2023 Divisional Round Preview

The Around the NFL podcast.

It's already on the twenty twenty four Cowboys bandwagon.

From the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's Around the NFL.

My name is Dan hansis joined by heroes Greg Rosenthal and Mark Sessler, and it is here the best football weekend of the year Divisional Round layoffs. Eight teams remain. That means only eight teams. One of them is going to hoist that lombo.

I keep hearing that it's the best football weekend, and I don't disagree in terms of the staging. But there are also twenty four fan bases whose teams have been like turned into dust. So it's not always you have to become just agnostic and be like, I'm just enjoying the sport at this point, and that's that.

I shift into that moment and I think, I think you could probably relate to this.

But like I, I root for a bad team historically always, so I'm used to, you know, checking out emotionally on the team like my team aspect. So as a football fan by this time, even if it was a good season and he got picked off at the end of the regular season or earlier in the playoffs, I can look at these games and be like, we're not gonna

To Mark's point, I think week one is a close second. If I had to choose, I do love me, So that's great to just like, it's been so long of a build up, but there is something where everyone's just watching the same game. It doesn't it feel weird for us too. We're home on Saturdays just watching one game.

But I hope this one delivers.

It's a lot of pressure, you know, seasons sometimes they're like the Packers season is so nice because there was no expectations.

You know, we weren't expecting much.

I hope we don't put too much expectations on this weekend after all those blowouts last week. Yeah, here's here's a These spreads are big. Yeah, here's a big spread weekend.

They are large.

Good data point here. Reached out to the research team and.

What a team A person by the name of cold Noble, which is a hell of a name.

Let's start there quickly. It could be a pen name, but that's fine.

I had asked since division realignment for the research team.

Yeah, like that. He adopted his new name for the researcher. Since division realignment in two thousand and two?

How often this is my exact email, Okay, sent by verbal text on phone as I was driving in. Hey, there, period? Could you tell me Kama? Since division realignment in two thousand and two? Hama? How often both number one seeds made it out of the divisional round? And then I had to do an edis originally had a period and I was like, no on, let me give the question work on the other side, Kama. How many years did both get picked off in their first playoff game?

Question mark?

Thanks slammer, need it chose a playful Hey, we're all in this together. To put that exclamation point at.

The A team, you're a larger team. Yeah, Oh, we're talking football. Yeah, hey Dan.

Since the division realignment in twenty two, number one seeds are twenty nine and thirteen in the divisional round of the playoffs. Of those twenty one seasons, there have only been eleven seasons in which both number one seeds won their divisional round matchup twenty two.

Which is last year. Interesting, which means two years in a row.

Come on twenty eighteen, seventeen, fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, nine, four, three and two. Of those twenty one seasons, there have only been three seasons in which both number one seeds lost in the divisional round.

Does anybody know when that happened? Recently? So the Ravens lost.

Recently, the Titans got picked up by the Bengals, and the Packers lost to the Niners in twenty twenty one. In twenty ten, the Falcons lost to the Packers.

That was the Rogers was going to say, and wins the Super Bowl.

I was trying to think, who is the one seed that year? Is the Patriots versus the Jets.

The best football moment of my life up in Foxborough that was twenty ten and two thousand and eight. The Titans again, come on, Titoons, come on, even when you have a power house team.

This happens to.

You about Kerry Collins was they're back of the most random one seed until the time the Titans had the one.

They're like thirteen and oh or ten and oh yeah.

Anyway, the Titans lost to the Ravens and the Giants lost to the Eagles. So great job by Cole Noble. Did you we're all in this together.

Did you verbalize an email that said, thank you Cole for your just soughtam to do it right now? Yeah? You got to write them back and say.

Cole, Yeah, it's kind of crazy. The Packers were the one seed two years ago. Just gave that team that lost. It's not a great.

You're Aaron Rodgers has never beaten. I don't know, Cole Nobles probably a man. We are still recording back.

Yeah, I would think Cole would be a would I would think I don't know who knows, but.

I'm just go I was gonna put your the man. I'm gonna put you're the best. That's better, all right? Done?

All right, So we're gonna get to the games right now, and we got a little football.

News to get to.

We'll do that as part of halftime but let's get going and let's start.

Oh, Marky Mark Mark Mark.

Obviously, the Houston Texans are a underdog this week. They're one of the heavy underdogs. There are two teams man, two teams getting nine and a half points of WOULD, and they're one of them against the Ravens in Baltimore. So I feel like the Ravens haven't played in about two months, and it feels like that because they rested starters then had the bye, and last time the Ravens

I think this Ravens team is unquestionably better because they're more diversified offensively, the numbers would say they're still an elite running team, one of the best in the league, and in the Texans have a run defense that could maybe slow them down. But the short passing game, the long passing game, and then especially compared to twenty nineteen, the defense, which you know now that the Browns have taken a dirt nap, is certainly the best defensive league.

Stroud has struggled sometimes.

Against man coverage, and they do it by mixing things up in terms of what they're gonna do after the snap. So Stroud's been very good mentally all season reading the coverage, getting through his reads. This will be a new test for him. He faced it in Week one. He struggled. He's a much different quarterback now. But to me that this is a much bigger step up in class for the Texans offense really than it is for the Texans defense.

I think, like that Week one game is you know, deep ancient mythology at this point. I mean, it's like the Texans were a completely different team. The Ravens were at that point still figuring out who they were too. Like it was a week ago we were saying Ken Stroud solve this Browns offense or Browns defense. Let that you know, we we were touting for good reason, and

In the playoffs because well, we'll find out.

Well, I would say this though, just coming in at least statistically, Yeah.

They are fourth in average points per game. Okay, they are first in points allowed, and that's a problem for Stroud. They are the number one rushing team in the league. All of those metrics basically have not been achieved by one team since the Bears of nineteen eighty five.

And I think that I think a lot of it is because it's always different.

It is Lamar Jackson, and it's the offense, and their offense is heated up.

But this defense against CJ.

Stroud, who last week created the highest passer rating in a wild Card round by a player in his first playoff game in NFL history, Like Stroud's the real deal, and it's just like, you know, you've taken away two of their top four pass catchers, but it doesn't matter, Like Nico Collins is heated up, and I really want to see what this Ravens defense second and EPA against the pass can do to solve Stroud, because I think Stroud, if you get last week's version, this to me is

Yes, seven, well it's submitted. It's well for Dak Prescott, right right right. It doesn't mean it can't be changed, but it be spent like it was for Peyton Manning at age twenty seven.

Sure he and he eventually changed that as well.

So, but you can't change any reputation or bad history around your game in the.

Playoffs until you actually have that big performance.

He has not been a good historically, not not only four playoffs starts, but he's one in three of those starts.

The numbers have not been good.

So Jackson, Yeah, they're just like there are some there there's a house of ghosts around Dallas. I don't think it's that way around Lamar. If it happened this weekend where he has a bad game and they get bounced in the first round, this is gonna be something really fallow.

Harbaugh.

For that matter, they have not been back to a conference championships.

I mean, he's got the pelt on the.

Wall saying they've had a lot of playoff losses since several years ago.

Absolutely, and as far as you know, I have a lot of respec for obviously the Ravens and how they go about their business and how they prepare for teams and make teams look bad. They've had not just a couple of weeks here to get healthy, but also to study these Texans, and you watch it. We're just watching that, and you could check this out the show on the fast channels. You could look at that the highlights and it's just like, did the Browns even prepare for this game?

Stroud.

Then then you get to the big question Greg Stroud, who was absolutely different. He's a different type of rookie quarterback. But on this stage, if you start to cook him up a little bit and confuse him, does he start forcing the ball like young quarterbacks do and make the mistakes that turn this game into twenty four to seven in the third quarter.

He's been so careful with the ball all year. He's the chance that they have that he beats perfect coverage, that he just has an electric game, that he's the best quarterback on the field that's possible, which is crazy.

Asking so much for a rookie. It's twenty two year old.

The reason why I'm not as worried about as the Ravens is like they've been in those games. They've been behind, they've been ahead, They've blown leads and then had to hold on to it.

They've blown they've blown leads completely though.

But there's so many different ways that they can win, whether it's offense or defense, and I think they'll have to keep up the Texans in this game. They haven't had a run game really all year. There's no reason to think it's going to start now. Marlon Humphrey's been out of practice. That's the one guy that hasn't come back to practice, So we'll see what his final injury designation is. But obviously that's a big one that their

I think you.

Need like the wideouts for Baltimore to be at their best. It's like it's it is on Zay Flowers to not have a kind of typical rookie playoff game where maybe you vanished a little bit. Odell Beckham he is heated up, and there's hope to think that can happen. But like the Nelson Aguil or Rashad Baateman, like these guys need

And it was to the Cults, like they're a pretty good.

Rush defense, and so if you can put Lamar into a situation where he has to pass and has to rely on his pass catchers, like that's where maybe mistakes come. But he's he has got seven touchdowns and zero picks over the last two routes that Baltimore has enacted on the Dolphins and the Niners. And so it's like this is the best version of the Ravens and they're very dangerous.

Like I said at the top of the show.

So it looks like eleven out of twenty two years, one of the number one.

Seeds gets picked off. Crazy.

So for everyone that's making their game picks going into this weekend, keep that in mind because you're just going to be attempted to just obviously circle the Ravens, circle the Niners, and then figure out the other two games.

Historically, I suspect two nine and a half point spreads is higher than average, just putting that out there too, that these like by the numbers shit hit up Cole Noble on Yeah, that would be a lot, but like you know that these numbers are made by essentially just algorithms, and the out those algorithms spit out that the Ravens and the forty nine Ers are two of these strongest even though the records aren't crazy, but but the numbers would say they're the two of the very strongest one

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Although I would say if you look at the data, and we don't have it unfortunately, so we're kind of up against the wall with the conversation. But I would a lot of times it's probably around six points at least. Yeah, once you have the number one seed involve Now, with that said, I do believe in the Ravens. I do think they will be the team that I feel most confident in this week weekend. And it's it's not a shot against the Texans or

So I'm going to lock up the Baltimore Ravens.

You set us up there. I thought you were kind.

Of as the zuzzer digs out of his own hole. I think I'm seven in on one in the last eight weeks in the pick.

So I saw the figure from from our lock it Up account on Twitter that like no one has ever recorded less than ten wins in the law competition. Shoot, where are we at right now? I sit at nine and so you'd think I'm gonna you're good. I'm gonna go do the safe thing and get to ten. I don't care because I think that's an exciting record to set if I were to fail too. But I'm gonna do what I did last week because I think the Texans have a little bit of magic that no one

After this weekend. Mark's record is nine to eleven. Can I just I know what you're doing?

Now you're eleven and eight? He is, what nine and ten?

I'll get to ten wins so that I don't have that thing. Maybe, but I'm gonna get it. This be harder the next two weeks to pick ite wrong. This week there's some big spreads you're more likely to pick.

You know what Kaiser is doing over here? By the way, I got you all figured out what I think the same thing.

Greggy with it with the sandwich props where he doesn't like where he is in the standings, so he shifts into now, I'm just going to be fully unpredictable guy, and my record is going to be really bad because I always go with crazy picks. And then it kind of mitigates that you've struggled in the standings because I'm just wild pigs guy.

I'm wild Mark. He's only doing this after he's clinched last place. Anyway, walk walk up.

We've already accepted it that he's going to be last told.

I have said for months now that the Texans, Well, no, I'm actually I've said the Texans would win two playoff games for a long time now, so I'm standing behind that.

I respect that shifting. Respect the hell. I thought you said they were going to get to the second round, you.

Know, I said they didn't. I said they could. I didn't, But I'm now saying they will.

This is the second straight week where, like the lock I think I was going to go with them, now not going to because you guys had a lockoff. It just seems fun.

To be I'm quietly by the way, looking to because the standings mean a lot to me.

Hashtag beat Greg in the second half.

Now, that's what I'm going So if you if that motivates you in any way.

No, I could care. I'm gonna say it doesn't. He's gonna say I.

Don't care about anything now that he knows I want to beat him.

You are five games back. This competition is so boring that it's already locked over last week.

I've already picked up since it doesn't make it.

No one is looking at first second half. It's in the law competition. Literally, I am here is because I know you too. Greg's mania now that he knows I'm tracking it, no needs it.

Very in this case, you couldn't be more wrong. Nope, I'm right.

This is as if the Ravens have already won their super Bowl for the fourth time in five years, and then they have to go on a barn storming tour that means absolutely nothing, Like can you imagine how anti climactic it is to continue.

To give me that second half title?

You've clinched it with five weeks to go, you were eliminated in week sixty.

That's a disgrace. Give me that second half.

I think you need to go to one of these I don't know if they still these stories, will they make the trophies?

Right? Yeah, kids and stuff.

You get a second half of the season trophy that you can have someone out there make it for Dan please send me.

Well, I gotta win it first. I gotta win it. You will win it.

I've won it, but you're not going to I've given Actually, I'm up a game on Greg right now for you when.

I've just gone like, I hope people care about like Jimmy Johnson versus Michael Strahan's like game picks as much as they see.

No one I assuming that.

I have never once cared about those things when we watch them. So we're always the assumption that always makes worries.

It always worries me. I don't worry.

It keeps you up at night. I'm sure it's the passion in which the conversation happens. That's what it's about.

Yeah, you could have a big wooden tro you could.

You should also make it like a six foot tall trophy that you put.

In your Well, I'm not going to make it. If someone makes me. I won the second half twenty There.

Is a pathway to you making it. You've won it already, you're ordering it what do you mean, I wonder already I'm just saying you've won. I need to make it.

Speaks sixth or whatever it is.

That then it's that's I see what you're doing. I see what you're I'm trying to minimize my effort here, and what I'm trying to do is beat you in the second half of the season. You've got it, see, and you're trying to belittle me. And it's not successful because I will defeat you the way I must, which is from week nine on.

So behind the glass like they'd made a grave era before the show, they told us that the Fast Channel can only hold an hour and fifteen minutes of content like keep the Fat, you know, kept the Fat, And we've gone on about twenty five little beef.

This all right, let's get back on track.

And by the way, this is the Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, Laura Rutland, Rutledge team. So we got a foursome here, and it is I was looking forward to because, by the way, the Ravens have now activated Dalvin Cook to the active roster and they and they waved Melvin Gordon and I thought I was hoping because I've been predicting that Dalma Cook will have a big playoff game to make Jets fans feel bad, and I was hoping it was gonna be it was gonna be Romo going

Greg's mad about that.

No, No, I don't foresee Dalvin Cook having much of a role.

Why would he, Well, he's active, he's on the what if thet You're also perceiving him to suddenly be right that rash young great running back just because he left the Jets, Like I mean, the evidence that we've seen physically, I think.

I would take my chances in this who the knows with this group, but uh that he does not finish in the top two or even three in rushing yards on the Baltimore Ravens, I think I would take Justice Sell, Lamar Jackson and Gus Edwards over.

And I guess we'll have to say, we'll have to see anything else on this game.

I just think it's Ryan's Domico Ryans's last chance to show how specially he is because Derek, Derek, Barnett, Desmond King, these guys were on other teams like very recently, and then he brings them into the Texans and they're really productive. To me, that's like the number one thing you can shows as a coach that you take other guys who weren't productive for their teams and you immediately put them

I want to lock against both of you, but but I've.

Been doing it all year with the Ravens. I do think I think it could be close and then they just pull away. By the way, the Ravens are minus for twenty five in this game.

I'm taking the points too. I think this is a double digital win for me. I would too if I had to choose.

But really, the Texans are allowing about twenty points a game all year long.

That would mean they don't they.

We're playing in the AFC South and know I like the Browns but didn't love them. This is this is now, They're in the big leagues. That's all now. Who knows, maybe they're one of those magic carpet ride teams. And in that case, Mark, you will be a happy man come Sunday night. Let's get to the second game on Saturday, the other big underdog affairs. So it's the Green Bay Packers who just horrified everyone in North Texas by slaughtering

Isn't it crazy?

The symmetry between the Texans and Packers absolutely like even to a yard and to a point on the passer rating and just the counting stats of what Stroud did and what Love did last week to where the teams are record wise to even the spread against the number one seed the following point exactly nine and a half.

So it is the spider Man two spider Man meme thing going on.

Here.

Will this be another game mark that, like you say, you think the Texans win outright and shock the world in Baltimore, you give the Packers the same shot in Santa Clauda.

This to me is a concerning matchup because I think the focus, if you look at it, is the Joe Berry defense. I mean, good defenses have not been able to stop the multi layered weaponry of the Niners. And it's guys like Devondre Campbell kway Walker trying to stop Christian McCaffrey. This feels to me like a Christian McCaffrey like outburst, and you kind of base it around that

Back half of the season has been incredible.

He's led the NFL with nineteen offensive touchdowns on third and fourth down this season down the stretch, and like he's really only thrown like picks on downfield throws. He's been really efficient on shorter throws. He's got the second most touchdowns in the league. I just see an offense in Green Bay that has grown up, Like you know, even when you have like Matthew Stafford on the Super Bowl Rams, it took them half a season to really find out who they were and for everyone else to

A single thing.

This is a completely different team, so I see a shootout potentially. I don't like this nine and a half points thing. But to your question, Dan, like the Niners just they're not going to crumble here. I think this team knows its own playoff history and they seem completely unified and ready to go to battle.

Yeah, I think no matter how well you think, Jordan Love is playing, he's probably playing better. Like right now, he's arguably the best quarterback in the league. Like it just that's the that's the level he is playing at because some of the those touchdown passes. Usually I think touchdown passes are a little overrated because it's a function of a team and you get down there, are you a team that runs on the goal line or team that passes. But these touchdown passes, including two of them

I think it's interesting if you're the forty nine Ers and you're watching that Cowboys game and you saw just the aggressive manner in which they just approached even the coin toss where Packers win the toss, they say we want the ball a lot of teams defer and to go right down the field.

That set the tone for that entire game.

And like I said on Sunday, just seeing the way Jordan Love is carrying himself on that first drive and the throws he was making in the comfort he had in the pocket, escaping the pockets, setting his feet, keeping his eyes up, putting it right on the money, It's like he's gonna do that. He's gonna come into San

They're not impervious.

No, I'm with you on that, though, that's true.

I say this though, like the if you look at green Bay's offense, like I think a lot of times with young teams that are like unplayoff tested, you go on the road and you get torch, you learn a lesson, you come back the next season. Like eight of green Bay's top offensive games in terms of EPA eight out of eleven have been on the road. Like their five highest point totals have been on the road, including last

They practice against a lot of this.

They're not identical, but it's like they come from the same you know, plant or tree or whatever you want to call it, whatever, shrubbery and and they're.

Both like I thought it was funny a theme, and.

I know, but it's just like it's like it's like like hedges. It's all like a long hedge, the same Earth's Earth they were covered. There was like a kind of a theme between sources and people the earth this week with these two teams that like both coaches are just so happy that they have quarterbacks who kind of just run the system, like Jordan.

Love just first, like Aaron Rodgers.

Versus Aaron Rodgers and even Jimmy g to an extent, it was maybe not totally embracing like doing everything they were trying to meet in the middle where it's here, it's like these two guys are very similar in a way that they're great against pressure. Like their numbers when they're pressured has been excellent this year. Heavy play action. Uh, I would take Jordan Love long term over Brock Party. I don't even think that's controversial, though I'm sure some

The run as much as the first six.

The first four they played four good drives and then they basically gave up touchdowns after that, they gave up a scoring drive.

Base right, But they're in a totally different defense, just trying to lead at that point.

People say that, but like they were just play.

For four hundred yards in that game, and it's like we knew what was going on in that the last quarter and a.

Half, I guess I put a ton more weight into the season as a whole than those four drives.

They did generate turnovers, though they did against Jared Golf.

That's what I'm saying, Like, why can't And I know it's a Joe Barry defense and it's been suspect throughout the year, but they the Dallas offense, which is not quite the San Francisco.

It's not even close. I don't think.

Okay, the goal post here, I mean we were singing Dax praises as if not the MVP right behind whoever wins it Ceedee Lamb who was playing at a level

I think when you when you think about like how they could do it. Tarvarius Ward, I think was overlooked for the All Pro team. Ultimately he might be the dude him and Snead like he should have made first team maybe oversaws even on this year.

And it's like, but Ward can only do so much.

That's the thing about this Packers' offense is like you never know who's gonna pop up. Jane Reid didn't have a catch last week. He could be their leading receiver. Wicks like Ward can only cover one of those guys, Dobbs the tight ends. I'm with you, but man, I just disagree because I think this is the best forty nine Ers offense we've seen by far. And like, yeah, it was a good Cowboys offense, but they were like

Anything can happen.

The Packers are a worthy opponent being there, but nothing shows me that their defense is you can hold up for six sixty minutes. Now, this one doesn't seem as funny either. I think they'll cover. If I had to guess, I think it might be a little bit of a letdown of a Saturday.

I think what it comes down to, Mark is I'm deep in my heart and I know it was the Ravens, But I guess I don't trust Brock either that I feel like he could make mistakes this game and that could potentially turn it. Like not just minor mistakes like Dak mistakes from last week that can swing a game, the one field position touchdown, whatever.

To like to your like the prediction that you came up with there, Like there is one thing about these Shanahan teams and it's not good dates back years, but this year, like in close games, you know, they're one in four in close games and they in Brock Purdy and friends have been zero and four in like game winning drive opportunities and so if the Packers can hang around,

I think they're gonna win twenty seven four.

And let's not forget Kyle Shannon has his share of ghosts as well, this time.

But not you know, next but not this time of year, not this weekend. He actually, I believe leads all head coaches in playoff winning person but I'm.

Saying he's blown title games, blown Super bowls.

Okay, he hasn't blown a divisional round game yet, but his ability to close games in which they're winning in the second half, that's that's haunted in multiple So does Matt Lafleur.

Sure, I mean, since week nineties are the best two offenses in the league by basically well, I.

Mean, especially against the Niners. Actually, like so does Matt leff.

Wright Like Shanahan's kind of own this match. I guess I hear what you're saying on Brock, and I think I'm out like slightly lower than consensus on Brock, And I hear what you're saying, but I just feel like, yeah, that's gonna happen if they ever run into a good defense, that's not gonna happen. They're not going to play a good defense this year until the Super Bowl. If they make it like there are no good defenses left in the NFC other than the forty one.

I don't even know what a good defense is anymore in this league, to be honest with you, that we keep on seeing them get embarrassed and picked off.

So one just got wax.

I guess I would say ones that are capable of stepping up and having a like a difference making game, and I would say that last week, right, I would say that are capable. The Bills are capable, The forty nine Ers are capable. The Ravens are certainly capable of having those sort of games. These other games, these other teams, they're pretty mediocre.

ARC, gotcha, I hear you.

Ark Armstead is back by the way, and he has been the jengle piece in terms of their run defense, which is gonna be important for San Francisco.

They're they're quite healthy.

But same thing he said with the Ravens are true that forty nine Ers haven't played a game in forever, not only like have they not played in three weeks, but like think of the games they played after the raven that Ravens game. I guess it was just the Commanders and then they were rested. It started a long time ago, forever.

Ah Jim any given Saturday night, all right, let's take a break.

Did you pick the game?

I'm gonna take the forty nine ers forty one to thirty one. Let's hell way over all right, let's have some fun. And by the way, the money line here forty nine ers minus for forty.

All right, let's take a break, and when we get back, we'll hit a little bit of NFL news and then we'll hit the Sunday games.

Welcome back.

Yes, we'll take a little break now from the divisional round preview to what's going on in the news.

And let's start with the new news out of Dallas. We just talked about it on the Wednesday show.

What is the decision that will come out of Jarah world around Mike McCarthy in the future of that organization. After another disappointing playoff loss, this time in the wild Card round against the Packers, and the news broke late on Wednesday that Mike McCarthy will return to the Cowboys. Jerry Jones released a statement as well, detailing the team's unprecedented regular season success three straight years of twelve wins, but also putting it out there and letting it again,

Now he's back on the podium with the star.

Behind him, ready to announce his plans for the future.

I believe that the direction, you know, the leadership, everything is in place. And I'm not very comfortable talking about myself, but I came here to win a championship. I didn't come here to get another contract or no anything other than now. I came to Dallas that money championship and that's why I'm standing here and.

Buy into us.

Bye, Oh, Zaddy you're unkillable. We need to do a better job. By the way, on the headshot we're using for Zaddy, I mean.

I think it's accurate. I don't have gregs.

We had a long conversation about this because it was the same one Sunday Night Football was using.

But he should take another.

Dan wants like, like John Ham's picture to me, but it's like, that's not where we're going.

He means, what are you John to shame McCarthy. I think it.

I think McCarthy is a manly figure and that is an accurate headshot.

I will leave it at that.

And I would say one thing about this whole thing is you you kind of laid this out almost exactly that you kind of thought this would be a good idea for the Cowboys dance before these triple twelve win seasons, they had three out of four seasons where they won less than ten games and they were a non factor. I guess the one thing you could go on and I know that there's the like the non momentum Greg and Claybahn worlds, and I get that, but like not like I don't like you know, but.

There is like this has nothing to do with the momentum, Well, let him cook. Let him cook. Greg, where's different.

Than that, Mike McCarthy. Mike McCarthy, to your point, probably thought he was gone. Dak Prescott. People were questioning his future. He's coming off like a disaster.

And like I think, if anything, this Cowboys team has so much to prove because this story is so embedded that no one's given pay attention during the regular season. Maybe not a momentum thing, but maybe like psychologically they are the team with the chip on their shoulder that said, I struggle to go down any of these paths ever again until they're literally being announced out of the tunnel at the Super Bowl.

Good luck with that. Where we're gonna talk about it.

A lot, I know, but you know I'm saying it just I wonder if it's like it went so far they all thought it was so cooked and done.

So perhaps back perhaps Greg, I oversimplified it a little bit yesterday when I said, all right, so McCarthy's in his contract year, Dak's in his contract year. Just let them play it out and let's see where the chips fall. The one catch here now is okay, so you brought back the head coach and I had thrown out this idea of, you know, make the team better, make some adjustments, have a nice draft, and maybe go at it one

It goes from one year to.

Potentially a big contract where he's the highest paid player in the world.

So there is a there.

There is still is this challenge to me where Okay, you're gonna let the coach play out his contract, but are you gonna now go all in on the quarterback? So that will be the next step. What did the Cowboys do with Dak's contract? That's gonna be a storyline like r or not as well this winter.

I think they will adjust his contract, give him more money. We'll see you're keeping Mike McCarthy because you think he works with Dak Prescott. I don't think you keep Mike McCarthy to like bring in some new quarterback. It just it doesn't that doesn't make sense. I think there could be changes dan Quinn could get a job and be interesting. If he doesn't get a job, is he definitely back. There's some thought in Dallas that might be a change,

There's something in the water.

There's something there with Jerry Jones that they're built up to be these huge superstars in Dallas, and it's like, I don't know, I don't know what it is. They're bad at self scouting, whatever it is, like they can't get over the hump. But I think this is probably their best chance to have another crack at it. I don't hate it. I'm with you, Dan Christ and I'm

New guy like that seems even like a worse.

Yeah, there's enough evidence that that is probably the likely scenario that they get back to the playoffs.

And the statement that I was referring to that Jarah put out, he includes in it while we're all dissip pointed with the result on Sunday and with our playoff record, I am one hundred percent supportive of him as our

For us, nothing is assumed.

It's just such a long climb and That's why I think that was in part so devastating for them to just just bottom out the way they did it.

I don't need like the over I know it's Zaddy's thing, but like the whole, like, hey, trust me, like all that. Now they're gonna like overcome and say by talking to confident. There is a report, by the way from ed Ward or that dan Quinn will be back if he doesn't get a head coaching job.

So and that makes sense to even though they did struggle down the street. That is the new rallying cry mark buy into US, buy into US.

Preswee, wasn't that it last?

I have to participate, but I don't like emotionally it worked on me.

No, you can do buy into us, buy into US.

I will in terms of like having to speak about them, to Greg's point, we will have to speak about them all right.

In other news, Hey, listen this Bill Belichick coaching the Atlanta Falcons thing.

I think it's gonna happen.

Rap Sheet reported on Thursday, citing sources colon former Patriots coach Bill Belichick. We'll have a second interview with the Falcons Bress this weekend after meeting with owner Arthur Blank one on one this past week. Things are ramping up

So it's like the CFO. So, but what about the GM. There are they going to get rid of? Get rid of him?

Who knows GM's done a pretty good job. I think yeah, from the Saints.

What if you're like Brian Johnson, it's the Eagles offensive coordinator who interviewed for the Falcons head coaching job today, It's like you must be feeling like you are just wasting your time. Brian Callahan interviewed at Giro Everro and Anthony Weaver, all these other guys. Antonio appears they've interviewed a lot of people, and yet it just feels like, if they can make it work with Belichick, it's gonna

Branch, that's where Falcon's headquarters is.

Then it would be in Philly, And as mentioned, both sides have been talking about it through this for a while.

That's my previous reports. I expect Bill Belichick.

To reunite with some members of his former staffs whenever he makes it official. That's the other big part of this is what does Arthur Blank. Because Arthur Blank is not a dumb man. Arthur Blank saw what happened in New England in those final years and is gonna probably be saying to Bill like Bill, w're we're gonna let you shop for some groceries here. You're gonna have a voice and how the team gets built. But your STAB's gonna work.

But less time. I don't think he is even gonna tiptoe. I think Arthur Blake will say that herds of saying anything like that, I don't what really I mean. I guess then this isn't gonna work. Greg.

If the owner and these owners are very confident men, successful people, He's not gonna be afraid of Bill Belichick to say.

I think he is. I think it's very clear.

I think he's gonna be like, he's not gonna be telling him what to do with his coaching staff.

First of all, owners shouldn't be doing that to any coach.

He's gonna let the coach decide his coaching staff or else, what's the point of being ahead.

It's not telling Bill what to do.

It's conversations about what went wrong near the end, and obviously some issues with the coaching staff played a part in the demise of that Tina.

I think that's a fair I get that it's because it's Bill Belichick. The dynamic is different than if you were hiring like a coordinator to a head coach.

I'm the guy isn't flying out to Carolina to interview Chris Tabor. He's flying on his jet to interview Belichick because Belichick's interviewing him.

But flip it around, though, Greg, you're emotional because it's stilland it's not so much forget what the owner is doing.

I think it's a fair concern for like the Falcons fans, like you're getting a latter era Bill Belichick, who wants to hire like four assistant coaches and three of them are from his family. It's like what I would like to think that Bell, Like can he change the way he finished in New England?

Or is it gonna just be You're gonna have like a.

Year old owner who wants a title before he dies. And it's a sort of not a confident move. It's more like, man, I'm out of ideas of how to do this normal way, so you just want this to fail. That's what's going on here? What are you talking about?

You don't want Bill to have a successful second act out.

If you don't think I'd becoming a Falcons fan when Bill Belichick is theread coach you're missing.

But you're calling it desperate.

You're calling desperate and like this is a move that an owner that's getting older is making it.

Yes, because that's I don't know about thinking clearly, but I think it's sort of just like we've tried it all the normal ways here, take my franchise.

That's basically and that's you know, do.

You also think that Bill Belichick is a fraction of his former self? Or is or is Arthur blank Hyrine the best coach of all time.

I don't think he's the same as he was. I think there's a scenario where it could work out pretty well.

I mean, you better get him a quarterback. That's that's goes without saying.

Right away, I mean you could go win that division, Kirk Cousin, you could have some fun. It's gonna be a good game day coach. I think he might be reinvigorated a little bit.

I think it's well and yes, we're going to get to when it becomes official, but well worth the gamble, unless like Charlie Weiss is the offensive coordinator, Like well, someone talked to Bill about getting some fresh young minds in the bill.

Does a team that pumped in fake crowd noise into their stadium want to sell more tickets or sell out every game?

You would with Bill Belichick, Absolutely, and not they weren't already.

If you don't think Josh McDaniels is his offensive coordinator, I guess.

That's what I'm saying.

This is crazy, it's happened, but they did have success together.

Yeah with Tom Brady.

We'll look at Josh McDaniels anywhere else minus Tom Brady like the Rams, like last look, well.

Check anywhere else without Tom Brady.

Well, we're gonna go that round, you know, if we're gonna go down that road. Mac Jones almost one Rookie of the Year with Josh McDaniels over Jamar Chase. He went to the Pro Bowl. So that's I don't hate McDaniels. Under the most recent I don't.

Want Josh mctamos's head coach. OC is a little different.

Yeah, do you want to hit on what's going on in here in Los Angeles with the Chargers too?

Well, just quickly. They interviewed Mike Rabel today, which was interesting. They've interviewed a lot of people for their GM and HA as well. Head coach Jim Harbaugh was one, Dan Quinn was one, Leslie Fraser, our coworker was one. Hey, I think they gave Kellen Moore. Remember Kellen Moore? He was the hot guy last year at this time, bert uh not happening now.

Yeah.

So they've had a variety of interviews, but it's been interesting. Quiet a round, variable go defensive coach.

Interesting man her, I feel like that's Harbor's job to lose, but maybe the listen, you also got to pay him or the Charger is going to pay.

He also keep interviewing guys who have connections to Harbor there for the GM job, so I think you would be right. And then yeah, Cliff Kingsbury got an interview as the OC with Chicago, which is interesting because he was the quarterbacks coach of Caleb Williams last year and as the USC fans will note, the year where Caleb Williams looked much worse than the year before when Cliff Kingsbury wasn't there, you know, for what it's worth.

I'm looking at what like c J.

Shroud's doing this year, and I'm like, if I'm the owner of the Chargers, and like, I don't have to deal with Arba being a pain in the asthma, just go get the OC Slowick pair of him with Justin.

Yeah, he's got a.

I don't have to deal with all the other stuff, and maybe I get a guy that's on the come up that's much cheaper that feels like a potential Chargers move too.

I mean I would say this when they went and got Brandon Staley, there was a similar DNA of like a really young hot coach. I mean, Slowick has had I think eight years in the league, and I think the first seven he was a defensive coach, an assistant and three offensive then an offensive coordinator.

So he's young.

He's got to work sell that too, and he worked in an interview. I work on both sides of the ball. We wrote work for a pro football focus. I mean that's there's a lot of Brandon Staley like elements going on there. I don't know if it's it's a little bit of a risk, but he's certainly like shown we can do this year.

Spicy. All right, let's get back to the games.

Let's head to Sunday, the early game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Ford Field to face the Lines. Now this is also a size he spread six and a half points. The Bucks are a four seed NFC South champion. Who you know, put the woeful. I'm gonna say it. I can't believe I'm going to say this. Never thought I would. The moribund Eagles were put to put to

We have nothing to lose. And who's the one.

If you had to pick one middle of the road quarterback to be the guy that's walking out on the field there, it's Baker.

It's Baker.

Right when you said earlier this week, you know, usually when you get to this point in the season, there's like six or seven teams that have a real shot or exciting there's one surprise team, and there's one that you don't think should shouldn't really be there. And you thought this these matchups were great because we didn't have one of those teams. And as you were saying that, I

It was a while ago, but when they played the Detroit Lions won twenty to six in guard game.

It was a weird game that.

I mean, the Lions had almost nothing on the ground, but they're the running backs were banged up.

That was the lowest points the Bucks have scored all year.

But goff when he's played Tampa's defense with he's got a two to one record. He's got at least three hundred and fifty three passing yards in every one of those games he's thrived. So I think it's it's kind of interesting because like the history of these two quarterbacks obviously both discarded by their first teams, like it was golf that last week brought to Troit, like the decades

I feel like that's sort of a ridiculous situation.

And I Detroit, like this is one team where like the home stadium, the journey matters a lot. I think crowd noise last week, the energy in that place galvanized the team, and it's I guess it's simplistic to say all that, but it's like you are human beings in an environment where like you're in a Roman colisseum, and the crowd is going to pays.

Absolutely. They talked after the game.

I think I think if you're the Lions, you've got to be thrilled that you got a really hot and cold Bucks team that last week. And I think, look at I couldn't have been happier for Mayfield. And the Bucks have better players than people realize. They've got a good group of wide receivers. Their running game has been a little bit better. I don't think they'll happen this week. But it's like when the Bucks falter, they really do. And we saw that they almost lost to the Panthers

H Yes, I agree with that.

I mean, they they it's set up very well for them, because even if we and we all knew that even before that game was played, because it was like the winner of this Rams Lions game gets the corpse. That was the Eagles or the Bucks, who were not a highly respected team coming out of a weak division. But I just I also just in fairness to the Bucks, just you don't think about it this way, but they've lost one game since the calendar turned over to December,

So and they said he's full, he's almost fully healthy. Yeah, I was gonna say, I don't remember him taking any huge legs in that game. I was feeling pretty dangerous.

And I really like and now the question to me is can the Bucks defense which is filled with veterans and dudes that have been through the wars before.

Can they put the pressure on golf?

Golf was outrageous in the wildcard round one for twenty one for two sixty six in a touch when he wasn't pressured in that game.

So he will, as we've seen.

All sprazzled a few times in the big spots and almost lost them game with that.

With that latter row with the saker, he ended up tripping.

He was pressured on thirty percent of his dropbacks per next Gen Stats, and was one of six for eleven yards. And that's kind of isn't that the story forever? Greg that It's like it can change real quick with Goff and it all depends on making him move his feet and speed him up a little bit.

Can the Bucks defense do that right?

He's been great against the Blitz, which is against what you have thought of over the course of the season. And I think it's more because they're great as an offense against the Blitz. You thought about it, I thought about on Monday night. It's not about just Jalen Hurts. It's about the offensive line. It's mostly about the coaching. Ben Johnson has had answers. He had answers in that

Matters that, you know, they talked about Sam Laporta being like another healthier week, like he's getting better, played well last week.

I mean it kind of didn't even look hurt to me.

Aman Ross Saint Brown almost never gets talked about and like he couldn't have been more dangerous a week ago. It's like, if you're the Bucks, you've got to shut down a lot more weapons than you did last week when you played an AJ Brown free Eagles team was falling apart at the seams they give.

They give up a ton of big plays all year. The Bucks are a solid run defense and they've given up a as many explosive plays as any team in the NFL. And so it could be like a Jamison Williams type of game. Get getting vertical because they they take their chances and they leave Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis on an island sometimes and it just it doesn't work out. The Bucks, on the other hand, they're always trying to go deep and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

It's either it's gonna be great or it's not gonna be great.

And I don't know. The Lions give up a lot of big plays. They're not a great defense. They're much better stopping the run than they are stopping the past. Maybe I think relatively they are a good batchup.

I think I don't you know. I'll pick the lines here, but I love this game. I just think it really sets up well. And for Baker, who has always been like him or not, has always been good theater, I really do, it would not stun me if, like a major conversation Sunday night is holy Baker went off and is playing in the NFC title game, because I just think he's all about getting into these pockets, right, these pockets of confidence, and where the moment meets him as

The Bucks are one and six when they've allowed more than twenty points, and I think that says a lot about some of their offensive games, like where they've not performed.

I think the Lions take care of business.

It's a more intriguing matchup than I would have thought it was a couple months ago. I'm gonna go Detroit twenty seven, Bucks sixteen.

I hear you guys on the crowd being a factor, but Baker Mayfield actually said he talked to some of the Rams players, you know, two Rams legends here going at it, Goff and Baker Mayfield, and the Rams said they've never been in a building like that. They just thought and they handled it well. Ultimately that maybe that affected those early timeouts, but you know, they were moving the ball on the Lions. I think the Lions defense

Heyo, that's a solid lot. But you might be sweating it. That's all I'm saying. I kinda. I wouldn't be surprised if I am sweating it.

But uh, this is what you can do when you when you finished the competition, just pick pick the teams you like, maybe.

In your mind. That's what I'm doing about the saddle.

The same note, I'm also I've finished the competition and just.

Going you're looking to shock the world.

Everybody's got competitions going on right now.

Lions minus six and a half in the money line is negative to seventy eight for Detroit.

By the way, the weather in Detroit, ooh boy, it is going to be cold, sub zero, who knows, maybe some snow and Todd Bowles was asked about this.

The Lions, by the way, played in the Dome for fifty.

Years, looking forward towards Detroit, the weather it has been a factor in some of the playoff games, even for the most prepared teams. Today it's thirteen in Detroit, which doesn't compare to some of those any special plans to acclimate the team to only endure, but perform in those.

It's a long question. Do you know we play indoors, right and the other a dome. I don't.

No nothing playing We're indoors and we have to be outside for twenty seconds getting off the bus going under the thing.

So what was he going to say he handled? I mean, I think a lot of I could he could have buried that poor one.

I think a lot of people have, you know, suspected that was not a sports reporter.

But now this local news, this is.

A playoffs thing where you see the local news kind of flies in for the first time.

But I mean, I'm sure she wanted to fifty years though. You know, from the Silver Dome to Ford Field, this isn't new. It's not like they It reminds me of the first big time when I was twenty three years old at the Journal News. They sent me to cover a Mets game, a Mets Rockies game, and I was over the moon. It was a dream come true to cover a major League baseball game. And they sent me, me and this other guy, Jeff, and we were filling in for Pete Abraham, who now covers the Red Sox

Get some reps and give them an experience.

Damn it, it's the eighth inning and the Mets were thrown a perfect game and we are and the Mets had never thrown a no hitter to that point. So me and Jeff are like looking at each other like, luckily, I don't know, luckily, but the perfect game gets broken up and so there's no historic game. And we're not freaking out because the newsroom was calling up to the press box like all right, we're gonna send somebody to help you guys, and we're like, you're gonna have to

And literally I melted into a puddle.

And I just thought of Clint Hurdle burying a young journalist and seeing Todd Bowles being a class act.

With that woman who was way out of her depth in a big spot. That was story time.

He did a good d that was a good story. I hadn't heard that one. All right, anything else with this game? Do we all make a pick?

I believe we did.

We did, all right, so then let's move.

I can't wait for that game. Just the vibe. You will have to wait. I cannot though.

It's Tariko and Collinsworth on a noon Pacific game, which it just feels nice and counterintuitive, and we're going to be aggressive.

For the Yes, it is transgressive.

For those of you overseas that have access to the Sky Sports and their NFL coverage, We'll be on at halftime of that game, chopping it up.

I'm right, right, that's right, that's's right.

Yeah, So don't let you do the halftime thing where you go do other human things.

Do not do not be a human, be a football fan twenty four to seven every second, all right? The last game, and it's a one mark. You were saying you're not overly excited for, but I did not. That is not what I said.

I get it.

You always want new things, but I like classic matchups and they're only going to get so many ten years from now.

We're not gonna have him anymore. You know what I mean.

It's like, well on Patrick Mahomes versus Josh all you know what I treasured. I didn't care Greg how many there were. If you gave me Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in January, I was I was clicking my heels, run into the television set, and I know you don't even want to watch it.

First of all, Okay, go ahead, No, ten years from now you still will be getting Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

I promise you. Mark likes new stuff. Though he was like, give me the Trent Green matt Shop showed.

No, no, no.

I was saying, this is new to me, this is interesting. I was saying that the Texans and Packers are very intriguing to me. I was not discounting Chiefs at Bills. They have played each other a lot. I guess everyone's I keep hearing people are so fascinated that Mahomes is playing his first road playoffs.

You know how fascinated they are. It's the game of the week.

I don't draft, but of course it's the game of the week, so I'm not I'm not slighting it, but it's kings.

Mark the game of it.

I guess it's just a human thing, even with me, Like like like when it was Manning versus Brady, like part nineteen and there was like these articles coming out, like let's rank the nineteen times they played. It was like, come on, people, like I like to see new things. I like fresh new experiences.

I I love I'm with Dan that because you got to get the others.

This is a more rare thing.

Ironically, It's like it feels like it's happened a lot, but you only get these so much. But you know, it's a great rivalry. And this is where i'd push back because this is new. You're getting different versions like sometimes you got the Patriots version where he was throwing to uh Aaron Dobson and they had no defense and they had to score thirty uh and then Peyton Manning comes back in this case, like, these are totally different

Defense on the road. I know, but it's.

Knows that I'm being set up as some sort of straw man person. It's like, I actually think if it weren't Tony Romo on the call.

Oh, Mark, he's right, we are sick of it. It's like, all right, great, I did not say that at all. Everyone's also.

I'll let you, I'll let you play your little parlor game. But it's like, literally, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm also sick of everyone saying like, oh, like, oh, it's Tony Romo on Patrick Mahomes and Josh you know what, I like Tony Roe.

You know what you do the same thing to Mark put a name on it. That's that's Mark, that says.

That that is that I saw tweet that I do, but that I do back. I think you just I think part of us. You run out of things to say about Hetch Mahomes. But this is a completely different Chiefs team.

I think that you're right.

There are elements to this team that there's a challenges that were not pressing before. It was like a video game, or like when Hulk Cogan would like go down to the end and just body slam someone and you win every every Sunday Night name event, and it's like this Chiefs Team Saturday Night, Saturday mayn like this Chiefs Team is vulnerable.

This is a Sunday Night main event.

But yeah, but hul Cogan, it would be Saturday Night, right, it replaced it be the body slam that would have been the kick to the face followed by the atomic leg drop.

You're right, you want to just fund you in the didnty body slam like thre the Giant.

And then he gave them the biggest slam drop.

But that was the biggest body slam in the history of wrest wrestling.

Three right in the Pontiac Silver Dome. There you go.

See how it all connects. Mattison behind the glass thought this was wasteful conversation.

Ultiple Cities that next wrestling, big old football game up there.

Remember that conversation before the show. We keep it a little tighter today or something.

I don't I don't know what you're talking. What else I mean we can end the show right now.

I really haven't even talked about this game. I'm I'm excited for the Snead like lagarious Snead last week that my favorite clip of the week was him driving Tae Hill into like as Mark would say, mother.

Earth, he like below the Earth.

I mean it was crazy and I given game a little pop on socialist to Agam.

I've never been bodied like that or whatever the term would be.

And so Sneid faced off against Stefan Diggs in this first matchup, which really wasn't that long ago as Week fourteen, they matched up for twenty three routes. In those twenty three routes, Josh Allen tried Stefan Diggs five times. The Bills had a total of three yards in that game. Sneed absolutely destroyed Stefan Diggs, which that's an interesting matchup. If that could happen again, they have a shot. But I do think they're better prepared here with Shakir, with

It was mostly just Kinkaid.

So they like having three receivers on the field, even if it's not Gabe Davis, just I think they if they were like a basketball team and almost like keeping people out of the paint to let a little more a little more space over the middle of the field. In general, and since Joe Brady's taken over, the offense isn't better, but it has been different.

They've been more willing to run the ball.

And I think this matchup, as much as it's about m Mahomes and Allen, also might be about like which team will actually stick with the running game and be successful, because I think both coordinators have shown they will dare the other team two run. Spagnola did it quite effectively against Buffalo in that first matchup, but even though Buffalo started that game well, their offense was kind of in quicksand for most of it.

I think one thing.

That's different about McDermott running this defense, and you know, maybe one of the changes that happened was some of the playoff stuff that happened against the Chiefs was that when they dueled in week fourteen, they blitzed at the highest rate they have against Mahomes and they were more

Yes, and if they finish off a couple of drives last week, people are over the moon saying that they're fixed and we'll see. I just I think they got the season. Like you were saying Greg earlier, you're looking at the whole season. You can't just look at a game, and the whole season tells me they're going to struggle again here to put points on the board and finish off drives. And that's why I kind of like the Bills in this game, because I think that's what's going

But I want to touch on it, just because I'm.

Looking at him, staring at it, and I knew it, I felt it, and then I looked at the numbers and my goodness.

So Stefan Diggs weird year. Yeah.

So he starts the season with five one hundred yard games in his first six weeks. Thing is going to plan since October twenty second, Okay, I lost to the Pats.

Seven for fifty seven for fifty seven for fifty two. Yeah. Like it's been an odd season. They have not been on the same page.

You've seen that frustration, and it is It's a good thing Khalis Shakiraz stepped up this year, and it's a good thing that they now have a pro BOWLTIP player in James Cook, because that connection has been off all year.

It makes me believe that this is Stefan Diggs's last run with the Bills. Now, I think he would be an interesting trade candidate. That's he's but he's thirty. I can't imagine he's just suddenly turned old. But they're the big plays, just having big in there, and I just have a feeling Gabe Davis's status is really important. I think the injuries are so important for this game for the Bills because I hear what you're saying, and I'm I'm leaning Bills, Like I guess I want the Bills

Play or not, like they could fully play.

They could not like these guys last week, have had to count on players we hadn't seen much all season.

Tomorrow.

Hamlin was on the field throughout the end of that game because of injuries. Von Miller played throughout the end of that game and actually had a couple pressures.

Made me think hmm.

I wonder if they go back to Von this week because he showed something, but that was all because of injuries. Their linebackers were gone, and they might get them both back. They might get Bernard and Dotson back, they might get neither back. So Cabe Davis is another question mark. These are like seven or eight starters where it's like they might play, they might not, And that's a pretty big deal.

And at that said, like, I'm not scared and I don't think anyone is scared of like the Chiefs weapons for the most part. I mean, you want to have those guys in the field's.

Cleared of too. Kelsey and Rashi Rice.

We just talked about stuff on Diggan Park, like Travis Kelcey is coming off a game with three drops and he has not been himself this year.

Right, He's gonna need to make the plays that he hasn't been making.

Right.

They lead the league in drops, And I guess I'm just wondering if the you know, we're everyone waiting for the Chiefs to become last year as Chiefs. It's like, actually, isn't it more likely that their season ends with another duplicate performance where we're wide receiver x Y or Z lets.

Them down in a key spot. But that's more likely. I'm just saying.

I think that's like that's been the pretty consistent narrative. But defense is better, Greg right, way better.

It's the best, And I think the route is more that like, yeah, some of that stuff happens and they win a game twenty to sixteen, or they win a game, you know, because Okay, if.

This was the Kadarius Tony off sides game where like little mistakes cost.

Them, I hear what you're saying, though, but like to that point, they held the Bills down in that game, and even though they weren't great offensively, if not for that call, if not for Tony lining up six inches you know in the neutral zone, the Bills aren't in this game, you know. And the Chiefs win a game like that against a good opponent because of their defense primarily and because Mahomes made big plays when it mattered. He ran the ball pretty well last week. I mean,

I just can't fair.

I kind of think they're gonna win, and yet I don't want it to happen, so I'm not gonna pick it.

Sorry, Chiefs rooting against you.

If that, if Tony stayed on size, Josh gets the ball back with him.

Nitor said, ye, good, point that out.

I just got a weird feeling about the Bills and Eric the producer.

I like it, dude.

I like the energy.

I like that they went through hell and then they came out and survived it. And now Josh Allen at home running downhill, impervious to anything pain and feeling like like what he said at the end of last week's game was interesting to me that we were like everybody else. Now we're out of that wilderness where we were fighting for our lives. And I think they're playing with a level of confidence that is going to be the difference against the KC team that's just simply even though better

It feels almost fitting that the season everything kind of went wrong. It kind of feels like it should go right.

They're undefeated since that article came out.

Yeah, I mean you have there, you have the players in the the coach got a game ball, and you have players yelling in the locker.

M you got your back, coach.

I mean, there's so many weird moments for this season that you know they didn't they weren't maybe considered a Super Bowl favorite. You know, this is the year where everything seemed like, well, this is the falling, this is where it breaks, the damn breaks and it all falls apart. And here we are again against the Chiefs, against Patrick Mahomes. This time we're in Western New York. Bill's Mafia home game. It's it's theater, dude, It's crazy.

There you go.

I like that and yet that I don't know why in my gut like all that. It just the Chiefs remind me so much of the Patriots. I mean, they're so see different. But just like all this makes logical sense. And I've been saying all year, like maybe this is the year for the Bills. They get they get as close as possible, and I'm want to pick them because I want it to happen. And yet like that's the moment where the champs and the Chiefs are the champs.

Be fun. I feel like every almost, oh here we go. Sorry, Mark, did me to cut you off?

There is no video this week, but I did want to get on record the Westling the Cincinnati Zoo will be taking the Chiefs in this game, so saying this in a Bill's sweater, so I almost forgot to just even mentioned the refalling.

It's almost like Nick Sirianni is in Cincinnati right now because they have lost I believe five of six the Zoo, so they need it was.

Bald here though with a road underdog, even though it's the Chiefs, it's still there were other options out there, a lot.

Of infighting over there, and it's and it's shown to be a concern. I I love what Eric said because I think that's exactly what the Bills have been. And whenever you go back and watch these like documentaries of you know, three quarters of Super Bowl winning teams, there were these like low points in the season where everything felt like a catech mccleus, like just a mess, just

You know, who did it?

I think it came up earlier in the show that early Aaron Rodgers Packers team.

I think they were six and six. They were super banged.

They ran ran off a streak to make the playoffs and just kept winning.

But look at Boith Giants team Patriots they were they were a six seed. The Bills weirdly have all this going on, and yet they were the two seeds.

And well, here's the thing.

If the Chiefs win the if the Chiefs win this game and then win the Super Bowl. They had those moments too where everyone gave up on them and they hit their darkest moment.

It all is there.

It was ever quite as dark though now it's the chief always had that buffer in that povision.

The money line here, by the way, is minus one forty two for the Bills. The Bills are two and a half point favorites. When you're a home to and a half point favorite, and I'm always a little anxious, but it's definitely Vegas being.

Like, I don't know, we don't know.

That's almost like the built in they built that in as exactly so Vegas says it's a coin flip.

It's basically a coin flip the numbers that loved the Bills all season. There's something about the chiefs that define numbers.

That's an MJ deep cut up the Dangerous album.

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Yours, anything else and anything else? All right? Good?

Uh, you know where to find us.

On Sunday night, we're going to have recaps of all the games we just previewed. Check out NFL Plus where we have the Dreamatorium cooking up danger this week, and also Sky Sports. Be there on Sunday because we will till then hit the call