2024 Week 8 Recap

Welcome to NFL Daily, where we always know to knock the ball down at the goal line.

On Hail Mary. I'm rolling around here in the Chris.

Wesleyan podcast studio with Patrick claybah Nick Shook.

Joining us from Cleveland.

And Yes, this is one of those days that as the witching hour hit in the early window of games, Scott Hansen's going nuts. I'm going nuts. There were so many good games. I was like, I don't know what game we could possibly start the show with, and then a game in a moment just presents itself to us.

Yeah, And the thing is, there's so much that we can discuss just on the final play of the game.

And for those of you who were finding this out on the podcast, Okay.

Let's listen to the call. Then right off the path, let's do.

It the eight deep for we get the goal on they bring three. Dabel's backing up. He's just gonna the one. Flaw goes to the white song, steps away from.

The defenders, gives himself some time now, steps up, fires heads towards the end zone.

It is talking about the ball, does just about hell hell yes, Blood and Fletcher.

Blood and Fletcher Hell Mary Hell Yes, that.

Was Bram Weinstein and yeah, London Fletcher w b I d with talking about our Dodgers here in Los Angeles there.

I think I could.

Barely hear it over the screaming and yelling some pop.

Yes, Jaden Daniels finds Noah.

Brown after a deflection up a few hands, but Tyreek Stevenson was jumping in there at the end for the Bears. And it goes to Noah Brown and the Washington Commanders and what is turning out to be an absolutely magical year win eighteen to fifteen. And when I saw this happen, and my first thought was kind of like, ball, don't lie. There was not a bad call in this game, and yet they were the better team all day.

And I was like, oh, the right team kind of won.

And it was also the right team because I picked them in Patrick Claven did yees And.

So congratulations to Washington Commanders. Fans will celebrate that play in that moment for the rest of your lives. It's because I picked the Bears and stuck with them, which felt like a great picnic considering the way that the game was going, where the Bears could do absolutely nothing. Caleb Williams had four completions late in the second half, but then DeAndre Swift goes on a fifty plus yard

Did you scream in Cleveland, Nick Schuck when that happened?

Yes, yes I did. I screamed almost at the top of my lungs while sitting here in my office in my house.

Yes I did.

And you're right, Greg, I think you hit the nail right on the head there. It felt like Washington was the better team, and when Chicago scored, I was like, oh, this is a rotal loss for them because they've outplayed them for the majority of this game. And then Jalen drops back and throws to Hail Mary. That sends the broadcasters into just shouting, like just undecipherable shouting, pure euphoria in the form of football. That is the beauty of this game. You know, how can you not love this

Okay, I'm sick of these teams not sending extra rushers on these hail maryors. Yes, think it's better and Bears fans and people in my mention say, well, he got the extra time because there was a whole like, yeah, there was a hole towards the end of the play. It wasn't the worst hold I've ever seen. Calm down about that being the difference between when he and losing.

Because there was a moment a little earlier in.

That play, probably after he held the ball about six or seven seconds, where he thought he was going to throw it, but he didn't.

He decided to hold on run around a little more.

That takes some supreme confidence, and yes, it takes a little bit of luck on a day where he just was so athletic. You said we could talk a lot about just that play alone. What do you want to talk about about that play?

Well, ultimately, which film review is going to show a lot before the Before the play, Tyreek Stevenson is over on the numbers, talking to the commander's sideline and fans and being very demonstrative. And then the ball is snapped. He wheels around. He ultimately cuts in front of Noah Brown. It's his tip that goes to Noah Brown seconds after

Right, and and it hurts so much because this game felt like it meant a lot to the Bears, certainly to Caleb Williams.

The two draft picks.

I thought Caleb was a little scattershow in the game, the offensive line for the Bears did not play well pass protecting. They had a couple injuries, and by the end it's just a mass unit out there. Caleb finishes ten for twenty four for one to thirty one, but they get the touchdown on the end and on that final drive, you know, he had some crucial passes.

A great throw earlier.

In the quarter to DJ Moore where DJ Moore got blasted. I guess that was the one they didn't end up scoring the touchdop, but the play to Keenan Allen that he improvises was a great play. Some important throws to Adunze who ends up with three for forty one, and when they hit that touchdown Roshawn Johnson one yard run with about twenty five seconds off, I just thought, Wow,

Yeah, pretty much everything had to fall the right order. I mean, they had had that one time out to stop the clock when they got the pass over in the middle, Ursy had to get the completion of the sideline near the fifty yard line even set up that throw.

Right, And it's a win that puts the Commanders at six and two. They're in a good division race. The Bears are going to need every last one of these ones, and it felt like they were going to steal one. Let's hear from Dan Quinn on that final play.

Look, Jayden did a fantastic job of, you know, buying time, buying time over to the right side lesson.

I don't know how long the play was, maybe you guys might, but it took a long ass time. Thirteen seconds.

Yeah, I felt every bit of them.

Oh my gosh, Patrick just showed me the vision of from a fans camera of Stevenson. He wasn't just I imagine It's like, well, before the snap is happening during the play. He's taunting them during the play, and then he whips around and he's like, oh my god, the play is happening right now, and he starts running over like he's that is absolutely amazing by him. I mean this, and I hate to make it about the quarterbacks versus each other, but I think it's fair to say jayde

That's like the level that he's playing at.

And the whole field is in play with Jayden Daniels, and you see it like you see late stage Russell Wilson ignoring the middle of the field. Right, there's really nowhere where you can count on Jayden Daniels to not have an option, especially considering the way the Terry mclaurin's playing. He caught him on the sixty plus yarder earlier in the game, where again Tony Romo was concerned about his ribs, as Romo should be as a guy who's played with

That that player does not exist.

That's the part that reminds me the most of Lamar because that's how I thought to his his rookie years, like when he goes to the edge like you're not gonna stop him before we move on from this incredible game in moment. Randy Chavez a great producer. I don't know how he heard that the Portuguese call was so great, but he's like, you got to hear this Portuguese call of the play.

It's pretty great, and I got it. It is pretty great.

Jadon Daniels, Mary Lou Lush nice my submiss a, Stampos Chain, Dannis.

Who glado look that kind of day in Washington.

Uh.

One fan who said that's been there to every single game said the explosion when that touchdown was caught, that was the loudest they have ever heard. That stadium shaping up to be a special season. Let's go to Cleveland where it's been a tough season, but they had a special day too.

If you're the Cleveland brown one, pay to get a huge emotional witch.

You gotta think twenty four yards, let's go three seconds, this.

Is it for the win.

Makes some noise, We're every you can hear the.

Sounds about our voice right now.

Twenty four yard nine shut guns rounds up, twenty nine, twenty four. Lamar Jackson has the football it's rushing for Lamar, flushed out, Lamar chase by scenarios, Lamar Jackson are poisonarious. He's gotta throwing, directing traffic, punk pak now throwing end zone, go corner.

No, God it cook Ude, The Crowns Will twenty nine, twenty four. You just knew it.

You knew it, you felt it.

So many things happening this game, they're unexplainable. Let it all landed up to a brownswin. This one's for you.

Just thought of it.

What a call one of the calls of the year. Put that on the list. Yes, that was Andrew Ceciliano, w K R K Andrew and Nathan Zegura. An emotional moment. Yes, Jim Donovan, the late great play by play announcer of the Browns, lost his battle with cancer over the weekend, sixty eight years old. And if you have a chance, watch the camera work of that play on Andrew and Nathan Zigern and there's even more to it. It's emotional.

Yeah, I still think they're the best, but this was a special day, like you said, for a team that's had a tough season. Jameis Winston breathed life into this offense that we have not seen all season because Deshaun Watson was playing quarterback. You know, Patrick and I think joked about this a few weeks ago when Jamis came in for a meaningless drive and moved the ball down the field and scored a touchdown. Where even in the few throws that he had he looked like the best

Let's listen to Jamis on the podium talking about those dropped interceptions, because yeah, there was more than one.

What went through your mind when you saw Kyle Amlson dropped that dropped the interception?

Oh, I started praying instantly, you know, I started praying instantly. It was only about a grace of God. And I think when situations like that happened, you always sit back and you be like, man, I still got the stuff to work on, right, because it could have been a matter of whatever. Who knows how we would feel right now if that would have happened. But I'm so grateful that that was an if and ifs and should and would have could haves.

Don't mehing in his game?

Well we're well, we're on Jamis.

Let's just listen to all his post game sound because he was he was in rear form and yeah, I mentioned that Kyle Hamilton dropped that you also did too, shook. Yeah, that would have basically ended the game. But there were a few in this game, and a few It was to Eddie Jackson, the Raven safety who was playing in place of Marcus Williams, a big ticket free agent signing who just has not been playing well this year at all,

Man, there's a there's a white boy from Detroit that I really admired and m He said, you only get one shot, do not miss a chance to blow this opportunity last once.

In a lifetime.

And I know I got a quote, you know, Eminem he from Detroit, he right up the road.

But man, I'm just grateful.

I'm grateful that the Lord prouded me with this opportunity. I'm grateful for my teammates, my coaches, and these amazing fans.

His soul is escaping through the hole that is gaping. That was the.

It's tough to It's tough, Greg's it's really tough. And congratulations on a great win to the Cleveland Brown. Yes, but you mentioned the dropped interception by Eddie Jackson. There was the dropped third and seventeen completion to Rashod Bateman.

Zay Flowers had drops as well.

Drops for the story of the game for Baltimore, who once again has come into a game against the team with one of the worst records in the NFL after being one of the best teams in the NFL, clearly showing that they can beat anybody anywhere, but they can also lose to anybody anywhere in the most chaotic effects. And it's not like you could pick any one of those plays. The cal Hamilton drop, Lamar had missus as well,

Yeah, I want to credit CBS for that postgame interview, and yes, Eminem for a song that's still doing so well among the youth. I was at a fall festival inside of like one of those video game trucks with my son on Friday night, school sponsored like video game trucks, and Lose Yourself comes on and a whole bunch of sixth graders are just, you know, singing the lyrics.

Knows every single one.

Then it is passed down through generations Nick and who knows, maybe Jameis Winston will too as a Browns quarterback.

Three thirty four and three touchdowns. He's your future now, I.

Mean for the rest of the season. There's no question that he's the guy. I mean, he'll throw picks. This is what you're gonna get. But that's also what they got out of Joe Flacco. So Browns fans probably felt like it was deja vu to a degree because that's what Flacco did down the stretch last year. This team's not making the playoffs, but it's nice to see them, you know, actually form a competent offense for one week with a quarterback, you can get the ball out on

Yeah, competent and considering the investment. Much like the forty one million dollars that went into making the film eight Mile when it grows two and forty one million dollars.

Wow, Yeah, a good bargain. Directed by my guy Curtis Hansen. There it's coming off wonder Boys. I mean, what a wild one to two punch that was for different types of movies. Yeah, when you see Cedric Tilben go seven for ninety nine, Elijah Boor eight for eighty five, Judy five for seventy nine, in Djoku five for sixty one, you're like, oh, yeah, it was all always the quarterback.

It was always the quarterback.

And it's crazy to me if Jamis Winston plays well enough to possibly save Andrew Berry's job, because if Andrew Berry's signing, you know, signing of Deshaun Watson was so bad because he got hurt. Like Deshaun Watson, staying was the way for them to tank. I think there might be part of the people in the front office that want as high a draftic as possible. Jameis Winston might help to ruin that. And it only happened because their guy, Deshaun Watson got hurt.

It's crazy.

Let's end on a positive, no, or at least a bittersweet note. We've had so many Jim Donovan calls over the years on the Around the NFL podcast, and now we're here as the NFL Daily Podcast, and I think about that that great Brown's victory, which is the second to last show that Chris Ever did on the show. That's very emotional for Mark on the show. Love seeing the Browns getting that win. And so many different great

Mayfield under center, second down in ten takes the snap, gives it Bruns.

He's in a tenth fifteen, He's in.

The twenty twenty five, thirty, thirty five, forty, forty.

Five, fifty there ghost Jim hes in the thirty twenty down five touchdown shop Alahap.

Ninety two yards.

Pretty unbelievable. He has a second gear.

I just got hit more by you than I did it by fourteen years in the NFL.

Oh what play?

That was the longest run in Brown's history, called by the great Jim Donovan, Rest in peace.

When I joined the Browns in twenty nineteen, was there for about a year. You know, there's a lot of new faces, a lot of people that I got to know very well. But nobody was kinder to me and more welcoming to me when I showed up than Jim Donovan. This is the guy I grew up listening to you know on Brown's radio since nineteen ninety nine. I mean, I remember when he called, you know a hail married Kevin for the Browns first woman. They came back as

Well said Nick. Let's go to our next game, and yeah, rest in peace. Jim Donovan wheeling.

Down on one knee, arm extend and here's the standard. Let's been made. The kick is up.

Man is God.

For a second week in a row.

Brandon Manas delivers the dagger and the.

Packers have defeated the Jaguars thirty to twenty seven.

Yes, it was a wild day. That was way Wayne Larvie on wr.

In W.

Yeah, it's a.

Game winning dagger from Brandon McManus again, set up by Malik Willis, a fifty one yard pass. Unfortunately, Jordan Love gets hurt again. He has a groin injury. More on that in a bit, But Patrick Malik Willis comes in, has a couple of runs that are important, and then yes, an important throw to Jayden Reid to set up that game winner. They're finding ways to win no matter who's that quarterback.

Yeah, and the Packers were down thirteen to ten when Malik Willis comes into that game. Jordan Love injured himself rolling to his right early on in the game. He's kind of hobbling, not kind of, he was clearly limping handing the ball off. They did have a couple of scoring drops. I had a good ball to Romeo Dobbs

And it's coaching too, like it.

If Milik Willis was in Tennessee, wouldn't be having the success if he was in Miami.

So a wonder can coach.

I don't think you'd be having this success because Mike McDaniel doesn't seem to be able to know how to make it translate, and yet they do.

Here.

Let's listen to Matt Lafleur talk about Jordan Love's injury because obviously that's a big takeaway from this game.

No idea, but obviously high level of concern anytime a guy's in there, and he did it early in that first drive, and I think you guys, I think everybody could see him struggling to move around, and I just got to a point where we didn't feel like and he didn't feel like he could protect himself. So I went with Malik, And can't say enough great things about Malik willis the job that he's able to do to go in there. You know, the moment's never too big

Yeah, Josh Jacobs did to one hundred and twenty seven yards on the ground, a couple of touchdowns. Tucker Kraft gets it done with another long score in this game. A lot of the heroes that have been helping the Packers get to six and two shook like Xavier McKinney within an interception helps him get a win here. And this win feels even bigger because they have the Lions next week and we'll see it.

We'll see about love.

But in this division, you want to be banking those wins as much as possible, especially if you're not going to be you know, having your quarterback out there.

We'll see.

Yeah, absolutely, any game where you gave up the lead late, you had to fight back to take the lead, then it looked like you were gonna run away with it or at least you know, kind of coast to the finish line, and all of a sudden, it's a tie of ball game because of a great drive by Trevor Lawrence, which we can get to in a second, because he looked pretty good. But you know, you make the point

On Sunday, Yeah, and it was you mentioned that Examer.

You guys both talked about that Xavier McKinney interception could have wound up being the difference in this game. Where Brian Thomas Junior is running a clear out, trev looks up and thinks that x is are going to go with the speedy rookie, but McKinney hesitates, comes back across his body and picks off a pass intended for Christian Kirk. And the Jacks had to come back in this game without Christian Kirk because there was a deep ball down the middle of the field that got punched out late.

They've got a good offense. I think we can officially stamp it. They're a good offense for years.

Yeah, well, especially when Tank Bixby ends up, you know, carrying the load in the backfield. And Brian Thomas is having a great rookie year, and Christian Kirk makes an impact, but it all starts with Trevor, and a lot of it before was Trevor not being consistently accurate, just near misses here and near missus. They're a bad pick or two in a game. He shook off a bad pick in this game because they picked off Jordan Love and then he instantly gives the ball right back to them.

Yeah.

Offensively, sure, but he's having these good games. Then Yeah, then the other team scores thirty and it just feels like a long march.

But you never know.

Brian Thomas was a great first pick, ends up with three for sixty and a touchdown. Some outstanding plays within there not a lot to feel good about.

Offensively.

We will see about Jordan Love and hopefully he can get healthy for that Lions game next week. We're just getting started here on NFL Daily. Oh, good games to start with. Yeah, let's start rolling through that early window when Scott Hansen was just like losing his mind.

We'll hit those games after the break. Cousins works in a pistol.

Here, five claps and he gets a snap. You gonna rip it for pants caught Kylen Stride twenty five, twenty fifteen, ten five touchdown, The ball got knocked, loosers, pitch broke the line. Oh this is close, this is really close. They awarded him the touchdown.

That sigh of relief you heard from Tampa was from Kyle Pitts. It was from West Durham. It was from Dave Archer on w zg C. Yeah, that was a forty nine yard touchdown catch where Kyle Pitts looked about as fast as we've seen him since his rookie year, but he lets up a little.

Bit at the end and Antoine Winfield he did it again.

He's he saved the Buccaneers season, I thought last year with a play very similar to that against the Panthers with about three weeks left of the season got them into the playoffs. And I understand why they couldn't overturn it because there wasn't a totally clear view. But I bet Bucks fans and people that picked him to win this game like me, believe he got that ball out before they got it over the goal line and just

Yeah, and you know what kills me though about the Falcons and not to put a damper on a win. Nothing is easy with this team. It's a shootout of sorts. In the first half, they pull away, it looks like they're going to pull away at least, you know, they go up by a couple scores, and then they let it get close late because Baker does the same thing he did a week ago after throwing two picks. Suddenly he leads a comeback charge and they're in position to

Why just because you're writing it up or whatever and you want it to be simple.

Don't you want good football games? Shook?

No, I want a good football team to finish strong.

Are they a good football team?

I don't know.

We'll never know if it keeps. Because I've had the same experience Nick did. We're you know, doing all the doing all these different games. I look up, Okay, I don't have to worry about the falcon all right anymore. I can pay attention to the rest of the games. Then I look back up and there goes Bucky irving on like and it's like, what where? Where's the consistency? Like they needed a Jesse Bates incredible interception, uh to keep this comeback from from even being more of a comeback.

Right Ku miss is a kick which he's done in big spots a handful of times this year that the safety was just a ridiculous play. Baker, I think is costing this team. But I'm glad you mentioned Jesse Bates. I just think it has to be mentioned. Starts the game off with incredible peanut punch and then you know caps it late with a beautiful interception. That just aren't many safeties doing it like this. This team, I don't

Yes, the clash of the safeties, and Baker Mayfield had to pay for it a couple of times in this game. You know, I do want to talk more about him because, please, let's face it, he's he's operating without his top two receivers. He's forced to play with the likes of you know, Jalen McMillan, and you know, he's throwing his running backs a lot, and he's throwing a Trey Palmer and like Kate Otten's going off because he's probably his best target. He had nine for eighty one and two touchdowns today

You got to got to pay a fine for mentioning that. So oh no, well fine, I was ready to have a pre show meeting and just say that rule, but I just figured everyone would understand.

But thank you too late.

I'm in jail. I'm in jail. I'm out for the just silence me.

No.

But Baker also like missus, and he doesn't have as much of a rapport with guys, and he's you know, energetic, aggressive Baker, and he's always going to put his pedal to the floor and get after it and it's going to cost them. And it's kind of where he's been the last couple weeks because you took Mike Evans out of the equation and you took Chris Godwin out of the equation, and he's operating with less than a full deck.

Yeah, they now have the tie break obviously over the Buccaneers and the lead in the division.

It's a massive win for them.

I mean, look, they can try to figure out their weaknesses as they march towards the playoffs, because this is an awful division with two of the worst teams in the NFL in it, and you've already swept the other team that's in the division. I want to watch this game closer later. But you know, one of my working theories lately is that Baker Mayfield's a problem for this team.

Wow, Actually everything.

You live, you live and die by him what it is, because he actually had a nice first half until the picks started piling up, and you live and die by him.

But I think I think he's being set up for success in a really meaningful way. I think the scheme, it's getting guys open. They're protecting him well in the inconsistency, and that's just Baker. I guess, like, why would you expect it to be different? But don't sell me on that it is different. It's right, it's right there on the Dalton scale line, except I'd rather have someone like Andy Dalton, who you kind of know what you're getting, versus someone that's like over for a quarter and then

Still, No, it's just tough.

It's tough to win those games where you're you're going out, and we celebrate right players making plays like Jade Daniels did it today or we saw Josh Allen talk about him in a little bit. Yeah, and it's just like Andy Dalton isn't doing that.

It's just Andy Dalton.

Baker's two interceptions that.

Came today on deep passes, you know, the one that's going to Miller, right, it's a whole lot different if that's if that's Evans.

The mist to McMillan. There's just it's just a little scattershot. It's a little crazy. Maybe just not my style. Kirk Cousin's getting it done. Still, never move in the pocket, never having a problem in this division. He's just standing firm and he's making a Habit really says something about his arm talent and his veteran savvy. He's seen a lot and he's he's seeing this Bolls defense. By the way,

That's part of the problem.

You're running the same stuff that you usually do and it never works against this team. It's never really working this year in general, but it's definitely not working against the Falcons. Let's go to New England, where not many things were working consistently, but it was pretty fun.

Smith is in the backfield line up as a fullback.

Stevens in the jail back. Henry motions left the right Prishett hands a Kiver moderiate.

He runs into the right shock got it pauses ony of the episode and.

The lead touchdown Patriots. It's a big point shot by Jacoby Persett. It robers disbeliegue.

The Jets have choked another game away.

I want to put that out of the potential cause of the year. Choked another gave away. There was twenty two seconds left of the game.

There's plenty of time for Rogers after they kicked the touchback to make a couple plays, but he didn't. He was up and down all day, Jacoby Pressett was mostly just up. That was a big boy drive. That was the drive of the Patriots season, seventy yards in twelve plays in under three minutes to stick a touchdown on the Jets to win the game. They hit the two

As no redemption. You know, I think this is a testament to me believing in myself and not y'all. And I'm very aware of that, and you know, I was. I was very fortunate that, you know, to have this opportunity and to go out there and you know and get a win, you know, with our guys. You know, it was you know sweet. I mean, you can't put it into words, but you know, I'm not trying to like be arrogant nothing, but I'm very proud of myself today.

It's so funny because he wasn't being remotely arrogant, and like he's such like a humble, self effacing guy that he's even saying, like I'm not trying to be arrogant, Like we we are giving you this one.

Jacoby Brissette, this was Patriots super Bowl.

If you could pick one game on the entire rest of the schedule to win, and it might be the only win on the entire rest of the schedule, this would be the game because you are dragging your rival Jets into the Meyer. Except it feels even worse if you're you know, the Jets, because the expectations are so much higher. They're both two and six. The difference is

There was a lot of good games in the early one dy.

If you look at Brissett's stat line twenty five or fifteen for twenty four one pint thirty two, it's like, oh, it's kind of like Jacoby at the beginning of the year, No zero running game help. Other than that touchdown run, they just couldn't get it done. Their running backs went twenty five for fifty six in this game. The drops were absolutely insane. I counted six to seven drops. Almost all of them would have been for first downs. Most

Down the field.

The drops started with Drake Bay, but they mostly were with Jacoby Verssett, and then the throw that Jacoby had to Kishon Boody, who's like their best receiver, which is hilarious on the final drive came on a blitz where he's taking a hit right in the leg as he's delivering at thirty four yards downfield. It was a really good performance. He gave them mature quarterback play. I think Drake May would have done well too. He started off

Patrick. Yeah.

The Jets also saw the best runner on the day, which was Drake may finished up right as the almost the leading rusher on how many three for forty six on seventeen fewer carries the Monterrey Stevenson three for forty six yards and that touchdown that came on the opening drive, leading us to the question are the Jets soft now?

Is?

Yes?

Is Softgate effectively over?

Did girod Mayo not make the players sad and they and they were all mad and quickly trying? Or was that overwrought as Jacoby might have illuminated when he suggested that he wasn't listening to those.

Guys you're saying we soft. We're soft in the media for making a big novel.

Particularly the people in the room that Jacoby Brissett were talking to. Perhaps their reaction was a little bit overwrought about softness and the soft conversation. Really it comes down to the Jets aren't a good football team and the Patriots might not be either, but today they were better than the Jets.

They just were.

And if you look at Aaron Rodgers numbers a decent passing passing day seventeen to twenty eight, two thirty three, two touchdowns, But it continues to be Aaron having to get rid of the ball crazy early in plays, early on in the progression, the time to throw. Aaron Rodgers today thirty five percent of his attempts under two and a half seconds.

Right, and it wasn't getting pressured much. So he's been consistent to me in a weird way. He's kind of the same guy every week, which is he the throws are even either amazing like he spins it, kind of like I've been talking about with Kirk Cousins. He had some great throws today to Garrett Wilson, goes five for one to thirteen. Wilson gets the benefit of not having Christian Gonzales on him, so he gets the better match up against Marcus Jones. That shows you, Okay, that's the

Certainly not moving.

He's won for four outside the pocket for like no yards, and they're just poorly run. It was comical they burned three timeouts in the first half because they couldn't get the play in on time in the first quarter. They had another big one in the second half which ended up losing large. They had two delay of games because they couldn't get the plays off, including on the two point conversion, so they had to go further. That ended up being a big moment in this game late in

Nick Cook, Yeah, poorly run, which usually points to a coach who's about to get fired, except they already fired their coach and they demoted their offensive coordinator. You can't make any more changes on the staff that are going to affect you not being able to get plays in and getting you know, operations, penalties. That's already that ship

Okay, fair, I don't know if that's the changes that he was looking for, and part of it, you're right, And I was really upset about the failure of the spotter the game and the failure of the officials, not only to call the late hit on a slide to the head of Drake.

May that clearly concustom.

If you're watching the broadcast copy, you saw in a second like his teammates went over to celebrate, and he's woozy and like not getting up and he stays in for the next play to get sacked. It's just like and I saw the Boston Herald Karen Grugian note that he only went to the spot er in the tent after having a long conversation. No, not with like the medical professionals. First with Jacoby Presett. I think Jacoby was

Uh.

He reacted after the game to Jeff Olbrick, saying, yeah, this is a dark moment in this season.

Yeah, I've been in the darkness.

You got to go in there make peace with it.

Perfect. No better player to have that question asked.

It's like almost almost seems like a bit with like the shadow over his eyes. If you're watching it on YouTube, it's intentionble it is. It is dark times right now. Uh in New York, those lights were literally too bright for Adam two and six on a day where I thought they had a lot of good things, like the running backs him so hard. Quinn Williams finally has the

Shut up, Hurts looks, he is rolling, he's looking, he's pumping, he is going deep downfield, and it is caught Davonte Smith.

Touchdown football.

Yes, it's time for the Sunday Drive, presented by the all new hybrid Toyota Camry. That was Merril Reese wip DeVonta Smith. Sometimes it's about the players, not just the play. And look at Jack Stole got a nice block to help extend that play for Jalen Hurts, who just says

Yeah, and they started this trend. I think when they beat the Giants, I think they found they rediscovered themselves offensively when they got aj Brown and DeVonta Smith back, and then they've just kind of been building on that since then. I think that went over the Giants gave them a lot of c confidence that they needed to unlock this offense that was recently described by Lane Johnson as being constipated. It's not constpated anymore. I don't care what brand name lax it if you use, but that

When was the last time we saw.

The Eagles be this productive as an offense. It's been a long time, So I'm feeling really good about the Eagles outlook after a game like this when they moved to five and two, and let's not chalk up the nfcast being Washington so fast that they keep playing football like this.

Yeah, I it reminded me a lot of twenty twenty two because I think the defense that year it was compliment football, where the defense really wasn't that great when they played top tier opponents. And look, this game started with a ten minute drive by the Bengals. There are three drives in the first half. They either had touchdowns or field goals, or they had a field goal miss, and then they had a long touchdown drive to start

And we saw that skill in the secondary, especially both rookies like Quinnon Mitchell making several plays down the field with Chase. Jamar Chase had nine catches, but they're able to keep it to fifty one yards. There was that touchdown where Nolan Smith is covering Jamar Chase.

That's that's never gonna work.

So it took a while to get there. I give him credit, he had him for.

The first couple of seconds. In fact, I think it was Kevin Harlan on the calls like Jamar Chase is covered, and then Joe Burrow gives Jamar Chase to go that way. That's an edge rsher and it's it's instantly a touchdown there.

And the rookie stuff.

Though, Yeah, I think Zach Taylor showed something there. He said, I don't trust my defense. I don't blame him. I think he was feeling the flow of this game that they weren't getting stops. It's very out of character for Zach Taylor to go for a fourth and one on his own side of the field and people kill that play.

Coff.

I think it was just it was a good play by Cooper. Dezine has played really well the last couple of weeks. There are some good things he did in coverage in this game and last week. And the other big play defensively for the Eagles in this game was the interception by CD Gardner Johnson that was tipped by Isaiah Rodgers, who was replacing Darius Slay. So that was a good one on one throw where Rodgers really made

That's not on the offense.

Man.

I know they didn't keep up in what needed to be a shootout, but that's a hard way to win. It just meant the way the defense was playing today, they weren't gonna They weren't gonna win against a real team. I think if you look at the pressures, it really tells a story. The Bengals had only five pressures the whole game, zero quick pressures, whereas the Bengals gave up fourteen pressures five quick pressures for the first almost three

Yeah.

I mean that's the story of their season, and especially the last month or so, is that you've well, actually, the whole season, you've been asking your offense to carry you, and the last three games they've scored seventeen, twenty one, and seventeen points. And if you need your offense to carry you, that's not enough to win most football games if your defense isn't good enough. And that's just who

This was the worst game of the year. They probably should be about four and four with all those tough endings that they have, but they are. They are what they are, and they were without t Higgins I should have mentioned, had a late week practice injury and was not in this game. And they just they're a star driven team and they need every star on the field, and they didn't have a good job by the Eagles third straight victory. That was the Sunday Drive presented by

And I was wrong.

Two tight ends set along with Hollins on the left Pullman on the right.

It was the snap handoff goes to Cook right up the.

Cut and into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the game, a seven yard touchdown run for James Cook and the Bills have turned it into a blowout.

Brown on WGR wanted that play as the highlight because it just really showed how they were getting whatever they wanted. They just were kind of taking the Seahawks defense lunch money. Thirty one to ten the Bill's win in Seattle, and you can point towards the self inflicted mistakes. The Seahawks have their center, you know, snaps one over Gino's head and then he steps on Geno's foot on the next time they're on the goal line. But I don't think

I mean, if finishes four forty five.

To two thirty three, like the Seahawks couldn't get a running game going at all, one point three yards per carry for Kenneth Walker, Zach Charbonnay goes negative. Meanwhile, you got James Cook running for one hundred and eleven, you got Ray Davis going for five yards per carry, Like this was gonna be a one sided Bill's victory. I think no matter what happened, Patrick, I know it would have been closer obviously, like if you get a com

It was just fourth.

Yeah, it was no opposition.

So based on that, if that's the case for sixty minutes it never stopped, then eventually that team will win, and maybe it would have been more entertaining and it would have been thirty one to twenty one or something like that.

But you're probably gonna lose.

Yeah, you were, and there was Josh job did get the first interception thrown by Josh Allen. Of other than that that that might have been the highlight for the Seattle Seahawks on the day, who really couldn't do anything.

This is matter as far as a.

Golf athletically from post Achilles Kirk Cousins to Josh Allen in twenty twenty four as you.

Could possibly go. And the results were pretty obvious today.

Yeah, I mean Greg has made the point many times on this show, which is that Josh Allen is the most valuable runner in the NFL. And he was an a valuable runner, you know, in most situations, or as a scrambler, as a guy who extends plays as a quarterback and finds guys open and throws a ball a yard away from the sideline. They didn't need any of that because they won the battle up front. That's the only way to explain how you outgain a team four forty five to two thirty three and you win the

Right, The Seahawks defense has had so many terrible games this year, and you know they're coming off a game where they got healthy, literally like just their better players are on the field and they perform well in Atlanta, but this is a big step back. There's gonna be a lot of questions. They did not have a quarterback hit today, and then they had the rare stat line where they got a team sack, which I'm trying to remember that play, but Josh Allen must have just run

It play out a little bit.

The season is not over that this It is ugly, but one of these teams in the NFC West. I believe we'll figure things out at some point as we get closer to Thanksgiving in December, Seattle has a good basis to start with with their passing game, but everything else kind of needs work. The running game is just County on Ken Walker to make people miss, and the defense.

You know, we've been over their issues.

And again they the big mistakes were so big that it's it's tough to get a full evaluation of a lot of things, especially offensively. I know the metcalf being missing is kind of glaring, but they're like Kenneth Walker will turn a negative run into a positive. Will also sometimes go on little adventures as he did today on the on the bad snap where he's picking it up, I'm wondering if he's going to try to throw the ball away instead. You know, it's a it's a massive loss.

Getting everybody back and getting that win on Thursday, and think.

The Rams are feeling excited, the Bills are feeling good about it because the rest of the NFC East, I mean, the AFC East is absolutely collapsing. They're six and two. Eric, my Super Bowl pick is looking good. You got your Dodgers rolling, you got your Bills rolling. Shakier goes nine for one oh seven. Tom Brady was loving him, Khalil Shakir. He was saying it reminded him of like a young Danny am Mondola or Julian Edelvis. I'll say he's closer,

I guess they're just always the.

Fat always shout out the Khalil secure for breaking the barrier.

FIO three left in the game, Raiders are out of timeouts, second in goal to go.

For the Chiefs with them nine sprint left action wide.

Open, left side top Worthy left front, Thilan.

Touchdown chains city Exavi.

You are Worthy back into the end zone for the third time on a reception, fifth time in his rookie year, and.

The Chiefs up blowing it open but two touchdowns.

That was Zavia Worthy nine yards score WDAF Mitch Holtis on the call, Stop me if you've heard this one before.

Some of the game is a little ugly for the Chiefs offense.

They wind up with a big play late they win by one score.

We move on, Nick Suck. What was different about this Chief's victory? Over the Raiders.

Patrick Mahomes threw a couple of touchdown passes. That's the first thing that was different. So all of you who want to get on my Twitter mentions after the next qv Index drops and says, how is Mahomes in the top two? He's had a terrible year. Watch this game much like every other game, because the guy just creates. When things are breaking down, he extends plays, he keeps drives moving and that's what he did again today. Couple that with a strong defense and this is the performance

A good football team that saw a solid Gardner Minshew game twenty four to thirty two touchdowns.

The raid that's tired for Patrick to say, I mean that's through gritted teeth.

No, I say it with a smile in my heart for Gardner Minshew because apparently Jacobe Myers was the missing piece to this offense. Because Jacoby Myers comes back, he has seven targets, six catches, fifty two yards and a touchdown. They got Trey Tucker involved as well. Alexander Madison did nothing in the ground game. They got that opportunity and Madison gets stopped and the Raiders elect to go for it on fourth down.

Could have cut it to a one point.

I think that's the at this point.

You got to get touchdowns, right, Yeah, you don't have the players are necessarily play cause but what are you gonna do?

You gotta try to.

Are you gonna ram are you gonna ram Madison up into the goal line? Like three times?

You take it?

Do you take a field goal?

You're saying yeah, or you could take a field goal or but ultimately the rollout for Gardner Minshew, the Chiefs were all over that Drew Drew Trenkle with submarining plays for most of the game until he left the game in the late in the fourth quarter, uh with an injury.

You know, could have been a hil Mary situation for Gardner Minshew coming. But again it's all hypothetical.

Wow, I don't think it would have been quite as like, no, you know beautiful.

The arc of the ball would not have been as majestic, and probably the celebration wouldn't have been as raucous with maybe a fifty to fifty crowd right in Las Vegas today. But the Chiefs, you know, you said it, shok, They're inevitable and the best Kelsey game that he's had all season, ninety yards receiving in a touchdown.

Yeah, ten for ninety for Kelsey. That's awesome in a touch and was moving. Well, it's crazy that the Raiders had thirty three yards rushing and seven of those is like on a Trey Tucker and around. It just gets me to the point of, like, the Chiefs have so many good players. They're just so deep for such a

Well, yeah, offensively, not as talented, but schemed by one of the masters of offense and Andy Reid. And that's the most important part with this team because it's being operated by an elite quarterback. Now, the rest of the pieces around him, Sure, if they were great, they would be elevating the offense that he putting up a ton of points like they did four or five years ago, but it really doesn't matter all that matters is that

A lot of teams that feel like you can stick a fork in him this year. I mean the Raiders are certainly one of them. At two and six. There are six teams in the AFC that have six losses. The Titans are one and six, the rest are two and six. A lot of teams just like without a lot of hope. Before Halloween, We're gonna talk about another one of them that traveled across the country to play across the sidewalk in Sofi Stadium.

Second and ten.

Here Herbert to throw and lobs at downfield for mccakee. Car mccackey right sideline defender falls to the twenty turn on the Jets, Lad to the fifteen to the ten upfield into the episode bad Lad touchdown Solgers fifteen is a magic number.

Lad mcconkee makes it fifteen to five.

I love that. Lad mcconkee's got his own touchdown. Call Matt money Smith our friend, I'm k y s are Wekaki added another touchdown later in the game. He ends up six for one to eleven and two scores.

Hopefully receiver one this week.

Hope you picked him up in your fantasy league.

I saw him out there on some waiver wires twenty six to eight. The Chargers get it done in the most twenty twenty four Jim Harbaugh Charger way possible. He's kind of grinding their opponent to a pulp. And yeah, the Saint's fault of two and six in the most twenty twenty four Saints way possible.

Not a lot of hope, not a lot of highlights. One of the worst.

Teams in the NFL, but let's give some flowers. Nick Shook to what I really respect out of the Chargers this year is that they're just like a professional outfit that wins games they should. Which when's the last time you could say that about a Chargers outfit?

You're thinking about their losses. I'm not.

I I was thinking about last week.

I know.

But to me, that's like two evenish teams when they've been in a situation where it's just like you should take care of business against a bad offense. It's like they just take care of business and swat the other one away. There's gotta be a coin flip games. They're not like a super Bowl champion team.

Sorry, no, I know, I know. I just was like, we just talked about that last week.

No.

Look, there's a reason that the verb chargering exists and this is not that team. So hats off to you Chargers fans. Congrats. You have a professional outfit. As Greg just described, what you have is a quarterback who's got a swagger back in Justin Herbert. He threw a touchdown pass to Lad mccackey in the fourth quarter of this game, and then he started doing a little head nod and I was like, I haven't seen that demonstrative version of

Yeah, some high throws as well.

Kind of wasted a solid effort because Alvin Kamara made some plays today that were in a close game that could have ultimately been the difference, but the Saints couldn't get a lot of production on the offense.

Good to have Crystal Lovely back. They almost lost him again.

He had to go in to be evaluated for a concussion on a similar looking play to the one that he got hurt where he kind of gets sent on a mission and blasted.

Rattler has thrown some I like Rattler, but he's thrown hospital balls at a higher clip than any quarterback I've ever seen.

And so like, thankfully chrys Olave is able to come back into the game. I don't know who has high hopes for MVS coming in and replacing what sh Rashid Shaida had to offer, but I guess I got news for them if they missed the last five or six years of professional football. But my big takeaway because there was a play in this game where Justin Herbert had

Flags are thrown.

But it showed to me like this, it kind of symbolized what a healthy Herbo means to this team and especially to this offensive line, because they're nothing without him and for him to and he goes off and has a huge run immediately after that. I mean, Justin Herbert averge twelve yards a carry in this game. He's doing everything and really didn't even need to do it against the listless Saints offense that really had nothing to offer today.

I think he's been one of the best quarterbacks in the league since the bye, So that's only three weeks, but if the QB Index started in Week six whatever it was after their by we're just talking last three weeks of the season, he's top five, top seven, like whatever it is. He's playing at a very very high level.

Yeah.

I mean at four and three, they're in a situation where they could definitely if they continue to pile these wins up. The thing is is like the eye test, you're gonna think, uh, they don't look like an impressive team, but they're a physical team with a good quarterback who's got a lot of arm talent and is able to when he's healthy, really handle the job very well. And I think that goes a long way, because if you can win at the point of attack and if you

You have six respect, Yes, Josh Balmer with a forty five yard or a twenty seven yard They are playing kind of that old school in Theory Harbaugh type of football where it's the running game needs to be better for really to make sense, but that the passing game does have shot plays and that's I think you need that to take advantage of who Herbert is. It's a low moment for the Saints in a season full of them Marshall Lattimore leaves with an injury. You wonder if

Well.

They'll get Derek Carr back next week. I heard Mickey Loomis on Saints Radio this week talk about the rest of the season and say, like, yeah, we're not giving it, Like we look at our schedule and we don't see a team on there that we can't beat. I guess fair, but there's also not a team on that schedule that you can't lose to.

Let's go to the next one.

Let's talk about some Broncos let's talk about some Panthers.

Man. This NFC South is.

Tough bele outside of Mems in a slot left double tight end set with Atkins and Troutman in a wing right shotgunsnap, Nicks looks left floats.

One of the anzoni was Troutman Trubbin one hand and touch touchdown Denver nineteen yard strike bow Knicks.

To Adam Trutman who snagged him with one hands.

Dave Logan on k o a Broncos beating him down covering that big spread twenty eight to fourteen. Bryce Young comes back in, gives him a little spark at first, it doesn't flast. Bo Nicks throws for three touchdowns two hundred and eighty four yards through the air, and the Broncos go to five and three.

Are you believing Patrick.

I'm believing that they have a good defense, they that pass defense that I'm glad that they have Patrick's with tanback, they picked off Bryce Young twice.

Bryce Young, those two touchdown passes.

Which is more that Andy Dalton had in the previous three games, are combined, but.

It's one was with eighteen seconds left.

Yeah, fair enough.

Garbage still counts, especially especially fantasy.

Was I don't know who's starting.

Bryce shot to you or Jalenkolker. Is that his name? It's Jay Cocher.

I think it's well, there was because there was no Adam Thielen. Of course, Xavier Laguet, who scores a touchdown in this game, leaves as well. That was the state of the Panthers receiving corps because you know there was no Deontae Johnson coming into this game as well. But over on the other side, it was twenty eight to fourteen. You mentioned the spread being covered. It could have been worse because Sean Payton when it was twenty eight to seven,

Right?

I guess they didn't interview him, which is interesting because there was a plan for him to go to Miami anyway.

I just everything is very confusing.

That might be that's a guess. I'm not I don't know. I just want to say, as Vicey though, as the host of NFL Daily, we are not fully attributing the reason for going for that trick play to the Panthers, not giving Sean Payton an interview. It's a good theory, It's an interesting theory. But I do feel like there has to be something going on there. But I don't know what it is.

It could have been Dave Canalis with a funny look at the coaching something. I have no idea, But Sean Payton was doing everything he could to pour it on for some reason.

Against He just wanted me to feel alive on a Sunday afternoon.

You know.

He just wants to have some fun. Life is short.

It's fine, go for trick play, is up, big scores, it doesn't matter.

I think it's great.

I feel like I feel like he's been coaching this whole season just to like prove a point, and like week by week, as they start to stack wins with this good defense, he like gets more invigorated and he's got more gusto to him and he's just like, yeah, you know what, this week, I'm trying a fake field goal because why not. We're up by three touchdowns. No better time than now to test it. Out in a game against the team we know we're already gonna beat.

The first two drives though, end with a fumble by little Jordan Humphrey and then a punt and so you're you're down seven to nothing. That's a little bit of adversity going into the second quarter. And then to get touchdowns on three straight drives, it's I think it's a good step. I think bo Nicks has shown progress. Now he was starting at the very bottom, but he's shown progress, and we'll see, like it's still at a level where if they're playing a quality defense, major questions, but there's

Yeah, in eight to thirty seven to eighty four three touchdowns. My concern would be Javante only having forty four yards on seventeen carries against this particular Panthers defense. Yeah, so maybe a sign of concern for the run game where that's that may be the frustration not getting things done there maybe results in Sean Payton taking shots late to try to make the scoreboard look like he feels it should look considering the mismatch of the teams on the field.

Shout out to Courtland Sutton didn't get a target last week, He almost knew he was gonna go for a big game this week. Eleven targets, one hundred yards, eight catches, and shout out to Adam troutman, a man who when they brought him to Denver, I said, man, Sean Payton just will take any old old like x Saint, like they traded for him. Saints fans are like really, and here he is with like a big game, a great catch eighty five yards and a touchdown. All right, we're

I've enjoyed it as well. I wish my football team would have won.

They did not, but I still think they're in charge of that AFC North. We'll see Steelers on Monday night. So I'm gonna throw to the Arizona Cardinals and the Miami Dolphins. Cam Wolf is gonna join us see in here Cam from Miami, and then we're gonna hear from Kevin Patra on the other side of the break, and Shookie can rejoin me for the Sunday night football recap.

I'll see you then, Nikki.

Now, gool chairs baby, that's right now, to Arizona and the Dolphins in South Beach.

One second left, Cardinals down to thirty four yard try, snap ball down, The kick from Ryland is up and the kick is.

Good.

And the Cardinals win it. The officials took a.

Long time to signal the kick is good from Ryland, and Arizona wins it at the buzzer again twenty eight, twenty seven in Miami.

That was Chad Ryland thirty four yard field goal Dave pash on Cam VP. Cardinals get the upset win in Miami twenty eight to twenty seven. Chad Ryland ghost for being one of the worst drafted kickers in memory in New England last year helped end Bill Belichick's career to a guy who's kicking clutch kicks week after week, including

Not the game we expected, was it?

No? Not at all.

The Cardinals had plans to ruin the feel good movie story, which it kind of felt like it was saiding up for you know two was returning after this concussion that everyone or a lot of people think he should retire from. And you know all his team Sames thinks it's going to galvanize them and save the team after a two and four start, and you forget the quarterback wasn't the only problem.

And you know.

Arizona came to play. Kyler had an amazing game. Marv Harrison and him finally got connected. I know that was a question mark for a lot of people, and Trey McBride had an amazing day. But really, to me, the story is the Dolphins and just more disappointment. Yeah, this that had huge expectations and now at two and five we're wondering has it already crumbled?

Yeah? Two and five.

You know it's not a death sentence, but it's a huge setback. And Cardinals fans will give you some love. You're at four and four. You're in the mix. This NFC West race is going to take to the end. Look, hell, you're in first place right now. So Cardinals will get to you in a second. But the too a story. What was the story coming into the week? You followed this, you know really closely. He comes out, He has twenty eight for thirty eight, two hundred and thirty four yards

So I'll say this, I was a little worried about something like this happening. And you know, you talk to a guy like Tyreek Hill during the week, and of course he's predictably excited about his quarterback coming in. But the message that Mike we Daniel tried to give the team is like two is not our savior, and it seemed like that was a hollow message, like talking to guys around the team, talked to one guy in the locker room and he was kind of like, maybe we

That's probably, to me the story of this team.

A lot of talent, not as much grit, And you sort of look at this team and like you said, two and five, it's not a death sentence.

But they're going to Buffalo next week. Buffalo is up three.

And a half games in the division on them already. They could put four and a half on them with both tie breakers. With the win in Buffalo next week, I'm sure they'll be very heavy favorites. And so the Dolphins are at a precarious spot. And it's weird because Tua played well, The Dolphins played a lot better and they still lost, And so that kind of leads you with the what's next for a team that's really been all in for the last two years.

Okay, so second half they give up three straight scoring drives to end the game, touchdown, touchdown, field goal. Talk me through a little bit what you saw from the defense struggling, and yeah, that's part of the concern that I had coming in, Like they didn't look great when Tua was out there before he got hurt. The run blocking has maybe been up and down, like it was good the last couple of weeks, but they had a big play from h Hn today.

But that's about it. Tell me what you saw kind of in the fourth.

Quarter as they were giving up what was a twenty to ten lead and then a twenty seven to eighteen lead in the fourth quarter.

Yeah, they really struggled to get Kyler Murray contained. Like he was very much the playmaker that a lot of us know him to be at his peak, where he gets stands plays, he runs around like you know, whatever adje of a person you can describe him as, and he makes plays like he threw a great touchdown to Marvin Harrison over Jaylen Ramsey that just came from him extending a play and getting.

It across his body.

I talked to Emmanuel Aguba, one of their pass rusher after the game, and he was like, that's one of the better quarterback games I can remember seeing, and we just really didn't take him down, like he was like, that was really it. Like we got him in our grasp, he kept breaking contain and it like broke everything within our defense. And so this is a team that like they've struggled to get pass rush, and I think that's

I mean, let's let's be real, Campbell.

If Kyler is represented here, I know like compared to us, he's not a real short king, but as NFL players go, he's a short king and he's representing well.

I mean when.

Kalais Campbell like volleyball, spiked one of his pass early in this game, I thought, oh man, it's gonna be a long day for my guy.

But he's running.

Around here in three hundred and seven yards and two touchdowns. And sometimes you see him on film not take open throws or not see him like he's trying to make.

The big plays.

But the flip side is games like this where he's doing it and he's just magical. He's a different sort of player that than Tua. You mentioned the defense. Yeah, they only had one quarterback hit in this game, which is just brutal for an entire defense. And that wasn't even from the defensive line. That was from Jordan Hicks, So that that's where the loss has to go. Tell me, I guess a little bit about where you think this organization is because in the fans too, because those fans

Yeah, it's it's not great.

Greg. I'll tell you that this is a.

Team that's really sold his self as like this is our year, We're all in, and you ask where do you go next?

That's almost the more frustrating part. They've paid everyone.

They paid Mike McDaniel, they paid to a tongue of Bailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jaalen Ramsey, like everyone who you know, you're everyone who's the core of your team. Maybe you could argue the GM hasn't got an extension, but the core of your team is together, and you've paid them long term extensions and they're in the midst of their worst season in probably six or seven years, with the most talent they've had in six or seven years.

And so I think that there's no immediate answer.

I think they've got to look within and and really I think a lot of.

This comes to like what is the culture of this team?

And I remember being on the road a lot last year and talking to defensive coaches and coordinators and they were like, this is a video game team.

But if we feel like.

We punch them in the mouth, we get them in our type situations, they'll fold. And the Dolphins were really upset by that narrative. Mike McDaniel fought it all year that they can't beat winning teams, they can't win in the cold, and this year I think it's more evident than ever that I don't know if they have the toughness to be able to withstand the playoff race, and teams like this show it even the games without Tua.

Who you are as a team. And you know, I'll just say this.

Look, they made a decision to go away from Brian Flores a few years ago and Google tours Mike McDaniel. A lot of times teams do opposite coaching styles, right, and Mike McDaniel did a lot of great things for Tua, building this confidence up, bringing this offense to a level it never was. But I do wonder if some of the discipline, some of the physicality, some of the toughness was missing from this team that maybe was in previous teams.

Fun. Today was not fun. I mean, they have a twenty to ten lead.

It's halfway through the second quarter or the third quarter rather, and you know, it's a bad snap that maybe Tis said he could have maybe had at but it was a bad snap. It ends up being a safety. It's twenty to twelve. From that point forward. Here's what the defense did. They give up a seventy five yard nine play touchdown drive, a seventy yard eight play touchdown drive to the Cardinals. And then here here's the kicker, and

That's wild. So they're a team. Now they're a real team.

They're in this race, and props and give them their flowers.

So that's a great stat because I actually talked to Marv Harrison year after the game of one on one for NFL Network and I asked him about the meaning of this, and that's the first thing you mentioned. He was like, this is the first back to back win that most of the guys.

In the locker room have ever seen.

He was like, I know, it's my first year, but he's like most of the guys we talked about in the locker room, this is one of the first back to back wins they can remember seeing. And he's like, this is how you build a culture. And I thought that was very interesting because I didn't know the twenty twenty one stat. I just knew he said, and I'm like, oh, maybe all these guys have been here for one year, but that's three years since you've won back to back games.

How to get the rest of the talent of their roster ready.

Cam Wolfe NFL Network.

Big time win for the Cardinals, big time win for us to get Cam on the show. We'll do it again down the road. Appreciate you, Cam, Appreciate you great.

All right, we are.

Going to take a quick break and we'll be back with the rest of the games.

Sam's at the Colts fourteen Stroud under center, handoff, Mixon starts Wright, cuts left ten five, Mixon still Cohen, takes out of defender.

And takes the ball into the end zone. Jones couldn't bring him down.

Mixon has six for Houston and they can tire the game.

With the extra point.

Mixing with a grown man run, get off me won a run by Joe Mixon.

I am a fan.

Kilt Mark Vandermere, Joe Mixon just outrageous run. Now rageous runner this year when he gets the ball in space that only tied at ten to ten. But that was my favorite highlight, my favorite play in a game that was just a little weird that Texans end up winning this holding on twenty three to twenty. And yes, as they mentioned before the break, bringing in our friend Kevin patra Uh, Hey, what is your biggest takeaway? Because to me, it's like, okay, the Texans are in charge of this division.

But where do you want to start?

Kevin Well how I started in the What we learned this week is defining it as the Texans survived.

They survived.

A near collapse, They survived with bad a really bad turnover on a pitch from c. J. Stroud and CJ. Stroud survived behind an offensive line that continues to be really bad as a pass protecting unit. He was under siege all day. I think it was like fifty seven percent pressure rate, something ridiculous, and he just couldn't get anything going on offense. Mixon was like the stabilizing force. He had a one hundred and two yards and that touchdown that we saw, and other than that, there was

Yeah, let's get to it. So Richardson finishes ten for thirty two.

Yeah, which is you know, where those ten came from. Honestly, it was he. I say, he did complete ten passes, Like that's how bad it was.

He did have a couple good throws that I thought could have been caught, like one or two in there, like the touchdown throw to who was that to to down? Not not the touchdowns, not the long white not the long touchdown throw. I'm thinking of another one that that wasn't caught to the pylon or whatever, to eighty Mitchell.

He reminds me the NFL level.

It's weird.

He he reminds me of like somebody who would have played in like the seventies or the eighties, like just bombs away, but like very poor accuracy on the intermediate routes, which is like something we don't see nowadays. Quarterbacks are like seventy five percent completion rate, like and he just and his misses aren't close. Really, I mean, he's putting in a guy's feet, everything is behind it. Receivers got to you know, twist their contort their body just to

He's just very inconsistent.

And I was really surprised that Shane Stykin kept putting the ball in his hands, especially with Jonathan Taylor back. And Taylor looked good when he carries for a bucko five. Uh So, I mean they could have rammed the ball more, and I think Colts fans would would say that that's what they were thinking about. I thought this whole game was like who's gonna run the ball and who's gonna make a play on the ground because the offensive lines could not pass protect at all.

And what we haven't even gotten to is.

Daniel Hunter was ridiculous today and so was Will Anderson, and the two coming off the edge made life miserable for Anthony Richardson and he couldn't escape from it.

Well that makes more sense, like, look, they are a defense with stars that has created issues for much worse, much better offenses. Than this now, Jonathan Taylor, I agree, like looked fantastic in this play, but I mean in this game. But yeah, when Richardson was holding the ball more than two and a half seconds, he goes five for for twenty three.

I mean, that is just outrageous.

And I know he was under pressure on some of those and he had some rushing ability, but it is a tricky spot.

He also missed the play.

It's going to become a big talking point that he said he was, you know, tired.

You know, he got twisted down. So at the time, I was like, well, maybe he's a little banged up. It was third and long and they just handed. They just were like, okay, this is a give up play anyway. So I think the coaching staff would probably say it's not a big deal, but that mentality is, you know, that's going to be questioned moving forward.

I don't think that is that big of a deal.

I think not being able to really run a consistent NFL passing game is a bigger deal. That Michael Pittman goes from so valuable to six targets one catch. When Richardson goes in, you just like lose the value of one of your best players.

It's problematic.

Tell me what I'm not seeing in Stroud's day, because yeah, he was under a lot of pressure. He still ends up being able to complete twenty five of thirty seven for two eighty five, but without digs and without Nico collins Man.

It's just it's tough living.

And you could tell like the pressure was starting to win. And I would use the word annoy for him more than like, you know, make him. He can still complete passes and he makes plays out of structure like we saw last year, and he continues to do that, but his pass were just a tick off, like a tick behind. Not as bad as Anthony Richardson's, but just like something wasn't right, and he just seemed like he was getting

Yeah, it's coaching.

He need need to figure it out.

To your point, And now that I look at the next gen numbers, it's absolutely crazy. So I pointed out earlier in the show that the Bengals didn't have a single quick pressure on the day, which means under two and a half seconds. Dio Odingbo had five on his own. He was one of seven Colts who not only had pressures, but quick pressures, Like, so multiple multiple quick pressures. So lots who had three, Pay had two, Buckaner had two, Brian had two. EJ Speed their linebacker right too. Those

It was just a game of pressures.

But if you look at like the quick numbers, it was even more dramatic on the Colt side, And then I think it's absolutely fair to kind of compare the two It's like one young quarterback who's one of the best young quarterbacks i've ever seen can make it work and make an NFL offense because he's so ahead of schedule, and the other quarterback absolutely can't because he's behind schedule. And if the Colts are really trying to win games,

I think it's fair to ask that question, like, should they if they're you know, try now they're two games behind in the division because they lost this game. But if the goal is to Anthony Ridgardson to be your franchise quarterback, yo, yelling him in out of the lineup is not going to do anybody any good.

Wouldn't surprise me if at some point he gets bench for a couple of games and then reinserted after a few, we will see. Let's go to Detroit where quarterback controversies that's that's for bad teams. That is a long time ago that Detroit had quarterback controversies.

Off out of the gun hands it to Jamior Gibbs gives their fifty.

It's a foot race down the left sideline. Give twenty fifty.

Ten five touch down.

De Froyd Lions, Oh, maybe seventy yards.

Smir Gibbs found the opening and they couldn't find him.

That is Dan Miller and Lomas Brown on w x y T. Remember that stat a couple of weeks ago that Jamiir Gibbs had somehow not popped a twenty yard run all season, and in the last couple of weeks all it is is twenty yard runs.

Seventy yard runs.

He finishes with one twenty seven on the ground on only eleven carries. David Montgomery adds a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown. The Lions dropped a fifty burger on the Titans at one point right through three quarters. At one point in this game, they had forty nine points in twenty six net passing yards. Jared Goff finishes with only eighty five yards through the air and three touchdowns. It's a laugher. This is what you can do when

It's hilarious because I was thinking. I was thinking during the game, I'm like, man, I remember these games. Yeah, being on the losing sides so many times of like just to just getting walloped and there's nothing you can do about it.

I mean this, it was crazy.

The line started drives on the interception on the second drive started at Tennessee's twenty.

Three, A big big kickoff.

Return start at Tennessee's twenty five, and other interceptions started Tennessee's to what twelve. Another punt return started Tennessee's twenty two, then a kickoff return for a touchdown. I mean, the offense didn't have to do anything. This was a day off for Jared Goff. He didn't have to do anything at all. You know, he took some sacks. He might have been a little banged up with his ankle. We'll find out more going forward, because he did. He did

And what's awesome about that is that the defense can create big plays. You get the huge ninety yard touchdown return by Khalif Raymond, your special teams are making plays so that it doesn't all have to be about the offense, right and the offensive line. In a day where you're playing up against a pretty good pass rush and a pretty good run defense, you can still exert your will on the other team. Mason Rudolph starting the game. He

The pass rush is going to be an issue. They need to make a move before the deadline. I mean, maybe they could get arden Key after they just played him and he had two sacks today on Jared Goff, maybe they can flip him. Since the Titans are, you know,

I love this division. There's so many division games left.

So to say that next week's Packers Lions game is like, oh, that's the biggest game, It's like, no, we got a lot of big games between all these teams left. We'll see if the Bears can hang with the other three. We'll see if the Vikings can hang with the Packers, and the Lions. We'll see if any of them can hang with the line, because the Lions look that good lately. I loved what Dan Campbell said after the game on the podium and in the locker room after the game.

This is him on the podium.

We did come out to fight, and that's what we expected. You know. I felt that we were going to be ready. We were going to be ready. And it's like I told them, that's what champions do is and you come out. You don't care what time of day it is, what the records are, what the surface is. You just you come out and handle your business.

That's absolutely right, Kim Petra. That is which champions.

No trap game, There no trap game, right.

They're up for every game and that it's always a sign of a great team who can stomp on the bad teams. Because we know the Lions are going to play the good teams tight or beat the good teams. We've established that, But who can stop and stay on their p's and q's.

Dan Campbell is getting it done. What a coach you found.

I'm happy for you, Kevin Patra, a coach to match that beautiful head of hair. We say goodbye to Kevin Patra and we head to Sunday Night football.

Here's Brock under center, Grendo the long back, the party plunch.

He'll take it to the goal Line's perty in right up against the goal line touchdown San.

Francisco, the Rock Perty Plunch Rock Party takes it in from two yards out. That's Greg Papa on KNBR. I don't know if that was just an automatic play where where Perdy saw what was in front of him and he decided to take the two yards out were there, but his head's up quarterbacking, which he did for most of the night, especially on the ground, Perty ends up with fifty six rushing yards. Isaac Corendo in for an injured Jordan Mason gets eighty five on the ground with

At the end of the game, Nick Shook, It's like.

Depending on which section of the game you watched, you could think that any unit on either of these teams is terrible or awesome. Like each offense or defense took turns not looking great or looking dominant. But the forty nine ers I think are the better team overall, and they got the win in the end.

Yeah, And if you really want an assessment of the Cowboys offense, don't watch that last possession they had because it was dreadful. You know, down six points, you've burned all your timeouts. You need to go basically the length of the field, and you call up four of the worst plays possible and don't get a yard and four and out otherwise, you know, like you said, there was

Right, they're three and four and.

Right now, what they're two games back in the lost column to Washington and Philadelphia. And there's just nothing consistent about this team. Dak Prescott's having the worst season of his career. Their offense is the worst that it's been in the Mike McCarthy era, really, or at least in yeah, since twenty twenty one. If you look at their EPA per play numbers and their success rate, they've been top five in the McCarthy era, and this year they're outside

Yeah, I mean you get no running game tonight ten for thirty four from Zigil Elliott. But you're actually, you're absolutely right. Those four plays did kind of describe the Cowboys in a nutshell because, first off, situational football. Why are you calling those plays as if there's forty five seconds left with no timeouts? I mean, the shots of Turpin down the sideline was a perfectly placed ball by

Yeah, that was that was our step on the uh the tiny tiny table, tiny table, not the tiny box.

Colleen. We would never step on.

Her, would not step on Colleen.

It's not looking good. I mean.

CD made some nasty catches in this game, thirteen for one, six and two touchdowns. A lot of that came late, but he also had like an insane catch to start the game off on what ended up being a scoring drive. Like or they made good plays the forty nine ers, they just needed to get to their bye. You mentioned the injuries Bosa for most of the night really made a difference in this game, flushing Dak Prescott out, having a big sack, getting a lot of pressure, Perty made

None of them look like world beaters, Like no is totally for the taking the forty nine. If there was every a year for the forty nine ers to have their lumps and have all these injuries and still be in the hunt, it's this year. He's winning a game like tonight puts them in a great spot.

Yeah, that's a good point that you could look at it two ways, that the forty nine ers are ripe to be picked off, or you can look at another way like this, right now, we don't see a team like let's say the twenty twenty three Rams or certainly the twenty twenty one Rams, where just a team that looks ready to take over this division, and the forty nine ers have gone about it the other way being

Yeah, you know, Greg, I have one question for you before we wrap y, where is brock Party in your mind right now? Because he's had some stinkers. This Wow, this was not one of those he created, and he did throw the ball well, but he's had some stinkers.

I'm glad you ask it's they've been in the last month.

We have Quarterback Island returning, So if you're listening, let us know who you think deserves to be on who doesn't deserve to be on Quarterback Island. Maybe we'll take that into consideration before we tape a perty will be an interesting discussion.

He was an easy one the first one around.

This time he won't be I think as much of a slam dunk, but I've got some opinions.

I'll hold him for now. And yes, thank you for listening.

If you made it this far, if you like these these juicy shows, this was a no bye week show, and yet we tried to get as much of the sound in as we can. Like, maybe this show is too long. I don't know, it's all in my head. Eric, like it is two hours too long. Let's say goodbye before it gets any longer. Let us know we love we love our listeners on NFL Daily, especially.

The ones who are asking. Is Walker out of NFL Security prison?

He is?

He enjoyed the games at home today for Nick Schuck, Campwolf, Patrick Claybahn, everyone behind the glass Randy Shop is Eric Roberts, H, Yeah, when the Cowboys are blown it in primetime, you know football is back.