And in addition to the creativity has I think he does a good job helping his offensive line. All those tight ends back there again, nice cutback by Walkers, still.
Going waiting for the blocking.
To get there.
It does touchdown Seahawks.
Here it comes again.
And a touchdown is the result.
Herd Test his second of the night and the Eagles back on top.
Third down and ten.
Lock end zone.
It is can touchdown Seattle yet Smith and Jigbo has put the Seahawks.
On top, and on top the Seattle Seahawks would stay after a Julian Love miracle interception on the ensuing drive for the Eagles assaulted away a twenty to seventeen win for the Seahawks, a season saving twenty to seventeen win for the Seattle Seahawks, who moved to seven and seven, and the Philadelphia Eagles, once the toast of the NFL, once like three weeks ago, when they were ten in one and leading the entire football world, suddenly mired in
a three game losing streak, watching the number one seed slip away and realizing they had a chance to really bury the Cowboys in the NFC East. And that is no longer the case. Dan hans Us here with Greg Rosenthal and Mark Sessler from our respective homes heroes both and I thought, as they always do, Greg Ye Troy Aikman summed it up well at the beginning of that final Seahawks drive, Drew Locke in for injured Gino Smith after a bunch of malarkey from ESPN hyping up, who
will they or won't they start? Gino? It is Drew Lockey. It hadn't done much in the game to that point, and Aikman laid it out well. He said, this is the biggest drive, the most important drive of Drew Lock's life. And I would say.
He responded ninety two yards with one time out in his pocket, didn't even need all of it twenty eight seconds to go when they ended up scoring that touchdown they started with one fifty two. I think it just so fascinating that these two teams met each other at this moment, with both of their seasons was kind of collapsing at the same time. I know Philadelphia's got a ways to go, but this is a devastating loss that
they met on this night. And we'll get into all the reasons that Philadelphia couldn't put the game away, but that Locke in that moment, who I thought had been okay to that point but hadn't done much. And DK Metcalf, who had been getting picked on a lot by Seattle fear this year for not making big time catches, not making the tough catches, has two just ridiculous catches in that drive. One could have been picked off, So you
get a little fortunate if you're Drew Lock. And then the dime down the sideline to DK sets it up. They keep their composure and Jackson Smith and Jigba from Lock and I think it was just one of the best moments of the year no matter where it goes from here. It reminded me so much of the Baker Mayfield Thursday Night game from a year ago, except the crowd here just was electric and for Lock, and he
said as much after the game. It was kind of a moment of a lifetime, moment of a career in a moment you said it that saves their season.
Dan, Yeah, I mean I think that no matter what happens to the Seahawks, and you know, no matter what happens to them individually, like the Drew Lock thing, it's easy to forget that he if you weren't tracking the sport day to day, that he was packed into that Russell Wilson trade and you know, discarded by the Broncos as a failed potential franchise quarterback and has really pretty much been maligned and his play has been you know, mostly cold, not hot, And I just kind of thought
that was the most fascinating aspect of this, Like he's been going any one of these players goes through so much behind the scenes and deals with so much adversity and negative press and negative talk, and the way he was money on that final drive, the thirty four yard pass to Metcalf, the twenty nine yard burner to Jackson Smith and jigbit to end it, and then what he
said after the game. I just thought, it's like he kind of spoke from his heart and packed into all these seasons and some of these games that will completely forget about come February or March. This was a special moment. And as great as Gino's story was a year ago, it's kind of like they doubled down and created another quarterback story tonight.
It's interesting.
Yes, Drew Locke, who, by the way, yes, he kind of flunked out of an opportunity in Denver, and then he had a chance to win the starting job last year in Seattle and he got eat out by Geno and he kind of receded to the background until this moment. One thing, if you do follow the league, what Drew Locke lacks in perhaps ability or long term sustainability as a quarterback for your team. He does not lack confidence. He's got some swagger to him, and he is not
someone who I don't think holds his tongue. And yes, he spoke honestly with Lisa Salters. I liked so much of what he said that I asked Eric the producer, who were going to be very nice and respectful to today because he just lost his Fantasy playoff matchup by point three points because AJ Brown couldn't make a catch on that last drive. Here is Drew Locke with Lisa Salters moments after the win.
Amazing won't do it justice. Amazing won't do it justice. But amazing also doesn't do justice. But the online but DK didn't that catch, what the receivers did, What Ken Walker, Zach Charmoney did all game long, the tight ends land. It takes a special group to rally around a guy that you know's come into his second game of the year, right, used to the same thing all year long, Saint Cadence, same spin of the ball, everything.
But a team like that, not just the offense, the defense to.
Rally around me and a knight man that was that was amazing.
And then they followed up by asking Locke to take us inside of the play that led to the twenty nine yard touchdown.
I mean, I'll remember that play call for the rest of my life. But we're breaking the huddle. I knew Jack's had the one on one. Good reminder from Shane in the headset and say, hey, Jacks, if you're one on one, I'm throwing you this pill. Sure enough, gave us a one on one look corner was soft. Jacks hit him with some speed, doc pylon back box throw came down with it.
The Seattle Seahawks are a fringe playoff team. They're seven and seven. They certainly have a chance to get a wild card spot, but they're not a Super Bowl contender. That's said, this is why one of the reasons why the NFL is, you know, as popular as it is, that in a primetime game here this is this is drama,
that's high drama. And that was to them to hear the very real human emotion from Locke after the game, a guy who knows that his football career was, you know, hanging on, hanging on by a thread, and now he has this huge game in this platform. Very cool moment.
It also makes me think about how this year, so much of it has been about do you have a
backup quarterback who can give you a chance. And I thought, and we talked about on this podcast that Drew Locks the very end of his career in Denver, after he had been mentioned out for a while, that he had come back in and he had shown, okay, you can maybe work with this as a backup long term, that maybe he is going to have a career because the crazy decisions he would make and you know where and you saw there was like one tonight where he was falling and he tried to throw it and ended up
being ruled as sack.
But he would make crazy decisions.
He had pretty much taken those out of his game and it was kind of like safe Drew Locke and there you know that he's got some arm talent in there. But for the most part, I think he was just trying to avoid mistakes and make the right play. And I thought that's been the case last two weeks. I thought he played pretty well against San Francisco, and even until that moment tonight when he had to drive the field,
I actually didn't think he played poorly. I really thought they just coached around him and didn't give him a chance to do much. It was a lot of short passes, it was a lot of the running game, it was a lot of trying to avoid mistakes, and it was Pete Carroll's old formula that he used to have in the Russell Wilson days, of like, let's just get to the fourth quarter within one score and our defense will
keep it close enough and trusting his defense. Now, to do that is not normally what you want to do, but in this case it worked against the Seagulls offense. And then here we are in the situation we got one final stop. Let's go see what you can do with a regular straight back, drop back passing game. And he hit dimes and he got a little fortunate, but he let his playmakers make plays. And that was a great touchdown catch too by Smith and Jigba, who's really
been coming on. It was like that the very tips of his fingers that he catches it, so just awesome all around and took advantage. I thought of kind of weird, predictable man to man defense, basic defense from Matt Patricia's Eagles defense.
Yeah, I think like your your comparison to that Baker Mayfield game where you had just joined the Rams and beat the Raiders, where it's like you kind of think he had this entire magical performance and it was really a quiet game up until the very end when he went electric. And that was sort of tonight because with two minutes to go, the Eagles had held the Seahawks
to one of one of five on third down. It really I thought like all that you had saw it on offense was Kenneth Walker and Zach Charboneay for the most part, James Bradbury another tough game for him, had a killer DPI that set up that field goal for the Seahawks that kept them in it before they got the touchdown, and then he gives up the winning touchdown and the metcalf catch too, by the way, absolutely, so it's I feel bad for him because it's like that's
the position where you're just gonna get, you know, visually victimized over and over. But he had a tough stretch of it down And it's like I think we were weighing all year long, like did this double coordinator switch for the Eagles? Are they the kind of team that could just roll through that seamlessly and on both sides of the ball. I think we're seeing that's just not
the case. They literally replaced the defensive play caller for this game, but on offense, it's like they're not the team they were a year ago and they're still figuring it out and we're a week away from Christmas Jesus.
They replaced their defensive coordinator. Well he's still the DC, but the guy call him plays with Matt Patricia sure, which just tells you. And I remember talking about this back in the summer with the Eagles, like everything kind of went to script for that team, And I did wonder, and you know that some of the Knick Siriani stuff gets on my nerves, but I also, in all honesty, do wonder, how does this team, how does this roster, how does this coaching staff react when things aren't going
their way? When when the breaks are going the other way, or the schedule doesn't fall the where it needs to be, or they don't start, you know, get ahead on a team and just steamroll like they were doing last year and this season, especially obviously the last three weeks, but really the whole season. I mean, if you just look at their record and like, oh, they're ten and four in a losing streak, but they were dominant before that, so they can get back to No, they weren't dominant
when they were ten and one. They were a team like because they were a good team finding ways to win. But they at no point have I thought that they were as good as say the Niners are, And I think they are very vulnerable as we come down the stretch here, and I'm really interested to see what happens next. Now in their favor, is perhaps the softest schedule in football.
To close things out, You get the Giants twice, with Tommy cutlet Mania dying down at the Superdome on Sunday, and with the Cardinals in between, so you know, at the end of the day, thirteen and fourth still there. But I feel like they've been exposed a little bit these last three weeks.
Yeah, I do want to get to the offense later for the Eagles, but on that schedule, by the way, they do win the division if they win those three games, because those are division games and they would hold the tiebreaker over Dallas. So if they win out, they will win the division. But they've lost their you know, they really lost any chance for the one seed tonight if they even had it defensively to change to Matt Patrician. I know this happened sort of in between when we've
done these shows. To me was like, oh, things are going worse than I thought, because that's more about things happening inside the building, like, yeah, he's got the defensive coordinator. Play name now Sean de Saie apparently, but by all intents and purposes are reporting at NFL network, Ian rapport says Patricia is the defensive coordinator, he's calling the plays.
He's they kicked him upstairs too.
He's not even on the sideline.
So the reports that came out afterwards, there was one in the Philadelphian choir that decided didn't have enough confidence. But the other one that caught my eye locally was like there's just been a lot of finger point and that's what it sort of spoke to to me, was like, wow, people are pointing fingers. There's blame, Like things aren't good inside that building for a change like that to happen, and you saw tonight. I don't know what the difference
was with Matt Patricia. They were rotating a ton of players in the secondary. You know, they weren't getting a great pass rush. They seemed very basic. They were playing man to man on almost all third downs and you could see on that last drive it's like they were just playing man to man on the outside. And I mean, it's easy to second guess when you give up two big plays. But DK Metcalf and Drew Locke were like, thank you, like this is what we can go for,
and they didn't get the pass rush after him. It obviously didn't make a positive difference. I know at that point they had only scored thirteen points. But to end that way, it's just a tough way to end a tough week. And it is a tough week. If you're changing your coordinator in week fifteen when you're ten and three, that's a tough week.
Mark Not to be mean to Drew Locke or to denigrate him any way on a special night but when he's saying after the game, like he had diagnosed immediately that the safety was going to drop down, So be ready, Jackson, I'm gonna hit you. I mean, this isn't exactly Peyton Manning in nineteen ninety nine. Here, this is no, this is Drew Locke that's just diagnosed her defense at the biggest moment of the season.
Yeah, exactly.
I mean this is someone with a limited starting you know, resume and saw it exactly for what it was. I want to just like note one thing though, because like when things are tough, when you're on a skid like this, it comes down to these little moments that have nothing to do with like the play call at all, Like Julian Love's closing interception we talked about before we got
on any hurt. It's like, without him running into the calf of a teammate, that doesn't happen, And it's kind of like, that's just human physics and that's that's just something that happened in nature in favor of the Seahawks.
But I would say.
Even great play though that was, it wasn't great play. Didn't get his foot.
It was a great play.
But but like I think we could acknowledge that, like the where human bodies were on that play was important, but the first interception he had there was clear he was clearly Yankee on Quez Watkins on his jersey, and it's like you can say that's ticky tacky, but that that would get called in other games and it just was like overlooked. So it's like two major turnovers that if you're an Eagles fan, you're steamed about both of them just by the way they happened.
Yeah, I think the Eagles fan right now is wondering what the hell is going on right now? But I also I'm thinking about the the Jalen hurt side of things, because they're also saying, man, if this guy wasn't sick, maybe this game is different, and there's a good chance it is, because you know, Drew Locke is not Gino Smith, even if Geno's not having the year he had last year. So you're set up really well if you have the
healthy Jalen Hurts. He's sick, he gets downgraded over the weekend because the illness worsens and every time they cut to him. And I know he's a stoic dude by his nature, but usually that's that stoicism you see. It's just like steely confidence, like he's one of those guys that like he passes like everybody likes to say, like the Mamba mentality. I guess I'm an old timer, jeriatric millennial mark. So I think at Jordan and just kind of that resolve. I didn't see that in his eyes.
He looked like a guy who was like, I cannot wait to get back into bed because I feel like And to his credit, he leads him down the field on the first possession for a touchdown, but they were pretty much out of sorts for most of this game, and his stat line, even if some of the officials didn't help him out, and there was that it was a miracle act of physics on the last Love interception.
But the deep shot where they had a chance to put the game away and they try the jeep deep shot that Love picks off in the end zone, that was just a silly play call. And that's also not the first time the Eagles have had a bad play call that that Jets game I remember from October another one where it's like, you have a chance to play this a certain way and salt away an inferior opponent. Instead you opened the door and gave them new life unnecessarily.
Yeah, they had the ball with the lead there Dan, what was it it was seventeen thirteen there, and they're they're driving and they could put the game away. Pete Carroll had burned two of his timeouts on some of the most idiotic timeout management I've ever seen in my entire life by anyone. I mean, Pete Carroll could have like a thirty for thirty just on his bad timeout usage.
And so at that point, like they're in position to like run like six minutes off the clock if they can have a sustained drive and you're right that play call and the decision to throw it because that's on Hurts too, he doesn't necessarily have to throw it there deep then they get the ball again because the defense holds up with six thirty five to go, and they start moving the ball, and I just think of how
these last three drives finished for Hurts. There was that interception and then the next one where if they get seven yards they basically win the game. They had already picked up a couple downs running the ball. They had taken four minutes off the clock. They're almost at the
two minute warning. It's third and seven, and Hurts just bailed out of the pocket too soon, too, like immediately he sensed a little pressure that wasn't quite there because it was Mafey who ended up going to the ground and he runs into the pressure and then he just starts running all over the place, and like great, if he had made a great play, you would have said, oh, what a great player, But he left the pocket immediately, and again they were sending pressure and it was like
you had concepts there where guys should be open if he just stayed in the pocket. And that was one of three or four decisions on the night, one where he missed DeVonta Smith wide open coming over the middle would have been a big game, where instead he tried to go deep. Another third and ten where he seemed to does not see the field and is that being sick, I don't know. But he also has been doing similar
types of things throughout the year. He's played well. But I think tonight he ran the ball well, but his passing was not good and I didn't think it was going to cost him, but it did.
Cost him in the end.
Yeah, that third and seven, I'm looking at it, and I'm like, I know it's gonna happen here. He's gonna scramble for the first down slide down after a nine yard game and the game's over. And sure enough, I'm looking as he's dropping back, and you don't see a spy on him, and I'm like, oh, this is and I wonder I'm not going to get inside his head if he had the same thought. He's like, I'm just gonna take off here. I'll get this on my own.
And to the credit of Seattle's defense, they kept him contained. He tried to break out one way, they wouldn't let him out the back door. Then he'd tried to double back the other way and that was sealed off, and then he had to throw the heave. So that was just a great stand.
I guess, like, I just refuse to panic over the Eagles right now, though nor would I probably in any situation, just because I'm not that attached to them. But I am more saying that I trust that I kind of think sometimes I know, it looks like there's a lot
of chaos. You switched the coordinator, some of these teams wind up going like the distance have to make these tough decisions and it's easy to forget, like in you know, late January that this happened, and like I don't love the switch to Matt Patricia White.
Who knows.
But it's like the Eagles overall, holistically, like over the past three four or five years, had been one of the most consistent franchises. They lost to the Niners, they lost to the Cowboys. That's two of the top three teams in the NFC they got nipped tonight.
Is the sky falling? I don't know. I think your quarterback was ill this evening.
They're a little bit out of sorts, and you've got three cup kicks coming up. I'd say you'd probably go three and zero in those games, and you're good and we'll see what happens from there.
I mean right now.
They're bad, though, Like if the playoffs started today, they'd be in such trouble because they got a lot of problems.
They can improve on it.
I think you're right in the next three weeks and then get in better shape and they might win the division.
I just think outside of but outside of San Francisco, because like, let's it was twenty four hours ago that we were concerned about the Cowboys and we still are. It's like the whole league is just imperfect outside of one team right now, that's just a stroy people. So it's like the Eagles to me, like if you catch any of these teams on an off day, they're right in it. And so it's like, I just I know, I know Philly fans are probably going nuts, but it's like, I don't know.
I guess I understand what you're saying, Mark, but there I think, not to keep HARKing back to last year's team, but this team is so much different. And even when they were ten and one, they they were getting the
job done, they just weren't. They've never been a juggernaut this season and I know that, and we've been watching the games and people that are actually watching this team week after week are seeing that they are vulnerable and yes, they probably will take care of business and they deserve this easy close to the schedule now because they went through a f and gauntlet through November and into December.
But that was telling some of the things that happened in that gauntlet, and the gauntlet your return and crushingly, I would think for this Eagles team, Uh, you are not gonna it's gonna be the road's gonna go through San Francisco barring something unforeseen. Now, and I think that's that's a big, big takeaway from this game. I have just one more thing not to bring up forty two, Greg, because I know you don't like I bring up forty two, but that had big forty two vibes. The last drive,
they're down four points. They have a quarterback that nobody thinks is gonna pull it off, and he's just firing the ball and he's throwing multiple balls into coverage that could be intercepted repeatedly, but he's still moving down the field and then all of a sudden, he hits the touchdown in your throw and you're thinking to yourself, wait,
did that just happen? And if you're a fan of the Pats in two thousand and eight or the Eagles today, you're gonna watch that last drive and be like, he put like three balls up for grabs and we could not get it done. So very frustrating, frustrating for the defending conference champs.
Kind of reminds me of fifty two because you got, you know, Eagles hero Matt Patricia now on your sideline. He was coordinated in defense while Nick Foles was putting up a forty burger on the Patriot. So he's a super Bowl here for the Eagles already. You have Julio Jones who was involved late in that game, almost could have beat them in the divisional round or was that the wild card round for the falcon You're bringing all
the old heroes back. You got Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox making sacks pretty much the only good pass rush they had all night. One quick thing I do want to say on the Seahawks before we move on from this game. Though they have a really good chance to make the playoffs. Now, they are a flawed team. We'll see if Geno comes back or not. You know, Witherspoon
was out for this game. Jamal Adams was, I think quiet benched because he finished last week and then they put him on the injury report and then he was inactive. I think they just like that was like a nice way to bench him. They did bench Reequillen, who was in and out of the lineup all night. He was out for the first quarter out from us to the third. Like they made some changes tonight trying to improve things
they find a way to get a win. And now here's their schedule at Tennessee home for Pittsburgh at Arizona.
I mean, that's that's quite soft.
If you win all three, you're in for sure in the NFC West, I mean in the NFC two out of three, and you know they might be favored in all three of those. They got a chance to get on a little run here if they can bottle this.
So Greg, they do, and I know that you're in a like a pervertly an endless sort of cuddle party with Seattle Seahawks fans. But I think they're also an argument for like not having the seventh playoff team because I liked what happened tonight. It's a nice story, but overall, like the Seattle Seahawks to me, are just not what I view as playoff material. I mean, they could that's a nice easy schedule, and I think they'll probably they'll
find a way in there, and that's that's nice. But I think on both sides, both conferences, I'm seeing postseason fair that to me is not worthy of the postseason. But there's nothing we can do about it, because if anything, we'll add another playoff team probably.
You know, two three years from now.
There are four well, there are five, but two of them are in the NFC South, so one's gonna win the division. But looking at the standings now, there are four seven and seven teams vying for those two wild card spots. You have the Minnesota Vikings seven and seven, the Rams seven and seven, the Seahawks seven and seven, then the Saints seven and seven.
Right, and the Bucks for now.
In for now, it would be Rams and Vikings in, but it doesn't matter much. Rams do have that sweep of the Seahawks, which could potentially help them if they end up being the two.
I mean, half of those teams own fan bases aren't even begging for an extra game.
So I just I you know, you're.
All, you're all pumping up the Colts in the different Tell me which one?
Tell me which one.
With Saints fans I think would be happy that season. And we've been down that road a million times.
But it's even then in their hearts they want it.
Listen, these teams, if we're talking about who's winning the Super Bowl, just like your beloved cults in the AFC, mark these.
Guys, says, the Rams are going they're on the winning the Super Bowl.
The spice rack has been brought up on the show literally like ten shows in a row. They're they're sea fillers in the Big Dance, you know. But but part of the fun is the time of year. Who's gonna get in?
You know what I mean?
These fan bases are excited, Mark.
I know, I like, it's okay.
I'll go back to how I open this, Like, I've never been a huge Drew Lockeye, but that was one of the more memorable things that's happened this entire season, and it's kind of like rock and.
The atmosphere at the end made it feel pretty special.
I'm cool with that.
Great, all right, let's take a break and then we'll do a little bit of news and say goodbye. All right, welcome back. Let's get caught up on the news before we sign off for a day. Let's start with the Cincinnati Bengals. You know, they're another one of those teams that are making a hard charge for a playoff spot over in the AFC. Jamar Chase is their superstar wide receiver.
He went down in the team's Week fifteen comeback win over the Vikings, and rap sheet reports that Chase is likely to miss quote sometime, so we don't know how long that will be, but you're not going to see him in week sixteen, and then, you know, that's sounds
like a potential multi week injury. So that is going to mean the likes of T Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Joe Mixon are going to really have to raise their game, if with, of course, Jake Browning a quarterback to finish off this improbable rise and get to the postseason.
I'm sick about it because I'm with you, Mark, you kind of jokingly said maybe the Bengals should become team of ATN Now I barely you know, I've just been so surprised, and I've been so wrong about burying Zach Taylor in this spot and kind of enjoying being wrong, and just how spicy Browning's been that I was like, this would be a this is a fun story, and looking at their schedules like they can win these games.
I think they should beat the Steelers and to lose Chase and DJ readers just like this, this seems luck is just outrageously bad Reader, one of if not their best defense, you know, one of their best defensive players, and then to lose Chase on top of everything, it stinks.
Don't let the Steelers win another game. This Steelers team doesn't deserve it.
Ah, they stink.
No, you're in.
J are've enjoying that though.
You're enjoying being wrong? Greg about Zach Taylor. I'm enjoying being right.
Yeah, I mean I'm enjoying watching the game, the act of being wrong. I don't know if that's joyable, but they're winning me over. They are pretty fun to watch. It's been cool to see what they're doing.
They go to Pittsburgh, then they go to Kansas City. I would say this though, I think Trent Irwin has stepped in and helped at times.
They a little yoshas pop.
Well.
Yeah, half our news run down is AFC North injuries, so they're not alone.
They've just got to survive.
Trevor Lawrence also dealing with injuries. He suffered a concussion during Sunday Night Football, so now he has to clear the league's concussion protogol to get clearance to play Week sixteen against the Bucks. This is a Jaguars team on a three game losing streak. They're fugazy and now their quarterback is hurt, losing interest, falling asleep. So I'm gonna talk about the Jaguars.
Let's hear Doug Peterson talk about it, because I was wondering, we saw Trevor Lawrence's head slam to the turf early in the third quarter up, Nop, Do we need to see the spider?
Nope?
Do We didn't even need to check on it. And then you know, we find out after the game he has a concussion.
I think it was obviously the scramble play. I think it was the last one that he got hit on. Potentially, It's hard to say, but you know, continue to play, you know, the rest of the game. And then he self disclosed after the game to our to our docks and our trainers. Oh you mean the scramble play where he took an illegal forearm shiver to the face, And I got Maurice Jones Drew, who's like a Jaguars ring of honor guy, and I'm like, that's a that's a penalty.
You can't do that, and MJD's like, oh, yeah, you could do that. He's you know, once he leaves the pocket, you know, he's not protected anymore. Of course, he's protected from like a Kerry von Eric Forearm, Like, what are we talking about here?
Can't do that.
Whatever anyway, Even with him though, they're like they feel like a team in free fall like that, there's a three way tie.
I think they've not been the same since Christian Kirk was out. I don't know. I don't really trust this team at all. We talked about it last night.
I'm just settling scores with MJD right now. He's not even here.
Well, he's not going to be hearing this either, so they have to go.
I mean, the Bucks might end up I'm with you guys that they would be the most fun at NFC South Division winner and they might get CJ. Bethard this week, which is a pretty big difference. If Trevor Lawrence is out.
Arthur Smith is an absolute mess as a head coach, and if he comes back, shame on everyone connected with the Falcons. Because you send Desien Ritter out on the field in week fifteen with a chance to kick that field goal you have n't dropped back to pass. He throws an interception because he's been doing that all year, and then the head coach comes out instead of saying you know, that's on me. I need to make a better play caller. We need to kind of get better.
He's now gonna what bench Desmond Ridder again? Is that what we're hearing? It's being reported? Who has the report on this one?
Smith himself.
Smith at his press conference said that he's still considering what direction direction to go a quarterback for their matchup with the Colts, So it could be going back to telor Heineke. Like, it's making my head spin because I think we were all in agreement on Thursday's preview podcasts that although it was weird to bench Ridder and then go back to him, it looked like Ritter was making strides. But now he makes a bad throw and they lose,
and now you're going to go back to Heineke. The whole thing is just sloppy.
Yeah, it's just an extension of Sunday's game where it's like the vision for the Falcons was extremely cloudy in that loss, a terrible loss that I put on the coach and this is just mismanagement and it's like, you know what, you went into the season with two guys who aren't worthy of being your starting quarterback. In the fact that you go into musical chairs mode is not a surprise, but it is a disappointment.
It's funny you say musical chairs because he when he declared Ritter is going to be the starter again, he said,
I'm you know, this is my decision. I'm not going to be playing musical chairs, and now here weeks later, and it's one of my one of my coaching cliches I've noticed over the year on Mondays, whenever they say they're considering making the change, when it kind of you because they didn't ben him during the game, and he's putting it out there on Monday that like I might make a change like they're they're making it unless there's some weird circumstance, which this is not, like they're making
that change. I think he sees his career flashing before his eyes, and in his heart of hearts, he trusts Heinecky Moore. But I will tell you, we'll point out dan. As bad as that play was they had, I think it was a bottom five success rate in terms of running against the Panthers of like any team in any game all year. So just the whole thing stinks, is what I'm saying, Like They're supposed to be a great running team and they can't run the ball either, So it's all it all.
I'm just saying they're a bad, boring team, but they've won. They've won games this year by being boring, and being boring in that spot is running the ball, going up four and then saying our defense is pretty good, we're gonna we're gonna keep Bryce Young out of the end zone and win another ugly game. But instead they took a different route and they were punished for it. The Steelers might be going a different route at quarterback again. Man, what a year. Yes, I hope there's never another year
like this in the NFL with the quarterbacks. It's just every team it's either Star is gone or in some cases you have a nice situation like let's say in Cleveland right now or in Cincinnati, But then there are the other cases. How it usually works is Star gets hurt, backup stinks, Try another backup he stinks. Put in the other backup he stinks. Maybe bring back the first backup. Here is the Steelers situation now. Mason Rudolph, who you know, stinks.
He's expected to start in Week sixteen for Pittsburgh. With their season on the line because Mitch Trubisky has just not been able to play the guitar. But they are keeping a quote door a jar for Kenny Pickett. Okay, okay, good luck with all that. I mean Kenny Pickett, I don't think he could play either.
Mike Tomill looked pretty good, at least in comparison to Mitch Trubisky.
There's nothing I will I will I will agree with that.
Speaking of you know taking l's, I think my kind of want to see Mitch Trubisky take was the worst. Was actually worse than my Chargers are going to the Super Bowl take this year. I thought Trubisky showed a little something last year, but my god, is he been brutal. So yeah, they go to Rudolph and less Pickett gets healthy enough to uh to play this week, they also will be without Minka Fitzpatrick, so that that's a pretty big loss, it sounds.
I mean, it might be farm in arm with your you know quarterback. Mitch Trubisky take is my twelve wins for the Steelers. I mean that might take a year and a half for that to be the case with the way they're trending.
So oh yeah, that and KZ the safety got suspended for the season in Pittsburgh as well, which it was again kind of like a Kareem Jackson thing where he had been fined and suspended previously for similar types of hits, and so this one just put it over the top.
It's bad.
I I don't know, if they lose out, you could you could definitely hear some rumlins there we'll see.
I mean Tomlin's Tomlin is you know, Chuck Noll obviously, but like one of the greatest coaches of the last thirty years. But I mean, if you don't have a quarterback, you're just banged.
Now.
He has a role neck because he has a big voice there.
But you know he picked, he picks these coordinators and and one thing I heard, and maybe it was Check that said it, there was just like a little whispers like is there a chance out there in the world that's I like that maybe Tomlin would want a fresh start, that they just that the two side they've been together so long, because he would be number one pretty much on the coaching list of what of teams would want.
He could make money money elsewhere. Just maybe I don't know, because it's not working right now.
Put this way, you put Mike Tomlin in that defense with a proficient quarterback. I don't think we're talking about Mike Tomlin's job being but it is weird, like not only the failure, uh, you know, the lack of success in the last few years, but also like you know, some of the effort plays you see from that wide receiver room, which is a mess despite being talented, like just they had like some of the earmarks of a team that is a little bit you know, not up
to code. Put it that way. And finally, this is not surprising news, but disappointing news. Keaton Mitchell undrafted, a rookie of the Ravens who really has impressed everybody with his incredible speed and breakaway ability. He suffered a really bad looking knee injury on Sunday Night Football and it was confirmed as a tour in ACL and so he'll get surgery and rehabit and hopefully we see him back
with the team and training camp next year. And it's not something that takes away any of his skills because they are quite breathtaking.
I think that's like we talked about it last night. That was an exciting, evolving emerging element to their offense that's been stripped away.
I mean they lost JK. Dobbins.
You know, before the early on you're leaning on Gus Edwards and Justice Hill and capable. I like Gus Edwards, but I just think this is uh, this made the Ravens offense that needed like a little extra spice. Also losing Mark Andrews and he provided that and he's gone. And so it's like I said, every one of these AFC North teams are getting banged with transition and injuries.
I think it's a killer because if you look at all the defenses they're going to play, it almost seems true for all the good defense, like if you're gonna beat him, you're gonna beat him running. That's definitely true of the Dolphins defense. It's definitely true of the forty nine Ers defense, which rates as a pretty average rush defense, who they're going to play this week. I think it's true of the Chiefs defense. You know, all these teams in Baltimore wants to run. They're a great running team.
They will run, but they're just not going to run as well without Mitchell.
All Right, that's what's happening in the news. Eric jump in a second me and you are one of thousands of people across the country who saw their fantasy seasons and in crushing manner, you.
Too, Gregor, I mean mine wasn't crushing manner, but it was just it was manner. I ended up starting Drew Locke in my fantasy playoffs.
That was great, And I don't know, is there something we can do in greg rote a world brick by Brick and Mark, I want to hear your thoughts too, because you've really dove in feet first into the fantasy world again. How do we fix the playoffs in fantasy because it's already it's already a crapshoot, obviously, but it seems so cruel to build a roster and then on the whims of one Sunday, essentially it's decided whether your season continues. Should we shorten here's my idea. Shorten the
regular season from fourteen to ten weeks. Okay, that's enough time for teams to establish themselves and build up a roster, find a group, and then make these two week playoffs. About that?
So, well, what is it total points over two weeks?
Yes, okay, cumulative so you don't get banged by a wonky week, as I did and many others. You get a better chance to see these teams that you've built a roster over three months, two and a half months, to show who's the true best team over across two weeks. I'm going to I'm gonna throw this out there in my league tonight and see if I can get some
type of in season rule change. I don't think it's gonna play, but maybe if we start a movement to make fantasy playoffs fair, we can get something going here. That's my campaign platform. I would be, first of all, not only the only presidential candidate who's not insane and over eighty years of age. I would have a real platform that people could get behind.
All Right, So I like it.
God bless America.
Yeah, I like it. I think it cleans some things up. I got nipped.
I just missed the fourth and final, like we have like an nit in ours were like there's a consolation rounds like, I don't care about that. That means nothing to me, and I'm a grown adult.
I don't need to.
Would drop all my players at a general principle if they try to have me in a loser's bracket, well.
Unless they put a little scratch in the loser's brackets.
Some leagus do that.
I don't care about that.
It's like, if I'm not in the like the first heat, then I don't want to be part of this. But I would say this, like I lost frustratingly just by the point total thing, And I think even that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense on some level. I I, you know, we work with some some a fantasy group of analysts who do a really hardcore job.
But I do notice, and I you know, I've said this to them in a joking manner that the minute the fantasy season ends, I mean, there's free agency and that's the next big, you know, ten pole event.
But they're hard out man, their football season's over.
So now you're telling them that their football season's over in like week ten or twelve. Like, I might switch jobs at that point because I think they're justice integral to what we do, and they'd be essentially like sitting at Thanksgiving dinner being like, I'll see you in March. Everyone, it's been night, going to go take a three month break by the pool.
I like your concept, Dan, I like your idea. Mark.
It was a different world. I have talked to Silva about this when I used to work at ROAD. I didn't realize it at the time, but because we were still working after January first or whatever. But it is quite a big ex sale. It is quite a difference between that job and this job. I like your two week playoffs. Maybe only the semi finalists make it, Dan, so it's like four teams and so it's four total weeks of the playoffs.
That's good.
You could do weeks, what fourteen to seventeen something like that.
That could work.
I don't hate that, and maybe reward you know, however, you want to do it financially or whatever for first and second place in points for the season or throughout the whole season, so that gives a little you know, some leagues.
Some leagues do that.
Can I can ask one question because like that seems.
To be taking it well though I think he's a main Well.
He hasn't spoken in about an hour or so.
Well, no, I mean, oh, there it is.
I might deserve this one because I did leave golf and Addison on my bench. I got spooked by golf and then he throws five touchdowns and it was by point four.
But wouldn't you Eric like the opportunity to insert Jared Goff into your line yeah next week and prove, prove once and for all that you were the team that deserved.
By over analysis kind of thing, you know, as I overmanaged my way out of the playoffs because one bad week.
So but isn't that you know, not to the Devil's advocate. Isn't that why we love football in some ways? Is that you know, when you get to the playoffs, you can have that great season Packers going fifteen and one, But if the Giants are feeling good that day and you get a little tight and you overmanage it, you might be going home.
Brett Favre.
Yeah, but let me ask what I lost? I lost this week?
Right?
So?
Dan, had you made the playoffs I wanted, would you be hot on all these rule changes? Had you had you made it into the playoffs, would this still be something that burns in your mind?
I am I lost in the playoffs. I don't even know what what? Uh cock? The league you're in that wasn't even in the playoffs yet?
Are you will be a team.
If he won tonight, he would not be making these rule proposals.
No, I would say fantasy football is fundamentally perfect. But I lost, so it's not all right, all right, that's enough.
This is our last Monday Night quite like this, because next next Monday Night is Christmas and there's no more Troy and Joe Monday Night's the rest of the year.
Well, they had a great season, and we will continue on because our season is far from over. We will take a day off at least from the microphones, and then we'll be back on Wednesday. It's a great show Wednesday because it's of course Connie Fox Wednesdays, but also it's our holiday special. And if it's our holiday special, that means Connor or is back to review the Hallmark Christmas movies that have most connected with him. And I'll
tell you this. I watched one of them over the weekend with my wife, The Santa Summit, and it is It's unhinged, I'll say that. And so if anybody wants to get ahead of this, check out The Santa Summit, which we'll be discussing. And there's another movie that Colleen's assignment. You know Colleen and her husband John, who we saw on Friday night. We had a great little holiday gathering.
John was there.
Colleen was in Detroit for the coverage of the games on Saturday. Colleen's assignment is to cover the other movie we're discussing, Holiday Hotline. John said, there's no way in hell Colleen will do the assignment that she's going to say she's gonna do it and not do it. I believe in Colleen that she will watch Holiday Hotline. So look it up if you want to watch along with us or talk along with us. The Santa Summit and Holiday Hotline discussed with connor Or on Wednesday, and you.
Too to quit Colleen deeply about this. If we don't, I'd be surprised. She like when you give her a task, I feel like she if anything that I said, so much work on it.
You know.
John said that she has no ability to sit on the couch and watch it. It's something about her ability to keep a train of thought and focus on one thing. I don't know what that could be connected to. All right, let's go. The test is on for everyone. Until then, heat the car