Good drive now put together by the Jaguars.
Tenth play, first down at the twenty two quick throat Ingram.
Looking for blocks, getting blocks, and his first touchdown.
Of the year.
Third down in about a yard and a.
Half extra men on the rush, This one floated, caught by Chase and he is gone touchdown Cincinnati. As he takes it into the end zone he beat Tyson Campbell and seventy six yards later, the Bengals have their first lead of the night.
Evan McPherson.
They will try to end it from forty eight yards away.
He got it.
He got it indeed. Evan McPherson pipes it in overtime for the Bengals, a game that Cincinnati desperately needed if they had any hopes of staying in the AFC playoff picture. They get it done on the road, knocking off the Jaguars thirty four to thirty one, a thriller in one of the best primetime games of the year. Dan Hans is here with Mark Sessler and Greg Rosenthal and Mark you this is why you can't judge a book by the cover, Because we were all talking about what a
bummer this game was going to be. Jake Browning in for Joe Burrow. There should have been Lawrence v. Burrow in a showdown of two AFC elites. Well we didn't get Burrow, but we got Jake Browning playing like Joe Burrow, and that allowed us to enjoy a classic. And I guess you have to also mention because you can't get out of a big game this season with a terrible injury.
Trevor Lawrence exits this game with what looked like a pretty nasty ankle injury, and as we tape this, we're waiting to find out more.
Yeah, I mean, there were a rash of moving parts to this one. It's like they're you're so right. I feel like we come out of these huge island games so often this season with a bittersweet feeling because it's like watching what happened to Trevor Lawrence, you know, and we'll wait and see it was just like it changes everything that can happen to the Jaguars. But that's how
I felt about the Bengals. Even as we were leaving the office that we were saying, you know, maybe we just will cover the game for ten or twelve minutes, then we can dive into news and make the show
about something else. We get a classic. And the one thing I remember reading a couple of weeks ago about Browning and I mentioned it on like a on a Thursday show before he appeared for the first time, that they were behind the scenes saying they just felt that he had this like calm and confidence and that they had they felt that they could run their same offense with him. And that just sounds like malarkey until you
really see it. But what we got tonight, I thought was just one of the most exciting performances from a backup you could ever imagine. I mean, he's thirty two for thirty seven, he completely works with Jamar Chase. The offense was totally functional. He was I thought, he threw with total confidence. And I don't know what will happen with any of these teams in the AFC. You've got four AFC teams right now in the playoff picture at the moment, number seeds one through seven that have major
quarterback injuries. And the Bengals are kind of hovering around. And if you get this version of a backup quarterback behind Joe Burrow, I don't know what will happen to them. They have plenty of other talent. It's like this was this was a kind of a revelation and I think it kind of just stunned me in real time, Greg, just to watch it unfold.
Yeah, it was just an incredible game. The Lawrence injury changes what we think about Jacksonville. Well, we'll find out more about how long it is. Because they're eight and four. They're in good position. They're one game ahead of the Texans.
Although we'll get to their defense. If their defense, if McManus could have kicked a go ahead field goal with a you know, five minutes to go and then their defense holds onto it there, this would have been just such a big win to bank before possibly losing Lawren's. But we don't know if it's just going to be a couple games or if it's the rest of the season or anything, or maybe it won't be anything. Jake Browning, though, changes how we look at this race too, and how
you look at when you're gonna play the Bengals. And the key play and we heard on the highlight was that long throw to Chase just because I think of what it showed had already been happening in that game. I mean, he started out fourteen for fifteen for like one hundred and fifty. But on that play they send the blitz and Mike Caldwell, the Jaguars defensive coordinator, loves to send pressure because he doesn't really get natural pressure.
They have Josh Allen and they don't really have anyone else. They don't have Trayvon Walker, they don't have any push up front, and you figure against Jake Browning, you're gonna be able to heat him up. And every time they sent the blitz early, he always knew right where to throw it. Occasionally it was tipped, it didn't work. Sometimes they got the Bengals guy down before first down, but
not usually. But on that Chase touchdown, he throws a beautiful ball to Chase against their best Jaguars cornerback, Tyson Campbell, it goes for a long touchdown. Campbell struggled all night. They lose their slot corner Trey Herndon right away, who's played really well for them. Suddenly they're struggling with injuries and it's Jake Browning who has the wherewithal to be picking on mismatches in the Jaguars secondary. You're right, Dan,
like if Burrow had this exact same performance. We would just be talking about what a classic Burrow game, and instead it was a classic Jake Browning game, right down to the you know, the figure eight scramble in overtime to set up the game winner.
I mean, in crunch time on the road, in a game with your season on the line. This guy is calmly going through his progressions and connecting with receivers to lead that offense. And you know he's Zach Taylor. I know we will butt heads on him occasionally, but you don't get a backup that plays at this level without having a sound operation. We're gonna get to the Jets lit later. That's like the other end of the spectrum.
I think this shows you that Taylor really has a strong handle on his offense and they identified a backup quarterback that even though we didn't see him, they saw him. And you heard a lot of great things about Browning and this is all going to come out beyond Remember before we saw him play, Oh he was awesome in high school because there was really nothing to go off with him yet, and now we see how he played
in this game. We heard that he was spending his day offs in the defensive backs meetings, studying, waiting for his opportunity, and now he has a chance to become a really interesting story in the AFC. Here's some news from Tom pel Serro, the Pell Raiser himself. Jack's quarterback Trevor Lawrence's initial diagnosis as a sprained ankle with an
MRI to follow Tuesday. Okay, so the good news there is that he didn't come out of the x ray room and they saw it was a broken ankle, which certainly seemed like it was within the range of outcomes. But we're not out of the woods yet because you don't know if he has ligament damage. You look at what just happened with Pickett and Pittsburgh. He needed surgery, So we'll find out how serious this ankle issue is.
But at least the ankle didn't snap and we have an issue like that, so Jaguars fans, at least you at this point maybe avoided a worst case scenario.
We'll find out more on that. I really agree with you about Zach Taylor, who's you know for I used to kill him all the time. Greg is not a huge fan, and I think part of what was happening with Zach Taylor during even the Joe Burrow successful string of time. Was that, like the offensive line that we're having issues, you didn't see them adjust, and I thought they did a lot of six man protection tonight to
help Browning. The other thing was their run defense had been a complete disaster in recent days and they couldn't run the ball, and both of those things changed tonight. So I don't know if this is a situation where it's like the Bengals have turned a corner or it happened against you know, in a special situation with situation tonight, but they played a really good defense, and to see what they did, like not as a holistic offense, I
thought was a big turning point. And you know the same way that Matt Lafleur is getting a lot of credit for the past couple of weeks with a young quarterback like this, is this has some fingerprints or some evidence that Zach Taylor does have some ability to grow a quarterback. I mean, just to see where he was from a week ago to now, I just I don't there aren't there aren't that many things happening like this with quarterbacks. With the development is that quick.
Zach Taylor is making me eat some humble pie tonight. This is, you know, one of the most impressive nights I think of his career because of what you guys said, because it shows all the work and the judgment they've been doing for three years. You know, we covered the
game closely. I have to admit I did not understand, you know, throughout the season that Jake Browning graduated from Washington where he racked up all those numbers and he had ninety one touchdowns in high school going up against Maurice Jones Drews School apparently in one season, including one game against mauricast Jones Drew School. He was saying that was back in like twenty you know eleven. He graduated
from college in twenty eighteen. He's been bouncing around the NFL, first as an undrafted free agent for the Vikings for three years and not sticking on roster, and then practice squad and the offseason and all that stuff, and then with the Bengals organization for three years. So it actually reminded me a little bit of Sunday Night and Jordan Love, someone that's been in an organization and understands the offense.
And he obviously doesn't have the talent that Jordan Love does or Joe Burrow does, but he does have a style that will work. And I think that style is a little more agro, is a little more throw the ball down the field. And I was really impressed by Zach Taylor going for it on fourth down to start the game. Remember it didn't work. He's at midfield and you go for it with Jake brown I was like, that's very unlike Zach Taylor. Doesn't do that with Joe Burrow at the end of the game. He's going for
the win when they only have thirty five seconds. Nick Sirianni, I wasn't doing that for Jalen Hurts, And I thought so many times fourth down at the end of the game when Jamar Chase drops it and again Jake Browning is dropping back and he calmly gets it to Chase in your right mark like everyone lifted up Browning too. The running game was fantastic. Chase, I think, made a number of great catches on balls that weren't like perfect.
It was awesome.
But it does start with Brownie, and it starts with Zach Taylor in the game plan that they put together for him.
Thirty two of thirty seven. Browning was for three hundred and fifty four yards averaged over nine and a half yards per attempt, one touchdown, passing, one touchdown, rushing, no turnovers, Passer rating one fifteen and a half brilliant. It's it's really it's a fun, fun scene. It did reminded me
of the Mike White game. Ironically against the Bengals. We're a similar situation where there is a team that had no hope and then all of a sudden, this guy that had no track record is lighting it up, and you could tell, and I think Zach Teler spoke about
it after the game tonight. Once you see this unknown start to ball, the whole confidence of the team rises up, and they just kept on going punch for punch with the Jags, even when you know it was a great night for Taylor overall, but you know, he started to get a little cute in spots, including that devastating Tyler Boyd pass attempt that looked like a potential turning point where the Jaguars would take control of the game, and
yet they couldn't because Cincinnati kept fighting back. They're kind of a really I think I would think you guys agree, because I think we're all on the same page. We were kind of seeing Cincinnati as an afterthought in the SAFEC playoff race the way things were trending, But now it's gonna be really interesting to see, like where they stack up starting with next week they get the Colts, another team that was kind of left for dead, and then all of a sudden, they're waving their hands like, no,
we have a chance to get to the dance. A nice little shot of adrenaline for.
The AFC, much needed. By the way, I just got a text from Nick Westling. Bad night for me, you and all the Zach Taylor haters. But it's good to be proven wrong on a night like this because of what you said. It adds so much value, I think to the Bengals who are in some big games against good teams, a lot of matchups against playoff type teams that just it's gonna make it more interesting. I think you saw what I've been saying about the defense, especially
the pass defense, is just it's not it. And that was the thing that was exciting about this game was Trevor Lawrence was playing really well too. It almost felt like sometimes he was responding to Browning. Every time Browning and the Bengals went down the field, it's like Lawrence suddenly had a wow like rifle shot to answer them, and it was just back and forth, touchdown after touchdom.
But you're right, there was that sequence where Trevor Lawrence, through his worst pass of the night, should have been picked off in the end zone, but Dax Hill kind of just mismanages it, essentially drops it, it goes through his hand and it turns out to be a Parker Washington touchdown for the Jaguars.
That's a seven point swing.
And almost like two plays later is that interception, and you're thinking, Okay, finally the Bengals are gonna, you know, just go run away with this game. But I mean, the Jaguars are gonna run away with this game. But their defense wasn't good enough, Mark, And it does concern me because I'm always thinking, like a good defense is like always a few weeks away from just being like, oh yeah, they're just average again. And they did get their doors blown off by San Francisco. I know that
was San Francisco. That happens to everyone, but they kind of got their doors blown off tonight. You know, in every facet Chase Brown, everything was going well for Cincinnati.
Yeah, I mean, I think in another world because even you know, CJ. Bethard came in and he almost stole this game away. And there's this play that stands out in my mind where it's this incredible deep shot and Calvin Ridley makes an incredible catch down inside the five, and then that's yanked away by a holding call. Because if that had if that had stood, we're talking about a completely different end of the situation. And they I think you would have been right to steal this game
if you were Jacksonville would have been immense. We'll see what happens with Lawrence. But I like a game like this because it kind of changes where we are with this AFC playoff race, which is a little expect to me if you look at the bottom couple of teams in here.
All right, Here's Doug Peterson when asked about the status of his star quarterback.
I don't have any information yet on Trevor. We're still evaluating him, you know, so he'll have more you know, tests and things done here tonight and tomorrow, so I'll probably have a better update for you tomorrow on that, but I mean, yeah, we had position players go down, you know, but look, that's part of the game. You know, it happens, and and it's unfortunate, but you know, next guy up has to has to be ready to go
and play. And you know, I thought the guys, the guys that filled in, you know, we're we're, we're just that they were ready to go.
Listen, Carson uh, Doug Peterson's been through the wars. Once upon a time, Carson Wentz blew out his ACL for an Eagles team blowing through the regular season and everyone thought the season was over, and then they won the Super Bowl with Nick Foles, so he's hoping they could just weather the storm here. But it was, you know,
a really bad night to lose at home. And I know, you know Browning now we look at him differently, but going into this game, you got a Bengals team limping without Joe Burrow coming into your house in prime time, and to lose that game, and to lose Trevor Lawrence and to lose Christian Kirk who went out with a groin injury, and really to lose, to me, like your real chance to somehow if they would have won out
which was unlikely. They are the number one seed and they're still in the mix for that, but you kind of I think you're gonna remember this is the night they let that slip away as well, so they have a lot to recover from.
Obviously, they play the Browns next week, in the Ravens the week after that, So that Ravens game especially was gonna be really important for them, not only to get the one seed, but to try to cement the division because you know, they don't have they don't necessarily have the tiebreaker over Houston. That's gonna that's to be determined, and so they split the season series.
They're one up.
Cleveland gets a little bit of a break here, assuming they don't see Lawrence next week.
CG.
Bethard is a little different as a backup, just because we've seen him play in the NFL before. We've seen him play for the Jaguars before, not extensively because Lawrence has been durable.
But Bethard was out there looking.
Like he thought he was Michael Vick, and he's He's not the worst backup in the league, but he probably has a lower I think it's fair to say he's established. He just has a lower ceiling of like what his potential outcomes are, and their defense and their run game can't play like this around CJ.
Bethard.
You know that that Browns game is going to be a toss up at best, and they'll be heavy underdogs if they don't have Lawrence back for the Ravens, and then the schedule eases up down the stretch if they can get Lawrence back for the playoffs.
I think the thing that you mentioned about the like the Browns getting a break because of potentially with the Trevor loz I have like half the AFC and half the NFL are getting breaks weak.
To week right, and everyone that plays the Browns obviously is getting huge breaks.
So that's a fair that's a good point.
There are i think next week five tilts that include like a backup versus backups, so it's like we're in that part of it.
We're getting to the point where, yeah, I think we're getting to the point where it's mathematically impossible to just have two games with starting quarterbacks that were there in Week one, which which is a bummer, and it is you know, we could. We're gonna stay positive tonight because it was a great game and fun to watch, but this is a plot line of the season that's going to kind of mark when you look back at it.
This is the year. I mean, it started obviously with the Rogers injury and how dramatic that was on Monday Night, and it just feels like every week there's something new. I mean, look at the Bengals a couple weeks ago, where watching that game and they have that dramatic shot of him on the sideline trying to throw and then kind of dropping down to his knee. Too much of that, too much. The game is just not the same without good quarterbacks. So even more reason to say, Jake Browning,
thank you. We needed that. We needed that. All right, let's take a break and then we'll get to the news. Alright, to welcome back to around the NFL Monday Night Football, Out of the Way, Week thirteen, out of the way. How about that Week fourteen? Right around the corner. Let's get caught up on the news, starting with Shaq Leonard. It's finally done. He has made his decision and it
will be the Philadelphia Eagles who he suits up for. Leonard, the former All Pro released in a surprise move by the Colts last week he will join a Philly team, Greg, that certainly can use a lyft in the middle of their defense. They've been getting carved up. We just saw it with San Francisco. I guess my one take from this Greg is he's a big name brand, but as Wes was known to say that the game no longer
matches the name. So unless he know a change in scenery allows him to recapture a spark, I'm not sure how much this move makes Eagles better, but I guess it's worth the roll of the dice.
Right.
So, he was not playing a ton on passing downs for the Colts, but he was playing a lot. He was playing thirty forty snaps a game. It wasn't like he was benched. I can't say he was making a ton of splash plays or that he stood out good or bad. To me, PFF had him grated fairly well, just like as a solid starting linebacker. And if he's that, and they have a good way of really bringing out
the best in veterans, I think he'll help them. But the way I've heard Eagles fans talk about it, it's like they think they're getting three time All Pro Shack Leonard and that he's gonna save them at that position, and that seems unrealistic to me. And it also seems to be missing the point, which is that they have a lot of issues in that secondary. It's not just
the linebackers like Darius Slay, James Bradbury. Everyone's giving up way too much and is not the same as they were a year ago go and their front hasn't been as special as they need it to be. And so like, what's Shack Leonard really gonna do? Like he should be a little bit of an upgrade from Nick Murrow. But I think in the local markets in Philly, in Dallas this was treated like it was like a huge sweepstakes and it probably isn't going to change that much.
I think it's a little bit baked into the fact that there's you know, photos being released all over the place of Big Dom uh, you know taking a tour around with Shaq Leonard and being part of the process too, like recruit him there. That was like, what, oh was this Big Doms like you know as a security guy, like was the guy that kind of brought shack down out.
But I would do I would say this, why not take a shot, and like it really only matters how you perform if you're the Eagles against like the Cowboys and the Niners. When when we really get there and like Niakobe Dean banged up, you know, Zach Cunningham banged up, Like we just saw, they give they give up, you know,
four hundred and fifty six yards. So if it clicks, it clicks, and it's kind of like the the Eagles are like the NFC version for me of like the Ravens, where like they go get this player that someone else wanted to trade or move on from, and it works. So it's like, I why not try? Why not try? It's hard to get a good player at this time of year.
Right, They've done it.
And the thing that's really interesting, and I'll leave it at that, is that there were no financial repercussions here. It's a very rare chance where a player is actually just choosing which team do I want to go to for whatever reason, like to win, which team gives me a better chance to win, to play whatever. Because the Colts are playing his contract either way, it's all guaranteed. It's they're the ones paying. It's pretty interesting he's choosing
between the Eagles and the Cowboys. I figured he choose the Cowboys just because that seems like a more fun place to go live or whatever. And he picks the Eagles and they play the Cowboys this week.
That's kind of juicy spicy. I'm trying to find the article. But the whole Big Dom story really took a almost erotic turn when a former I believe offensive lineman for the Eagles, a member of the Super Bowl team and I apologize for not having his name off the top of my head, was quoted as saying that he would give his life for Big Dom. It's like, all right, what's going on there?
It's a blood oath. Once you're in with Big Dom, like you're in for life. You're either in where you're out.
Or you're really in. All right, let's talk about the biggest joke in the NFL, my favorite team, the New York Jets. This report from The Athletic was one of the big stories in the NFL on Monday. It came from Zach Rosenblatt and Diana Rossini, and then Jeff Howe chipping in as well with The Athletic that the Jets are prepared to make another switch at quarterback. After you know, Rogers blows his achilles, Zach Wilson takes back over the starter. He's bad, They bench him, they bring in Tim Boyle,
he sucks, They bench him. They bring in Trevor Simmey and he sucks. And now the idea is what about going back to Wilson. And then the report that Wilson was reluctant to take back the job, and the team wants to turn back to Wilson, but he is hesitant to step back into the role, multiple team sources said Monday. Here's another graph from that report. Aaron Rodgers had reached out to Wilson in an effort to advise him to resume the starter role, but at the time Wilson remained
apprehensive due to perceived injury risk, per team sources. Okay, and then Robert Sala, And there is not a more emasculated coach in the NFL and recent memory than Sala. Every week he is answering questions and being asked to
explain things that he has no control over. And now it's come to the point where even the bust quarterback, he doesn't even control him, and the ability to make him play quarterback for his team, or so it seems that's not the way Salah is painting it in his press conference.
Well, let's be clear, if he was reluctant to play, guys, he wouldn't be here, all right. And I actually coincidentally just got done speaking with him. He came in about a half hour ago and we had a really good conversation. The young man wants the ball, he wants to start. He believes he's the best quarterback in the room and best quarterback for this team, and the best and the guy who gives us the best fans to win. And I'll tell you, guys, the same thing I told him.
I appreciated, I appreciate the fact that he wants to play. I'm just not there yet.
It's just not there yet. And it's just that is even absurd, like so he's trying to couch that as how you even made a decision yet. But if I do make a decision, Zach has now told me he wants to play. Boys, what this sounds like to me? And tell me if if you think it's something else is the Jets, who have been completely misguided about their quarterback room since Rogers went down, They finally get sick
of wilson struggles. They bench him for the second or third time since he was the number two overall pick, and they say to him a couple of weeks ago, Hey, really, sorry, this is not gonna work out. We're gonna go in a different direction. Not only we're gonna demote you, we're gonna essentially deactivate you. And then after the season's over, we'll find a way to kind of part ways, and
best of luck to you. And because the Jets are such a poorly run organization, they miss they underestimate how bad these other quarterbacks in their building are, and so when those guys are making them completely non competitive, they go back to Zach and say, Zach, we need you again. And Zach Wilson saying bruh, like you are not bringing me back next year. I am sick of being your whipping boy. I'm not safe playing in front of that offensive line, and I'm trying to restart my career next year.
And I know you don't like me, so why should I play from you for you? I've thought about this a lot. Boys. I think Zach Wilson is an anti hero. I think Zach Wilson is telling the Jets. You are incompetent, so you could take this quote unquote job and shove it. And as much as and I know my dad is totally on the other side of this and thinks it's ace that he would ever do that, but I have to say I understand where Wilson is coming from. If indeed that is what the backstory.
Is here, I think that's a great positing of the situation. I don't know if he had any promises that, like you're done for the season or anything like that. That doesn't make sense to me. I'm somewhere in the middle that I understand that viewpoint of him kind of sticking it to them, And I just think it's career suicide to really not want to play. You're not playing for the organization. You're playing for your teammates. That's what they
always say. And ultimately, in a situation like this, you're playing for your career, like to put something on tape, to try to continue to get it going, to get a positive grade, to show something, and you're playing for your teammates.
You feel like you owe it to them. And when I.
Saw these are I just thought, I never I never heard of something like this. This is some ridiculousness. And I was just thinking, and we can get into it. I want you to go, Mark, But like I just was like, what is the motivation of this even getting out?
There is someone trying to paint him poorly?
You know.
Diana reported that it was coming from many parts of the organization that they had heard this, like players, coaches, staff had all heard this. And then after she reports it, Jeff Howe has this report which just took my breath away. Quote, if Zach Wilson were asked directly by the Jets to start, he would agree to that. A source familiar familiar with Wilson's thinking, what are we doing here? I don't I honestly don't even have a take. My take is what
is what is happening? That is the wildest thing I've ever heard as a report. I don't even know what that is.
It's insane.
I've been reduced to the same place where like when we say they want him to start, or they told him X, Y or Z, it's hard, it's and this is not you know that this is true of the Jets too many seasons, and it's true of bad teams, Like who is even they at this point, because the coach seems to be almost outside the bubble of decision making and explaining things that he doesn't have full accountability for on some level, and that creates a sense of confusion.
If you are Zach Wilson, it's been an absolute disastrous experience to go out on the field because I think part of it is like he doesn't really have the support of his teammates. I mean, there's evidence that a lot of his offensive teammates feel like, if you're Garrett Wilson, like my career is falling apart because of this quarterback situation in New York. The team's falling apart, the defense is on fire about the whole thing, and so it's
like not an enjoyable thing to be playing well. I would say one thing his resume, like on tape is a mess. But I think because you're a you have a first round pedigree, another team would say we can fix what the Jets couldn't fix, because that's that that makes some sense. But if you're saying, basically, my desire to go out and be a teammate and play potentially doesn't exist, then it's like, cool, we don't need your
your ability isn't there. It's not like you're a special talent enough, Jeff George, and you're difficult, You're just Zach Wilson. You're not good and you don't really want to play. It's like you are sabotaging. And it seems almost immature if that's really what he's saying. That said, I'm not sure i'd even believe any of that. I don't even know where it's coming from or why and why anyone was trying to bury him.
The first report is too and it was not really dismissed by Salah exactly. I mean, he spoke to him, but he didn't exactly dismiss the init report. It's it's too widely spread and too many different things happening for me to doubt that that that part is actually I bet that is true, that people that he was just saying that that people are saying that, but like for them not to understand that that getting out was totally burying him, or unless it was someone that was intentionally
trying to bury him. But it doesn't make sense for anyone to try to intensely bury him because it just it's.
Just all bad. It made me think Dan and maybe this was overreacting.
This was the first time I thought, oh, Salah's got to go because this is just embarrassing. And you can say this is not so his fault for whatever reason, but it's just like it's all embarrassing. And I've I've asked around a little bit, and I think there's pushback. I think the consent, conventional wisdom is that Sallas stays, But I have my doubts, especially if it keeps going.
Like this, And if he stays, it's because it's a dysfunctional organization that doesn't see that this is too far gone, that he is not the right leader for this team, that Aaron Rodgers is the one now running the ship. I mean, it is. It is. Everything's played out in in only the Jets fashion. In the worst case scenario. It's embarrassing. As a Jets fan. I feel like I really am kind of on the ropes right now where I know I can't I can't disconnect from the Jets
and not be a Jets fan. But I'm getting to the point where like apathy is going to start creeping in. I feel like because I'm just so disgusted talking about them year after year after year, as being a joke, the joke of the league. And that's why the why the comment I said about Wilson being kind of an anti hero. There's something cathartic about Wilson, whether this was
his intent or not. Finally, someone is really holding the team accountable and saying, you're a joke, like ownership, general manager, head coach, Offensive Courd, You guys are a joke. If you think that I'm gonna now come try to bail you out after you humiliated me and put me on the bench and deactivated me and told me that it was worse than Tim Boyle who threw one touchdown in thirteen interceptions. For U Kon and Trevor Simeon, these are
guys that shouldn't even be in the league. You're a joke, and everyone's laughing at the Jets, and I'm saying it now every show they come up. It's what the joker said to de Niro, you get what you deserve. And
that's what's happened to the Jets. They botched this from week one on and now they're suffering the consequences, and no one feels bad for him because they never saw it coming, because they were so filled with confidence and smelling their own you know what that they never realized they were this vulnerable, even though everyone else could see it.
So how can I, as a Jets fan want that head coach back, or that general manager back, or hell, even the quarterback who's done nothing nothing, Aaron Rodgers has done nothing for my team other than end up indirectly, you could say, cause more embarrassment and more pain and more misery. I'm just sick of it.
I'm sick of it.
It's one day they're gonna do it. They're gonna push me too far. It's getting close again.
You know, you could have happy You don't have to have an unconscious or what is it conscious uncoupling, but you could like take a break, you know, just be like, I'll see you in six weeks, just like you know, you disconnect as much as you can come back.
What do I do for a living? Greg?
No, Well, that's getting away from them, all right.
Let's just move on before my head explodes. The Steelers will be without Kenny Pickett for a while, but hopefully they'll get him back. He had ankle surgery the Steelers quarterback on Monday. He was on the injury report by the way because of an ankle in Juli last week, so he aggravated it against Arizona. There's no long term
timetable for how long he's going to be out. According to Mike Tomlin, they ruled him out obviously Thursday's game against the Patriots, and get ready, everybody, Mark, you and I are going to have a fun with that one. Mitch Trubisky will start on Thursday. It's a high ankle spring.
I mean, I feel like with the point where there's there are maybe some larger concerns about pickets durability because it's been a you know, a sort of an array of up and down hell issues, concussions on this. That and Trubisky I don't really see as vastly different than Kenny Pickett. Greg, I think you're higher on Trubisky than I am. I I it's another AFC playoffs.
Talking about this for twenty years. Well, he's just like he's been in the league for over one hundred years.
I've always been buried down.
But I kind of liked him for a few moments in Pittsburgh last year.
I've liked him in Pittsburgh this year.
The few times I just think their floor is is I like so that you know that offensive explosion where they scored sixteen points and put up four hundred plus yards like you know, quintessential mirage. I mean, I just think this team is a I said they're gonna win twelve games, but they're lucky to have as many wins as they do right now. And we'll see what happens with Pickett Thursday night, Dan, I mean I need I might need you to like drop a bomb on my apartment.
I mean, I'm not sure I can do it. I'm gonna try out there.
Vegas has the over under at I believe thirty and a half now, which is the lowest over and under in the NFL in years.
Yeah, I think it's since two thousand and five, and it's going down. I saw that ninety five percent. I think it was our researcher Kate mag Zurich. I believe said ninety five percent of that money is going on the under. So it might keep sinking and sinking until it goes through the floor.
We should you know what we're gonna do. Listeners, I know you're gonna think to yourself of their one episode to skip of around the NFL, it's going to be the Thursday night football episode. Mark and I are gonna cook up a secondary segment so explosive that will be the one everyone's talking about. People will be talking about our seg more than they'll be talking about that game. Wait.
And I appreciate that because I think you're doing you know, you're doing us a service as well, because I you know, I just sat through six nothing Patriots Chargers, you know, a day ago, so it's like, how many you know, swings with the baseball.
Shootout on Thursday.
I've seen some reporting that it was the the tightrope procedure.
By the way, I think Trubisky adds the floor.
I might, I might go over here, you know, just Trubisky is gonna throw some pick six. He is the Jamis Winston to Kenny Pickett's Derek Carr, where it's probably in the end not going to be any more effective, but it'll just be more chaotic and more points. I saw it reported somewhere that it's the tightrope procedure on Kenny Pickett. They did not put him on IR and that's a high ankle sprain, and that's you know, maybe two to three weeks you're out which is just interesting
to think about in context of Trevor Lawrence. We don't know what's gonna happen, but Cameron Wolf just a little update. As we're going, our reporter NFL Network is in the locker room there instead he was talking to teammates. Trevor Lawrence was and they seemed like a little happy after I mean, he's just reading the tea leaves here. He was on crutches and ended up walking out with a walking boot, putting a little bit of pressure on it, but not much really as he left. But they said
that the teammates weren't in terrible spirits. And then he was taken out of the locker room on a cart, so they do have a cart day. We finally in Jacksonville they found the cart. I mean, so faithful.
What are we doing the they it's one thing where you're limping off the field and disappearing. When when they cut ESPN cuts to inside the bowels of that stadium and he's moving about six inches every thirty seconds, It's like, guys, shod do we have something to take the franchise somewhere?
And also like so he's six six, he's obviously like a massively framed quarterback. Like even the guys you know under each one of his shoulders were big dudes too, but it's like they were not big enough to actually do the job, and they're just like tugging his body down this hallway. It's like technology. How many golf carts are in Jacksonville, Like.
A two thousand pound golf cart with eight wheels and a flat back that would be perfect for a six five two point thirty built out of stone quarterback dealing with a nasty lower leg injury.
You know what we kind of lost in the shuffle there and ESPN did too, is that Walker Little, who you really feel for. He stepped on Lawrence and this is why I've seen some people being like quarterbacks got to learn how to protect themselves. It's like his left ackle stepped on him during the dropback.
What do you want?
I mean, it was just a fluky It's gonna happen, and then he fell over it. Weirdly, Walker Little hurt himself on that play. Walker Little is their starting left tackle because they just lost their starting left tackle, Cam Robinson for the season, so that was like a completely catastrophic play on a night they also lost Kirk and Trey Herndon and Foley Fatukasi. So it was just like a crazy, terrible night for the Jaggars.
All right.
In other news, you know what's going on in New Orleans right now, everyone's an expert. Everybody knows how to fix the Saints and what's wrong with the Saints and everything. Everybody thinks it's amazing that there's all this talk going on and all this mocking of people, And isn't it cool that Michael Thomas is sending tweets during the game. I can't. I don't know why I'm being so nasty nut right now.
Let be mad like you're mad. They're just mad.
No, but it's Michael Thomas. It's not the fans. I understand their frustration. Michael Thomas is the one who's tweeting. You know, who was once a tremendous player and now it's kind of just a guy and he's once again injured. He's sending cryptic tweets during the game, y'all said, I was throwing shade, not at all my not at all, my eyes, just work check yours, okay, all that kind of stuff, and obviously taking shots at car after turnover
and the team in general and the coaching staff. Dennis Allen was forced to address this on the same day he explained that Derek Carr was gonna be missing some time.
Yeah, we'll keep that, we'll keep that in house. But you know, I guess I was made aware of that last night, so he.
Deleted Derek took down his Twitter account.
Was there, Can someone tell him that he had to take the tweets down.
Or why I wear that.
Derek Carr is in the concussion protocol once again, but he's got all sorts of other injuries coming out of that game. So it feels like we're gonna get a Jameis Winston Taysom Hill jam this week.
Yeah, Thomas liked a hosts that and this was last week actually, people were noticing that, like the post that joke that Carr gave Thomas a hospital pass to openly critique him and stir up drama. And he had been like liking some anti Carsh tweets.
This is what I'm talking about.
And then he was watching the game and he was saying, you know, I'm just using my eyes. He was just noticing, like on the interception, for instance, that there were wide open receivers on the other side of the field. So he's like openly being.
And I don't think he's gone.
Probably he'll be gone, and I think they might both be, but.
There's nothing like I don't know, maybe there are people that disagree. I don't think there's anything cool or edgy or whatever about this. It's just like, I think you're being a bad teammate and you're using social media to kind of cause more issues. I think he's kind of a joke personally, thirty years old, grow up.
He's been a distraction, he's been absent, he's not been the player he was, and it's like, how many examples of total chaos do we need inside the Saints organization. We talk about, like, you know, Michael Thomas being away from the team. I think your average Saints fan wants
Dennis Allen away from the team. And I kind of feel like, no matter what happens to them on this journey this season, which has been unpleasant to the eyes, like it's going to be a massive off season of change, and if it's not, what are they doing?
I've landed on it. Greg. I think now I understand why I started this conversation the way I did. I've and I've talked about it a lot with Derek Carr that he has been bad this year and he's not worth the money and it was a bad signing and
he's been a problem. But I've seen a lot of you know, in the what you've talked about it, a lot like Saints fans are very angry and frustrated and these Michael Thomas story has been popping up the last couple of weeks, and it's almost like he's being celebrated on some level for calling out this this situation, and it's like that's part of the problem too, like that I feel like the Saints have just a lot of issues internally, and so maybe that is not something to celebrate.
But I understand, I truly understand where Saints fans are coming from that this has been a very rough season, uh, and they have not lived up to expectation.
Right, Michael Thomas is kind of speaking for them. The most interesting one that he liked last week, I'm trying to find it was about it was from like a motiv motivational speaker that was like week leaders avoid difficult conversations and the longer you delay, the heart of the conversation gets blah blah blah blah, and people thought people basically took that, And I think that's been a criticism of Dennis Allen that he doesn't know how to manage people.
There's been a lot of stories going like that. He just he's almost afraid to confront his own players, and I don't I think he's lost that locker room. So for separating the quarterback from this, it just it feels like a team that is just a drift right now.
But Greg, it started with like Chauncey Gardner, John, I think it's had Sean Payton been there, you wouldn't have lost that player.
Right, Yeah, that was that was the very beginning of it.
Yeah.
I would say one thing to Michael Thomas, like, I don't know if you're if you're going diving into difficult conversations when you're liking other people's posts and tweeting stub tweeting your own quarterback, that's not having a one on one conversation.
Injury news, Dereck Henry is not in the concussion protocol and is on track to play. In Week fourteen's matchup against the Dolphins, he had two touchdowns and over one hundred yards in yesterday's brutal loss to the Cults before we.
Had her next Monday night. Guys, we got little Titans Dolphins.
This is one of them.
Nice. By the way, the Titans fired their special teams coach after miscues, including that block punt that swung that game. Jeffrey Simmons of the Titans will miss a couple of weeks with a knee injury as well, according to Mike Vrabel. So that is a big loss for the Titans and anything to add there, boys.
No other than that block punt unfortunately ended Ryan Stonehouse's season. Ryan Stonehouse, their punter, I would have guessed was a shoeing. Maybe for All Pro first team may still make it, but punters, you know, the kickers get a lot of love on this show. Stonehouse's was out a run that rivals any punter that any punters had probably in the last handful of years.
So that is a that is a shame.
What a devastating play. I know, you lose one of your top players, your punter. You you lose you know, seven points on the board, and you know swings a game that you absolutely needed and then you get it. Gets people fired as well. There are very few plays this season that have been that devastating for one team. Yes,
it's almost impressive, but really tragic in a way. Uh. Circling back to what we were honking about last night, with less than a minute to go in Sunday Night Football, Patrick Mahomes fired a deep ball to Marcus Valdegs Valdez scantling. He was absolutely tackled almost by Carrington Valentine. They do not throw the flag. Instead of first and goal from about the five yard, the Chiefs are left to scramble and they never do get close. After that final score
twenty seven to nineteen. You heard the rules guy, who's the rules guy for NBC again, McAuley McAuley. He was very frank and said this is not good. There should have been a penalty. Guess what. That night they trot out Brad Allen, the referee, and he explains after the game that you know what, it wasn't We didn't get
this one wrong. Here's the quote. As you may know, on every play, whether there may or may not be past interference, either offensive or defensive, the covering official has to rule whether contact materially restricts the receiver and in this case, the covering officials were in good position and ruled that there was no material restriction that rose to the level of defensive pass interference. The ball appeared to be catchable for MVS. Alan did not dispute that I
am not aware that catchability was involved. The covering officials simply did not feel that there was the level of contact that rose to a material restriction for defensive pass interference. I mean, I don't know what to say to that. That's brutal, like it does either way. It does nothing for the chiefs mark, but it's like, at least say you got the call along, so we could all just move forward as a society.
Yeah, that would be more pleasant. I guess my thing is you can go read these NFL rule books. When you go read some of these paragraphs, it's like, I'm sorry, what's happening. But like our eyes, the broadcaster's eyes, our eyes, Terry McAuley's, everyone is looking at this play and saying this doesn't check out. So whatever the written rule is, like,
maybe we need to examine that. I guess you can say whatever you want, but there's never accountability for these officiating crews when they blow something.
He sounded like a politician if you listen closely, you read it closely. They never did. They never said that the call was right. All he did was just explain in great detail that the guy was in position, here's the rule, and he thought he was making the right call. Like he actually like it was one of those politician like non denial denials where it just said a lot of words and he's like, well, this is what he ruled.
He looked at it, he was in good position, and this is what it ruled because this is what he thought. But he missed the point of like, yes, that's all true. We know he thought he was right, but he was wrong.
That's what we want to hear.
Weird, annoying sucks all right. Finally in the news, this is funny, and Greg, you're way more plugged into this world than Mark or I, so you can perhaps tell us why if these things can change so quickly, But
I guess it makes sense. So we've been talking about the last few weeks brock Purdy, who's having really an excellent season for the Niners, who I think we're all in agreement are the best team in football, And why is he being overlooked in the MVP race when you look at the odds at the sports books, and you know, he was kind of in the distant background a couple
of weeks ago when we first started talking about this. Well, after Party threw four touchdowns and the Niners blew out the Eagles, that quick quickly changed to the point now that Party is the odds on favorite to win Super Bowl MVP. In the latest odds, the Niners are also the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Party through for three, fourteen and four. They're the odds right there if you're watching it on YouTube. Parties a plus three hundred Dak
right behind him at plus three fifty. I think that checks out, and then it's a little bit of a drop off after that. Plus nine hundred for Lamar, plus sixteen hundred for Tyreek Hill. There you go plus three Boy and Josh Allen plus thirty five one hundred.
Hurts at plus three fifty two at plus seven.
Oh sorry I was reading it wrong.
Yeah, it's confusing how it was set up, just with the two things add These things change fast, though, because they're just a reflection of what Vegas thinks, people like us think, which is very nebulous as you would like to say, especially with like eight weeks left in the season, and you know they're just trying to like, what is the average Joe thinking, essentially, and the average Joe wasn't thinking party until now. It's still you know the field.
You know, plus three hundred isn't that much of a favorite. It would still say it's way, way, way more likely that Perty doesn't win than he doesn't, but he has the closest odds. The Dak thing is more interesting to me because I think he was plus three thousand like three weeks ago, and now he's like kind of a co favorite with Purdy and Hurts. I still like Tyreek. I still think actually he has a much better chance than those odds, and odds indicate.
We may be closer to a season where like a Tyreek Hill or someone like that, or a Christian McCaffrey can rise up and not be a quarterback and win this. But like I know where we're all like of this world that like quarterback wins, we just ignore them. It's almost better if you win three games, but you're a
pristine like player. But honestly, like Brock Perty, I think it matters to voters and like generalists that Brock Purty blew out the Cowboys in the game that Dak didn't play out play well, and he blew out the Eagles in a game that Jalen Hurts played played all right
in but it wasn't like Jalen Hurts one. And now Dak and Jalen Hurts go play each other next week, and if one of those really suffers in that game, I just you're starting to see, like where where's the terrible Brock party game against a giant killer that we see recently, Like he's surging and other guys are starting to knock each other off. I don't I think that affects voting like.
I think the last five weeks I stand by that, like the last five weeks ultimately decided. Now you got to kind of be in this top eight probably the start, but the last five weeks will be huge. And if it's on QB wins, which it shouldn't be, and yet that will be a huge factor. All these guys are all about the same in terms of their team, so how their teams finish obviously is a huge factor.
And I'll say it again, just because he keeps on coming up. But and this isn't coming at you at all, Greg, But you know there's still people have to vote, And are we really gonna on All Honors Night gonna call up Tyreek Hill, who is someone that has just violence in his past and has hurt people. You know, if Deshaun Watson was having a monster year this year, would we be okay given him the MVP? Where's the line? Like, where's the separation with these guys and what they've done
in their personal life? And when did we decide that they're worthy for the discussion of these on field awards and when they should be disqualified or even be vilified as people with no redeeming qualities? Like where is that line? I'm little bit.
No redeeming qualities is a pretty strong statement about any person. But I guess I would say we've led him. First of all, he's back into the league for five six years, He's won multiple postseason awards from the exact same fifty voters that are voting on this. So the awards, I think, say, you're not supposed to take that into account. Could that come into account ultimately on a big award like MVP, that's the big fair that's a fair to make.
I don't.
I don't tend to think that's getting priced into those numbers or into voters thoughts again, but I could be wrong. It's a fair point, I would say, though the exact same fifty people are voting First Team All Pro year after year, which you can say isn't as big a deal. It isn't, but it's a big honor. It makes a big difference to him, and they've been voting for that sort of thing.
And for people that don't know, he had an ugly domestic violence arrest in college and there was a child abuse investigation while he was with the Chiefs. That was a huge story at the time. So it is a spotty record, to say the least around Hill. But you know what if he if he goes for two thousand yards and carries that offense to historic places. Yeah, from a pure statistical breakdown, he's in that conversation. It's just you know, anything else.
It's about it.
I'll save my Tyreek kill case you write it is a little awkward for later, But I got some good numbers for later, you know.
Okay, See that is that's our busy, busy Sunday, Monday Tuesday, we're gonna watch some games. We charge our batteries and get ready for our Wednesday program, and then a Thursday program, and then another Thursday pro. You know the wheel, it keeps spinning. Thank you everybody for your support. We could not do it with that you And I'm still seeing all those in our mentions, all those people that have
been listening to around the NFL and the podcast. It's a big part of their experience, whether they're in their cars or at home, or maybe there's an ear piece in when they're the wife or the husband's talking and you could just shut out the world. Those kids.
Someone at eighty four thousand, was that like a real thing? How is that even possible?
Eight? It's incredible, it's incredible. So thank you everybody. The fact that we still have you guys with us eleven years in, we're very lucky.
Why don't hundreds of people have eighty four thousand minutes?
That's my question, because do the math, it's like four hours a day.
How is that we don't even make close to that out of content?
So it's just well, someone made someone someone showed that it's possible. So you know, lead, you know, follow that individual's glory.
I like that. Mark as as Uh. The great philosopher Paul Houston once said, ambition bites the nails of success. You just got to keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing, all right till next time. Thank you, everybody heed the call.