2023 Week 6 Preview

The Around the NFL Podcast, Three Clowns in the Piccadilly Circus.

From the Sky Sports studio here in London Town. It's Around the NFL. I am Dan.

Hansis and I'm joined by heroes on a beautiful couch, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler, and the great face of NFL coverage here.

In England, Neil Reynolds.

Hi, heroes, you're in my seat.

Yeah, I ah my seat. That's the whole reason I flew over here to challenge you.

Very uncomfortable because you look good on that single show as.

Well, and you look great as well. What's up? We're here. We did it.

We've already been labeled as clowns by our own friend in America, Jason someone.

I don't like the way this has started for us at all.

But is it inaccurate? I don't think so.

It's uh, I'd say sixty six percent accurate.

Uh, But we always like kind of promoke.

Hey, check out the YouTube now, and I think this is the episode to check out the YouTube because we're in this new setting and just the way the seating is.

I look like Dan small child, like a little boy.

That's it's tough because, like Greg probably the came, I wish I was smaller, and then we're next to each other.

It's like an ogre that I don't wish I was bigger.

You're sitting up very straight.

You don't don't put how is everyone? We we flew here, We are jet lagged, but we are we are proud, and we are ready to talk football.

Yeah.

I think like we've done this.

We've been through these battles before with the jet lag, and I think you guys have maybe done a better job this time around of getting some sleep, preparing yourself physically.

I feel like I'm in the middle of the night and.

We waited like fifteen hours ago. No one's you know, the bars.

The emotions of home coming as well, though, that's the thing for you is a lot.

It's a lot too, you know, psychologically, it's a lot to embrace.

All right.

So with with Neil here that okay, Neil, how is the season going over here? How are the London games that we got? The last one we're going to talk about that. We're going to lead off with it Ravens at Titans just in a bit. But like, as what's the difference, how about this? The difference in this city now compared to I don't know, five six years ago.

So I think it's that we're used to having them, and that's not meaning that we're complacent. It's just it's October. It's time for London games. I think that's whether you're an NFL fan or if you're just a sports fan, you know, the NFL comes to town at this time. The NFL does a great job of making noise around the games. Took over Battersea Power Station last year, so last week and that was fantastic. So I think it's just the excitement hasn't diminished at all. You know, the

It's tradition now. Yeah, as are we coming to Sky Sports. We were just talking about five years ago our first trip here doing week one before with Rob.

Ryan and Sulomon.

Welcome, Yeah, West saying was one of the best days of his career getting to cover all those games.

Yeah, this is our fifth trip as a group together, and yeah we'll always remember the first trips with Wes and uh, but the fact that we're doing it again and Neil, you've been with us for the whole ride, so it's only fitting you're with us today and we're going to be with.

You on Sunday and we're going to be at the Hot Toddy.

Is that caught on here, by the way, Not yet, but it's getting there maybe like some you hear it in the publications.

You guys have a following here, as you know, so it's certainly going to be the case for for your your fan base.

But no, I don't think anywhere else.

No, when Handsome Hank, our friend last night, called it the Big Toddy or what do you guys call it, I realized it hadn't quite no the Big.

Tot and then Hot Toddy kind of went out internally for us, But I guess it's Tottenham Hotspurs.

According to reports, it gets a little lost in translation in various parts of town.

So it would be good if they just welcomed us into a Premier League game once it's Liverpool against Spurs here at the hotel.

Well do they have is that? Maybe it's a cultural thing.

Do they have nicknames for buildings here like the Big Bell Bottom?

And no, no, they don't actually have humor here. It hasn't quite cut on.

I mean you're the king of the nicknames, so I know you want Well, this one apparently isn't working, so maybe back to the drawing board. All right, so you know the deal here? Every preview show is a draft. But before we get to the draft, and because we have meal here, just bring them a touch of class. There's something severely lacking the show.

Yes, a gentleman for years, by the way, this one accent, this Reynolds here.

Yeah, guys sitting in the car for two and a half hours to get here today.

It's a workhorse. He's a professional. There's no way to doubt that.

But it's like me, yeah, go ahead, and I had to drive.

Seeing that takes a little of that event.

I thought you you made it sound as if you were driving.

Here, didn't. I had to sit there for a long time.

I thought you were grinding here in like at nineteen ninety two Honda Civic.

No, let's just say that not nearly.

The narrative is ships all right, So now I don't feel bad.

It's still two and a half hours a long time. But when you have that massive estate in the countryside, I understand.

You have to get yourself out.

It took us fifteen hours to get here, so I don't know if we're comparing it.

So let's get to it. Let's get to the game that we're here for. For starters, it is the Baltimore Ravens, and I think the cool thing about this game and us being here is it's kind of a bit of a crossroads moment for these two teams. You have the Ravens coming off, and we talked about it at length

They should what was the fun?

We did it on the NFL Plus programming the Game of the Week. What should the final score of BA.

I created an alternate score line of all the touchdowns that they dropped in the points that they lost. And I think they won that game thirty seven to fourteen something like that, and it's two.

They lost it two, but they didn't. They did not win the game thirty seven to four. Thought it was thirty four to fourteen, but it could have easily been. Instead, they lost a crushing seventeen to ten loss. Now they get the Titans here in London. The Titans also interesting, Neil. They're coming off a loss, they're two and three. They

I think I set it up perfectly. There's a crossroads game. It's that seat. It's that seats the superpower. You can feel it surging through the great questions and out.

They get the chills.

You both have issues, far too focused on our own question line of questions.

It's about I think a crossroads game.

I think the interesting thing with the Titans, they they're own three outside of Nashville and now here they come to London and I spoke to which one of you is going to say humble brag When I spoke to Mike Rabel last week and he said that we just we shoot ourselves in the foot when we're on the road. He said, it's unforced errors. And this is the first week. I was reading a couple of Titans articles while being driven here today and well.

They're like rub it in now, Neil, I mean just playing up to the bit.

It's a bit now now now, now.

You're distancing yourself from the listener.

I supposed to be a man of the people.

This is the first time I've heard it mentioned that is Tannehill going to be replaced if they lose this one more than one after And I thought that was ridiculously early, But that story is out there now.

So yeah, there's a there's.

A backs to the wall field for the for the Titans, and the Ravens are going to be so annoyed.

I know you said on the one.

Of the pods a couple of days ago they should be five and oh or could be. So there's frustration there as well. And two teams are used to winning.

I feel like Ryan Tanner is the least of their problems.

Though.

Since Week one, I think he's played well, Yeah, pretty well. He played well last week. Like the fact that Mike Rabel puts all this money in their defense. They can't stop anyone through the air, so I like that little matchup for Lamar. Like they make a lot of mental errors, they're bad in the red zone. They've always been traditionally really good in the red zone, and maybe Tannehill is a part of that, but they're usually one of the best teams. It hasn't been like a typical Titans team

I'm looking at the positive.

I'm looking at like, hey, I haven't seen a Ravens offense where there's wide open wide receivers ever, and now we've got them. Your boy Odell, you can mention you talked to him yesterday or whatever, like it sounds like he will play.

In this game.

I know he hasn't done much this year. They're at least healthy at wide receiver, so I look at that. You got open receivers, you got a pretty good running game. It's like a top six or seven running game. And you've got a defense that's had so many injuries and yet is near the top of the league statistically in just about everything. They've used more starters this season as a team, the Ravens than any team in the NFL. And they're actually healthier this week than they have been all season.

So I'm an optimist.

I say, I look at those baseline things and like that they should be much better and as the season goes on, it's actually a good looking see.

I think what's happening in the past couple of years because they were banged up three seasons ago, they were banged up last season, They've been banged up this season. They've gotten used to and they fight through it, losing these key players. And I mean, right now, Greg, you are right because I think if you, if you want to look past the fact that they've failed to execute in key spots like that the drops against Pittsburgh were unforgettable.

Flowers, he does look like he's on a Pop Warner field. I saw him yesterday. I mean, talk about when you want to feel old, watch say Flowers practice. He looks like he's fourteen years old.

It's funny. The Ravens have changed. I'm with you.

I think if you ask me how they're going to attack and how they're going to attack week in and week out, I'm thinking Lamar is going to do the running, but I look at the passing targets. Although it's been inconsistent, I feel like they are a passing team now because of the injuries they've had at running back as well.

Yeah, so you have on the Titan side of that, you never know what you're going to get with their offense. I mean overall, I think they're twenty sixth in points scored and the Ravens have a very stingy defense.

So I don't see this.

I don't really like the Titans chances in the skin, to be quite honest with you, I under because I always give them a little better than that in terms of respect because they're hard nosed team. Vrabel is going to have them ready to go, but they're just as And I like what Julio Jones is an excuse now, Julio Jones jet lag. DeAndre Hopkins has brought to the offense, but he's not Julio Jones, that's.

The whole He's coming off his best game.

Great.

Great, that's where you can get excited, but does this Is this team going to score enough points week in a week out and against this Baltimore defense. I get the feeling it's going to once again be a real struggle for Tennessee to put points on the board. And that maybe not that I think this is Tannehill's fault, but you know, so many times people will say, why why is this offense not better?

What's going with the quarterback? There's more to it than that, but that's part of it.

I mean this, this offense needs to be able to score twenty points, and I don't know if they get there in this game against Baltimore.

I don't think they get there in this game, and I don't think they get there nearly enough in today's NFL.

You look at the free scoring teams around the.

League, and the Titans are welled away from that.

If they put up twenty seven that Chargers game, they played well and then they put it that was they tracked the Bengals.

So that's what you don't know what you're going to get right.

You look at the Browns game, I mean they flatline for too many quarters in a row.

With the Bengals game, they look like you'd say that was a playoff team.

What was the vibe with Odell? Like you you Medham.

And O'Dell was kind of he was, and we've done a lot of stuff together, so I.

Know him pretty well. So wow, that is we do it.

It's factual. He's a reporter.

He's just doing pretty well. So do you think your name?

Yeah, for sure, you know it's my name. He knows my son's name. WHOA.

Now, I can't even criticize those dougs. I didn't know you were this joys.

Were working out together in the off season. Wow, look at this.

Shout to the NFL Academy. By the way, we didn't your son play there. They beat the big high school powers of the US. The Brits are coming for us.

Yeah, let's bury that. We're gonna edit that out of the show.

You and l Dell is like you guys on the bench press together, just like trading reps.

What's going on?

We wouldn't do that, but yeah, we give me, give me a nice hug and we'll have a chat.

But he's he's impressed. He's been.

Just what it just he's been frustrated by being in and out of the lineup. He's frustrated that the team has been a little bit up and down.

But he's changed as well. He's matured.

He writes out adversity better than he did earlier in his career. I would say he's very different from how I interviewed him when I worked with him around his rookie year. After his rookie year, the Odell I was with him the summer, and the Odell was with yesterday and I saw him at a the preseason game in Tampei. Came over and said, hello, He's very different. And then his father, Now I think he's chased a volcanic.

I remember his Jeish the Josh Norman like battles.

It's really weird because I'm really two of the closest people to me in the NFL are Odell and Josh Norman, and they both seem to go with me.

All right, But the break, I mean, he's been humbled.

He has seventy nine yards this season, and I actually kind of think of this matchup and think about the Titans were kind of I mean, the Ravens were kind

NFL, thought he will not make that payday now well, but that is the thing with that, I was thinking, like sponsorships, he could make some.

He's similar like almost the wide receiver version of a Baker, where there's just something about him and you want to kind of be in business with Odell, but so far business hasn't been good in terms of production and they need him to really round out that receiving.

Just on Odell, like you're right, the numbers, the numbers and everything he's done the last few years. Obviously he had to go away from the NFL with the torn ACL While the playoffs are on last year, he's on a Joe Burrow is playing against Patrick Mahomes and Odell's down in Florida on a field trying to get back into the spotlight, working out a way. Couldn't you know, the epitome of work when no one's watching that kind

I think that's why. Yeah, he got that payday, and.

I think maybe that's why he has a breakout game.

He's gonna score a touchdown on scoring on Sunday.

He's gonna score a touchdown.

I love the matchup of the Ravens and Lamar has been making such good decisions throwing well from the pocket.

I think Odell gets a touchdown, he's in.

The end zone and he said this one's for George Reynolds, and then Flowers get and Rashon Bateman gets to touchout and the Ravens rock it out at the hot Toddy, I'm.

Gonna lock it up.

Let's go interesting.

The last time you kind of got in your feelings about a team, it was the Patriots rain maker, and now you're because the Ravens are basically your team.

So I mean you say that about six teams. I am excited about this game, but yeah, I think it will happen. Put a little extra juice while we're on sky Sports.

All right, Okay, cool, we'll see. I would love Odell make an impact. Neil, you made an impact here. I just now unsolicited advice and I'm in your chair and it's a little disrespectful, but I come from a coal mine town, so it's like where I come from, it's working class. Don't tell people you have a driver taking here. Say I was on the bus and it took two and a half hours. I think that will take you that much higher in the industry.

That is good advice. I will always take on.

Cats sorty out of the bag.

But any advice you give me done and it goes straight on bold.

Also like a coal mining town that was named Vogue Magazine's top five, like bucolic places for.

Bankers to retire.

All right, tamper with the narrative. Neil Reynolds, Sky Sports the Man. We'll be back with him later this week and uh catch latter.

Neil, Thanks Bude, thank you guys, thank you.

All right, We're back, Oh Neil, touch a class very classy man.

We need that.

This one's for George.

Yes, Georgie Reynolds.

I call him Georgie Reynolds, son of Neil and a talented baller. Track him online. All right, let's get to it the draft this week, Mark Sessler. Here in your hometown of England, how does it feel to be back in the land where you live for like fourteen days?

About days?

Now? I was.

I was from the ages of three to six. I don't have a lot of tangible memories. Yeah, but you know, I told you last night that I used to sit outside my bedroom wind up on the third story in Surrey, and there was a next door neighbor, a woman that would drive in around ten o'clock every night on our motorcycle with like various men.

Didn't have a driver. I just assume everybody has a driver.

No, she she drove her own motorcycle own.

This is where you learned about, you know, a lot of things. It's done human sexuality.

Well I wouldn't say that that we you know, this was in a driveway, so but that's you know, Yes, it's very special to be back.

Making the normal jokes we would make because we're in our room. I know, Sky, we were here to be psychotic.

So it is time now for the number one pick of the Week, presented by Draft Kings Sports Book and mark an incredible amount of pressure here in your hometown to nail the first pick. What do you got in our draft?

I'm going to go, uh, San Francisco at Cleveland, all right? I think this is an interesting thing for a number of reasons.

Well, every chance he's had so far this season.

I'm really more I'm taking the Niners.

I kind of want to see week to week if anyone like what happened to Cleveland against the Ravens. I thought, from a defensive standpoint was concerning on offense, you have Dorian tom You've got you've got a rookie playing quarterback. I'm not surprised that the offense with no Nick Chubb collapsed against a very good Ravens defense.

But well only after it happened though, because they they traded Josh Dobbs based off Thomson Robinson having a big preseason slash camp right, and I wonder if we're if we don't have Deshaun Watson in this game, are they really kicking themselves?

Now?

If he's facing some type of appsence.

Yeah, you don't know if you have if you have if you have Watson. I think they were counting on Watson not missing games to begin with. I mean if in theory, if you did, they're not the same team. And I just think not having Nick Chubb, you've ripped the identity out of the offense. But can this defense, which really you know, if they stay healthy under Jim Schwartz, I really do think is a top three defense in the NFL. I mean, you're gonna have that game like Baltimore.

Can Cleveland make him uncomfortable? Is this the defense that can do it?

And if the Browns can't do it and you're at home and you're not competitive against the Niners, and if you do have Watson on the field, I have so many questions about this Browns team.

Wow, that's surprising actually, because like.

You were so high a week ago and they're without their starting quarterback.

Yeah, like this is the Niners. Here's the Niners, Bye bye week. Now they're scoring thirty thirty thirty.

That's kind of weird, isn't it. So do they just lay down thirty walk to forty two?

No?

I think if they have Watson they can win this game.

The forty nine ers can't play at that level each and every week. They're going on the road after a big time win on Sunday Night, it's easily the toughest matchup.

Well, I guess the helse.

I mean I was gonna say toughest matchup defensively, but I think they'll put up a better fight if you don't have Watson, though it sounds like it's going to be PJ.

Walker. Well then it's hard to really imagine graduations.

To you, Greg, that's right up your alley.

My god. BJ Walker. Yeah, and they're coming, you know, Cleveland's.

Coming off the bye and Miles Garrett and a number of Cleveland players were happy to see that by for health reasons obviously, No, Nick Chubb. I guess my point is, and enough with any you know, drama, Like I'm locking up the Niners because they're in the zone number one.

What did they get out of the zone with PJ Walker? The person who likes to do the mirror test? You're doing PJ Walker against the best team.

Well, we probably know that we have a problem because I like, I we texted our I.

Thought we don't do the mirror test? I thought we do?

What that spread is? I just like to put it back in youths, you know.

Okay, that's a good job. So yeah, so the Browns.

It's gonna the reason I'm locking up the Niners, Like someone's gotta show me.

They can stand toe to toe with this team.

And Cleveland's been way too inconsistent to me, whether Watson's there or not, to really feel like with Nick Chubb not there, that they're gonna be able to hang. And even if San Francisco continues to roll here, I wouldn't It wouldn't tell me that Cleveland's a fraud or their defense isn't for real. I just feel like you're kind of nobody wants to play San Francisco, so using them

So I also am locking them up. We made these locks before the show started. I like when we do that, Dan, last week was a disaster.

Lock rows are.

Back, Yeah, but last week the lock bros got axed.

You know because Greg was in it too.

It doesn't work.

It's just us.

I do want to know. Posit to you, guys. If PJ.

Walker starts this game and the line is over seven you brought.

This up literally in two and a half week, go from.

Where the line is right now?

Wow?

Do you want to do?

You guys? Don't you stay with I would move off the lone.

So we're taping on Thursday in the UK, it's I guess Wednesday.

Still in the it's actually Monday in LA right right now?

I know, like Mark just turned fifty again.

Congratulations, all right, good celebrated twice.

I suspect Watson mispractice Wednesday, and then it's already creeping up. It's up to six and a half now. I suspect if he's out, that thing's going up to.

Eight err and then we'll move off the lot.

Okay, works what I know?

I like.

I think it's good.

Certainly a movie stay at the lock, regardless of just to get Greg Mack.

It's a moving target.

Greg is creating rules like midway through the eighth season of doing Locks. But I may do it to be a gentleman, Greg. We'll see, I may.

Not I want to see Randy Gregory joining this team. The forty nine ers like this defensive line. Nick Bosa is the number one past defensive end in the league so far this year, despite the lack of sacks. According to PFF, Armstead and Hargrave are both top ten. Like you throw in another pass rusher into that mix. I'm very excited to see that. I'm excited to see Ayuku to me, is taking another level route running against this this Brown secondary.

I don't think they slow him.

One little concerning thing about Cleveland's defense, and you know, I would like to dig deeper as to how PFF actually marks this, but they have as the fifth worst tackling team in the league, the Browns, and so you look at the way the Niners attack, it's like you've got wide open receivers Ayuk, McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel. It's like, if that is how they operate us tackling team, I haven't seen that watching them, I thought they've been better

That was the game of the Week presented by Draft Kings Sports Book. New customers can bet us five dollars and get two hundred in bonus bets. Instantly download the Draft King Sports app and use code ATN. That's code ATN only at Draft King sports Book. Draft Kings sports Book an official sports betting partner of the NFL.

Pick two Greg all right, I'm excited.

This I believe is the national game over here, and I believe it's got a nice little crew of e and a iron Eagle and Charles Davis back in the state. It's Seahawks at Bengals. Early Bengals favored by three.

Fun game. Nice?

Uh, what is doing with his voice when he gets into this? I don't know what's happening here?

Fun game?

Where don't feel like I really know much about the Seahawks after four weeks, just because the last two games were against the Panthers and the Giants, and we saw their pass rush really come alive. It's like, if that stays, this team's pretty dangerous. But the matchups have been pretty easy for the Seahawks offense, which has been good, not great, has left me a little wanting, similar to the Bengals defense,

Is continuing week after week.

But the thing that did change was Joe Burrow moving around so well, and I think this is now a nice matchup for the new Joe Burrow. You probably have t Higgins back, he was at practice on Wednesday, and you're going up against a Seahawks defense which added Jamal Adams a couple weeks ago. He's now cleared concussion protocol because they had their bye week. And you have Devin Witherspoon and you have Rik Wollen. We haven't seen those

So that's very intriguing.

But Adams looked great in those like seven or eight snaps before he got hurt, and I go Witherspoon Adams like and Woolen. You can kind of mix them all up, and Quandary Diggs and suddenly they're they're cooking with some gas too.

I think this is a really fun matchup.

I kind of liked the Seahawks to cover the three points and maybe win this game.

I'm going to pick them to win this game. But either way, I'm fascinating to see this one.

Jamal Adams had he did clear concussion protocols, So that's that's big news for you know.

What that means well, but it's certainly trending in the right direction.

I just mean, you know, he hasn't played in well over a year, and he came out immediately for that game. But yeah, they wanted back in the field. They're paying them a lot of money with all dos. Who's my starting for the Browns?

Falder restructed PJ. Walker. I think this is the first overall pick this week. I think you got the first pick with the second time.

No disrespect, Mark, I mean it's you know, I run my own organization and draft as Icee fits so well, we end up watching all these games anyways.

So so you have Seahawks love it. I mean, they laid that egg in week one. I think they got caught flat footed by the Rams, but ever since, they've been great for three weeks and now Cincinnati is more. Like I was so relieved when Joe Burrow led it up last week against Arizona because we the AFC needs him, Like I feel like we need more teams to be spicy and feel like super Bowl type contenders right now. It's been a bit of a weird start to the season.

They could be two and four after this week and they could play well and lose to it.

That's why it's a big game. I mean, So you have a Seattle team playing really well going to Cincinnati. If Burrow is healthy, he's he's gonna be able to score points, and if t Higgins is back even better and Cincinnati again it's not a must win, but yeah, you fall to two and four and once again you're kind of you're right back where you started where you feel like you're in desperation next week, and you know who they have next.

Week, the Bills. So it's like they kind.

Of got to win this game at least one of these two games. So I'm really excited to see how these two teams go out it And and Gino is playing well again this year. You have the running game, which I've really been impressed with both those guys in the backfield and how they compliment each other.

I think Seattle is a tough team.

I think it's a tough matchup, and I think this is one of those games that could go down to the final minutes. I'm gonna go with Cincinnati because I always at the end like go with Joe if Joe is right, But it would not surprise me Seattle got out of.

There with a win.

They asked spur out if this is as close as he's fell to one hundred percent since all this havoc occurred to him, He said, by far. And I mean I don't think there was a bigger development last week than watching him play healthy, like the healthy version of the me and what happened with Jamar Chase like all I want to see is like it in its form this weekend, to carry over that this is who they are, because they're right back at the top of the AFC pile.

No, I know someone who agrees with you. WHOA to the zoo?

All right to the zoo.

Hello over London, Good to see all my fans out there.

I know what you're thinking.

Next back, he thought, my brothers put me in one of those cages at the Zoo and there'd be no way I could get out.

Well, I came to save the year.

Around the NFL podcast today, war picks that get everyone to just tune out or play it on four time speed aren't gonna happen anymore.

I'm bet in charge.

Maybe Yeah, we're staying home in a jungle. This goes out to all my UK Bengals fans out there. The Bengals take care of business. Is the Seahawks walk it up?

Oh?

Greg, you had any guts at all. You go Monoly Mono with me. Walk up your boy, Gino in a big Oh.

But I'm feeling you're.

Gonna get cowering too.

Oh.

Let me guess the forty six has my favorite be a man, Greg do it?

Thank you? Nick point.

Was the most gutless choice of the week.

I appreciate that, Nick, go ahead, way, I'm taking the Ravens what he just challenged you as a man. He just said, I bet you guys are you're actually taking the most gutless pick of the week, and that you guys versus p sticking with Ravens.

No, of course, I don't really believe.

That that's that's bad when it's Gino, but when it's the Seahawks and you get challenged as a man.

But I don't really must.

I don't believe in the Seahawks as some great team. I think they're good. They're find out the Seahawks.

It's taking on the challenge of Nick. I mean, I think that this.

Nick from watching.

Beat them will be pleasure enough. But I'm not really that week.

He comes on this show, and by the way, the swagger of Nick is unchecked at this point.

He's out of control animal in that zoo. Yeah, I love it. The week away helped and you've been he's He's right about the Niners.

If if Deshaun Watson does not play, I'm going with Nick to the zoo and get behind Cincinnati. And I mean, I'm just saying last chance great because it feels like a big moment for you to go up against Nick. He's been every week coming at you on this show to really put him in his place.

Right, you could you could quiet him for a month?

No, I think I think that's a great point. When someone comes in last place year after year and challenges the champion three out of the last four years, that's exactly when the champion should stay doing what he already does and get another championship.

I'm staying with.

The raven, no sense, no sense of the moment. All right, Let's move on then, and thank you Nick. As always, I'm gonna go with Washington at Atlanta with.

The third pick.

It's you know, it's not man, it's not h You're killing my draft.

Well, what do you Where should I go? No? What would I take?

No?

You know what?

Like like that's the thing.

Let's be real with some of these slates last couple of weeks, like there are not a lot of gyms out there.

Well now my choices, I'm pretty rough here, so uh no, I actually kind of like the game just because, uh you know, show me Desmond Rindter you can put this together for a couple of weeks in a row, and because if you can, the Falcons should win that division. Like all they need is an okay quarterback, which they haven't had for most of the season, but he was.

You don't even have to really like the teams.

If these teams could just get to a competent level of consistent play, they're going to stack wins because the schedule is so soft. Everyone else, everyone else just seems is playing a killer schedule across the league, except for these South teams.

Because they play each other right, and they play the AFC South too.

So like that that's why it's it's interesting when you look you look at all these schedules across the league.

Wow, this schedule is getting tough.

It's all the teams that aren't in the South because they don't get the South, and they just are slobbery knocking with each other.

I think there's a this is a doorway for Atlanta to show us who they can be.

Yeah, So like that's that's why I'm into the game.

And and on the Washington side, man, it was it was as grim as it gets, uh on in primetime, and you just want to see how this team bounces back from just getting their doors blown off and you know, to let it get that ugly against the Bears, and it was supposed to be a celebration at FedEx Field, So now you have a chance to kind of dust yourself off. I think they have the right quarterback for it, and Sam Howe to that they're not going to be you know, in their own head after getting beat the

I don't like I mean, this is a Ron rivera team, it should be its stronghold should be its defense.

There are pieces on defense.

I like their front, but you gave up thirty three points to Denver, who we don't trust, thirty seven a Buffalo, all right, thirty four to the Eagles. These are good teams, but forty to the Bears. AJ Brown had one hundred and seventy five yards a couple of weeks ago against them. DJ Moore breaks out for eight catches, two hundred and

I don't quite agree.

I'm kind of with Vegas, who puts the Falcons at two and a half points as a favorite at home, which is the ultimate like, eh, don't trust the two and a half point home favorite. It's basically like a we don't know line, like we'll we'll give the home team a little bit, but whatever. If you look at like their Dboa, for instance, it doesn't surprise me. These teams are twenty third and twenty fourth in the league. That's sort of where I'd put them in my power

Just guys are flying open.

Teams are killing the rookie Emmanuel Forbes, their first round pick, week after week. And then Cody Barton, who is a linebacker that they sign in free agency, is just getting targeted week after week. So it's another matchup week after week. The Falcons are playing these teams that are pretty good stopping the run and are almost daring them to pass against them.

And can Ritter step up?

And can Howell get a little more Terry McLaurin and Johan Dotson involved, like he's weird, He's played well, but like take advantage of your best guys. I kind of like the Commanders in this game, just because I don't feel like the Falcons are a four and two team.

Yeah, the Falcons also, can they get after everyone's gotten after House so far? Who's been sacked more than any quarterback? In the league twenty nine, he's been hit more fifty times, he's been pressured the most. And you know, Washington on top of that, are kind of beating themselves up. They are in the bottom five in the league in turnovers, as I said, the most sacks allowed. I mean, it's been overall kind of a I think a disappointing start for Washington, who a team that I think was going

Hasn't lost a start at home going back to high school. I mean, that's stuff to do. Didn't lose one in college, hasn't lost one in the pros. And you get Matt Ryan on a Falcons game.

I like that.

Oh, actually, I don't think he's going to be taking chefs all.

Right, Snakes to me, I'm gonna grab Lake game here. I'm I'm gonna grab Eagles at Jets, Eagles favored by seven here. Yeah, it's a big it's a big challenge here. For New York and specifically Zach Wilson, who was bad better than good against Denver, but did show you some things that he wasn't doing earlier in the season. And again it's a question now for them to be functional,

They have to open it up on offense.

The problem now is Elijah Vera Tucker tears his ACL. He was their best, most versatile offensive lineman. With this Philadelphia pass rush against a beleaguered and beat up and not overly competent Jets offensive line, it's gonna be hard to ask Zatt Wilson to make plays when I don't imagine he's gonna have a lot of time to do it.

It's such a playing the Eagles defense now because they had a certain profile under Jonathan Gannon where you could run against them. They almost invited the run. They're the opposite this year. They've been very good stopping the run. I think it's because Jordan Davis has gotten better. In general, they've been much easier to pass against. That's where the injuries have been for them. In the middle of the field. That's where I think Zach Wilson can win at his best.

So the Jets I think, need to win through the air.

But then that pass rush, which did start improving last week with redex certainly with Jalen Carter like you have to hold up.

Are they built for that? I don't know.

And are they built to get after Jalen Hurts now that the Eagles like pass protection starting to get better each and every week.

I don't know.

I just think the Eagles are such a problem for any team, much less like a team that's has imbalanced, you know, one side of the ball versus the other, like the Jets.

Yeah, I feel like the strengths of Philadelphia, which begins with their offensive line, neutralizes a really special element of the Jets. And like we saw them absolutely make life help against Russell Wilson with their waves of defenders that I think that's what they If they can impact the game that way, that would be great. But I don't like to hear a Jets offense that has to win through the air. I just don't think that. I mean,

To completely dominate that matchup they had.

You know, the Rams played them tight for a bit, but that there was a point last week where they had two hundred and fifty yards and the Rams had about fifty and it's like we were watching them kind of get out of their funk on that side of the ball on the ground. And then last week Dallas Goddard becomes a star again and a j Brown's had big games weeks in a row. Jalen Hurts looked great

It's a bad matchup for the Jets.

I think Eagles fans should be feeling pretty confident about this game. I don't think the Jets have ever beaten the Eagles in the history of the really well, I think that's what I think that's continued. They have never won against the Eagles home or away, and the Eagles have the number one run defense in the league. The Jets have been a sneaky, saggy against the run as well, so it's could be a big DeAndre Swift.

I love the way Swift is running.

Yeah, I almost feel like it's been under play because you think about that offensive line. He's so decisive. He's a different player than he was in Detroit. It's very exciting if you're a Jet, I mean an Eagles fan. I like that they're seven point underdogs the Eagles. I picked your Jets. I had faith last week, but this week I would take those seven points and I would say to be a tough one.

I think the only way the Jets win this game where it's close in the fourth quarter, is they get a defensive scorer special teams.

I think they need something big.

They have never beaten the Eagles back to seventy three. They've outscored the Jets by a margin of three thirty five to one. So you got to win by one forty one in this game to even that out.

Well, it might take about one hundred years, but we're going to work in that margin. But I don't think it's going to work out for the Jets in this There.

Is a small tear in the fabric of reality with the Jets. I think they have a Breece Hall, a Bryce Hall, and two Michael Carter's. There's something a little strange going on.

And Aaron Rodgers, who haf Bryce Hoff?

Yes there's a Bryce Hall too, there is.

There's a Breece Hall, Brice Hall, and Michael Carters.

Get a little more creative here with our our team building.

I kind of like, is it a bryceff now? My brain is I mean not getting that wrong? Wait, this is ridiculous.

Aubrey Hoff jet lag. Okay, by the.

Way, two minutes of the worst.

Thing, the worst thing, the worst thing that could have happened is Aaron Rodgers not being playing football for so many reasons. Just shut up, dude, this smack being appearances are getting a little tedious again, and it's like I wanted it to be great if he just had a football season to focus on, but he doesn't. Let's take a break and then we'll continue the draft when we get back.

All right, we are back. Let's get right back into DoD draft.

Greg, You are up fun little game.

Who would have thought that Lions.

Favored by three points at Buccaneers would be flexed into the four to twenty five windows, so more the country can watch a little.

That's a that's a bit of an indictment of the slate more than yeah.

Well it's in frankly an indictment of Eagles Jets because I think they were thinking that was the game. Yeah, and that's what Aaron Rodgers injury has done to us. But you know what, the Bucks have helped themselves putting themselves into this spot. I get into three and one by playing solid defense for the most part and getting really improved play by Baker may He's not playing amazing,

Yeah, I thought against the Saints, you know, having watched Baker really closely with the Browns and heat, I think we can forget that the year they went to the playoffs, he had a stretch of play that was I thought some of his best play and it was what you're saying.

He wasn't creating mistakes.

He was seeing the field better against the Saints in that first half, eighteen for twenty three, one hundred and forty three yards, two touchdowns. He had no Mike Evans in the second half, and Mike Evans is still dealing with a hamsters.

Out of practice. That's concerning. Godwin looks better, but that's asking a lot out of guy.

He had a big play with Godwin.

But it's like I think Baker also like the little things that he can do. He's used his legs to convert like a string of third and longs in a number of games, and I know I think the Baker experience is like he's obviously turned off certain players, Odell Beckham being one of them. But the reports coming out of Tampa that they just love him, that he hangs out with them in his spare time, like and I know,

I think that gives him a chance.

But then it's like I look at someone like Aiden Hutchinson and who's the kind of player that's given Baker problems before, Like athletic defensive lineman who can blow up like screen passes, and you got, like Aiden Hutchinson at least like special vision to get in the way of these types of laterals and screens tip them catching. I mean, he is a star player. And the Lions to me, are playing with extreme confidence. And I see them as like just beyond the Eagles and Niners in the NFC.

Of the ball to playing loose. And I don't know this is Tampa if Tampa can win this.

I think very differently about them because I kind of just see them as a middle of the road offering.

I talked about locking up the Lions because of what they've showed us so far and why it's time to just believe they're a team that it doesn't matter if they're home or if they're on the road, they're going to stop a team they're better than. And if they do it again here, it is it's more evidence they're Yeah, they're not Philly and they're not San Francisco, but I think they would kind of entrench themselves as the third team in the NFC.

I don't want to be the guy it's always.

Reigning on the Baker parade, So I agree that he's played well.

In three of the four games.

He didn't play so well against Philly the one time where the schedule really was stiff.

The next three weeks are going.

To tell you a lot, because they got Detroit, Atlanta at Buffalo.

And if Baker really.

Is different, and like I think, I'm sure I've never heard of that Baker is a bad guy. In fact, he's like a guy that a lot of people. He's a good leader and all that it's just like, these guys will like playing with you if you get them the ball and the offense is moving and you get guys paid. That's what That's what players and teammates like

Not seeing the field.

I need to see more sample size to buy in on the Baker's back theory. This will be a really good test because if they play well at home and he plays well even if Mike Evans isn't Mike Evans are not even there and he still plays well, that does tell you there's something different here.

I just think the sample size is still too small. But I also I'm the same guy I thought he'd be bench by now, so he's hered.

He played better than I thought was possible, even against the soft schedule. This will tell us a lot.

SATs defense is a tough matchup though, and he was fine in that game.

I mean, Saints are a real deal defense, but.

Their offense was not giving them no help.

Right, and the Bucks are a little healthier. I think they're healthier in the secondary. They'll get Colijah Canti, their first round pick back on the defensive line, Brian Branch has still been out of practice. Jamior Gibbs like, no matter what week it is, the Lions are still banged up. But hey, Baker's hanging out at David Busters unlike Tom Brady.

That's why they're doing it d NBS.

Mark, you're up, all right, I'm gonna take my late game, okay, Arizona at Rams, I think you really. I have a little bit of a Cardinals fascination a little, but it's dimmed because I hate the fact that they lost James Connor, who I thought was having looked about as good on the ground as he has Connor, he's been a great runner this season for them.

They're that's what's going to cause you to jump off the bandwagon.

I'm not jumping off the bandwagon, but I mean, like PFF has them, it's like the third.

He's been a top five or six running.

I'd say so too.

I mean I feel like Greg every week we're talking about him run the ball and like Dame, have you watched these games least.

I've watched them all and he's fine, but he's not some of the type of dynamic.

I think it's I am saying, the way that they've hung around in these games, like taking him out of the mix is the kind of thing that could expose them quicker and I can the Rams do it? I think so the Rams to me, You've got Matthew Stafford playing at a very high level. I'm assuming he's fully back to health wise, because I think like a couple of his throws might have been impacted last week by that hip situation.

The Cardinals, I don't know.

It's like sort of week after week, Josh Dobbs keeps making plays, and.

That's why I believe in them.

I mean, they've been in every one of these contests, and I think I think that they're gonna They're gonna sneak wins here at some point. But I mean, we also saw Josh Dobbs start to make a couple killer mistakes last week.

Gave the pick six. They can't do it. They have very little wiggle room, but they're well coached.

I always knew for locks and picks and spread like there was no matchup more reliable in the NFL for five straight years than Sean McVay turning Cliff Kingsbury like into the college coach that Spice Rack would always point out, Yeah he was. He was under five hundred with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback. Like that's how bad Cliff Kingsbury was in college, and Sean McVay would just boat race

Yeah, I thought it was a roadmap to what you're going to see a lot this season. Now through because Nikua had that great runway with Cup out of the lineup to prove himself, and then you saw it in the first they were targeted combined twenty three times, twelve to Cup, eleven to Nikua.

So that's that's the offense, and.

It's going to be fun to see them continue to play together. I think they're they're both going to eat in this game. And you know, I think Arizona has been a pretty good story this year that they haven't been embarrassing. But I think they will get boat raised here by the rooms.

Well, let's go, Amari de Marcado, use my waiver pick. I'm back in Fantasy for the first time in a decade, Amari de Marcado. He'll be on my bench. But that's your Ravens starting running develop.

It's your own team or your children.

No, I am in a league.

You're in a league. I am in a league.

What's your record?

From a neighbor friend who pushed hard at the last minute?

And I like the like the people in it. I'm three and two so far.

I'm okay.

Points are pretty high though, so I'm feeling good.

I like it.

I like how we're looking cauld.

We feel great to beat Greg and fantasy if you were a neighbor.

They don't know, Yeah, they don't know.

I don't think really Okay, the backstory going on, or at least most most of the.

Wrote a world brick by brick, they're not aware.

I don't think that.

So you imagine when they find out that's going to be little internet thing.

The events.

All right, let's see here, where are we're going? Caroline at Miami? The flop sweat Caroline at Miami.

It's a pick.

Well, I think Miami's fun to watch Carolina. To me, I have been on this Frank Reich beat since the preseason that I think there was this assumption, oh, you get Frank Gregg's offense, it's going to be real steady and real shore play. In the head they look completely lost to me, they cannot run the ball.

I think.

I think it's like, oh, Frank Reich brings stability and it's a great coach to have to pair.

With Bryce Young.

And I'm at the point now I think we've be like did they even want Bryce Young?

And the comments that Frank Reich.

Made this week about his weekly meetings with David Tepper slightly concerning.

Sounds like it's a bit of a boiler.

Let's listen. Tough situations, Poor old Frank.

There's different philosophies in ownership, you know what I mean. Some owners kind of stay, stay away and don't engage a whole lot other owners do. And his philosophy is he's going to engage and and listen. It's only been a short experience, but it's been a really good experience. It hasn't been fun, you know, it's not fun. Those those meetings aren't I wouldn't characterize them as fun meetings. But those meetings make me better, and I trust they make us better.

Yeah, that's that's tough. You could hear the guy we've talked about. He's lost a lot with the cults when things got sideways, and now he's with a team that's very deep in a kind of a reboot.

Are you Are you surprised that he was like that open and earnest about what's going on there?

I I yeah, a little bit actually, because if it's easy to read between the lines there, because Frank Reich has been playing football and coaching football and he was a quarterback, like he knows football so much better than his boss.

But I think he's just a grown man who's being honest. He prefaced it all by saying, like, I think they're good for us.

Where's the meeting? What do you think the meeting is that?

Like, of course, when you're zero and five, all the meetings are tough, like your meeting with your boss. They're not pleasant meetings with your boss after losing a football our cup.

Leave our company out of it.

Like my point was is that Frank Reich is going into this meeting and then David Tepper is telling him what why this football team needs to get better in football decis He's forced to say it's making us better when Frank Reich knows more and his pinky than the owner knows about it, and that's tough.

I'm with you, and I would extend it to say that.

I mean, there's there were whispers, there's maybe you know, a concept where Frank Reich didn't have full operational choice.

So there which.

Quarterback they're reporting. Adam Schefter said he wanted CJ.

Stroud.

So then you're watching c J.

Stroud and the Texans offense grow and like do great things and the Panthers. I mean, if anything last year, they're not even better than last year's offense under an interim head coach. They were at least pounding people with the run down the stretch, doing something well. They're not doing anything well right now. And Bryce Young, to me, there's little moments, sure, but largely looks lost.

Some of that is coaching.

Yeah, you're just looking for positives. In the fourth quarter of that game, which I know not a lot of people probably saw because it was a blowout, he had two of his best throws of the year at the touchdown pass where he really fired one in there that was like a high level throw, and then he had another whole shot where he puts it over the linebacker to I think it was Mingo on a crossing route. That was a high level throw, and I was just like,

Great matchup for Miami after just destroying the Giants, with not even trying last week, I just I don't understand, and maybe that's what you hear kind of a little defeat in Reike's voice. It's like, you hired me to be the head coach. I'm a former quarterback. I was the offensive coordinator of the Eagles who won a Super Bowl against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick with Nick Foles as the QB. I know this position better than anyone

That must be.

So it's just, yeah, I feel for the guy, Like I think a little pushback to you, Mark, like it's not to me so much, like why this team's not going anywhere? Because you know what, is Frank Reich really proven and is he really a difference maker? It's like I think it's more maybe decay or rot behind the scenes that's creating a kind of an ugly scene and he's caught in a bad situation.

Yeah, Like I mean, Frank Reig is a good head coach. I'm not trying to put it all on him. And he worked with a difficult owner, I think in Indianapolis and his previous stop, and you never heard a word about it, and it's like I just see a crack

It is a minor new owner syndrome, just like everyone was so excited about David Tepper.

And there's been a lot of meddling. There's been a lot of firing.

There's a half built practice facility somewhere in the wilds of West.

Virginia that never got done. Like it hasn't been too smooth for.

Two little little turbulence around that since South Carolina. On the Dolphins side of things, real quick, real quick, do we a we devon ah Chang, Devin A Chan, Devin Chan.

I think it's a bit at this point, but really all got me.

It's in my head.

He's on IR so he's out this week and I don't know, I don't know that. Neil shouted out, if you know it, like do we still have any idea what the actual injury is other than me Like it's a weird thing where we're not hearing specifics. But he's out for the foreseeable future. And Mark, you mentioned on the Sunday Show they were a little bit.

Sloppy against the Giants.

I think, just keep an eye on the offense that it's not falling into any bad habits.

But otherwise Miami the show.

I think it's how impressive they are is that they had three turnovers, two of them killer turnovers, and they.

Still did what they did. The thing is, if you don't have heen in half this game, the spread, well that's fair. That seems totally fine to me.

You do have the Eagles and Chiefs over the next four weeks, so eight Chens absence matters.

Greg, I mean Mark, no, Greg, Greg Greg John not doing three in a row.

I will take Colts at Jaguars.

Neil, you got anything over there.

Jaguars are favored by four points in this game.

You can listen to Spiro Didas on the call. Okay, Josh Allen in the backfield, he's buried.

Is better than anyone else's Didas.

That was not planned out.

It's top DTAs.

Okay, the Jags are really developing as the season goes along, and they're a different team than they were a year ago. They have a legit run defense, and they haven't had anything good on defense for a little bit, and they're now going against the Zach Moss and Jonathan Taylor's show that that lit up Tennessee, and so that's a test because if their run defense can limit the Colts ground game, I just don't think the Colts have enough drop back

I thought last year Jacksonville's win in London was a major turning point for them and they developed from there. I think it was an awakening for Trevor Lawrence and I kind of viewed that Bills win a week ago as sort of the start of their season. I mean, I think they came very close to beating the Chiefs,

I'm really interested to see. I think it is a good matchup. I think this is a good game. I think it's a good value add in the draft.

I do wonder what we'll get from Jonathan Taylor this week.

That was my question. I wonder.

Obviously, they brought them along very slowly and we didn't see much of them, and then Zach Moss had another big game. But I would think this would be the game where it becomes at least a fifty to fifty split, if not, you know, depending on Taylor's feeling and running even more than that. And you know, I think, like we said that one of the best luxuries of any team in the sport that they lose Richardson for a

What's very little through a little thread the needle action where they don't cover, but they do win, they don't cover the.

Four plus four points.

I'm a little worried, and I don't like the reports about Richardson that it's could be four weeks, it could be eight weeks, it could be the season, depending on how the surgery goes. So it's just something that you're watching. You're thinking. I wonder if it depends on where they are in their record if he comes back. But that's that's for a future date.

Minshew.

Lead us to the promised Land. All right, let's take one more break and then we'll finish up the draft. All right, we are back. Let's finish up this draft. This is a good one. I got one a good value here Late Saints of Texans still there.

Right, that's there's a nice pick.

I like this, very good.

Chris Meyers kind of chilled the draft value of this one, but yes.

It was very sent the stock plummeting of this game, but it's a it's a good game. You know what's interesting if you if you took out that meltdown against the Packers in the fourth quarter, everybody'd be talking about the Saints defense this year, like and to the point you made about Baker earlier, like they have been for the most part, really good this season.

And and they went up to New England.

I know you're catching New England at a bad spot in their history here, but like to shut out.

New England in New England.

And now you get the Texans and I think we've been kind of on this on this train that we believe in this all defense, that this is a team again it's a South team, so they have a lot of favorable matchups throughout the year. You could see with Stroud continuing to play well, this team not just hanging

I really love like this the test against this defense. And I have a new assistant coach of the Year

It's him.

It's the matchup of his coach, it's the offense season, the way that they've kind of overcome a lot of offensive line injuries. Laramie Tunsel did not practice again on Wednesday. I don't love that this is a team that's functioning well on this side of the ball, and they're really fun to watch.

I was disappointed by their performance on balance against the Texans, though, I mean against the Falcons last week. You know that was my game. They were kind of stuck in mud. They couldn't finish drives. And it's interesting because Ryan Nielsen comes from New Orleans that their coordinator to Atlanta basically runs the DNIS Allen defense and now you play the actual dnnis Allen defense, you're the Texans offense. So back

There.

I don't I'm not convinced by the Saints offense put it that way. This could be a very defensive game.

If you're Derek Carr and he's still new there obviously, and he's been banged up. But Chris Olave is the guy, so he should be getting targeted more than anyone else in that offense because he makes things happen the I do love the matchup with the Saints defense against Stroud because their strength.

Their defense. They're number one in the league.

The Saints in plays over ten yards or attempts over ten yards by the opposing offense, they shut.

Things down, and I think the thing about Stroud is.

His So this is here's some NFL ranks He's third in the league in passing yards per game, fifth and yards per attempt. He's got seven touchdowns passed, wading near one hundred, and yet he still has this ongoing streak. It's now an NFL record. I don't know if that sits well with you, Greg, for the most past attempt to start a career.

Actually a record.

Without an I in t And if you were babying him and you were throwing a lot of checkdowns in a very conservative offense, I wouldn't be as impressed. I'd still be impressed. You're a rookie heading into week six without a pick. But the fact that he's near the top of the league in yards per attempt, it's really like that's a very telling stat like pairing those two together. So he's going to continue to be challeng here against the Saints. But like man like that is, you couldn't

So it's it's a big storyline in the NFL right now.

Yeah, we're like a lot of doubts after they dropped it him I would ask you this, like which roster if you were to take over a team, which roster do you look better?

If I need to make the playoffs this year, I was a Saints, but long term, obviously the Texans are not.

Obviously definitely Texans are like definitely they are going to take something special.

Get a home win.

Here, you're at home, You're at a point and a half underdog here, Texans.

I like the Texans in this case, get the win.

I like the Texans too, But I hey, Damian Pierce, I mean, come on, but he is actually now under three yards are tenth.

Which it's the team. I think he's running well.

But we had the option on Tuesday to choose our worst picks from before the season, and my backup choice was dandy on the table for Damian Pierce as your fifth or sixth round fantasy pick that has not worked out. I'm not totally off it because he is getting the touches each week.

Like, but it's they're averaging just eighty two yards per game on the ground. So if they can get the ground game figured out and pair that with Stroud, look out, all right, let's see let's see.

Am I up again?

Oh?

No.

I hate when this happens, but I don't have a lot of options, so I.

Will go and grab Patriots at Raiders.

Are you kidding me? First of all, Raiders laying three points of wood here Nansen Romo.

They put Nanson Romo in this game?

What do we dol decision?

All right?

So you send Nansen Romo to the desert? Greg, if you're a Patriots fan, like, where are you at with this team? In the sense that you know Belichick comes out and he gives the press conference this week where he's like, we're starting over, start over, and then any other question where you try to glean any type of insight into how they might change their game plan.

We're starting over.

So they're starting over, which is tough, tough thing to do in week six, and a lever to pull or a lead to watch the game that is that is something that you don't really want to flick that unless things are going terribly. Things are going terribly the Raiders. It was so fun. We talked about it on a Monday night. Max Crosby getting that that spotlight and absolutely destroying his opponent.

Will he do it again in this game?

Probably because he's playing opposite a man named Verderian Lowe who they got to replace. They've got to have some accountability. I know they don't have anyone, but it was it was like the six thring tackle on the Vikings. And he's been one of the worst players in the league. And that's who Crosby will be against. Mac is is the quarterback. But now this is yet another like you're

I don't know. We've talked so much about that.

I want to just say something different about the Patriots, which is just that I'd like to see more about the thing the players I was most excited about coming into the year on the Patriots, which were in the front Kean White, their rookie pass rusher, Christian Barmore, a guy that I really thought was going to be a future All Pro when he was a rookie. Not seeing a ton Josh Ucha in a free agent year, not

I mean, what.

Neutralizes a promising aspect to a young defense, though, is they've got the worst the worst passing offense in the league. They're the worst running team in the league. I think they're the worst team in the league. I don't think they're well coached. Is that I mean, is that crazy to say, taking.

Blown neutral field, I'm going that minus two over the Panthers, But I think you might be right.

That's fair.

But like I think Bill could could cook up justin field.

I think he might win this game, but he might not.

I mean minus three is fair for there is not shown himself to be an asset in the middle of this. First of all, when you say you know we're going to start over, We're going to make changes that you don't make any changes because they don't have any options, like what else they're the roster has depth issues all over the place to.

Mario Douglas and Juju A both have concussions. Sounds like they're going to miss this game.

Right, it's not it's not a good and I don't care that it's Josh McDaniels for spill Belichick by the way, I mean, the Raiders do not impress me that much more either. But it's like this idea of it's a sort of like luminary versus luminary, Like.

You know, we're at the dark part of the season where I saw like an article looking for original take, and I don't fault the writer. It's like Josh McDaniels, he's the real guy who hasn't done anything without Tom Brady.

He's like, that's a fair point. That is a fair point.

Well, if we really want to go down that road, neither is Bill.

But right, we don't need to though, No, but well we did in our flash, but we did.

But Bill has Bill won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady as the twenty seventh quarterback in the league and one of the most dominant dominant defenses. Like that wasn't actually Tom Brady even two thousand and three wasn't actually.

But it was.

I mean it wasn't like the greatest level of Tom Brady, but it was. I mean, they scored the player, they scored ten points in the Super Bowl.

But still Tom Brady the person and Tom Brady pre snap and prepara Brady goes.

I think, man, I've been wrong about the Patriots back to back weeks.

I will take them again.

I agree that Jimmy Jimmy G looked just lost on Monday night, and I know I wonder if Aidan O'Connell played better in his spots start, whether uh he might have had a chance to stay in the lineup. I think, if something goes poorly here and I don't, maybe it's still just like you know, muscle reflex or whatever. Just this idea that are the Patriots really just going to be this bad all the time?

Or they are they going to be able to recover?

The Raiders are not a horrific matchup for them here, although remember what last time they played each other.

It was the Chandler Jones freak play games game.

Yes, so if if Jimmy G doesn't and listen, who knows Jimmy gen better than Bill. I would not be stunned if the Raiders often struggles in this game and you start to hear some of those things Percley around the quarterback position there last game, GREGI, it defaults to you. Justin Jefferson will not be playing for the Vikings, which removes much of the intrigue to this team. He is on ir with that hamstring, and now they're going.

To Soldier Field.

A little juice there because we saw what happened Thursday Night football. Of course, Justin Field's four touchdowns, DJ Moore goes off and that's you know, back to back weeks.

Where there's some promising signs for their attack.

Yeah, two one in four teams.

The Vikings are favored by two and a half in this game, even without Justin Jefferson. Both of the like, I think the Vikings are still thinking we can maybe get something going even without Jefferson and scrap into fighting for a seven seed. We've been in every game like they haven't looked like the worst teeming and the Bears

Yeah, I think the last two weeks are promising. They've also put up three hundred and fifty yards on the ground. You're seeing sort of elements that made them spicy a year ago. They also played Denver's defense and Washington's defense, which we've talked about, so it takes a little bit of the shine off.

If I'm Minnesota, I just I kind of I just have one question.

I know we talked about this a little bit like, why are we talking about trading Kirk Cousins, Like it's he's out there is like a hovering top ten quarterback. I mean, stats wise, he's been great, and like you're gonna move him.

But for what those other cancel idea here is that they chose not.

To redo his deal in the offseason, which points to the possibility that leadership wants to kind of start over at that position. I just if that is internally what their big picture plan is, then here's an opportunity to maybe in a lost season in terms of competition to move him.

It's only word that if you get like those two firsts, which in a year where there would be logical teams to go get him could happen, or first and a third, But I don't know if those teams exist we hit that no.

I just yeah, I just think it's like you like, that's a nice idea to move on and rebuild, and it's not like it's my favorite quarterback on the planet, But like we're watching teams that took the wrong court for the place.

It'd be a tank.

It'd be a way to try to get Caleb Williams or Drake May because they are last in the league right now in terms of rushing attempts, they're first in passing attempt They're the most pass wacky team in the league. You throw in uh, they're back up into that.

Forget about it.

If you're all right, this is just Galaxy braining this. But if you do trade Kirk Cousins and what if you trade Justin Jefferson, then you have the entire well you have well if you really want to tank and start over, but you're you're gonna have three maybe four first round picks and then the way you go.

I'm not saying they should do that. I mean they got to pay them Greg. If they don't, they got to make them the most.

There's no where he should be available in any because.

He's just organizationally, their philosophy is not, you know, to pay a wide receiver more than any wide receivers have been paid before.

I'm not saying I would do it.

I'm just saying you could make the they trade the stuff on Diggs and drafted just Justin Jefferson, Like, would they potentially do it again if it secured.

You without any doubt, like the number one overall pick, and you'll get that quarterback.

That's one I was stumbling to try to remember who is there? Back them now because they got they got rid of it and Jaron Hall, their fifth round rookie who looked extremely raw and not ready for anything in the preseason.

Jordan Addison is going to get a nice spotlight here with Jefferson out of line because one thing, because I like, I've always enjoyed watching Cousins play.

I think he's just a good thrower of the football and all that. He's going to.

Make Jordan Addison productive if he's going to be Osborn.

Those guys are fantasy fantasy plays.

Osbourne had a season high nine targets last year. So those guys are going to eat, as is DJ Hockinson. So if you went and you got Howkinson in your draft, justin Jefferson exiting the picture is good news there for you as well.

All Right, we did it?

What else? What is going on here? What? What do we what do we we have? We have more to do here? Yes, it's Sky Sports tonight.

We're taping something for with Neil Reynolds.

Sky.

I'm going into her huddle. Watch out wait what does that mean? You'll have to check it out on sky Sports NFL.

But did you are doing it for most.

Of these less there's this means the program, it's a program.

You and I while he does her huddle are appearing on like essentially it's not sky Sports but sky News more like an actual news venue.

Famously, you got some tough questions.

We got some questions last time, and we don't We're on to the main Sky News headquarters. We were being asked about Colin Kaepernick and how his connection to the league, like how how did we how do we handle the Colin Kaepernick situation?

And Mark and I are just like what are we doing here?

It was just like for some reason, the anchors like, here's a good idea. Let's bring those two clowns back and put them back on the news. I don't know, I'm not sure what the thing is.

Maybe we'll be challenged, uh you know again like.

That got our live show tonight, and we have our.

Live show tonight. I'm not going to uh you will be there. We will chain you to the stage if we have to. Actually, that's a pretty good idea against we just had like a comically large like ankle chain.

Just throwing it out there could be talked into it.

Wait he likes it. Never mind, all right, good stuff.

Thank you everybody for checking out the preview, and yes we're very excited to be here in London. I'm going to have a few pints once we clear all this work.

Our tn F recap is coming on Friday to a little later for our listeners then normal, because it won't be immediately after the games.

We'll post that on fred.

Here's an idea, how will they survive?

What about Neil's butler slash chauffeur drives us around London and we just hit up all the all the pubs that our listeners say are the best to hit in this fine city.

Yeah, not the driver, he'd stay in the car.

Your butler slash chaffeur available with people.

Class connection, Neil. It's it's important, all right. Thank you to everybody. Until next time, heed the call.