Welcome to NFL Daily, where we love saying John Carney's name in the newsroom. If you get that one, you're one of us. I'm Greg Rosenthal in the Chris Westling podcast studio alongside my friend Patrick clayban joined by Nick Shook in Cleveland and never fails Patrick. When they say, oh, it's a bad slate this weekend, not a great like ten am slate, then you get crazy ending crazy.
Is an understatement, it's bananas.
We're talking about what game I want, and it's like, oh, Greg, I'll take this Dallas game because I'm gonna laugh at the Cowboys.
But it was not me who was laughing, nor Commanders.
No, that was very smart to take that Cowboys game. And Shookie, it's really the theme of the whole week. You actually went to the game in the snow in Cleveland. That set the tone. People thinking that's two and eight verse eight and two. That wasn't gonna be good. But you were there having the time of your life and list like living in the snow for your Browns. Was that better than a playoff almost better than a playoff win? Who needs playoff wins? When you can have a night like that in the snow.
Sorry, no, but it was probably it was probably a top three football experience, I'll tell you.
That's what I was kind of getting it at that, Like each Sunday or Thursday night, you never know, like exactly what that game is gonna give you. And it's been a tough season for Browns fans and certainly Cowboys fans. Uh, but today you got a great experience. I'm sure there were some Cowboys fans in the crowd. We're gonna start with that game, and yes, a two play sequence that Commanders fans will be remembering in January.
If they do not make the playoffs.
Here's the staff.
Dallas just breaks free. He's able to step up, Love flood over.
The tabu Plarner's open forty five to fifty forty five, forty turns on the Cats.
He's god toun yard toun job. What good it did? Another miracle? I didn't know that you believe that? Shy to tell those do?
Whoah?
Unbelievable eighty six yard touchdown pass to Terry mccloride.
Oh whah. I don't know what he's announcing it. I don't care. There's twenty one seconds left.
We got an extra point. The game is not tied off that Cyber has to make this. He missed it extra point.
Moments before disaster, foreshadowing.
Its stap low trust, Why gets it down?
Step stop a bad step? They got the hold down.
It's Cyber missed it.
Left fram Weinstein, Man k Wbig London, Fletcher, the ups, the downs. Listening to the excitement, Yes, when Terry McLaurin catches an eighty six yard touchdown pass on a one play drive with under thirty seconds to go in the game, I was like, listen to a horror movie where you know the monster or the killers right around the corner. And yes, it was that bad snap and bad kick by Austin Cyber. We missed a few kicks on this day, so maybe it wasn't just a bad snap. Given me
memories of John Carney. Do you know what game I'm referring to here? Back in who knows the early two thousands when the Saints had the river sit really whatever, it was the crazy game against the Panthers where they got the touchdown at the end of the game, one of the best finishes in NFL history.
But then John Carney missed the extra point.
That's what it reminded me of early similar and perhaps
I think Defree Henderson kind of fades into existence. Terry McLaurin will be remembered a lot better that in this play where this moment is going to stand for a very very long time as the new The kicker missed the extra point after incredible touchdown that would have tied the game, where this was a game in the first half where the Commanders could really do nothing, and it's shades of late season Cliff that we'll have to discuss in the coming weeks.
And try to figure things out.
I've been trying to mind resources to get theories on what's wrong with the Commander's offense in every offense that Cliff Kingsbury calls late in seasons, but they were disjointed early. The Cowboys get Doron Bland back and he's over there on that the field. Actually, Terry McLaurin scores that touchdown on the right side, something that he's done a couple times this season in very limited opportunities going from the right.
But there's a Bobby Wagner stripsack.
This starts with a Kwan Martin block kicked as well, and we're celebrating Commander's special teams, like, oh, they could do no wrong before the game absolutely falls apart, including that they score a touchdown with zach Ertz. Then Jayden Daniels runs in the two point and it's twenty to seventeen and you're thinking, all things great, but they have to kick to the best kick return in the NFL and hilarity ensuits.
Yeah, to back it up, before that Cavante Turpin kickoff return that you're referring to, it's ten to nine in the fourth quarter, which is funny. It's that touchdown that that schoonmaker scores to go up twenty to nine. It is only with five minutes left in the game at that point, like nothing's happening after that. You mentioned the arts and the two point conversion. That's with three minutes
left in the game. The response there is the Turpin ninety nine yard kickoff return, which to me was one of the best plays of the entire season because that spin move that he put on the Commanders after initially fumbling the ball and it got by him was just unreal athleticism, just in electric play. And I'm like, that's the highlight. That's one of the best plays of the NFL season. But we were just getting started at this point.
Cybert hits a fifty one yard field goal on a one minute drive to respond, they stop the Cowboys, and I didn't mind the Cowboys strategy there after. They didn't get the on side kick because they were gonna pin Washington deep. They got it down to about twenty one seconds left and Washington has to go the entire length of the field. I don't mind them being conservative there.
That's when they hit the McLaurin. And then yes, just for a little fun on top, we actually got a second kickoff return touchdown in the final three minutes by a man named Juan Ye Thomas Hilly.
Here we go on side kick recovering you win, Soyburn booms it till the left and is covered them.
Thomas running it back one ya Thomas to the cowbo second kickoff for a touchdown in the game.
This game is fuck. That was our friend Brad Sam.
Have not heard enough from Brad Scham this season from k RLD. And yeah, like I know, the game was probably over at that point, but Nick, when you have a play that's stupid to end one of the craziest finishing sequence in NFL history. Really the last three minutes of this game. You just got to play it on the show.
It was just a drunk Sunday for all football teams, but especially this game. Also, kick return touchdowns are not all created equally, as you can see right there as he returns an on sidekick for a touchdown, and the whole time he's going to the end zone, I'm shouting at the screen.
Get down, don't score, don't score. He scored anyway, it didn't.
Matter, right.
It's believed to be the first time two kickoff returns in the fourth quarter in NFL history. I think the first games in thirty something years to even have two kickoff returns at the same game.
Like, it's nuts.
The camera pan's over after one yay.
Thomas is celebrating in the end zone to Mike McCarthy and he's cut his arms out, like why.
Did you score that touchdown? Because Jane Daniels comes in.
He already has one Hail Mary that's true on his ledger in twenty twenty four and he actually it comes close to the game. A ball gets picked off late. But you know, anything you can do a game have fun.
I think it was worth it just for the sham gods call and Mike McCarthy, if you want to be critical, like what, you've really coached up your player to slide at the one in that situation. I doubt it. I mean, he's never had the ball in his life. You want to criticize McCarthy, go for too there to try to finish the game. That was actually the move and he didn't.
He chickened out. But that's fine. This was the first game, also in NFL history, to have two I mean, this is a weird collection of plays, but two missed extra points, two kickoff returned touchdowns, and a block punt that is no surprise. I do have a takeaway just on the Washington side that, like I kind of was penciling in a second wild card out of this division.
And now they're seven and five. They're on a skid.
The offense, as Patrick mentioned, was in Kingsbury shutdown mode in the second half of the season for most of this game. Now you start to think, like, hmm, could two NFC West teams get in? Could a second place team in the end NFC westkat Could the Bucks get in as a wildcard?
If the Falcons actually win some games.
I think it's gonna have a lot of repercussions, Nick, because I just was penciling this one in in some of these Washington games in as a win, and they might not be mature enough right now to beat the bad teams on their schedule.
Yeah, that's what I was concerned about when they had this great start to you know, early in the season, was Wow, they're way over achieving right now. In Cliff Kingsbury's offense is rolling. But we know what happens to a Cliff Kingsbury offense once it basically Daylight Savings arrives and we get to fall backward. His offense falls backward as well, and they blow entire like.
The Cardinals out.
I mean, Granny put twenty six points on the board, but like you said, it was ten to nine in the fourth quarter.
Any concerns about Daniels Patrick, Sorry, Nick, No, I don't.
Have them based necessarily on this game. I mean, we have a whole lot of late season Cliff Kingsbury, and again discussion is whether or not it's in game adjustments, whether or not it's adjustments over the course of the season. With the similarities being so particular and teams having time to figure out exactly how this set of players is operating under Cliff. But I mean, we saw more running from Jade Daniels in this game, including a lot of third down scrambles, But it was just there were so
many opportunities where guys were running into coverage. It seems like Dallas was exceedingly prepared for the particular play structure, and Jayden's always having to throw guys into traffic. Nobody's getting wide open where earlier in the season that was not.
The kick that is a concern.
And yeah, I know people are concerned about Daniels as he's playing through the rib injury.
I think that's hard.
Let's just leave that alone because when he's making these great plays, and he had a couple of great games actually after that initially like injury, initially, maybe it is affecting him, but it's great that he ran for seventy four yards. That throw to McLaurin was awesome, So he's doing a lot of good things. Let's listen quickly to Dan Quinn and Mike McCarthy before we go on to the next game.
I told the team after the game was that this is the most challenge we've been in our time together and I remind him's not enough to learn the lessons.
But we have to apply them.
And that was just like game since situational Extravaganza.
I mean, it's just sweet.
I mean, you know, it's like Yati. You know everything was in there.
If you get Macarthy saying extravaganza and Yatzi in a ten second sound clip, I got. I want to put it in the show. Great job, they're behind the scenes. So I've got a theme at the top of the top of this show, and the theme is we're here. In Week twelve, we had some teams that we we think for most of this season are pretty solid playoff teams, but as we're kind of hitting Thanksgiving, there's some real concern about how they are going to make it to
the finish line. So the Commanders are number one, I'm putting in that category. The Houston Texans are number two. Let's go to Houston.
From the Stroud in trouble. He stepped out of the Insoe Jack Safety game over Landry with his six second of the year. It's two for Tennessee. He guess who's come to h Town. I'm gonna get a win.
Oh man, Mike Keith on w g FX, Yeah, CJ. Stroud doing his Orlovsky kind of. I feel for CJ.
Stroud. I feel for Orlowsky that.
Every time someone runs out the back of the end zone for the rest of time, his name gets mentioned. On a day where yske Stroud yet didn't seem like he was playing in a comfortable way, he gives Titans fans something to cheer about. We haven't heard enough from from Mike Keith on this season. And the Titans go into Houston and win thirty two to twenty seven on a pretty wild game shook where there was a lot
of long touchdowns. There's actually a lot of good defense by the Titans and they get out of there with the victory.
Yeah, a game that was filled with big chunk plays or as Mike Keith says, big yards, and they were negative yards at the end of that game as well.
With CJ.
Stroud step out of the back of the Anthony was pressured there of course, but oh my god, guy shot plays left and right. The Texans start the game with a long kick return. I think it was Daria Goombalwallee or maybe no, it wasn't it was Uhi. It was Damian Pierce. Yes, he took it almost all the way back. They get in position, next play, touchdown, past decade stover, it's seven nothing.
Just like that.
I'm chuckling at the screen because I was like, that's.
Just too easy.
This is going to be a roump for them. Nope, Will Levis and the Titans come right back. They take a seventeen to seven lead. He's hitting big shots to Nick Westbrook, A Kine and Calvin Ridley and they're going down the field and it's back and forth. But it was very much an up and down game for both teams. There were rises, there were falls. There were ugly turnovers
by CJ. Stroud, who threw a pick early, who by Will Levis who had a narrow lead and threw a pick six, and suddenly the Texans were back in the lead.
That was one of the games where I was like hammered.
This weekend football is just just very drough because this game couldn't decide which way they wanted to go. Neither team seemed to want to win the game. Levis ends up having a good day save for the pick six, but he also gets sacked eight times. Four of them are probably his fault because he wasn't navigating the pocket well. The other four his offensive line wasn't protecting him well. Stroud doesn't get sacked till the end of the game
and gets forced out on that safety there. Yet he struggles as well, ends up with two picks, including a bit of a miscommunication with John Metchi who settled down instead of continuing his route that set up an opportunity for the Titans to kick a field.
Goal before halftime.
It was a wild game between two rivals that are supposed to be headed in opposite directions, and, like we talked about on Monday night, Greg, a fresh batch of reasons to be concerned about the Texans trajectory as we head toward December.
That's right, we were worried about this game on Monday night for them. I was worried about this game on Friday. If you listen to the Pick Show, this was my number one pick of the week. Was Titans covering this game, not necessarily winning, just because the Texans they just don't have it offensively right now. And I thought this matchup was tough because they wouldn't be able to run the ball against the Titans, and they didn't fourteen for twenty two.
So if Joe Mixon isn't ripping those long plays, and he's been very good, but he's kind of a boom or bust running back this year because of his offensive line. So if you're not getting any of those booms, you're just relying on CJ. Stroud and he's just not playing with the confidence or the good decision making that he did earlier in his career.
Yeah, the only thing they got from Joe Mixon was five receptions. He had a nice reception down the sideline where he was able to make some moves get some yards. After that, there was also, like there's several just key plays that didn't go the Texans way. I think that there was a third and nineteen in the fourth quarter where Tank Dell goes up, the Titans defender is able to just punch the ball out right before he comes down.
High leverage miss. There.
There was a miss by Kayami Fairburn where they're right there, well within his extensive field goal range.
He has a miss that was to tie the game.
A twenty seven yarder from a guy who today set the all time record a fifty plus field goal.
Sorry, sorry to cut you off there. No, you're not.
Cutting up because it's a great step and where just things that you expect to go right for the Houston Texans. And admittedly we've been talking about problems on this offensive line for the entire season that held through today. But it just takes a coalition of mistakes and errors to have eight sacks and Neil Hunter has three sacks.
You scored twenty seven points and lose.
One of the wildest stats in this game was that Will Levis became only the second quarterback in NFL history to take seven sacks and a half twice in a season. The other one was Randall Cunningham, so he has great company, but just like totally bizarre. My big takeaway though, is like, Okay, Nico Collins shows up, has a fifty six yarder, but the touchdown that was taken away from him was endemic. I think points out what's happening with CJ. Stroud right now,
which he's in his own head. There was a third down where he actually was protected pretty well and then just kind of ran forward and went down like he sacked himself. And that's a warning sign because that was the last thing I expect out of C. J. Stroud,
kind of sacking yourself like that. And then he said after the game, and I'm gonna trust that he's being honest here that that touchdown that was taken back that for Nigo Collins, which would have really changed this game, was because of an illegal shift because he called for two shifts before the play and he had essentially like a brain fart there and he signaled to Joe Mixon and tanked all the shift and they both did but he was only supposed to call for one. And I
are you concerned about about Stroud about this offense. I don't know if they can lose the division. They're seven and five and the Colts aren't great, but they're just not a good football team.
Yeah, that's the thing is that they're going to win this division because this division's not good. But they are also not a team that I take seriously in the playoffs because of these exact issues. That illegal shift, I mean, completely turned the momentum of this game. Then you had
in the fair barn field goal miss. They still you know, at that point they're backed up against the wall and have to figure out a way to get down the field in this crazy back and forth against a team that you should not be in such a game with. I don't care that it's a divisional opponent and you're familiar with each other and everything else. You're supposed to be the superior team when compared against Tennessee. And they did not play like it, and they haven't played like
it in so many games this year. I was encouraged by the big plays early hitting Nico Collins, hitting Tank Dell's like, oh, the offense is back, here we go. But it just didn't carry over. And that is what when I look at them and evaluate the entire AFC, and I think, all right, these are the heavy hitters.
These are the teams that expect to make deep playoff runs.
The Texans just aren't there right now, and I'm really not sure they're ever going to get there.
Well, they're definitely not. I don't think I shouldn't say definitely. The NFL always makes us look stupid when we assume anything. But I also, on that note, Nick says, I wouldn't assume they're making the playoffs. I don't have much faith in the Colts, and the Texans are lucky. They don't have a Colts game coming up. They got that sweep early. But if you can lose to the Titans, you can
lose any game. And they do have some tough games down the stretch, so like they could be an eight or nine win team, they could really fall apart.
I don't want to believe that.
But in a game where they had thirteen drives, they had twelve first downs and eleven penalties.
That's bad, bro in that.
And some of those penalties were wiping off some of the first downs. Right.
They have the mistakes, the drops, the miskicks. I just think look watching Nico Collins out on the field with CJ. Straub, seeing the players Joe Mixon has made, Will Anderson and daneil Hunter. It's I think they get in the playoffs. I think they give somebody problems in the playoffs. They have their problems, yes, but they're at least experiencing them now.
I'm not close.
Okay, you gotta put you gotta get a win in Jacksonville next week, that's huge. Before thereby, then they come back with a really tough three pack of games Miami at Kansas City and Baltimore. Before moving on, though, I want to hear from Mike Keith Keith again, Like I said, you just can't get enough.
Mike Keith Levis shouldn't have gun with Pollard on his right. Heel play fake let as firing down feel complete.
A cock got forty fifty, A cock go forty thirty twenty as a fast man five, So touchdown Titans shut a cock wo His first touch goes for seventy and a big six.
That's Dave Bagetti's there jumping in. You know what he did there? He was like Kurt kobain On smells like teen spirit.
He knew that was a touchdown run by one athletic tight end chick a kN quo.
He knew that was going to be a touch on, so he kept it real low and reallyet.
So he just felt the impact of that touchdown tight ends. Let's go to Green Bay where the Packers are not the team that could be falling apart down the stretch, the team they played.
Under center, Packers leading by fourteen. Love looks it over and here it is handoff Jacobs.
Burrowing left side, Denzil touchdown, Hen sir, is your dagger.
Thirty to ten?
That is right, Wayne Larvi wr and w the dagger might have been even earlier, but Wayne has respect for the forty nine ers. He doesn't expect a beat down like this. The games that finishes thirty eight to ten. It's the biggest loss in the history of this rivalry, which is crazy. It's also the biggest loss in terms of the deficit that Kyle Shanahan's had. Shanahan has had
since twenty eighteen different times. Now for the forty nine Ers, who did not have Rock Purdy in this game, they did not have Nick Fosa in this game, and so on one hand, you give him a pass.
Nick. On the other hand, I do think the way they.
Lost that it's not competitive also speaks to kind of where this team is at at five and six.
Yeah, you know, green Bay dominated this game basically from the first quarter onward. Yeah, I got down to a ten point game and then a fourteen point game, but it was never really all that close because the Niners only mounted one drive of significance all day, and it was the one that ended in the three yard touchdown pass.
To George Kittle, which was a great catch.
You know, brand Allen threw some nice passes, He had some excellent completions. He also had some misses, and it just felt like the punch out of these Niners had been taken from them. You know, they didn't struggle and pressuring Jordan Love that much. Love was getting out of the pocket a lot though, to extend plays as a result of that pressure. Even without Nick Bosa, they just they didn't stack up against the Packers on both sides of the ball. They also committed a ton of penalties
in every phase of the game. Deebo Samuel had an eighty seven yard kick returning to open up the second half. You're like, oh, there's the spark they need called back by a penalty. Like they were constantly behind the sticks. They asked Alan way too much, you know, to do way too much with his arm. He finished his seventeen to twenty nine for one to ninety nine a touchdown on a pick by who Xavier McKinney. Of course, who else would it be intercepting opposing quarterbacks than Xavier McKinney.
The Packers just dominated. They were better in every phase of the game. And it is It's one of those games where you look at the Niners and you think, oh, I don't know, because Christian McCaffrey not effective, still doesn't look all that explosive. He only had eleven carries when you finished with thirty one yards. This offense was very lopsided and they just never stood much of a chance. They gave away the ball three times. The Packers defense
had a banner day. They were playing with their hair on fire, flying around the field. It just looked like a team that was contending for a Super Bowl versus a team that's like, yeah, we're middling, you know, at five hundred or worse.
Yeah, the Packers kind of I wouldn't say they needed a game like this, but I think it's going to feel good for them to get to eight and three and have a game where they did everything they needed to do. You can't even put it on the forty nine Ers offense. Brandon Allen and the forty nine Ers had run six plays and at that point the forty
nine Ers defense had already given up seventeen points. So Brandon Allen apparently had a broken finger according to the sideline on Fox, and had never been on the injury report.
He's the starter of this game.
Kyle Sanahan, as Cynthia frielin, likes to call him the Lion liar, who lies.
I mean, they got to find him for that.
He's a starting quarterback and they didn't never mention a broken finger. Brock Purdy meanwhile, not just miss this game. I'm concerned about where this is going because they said they reported he had a second MRI on a on his shoulder before missing this game, and a starting quarterback doesn't miss a game with a right shoulder injury unless
it's serious. And you get to our MRIs hoping to maybe see something different before we just kind of wrap up the forty nine ers portion of this conversation just they just feel like a team that had didn't have it all already, and now maybe it's it's just like one injury too many. Obviously, if perty misses another game or two, like it's done.
Yeah, just three wins without Trent Williams in the in the Trent Williams Era.
For Trent Williams didn't play in this game, thank you.
No, It's it's been a rough injury season in Santa Clara. And now like when I initially saw the reports because we talked to Tom Pelsera on Tuesday about you know, Rock Party leaving practice with the shoulder soreness, the forty nine ers, the statements again coming out of you know, Cynthia tells us about Kyle Shanahan, nothing to be concerned about. Then he goes in the MRM machine and nobody's getting in there for fun erhaps, let's much less do it twice, so.
They're looking for something that is really really a problem.
Bus's expensive, like you, I don't know if they have the same healthcare as us, but an MRI, I forget about it, Well.
Better be better than ours, because otherwise brock perty is going to be getting a call from a collector here in three years. But aside aside from that, just just an ineffective game trouble protecting Alan. He had had a fumble forced by Lucas van Ness's helmet. Again, if he only has an on fingers to hold onto the ball, that's that's a real issue. You start to wonder with Dime's sitting at home and looking for a team, perhaps this is the spot.
That's a good call.
I thought Minnesota when Darnold looked like he sprained his ankle, but he came right back into the game, and you're absolutely right. It could be a spot for Danny dimes. Let's let's tell about the Packers are going to be playing on Thanksgiving. Definitely the best game on Thanksgiving is Packers Dolphins. Ohthough Caleb Williams playing so well, we'll get
to him. Spices up that that Bears Lions game. Tell me about your your takeaways shook on the Packers, especially on offense in this game, where it took him at least the passing game a little while to get going.
Yeah, the passing game wasn't It was there, but it was a lot of misshots. Actually, there was a ball that Jordan Love put on Christian Watson that was perfect. I'm watching it travel through there and I'm like, I have enough to juice to get there, and as it's descending him like, oh, it's right on him, right there, and he drops it. There was like a few of those in this game where Love's total would have been fifty seventy five, one hundred yards more and maybe another touchdown.
It didn't look as bad as the numbers looked, you know, when you're comparing the two. But really this is all about Josh Jacobs. Josh Jacobs paces this offense in this game. Twenty six carries one hundred and six yards, three rushing touchdown, and a career high fifteen forced misstackles. Okay, that's the most by any ball in a single game this season. According Next to Gen stats, that was a rate of fifty seven point seven percent, his highest of the season. Okay,
he's having a great year. As we know with the Packers, that fits been tremendous and this was the peak for him so far, and they kind of needed it because Love wasn't piling up those numbers. But the crazy thing is is when you look at the stats after the game, I'm surprised that they didn't break four hundred yards of offense just because it was that one sided, and it was because they got short fields from their defense. They capitalized over and over and over again. They were a
pretty efficient offense. They average a little bit under five yards per play, but they were just it looked very good. Tucker Craft got involved in a touchdown, catch you another catch to set up another touchdown. It was just an offense that could attack you from a number of different ways in a strong performance for the whole unit.
Yeah, the run game is going to be so important for them. It's what's made them special this year. I know the Malik Willis games juice it up a little bit, but they are They truly are one of the best running teams in the league. Jacobs is having one of those seasons. It's every other year for Jacobs and Emmanuel Wilson is the one actually that shows me. Man this team and the play calling, they're all really insanct because when Emmanuel Wilson comes in for those seven eight carries
it a game, he's getting it done as well. So really looking forward to seeing them on Thanksgiving night. And yeah, it is getting late early for the forty nine ers who play Eric's Bills next week, and they're gonna need a healthy quarterback or they could be at five and seven and in big, big trouble because there.
Are good teams in the NFC West. Let's go to Seattle prettage.
On four to one at the forty Murray have the center this time, play fake.
Murray's gonna try to get it. He's gonna run far side, he's.
Gonna jump it over the top, gonna chump to Kobe Bryant far sideline.
He's got the blockers.
Thirty twenty five, twenty ten time touchdown Shit.
Hawks, No fight. Kobe Bryant.
Oh, Kobe Bryant, he hit him with the Marshawn Lynch hm D yeah, celebration. I good job by Patrick Clayband giving me the assist. Didn't know how to handle that moment, but it wasn't too big for Patrick. Steve Rabele ofr kiro Man that game, that play really changed the entire game. I thought Kyler Murray had a chance to get to the edge, but Devin Witherspoon did a fantastic job after diving on the inside, made Kyler Murray hesitate for just a second and by then it was too late.
He didn't have the angle on the run.
He forces a pass that just sales Kobe Bryant takes it to the house sixteen to six.
The Seahawks get it done.
And I wanted to start with that play because it really was all about this defense and it's now a thing we talked about it coming into this game. The Seahawks defense in the last three games against the Rams, the forty nine Ers, and now the Cardinals have given
up a total of thirty six points in regulation. Rams hit him for that overtime touchdown too, but I'm talking regulation thirty six total points at twelve points a game, and they came out today with one thing just stressed above all, and that was to stop this Cardinals rushing attack. You've been talking about it Nick all year, that they kind of go as James Connor goes. Well, he had twelve carries today, he had a zero percent success rate on those twelve carries and only fourteen runs as a whole.
Because they were so unsuccessful running the ball. It made the Cardinals one dimensional. Kyler could have made a couple plays like they had some penalties go against them. There is a different world where they are closer at the end of this game, but ultimately Seattle's defense dictated, and I would say that's been true three straight Division games. Mike McDonald a little bit like Baltimore or a year ago, has figured things out in the middle of the season and they're really streaking.
Leonard Williams especially was outrageous today.
Yeah, I think we know that when you stopped this rushing attack, that it makes the entire Cardinals offense run into a rut. Right, So that should be approach number one. But you're right, it absolutely speaks to Seattle coming on as of late. I mean The funny thing is that Mike McDonald and John Schneider are not afraid to just jettison guys that suddenly don't work for them anymore in an effort to get better, like Tyrrell Dotson, gone get
out of here. Oh, by the way, we've allowed ten points or twelve points per game over the last three games. Like that's super impressive, especially for a regime with Mike McDonald as the head coach. Of course, that was a little bit questionable because his reputation coming in was I'm going to fix this defense.
This defense was our weakness last year, and for a.
Lot of the early games this season and even up until I don't know the start of this past month or so, they weren't delivering. They weren't delivering, and too much was on Gino Smith. And you saw the risks that are associated with that. Yes, you get the thrills, but you also get the risks. Then they come in and they hold an offense that's quarterback by Kyler Murray just six points and you're able to win with just
sixteen points offensively. That is a team coming together at the right time in a very winnable division, and you don't need Gino to throw for three fifty and maybe risk three interceptions or something to get there. It's a beautiful thing when a team starts to come together like that.
Well, hell, they only scored nine points offensively, right because they they got the pick six, and I think the Seahawks offense was better than that number would show. But Gino had a very similar interception to what happened on the Kyler Murray play. Where after what I thought was the Seahawks maybe best drive of the whole season, like if they had finished it off, Gino has a rushing lane to get a first down and he throws an interception that was not necessary and keeps the Cardinals in
it for a little while longer. But they did get the ball back in a situation close to their own goal line, and he hit two of the toughest third down conversions that you'll ever see. End up having their longest drive of the season. It's a field goal drive, but it was good situational football and felt to me like a game winning drive. I mean, it's not the same as you're trailing and you need a touchdown, but essentially was a fourth quarter game winning drive.
Yeah, wiped most of the fourth quarter, off the clock and Gino ultimately on that interception in the red zone ball caught in the end zone. Didn't see the defender until he's looking up at the replay after the play, and then he was dejected for the entire There was a sideline shot of Gino Smith not looking at anybody, just staring off in the distance, really frustrated with himself.
Comes back.
There's a third and I believe fourteen where Gino just had a turnover in the red zone. Yeah, fires a dangerous ball to DK that he fits in there like, not affected by the mistake at all. Gino comes comes right back to go down the field, burning clock while throwing the ball. Kenny Walker has a couple plays on that drive as well, Jackson Smith and Jigba has a
catch where the game start. This drive starts way before five minutes to go, and you know the clock's not stopping on incomplete passes, and it gets into that time where the Cardinals.
Were thinking about taking time eutse right towards the end of it.
I'm glad you mentioned that that play to DK was one of the plays of the game by Gino, but there was also a third and eight to start out that drive where the pressure got there right away, And for Gino fans today was weird because he really wasn't under that much pressure. He actually had a lot of time to throw, and early in the game I almost felt like it was freaking them out, like we don't know what to do, Like he just started spitting around a little bit, and they did not move the ball.
They punted it the first four times, and Arizona really wasn't getting that much pressure. They were doing a really good job in coverage, and it was a game in the second half of very few possessions. They had an eleven play drive which ended with his interception, and then that eight minute drive that Patrick just referred to. But yes, on the first third down where he is essentially backing up to his own goal line, just about pressure gets there immediately and he throws a ball that hads to
have perfect anticipation. He throws before the receiver comes out of his break. And that's what you love about Gino is that he will give you one. At this point, we got to accept it, like he'll give you a chance at one, and some great quarterbacks too, but he will always keep firing. And I actually thought if you took that one play away, and that's a big if, this would have been like either his best game of the year or one of them, because other than that one play he was outstanding.
Nick.
Yeah, you take the good with the bad with him, right, like you get the electric moments and you also get the moments where you're like, oh no, why'd you throw that?
Oh?
DK caught it all right? Cool first down? Speaking of which, seven or fourteen on third down? I want to know how many of those were on that one specific drive that Patrick mentioned, because like for the rest of the offensive output, it doesn't seem to quite line up. But I mean a march like that, you got to convert a number of third downs and keep the drive going.
Kind of a.
Strange day for them, considering like their identity offensively and especially in previous games.
But you'll take him. You know, a win's a win.
I will answer your question. Three first downs on that.
There you go, so three almost half yeah, And that first one was to Smith and Jig but who I really think has improved and is a big part of their story. But the other third down was on a third and four draw, and I almost screamed, I can't remember the last time the Seahawks have had a successful run on a third down in like four I mean, it's it's outrageous. Their running game was pretty poor throughout
this game. If they can get their regular running game going occasionally like other than plays where ken Walker runs into a wall and then spins around and gets seventeen yards, they could be really good.
And maybe work the play action passing game a little bit more. Is Geno throwing play action on fifteen percent? I think if pass attemps one of the lowest rates in the league, and another tendency breaker today where we think a Geno taking shots downfield all the time, like that ball to dk Metcalf twenty four passes under ten are yards today for seventy yards two hundred and seven yards, and that one touchdown where there's something about the search
bar over there. With this Cardinals defense is bugging. Everybody can't figure out why up, but they were able to consistently do it.
They got it done again ultimately.
I mean they held the Seahawks under five yards per play, They held them to nine points on offense. Both teams were under three hundred yards, So yes, there are good defenses here in the NFC West, this division race is just getting started. Seahawks needed this win. They already had two division losses. The Cardinals didn't have any, they would have gone to three and Oh these two teams play each other in two weeks and ultimately that game is
going to be even bigger. But the Seahawks set up themselves tie to top the NFC West after eleven weeks at six and five. Good stuff by the Seahawks in this entire division. Let's take a break and get to some other craziness.
In the NFC one. Jake mcway the long snapper Ryan right home.
This is a twenty nine yard field goal between the hash Marks to.
Win at snapspot Roll. Minnesota Vikings have won.
Five consecutive games.
At Soldier Field.
The final score thirty to twenty seven.
That was our friend Paul Allen on k FA N. They had to work for it, the Minnesota Vikings winning overtime after giving up an eleven point lead in the final two minutes.
Of this game. Great game in the NFC.
North, Caleb Williams played out standing throws for three hundred and forty yards and two touchdowns. Like I said, led the Bears to a last second drive and then a last second field goal after they recover an onside kick with under twenty seconds to go. A fantastic game. Jordan Addison goes for eight for one sixty two. I think this is the perfect situation. Patrick for Bears fans, well is that? I mean, I know you'd like to win and this hurts. But Caleb Williams has played his two
best games as a pro. I believe in a row. Okay, he looked. You're seeing everything you want out of your number one overall draft pick. But ownership has also seen everything they want to fire Matty Eberflus at the end of this year.
This team's not going to the playoffs anyway.
So what you want is Caleb development, but maybe some losses, a good draft pick, and a new head coach next year.
I can I can see the case for that. Okay, get you get everything that you want, you find your quarterback. Finally, three forty two touchdowns, where he also led the game in rushing for the Chicago Bears as well, beating out it's gonna be tough to run against this floor's defense, but it's gonna be tough to throw for three hundred and forty yards and he is able to do that.
And yes, the most of the Bears people that I talked to, the fans, the people who want the best for the team, would and you know, shout out to Maddiberflus and all the success he's had, would prefer a different head coach.
So I agree that maybe this is the best case.
Although you know now I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth. If you had just won this game, first of all, would have felt good to end that losing streak. You know, only'd be at six losses, which now in the NFC would only be one lost back, so you could have some copium convincing of yourself. But part of the reason why I don't think the Bears are gonna win a ton of games down the stretches. Yeah, Caleb is suddenly playing well now, but the defense isn't
getting enough stops. Shook when it really matters, the Vikings go for four hundred and fifty two yards. I was really impressed actually with the drive that they had to set up a Romo field goal with one fifty six left. Felt like that ended the game at twenty seven to sixteen, where Nick Mullins had a third and long because he came in for a play, and Aaron Jones gets a big conversion, and then Sam Darnold, who has really played well the last couple of weeks especially, has a big
third down conversion and they're bleeding the clock. So the Bears it's not getting enough stops really to be the type of team that Eberflus wants him to be. And I think for the Vikings getting to nine and two with a win like this, I don't care about the style points. I think that's impressive that they stuck with it and you ultimately get it done in the end.
Yeah, I mean style points can be overrated from time to time, especially in a divisional game. I mean on that Bears defensive note though, there were like multiple third downs in the overtime period where I was like, oh, this defense is crumbling, Like this is not the defense that it was even six weeks ago. There were multiple third downs where Darnald drops back he's been sacked there
behind schedule, and he finds TJ. Howkinson open, He finds Jordan Dadison open down the sideline beyond the sticks.
Where it's soft coverage. Why are you allowing that to happen because your defense is not as good as it used to be.
On a day in which you allow three different guard guys to break one hundred yards Aaron Jones twenty two for one oh six, jordanas An eight for one to sixty two, Hockinson seven for one to fourteen. Like you said, four hundred and fifty two yards of offense for the Vikings. That is not the Bears defense that we thought it was not too It's a late great Denny Green. But yeah, but so yeah, I and the Vikings get the job done. Like that's what's most important here is that they got
the job done. Sam played a clean game. He threw for three thirty. Everything's fine. It was a little weird at the end. You screwed up on some details, but you came away with the win. You were able to overcome that adversity when you were basically collapsing on the road in the Windy City. But I do want to pivot back to Kayla because there was one throw he made early in the game where he ran down the sideline. He was he escaped pressure, He's looking downfield and I'm like, oh,
this is a video game throw. Because as he's looking, he's doing the Josh Allen, He's approaching the sideline and DeAndre Swifts wisely turns upfield and he just loft it over the defender to Swift for a gain of thirty And at that moment I wrote down the note where I was just like, that's the play extension that we've seen from him four weeks that usually resultsed in completions or he has to throw it away, or maybe he gets sack late, which did happen to him later, but
he was able to make it work. And that was kind of a point about this whole Bears offense since they replaced Shane Waldron with Thomas Brown, where I'm like, hey, you know what, Yeah, they lost the game, but they still put up three hundred and nine eight yards of offense. They still we had a fighting chance. They still competed in Kayler was able to make things like that happen. He is way better than I thought he would be
coming out of USC. Illt the generational tag on him, but after watching everything that he's dealt with, because like we've spent so many weeks, the talking heads have spent so many weeks, not us specifically, because I think we know better where it's like, is Caleb the problem? Do they need a quarterback again? They don't need a quarterback again. They need to be better around him, and that starts with the coaching staff. This is the guy. He is
a special quarterback. Bears fans enjoy it. Hope that everything around him gets little bit better because he's gonna be your guy for a long time.
It's a really fascinating comment, but it makes sense if you weren't as big as him coming out of college. I was never worried long term about him. He had shown more than enough throughout this season, and it was so early. But the way this season was going, how can you not be a little surprised how quickly that
the change to Thomas Brown has turned things around. I really think his game last week was underrated and he played outstanding and he had to throw a swift, but earlier on that drive he also ripped one into Keenan Allen ye. They were down eleven points, like I said, and it felt like it was maybe garbage time. And I'm tracking this game because one of my picks with Cynthia was Vikings, you know, minus three and a half.
I'm like, oh, they're going to get the cover, and they actually have a fourth down play where Roma Dunze catches it like a great individual played by a Dunze, but a great throw also by Caleb to trust him on a fourth down, like they would have lost by eleven if they don't make that play. But they get the touchdown, they get the two point conversion, and then they get the on side kick after it bounces off a Viking. And I think one of the best throws
he made all game was twenty one seconds left. He has to thread it over the top of the linebacker, but with velocity. To DJ Moore, that was a sick throw. You run up and you spike it. That's legendary stuff. And I know the overtime when Salary took a bad sack. He's a rookie and it wasn't all going to be perfect, but my god, he he was like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today.
Yeah, And even when things go don't go right, right, because that completion to Romo Dunze on fourth down, it came after a third down attempt where Caleb Sails won over Rome's head. Right, he's throwing his hand on his helmet because he can't believe he made a miss like that. But then he comes right back. And so even the decisions, and that's the one thing that I always want to with a rookie quarterback. Whether or not the ball is complete, the throw is catchable, how was the decision, how is
the process? And the process has been very good for Caleb again, other than when he holds on the ball for entirely too long like he did in overtime. But the question is, Shook points out, is is the team around him right? And you mentioned that Nick Mullens completion that was actually a very high leverage play, like it's twenty one to sixteen. At that point, Sam Donald is out. Nick Mullens comes in for one play. That one play
is third and twelve. It's third and twelve and he throws He throws an easy pass to Aaron Jones where there's no Bears defenders there in the middle of the field. He runs for a first down. Nick Mallins could take his helmet off and go chill for the rest of the game. Because Sam Donald comes back in, they go down the field and hit a field goal, which winds up being ultimately the difference in the game, right.
Aaron Jones fumbled on the goal line early in the game. He ends up with one hundred yards on the ground. Also had that huge reception when Aaron Jones is playing well, they're playing well. He talked to our friend Stacy Dale's after the game, so good to.
See you get in the end zone after that fumble in the first drive.
How I mean, we saw the emotions on the sideline.
I tried to keep it.
I try to keep it together on the salon, but it's hard, you know, because I want to get in the end zone so bad and you.
Lose the ball.
Those are things that get you fired, you know, And I can't. I can't do that. I gotta be better than that. But I'm glad I got a chance to make up for it. And I told coach, thank you for sticking with me, and it means the world to me.
He ain't nobody firing you, my friend.
That is absolutely true.
Although Jones has had that's a couple of big time fumbles now in big situations near the goal line, but he ends up helping them get to a win with some big plays late. And yeah, when Addison's one of the best second receivers in the league. Is nice to see him go off for eight for one sixty two. Justin Jefferson had a long touchdown called back by an
offensive pass interference. But if you can win and be dominant offensively on a day where he only had twenty seven yards and Hockinson is going crazy, shows you're doing something right.
They have the right coach.
Kevin O'Connell has the most one score wins in the entire NFL since he was hired in twenty and twenty two. You know who has the worst record in one score games since twenty twenty two. It's right there for you, guys, Shanahan, It's right there for you guys.
It's part of this game. It all connects. That's why you gotta get a new coach.
Let's go, It's time for the Sunday Drive, presented by the all new hybrid Toyota Camry. Yeah, let's go to Indianapolis where one of the best coaches in the league was visiting.
Jared Lean's in. There's the snap, Jared hands it to Gibbs over the right side, trying to get to the edge, will touchdown.
Detroit Lyons felt the contact just kept going outside.
Until he found an opening and he did second touchdown of the day for Jamiir Gibbs.
Some days it's a David Montgomery day, some days it's a Jamir Gibbs day.
Usually it's both.
This was the ninth game where they both scored a touchdown, which is absolutely outrageous. But the fact that Jamiir Gibbs is one of the best players on the field at any time that he is on the field made a huge difference in a twenty four to six Lions victory over the Colts. That was Dan Miller from WXYT Lomas Brown in the booth as well, And this was a game, guys, that didn't have to be as one sided as it was. When you watched it, it didn't seem like they were
that uneven. But the crazy difference, I think, if you just wanted to pick one, was how the Lions are so good at running the ball that they can run the ball on third and long three different times in this game.
They did so.
The first time it was part of a drive with Jamir Gibbs where he hits a third and run long. I think it was third and eight on that one, and he gets the first down and they just ride him all the way to the end zone five straight. Jamir Gibbs plays, he scores a touchdown. Second quarter. This is Montgomery play third and six. You give it to Montgomery. He just knocks people off them and yeah, maybe they're running to set up the fourth down, but they didn't even need it.
He converts.
They give him the ball two plays later for the touchdown, reward him. And then late in the game that touchdown call we heard was actually a third and five from the fourteen and the game from the six rather, and the game was still up in the air.
It was fourteen to six.
It was a one score game, and they're scoring touchdowns and they're converting third and long. Shook by handing the ball off. They have so many different ways to win, but literally no other team in the NFL is winning like that.
Well, it starts with their offensive line, which we have known is one of the best units in the NFL. We've known that since last year. They protect Jared Goff well, they open rushing lanes, and they have two phenomenal backs to take advantage of that. And like you said, sometimes this is Jamir Gibs day and sometimes the day, but Dave Montgomery did today was Jamir GiB day. But the fact that you have that at your disposal frees you up to be unpredictable on a passing down. For most teams,
it could be a running down for you. This is also very much just a classic Lions win. The score might not indicate it because they only won by eighteen you know air quotes. But at the same time they go for almost four hundred yards of offense, they convert nine to fifteen third downs, and they dominate time of possession by fourteen minutes. Like that's what you can do when you run the ball.
Well.
Oh and by the way, Jared Goff, master of finding guys open over the middle of the field. He goes fifteen to sixteen for one eighty five when targeting the middle third of the.
Field, when is over expected of plus sixteen.
Like, if there's one thing you take away from the Lions, it's the middle third of the field. They didn't do it. They didn't stop the run. Of course, the Lions are going to win this way. It's just that they had a possession and on downs on the Indian Apple was fourteen that could have produced a touchdown or at least a field goal. That's why the score comes so close. You know, even an eighteen point different still feels kind of close for this Lions team because of how badly
they've blown teams out. This is who they are. They're ten to one. They're a great football team, and they're a buzz saw. Like another terms, they're a wagon.
Right.
This is a team that is gonna give everybody problems, including the Indianapolis Colts.
I think the Colts defense played well.
I think they even played like well enough to win a different sort of game if the offense had gone on some longer drives. You mentioned how they they stopped the Lions on a fourth down in the red zone, which you just don't see too much, but yeah, it was kind of like they were so worried about the middle of the field. You have the linebackers playing back
on third down and it still didn't help. And the Lions kept looking at that and they're like, if you're not gonna play big upfront against us, defensively, we're gonna run in these situations all the time, and we're good enough, we're gonna hit it.
It works out for them.
The Colts, by the way, have three players on their team with over one hundred tackles now in this game, which is crazy.
At week twelve where.
They got a great play from Layatu Latu was a scary play for the Lions because not only did Jared Goff fumble, but Taylor Decker gets rolled up I think within ten plays. Also, the cornerback Carlton Davis leaves the game with a nider. He was on the bike, he said afterwards. He's able to stand and walk on it. But you have to watch it out for those guys for the game coming up on Thanksgiving with a quick turnaround, dealing with injuries in this one, but a solid game
by a Colts defense. In the offense, it's been what it's been kind of all year, whether it's Anthony Richardson or Joe Flacco boom or bust. A lot of shots downfield, a lot of plays called back due to penalty as well. Josh Downs had a huge completion they got wiped away. Richardson just missed Peers for what could have been a
touchdown earlier in the game. It's just a very just a high variance situation with Indy at all times on offense where they're limited possession wise here and the best possessions they do have, they make mistakes in them.
It's so funny, like each week looking at his Anthony Richardson's average up to the target, it was over thirteen in this game and he only completed eleven passes out of twenty eight, but he did it for one hundred and seventy two yards. This was a better version of the game that got him bench where I said, if you watch the tape, he looked much better than that, cause I actually thought Richardson played well enough today as well.
Here's what happened to them.
Three plays called back from penalty, Ogletree dropped a sure touchdown which really changed the game, and they had another drop in a big spot. And then there was another Ashton duel and catch where it was a nice throw to the sideline and he does the Xavier Worthy thing where he doesn't get his feet coordinated, and so the passing game I think could have been a lot better. Josh Downs left with an injury at one point but was able to come back. Same thing with Michael Pittman
who finishes six for ninety six. That guy is just so tough. But they're just not going to go anywhere if they can't get Jonathan Taylor going. And Taylor was eleven for thirty five today. They used Richardson in the running game pretty effectively when they needed to early. But if Jonathan Taylor in that part of the running game isn't working and it's hard against the Lions, then they're
just not gonna be good enough. One of the reasons it's not working the Lions are starting three rookie offensive linemen now, partly because of injuries. It was a third rounder, a fourth rounder, and I believe an undrafted free agent. That's tough. Richardson was under a lot of pressure today. Alie McNeil absolutely dominated his matchup against oh Man.
I wrote it down. I felt bad for this young man.
Maybe I won't even say his name because it was just sad how bad he was. It was Dalton Tucker, who is a real person for the Colts. Did I just threw it out there? Sorry, Dalton, wherever you are. And you mentioned the injuries. David Montgomery left with a shoulder injury but said he'll be fine for next week. You mentioned Carlton Davis, Taylor, Decker returned to the game.
Kleiff Raymon, who's an important player for them, had a foot injury, and I think it might be something that keeps him out a little while, certainly out for Thanksgiving, but now standing performance there by the Dolph. The Lion there at ten and one, the best Lions team in history through eleven games, and the Colts are at five and seven. Not out of it in the AFC South if the Texans keep blowing it. That was the Sunday Drive presented by the all new hybrid Toyota Camray. Whatever
your vibe, it's a camera vibe. Learn more at Toyota dot com slash Camry. Let's go to MetLife Stadium. Certainly Tommy DeVito would help the vibes, wouldn't he.
Here's the snap, second down and goal.
Bucks have two timeouts running the ball, Who's Baker may He fakes the past cruncher was left.
To no one touchdown.
Baker Mayfield pullula cafe and flew into the Absolve about that touchdown number three rushing for Baker Mayfield this season?
Look at him cheering on the Bucks fans.
That was Jeene Deckerhoff on Wfusen. Yeah, couldn't have known that Baker was doing the Tommy Cutlets celebration. That is what he was doing after a very Tommy DeVito run there,
Baker Mayfield doing at all. Thirty to seven Bucks come off their bye week and do exactly what they would want, total domination, about as one sided a first half as they could have possibly had, and then they just cruised to a victory where Tommy DeVito ends up with one hundred and eighty nine yards almost all in deep garbage time.
The first half of this game shook two hundred and ninety yards to sixty four Baker completions, seven nineteen Giants plays seventeen Bucky Irving had more receiving yards I believe at the time than the Giants had total yards at halftime. So it just did it looked like a non conference game. It was a bigger like one. Like you, I watched a little Georgia U Mass just for because I'm a sicko, and this was way more one sided than Georgia U Mass.
Yeah, that wasn't a surprisingly competitive game between Georgia UMass by the way.
Yeah, Baker eight.
For ten on passes of ten plus air yards for one seventy two. Okay, like very lopsided If people think that the Buccaneers are what their record says they are, they're wrong. This is a much better team than four and six are now five and six. They've just been banged up like crazy and they're starting to get healthy at the right time. And they played a team that
basically they kicked while they were down. Like Tommy DeVito comes in and it's been a weird week for the Giants with the whole Daniel Jones playing safety on scout team, then reading the statement, then being gone the next day. Tommy DeVito is the next best option in the mind of Brian Dable, and this is what you get. An unproductive offense, a lopsided loss with a Buccaneers team that
needs a launch pad. They need a little bit of good feeling going as they get into the stretch run in the you know, late in the season, as they try to reach the playoffs. This is the team to play to get back on track and get the momentum going in your right direction. And of course it starts with Baker Mayfield, who you know, as much as people like to hate on him, he's still having a phenomenal year.
In fact, I think I believe he's on pace to best his career numbers.
Straw Man, who are the people hating on? Is it me? Because if it is me, I don't need you to be saying people like doing I'm sitting.
Right here, beryll jump through this screen right now now.
I gotta give him credit. He's playing there, it is.
I actually think he's been playing better Patrick since Mike Evans and Chris Godwin got hurt. And now you get Mike Evans back, and he made a difference in this game five for sixty eight. Couple of nice chunk plays and their helmet.
No, no, definitely in this Giants team, as you mentioned, is completely dead in the water. There's I mean, well, well we'll get to that discussion with because I know we have Molague neighbors sound very frustrated the league neighbors who wound up eventually getting nine targets. But we'll hear from Alik on when those targets came.
I mean, you're a host, you could just start Yeah.
Let's do it.
Let's hear Melik neighbors after the game, answering questions about his participation as well.
Is his frustration I'm Tyler going out dre and losing like it's just that. I mean, oh no, bro, go out there, first second quarter, don't get the ball, start getting targets at DN. I mean, I can't do thating stargeting the ball when it's thirty zero to do.
Why in the first half are they not looking at you.
I don't know Tyler Daves about that.
Hmmm, it's the gum smacking that really does.
Yeah, that gum is getting chewed off.
Hard, eight pieces of double bubble in his mouth.
But and again we got the full context there, because I think the overall reaction is gonna be Elik Neighbors firing shots at Brian day ball. It's a legitimate response, like you're gonna ask me why the ball's coming to me when the quarterback is getting released.
Now we've got a.
Second year guy and Tommy DeVito coming in throwing me the ball. Why are you asking me this question?
Oh?
Those other people you should be directing these questions towards.
Yeah, And he made it fairly clear because he said, well, you can see the quarterback isn't the issue here because we look the same today as we did with Daniel Jones, to which I would say, not that bass, Yes, but the position is the issue, Malik, like neither quarter both quarterbacks are the issue. You're right, it didn't get better with Tommy DeVito. I would argue it got a little worse.
But Lake's biased though.
He's biased because they just got rid of the quarterback who leaned disproportionately on him for the first half of the season. Of course he's mad he's not getting targets. He got a ton with Daniel Jones.
That's true, but in the first half of these games he wasn't as much and it didn't matter. The Giants defense was just getting dog walked down the field. I love Bucky Irving. He ends up with one hundred and fifty six yards from scrimmage. He's doing some great blocking uncertain pass places, which is supposed to be the thing that he couldn't do at all. But I at least
saw one one great rep today. Rashad White is one of the best pass blockers in the league, and he ends up with a touchdown today and active but man, Irving just makes guys miss I. I gotta go check out the PFF's elusive rate after this, because I just have to imagine he is up there near the top with Josh Jacobs in terms of forcing miss tackles. He's electric And to give you, guys, your Baker Mayfield flowers.
He was so good in this game. I don't even want to point out any of the plays in the first half where they were as dominant a team as I've seen all season on both sides of the ball. I'm actually going to point out a couple of plays in the second half. There was a third and eight early where he's dropping back into the end zone and his pass protection is holding up great, and that's part of the reason why he's having such a good season. But he is just so calm back there looking through
his reads. They're not there. And then he scrambles and that where he gets that nice block, just like a great run. Then third and eleven later on that drive, just a few plays letter the type of situation we're saying that maybe Baker's not built for that. I'm saying that sometimes he's not built for that third and eleven
straight dropback. They actually don't protect him well. He hits a dart right over the middle to a man named Ryan Miller while he's getting absolutely clobbered by Dexter Lawrence. That's play number two, and then play number three is the fifty six yard run by Bucky Irving where Baker Mayfield is out as his lead blocker, out running big Bucky Irving and making a pretty nice block where he peels back on the play. I mean this, dude, he's getting it done. He's not an MVP candidate, but he's
pretty awesome. I got it that last play. That last play was so good. And that's what Baker does. He's been doing that for years.
He'll run with the play and sometimes get involved in the blocking, but he's so far ahead of Bucky that he's going, come on, come on, we'll go.
It was really good and been saying it for a while. Here, the Bucks really have an opportunity to go win the NFC South, and now with that Washington loss, it just puts it in my mind more that second wild card might be up for grabs too. So even if Atlanta is winning games, the Bucks, they are in this mix. They have a good schedule coming up. They stay in the division next week in Carolina. But wait, maybe going to Carolina isn't so easy anymore.
Well, Carolina call time out placement is down, Schrader's kick is up.
Traders kick is God, God God Stretcher Schrader on a thirty one yard field goal, and the Chiefs walk it off with the field goal, winning thirty to twenty seven to get their tenth victory of the twenty twenty four campaign.
Mitch Holtis wdaf if it's Sunday, it's a Mitch Holts call on the last play of the game.
And the Chiefs are winning at this.
Point, they're so bored that they're just coming up with new players that could come up with game winning plays. Spencer Strader like, that's a guy we definitely heard of three weeks ago. Sure, thirty to twenty seven, Chiefs get it done. Bryce Young plays, well, all those tiktoks you were telling me, I'm an old man, Patrick about that. We're saying Bryce Young and the Panthers they were gonna be the team that ends the Chiefs you know, winning streak.
Of course, the streak ends last week, but they almost got this.
W They almost did, and the Chiefs give up twenty seven points to the Panthers after giving up their first thirty point regular season game.
To the Buffalo Bills.
Where there's some concerns there, but things started off because you said, Greg, coming into this game, you wanted the Chiefs to go again, go down the field and score, and that's how they started. There's a samaj p Ron kickoff return fifty six yards and then the Panthers blow a coverage three plays later on a Noah Great touchdown. Has another touchdown later. This game's got four scores in the last two games. And then the Panthers have drives
that both kind of fizzle out. They endo with field goals. But then finally the Panthers defense, after really not making plays in the game. Seven p fifty six to go in the first half, Jadavian Clowney wins off the lone of scrimmage retraces to get Mahomes on a sack.
They're forced to take a straighter field goal there.
The Panthers defense got some key stops as the game goes on and Bryce heats up. He hits David Moore on a long play, then converts to David Moore on the touchdown. They're down eight late, get the touchdown and a two point conversion after Mahomes, who thankfully they lose. Jadavian standards in this game was a tough one. He lands on his head. They get charged the time out there he was going out of bounds. I'm not quite sure what happened because the play was out of bounds.
They forced a runoff on the Panthers towards the end of the first half, but that being side the point, they do get Adam thielenback. That was the thankful part, that mentioning.
And that Sanders is okay.
He was brought to a hospital with a neck injury, but they said he's out of the hospital, has movement, and that's great to.
Hear and good for him. But again, an underman team led by Bryce Young, who was very very good against Bags today, a lot of beataway passes in the face of the blitz. They got the two point conversion as Chuba Hubbard goes in after he forces a second try on that because Bryce keeps the play alive, throws a pass that gets called for pass interference. Then they come back and give it to Cuba. There but a minute fifty six seconds with number fifteen on the other side.
The Panthers secondary goes back to not making a play and the second team just allows Patrick Mahomes to go on a thirty plus yard run down the sideline.
Late in the game for some reason.
Yeah, let's hear that Patrick setting us up perfectly once again.
He's a host Oh Holmes.
First and ten steps up into the pocket being chased. But now he's gonna scramble to the near side. Fifty cuts inside.
Forty five, took the sideline out of bounds with one of the longest runs in his career down to the Carolina twenty two yard line.
That was awesome. Five runs for sixty yards in this game. He's had more rushing value this season than any season of his career because they've needed it, and that was a big spot.
That was the fastest I've seen him.
Look in a while, Like, I do want to ask you Patrick, because you watch this game the closest I was begging. I even sent out a social clip about it.
Can you give me?
Can you give me a blowout that didn't happen? But can you give me some fun? Can you give me some offensive fireworks?
Now?
On one hand, you look, they only had eight possessions and they scored thirty points. It's tough for me to say they didn't deliver there, But ye didn't have any many big plays.
It's like all these long, slow drives.
It's twenty seven first downs but only thirty nine you know, three hundred and ninety one yards.
Did they deliver on what I asked?
Did they?
Did they come through?
There was the big blow covers to Noah Gray.
There was a nice ball to new Hopkins that he was able to force a pass interference call on. But ultimately a lot of what you saw throughout the game from the Carolina Panthers defense and the Chiefs offense was defenders dropping back into deep zones and watching Patrick Mahomes and then late in the game, Patrick Mahomes just the sides. Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna run here because you guys are just standing back there looking at me.
Why are we dropping in the deep zones. It's not twenty nineteen. This is the bulk and stricter Chiefs.
They don't go deep.
They go deep once a game, maybe twice, and Xavier Worthy either doesn't catch it, Mahomes messagehim, or he catches it and he steps out of bounds before he gets both feet in.
What are you doing, Carolina, This is a winnable game.
Bryce is playing, well, why are you taking that defensive approach?
Come on, shame on you, Yeah.
I don't think they have the dudes.
I don't think they feel comfortable with the duds as they have back there to be more aggressive.
For well, the most surprising thing of the day is that the Panthers had eight quarterback hits in five sacks and Patrick Mahomes. Yeah, if I wanted to be a Chiefs hater, and I would compare them a little bit to a team during the Patriots dynasty. And this is a little extra this. I don't think it's quite this bad. It's not going to be this bad, but it'd be the twenty nineteen Patriots, which never were really an eight to oh team. They never a lot of that team.
They ended up taking on water down the stretch. I don't think the Chiefs are going to do that, but I do think they have an increasing amount of problems for this team that do not look like a ten to one team. The offensive line, now it's a couple weeks of the defense, we'll see if that sticks.
And the lack of.
Explosion on offense just you know, it just might not be their year, but maybe they'll just crank it up at the end. I actually think they're getting a little tired of it like the weight of it all is getting to them.
Let's listen to Patrick Mahomes after the game.
You want to have some blowouts, you want to be a little calmer in the fourth quarter. But I've always said it's a good thing as you get to the playoffs and later in the season, just knowing that you've been in those moments before and knowing how to how to kind of attack it. But play by play and I'm making it too big of a moment. But no, I mean, I would say this morning, but I would love to win a game, not by the very last play.
He's gotten used to it, and they are so good at doing that. They have won thirteen straight one score games. That is one away from the all time NFL record. Before moving on, let's show that next gen spray chart of Bryce Young and let's hear about his day against a really good defense. I love seeing that he's pushing the ball and completing passes all over the field. It's
not all right near the line of scrimmage. It's a lot of plus ten intermediate throws, a few down the field against the Blitz's numbers against the Blitz Patrick were fantastic.
Now and they were and then we talk about the injuries, right, So that's with David Moore getting ten of those targets, Adam Thielen gets foured, Xavier Lagett has six of them, including one where Xavier Lget did the Xavier Worthy thing, did the receiver that we were mentioned earlier for the Ashton Doolan thing where he doesn't make the play along
the sideline but has the space to do so. Where you turn the clock back a few weeks, and this is Bryce Young is completely non viable, right, This is not a quarterback that's ever going to amount to anything in the NFL. And then we see moments like this which are kind of reminiscent to late season last year where Bryce had solid starts, including that game against Green
Bay late where he foes for three hundred yards. Here it's two sixty three, and not to not to standard to cape for the guy, but just to watch and consider the way that we evaluate young quarterbacks in the league, to perhaps pick different criteria to before we make declarative
statements about the long term viability of any quarterback. This performance Brian Bryce Young again in a lot right, but a loss in which he got he tied the game in the final moments over against one of the best quarterbacks we've.
Ever Yeah, I said, the key for him right now is just being able to do it consistently. That his games before the buye showed he can do it, because they have absolutely changed this offense around. I give Canalis credit, but I give Bryce Young the most credit, and he is changing his career now because if he can continue this type of play down the stretch, he will be their starter next year and they will really have something
to build off. It is eleven for fourteen for one hundred and thirty five yards and a touchdown against the Blitz and hit nine throws over ten air yards today. That not saying he's Anthony Richardson quite yet, but he was pushing the ball down the field. You know who isn't doing that too much lately is to a tongue of Ioloa. But my god, is he playing quarterback?
Well? After the break, we are gonna hear the man in Miami.
Second and eight from Miami's Dolphins from the twenty three following the turnover right running.
Back back back to him to.
Walla Walla touchdown. Miami, what a run by Walla.
That's what you do.
When somebody turns the ball over, you go down and you score them.
Dolphins did a lot of that on Sunday, Jimmy Seppalo and Joe Rose for WBGG. Jalen Wattles twenty three yard touchdown part of a thirty four to fifteen victory for the Dolphins. One thing I really respect about this Dolphins team lately, Nick, is they're not messing around.
It's one sided.
They're winning the game early, they're keeping it going, and they're they're letting no doubt who's the better team here.
Yeah, and the final score of thirty four to fifteen, it wasn't even that close, guys.
It was thirty one to nothing.
Late third, it was twenty four to nothing just before halftime. The Patriots had one drive of relevance and then the Dolphins just took him behind the woodshed I mean, just pass after pass, Jayalen Waddle hooking up with two on Tonguo Iloa. They're racking up one hundred and forty four yards. The offense looked the closest it's looked to the previous versions of the Dolphins.
Okay, okay, ty twenty.
Three, twenty twenty two that it has all year, and I know it's the Patriots. I know it's not a great measuring stick or a litmus test, but it was the first time after seeing them take everything underneath in the week, you know, the week prior. Now they're opening it up and tuas drop it back and dropping dimes intermediate level. He's looking deep a couple of times. He's got easy touchdown passes to Devon h Chan. Everything worked
for them. Don't look at it as a measuring stick again, because it's the Patriots, but it is a very encouraging sign for a team that at five and six needs to become this type of offense.
First time I've seen it all year. Great day for them.
Okay, I didn't want to go too crazy because I had checked out, like the ad out for this game and it was it was still only five point six yards for Tua, but it's good to hear that he did have a few more throw down the field and he's getting rid of the ball so quickly two point three to four average time to throw, and some of those do go down the field.
They're just tough to deal with.
Wattle, according to Mike McDaniel, has made a lot of progress this year, even though he hasn't been getting as many targets, so it's nice to see that rewarded eight for one forty four in a touchdown.
John new Smith has another big day.
John new Smith revenge game and he is a big on fire. He's a big part of their offense because they use so much twelve personnel, which is with two tight ends on the field, and he's really turned into their third down, middle of the field third receiver that they used to try to get out of a wide receiver, but he's really turned into that player for them.
Yeah, he absolutely has.
It's really what it's been his run after catching, situational playmaking like in the red zone. They love to go to him in a number of different ways, whether it could be a litt dump off screen or it's something where it's a quick pass like he's a weapon and he can be a weapon beyond that, he had that long touchdown catch last week where he caught the ball and nobody was there and he ran off to the end zone for a touchdown.
This is of have been who he's been.
This is who he was supposed to be when he signed with the Patriots after he left Tennessee and he never really became that guy, and he's really filling that void that they needed it tight End since they basically let Mika Sicki walk and he never quite filled that void anyway for them. So this is he's kind of like a Gerald Everett comp I think, but more productive obviously than ever it's been in his last couple stops.
And it's really helped the.
Rest of their offense flourish because Tua, like you said, the A dot is not super deep, right, But at the same time, you have so many different options beyond the receivers, Like we're not seeing them hit Tyreek for fifty yard bombs right now, right, But because you have the tight End involved, you can then survey the entire food. They have many different options and it's just it's worked out better for them. And again it's only the Patriots, but if they're going to get on.
A run, the Patriots have been competitive the last few weeks. It's the best anyone's handled the Patriots in a while.
Yeah, and it wasn't even close, as you guys mentioned, and I think that the overall the big difference other than Tua being there and then being allowed to run this offense that we've seen for the past few years
is it's always putting defenders in conflict. And the interesting conflict that I saw today was Christian Gonzales being in his zone and leaving Tyreek Hill to go to John hu Smith and ultimately the ball gets to Tyreek Hill and like, this is the world we're in in twenty twenty four where Tyreek Hill is having covered drawn away from him by John hus Smith. It's just the kind of bind that this offense can be. And when everybody's making plays, when a Chan's out, why Jalen Wattle has
his best game all season long. That comes today where I was wondering what the injury concerns were. I'm going and looking at Jalen Waddle's next Gen stats performance to see what the speed drops off. No real difference in that capacity today, just having the production to go with it. With ah Chan and John Husmith and Waddle all operating around the line of scrimmage very well. That there's just too much to deal with if you can't get pressure onto it.
We don't have a Quarterback Island meeting until a week from Tuesday because of the Thanksgiving week. The schedule is a little different just in case you guys were curious, but I'll just put it out there now. I mean, Tua needs to be on that island less something crazy changes. He is playing quarterback at the extremely high level. McDaniel thinks he's taken a big step too since coming off that injury.
I agree.
I think that he's playing the best football of his entire career.
And now the defense.
You know, we had Anthony Weaver on the show and we talked about like that front that they have. They're getting done, not just with Stealer and Klays Campbell, Chop Robinson has been killing it in terms of their pass rush win rate. He had one and a half sacks today, a bunch of quarterback hits. And I know that the offensive line for the Patriots isn't great, but the game slowing down for the quarterback and the defense coming along, this is a dangerous team. Even at five and six.
I'd feel better about them in the NFC, but they have a really interesting Thanksgiving games shook and if you can get the defense married up to the offense, I think they can be anyone including the Packers.
Yeah, and Chopping think's gonna be a huge part of it. He's got three and a half sacks over his last four games. It seems like, like you said, the game is slowing down for him.
He had eight.
Pressures today on twenty six pass rushes here, the fifth highest pressure rate by any player in a game this season. That is the opposite of hitting the rookie wall. That is somebody finally settling in and coming through in a big spot because you know, remember they lost Jalen Phillips to injury. Again, he's got to be in there and make a difference. Him Steeler and even Emmanuel Augba on
the opposite side. You got Kalays Campbell as well. That's kind of a sneaky, interesting front and they can tie that together. Then again they can go on that run.
And he concerns about Drake may in this performance.
I was hearing some Buzzy played well in the second half, but until this team sounded like they were a mess.
It was garbage time stuff for him. The first drive was good, like he looked like he has for the last month. He's gonna be the guy like he's fine. He's playing on an island, speaking of quarterback island, He's playing on an island like he's just not being supported. He had no time to throw for much of this game. It was just a really rough go for the entire offense, not just him. They didn't run the ball well until
the second half. They didn't do anything well until the second half when the game was already out of hand. Not concerned about him. Just a bummer that you don't get to see him make some highlight plays like we have in recent weeks.
Yeah, and I want to see Drod Mayo show some consistency out of his defense.
As a coach.
I think they've underperformed more defense than on offense this year, which I would not have expected coming into the season. I know there's been a lot of injuries, but a lot of sloppy play giving up a lot of big plays.
They are at three and nine. The Dolphins have won three straight. It's almost more annoying how unprepared Mike McDaniel had his team for the backup quarterback situation. This is absolutely a playoff team when Tua is on the field, and they might get there, but it's gonna be tougher because those Broncos they're not going away. Let's go to Vegas first.
In goal Denver at the two.
That bringing Nims in motion, Knicks design role to the right, throws back to the azel.
Pass taught Courtland Sutton touchdown Denver beat to Cameron Richardson.
Sutton his second touchdown reception of the game, his.
Fifth of the season, and with five point thirty left in the fourth it's.
Now Denver twenty five, Las Vegas sixteen.
Courtlandton is outstanding football player, a receiver, a catcher of the football.
Yes, this man is excellent at his craft.
Our friend Chris Westling recognized it right away that this Courtland Sutton is going to be one of.
The best receivers in the league.
And he was had that injury and it's so great to see him have this second life a little bit with Russ and now it's happening for him with Bownicks twenty nine to nineteen. That was Dave Logan KOA. Broncos fall behind early Patrick, but they did what good teams do. They just kept climbing back and they end up winning somewhat comfortably.
Yes, comfortably, and erasing the Raiders really in the second half where they go into the break down, they only had those four possessions. The Raiders had long slow, drawn out possessions. They limit the Broncos to field goals. But then in the second half that Broncos defense really kicks things in. Gardner Minshew has hit going to be out for the remainder of the season, where he goes down
on his non throwing shoulder. It's a broken collarbone. Tough to see that happened for Gardner Minshew, who played well in spots in this game. Desmond Ritter comes in immediately turns the ball over. There was but over on the other side. Max Crosby played well, had some tackles for losses. He got a sack of bow Knicks, but really just a rookie quarterback and a coach and a play caller who trusts him. They didn't straight from the game plan at all. Not a lot of rushing to speak of.
Now.
Hill McLoughlin led the team with forty four yards, but John Payton trusts bow Nicks to make plays, and make them he did with the aforementioned Courtland Sutton. Those two touchdowns, including the one that we heard there at the start, just a good division win, pulling away from a team that they're better than.
No, he just hates fantasy owners, although I guess it wasn't his fault that Javonte Williams went negative two yards on eight carries.
That's a rough one.
Two catches for six yards estimate goes for fifteen yards. Yeah, like nothing on the ground, and then they find a way to win and that throw a knicks that from Nick to Sutton. He's really trusting his receivers. He doesn't look as good when he's under pressure what rookie quarterbacks do. But Sutton eight for ninety seven and those two touchdowns,
and Devon Vailey's turned into a real two. Sean Payton man, I don't know if when people say, well, he should be in the mix for Coach of the Year, sometimes I don't know what that means because Coach of the Year you can only vote for one guy. So I don't think he's in the mix to be one guy. But if you were putting voting three guys, he's in the mix to be one of the three guys. Maybe it's really impressive Nick, what they're doing. And he said something very smart, I think after the game, not that
I need to tell him he smart. He said, even the elite teams, they probably only really have it, like thirteen, fourteen times a year. And what can What he was saying there is that they maybe didn't totally have it today, but that the elite teams, the good teams, they find ways to maybe win on the days where they don't really have it, and maybe to his eye, they didn't totally have it for a chunk of this game, and then they got themselves together and they got a really
important win. They're all gonna be big now they're seven and five.
Yeah, they take care of business against a divisional opponent. I mean, that's that's a big thing. There's many times in many games. We just saw it twice this week where the last team, last place team in division beats the first place team in a division in a game that they shouldn't win. You know, Tennessee beating Houston and Cleveland beating Baltimore, and yet Denver doesn't fall victim to that.
And that speaks to, you know, the job that Sean Payton has done, but especially what he's done with BONNICKX and I sound like a broken record at this point, but watching the way that they use him just it invigorates me because it gives me faith that coaches can coach to the strengths of their personnel and instead of trying to fit the personnel into their scheme. And that's exactly what he's done with all of these young guys like Troy Franklin's been up and down, but he's still
part of the offense. Devon val is really coming on strong. And of course you have Courtland Sutton. The running game hasn't been there kind of for weeks really if you think about it, especially Javonte Williams, and yet they're still winning football games. They have a defense that's very good. We already know that. I'm very impressed. Would definitely put him in my top We should vote for like like nominees like the Heisman, give us like finalists.
Right, they do bring three coaches there, but they just do it based on who had the most votes, and it's always a little weird because sometimes it's like a guy who didn't have any votes. So they should make it like MVP, where you put a ballot of three guys for every position, because it's just more exciting and more people get a little pop. And if bon Nix is now going like three for five on throws over twenty yards air yards, like he gets the credit, and
Sean Payton gets a little credit. Steam's not going away, Patrick, and that's why we had him as our survivor.
Pick about that.
Yes, and we do just that, survive on a late push, trying to figure things out, trying to hold through the task given to us up by the listeners of this esteem show as well as the viewers over on you.
We haven't missed one since we too or whatever.
And that's following every rule, not picking the same team multiple times. We're going to accomplish the task ahead of us.
Although I will say the team you really wanted to pick as a survivor was the Bucks and they sweated it even less, but either way, they got the w just like the Broncos. Before we move on to Sunday Night Football, we say goodbye to a man who has put more time in oh come on the desk than just about anyone, and who is going to be celebrating his birthday by the time anyone is listening to this podcast.
So happy birthday, Patrick claybod Thank you, Greg.
Thanks Happy birthday.
I has known you for almost ten years. I didn't know that tomorrow is your birthday and that's on me. Happy birthday.
It's on me not to have given you anything, oh other than just like a thirty second little happy birthday, which is kind of the standard industry gift on shows.
But I give it to you, and I hope you have a nice day.
Anything planned for other than taping Fantasy Live, anything outside of work.
No, we were not able to corral our sitter who who's out of town. No, it's it's fine. I want to watch the game. I hope the Ravens win on Monday. And uh yeah, my birthday present is the people that God has placed in my life.
That includes all of you, guys. I'm spoiled Roden, So thank you for the birthday wishes.
This is great, well said the host who can do it all the birthday man, Lamar Jackson. I didn't get Patrick a birthday present. You better give him a birthday present. Let's go to sofa.
It is third down and five. Barkley Beckham hurts and the pistol with Barkley behind him. What if Betty gives it to Barkley, he gets it to Barkley, who cuts outside. He's at the forting.
He's gonna go again.
He's gonna go again.
Touchdown, Shake, Barkley his old time record sevalty two yards.
How good is that guy?
How good is this guy?
His total now fifty five yards rushing on the night, That.
Is an all time Agles record.
Meri Reethe and Mike Quick on WIP in Philadelphia doing a lot of my work for me, telling me what the records are. On the night they also broke a record three hundred and two yards from scrimmage. Saquon Barkley. Man, It's like, which seventy yard rushing touchdown in the second half are.
We gonna choose as our highlight. We had a couple options.
The first play of the third quarter and then the one that sealed it thirty seven to twenty. Eagles get it done another week, Nick where they just leaned on the opponent and leaned on the opponent. They were actually trailing with under two minutes to go in the first half, seven to six, and by the end of the game, it just felt like, what, why did I think the
Rams could even compete in this one? All these teams end up looking soft by the end of sixty minutes against these bruisers in Saquon Barkley, You.
Know I don't, actually, yes, I do revel in being able to say this, even if I've said it many times. It starts in the trenches, baby, and that is exactly where the Eagles won on both sides of the ball. I mean that we saw how often Matthew Stafford was under duress, Milton Williams having a couple of really nice
snaps there in the second half. You know what Jalen Carter brings to the table, But really it's the offensive line of the Eagles that blocks it up so well that Saquon Barkley has a hole wide enough for two.
Mac trucks to run through.
I mean, that was perfection when it comes to blocking, and they just they won the battle up front. They were able to put away the Rams with ease. This offense is humming, this defense is playing really well together. I hate to say it because I feel like I'm sounding hyperbolic, but I'm going to say it. The Eagles are one of the best teams in football, and they're going to be right there in Super Bowl contention.
Yeah, if you know they're they're in the NFC. So not nine and two, seven game winning streak is not enough for the one seed. I guess it wouldn't be in the AFC either. The difference is after Washington's loss on Sunday, they're up three in the lost column and the division feels very much in their pocket, and they know they're gonna almost certainly be the one or the two seed. In some ways, you'd almost rather be the Eagles than the Lions, because the Lions have one team
just one game back. You got another team a couple games back in the Packers, and so they really have more work to do to keep and to get that one seed. But that's talking down the road right now. What they are doing consistently and getting better each and
every week is so impressive. I'm glad you mentioned the line play on both sides because going into this game, I thought, what a big test for this Rams defensive line, which has been great all year, but they've mostly been great getting to the passer, and they had a couple of decent press his fist had a big sack early in the first half, but the pressure rate on Hurtz was not that high. On his twenty two passes, the key number to me is just twenty two. He's just
not needing to throw the ball that much. He scrambled a few times ended up rushing the ball twelve times if you count the kneel downs at the end and in the running game, the Rams just held on for a while. If you actually look at the success rate and the run stuffs, then the Eagles actually had a
decent amount of negative runs in this game. They're pretty close between the two teams, but the difference is Kyron Williams never pops a big one, and at the end of the first half you kind of felt like, saquad oh man, he almost like broke that for thirty, but he got seven. Oh Saquon like almost got a big one, but he got thirteen. And then literally the first play of the second half he hits that long one and after that there's just no margin for error. The Rams
offense would have needed to be perfect tonight. It was really the Eagles dot offense that was only stopped one time. I mean there was a punt early and other than that, it was the weird sequence at the end of the first half, which I guess they get stopped on downs, but other than that, like that was it. You have to play almost perfect right now against this Eagle's rushing attack.
Yeah, and to take it back to the line play because I think while Saquon's having a career year and everything else, they are hand in hand, like one does not happen without the other. And if you look at this starting five, I have to tip my cap again to Hollie Rosen because let's go or yeah, left to right, Jordan Malatta. They get him to the National Player program. You got Landon Dickerson. That's a former draft investment who
was a top guard coming out of his class. Cam Jurgens, who they drafted two three years ago to replace Kelsey who they had Jason Kelcey. Tell them to draft who's been killing it. Then you go to the right guard. You got Makai Beckden. This is why we all know what Lane Johnson is. I'm not gonna spend any time in him. McKai Beckton, the guy that we all said, oh, look at the athleticism at the draft. Look at his forty times. That's incredible for somebody that side to move
like that. He plays tackle, he gets hurt multiple times. His career in New York never works. They move him to guard. He might be one of the biggest guards outside of Daniel file Lele in NFL history, and he's moving baby, they can pull them. They pulled him on that play for Saquon in that last touchdown run. This is one of the best starting fives in the NFL. They can do everything that you asked them to do. Every blocking scheme and an approach is available to them.
You have a home run hitter at running back in Saquon Barkley. You have an experienced quarterback who is a dynamic threat in Jalen Hurts. And oh, by the way, you also have Aj Brown and Devonte Smith when he's available in that receiving corps as well. It's one of the more complete offenses in the NFL. But again, it starts up front. And that's why I think every team, like I just was sitting back dreaming of like Lions Eagles NFC championship game or let's.
Get yes, that would be an awesome game. We have a long time until we get there. I'm glad you mentioned AJ Brown. I keep saying that he's the most valuable wide receiver I believe to his team in the entire NFL. I think tonight's matchup between him and Puka,
they're very similar. AJ Brown goes six for one oh nine and the Rams didn't really have much of an answer for him late in the first half, and now he's healthy enough where he's getting a lot of yards after the catch, so he was bodying some of the smaller RAMS defensive backs, but then also picking up an extra ten to fifteen. He goes six for one oh nine, and their next leading receiver other than Saquan who is becoming a bigger part of the passing game too, their
next leading receiver was god It four for nineteen. I mean, they don't really have secondary receivers when Devonte Smith is out like tonight, and maybe that could be a bit of an issue. God It's fine, they didn't need him tonight, but it just shows what a dominant player AJ Brown is.
Very similar.
On the other side, Puka Akua goes nine for one to seventeen and I don't even think he's one hundred percent healthy. And until they found Cup for a garbage time touchdown with about a minute left, the numbers were very similar where there was no other Rams receiver anywhere over thirty yards. And that's where I stand with the Rams, which is they're a feisty, fun defense, but they're gonna get pushed around against like the best teams like an Eagles or Alliance.
They're just not in that class.
Maybe they're average slightly above average overall. Offensively they're good, but they're not great like they have been sometimes in the Stafford era. They're good, and they played a really tough Eagles defense, but the injury at right tackle where they haven't gotten Rob hen steinback. There was a lot of pressure on the right side. Brandon Graham is playing like a man ten years younger all season, so he's
creating a lot of pressure. And then Milton Williams who you mentioned, and Jalen Carter on the inside, you know, matching up against Limmer and these younger and or just not great guards for the Rams. There were too many holes for Matthew Stafford to fill there. And Kyron Williams fumbles in the game once loses it in the red zone. You have to almost be perfect against this Eagles team, and just like a few too many flaws. I don't think the Rams are done by any means in this
NFC West at five and six. But I also do think when I heard Chris Collins were say at the end of the game, you know, Sean McVay might not be that surprised by what's going on here. I'm like, hmm, wow, did he have a very realistic sit down with McVeagh before the game that, look, we maybe don't match up. We're gonna have to play our perfect game to beat this team. He kind of knows they are not at a true contention level and it would be foolish to
think otherwise. And you know who who agrees with them? All the Eagles fans at SOFI tonight. That was next level.
Man, Oh my god.
I mean, we know, we know how LA games can be. Even the Rams they felt their stadium more than Chargers fans do. But there are a lot of Eagles fans in LA. I'll tell you that. If you look at the remaining schedule for the Rams though, Like I agree, they're not at that true contention status, but they could definitely. I mean, they're obviously still in this NFC West race, and like they play at the Saints, they come home against the Bills, at at Jets, home against Cardinals the Seahawks.
You get two division games in your last two and three in your last four. It's still a pretty workable schedule. Like I could see them figuring out and even if they split those, they finished like eight to nine, nine and eight, you might have an outside shot.
They got a chance.
But when you have a game like the Bills, for it, you're gonna have to have one that people don't see coming, an upset win. And they just got smoked by a true, real deal contender.
Can they really beat the Bills?
If you can't, then you're up to seven losses and the Seahawks the Cardinals, we'll see. It's gonna come down to the end. But I think we just showed the separation there. And yeah, Jordan Rodrigu was there said she hasn't heard the crowd quite like that, maybe for a
road team. They actually were doing an in game segment down twenty seven to fourteen where they show misplaced fans, and I've seen this one where they show the jerseys of like random fans in the crowd that of not the teams that are at the game or whatever, and things funny, and sometimes they were showing Rams fit. You know, they showed like a Rams person and the entire Eagles crowd is booing the hell out of Rams fans. So that's a tough spot for the Rams. On Sunday, night.
Just ultimately not good enough on either line, and the Eagles are getting it done seven straight victories. Shookie, it was a pleasure. We will be back on Monday Night fun game. I think the Chargers have a better chance at least to pull the upset as an LA underdog on Monday Night.
What do you think?
Yeah?
I would agree, And speaking of most valuable receivers, most valuable podcast host Greg Rosenthal.
I mean, I don't know where you're getting at.
But most efficient runner Josh Allen.
Definitely not efficient. Frequent podcasts for sure. We will be back again to recap that Ravens Charges game. Really looking forward to that. Man when Saquon Barkley is breaking records. He already has his all time mark for rushing yards in a season.
You know, football is back.
We'll see you Monday Night.