Championship Weekend Recap: Titans-Chiefs, 49ers-Packers

new teams, and it's calling for the sound drop. But I want to hear real thoughts as well. Hit the sound drop. Oh yeah, yeah, Ricky, So I finish your thought though. No, I just you know you're looking at the combinations the minute you get to Championship Week, and there were a couple of combinations that excited me less. This promises to be a total fireworks show potentially. And you know the Sessler family is on the Niners bus

to some degree. For a large degree. Well, I'm just saying I'm rooting for them to enjoy the great Simone Sessler, your better half, as they said, Yes, no questions about what a what a blanket statement to put on all relationships. But in this case, correct is a huge Niners fat She's legit. Yeah. So they are all over the map, they're rooting for multiple teams, as children do. They're kind of feeling out. Anything that smells like a loser they

get away from quickly. We got we got a men, you know, set a conference championship games overall today, which means we're leading to a great super Bowl. Last year we had the most unbelievable conference championship Sunday of all time. I would say, and what did that lead to? Thirteen three? I was I'm fine with this on our around the NFL Network show the broadcast, which thank you to everybody

that watched our three week audition. We've been promised nothing about that show existing beyond uh this month, but we had a lot of fun doing it, and everybody that supported you guys are the best. My my prediction was that where would be too kind of blowouts today humble brag, and that stinks because you want a lot of fun on the on this great day. But it really is the best scenario to me ultimately, because you don't want one of these, not that there's anything against the Titans

of the Packers. But if one of those teams sneaks in, then you're worried about a Super Bowl blowout. I just don't imagine how it could happen with these two teams. How fun football, It's fun. This show does exist in Dan's mind. That's what I'm beginning to learn. Also, at least a vast majority of the segments cooked up. I did Um, how is your Anthony ferk ser weill score in the final six seconds to win up? Well, you know it was looking good. He did score a touchdown

and then everything, you know, the floor fell out. Um, all right, so you know what we're here to do. We're here to talk about the two games and uh, and then maybe spin forward a little bit, do some winners and losers. And a reminder, by the way, Uh, we will be heading to Miami next week a week from today, and are big around the NFL Live show at the Miami Improv. Now that we know the teams that are fans of the Niners, fans of the Chiefs, get in on Thursday, come to the show Thursday night.

Tickets available Miami Improv dot com, slash Events. This is gonna be an incredible showing of the fan bases. The Chiefs haven't been in a Super Bowl in fifty years and have one of the greatest uh fan bases in the entire NFL. And the forty Niners with the history that they have in the lack of Super Bowls, I know, I know they were New Orleans, not that long ago. That that it's long enough ago. They're gonna show up.

That's gonna be unbelievable. Everybody's excited about this matchup. The Niners. Of course, we're in the Super Bowl against the Ravens, the famous Beyonce blackout game at the Superdome. But did a little research, as we must do as professionals, it's been a while since the Niners hoisted the Lombard. You gotta go all the way back to the ninety four season and the Chiefs. Of course, yes, it's been a

very long time. So let's get into the games. We'll go in reverse order once again, So let us start at the big bow bomb Topolo and the gun moster to the right, Samuel again, good matchup. Hendrick Bourne in a glunch formation debo behind am Manuel the point of the bunch to get a gun run most of off the leptop banks of Tuco twenty touch down, Guy, great baby, run down, you go thrunning Wow, Rod, it opened up one on the gun Rod. Third and eight house call

from Rheed Moser, Greg Papa and company. Oh, right off the bat, turn it off, turn it up in our ears coming. Okay, I blocked out there for a second. Yes you did. I had a red bull right before where you get started? Greg Papa with the call for the Niners radio network Brahe Mostard. He began the NFC Championship game on the sideline as a reserve. He ended

it as a Santa Clara folk hero. Most Are set a team record with two and twenty yards and four touchdowns on the ground in San Francisco's thirty to twenty win over the Packers. The Niners advanced of their first Super Bowl. As I said, since season and uh, Mark, I'll start with you on this one because simone Cessler, she's dancing. She's dancing like nobody's watching, maybe holding a glass of white wine chardonnay. The kids you put to bed, and now she's just spinning around in the living room

waiting for you to get home. Let's move this along and you know what oppress if she got him the bed so quickly. What a day for Simone and all the other Niners fans because this was a three and

a half hour celebration. To me, one thing that I pulled from it is the versatility of the forty nine and almost a huge flex by Kyle Shanahan to show Jimmy G who is constantly a talking point in an excellent quarterback in many ways, and when you need him, he's there through the ball eight times that ninety plus minutes of real Earth time past in this game where Jimmy G didn't was not asked to throw the ball because of their utter and total dominance on the ground

against the Packers defense. That sorry, Mike Petton, I mean this is not a resume builder what happened here because you went through huge chunks of the game where it was just extremely clear this is what Kyle Shanahan was doing. Re mustered his turn into Superman. We're gonna unleash him over and over and over and on the flip side, I don't think that like a supercharged Nancy Drew could find Green Bay's offense until the game simply didn't matter.

I mean it's like both side of the Green Day operation. Nancy drew on like a tour at all shot or something have viewers more like an adult who's been through some stuff and she because she know her her investigative her investigative powers are fine tuned, but she's been damaged it. I thought we saw evidence of why Kyle Shanahan is the best play caller in the league and since he started calling plays, he takes any running back you have

and turn him into a stud. Going back to Steve Slayton, who was a fantasy football god as a rookie alpham running for six hundred yards. I mean Rahee Mosterd, a guy who's been with seven different teams. Now. He was a sparkscore guy coming out of Perdue. He didn't get invited to the Combine, but ran like a four or three eight and was a total stud athletically, but bounced

around the league. And you're at Troy troitman say you don't see holes like this in the NFL, but every week when you watch the forty Niners, you see a few of them. Because Kyle Shanahan schemes this up. He had over most of it, has over a hundred yards. Uh, and rtage on the ground by halftime without being touched. That shows you he's just running into open space. But he also is like athletic and has like I love

his style. He's sort of he fits this style for their offense so perfectly because he kind of flows with the hole and and like knows when to get get up in it. And Uh, it's a beautiful it's a

beautiful thing. I was waiting for the for the sound note there, like the forty Niners not needing to call a pass was it's it's almost humiliating the fact that they came out a halftime after the Packers scored a touchdown in their first touchdown drive, and it's, you know, in theory, it's somewhat of a game at that point, it's to seven. I guess it's not much of a game. But at least the Packers were feeling good and he doesn't need to call a pass in the second half

on a nine play drive. It he said coming out of halftime, the forty Niners could legitimately kneel every down and stuff. Yeah, they although in hindsight, you know, the Packers did put up three touchdowns in three straight possession and the game proved to be over at that point. But it's outrageous to not throw a pass coming out of halftime on that drive and still be able to score a touchdown. It's humiliated and you and I was like,

what is Mike Petton doing? There was? There was They didn't like put eight in the box for most of the game. They kind of had a light situation where they have their five defensive backs, which they played all season long. He didn't really adjust and I thought that the key play call was his third and seven early and he it felt like Kyle Shanahan knew what Mike Petton was gonna do in terms of the pressure that

he was gonna bring. And he calls a third and eight draw that goes for a remoster touchdown and it's over. And none of this is stunning. I mean green Bay defense, while it was improved this year and obviously they Guta KANSTI had a really nice offseason and we celebrated that all seasons. I'm not sure he gets I think we

can't play that tonight. You can't get it. As as as they've had great German clubs are closed they yeah, they closed out the game President Smooth the big exact last week, but even that game, the Green Bay defense was getting gash down the stretch there. Uh So they had always been susceptible to cold stretches, and this was felt like basically a worst case scenario where the defense isn't ready and then the Niners offense is just ripping through. I just I think that we all trusted Kyle Shanahan

in so many ways. But one of the ways is who's going to get the best of Kyle Shanahan versus ex co workers that he knows. And I think we mentioned this on our show on on Friday too, that you know, he worked very closely with Mike Petton and that advantage went clearly to Kyle Shanahan. To Matt Lafleur, I mean, fill in the blank. It was Kirk Cousins a couple of weeks ago. So it's like, when you work with Kyle Shanahan, he's observing you, and I think he does an excellent job of Their roster is not

star studded on any level. It just is. It's it's a hodge podge of guys that have grown inside the Niner system and some free agents and people that he's found that fit. Everywhere he goes, he seems to find the right most piece. But I mean this to me is one of the most talented, if not the most I just would say that. I would say that two years years ago, you wouldn't say that like these players that have, like George Kittle. We all kind of fell in love with Kittle a couple of seasons ago, but

becoming a household name is happening now. Aigman made a great point of Kyle Shanahan. He thought his best gift is being able to evaluate talent and how it's going to fit in his system. And and John Lynch does there's all the credit for everything that he's done to help the process here, but this is a situation where Kyle Sanahan's the boss. I mean, this is Kyle Shanahan's team, and especially offensively to your point, Mark, he picks guys that you don't know are gonna be stars, and they

look like stars, like Deebo Samuel Well. A big part of that is development and developing George Kittle from a fifth round tight end into the best in the business. That's huge, and then to go out and nail the draft. I specifically ripped on John Lynch this offseason and wondered all those first round picks they were pouring into the defensive line and nothing was going on. Now, you draft

Nick Bosa, turned the whole unit around. Pick up Drake Greenlaw in the fifth round, pick up Deebo Samuel, when other guy as they're taking in nikkil Harry, Greg hurt Um. Here's when we're talking about it. Jimmy G throwing just eight passes, but it's incredible what this team was able to do offensively without a passing game, but without using

their passing game. At one point, Jimmy G went more than ninety minutes of real time with between passes when he connects with George Kittle with about seven and a half minutes of All right, if any somebody already said it, somebody already said it, I don't need your little chuckle in your looks Sessler, and I did not start that look on any level, by the way. I don't need the looks, is what I'm saying it is, And had to be looking at someone who made me chuckle. So

there's a lot going on in the host. I can't find hang on every word, every word I have to heng. I think it's worth reiterating, so please when he connects with George Kittle with about seven and a half minutes play, that's the only target Kittle had all game. That's George Kittle, that is one of the great tight ends in the league. And he was second in the team and receiving. Also

was throwing devastating blocks left and right. I mean, he wasn't it wasn't a bye week for Kiddle, but it almost like they kind of like, it's hard, it's tough to scout this team through the air when they did nothing this week. Already said that Well was at home watching this game and he is having the best time he's ever had, not on a football field. Because Theties Navy offenses out there going to the Super Bowl. I mean they ran at forty one times and through an

a It's outrageous. I mean, they are truly playing like nies forties fifties football, but with an amazingly creative running game twist to it. Four hundred and seventy five yards and two games for the Niners in the playoffs on the ground. To Kiddle's credit, Kyle Janahan said he never once has asked me to call a pass play for him, But if we pass a bunch of plays in a row, he'll come over and say, Hey, isn't about time we call a run play? Now? I want to get out

there and block somebody. Do we put any uh? We put this loss on Aaron Rodgers at all? Yes, I mean I don't think if he had played his best that they wouldn't necessarily win. But you cannot come out of a game where he turns the ball over twice in the first half, one which really, you know, put the game away essentially. I mean, he goes what three and out fumble interception in three straight drives in the

second quarter. He started six for six and I think at that point they had negative passing yards, so it was certainly more than just him. But he started the game poorly. The first three first downs of the game he went one yard pass on a third and short sack sack, and he if he has had any issues I would say consistently over the last couple of years is that he doesn't take chances, that he throws the ball away, that he eats the ball a little bit,

and that happened early in this game. I don't know if it would have mattered, but he didn't play well. That's he's gonna take blame because of who he is. But from the halftime of the win over the Seahawks until the halftime of this drubbing that they took in the first half year, they were outscored forty seven to seven. And you know, if it's a different type of type of quarterback, you can say that they were The offense

was taken totally out of its game. I mean they just the defense, to me, takes a huge matt This also is a Niners team that was about three plays away from being eighteen and oh, you just ran into a buzz saw. Romo said in the middle point of the season that Rome that Rogers and la Flora had basically come to an understanding. La Fleur calls the first and second down place and then Rogers say, let let

me handle third downs. From that first forty Niners blow out to the first half of this one, over sixteen on third downs against the forty Niners, that's the man who's not handling pressure well. And when you juxtapose it with the way Patrick Mahomes handed pressure, I know the Titans pass rush isn't even in the same league as as the as the forty Niners pass rush, but Rogers does not handle pressure like he did earlier in his career. Also didn't like Matt Lafleura not going for it on

fourth and short very early at midfield. These are all just little things that the Packers needed to be perfect to compete even and it was really just the turn overs from from Rogers to me that that stands out for them to have any chance. He couldn't have done Aaron Rodgers. By the end of next season, he will have turned thirty seven years old. So if you're a Packers fan, you know this is a game that sometimes these are easier to digest when you're clearly outclassed, as

as Green Bay was in this game. But the clock is now used to talk about that some people would get ahead of themselves when he when Rogers was thirty thirty four. Oh man, you're burning away his prime. Now we're really getting into the late career period where we don't know how much longer he's gonna be able to be that guy. Is he even that guy anymore? West You're you're saying there's certain aspects of his game that

have already deteriorated. So that's kind of a bummer. And I know, Greg, you were talking about on Thursday, you were getting excited, you were hopeful, and Aaron Rodgers made some great throws. I mean, you look at the numbers and you had you would think he had a decent game. But you see, and we'll get to Patrick Mahomes in

that game. At this point, a difference between the true like top of the line quarterbacks who can almost single handed lee will a team back into action, and where Rodgers is, who I think maybe at this point in his career, is maybe just a step below that. Is that unfair? No, No, I don't think that's unfair. But I also think you can point that if Rogers had Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelsey instead of Jimmy Graham and Alan Lizard, I think the results are a little bit different. Absolutely.

But He's also was healthy all year and I don't think anyone would argue that he was a top five NFL quarterback this year. I don't think he was that close to being a top five NFL quarterback this So that's a pretty big change he made. He's healthy and he's not a top five quarterback. That's different. Now could he be next year? I mean the fact that Tom Brady to me was you know, a top one or two quarterback for you know, three years from ages thirty

to forty one. I do believe it could still happen it with the right combination of players and coaches, but it wasn't happening this year at that level. I do too. And when we played the Goodies song and all that business. He he did a nice job rebuilding the defense, but there was a I always felt there was a little bit of I don't want to call it eric because I think they simply believed in their young wide receivers. But this we don't need to address our skill position players.

On offense. We're set, We're fine, and Aaron Rodgers throwing to nobody in this game like that. There's you get a big play by Jimmy Graham, but it's like a total anomaly on this season. I think you have you do have to ask questions. I think if you're the Packers and I'm sure they're going to be investing in offense this offseason, you know, philosophically, they've put so much into their defense free agency money and draft picks. They have spent like crazy on their defense, and they improved

the defense from terrible to okay this year. But it's it's an offense league, and I'm sure they're gonna want to start investing more in the air. And you could see why that was their mindset, is like, we have

an all time graded quarterback. We believe we've given enough developing talent where he could lift them and then if we build up on d it could all come together in a championship type Stu, maybe this is a bit of the wake up call because here are some of the other guys that caught balls other than Adam's Graham Alan Lazard. You had Jake Camaro a catch, Marcedes Lewis with two catches, Jay Sternberger with two catches, Geronimo Allison with two catches, Tyler Irvine with a catch. I mean,

these guys, they need to upgrade the talent. I agree, we're all in agreement on that. Well. I know it's a new regime there, but part of their identity to me is played just well enough to get steamrolled by the forty niners in the playoffs. Because this has happened over and over again against their defense, right, Well, they Yeah, when they've lost this year, they've lost hard. I mean they've lost to the Chargers, they lost in this game.

They they haven't been overly competitive. It it's just a reminder to how how tough it is to make the Super Bowl. I mean, the forty Niners or four and twelve last year, they're in the super Bowl. And now Jimmy g has made just as many Super Bowls as Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers has had for their careers. It just takes so much. I mean, it makes Brady's nine Ross Tucker point makes Brady's nine super Bowls all the more ridiculous that Rogers and Brees have been to

one each. Like, not only do you need things to come together, but you need to not have to face uh an epic forty Niners team that even the best Aaron Rodgers was probably gonna lose. We were like four months away from Kyl Shanahan and John Lynch being on everyone's hot seat list. I mean, it's just everything changes very quick. Blame the Saints. I blame the Saints for blowing that first game. They should have been in this game. The NFC North was over a little overrated all year Uh,

they should have been there. They weren't. They didn't get the w didn't happen. Alright, any other thoughts on this game before we move on? Well, we'll do a little winners and losers at the end if you want to put a bow on anything here. Um, all right, now, this is the only reason we got Ryan Bartlett behind the glass, big cheese fan. It's been waiting his whole life to see the Chiefs in the super Bowl, making

today a very important day. Hard not to be happy for him after all these shows that we've done with him and the years where the Chiefs melted and you know, West said to me privately, it's hard not to be happy for him. But I'm still not. Wait, what's fair? I am a and of Ryan Bartlett and a fan of Bryan Bartlett's Instagram account, which is on fire. All right, So Bartlett was a big day for him because his Chiefs are playing for a chance to get back to

the super Bowl. Let's get into that game. Williams changed that same way. Three man rush again by Tennessee Mahomes moving to his left, latterally chased holding it and gets out of bouncing up the sideline. He's not out of bounds yet he's at the ten. Inside the Tenny dives for the end zone touchdown Kansas City. A remarkable acrobatic scramble on the twenty seven yard run. Maybe the best

play Yett of Patrick Mahomes. Incredible young career. He had to the King of these Kingdom for tru Today, the team that Lamar Hunt founded has just one Lamar Hunts trophy in the stadium. That was Lamar Hunts Dream Carndam. It's holmated his whole career. Oh, turn it up in my ears. The chiefs chiefs chief Chee chee going to the dance. If you wonder, Markham, they had a sacrifice a girl. The natives make this happen, I know, but I long disagree with you about what's happening in this scenario.

To me, it's like a I mentioned it the police trauma. You take it somewhere totally different st Patrick Mahomes, Yes, he was a surgeon throwing the ball Sunday, but it was his that twenty seven yard run where he tap danced down the left sideline at the end of the second quarter. That's what will remember most about uh this year's AFC title game. Mahomes is incredible. TV run gave the Chiefs the lead for good and routes with thin

over the Titans at Arrowhead. Yes, the Chiefs advanced to their first Super Bowl since the nineteen sixty nine season, and uh, Greg, with Mahomes out front, they have a great chance to bring this thing home. I think what is so remarkable about Mahomes is that on a day like today, it's some of the things you don't think about, you know, when it comes to Mahomes that totally destroys the opposition. Like he's moving defenders before the snap to

kind of open up, you know, running lanes. He's diagnosing every single thing that Dean P's and Mike Rabel tried to do before the snap to show him different coverages. None of that, uh got him out of his game. When they take away his first read, especially early in the game, he hits a third intended Kelsey that was an amazing play to make it forth and short, and

they keep that drive going. I think his best skill right now might be buying time, having a feel for where the pass rush is coming from and buying a little extra time for him to make his magic. And oh, that's different stuff than used his arm, which is the greatest arm I've ever seen, and it's gonna take an unreal defensive effort to stop him. And luckily for us, you know, he's playing the best defense in the NFL.

It took about twenty to twenty five minutes worth of game time in this game to to solve the question of which Juggernaut force was more unstoppable, and it was Mahomes because resistance was futile. I think what Greg said, he said it well, like anything in front of Mahomes, if he can see it, he can solve it. You gotta you gotta blindside him in order to sack him. In this game, the Titans were getting some pretty good heat on him, and he was solving it by either

scrambling or buying time to hit receivers. And I think that changed the whole way the Titans called offense because they knew their defense could not stop him, So every set of downs became so precious that they could not go away from Derrick Henry. That's what they believed in.

And when you had the second and ones or the third and two is that they used to do play action on, they said, we gotta go with Henry and in Chiefs, you saw they were even doing goal line defense in the first half to stop Henry in short yardage. And at that point we're used to seeing Arthur Smith dial up, play action or get creative, but I didn't think they dared get creative with the way to Mahomes was toying with their defense. Yeah, I mean Tennessee's bread

and butter. At least two really interesting wins to get to this point are making teams that people thought more of highly uncomfortable and the Titans controlling the pace, and the Titans, especially in the second half, you know, having their way, and the Chiefs at this point if you look at their two deficits against the Texans and today when they did down seventeen seven, that's a forty one to seven deficit that they fought their way out of.

So I don't so I cain both comfortably, exactly to the point where I think even watching it at no today was a little different than the Texans because I simply believed in the Titans more and they and they put up more of a fight after after having that lead.

But it was like by halftime that I had the same thoughts I did last week, Like this game feels just simply over to me, because what I love about Kansas City, why I think the Super Bowl will be awesome no matter what happens in the first minutes, is how aggressive they are. Even when they're up and it's third and ten, they're gonna keep throwing the ball. And they're not one of these cookie cutter teams that sits on a lead. They are gonna relentlessly look for an advantage.

And that's Kyle Shanahan too, So we're looking on paper, it's something very classic with the way the two coaching staffs attack. It's interesting how the Chief's offense never really kind of wet that next level during the regular season and now they are in that unstoppable type feel that marked their UH season in when Mahomes was the m v P and through fifty touchdowns, I just I couldn't not to keep everything on Mahomes, but I just could

not believe how impressive he was in this game. It was like it was one of the best quarterback games I've ever seen, and I've ever seen and I know he his numbers aren't perfect because twenty three or thirty five, but I thought he played a flawless game and did things that nobody else can do. The touchdown run was Romo said it during the game. He said, it is maybe the best individual play we've seen by anyone all season. Hey, you just did it in the a f C title

game to put your team ahead for good. His passing was unbelievable, and then when the Titans and they threatened to make things interesting, bang he hits Watkins for sixty yards, showing off that unbelievable arm. It's almost unfair his physical abilities. I mean, it's just so fun to watch, especially with

the running ability. I mean that that to me has been a difference in their winning streak since you know, they lost to the Titans the last time around it he has picked up and I'm thinking of the Chargers game and up definitely through the playoffs whenever they're taking away the past. Now he's thinking, okay, he knows everything in front of I'm gonna take eleven yards when he was their leading rusher in both of these playoffs. Cut

the defense on a yo. Yo. It's it's out right, and I think a lot of it is mental though, I mean, I really do think he's in his third year in this system, you know, second as a starter, and a lot of it is he seems incredibly sharp and that he's like further ahead right now that he was a year ago in terms of taking what the defense gives. I think it also points to and I like Damian Williams and he's had a couple of big

plays for the Chiefs obviously down the stretch. But they're running back situation just is it he has to do that because they can't lean on their stable of runners the same way that don't need you don't need to run to be the best offense in the league. Get into a situation where they need you. Yeah, you know you want haven't you want to? But it was it

was pretty interesting in the first half. I mean, I think they had three rushing attempts in the first half, and to Andy Reid's credit, he came out a half time and they had that drive right at a half time thirteen place, seventy three yards. Uh. And that was a lot of running in the third quarter with Damian Williams and Mahomes and so they are able to mix

it up a little. They were up ten first downs to four on the ground over Tennessee at one point, which is, you know they're these games have weird statistical stuff happening three quarters of the way through, but that shows you that should have been reversed if you're the Titans. Let's hear from Andy Reid after the game when they delivered the Lamar Hunt trow be back to the Chiefs on three? Can we just give it one? How about

those cheese on a nice moment there? And then Travis Kelsey, who I'm sure he's going to enjoy Super Bowl Week. He got his chance on the podium. I'll learn one. I'm here. You gotta fight. I feel like Travis Kelsey is your nightmare. Mark. No, it's I you know. I actually once interviewed his mom for a Mother's Day piece and she basically said that the two well, I guess, I mean it was I think like eight people read it.

But the two Kelsey brothers are so competitive. They're so competitive that I think that when the brother gets there with the Eagles, Travis Kelsey has waited for this moment. I mean, do I think that he probably practiced that line or had a a short list of two or three lines that might work over the mic if they won. Yes, I do from White Castle to the Nile. I know Greg has a favorite Beastie Boys line, but he might

not be able to say it on this podcast. Oh what I'd stick in the mash withotatus and we're not we're not allowed to stay or we're live on the internet. I'm trying to I'm trying to assign blame to why that just happened. West hewing Greg up and Greg not realizing that we're liveing. It feels like a good time for Erica to just step in and take hands. Yeah, yeah, I think all right, let's let's put the train back

on the tracks here. Uh yes. And remember this was the same Chiefs team Patrick Mahomes led them to twenty four points in the fourth quarter against the Pats last year, only to get left hung out to dry when the defense couldn't get off the field. So this was some unfinished business here in the a f C title game. And um, we talked about this like leading up weeks in advance on this that getting Andy Reid to the

Super Bowl stage, getting the Homes out in front. This is such a year where Mahomes kind of took a step back as Lamar Jackson rose up. This is now Mahomes a stage and the Chief I I think, what we have time to talk about who's gonna win the Super Bowl? But it's just like, this is such a gonna be such a great game. But Mahomes is the best player on the field on the biggest stage, and he's proven that on the biggest stage he gets better.

How do you pick against that guy? I'm gonna struggle to I thought it was a great example of complimentary football and how an offense helps a defense. I thought that Titans would push the Chiefs around, and it didn't really happen to a few plays early where Henry was going for eight or ten yards a pop. But the way that Chief's offense helped turn the Titans offense one

dimensional in the second and third quarters. And then the Chiefs defense with Honey Badger and Sorenson bringing hard hits, Frank Clark backing up his talk, Chris Jones playing better than we thought he would with the injury, the Chiefs defense turned the Titans one dimensionally to start passing it after. I think it are complementary, but it's it's the Chief's offense that just saves the Chiefs defense having a no show I mean, you give up seventeen points in your

first three drives, that's a disaster. The Titans only had the ball seven times today for a full drive, and they scored twenty four points. Yeah, I mean this was allowed the Chiefs defense to find them right. It's crazy because it this was not a great game by the Chiefs defense. And you know, you look at the final score and it's twenty four points and and it ends

up being comfortable. And they held Derrick Henry down. I mean they were like celebrate every time they got Henry on the ground in the first half for a three or four yard run. They were celebrate like they were so happy. But they really weren't playing very effectively. It's just amazing. Like when you put up thirty five points, that's one thing. When you put up thirty five points and eight possessions, it's like it's over. I mean, it's

it's like the Titans wanted to shorten the game. Great, you shortened it, and you shortened it so you lost faster. And if you had one nugget of information, you know, through a crystal ball coming into this game, and it said that you know, Derrick Henry will be held to two yards rushing in the second half, in the final thirty minutes, it's over. You know, Titans. Uh, I don't know. It's like they had their run. I would look I would look at this season, though you can't. I'm saying

they can't be too disappointed. It's different. It's a little different to me. And it's not on a Matt Lafleura. I think she look at this season and say, as a rookie head coach, he did a great job. But the Packers, with all that's happened with Aaron Rodgerson, the playoff losses accumulating over the years, that's a whole different field. Losing this game. If I'm a Titans fan, and it depends what they do with some of these free agents and stuff. And Mike rabel is your coach, you feel

good like this you were playing with house money. Feel good, But I don't see. I don't buy house money. You're up ten nothing, that's fine. Championship game. There's no promises that you ever get back to the stage with this nucleus. These games are hard to get to. And when you have a ten point lead in the second quarter to then go from seventeen seven up to thirty five seventeen down.

That's a bitter pill, especially when we spent a week straight talking about, Hey, everyone's between the chief between the Titans and Texans is if you fall behind against the Titans, it's over because Derrick Henry ends the game. He couldn't do it this time, and he didn't. They you kept waiting for him to break that sixty yard run that he's done week after week. And to the Chiefs credit, they're not a perfect defense, but they never let Henry dictate the flow of the game, and that was a

big part. I would just say this though, I mean, I hear, I hear you. You don't want to lose. I'm not saying Titans fans are, you know, out at the bars dancing up and down the streets right now. But you don't want You don't sit around thinking that the better team lost. It's pretty clear you lost to a superior team. And to talk about taking steps in one season, they took as big a step as any team in the league outside of the Niners. They do

have huge questions in the offseason. Tannehill, Derrick Henry, and Jack Conklin are all free agents. Those might be the three best players on their offense along with A. J. Brown. Here's some idea the right Conklin might be the easiest guy to say, I don't know, Henry. Henry feels like a guy get tagged. I'm saying, just get get get the tag because it'll be complicated to figure out anything else. Tannehill, you would think they're gonna sign him long term. I

don't think today was Tannehill's best game. Certainly not on him, but I don't think it was one of his best. It made me question his ability in cold weather. He throw those back to background balls in the middle of the game and it's like, what where is your grip on the football right now? I can I can already see a billion thing pieces about buyer beware Ryan Tannehill contract as quarterback. Articles is unfair, though I'm not saying

it's unfair. It's just so hyper predictable. It's hyper predictable. It is. It is tough to like, I, you know, we're we're doing these free agent rankings. It will get into this stuff, but it is tricky to figure out, Okay, him versus a guy that you've seen and do it. But his way up there in years like Philip Rivers or whatever. It was a ten game sample. He's worth more to the Titans than anyone else. They should bring

him back, and I really think that they will. Well, you forget because of what happened in the final three quarters. But in the first quarter, you saw that he had time to throw in huge open windows whenever they did play action. It's really hard to evaluate quarterbacks in play action offenses because the windows are bigger. He also took that Streds and hit, and I'm not sure that he was right after that, I think he was right, Oh my goodness. And then they came back from break and

he was he was changed. He was holding his tablet and changing it with his nose because his hands were so cold. He had the gloves on, uh, leading to a Romo joke that he thought that might be connected to the headshot he just took. Which Tony, Tony working a little blue and broadcasting terms in the NFL. Hey, it's it's going around these days. I guess I did really enjoy Tyrone Matthew on the podium at the end of the game and kind of the journey he's been on,

but especially his play today. I mean, he had that open field tackle early that that really stuck out on A J. Brown. But he had the big tackle for loss on a pass play that he ends up tweeting about after the game. That was the exact same play that the Patriots ran against them uh for almost a touchdown UH back in like week twelve, and he said, I knew they were gonna run that same because because

I fell for it last time. And he's the type of guy who it seems like he knows what the other team is going to do before they do it. And he has been an incredible free agent syna mean, maybe their best defensive player at least on the field today. West didn't feel in the newsroom early on that this wasn't Chiefs verse Titans. It was more a Mark versus Greg scenario with a lock the lockoff title on theline.

Greg needs a win to clinch. And the tension in the room when I got in right around kickoff and you could feel it when you said break down, the percentage of where the tension was coming from giving an honest answer didn't seem to be right. It was. It was mostly it was a very intense Mark, more intense

than usual. But then, um, Greg, you you could. I could feel that you felt that energy coming off Mark situation, to the point where when Marc goes upstairs to do a sky hit, you start making some positive comments about the Chiefs, like I gotta get these in before Mark comes back downstairs. That was the type of I didn't want it to be a brown situation where I couldn't root on the Chiefs for fear of for fear of I don't feel like I was that menacine, but I

I was. You know, there was just intensitive trade your chief your Titans fandom as if it was, you know, a well spring. It came from this natural place. It came from the fact that the only thing I know you to be competitive in is the locks that you really wanted well and I, by the way, congratulations did a great job and you've wanted outright at this point. Here, here's your prize, Greg. You have to be take part in this next season and defend your title. Now there's

there's a rule. You know, whoever wins can make up the rules. And then when did that bec it's not a rule? Smart moved by Dan though, to lock up the forty niners and sneak into second place. I like to find your face on a milk carton. If you take this contest away from us, that was a death threat, folks. Uh, pretty amazing that the Chiefs went fifty years without a Super Bowl appearance. Uh. That they've had some very good

teams over the decades. It has some great teams other decades, and you just it's kind of amazing that it never all came together until two thousand twenty. You know what's been missing though, Like the B line is, this was the team that didn't draft a first round quarterback, didn't pursue developing quarterbacks. They never had the guy. And like I Andy Reid kind of quietly must be kicking himself for settling. And Alex Smith is a good quarterback and

statistically viable and all this stuff. But Patrick Mahomes, he could have had five Super Bowls if he had a guy like this tenure. I mean, Bartlett and his fellow Chiefs fans have earned this moment, no don't. I mean, they lost seven straight playoff games over twenty years. And then in the Andy Reid era, even which has had a lot of hope, you've had five straight years where you've watched them five straight but you've seen five playoff losses.

He put the headset on Bartlett. Second here, Yeah, we got right of here after after all these and he's a Jet Chiefs fan. He's been the producer of the video show all season. He's done a great job. Bartlett. We talked about on last Sunday show that if the Chiefs win, you will run nude through downtown Culver City. You'll go past our office, past the sad old age home where the ambulances are always outside, past seven eleven one, past the gun shop past seven eleven two, and then

get to the d m V and come back. And sure enough, Fricky Hollywood has the video footage up after the game nude Bartlett. The people then hr Nightmare producers never stopped throwing it to himself. And if you want, you gotta watch the YouTube show for this very reason. But we're never putting in the YouTube backup back there. Varlet's bringing some text to the house. Varlett's working hard on that body, so he wasn't a sham to show it off. A congratulations Ryan, Oh this is great. I

don't I didn't know how to act so much. First uh, first thing was just take off my clothes and start running around the block. So what was the reaction to the people outside the gun store because there were some people out there was like a group gup of gun store enthusiasts outside. Yeah. Well, my first when when I ran by them the first time, not a big deal. But then when I turned around, I saw them all, uh start to make some funny faces at me. And I didn't know if they were going to come closer

step away, but maybe not your people. I mean I noticed. I thought that you, you know, if you were especially striking without clothing, I couldn't get a full view there that you know, you'd see cars veering off the side of the road, but they sort of just kept dingy. Any issues now, I mean that that's hardly anything special for this neighborhood. I mean stuff like that goes on around and it's all the time. And Erica, why were you laughing so hard as Bartlett ran by you? Another

fair question? Have you ever seen someone run down the street naked towards you? How could you not laugh so hard? I couldn't. I could not stop. It was so funny. Now here's the disgrace of it all. Bartlett, who has been a loyal NFL media employee for years, has gone to the past five Super Bowls. This year he's not getting sent by by the league, and now the Chiefs are in the Super Bowl. You gotta get this. West

started a hashtag get Bartlett to Miami. I think we got a gricky star Ricky Starry we got it doesn't matter. We all gotta started. I think we gotta do something about this. We gotta get him to Miami. Maybe we can, maybe we can start something. Maybe we all chip in a little bit. Maybe listeners help about I think it is more than Yeah, this is more. This is more than money. This is logistics. This is him producing your Sunday night Super Bowl show from some other produce. That's

that's my that we're working behind the scenes. Westward, some other brownie suggesting that you also are one that you know what, Barlett, that is a logistical hurdle. I want you to get comfortable here. You're not going anywhere. Let's try to get Barlett to Miami. It's gotta be somebody else that can help out right, I mean, we know perhaps your boss could be helpful on this. Yeah, should we Mark Brady? Should we get Mark Brady on the phone on some point this week of sneak attack. I

think I think that's necessary. Any other thoughts on this game, gentlemen. Congratulations Barlett, that's awesome. Nineteen sixty nine season, fifty years You guys want to do some winners and losers of Championship Sunday? Yeah, all right, I'll start. You mentioned him, Greg, remember the name Dre Greenlaw Decleating Jacob Hollister in week seventeen? Maybe changed everything? Uh if are they at the big bell bottom playing in in this case? But they still

have one? Maybe maybe this is not just seem is so good? They could have went on the road, but there's no doubting that the way things shook out by getting uh that win in week seventeen, big winner in addition to making place throughout the playoffs as well. That is a nice young player. That's a winner from me. What do you guys got? I got one for you. How about the legacy of the Shanahans and I you know,

the Shanahans have their detractors over the years. There was a time period where people looked at Kyle Shanahan is a bit of a nuisance and someone that behind the scenes caused problems and it was hard to contain inside of an organization, and well maybe Mike Petton. Sources said that, well,

this is even previous to Mike Petton. I'm thinking, you know, end of Redskins era and things like that, right, but hundred year of the NFL, you could be weeks away from having the first ever father son duo to have Super Bowl titles. And you know, I think we could go another hundred years before that happens again. So you're you're getting Mike Shanahan up on the stage today handing out trophies. It's like, we're gonna get two weeks of Mike Shanahan's celebration in praise and radio and TV spots.

So it's a good week for the t be a Shanahan while you're here, because I had him under Winners as well. Mike Shanahan's black leather dad jacket. Yeah, you know when the when you're the when your dad he hit forty fifty, you know, towards sixty, that black leather jacket. It's like the last bastion of cool outerwear that you can kind of wear and not feel self conscious about because it kind of is it spans the decades in terms of what's acceptable to wear, and I thought he

was rocking the hell out of it. To be quite honest with you, I lived in Denver when they were winning those always late Lway career Super Bowls, and he was involved with probably Mike Shanahan twenty ad campaigns. It was it was a little bit too much. But we're heading right back into that world here are we. I don't know. I mean, suddenly he's selling leather coats in

your world, You're gonna go buy one of these? Uh sure, I'm just gonna give it up for the football gods just in general, like the things they set in motion for this to happen. How about the Jets winning in Week seventeen last year to give Nick Bosa to the forty Niners. I mean that that changed a lot for the forty. How about the Patriots losing in Week seventeen to set up this nice little role for the Chiefs having to home games against the Texans and the Titans.

I mean, that is not not the roughest road that they could have had. Having going to Baltimore would have been a lot tougher. Uh. San Francisco, Like you mentioned, in in that week seventeen game like that, the route that they ended up having to take was kind of perfect. This has been the I think the weakest NFC in a while, which is which is only because the NFC

has been so good year after year. The fact that you could make a Super Bowl beating these Vikings and Packers team, I mean, that's about as good a road as it had and I think it's perfect because you're getting two unbelievable teams into the Super Bowl. Do you want to win her? Let's say officionados of play callers and tight ends without a doubt, the two top tight ends in the NFL and George Kittle and Travis Kelsey, and in my opinion, the top two play callers in

the NFL. Andy Reid is credited with bringing in a lot of the Jets sweeps from college football that we've seen over the last half decade. And nobody runs more motion before the snap than Kyle Shan And I believe it's like seventy nine percent of time he's running some kind of motion before the snap. I think Kyle creates more easy plays for his offense than anybody in the NFL. Right, and he's that's the thing about Cash and it took

him forever. He was an assistant for so long. But pretty much every single offense he's ever coached, going back to his Texans offense is like almost fifteen years ago. They all were good, like they always had a big time advantage. Um, I have a winner. The general manager on the sideline after a huge playoff win, in a glory boy moment, beaming cameras on him. He knows the cameras on and he's got all his boys and his handlers and his assistance. They're all glad handing and big

grins for everybody. That's a nice moment when you get down to the field in a stage like this, I'll go out and throw out another winner. How about Rob Blow in a big spot? And some people are gonna put him on on the loser list because they say, why are you wearing an NFL cap when they flash to him in the crowd during the NFC title game. And let me tell you something about Rob Blow. First of all guys, is mid fifties, still looks great, just taking care of himself. Good good job for Rob Blow.

Here's the other thing, robol He's been famous for forty years. He knows what he's doing when he's wearing that hat. It's like when I used to cover the Super Bowl halftime shows, and inevitably somebody would ask the warmer, who are you rooting for? On Sunday? That always go, I'm not rooting for anybody. I want both teams to do well. That's because you don't want to cut out any anybody that would potentially watch your dope new show on Fox that Rob Blows. Um, you know, so good for Rob Blow.

The guy's been relevant for forty damn years, So don't get on him about the NFL hat. I thought he'll look. I mean, you're compromised here as one of the seventeen readers of his biography. That's damn right. Then. This is coming from the guy who read roblows two thousand eleven autobiography stories. I only tell my friends. I mean, to the point, you know we this the game was tales, and what you told us a bunch of tales. Dan held court on any question one might have about Roblow

or might one might not have. I mean, four seventeen to eighteen straight minutes as an authority figure. I mean, the only ones who if Chadlow. Way, if Chadlow writes a book stories, I only tell my friends, he might include Chris Wesley. Chris Wesleyan is a winner today because you referred to chat Low and the tweet as my man, my man Cha. Chad Low has reached out on d M to me in the past. We are both Reds fans. He's a football fan. When I was going through cancer,

he sent me a nice message. We got to talking a few times. We've chas Chad Low is. That is the brother of Rob Low, who was an actor that was well known. Uh West And by the way, whoever made that dig? About six or seven books sold? Right? Flash up that book again. Let's see that. Look at the top line right right above Roblow's Beautiful face is best seller New York Times best seller Take it all back. I see you read a best seller. It's got a

gold sticker. That means something with a new introduction. Let's let's see. Let's see you look more like a sports fan. If you're gonna go to a sporting event, I would wear an NFL hat over a certain team. Well, the only people that that we're mostly caring about the NFL hat thing. We're sports right, just sports reporters on that a every sports fan watching that made I mean, but Dan's point is, have you ever seen anyone wearing the easiest. I don't have a huge problem with the hat because

it's right. You're just gonna take it out on this guy who looks thirty years younger than his age. And by the way, Dan, if you're going to spend twenty minutes, I mean. He also makeup called The Gray Show. The show is nine one one and it aired right after that. I think Rob has made a lot of good career choices, but sometimes it's just about getting that guap, getting the cheddar and roblow doing this dope show. Your choices. Your

choices become more limited as you get older. And speaking of hats and losers, Kyle Shanahan in the UH post game on the Platform, Terry Bradshaw pulled together bro Um. He takes off the flat brim, the famous flat rim to put on those NFC Championship winner hats. Never take off the flat brim, leave the flap rid hat on. That is your good luck charm. So I'm a little worried about the Niners for that reason. You take off the flat brim you put on the swag and maybe

you sold yourself to the devil. I've got I've got a loser. The the the folks that want to pay Derrick Henry a lot of money or the running backs matter, Folks like like, you can still do it if you've got the right running back. In two thousand and twenty, the starting running backs in the NFL, uh in the in the Super Bowl are gonna be Raheem Mostert and Damian Williams, both undrafted on their like fourth teav and

you know what's a you know it's great. Irony Levan bell a year ago saying I'm doing this for all the running backs. I'm holding out and getting a big deal to save all the other future running backs. He's ending up part of the reason why teams are afraid to give running backs money because the Jets gave him ton of doll and he flopped and he went bowling. You don't what you want? The guy committed, so you had a great season on the bowling alley. I was

gonna say, what a year? How about winner? Uh, Sammy Watkins? I mean this guy is Mr Mr a f C championship. Has a season high hundred and fourteen yards against the Patriots in the a f C Championship Game a year ago and goes for one fourteen again it didn't. That's fine with it. Time. He's awesome once every three months, So keep paying him. Is he a free agent? Is he? Is he gonna get another during the third year of

his He will not be a monster deal. Only a team based on psychotics would pay him a monster deal. At this point, I mentioned Terry Bratcher. I got him as a loser. Here. How many times you're gonna bring up that you threw eleven or twelve passes in a game? Uh, when you're trying to do this interview on the platform after the NFC title game, and then you have George Kittle there, one of the most charismatic young players in

the league. He's right next to you, and then you just send him, say take this trophy and go slap hands. You ask Kittle a question, save the segment. I mean, I guess, yeah, you're you're in the category of people that didn't need to hear another two minute narrative about the nineteen seventy eight Steelers. So I mean, I just if you base it a loan on the post game Uh,

for both teams. I feel like the Chiefs are the beat you want to be on, and the Niners it's gonna be a little dry unless you can get locked in with Kittle, who's a lot of fun. But we'll see you'll be on that beat. Mark one of those right, negative Miami, what will? I will be tracking things like a professional, but at my at my discretion. Good gig if you can get it. Uh, you got anything else loser?

Anyone like me who climbed up on a soapbox after that Rams Chief shootout last year and looked at the landscape of football and said, hey, defense and running games are done. It's all aerial attacks. It's all gonna be fifty eight every week. Uh. You know, running backs are going the way of the Dodo bird in the fullback defense is. Linebackers are out now, you know football is The forty Niners ran as as much as anybody in the playoffs these last two games that Titans ran their

way into the a f C title game. There are still many different ways to win in football. Were far from alone. That was a that was a football cognacenty wide, dirt nap crowded soapbox. I don't even know what a soapbox is. I was tell us what I was thinking. You say that, and you're and you're absolutely right, especially when you have Kyle Shanni and calling your plays. It's like, yeah, if you can run for seven yards per carry, yeah,

running is pretty great. I don't know, this might be a forty four to thirty or forty one Super Bowl. I mean I could I could see that because as as great as the forty Niners, the best defense in the NFL is the forty nine ers. They can give up three straight touchdowns like that. They did. They've done it against the Seahawks a few weeks ago, they did it today. It's like even the great defenses have trouble

slowing down grade off. I mean a year ago, no one was saying the Rams were gonna score three points. So I I would just say that losers would be anyone that tell us over the next two weeks exactly what's gonna happen. We've all learned, the four of us, we don't know at all what will happen. It is a complete mystery. Good thing is only two weeks of build up for a single game, So what could go wrong? Okay, alright, So here is the schedule for the Around the NFL

podcast coming up. We have a show Tuesday, We'll have a show on Thursday. We'll have some fun special guests on Thursday. Mina Kimes special guests, the great Mina Kimes of ESP. I mean, she's the hottest name in uh sports Twitter right now, and we have her on the show in the studio or over the phone? How were doing? Question? Where are we getting TV? Me? I assumed she's here since she lives, you know, but I guess I didn't, didn't. Okay,

Well me, it's gonna be on the show Thursday. That's exciting. Uh. Then we are on planes on Sunday and Monday, so no weekend show. Uh. And then once we get to Miami, we'll have a Tuesday show and Ricky's working on something special potentially for Tuesday. We'll see how that goes. How is that? Without giving anything away, Ricky, how's that going? Smooth? Salon? Now? What if, like what happens if Ryan Bartlett has to end up taking over for you, like in in Miami.

Honestly I would do that for him. He hasn't been able to go. Um. I mean he has been able to go, but he's never you know, the chiefs are in it, so yeah, that's an easy swap. Ricky just steps down as producing for a week. Yeah, I could use the vacation. That's done time. You know, we need you here for ingest whatever. That means a lot of behind the scenes, you know. Okay, we're getting you ball there. It's gonna be a Bartlett tam Post Christ get Bartlett

to Miami. Let's all figure it out as a group. Um, all right and U Yeah. So then we'll be in Miami Tuesday. We'll have a show. We'll have a show on Thursday that will be our big super Bowl preview. We'll have our live show that Thursday night. Is gonna be a ton of fun. And then of course the super Bowl recap from hard Rock Stadium. We'll be there in the flesh. So who are you going to get as like the fourth host since I'm gonna be fired after this year. It's an exciting new turn in the show.

And we'll be discussing that tonight. I feel like when when it's time to call people to the carpet, as they say, Mark and I are totally in the clear. Uh, West will be He's hastigated UH for his decision to tee up Greg, who's wait right in the middle of when I was saying, but we can't say that on this podcast. Well, you know, West, a broadcasting trick is don't set the table. But you know Greg, Greg's alive wire. He's the bad boy of sports podcast. Maybe if he

waits to listen to what I said. I can't believe I'm getting We're going back to un We're going back to you know two man, Yeah, how can you say? It's that very You're the one. You're the only one pedaling this there. It's like the it's not fair. I'm the one who thought of this. It's the cheating scandal and MLB. It's like there are people directly involved and they are basically just like ripples, and you're part of the ripple unfortunately. Well so whatever, you're part of a culture.

Well yeah, you're like a j hinge. But I really wish they had stopped it, except them all their bosses bound sooner or later. Um ride has been going on too long, exactly. We have two spots spring bring a friend, right, that's right, Bartlet can disreplace me there alright, So that's all covered. All right, so there you go? Are we going with the cozy? Wait? Shut that down? We got Oh, I forgot about a bit of a tradition. What about

you Mark? We were able to get you out after I don't think so this evening I have to go. I have a Niner's fan at home. Who is it a long held tradition? She's oiled and ready to go? That is Why are you topping yourself with more utterly ridiculous comments? Did you say oiled? That is utterly wrong with you? All right, okay, let's got the word I was searching for. Regill Parish Lubricated Jesus Bide, starring The

mail Man, the Old Boss, Reggy. All right, Barlett ash Bag, Get Barlett to Miami until Tuesday,