Welcome to NFL Daily. We're a thousand yards of offense is light work. I'm Greg Rosenthal here in the Chris Wesleyan podcast studio after an important Week fifteen slate with my friend Patrick Clayban. Nick Shook is in Cleveland and so much felt like it was decided on this Sunday that I'm not wasting any time. We are going right to Detroit where it was a massive effort by those Bills.
One receiver to the left, three to the right, Cook to the right of Allen on the shotgun, play clock down to seven, the other hand off to Cook through a Holt darts to the middle of the field thirty twenty five twenty still.
On his feet, ten five, and Cook is in for the touchdown.
His second rushing touchdown of the game goes forty one yards.
That was James Cook on the ground, one of his two rushing touchdowns. Josh Allen added another couple on the ground, another couple through the air, and the Bills won forty eight to forty two in a game that could have major repercussions with both home field advantage races. Nick Shook, you watched this game closely, and I just thought from the very first drive. Josh Allen said, that game that I had against the Rams, I was just getting warmed up.
He did it.
Again, And as much as the Lions tried to like make this a game, it was.
Never really a game.
I can't believe that the Bills just ran through the Lions like that.
Yeah, consider that game in La last week to be the prelude to what we saw from the Bills today, which was an offensive explosion.
I characterize it like this in the What we Learned what you can find in NFL dot com.
The Bills rolled into Detroit and open palm smacked the Lions in the mouth twice.
They said, we don't care.
This is Ford Field.
We don't catch you wearing your snazzy black uniforms that your fans are raucous and it's hostile here. We're coming in here and making a statement, which is that the points that we put up last week just a precursor to what we're about to do to you today. I felt like they commanded this game from their first two drives. They went two straight touchdown drives. They made a statement from the beginning and then rolled all the way to
the end. And it was also an unfortunate sign that the Detroit defense that has taken so many hits on the injury front may be a serious concern for the Lions, who are among the NFC favorites. But hoole, buddy, that looks like a weakness after what happened today.
Yeah, we'll get to that in a second.
But I thought the first drive of the game was so telling, Like the Lions went three and out, And it's hard to fault the Lions offense too much on a day where they wind up with four hundred and twenty one yards or rather five hundred and twenty one
yards and forty two points. But they punted their first two possessions, and on the bills first possession, Josh Allen had that absolutely ridiculous throw up the sideline to Tyd Johnson and then the even more ridiculous throw over the middle of the field where he's just evading defenders and improvising, And it was that kind of day for him that I just think he's playing quarterback at a level that I've practically never seen out of a quarterback, except maybe
from Josh Allen in the twenty twenty two playoffs. Maybe maybe this time he gets to finish it off because it was just like, what can you do about those plays?
You can't do anything?
Well, yeah, there's no spot on the field. It's safe. Josh Allen, We've seen it so many times. Roll into his right, stops on the right sideline and fires a ball to Ty Johnson. We've seen them get extra yards I think three or four times this season on late hits on Josh Allen. He got an and one on a ball down the sideline to Keon Coleman today as well. And then you factor in his ability to run, and
it's almost, especially for a very hurt defense, indefensible. Where we look the long plays on this game, in some of the air yards, he had a fifty air yard pass to Keon Coleman, twenty five to Ty Johnson who went over one hundred and fifteen yards receiving. Like with the second half had barely begun, the former third string Jets running back comes over and all of a sudden, he's all world with the Bills. They're at a twenty four air yard pass the Dalton Kinkaid for twenty nine yards.
Just like Jared Golf was very good in this game, exceedingly good. Didn't even come close to how good.
Knocked a lot of teams out of the Fantasy playoffs, like yours, truly, Jared Goff, you know, just trying to catch up in this game. But Alec got X rays after the game. He felt a little awkwardly on a late hit. I didn't notice that live. He said it was just precautionary and that he's going to be fine. He did finish the game out. But what strikes me shook is the Lions had extra rest coming into this game, and yet the Bills were the one responding after a loss.
They're the first team since the merger, basically in modern NFL history to go five touchdowns at least, no turnovers, no sacks. Then in three straight games they mashed them. And that's what stands out to me. The injuries, you can get into him shook because they're really important. But the Bills rushed for one hundred and ninety seven yards and the Lions rushed for forty eight, and that is just a team kind of taking the Lions identity away from them.
Yeah, that was what Stott's the most was just that how easy it was for the Bills to do whatever they wanted and we've talked about this at length in previous weeks about how the Bills can beat you in so many different ways. Every way they tried to beat the Lions on Sunday they did it was passing. Guys were wide open. They did not contain Josh Allen in the pocket. He was free to roam. And we know when he's roaming. He's the most dangerous player in the
NFL not named Lamar Jackson. It might even be just as if not more dangerous. He's finding guys downfield, he's extending plays, he's running for first downs, he's converting a fourth and two because of a well schemed play that gets Tidy Johnson on a natural rub down the sideline to keep that drive going. They basically took Dan Campbell's identity of going forward on fourth and two and said, now we're gonna do that too.
We're gonna do it better than you.
That's the new McDermott.
By way, Hey, let's go like that is kind of a new version of Sean McDermott. People are always saying like, oh, McDermott's going to get them in the end, but they have been more aggressive.
Don't you think shook.
Yeah. Absolutely.
I think that this is their new identity, and Joe Brady's doing a masterful job leading this offense. It kind of blows my mind that they let this offense linger in like the in between area in purgatory under Ken Dorsey for as long as they did before going to Joe, because now you're seeing the true potential of it. I mean, James Cooko's for one hundred and five yards on fourteen carries, two touchdowns, So the Lions couldn't stop the run, they
couldn't contain Josh Allen. Anything that Bills wanted to do, they did. I got more numbers for you too, because you know me, big numbers guy.
All Right.
So I'm looking down the Bills schedule and I'm like, they've put up a lot of points recently. They haven't finished a game below thirty points since Week six. They've scored thirty plus points in eight consecutive games, which ties for the longest streak in a single season in NFL history with the twenty thirteen Broncos, twenty ten Patriots, two and seven Patriots, and two thousand Rams. Each of those teams featured a winner of NFL MVP, which really bolsters
Josh Allen's case for MVP. And like you said that, the first team since the merger to have five touchdowns, zero giveaway, zero sacks in three consecutive games, all of this to beat a Lions team that everybody feared that suddenly can't get a stop on defense and wasted. Jared Goff's performance, which is four hundred plus passing yards, five plus passing touchdowns, zero interceptions, first player to do all of that and lose since nineteen fifty. That's where the
concern is for the Lions. And that's how good these Bills are.
Remember the first part of the season when we were like, what happened to scoring? Yeah, come, there's no three hundred yard quarterback.
Yeah, there's just dying right cover two and everything we had. Tom Brady sounded like an old man, like as if he played seven hundred and forty four years ago.
He's like, oh, yeah, the game. You know, these quarterbacks are coming in.
Greg Olsen talking about guys under center, you know, calculator game.
Also kickers who were infallible back then and are very much not now now. You mentioned the defensive injuries. After the game, Dan Campbell announced that Carlton Davis an Alie McNeil's two injuries could potentially be season ending. Those injuries are on top of what they already came into the game with. Now, they did get some defensive linemen back, and yet their defensive line versus the Bill's offensive line seemed like the mismatch of the game that really decided.
Khalil Dorsey, a backup cornerback who's one of their replacement players, also looks like he will be out for the season. Someone asked about McNeil whether it was an acl Campbell wouldn't answer that. He wouldn't make any excuses, though, when asked about all the injuries, how much was this just a.
Case of the injuries catching up to the defense and playing really good quarterble.
No, I'm not buying it. I'm not. I don't buy it. You know, we we can be better, We should have been better. We know how good they are. But that was that team was more urgent than us today.
Overall, maybe the weight of the season is catching up a little bit to the Lions. But they are twelve and two, and I think there's gonna be so much concern about them this year and worrying about the point and zero return.
With these injuries.
Carlton Davis has a jaw injury and for it to possibly the end season ending is very worrisome. I do think you saw with this offense today, like if they I'm not I'm not counting them out, but it's gonna be much harder if they don't win the division. And now that game coming up against the Vikings is just absolutely so massive.
Yeah, they didn't have room to really slip up because of how tight the NFC North is. That kind of actually makes me question what everybody's going to talk about for the next three days on sports talk radio and TV, which is why Dan Campbell went for an on si kick with twelve thus left in the fourth quarter. I mean, that's admitting we know we can't get a stop, we are desperate, and we're going to on site kick it here.
It was not a good decision.
Yeah, literally the only takeaway and I'm thinking, well, heck, maybe it works out for Dan Campbell because they scored the very next play after Mac Collins has that kickoff return as well, at least they didn't burn a whole lot of clock. I really think, like, ultimately, because we're talking about all the injuries for Detroit and I'm buying it.
Coach Campbell, I think having your.
Best players on the field definitely has an impact on how you perform defensively.
But the Buffalo Bills that they're getting guys back.
This is forty four points a week ago forty two points. I understand they got to win, but this is a legitimate concern for Buffalo as well.
That's true.
Although they were sure at safety, two backups at safety today for the Bills, that is concerning.
It's an offensive league.
I just think they can maybe plug some holes and depending on the matchups in Detroit, I don't think it's a death sentence.
And people are going.
To talk a lot about the on side kick they needed to steal a possession. They almost did get the on side kick with about twelve seconds to go, Like, yeah, it didn't work out for them, But just as poorly in terms of the results was when they kicked it off the next possession and then gave up a six minute field goal drive because time was more important than points at that point and there was no reason to believe that they were going to stop the Bills and
they didn't. So I think it's just getting a little, you know, a little beside the point to focus on the on side kick. Let's listen to one more incredible play by Josh Allen. If I hadn't read the numbers yet, three hundred and sixty two yards and two touchdowns through the air, and yeah, put sixty eight on the ground as well. This was one of his improvised plays on a day where he held the ball in terms of time to throw longer than he has in almost five years.
Receiver to each side, put the loan set back with Alan unders center motion from Gilliam, Allan gonna roll to his right, pressure coming, gets away from it, looking downfield.
Throws, He's hit as he throws, and.
It's taught by Kean Coleman at the seventeen yard line.
What a frozen rope.
From Allen who took a shot and.
It's gonna be an extra fifteen yards tacked on for roughing the passer.
Who that was late in the first half. Tyler Bass actually missed a gimme in that situation, or or the Bills would have put up a fifty burger on the NFC's number one overall seed, at least heading into to today. Let's go to Philadelphia who saw a door being cracked.
A J.
Brown out to the far side.
Players loansome hers this time backs up, looks fires complete.
Hey J Brown and the back of the zone.
Man, fantastic.
This is a little play action to Saquon. He puts it in there and holds it for a little bit.
Then he seems that linebacker displays on the back end, pulls it, and he throws the strike to a jam.
That was Jalen Hurts to AJ Brown one of the more predictable squeaky Wheel games of all time. They were the story all week long, their relationship. Suddenly they're doing kidding play celebrations in the middle of the field. Jalen Hurts started this game twelve of thirteen for one hundred and forty six yard and two passing touchdowns. The Eagles end up cruising to a twenty seven to thirteen victory
over the Steelers in Philadelphia. And I really did think the difference was not just the Philadelphia defense, which I'll get to, but AJ Brown getting trusted to make difficult catches early in this game. He ends up eight for one to ten and a touchdown, and especially in the first quarter, it was like all the conversation was in Jalen Hurts his head and that he was gonna give his guy a chance to make plays. And aj Brown made of DeVonta Smith goes over one hundred yards too.
And even though there was a little period in the second half where Jalen Hurts was holding on to the ball too much, this game reminded me a little bit of the Bills Lions game in that Philadelphia pushed him around a little bit upfront. Their defensive line, to me, made a bigger impact in the game than the Steelers vanted defensive line, and for the most part, Jalen Hurts had a lot of time back there to go find his guys.
And Jeff Stotlin's group the Eagles offensive line was able to do that with Landed Dickerson out for a lot of this game. There was Lane Johnson went missing for a spot in this game, and they were able to hold Saquon Barkley to under four yards of carry, where we're waiting for this Saquon pull away opportunity that never came. And so in this absolute bowl Constrictor Leviath in ten minute and twenty nine second drive to ice the game. There are a couple of long conversions from Jalen Hurts
Won to Devonte Smith Won to aj Brown. They had a fourth down conversion, a few third and short and they just kind of squeezed the life out of the Steelers, not just in that drive, but it felt like in this game on offense, Hady.
It was amazing.
The Steelers only had two drives in the second half. That's the first time that's happened in fifteen years in the NFL.
Wow.
I mean, I love checking the drive chart and just like, okay, was it a heavy drive game? Was it a low drive game? You just don't see that. In fact, in the first half of the game, the Steelers had five drives in the first sixteen minutes of the game and they did absolutely nothing with it. They had negative yardage through the first four drives of the game and they
weren't moving the ball at all. So it was the Philly defense early in the Philly offense late a seven minute drive for thirteen plays that started the second half, then a six play drive after a Nase Harris fumble, which really was the most important play of the game. I think it was an unforced era at a time when the Steelers were right in it. It was a one
score game. The Eagles go catch that in with some of those plays that you mentioned, Patrick, and then they finished the game after Mike Tomlin punts the ball in plus territory on fourth and seven down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Mike Tomlin's one of the greatest coaches of all time, but he always makes those decisions. That's to me. It seems like his bugaboo. They didn't get the ball back. The Eagles just ran it out the
last ten and a half minutes of the game. And yes, it led to a happy locker room for the Eagles and Jalen Hurts even making a little joke when he gets to the podium.
So that's what all want to see, huh.
Dude, it really was.
It was. It was like, yes, that is what we would like to see, Nick, It was fun.
I don't know if that was so much of a joke as more of like a statement like, oh, you spent the whole week worrying about my relationship with my receivers and then we just go do that.
There was no smile on his face.
That was very coldly delivered, but earned, very much earned for the Eagles who spent the whole week, you know, having to deflect and everything else and explain themselves and then come out and may fire on all cylinders. I mean, a complete team performance. You have a team that dominates in time possession essentially two to one, and you rack up four hundred and one yards of total offense, You convert ten to seventeen third downs, and you hold.
The opposing offense to one hundred and sixty three yards.
Mister limited, Russell Wilson goes fourteen to twenty two for one twenty eight in a touchdown.
They had no shot other than the score.
I mean, the score was relatively close until the fourth quarter when they put them away with that touchdown. But man, this is the an Eagles defense that has basically been like this since like Week seven, since that game in New York against the Giants. This is who they've been, and the offense has gotten it done, primarily with Saquon Barkley. Now they're able to open up the passing game a
little bit. The vibes around this team are still weird because of what happens on the sidelines and all the narratives that we deal with.
We got we got more of that. We still got a little more of that.
Yeah, Tom a little bit of a tease.
But at the same time, it's hard to argue with them at twelve and two and they're they're playing pretty dominant football. I mean, in Mike Tomlins case when he punts there, it makes sense my defense is better than my offense.
It did right, Maybe they're going to turn over it, but it doesn't.
It doesn't make sense. But that's what happens when you play a team that's playing this well.
It's today.
They got to third, they got to third and seven, third and six from the seven yard line and Jalen Hurts hits AJ Brown for twenty one yards.
It changes things. But they did get to a third. Doubt.
It wasn't like you got to know, you got to know the game situation. I just don't think they were going to get enough possessions and their offense wasn't playing well. They had one hundred and sixty three yards, as Shook mentioned, and you're in plus territory.
You're just going to run out of time.
Just got to give your chance, You got to give your guys a chance to go win the game.
Sure, you could say you're faunted offense. We were just discussing that the Steelers have today.
I'm just saying, like, you got to give him a chance. Unfortunately, on that drive, TJ. Watt, who had two sacks on the day, one of the big plays of the game I thought was Jalen hurts unbelievable ability to hold onto the ball with his right hand as TJ. Watt swatted it. He must have the strongest hands in the entire league. Like you could even see the ball get loose there for like a half a second. I have no idea how how he could have gripped onto the ball there.
TJ.
Watt leaves with an ankle injury. Mike Tomlin said there will be more tests done on that, so that is concerning. They also lost Dante Jackson during this game. We'll see how serious Watt's injury is. The Steelers offense has gone through stretches like they went through early in this game, where like I mentioned, six possessions and I believe they had negative yardage through six.
Possessions in three points.
And the only reason why they had three points is because they started a drive in the Eagles territory, went backwards and then had to punt, but then Cooper Desine fumbled the punt and they got the ball at at the Eagles eleven yard line, went three and out again before a field goal. I mean the Eagles defense was really on one. The only mistakes they had were like penalties.
Jalen Carter had a penalty on a punt that helped give the Steelers a ball around a field goal rather and other than that, Josh Sweat is really playing a lot better like Nolan Smith. It is a really complete group. And now you look ahead, they're tied with the Lions at twelve and two and they're scheduled down the stretch is very forgiving. You do have the Commanders next week in Washington. They can officially clinch the division there. That's
not an easy game. But then another couple division games and they're going to be heavy favorites. They do not win any ties at twelve and two at fifteen and two with the Vikings and or the Lions, so they need the Lions and the Vikings to lose one more game each.
But if that happens, they're they're in pretty good shape.
Yeah, with them playing each other. Yeah, there's one get they get one of those maybe unless there's a gentleman's agreement.
Charges now that will not help the Viking until though, I guess we have to find out. Yeah, the Eagles close with Dallas and the Giants at home after that game against Washington next week. So I just am so impressed with this team. And as good as the Steelers are in general, is their defense special enough? I have my doubts against the very best offenses. Now, who is
that in the AFC? It's the Bills certainly, Like maybe it's the Ravens as well, that they'll get a matchup with them coming up, Like is their their defense is good? But it's not good enough? And their their offense has been opportunistic? Maybe not enough? And yees shook. You mentioned the sideline.
Do you want to describe?
Who wants to describe the sideline fracas between Nick Sirianni and his own defensive line coach.
I was only able to look up and see it during our show, but I saw, as you know, Sirianni talking to the Delon coach big Dom there for some reason.
Clinton hurt.
Yeah, I think was stopping Sirianni, if I can interpret it right, from going up to Jalen Carter and saying anything after this boneheaded, unnecessary roughness on Jalen Carter that it was almost a defensive line coach saying not now, buddy, like now is not the time like, and then Siriani kind of squaring up to Clinton hertwich I don't think would work out well for them. But they're both pretty large menton, but you know, Clint's bigger. There's always something
with the Eagles, even in a win. But man, they are really impressive. So we talked about the one seed in the NFC, could the one seed in the AFC wind up being up for grabs though?
First and ten play they swing it on the near flat with a screen Worthy fifteen ten down to the block, touchdown, Cansa City on a swing screen to the near side to ke Xavier Worthy, and now the Kansas City Chiefs have their first three possession lead of the season and maybe their first three touchdown lead of the season.
Wow.
Mitch Holtis on WDAF that's pretty crazy stat which really speaks to the chief season and also speaks to how excited he was about it. It's like, Wow, I'm finally gonna get to kick back and just enjoy an easy victory.
It didn't.
They didn't score after that.
Yeah, it didn't work out that way.
The Browns had a million possessions, they only cut it to twenty one seven. That winds up being the final score because there were six takeaways from the Chiefs defense. So if you stream them in fantasy in your playoffs, great job by you.
Unfortunately, Nick, the.
Reason why this is getting talked about so early in the show is that Patrick Mahomes left with an ankle injury. There's fear that it could be a high ankle sprain. According to multiple reports. The team is not saying that, but really just calls into question how the next couple of weeks are going to go for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Yeah, especially if you watched this team this season, because you know how valuable Mahomes is. Now Statistically doesn't shine through, but when you watch him every week, you see him convert the third downs. He's one of the most frustrating players to defend in the NFL, and taking that element out of that offense really takes away a big part of what makes these Chiefs thirteen and one, which is that they win on the margins. They won this game, and the margins on both sides of the ball. They
forced a lot of turnovers. Anytime the Browns put the ball on the turf free to be picked up, they were there to pick it up. Anytime they needed a third down. Mahomes still converted a majority of them, or at least a good amount of them. But if you take that out of the offense and you leave it to Carson Wentz, suddenly makes you question this entire team's viability. So hopefully they could get news on him. Also, Mahomes and the ankle injury history not encouraging considering what he's
dealt with over the last few years. But this game, specifically classic case of a champion and a winning team playing better than a losing team. I mean, they won in every small area. Every fifty to fifty ball went their way. Every time there was a play to be made, they made it. Scheme wise, they outschemed the Browns, and the Browns defense played well enough to keep them in this game. But defensively, the Chiefs were all over Jamis Winston.
They took advantage of his wrists, they picked him off, They forced a number of turnovers. They capitalized in every single situation, which is the mark of a championship level team. So to see them go winning Cleveland not surprising at all. To see them winning this fashion not surprising at all. In fact, it was more dominant than in the twenty one to seven final would even suggest, but that was because they didn't quite you know, maintain possession as long
as you would want them to. But yeah, we'll see, we'll see what mahomes because it would take away obviously a huge part of their team one of the superstars of the NFL fingers crossed. But luckily they've done enough so far at thirteen to one to buy themselves a little bit of breathing room if they need it.
Well, I think we're getting Carson Wentz on Saturday against the Texans. I know it's early in the week, but Ian Rappaport called it week to week right.
Off the bat.
We've seen Patrick Mahomes play, but they have two games in a five day window because they're also playing on Christmas. Maybe they just really hope that he can get back for that game against the raven So I think we're gonna have Carson Wentz in a standalone window on on Saturday or else you know, you just normally don't hear a guy like Ian Rappaport was careful about these things, say week to week right off the bat, because week to week means you're out this week. I think it's
a crisis. What's happening with the Chiefs offense. They had to play Joe Tunia left tackle, which I think makes sense. You know, they lost DJ Humphries to injury and Joe Toney is the best left tackle on their roster. That part makes sense. But Patrick Mahomes has taken thirty seven quarterback hits over the last three weeks. I have to imagine that's one of the highest three game quarterback hits totals, if not the highest in the NFL this entire season.
Him and Will Levis, I think right.
And he didn't get sacked today, so part of it is he's just trying to make a play and he's holding onto the ball because his guys aren't open. It's just this cyclical thing. But he's taken an absolute beating and.
That might be the best reason to not have him play right and come back, because they can't protect him when his ankles are good. All right, and the memories of Patrick Mahomes hobbling his way to a super Bowl on that ankle. It becomes like you think about the cumulative effect of all of these hits, where like the improvement was him getting hit on thirty eight percent of
his drop backs a week ago. When they make the shift and now they've they've got Tony out there at left tackle where you're I guess the benefit that the Chiefs got today was Miles Garrett got poked in the eye and so he missed the significant portion of the game. And because otherwise Mahomes takes even more shots.
Yeah, I mean, Tuney did well against him. This is the thing.
He did a really good job as a guy who doesn't play tackle suddenly playing tackle. But it speaks to where the Chiefs have had to cut corners to stay competitive while paying some of these other guys as they've had to cut corners that tackle and it's been a problem of both sides the line for them this year.
It is their greatest weakness.
It's not their defense, it's not even their offense, their offensive line whether they can protect him, and now they may have to pay some of that bill. So I guess it's better that it's happening now as opposed to three or four weeks from now. But it is a huge red flag as you approach the postseason.
Right, and they would have to lose two times to let the Bills in on the one seed. I guess the Steelers could be in that mix too, but realistically, because of the head to head, Bills are the ones they're hoping for. And if you lose to the Texans, for instance, with Carson went, then suddenly you got the Ravens five days later. If you're a fan of the Bills, like Eric back there, you at least have a little
bit of hope. And the quarterback hits thing is is fascinating to me because Mahomes didn't take a sack, which is crazy like of them. The Chiefs, for instance, had eleven quarterback hits, which is a huge number in one game. They got five sacks out of it, and so whereas Mahomes didn't take any sacks at all, and that it was very similar to what happened a week ago in the Chiefs scheme. But it just feels like it's breaking
down a little bit and yet they still win. And I hear you chok that probably watching the game it didn't feel as close, and Winston gets benched at the end for DTR, who also throws an interception. But in the end, like the Chiefs average four point one yards for play. I mean, that's terrible. That's if they did that all season, they'd be the worst offense in the NFL.
And they got drive after drive after drive that their defense kept giving them and they couldn't really move the ball, so that that is concerning to me.
And two of those Jamus picks were caught in the end zone. It felt like an early white flag, Like if you're in a situation where you need to throw late in the time, it like why not just keep Jamison. I understand you're frustrated with Jamis Winston, but it was like an early white flag situation to throw DTR in that game where I don't think DTR is thicking, that's he has to come in.
It's just a bad situation for everybody.
DTR through nine passes.
Yeah, it speaks to what Greg's pointing to you for weeks really this whole season, which is that the Browns have this strange curiosity about DTR and anytime there's a little bit of a sliver of an opening.
They're gonna find a way to force him onto the field.
Well, let let DTR know before you range. You rage in the game against the Chiefs.
Yeah, the the Chiefs go plus six and turnovers. It's tough to lose a game when you go plus six in turnovers. But man, the Brown's actually somehow average more yards played despite DTR throwing nine passes for eighteen yards. We'll see if he gets like, what was the value in there? Yeah, there was no value all around. It's it's a little bit of a bummer right now this season to watch the Chiefs. And it's a really big bummer that Nick Chubb left this game with a broken foot.
Kevin Stefanski announced after the game. Unfortunately that could be the end of his Browns tenure. I hope it's not, but all the best to Nick Chubb as he goes to tackle another difficult recovery. So I mentioned that the Ravens, because of that Steelers loss, had a door open, And I'm not going to pretend like you guys don't know the results of the Ravens Giants game. They started Tommy freaking de Vito with the Ravens coming off of bye for God's sake.
Lamar stands with the shotgun. On second down, likely comes in motion to the left. Lamar takes the snap looking to left, firing man zone.
He's got a man touchdown were shot Bateman hits shucking of the.
Day and Baitman runs at deep seven cut into the end zone and a beautiful throw and catch.
It has been too long since we had former NFL Network employee Rod Woodson on the recap show. That was also Jerry sin Dusky wb A l on a day where Josh Allen was just about perfect and seemed to advance his cause as the National Football League's Most Valuable Player for the twenty twenty four season. My God, Lamar Jackson had one of the best days of his career in the Giants. Foreign completions, five passing touchdowns and oh sixty five yards on the ground on six rushes. This
must have been enjoyable of Ravens gave. You didn't have to sweat Patrick.
Yeah, it was fun to not sweat it.
It did start off with a Lamar fumble, and despite how great that he was today, Lamar will tell you that that's the thing that he's going to remember was getting that ball.
Punched out on the opening drive. After that, they did nothing.
But score touchdowns as long as he was in the game, including so glad to have Rashad Bateman back after the buy two of those where he's back in the end zone. Davontees Walker tes Walker gets his first NFL cap, which is also a touchdown from Lamar, and then we got to see one of the biggest anomalies in the entire NFL.
Tim Boyle comes into this game continuing to play NFL football despite throwing one touchdown and thirteen interceptions in his college career and four touchdowns and twelve interceptions in his pro career. He added to those well to the interception and the touchdown today, tim Boyle cooking up the ring.
Oh, I gotta say, I don't think the Giants would have covered a mystical twenty one point spread if that was espread. I think it was sixteen and a half. So they still didn't cover. If Tim Boyle didn't come in.
He was an up grade. He was better than Tom.
He made to be fair about four passes that I was like, that's a pretty nice pass. I was like, cause there were two, and I was like, I can't believe Tommy DeVito's making these passes. And then I looked and it was actually Tim Boyle. I'm not saying he was perfect.
You got to when you're Tim Boyle, you got to set the expectations so low that the people watching are like, hey, this is about three or four of those passes.
It pretty nice, I think Tim Boyle, they were. They actually were nice.
Look if you're a Malik Neighbors Fantasy owner or whatever, he hooked you up.
Another ten catch game by the league Neighbors, by the.
Way, eighty two yards in a touchdown. You know he's trying to get on those offensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year ballots. Shook that we didn't put him on before the game. I noticed the little flyover, which is now a weekly event in MetLife Stadium. It says, mister Mara, enough, we won't stop until you fire everyone. I do remember a quote from Mara at one point that that said, like the one thing that he would be most concerned about would be apathy. He doesn't mind booze,
but he doesn't want apathy. And there were a ton of empty seats. It was hard not to notice that MetLife so just Brian Dable watched that.
That stuck out to me.
Yeah, and in the same vein off the top of my head. Since Black Friday of last season, Tim Boyle has now thrown passes for three NFL teams and somehow is still in the league. This was the easiest game of the season to pick if you're in the picking group like me. Okay, we knew what was going to happen here. It's dark days for the Giants and like you said, nothing worse than empty seats.
Yeah, I think Tim Boyle it should be pointed out in college did you did you have his numbers from college?
Did you throw that out there?
It was his career at Connecticut.
I don't know why I was spending so in statement.
No, because it's fun to look back.
I'm currently pulling up between twelve hundred and thirty eight hundred per flight to fly a banner around MetLife. But yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's a very expensive operation in multiple weeks with different banners. So somebody besides John Marray has a lot of money. One touchdown, thirteen interceptions in his career at Yukon that Tim Boyle, that is absolutely forty eight completion percentage.
The thing with Lamar, people will just say, well, it doesn't count because it's it's the Giants, and they end up with four hundred and forty five yards despite not having that many possessions because they just scored touchdowns on all of them and took a little longer. Like those weren't easy throws that he was making, they were really great timing throws. He now leads the NFL in yards
per attempt passing, in yards per carry rushing. His yards per attempt is adjusted yards per attempt is far and away the best in the league and the best of his career. He's having such a better season that he did a year ago that it's just something to watch down the stretch because they have some big, big time games with the Steelers and the Chiefs coming up.
That if he.
Played absolutely outstanding and Allen or the Bills, you know, stumbled a little bit down the stretch, you never know, this thing might not be over. Because Lamar just has been that good this year. The only thing that wasn't good about him on Sunday were his pants.
All right, So look, it was asking me that, So I'm like, I felt like Winn was touching my butt, you know. So I was trying to keep my tights up for real, like the tights just like gotta lot loose.
Who nose.
It's all like, just kind of keep my pants up. That's all it was. It was too cold.
He made it defense or miss while pulling his pants up. By the way, we saw new Compkins completely lose his pants today. There's a pants issue league wide right now.
There have been a lot of pulling the pants down situations. That one was crazy because he said, and that's a classic quote. Can we cut that to just the I felt the wind touching my butt. It's fantastic because it certainly didn't look like that to the outside. I think he just he just felt it and it wasn't. It wasn't what was happening. It was just cold. But uh, that was about it. If you can get first downs while pulling up your pants, that's when you know football
is back. All right, Let's take a quick break here and we're gonna go to the AFC South where, yes, the division was on the line on Sunday, even though the Texans were struggling.
What wind was touching the.
Tua takes the snap. Tua with pressure throwing calf field two was White and Stanley a good. That's gonna do it. The Texans are gonna beat Miami. Stanley's second pick seals the deal. Bad Houston will get its ninth win.
If you didn't count Derek Stingley as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, I think today did it for you.
That was Mark VanderMeer, by the way on k I l t Yes.
The Texans in the early window, knowing they had a chance to possibly win the division today with a win and a Colts loss, took care of business and it was all about the defense, especially Stingley. They forced to a tongue of Iloa into four turnovers in this game. That was just an absolutely electric like play by by
Stingley that not many cornerbacks could possibly make. And the interception that he had earlier in the second half, I think not only showed what a good player he is in terms of his athleticism, his ability to read what the play is going to be, but also what Miami's limitations are. I think Trent Green did a good job pointing out during the game Singly with City on that route all day and the double move to go deep for Tyreek Hill would have been there all day and
they just never did it. Like this is an offense that played inside of a box and they made it work for most of the time that Tuatungo Iiloa has returned since his injury. But they just can't hit anything down the field. Everything is short. Jalen Waddle goes out of this game with an injury, and Tyreek Hill did not have a catch until midway through the third quarter.
So Stingley's is sitting on that route over and over again, and he makes a great play while the Dolphins are driving in a game that I thought they were gonna steal because the Texans offense couldn't do anything. But ultimately this was a true defensive battle shook between a defense that's been borderline great all year and a defense that's been good and just had its moments. And the one that's been borderlined great, they just stepped up today and they got the Texans a win.
And that's what it comes down to in a matchup like this. And you're right, the Dolphins offense has been playing in a box and for a while it worked. I mean, we knew that the explosive play wasn't there, but they were making it work with Tua and timing and accuracy until today when he throws three interceptions. Because they have to be one of the easier studies for an opposing defense since two has been back, and I think the Houston Texans definitely proved that today.
But this is that type of out.
Can we get from these two teams, because Houston still can't find its way offensively, and yet they were able to convert.
CJ.
Stroud throws a fantastic touchdown pass to Nico Collins, one of those classic like nothing's there, nothing's there, I'm gonna keep buying time. Oh I'm going to flick a wrist and touch down the back of the end zone a Nico, and that's all you ended up needing in a twenty to twelve win. Now, Houston leaves a lot to be desired. There's a lot to be concerned about with them. There
has been this entire season, especially offensively. But if their defense can play this well against a number of different opponents that maybe harder studies than the Dolphins in their
limited offense, then they're going to have a shot. And especially because they're in a division like you said that was up for grabs, but they're clearly in front of So you come away feeling good about this win, you still have your concerns about the Texans and the Dolphins meanwhile, are looking at this like, oh no, there's the death blow. We were going to try to mount this great comeback and we might just be toast now.
And when you look over across the AFC, right and these teams and what they have and where they're unique and where they're different, this Derek Stingley performance and also the Will Anderson performance as well, these Texans are going to give somebody a problem, right because they are so good in the ability right to cover and provide pressure.
Well.
Will Anderson was getting rid of the ball fast. He's always gotten rid of the ball fast.
Will Anderson wins so early and strip Sacks's former teammate, leading to a scoring opportunity where Houston can afford right to be kind of regressed on offense and score on these scrappy plays where you end up having Robert Woods peel off to block Kalais Campbell and then he throws and c J. Strout throws a touchdown pass and Nico Collins the second of the day where they can afford to have those types of problems, whereas Miami it felt
like they had to execute. They had to be just so good and so precise to get these short completions time after time after time where the clock just eventually runs out on them.
Right.
The difference was the Texans took advantage when they got down to the red zone. Their offense was basically do something magical CJ. It was back to the offense from the first six or seven weeks that was reasonably effective.
He just did it enough today.
They also set up a score on a drive where he has a I think it was Zach Seeler is draped all over him and he completes it to keep the drive going. There was nothing to feel good about. Otherwise they couldn't run the ball at all. Their stuff rate, which it means you're getting stopped at the line of scrimmage or behind, was way higher than their success rate in terms of their running game. So Joe Mixon was a ghost in this game. He had under two yards
per carry. C. J. Stroud was under heat quite a bit, but to Patrick's point, so was Tua. Even though he got rid of the ball pretty quickly. Daniel Hunter, I thought, hadn't even better game than Anderson, who had a big time splash play and also had a lot of pressures. There was eleven quick pressures for the Texans, and it's really hard to run an offense that way. The Dolphins were missing both their starting tackles, which is important context, and yet I didn't think that was that huge a.
Deal in the game, at least early on.
Like he was, he had some time to throw and most of the pressure was coming through the middle, and like I said, neither of these teams could do anything. It was three point six yards per play. I think the difference was as good as Tua has been in creat a to a mode this season, like CJ. Stroud was better at that today. Neither one of them had a run game. Neither one of them were putting very good position to succeed. It was not a pretty game whatsoever.
But the Texans had the home field advantage and they seem like they've got a little something to them where the Dolphins are just done.
And they did that, and they didn't have Joe Mixon for a stretch in this game, because for the second time this season, Joe Mixon has gotten clear clear as day. HP tackled with no flag and so he's he was able to get back in the game. But he just finished with twenty three yards on the ground, a guy who's had one hundred yards and a touchdown at seven games this season and he's only played in ten.
Of Right, it was because of another hip drop tackle. By the way, right, it was brutal.
There actually hasn't been I went to check this a call on a hip drop tackle all season. So I think it's just become something where they're going to find players for it.
And it might be too.
Difficult for officials to call that in real time because we saw a couple of big examples of it today. Because what's the point of a rule where you can't call it. I'm not really sure.
Add in replay assists, maybe you'll get that change.
YEP, I think I think that could be where we go.
But it seems like the obvious move right a lot of things.
I agree.
CJ ends up with one hundred and thirty one yards and two touchdowns through the air. Unfortunately, a big part of the story of this game was the wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, Grant to Bo's who an injury replacement after they released Odell Beckham since we last spoke to you on Friday, so Odell Beckham is on waivers
by the way as we speak. But granted Bo's was out there and took a really nasty hit over the middle on a pass from Tua that put you know, put to Bo's in a tough position, and Kaylen Bullock came over the middle and hit him, you know, right in the head, and his head kind of snapped back and also hit the ground very hard. Was put on a stretcher. They had to cut off his helmet, take off his shirt, taken to the hospital. He's going to
stay over Sunday night. The Dolphins would just say that they've had positive results and that he's stable and no more information than that. So just sending our best, obviously and hoping for the best for that young man and his family. It was a really scary scene for the Dolphins and Grandy Bo's today. All right, let's go to our next segment. It's the time for the Sunday Drive presented by the all new hybrid Toyota Camry. We're going
to Denver. When this game started, the Colts knew they had to win the game to stay alive in the AFC.
South plods to.
The right, four receivers right, this is going to be a double pass.
They throw it, completed it.
Throw back to Richardson, mister cantercepting, intercepting's in perto Peno to there and so touchdown Tisser sixty years on the pick six. This place is a madhouse.
The Broncos fans. I think we're going that crazy because they're getting used to Nick. But you know, with these pick sixes, they're throwing out defensive Player of the Year candidate and it's not that crazy. Broncos win thirty one to thirteen, and I think the intensity of that celebration, and of course the call you heard by Dave Logan on Ka was.
Because they didn't expect it.
They were down thirteen to seven in a game where bo Knicks keeps throwing interceptions and it just doesn't feel like the Broncos day. And then suddenly an avalanche of points and it all happened, really got kickstarted Patrick after Jonathan Taylor dropped that ball on what would have been a long.
Touchdown, twenty four unanswered points and those two huge mistakes by the Colts ends it dooms them as they kind of severely wound their opportunity for a late season pushing the AFC. The interceptions by Anthony Richardson of course held him back as well. They wasted one of the worst games that bow Nicks has played in two months for Denver.
When things look awkward in the backfield.
He had three interceptions, miscommunications, sideline arguments, the whole thing there. He was pressured on less than eleven percent of his dropbacks, and on those dropbacks without pressure, he was nineteen of thirty.
But the Colts led thirteen to seven in the third quarter.
Jonathan Taylor on a play where he looks like twenty twenty two, Jonathan Taylor cuts it back, hits the sideline forty one yard touchdown. We've already left that game, and we're doing another highlight and I'm looking at the scoreboard and I'm like, why are their points not going on the scoreboard because he comes back.
We come back to the game.
Jonathan Taylor's arm swings back and he drops the ball a fraction of a second before crossing the goal line. And then after the Broncos score, they're leading by four when Nick Benito intercepts. What we think because we went back and looked at it was a screen to Anthony Richardson that the Colts set up, and that's why the offensive line didn't block Nick Benito. But it would have been great if they did, because then they would have
a chance to win the ball game. But they just kind of let him go and disaster strikes and just we think about, like historically Colts trick plays that could go horribly wrong.
This one was worse than that one.
Yeah, because this one.
Helps the season, like essentially end of the season today.
Yeah, they are six and eight, they are out, the Houston Texans are the AFC South champions. The Colts can still potentially get a wild card if the Chargers collapse down the stretch. That's really their hope. That's the Bengals hope who will get to later. But the division race is over. And you feel for Jonathan Taylor, yeah, because they did not score another point after that. And it's
not like they didn't get opportunities. They got eight more drives after that, and that was a third quarter fumble, and yet they actually had negative yardage for their next five drives, which included a couple fumbles, Richardson throws an interception at one point. It was kind of a full team collapse, And to Denver's credit, they are kind of the team, to me shook this season that lets other
teams collapse in front of them. And even though Nicks had a terrible game, like the defense, which has been so good all year, stood up strong after that Taylor play. Man, it's hard not to go back to that player Taylor play and wonder what would have been because it was twenty would have been twenty to seven at that point.
Yeah, I mean, that's not the best compliment to give a team that's in the playoff fin I know Broncos fans will bristle at that, but it's accurate. I mean, if you look at their last two wins, it was against the Raiders and the Browns. We know how that Browns game ended with a pick six. Look, this is an example of a team like the Colts that have been grasping in straws all year. We had the carousel at quarterback, going to Joe Flacco thinking that was gonna work.
It didn't go back to Richardson, and what you've gotten from him is spectacular play in small bits and a lot of uneven play in other areas, at which point you then say, let's run a trick play to maybe set up a screen for our quarterback who may be a better runner than he is a thrower right now, because we don't know what else to do. And I think it starts with a mistake like Taylor fumbing the balt Of goal on which, by the way, not the
only instance which that happened today. We'll get to that later, and then you just kind of it compounds from there, and it's a team that is six and eight. Essentially they defined their record with the way they conducted themselves today. It's unfortunate because I think they're more talented than that when Shane Stycken is a good coach, But what a bad decision in that situation to give that team that much juice on a day in which they weren't playing
well to begin with. But credit to the Broncos, you know, they finished the game strong. They just needed somebody to help them break the day.
Credit to Benito, especially because he ran He just said, like if that was a screen, he said, he read it like that, like why are they throwing that backwards?
Literally?
Even the Colts even read it better than the Colts who were running the play. He was more aware than literally anybody on the field, including perhaps maybe the Colts coaching.
Still right, And the crazy thing is after the tailor you know, drop fumble, you figure, okay, that then that's gonna swing the game. Denver must have taken advantage. No, they go four and out, they give their ball right back. The Colts then go three and out, give it right back. Well, okay, surely, now it's when the Broncos get going. No, that's actually when Bo Knicks threw his third interception. The very next play, Michael Pittman fumbles the ball to give the Broncos the
ball back. And okay, now finally Bo Knicks in this offense, they're going to take advantage. Nope, they go three and out and kick a field goal. So it was just in a punt their next position. It was like chance after chance after chance. So it's hard to know, like who to blame here, I don't even know, but I do know that you give the Broncos defense credit for how they closed out this.
Yeah they did, and Locke was the player who got that.
It was almost like not necessarily helmet on the football on MPJ, but it was more of a shoulder pad where pushed his arm back and the ball flies out that the Broncos recover. It's a it's off to make plays against this Broncos defense. I mean, we saw Jamis do it, but we also saw James turn the ball over right doing it on some very dangerous passes, which is what Vance Joseph puts you in position to do.
And the way that this Colts team has operated all season long, where it's you know, they're either running the ball or they're taking deep shots like low completion probability shots where it all turns out kind of in the way you expected, where they have this high variance of outcomes and when it works, it looks great, but when it doesn't, it looks absolutely horrible.
And it just didn't work for long stretches.
Yeah, bo Nicks ends up two for eight on passes over ten yards for thirty three yards, two for eight for thirty three yards, does get two touchdowns, but throws all three interceptions. The intermedia area especially rough, it was very similar. Actually, I was looking at the next gen sets Tatua's numbers over ten yards. He was three for ten with an interception. Just couldn't get anything going except
for the short stuff. And yet they are basically locked in the playoffs now at nine and five, so they move up to the sixth seed. I wanted to circle back on what was happening with the Ravens too. They are at the five seed. They are one back of the Steelers. They have a much better chance the Ravens do of now catching the Steelers.
For the division.
The Broncos are at nine and five at six the Chargers, who they play on Thursday Night that's a big game, are at eight and six. According to Next Gen Stats, the Broncos have a ninety one percent chance to make the playoffs. The Chargers have an eighty seven percent chance to make the playoffs. The Colts, Dolphins, and Bengals are all ten percent and under, down to six percent for
the Bengals. So if one of those three teams could catch fire and get to nine wins, it's possible they could win a tiebreaker over the Chargers of the Chargers stumble down the stretch and only get one win, which is it's certainly on the table. That was the Sunday Drive presented by the All New hybrid Toyota Camra. Whatever your vibe, it's a camera vibe. Learn more at Toyota dot com slash camery. Yes, the Chargers they had a data forget across the sidewalk.
Shotgun looked the past.
Mayfield looking, goes the ball downfield toward Evans.
He makes the catch, touchdown.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Mike Evans two catches and the promised man today.
Want to throw by Mayfield on third down a dozen.
Geene Decker haff with a thirty five yard touchdown throw to Mike Evans. Part of a magical day for Mike Evans. Forget about the injury report. He went nine for one f nine and two touchdowns. Thousand yard paces back on, Patrick.
Oh, back on in full effect as the drive summaries in the second half. How about this from Tampa Bay, say finished forty to seventeen. You think this will sustain the whole way? No, there was an interception in a field goal consecutively in the first half, second half, touchdown field goal, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, end of game.
Baker Mayfield got hot.
He got picked off by your guy t tar heap still and decided never again. Firing these balls to Mike Evans, and on the other side, the Chargers offense just kind of wilted and went away and did essentially nothing as the game ended, justin Herbert took a shot to his ankles.
Oh in this game, slow to get up after that.
Just a very uninspiring game from the Chargers offense at home in a week that had so much opportunity with the Broncos playing in that game against the Colts, They've got a game in the same window, and it was really just very, very disappointing versus a Bucks team that now can watch the Monday night football game for the Falcons essentially without worry.
Only good can come out of that for them.
Yeah, they could take a commanding two game lead in the division if the Falcons wind up losing that It's.
Not like this was a blot throughout.
The Bucks needed a field goal late in the second quarter to make the halftime score Chargers seventeen, Bucks thirteen. And to Liam Cohen's credit and Baker Mayfield's credit, this team has been so hot starting games all year, and they were fine starting games, but Baker had that interception starting this game. But they figured some things out This is only the third time in Jim Harbaugh's coaching history
that his team's giving up over five hundred yards. It was only eight yards away from the worst game that an NFL team that he coached had. And this Bucks offense, despite not having Evans for much of the season, despite not having Godwin for most of the season, is a legit top five offense. And if they can get defensive play like this, I know they were going against a wounded animal a little bit here.
They are kind of that team you don't want to face.
And there are some numbers that show since about Week nine, their run defense has bounced back quite a bit. It's partly because of their schedule, but it's bounced back quite a bit. And their pressure rate and they're sending lots of pressure shook. They're not getting winning a lot of one ones, but their pressure rate has you know, gone through the roof over the last four or five weeks, and lately the underlying metrics show that this team is one of the best teams in football.
Yeah, although it didn't today.
They only recorded ten pressures for a percentage of twenty seven, but that didn't matter because they capitalized against an offense This has been my fear. You talk about wounded animal. This has been my fear at the Chargers for a while. You don't have JK. Dobbins, you have no running game to speak of. You get Lad McCaughey back, he catches five passes for fifty eight yards in a touchdown, but your offense just enters a massive run. You want to
talk about being a drive chart guy. While those drives that Patrick just listed all the touchdown and field goal and touchdown good stuff on the On the Chargers side, we got punt, punt, interception, down downs, fumble. This is the dark side of what the Chargers offense could be if they're not able to establish a rhythm early, and that's in a game that was still only a four point game just before halftime. That's where I get concerned
about them. I feel like they're ceiling remains low, especially when they don't have the ground game to speak of, which is why I wouldn't quite settle the AFC playoff race just yet. And against the Buccaneers team that I think we've known this all year. This is their potential. You said it weeks ago. They're at offensive team first, and they need to embrace that well, they certainly.
Embraced it today.
And Baker Mayfield finally gets past his streak of throwing picks and you know, trying to make something out of nothing too often. Instead he lights it up and the Buccaneers are looking.
Enjoy it, kind of crush like jump up on the table, Patrick, I know.
Touf on the table. I'm just wondering because you're looking at me. Yeah, I don't have an apology to offer to MV Baker. They got a great ah, they got MVB y MVB. But there was a great rep where on the first Mike Evans touchdown where you just see how this offense can operate when they protect Baker, because when Baker is protected, he doesn't necessarily file if they handle it and do all these try hard and do too much plays where when you see it in rhythm,
it's it's beautiful. It's a beautiful machine. And that's how you get twenty two of twenty seven for four touchdowns with that one mistake.
He is so good when getting rid of the ball at the back of his drive and it's similar, but I think more fun to watch than Tua. The way this offense has been running. I think Liam Cohen, for instance, like I think he's done a better as good a job as as any offensive coordinator out there. Like even the Jalen McMillan touchdown. I mean, this guy's just a touchdown machine at this point. That speaks a little bit
to the scheme is creating open receivers sometimes. I mean McMillan had no one anywhere near him because they executed a perfect rub. But also Mayfield, you know, he doesn't put too much air under that ball, and he hits McMillan in stride with some good velocity and he just makes it look easy. Over ten yards per throw for Baker today, Bucky Irving returned in this game, and yeah, they ended up with two twenty three on the ground, twenty five from Baker, including a twenty yard scamper, Like
he'll throw that in there. Rashad White, you know, one of the better receiving backs in the league. This This Bucks team is eight and six, and yes, the Chargers only three games left. We'll talk about them a lot this week because they're on Thursday night and that's a big game. We got men A Cimes on the show. That's going to be a really fun one they do finish after that game with Patriots and Raiders.
And oh they need that, Oh they need opened the door because I have something to offer to you. Greg, Okay, the number one Baker hater. We got to commission a group of third or fourth graders to compose some sort of construction paper hat that you have to wear on the show. If Baker Mayfield throws for forty touchdown passes, he just got passed his season high his twenty eight touchdown passes last year.
He just broke that.
Today he hits forty. We got to get them to make you a hat you gotta wear on the show.
What is that even? What is that a hat? Okay, send me a paper.
Hack and wear your crowd that was Brown is the biggest Baker hater.
I am not the biggest Baker hater. I'm not a Baker hater at all.
All I was was pushing back on the MVP talk and he was he was just driving me a little crazy lately. No, their schedule, that was the Chargers schedule, I was. I was reading, So they're gonna like the Bengals or the Dolphins, any team that wants to try to run the table and hope for a Chargers loss is gonna need a Patriots or Raiders home win most likely or certainly on Thursday Night, they're gonna need a Broncos win. The Bucks, on the other hand, are gonna
be heavy favorites their final three games. The Falcons are in a world of for now. They are at Dallas on Sunday Night football, assuming that stays there in Week sixteen and then Panthers and Bucks to end the season. Doesn't mean they get through all those games, but they will be favored in all of them.
The performance are making those hats.
Yeah, the performance by the Chargers today, I understand it's it's the Raiders at a late season game against Jack May and the Patriots.
I wouldn't chalk those up at the No.
No, they can loseen to anyone.
Chargers today.
Yeah, for their defense to get exposed like that, Joey Bosa has not given them anything. They had another injury, Cam Heart left at cornerback, and then their offense it felt to me like Lad McConkie is great, but he's like, I don't know how many drives ended with an incompletion to mcconkeye because there's no one else to throw to and Herbert's just trying to give his one guy a shot. So the Chargers lose, and that was good news for Bengals fans who have not last lost hope. Let's go to Tennessee.
Levis under center again, turns around, fakes a handoff to Pollard, wants to.
Throw fires holder Stone bating it back.
Gino's at the twenty five twenty battle in front to block.
He's to the ten the five to the doll line, touchdown.
Bendals Ginos Stone with a peck six and the Bengals have their fourth takeaway.
Of the day.
Yeah, yeah, you know Joe Burrow, he's great in all but let's give the Bengals defense some love.
Dan Horde, Dave Lapham, w c k Y.
Will Levis I think had about thirteen fourteen dropbacks in this game.
He had four turnovers, so that's that's not a good thing.
The Bengals get the victory thirty seven to twenty seven.
They hold off a.
Late rally by Mason Rudolph and they get to six and eight and they remain alive because of an opportunistic defense shook.
How many turnovers qualifies for you to declare the game drunk because I have a number in my head and this game exceeded that number.
Okay, ten total turnovers, no two teams.
Every time you looked at the game, somebody was turning the ball over, and most of the time the criminal was Will Levis.
He was the guy who was guilty of turning the ball over. He threw three picks.
He had a great start, okay, and then he instantly just fell apart and he regressed dramatically to the Will Levis we knew prior to his recent stretch of relative success. Whereas and it gave the Bengals an opportunity defensively to actually build some steam because we know this Bengals defense has been maligned all year, right fully, so they haven't been able to stop nosably Will. They stopped the Titans
on multiple possessions today. They were opportunistic. It allowed Joe Burrow to even shake off some of his interceptions because he threw a couple of those as well. And the Bengals outlast the Titans team that they're just better than on paper, and when it comes to the details in execution in a game, that it's worth the rewatch because it was just chaotic doesn't really say much about either team.
Though, Okay, it's worth the rewatch, if only because of the Tovandre sweat fumble.
Yeah, recovery. Let's listen to that second and.
Gold at the nine, the firm looking stepping up in trouble.
Shack, Oh, take it away. It's sweat coming the under one Skip Moore fifteen twenty twenty five, Sweat thirty thirty five. It is finally pushed out of mounts by Bolt sit at the forty. Titans get the quarterback sack. It's steal the ball.
Great call there by Mike Keith and a yelp midplay by Dave McGinnis on WGFX. That is a three hundred and seventy pounds man at minimum, because that's what he's listed at, with a nasty stiff.
Arm like he changed the ball like his hands. He he knew the assignment. That was amazing.
They were up fourteen the seven, by the way at that point of the game and had just taken the ball away and.
Mike Keith, you know, he's looking forward to saying touchdown Titans on the play, so he just said stiff arm. But this is Alex Kappa, the offensive lineman coming. This is a full grown man coming to make a tackle and Mike Keith maybe he's seen Derrick Henry do a lot of stiff arms and so he's seen the best ever to do it. But this was from Defandre Sweat,
and I just love the reaction from the sideline. Yes, because Sweat, you know, clearly awful, awful mistake, you know, driving while intoxicated, didn't know if he was going to get drafted.
The Titans believed in him.
He's been embraced by the team, and you could just see the reaction from all of his teammates after that incredible play where they love that the man that he's become this season and making a play on that where it's just another one of these moments from this drunk football game that shook out the pleasure of watching, where it's like that that almost becomes a footnote to every thing that we saw in this game, with these teams going up and down the field offense and defense.
Right Burrow, you mentioned like had had three turnovers in this game, so you know his his MVP candidacy to get on the ballot. It takes a little bit of a hit. A couple of turnovers last couple of weeks. He did throw a touchdown though to Sam Hubbard, so he just like we didn't even mention that as part of the way.
This game was drawn. Hubbard got hurt late in the game, but he said it was worth it.
It felt good to be out there contribute to a win as an offensive weapon, Sam Hubbard.
Yeah, true weapon.
Like we haven't seen a weapon playing out of position since the days of Mike Vrabel with the Patriota. And this catch was tight end like top tier tight end worthy, a fantastic grab. And that's when I knew this game needed to be cut off. And that was long before it was over. A heck of a kind of a back,
weird back and forth. But I will say this another example of how I knew this game was drunk Jordan Battle recovers a fubble, goes all the way back to the end zone and then loses the ball as he's crossing the goal line and fumbles it out of the back of the end zone. So there was another example actually in another game that we've yet to talk about too. I just thought about that off the stap my head. It's just been a crazy day guys.
It really has.
And if if you're a Bengals fan, I said, you're gonna get to that week seventeen, you're gonna be mathematically alive.
You got the Browns next week. Just get to seven and eight.
Just these games are a little more fun if you're not mathematically eliminated. The Titans long eliminated. They stayed in the top six. I'm looking at Tankathon. It's amazing that three and eleven only give gets you the six pick. Right now, the Browns are three and eleven and they have the seven pick. So you know they didn't they didn't change that today. But the Bengals got a victory. Let's go to a team which is is much more in the wild card race. Yes, the Arizona Cardinals.
Pistol snap Murray has a handoff Connor, straight ahead touchdown, James Connor two touchdowns here on the fourth Cardinals extend their lead to twenty nine to ten with three twenty seven ago.
Wind them up.
If the pistol handed off, let James Connor just jump over the a gap touchdown.
That is Dave Pash and our friend Ron wolf Lee. Some games don't really have like a great play or a highlight that.
Makes a lot of sense.
This was one of those games I watched it pretty closely. Thirty to seventeen Cardinals beat the Patriots in a game that wasn't that close. The Patriots get a couple touchdowns in garbage time to make it look better, but kind of a whole hum game for the Cardinals to get them to seven and seven. They ran the ball well, James Connor with one hundred and ten yards in two touchdowns. Kyler Murray played mistake free football, wouldn't stay it. It made me feel like that much better about where their
offense is at. They couldn't quite finish drive, settled for some field goals, but ultimately you win easily. A result like this almost just makes me think about Man, if they hadn't lost one of those close games against the Seahawks, things would have felt a little different.
But they still are having an uphill battle in the division.
Yeah, it's so close that there were that third and seven against Sam Darnold and then Minnesota Vikings could have changed their postseason. And honestly, we may look back and that may have been one of the most consequential third downs that we've seen all season. Long, but Kyler comes back in this game twenty three to thirty. Did take a massive shot in this game. Clayton Tune came in
and played a couple of possessions. But James Connor averaged almost seven yards of carry against this Patriots team, and there were some late I would say garbage down points from New England where this was. This was pretty much out of question for the Patriots with a lot of time remaining in the third quarter.
Yeah, it's not a great sign when your quarterback get goes into halftime without an incompletion. That's Drake may and you're losing thirteen to three. Like Drake, Drake may Can continues to somehow like set new boundaries of how totally solid, if not great, he looks.
And he had his team's not even competitive.
His one interception on the day, second time in three weeks this has happened, came off a drop of kish On booty. So it was like even the one box score problem that he had, he only had four incompletions two hundred yards came off a drop.
A drop gives Kaishan Boody maybe too much credit there that the ball's like low and outside and Booty goes down to ranch it and instead of like the ball being dropped, he lifts it up.
Yes, it kind of tosses it, but that was exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago too. Very strangely, it was like a play where his own receiver kind of threw it into the air. But look, Trey McBride goes nine for eighty seven.
Shook.
Marvin Harrison could not get anything done on one on one matchups against Christian Gonzales, like Gonzales just shut him down like that. That was a little frustrating, I think for the Cardinals who kept going to that matchup in the red zone and Gonzalez just kept winning it over and over.
But it keeps them alive.
I shouldn't compare them totally to the Bengals that they're in a division where yes, the Rams got to eight and six here, but and they got swept by the Seahawks, so that's problematic. But there's still three weeks ago, potentially only one loss behind they are in the mix.
Yeah, I'm glad you actually brought up the Marvin Harrison junior targets because I honestly think that as the Cardinals offense which struggles mightily on third down. I only went ten for fifteen today, but when it comes to third and long, it's a Kyler dropped back on a prayer most times, and it has been for most of the season.
I think that the.
Element that is missing they could really elevate this offense is the inclusion of Marvin Harrison Junior at an efficient rate. And the reason I bring that up is because, yes, Christian Gonzalez played great coverage on him, but Marvin Harrison Junior is a guy who is known for winning fifty to fifties winning jump balls in college. He's an artist when it comes to catching passes in the end zone, especially in the corner of the end zone, and he had two great looks at it, and Kyler doesn't put
it in the right spot. So if I have a project for these Cardinals if they missed the playoffs, because they still you know, it's going to be a little bit rough here trying to get in there with the way the division is set. As you just described the project for them in the offseason, how do you get better Kyler and Marves and Harrison Junior figure out how to throw those balls to him?
Because If they.
Could do that, and they've done it in small spots this season, I think they would be so much better offensively. They're efectively like eliminating one of their best weapons on offense right now, and when the running game doesn't work, they're not going They're not playing well.
Now.
The running game work. Today they played the Patriots and it all worked out for them and they win the game. But that's just where they need to be better. That's where they can take their next step.
And it was frustrating to see that today against the Patriots team that you know you put thirty points on, but you probably could have won this by more.
The best play for Marvin Harrison Junior today it was a twenty one yarder where they had him lined up in the slot, which is something they do. He was lined up in the slot ten times, but they were able to drag Marvin across the formation kind of get some new separation because Gonzales was on them there, but there was a lot of traffic to run through. Kyler hits him on the catch and run where That's what I've wanted, just more layup short opportunities for Marvin Harrison Junior,
just to get him involved in the offense. So it's not all you know, deep balls to the corner and back shoulder throws where it's like this high degree of difficulty where yeah, you can do that when you have a top ten draft pick who has all the talent in the world, but also let's just get them the ball. Like all these balls to Jamar Chase aren't necessarily like high difficulty throws. Some of them are very simple, close to the lawne of scrimmage where I would like to see Marvin involved in more.
Yeah, they feel better. They were, they were on along losing streak. They won easy, They beat up on a bad team. I think this is a very worrisome result for Drod Mayo coming out of a bye week and you looked worse.
You had no answers.
Defensively, the offensive line was crazy bad early in this game in terms of the penalties and a bad snap and just giving up free rushers. It looked like they had made no progress at all. There were some reports over the weekend from the athletic that they are that they are committed to Drod Mayo, and I believe it, but a performance like this makes you wonder certainly about the offensive coordinator and Alex van Pelt not not progressing or improving as the season's gone along, and we really
haven't seen that. After the game, they asked Drod Mayo about a sequentz where they got down inside the five yard line and they got it to third and one and they ran at two straight times and they couldn't pick up a yard, which is the story of this Patriots season. But someone asked them about not using Drake may at all, which they really haven't as a runner in the red zone all season, and they said, you know, we've seen may is such so effective as a runner,
how come you know not using him there? And Gid Mayo said, you said it, not me, which doesn't bode well for Alex van Pelt either, speaking of his coaching staffs that have been in a little trouble this year. Let's go to Jacksonville, which was a fun game. Either one, I mean one's gone and the other one.
Yeah, let's go in.
Motion from left to right, those Isaiah Davis Rogers back to throw well protected fires one up the sea from Adams.
At not the twenty ten five spins, heads up touchdown, It's a jet touchdown. A fun day Adams streaks down the middle and Aaron Rodgers puts it right in his hands and the Jets happily three twenty four to go.
The Jets go on to win thirty two to twenty five. Fun to hear a little Bob was shus in on WAXQ having a little fun.
Why not.
It's been a tough season and when you can watch DeVante Adams go nine for one, ninety eight and two touchdowns in a throwback performance, I mean he and Aaron Rodgers put this team on their backs. In the second half. Adams was physical, he was awesome, and they stop a late bid from Mac Jones. A lot happened actually after that play, because that made it twenty five to twenty two. The Jaguars did respond tie the game of the field goal.
The Jets have another quick touchdown drive which DeVante Adams really set up Priests Hall and then finally Mac Jones throws the interception to Sass Gardner. Jets get the victory, and I don't know if we have many big takeaways from this game other than Aaron Rodgers is playing his best football at the very end of the season, which is going to help his chances of getting a good job next year or getting a starting job.
That's what I believe. Does anyone care to disagree with me?
No, he where's the job going to be?
I don't know.
Somewhere.
That's awesome.
He moved.
I thought he's moved much better over the last couple of weeks. You know, the matchups helped DeVante wouldn't have been as open maybe against some other teams. But Rogers has looked good. There's no point in like pushing back from the tape. He's looked pretty good. He's definitely looked the best that he's looked the last three weeks in terms of movement, in terms of ball placement, and he actually could have had a bigger day if Davante started off the game kind of slow. He had a couple drops.
One would have been a tough catch, but it would have been a big play. Another one was a flat out drop. And I'm thinking, man, is the years catching up to DeVante because he had a quiet first half and then the second half he's.
Just Yeah, he was one hundred ninety eight yards in the second half. Oh my god for DeVante Adams.
That's and essentially you get to one thirty and he has the fifty plus yarder where if he gets in the end zone, he's even two hundred yards there and three touchdowns in this game for the Jets, where you're you're getting essentially outdueled by mac Jones during large portions of the game before Davante kind of wakes up and you know, mac Jones eventually regresses and throws an easy interception to Sauce Gardner to close the game out where
he's back pedaling backwards. But yeah, Aaron Rodgers is good. He's incredibly annoying to hear him talk about literally anything. Yes, but he deserves a starting job somewhere and he's going to get a lot of attention. He's going to be on TV every week. But all that being said, he's not the worst part of this team.
No.
They are terrible in these one score games, and they finally found a team that was even worse. The Jaguars have lost eight games by one score this year. They're two and eight in those games, so most of their games are close. If you get twenty five points and you get mac Jones to lead you to more than four hundred yards like usually you would, that's gotta.
Be good enough.
It's a bad sign for the Jets defense that they were letting Mac Jones clown them on the ground for much of the game. He had twenty nine yards on the ground. He who is the guy Sherwood for the Jets. That Mac Jones actually pulled like a Madden spin move on him in the open field and sent the linebacker just flying by him. And I was like, wow, that is That's gonna be a tough moment in the film room, especially after win.
Now you can have a little fun with it. The Jets can.
But they outlasted him in a shootout thirty two to twenty five to go to four and ten, And yeah, I was talking about Tankathon. With that win, the Jets fall all the way to number eight. Jaguars right now at number four Patriots, who we just talked about at number three, but is very tightly bunched that it wouldn't surprise me if the Jets win another game here down the stretch. All right, we're going to say goodbye to
our friend Patrick Claybond. How are you feeling today just about life, about football, about NFL daily and your contribution to it overall.
Fortunate to exist in this universe, where existing is decidedly not an option in any number of capacities. I'm here and I'm amongst friends, and we got to watch football today, including Tim Boyle. The more hair raising, conspiracy laden ideas Tim Boyle is still starting football games.
Yeah, coming up next week.
Starting existence also not guaranteed, like we as Kyle Shanahan is you is want to point out it's true, we hope you're back next week.
It's not guaranteed. I shouldn't put that out.
It's short.
I just made Eric very uncomfortable. Fact there, don't worry.
If you're listening to this knock on wood, you know somebody you know, things could go wrong.
That's I bet more you just maybe maybe there's a power outage or something like that, and we can't here. Nick Schuck's gonna rejoin me for Sunday night football. But when we come back from the break, we're actually going to talk to our friend Kevin Patra for.
A couple of games.
See that. This is it.
Two point diversion.
Rattler's in the gun. Jamal Williams is the best in motion. LaRue just scored the touchdown.
Rattler, rolla, you was right, look a fiery throws black Blain.
Washington went twenty to nineteen.
Whoa drink?
Wow?
Wow is right? Bram Weinstein and London Fletcher w b I G.
The Saints somehow got the game down to a situation where they went for two with no time remaining on the clock to win the game.
It just didn't happen for him. Washington wins twenty to nineteen.
And yes, our friend Kevin Patra is back on the show from Detroit and on a day Patra we were just talking about it where there weren't many close games. You got the best end number, So congratulations for that. Yeah, what happened there?
The agenda is back on Baby Okay, Well, the I mean the first half was really dull.
It was pretty dull.
Jake Hayner was It felt like it was like in high school and the varsity team's quarterback got suspended for a half, so they called up the jv quarterback to play the first half, and then they got the real quarterback in for the second half and they started making place. As soon as Rattler came in at halftime, the offense got jumped started and he made plays. He credited him the last time I mean, it was stats weren't great.
He had forty seven percent completion percentage. He missed some throws, but considering you know, Alvin Kamara went out with the groin injury and who throwing two? But he he made mvs, made a couple of new big plays and he marched him right down the field with the game on the line. And I thought it was the right call for Rizzy to go for two because in overtime, if you're you know, you don't have less talent, you know, I would rather
go down to one play. And he had been on such a hot streak on that drive that I thought it was a smart smart move didn't work out for him, but smart move, especially given their season.
Yes, Cedric Wilson ends up with a passing touchdown on a great trap.
It was a beautiful pass.
Here's a really good throw on a twenty ward yard throw. But Ratler gets a touchdown to one hundred and thirty five yards. And yes, you mentioned the agenda, which was a bubbling subplot in Saints Twitter and on NFL Daily to get Rattler into the lineup. And you do wonder if he's going to be the quarterback the rest of the way, or do they try to bring Derek Carr back. Just let's put a pin in that for a second, because that decision at the end of the game by Rizzy,
I think it's the right move. It's disappointing for Rizzy, who's trying to pull off a Hail Mary to you know, remain their head coach going into next year. And it reminds me of the first time this ever happened, which is do you remember it the first time an NFL head coach ever went for two at the end of the game to win the game. No, it was John
Gruden and the Bucks. Because you know, I'm old enough I remember when there weren't two point conversions, like it wasn't a thing, and it was such a big deal. The first time ever that a team went for two at the end to win it. John Gruden did it as a coach of the Bucks and they did win the game. I think it was like two thousand and five. It was late period Gruden with the Bucks, but they
got it done. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. And it's a good thing for the Commanders because this would have been a nasty loss. I gotta admit I stopped paying attention to this game when it was twenty to seven in the fourth quarter. Just felt pretty over, like what happened here? And are you concerned at all about the commanders?
No, because Jaden Daniels once again proved he's the offensive rood the year. There's no doubt in my mind about that. If there was any before for anyone, he's He commanded the offense with a plumb early. They jumped out to a big lead, but they had issues on the offensive line. Not having Tyler Biattish out there was huge. He got sacked eight times. You could just see the offensive line was just a mess without the center, like you know, having you know, control over who, what the protections were
and such. I'm not sure how much Daniels is involved in that sort of thing with Cliff Kingsbury, but that the pressure was an issue and they kind of just took their foot off the gas. It really felt like the offense got a little laccadaisical there until the end, and then they pulled off a field goal drive to just give themselves enough wiggle room till they didn't burn it. But Jayden Daniels, I mean, he made so many like ridiculous darts over in the middle, that anticipatory throws. But
that's who you want to see. And he used his legs. He was their leading rusher. They couldn't get anything going on the ground, which I mean the Saints defense is no slouch. There might be dismissed by a lot, but there's still a good defense up front. Run They're fine. And they ended with eight sacks today. Now they only had six quarterback hits, which is crazy.
So compare that.
Let's say to the Chiefs game, sacks are a quarterback stat in a little bit. You know, Mahomes guy hit twelve times trying to make plays happen. Daniel's only guy hit six times and ends up taking eight sacks.
A couple of those. The reasons the difference is he goes out of bounds, right.
Half of them were on the quarterback and half of them were on I'm messy offensive line issue.
Okay, So let's talk about the controversy. At the end of the game.
And I'm watching this game the ending sequence in the newsroom. Generally I'm at the desk patra, but at the end of the game, I walk over to the Jeremy Bergman David Ealy, you know, section of the newsroom to watch the end, so we're all like a line. You don't hear someone spoiling the player or anything. And I'm watching the end of this game, and both Bergman and I are like, did the clock stop there for a second? Because you're watching the watching them race up to it.
They got a first down the Saints did with on a play with just a handful of seconds to go. They snapped it with seventeen seconds left. It was fourth and three. They throw the ball to Foster Morrow down to the one yard line, and it seemed for a second that like the clock stop, and I thought it did absolutely do Yeah, I thought it was only for a second. After the game, they they were asked about it, they had to have a pool report. Hockey Lely said
the covering official mistakenly stopped the clock. In that situation, the clock should not have been stopped. We have Dan Quinn also asked about it after the game.
Did you get stop?
I don't, And I am absolutely taking the high road right now, Dave about that. I saw a quick video of that, and so I will wait from the response from New York. But those three seconds are critical man, let's just say that, yeah, we're on to Philadelphia.
I mean, you can't say I'm gonna take the high road and then just then you got to go out about it.
It's fine. I don't know if the game would have ended. It was giffy. It was close.
So Patrick Claybonn, who who's left the studio, did do an unofficial stopwatch of it. He believes there probably would have been one second, last second that that it wouldn't have been the difference. So it is one of those bald don't lie situations, perhaps, or at least for us. I'm just happy that that's not the story of the game because the Commanders are in the middle of a playoff race here and if that had cost.
Them a win, it would have been brutal. Absolutely.
I don't know, man, there's something about this Commanders team. They don't have many quality wins really any No, this.
What this one was important because I think they go to Philly next week and they need there's a couple teams snipping at their heels. They absolutely, one hundred percent needed to come out with us a win. If that two point conversion had hit, I think they spiral out. I don't think they make the playof at all.
That's brutal.
They do have the Falcons after the Eagles, so they have two home games Eagles then Falcons, than at Cowboys. And yeah, if they can't pull off the upset against the Eagles, they're officially eliminated, of course from the division. But then that Falcons game looms really large, and then those NFC West teams can think, maybe we could sneak a second team into the playoffs. But a big one
win that they got it done. Even if there's some concern here with the offensive line and the running game and even the defense giving up a drive late to Spencer Rattler, they come away with it.
Let's go to.
Carolina now, Patra Cooper Rush, he's part of the new Triplets in Dallas.
First and ten at the Carolina seventeen turpin in motion from right to left, Schnapter Rush looking left, looking looking standing now rolling outside the right scramble. Drill throws it in the end on the ball is caught by Jalen Rocks for a touchdown.
Oh about that.
Break up the Cowboys offense, Yeah, that's Brad Sham on k RLD. Cowboys get it done as road underdogs thirty to fourteen. Rush throws for three touchdowns two hundred and fourteen yards. Rico Daddle goes for one forty nine. He's at he's at like three hundred and eighty yards. He's winen fantasy leagues over the last three weeks. And Ceedee Lamb goes nine for one to sixteen despite playing with his backup quarterbacks, they cruise. I can't believe the Cowboys.
I know they were playing the Panthers, but they went over four hundred yards.
Yeah, they did.
I thought it Rico'donnnell since he's since Mike McCarthy's just given him the ball and let him be the lead back as opposed to all this messing with Zeke and Cook and all that noise. They've they've really become an offense that at least they can move the chains. And rico' dondal he doesn't have many explosive runs a long as like twelve, but he can keep you in down in distances.
And then Cooper Rush he had a really bad fumble and the half and that was like the only half part of the game where you thought the Panthers might have a chance. They bombed an eighty three yard touchdown. But after that, the Cowboys just took care of business. It was lamb and Dawdle Lamban Dawdle, Lambon Daddle basically all down the field and Cooper Rush didn't throw any picks and he managed the game like he does. And I thought the defense finally played like their front can play.
Parsons and o'diggy Zoo dominated. They had six sacks all in the second half, not the two of them, but the Cowboys. I mean, they were going against a not good Carolina offensive line, but they controlled the ballgame up front, and they messed with Bryce Young.
Yeah.
How concerning a performance was this for Bryce Young? He lost two fumbles, had two interceptions, so four turnovers overall. I saw some impressive plays by him, but they've been stacking it positive. I think losing by sixteen to this Cowboys team is disappointing and it is a reminder the final story of this Bryce aissance will be written after week eighteen, and so the next three weeks are going to be important for him.
You don't want to stack performances like this.
Right right?
I thought in my assessment was it obviously was a downslope in the roller coaster that's been his thing after you know, three weeks of going up the track. So I think you kind of expect that this team is still lacking talent. They still have questions on the old line. They didn't get anything from the running game today, which has been their bread and butter and helped open up the play action passing. And you know, still they still have some deficits that pass catcher and Bryce made his
first interception. I mean Greg Olsen did a perfect job explaining why he went to the wrong target. He tried to force it to feel in and he had a wide open tight end on the outside and he should have just hit that slant. But he had some poor decisions that were reminiscent of release season Bryce. But he splashes. He's splashed in some big plays and some key plays that make you think that he can still do it, don't.
I wasn't completely dejected as as we thought early in a season like Week one and two when he was really bad. It was an up and down game, and I think we should expect those from a second year quarterback with so few starts. Every once in a while.
Yeah, he hit that eighty three yard or to Cocer for a touchdown. So good to get the other rookie going there, Jalen Cocher. But a disappointing game. It it's crazy to me that the Cowboys are six and eight. They just don't feel like they have the same record as let's say, the Bengals or the Dolphins or the Colts. But neither of these teams are eliminated. Somehow, no teams that played on Sunday were eliminated. The Panthers are actually
still technically alive. I don't know how that works. Yeah, how does that work in the NFC?
So everybody ties and they keep winning some hig I don't.
Know, something like that.
And the Cowboys are still alive technically for the wild card. And you mentioned some bad decisions out of Bryce young man. We made some bad decisions on Wednesday.
Play the music, Eric. It was quite a run this.
Podcast, Kevin was on in terms of our survivor picks. In some controversy early in the season, once we all joined forces. We had been going for twelve straight weeks here thirteen straight weeks, and we got a little over our skis going Panthers. We hadn't picked the Panthers to win even a single game between Patrick buy all season, and we picked them to win. To apologies to everyone who was following along and especially to Steve Wis. She wasn't there to stop us from doing this. I apologize
forgetting on board. Yes, the Cowboys season is still alive. Patra, fun to have you back on the show. The Beard to go Tea. It's looking great, the voice sounding great. Have a great holiday. If we don't talk to you before.
Appreciate it. Yep.
Have a merry Christmas to everyone, and happy Honika.
Look at that Kevin Patrack come in at you back on NFL Daily. Let's go to Sunday Night Football.
In the shotgun is love.
Chris Brooks to his left, third down and five snapped to love, has time.
Ms on for dub dubbing grab touchdown? What a play, what a flo What a catch Romeo dubbs.
Wayne Laravie on WR and W Yes that great grab by Romeo dops.
It seems like his his only grabs are great.
What a pair of hands on that guy go three for forty but gets two touchdowns on the game thirty to thirteen.
The Packers win.
It really completes a theme of the day shook a lot of important games, a lot of great performances, not a lot of close games, and a lot of key injuries. We will get to Gino Smith leaving this one and what that's gonna mean for the NFC West race, but let's give the Packers their flowers. Their offense came out like gangbusters in the first half and ultimately did enough defensively so that they didn't have to sweat it late.
Yeah, a couple of long scoring drives earlyer. This is a game that had a lot of like pretty long possessions on both sides. Like you look at the first four possessions for the Packers in the first half, they go touchdown, touchdown, field goal, field goal, and every possession was except for the last one, more than three and a half minutes. And then the Seahawks were kind of
similar too, only difference was the score. And then, you know, just as things started to get interesting in the second half, that's when Gino exits with what has been reported to be a knee injury.
He was questionable to return.
You could tell by the images on the sideline that he was not going to come back, and that kind of sucked the juice out of it for the Seahawks like it. From then on, you could pretty much tell the Packers were the better team tonight, probably the better team overall, and they were gonna finish off a victory that they had very much earned while you know, still taling, you know, under four hundred yards, but a solid offensive night with booed by a strong start and a strong finish.
Yeah, ultimately, I'm not going to ding them too much for playing with their food in the second half, especially the fourth quarter. They they had a little four drive run there in the fourth quarter where it was two three and outs, a fumble and then a turnover on downs on a really short drive for the Packers because they started so well, like they came out with intent that first drive that was all Josh Jacob's huge holes. This Seattle run defense had been better in recent weeks.
The Packers, who are known for their offensive line and their running game, their best was better than what had been Seattle's best over the last few weeks on their defense. And the second drive, you know, that throw that Jordan Love had to Christian Watson down the sidelines was fantastic. Did they get a couple touchdown drives, a couple of field goal drives. They score on all four possessions, and I'm thinking, you know, going into halftime, mat Gino must
be playing terribly and not really. The game was fourteen to three or fourteen to zero rather, and they'd only run four plays on offense Seattle. And then he makes a number of nice throws. He's under a lot of quick pressure, and he makes the big mistake of the night after a long drive, that interception where the two routes were two condensed in the red zone, he gets picked off. That's that's the only third possession that they have and they end up going to halftime. It felt
like the game was over. Then add injury to insult. He gets hurt on a play where he gets hit low. They don't throw the flag because of a rule that I didn't know that you had to have your feet on the ground for it to count as a penalty. And that injury could end the Seahawks season if Gino can't get back on the field, because we saw tonight Sam Howell is unplayable. He had seventeen dropbacks. They had
under one yard per play. On those dropbacks, he had twenty four yards passing and interception, took three sacks and it was just over once he entered the game. With all the extra possessions they got because their defense played better in the second half, maybe they could have come back in this game if Gino was out there, but they were done otherwise. And I don't want to take anything away from the Packers because their defense got after
Gino pretty well when he was out there. The quick pressure rate they noted was over twenty percent when Gino was in the game, which is extremely high for pressure under two and a half second. So the Packers with Eddrian Cooper with Kenny Clark, like their defense has had better moments lately. As long as they're not playing the Lions, they look pretty good.
Yeah, And first off, Edge Cooper, that was one of my favorite guys at the Combine made the All Combine team, and I'm glad to see him succeeding in the back half of the season. He is a stud, He's a missile as a linebacker, and he saw a lot of it tonight. And the ball skills, you know, picking off how in this game to essentially salted away. But yeah, as soon as you saw saw Sam Howel the field what you saw was a guy who clearly hadn't played since last season, and the rust was there, the lack
of internal clock was there. Like he was just slow to decide, hesitant to throw, which is not who he was in Washington. He let it rip plenty when he was in Washington. Was afraid to throw essentially back there.
And that allowed the Packers defense to pin their ears back.
Kingsley and bar I got in there, Cooper got in there like no matter who it was, a number of different guys got after him, and like I said, it took the life out of the Seahawks. They had no shot coming back because this game was very much, you know, it was for the taking because the Packers offense hit a lot. Like Jacobs gets to halftime, for example, they had that strong first half. He gets to halftime with fourteen for seventy three and a touchdown. His next twelve
carries he gets twenty one yards total. And that's not a knock on him, it's just kind of the description of the game script and the flow of the game and what happened. And yet the Packers still pull away because they are a team filled with pros coached by a pro who was highlighted in the second half, and it's a nice win for them on the road and we'll see where it takes them here, Whereas Seahawks fan's gonna be keeping their fingers crossed because if they get bad.
News on Gino, this season's gonna go up and smoke real quick.
Yeah.
They are now eight and six.
The Rams are in first place in the division, although it's tied technically, but the Rams have the tiebreaker because they beat Seattle head to head. Those two teams face each other in week eighteen. Now I've been assuming that game's gonna be for the division title. You lose Geno here, you're not that competitive against the Packers.
If you're a Seahawks fan, you have to be worried.
Will they be down two games going into that Will they have a chance to compete in the division. You have Minnesota coming in next week, and then you're at Chicago on Thursday Night football the day after Christmas. I can't believe they're doing Thursday Night football the day after having two Christmas games. That sort of I miss that
somewhere along the way. And so that Bears game might be a must win for Seattle, but worrisome because they also lost their center Oloatami, who had helped out their offensive line, and the offensive line did not play as well today, Like I said, giving up a lot of quick pressures. Given a lot of love to your boy Cooper, who their defense is just different when he's out there. He has not been out there for them. He is their best linebacker and he is a rookie. I really
have noticed that Kenny Clark has played better lately. Their four man rush is getting there, and the Packers occupy this really strange space where they're awesome. They're ten and four right and they're almost playing for nothing the rest of the way, like they can't win their division. I mean they could, but they're almost certainly not going to down two games and they're probably just stuck in that
sixth spot. But the NBC telecast showed a great graphic that their opponent's winning percentage in terms of their losses is the highest in NFL history because they've only lost the teams that are either eleven and two or twelve and two. I mean, it's incredible. So they're just kind of gearing up for the playoffs. They know they're almost certainly going to be on the road for three games, and Seattle's loss just opens the door just a little bit.
The Cardinals are there at seven and seven and think, okay, maybe we do have more of a path. According to next Gen stats, Cardinals are up to thirteen percent to make the playoffs. The Packers, by the way, if you're curious, are at ninety nine over ninety nine percent, but not technically in this game actually clinched the playoffs for the Minnesota Vikings, So that was the only clinching in the NFC today other than the Chicago Bears were officially eliminated.
But we're not eliminated. Shook, We've got no, We've got a long way to go.
We got a Monday night double header to talk about tomorrow night.
Excited about that, just yeah, I mean, just when I thought that there were no more of those left in the calendar, here that come. So we're ready for geared up, ready to go. Two games one night, Me and Greg doing it again.
Yeah, and two teams that are in the playoff race, fighting for seeding in terms of the Vikings and fighting just to stay alive in terms of the Falcons.
So we will have you covered there on Monday night.
And yeah, like I said, weird game, like we'd day important, right, but yeah, weird. Almost no close games. Texans was kind of close. The Washington game was close Jets, and that's it. The rest like we're getting separation. Look when the late season games, when they're running out of them, you know football is back.
They didn't have it, didn't have it.