They Around the NFL podcast always goes for it on Fourth Down.
From the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's around the NFL the flagship.
Program Sunday Recap.
And I am Dan Hanss and I have Greg Rosendal and Mark Sessler here.
How are you boys feeling frisky?
Oh?
Greg and I spend a lot of time together today, as we do on these Sundays.
Yes, I was well in the Thursday night recap. The bond not just because of our adopted team. We'll get to them later. Is this going stronger and strong? I know you don't like it. You want animosity. You try to bring us apart.
It's a burgeoning issue for you.
Dan.
Let us Let me send me a photo of the two of you hanging out in a social setting and then I'll start.
We are always I mean, I'm the same stuff.
Fact that it is with you, as with the fact that you're of us.
You can get along with each other at work should not be something that's celebrated or made for me to feel uncomfortable. I'm happy you guys like each other in the office. We can it's a change. Celebrate each other in any way we win.
It's a change. I appreciate it. How is it a change to you?
The change you want to see in the world. You know who said that, Mike Tyson, Well, Greg has said it.
Multi. Yes, we're just pushing back on a little narrative.
But you're the you made the narrative. I'm happy you guys are falling in love and agree with you.
Sound absolutely thrilled with the development.
There's nothing better than a positive a podcast where everyone agrees with everyone at all times. And if I have to be the guy that slides into this little bond, I will Wow.
What a setup.
As Razor ramone one said, I'm the bad guy. If I must be, I will be for our listeners. And you know the referee in Detroit, let's hear him browning.
Offense number seven.
I'm talking to.
America here, and that's cool. He's talking to America on this podcast. We talked to the world. So yes, at least zero. I think it's I think it's great. I think it's great that you guys have this bond in year eleven. That's hitting a level that we hadn't seen before.
It's an international bond.
Speaking of international, we'll have an announcement coming up soon. Leave it there, Leave it there.
I feel like our listeners could guess the general gist, but there are specifics.
Just leave it sometimes, just leave it right.
Leave it.
You did the same thing on the Thursday show when Mark and I were like laughing about that thing.
I don't even remember what you're talking about.
You know the thing?
Remember people have they've inquired where the giggles came from, and it's likest just let you let the.
Let the thing in the air, all right, Week two Sunday, lots of football. I think we just got to get to it. Greg, you ready to get to it? Please, let's do it. Starting where we must start the game is actually in the same building where that referee had that little America quip.
I wish I knew his name. I actually typed the officials.
I said, I can get that for you. I tried to good luck because it just said on Twitter. I typed it in X excuse me the quote waiting for one tweet saying who the what the man's name was?
Did you try Google?
Did he try to pick that game book?
That's waiting?
The effort became too much.
It was it was a search.
After the was it reliable? Landscape of X didn't provide what you needed.
Come on, I'm seeing I'm seeing Alex Kemp lead official. I like Alex Kemp.
Camper has got a good personality. Back to ford Field.
Hutchinson's back in the game for the Lions. Gino from the shotgun with Walker beside him. Three wide receivers in the game. Gino is Yorking, Yorking. Now he throws fourth time, it's wucking. Does he reach the ball across.
Over by.
Seyhawks?
Tyler Lockett bt a little pants out into the right side plan reaches.
The ball across the pilon.
He scores.
They're gonna check to be sure.
But all you gotta do is get the ball across.
The top of the pylon.
Hell yeah, and he touches it.
He did it. He's good for a face.
He did. We got here room, Gary, my heroes. It was worth hanging in. Well, we don't need that. That's what I do. All right.
Here we go Steve Rabel and Dave Lyman with the call k I r Oh. The Seahawks almost let it slip away at ford Field, blowing a ten point fourth quarter lead, but they won the overtime coin toss, then won the game when Gino connected with Tyler Lockett, all reliable who connected with the pylon. Final score Seahawks thirty seven, Lions thirty one, Greggy, great back and forth affair and a huge lift for Seattle after we one's disappointment.
An awesome game between these two teams for the second straight year. Was forty eight to forty five last year, this one just as exciting. And as much as I want to honk about Gino and we can a little later, I just think Tyler Lockett's one of those guys that is gonna be a legend in Seattle for the rest of his life. What is this his tenth year in the league. That he's a bigger deal to his team than you can possibly imagine. And to me, this was
such a classic Tyler Locket game. He drawed, he drew a PI that led to a TD early and then twenty four to twenty one fourth quarter early Seahawks trailing third and ten, Big Spot twenty I'm sorry they were trailing by four at the time. Trailing by four third and ten, Big Spot need that first down. Lockett creates so much separation, wins early in the route, gets open for genial gets the first down. Very next play gets open immediately for Gino who drops it in the bucket
on a beautiful touchdown pass. And then fast forward to overtime win and he needs someone to get open and make a play. It's Tyler Lockett, and so he doesn't jump off the box score. But it was such a smart veteran game by Gino, Lockett and DK Metcalf who was fighting through an injury to survive without their two starting tackles against this Lions team.
So it's such a such a Week two type performance in general with the NFL, where there's this bounce back and we saw from Seattle and Gino looks like it played great. Like I have a question because my takeaway from watching the Lions against the Chiefs and the opener was, Wow, this defense is transformed.
It's different.
It's changed the secondary especially, and I'm looking at the numbers, say it's like, what happened to Detroit's secondary?
Well, let's let Dan Campbell start by maybe addressing some of that.
You know, we had our opportunities there again, man, take the turnovers away all of a sudden. Man, we're in control of that game like we should be. But Ultimately, you know what, they got the ball out. We didn't, and we put a tremendous amount of stress on our defense. You know when you do that, and we did. We had some man, you know, we we had some really good opportunities that we just didn't capitalize fro him. And look, I know it stings, and those guys are disappointed. I'm disappointed.
The staff is. But my gosh, man, this is this is good. You know, we'll get a little humble pie here and we got a real good opponent coming in next week. And you know they they run it is good, if not better than those guys, and they have better weapons.
I usually think Jan Campbell's pretty straightforward. That was not being straightforward his defense.
He said it was good.
His defense was bad. I think he's doing the thing. It's the Parcels thing too, and he once played for Parcels where you pump him up a little bit like the people that really need to hear it the negative stuff. You don't say it to him after a loss. It was on their defense. Yes, the offense turned it over. That was the difference in the game, because otherwise I think the lines could have put up fifty today. But
the defense had one quarterback hit the entire game. That came on a play where Geno Smith thought that he had to take a sack no matter what, and it would have been the play that people remember Gino on this game for he played like fifty perfect snaps and then ran around and took a seventeen yard loss because he didn't want to stop the clock even though it was the two minute warning right before they gave the ball back to the lines late in regulation. That was
the only time anyone touched Gino the whole game. And yes, Gino did a great job navigating the pocket. He got rid of the ball pretty well, but their pass rush was pretty much absent. The only play Aiden Hutchinson made was like a screen pass that he tipped. I mean, the Seahawks out schemed them. They could have had more points in this game, too, So neither defense covered themselves in glory in the lines and make any plays on defense.
Gino referred to as the adversity killer after this game. And by the way, the opponent coming up next is the Atlanta Falcons, as a team that obviously loves to run the football.
Did he just say they had bet the Atlanta Falcons had better skill players than the Seahawks.
Weird, little weird.
It's DK Metcalf who called Gino the adversity killer. So yeah, that was after all that disappointment in Week one to be able to rally back the way they did it and on the line side of the ball.
The end of this game, because they.
Had a pick six Jared Goff, I understand in this game, and how did they get back into the game.
Take me through that right.
So they were up by four as I was mentioning twenty one to seventeen going into the fourth quarter. The Seahawks end up ripping off two touchdowns and short or to the first of the pass from Lockett and then Goff on a throw that Campbell said was more of a indecisive route by the running back, which was Jamir Gibbs. I didn't see that. But injuries really did affect the Lions.
They were without their left tackle, Taylor Decker, and for the most part that was fine, and then they lost David Montgomery in the game, who had a costly fumble too, and the Montgomery injury did hurt him because they had a bad pass protection play right before Goff through that interception where he took a sack and then he seemed a little spooked and got rid of the ball a little too quickly even though pressure wasn't there, and they blamed it on Gibbs, but I don't know, it just
looked like a bad throw and kind of one of those GoF gets spooked. After that long interception streak ended, so their injuries mattered, and they also lost vy Tie, their offensive lineman to what did not look like a good injury during the game.
So that was a couple key losses.
And that's who they are. I mean, their offensive line is the core of I think one of the huge reasons that you know, up until today Jared Goff was without an interception. That streak is broken. That was very costly. Like I thought, I was sort of expecting Gibbs to make a leap in this game or soon, and it's like seven carries for seventeen yards on the ground. Is he just not fully there yet?
They Yeah, they didn't really do much on the ground in general, but you can kind of see why they Like Gibbs also busted up Seattle on a couple of nice choice routes, Like I'm not that worried about him, but you saw why he was underground.
I do want to give Pete Carroll just a little bit of juice though.
Goes goes for a fourth down on that drive in the middle of in the middle of the third quarter in his own end is a second straight week we've seen some of these old coaches, including Pete going for it on fourth down. I think he knew his offense had to carry him today and then they went for it.
And give Pete also some juice. Men's in his seventies now that intentional grounding that led to the I'm talking to America line.
He was on fire.
He was on fire, terrible, terrible, like a man forty years as junior. So Pete, It's a never ending flow of optimism and energy, very vivacious, extremely and a very nice win for the Seahawks and a tough one for Detroit who fall to one and one.
I do want to hear Jaron Reed just quickly for you guys who in the locker room after the game was wearing a blue ski mat Chauncey Gardner Johnson, who's trying to make the blue ski mask a thing in Detroit, and all these fans who were so loud greg OL's and said it might have been the loudest stadium he's ever been in, especially when they made that comeback. A lot of people show up with the blue ski mask, but Jaron Reid brings it out in the locker room.
That's the risk for the listeners is a dance.
There's a huge dance in the locker room and Jaren Reid's got the mask on.
Yeah.
I didn't like the premise of it, which was Gardner Johnson said, you know our defense, you know we're villains or something like that, so let's lean into it.
I don't look at the.
Lines of villains in any way, even if you want to be the bad boys. I like them as a heartwarming, lovable group, so I'm fine with the blue mask going away.
It's not my thing.
Today.
They robbed their own offense, so that's not how crime works. If you're a smart criminal, well.
You got to move on from there because there's no coming back.
I think I should maybe, maybe I should move on from the whole evening After.
That, Jim Nance had some howlers today where just some different play on words. Where Nance is I think he's just leaning into certain elements of his play by play.
That just ground the Hotel cast to a halt.
It's very concerning to me that the first place you went after my hideous comment was a jim Nance parallel. That's not a good trajectory.
Let's head to Atlanta, then you'll like this better.
Ball at the seven coup to try the field goal to give Atlanta the lead, and the crowd is cooing, which has become kind of the norm here in Atlanta. And this will be right at twenty six yards. He's hit already today from twenty four to thirty three and thirty nine. That's going to put it right on the fifteen, so it'll be twenty five yards. Pinion to hold McCullough to snap on the left, Ash young wife for the lead.
Snap spot kick is.
Up and it is perfect, and Atlanta's in front with fifty seven suckets left.
Okay, West there with the call is ZGC.
Try to contain yourself there on the radio call?
Yeah maybe maybe okay.
Bjon Robinson ripped off a seven yard run on fourth and one.
That's set up who's twenty five.
Yarder with less than a minute to play, and the Falcons rally for a twenty five to twenty four win over the undermanned Packer is at the big Benz. I call it that mark. It appears as if Bijeon or Beajean is the immediate difference maker. We all expected him to be.
Looks great through the offense, having a lot of up and down moments over the last two weeks. It's not ever been anything but consistency from bejeon Robinson, and he is in. I think his role just grows weekly. It's inevitable that we see less of anyone else from the backfield.
He's just that powerful. I mean, I want to mention how we got to that moment though that kick, because I thought the Falcons two thirds of the way through this game, I was sort of imagining this show and mentioned to Greg that I thought we probably gonna get Verbally last we.
Were nervous in theory at about this Falcons. We were nervous about what big old mean bully Dan was gonna do to us, and there was reason for it.
It's terrible. You guys have a bad attitude.
Okay, that separate, separate of this this having this conversation again, separate oft that the Falcons were not looking like the hype machine that we had been discussing over the past couple of weeks. Desmond Rider really up and down, and it's just like they weren't the some of their parts. I thought they grew up today a little bit. They evolved, and it has a lot to do with Arthur Smith for me. They were down twelve points in the fourth quarter.
They reel off thirteen consecutive scored on their final four possessions, and part of it is, you know, they're down twenty four to twenty two just before the two minute warning and they're at that fourth and inches situation, and a lesser coach might say, let's just co the go field goal here. Instead, Arthur Smith does not want to give the ball back to Green Bay on fourth and gency dials up that Bejon Robinson run. Previously in the game when they were down twenty four to twelve, they had
a fourth and four from the Packers six. Again, he's like, I'm gonna trust my offense and on that play Desmond Ridder rolled out ran into the end zone for a score. So it's like Arthur Smith foot on the gas over and over, trusting his skilled position players to grow up, and that move to have Robinson do that milk that clock down, and it put Jordan Love, who have a really particularly great game today in general, into a tough spot. He laid about a minute to operate after that and
looked lost like that. The Packers offense couldn't do anything at that point and Atlanta completed the comeback. And there's a lot to say about the Packers' young receivers, about the ups and downs with Desmond Ridder about in general, I think where this Falcons offense is, but I kind of love that. I think what Arthur Smith is building is coming into focus to some degree. This would have been an easy one had that final like twenty minutes of the game game gone differently to be like the
Falcons are half baked. I think they grew today.
This is the recipe. Now they should get this win at home when the Packers don't have David Baktiari, which is that was surprising, Aaron Jones not there, Christian Watson not there, Elton Jenkins leaves during the game. So you could argue that's their four best players on offense, unless you want to throw Jordan Levin as one of their best players on offense. But they also did exactly what the Falcons are supposed to do. They dominated this game in the line of screwers. Four hundred and forty six
yards to two twenty four. That's the profile of a game that's not close. Seventy eight plays to forty seven. That's them wearing down. And so maybe it's not that surprising. They had a fourth quarter, so maybe this game shouldn't have been as close. But you still see what the Falcons is.
Forty five carries, four point seven yards per rush.
There's progress here.
I thought it was kind of a bad game plan last week and Smith was defensive about it, and now it makes more sense. Here's Jean Robinson. He's leading the game and team and carries that make sense. He has twenty three touches. That's you're going in or twenty two touches. Excuse me, twenty three touches that's going in for one seventy two right direction. Kyle Pitts still lives somewhere, but not on this roster. But you've got Drake London more involved.
The seven targets. He edded a touchdown. Just you know, I'll have to watch the game, but I know Ritter started very poorly and depending on you know, who's watching the game and how you want to see it. I was I was reading that there could have been many more potential turnovers for Ritter if the bounces go against Atlanta.
But I'm not here to ran on the parade. You guys watch it. No, No, I.
Think I think Ritter is the parade stopper. If you don't get he threw, you know, he threw his first career interception today. He also threw a pass right into the arms of quay Walker that like, quay Walker's gonna be thinking about that all week. He should not have dropped it. He should have had three picks. He is really inconsistent throwing the ball deep, but he did. They did. Arthur Smith kept trying and he had a couple of deep connections that made a difference in this game. But
you're kind of riding that ridder wave. I'm not sort of selling him as the light bulb and this operation.
This was nice though, I mean it's a it's a comeback victory. I think this team is built to play from ahead. All teams are, but this team especially. That would be my only concern around Atlanta because I think this running game, I think we all know is for real and if the defense can play at a certain level. I don't know if this was a real test in Week one in Week two because Green Bay was so banged up the Panthers in Week one, I don't know about their defense yet. But this has been a two
and oh though. Yeah, you can't take that away. That's a you can't start any better.
It's been a perfect setup to start this season. Two home games like this, where you get the Panthers the first week and then the Packers I think are a tough opponent, but with the injuries that they had.
The David Bactiari situation for the Packers which has been ongoing for years now, literally years, and we were trying to decipher it Gregie at the end of the summer leading into the season, and then we thought maybe veteran rest days actually did mean that it was just a veteran restae because then he played last week this week not around and and now Lafloor adds a little more context to it, and you realize, really what the Packers are up against with one of their most important players.
You're gonna know, I mean, we all know that Dave's been dealing with this and so no, so.
It could just be a thing where he doesn't play anything.
You guys, I'm not going to get into that, Mike. We all know this has been this is two years now, so I'm not going to get into it. It's probably gonna be like this from here on out.
Mhm.
He was.
He was being asked if doctor doesn't play on artificial turf. Now, if that's going to be and maybe it's only at home games at Lambeau and road games on grass.
We'll see.
Obviously it's tender situation. Let's uh any other thoughts on the game. I would just say that when you're yes, you were without those guys. But Jaden Reid really nice game today, two touchdowns, Dontavian Wicks making big plays. It's like they're just so young that like David BAKTIERI feels from like eight years ago to me. I know he's so important to them, but it's like they are growing this young offense. And I thought that Jordan Love like after two games, I'm sold, like this guy can play.
I mean, they they kind of fizzled out over the final three drives. That didn't That wasn't a great look. But like Jordan Love was making plays all over the place. I think we need to represent the Packers fan base here because behind the glass before we started, I was talking to Randy big Funk and.
Yeah I was venting a little bit.
Yeah he was pissed, and that's good. Tell me what you were What were you saying to me behind the glass.
I said some things along the likes of Joe Barry should walk home, Yes, walk back to Wisconsin. There was a moment in the game that I think really stood out where Campbell are all pro linebacker lined up against John Robinson. It's like, you can't be making those kinds of calls that lay in the game against someone that explosive. And then also it was you know, it was really hard because A J. Dillon just he can't like go more than five yards or something without tripping somehow. And
it's like, I get it. He's the big bruiser, he's the big truck.
He's a good backup riding back.
But yeah, but if he if he's try, if he's your truck, but your truck blows the tire every four yards, it's like it's frustrated.
Got a problem, vehicle problem?
You got a problem and the young guys look great, but and I mean it's that's that's saying one thing because everyone's young on that team. But I mean it was just it was tough man that and those two big interceptions that the guys they gotta get, you know, it's.
The quay Walker one was just like that was tough sitting there.
But Jai had a that a that's a touchdown, that's a pick six, And it's like, you can't if you're gonna talk all that and you're gonna you're gonna have that person you're gonna carry on the field, you gotta back it up. And it's i'mna be honest. He was getting cooked for a good part of this game by a lot of the receivers.
Joe Berry is the potentially the off season sin though that sets this team back, because I was curious. This was like a early litmus test of is this Packers evens any different? Because they haven't stopped the run for three straight years. This is as tough a test as you can get, and in this game, no, they really weren't any different. They did not stop the run.
Uh, let's head to the big Chlorian tank where the Chiefs are looking to get off the mat after a frustrating Week one loss.
Third and three, Mahomes and the Chiefs at the Jaguar nine seven to six Kansas City eleven forty two to go third quarter, single back McKinnon in front of Mahomes this time snapped back to Mahomes rules to his right side, now throws.
It for Kelsey wide opening the end zone.
Touchdown Kansas City. The forty seventh time that Patrick Mahomes has found Travis Kelsey in the sweet nectar the end zone. That's an old time Kansas City Chiefs record quarterback to a pass catcher Kelsey's back.
Bench Holdnis wdaf Kelsey caught that touchdwn pass. It was to go ahead and eventually game decide and score for the Chiefs, who don't really surge again for the second street wake on offense, but it was enough to take care of the Jacksonville Jaguar seventeen to nine in the rematch of the AFC Divisional playoffs last week. Boys, this game,
I kept on waiting for it to achieve liftoff. Did it never really happened and Kansas City had three early turnovers in this game and the Jaguars had multiple opportunities on offense, including a first, first and goal situation where they couldn't punch it in, and in the end, it was one of those games where both head coaches are saying, man, I wish we would have played better, but one side gets to go home with the win, and it was the visitors from Kansas City.
These Trevor Lawrence passes into the back of the end zone where Zay Jones like, you know, if you're half an inch two inches different in a different position, it's a touchdown. I think another one to Calvin Ridley's similar situations like this game came down to those plays. I thought for Jacksonville because I'm watching a Chiefs offense that is still waiting to get on track. It's nice to see sky Moore show up a little bit more. He played a ton of snaps las week and had zero production.
Kadarius Tony caught all five targets. I guess that's a positive. Kelsey caught just four of nine, and he seems so steam during this game. They kept cutting a hint, just like freaking.
Out on the flow.
It should be said that everyone was steaming, because I believe it was around one hundred degrees kick off, saying more temperament right.
Well, which could also lead to temperamate changes you.
Want to Tokyo, it.
Can really lead you to be more amped up and deal with frustrating. It's happened to us number our Draft live show. I mean, yeah, a lot of frustration on both sides of the ball. I want to point out also that the Chiefs, in addition to the three turnovers, had a ton of penalties in this game, twelve penalties for ninety four yards and a lot of players cramping on the field.
I kind of hate that.
Like you know, I grew up in the Northeast, Like football to me is the leaves falling and some crisp Christmas in the air.
Also a week two that feels like it makes it even tougher.
I think that.
I think the weather and the element absolutely played it played it effect in these offenses struggling, and yeah, the Laurens side and the near misses, that's that's frustrating. On the positive side for one of the teams here, Chris Jones came back and had an immediate impact in this game, so you have you have him in the mix now. On the negative, side. For the Chiefs, you have Juwan Taylor, who started his career with the Jaguars. His homecoming was terrible.
He was penalized five times bench t verse series, flagged twice for fall wow, once for an illegal formation, and twice for holding. So it's just it's just not even there. The whole game was a little bit like man like a.
Tough spot for the number one overall picking our draft.
Yeah, zeusters, I was I was waiting for this game to take off.
It just couldn't couldn't get it.
And even Iron Eagle, the normally dependable Iron Eagle, after the Kelsey touchdown, he is quote Kelsey finds a blank space for the score, referring to the Taylor Swiss. And I'm just like, at this point, it's already. I know there's a relations and ship versioning here. Go deeper in the catalog for me.
I don't if you want to impress me, ah, go a little deeper.
Than you want to. You want people to get the joke.
No, you don't. You want to go so deep that only the real ones get. No, that's my take.
I don't know if Iron Eagle would.
Be the bad beat by Eagle. He's a swifty pot.
He does well, he does very well.
Yeah, exactly, And if Kelsey's knee is still bothering him, you wouldn't know because he punted the ball into the end from the end zone in celebration. He but only four catches on nine targets or twenty six yards.
So missed opportunity.
Is watching Chiefs games now, Sorry, Gregley.
I don't know.
I haven't really done the necessary deep dive if this is even a real thing.
Okay, So I don't know.
I don't think anyone really knows. Even Jason Kelsey was asked about it and he was not going to be talking.
It's a missed opportunity.
Jaguars could have put the Chiefs head oz in two, could have had a tie breaker, could have been two games up on the Chiefs, and held the Chiefs to seventeen points. It's only seven times in the Mahomes era that they've scored seventeen points or less.
And you don't even get a touchdown. You're an offensive team.
It's a good ball, and it's in your building, and you circled it as a revenge game after the playoffs, and you have the Chiefs still finding themselves This is when you want to get to catch the Chiefs and you didn't. So yeah, not a good performance by the Jaguars, who only had two hundred and seventy one total yards in the game. All right, let's take a break and then we'll welcome in our weekly guest. All right, welcome back.
We keep on rolling now and it's time for the Sunday Drive presented by the first ever Toyota Grand Highlander.
Pat mccards.
Edwards to the backfield, Lamar Jackson under center, third down and three or third down and ball game.
Give us to Edwards up the middle.
He's got a hole, he's got a first down.
I'm with one ten left of playing Cincinnati.
He's in the barn. There it is, and the Ravens.
Will pick up win number two in the twenty twenty three season. I think this isn't Eddy Bingals fans the hazes in the barn and they are going to find their horses.
John Harbaugh was pumped on the sideline.
Wow, Wow, Rod Woodson, and they are going find their horses.
Jerry Sandusky and Woodson with a call Ravens Radio. Yes, the big first down conversion by Gus Edwards and Lamar Jackson again looking like the MVP the Ravens need him to be this season. He threw two touchdown passes, repeatedly extended drives with his legs, and Baltimore topped the still slumbering Bengals twenty seven to twenty four.
Let's now welcome in.
The great Nick Shook, who looks like a man that's as pumped up as John Harbaugh was on the sideline after that first down.
There it is.
I'm still trying to find my horse. Where is it? What kind of thoroughbread do I have? Is it an Arabian? Get a quarter horse?
Horses?
Apple Loosa in Rod Woodson like the head coach in one of those spring weeks year.
I guess they're still doing that. Yeah, still doing Okay? What do you got, Nick? What were your thought? Let's start with Lamar who did not look very good in Week one. The offense was a little sleepy for Baltimore. But this was much more like it, wasn't it?
Yeah?
He looked better this week. This offense is starting to find its footing with him because you know, new offensive coordinator, new system and everything else. He had a couple of really nice passes downfield. He also had a couple of misses, but what I like most about him was that he was able to continue to extend drives, especially in key moments, and when he lost guys like Odell Beckham who exited
the game, he went to Devin Duvernet. Well, he tried to go to Devin Dubernet, didn't actual complete a pass, but he did go to Nelson Agalor a lot. He actually ended up leading them in receipt in receptions with five. Spread it around. The offense moved well, the run game was balanced among their running backs. It just looked like an offense that's taking that next step under a new coordinator,
and it was really nice to see. But conversely, the team they were playing, it took them six quarters the seventh quarter of the season to finally score touchdowns, so they were operating with a bit of an advantage in this game. But I was more impressed by the Ravens and Lamar Jackson this week certainly than I was last week.
Yeah, they're zero and two again. The Bengals. We were here a year ago, but a year ago they had five more points per game at this point, nearly one hundred more yards per game, they were far better on third down. Joe Burrow is averaging point five to six Fantasy points on vertical passes. Like I guess it's just like, Oh, they're the Bengals, just like the Bills and the Chiefs. They're a little funky right now, but they're gonna get
right or is there real concern here? Are they even like the where would you rank him in the AFC North.
Oh Man, Well, considering we haven't seen the Steelers in Brown's play this week yet, they're third, if not fourth. It's the offense just has not gotten out of first gear. And you could tell in the second half of this game, really the end of the first half and going to the second half that Zach Taylor realized, Look, I got to like start from the first step, from the ground level here. We're rebuilding this entire offense right now because we cannot do what we did well in the last
week years. So we're just gonna dink and dunk. We're gonna get Joe Burrow into a rhythm, connect with some guys underneath, run some deep digs just beyond the sticks, and then maybe we can open it up. They never really opened it up because it was never there, and they just don't look comfortable as an offense and as
a whole. I mean, fans are booing them in the first half of this game Sunday because at one point they had zero first downs, they'd run twelve plays, they were I think time of possession was four minutes early in the second quarter. Their only offensive touchdown prior to the second half was a punt return touch that was our first touchdown of year as a punt return. Kearlie Jones shut up perdue. So not not a good situation for them right now. They did get a little bit better.
They got better and t Higgins got on the board with two touchdowns, so that's a start after getting shout out yesterday. But to me, the biggest storyline coming out of the game for the Bengals, even beyond the final score, is that Burrow limps off the field after their last possession with aggravated the same calf injury that took out his training camp.
And now we're in the middle of it. We're we're in the middle of the season.
Now we're they're gonna be entering week three zero and two, and Burrow's saying if they would have had a chance to get back on the field.
I would have been out there.
But this is a really big concern shook and we just saw a superstar quarterback below his achilles in week one. Like the fact that Burrow is dealing with a calf and going to try to play through it, it just gets you nervous.
Yeah, and Rogers had a lot more time to heal from that calf injury than Burrow got. So it is without a doubt concerning and it's calves are kind of I'm not a doctor, but calves are kind of like hamstrings, and that they can be nagging and that they can be an issue throughout the season. If he's limping in week two, I'm not feeling great about that right now. And if that's part of what's wrong with this offense, then that kind of makes sense because they have too
much talent to be operating this way. I do, though, feel a lot better about where they're headed based on what they played, how they played in the second half. Then I wasn't halftime today. But if this is injury's gonna be a consistent problem, then you have to lower your expectations for this team as a whole.
Why he was in one of those theory guns on his calf there on the sideline.
Yeah, kind of waiting it up there.
I think his mobility was an issue last week, but you know, the rain maybe is part of that. I'll be anxious to watch it here because he's a different player if he can't move. I mean, he he's a guy who wants to get rid of the ball quickly. But his superpower is he's so good at that. Plus he can extend and make the players when he needs to.
What fascinating me, And tell me if you can just see anything different here, shok is that Lamar got rid of the ball in two point six seconds so far, a career low through two games where he's getting the ball out faster. And I think it's telling that Agilar was like their fourth or fifth receiver, and then he comes in and is solid enough like in the previous years he would have been the first receiver.
It just from the beginning.
So they actually have guys that can come in that that are okay when they inevitably suffer Odell Beckham or their receiver injuries.
Yeah, that's what I really like about this offense is they have surprising depth of receivers so much that when DeAndre Hopkins became available in the offseason and people try to pair him at the Ravens, I'm like, look at their death chart. They've got a lot of guys there already. I think it's a little crowded, and that crowded room benefited them today. But you know what really worked more than anything, Greg, was you talking about quick passes. It
was everything over the middle. It was just crossers, underneath stuff. Just you wun't talk about getting somebody into a rhythm. That was Lamar Jackson. He was finding different guys over the middle of all game. He took some shots, but it wasn't super prevalent. He didn't even have to extend the play all that much, except in some key moments where he had to scramble away from the rush to
pick up a first down. So I really like the rhythm they got into, and I think that they can be a better passing offense than they've been into Lamar Jackson arrow. I'm not saying that's a five thousand yard season for him, but it offers more potential than we've seen from them to this point in his career.
And let me just throw it out there Odell Beckham, Yes, as we mentioned, did go out with an ankle.
It's not believed to be serious.
But again, he's a guy that's missed a lot of time in the last couple of years and it's something to watch. And Burrow said he'd have to see how his CAF feels over the next two days before knowing whether it will affect his availability. Yikes. That was the Sunday Drive presented by Toyota. Let's go places learn more at toyota dot com, slash Grand Highlander.
Let's head to Mile High with shookey.
Now Washee, you could still win the game right here, time o'clock. The Pros have to convert a two point conversion to send it to overtime drama.
Sessler a fifty yard touchdown. Let's go. Maybe it will end differently than when I watched the.
Snack play action steps up, throws towards the towards Cornland Sutton.
Incomplete the Flags game over Washington.
Wait thirty three should have been pleased.
Oh yeah, this was ald one.
Well, the game itself, it's I trust our producer implicitly, but it's it's about the team.
Did the team have the moment they needed.
We're about to talk about it, Rad Weinstein, London Fletcher Wbig with the call Sessler's not about it. Russell Wilson connected on a Hail Mary touchdown to Brandon Johnson's time ran out. But that two point conversion type you just heard incomplete the crushing end for Denver and a heart stopping thirty five thirty three win for the Commanders at Mile High shook. I ask you as a fan, okay, and I know you're gonna be oh brownsed out tomorrow Monday night.
I'm so bitter becaus my Monday night. What is wrong with you?
Put yourself in the shoes of Broncos Nation. Would you rather convert that Hill Mary and then miss the two pointer with a missed DPI to boot brutal or never see it get to that moment at all?
As a fan? What would you rather have there?
Never see it get to that name? And I can totally with you, of course.
Yeah.
The first example, since you you know you're gonna paint me to that Browns corner. I was at Browns Ravens twenty fifteen Monday Night football when they had their game winning field goal attempt returned for a touchdown.
Ouchers, I remember that one.
I've been there.
Yeah, toughy, tough sitch your thoughts on this game. So yeah, the the the Broncos getting it to that point was a miracle because this is a game after a quick start for Denver, Washington had total control of before or when Mayhem trying to like break down like this game because it was kind of all over the place.
Okay, So Russell Wilson and Sean Payton discovered that they could hit the deep ball, and Marvin Mims was their guy in this game. Sixty yard touchdown pass, just a majestic, beautiful throw, and I'm like, Russell Wilson's unlocked. They can't go deep. Everything's great. They fell in love with that
deep ball. They were up twenty one to three, and it felt like Russell got a taste of just what is so delicious in scoring big play touchdowns and being the star and forgot how to operate the offense in the intermedia in short levels because also this processing slowed down.
He didn't look like the market. This is not the defense that you necessarily want to try and take a million shots on because their front is so good, Like you have to give Washington a ton of credit two games in a row where they've done a great job up front, But I mean Russell Wilson was a different quarterback from half one to half two, and really quarter one,
early quarter two into half two. They blew it, straight up blew this opportunity in my opinion, because of the way their offense just ground to a halt in the second half, and then they struggle in the red zone prior to that final possession which they hit that hail Mary and had to settle for three. I'm seeing shades and Nathaniel Hackett. And then finally on the two point conversion,
you know what Russell Wilson did. He misses a crossing Jerry Judy open on the left side of the field, just like he missed a crossing kJ Handler in that game against the Colts in prime.
Nathaniel Hackett, thanks, nice to see you out here.
I not nice to see this offense.
I'm defending the honor of the bongos here. If you give a game where one team is up twenty one to three, where Russell Wilson has multiple bombs, including one of the wildest hail mary's we've ever seen, I mean that thing was a rain maker, got batted up by like three or four different players, then goes in uh and then you lose on the two point conversion after you made an eleven point come back in the last five minutes and Sean Payton's zero and two at home
and in Denver. That feels bongo worthy. That's just like bonkers. That's what bongos are all about. Ever, I would never doubt that emailed them.
I'm not openly doubted them. I could just I know what kind of games I like where the bongos come out.
In my opinion, I have an argument against this. Most of those comebacks that you just described are explosive. There are tons of fireworks. It's thrilling. This moved at a glacial pace. It was dreadful the last six minutes. The anxiety was just building, the dread that the Broncos fans were gonna have to go home and process the fact that they watched their team blow in eighteen point lead. It was there, it was I could feel it through
the TV. And then all of a sudden hail Mary where everybody's like, let's just leave, let's just get this over with. Oh my god, he caught it, well, they're probably not going to get the two. And then they didn't get the two.
And the look on Sean Payton's face set a lot to me throughout the second half of this game. It just like it was like how many lemons can you ingest? I would say though, flip side like Washington because the career of Eric Beeenemy in Kansas City, it's like whatever they achieved, it's like, well, it wasn't really you, it's Andy Reid. Like this Washington offense with a quarterback that was completely untested coming into the season. This was a pretty great performance by Eric enemy.
Yeah, very solid balance between the run and the past. Brian Robinson had a very great day. And you know what, guys, I owe Sam Allen Ron Rivera an apology because as you guys probably remember, maybe not, you do a lot of shows. You probably know we don't. We once to did a segment what has you shook? And I was shook about the fact that he was gonna roll with Sam Howe. I see why, now I see it. I am sold. I love the way this kid battles. He's a gamer, he's decisive, he's got Yeah, so there's the
bongo juice right there. If that's a thing, that.
Was disgusting, but it's a thing now you've said it, so now it's out there.
Russ was holding on to the ball for a while.
And I hate to put this too much on the offense because the Broncos defense has really been a problem in both of these games. I know the score wasn't high last week, but per drive, the Raiders put it to them and they were the problem here. But Russ did get hit fourteen times, seven sacks, four times that the Commanders got their hands on the ball. In terms of past defense passes deflected rather and so that's too much. You know a lot of teams. We got Young and
Sweaty back. It's back Dan Chase Young is a thing. Montes sweat is definitely a thing.
They converged.
There's a great moment and Washington fans have been waiting for this and we're expecting a lot more of it. Quite frankly, in the last couple of years where on that penultimate drive for Denver flamed out and ended with a field goal. Young and Sweaty meet at Russell Wilson and there was a great shot by Fox of Young and sweaty like screaming at each other in excitement after the sack. As you see Russell Wilson in the background kind of pill himself off the turf and walk away.
And it's like, that's what the Washington commanders need for this defense to be special. Those two guys in concert. Now here's the ultimate test mark. And I said, I set it up this way shook. As we say goodbye, Broncos fans, I'm going to play you the Denver radio call of the Hail Mary from Dave Logan and Rick Lewis KOA. If you don't want to hear it, because you wish in reality it never happened, you're gonna need
to fast forward. What about thirty to forty five seconds? Eric, Yes, hit the fast forward button three times to be safe if you don't want to hear this, because I understand it can be triggering.
Here it comes three.
Seconds to go from the fifty down eight trying to get a free snap.
Commanders don't jump off, they rush four.
Rust on the pocket now bounces around.
The ball, deflected, touched defer friend to Johnson, Oh.
My lord, good googa moga.
Was worth deflected it ap.
To three and it was a great catch by Johnson to himself, to himself.
Wow, that's a shame. It's a shame. You gotta you lose a game with that.
Good Google Muga. Indeed, Chooky, thank you, buddy.
I'm getting that printed on my wall in my house.
Playa bongo juice, Google Muga.
What a sag?
All right, Choky, till next week. Let's keep on moving on to Nashville.
The AAF got him back into the NFL, and now he's.
Going for his thirteenth time game winning kick.
It was the XFL right way lost this job.
He talks to Snake House to hold and a kick.
Yes, Ma, yes, yes, yes, a redemption of Ryan Tannehill.
On a Sunday. It started Sonny ended with rain I love it. I gotta know Mark what he's upset about.
It is a huge moment for a Titans team that looked dead.
We can oh, there was a fifteen I saw it, so he was seventeen seconds away from kicking it.
So we're having a casual XFL career history chat in the middle of the game call.
But he hadn't end and kicked it yet. We were waiting for the kick, so I cut it a little short.
He actually brings up that he was selling real estate last year too before that, So there you go.
Don't tell Mark that you've got to be even more mad.
It's not a personal issue with the person you're discussing. It's just like, you know, the showmanship nature of like talking over the game call.
Sorry Dad, Mike Keith with the call wgf X. Would this have anything to do with the lock of this game?
Mark?
Perhaps I have something to say about that.
Nick Foll kicked the forty one yard field all and overtime in a downpour that broke out at at the wrong time.
Titans fans like mott owen, what are we doing over here? God?
And the Titans beat the Chargers twenty seven to twenty four, Markie, The Titans got a three and out to start overtime, then drove for the game winner. Was very nice, especially after a week one's brutal disappointment. And yes, Tannehill having a big bounce back is a part of that.
It is you know you mentioned Dan and I didn't really agree with your Herbert comments in terms of like who he is and who I think he is, but you are right about the fact that we're kind of missing large justin Herbert moments. This We're not that deep into his career, but like it's hard to find them, and you have to point to like, oh, maybe it's a Peyton Manning thing where these playoff wins and all
this other stuff's canna happen. Like when they went to overtime, this was he can He directed a field goal drive at the end that tied it and put it in overtime. They get the ball first, and it's like a great, a great chance to erase what happened a week ago where where the pass rush against the Dolphins snuffed him out and it wasn't all Herbert's fault, but the whole
thing fell apart. It's like, how about the whole entire team? Chargers, Like this is a team that's a good Titans defense, but you have no business going on too with the roster you have. You're in overtime, you get the ball, You're justin Herbert. Three straight in completions. They looked totally lost, and they made some big plays on offense in this game.
But it's like, then you hand the ball over to Ryan Tannehill, who a week ago looked like maybe the career was over, and Tannehill flamed this Brandon Staley defense for a number of big passes today and looked different than a week ago. He's like twenty for twenty four efficient playing behind a bad offensive line, You're not getting the same exact performance from Derreck Henry in the past.
But Ryan Tannehill in overtime makes enough plays to go down and you're right that rain started to come thundering down. It was like kick this thing as quick as you can, or wait until it ends, because it's like the rain was going to impact this kick. But they go get it done. And it's like who would have put their money on the concept that it would be Ryan Tannehill,
not justin Herbert, to get it done in overtime. And so as I was driving to work today, I was listening to this like preview show on the radio, and this one guy's like he was a from Vegas, one of these people, and he's like.
I love that you you always love like the deep on the AM dial. Oh yeah, Vegas shows where they get If I got one for you now, I'll give you this one for free.
But if you want my super duper lock.
Of the week, you gotta call this, but you know what he said, he's the he and it kind of it kind of like it got in my head and then I got to work and you're trying to like forgot about it. He's like, I would never in my life touch the Chargers on any type of anything. And I was like, wait a minute, I just locked this team, and it's like, of course they're going to go into Tennessee and win, Like how can they? How can this team come out?
Oh?
And two I came out of this game being like, I will literally, for as long as I do this show, never touch the Los Angeles Chargers in a lock ever again, Well what a disaster.
Let me let me just say this because I think it did get Perhaps we gotta remember someone remember this. It gets easily misconstrued when the three of us are just you know, babbling on and having honk attacks. But on Thursday show, I was not saying I don't believe in Justin Herbert or that he's not a great quarterback. I was simply saying that sometimes I need Justin Herbert to like, you know, just turn into Superman that we talk about him as.
And it just so happens the way it worked out. Is this game?
It perfectly was set up where they're down three points late in this game. And yes, like, obviously you give Herbert credit for marching a team into field goal range and getting that game to overtime, but I do have to I'm gonna pick some knits here and say it's first and ten at the Tennessee fourteen yard line in at the end of the fourth quarter, like, finish that drive off. Absolutely win the damn game. And then you win the coin toss, and again Herbert like, your team
needs this. That was a bad, bad week one. And it's not just the quarterback. It's it's the blocking scheme. The receivers have to make the right reads and make plays. Three plays zero yards punted away and you lose. And it's just like, I know, Chargers ends might get mad at those any Herbert takes that they are like, well, maybe he's not as good as all the people say.
But then a game like this happens and you look at the box score and you look at the actual the way the game played out, and it's like you just want a little bit more. And that separates the five hundred teams from the true contenders and right now the Chargers are a winless team.
I think it's just somewhat reductive because I think he's had those moments. He's among the league leaders, and fourth quarter comebacks, game with you know, game winning drives since he's come into the league. We can think of ones where he did it, and then you can always do that like today's perfect you have Derek.
Carr led that stat for a long right right.
My point though, is that his his coach, is in the crosshairs more than anything, more than their offense, more in there in certainly their defense, and and just seems like who is Brandon Staley? Like there's a point in the first half where he punts on fourth and one in Titan's territory. I know the end it ended up working out well. They had a coffin you know, kicked them quarter kicked them whatever, and he ended up getting the ball back in score.
It worked out well. But it's also just like who is Brandon Staley?
Here is Brandon Staley who was not happy when a reporter referenced how their season ended last year. Of course the twenty seven to nothing playoff meltdown.
Oo, hear is Staley?
A lot of people who sort of wonder whether that Jacksonville lost food.
I'm not worried about the jacksonvillete That Jacksonville loss hasn't carried on to the season whatsoever. If you've seen our training camp or you've seen the way we've played in the first two games, it hasn't had an impact on our team whatsoever. Our team is connected. Our team has played its hard out in two games, and we've lost two tough games, but has nothing to do with the Jacksonville game. And if you ask anyone in our locker room, it has nothing to do with the Jacksonville game. And
that's just the truth. It's a convenience storyline for you and for everybody else, but it's not the truth. We've lost two tough games. But the guys in that locker room, the men in that locker room, they are finishers and they have what it takes, and we're excited to prove ourselves.
Staley shown a little personality and fight, so I do want to hear more from him.
Yeah, we just lost a game in overtime, Jeff. So how do you think the mood is. How do you think the mood is, How do you think it is it's tough, it's tough. It's a tough, it's tough group in there. There's a lot of pride in that room, Okay, and we put a lot into this and we got a good football team. And so we've lost two tough games. We got to bounce back, learn from our mistakes, and be ready for Minnesota.
First of all, it's a clown question, Like it's such a weak question that I don't mind him getting mad, not because bringing it up, No, No, because he said a lot of people are saying and that's a I don't like that.
It's a move.
Any reporter that.
Ever says that, that says a lot of people are saying or people are saying this and then brings up a tough question.
Just you're a word you can't say on this show.
You're you're just being a shallow weak person in that spot when you're.
Just a little bit of there no shallow weak person.
I think so, because if you're gonna have the if you're gonna say that in a public spot, you stand on it. You're getting on them for not you know, being tough and standing out and you are like exhibiting the worst sort of like secondhand I'm afraid to actually say this, but I'm gonna put it on a lot of people out there are saying it.
You're there, just say it. It's fine.
He'll respect you more for that too, Like it's not that big of a deal. He's frustrated because, like the NFL is brutal, it's a short season. These two Like have they played better than the Commanders on balance in their two games? Like, sure they have, but these games come down to the end, especially when they're the Chargers, and they usually end this way when they're the Chargers and he's the coache.
I know what you're saying. We've talked about this before. I hate when reporters open a question that way. Say that's what you're saying, Yeah, that's all. Now this is where you could bring it up. I'll just to kind of extend that a little bit. A lot of people are saying that, not necessarily, that the end of last season is somehow carried a hangover, Because if that's what the reporter's question was exactly, I'm not sure what his
true angle was, then I disagree. But a larger idea about the Chargers and an inability to ask them about that that's a good question, Like there's a better way to ask that question, and but overall there is it's fair to wonder whether the Brandon Staly Chargers are ever gonna figure it out or we're gonna just be in this purgatory.
For right why, like we let's just isolate what the Brandon Staley Chargers are. He went on a long, you know, explanation a season plus ago, saying like whatever came before here is different. Now, it's not what we're gonna be. And that's fine. I liked that he said that back then. I liked that that's his mentality, and I think he's a smart, ingenius coach. But that's not been the case. The Chargers have been as chargery as any time before.
And I think the one thing that bothers me today is that under Kellen Moore was like, we're gonna they didn't have Austin Eckler, but Kelly is still a good running back. You ran the ball for two point nine yards per Carrie six one yards. Tennessee is a good run front, one of the best in the league. But you didn't find a way around that. And on that was against the defense. Missing Christian Fulton missing Amar Hooker,
Amani Hooker. I just think if you are on the flip side year three, Brandon Staley, like, what are you on defense? Like you WoT the Titans awoke on offense after looking very lost for six courts five plus quarters with deep downfield by Bosa, woke up today. You did get the rush going, but there is no identity to this Chargers defense other than we're probably gonna collapse at some point.
Give the Titans from some flowers, mark because I could hear a grave digger getting upset.
Well, he's right.
This is such a classic Titans win versus the yeah Chargers.
What did the Titans do here that they didn't do last week against the Saints?
Well, a number one, you got an efficient Ryan Tannehill who wasn't destroyed. I mean he did in flick damage, but he looked more like Ryan Tannehill. And you are working with you know, Nick Westbrook, Aquina and like DeAndre Hopkins, had a little bit more to do today, but they got the their passing game made big plays when they needed to. And I thought that you know your run game made they converted it in key third down spots and like the version of we got a Tannahill a
week ago. You're gonna go win four games all season. This Tannahill is the guy we've been watching.
Derek Henry owners in fantasy might have a little bit of a Tije Bears problem.
He's too good.
You gotta keep them on the field, and he was on midfield though. Yeah, it's great for them, it's great for them. Let's head to your world.
The four ball the left great Bob and the gun back is on his left.
Snap goes back looking to his left, looking looking checks it down.
We go.
The one leans over the pylon touchdown, slip touchdown of the year. Jake Ferguson was not happy with him.
Shown we're gonna bleep out, did not catch the ball and to show and we're we sell out on our own took the ball when they want the company any of these, we're part.
Of it, right.
You could have watched that play on NFL Plus. But we're not playing the sponsor on hell cowboys are.
I'd love to drive a Toyota Highlander. I don't have one. It's not like they gave them to us.
But you don't get that that's an idea. Brad Sham the sham god our friend with the call. Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes, which is better than Zach Wilson, who threw three interceptions and his first start after Aaron Rodgers season ending well question mark Achilles tendon injury, and the Cowboys roll the Jets thirty to ten, and the talked about on Thursday, this was a buzzsaw situation for the Jets given where they are and the way the
Cowboys look right now, and it was that way. But it's interesting watching this game how close it was to almost being a real game. It was Cowboys who really kind of bullied the Jets defense, which was a surprise.
You didn't expect that, but that's what happened in this game.
Up ten to nothing and the Jets offense doing less than zero until Zach Wilson plants his back foot and zips went into Garrett Wilson in man coverage and Garrett Wilson does, which Garrett Wilson does sixty seven yards to the house, and all of a sudden, it's ten to seven. Dak Prescott then drops back on the next drive and hangs one on the sideline. Sauce Gardner reads it perfectly breaks on the ball, jumps, the receiver's route drops what
is a back pocket pick six. So you go from potentially fourteen ten Jets and a whole new ball game and Dak feeling that energy suck after all the turnovers last year, to new life. The Cowboys turned that second life into a touchdown helped on a very tick tech roughing the passer call and third down in the red zone. But it is what it is and they never look
back from that point onward and Boys Zach Wilson. A lot of the storyline will be on the Jet side, Zach Wilson's three interceptions, which I don't think is totally fair for me. The storyline is more what the quarterback of the Jets was facing, which was a Cowboys front four and front seven led by Micah Parsons that looked unstoppable for the second straight week. And it's always a little bit different when it's your team playing player X that everyone rave is about. But Parsons has been putting
on an on tape for years now. It was said in this telecast, who was it? It was Romo and Nance. Nance said that he thinks and he's called a lot of Cowboys game. That was the best Micah Parsons game ever. And he was a constant force and a nightmare for the Jets.
He had that strip of Dalvin Cook and he raced to the house. Uh, you know, ruled down. Parsons was ruled down, but it was still a strip like that was like Defensive Player of the Year material, right, it was like MVP.
Stuff the game. It's just the way he played.
More quarterback hits, three tackles for last two sacks, a pass defense of forced fumble, and there.
Was and you and we're a little young, even Mark is like a football fan in the mid eighties, you weren't really, I'm sure all there yet, Like when they talk about Lawrence Taylor.
I watched a lot. I was all there. Like in terms of Lawrence Taylor my television, Like every week LT, you were a boy genius. No, no, you could you. I would say that you could be a very dim witted individual. And see that LT made a difference.
He was on NFL Plus back then breaking down the altar.
But Lawrence Seller when you watch those old clips on NFL films, like the way the immediacy in which he got to the quarterback and how we made offensive lines looks silly. There's a on the first possession for the Jets. It ends with a Parson sack where he literally is in the backfield in less than two seconds and taking out the quarterback, and that just set the tone for the game. And like I said, if Sauce makes that play and it goes the other way, you never know.
But overall, like this loss was not because Aaron Rodgers in Malibu right now with his state of the art surgery recuperation. It's because the Jets defense got its ass handed to it to them by a Cowboys offense that looks very good and a defense that looks otherworldly through two weeks.
Look out.
But I so I hear what you're saying. You can just pin it all on Wilson or X, Y and Z. But the uneven nature of this of this team right now and both sides of the ball is what freaks me out because we have to point to had this one play happened, they would have had a chance. The door would have still been slightly open. It's like you're waiting for a very improbable thing to occur, and it's typically gonna have to be the defense making some wizard play or scoring. The Cowboys had the ball for forty
two minutes. Yes, the Cowboys had twenty six first downs, the Jets had twelve. The Jets were one for ten on third down, the Cowboys were nine for eighteen. The Cowboys had three hundred and eighty two total yards. The Jets had two hundred and fifteen. The Cowboys had eighty three offensive plays, the Jets had forty six. That's a non functioning offense. It has a lot to do with the Cowboys defense, but I'm not sure it has a lot to do with who they played next week either.
It's like, you have a real problem here. And my concern is because it's such a likable, well coached team that you're gonna get a locker room schism because the defense is going to tire out and give up plays after a while. When you're out there for forty plus minutes.
You gotta.
Run the ball.
If you're there's too many things to overcome if you don't have a running game and whatever Zach Wilson is gonna give you as a passer, and certainly in this match, their schedule stays brutal. I mean, it's not gonna say this brutal the whole season. It's a tough, tougher match. Tough matchup against the Patriots are not as tough as as this. But it's a concern when the main storyline coming out of the game is rich to me and he's saying, like the support this, the moot and locker
room is really supportive. They came in there, Garrett Wilson's got his arm around him, the teaser that titands are there encouraging him. Wilson said, you know he's being encouraging. We got your back. The team's got his back. It's like, that's good. He's gonna They're gonna need to step up too. But I I do think that almost any team playing in Dallas right now is gonna run into this sort of bus set.
Yeah, and you know I said it in the summer.
It felt like a needless gambled by the Jets have Wilson is the number two quarterback. But you but that this is the reality, and because it was the Jets, the absolute worst case scenario immediately presented itself. Ow Dak look by the way, uh, I'll get to that in one second. Like, but he is not going anywhere and I'm like text threads that I'm getting I gotta bench him, gotta you gotta put in the third string Cord. No, Like they made their bed and now they have to
find a way to make it work. With Wilson, who two of his interceptions were when the game was kind of decided, I didn't think he played as badly as the stat line looks. I'll let you guys decide on the On the Dak side, great, Dak look great again. He should have had a pick six hung on him, but other than that, he kind of did whatever he wanted. There were multiple times where the pass rush almost gets home to Dak and he hangs in there and delivers
the pass. And even on a day where they try to run the ball and the especially once they were in control of the game, they run the ball forty four times but average three yards a clip and rushing Dak made enough big plays with Ceede Lamb who had one hundred and forty three yards that they just cruise. And I you know, if I'm the Eagles, and I know the Eagles are the team to beat in the NFC, A lot of people believe this.
I shouldn't say that Greg will call me a weak.
Willed I mean all I'm saying.
I know not a lot of people are saying it. I'm saying.
But the Cowboys also though, like that's a big spot, like that's your fourth down decision that you're criticizing them, or that's your big moment and you.
And you, I know where you're going from.
The Cowboys and Niners to me, so far are the two best teams in the league. Let's move on, let's move on anything else.
Just the NFC East hasn't lost the game yet outside the division?
How many Homona Hamana seven.
And oh, let's stick in the NFC East. Who this will be a thirty four yard or from the right hash kill in the hole, cried or the long snapper.
Big whispers, not gonna like that, lew eight. You know it's anti whisper kick on its way twenty of length. Man, it is good.
Ram Cano hits from thirty four yards out and with nineteen seconds to go in the game, the Giants lead.
At thirty one twenty eight.
O Bob Popo in the call w f An Grangano's field goal in the final seconds. The difference for the g Men, who wiped out a twenty one point second half deficit and a thirty one twenty eight win over the Cardinals in the Desert. Oh, Cardinals, if they're sitting on own thirteen in a couple of months.
You're gonna kick yourself about this one.
Really week one as well, or maybe they're not as bad, doesn't matter, we'll get to it later. Daniel Jones accounted for three touchdowns in the comeback, the Giant's largest.
Since the nineteen fifty season Sizzler. It is indeed on in New York's hip.
I was like that, dude, Yeah, that's a nice little like do what. No one asked her to sing it that way. She did it on like do what? What's your what may sit on? You're in, if you're if you fine yourself in New York City, you.
Could do a lot of good follow up question what's on?
It's a mysterious song. Uh like this stadium in Phoenix or Glendale sounded like, uh New York City, it was like sixty five. It's one of these stadiums where it's like just suddenly sixty five percent of the visiting team. Sure, I mean I Greg, I think I heard you say that you Uh, there was a part of you, and I know you're not the Giant's biggest fan of the planet.
That when they were getting cooked heavily by a Cardinals team where like Josh Dobbs looked totally competent, They're making big plays, James Connor was fired up and shredding this Giant's defense. It looked completely lost. The offense looked loss. That there was a party who kind of wanted to, like had this holy anger to come on and just tear the Giants a new one on the show I'm I'm, I'm.
Dance on the trip to San Francisco on Thursday night, you needed, I felt.
Like you were more mad I was. I was furious at them. It was just like because I think the thing I thought that was consistent was like Brian table Obvio, I thought he deserved Coach of the Year. He was he he worked on so many different levels for me, and like through six quarters, they just looked poorly coached. There were all these terrible penalties. The offensive line couldn't get out of their own way, like Daniel Jones looked like one of the worst re signings UH of our podcast run.
Can I quote the Twitter? The Twitter echo chamber out there. Yeah, doesn't like Daniel Jones. I saw a tweet that said, just a reminder that the Giants only have one year of guaranteed money left toward Daniel Jones. After this year, the great like the shovels were out.
Yeah, g men tonight and then it just it, this just happens like it seems with these teams that start this way, like it's the Giants just completely changed and and everything started to come to life. It was a lot to do with rookie Jalen Hyatt who caught uh two big passes in this. Saquon Barkley got going, we got Darren Waller involved, and it was like Daniel Jones just looked like last year's Daryl Daniel Jones. And and Saquan who left late with a did not like that
pretty nasty. Looked like a nasty ankle injury. Find out more. And they played Thursday night, so that's against San Francisco. So it's like it's it gets dark all over again. But this was this was what you were hoping from New York. And again it came against the Cardinals. Although the Cardinals, honestly, I like this was a massive collapse.
There's no way around it. It is a disaster of a loss for for Gannon and friends because it's like this would have been a massive victory, and like I thought, Dobbs, like compared to last week, made some big plays. He's only been on this team for twenty five days. I'm not saying he's considered he's done well. Yeah, I would say that it's been or it's that's that I don't think anyone understands how hard it is to suddenly have to go do what he's had to do.
He's a patch, he's a he's a placeholder. His thoughts app well, what does that mean he's been sent to be the fall guy?
He wasn't playing fall guy today. And I honestly, like we talked a little about James Connor, like he just looks really good right now, and so I think the Cardinals are not to be taken that lightly. It's just that what happened today kind of is like where's the team's mentality after something like this? This was a massive collapse.
Yeah, it'll it'll test Jonathan Gainon as a head coach, But that's such a massive victory for the Giants, Like you have to manage the season. Yes, okay, it's not gonna feel great if on Thursday night the forty nine Ers win that game easily. But these seasons are so long. We make these declarative statements early and they go like they go back and forth and back and forth and banking.
This one where you didn't just get embarrassed when it was twenty to nothing at halftime, when it was twenty eight to seven midway through the third and you get that victory is just huge in every respect, and these twenty point comebacks are like nothing now, Like we don't even think twice that the Commanders came back from twenty one to three and this one was twenty eight to seven, and the Broncos came back eleven like halfway through the fourth.
We just sort of like, oh, yeah, that's the NFL now, because that is the NF.
Only this is the Giant's biggest comeback in seventy three.
Wow.
I mean, you're right, though.
But it doesn't it used to be old.
It doesn't feel like we're not leading the show with it, like what a historic comeback.
The thing I like about it though, is there was no fluke element to it. It was second half drive chart, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown.
Oh oh, well you get the.
Better team figuring it out basically, Yeah.
You get Waller and Saquon, the two best players on the offense, and Danielson's running the ball, like the three things you were hoping to build your offense around rolling together.
That's encouraging and mega premature for me to say that Saquan's not playing Thursday. But you know these players in the body language. Sometimes he's helped off the field badly, limping, and then he throws his helmet down when he sits down.
It had all the looks of a guy that just.
Like you know, the the UH trainers, like, yeah, it looks like it might be a high ankle. Yeah, like throw the helmet down, because when you deal with an angle spran like that, it's gonna cost you time and maybe stick with you. I don't know if it's a high but the way he reacted made you think it wasn't.
A love Yeah, we saw him and I never liked this, where like still in the ground, he just pounded the turf and it's like he knows more than we know.
Well, I hope he's okay. And Giants fans.
I told you we weren't gonna do this until they won a football game. And I don't know if you win a football game for a while after this. The schedule is pretty rough of the Giants too, and you take a look at it. But you got this one, so you get this one.
Look yall that's.
Coming on at the end of that for up, Well, he's had his heart ripped out by these Cardinals two weeks.
It's yeah, there's a silver lining, you know, at the end of a long, painful road.
Perhaps is there. I don't know. Let's head to so far across the sidewalk.
Thirty under center back pedals throws for deepot back in the game. Jennings never made the block, but Tebo breaks a tackle.
Tebo checks it on the way out of the collar.
There he is, touchdown, said Francesco.
Wow, they're loud at Levi's sorry, that is so Fie Freig Papa with the call knbr Deebo Samuel went over one hundred yards from scrimmage, scored that touchdown, gave the Niners breathing room and an eventual thirty twenty three.
They got that extra three at the end.
Yeah, we'll talk about that win over the rival Rams at Sofi Stadium, which yes, was completely overrun by Red Jerseys in that crowd.
Greg brock Perty didn't have a touchdown pass in this game.
I think it ended a streak of seven regular season games with at least two But Sam Frank can beat you.
In so many ways.
They can, and they just have players like Deebo that can make individual plays to beat you.
Same thing with Fred Warner.
But watching these two teams play, my biggest takeaway was like, Wow, these teams teams seem close in a way that they usually aren't when the Rams in the forty nine ers play even better Rams team. This is a ninth straight regular season win for the forty nine Ers over the Rams. Of course, the NFC championship would have matter the most. Rams got it done, but like yardage yards per play, the way the drives were going, it all felt very close.
The difference was the Rams offense stopped in the second half when they had a couple misconnections where there was a couple drops. One Stafford's a little late on a throw, another a drop bounces in the air and turns into an interception, and then the killer was uh Stafford's second interception, which Mark Sanchez in the booth blamed on Van Jefferson for kind of rounding off and fading on the route. I don't know if I'm smart enough to totally blame it on Van Jefferson, but I can't.
Eat you else Sessler would have been able to diagnose.
He would have.
I can't say that whenever Matthew Stafford throws it to basically anyone but Van Jefferson Pukuinakua to too. At well, like great things happen, and he trusts those guys much more than he trusts Van Jefferson through two weeks when bad things happened. But beyond that, it's like, these two teams look like division rivals that are both a little spicy, that are fun and an evenly played game.
Puka Nakua, by the way, twenty five catches in the first two games is easily the most by any rookie.
Going back to that, that solves one problem for the Rams.
They're like, who was our new number two receiver when Cooper Cup hopefully gets back in a few weeks, You got a nice one two punch.
I would say that I was singing during this game like I spent six months kind of unnecessarily totally discounting the Rams as a concept, and like I'm totally wrong. I know I'm not alone, but I'm doing the great thing I'm saying. I thought that and couldn't have been more far off. Watch I should never have spoken magnanimous, like.
It's a long season, like things things could change negatively for the Rams in theory, but I just don't see it offensively. And I actually thought despite the score, Raheem Morris called up a nice play and got more punts than I would have expected. Now, this is a lot of like giving of the flowers to the team that lost. Let's give Kyle Sanan some credit because at the end of the first half, I thought, the absolute key sequence of the game is the Rams score to go up.
What was it seventeen ten at the time, and the forty nine ers get the ball back with only one forty five to go, They go down the field, they're aggressive, they get a long pass interference called Purdy had a pretty much perfect game, as Kyle Shannon pointed out, except he missed two or three open deep shots.
That wasn't one of them. That was a penalty.
We missed two or three open deep shots, otherwise played great, great movement decision making. All that Shanahan doesn't get touchdowns on his first two tries basically from the one yard line on throws they didn't have any time outs left though they were thrown and I was like, you got to just run it. Of course, the forty nine ers can get one yard I don't care if you don't have a timeout or not. You could run it on first, second,
or third. You're the freaking forty nine ers. And Kyle Shannan, who's been so conservative over the years with his fourth down decisions, went for a big one last week, went for a big one this week.
He got it.
It was seventeen all, and I just thought that was such a crucial moment because the Rams needed to get every break possible. They couldn't lose this turnover battle two to nothing and give up that touchdown.
And I think this would have been over earlier though, because You're party is just very consistent and you know, totally believe in him. But like the two misses the Juan Jennings on third and seven when it was tied seventeen seventeen, and the deeper shot to Brandon Ayuk that would have I think the game would have maybe just been less dramatic and over earlier. Sure, those two incompletions been.
Sure you could look at it both ways.
Absolutely, But the Kyrin Williams, who looked great by the way, cam Akers was benched for this game, why a like inactive.
I can't do it anymore. I can't.
It's this is not this.
I have a note on that because I was watching the beginning of this telecast.
I think I think at this point though he's not going to get his job back this year, I or I don't know why he would. Kiraen Williams to me looks like a nice ballplayer. This whole thing where I heard what they said if you were you got a paraphrase.
Yeah, it was the sideline reporter for the Rams.
I apologize to her for not having her name, but said that he was like adhering to the culture of the Rams.
Yes, in terms of a count, he wasn't he And basically I think team attitude. I think he was upset because Kyron Williams played way more than he did UH a week ago, and that's the same reason why he was upset last year, he wasn't getting touches.
It kind of slipped under the raider.
But Kyrian Williams was the essentially the starter a week ago, even though he didn't start, and there was something to that effect. But it's like maybe just maybe just give up on him. But man, the things we thought that were good about the Rams week one, it wasn't a fluke to too out Well is actually more shocking to me that he's a real dude making contested catches. This little guy. I thought McVeigh was forcing him on the team.
It was like mcveigh's pick. Everyone said it Now like thirteen catches one hundred and ninety six yards after two weeks. Who's that to too out Well Well? That the lightest player in the league, who did nothing through two years, And everyone including myself was wrong saying like he's only on this team because he's kind of fazed pet project.
And here he is in the third season on time open, making really tough plays, like they have three receivers right now when they get cut back and Van Jefferson's gonna get the cam Akers treatment.
I think to the point, well, you were saying too Mark that it's like Sean McVay knows what he's doing, so he's he's working through this. I get Nikua was targeted twenty times. Yeah, like twenty targets. That seems a little insane, but you know.
Well, Williams have twenty eight catches in this game.
I mean they were they were in deep catchup mode for a while in the fourth quarter, so that was part of it. But they were throwing, throwing early to Brandon Ayuk got a little shaken up in this game. That's something to watch. He played through it, but didn't seem as effective. And I think McCaffrey's is gonna like run for one hundred yards every single week.
Stay healthy, kid, big journal energy here.
Fox's Laura Akmen had that nugget on cam Akers not adhering to the culture. It's a good night games. Let's take a break and we'll continue on all right before we dive into the next game. I think it's important, Mark because it I think I know what angle you're going, but I just what is this. It's just it's you know, it's gonna be fun just to hear it. You said you were because you had lost your lock. You locked the chargers. Did you have something you wanted to share
beyond frustration with just locking the chargers? Was there any any other comments you had? I can't remember if we didn't get to it or not.
No, I basically said I'll never touch the charge was ever again for an okay? And I also have a strong feeling that I'm about to rip off like twelve to thirteen victories because this I was I maybe was dealing in, like in a pond of apathy to some degree about the lock things. It's just like, I don't know, it seems so impossible to pick these games. And now I'm irritated and I'm refocused on this.
You sound like Aaron Rodgers saying, just doubt me. All the prognostications, give them, give them to me. I want them all. I welcome you to nice, I welcome us to move forward with the show.
Real quick, guys.
Yes, I forgot to cycle in a loser horn earlier in the segment during the Jets game, because if you guys recall, oh, yeah, the West Bros went a.
Little West Bros, I'd say, bro hit the horn.
The Cincinnati Zoo too is on fire. Big Westling completely rogue, and you know I love him for it.
Because it's my team.
But he locked up the jets, which was it led to some It got a little heated on the the Westling Brothers.
Text thread that we're on.
Understandably, one of the brothers said to the other that I wish that mother never conceived you.
I mean it wasn't quite well.
Phil said, just call it nicks picks, which seems fair. Yeah, brothers, it's got a little you know, sizzle to it.
Next picks.
But yes, I think I think Nick hit back hard that that.
I wish you weren't born right something?
He said that was the that was the conceit Well, Phil said, locket. Any team of Zach Wilson is irresponsible. Nick said your mom was irresponsible when she conceived you, which.
Is funny because obviously it's his mom too.
I think he wrote thanks, Well, yes we know, Greg, but I'm saying like that is.
I mean, you just don't usually hear your response to brothers.
And you have to know the Westling brothers to love them. To know them is to love them. His response to his brother was thanks, bro.
Yeah. I think the rest of the zoo have a like a very viable, you know beef with Nick, who's completely going on the rails to pick.
That you don't know, I don't know how you know how it all works, and we're gonna there's gonna be an incredible theology podcast down the line, maybe our last podcast. But if Chris hustling, if it works where you're in the clouds and you just get to like watch what's going on.
First of all, scary thought, but.
Second of all, he would be cackling his ass off just reading that thread of just World War three.
I think he is loving the Wesleyan Brothers being non competitive for a fifth grade year.
All right, let's move on.
Trips right formation Digson Davis in a stack shack here inside of him, knocks on the left side, Cook to the left of Allen in the shotgun.
Where's the snap?
Has time gonna roll out to his right, Max Crossby in pursuit back across the field, complete the gape Davis for the touchdown fourth and gold, the jubior touchdown reception I gave Davis in traffic.
Mercy, mercy like that Chris Brown with the call Bill's radio. The Josh Allen eulogies premature, I repeats Josh Allen death notices not necessary at this team at this time. Following a four turnover season opening dud via the Jets, Allen got back.
Josh Allen got.
His groove back almost perfect and a thirty eight to ten route of the Raiders in Orchard Park, perfect get right opponent for the Bills and setting for Buffalo. I counted boys just one capitol D capitol p dumb play for Josh, and this one it was a scramble, I believe, a second down scramble where he attempted to leap frog the entire Las Vegas defensive line for a touchdown, but he was at like the five yard line when he attempted it.
He did the same thing.
I mean, if you want to check out our special you know ex'es and know his breakdown of it on NFL.
Yeslus, I'm sure that'll get you excited.
Yes, he did it again.
He didn't fumble though, and he didn't fumble last time either on that play, but no fumbles of any kind. He played very well, completed his first thirteen attempts. Kind of reined it in, but kind of how you would want as a Bills fan to rein it in, where he wasn't overly aggressive. He was or just insane like he was at the Meadowlands, but also was still Josh Allen. And that's his twenty first game of his career with at least three touchdown passes. So Buffalo dominated this game.
They finished one hundred and eighty three yards rushing, even though Allen just had seven himself.
James Cooko, I think it's looked really good.
Looked great last week too, looked good against the Jets, and looked excellent here. One hundred and twenty three rushing yards, the most by a Bills running back since insert name here had one fifty six in December twenty seventeen.
Fred No, Fred Jackson, Lashawn McCoy. Oh, that was way past.
And the Bills cruise. So nice win for Buffalo.
It didn't start great by the way the Raiders opening kickoff go right down the field for a touchdown, but the game changed pretty quickly after that, and I believe the Bills ran close to fifty plays in Vegas territory.
In this game. Wow, that gives you an idea of Well.
There's a couple of things that I that I love about this That McDermott was very aggressive on offense and went for a bunch of fourth downs and I think four of them, and I think that Allen and crew converted three. I like that the defense was nasty, and the one thing that is just jumping out of me is that if you are the Raiders and you're gonna try to sneak wins here and there, you cannot have Josh Jacobs running for negative two yards off nine carries.
Had Trey Tucker a wide out not bolted out around the end for thirty four yards whatever that play was. They ran the ball for twenty twenty one yards today off of fourteen other attempts.
Yeah, I get to that often struggles to run back.
Like when they were effective last year, what was it? It was Josh Jacobs. A couple of games where they just hammered teams away. It's like, it's cool you held out. I'm sure you were working out. I don't know what you were doing. But it's like we have not gotten the verse of Josh Jacobs that they were hoping for, and.
Especially not the run blocking because they have the same they have the same line back. I thought I was actually too quick to be hard on Jacobs when I rewatched that game last week. I thought he moved, while he did catch five for fifty one this week, but yeah, they're not going to exist unless they have a running game.
And it's surprised.
It was surprising when they brought back the exact same offensive line, but they also played one of the best teams in the NFL over the last three years, consistently as angry I think as they possibly could be, and played well.
This was Yeah, remember four eight Get right game?
Remember fours Whittaker in Fast Times the Regiment High after they jacked up his car, the rival high school. That's going to be one of his earliest roles too, and I get it, you know, poor standing up.
That was before our time.
To be fair, well, it was before our time, but it was on TV a lot because it was a classic of the genre.
But that's beside the point.
Whittaker was the star like he was like the Micaeh Parsons of their high school. And then after the rival high school jacks up his car, he just destroys the team and that kills everybody on the team. That's what I thought about the Bills in general. And Josh Jacobs, yes, negative two yards in this game according to Elias first time since the merger. That a defending rushing champion had negative yardage in a game.
That's not good.
And I know he didn't jump out in week one, but I would be curious like what the next gen yards over expected or whatever they call it would be for him there because there was nowhere to go. This game was a mad, angry Super Bowl contender that was getting right against an inferior opponent and you just saw that. So I think that there will be better days for the Raiders offense and this team, but they just I think ran into a buzzsaw in Buffalo.
Not surprise the Bill's defense did it.
I think it's a great sign even with the competition against the Raiders at the Bill's offense was that dominant after that first three and out, Like they've either scored a touchdown or reached the Vegas one on every single drive.
Yeah, that's outrageous.
That is pure domination until they ran out the clock at the end of the game. That is pure domination. And I'm curious what they're doing with Hunter Renfro, like he never plays for them anymore. And I know he didn't really more this yeah this week, but that he feels like a tree.
After like months of speculation that he'd be moved.
Yeah. Max Crosby, by the way, was totally taken out of this game. They missed the Raiders.
Chandler Jones and we talked about that they have a lot of stars the Raiders, but the depths not there and you need some other people to step up.
Although the only flying the ointment.
That we were laughing at other people in our company that picked against Tamar Hamlin to be Comeback Player of the Year. So how could anyone even think to name another person the man that we rely died on the field. We laughed at you for being so foolish, not remembering recent NFL history. Is a healthy scratch for the second straight week. That could be the only way he doesn't get it. Well, it's got to play. He's got to be on the roster.
There were whispers that like it was a tough thing, but maybe because they were deep it safety that maybe he doesn't make the team. But it's kind of like you can't do that, So maybe it's sort of that I think he's not He's not the top guy.
If you look at the roster, it totally makes sense. It's their deepest position. I would say the deepest safety position in the league, and they probably weren't counting on him initially when they were building it. But based on the way he played last year as like a great filling starter and a like a plus special team or he'll play. He's just gonna need someone in front of him. Just say put it out. Someone has to get hurt and we.
Need a couple of game day actives. That's all.
That's a completely logical statement.
Or maybe we don't.
James Cook, he's gonna be the better Cook this year.
Maybe ye, maybe Matt Mulano by the way, again, still another interception. He's just he does things in terms of playmaking ability that not many other linebackers can do. Let's move on. Let's head to our next location, which is Tampa.
Bears an Orange. Don't give up the big play ball too. Lo hers to the left. People well number two DJ hole Fields takes the staff up of the God, looks up to you, throws.
It all up. You picked off by Shack Parrot at the water. He's in for a touchdown. Touchdown, tapaway nursed the takeaway.
Yeah, they tried to run.
That screen again.
Shack Parrett hung at the line of scrimmage and was able.
To snatch it one handed, and I got.
Some help from his buddies and pushed him in the end zone.
Jdeggar off wf us Shaq Barrett exclamation point on the victory for the Bucks to take it twenty seven to seventeen.
Over the troubled like a troubled team.
Troubled Chicago Bears fall twenty seven to seventeen on a day where Greg Baker again was cooking here and taking advantage of a Bear's team that isn't really gonna stop anybody right.
Now, They're not.
Baker was the more consistent, comfortable, don't say it, decisive, Oh no quarterback in this game, making big time plays.
I mean his life is yes.
This is justin Fields year three. We can't be saying that anymore? Well, are we saying that?
Going off in the news month.
I was really enjoying Baker Mayfield's performance because I can't remember him playing so smart and composed a long time. You got to give Dave Kanalis, who was with Gino last year, some credit here, but to compare the two. If Fields was on the Bucks, I kind of have no real doubt that he would be outperforming Baker Mayfield. I mean justin Fields for the most part didn't. He was very He was up and down today, but they don't know. They don't have a consistent running game that
they stuck with. The defense is a total shambles, and like there's nothing that makes sense consistently on that. He's getting it in his head that like, this is my game, I'm not gonna run and we're not gonna call any design runs. That doesn't make any sense either, and hes stuck in the bucket. He made some really bad plays, but that wasn't one of them. That was James Harrison
in the Super Bowl burning Kurt wardon. That was a great play by Shaq Barrett, and the other interception came on a contested catch when they were down ten.
In the final drive.
He had ups and downs, but the sad thing about that was he was coming off by far his best drive of the year, where he got them to within three points, and then the Bucks got a little conservative the next drive and then it was like here we go, two plus minutes to go. Fields has to drive to tie the game, and that's the first play and it was just the air being let out of the balloon, and it just feels like this Bears season is cursed.
Two games in.
Twelfth consecutive a loss for the Bears dating back to last season. It's a proud organization that's been around since the very beginning.
That's a franchise.
Records what what what?
Yeah?
I saw people comparing like the Baker Mayfield Mike Evans chemistry to what Evans had with Johnny Manzel back in college. But but I'd say this though, it's like it's certainly well, it's like it's certainly better than what we saw with Tom Brady, a kind.
Of undersized quarterback who's like athletic but not quite an NFL after.
But do you remember how frustrating, like we don't need we don't need to do that, But how frustrating was the Mike Evans tom Brady connection a year ago?
Last year disjointed?
I mean, I gotta get big or some credit because two games in a row, like you're getting this. He's such a variance factor, like you're getting the better version of so it's like good coaching or like he's grown mentally and not making some of the same decisions he used to.
I mean, it helps one hundred percent that he played the Bears this week and who did they play in the vikings a week ago? But yeah, despite that, he's made he's played two pretty perfect games.
This one was even better.
Like he had a throw where he's rolling to his left and throws it up to Evans's beautiful throw. The long Evans play was an arm strength type of thing that the ball got there so quick that they couldn't react to it. Evans does look better this year. He's dinner,
he's he's moving great. He has six for one untrack one and then there was one and this is where he won't get her away with it every play, and it was like the most Baker play of the game where he throws it sidearm wall falling down like a half inch of his knee above the ground and he hits it to set up like a closer field goal. That's not gonna happen every week. But he really is playing smart.
And he's on a cler he's on a heater, and that's what makes him fun to watch. When he's on these I guess it's screaming to me, small sample size and this is not going to continue all year. I'll be the first one, I guarantee you guys to admit it. If Baker's doing this a month from now, then I'll be like, I'm shocked, But I need to see it against other than the Vikings and today's opponents.
I'm I've I think killed Baker more than anyone on this podcast and not really been impressed with how he plays football.
I've just been pleasantly surprised.
I'm with you, but it gives me hope that maybe there's a medium here where he can be a little closer to like where a Geno Smith was a year ago, and give this Bucks team a chance.
They are hang around of the division. If if he could do that, they will.
They are to tozer.
And I do want to tell Rashad White, who we really got on for his expected yards just compared to replacement the Hooding seventeen for seventy three today. I haven't looked at the numbers, but I think he ran quite well.
I did well Bear's defense.
But yes, you checked the yards over it.
OK.
I gotta say I did rewatch that game last week with that with that in mind, and he did leave a lot of yards on the field.
There was a lot There was a lot.
You were going to have like roaming mobs of criminal children in Chicago if this continues like you there just can't continue.
Jakwan Brisker got hurt in this game. He was in and out. Eddie Jackson got hurt in this game. He was gone, so like a bad secondary lost more players, so that that was bad.
We don't need that. Chicago doesn't need roaming mobs of children.
Criminal children, criminals, bad intentions towards anything labeled Chicago bear.
Do you want to see up Todd ball?
I would, because all these you guys laughing about Todd Bowles. He still got Shaq Barrett, there, Levante David making plays. Winfield had a great game, and then you have the spirit of Todd Bowles getting the whole city at Tampa excited after the game.
Let's hear this.
Stars played big. We did a good job holding the ball keeping them out there. Obviously would like to be better in the red zone, but the most part we were operating running past. Game was pretty balanced that way. We had a good time of possession. We just got to punch him. Man got a field goal block. That's not a good thing. It wasn't perfect. Start to jail and win while we're yelling for us.
Let's go Tampa, Let's go. I couldn't listen to that for fifteen You.
Could see them.
What a rousing impath they have as head coach, Greg Why did you do that to all of us?
I think it was fun.
He went for another fourth down today, by the way, and he got it good new balls.
That's just doing what other coaches should be doing. Let's close things out with the trip Houston.
It's a fumble recovery for Indianapolis.
The call in the field was overturned, so the Colts have a fumble recovery and they take over at the Houston fifteen.
Yard line, and running right.
Side is Anthony Richardson. Fake the reverse, turns the corner.
He's in touchdown.
Touchdown.
Indeed, why three rushing touchdowns in the first two games for Anthony Richardson. He faked the reverse and then took it off right side into the end zone from.
Fifteen yards out.
And the Colts have two touchdowns on their first two drives of the game.
Kit or sweet there, Matt Taylor, good call, w f n Y Anthony Richardson the rookie rush for two touchdowns. Fortunately, On that play they believe or it's possible and quite likely probable. When he gets knocked to the turf in the end zone, he bangs the back of his helmet, which leads to his inability to pass concussion protocol, so he exits in the second quarter, does not come back.
Gardner Minshew through four hundred and seventy one yards and a touchdown and relief, and the Colts coast to a thirty one to twenty win over the Texans.
That's the first victory for Shane.
Steichen and I am in on the Colts early on this season. I like what Stikeen's brought to this offense, a lot of Henry in Philadelphia, although I thought they looked better on Thursday Night. Overall about what Steiken's presence or absence means there, but I certainly see a difference with the Colts and the richardson side of it. Now it is two games he's played electrifying plays in both games.
Two games he's exited with an injury. So it's something to watch.
But overall, if you're a Colts fan, you're loving the trajectory here because the team is compelling and watchable.
Right now, they are but the one thing about Richardson in general, it's like we don't have a simple size from any real tier of his career, and I guess you wouldn't go past beyond college, but like his style of and I kind of hate these arguments because I think, like it's always like, oh, Lamar Jackson's your only running the ball too much? Yawn, But like, like it's it's like you don't know how durable Richardson's body is. He's
a giant, guys, powerful, he's physical. Two NFL games in a row, like you leave the game concerned about his health.
Near the goal line where he's kind of selling himself out to score. Yeah, I think he's six three to six, And it's like, so it's not an issue of him his body size wise not being able to take the hits, but he's gonna take licks.
And it's just unfortunate.
And hopefully this is just an outlier and he'll play this upcoming week and and you won't have to be talking about this every week, because really the best case scenario here for the Colts is Richardson stays healthy and stiking, and Richardson continue to grow something here, and hell, maybe Jonathan Taylor comes back and you have something really cooking with this offense, which is had it had its way here with Houston, they only they had an eighteen point
lead at halftime. They manage one field goal after after that, but it didn't matter because the game was.
Over and Gardner Minshew came in and kept moving the ball with him. And that's why with a concussion and a rookie quarterback, like you don't need to push him to play next week. If he's coming off a concussion, you can. You just got to be thinking long term. Gardner Minshew's starting is just fine for a week. I thought you noted on Twitter Dan that Richardson self reported, which is concerning that that's even necessary because you know,
he's a guy in a very highly visible play. It was head slams against the turf and did he stay in the game for a little longer self report?
Did?
I mean that's an NFL total failure, Like we spent a week on two a tongue of Iiloa because it was just more dramatic, but it's the exact same thing.
Yeah, it was.
It was I guess tricky because there was I'm trying to think there was something else going on immediately after the play. Maybe he's a scrum that that directed other people's attention away from it. And even after he hits his head on the turf, he pops straight up. He does like a backye crolling. He's got his arms up and he's jogging him back. But obviously there were cobwebs and some issues cognitively that that were building or sustained
after that moment, So I get that. I also I think sometimes it's it's quick to just say, look at the system failed.
There's supposed to.
Be a spot her on the sideline, But you're also if he's not woozy, if if he's it doesn't appear that he took a bad shot, how do you really It's hard to know.
It's it's always going to be difficult.
And I think that because you see so many plays every game that someone's head slams on the ground. Yeah, it's like you should be checking a lot of them, and they're they're not checking.
Like Josh Allen got hit on a head to head.
You saw it eric a scramble where he again he probably should have gotten down, but then a second guy came in and smoked him and they threw the flag on it, and that's a helmet to helmet shot, and you know where should the game stop down there?
Like how do you play? How do you play this?
Or just take him out?
It's a lot of it. Let's be real, it's optics because head collisions and stuff like this is happening every play to different positions. But when it's quarterback and we see something visibly that looks wrong, and it's like we're saying, oh a lot, a lot happened after the play. That's that's fine if coaches didn't see it or someone else, but like they have people designated to look for this. What was going on there?
Well, like I said, he was showing those outward signs initially, is what I'm saying.
I think it's just it's a tough judgment call in general, but like I don't know part of it is. I think what happened with TWA last year was like it became this inflame scenario. So it's like over protecting the whole thing, and now it's like it's not a story right now, but it will be soon enough.
Do you put much into Stroud hooking up Nico Collins for one forty eight six woods for seventy four and tanked out for seventy two.
I mean, yes, I Fantasy day.
I really think that uh Stroud looked good in this game.
Now, a lot of that chunk yardage was occurring when the game was kind of at hand. But you know what, when you have a this is two twenty one year old quarterbacks in this game going at it like any type of you need them on the field to develop, like I saw real quick, like Will McDonald, the Jets first round pick, was a healthy inactive today, and I'm just like scratching my head thinking to myself, I understand they're deep at d line, but you when you have rookies,
they need to play to develops. So that was giving me some issues over there, Like you're seeing him get these even in garbage time, the ability to have success and throw the ball build confidence.
He went over three hundred yards in this game.
So yes, I think if you're the Texans on offense, you're feeling bullish about Stroud's development. I think one of the things I'm over in terms of storylines in our league.
You know, well the Vikings or the Texans, well they have Mike Flores or Demico Ryans now, so they're going to be better on defense, Well, you need the players and you need the time in terms of the scheme, and the Texans are not better on defense right now, and it's going to continue to be a major issue for them, at least early in the season.
I would say one thing about like Stroud's performance, It wasn't just over three hundred it was almost four hundred yards.
The last one fifty or so really was just very soft coverage. But I don't want to go too crazy about it, but also is nice, but look.
At his environment compared to like rookies that are put into a better situation. You don't have Larry mt Tunzel today. Their offensive line is like battered and not effective. Damian Pierce two point one yards per carry, thirty one total yards.
They barely ran the ball, and so it's all on Stroud and he's getting it done and like your second NFL game, and like the one thing that's always consistent about him is like he's gonna throw a couple passes every performance where it's like there aren't that many people that look like that throwing the ball. I think it's just like a I enjoy watching him, just throw the ball.
The trick it.
I would say, like it's as good as in an O two start where you're not competitive in any other game. Can feel because you feel like, Okay, I think we've got our quarterback, because plenty of quarterbacks don't light it up in garbage tim or make the type of throws he did a week ago. But they don't know on their first round pick this year, so it's not the best way to start the season.
You want to win at home against the Colts. That's one of the games on.
The schedule where you were favored coming into the week of the line was really close. It's like when you don't on your first pick, it's gotta start feeling very uncomfortable.
If the if the loss is pilot.
I mean pick up CJ.
Stroud in fantasy because they're probably gonna be playing from hopelessly behind a lot this season. Last last note on this game. It's about the telecast. Robert Smith.
Not my cup of tea.
Okay, for what name can you give me? One season? Just not not driving with you. It's not a mass He's.
Been back in the mix now for a few years.
It's not for me, maybe for you.
No, I think it's like you are, maybe for America, maybe the world, yep subjective. I have the beholder great running back to Sunday Night Football, where's.
The Ted, Miami host the running back, the.
Hold large hole, pira hate Boster. Hey just put that into fourth year real quickly and it was over.
Oh little car talk for Rosenthal, like get under the hood in the garage.
In his spare time Memrio man'sman, I don't know anything.
About cars either, Greg and Dan taking this one home tonight, Jimmy Cefalo and Joe Rose on the call for WBGG. The Miami passing game was the star in week one and week two is a running game that had its way with an opponent, this time the Patriots, who could not stop Mostered on that game icing, not exactly game icing. We'll get to that moment. A touchdown run one hundred and forty five yards on the ground for Miami in
a twenty four seventeen win over the Patriots. New England falls to zero to two in excruciating fashion in the the Dolphins two and zero leading the AFC East early on GREGI, so the game seems over at that point after the Mostard score and it isn't though, because after they go up twenty four to ten, the Patriots get a touchdown I believe off a turnover or a defensive stop, and then.
They have the ball.
They're going down the field gregy, and just like last week, it was the completion that wasn't where it's ruled the completion and then they say.
Whoa, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa stop the clocks.
Let's look at this, and they rule it incomplete, turnover opponent's ball. Pats lose again a crazy completion to the tight end. They flip back to Cole Strange, the lineman who appeared to get the first down. First down was given on the field and the who whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa whoa wo stop the clocks. It is overturned upon review. That one stings.
I question whether you had the right angle to determine that, definitely, because if the the camera is at an angle, how can you say that? So surely, but this loss, as annoying as that ending was, is actually easier to take for me than a week ago, where I think they were the better team and they you know, to use like a tom kerranism on their leg. That was a
game they should have won. This is a game they felt lucky to be in, and that was one of those like crazy throw it back to the Tom Brady era, sort of miracle plays that would only happen during the Tom Patriot Tom Brady Patriot era, except now when it happens, you come a half yard short or as a week ago, you review it and it's an incomplete pass and like every good bit of mojo they had for two decades was used up, and Mac Jones is suffering, you suffering.
For the Patriots, like.
Hunter Henry's catch that was overturned in that Vikings game. I remember though in the past, like the National like Cognizante being like, wow, the Patriots were kind of jobbed one to play that never used to happen, and now it's happening all the time.
But they did not deserve to win this game. And we can get to the reasons.
Why How does it feel to no longer have magic on your side?
It's okay they we uh over indexed as fans. I would say, I'm using we in the fans version. I hear you on that multiple deck.
You know who did pee down their leg.
I thought, in this and don't worry, Dolviins fans, this is gonna be about you and positive soon enough. But the only reason the Patriots even had a chance here is I thought Mike McDaniel, who I like.
I love the guy. He's a funny dude.
After he gives his halftime interview, he's on national television with like, I don't know how.
Many people watch these games.
I don't know, twenty million, something like that, one thousand million, big number.
He sprints away, just looking insane.
It was. It was wonderful at halftime. But in this game, they have a fourth and three at the New England thirty seven yard line with two nineteen to play, and they are up seven. And your offense was historically great in week one, and you're running the ball down the throats to New England in game two and you send out Jason Sanders for a fifty five year kick and
Jason Sanders cannot make fifty yarders. The data backs it up, and sure enough he misses it by a mile wide left, and that's set up the Pats.
And I thought that that was a situation.
Where McDaniel blinked and it gave the Patriots a second life and they got away with it. But this should have never gotten to that point, and yet it did. But on the positive side of things, Greg, like you said, the Dolphins controlled this game from the start.
They were the better team.
And when you can now say Raheem Moster's a guy that can pop off for one twenty when our passing game is being held down a little bit, it shows you how deep and dangerous this offense is.
Right McDaniel gets a little knock for that. I'm with you as someone rooting for New England. I was like, thank you, thank you for the field goal attempt. They have a better chance at this than stopping a three yard play. The only reason they stopped the third and one is because to a tongue Iiloa and his center messed up the exchange for the umpty in time this season, who is it McGovern or Connor Williams? Rather I confuse
the Connors with who can play multiple positions. It had a couple other bad snaps that led to bad plays in this game, But this is so Unpatriot and I will puke the next time I hear someone says like, well these are They're just making sloppy, Unpatriots like mistakes. So they're de playing mental errors. That's not like the Patriots, It's exactly who they've been since the very moment Tom Brady left. Like they get penalized a lot. They make
mental errors, that's just part of it. But what they have done better usually is run the ball and stop the run. That's that's Bill Belichick wants to do that. They didn't stop the run on Sunday night. They didn't run the ball well. And even though TOUA numbers don't great, I think Belichick threw some things at him and he had that interception. Man, he made a couple beautiful plays.
He mostly made really good decisions. I think the first third down of the game, he steps up in the pocket, makes the right read where he a lot's being thrown at him, processing wise, and I think he handled it, let's say, better than Jalen Hurts did a week ago. The drive at the end of the first half was beautiful where they only have a couple minutes and he just has to go down the field and has a great throw to Burrio.
So he still was the better quarterback.
In this game, certainly, even though Mac Jones is better and they had the better running game. They outgained him by one hundred. They're the better team at least through two weeks.
Yeah, I thought it was interesting and remarked on when we were watching in the film room that Mac Jones, who's you know, you don't hang him the loss on mac Jones, but it's a lot of hard work for mac Jones. And it's strange to me to see a quarterback in the league now that doesn't feel like he's a highly athletic player. And so I think they're just they're just earthbound offensively, not because of him, but he's
a a part of it. And Ramrodra Stevenson, who's supposed to be the dog of this team, he has been pretty quiet through two weeks. He averaged three point three yards Carrie in this game. That's only after they did a little bit of work later on in the second half. For the most part, he was totally bottled up. Zeke is not really a part of this offense right now either. So there are issues obviously with New England and it's I think it's going to be a season long situation.
It won't be as I think they can improve. I think listen.
I think they can improve, but I think last year was an outlier that they were kind of laughed at for how out of sync they were and poorly coached on offense. But I think it's going to be a grind for this team to score points for most of the year.
I mean, if it doesn't improve, I have my doubts about Bill Belichick's future, but we can talk about that throughout the course of the season. I think it will improve because it needs to improve. When they're third and three, third and four, they can pick that up. If it's anything longer, they can't pick up. They didn't have a
play over fourteen yards. Their longest play of the game, Dan was that catch that set up the fourth down, which Mike Goseki caught with one hand and then the Dolphins quarterback cater Co who had it with one hand, and then it would look like Julian Edelman in the Super Bowl. That was their longest play and that.
Was fourteen yards.
Fourteen freaking yards that moster I do want to just point out a couple of little sequences. So another time, like they got the Christian Gonzales interception in the middle of the fourth quarter at that point, they're only down seven. You think the place is going crazy. You think, okay, this is where they have a chance to make a run.
And their next three plays was throw to Juju, who has this I'm the new free agent wide receiver with the Patriots look to him, which is not a good sign because usually when it starts bad, it doesn't get better. Incomplete pass to him than Andrew Van Ginkle, who will sign a huge contract to be a New England Patriot in a year, forces them into a long yarded situation with a big sack and then they just throw a mac Jones hope ball on third down and there's a
lot of mac Jones down the field hope balls. Van Yinko had a force fumble earlier in the game. That to me, that's such a helling sequence of where they're at. Even though they're making plays like the mac Jones touchdown at the end of the game, one of them was on a play that was totally improvised and was a busted play and probably should have been penalized on the Patriots.
And they didn't get all the bricks.
And they got you know, tough, tough scheduling Eagles Dolphins, but owing two at home to start the season, and now, and we'll get to it. Now, they're in a kind of a wounded animal deathmatch going to the Metalands to face the Jets, and god that that.
Jets are one and one, so technically they don't qualify for your.
No, they do not. They're not a wounded animal.
But also there's there's a depressing vibe around that game because it might be very similar to last year's Patriots Jets games, or it's like very low scoring, big time slog fest.
And we'll see how that game goes.
They absolutely need the game, and the Dolphins and they get Now they welcome Denver into their building and they're two and oh. So you know, I think it's funny with it. We talked about it all summer, at least I said it a lot. I think Mark said something similar that everybody was hyping up the Dolphins Jets, and one of those teams was going to get picked off by either just the hype monster or some type of injury.
Sadly was my team.
The Dolphins, on the other hand, they're the team that looks like they could be set up for a nice season here. They need to not get picked off by the injury. We know what I'm talking about when I say that, But right now, so far, so good.
From my I just love what Mike mcdane's doing. He's stacking these creative little wrinkles. He's had it all week. All anyone talked about is a short motion that Tyreek Hill was doing, you know, from from either kind of inside the tackles and what kind of challenges the presented. And for the most part, the Patriots did well, but
then he was playing off of that. That moster run partly came because they were so distracted by what Tyreek Hill was doing in the backfield, and the wattle big play that he had down the field was partly because they were distracted by what Tyreek Kill was doing. So I love mcdane just stacking nice play calls on top of nice play calls.
Yeah, it's impressive when Tua can throw for four to sixty and you can go for two hundred, But maybe more dangerous to the rest of the AFC when they can win a game when Tyreek has forty yards.
Only one wounded animal game will be on the Week three state that's low.
That's a little weird, but it's Wounded be Wounded.
It's ultimate wounded animal game, Wounded Wounded Chargers, Vikings. I mean, that's that's it, that's wounded or franchises, Wounded Centuries.
Is it possible that they both lose?
I want that I want that game.
I think it's in play all right. Big Sunday Show, Thank you everybody, too Big for listening. I think the listeners are going to enjoy. They like the size. Who doesn't Big Monday coming up, NFL Plus and two podcasts Till Then, Heed the Call