2023 Week 6 Recap

The Around the NFL podcast, Sean Peyton's official fan club from Sky Sports headquarters in London, England. It's Around the NFL. I am Dan Hansis, and I am in.

A conference room filled with some heroes, Greg Rosehal Mark Sessler.

There are.

No more undefeated teams in the in the National Football League and Mark Sessler the reason both the undefeated teams no longer are undefeated is because of the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets. What world do we live in?

This season needed this? I really feel like it did. And it's not because I have roots as a Browns fan, and it's not because of your Jets fandom. It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt.

I mean also the roots are also full grown tree that you're still all right living today.

I sat under the shade of that beautiful tree and felt something in Pa Walker made me feel something we'll get we'll get into it. But this is the unlikely, unpredictable nature of this league. And it's like we're still learning about these teams. And I would say even more from the Jets angle, there is just this renewed sense of possibility.

Wow.

I think it's from every angle. I mean, let's let's say what it is. This is one of the most memorable days in the history of the Around the NFL podcast. It's almost one am. We're at Sky Sports Studios. Our day started over at the Hot Toddy more than twelve hours ago, well more than that, and your teams just took out the two best teams in the NFL who hadn't had a loss today, and we got professional footballers yelling on us from the stands inside jokes from this that. So it's all happened.

We were walking and again and we're gonna get to the game, the Titans Ravens game that we were in attendance, and we did a lot of great stuff on the field, so many great interactions and fun interactions with listeners of this show. It's almost overwhelming, quite frankly and really cool. But one of those interactions and one of those shout outs when we were down at the field came from Rob Holding.

Crystal Palace is Rob Holding, formerly of Arsenal, And you know, we we're plugged in onto the sports of some degree to not some degree because we Nick Pike from NFL UK when we were when we walked past him, Rob Holding shouted on, hey, heroes, and he's like, you know, he's like here we are at the Hot Toddy. It's like, it's awesome. Another great British listener and he's like, by the way, Nick said, that is a professional Premier League player. That is Rob Hold. He was like about seven hundred

Wow, this is that's who. That's who's now.

And it's a day that, yes, that so many crazy things have happened, and the fact that it's one am here. We should be tired, but when those certain outcomes of today's games, uh and the way they do, we are filled with energy and life and we will not be alone.

So we're gonna we're gonna go through what seven or eight games go? All right, So let's do that. And I think there's no reason to delay any further. Let's get into how these undefeated teams were knocked off. And yes, let's start at an electric metal lands where we go in.

Motion goes a Kios shotguns set for tailor, hurts pinwell to is left, play clock at three takes this half, drops the throw on fourth and eight, well protected, looks left, heaves a bomb down.

The middle of the field and as broke it up that side and a whitehead.

The Jets are gonna win it.

The Jet defense needed to come up big.

One last time and turn up thing they did.

What a day for the Jet defense.

What a day indeed, Oh the leak set in London, Oh my goodness, what a day for Robert Sala's defense, which after giving up fourteen points in the first half, including the opening Philly drive, but that covered nine minutes of game time, and when nineteen plays on a very iffy touchdown overturned by the official officials, completely locked down the Eagles in the second half of this game and

It is a season changing win because Dan and I we were having this conversation during the game as they were playing tough, and I'm comparing I'm like, you know, Zach Wilson is almost turning into like the new Drew lock Like he's developed into maybe a capable backup level, which is a step forward. And maybe they could survive. And if only they had the schedule that they had in twenty twenty two, I think this team actually could maybe win nine to ten games. But this schedule's been

They refuse to go away. I mean, if there was a time to collapse and disappear, it would have been five minutes into the season. They beat the Buffalo Bills, widely considered like a top two team in the AFC. You nearly beat the Chiefs and you should have that call at the end of that game changes everything there, and you think maybe the Jets are just absolutely snake bit. You've just beaten the Eagles. If you knew before the season you'd have those three wins, you said, of course,

Here's here's the deal.

Yes, Wilson has been better the last three weeks than he was previously, but Wilson did not make throws in many situations. He took a lot, he took sacks in this game. He didn't turn the ball over. But they really had no business winning this game because the defense continued to get stop after stop and give Zach Wilson to the offense the ball back and for the most part,

I'm not going to say it's at that level, but it's not far off. For the Eagles.

The Eagles are going to watch this film and be sick to their stomachs because they knew there is no way, after all the frustrations of the game, there is no way Zach Wilson is going to take the Jets down the field to win this game. All Jalen Hurts has to do is not make the wrong decision, but he does.

The Jets go in.

And it was thought at the time that that was a bad decision because the Eagles got the ball back with one six and two timeouts on the clock.

And yet and yet.

The Jets defense stood tall one more time. So even though you could you've e quibble or even say Salam made a big mistake there. This defense that had stood up all throughout that half did it one more time and it really is, yes, a landscape changing win for the Jets.

It.

You know, the Eagles had a ton of injuries. We'll get to that too, because I think that was a big takeaway from this game and important for them moving forward. But ultimately there's more on defense and offense, and they had their best players out there other than Lane Johnson on offense, and so for the Jets defense to turn them away over and over again, and the quarterbacks that they faced are impressive. We got Robert Salah given us some good calls.

Bob.

You know, through these first six weeks, we've played a gold little quarterbacks and I know we haven't gotten all wins, but we've embarrassed all of them.

It's not wrong, you know what I think, after what Sala has been through and this team and this fan base has been through, it's okay to pop out your chest here a little bit and I'll I'll take the l because recently is the first half last week against Denver, I'm thinking to myself, Man, this Robert Sala, I don't know if this is the right guy in place. This

And they did both of that.

Yeah, Jets, four point one yards per play, you know, two hundred and forty four total yards. You look at that before the game and think, well, the Jets did not get this thing done. It was a couple of years ago that we were at Hot Toddy watching the Robert Sola game where he's pumping his fists up and down the sideline, and it's like that was when it started to bubble up. That Robert Sala, the Niners defensive coordinator,

That Hurts was actually pretty good for most of this game. He was let down by some big drops by his receivers. He kept plays alive throughout this game and was almost impossible for the Jets to bring down despite an active pass rush. But you know, he still turned the ball over three times, three interceptions and the last throw again that that is in the running for one of the

Well, and to go four and out on the ensuing possession, in which they had a plenty of time to try to go down the field in the first down included you know, his best receiver A J. Brown, who went for another one thirty one. He does it every week, yelling at him. So it was about as big of a meltdown as Jalen Hurts has had in a game since that playoff loss to the Bucks. I don't come out of this game overly concerned about the Eagles long term. Like they've had some wobbly games. It's a long season,

In your three and three, the Jets, you go to your bye week and they've been through a gauntlet. It's been a rough, rough slate, and I think even with Aaron Rodgers, you could have looked at this opening six games and say three and three, I might take that. And so after that you have the Giants, the Chargers,

And this is very rarely happened.

I've really thought this, but that the Jets fans have been awesome in that building. Now that it was a great vibe in Week one, great vibe in there. It's feeling a little bit like a home field advantage because the fans like this team and they are fun teams, are rooted for, and they have that underdog mentality with Rogers out very exciting times.

I'm thrilled.

Hey, maybe he won't be out for long. He's out there on the field without any crushes with all the cameras on. I mean, I know what you're doing. I know you're getting paid millions from McAfee.

An.

I mean I would take the millions too, if you could do that for millions of dollars.

Mark, do you want to talk about the Browns?

I would like to.

Let's suck with the Browns.

Oh on a Sunday show between the Hashers.

Forty one yard baby for Jake Moody, which Shnowski kneels at the thirty one to give the Niners the lead.

Snap is down, the kick is up, the kick.

Is good, It's no good, and the Brows will beat for forty nine ers nineteen to seventeen.

He pushed it wide to the right. Oh, we know that boys.

Bring on the bongo, come, come.

Come Cleveland defense. Schwartz, Schwartz, Schwartz.

Oh, the rookie kicker of the forty nine ers. Jake Moody missed the forty one yard field goal six seconds to play, and the Cleveland brown another inspired defensive effort. Nineteen seventeen in the win, and that was of course Andrew Siciliano with the call our friend, friend of the show, colleague and NFL media Browns fan and filling in of course for the great Jim Donovan, Jim Donovan and doing

I mean, I've talked with Andrew so many mornings in our in our newsroom through these up and down Brown seasons, and I honestly to hear him, to hear his voice right there, like since he was a young boy, he's been rooting for this team, and he's professional about it obviously now, but like that's got to be a moment he'll never forget and it has to go down as one of the bigger Browns regular season wins the of this century.

Who's the quarterback today?

It's PJ. Walker. And you know what I said, like the one I think I told you guys, like early in the game, it was like PJ. Walker looks good in this Browns uniform. I just kind of like I can root for this guy, and like he's an imperfect creation. He threw a couple of picks in this game. He kept fighting though at.

Mom missus Walker, actually PJ is a perfect creation.

All right, Well, you know I don't need perfect, but I need someone I can root for. And there's also like the Jets at times they're playing around their offense because they're really affected by not having Nick Chubb. Yet they're running backs. Jerome Ford and company stepped up today. Kareem Hunt stepped up today. There was big plays by Amari Cooper. I love the fact that PJ Walker, who really had You know, these are a preseason with this team. There was no training camp. He comes it off the

It?

Can it be?

This defense? Is Cleveland gonna do what it did? Know they were in a bad position against Baltimore with what was happening in quarterback that week. But they also gave up some big, gash plays on the ground. This a couple of big players through the air, and they didn't look like themselves today. I mean, from wire to wire, Jim Schwartz, who was marching up and down the sideline with a real smile on his face from the beginning, I think they just knew they could make life uncomfortable

I mean, if look if Jake Moody makes that kick. I'm talking about how Brak and Ayuk made a couple of big time plays right on that drive, made the Browns miss, but the only reason he got the chance is because the forty nine Ers defense kept getting the ball back. The forty nine Ers had seven drives in the second half. It is extremely rare to get a seventh chance, a seventh bite at the apple like Perty

Defense, Yeah, even without Nick Chubb, because you look at this division and it's like, if you're the Browns with that defense, who scares you?

I mean even you can get day For the AFC North, they got to say they all looked a little scarier now than they did twenty four hours ago.

But like the Bengals, they don't know how to beat this Browns team. They so they're in their heads by this point, and this defense is currently constituted, is gonna eat up all the other teams in that division, including in my mind, the Ravens. I think they're I think they're just really well set up to be a team that is relevant and potentially a playoff team. I picked them as a playoff team obviously. I when you lose Nick Chubb, you think, oh that that's a death now.

Continue to give them wins.

Yeah, they have losses against Pittsburgh, which was that was a frustrating Monday night loss. You know, the Baltimore game, there was a lot happening on Cleveland's offensive side that put them in a disadvantage, but they got gashed by Baltimore. I don't know. I feel like there's no way I thought that this San Francisco matchup would reveal Cleveland to be somewhat of a fraud. That was just my feeling. And it's like I have to give Kevin Stefanski. I think it's sort of been under a lot of fire,

Well, they've given up the fewest yards through five games of any team I think ever, which is which is a pretty crazy stat And the schedule eases up. The Deshaun Watson news coming into the week was he might miss multiple more weeks. It's still a very strange situation that bears at.

Getting like we're not we have done the right story on the shouldern.

Well, it's very rare to hear a guy is medically cleared from the coach and then he's out for two and a half straight week.

One of one of the parrots that work for Watson, essentially in the media, will leak his side of the story sooner.

We've pretty much been getting that, but like you know, he's feeling I don't. I don't necessarily doubt that. I just feel like there's there's more going down. Injuries were

Shanahan he wasn't sure. He was unsure about the extent of both and said, we don't know yet. Uh so, yeah, it is you know, that Deebo is now going through another of what looks to be an injury plague season. McCaffrey has really stayed healthy the most part since coming to San Francisco. So now we're gonna start getting tested here as all teams do. And now it's forty nine ers.

There was another one too, because Trent Williams on a play that looked he got rolled up on and it looked really ugly and he came back into the game and finished it, but left the stadium in a walking boot on his right foot. So I mean that's another Jenga piece right there.

Should have never gotten rid of Robbie Gould. You called it, Danny.

Hey, he got to when you have a kicker you can count on and depend on, you keep in the building. And I know you could, if you're a Niners fan, you could quibble with the with the decision there to get very conservative and settle for the forty one yard field goal rather than try to get closer. They didn't want to risk getting knocked back on some running plays

Yeah, in twenty twenty three should be money in the bank. Number one.

He hasn't looked great since he was drafted. So that's on Shanahan a little bit. You gotta know your kicker number two, Like I always just feel like coaches hide behind that, Like, okay, then it's the kicker's fault. You have forty five seconds. You got to time out over it like you've got a great offensive team, like, oh, we don't want to get backed up running ball? Yeah, you could also score a touchdown. You could also get down to the ten yard line, like why why do

When Kyle Shanahan looks for all the praise he gets and deserves it like there is he's a little more conservative than other coaches.

Just why not just keep playing football? Keep playing for.

One, don't what did you just say Cleveland has potentially, by yardage, the best defense ever threw six weeks.

You you also mentioned how they have done all day.

Maybe he was a little smooth, but you know.

What, Jordan Mason was five for twenty seven. It wasn't like he was getting stoned. Come on, make the kick, yeah, and that's.

It right And if and if he makes the kick as he should as what a second or third round pick, then it's a very frustrating day for Cleveland, which outplayed this goliath. Uh and yet he misses the kick, and you know what, good because Cleveland was the better team in this game. Let us move on to Tampa where the Lions were looking to say, hey, San Francisco were coming up in your rear view.

Golf out of the gun, there's the shotgun.

Snap golf back looking looking throwing deep down field.

Watch Jamison inside the tent, Jamison Jack's the catch shuts down to troit lyons s.

That's what I'm talking about talking about up Dimes had to rearrange, turn around, grabbed the football and that's exactly what he did with Royan Neil Drake doll over him.

And that's why nine oh my god's.

What's your capewn man changing the game?

Remember last year when.

Paul Allen Vikings Radio was getting all those great calls and it was going viral a little bit, and everybody loved Paul all and we had him on the show, and that it's Dan Miller's here. Dan Miller is gonna continue to make these really fun calls, and I think we're gonna have to have him on the show.

Lions Radio.

Jared Goff through two touchdown passes and the Detroit Lions take care of business mostly on the back of their defense in the twenty to six win over Baker Mayfield and the Bucks on the road. The Lions are now five and one greg, including three and zero on the road. And these are the type of wins like I like to see when I'm trying to discern who were like the big boys in the league, kind of going on

Right. I'm a little sick of saying like, oh, are they the third team? Are they the fourth? They're one of the best teams in the NFL. They have been. I didn't need to see this game to see it. They were third in DVA going into this week. They are five and one. They have won their last four games by a combined sixty points. All four of those wins have been by at least two touchdowns. They beat the defending champions on Opening Night. They've just beat a

Think, well, Greg, like I didn't need to see this game go their way to feel like I believe in the Lions. But I'm saying we're now getting to the point where six games is a pretty good sample size.

And you can go sixteen. They're thirteen and three in their last six games, so.

Like now we have a six game sample size of many of these teams, and the Lions mark have really now showed themselves to be well coached, a team with chemistry, a team that blocks very well, that has a quarterback that can shred when given time, and a defense that has from where they were a year ago this time to where they are now. That is the big difference here, that they now can win games with the defense, when at this time last year they were losing games.

Yeah, the defense was a total liability a year ago. And if you go into Lions games in general and say, after they've been so dominant on the ground, you have a game where they in for forty yards, you lose. David Montgomery Gibbs is not there like they're they're they could be exposed, they find out the ways to win. Aman Ross Saint Brown goes off Williams finally, and he's sort of like, if you're gonna do anything, he's gonna have a big play. That's sort of what he does.

Five career catches. Two of those catches are forty yard touchdowns.

And as you said, if that can if that continues on Sky Sports, you said, he's just simply gonna be shoved into canton. I mean, that's it's obviously, you know, tongue in cheek, but they what they can do with it, what they can do. It was Greg was delighted, Boom boom. He was delightful. But uh, I like, I think a team they kind of fall into this category for me of teams that just like the personality kind of drives

And this is why, you know, Hard Knocks has always been one of my favorite programs because you start to learn about the personality of the team from watching him.

That's what Dan.

Kempbell is going to be losing his mind over, he says, is biting people didn't know that men, and it was easy to kind of, oh, this guy's a little he's like a caveman. He's not up, he's not suited for this job. But that's what he was referring to. This team that will do anything for each other, even though if you don't show up in the stat box, you're gonna take out the other team and punish. And that's exactly what they did. That play is so emblematic of Detroit Lions football.

Now it could be a big moment in Jamison Williams season. They kind of need that. You mentioned how they didn't have the running game today, so they really put it on Jared Goff's shoulders, and he was just on the money. This is the best season of his career to this point, similar to his first half of the season in what was that twenty eighteen when he was on fire for the Rams, but more controlled because they were having these

And on the on the buck side of things. And first of all, I know some people like them or whatever. I think you like them, Mark, but like who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to lose the creamsicle uniforms because it is a loser's mentality. When you put that uniform on with that color and the old buccaneer guy on the side, all I think of is the pre Tony Dungee like nineteen eighty one to nineteen ninety six Bucks

So lose them.

Hold on, go back to the flag, all right, What well all i'd say, I mean just from a set like and we were in the sky studio, like Hannah Wilkes agreed with you. I think one thing is like on television.

Hannah Wilkes agree with me that it's a win.

Okay, But they have there, Hannah Wilt in a big spot. They create terrible match uniform combinations with other teams. That's what I don't like about it. In their heart it's hard to read, like their names on the back. But I don't think players that were born in like nineteen ninety two or nineteen ninety five, like give the old uniforms and then they'll.

Set to drop them, so you gotta drop them.

My other point is I will I will relinquish this argument.

It doesn't the Bucks to get rid of my other Bucks point.

And if you guys have another one thrown in, then we're gonna take a break and continue on.

But I said it on Thursday.

I have dense messaging about their defensive line after your year.

Yes, Devin Tompkins's first rushing attempt for five yards, you gotta get more.

Baker Mayfield has had a nice start to the season. I saw this these three games is a big like is it is it real or not? Detroit, Atlanta, Buffalo the next three today, in the next three weeks. He was not effective in this game. He kind of looked like old Baker. We'll see what he does against the Falcons next week. But this against the big time defense, I thought he looked flat and was missing throws.

As well.

Yeah, I mean he at the end of the game is his non throwing arms. It was hanging off his his body and like he took a shot either to the head or the shoulder. We'll find out what but we made. There's a chance Baker Mayfield is out of our lives for a little bit.

We'll see. Bucco Bruce is the name a winking pirate with a dagger clenched between his feet.

First of all, like, send him into the Tampa Bay he's gone to.

Yeah, oh you lose him. You got He's a loser.

There were no pirates named Bruce, so there's a disconnect to begin with.

Bruce is a loser.

Put him in one of those cannons.

Get him out.

I don't think the name Bruce even existed when during pirate times. I know there's still pirates out on the season part of our world. I get that it's not over again. I saw the Tom Hanks film.

What was it? I am the Captain?

Now?

Was that? What it was?

Now?

I'm the captain and you're a centophile? What was it? I'm the captain now?

All right, let's take a break and then we'll talk London and more. I'm the captain now, all right? We are back and now, yes, we are here in London. It's been another great week for around the NFL Beautiful Live show on Thursday. Everybody here has been so nice to us.

But the reason we were here was to cover and watch and enjoy a football game to the hot toddy Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium.

Ravens Titans on second and seven from the Tennessee ten Lamar off the play thing, drifting to his left under pressure, extending the play throws complete.

Say Flowers touchdown Ravens.

Lamar extended and Zay Flowers delivered first.

NFL touchdown for Zay Flowers.

Congratulations, young man.

Calm down, Rod Woodson Jerry Sandusky.

With a call, speaking of first, that was the first time the Jets ever beat the Eagles, like ever, that's pretty wild.

Like ever ever?

Ever?

All right back to give the hot Toddy Yes Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense could not get at a second gear for most.

Of this game, at least in the red zone.

But the one time they did it was Jackson to Za Flowers his first touchdown in the NFL, first of many.

He's a good player.

And the Ravens also leaned on the leg of the great Justin Tucker who came to the land of soccer and went six of six, almost all of them chippies, and the Ravens take care of the Titans twenty four to sixteen. So the Ravens after the horrific loss against Pittsburgh, they get to four and two and the Titans are searching for it at two and for mark this game on the tip. Let's start with the Ravens side of it, and then we could do a little bit of talk about what it was like at.

The game.

Dominated the most part by the Ravens.

Let's see what the I'm sure the total yardage was absurd three hundred and sixty total yards of the Ravens, which is mah two thirty three for the Titans. And they put a little bit of lipstick on the pig late and other than a third period swinging momentum for Tennessee where they scored ten points. This was the Ravens game all the way, and they took care of business in the end.

Yeah, you know, the first four drives were field goal, field goal, field goal, touchdown. They handled their business. I think Lamar Jackson continues to have a really interesting season. And I think it's, you know, like it goes kind of unnoticed or untalked about a little bit that he's in year one of a new offense, and when Matthew Stafford came to the Rams, it was around like week ten or eleven or twelve when they worked their way through some problems and he started to heat up and

I would put them there, certainly, not if they're playing like this, but I just think they are though. I know, but how you play in the middle of October is, to me is not really a great what we've.

Seen through six games, you're projecting.

That, right, and based on that, I think they will right so far. But based on that, I think they have a lot of baseline attributes that can win the Super Bowl. Number one, Their defense has been fantastic. I mean, you just have to win the game one certain way one week, and you can win it a different way the next week. This week it was destroying the Tennessee Titans. Anytime they dropped back to pass, they went. They dropped

Yeah, there's definitely potential here. Absolutely. My questions are about the offense. My questions are after all the talk and we weren't really to our podcast credit, like totally on board with this idea that their wide receivers.

It was a fixed situation because.

You were on top of this.

Flowers.

I was hopeful.

Flowers has actually been better than I expected because they haven't had a great track record with hitting on wide receivers and they have.

I think Flowers is a big future.

Mark Andrews is a very steady tight end who's been a little bit quiet this year. But steady Agalar is an issue.

Their second best wide receiver, he's having an issue.

Odell Beckham Junior has been not productive and has not been an asset for this team. Ra Shat Bateman is just never going to hit that level that I think they need him to. And then there's the one other part that and we're gonna I don't want to get too down on the Ravens, but the only reason I'm saying this, Greg is because you're pretty strong. You said it on Sky today, you said it at the field, uh that you see them as a Super Bowl contender.

And when we're looking at his when he got his you know, taken down by essentially his ankle a couple years.

Ago for that big play in the red zone on that big third down or when they're near the goal line. I'm not seeing that as much from him. Again, small sample size, but it's just something to keep an eye on. Is Lamar gonna be the explosive guy that turns defenses on their heads.

I think that's right, But I also think that means he's gone as a running threat from the greatest running quarterback I believe of all time, to one of the five or six best running quarterbacks in the league. That adds a lot to their running game still, But I think that's a good point that not a lot of people have thrown out there, and I think there's something to it.

One And like I we're talking about like him functioning well in a new offense, like watching O'Dell, and I think Odell is just sort of He's not been that guy for a while now, but I think today there were a number of occurrences where he just seemed to be in his own world a little bit.

With the interception. Seemed like a bad throat, but also seemed like it was as like a confusion where they're not.

Like, is he not like is Odell in another's again in a new offense? Like is he You've had enough time? It's not. It's just a veteran player. But he just seemed out of sync with Lamar.

Let's go to the Tennessee side of things here and Tannehill. We actually were at the We're at the stadium. We're going back and forth and doing the sky hit. We did a in stadium on the jumbo tron hit with our colleague and friend mj Acosta, who by the way, helped us out with a Q and A on our

And then you know, so he leaves and doesn't do anything.

Mark when Leak Willis comes in and he looks very similar to him, Malik Willis. That was so bad at the end of last season that Tennessee went and got Josh Dobbs off the street. So you put those things together, I just don't see a future for this offense.

No, they already were lost in space concoction. So it's like now arrow down on what was already a down aimed arrow whatever that means.

But I will say that's a really down at describe it, like, you.

Know, there were these things, Oh Willis, you know, he's he did look good in the preseason, or better at least than he was last year. I hear it and basically, like you know, Josh Dobbs, who's playing well in Arizona right now. For the most part, like they on the fly, the whole coaching staff came to a conclusion, we can't trust Malik Willis. We're gonna go get someone off the street to take us and.

Do the critical draft quarterback.

I draft someone.

It's like, soybe Mileek Willis won the job, but I think he's gonna lose it again if he's stuck in there for a while. Of Tannheils. I will say one little thing about the tailing. It wasn't like us in a thousand other reporters, it's saw Tannehill go by. It was a weird, like it's something I'll remember about.

This is just us.

It was just the three of us. And also we had to like it was a small little hallway in this like Medusa's chambered underneath these stadiums, and it was like we had to back up against the wall and like he we barely like made room for this cart. And you're just looking at the look on Tannehill's face. It's like, wow, you can see that he's so.

Dam Yeah, I didn't think you should have said get well soon, QB.

Wright. He's like, I guess the Tanner scale.

The fist bump was also not which he did not accept was not appropriate. I understand that now, but you know, I'm growing.

It is fun though. We were on the sideline, like and Mark and I are just saying like the basic basic bro comments when like, look, on one play, lamar ran right near us, like five yards away from on the sideline. We're just like, man, that guy's big.

They're huge.

Though. What we say every time we go to get it's like focus is quite a managed ball.

Could walk into a bar and look like a giant and beat anyone up or beat everyone up.

Yeah, he's a beast. Uh yeah, there was uh one.

I just the Titans are just a tough watch, and I was watching Rable throughout the game. There was a moment when the Titans got back in the game and it's a third quarter and they have the ball in the red zone and it's second down and Tannehill again was not physically right, but he drops back and throws basically two prayers near the pylon to DeAndre Hopkins, who

So he had a sixty three yarder, Spears had the forty eight yarder that was about half of their offensive production, and de hop it is cool to be on the field that close to see those one on one matchups and looks. He's never been the guy who wins immediately in terms of his release off the line of scrimmage. But those were two players where it was just like, man, he had no chance either, there was nowhere to throw the ball.

We also saw him you know again, we're couched down in the end zone and he walked off like really holding his hand. So we'll see. I don't know. I mean, they can't afford to lose anyone else, but they already It almost doesn't matter with what I saw today.

Yeah, the way and do they have their by coming.

Up next week?

Is looked the way he was moving and he's had you know, injuries the last few years to slow him that that looks like something where he's gonna have to stay off it for a while.

I'm sure he was in a boot after this game, and like.

He took where he got. I think some people, if you were just sort of watching the casually, you think he got he absolually got destroyed on the play, but he was hurt before that and hobbling around on the field and it's like this is the same thing that happened to him a year ago. And they they crashed down the stretch.

Yeah, it was. They were a tough team to watch, and at times this week like this has been a tough city to be in. Cause when you're in London long enough, you can look up and it's a nice day and then out of nowhere, the sky's just open and then the rain comes down because the Ravens took care of this one big and forget about.

Leaving the EU.

England is back in the green coins falling from the sky all over the UK. The rain Makers one and one on the season.

I mean, he's not wrong this time. You know, it's been it's been up and down journey.

But I wish you would have you know, he just went money line on it.

I don't care, doesn't matter.

He was prancing around all day in a beautiful rain Maker sweatshirt. I don't know if that was made for him, apparently not.

But it was that he would be wearing it.

I love the beautiful Everyone er out. It's from Idris Elba's charity, so I don't know it's been sold. If you really want to support the rain Maker, I mean it.

Should go to the people who've lost, you know, props on your on your probably but not you.

We're doing fine. You know. It's been a tough been a tough couple of years for the.

Little culture difference.

That Elba's charity, which is or what it is, is very important.

It's it's like knife violence awareness.

There have been a lot of issues on the on the sub on the subways here out in the streets.

And that's interesting.

Our country deals with a different weapon that does a lot of damage knife awareness.

And I also this is a separateation, but Dan's got a transition out of this one.

I mentioned the child gangs. Be careful of this me.

Fire us into another game and we'll share some more England thoughts. Uh but uh, let's uh, let's.

Head, let's head the cency. There was no way out. Now. I could have done it if Greg didn't call attention to that, right, Yeah, but that's what Greg does.

Congratulations Greg and Mark, congratulations on your Lin's lock.

Four and the seven from the eight Gino Smith back to throw finishing Ye, the ball squirts forward held the Bengals fall on it half the eight yard line.

That is coffin now Bam bam bam.

Yeah, Sham Hubbard and Hill, Hubbard and Hill. Two more age boys. You got Henderson, Hill Hubbard, all the eight boys. Vacant plage pressure in the quarterbacks.

The whiskey is flowing.

I must have an open bar there, Dan Horde and Dave Lapham w c khy Well, it's good that that Greggy got his glory there with the Ravens and you locked up the Ravens locked them up.

Yes, climb and we need some locks. We need to hear that sound. That's that's what we live for. And uh Zeuser locked up this one with the west Brothers as the Bengals, even though their offense.

Yeah, keep hitting those locks. We got to do three row.

I mean, Nick Westling will be very We need four in row.

We got to catch us.

He's on a little streak.

We're gonna hear about it.

One more, Nick. I mean you should these texts that Westling was sending talk about an open bar.

I mean, you guys are lucky that you pivoted out of that fort lock.

Can we get that music? Yeah?

I don't listen all you people on social media that think they know what a cowardly lock is. Really I can give the Bengals their music back if you could, mister Kleinman, because they deserve it. Their defense does at least getting multiple stops on Gino Smith and the Seahawks deep in the red zone and stealing really a seventeen thirteen win.

Sureg.

I know this is frustrating for you as a Gino fan, as a Seahawks fan, because they had their chances here to take a win after their own defense. That's such a great job against Burrow in that offense after the first couple of drives, but they couldn't make the big play. Now.

The Seahawks were inside the fifteen yard line three separate times in this game without scoring a single point. Once had a first and goal at the three where they got backed up by a penalty and Gino threw an interception. They outgained the Bengals three eighty one to two fourteen. They dominated, But oh, I try to look at this globally, and I think the Bengals have become a winning organization, a winning team, and they've just found a way to

I'm willing to, like just look beyond what happened after those first two really great touchdown drives, just because you know your quarterback is healthy. He looked healthy, he's moving great. You know that. You just believe the burrow will correct these things, the offense will. But here this were the net yards on the drives after those two touchdown marches twenty four fifteen thirteen nineteen zero twelve four negative one. I'm not saying it's concerning, because it's like it is concerning.

They've been a concerning team. They're lucky to be three and three. They could be a two and four one five.

But if we're gonna, you know, if we're gonna say Baltimore could be this, but they're this, like the Bengals could be this, but they're this. But the Bengals have already shown that their AFC title material. And I kind of want to trust them to get out of these out of these out.

Of this group.

Yeah, and I think that if you talk to a Bengals fan and said, listen, Burrow is going to be on one leg for most of the first six weeks, and you look at the schedule, I think you would take three and three. And even though the offense really the offense, it's disappointing how they were unable to get anything going here down the stretch, including multiple times where they could have closed out Seattle and kept on opening the door. And lou Anenumo's defense deserves a ton of credit. Still,

Right, t Higgins is having a nightmare free agent season. Yeah, two catches for twenty yards and miscommunications. Today they weren't banged up. The running game going. I also think they played a really good Seahawks team who is figuring out how to put it all together and win, and they didn't today. But you know, look, they're the one team that did beat Detroit and they're starting to show signs on defense that they could be difficult to deal with.

Talked about like him throwing with almost extreme confidence at times where he's like firing the ball into dangerous I think it's like I kind of like that he just simply believe I have some dimes to night. He threw a couple insane throws. Can I just want to play the Bengals song for like one second? I want to tell you one thing I think about it. We just play it for a second.

Nice Well, So.

Like I was listening to this, it's like, I do truly believe this is a top three song for me in my entire life. It's just become that, you know, because it's like I think I will put this on air pods, on.

This better than sus It.

Is number three all time, it's's greatest and.

Is in a one or two spot, you know it. Can I can shuffle between two end you songs, but this is number three. And it's like I'm just gonna sit on that airplane home with a drink on the table and just listen to it on repeat.

How the West Was Won?

It's got a little bit of that thing. Yeah, And I think it fits the Bengals team, you know, they wild West. You know showdowns, everyone gets a little dirty, filthy, sometimes very filthy, filthy, dirty man.

We had some good times with a handsome Hank Henry Hodgson, our buddy, one of our great buds that started here in England, did a decade or so in l a And that was back in England running the show for the UK. We had we had conversations in the Wilton Arms the pub. You're a hotel that we can never discuss it, No, we.

Can never discuss. And I think it's funny because like out on the town, and it happens only in London, but like out in the town sometimes, like you know, like there are a lot of people are here for the football game, Like they'll come up to us and want to take a photo and then Henry's like sometimes

No, I mean that was a that was a pretty strong pivot away from well no, potentially dangerous territory. We cannot dance biologically.

We cannot discuss the other topic on it.

I thought what you were gonna say, Mark, was that we were, you know, a fans coming up to ask for a photo. And then you realize, oh, they were sitting at the table next to us during some of these conversations that could never be shared.

No, they would want nothing to do with us if they if they hadn't heard.

All right, let's stay in the NFC West and see how the Rams number nine and royal and it's all above the board.

It's nothing.

I love that rugby touchdown.

Cooper Cup touch that away.

Thirteen yards for his first touchdown this season, night and dime on the money on the first possession of the third quarter.

That's our boy, j B.

Long.

I call him JB Smooth. Been taken now.

It is because he's so so velvety on the mic. And guess what, the Rams they just take care. It's a take care of business week against the Cardinals who hung in the first half as they seem to do most weeks.

But the Rams pull away.

And yes it is Cooper Cup with his first of what if he remains healthy now many many touchdowns this season because he is as good as ever with Matthew Stafford flinging them perfect spirals twenty six to nine Rams roll Mark.

It's Cooper Cup and it's someone else, and I wonder if it signals a potential change for the Rams TBD on that, But they were they were sat at around sixty five yards in the first half until Stafford hit Cup for forty five yard game that set up a field goal to put them up nine to six. That said, they were twenty minutes in the game and close to halftime too. They had six yards rushing and they had

What's amazing to even think about that they could be a team that has a take care of business game.

Right.

They're supposed to be one of the worst teams league, and they were trailing at halftime and they won the second half twenty to nothing. And you think about their two wins Colts and the Cardinals, their last two wins, they ran the ball very physically in both of these games. That's the type of team that they want to be, to be a closing team that wears you down. You don't think of the Rams that way, but they can do that because they have Stafford in Cup, Like that's

By Yeah, and uh, I guess the only thing that would stop you is that he's a little bit sneaky old. He's thirty, kind of you kind of expect that.

But when he's on the field and healthy.

And he's had he had a he had a knee injury that cost him a season, but like his yeah, his ability to get open and just really master like seems like every element of the game. And again, I think he was a third round pick back in the day. Uh yeah, sixty ninth overall twenty seventeen. He's a brilliant player. And yeah, I know, I know, Matthew Stafford's probably not going to the Hall of Fame, but he is to me one of the greatest throwers of the football that

Greg.

You just it's like a you need kind of a cannon to make some of the throws he makes. But he puts them right on the right, on the money, uh, with no margin, Ferrera, and he does it quite often.

You protect him and keep him healthy. This is a playoff team that wanted.

To at well.

Was like hello, like that that was two twos only catch, and now you know Pukaku is gonna be less of the offense. He had twenty six yards today and two too only had that one catch. Like it's fine. They don't need to be superstars, but he's making their production with these shrows. If they're just a fun team, I mean, uh, they're a fun team to watch. They're giving the Rams fans some enjoyment. I'm gonna lock them up.

Are you gonna nominate him? Give him a lock?

Sound?

Wow?

The Rams movie.

I don't know if if the audience would be down with that, but I think that they are certainly fun to watch, and they are to me like one of the biggest surprises definitely in the NFC West and in general in the NFC because they are in a credit credit credit to Sean.

One little other No, I feel like I don't know if we mentioned his name in ages. But like Raheem Morris, who took leads a defense that you know in August for like Aaron Donald has no one else around him. He's done a He's like my mom always monitoring this assistant Coach of the Year thing. Jim Schwartz is up there, but like Raheem.

We're monitoring who, like who could dare come up against your beloved Jim Schwartz.

That's what this well.

But they also wasn't my pick A couple of weeks ago.

Ram was probably also have like the twenty fifth best even also shout out to Veronica, Sean mcvay's wife for holding that baby in just one more day so he could coach that win. A veteran moved by her, I'm.

Sure she's listening. Controls fourth and.

Ten at the Houston twenty four car in the gun leg.

Down, here's the snap.

Controlling it.

Are gonna call it incomplete and Saints turning over on downs.

Houston has the rock fifteen seconds to go, but they can shoes.

Okay with you sharing that very private moment.

That's public, that's public names.

All right there it is, Well, what do you guys talk over the shut up? Mark vandermir with a call k I L.

T Texans Man. The Texans a what a fun start to the season. They are three and three, but they are a feisty, frisky no no, no, no, forget feisty, a frisky three and three twenty to thirteen win over the New Orleans Saints at home. CJ Stroud once again making big boy throws in.

His rookie season.

He throws for nearly two hundred yards two scores, and they get some good stops on defense. A game here, boys where Derek Carr, you know, box scores can lie. He threw for three hundred and fifty three yards in that game. But they only produce, like I said, thirteen points and they only allowed three points the second half the Houston defense. So Demiico Ryans is starting to figure some things out on this side of things. And you have what are you? What's wrong?

I'll ask you a question in a minute. Go ahead, Well go you're talk about the thirteen points, like, yes, you get to Houston's thirty four miss field goal, You get to Houston's twenty seven or sorry, Houston's eleven missfield goal, and then your final drive you get to Houston's twenty four and you have an interception. How frustrating is can that be for Saints fans? Yeah, the furniture around the room.

They consistently they moved the ball, but then when it was time to do the business of scoring, they failed. To the point they had four hundred and thirty yards in this game to just two ninety seven for the Texans, and yet they did not have that ability to punch it in and take this game. So credit Houston's defense is starting to figure some things out.

I would be concerned for the Saints, but I'm so excited about this Texans team.

They matched their win total from last year.

That's well, for real, it's that and they're gonna They're at least hopefully because I'm liking this team, gonna keep Jacksonville honest in a division that the Jaguars could threaten to pull away with. The Titans don't look too good. You know, we heard some bad news about Richardson. You know, Patrick and Chuck will get to those games later. But this Texans team is young. They have the like makeup to get better as the season goes along because they're so young.

Yes, yes, this game, well, the Saints have lost third time in four games after opening the season at two and zero. And yeah, I think that's it's a it's a game about missed opportunities for this offense. And you know, I think if you're someone who's uh, there's a couple of things with this offense that Derek Carr is. He's very similar to the Raiders Derek Carr, where he's gonna give you a very professional effort, but he's not maybe

They give him the ball a ton twenty six touches.

But the difference between Alvin Kamara of this year and a couple of years back is he doesn't ever kind of get that crease and have that big play. He'll go get you seven yards now, but that's seven yards used to be twenty yards a couple of years back, So that's an issue. And yeah, Chris A Lave, they find a way to get him the ball. If you want to look for positive. It's one of the things that have been frustrating I think for Saints fans is a lave not being the focal point of the passing game.

I like it when, just like record justice happens. The Saints should not be a four and two team. They deserve to be knocked down to three and three the Texans. They've been an enjoyable team. They deserve to get up to three and three. So it's just like this, this was justice.

The boring offense rankings. You know, the Patriots are beyond I mean sure, if boring were the worst possible thing, you could say they're the number one team. But where are the Saints? Just feels like a that sounds like a Wednesday Show conversation.

Okay, well, especially because they're played on Thursday night football.

Oh perfect, look, you've you've done our work for jah there.

I mean, we have to watch this game though on tape and I'll watch the text watch it.

Okay, now, let's take care of some housekeeping before we hand the handoff uh to claybann and shook.

First of all, rugby shout out into rugby now. Was completely unaware of its existence. Almost I knew that it was a thing. Actually watched it with Henry at a bar in notting Hill. Watched a great Whales Argentina match. Argentina. Good job, Ireland gets taken up by New Zealand. That one hurt, but it was actually another fun match. Big thanks. So yeah, rugby, you guys discover any sport. It's out here.

I mean I watched the Ireland game. I was learning about the strategy. I'm into it now too. Like watching the hits today on the field from up close was crazy, but suddenly they didn't seem quite as vicious after.

Watching I don't know half those rugby guys survive one game.

I gotta I gotta say climbing.

Yes, I was gonna say England for South Africa now and the Semis coming up.

Look at you gotta you gotta stick around and watch it there.

I watched that game and and I I would like to declare the entire New Zealand team is now in the concussion protocol just by my eyes.

And and uh yes, uh, Ireland for me is my team of a rugby TL and I hope they'll be back next year and Sexton and company have one more crack at it big. Thanks to everybody here at Sky. It could not have run smoother everyone that we worked with, uh, including uh Phoebe, who was a pleasure.

Absolutely we got to get around the show.

Yes, and also of course Neil Reynolds, our buddy we met and Dominic and Sue, who introduced himself as Sue, just said high, I'm Sue.

That was interesting.

I think we formed. I mean there was a friendship that for him there until maybe we began to do our on field hits and by the end of the game he might have thought, oh my god.

Mark immediately mentioned, uh the column that he's brought up about seventy eight times on this show that he wrote about moms.

Of the Dominic and Sue's mom, who you know, went on a long, delightful tangent about Dominic and Sue at a young age being sort of a genius with legos, and I thought.

A really nice conversation icebreak or they call that, Yes, so thank you.

To talk to him four or five more times, and then the attraction level on his side and started.

A Thanks to Zika, that Indian restaurant in London. That was the wonderful dinner we had last night. Second year in a row we've gone to Zike. Killed it. If you're in London and you want to have was it free?

Ten out of ten? It was not free.

Thank you too. You're helping them, you know, and.

That makes me that happy. They deserve it.

Yeah, and thank you to everyone back at the NFL office who helped make this happen, Matt Schneider, Meredith Batton, like all the people that support our show behind the scenes. Uh and get us here because it's it takes work. And of course Henry Hotson, who's done amazing work supporting us through the years, including once again this year.

Anything else, I mean stepping right into with the live show right here on the ones and twos. We got DJ Jason Klein.

Got a DJ horn in there in the post he fire, Yeah, d killed it, killed it.

He killed it. But no, it's all like this is all these trips. You just feel very grateful for where we're at and grateful that we got guys like Shook and Claybon to take the rest of the show home so we don't have to blather on anymore. It's two in the morning. We've talked for an hour.

And just and just U with Climbing.

Not only did he do a great job of producing and helping us out today of course what has been a sixteen hour day, we threw him into the boiler of a live show and then end he really stepped up for us there too.

So Jason, thank you, Buy and.

Eric back on the home front.

I was gonna say big, big shout out to Eric.

A lot of a lot of help back there, Eric Brady and the team. So you can celebrate by enjoying like half a day off and then another podcast tomorrow and then another podcast on.

All right, without further ado, we have some more games to get to, but we are going to sign off here as we are past two am here in London. I can't wait to be back next year. But now we throw it to Patrick Claiban to take us home.

Claibah momentum is real.

And a big American hello to you guys.

Appreciate that to the guys in London will allow them to take a break. Patrick Claiborn here in the Chris Westling podcast studio, joined digitally by Nick Shook.

Nick, we got it. We'll give the boys a break and we'll finish up week six for him. Why not?

This is the magic of the Internet.

We can do this from multiple different time zones right now, you know, from the West Coast to the North Coast to whatever they call around London.

We're doing it all everything. If the people in London are listening. We got a dude from northeast ohioan a dude from central Alabama. I'm ready to finish up this podcast, so let's get things going.

It's top for the.

Sunday Drive presented by the first ever Toyota Grand Highlander. After a slow start, it was defends to the finish in Miami.

Third down in golf of the one posted in the backfield.

It's got it to moster touchdowns.

Third in the afternoon. Boy, Raheem Mostert just does it again. It's get tippy out there now too.

Got a pushing and shoving.

What a game for.

Raheem Mostert and the Dolphins now score thirty four consecutive points.

They were down fourteen nothing at the end.

Of the first quarter.

It's now thirty four to fourteen over the Panthers.

Jimmy'son following Joe Rose to WBGG telling the story. They're at Carolina Panthers team they said it fourteen to nothing. Shook, but then the Miami Dolphins happened. Raheem Mostard had three touchdowns. Excuse me, to a tongue and to Low had three touchdowns. Most had one hundred and fifteen yards on the ground.

You start fast agains. It doesn't matter. They're the Dolphins.

No, No, it doesn't matter at all. This is a team that I think maybe needed a slow first quarter to service. They're smelling salts because once they woke up, they were off to the races. It's as if somebody just knocked them right in the john said hey, you have a football game to play. They were like, oh, you're right. We are the Miami Dolphins. We do have Tyreek Hill, we do have two a tongue of by Low and Raheem Moster. Even if we don't have Devona

Everything seemed easy for them.

Offensively, they figured it out defensively, Bryce Stung looked solid in the first quarter, he looked he had two of his best drives of his young career, and then after that only went back to being the Panthers and didn't score again offensively for the rest of the game. Miami is they're almost a team that's just inevitable at this point. They're a team that's gonna put points on the board. They've only really struggled offensively once, and that was going

They did it without their their new speedy addition to von h Hm, who's had a spectacular start to his career, Raheem Mostert taking the line chair.

That carry's getting the most out of those.

And then you come into the fact you get Jalen Wattle doing the wattle, the owners up in the booth waddling as well. Tyreek Hill is doing a celebration that inevitably and for those of you didn't see, he scores that touchdown, grabs somebody who has already recorded. This was previously discussed clearly because he's recording. As Tyreek Hill scores, he takes the phone from the person who's recording, does a backflip while looking at the phone, and gives it

I think Mike mcdanield said that for the game. I was told that it was a prop and I told him, and.

He said, well, it wasn't my phone, so don't I don't see the problem with it. The other thing I have about this phone video, by the way, is I saw Joe shadd had tweeted it and it ended right when he grabbed the phone and looked down. I don't know if it was trimmed on purpose or if it really did just end there. If so big missed opportunity on a highlight play. But yeah, I mean this, Tyree

I don't if you remember that scene where they walked in.

They do the you know you know, like, yeah, they did that one too.

They're very creative there.

They're gonna run out of movies at a certain point that they're scoring so much. This Dolphins team fun to watch, fun to watch them celebrate in the end zone. They get the win forty two to twenty one over those Carolina Panthers.

As you said, Sammy, yes, be invinezo Ammyammy.

They get that win. That was the Sunday Drive presented by Toyota. Let's go places learn more. At Toyota dot Com slash Grand Highlander.

So we'll get a chance to see Tyreek Hill.

In a revenge game in Frankfurt, Germany against the Kansas City Chiefs. There were so many revenge game dynamics going on in Las Vegas today. Josh McDaniels, the former twice over three times over Padawan taking on Bill Belichick, the Jedi master in Las Vegas.

How about we finish this off with a safety?

Shall we anything but a deep bowl, poured out territory?

Obviously Jones standing in his own end zone to our right, snap back to pressure again off.

The edge, bat sack for the safety, Crossdy and Nichols.

They noted the seng.

Hey school sto to the turf?

Have the Raiders defense?

How's that safety?

Jason Sis who predicted it? How about you give me the lottery numbers for next week.

That's Lincoln Kennedy asking Jason Horowitz of KRLV, what happened there and what's going to happen?

Is he predicted the safety?

Max Crosby gets to Mac Jones and this Patriots team falls yet again.

Shook.

They lose to the Raiders in Las Vegas. They are just a brutal performance by an offense twenty one to seventeen. They did finally get back in the red zone, but they couldn't do a.

Lot out of it.

Yeah, first off, I know this is kind of out of my realm of power and influence, but I'm just gonna suggest this right now to you. Producer Eric put that in the file folder for best calls the year.

I mean, it's already the lottery numbers called.

That's gotta be there, because this was fantastic, a great way to end this game in an otherwise kind.

Of an ugly game.

Patrick, To be honest with you, the Patriots got a little bit better offensively, a little bit a little bit better, not still not very good. They did get to the red zone, like you said, finally, but everything is so tough for this team, you know, not to start with the losers in this in this show and in this game recap. But I mean, they needed seventeen plays and nine and a half minutes to score a touchdown to make it a one possession game of the fourth coreter.

Yeah, and again you said you hate to start with the losing team, but truly it feels as though this was another Patriots lost. Mac Jones rolling to his right, is looking for Hunter Henry, who's opening. Got his hands up. He tries to throw on the run. He throws it seven or eight yards behind Hunter Henry and Trayvon Merrick picks that ball off, takes it back.

Down the sideline.

There were so many missed opportunities you mentioned Devonte Parker. This was a team that had gone twenty seven consecutive drives without making an appearance into the red zone. They finally do, and it's it's kind of more of the same and they have to play so well, They have to execute so well to make things work, and when they don't do that, it just looks bad. There's not really an idea. I actually picked them to win this game.

Well, I mean on the Raiders side, Continuity really helped him out with the whole Hoyer coming in for his second pass of the game was like a forty seven yard completion down the middle of the field. You were like, all right, this guy's done this before. But you're right, where do you go with this Patriots group? Because you're right, they have to play almost perfectly to get anything done.

That's done.

There should be better. Mac Jones still has potential and he just hasn't. I blame a lot of it on the offensive line. It's been a revolving cast of characters so far. They can't get any continuity up there. Max Crosby getting that safety was a product of him feasting on the left tackle Vederian Lowe for most of the afternoon and especially in that big moment there.

They just any consistency.

You know me, I'm somebody who will live and die by it starts in the trenches and they are losing that battle every week on the offensive line.

And you can't really do anything if your offensive line is good enough to win.

Yeah, and then we've seen some movie parts. They've made some acquisitions.

JC Jackson was out there on the field today covering DeVante Adams. There's just only so many things that you can do, especially defensively, when the offense is as the net as it was, and Max Crosby making that play. Max Crosby makes a lot of offensive lines. I look bad and I'll hop on the soapbox here real quick because I'm I'm on this flagship program. Nick we get Max Crosby gets credited for his motor a lot, and he does try hard. He does play a lot of plays.

Yes, he's not just out there, not just a try hard.

Yes, his comparables athletically leading up to the draft was Javon Curse.

We literally called him the freak. It's out stop it, this is.

This is this is a product of anti mac bias as a mid American conference guy.

Myself, this is anti mac bias. He came from Eastern Michigan.

Everybody overlooked him, and now you just got to say he's a tryhard.

No.

I saw him destroy Mike Kasiki on I think it was that last sack or maybe one other play, obliterate him as he tried to get a chip, and then he just raced around the end. I mean to the point where GASICKI turned around and was like, oh my god, I can't believe I just got.

Hit like that.

The guy is a unit you're stood next to him. He's massive. I'm not a small person, he's massive. He makes me look tiny.

Okay, Chios, Yes, absolutely, Jack Pottuh maybe and maybe Brent would be one of those people that would say he's just out there trying hard.

He's not.

The man is chiseled out of granite. He's like a freaking ass guardian. So that is a win by the Raiders. They get back on the board in the boend column against well, a whole lot of a whole lot of Raiders playing against their former team. Jacobe Myers also had a touchdown against the Patriots. More revenge themes here in week six, as Gardner Minshew's revenge game really wasn't.

Ninth play of the drive here from the ten yard line of the coach, you already laid this thing twenty four to six two left, two right bigsby the running back stands to the left of Trevor Lawrence against the four man front for the Colts. Dropping is Trevor looking looking still looking fire.

At the right up wide open is Brinton's range into the end zone for a touchdown.

So that is the call Lawrence. The strange Frank Frangi and Jeff Lagerman of WOKV as the Jags win it in Duval thirty seven to twenty. They had that touchdown from the Jags Trevor Lawrence another solid performance. Travis etn gets in the end zone. On the other side shook. It was fifty five fifty five attempts for Gardner Minshew and it just it led to more Jags pressure. This Jags defense kind of surprised and everybody playing really well the past few weeks.

You take actually, if you take it look back to the second half of last season, the Jags officially started their turnaround. A lot of it was actually keyed by their defense getting big time plays intercepting opposing quarterbacks. They did it to Dak Prescott, they did it to Lamar Jackson, and a couple of comeback wins down that stretch. This is how they played again on Sunday. This is the Jags defense. I've been waiting to see whether it was

He was bad, just flat out bad.

He threw fifty five passes because they were buried in a twenty five point deficit at one point. The only thing, the only concern on the Jaguar side for me is the fact that they're not quite finishing drives like you want them to. He can't be perfect, of course, but for all the takeaways they had, they could have got another trip or two into the end zone.

It didn't really end up mattering.

It got a little hairy in the fourth quarter when the Colts cut it to eleven, but again you're playing against Gardner Minshew, who has done enough to give the Colts a chance to win in previous appearances this year did not do that. Did the opposite of that very much lost them. This game does not help when you cannot run the ball at all. They were a very

Yeah, and it's even worse right when you look and you kind of annoint this with the news of the fact that maybe even longer for Anthony Richardson could be up to the end of the season before this phenomenal rookie quarterback who was playing so well part of an exciting offense.

I mean, he's doing three sixty touchdown spikes.

Everything is going spectacularly, and you can't because I know there's that ability is availability conversation. So he falls on his head. Right, everybody's got a brain. It's not you know, a brain injury is you know Tua hasn't had one this year. He had so many last year. Right, And then yeah, there's the fact that the shoulder is separated. Again it force mass acceleration like you can protect yourself.

But it's so many of these things are just plain dumb luck.

Like we saw Trent Williams almost get taken out on a guy sliding into him. Injuries can can be luck related, and it's you know, you say luck related, and we're thinking about a quarterback shoulder. But hopefully Anthony richards Yeah, I hate it though because Andrew. I wish Andrew was still playing. I hope Anthony Richardson is able to come back.

The ball a whole lot and not really getting a lot out of it.

And so the Jags get another win there. And speaking of backup quarterbacks, two one and four teams went out in Chicago.

One actually left with their starting quarterback intact.

Play action out of the shotgun.

Harrison Phillip's trying to.

Give him his pass back. Josh Mantela's forced the fumble.

Hit down Fina Bell picked up.

By Jordan Hicks.

Forty forty is loose touchdown. Jordan Hicks, with.

The second touchdown of his career, has run the Minnesota Vikings to an.

Eighteen to six lead.

That was Jordan Hicks going to the end zone, told to you by the Paul Allen of k FA N his scoop and score. Ultimately the difference. The Vikings win it nineteen to thirteen. Tyson Bagint, the undrafted free agent rookie, comes in after Justin Fields leaves the game. They say it's a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. X rayser negative. But they got to get into the magnetic resonance machine to do some imaging there to see the how bad

It's it's a final score nineteen thirteen.

Yeah, you know, the Vikings are a better team than the record indicates. I'm not saying they're a great team. I'm not saying that they're the team that went thirteen and four last year. Wasn't as good as record stated, But there's been some moments where I've looked at this roster and seen them play and just thought, yea, they should be winning another game or two. I mean, obviously it starts at Kirk Cousins, who has played better than

Again, this is a team that came in with like one healthy running back.

Okay, everybody on their depth chart, you know, one through three was hurt. You know, Khalil Herbert on IR, a number of other guys also, Roshann Johnson not available, You know, do you just keep going down the list until you get down to who had to be? Devan Deontay Foreman. It's it was a kind of a mash unit of a game. You know, we're gonna play backups, We're gonna put things together and see how it goes. You just didn't think it was gonna affect their best player on offense,

Team like Minnesota they should play better than they did.

But this is a weird league, and sometimes you get outcomes like this where you sit back and you think, how did that game end? Nineteen to thirteen? How did Kirk Cousins only throw for one hundred and eighty one yards? They scored nineteen points and the Alexander Madison was their leading rusher with eighteen attempts for forty four yards, Like, what's.

Going on here?

No?

Justin Jefferson, By the way, that takes away a lot of the power on their offense too, So credits to the Vikings. Good win for you. Fun fact, though today, I bet you we wouldn't have guessed this. This is not an our Bingo card Entering the season. Tyson Badgin and PJ Walker, who were both on the Bears preseason roster, both played in a game today.

Think about that.

It's a quarterback factory in Chicago.

As Nate Peterman leaves the team and he's ultimately gonna be back, We're gonna have to wait and see just how lengthy this injury to Justin Fields is. Again, did the thumb on your throwing hand? Definitely gonna be crucial. It's the only thing that separates us from primates is having that opposable thumb, and so it's it's gonna be tough. And I don't even know if that's ultimately true. It's it's been a long Sunday.

Who knows you're better than me? I didn't do well in science.

The Vikings maybe Bears, Yeah, separates us from Bears, not the Primates. The Primates got all the digits they can do. The Vikings get that when they are now.

Two and four on the season.

As we leave there and get to our next matchup, the Washington Commanders taking a trip to Atlanta.

Thirty one seconds to go fourth quarter here twenty four to sixteen, third and one play for the Falcons. They just burn their final time out. They're at the thirty four empty backfield for Ritter gets the step, Washington breaks four steps up, throws.

All I picked up like Jayda gate as unbelievable.

Jayda Jamas jumped around.

Third pick of the half, and Washington is gonna win in Atlanta.

Okay, so those of you who did not see the game, this was the Arthur Smith reaction absolute festival three second half turnovers interceptions by Desmond Ridder that was called by Bram Weinstein and London Fletcher on wb IG as the Commanders get a twenty four to sixteen win. It's twenty four to sixteen Nick. The Falcons are on the Commander's side of the field. They turned the ball over three

There's a couple of ways you can look at this, because you could say, well, Desien Riddard back to how he was in London, you know, had one good game in between. Or you could say that Washington's defense figured it out again Jami and Davis. What was his comp coming out of college? Shack Leonard? Who did he play like on that play there? Shaq Leonard. The shout out to Daniel Jeremiah for that comp. That was his guy

Three picks. It's about as up and down as it gets.

The one thing you could bank on was when he was at home, he usually played better than he did on the road. And then, of course we find out that that's no longer the case. It's no longer the.

Rule with this team.

It's an interesting kind of examination of this game. If you look back at this and think, well, they were up twenty four to ten, you know, early third, they're up twenty four to sixteen to fourth, and then nobody on either side scores, yet.

Sam Hall had three touchdown passes on the day. What happened here?

Well, these are two teams that I think are similarly mystifying, because Patrick, the Falcons probably shouldn't be as good as three and three indicates, and the Commanders could probably be a win better than their record indicates. Right now, it felt like two similar teams but in very much different respects doing qb in next All year, I've had Sam Howell way ahead of Dozen Ridder. I've wanted to move Ritter up, but every time I think he's about to

It's so confusing that because we have I have to pick these games every single week, and it's we come in and it's like, what do I do with the Atlanta Falcons? Well, yeah, and if you told me coming into this game, hey Patrick, considering the way Desmond Runner threw the ball thirty seven times. They get that win against the Houston Texans, and it's like, Okay, it'll take three Desmond Ritter interceptions on three consecutive second half drives

They still find a way to lose. It's very confusing.

Brian Robinson gets thirty one yards on the ground, He has a touchdown from Sam Howell where you know, he shows that he can be a powerful, explosive runner. It kind of seems like the Antonio Gibson days are over. Uh he only got three.

It seemed like that for like a year though.

But anybody who was.

Holding out that last hope, right that, like me with Jalen Rager, Uh, it's it's finally it's finally over, and we're gonna continue to be confused by these teams. Until things keep going. And we've had one team that has not had the success in prime time. So let's go to Orchard Park for some Sunday night football. Giants and Bills.

Be poetic justice if they scored to this head zone.

On time play.

Giants down five first and go off the warrant.

Taylor over center takes the stat back love to back the hands of Waller incomplete, and.

That is how the ball game ended. In New York and Upstate New York. The Bill survive and producer Eric Can let out a sigh of relief as his Buffalo Bills hold off Tyrod Taylor and the New York Giants

We talked about anti mac bias earlier in the show. Well, here's another Max standout from Bowling Green. Quinton Morris makes the biggest catch of the game in the tightest window possible, Josh Allen getting outside of the pocket, getting busy with it, you know, getting a little bit adventurous, if you will, outside of the pocket, extending plays as he did for much of the second half.

And that time from the side angle, it looked like he was throwing a.

Pick, and then we saw the skycam the end zone angle and realized, no, it was just a very narrow window. It capped off a couple of long drives for the Bills. You know, we talked earlier in the show about how things were difficult for the Patriots.

Everything was hard for them offensively.

Everything was hard for the Bills offensively on Sunday Night, including their touchdown drives. But methodical was the way to go for them because it's what produced points for them and allowed them to take the lead in the game that we thought we'd probably see a lot of points out of the Bills, and we just didn't. You know, Josh Allen didn't look like himself in the first half.

Yeah, and huge credit kudos goes to Wink Martindale squad. The defense really gave Buffalo all kinds of problems throughout the game. The lingering memory that so many people are going to have is the last forty seconds of the first half where Buffalo is they get a stop, there's a first down, and then inexplicably like twelve second run off the clock before Brian day Ball calls what would be the final timeout, and then they get down to the one yard line and Tyrod checks to a run play.

End, but no play.

Yeah, I mean, Giants fans are gonna be in my mention about this for the whole week about how well you know if they would have put three on the board, they would put three on the board here and they would have done this, and that they would have won the game.

That the same could go for the Bills.

Tyler Bass missed two field goals after coming in perfect on the year, so you know, it goes both ways.

And I was.

Actually, you know, you could look at the whole goal line situation one of two ways. I think because you mentioned it. He let a lot of time run off before calling that last time out. It's almost like he was waiting for it to land in a perfect thirty seconds left in the clock, which I found strange in that moment, and then came back to bite them on the goal line, because if you're gonna call two players, you're gonna have the ability to check to a run.

And yet they did.

Tyrod did it, and then of course his coach is mad at him because it didn't work. If it does work, then they're praising him. So you know, that's the perils of playing quarterback.

In the NFL. I suppose in that situation, But it.

Would have been fitting. You're right, it would have been fitting if they would have scored in that exact same situation there and untimed down to end the game. Could have been PI on Taron Johnson, wasn't, but could have been PI got PI. The play before that was very clearly PI on Terrell Bernard. But you're not gonna get that flag twice. I think in that's an arrow. They're gonna, you know, keep those in their pockets. So good on the officials. I guess they're a thrilling game that we

Yeah, And ultimately the lingering memory besides the the goal line, and you have to wonder if Brian Dable had not lost his mind after that play, if Tyrod comes into that final play feeling a little more empowered to change things, then maybe he could have gotten into a different situation. Either way, Taron Johnson had an entire fist full of darrin Paula's jersey. It was very clear on the replay, but no flag, no call. The Giants lose yet again

Nonetheless, Yeah, you know, and I think this is going to opening It's going to open an interesting can of worms, I think regarding the Giants. And this of course is directly tied to whether Danial Jones can play in the next week. But because of the way they looked on offense tonight. Now granted they only put nine points on the board, but you have to admit they looked better on offense in this game than they have in the last three weeks. And that is undoubtedly going to come

I ended up tripling that total by the time the night was over.

I have to go back to Brian Dable in the way that he kind of operated, you know, this offense and key moments because they were gashing them on the ground late in the game, and then all of a sudden, when they're on the doorstep of the end zone once again, he goes to like three straight passes and they end up settling for a field goal. That touchdown could be

And they're one in five.

Now, I hate to say it, because I don't think they're a very good team, but I do think that they're better than one in five, and it's kind of a bummer for them.

Yeah, a struggle for them. Up next for the Buffalo Bills, they visit the New England Patriots. And as for the Giants, a little reprieve, a little time off to think about what all went wrong, and maybe Brian Dave Bulgan calm down, have some herbal tea, do an interview, finally talk as he's at postgame right now. We'll see how incensed coaches

Nick a lot of upsets.

As somebody who picked the Eagles to beat the Jets and the Niners to beat the Browns, I was pleasantly surprised. It goes back to the one thing I came down to today after the Jets beat the Eagles was, God, we got to be really close to finishing off that parody circle for the year. I'm pretty sure we're pretty close. Like, somebody, get the graphics going, start tracking records, let's get that thing done.

Week six would be one of the earliest.

Points in the year. But that's the NFL, man, It's the beauty of it. It's manufactured parody. It's what keeps people coming back, and it's what makes days like today as exciting as ever.

Yeah, the transit of property. And again, if college football fans are new to the NFL and they used to college football discourse, the NFC West is terrible. They've got losses to another division and when you do the math, it's just division is two weak. You know the forty nine ers are bad?

Now, well, yeah, one of the BCS points looking like for the forty nine ers it's two thousand and four. Again, I need to figure out whether Jason why it's worthy of the heisman or.

Not Jason White, the answer is no, he was never worthy.

He still isn't.

We're humbled that you guys think we're worthy enough to listen to us on this flagship program. I want to want to shout out, of course, all the guys, we're finishing things up. I'm a home U but no small thought to be able to uh, at least have one part of hosting. One part of the show from the Chris Westling podcast studio and.

The other part from where your Scott wreck is in your garage.

You know we're in the garage.

Look, I always get the heat for lifting weights, but let's direct some of this to you right now.

Because you literally have one right behind you. You know, we'll just get that in there for you.

It is Oh we got that?

Hear that?

Yeah, I don't know that was made for me. That guy's setting off all kinds of lunk alarms. No, no, these are these are these are bad reps.

No what what what? Yeah?

They got to get you a better weightless thing drop than that. We're gonna have to actually have you pounded some some more. But the work's not done for Nick Shook because he's right back doing the Monday night episode of the Around the NFL Podcast, Jane Slater stepping in.

Little Cowboys Chargers fired up for that one. It's the Kellen Moore Mike McCarthy revenge game. Nick, you're feeling good about that?

Yeah, I'm very excited about that because so far the Mike McCarthy play calling experience has been very up and down for the Cowboys, and meanwhile, the Charges have been steady. They haven't been super explosive, but they've been steady. I love a little animosity. I can't wait for their midfield handshake, even though Kellen Moore is not a head coach and may not even be on the field and will be in the booth instead.

Stay tuned find out.

I can't wait because again, there can be only one good team every team. At the end of this year, somebody's gonna hoist the trophy and everybody else is bad and done a horrible, terrible That's just the way things go. For Nick Shook, I'm Patrick Claybon. Thanks for listening in to a globe spanning flagship episode of the Around the NFL Podcast. Nick and Jane Slater will see you guys on Monday