play callers, you can't be getting the plays in late. You put at the entire team in a tough situation. I can't even imagine trying to

do that. So I'm not saying like it's easy. It must be incredibly stressful to be a play caller on the sideline and you have to like keep on firing things out in the headset with a clock running. But it looks like Patricia might be in over his head in that realm as well. And that's what you saw um Jones pushing back against. Actually, I thought Joan has made some nice plays on Monday Night when given the opportunity and one off platform, I thought he showed some things.

I think he's playing with more confidence obviously than he was earlier in the season. And you could put that on Bell Chick too. I don't think Bill check is having a great year. Uh the way he handled things with Zappy Bailey or Billy Zappy who wasn't I don't remember anymore. But now mac Jones doesn't have to worry about that, and you could tell he I think he wants us to be his team in his offense, UM, but it feels like he's being held back at this point.

He doesn't want it to be with this coaching stuff. Though line has collapsed, the running game has collapsed. I think the Raiders defensive line is playing much better. I think it's a tough match. I think I really think the Raiders are favored in this game where they should be. UM. All right, let's take a break and we will finish the draft. Raiders are favored by one. Are you ready?

It's a Saturday triple header on NFL Network. First, the Colts will just then the Ravens space the Browns, and the Dolphins take on the Bills in prime time back back. It's a Saturday Showdown triple header Saturday, starting in one only on NFL Network. All right, let's close this thing out. Greg, you got tupics. That's not fair. That's how this works. That's that's the game. Well, just to surprise people, I'm gonna not leave the Broncos game for last. Let's just

get it out of the way. It's kind of like you're at the dinner table. There's one vegetable maybe your mom put out there. If you as as a child that you're just like, let let's pish it first and get to the good stuff. Let's get rid of this. And that's Cardinals. That was That's what I do, or I did as a kid, and that's what my daughter Alice does too. She always eats the stuff she doesn't like. First. Let's I'll give you this different parallel luxuriant lucky charms,

a great cereal. Even no matter what age you are, you eat all the oats first, and you leave all the mushrooms in the milk to the end. And then it's then there's mushrooms in my lucky mushrooms marshmallows just like the grossest food I've ever imagined mushrooms and milks. Not sorry, Greg, where were you? I mean, I don't apologize the Cardinals. Broncos is the soggy lucky Charms without the marsh material of games. Totally pointless. I watched. Doesn't

have to happen, Yes, I contractually I think so. But who's complaining? Like if you wrestle, also would be happy. He's like hurrying back to get off concussion protocol. He's back at practice. It looks like he's on track to return. But it's like, I think he'd be happy just canceled the game. He doesn't want to see Brett ripping out there. Um, but I think he'd be fine with a week off here. J. J.

Watt would be disappointed. He's really getting a lot of airtime because Hard Knocks doesn't know what else to do. They're just like hanging out with Heart with J. J. Watt. We should talk about what's going on with the car. Their general manager, Steve Kim, has taken a leave of absence now uh connected to a type of medical issue or a personal issue that we don't have more. Red

also said they legally could not give details. They put that in the statement, which to dry your own conclusions, and uh, it does you know that this happening days after Kyler Murray blows out his knee And if you just if you just go through everything that's happened with the Cardinals um since last since the offseason, it's outrageous,

all the drama around Kyler. Obviously, you had multiple officials and coaches involved off the field shenanigans that led to them not even shenanigans, crimes um or um inappropriate behavior that led to them leaving the team. You had the team itself flopping, You had DeAndre Hopkins getting suspended, and then you have Kyler blown out his knee and now Come disappearing. And when we talked about it on the Tuesday Show that, uh, Cliff Kingsbury is is this the

end for him? And I was like, I wonder if maybe he gets a little bit of a past the rest of the year and then they he gets one more shot. Man. I don't feel that way at all now because I think who knows with Kim, but it would make sense now the Come has stepped away and Kyler is out for a year at least, and the team stinks and has not done anything in years since Kingsbury has been there that they just it's time to blow it up. Yeah, I think I think it's heading

in that direction. And it's funny because our friend Jason's Almalt leads off our show, is a Cardinals fan, and yesterday he texted me because you know, I'm a Call McCoy guy. And then they got David Blow. They picked him off the Vikings practice school up Press exactly, so the newsletter is coming back into action. They got Call McCoy and David Blow in the QB room and so it's Alwalt said, listen, man, it's it. I know things seem a little even with the Cardinals right now, but

you've got to come over here and support them. That's it's you're new team to pick up. And so I thought, well, listen, I left the Titans bandwagon according to Justin's fans over there, and uh, five minutes later, I mean maybe five or ten minutes later, the steam time thing happened. So it's like, I don't think I should keep doing this anymow. And now they're going to lose to the Broncos. Yeah, but you know the other way to look at it, Mark is that this team could not really get worse at

this point. So even like one win the rest of the season, you're back in business. Baby, Well consider it. I just I told him. I just said sorry basically. So I want to see Nathaniel Hackett's evil gateigue get one win. I don't know if you noticed he changed facial hair about a month ago and now has sort of an evil looking good greg Williams. Yeah, one one happy moment, they'll get it. This Randy Gregory back, by

the way. That's good. And speaking of Greek tragedies, which is the Cardinal season, you know, Russell Wilson finally moving the ball with regularity and mounting an epic comeback and then getting knocked out literally at the one yard line is sums up everything for that team. Alright, one more game, Greggy, let's go so excited. I got the best rivalry in football. It's Falcons and Saints. I have covered approximately eight percent of these games over the last ten years on this podcast,

and I missed it in Week one. And you might say, oh, who cares? That ended up being a really crazy, fun game where Jamis Winston comes back from a couple of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Ago It Weirdly, UH is pretty influential in this NFC South race because if the Falcons had that, they would be in first place. This is a gotta have a game, obviously for the Saints, but definitely for the Falcons to try to get back in the mix. Saints would officially be eliminated by the

way with the loss here. The Falcons, I think they could do something under Desmond Ritter. I know they're underdogs in this game, and I know the Saints are returning everyone suddenly, like Pete Werner, Marshall Lattimore, like everyone is coming back for their team this week. I think Desmond Ritter and this Falcons team have a little more verve, a little more hood spat, and I think the be able to exert their will on the ground against the Saints.

And if anything could get Dennis Allen in trouble, and there's some talk from the top columnists in the in the City there Jeff Duncan this week that Sean Payton would be open to a return, which is hilarious because he would have to get Dennis Allen fired for that to happen. If anything's gonna get Dennis Allen fired, it's losing to these Falcons, Peyton wanted to come back, what wants to come back? They're like, yeah, okay, I guess

uh to see them get healthy. But they're like my version of the Raiders for you Mark, or just like I don't care. I know this has got to have it the game, but they've been so disappointing all year long that I just I struggled to get Falcons. I feel like that rookie quarterback making his starting debut, you gotta there's a little juice there, obviously, But these are the two South teams that, like, you know, the Panthers,

you could talk yourself into a little bit more. These teams just feel to me a little bit more on the side of the road in a ditch. And well, I differ a little bit, like I agree. I think the Saints they you know, the car's going on the highway, you open the door, you kick the Saints out. That's

where they are. But the Falcons um if Desmond Ritter provides a spark, I would have liked to see him in there earlier, because Mariota just seemed to cost them in similar fashion week after week, and Ritter is someone that Lancer Line, our friend and draft nick compared to Alex Smith and and um very intelligent, quick processing quarterback. He doesn't have a super strong arm, and he's not necessarily a running quarterback, but he is mobile and so it's like he kind of fits that offense. I think

they picked him for a reason. And I just think that Arthur Smith is quietly one of the better kind of QB coaches out there. I mean, I think Mariota is just Mariota, but I I think that they I don't know why they waited so long, but if this is a team that when they run the ball, well, I don't like their defense, but if Ritter can just not turn the ball over and add a little bit here and there, they're an interesting team to me, much more still than watching the Saints. Well, and very possibly

tied for first. If they win this game and the bucksls the Bengals, they're tied for first. Gotta have it, ye got that division? Man? I mean, I feel like twenty seven teams had to have it in this show. I think I think it was. It was started as seven. I believe it started seven. And then once we start

just including everyone that anyone thetically alive. I kind of highlighted seven teams where it felt like it had a little like juice to it, But then once you you get like the Saints involved, it's like, oh, yeah, that's technically true. The Raiders. Yeah, I guess technically Saints fans don't want to hear it because they want this season to be over. But if they won this game, and like I said, the Bucks lost, they're went back. Yeah. But I mean, I'm just saying it's this is the

kind of stuff that just stars. They're just facts. Facts. Yeah, that's true. That's factual content coming from Greg ros And maybe the Falcons get that. Our quarterback just quit on us bump, you know, yeah, went to went opportnity QB opportunity leave bump. I just noticed the entire NFC South's exactly gutive twenty four to negative thirty two points on

the season point differentials. It looks like if there, I mean, every once in a while, ever a few years, there's a team there's a division where just their very inclusion in the postseason cheapens the entire thing. And that's what's that's what NFC Salth is going to give us. An FC South is getting there too. We could have an eight and nine years, but I can talk up into the ether and then that's a I mean, let's face it,

both these teams are probably playing Saturday, right, Saturday opener? Yeah, not against each other. Get them out of the way, or maybe they have to split them up because otherwise it really we're gonna get an a f C South champion and an NFCY South champion Saturday Sunday, which we just gotta work. Maybe just for the London game time here if you're in the States, he's just it's like Falcons commanders from London, six am kickoff. Okay, that's fine,

all right? Anythink else? Anybody want to add? Now? What a what a time to be alive holiday season? How about Patrick? He was pretty fired up. I love that he hasn't changed. I knew I would have bet on any I don't have any possessions, but things that I owned that he would have been upset with us, And yes he was and I and I like that. I liked his honesty. I didn't like as much. I thought, maybe you know, it's his his heart. I thought it

would have been warmed by this Lions team. But I think he's still waiting for the bottom to fall out. But that's I think we patras patra and that's what our friend Freeland, who was a die hard Lions fan too. She's not ready to fully give over either. I get it. There's still six and seven and they've just been beaten down for twenty years that they were enjoying it but not. But they're not seven, but they were one and six. That's a little different. That's and they were never the

team of a t L before. We've brought the magic. Well, let's go Lions. This week, I said, I've taken a leave of absence like Marcus Mariotta. I am on paternity leave from the team of a t L with the Jets uh involved, But I still there will be. I'll look at this way. Even if the Jets lose, there is a bright side, the Lions playing relevant January football potentially gotta have it. It's charitable of you. I don't want it to happen. You're going down Detroit heat it

all right? Thank you for watching, listening, see us on Sunday Night and the Friday Fun Show. He the call s