Welcome to NFL Daily, where we have finally arrived at the best weekend of football of the year. That's right, it's Divisional Round weekend. And to celebrate, to preview the best games of the year, we had to get on the best guests, and we decided to do it a little differently than we've done our preview shows in the past. We have one special guest for each game, and in some of the games it's guys who cover the team closely. But for our first game, and let's be real, it's
the best game, it's Bills and Ravens. I had to get on my favorite football mind in the business. It's Brian Baldinger of NFL Network and so many other places, including my radio. When I'm driving around, I hear you there. To welcome Baldy, appreciate you coming on.
Yeah, my pleasure. Greg.
Good to be with you. It is your time of the year. It is the marquee game of this coming weekend, so let's dive into it. It's a rematch game. As we know going back to Week four, was it pretty for the Bills. But as everybody knows, I mean, these games can be different week to week, So let's get into it.
Well, it's funny you mentioned that right off the top. Let's just get let's go. Then what do you think you can learn from that game, because you know, I went back and it was probably the Raven's best game of the season for the first twelve weeks of the season. Or what do you think specifically that that does have some carryover should give Ravens fans confidence in what the matchup worked for them that time around.
Well, I mean they just finished off the Steelers, right, Greg, So they played the Steelers three times in eight weeks, Like you can't know what I don't even know if that's ever happened before, but three times division opponim. First of all, you see him on all the breakdowns all week long. You know that it's Derek Henray and Lamar Jackson run show.
You know everything. You can go out there.
To your walkthroughs and you can have all your car drill and you know that we got a readoption coming or we've got a misdirection coming off the readops. Like the Steelers actually, like they have not seen it these two guys before. They seen them three times in eight weeks. They you know, the touchdown by Derek Henry for forty
four yards. I mean there's Patrick Queen, Mika Fitzpatrick, and Shaun Elliott all waiting for Lamar to go carry the ball like they're completely removed from the formation us to go Like, you can't make those mistakes, and so what's the carryover? So you know, first play the game, Week four, I mean, Derek Henry goes eighty seven yards on the
very first play of the Ravens offense. It's a wham, patrickcard willams at Oliver and Dereck Henry's gets an alley and literally everybody kind of froze and he ran by everybody, and so you go, well, that can't happen again. Okay, that's I mean, you could start there. You go, you can't start the game down seven to nothing and give up the longest play from scrimmage the Ravens all season.
Yeah, that was a brutal, tone setting game. And if you remember back then, if you're watching, you know the Ravens started off with a couple of losses. So these games early in the season felt big to climb out of that hole. And I do think that gets to what the Bills defense needs to be at their best in this game and would concern me if I was a Bills fan like our producer Eric is that and you can tell me if I'm wrong. This Sean McDermott defense over the years, if they've had a weakness, they're
very well coached. They're fundamentally sound. I think they're better in the secondary this year than people realize. But they're not a big defense just pounds wise, like they try to play physical. But you look at the Ravens offense, especially their offensive line. It's a big offensive line. You got a couple of you know, ridiculous guards in terms of their size, and you just think size is a big advantage for Baltimore. Do you think the return of Matt Mulano can help in it? He's not a big
guy either. Do you think they can hold up physically just against this this Ravens front.
They don't have enough fat guys.
Is what you say they don't is three hundred and ninety pounds. You know, he's the right guard if Ed Oliver is there, you know, either in front of themart In the three gap or a one gap wherever he's at. I mean, he gets swallowed up pretty fast now, now you know, really I mean, it looks. It's not like people haven't stopped Derek Hennedy before they have. You got
to get him before he gets you. You can't let him get started like he did in the first play, you know, and he gets that alley like you did the other day of the forty four yard touchdown. You can't let him get started because his speed and his ability is light feet even on a touchdown run. Greg I was just looking at his feet just getting to traffic, like he still has very light feet for a guy that big. It's just it's a rare combination. Well then
you say, okay, now you're at a mesh point. Now you're worried about Lamar and anybody that saw Lamar last year and you see him this year.
He's significantly lighter this year than he was.
He wanted to be faster, he wanted to be quicker, and that's what he's been.
He's been both. And so that's the dilemma is at that mess point.
And it could be out of a one back, you know, with an option with you know, Derek neck jum or in a pistol, or it could be anywhere. At some point, the ball is going to be put into the belly of Derrick Henry and is Henry taking it, is Lamar keeping it?
And it's a conundrum.
You can walk through it, you can plug all the gaps, and if one guy's out of the gap or you put too many people up there and he gets through, he can go a long way. So there's a balancing act. But the big thing is you've got to get a lot of bodies at the line of scrivage and not
let him get started. The problem is Lamar and if he sees that, like his ability to to pull it and go, or just even at a drop back pass grade where he dropped back to surveying the field and he just sees an opening and there's really nobody to detract him, like heki go along ways like that.
Yeah, and when he does drop back to pass. I'm curious what you've seen out of the Bill's pass rush. I thought von Miller had a good game last week. You know, Greg Russo, we're talking about physicality. He's a physical player, certainly, But I do think there's more vulnerabilities there for that Ravens offensive line, maybe maybe on the inside to get after Lamar Jackson. Do you think this Bill's pass rush is the group that could bother lamar it can.
I mean, I thought von Miller could be a real X factor, But I watched Rosie Garden go up against TJ Watt last week and he pitched a shutout.
You have any problem at all now? They helped fit shift.
I mean, they did some things that would be a good game plan for any tap and not much less a rookie.
But I thought he played really well against TJ.
I've always I've been in not constant contact, but I've been around von a lot. I do a sack summing out in Las Vegas. I've talked to him over here. It was interesting. I was up in Rochester two summers ago and he was up there and I was just asking him, like, do you do sort of like a sack summit with you know, with Epinessa and with you know, Rousseau and all the Oliver and all the guys He goes, not really, he goes all those guys you know are good pass.
Rushers in the wrong way.
What I really try to convey to them is the moment, when is the moment where you've got to win? And I feel like von Miller unders he's one of the really rare guys that really understands the moment. It's a third down, it's the fourth quarter. We got to get off the field. The games in the bounce super Bowl three years ago, like the games in the bounds, this
is when I got to shine. And I feel like Von constantly preaches that to his guys, and so I feel like if it does, the game does get played a lot closer.
You know, can those guys.
Win in a moment against against the Ravens when they got to have it and they got to get Yo Lamar either chased or to the ground.
I love that point you make about von Miller, who's one of the all time greats that I've had a chance to watch, and his ability to get hot and to make plays at the exact right time. Going back so when he first entered the league, throughout the Broncos, even when he was having bad years with the Broncos, he just had a sense of the moment that was unlike anyone else. And that's what this team needs to have.
They've been through it, they've been to the playoffs. These two teams are so similar in so many ways in terms of their quarterbacks wanting to get over the hump. Their franchises wanted to get over the hump. And it's gonna take guys like Von Miller, like a Matt Milana, who I thought looked really good last week, Veterans who have been around playing their best at the biggest moments. When you look at the secondary for the Bills before we flip kind of sides of the ball and think
about when when the Bills have the ball. You know, Damar Hamlin has had a good season. You know Taylor Rapp got victimized a little bit. Christian Benford's an underrated player, but maybe not coming off his best game ever last week, at least to my eye. If Zay Flowers plays in this game, and we're not sure as we're taping this if if he will or not, is that an area
you think Baltimore can get after there? It's the safety is maybe getting cheating up to the line of scrimmage and then hitting them for some big plays.
Well, before I answer that, Greg, I just want to make one point about both these quarterbacks, and I was talking to actually Warren Sapp about it this weekend at hula Ball, and what you don't want either Lamar or Josh to be able to do is it get vertical you want them. That's to your point about Matt Mallana on his feet, Like if Lamar's coming out and he pulls the ball from Derek Henry and he's and he's going east west, you want him to keep going east west.
As soon as he or Josh, as soon as they go vertical. They're so good and.
They're so hard to tackle them, like that's when you get big chunk yards.
But if you can flatten them, because Sap was.
Telling me about playing Mike Vic and you never wanted him to go vertical once that option happened and he kept it, you wanted them to be able to flatten. And that's where speed Derek Brooks back in the Tampa days, that's where the speed like flatten him to the sideline. Don't never let him think that they can get vertical on you and go north south. That's one point I just wanted to make clear. But you know Lamar I
said this a couple of weeks ago. Greg I said, Lamar might miss a pass, but he doesn't miss a read. Like his eyes and where he's supposed to go with the ball, like he's rarely wrong right now, the touchdown to a shot baitman the other day. There's a reason why you know, Hours has been their leading receiver two years in a row. He knows how to uncover even if he's not the opt you know, the primary receiver.
Both tight ends are excellent at it. When the original excellent no plays is now you know over and now Lamar is out there, he's looking to throw first, run second. That's a shift from him a couple of years ago. He's really looking to throw it more than to run
it right now. So that's a concern for that secondary of Buffalo is you know, you've got to make that decision plaster the receiver or go after Lamar, And you know there's you can't always be right, but at the same time, you have to be aware.
Of the situation.
Yeah, it's it's it's such an amazing time for these two guys to be playing each other because what you're saying about Lamar not making the wrong read, that's such an awesome point and it also reminds me of how Josh Allen has matured. Ben Roethlisberger is always the quarterback I think of the most where he had his physical skills and at some point in his career. It actually was after they were making the Super Bowls. The mental side of it clicked in and he just became a
totally different and more mature and better player. And you're seeing that with both these quarterbacks too, not that not that they ever were awful in those areas, but of course the experience there's so much better with their reads.
Tell me what you've seen out of Allen's maturity. I thought that performance in the wildcard round was really typical of his season, not not always having to go for it by hitting the big play when it was there, and his decision making and deciding what to do has been on point all season long.
Well, coaching maddis great. Coaching Joe Brady is an upgrade now. Joe Brady. I remember talking to Joe Burrow about him, and you know, he had him at LSU and they won a national championship.
And what Joe wanted.
He wanted five guys out every route and then tell me, teach me the agression based on coverage, based on front, all that kind of stuff. Teach me the progression. And Joe's a magician. But I think Josh has gotten a lot better at it. In fact, you know, if you look at the touchdown to TDD Johnson last week, it's a fourth and two play, and you know, I mean Josh gets outside the pocket and ty Johnson. I mean it's it's a great throw, it's a great adjustment, it's
a great catch by Tide. But there's also I feel like, as opposed to maybe early on in Josh's career and even up until halfway through the season a year ago, I don't know that he always had the answers to the test. When he started scrambling, he would scrambled because he was looking. But now I feel like there's more of a definitive pattern of where to go, Okay, where's my back, where's kinkaid? Okay, where's my secondary receivers that work part of the route?
How are they?
I feel like he now you know, it's like if you take that IQ test, and part of the IQ test is spatial relations, and you kind of take a snapshot of a picture and then you've got to remember where everything is. And I feel like Josh's snapshots right now on the move are very clear about where his people are are gonna be, and that's led to a lot less turnovers than what he had in his past years.
That's why I would do bad on IQ tests. I just know it, Like why I that's that's where I'm a dummy. Like a lot of areas that'd be strong, but that wo'd be so bad. You're an offensive lineman. They were always very often they were the smartest guys in the room. So you'd probably do well in the IQ on the spatial awareness.
Yeah, it's not my strength either, But I'm also would be terrible in jeopardy. I can't think that fast. Great, I know the answer, but I need time. So like the Bumzer goes off and I'm still you know, I need a little time to think it through.
Okay.
So it's good that that Josh doesn't have that struggles and Joe Brady doesn't. And yet, when you think about this team, one stat that as I was preparing really stuck out to me from last week. You know, Alec Anderson, who we've talked about on this show. They do six offensive linemen more than any other team in the league, and he's he's that sixth offensive lineman. And Dion Dawkins is sort of playing tight end for them when they're doing that, and they just smash you to bits.
Once.
That stuck out to me last week Alec Anderson only played five fewer snaps their six offensive linemen than Amari Cooper, Like if that and he played Mary Cooper also played less than the two tight ends. So they want to smash you, and they can. And they're diverse in what they do, and obviously Josh Allen adds a lot to what they do as a running game. When you're going up against this Ravens defense, though, do you think that
is the most effective way to attack them? Because they are big up front and you want to be physical against the Ravens, but their strength has been in run defense. Do you think the Bills will be able to get what they need on the ground with James Cook and Allen when he needs to I do Aaron to.
Coach of Week eight team. They've started every game together.
You know, you go right across the board, Dion Edwards McGovern, you know, Cyborg, Spencer Brown, They've started every game.
They're very very well coached.
Dawkins took Benito, just took them right out of the game last week. Now, I mean they just they're up to any challenge. You know, they know Chuck Smith coaches the pass rushers in Baltimore, and we've seen incredible development from Oway, from Mattabeque, Travis Jones, Calvenham, they're all playing great football.
They they have been able to press the quarterback with just their front four.
But I don't think it's going to be as easy as it has been in some of these games. This is a very talented group. They're very well coached. Yes, Alec Anderson steps in there in his role. They don't try to fool you. If they want to run the ball, they want to run the wall. They want to get James Cook Gollings. He's an elite back with great feet and vision. This is a great it's a great matchup in the trenches between these two teams run in pass.
You know, they they've got their run stuffers there in Baltimore. You know that can you know, just keep Rokwond free and all that stuff.
But this is it.
They like to pull their tackles more than anybody else in this leepe, and so that's their bread and butter play. They're gonna pull Spencer or they're gonna pull Dean and they're gonna start, you know, get an extra guy to outside of the ball and you know, try to play some power football with you.
It's coming, can you stop it?
And it's it's It's one of those you know games with any game that's going to take place.
On Sunday night.
Yeah, And then the Ravens just have so many different bodies that can throw at you out of Weeke and Travis Jones and Michael Pearson, A Dafay always playing really well as a pass rusher that that's where he does his work. So it's an incredible matchup. And I just would have a hard time taking the ball out of Josh Allen's hands. You want to in his hands as much as possible. And they do have so much depth. You know what I mentioned, Amari Cooper had those amount
of snaps. He was fifth in the wide receiver room in terms of snaps. It was pretty close one through five and it's all close. They all have diferent roles and they can all play well in their roles. Do you think they have an advantage maybe against some of the Ravens secondary depth, Like where where do you see those kind of matchups? How Nate Wiggins has come along and Brandon Stevens and maybe that's where Buffalo can get it done on Sunday.
Well, I think they're going to get Todd Johnson on some of the linebackers he's got. I remember when he was with the Jets, and you know, like the Jets do, they just let good players go. But he had elite speed and he was a third back in that all.
He's got great speed. He's a great receiver. And so they played Detroit a couple of weeks ago and it was a shootout game, but they got you know, they had one of those backup linebackers off the street in Detroit and they got TYD Johnson matched off boon him. They got James Cook matched up on him, and they went to work on the linebackers. And so I think there's different ways to find matchups. It could be a back on a backer. It could be their tight end.
You saw last week Dalton kin k you know, get vertical late in the game when they had the game one.
But you know they got a.
Thirty five yard pass against man coverage and you know he can run like a receiver. So they're gonna they're gonna find the matchups. They're gonna get to them, and so question them can they execute.
Yeah, it's it's almost unfair when two teams this good play each other in the division round. I hate the narratives that are gonna come after this game because one of these two teams has to lose and it's gonna be really disappointing to me. There's five teams, it's these two, it's the Chiefs, it's the Eagles, it's the Lions. Where if they're holding the Lombardi Trophy at the end, that just would make a lot of sense to me. And they're all they're all pretty close where any team could
win on a given day. I'm having a hard time deciding where to go. I picked the Bills before the season started, so it just feels like, why why go away from them? Now? They're a slight underdog in this game. Maybe the Ravens have been playing better lately and they've had the matchup advantage in this matchup over the years. But it's been a pretty magical Bills team. I got no questions about the quarterbacks. I think I think they're going to play well. Is there one thing that helps
you lean one way or another. I'm not going to make you either pick it, but if you want to you can and if there's a matchup you're just looking at like whether it's Roquan Smith or Kyle whatever, it is that that you think gives one team an edge over another because they're just so they're so evenly matched.
No, No, I mean you go back and forth all day long, right, I mean it's an analyst stream.
You go to some of you go to the kicking game on.
This one, Yeah, justin Tucker and the win is he can you trust him and versus you know, all the kicks that he was missed this year is the you know, a player on the down side of his career is getting played through it. I mean, you could go in
so many different directions here. You know, both these coaches coach with Andy Reid at one point, can you go all the way back to the nest and where it all started And it's just a lot of different factors, and you know, ultimately, both quarterbacks know that they're going to be measured on winning Super Bowls and the MVPs are great and it's an honor and nobody's gonna, you know, not accept that award, but everybody's chasing mahomes and super Bowls and so one of them is just going to
be left behind, going we got to wait another year. And it's just to your point, it's going to be incredibly disappointing for whichever one loses. And you know, it's always more than just a quarterback, but so much is put on both shoulders, especially if it comes down to a final drive.
And who can execute that.
And so Lamar had the heart ache of losing to the Chiefs last year, Josh has had that heartache of losing Mahomes before.
You know, they don't even get a chance to get there.
Whoever loses it, they don't even get a chance to maybe meeting meet Kansas City there.
You know. Who know, I'm not writing Houston off, but you.
Know, you don't even know if you to get that chance to go to go meet Mahomes and any reading that.
So the loser is going to be.
That's gonna be some real, some real teers.
I know, because we just spent twelve months just to get back to this point. It's the same four teams, you know, and I don't put the Texans in in their class, but it's just so hard to get to a super Bowl in the AFC. It's kind of like when Brady and Manning were there, you had to get through both of them. But now now there's three and there's Burrow, you know, sticking around and it's just brutal.
I'm leaning Bills, but that's more to be real about just sticking with a preseason pick because why not, and because it's home. It is a little crazy to me that they're they're underdogs at home. I know it's only a point, but it is an advantage to be there in Buffalo, and they they have been as much as the Ravens have been through some playoff heartaches, certainly the Bills have played even even more of those games. A
little our experience may maybe they get it done. And it is crazy that it could all be anti climactic. Either one of them could lose to the Chiefs in the end.
Josh Allen overtime rule will come into effect.
Yes, yeah, I mean that rule was changed because Josh Allen never got a change in overtime to get the ball after Mahomes scored. So who knows. Maybe the Josh Allen rule will come into effect.
In this game.
Okay, yeah, I can only hope so. Because this is the final game of the weekend it is Sunday evening. We're going to be heading into the studio to recap it all right afterwards. I can't wait with Ravens fan Patrick Claybond. But it's the best game, so that's why we had to start this show. You're the best, Baldy. Appreciate you.
Yeah, thanks for having me, Bud, appreciate it.
Appreciate you. And yeah, we're going to stick in the AFC. After the break. We are welcoming in Seth Pain. We had to have it back after I said last week was going to be the last time we talked to Seth Payin for the season because I thought the Texans were going to lose. He's back on the show, talk a Little Texans Chiefs right after this, back on NFL Daily, staying in the AFC, and I had to have our
next guest on because I'm eating Crow. I welcomed him on last week saying this will be the last time we ever get to talk to Seth Payin. The Texans will never be relevant again. He's headbanging. You know him from six to ten Sports Radio in Houston where he does the morning show and at Seth Payne Show on YouTube. It's entertaining, and he's loving spiking the football on me because his Texans are in the divisional round.
They're in the divisional round after against all odds somehow again, So what everybody thought was just the unwinnable game because there were three point underdogs. I'm still discussed Rex Ryan everybody else acting like, oh three point on nobody's ever pulled that off in the NFL. Oh single digit underdogs, not even the high single digits.
No I fell for it. I really thought that Chargers would roll. Oh, like, how how could a team, uh you know name the Chargers possibly blow it in the playoffs?
Yeah, Jim, Yeah, Jim Harbaugh had exercised all the demons.
They just beat the Raiders.
Greg Greg Roman in a spot against one of the best defenses in the league where the number two receiver is Will Disley, Like I don't know. No, I was surprised, and it was an awesome performance by the Texans. One of and well we'll flip it to this game very soon, but one of just the best defensive games. And you're a former Houston Texans defend defender, Seth, you must have loved seeing defensive football because I will defend that game.
That was a good game. I know it ended up not being at the end, so it wasn't a great game. But I was like, this is actually great defensive football from both teams, and one of the best you know for a while, and then one of the best defensive performances I've ever seen by any defense in a playoff game.
Honestly, it was midway through the second quarter when the store was somehow still six nothing because the tex the offense wasn't doing anything. The Texans defense looked awful on the first drive, but they came up big with a third and two stop. But I was thinking back to two thousand and two, the first year of the franchise. We won a game against Pittsburgh in which we had forty seven yards of offense and Aaron Glenn, future Saints head coach. Unless I've missed a hire or something, Aaron
Glenn scored two touchdowns defensively in that game. We scored three defensive touchdowns. I thought, all right, well, maybe this defense can pull it off. But it was going against Justin Herbert, who'd thrown three interceptions all year long. Yeah, everything that the Texans have been able to do this year defensively, which is they're very opportunistic, they take the ball away lot. They came through big time there, But the offense clicking, the offense able to run the ball
in the second half. We really haven't seen hardly any of that this year out of the offense. So the really encouraging thing is that, Okay, maybe something clicked. Maybe obviously the Chiefs are a completely different ball of wax than the Chargers, but at the very least maybe something clicked with CJ. Stroud in the offense that this can be a different version of the Texans.
Yeah, and you guys got to be fired up before we even hit record. What did you call me a bourgeois Patriots fan that I.
Like you were back in the day you used to describe the fan base. It sounded to me like kind of that bourgeois malaise of like, oh, I have everything I have ever wanted, and yet I'm still not happy? Why Why are ras Bostonians so angry all the time?
It's yeah, I enjoyed it.
I felt like I enjoyed it. I knew I enjoyed it at the time, and I knew it would never get any better, which is why when Brady left. I was like, well, what's the point. We already that that was the best that's ever going to be, and the Texans are not there. They're climbing. They've never been to it AFC Championship game, right, No.
Yeah, they're the only team in the division the lofty and with all the lofty expectations at AFC South, they're the one team that hasn't reached a conference.
And they're huge. They're huge underdogs this weekend and they should be because the Chiefs finished up this season. I know I'm falling to the trap again and I no, no.
I mean this is different. This is different this week.
And I think the I think they have a chance. I do think they have a chance. I don't think this is like there was one of those Texans Patriots divisional round games where everyone knew they didn't have a chance and they didn't have a chance, and then there was one. I thought they'd be close and they weren't. Ultimately, I think they have a chance in this game because we got to start on the defensive side. That's the
fascinating matchup. When the Chiefs have the ball, when the Texans are on defense, this is best on maybe best. I think the Chiefs often started playing their best late in the season. Actually, in that Texans game, I thought Andy Reid did a lot of good things against Tamiko Ryans where it was a bit of a coaching game, and every snap, like Patrick Mahomes kind of knew where his receivers had the leverage and he always just kept hitting him. And I was like, Wow, this is the
Chief's offense I was waiting to see all season. And the scary thing is they kind of did it again on Christmas Day and they finished out the season playing their best football in the Texans game was a big part of that. How do you think they can be different this time around in Texas?
Well? I think, for one, the one good thing the.
Texans did in that game at least is there weren't a huge number of explosive pass plays out of the Chiefs, and again, you know it's regular season Chiefs versus postseason Chiefs. I understand the difference there. The weakness for the Texans defense this year has been in allowing some of the explosive plays. Part of that's because of youth in the secondary, because they've man Kamari Lasted has been awesome, but he's also a rookie. Calen Bullock has been way better than
I anticipated or expected. I thought he was going to be like a two or three year project, and he's played really, really well. They've gotten a boatload of interceptions, but they've also had glitches that have allowed some huge plays. We saw it in the Chargers game there with Lad McConkey in the second half. They just had a little bit of a glitch. There really should have been a
PBu if they had played it right. That's what when it comes to Pat Mahomes and Andy Reid scheming and finding their opportunities versus guys like Xavier Worthy.
That's that's the big concern.
I think, down in and down out, they can limit and hold the Chiefs, you know, from being too explosive, because the Chiefs haven't been super explosive all year long. It's some of that the other On the positive side of things, they have a ziz al Shire this time, which they didn't last time, and I know, talking about a middle linebacker like that's going.
To be the huge X factor.
It's not going to be like the one thing that puts the Texans over the top.
But they're a much different.
Defense with a z's on the field than than when he's being unfairly, unfairly persecuted for playing football.
Uh yeah, by my boss's bosses, boss's boss. You know, we put him down three games. He know, he is that important I think in Demiico Ryans' defense. Not to oversimplify it, but the linebackers are the leaders in some ways, and he is that guy for them. And you got Christian Harris back to he's been healthy, right, and that matters. My son's favorite player, And weirdly, one of the reasons,
well favorite player are the defense. One of the reasons why he likes the Texans is like the first or second ever football card pack he had, he pulled the Christian Harris rookie autograph card and that that helped him run the you know what's been a pretty good ride as a Texans fan the last two years. He can't complain in the divisional round the last two.
Years except that, yeah, they do.
The Texans have this history of they played really well in the wildcard round. You know, as much as we get to crap for always playing that Saturday three thirty game or four thirty Easter and whatever, they tend to with They've got a winning record in those games. Yeah, but the divisional round hasn't been so hot. Christian Harris, your son, Your son should be concerned about Christian Harris just because he's had this mysterious calf injury all year long.
He only played seven snaps in the game against the Chargers, So.
But I don't he's kind of weak to week.
I think it's one of these injuries that it flares up and then it goes away. But that's that is a big factor. And just being able to line up and play a base four to three. They're really not able to do it without Christian Harris. They don't feel great about the other guys out there. So if Christian Harris is healthy and available and can play a lot of snaps, it could be a big difference.
That I look at you. You found a way to turn my football card story into it still your child, joy. My My concern is Hunter and will Anderson. They just need to impact the game more than they did that first time. I know, I'm BASI lot on the first time round and I want to take what the Texans did last week and value that. But was it was so recent and it was so much part of I think the Chiefs team we're going to see in this game,
which like their playoffs did start there. I think my theory is they kind of convinced themselves we got these three games in eleven days or whatever it was, our playoffs start now, and then suddenly they were a different team. If we can win these three games and we get this bye week, and suddenly Mahomes getting the ball out faster.
I think the injury almost helped him, although he scrambled, you know, really well in that game, and the Texans have been bad against scrambles all year, and I kind of I think that's huge because I kind of doubt the Chiefs can run. That's one advantage I give the Texans defense. I don't expect Pacheco in that running game to get going because it really hasn't all year, and the Texans are pretty great at stopping that. So it's going to be Mahomes going through his reads like ultra fast.
That's what makes him different than he was even five years ago.
Yeah, that I'm glad you brought that up because I had forgotten. You know, that was a big talking point after the game, was that Mahomes got rid of the ball as fast as he has all year. And I'll tell you what, My goodness, I made a little joke about Pat Mahomes being injured and still playing well, and I honestly just kind of met like, yeah, it's what. Yeah, he's got an ankle injury, but.
Look at him. Chiefs. Fans are so sensitive right now. They largely I did the YouTube.
Video and I said that My point was, yeah, he's done this before, he's had these ankle injuries.
I was attacked.
I set a record for numbers of dislikes on a video on YouTube.
Just because they thought.
They all assumed I was saying that he was faking the injury or something like No. Is he a little bit dramatic sometimes and letting everybody know about Sure, but he's definitely injured. He's just he always does this. It doesn't matter if he's hobbled, he's able to run.
But he also got rid of the ball very quickly.
The big thing about that game was the Texans were getting a good pass rush, but they just they couldn't get a hobbled Pat Mahomes on the ground, and.
Like that can't be.
You gotta figure out a way to keep him from just getting all that easy yardage that even when he's injured. I mean, and I say it's easy yardage. The touchdown run, he had both the setup to the touchdown and the touchdown itself. I mean, he kind of he kind of punked some Texans defenders, you know he does. He kind of bulldozed some dudes.
They test you too with the quick throws of can you tackle in space? And Lassiter like Stingley, they're great at it. Maybe the safety position without Petrie, that's something you can attack more. I think Xavier Worthy really found his role late in the season, which was kind of the Rashi Rice roll from a year ago. They stopped asking him to do stuff. So that's where the big, the big place could go. You mentioned like being a
little dramatic with the injuries. Now your old teammate you were Wait, were you teammates with JJ Wattu?
No? No, no, no, I'm much old with you know, I lose track of the No. No, that's I know.
No, I'm just laughing at how old I am.
I did have a theory in that Steelers Ravens game that like there's like there's a little bit of that with TJ Watts Hett.
Oh really, I gotta you know, I gotta go back and watch because I okay, real quick.
It's like a little extra a little aj. JJ used to get a little grief for that, which you know, he's one of the all time greats. Still people talk about Aaron Donald as the best defensive player of this century, and I still say, I think JJ Watt's peak those three years was actually the best defensive player I've personally ever seen.
That four game, that four year stretch where JJ won three defensive MVPs. His his averages various categories like TFLs and other things like that, Like his averages over those four years were higher than any number that any of those guys like Aaron Donald and Aaron Like, I don't I don't want to turn this into like JJ Watt is awesome and Aaron Donald suck.
Now they're the two best. I think they're the two best.
His averages were higher than like numbers that Donald had ever attained in a single season.
It was just it was, it was.
It was just freakish how productive he was as a defensive lineman.
So yeah, I know I'm getting a way off topic here. I do think they can win those matchups against the tackles, they can get a little quicker pressure. I think they can prevent the run, force the Chiefs maybe into some more third and longs, which obviously Patrick Mahomes is good at, but they do have a couple of cornerbacks that that
could make that difficult on them. Even if he finds the matchups, I think it'll be more of a might be more of a Kelsey and a Juju and in de Hop when he's over the middle type of game. But I just feel like they're gonna have to They're gonna have to be special because I think the best you can hope out of the offense is good enough. So you just got to hold the score to one or twenty three, or you're gonna need to force two turnovers?
Am I wrong? Thinking like they in the playoffs? I just feel like your strengths have to be extra strong and you got to somehow win that matchup to give C. J. Stroud in the offensive champs because you can't. You can't just think that the offense is suddenly gonna put up twenty seven points.
No, No, they just haven't consistently been able to do it. And even in that game with the Chargers, the offense clicked with that ninety nine yard touchdown run, but it was because, like the game was only in reach because the defense had played so well up to that.
Right, that was their seventh drive of the first half. You never get that many drives, you know.
The time of possession was so lopsided it was it was bad. So yes, and I agree with one hundred percent to go back to the old Patriots teams. I mean, this is an oversimplification, but I think it's it's true those Giants. The reason the Giants were able to beat the Patriots and turn them into a mortal team was because they could get a four man pass rush. And I think that that's what the Texans are going to be able to have to do, which they did in
the Chargers game, especially in the second half. Is that the pass rush, which was really humming. They were getting really good rush out of the defensive tackles as well as the ends, Like you gotta be able to allow guys to sit back and coverage and you got to get there and it got better. They they started leaning on the four man rush more in the second half as it kind of heated up, but that's an absolute essential and then they'll have the opportunities for their turnovers.
And Demiko, you know, of all the playoff performances, I was looking at some of the grades of when teams were in man coverage. Demiko played man as little as any other team on wild Card weekend, but they were the most defective in man coverage. And a lot of that just comes back to Derek Singley and Kamari Lassiter.
They were so good and they can mix it up. And yeah, you mentioned the interior pressure Deniko Autry, like you a lifer in the vision that America forgets at a monster game.
Yeah, and just like I thought you were talking about the pass rush monster part of me like that. He was definitely more than that. You know, the whole thing about Denico Autry is that he originally the timeline was this. I know everybody watching was dialed in on the Texans offseason acquisitions, but Denico Autrey was signed basically to be
the edge rusher opposite of Will Anderson. And then they found out that Daniel Hunter was interested and that was an option and they said, all right, well, basically, Denko rushes from the inside really well we'll go ahead and we'll sign Daniel Hunter to a two year contract and moved Denico Autry down inside when Daniel's out there, and and he had some really good snaps at defensive tackle in that game. That's the the whole four man pass
rush includes. You've got defensive ends that rush well from the tackle position.
Yeah, shout out to Nick Asario. You know some of the ex Patriots building guys do well. It's just the front office guys. The coaches don't ever do well. But the mitchdrafted well and Atlanta Jason light is a former Belichick guy in Tampa. He's done well. Let's slip to the offense. And I know, I know Chiefs fans will be like, oh, this is such a Texans leaning podcast. Where's our time. You've got enough to do it. You've had all the time.
Your time.
It's probably coming up. I don't want to doubt the Texans again. It's probably coming up.
I'm a very quick message to Chiefs fans again about this. Listen, listen, you guys have won three Super Bowls, all right, You're like, this is what comes with I know, Look, I personally don't buy into a single bit of any of the officiating controversy or anything.
But this is the stuff that comes with wearing the crown.
You're never gonna I don't know at what point people think that, like, oh, once we get really good, that's when we'll get universal praise and admiration. That's not how human beings work. Just enjoy the enjoy the scrutiny, enjoy the frankly, the delusional conspiracy theorything.
It's just this is what comes with success.
Well, plus, your offense used to be one of the most fun offenses I've ever seen, and it's just not. It's efficient and it's great, and it's the same reason why I would get another. You know, people complain in twenty eighteen, like that Patriots team, the last one that won. It's like by then it wasn't as fun to watch. I got it, Like just visually, it's not. I think Mahomes can get back there if they get they get
the right people around them. Of course it's not about Mahomes, but they're just grinding it out and that maybe keeps Houston keeping the score relatively low. Let's talk about the Texans offense before we go, because you know, one thing in that first game, and yeah, I clearly went back to watch it, and so I'm really I'm really leaning into that of like, hey, I did the homework and because I think it's I think it's relevant. I thought
they actually picked up Spegnola's blitzes pretty well. I thought CJ threw with anticipation. I know, the Tank Dell injury is kind of what we remember and it fell apart from there, But overall CJ's so streaky as a quarterback. Yeah, and I don't think he played particularly well overall in the wild card round. I think he did in this game, and I think that's what it's going to take because they're just going to send those rushers and the offensive
line played decently well. I thought actually against the Chiefs the first time around, he took a lot of hits in the end, but a lot of those hits he was making completions with anticipation, and that's what you need out of him. You just need him to be a real dude for four quarters, not for two or three, which is kind of what he's been for a lot of the second half of the season.
No, and I think that's exactly if you think about the Chiefs this year where the first half of the season, they're winning all these close games and you're, you know, you're kind of thinking like, well, I mean, this is the experience they have. They're good in the fourth quarter all that, but you didn't know for sure. And then they just kept winning and kept winning. And in that Texans game, I think it was the perfect representation of that,
which is the Texans were hanging in there. Tank Dell was having a great game until he caught that touchdown and his knee got blown out on the same play. But even after that, the Texans drove down into the Chiefs territory, into the red area. But then CJ made a couple of bad mistakes, took asack he shouldn't have, there was a procedural issue and like that, and then the Chiefs came and just had just a clock draining drive, all those things that, yeah, the really experienced veteran championship
caliber teams do. It was it was the way they operated in the fourth quarter. I mean, it was as stark as could be. The team that wasn't The Texans just not ready to be in that moment versus the Chiefs just very comfortable in that moment. So the whole fourth quarter aspect of it, and exactly what did the Texans do in the fourth quarter? Did they genuinely take
a step forward With CJ? I think the really encouraging thing that happened in the Chargers game was he It just felt like after the the fumbled snap that turned into an exab your Hutchinson reception, it seemed like you let the game come to him a little bit more. You know, He's he's gotten better as the season's gone along at doing that very Pat Mahomes site thing of like taking the checkdown when that's what's there, doing the smart things like that. It's taken CJ a while to
get comfortable with that. But then he also he started running the ball when there was easy yardage. And it's you know, Greg, I blame our generation for giving these young quarterbacks good advice, which is, listen, you want to be a pocket passer. You know, you just want to be sure you don't rely on your legs all the time. But the game has changed, and I feel like guys like us have been telling these young quarterbacks for years like, yeah,
you know, don't let them typecasts. Yeah you're a passing quarterback, show me the awesome quarterbacks anymore who aren't also running quarterbacks like Pat Mahomes runs really intelligently and really effectively, and it helps the passing game, it helps the game management, all of that, and nobody's acting like, Wow, he's not a pure pocket passer. I think CJ is starting to understand, and Joe Mixon's been trying to tell him this all year long.
Take those yards.
You're athletic enough to do it and run for it when it's there, and I think it's starting to it. Really, at the very least in the second half of that game last week, it looked like that part of it really clicked for me.
Oh yeah, when he made that scramble in the drive to end the first half and Demico starts yelling, that's what I'm efing talking about. You could you could almost tell it was from the like I'm a defensive player point of view, like that's what that's what we need a little more of. Yeah, it's funny. You just made a point that I heard It was me to Kaims of Show with Dominique Foxworth too, and they were getting on Jordan Love for the same thing that it's so funny.
Now we've gotten to the point with these quarterbacks. And Herbert was similar in his game where we're actually saying, no, you got to run more, bro Like, you guys are so athletic, it's hard to Like twenty years ago, you never would have thought that we would have said that. But I think there is something to that with Siege.
He is a good playmaker and that play that he made at the end of the first half, maybe that is how you're gonna be able to beat Kansas City because if they have a weakness on defense, and this wasn't a great Chiefs defensive year. It was very good most of the year, had a dip and then mostly got it back during that three game streak and they
kind of looked like the Chiefs that we expected. And hell, they got a lot of pass rush even in that game without Chris Jones that was on well Christmas against the Steelers. Like so they are scary and I think probably playing their best, but they weren't as good this year. They have some weaknesses in terms of their slot position. It's Shamari Corner out there really their second you know cornerbacks out there. I think if the Texans were a better running team, it could be a Joe Mixon game.
But Joe Mixon is running so damn hard that as a defensive player he must be someone like he's got to be one of the toughest guys to tackle in the entire NFL.
Yeah, he's really, I mean.
And there's times this year too, as the run game has struggled to get going, there's times where it looks like Mixing has done a little bit of what CJ's done, which is, man, you know that you need a big play, so you're trying a little too hard for the big play. But because they can't trust the blocking in front of him. So that was where the really encouraging thing in the second half was, is that all right?
Man?
He had actual holes to run through. He actually had. They were actually getting some easy yardage. They had a game ceiling drive. The offensive line for the Texans has just been shuffled around and improving in some ways as the season's gone along.
But when they moved Titus.
Howard to left guard because all the left guards got injured, I think it's been good this time around. Titus hasn't been good as a guard in the past. This time it feels like he's really embraced it, and he still he has blemishes, like you can tell he's playing out of position. But there's a certain factor. There's a certain part of just having a guy his size and with his athleticism that allows them to get some movement that
they really weren't getting in the run game before. So if they can lean into that a little bit, there's gonna be some bad plays, But I think that there's just more of a chance that they can have more successful runs than they were able to have for most of the season.
Yeah, and they've they've had a lot of negative runs and you mentioned the negative the penalties in the sack. They just can't be taking those that That was the game where they kept throwing these bubble screens and getting negative threes and everything, and they they just can't. They just can't take those negative plays. You can't let like
George Carloftas and Mike Dana beat you. There was a little more of that when I said they handled the blitzwell in that game, they did, like the communication was good and everything, but the chiefs for man rush actually got home a decent amount. And that's what I mean about like winning with your strengths. They I think CJ took eleven QB hits in that game, and Mahomes, who had gone through a stretch of getting battered and bruised, only took four. And if it's that lopsided, the game
will be lopsided. They'll cover the number. I'm not, you know, going full you know, upset here, but I'm going there covering the number that it's like a six point game or something, and they make them sweat.
I think that's the part of it too, that I rarely get insulted by what basically what Vegas and the.
Computers are saying.
But it did open up as a seven point spread, and now it's moved up to nine. I feel like that's America, America saying that, you know, they're just okay, this is the playoff Chiefs and it's going to be the same old Texans. So I'm insulted by those two points. I think that I can it's one hundred percent valid. The Chiefs are a different team in the playoffs than they are in the regular season, even in the years
where they're really good offensively in the regular season. I think the fact of the matter, though, is that it's not like they've been blowing teams out this year. It's rare that they score more than thirty points in a game, so the I feel confident it's going to be a better game than maybe people are expecting.
Maybe a little vibes of the Deshaun Watson Texans game against the Chiefs where they had in the playoff that was a division r right with Bill O'Brien, and they get out to like I'll never forget I was sitting next to our friend Chris Westling for that game. And they get up twenty one nothing or.
Fortwenty four or twenty four nothing, twenty four, there's twenty were.
Is this really gonna happen? And it's funny the Chiefs are so good on offense back then that even then you were like, well, they got a lot of time. We'll see, but it's like, is this really gonna happen? I don't think it'll be like that, but I do think there's something. We'll see what the rest, I don't know.
That's a long time to not be playing football. I could see like a Texans thirteen to six lead midway through the second quarter and the Chiefs fans are sweating it out, or maybe it's a halftime lead something like that before the Chiefs pull away. That's my final prediction.
There's there's no cushion that will make any Texans fan feel comfortable.
It could be with the.
Final score that game ended up being fifty one to thirty one, I think.
I mean it was the Chiefs.
The Chiefs ran out of gunpowder to fire the cannon in the end zone.
That was.
That was the only bad thing that happened to the Chiefs that day. Once they started their comeback, and then the Chiefs went on to that was the year they came back from double digit deficits in every single game, I think to win the Super Bowl.
Yeah, first, and we got it started.
That was their first Super Bowl run. We'll see if the Texans can can end their their bid on a three p. I hate to say, Abot, I don't thing we're gonna see you anymore.
This I'm not gonna I'm not gonna get insulted by it. This time around. I was deeply insulted.
I couldn't. I thought about it all week, but.
Sure you did. Production value, by the way over at Seth Payne Show. His YouTube channel is fantastic. I don't know how many people you have working with you like the editing and you throw and the jokes are like on point. I don't know if this has taken a lot of takes or what Minor Bosa, there was just a lot going on there.
I like, I constantly like the little different. I do everything myself. I've just learned that's my thing that I'm trying to learn to stay mentally sharp. Video editing, which I've learned, is one of those things that it doesn't matter how much you improve, it's going to take the exact same amount of time because there's just always nine million things you can do to improve it. And I'm still I'm like, I think I'm up to maybe like a sixteen year old editing on his phone level.
I'm all like, I'm right there.
I just want to get up to maybe like freshman graphic design major and I'll be then I'll start farming it out.
No, it's good, it's good stuff. We are asking all of our listeners go go subscribe, Go check out Seth on YouTube. We will see you next time. We're not even going to take a break here. That's it for the AFC. Those games were fantastic. We're going to go to the early Sunday morning game Eagles and Rams. Yes, I'm throwing it to myself with bo Wolf. We are all heartbroken by the devastation and destruction from the raging wildfires across the Greater Los Angeles region. Families affected by
these fires urgently need support. You can help the American Red Cross respond to and help people recover from these disasters by donating today to support relief efforts by going to Redcross dot org. Slash NFL all right back on NFL Daily didn't really go anywhere with my friend fo Wolf from the pH l Y Eagles podcast. The Eagles are his business, and business is booming. It's a perfect
Eagles season. You guys are dominant, your heavy favorites in the divisional round, and no one in Philadelphia is happy. It's like, that's exactly what you would want.
That's exactly right, It's just how you want it. And I do have to say at the top, I was confident that the arc of history would make it worthwhile for me to take jul Fonseca in the tenth round of my own Maker's draft with my brother this year. But I didn't think it was gonna off this quickly. I'm happy to be here on courts of Thunder.
Oh my gosh. Yes for the seven people listening that get that. Wow, I had a I had a podcast about tennis and I loved it with my my friend Glenn Clark. Maybe it'll come back someday. And yes, bo Wolf an eye for Talent picked maybe the next big thing in tennis. I'm not gonna say he's the next Alcoraz, but I think he's gonna be the next something we're going to be watching for a long time. And he's making some big noise at the Australi you know.
But yes, let's get let's get to The vibes in Philly are are exactly as you would expect, you know. They they were Saquon Barkley not you know, taking a knee or sliding down at the end of that game away from winning by like three touchdowns. And everybody's furious because the passing game just cannot seem to get to get unstuck. So wit is it really curious? Is overstating it, but it is. It is hesitancy. There is there is reticence because everybody think that if this team is going
to get to where they want to go. The passing game is going to have to improve.
Well.
They've been up and down all season. At times they've actually been very efficient and played their part very well. At other times, Jalen hurts his numbers haven't passed the eye test. When he holds on to the ball a lot. This is something you guys talk about on your podcast. I think it's right on. You said you see it a trading cap when he holds the ball for a while, Like good things often don't happen. The positive here is you look back at that first Rams game and you
think about the matchups. They're one of the few teams that made the Rams pass rush look mortal because they have the tackles to do it. Like Jared Versus just totally erased in that game by I think it was my lot and most of the time, and the matchups on the outside with I know that should have been true last week too, But AJ Brown and DeVante Smith against a Kellaweb their spoon and Darius Williams, Like you would think that would really really work, Like why hasn't the passing game working?
Now?
Now I'm caught in your web. We're going negative at the beginning.
It's a good question. So to first talk about that first matchup, that was the Eagles' best offensive performance of the season by by all the advanced metrics. They were They were awesome in that game. I mean, Saquon Barkley had three hundred yards from scrimmage. It was it was an insane rushing performance. But AJ Brown also had over one hundred yards and they didn't have Davante Smith in that game. So you do think matchup wise that it
should favor the Eagles offense. AJ Brown has sort of owned a Kello Witherspoon over the course of their career. They've played several games against each other. But AJ Brown had won catch last week, and AJ Brown and DeVante Smith are both a little bit banged up. You know,
they missed some practice time last week. The problem with with the offense is that so often, you know, the Eagles went on Sunday, then you watch the Monday night game and like the things that the ram and Vikings are doing on offense to just creatively get guys open, they're absent from the Eagles offense so often. It is the same route concepts that they run all season long, and there's you know, it's hard to disentang go what
is Jalen what is the offensive scheme? But in week eighteen when they played with Tanner McKee, like you saw the under center play action game, you saw these things that have been absent from the passing offense. And so it's a little bit of both. Obviously everybody shares in that. One of the things that's confounding to me is when this team is so run heavy and you know they only have like twenty to twenty five drop backs a
game in the ideal script that they have. The less volume you have of passing plays should mean that you can be less predictable. That like, just why are we running the same route concepts? And one thing that has really been absent from this passing game shockingly so, because one of the things that Jalen Hurts does best is
throw the ball deep. They do not throw the ball deep right Nowlast week the only ball day through downfield was the fake push push that was incomplete to aj Brown, that to me is like you just think about it philosophically, like if you know that this team faces loaded boxes more than anybody else in the league, and you're pounding Saquon Barkley into the line of scrimmage. Why can't we just pop a couple balls deep. It's it seems so silly.
Well this is this is funny. I mean we really are just talking about what they're struggling up, and yet it's all true. I mean, I don't need to disentangle it that much more. Maybe you guys need to be more sensitive, you know, because you're local and Jalen Hurts is a serious man and a good football player and has had a lot of success. It always looks this,
It's always looks like the Jalen Hurts offense. So maybe that's it, you know, because you bring in Kellen Moore and they have the same passing dvoa as a year ago or right around the same. It's it's close to the middle of the league, the strengths and weaknesses, and it looks similar. And then yeah, you bring in the back up and suddenly it looks like the Kellen more offense. So Hurts has his strengths, he has his weaknesses. I think if you lean into those strengths in the right matchups,
you can go win a Super Bowl. Especially with this defense. I mean, this defense is better than it's ever been. But I think you're right. In this game against this secondary, you got to push the ball a little bit more down the field. And they are a different offense when they have got her, DeVante Smith and AJ Brown on the field together.
So they've only had for four games this season, including.
Right and they have it and I'm willing to accept the idea that they didn't need it the offense that much. Last week, little game Managy and it was Hurts coming off of a long layoff that that was almost there, like get into the playoffs type of game. You guys kind of threw out that idea and maybe you'll see a better version of the offense this week.
I think that's reasonable at least to hope for with some degree of confidence. And listen, the last game, the last full game that Jalen Hurts played before he got injured in the Commander's game before this playoff game was against the Steelers when he had his best passing performance of the season. This was coming on the heels of AJ Brown saying you know what's wrong, and he said
the passing game. And they came out the next week and we're sort of bombs away and they had a great first half throwing the ball, and so like oftentimes we talk about the egos organization as being sort of rabbit eared and like whatever, whatever the big conversation of the week is, they tend to sort of address it with their game script early on. And so I actually do kind of think we're going to see some early shots downfield, just just because that's what people have been
talking about. And again, I know that it's ridiculous that we're like complaining about a team that is a six and a half point favorite away from going to the NFC Championship game, but the stakes are the stakes.
Well, everything else is so great on this team, and that is why it is ridiculous that there is a path to them being the twelfth best offense passing the ball in the league and winning the Super Bowl. If you're the best running team and you're the best defense, like that's a winning combination and your special teams don't blow it. And there's every.
Joke of there's the joke of because Jeffrey Lurry is you know he wants a pass heavy offense, that is the joke, right, And so like they're at the Super Bowl parade, Jeffrey's like thanks, Nick, for winning the Super Bowl. But that's that's not how I wanted to do it. Like, well, we'll see you next year, you know, hiring a new coach.
It is hilarious to look at the all time like winning percentage records of coaches in history, and like there's Nick Sirianni right near the top, like he's been win loss is a coaching record, you know, is a coaching stat and his his win loss record is incredible. And now you know this is this is second chance to make a Runny obviously had the one and done's a couple of times in the playoffs, but four playoff appearances. And I know we're not talking too much about the
Rams here. I think if the Rams defense before we flip to the other side, is gonna win this game. There, they're linebackers have to hold up in the running game. I think they looked a little small last time around. That was an eye opening game. Our co host Jordan Rodriege of The Athletic talked about that this was a front that was maybe feeling themselves a little bit and
that was a humbling game for them. It kind of was the bottom of a decline that they had in terms of their young pass rushers and especially holding up against the run, and they have bounced back pretty well since then. Now that might just be a matchup thing where they got beat by a better team because Saquon I mean, in that game, of course, he has some crazy stats, but it's only a handful of times in the next Gen stats era has a player had over seventy five yards before contact in a game and one
hundred yards after contact in a game. So all the Eagles numbers in terms of before contact are best in the league. And this is a Rams front that you can kind of push back and then say was also too physical a lot of times for this Rams defense. So to me, they're just going to have to show up. And it's trite, but they're gonna have to be more
physical like the Eagles defense was last week. Like they're going to have to come out hitting and somehow make up that that poundage gap that that we see in a lot of these games this week. Bills are way lighter than the Ravens, uh and I think the Rams are way lighter than the Eagles, And.
I think the Eagles will will lean into that physicality on both sides of the ball. They want to be the team that is that is punching the other team in the mouth. I mean, it's it's not a nice thing to say, but they not. I mean they knocked out like three Packers from the game last week to to wide receivers and Elton Jenkins, which changed the game because the Packers could not hold up in pass pro. So I think the Eagles would in their minds welcome that fight.
Right and I think the Rams defense has gotten better and better. Verse winning with power doesn't necessarily match up as well with.
There was the one player from that game where he sort of ran over Jordan Mailatta. It was like a highlight play. But other than that, he was held quiet.
I think that was literally his only pressure. It was his quietest game of the season. But you do it. It's it's a four man front. You have Kobe Turner, you have Brandon Fist, it's a young group. You have Byron Young who's been sneaky awesome all year. I just think their only chance of winning this game or creating a lot of pressure and forcing Jalen Hurts to hold the ball get confused. They got a little more creative last week with some of their disguised pressures, late blitzes.
They really haven't been much of a creative defense throughout the season. But I think they saw what the Lions did and it's a darnold and copied it and maybe maybe that can work against Hurts too, who tends to hold the ball a little bit.
And take sacks. And to the conversation from before, what is a little bit disappointing of the Jalen Hurts experience is that for a guy who is as athletic and mobile as he is, it is true that the longer the players go on it is he has a lower success rate, which is a little bit surprising. He does not make a lot happen unless it's a scramble, you know, the longer heels onto the ball, so he takes a
lot of sacks. And I do think that the Rams are going to be doing a lot of like rotation post snap to try to money the picture, because there was a lot of concern last week like how how rusty is Jalen Hurt's going to be? And I think that some of that plays out a little bit more in like what he's seeing than necessarily the way that he's playing as a as a thrower, although there was some inaccuracy last week, which was a little bit atypical.
Yeah. No, he usually is on on point, I would say with the ball, and I will point out though I listened to your recap pod, I believe it was and it was before you guys knew the opponents and you were talking about all the different opponents that you could face. I think there were three possibilities at the time. He didn't know if it could be the commander's rand.
The overwhelming reaction was people wanted the rams.
Yes, that that is that. Maybe it's just because of the experience the first time around, Sean McVay. I don't know if you're a big NFL Daily guy. I think there's some other people within the RAMS that are NFL Daily listeners. There's your there's your poster to put up O P H O Y.
They all want responds.
Yeah, that's that's better than Dan Campbell just telling Kevin O'Connell will see you in two weeks. That was the most ridiculous bulletin board material ever. I mean O'Connell didn't even say. O'Connell was probably thinking, oh, yeah, I'm not getting through another game with Sam Darnold.
Like this.
This this guy's turned into a pumpkin. So you got your wish, you got your Rams, and yet like this is a rare offense that the Rams are running when when it's clicking, they have the better quarterback in this game when it's when it's clicking. He's been a little up and down, but on balance he's been better and certainly at his best, I think he's better that then Jalen hurts and it's a passing attack that you know, maybe could give this Eagles defense and problems.
Yes, and so the big concern for the Eagles this week is the loss of the Kobe Dean who suffered a torn penteller tendon in that Wildcard round game, and he's probably going to be replaced by Oron Burks, who replaced him in that game. Vic Fanjo said this week that Jeremiah Chrotter Junior, the fifth round rookie, might rotate in there as well. But that's going to be the weak spot that I think everybody in Philadelphia is worried that Sean McVay is going to pick on and Zach Bond,
who has had this unbelievable all pro season. Vic Fangil likes to sort of rotate Zach Bond down to the line of scrimmage and sort of change the math of the fronts. And if you do that, then all of a sudden, Aaron Burks or Jeremiah Trotter Junior is left alone in the middle of the field. And that's not going to be an ideal matchup in terms of having to cover anybody with the misdirection of the Rams offense.
And so I think that is the big concern. And in that first matchup, you know, there's there's so much said about the history between Vic vanjo and Sean McVay, right, and how it's sort of changed the landscape of the NFL for a few years. I know Jordan has covered that better than anybody.
Yes, back in the in the in the the Heastriots won the Super Bowl when the Bears put that five in front, and yes, Zach Bond. That's why I think, man if I had a vote, he really might have been like valuable. He really might have been the most valuable because he was the guy who kind of unlocked their ability to flip between defenses like that twenty eighteen Bears team was able to do.
Yes, and he's also been really good in the middle of the field, like you saw his interception of Jordan Love last week, and he talked about how like he had to sort of earn the Vic Fanjo trust to be able to freelance a little bit like that. So I'm curious to see what Fanjo does in the middle of the field. But even though Fanjo has has mostly gotten the better of Sean McVay that first matchup, you know, it looked like a blowout, but there were three three
and outs in the middle of that game. But other than that, like the opening script, the Rams went down the field, no third downs, went right down the field into the Eagles red zone, and then Kyen Williams FuMB with the ball away. Next possession, went right down the field, scored a touchdown without even needing a third down, and they moved the ball in the second half as well, And so this was not quite as demonstrative a blowout on that side of the balls as it might have looked in the stats.
No, the success rates of the two offenses were very even. And there is there is something about Stafford that is scary. He kind of just goes into this fu mode and he is a streaky quarterback and he can beat good coverage. Now that they're a team that does more motion than just about any team in the league. The numbers say that the Eagles are the best at handling motion. They're the best that they don't chase it, they just they
play their keys right. So they're very disciplined, like they're well. Coach, how has been coach covering Vic Fangio. I feel like he's made less way less headlines this year.
He's a dream. Yeah, why because he's He's brutally honest. He doesn't worry about, you know, the obfuscation of like, well, I don't know, we had to decide. We haven't made that choice yet. He'll tell you exactly the truth. I mean, Bryce Huff, the guy who they signed for like seventeen billion dollars, played one snap last week, and you know he was asked about that. He's like, well, we were good with our three men rotation. We didn't need him.
Like he's fine, Yeah, they should be good. They got Nolan Smith who's playing like at a pro Bowl level.
Now.
I cannot remember ever covering someone who I feel like has improved in season as much as as Dylan Smith has this year.
Yeah, so you have him, you have Josh Suat who's been very effective. I do think that that Eagles game with the Rams is interesting to look back on because it really changed the Rams season. They were just getting their offensive line back, they thought for the first time and healthy, and they played so poorly in that game that they actually went back to the undrafted rookie bow
Limmer at center every game since and benched. Now I'm blanking on his name, not ragnow bench their big free agent pickup from the Lions, and they've gone with the same offense. Jonah Jackson right and played center that game. They've had him on the bench. He's making like twenty million dollars a year, very similar to Bryce Huff. He's not playing. They're going with the undrafted rookie at center.
You get Avula over at guard, and they've played quite well in terms of protecting Stafford and especially running the ball. Since then, they've they've had one of the highest success rates in the league with Kyrien Williams. And I still do think that's ultimately the way to get at this Eagles defense is just be patient and get foward of
five yard runs and be diverse doing it. And I think actually the Rams about as much as any team in the NFL, are set up to do that, to try to go on some twelve play drives where Stafford doesn't make mistakes and it's very run in play action based, and so I think that could be a concern. And I'm almost shorten't in the games as an underdog.
Yeah, I mean, I think the fewer possessions in this game the better for the Rams, no doubt about it.
I do.
I think the Eagles run defense. They feel very good about their run defense. I mean, if it is the kind of thing where it's three yards of pop and they're just converting third and shorts, you know they'll they'll have to do that. But I don't worry about the Eagles getting run over really in the running game. I mean, Josh Jacobs had that great run last week, and to be fair, there were a few more mistackles last week from the Eagles than we have been used to seeing
the second half of the season. But upfront, I think I think they feel very confident about it about winning.
Them Well, They're good at everything, so there's no like particular weakness. They're they're deep in the secondary, they're healthy right now, right every everyone's practicing in the secondary.
Yeah, Sleigh was a little bit nicked up in that game, but he's not going to miss this.
Game, right.
So the matchups are fascinating what you do to try to take out Pukakua and it's tough because he's in motion. Because there is no more offense in the league that's that's more focused than one player than the Rams are. Which is why I think Tyler Higby showing up last week and they say he's going to play this week after he was spitting up blood and went to the hospital, it's like, oh, yeah, he's playing this week. He looks fine. Football football is insane that he is important for them
because Cooper Cup's not really a two anymore. He's just like a rotational kind of receiver. I'm not going to say he's Johan Dotson, but this is probably his his last game as a RAM. You know, if they don't.
Win, it interesting and you know, you talk about how the Ram season was changed. Eagles defense was sort of changed after the bye when Cooper Degen took over as as their nickel corner and they've been so much better and what he's allowed them to do is stay in nickel personnel and still defend the run really really well because because of his willingness to be to be physical.
M how are like, where are you leaning for this? You're not allowed to pick against the Eagles in this game, but you have do you have them covering the spread? I was a little surprised that they were so heavily favored, uh in this game.
Yeah, I mean I'm leaning towards towards the Eagles covering the spread, but uh, the fact that I'm living, I mean, it's a it's a typical thing. I'm leaning that way. So now I'm worried that it's going to go the other way. But I do I think the offense, I think the passing game is going to bounce back a little bit. I think the Rams will be able to move the ball better than the Packers did last week. But but I'm expecting, you know, uh, just a frothing
Eagles crowd. Uh, you know, it might it might snow. Now for this game, it's gonna be twenty degrees and so I'm gonna I'm gonna just tilt tilted towards the Eagles.
Yeah, and the Rams history of of going east, Uh, you know.
I can also see the you know, I can I can see the the Jordan postgame story about how Sean McVay has finally slain the vic Fangio Giant, and like, you know, this is this was this was how many years coming.
Look, it would make it would make the women in my house happy. You know, they're they're Rams fan I and I thought this going into the game. I picked the Rams and I thought they might win. You know, I think I had them by six or something like that against the vik I just thought that was going to be their moment, that that was going to be their emotional It's been a lot out here. They were
personally affected. It's indoors, you know, against this Vikings team, who I personally think they wanted to play that They literally were like looking at the matchups and thinking, oh, I hope we get the Vikings and felt good about And now it's a short week and it's not I know it's the playoffs, but it is a short week. You're on the road, it's cold. You put a lot into that, and you look at these two teams, they're not even like over the course of the season, they're
not even That's what the numbers are telling you. They're telling you that the Eagles are one of the very best teams in the league, and that the Rams offense has come and gone, and that the defense has been opportunistic considering what they have. But they're a little uneven. They're very front loaded in the in the back seven can be taken advantage of. But who knows, maybe maybe this Eagles passing game. To go back to what we talked about, they're not the team to take advantage and
they can keep it close. I'm leaning on the Eagles covering. Actually, yeah, maybe Jill.
You know, Jalen Hurts hasn't turned the ball over, and maybe he turns the ball over. I think the Eagles need to lean into being the bad guy, like being in the playoffs, because I mean, everybody, every neutral person is going to be rooting for the Rams. I would be, given everything that they have gone through. If the Eagles get then get to the NFC Championship game, I mean, everybody's going to be rooting for the Lion.
I mean even more so than the Rams, as much as I'm sure everyone has simple.
And if they get to the Super Bowl against the Bills of the Ravens, if it's one of those teams. I mean, in twenty seventeen, the Eagles were the plucky underdogs. Everybody's rooting for him against against your Patriots. You know, everybody thinks, like Nick Sirianni jawing on the sidelines is like a hatable thing. They've got CJ. Gardner Johnson and Carter john and people. I think they need to lean into being the big bad like, you know, yeah, some real stuff.
I've loved the Chauncey Gardner Johnson I don't know, want to say revival, but he wasn't that good this year for a lot of the season, and suddenly at the end of the season he's in the middle of everything. He's making plays, he's gying like he's getting thrown out of games. This is perfect, Like I want this playoff run.
You're absolutely like right, lean into it. The only way that doesn't work is if there's a Chiefs rematch in the Super Bowl, which I don't is the matchup that no one really wants a we've seen.
It b it includes.
The Chiefs, and then see it's like, yeah, the Eagles are just the team compared to the others. You're absolutely right that just like, yeah, it's like, Okay, that's fine.
Yeah, there's no more there's no more national juice. I think, given given the fun stories of all the other real contenders.
They're juice. It's just like, why, why why do the Eagles fans got to be so hate heable? I love them, I love you guys, but just like enjoy enjoy your life, you know, enjoy your team. You're the envy of many other teams, Like we should be getting Alec Halby your assistant a job out there. And the only interview I can get is with the Jets like him in fifteen.
Others and the interview like seventeen guys.
I mean, look at this roster. They're like a dynasty with sirianni as their coach. You know how good you have to make that.
You know what I was actually I was actually looking something up on that. On that point. The Eagles are the only team. So if you if you start in twenty twenty when they flamed out had and Doug Pearson gets fired, they won four games, so twenty twenty to twenty twenty four total wins, and then also draft pick like value based on the trade charts that they've used
over that time. Given all the moves that they've made, they're the only team that's in like the top ten of both of those things based on like all the things that they have done. You know, there was the Carson Wentz trade, the Saints trade, and that doesn't even factor in the AJ Brown acquisition, and so, I mean, they really have done something unique over the past four years with being able to win and have all that draft equity with their roster.
They're the best in the league. They really are. The problem is it's a quarterback league, and of the eight quarterbacks remaining, the only one I'd put Hurts over right now is C. J.
Stroud.
And that's just how they're playing right now. And even that's like long term, I'm definitely taking Stroud And if you told me this week he plays at like his ceiling is probably higher even this weekend than maybe Hurts his is. And so that's that's just like a small little thing to overcome. But they are a juggernaut. I want to see him in the NFC Championship game ultimately, because I think that will be an awesome game as long as it's not Eagles Commanders. But I want to see that Lions.
I have felt all year long like it was headed towards that game. I'm going to feel robbed if we don't get to actually see Eagles Lions. Yes, yes, I think we for that game all year.
I want to see it, and it's it'd be good for your business. It's going to be good for your co host, Zach Bermans.
I might, I might, I might kidnap Zack and will do a road trip to Detroit. I'm kind of like threatening him with that possibility.
That would be amazing. Check out bow Wolf. You can get see him on all the socials. He's on Blue Sky, He's on Twitter, but most importantly, go check out the Pha Why Eagles podcast. Like Fran Duffy on that show, you got Vinnie Curry who adds a lot of spice to it, a lot of voices, we will see you and yeah, good luck because I know it's good for business. Now you have to root for the home team.
I would never do that, but it would be good for business.
Will be back after the break. We're gonna wrap up our previews, talking a little Lions and Commanders. Right after this back on NFL Daily, wrapping up this supersized divisional round weekend, preview with the man from ESPY Nation, JP Acosta with me to talk a little Commanders Lions. JP one of the sharpest football minds out there. He's he's on Blue Sky, which I appreciate posting heavily like myself.
But he's on Twitter too, and yeah, you can check out his Established the Fun column every Wednesday, I believe it. It comes out and it's awesome. JP is a really smart young minds, but not as young as you were the first time he came on JP. What's up?
You know?
Actually, I feel good that I'm not the youngest this time person. This time I have grown, but I have also, like you said, right and established fun every week. I'm really excited for this divisional round playoff visual round the playoffs. I kind of did this last week where I was like, I don't know what I want to talk about, so I'm just gonna talk about everything. So this week, I was like, I don't know what I want to talk about, so I'm just going to talk about everything.
Let's do it. We're going to talk about everything. I'm narrowing you down related to this game. And yes, for the other guests we had on JP, we're kind of team specific guests. But I know you can talk ball about anything, so that that's a compliment to you. You're not directly connected with this Commander's team or this Lions team, and yet there's so many fascinating ways to look at it. I want to start. Let's talk about Jayden and the Washington offense first. When you look at this matchup, you
think about what the Lions defense likes to do. It's so man coverage heavy. They kind of do what they do. They blitz like crazy. They blitz even more and more effectively. You know, over the last half of the season, you wouldn't figure it's going to change up too much because they don't change up what they do against anyone. And yet Jaden Daniels very good against the blitz, a good decision maker in general. Kind of how do you think that chess match with the pressure is going to play out?
So I think this matchup is so interesting because of how largely the Commander's offense is Jaden Daniels centric. It operates on Jadeen Daniels scrambles. You're able to move the ball because Jayden can run it and his growth as
a passer. I think for the Lions. I'm not sure if I would blitz him as much because you're leaving those lanes open to scramble, but I kind of talked about it for a established fun This is going to be a big game for Jack Campbell and Alex Azeloni, who are the two perfect guys that you want for the situation. I think they kind of play off each
other really well. I think Angeloni will take more of the zach Ertz matchups in past coverage, and I think Jack Campbell will have the unfortunate duty of trying to spy Jay and Daniels. But this game is going to be so interesting because there are so many different variables at play for this Lions defense. Because the Commander's offense is built to take advantage of teams like these that
are a little undermanned at corner. You're a little undermanned up front, so you gotta blitz a lot, and you just worry about leaving the door open for the Jay and Daniels.
Terry McLaurin goball right with you. You mentioned it's just built around one guy in such a unique way. I think Cliff Kingsbury has had his best year as an NFL coach you know, coordinating this offense and just at the moment you think thought it was getting Staley. They added some new wrinkles late in the year and he's looked really good. And you know, if you get into a situation where it's a single high safety like he's thrown to McLaurin, you said, it's like so based around
one guy. I wrote a very similar note that I just can't remember a good offense being so much about two guys that it really is McLaurin. And last week we saw kind of the deep crossers. He can do anything, but that hasn't been as big a part of their offense. And you start the game with the big shot down the field. It really does come down to that. And even on like the RPO kind of slant game, you
just could see them feeding McLaurin like that. What do you think the matchup there is to try to slow down scary Terry because it's been tough.
I think you tell a Meek Robertson that Terry McLaurin wears eighteen like Justin Jefferson, and you just you just let him go. I think this team, they are so built in who they are and what they are. It's admirable, but I also think they have guys who can thrive in these situations. They have a guy like a Meek Robertson who they signed off the street and immediately became their CB one as.
Carlton Davis went down.
I think, like I said, having Jack Campbell and Alex Angeloni back will help shore up some of the middle of the field issues. I don't think some of that access over the middle of the field will be the same like the Commanders had against the Buccaneers. But I think for the Lions to win this game, something that I noticed with Jane Daniels is he's still a little bit of boom or bust when it comes to pressure.
He has a great touchdown rate, really really explosive, but he also has a high sack rate and also a higher interception rate. But that's the variance game you play when you have a guy who can throw the deep
ball and can scramble as well as Daniels. So something that I've always wondered with the Lions against these types of quarterbacks is do you just lean into the variance game and say, hey, if you want to beat us running around and throwing the ball, like insane, like we'll throw our hands up, we'll tip our cap and say that that's fine, but we're not going.
To change our game in the most important time of the season.
That's a really interesting point. And yeah, his scrambles, according to next Gen by far led the NFL. He had more than six hundred yards in scrambles, So it actually wasn't a ton on design runs in terms of where he got his production. You're right, takes a lot of sacks. And yet I do think he's a good game manager. He seems to know have that innate sense that very rare. Do you see this out of a quarterback, out of
a rookie quarterback? Almost never Joe Burrow maybe had that, although you know he was injured for part of his rookie year. Is just he seems very calculated in when to go for things, when not to go for things.
And I am curious how patient he'll be in the pocket in this game, because like he left, he leaves early a couple of times, you know against Tampa, and I think the matchup's kind of similar that I think they'll they'll he'll have time because most quarterbacks do have time against Detroit, So it's when does he want to pull it and go? When does he want to hang in the pocket, And like he had with the touchdown throw, where he had all the time in the pocket, and
that'll be really important. And even though he's a rookie, I got a lot of faith in him to kind of figure it out. Even if he makes a bad decision or too, he usually calibrates it so well. It's very veteran.
Like it's very like you said, calculated. Even with the scrambles, it never feels frantic. It feels like, Okay, there's nothing there. I'm gonna go get enough dyne for first down and I'll step out of bounce or it's a okay, there's a free runner. I'm just gonna run right around him
and then I'll get the first down. It never feels like he's doing any of this without the intention of Okay, nothing's there, I gotta go, rather than a lot of young quarterbacks kind of kind of tense up and kind of panic at the side the pressure.
He gets the pressure, he's like, Okay, I know where I'm going with this.
I know that this offense has it built in that I can just go if I feel the pressure and I can and I can get that first down.
It's funny you mentioned Campbell before. I don't know if we've talked much about Jack Campbell on this show. The Lions get a lot of pop for surprising people with that Jamir Gibbs pick and the Campbell pick got criticized. Where are you at with some Jack Campbell right now? Because it's funny you say that like that. He would be the spy and he is kind of a perfect person to do that stuff for any linebacker to have that athleticism. But that is good for his role, Like do you do?
You do you?
Where do you think he is in his development as a second year linebacker?
I think I think the best thing for Jack Campbell was losing Angeloni to that broken arm earlier in the season, because he stepped into the mic role and he took on a little bit more responsibility. I think he's a hammer in the run game. He does so much when it comes to both inside and outside the tackles, and he's so much quicker to the ball this season, and he's he's a good blitzer. I mean early in his career, they had him rushing off the edge because they had
at that stage in his career. But now that he's playing off ball, you can kind of use him in a lot of different ways. And he and Angelone play off each other really well. Whereas Anzeloni's a little bit
more coverage, a little better in coverage. You can have Jack Campbell be sort of the hammer on all of these stunts in all the games that Aaron Glenn's gonna want to play, or if you want to just sit back and kind of let him spy or play a little or play a little bit of an aggressive spy against Daniels, he can do that as well.
Yeah, it's interesting they missed Angeloni so much, and they also missed Derek Barnes, who was a really nice presence for them at linebacker. But Campbell's gotten better and better. That's this is why JP's the best. I mean, I don't know for he's got thirty two teams to cover. I don't know for sure if he's got a great Jack Campbell answer. But he comes, he comes prepared, he comes ready. I ultimately think this is a good matchup
for the Lion's defense relatively, because I do. I mean, this is I guess this is true for any defense. But I think like a diverse deep receiver crew with a real deal quarterback that can spread around is probably the offense that's going to give them the most amount of problems. And then when you flip it to the other side, it does feel like Washington's gonna have to try to keep up in a shootout.
Now.
They won a high scoring game against Philadelphia, it took them a while to get going. That's happened a few times. They want to shootout against Cincinnati. It is a route that they could be competitive and win a game with. But I do think that that's going to have to
be the route because flipping to the other side. I know I've sort of dismissed this Commander's defense at times this year, and they've played hard and they're pretty sound, I think, but just talent wise and answers and where they at are at and Dan Quinn's first year versus Dan Campbell's fourth that other side of the ball. I could be wrong. Feels like the biggest mismatch of Divisional Round weekend is Lions offense versus Commanders defense.
Yeah, I especially if David Montgomery is healthy. They said he was a full participant and walks through if he plays, you just worry about them having too many answers for everything, something that Washington is not that great in past coverage.
But what they do is.
They hit people really hard up front, and they will all they'll always be attacking, and they try and force the issue on you and try and speed you up. That way, they kind of take some of the pressure off of their coverage that isn't that good. This year, Dante Fowler Junior has been really good in this defense. Of course, you have John Allen, Deron Payne, and then you just get all these guys. Franky Louvu will also rush off the edge and they just try and hammer
you game play in play out. But I worry about that for from a Washington perspective, because Detroit's offense can just take those little yards that you'll give them by being so aggressive upfront, and they'll turn it into explosives. I think until Tampa completely fell apart in their last drive of the game, they had some success rushing along the edges.
Of the defense.
They were getting a lot of outside zone, a lot of toss plays with Buck Irving. And now you face Jamir Gibbs, who is really good at that and they have so many different ways of getting into it.
I worry a little bit about this Washington defense.
Wearing down upfront, and if they're wearing downfront, they.
Can't get pressure.
And if you can't get pressure, that coverage is going to fall apart.
Yeah, it's a good point about them hitting hard, because I do think this is a game where on both sides of the ball, they're gonna force the secondary to make tackles on short throws. Washington's offense, I'll do that too, and that's going to be important, like just tackling. But you get to the running game, and this is where it's hard to imagine. The Lions have the most explosive runs under center by so much it's preposterous. They have fifty six explosive runs from under center this year. The
next closest team is thirty two. And this is where you know our friends at next gense. That helps me out because it passes the eye test. Washington gives up, you know, the highest success rate to runs under center, one of the highest explosive run rates, one of the highest yards before they make contact. And it's been a theme on this show. You're following in the footsteps of Greats here JP, Brian Baldinger, Seth Payne, but Wolf from phl Y in his podcast, And it keeps being a
pattern all these games. One of the teams, maybe except Texans Chiefs are just way bigger than the other. And man, it just feels like the Lions are gonna be They're they're well coached, but they also can just lean on this Washington team in a way that I just have a hard time seeing them hold up for four quarters. Maybe I'll be wrong, but that's what I see. Yeah, I just.
Worry about Washington's defensive line having to constantly get hit in this game. With the run game, that's the best way you can slow down a pass rush, is it If you hit them really hard in the run game, force them to think about the run, and then you can get the play action, which is basically what the Lions offense wants to do. They want you to think about having to defend the run, and as you're trying to defend the run, boom you hit.
The over route to Laporta.
Then you get a'man Rossaint Brown involved and you're opening up the entire part of that offense. So I just worry about for the Washington defense them being so focused on playing the pass on the way to the run that the run is going to come first, and they're just gonna give up explosives and if they can, just if the Lion's just gonna lean on you and golf doesn't have to make all these complex reads or decisions, and you don't have to and you can't blitz them
out of it. You worry about this game becoming a Detroit Like speed, a Detroit Lions speed run.
Game right right, because it's very similar to the Bucks have a really good offensive line. Baker had good pockets in that game. So many play in that game. No one even got close to Baker. And if you give Goff that sort of time, he's an even better version of a pocket quarterback. And you know, Seth, we were talking about the evolution of quarterbacks and some of these athletic quarterbacks like Jordan Love and Justin Herberts who don't run enough. And he was asking, like, who left in
the game doesn't run? That's great, And there's one answer. It's Jared Goff. And he's playing I think the best football of his career, and I think he'll be able to pick out some of these mismatches, whether it's Wagner or Chin or Marshaun Lattimore who came back last week. He's had the hamstring injury. They basically benched Benjamin Saint Juice Lattimore had a rough game. I know it was against Mike Evans, but the Lions got great, great receivers too.
I include Jamison Williams in that group, and if he's if he's a little cooked in this game, there's just too many mismatches for the Lions to go after.
Yeah, there's too many options here. I worry so much for Washington about the Jamison Williams of it all because Jamison Williams is a really weird receiver where like some plays you might not know what he's going to do, but the other play is going to be an eighty yard touchdown, and you just worry about the explosive aspect of this offense with Jamison Williams on the field, and that opens up so many more problems to where you're so worried about the run game, so you think you
have to come up to defend the run and Jameson Williams goes flying past your corner in safety for a touchdown and now you're like, oh, no, we have to defend the explosive pass and that opens up Amanra and Sam Laporta over the middle of the field. They just have so many answers and so many layers to this offense that again, if you can't if Washington cannot get any negative plays, it's a very dan Quinn defense. They are built on sacks and turnovers and tackles for loss.
If they can't get them behind the sticks or getting negative plays, I worry about this flow.
Of the game going really bad for Washington very quickly.
Yeah, and they could. We just need to see more. Jonathan Allen hasn't looked like his peak self since coming back. Doron Payin is a talented player. You know Newton in the middle. They have players, And if you're gonna try to find a weakness in the Lions offensive line, it would be on the interior. And so it's absolutely possible. Also, you've always got the X factor of like the Frankie Luvu cheap shot. I know you watched the film. It's like every week, man, there's something.
Man.
He had one against Mike Evans last week. He has won like every week, which it just gets some people going, maybe he gets someone kicked out of the game for a fight. So I don't know if that's a strategy, but I kind of feel like something weird has to happen like that for this Washington defense to hang in this game.
They need the signature Frankie Luvu like ECW Pro wrestler chair Shot. They need Frankie Luvu to be like the peak like WCW wrestler that brings in the Kendostick. They need to be staying man or something. He's got to bring chaos to this game. And that's something that Frankie Luvu does really well. He brought chaos to this defense and for them, like I said, to create those negatives and get an offense to so regimented off balance, you have to have the chaos.
I like to take a step back when I'm looking at these matchups, and it doesn't mean you're going to get it right, obviously, but this is year four of the Campbell era. He said in that locker room last week last year when they lost that game, there's no guarantee we're going to get back, and they've come back this season and handled being the favorites so well. And that's what the Commanders want to be. And they've got a really inspiring coaches getting more out of them than
you would expect. But they're in one year one. They're way ahead of where the Campbell lines were in year one. And I look at these two teams at the level where they're at, and this is the game that you know, I'm going to do my picks against the spread with Cynthia. We post that show on Friday mornings, but this is the game I feel most confident, and I don't care
how many points it is. I do think the Lions will get there, and the Commanders could still score twenty four, but or twenty nine or something like that, but it could be forty to twenty nine or something like that. That's ultimately how I see. I don't need to make you make a pick, but if you want to, let's go for it. JP.
Yeah, I feel like this is gonna be a Lions win. I feel like this offense just has too many problems and has shown. Like I said, for the Washington defense to win, they have to try to try and get Jared Goff off schedule, but Jared Goff has actually, like
I feel like Derek Goff has. I've gained a lot more respect for Jared Goff this season in terms of how he operates, how he works in that offense, and how much he's grown since he first really started with the McVeigh offense and at the peak of their powers. So I feel like this is gonna be the perfect game to show that Jarreck Goff is really good, but also that this Lions team has been here before. Even though they don't have all their stars, they have been
in this situation. They get a home game in front of their crowd and they can just lean on them.
So I think I think as a Lions.
Went, yeah, I'm sorry to cut you off there. Like people forget thirty year olds in the NFL, they can improve, they can keep getting better. I know it as a Patriots fan, Like Tom Brady really was better at thirty four than he was at twenty eight. People remember the seven season and stuff, but like overall in terms of his quarterback, like, he got a lot better at thirty four, thirty six, thirty eight. I mean even though, and Jared Goff wins in a similar sort of way, and I'm
totally with you. I think he is significantly improved even from last year where he was already improved. So we're both on the lions. Let's play the music, Eric, This was This was a banger. It was a long show here. JP, appreciate you.
Thank you.
It's not gonna be as long until you come on again. You killed it.
That's all.
Thanks for having me.
Man, JP Acosta. Check them out at SB Nation. We will be back, like I said on Friday with Cynthia Friedland and the Picks and yeah, when we're counting out the Commanders once again, you know football is back. We'll see a Friday