They Around the NFL Podcast. He's on a high way to Peal. Welcome to another edition of Around the NFL the Podcast. I'm Dan hanss I'm here in a pertial room filled with a couple of heroes, Greg Rosenthal from Englewood, Mark Sessler from Hollywood, and we are here to talk about another Double Monday Night and get you caught up on the news. Mark, let's start with the good news separate from the news, which is we are done with the Double Monday Night, the double Chamber, the double Shotgun.
It's ova Johnny, and I for one, am very happy about it as well, because I was having a similar vibe to you, is like I'm done with this. I hate this two screen experience. And now we're done for a bit.
We are in like you know, I think if you've been listening to previous episodes, I was confronted about my behavior a week ago.
And my text behavior with the two of you.
I hope that tonight was an example that I can learn from those kinds of conversations. I don't believe I reached out to you all the rounds were playing.
You did have some complaints about the announcers, but that was minor, and we are getting a doubleheader I believe week fourteen. So Mark, we've had a discussion and you're actually covering both of those games solo. Weird.
Let's see if I'm still here in week fourteen.
That's your penalty for your kaiser so routine. In week three, double Monday Night bang sash. Yes, So we had an important game for the Cincinnati Bengals, who staring down the barrel themselves of oh to three and the prospect of Joe Burrow not even playing this game. But Joe Burrow did play on Monday Night Football against the Rams head to pay Corps.
Aaron Donald took a few plays off, he is now back in the game.
On second and six, Mixon Nixon cut.
Joe Mixon Tonight's first touchdown and the Bengals go on top pass setting up the run man Mixon from fourteen yards out put Cincinnati on top.
No one said it was going to be easy for the Cincinnati Bengals, who have an obviously compromised quarterback with Joe Burrow nursing that calf injury that will not go away. But Burrow did make it through four quarters of this game. He said afterwards that he got out of it unscathed
without any setbacks. Who knows if that's the truth, but what we do know is that he played four quarters, Joe Mixon scored that go ahead touchdown, and the defense did the rest with a little help from Evan McPherson, their studley kicker in a nineteen sixteen win over the La Rams, a game Mark Sessler that wasn't high on action as really both offenses struggled mightily through this night, but it was the Bengals that just made more plays in the second half.
Yeah, I mean, we've been waiting for two plus weeks to kind of see this offense look like it has for the past two seasons, And when they were down nine to six and went in for a touchdown, was like they finally you kind of saw Jamar Chase, who they moved around a lot, get active, T Higgins, Joe Mixon in the ground game finally heated up another The offensive line did a pretty good job in this one.
But I mean, yeah, I know, the whole story is Joe Burrow and like I thought his throws were really affected tonight in general, Like he can say he's not affected by this calf injury. It's like I think we all saw a quarterback we've seen him before minus a calf injury, and like I I thought his throws were definitely affected by it, and like.
He said, he was not affected. Just for the record, he said didn't come out of the.
Game with like it work sure, but like there's no doubt that it limited kind of who he is and what he can do.
But they found their way out of it.
But I mean the Bengals, it's like it was kind of a total team thing, like what they did to the Rams with their defense with Trey Hendrickson, with Logan Wilson. It's like these guys just stepped up and shut down a Rams attack that was I think one for eleven on third down and one for four in the red zone.
It's like it took the whole team to get out of this slump.
And it's like I think the offense can grow, but it's like this version of Joe Burrow can't be the guy that we that we know.
Can it?
Which is it gonna get better? Hopefully? Can it get worse?
It can get worse because it's like it's calf injury. There was one moment tonight where I thought he got hit and looked like I thought he might have reaggravated it. No matter what he says like it just looked uncomfortable, but they got they escaped it with a win. I guess you don't ask too many questions after that.
Well, I'm asking questions because what they did tonight is unsustainable. There's also, like two things can be true. That was not a Joe Burrow that can win enough games for them to matter this year. Tonight their offense was too limited. They couldn't have him under center, which limits the running game too. I think Joe Mixon look good, but like he's out a shotgun all games, so it just messes
with the running game. He clearly can't move outside the pocket like he was inaccurate, but they found a way to win. I think that's true, and he has to be better else they're not going to go anywhere. But it was also a championship level performance as a team. The best players on the team were all on defense. I think DJ Reider made one of the biggest plays of the game when he sacked Matthew Stafford on first down when they were on the goal line right at
the beginning of the game. After they overturned a two to two out Well touchdown, and that just set the tone of defensive players stepping up and making huge plays. Trey Hendrickson, you mentioned just beating on the Rams backup left tackle. In the second half, Dax Hill made huge plays at safety Logan Wilson with those interceptions, and they just kept holding the four, holding the fur and the Rams should have been ahead by much more at halftime
and they weren't. And they held it just enough for Jamar Chase to show up, for Mixing to show up in Burrow, just to do just enough. I didn't come out of the game though, feeling like they solved anything on offense, because even after that touchdown drive, they have an interception, they get a short field, they don't do anything with it, and then they kicked the ball back to the Rams. It's not like they solve things. They
just problem solved for this week. And if you're a Bengals fan, and Nick Wesseling was at the game with his wife Steph, like you're just hoping, Okay, maybe next week is a little bit better and we can keep solving our schedules a little soft and we can just survive this part of the season until he gets better, exactly.
And you know that's why I locked up the Bengals. Good job, even though he split it out a little bit. The reason I did lock them out is I lock them up. I just did not foresee a scenario. And I know the coaching statsman catching heat on this podcast that this team, this battle tested team, was not going to find a way and game even if they aren't themselves.
And that's exactly how the game played out where Burrow the real risk on the lockside was that he was either not going to play or be make it through a quarter and then come out of the game and then I'm banged in a big spot. But once he was able to just manage it and the game plan.
And now, while it's not an exciting game plan to watch, in quite frankly, it's kind of sad to watch this version of Joe Burrow because he's such a dynamic, exciting player who challenges defense and can move when necessary, and all that stuff is thrown out the window just being
in the game flow. And then when it was money time in the second half, Burrow, because he carries himself in a different way than many quarterbacks, he carries himself like the great ones, where when it's time to go make a play, when it's time to go get that
big drive, he will hit the throws. And I thought the big pass on a nice little play call that showed patience both by Jamar Chase and Burrow hitting that big gainer that was the big I think that went for forty three and that set up the mix and touchdown.
That was it. They just kind of needed one big time drive and then because this is a team with championship medal, I believe the rest of the guys take took it home, led by like I said, Trey Hendrickson, like I said Evan McPherson, who had a monster game for a kicker on a day where the offense needed like help, here's the kicker just smoking fifty plus yard bombs throughout the night. And they did it as a team,
and I think it really poortends well for them. Not I agree with you that this version of the Bengals is not sustainable down the line, but during this very vulnerable time for them just kind of checking off and getting these wins. It will be huge for them. If Broke can actually get healthy in time.
It's hard to imagine them suddenly taking a leap between now and next week. So I'm with you, Greg in the sense that, like, I don't know how you eke out wins like this because what they got on defense was special tonight.
They just get it. Huh. They just did it like this is how they have to do it.
You played the Rams like I'm not sure you're gonna beat other teams.
Necessarily counter that mark. Here we go up next at Tennessee at Arizona Tennise's defense.
Here's where I would push back just lately, because I'm with you. The offense has to improve, But can can they just muddle through and the defense carries them for a few weeks and win enough of these games? I think it's it's possible because yes, it's just the Rams. And I think something showed up today that we expected coming into the season. Like when the Rams were in catchup mode and they're just counting on one on ones to two two at well, it felt like, man, this
is they're just hoping upon hope. But the Rams were more physical than the forty nine ers. Literally last week. They put up almost four hundred yard against the forty nine ers last week they put up thirty points on the Seahawks, So this was a championship level defensive performance.
But that was what Greg three minutester just said.
It's not sustainable right for the What are you saying, because I'm sort of saying, like, this version of the Bengals offense is not going to win twelve games for them, And I think, no, he could heal by then and be better, but he could also reaggravate this. It's like the I don't think he really had a real rollout until like deep third quarter. Like we're not seeing a quarterback that's functionally he's in the pocket and like sailing throws because of his lower body situation. It's like, that's
not teams are. Teams are gonna find a way to target that and make make more of it than the Rams did tonight, and they came close to extinguishing the Bengals.
This was a tight one, right.
I agree with that because the Rams defense as hard as they played early and look, they only gave up six points in the first half, they forced four punts. They're one of the most undermanned, under talented defenses in the league. Aaron Donald kind of had a back to being Aaron Donald dominit But other than that, they're just they're just trying out there and they're gonna play much better competition in terms of the defenses that they face.
It was weird game for their offense because you saw I'm talking about the Rams now, you saw how they've really now found a role for two to two at well. He made a couple of big plays in this game. Puka Nakua once again had his share of action, little quieter in this game, but had a big catch near the end that made the game interesting. In the final mints are close to interesting. I would to call this game interesting, and you will, of course get Cooper Cup
back in a few weeks. I think on the Rams side, it's a frustrating night, but I also think it's again I don't I do not like being put in this position that the Rams were put in, where you're going on the road in primetime against a proud, battle tested
team like Cincinnati that needs the win. And while you're frustrated that the offense didn't like come to play today, because if they played just a little bit better, Cincinnati, being as vulnerable as they are with Burrow right now, they could steal this game and then you're feeling totally different about the Rams. I still think this offense is going to have more better days than bad days, but just a tough one against the defense that really gave them fits, especially with the pass rush.
Yeah, I think this was a big game and a missed opportunity though for them, just in terms of the type of season that they want to have, this would have been one they could feel like they stole. Like when they looked at the schedule early in the season, you wouldn't have expected them to have it. They're built on this offense being a top ten offense and the defense being good enough, and today the defense was good enough for them, and their number one side didn't show
up enough. They weren't consistent with the running game, and they've got a winnable game next week with Indianapolis. But if you look at the schedule after that, and I've talked to some people, it's like it gets tougher and they are going to be a team that if they happen to be under five hundred when they get to the trade deadline, there might be decisions. And if they had won this game, and you start, if you get off to a three and one start, that conversation kind
of goes out the window. So that's just something to watch for them. And I do think McVeigh tell me if I'm crazy, was mcveigh's game management driving you guys crazy? I know I'm game management guy, but it's like I've just been seeing this stuff for five or six years, and he drives me crazy. With the conservatism? Am I crazy?
Like you know what, you don't think that, you don't connect McVeigh with a conservative streak, but you do see that there were just even beyond the gate of the
play calling, I'd like to hear what you're thinking. But even that last drive when you know they need ten and you had the big completion to Higbee down the sideline with three and a half minutes to go and he doesn't go out of bounds and I'm just like and then shortly after that, I think it was at well he cuts back in instead of stepping out, and I'm like, guys, like, we need We're gonna need this ninety seconds, Like what are we doing? So a little scattered on that side of it too.
Yeah, he punted on fourth and five with six and a half minutes to go, and at that point they were down ten. That's basically saying game over because the best you can hope for is to get the ball back with like around three minutes to go, which is
what happened. And they had only one time out. So you combine that with the fact that they had blown those timeouts and McVeigh always does this because he doesn't want to take a delay a game, and they blew two timeouts like that, and they it just happened for five or six straight years, and like after each of those timeouts where he didn't want to take the delay game, they got sacked and punted the ball away like it
didn't matter. You need those timeouts. And then you combine that with like running on third and fifteen a couple like two different times. And he's always been like that. He has this weird conservative streak, and I think with this team he's gonna need to be have the game management stuff just a little locked closer, because they're not. They're not explosive enough to make up for stuff like that. It's not in a world annoys me like that.
Yeah, it's not in the world of Josh McDaniels kicking the field goal last night in that absurd situation. But it's like, if you're gonna pun in that place, you've got to have enough confidence that you're gonna get the ball back in your team, your offense, and know your offense well enough that like they can go score the touchdown not continue to chip away.
And it's like that was an odd call.
I'm not as down on McVeigh as you are Greg on that front, but it's I guess it's just not how he's characterized to me. Seems he seems to me if anything innovative, in aggressive in.
Other ways he is in a lot of way, then they're playing hard. I don't think he's doing a bad job or anything like that. I think you found some limitations tonight though, especially with the offensive line injuries. They lost too offensive linemen, including their left tackle during the game.
Anything else on those game boys.
I just think that the Bengals were lucky to even get leu in or back this season. It's it's it's just because I think there's we're in a wave where defensive coordinators aren't getting hired as head coaches as much. But it's like fourteen more games he's getting a job. So it's like make the most of it.
Yeah, and it was kind of a signature Jamar Chase game to go twelve for one on a night where the passing offense only had what two forty two net yards. I mean, that's a big time game. It's the old squeaky wheel gets the grease. He showed up in a big spot like he carried the offense. They weren't gonna win without Jamar Chase.
Yeah, I was gonna say that you need to Chase. You needed again with Burrow. Can't carry the team right now, and he's going to carry the team in their best moments, but right now he needs help. Can't put everything on his back. And there was Jamar making place. T Higgins like, join us amongst the living. I know he had two touchdowns last week, but that's two out of three weeks. I think he had two catches on seven targets today.
Had a terrible drop too. I mean, hey, but it's your free agent year, so let's let's let's pick it up a little bit, help out your gampee quarterback and everybody will win.
In the Endngrat's to Nick Wesseling in the crowd. He was given scouting reports that Joe Mixon looks good. I agree, Joe Mixon does look good this year. And he was saying that that Higgins especially was getting open deep. See we couldn't see that, but that Burrow was just kind of checking it down and not giving those chances of just getting rid of the watcher quickly. So good scouting from Nick.
Good job by you, Nick Westling after your fifty point lock with the Dolphins. Everything is coming up Westling, and the biggest of all spots. Let's move to the first Monday night football game played. Where was that game played?
It's it's a forgettable you would remember if it was in Philadelphia.
Yes, it was the Eagles win in Tampa. Let's talk about it.
Fourth down a goal and they try and will likely try again. Pinch me, Yeah, I'd be shocked if they don't come back and run the run the exact same player. However, many people this day holds they're all expecting the same thing again too, hurts chuck it.
In, no signal he's in. Well, pinch me, I mean enough, and it's like the tush push or whatever. It's like, Oh well, if you don't like it, well then maybe somebody should stop it.
Shut up enough well, they's not complain about it.
No, it's like, hey man, listen, you don't like to play, Well, maybe everyone would do it then if it was something so easy. Everyone is so hoity toity about this, but they don't complain.
About it, just just because I.
Don't like it. I don't think it's fun. There's a reason I don't watch rugby Rosenthal. This is American football.
Okay, but they I totally agree with your aesthetic objections and your enjoyment, but don't say that they should outline and that that everyone can do it. Nobody else can do it. They're trying to do it, and they can't do it.
Football quietly, despite maybe the thirty thousand foot view that it's like it's like lughead game played by cavemen, Like it's a very intellectual game football and you have to think the opponent unless we go back to caveman times when the Eagles have it at the one yard line. Enough rules committee actually do.
So by coming up with this, no one else can do it.
Go watch Week one like Stike and tried it with Anthony Richardson, totally stuffed. It's not an automatic play like the Eagles.
So different that he gets so low enough.
But like, why is why why are you suddenly become this character from like the Central Bronx, Like it's uh, like.
Nobody can get that low? Oh fascinating whatever. All right, So the Eagles take care of business.
To patent Anti intellectually, just like he gets on these things where you're just like, who's actually saying that anywhere?
What saying what?
I don't know this spron's saying that they get so lower whatever that they love it?
Why are you upset about this? Mark?
I'm not upset.
I just think, why can't I have an opinion that difference from yours?
You have many that different from mine, and I have literally no control over anything that happens anywhere on this show, So like you are allowed to have as many opinions as you wish, Like that's never been an issue for you.
Is that okay with you? Can I go on? Sure? All right? Thank you? Mark? Here we go, let's get into the game. The Eagles take care of business in pretty in a walk final score twenty five eleven over the Buccaneers, a game that they pretty much controlled throughout. Jalen Hurts does do the tush push and the Eagles with again DeAndre Swift, which is another big find mark. They run all over the Bucks who can't get anything going on their side of the ball in offense.
I like, yeah, I know the Eagles a week ago we were waiting for them to kind of warm up after a shaky Week one. But I'm looking at a team that a week ago had the ball for essentially forty minutes on offense. They had it for thirty nine minutes tonight. They've run the ball for four hundred and sixty yards over the past two weeks. They out yardaged the Bucks four hundred and seventy two to one hundred
and seventy four. They had twenty seven first downs. They were ten for sixteen on third down, which is wild. DeAndre Swift and the entire backfield costs less money than Dalvin Cook. The Eagles are well put together. I think they're heating up. We started to see Aj Brown get involved.
It was a complete domination down the stretch of a Bucks team that I find, you know, solid but largely fraudulent on offense at least, and this Eagles team, I think it's like we're just starting to see like if this was like kind of a growth game for the Bengals. Like the Eagles to me, on the ground, they have a way to go, but like their ability to dominate, control the clock, and just take the other team's offense
out of the game and tire the opposing defense. Two weeks in a row, they just had their way at the end of the games. And so I love what they're doing right now, and like, this is my kind of team to watch. They've dominated on both sides of the ball.
On the line, I mean.
The Bucks ended up with one hundred and seventy two yards. This was the classic and Dan you called it classic example of a two and oh team that really wasn't two and oh, like just smacking their face against the wall and just proving that they didn't belong with a team like the Eagles. And I was surprised because I
think coming into this game the Eagles had struggled. But from the fifty foot view, as they like to say, it's like, man, the Eagles are winning these games by two scores and it doesn't feel like Jalen Hurts is playing that well yet, and like that they have some things that they can work on that they're that good. And I don't think these September games matter that much in the scheme of things. You know, going into this week, it's like, oh, the Cowboys, they're looking great, like they're
now the Super Bowl favorites, and not the Eagles. Like none of this September football is gonna matter in January except for the standings. But the fact that the Eagles can work out issues and just like win by two scores comfortably when it doesn't feel like they're even playing their best and they practically trip all the bucks in total yards. I do think that's a little scary for the rest of the of the NFC when you're looking at all these players on the roster.
I think it's one of the more overblown subplots of the first two weeks is what's wrong with the Eagles on offense because while yes, Jalen Hurts hasn't been as locked in, they are running the ball maybe better than ever, and you know, and they are doing enough in the passing game right now. It's not like they're doing nothing
in the passing game. They're just not locked in. And you're right, like they if Hurts does lock in, and I think it's more likely he does that he doesn't and he starts, you know, getting more and more active with his legs as well. This is team is going to be look just every bit as scary as they were last year, and they will rival the Dolphins when you talk about offenses that you don't want to see
on the field. So yeah, despite all the hand ringing, they're three to oh and this game against ostensibly, you know, we're not essensibly, they're just another undefeated team quote unquote, it wasn't even close. So if you're an Eagles fan, you're feeling pretty hot right now.
It's crazy how good their lines are. I mean, that's it's been the whole magic magic potion for this organization rebuilding itself after Cards and Wentz. How they built it up with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles was just like, we're going to spend all our money and all our resources possible on the offensive line and the defensive line, and then everything else will just look better because of that, and we can figure things out because of that. And
they mashed them. DeAndre Swift looks like a different player right now, sixteen for one thirty. And it's not just the offensive line, because Gainwell wasn't really getting it done. Tonight. He looks he looks like he's on he's in Mario Kart and he hits the oil slick or something. He just he goes forward. It's just like, Wow, I love me.
He loves Swift right now. I thought you're talking about gain Gainwell lost that job and Swift I don't know, like Mark the Lions had, there were moments in his Lion's career where it looked like it was just about to click. I'm I'm not surprised. I'm obviously he's played like the best running back in the league the last two weeks, but you kind of felt this was always
in him and now he's in a perfect spot. I would you know, you get to the point now where you going to be surprised if this guy is near the top of the league and rushing at the end of the season, like he is set up beautifully here, he's.
In a better environment.
Although the Lions have a good line too, but I think he's healthy, Like I think the DeAndre Swift was battling a lot of injuries stuff in other seasons too, and I thought that the Lions like backfield reinvention this offseason was a little mysterious. To me, they kind of had it going on last year with Williams and Swift. I'm like, they he looks great in Philadelphia, and it's like, I'm with you, Dan that they like we took one week's worth of Eagles offense and kind of like it
became a talking point. But I do think that you're not getting I think we came into the season thinking like Jalen Hurts is an MVP, an MVP candidate, and it's like he's been a tick below or at the offense on that the passing game has been a tick below. We haven't seen quite like the performances on the ground
from him. All of that can come. I mean, when you're dominating teams this way, it's like you're gonna win eleven or twelve of your first thirteen or fourteen games and be like what we just saw from the Cowboys. It's like, find a better team in the NFC right now for me than the Eagles. If this is the sort of their B minus B performance.
World forty nine ers, nice little lock there by.
Sure, forty nine ers.
Yeah, I locked up the Eagles. Uh, you know, it's not wasn't the most heroic thing on the planet. Well exactly I was. I was staring down.
I'm talking about a.
Wounded Just imagine if if is locked in and come through.
I'm not mad at you.
I am not. I'm trying to be uh impartial here. I don't think it was bad at you. I think he's just you know it.
At hold me an anti intellectual given because I don't like.
The I just asked why he's always from Central Bronx or like one of the Burroughs.
Like I think maybe because you said you like this Eagles team so much, maybe you took it a little personally. I didn't mean. I didn't mean to upset you, though, and I apologize. I'm I think we've just I'm just trying to have fun out here. It's a Monday night where the games weren't too juicy. I don't really care about the butt it is.
It is ironic though. It's like this intellectual team and they've got uh, you know, their whole analytics department run by you know, Ivy League graduate Alec Halliby and whatnot. But like, what did it come down to? They're the big They're the big, rugged men who are just running the ball one yard and they get all the expensive three hundred pounds a linemen on both sides of the ball. That that's what the intellectuals say is to get.
Well, I don't like intellectuals, you know, I don't. I don't. I prefer to shut them out, I mean aspicious of them.
It's another week with Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. Do you guys give me something on the bucks here? I mean Baker. I wouldn't say it with transition Baker, but it was not a it was a big I.
Thought it was Actually, this was not the outcome that I was expecting. I thought either we were going to get one of two things, which was either the epic Baker flame out game where he has like five turnovers and he just can't stop just throwing it up for grabs, and we didn't quite get that, And we didn't get the other one, which would have made this game a little more juicy, which is him playing with a lot
of bravado and completing a bunch of passes. Although it started out a little bit more exciting than it ended.
So I think this is probably pretty dangerous.
I feel like this is probably more not really more in line with the Baker that will get weak to week and that's not gonna be good enough for this team.
I hated the like the Rashad White safety in the end zone. Terrible play call.
What are we doing?
Like in general, like there's been pretty good play calling for the Bucks with a first time a guy doing it for the first time in canals. But like, I don't know if Baker's floor is like I'm gonna go throw five picks, but it is what it was Tonight they their lowest first half yardage since you know, twenty twenty, and like they looked like it, and they looked punchless. And it's like this has always looked I always love
this sort of like a seven win team. And I think that the two wino start was a bit fraudulent.
That would that would that would get there over And they asked, you know, Bowls about the running game afterwards, and he basically just said it didn't show up like what running game. So, uh, they've struggled to run the ball. They're not a complete team. Mike Evans look good again, but this this defensive front with Carter and and Davis and Fletcher Cox is playing better. You know, he hasn't really been Fletcher Cox the last couple of years, but
he started out this season, uh, playing quite well. So you just like, you gotta you gotta watch them and see, you know, like these veterans, you just assume they're the same year after year, but he seems to be reversing the aging process at least at least early in September.
And if I'm like, if I'm in the NFC, mm hmm, you know, we gotta be smarter about, you know, keeping our tabs on the Eagles here. You know, we talked about like Seattle passing on Jalen Carter in the draft and then he falls to the Eagles, and then you have DeAndre Swift, like you gotta kind of make sure he doesn't end up back in his hometown making one and a half million dollars in salary, like potentially leading the league in all purpose yards or something crazy like that.
This you have to. I feel like they're so run so well that just kind of keep better tabs on the Eagles because they're going to keep boat racing the conference if they are able to add these guys to an already loaded roster. I agree.
I definitely think if Hurt starts playing better, Like he made a bad decision in the red zone early on a fourth down that ended up a turnover. On downs, he probably should have kept the ball and he handed it off. And then he had two interceptions, one where he's just hanging in the pocket forever forever and enforced it. And he made a nice throw in a similar situation to Tzakiyas earlier. But a couple of interceptions in this game,
like a couple wonky decisions. Like his PFF grade for what it's worth, I bet will not be great tomorrow. It's gonna be. He's been middle of the pack for three straight weeks and yet they're off.
Is still awesome. Although you know Aj Brown sticking it to your fantasy team and an otherwise good day. Clanks went off his hands in the end zone, Greggy, that would have made the stat line look nicer. He would have three total touchdowns and and whatnot. But yeah, come on, Aj, make that catch.
I mean he had he had a nice night in the end nine for one see and that one I want hurts to just a little more touch. You know there was a defender there, but a little more touch, don't make them jump if if that's the one I'm thinking of, and.
Then the other play, the other play that that just seems like they're toying with their opponents. The other play where it looked like they're gonna just to bring a full circle here. They're like, Oh, we're gonna do the touch push again. Isn't this cute? And then they all cloud up and then they kind of it's a fake and they and they pull out and Jalen gets caught up with his feet and he falls and the play gets busted up, like they're just messing around. They're just
having fun. I think they could have scored the runway and I think the regular way, and Troy Aikman pointed that out. He's like, yeah, I'd keep that one in the back pocket. I don't think I don't think you need that.
Didn't need to use it against the Bucks tonight.
Definitely they'll want to pull out of the touch push.
All right, anything else on this game? All right, let's take a break, and when we get back, we get you caught up on the news. All right, welcome back. Let's get to the news. We've got a lot of news to get to on this Monday night here in southern California. Let's start with bad news for one of the Southern California teams. The Los Angeles Chargers will be without the services of Mike Williams for the balance of
this season. He suffered a season ending left ACL taar in the chargers twenty eight to twenty four win over the Vikings. The team announced it on Monday. The report and the belief is that he'll be ready for training camp next season, but that does not help the Chargers this season. William Greg has been went on the field,
a big time important playmaker for this offense. He's battled injuries for as long as I remember him being a player with this team, since coming into the league, and now he's got a big one to deal with, and that leaves a big hole for the Chargers.
Yeah, it's sad for him. It's it's disappointing for the Chargers. He's under contract next year. I checked his cap numbers, like thirty two million, although the salary is seventeen They could. They want to keep him, They probably will. They can. They can fix it as they normally do, but he's
a guy just has been too unreliable. I was watching this game when it happened, and my immediate reaction was like, oh, don't you know cause it came on a short throw that they're asking him to make yards after the catch on a third and long, and he battled through a couple defenders to try to get the first down. And my immediate thought was like, oh, don't don't put Mike Williams in that spot, like he's just gonna get injured.
You know, it was a tough spot and that's like a crazy way to think about your.
What has Brandon Stalely done that before? Right? Well?
No, but here's the thing I was wrong, I think because you can't think that way about it your number one receiver, that like you can't give him the ball in space to go try to break attack right or two. But it just feels like that's the way Mike Williams' career has gone that when he gets contacted, whether it's with the ground or with opponents, like he just has suffered so many injuries.
It's so frustrating, Like I find his career like, you know, not it's not his fault.
Injuries aren't his fault.
But it's just like such a test of your patience if you're a Chargers fan, because you have him, and it changes your offense entirely, Like under Kellen Moore. It's like the way they were moving him around, Like I think it unleashed Keenan Allen too. It's like one of the reasons we're seeing Keenan Allen explode like kind of late in his career this way is because of Mike Williams. Now, It's like, can Josh Palmer create that same environment. Quentin
Johnson's like a work in progress. It's like you're taking a number two guys.
Johnson though like a similar profile player, So it's.
Yeah, but like also someone like Williams next year when his cap numbered is thirty two million, like he's supposed to be the guy that is the next dude. He only has I believe what three or four catches so far, five catches this year for twenty six yards, and I don't know, Like wide receivers typically in our league now hit the ground running if they are dogs, and you kind of need Quinton Johnson here now to be a guy for them. There's no training wheels anymore. That's stinks, though,
That's stinks. In other injury news, the Saints will be without Derek Card appears in the near future, but we just don't know for how long the quarterback will be out. He has a sprain right ac joint that's like the shoulder area throwing shoulder he did. Dennis Allen did not rule out his quarterback for Sundays game against the Bucks. But it would be a surprise, you would think, to
see him in this game. And Mark, we hear it all the time from people that play the game that this is one of the worst kind of inies from pain management. That you could play with it, but you're gonna suffer playing with it. And I can't even imagine a quarterback playing with this type of injury. It happens, but it's not gonna be pleasant. Whenever he does get back on the field, now we'll see how much he misses.
Yeah, I mean he took eleven sacks already this season. So it's like in that world, like behind that line, like if he comes back, do you reaggravate it? Are you already like less effective because of it? You got Tampa coming up. The Patriots two good, two solid defenses.
I mean Jameis Winston, who I kind of like, I would say, honestly, like a couple of weeks ago, I could maybe thought like jamis the higher version of Jameis Winston can be what Derek Carr is, but he's so variable, and like the early part of what we saw from him on Sunday was just sort of a disaster, to the point where I was like, the jet should trade for Jameis wins Is, Like, no, they should, and nor should anyone, Like, let the Saints deal with this guy you want.
You got Derek Carr for a reason.
They believe in him, and it's like, it is a disaster and a very winnable and if South in an NFC South or a playoff situation in that conference in general, where the Saints could sneaky win ten or eleven games with Derek car and it's like, now you lose them for a month, and if Winston is a mess, you're in a whole different world.
Yeah.
When I when I watched that, after what I heard, I was expecting Winston to be a disaster.
And he was fine.
He made it. He made a couple of throws in that game. He set them up for the game when you feel goal they didn't score any points. I'm not saying that he was great, but it wasn't any disastrous Jamis appearance. I'm just a little worried about him without Sean Payton there, but he is a better backup than most in their schedule, it's just preposterously favorable. I know, you got Tampa who's two and one, and then at
New England. You could make an argument before their week eleven by that at New England's the toughest game by a decent amount in their first ten games, which is just silly if you're in, if you're an AFC, I mean, I don't even I don't even know who is it?
Then?
Is it Tampa? Is it? Is it home for Jacksonville? Maybe? I don't know. It's definitely not the Colts or the Panthers or the Titans, or Chicago or at Minnesota.
Like probably Jacksonville. And that's you know they are they are no.
Great shape, like well we'll see, I mean, they're like the twenty seventh.
Point well taken.
Yeah. I like the Stevens. I think they can win games with Jameis Winston. And you wouldn't want to see Carr get rushed back. That was a really disappointing injury for him, and it's a reminder, like people always say, scrambling guys get hurt, like most of most of these injuries come from being in the pocket. It was on
a play he's probably kicking himself. He didn't get rid of the ball, held onto it for a really long time, and took a vicious hit that they didn't call all these like roughing the quarterback calls that they do make when they're you know, when they're throwing them to the ground and landing on with body weight. That was it in a nutshell, and it took him out for a month, and no one said anything that they didn't call a penalty on that play.
And there's been issue us, as Mark said, with taking sacks. And it's actually interesting that Dennis Allen kind of went out of his way to say, well, that's fair, but he said, I think that was the one play I felt like he kind of hung onto the ball too long, which is true, and he's gonna have to be Yeah, and here's one thing about Derek Carr coach.
Yeah, I know it's one thing of a jerk like me is pointing it out.
Maybe unnecessary honesty there from Dennis, but Derek Carr is a tough sob I bet I would not be surprised if he's back next week. Maybe not this week, but next week. And then it's just about pain tolerance, they say. I just get the feeling. That's the kind of competitor he is, and we'll see if he can play the guitar with a bad wing. Let's look at other quarterback situations, this one in Vegas where Derek Carr left and was replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo Sunday Night Football. He takes some
a few nasty shots in that game. He finished the game, he actually threw an interception in the last pass of the game, and desperation and then on Monday, I went into the concussion protocol and that is not a good thing. Josh McDaniels, Raiders head coach. So they're not sure when the injury occurred.
There was nothing ever mentioned vic you know, or talked about relative to that. I'm not even sure what you know what when you know what hit or you know, if it was just accumulation of I have no idea. You know, there was never a conversation about that, you know. So I'm not I'm not sure exactly, and I haven't seen him yet. This morning, so I'm not exactly sure when it when it took place, or if it was just a culmination of things.
I mean, there was a answer cracks me up.
It was like just like a man kind of like shriveling and getting smaller and smaller by the minute to do everything he can to not answer it.
It's really well said on there. I mean, I mean, there was a major play in the game where Minka Fitzpatrick hit him in the head with his helmet and his helmet bounced off the ground on that play. It does go to show like that that wasn't spotted. It wasn't really talked about on the broadcast. I didn't think twice about it watching it, but it's like, yeah, he was speared in the helmet by another helmet, and this shows how I don't know this.
The system is.
Not working perfectly for these quarterbacks health that he played the rest of this game.
He seems to get banged up at one point in every game where you think his season is over, and then he returns. It's like they showed him late in the game on the sideline and I know he's a handsome person, so's they wasn't. I'm not speaking about his looks, but he looked clear eyed. He looked with it. And so when I read this, I was just kind of like, when did this happen? And like what I mean, like I don't know, like how do you spot this stuff?
If it is sort of the kind of thing where it's like there wasn't a crystal clear moment where as you know, he suddenly afterward appeared like a completely different human being. We've seen that, but I didn't see it with Jimmy G in the Steelers game.
There is something about Jimmy G. By the way though, it just seems like you're right, there is that moment for him every game. And then it also seems like he's getting his receivers hit because he's like the ball takes forever to get there and it's over the middle and just like just feels like there's a bunch of car crashes on the Raiders offense all the time. People are in the backfield blowing up Josh Jacobs.
It just looks like a.
Walking injury waiting to happen the Raiders offense.
I mean, you thought the ball was hanging up with Jimmy G throwing spirals, Just wait until it's time for Brian Hoyer in twenty twenty three.
What about a little aidan O'Connell. I mean, I think that could add a little energy to an offense that put me to sleep almost a night ago.
Who do the Raiders got this week? I should be more prepared than this. Let's look, Oh, the Chargers might get a little bit of a break for once in their lives.
In other news, Oh boy, Gregy, the Stadies all right after? J C. Jackson, who will remember the charges cornerback while a member of the newly Patriots, he got ticketed for going one hundred miles per hour on Route one in South Attleboro, Massachusetts. And I never paid the fine, six hundred dollars fine, never took the class. So what happens The states and the state of Massachusetts say, oh, we're
gonna throw a Warren out for this guy's arrest. And when that came to light, he was made inactive for the Chargers first one of the season over the Vikings yesterday. Brandon Staley said later Monday that the move was unrelated to the warrant. You know what, I don't know what's going on here.
Does anybody know this is Staley. I, you know, we got this text in our text thread. I was driving, I believe at the time I got in and our guy Big Funk gave us some good breaking news and I said, oh, that makes sense why he was inactive. I had not clicked on the link yet. When I found out it was like a six hundred dollars fine from for the traffic, I was like, this probably is unrelated to the to the healthy scratch. I don't think.
I don't think they're benching him for that. But it's been it's been a bad eighteen months for j C. Jackson since he signed that contract. I mean, life changing money, but the injury and just healthy scratch, it's just it's a sign.
I'm reading this article. Maybe my mistake was I should have been on NFL dot com. But I'm reading the ESPN article. The headline is Warren out where charges j C. Jackson over six hundred dollars fine comic class. And that has nothing to do with why he was an actor for the game. Why am I even talking about this?
Then?
Why are we talking about this?
I'm with you, like he was.
He was meant to complete a I guess a driving or traffic or something type class called Brains at Risk, which he decided.
He didn't want to take want to take brains at risk.
He didn't want to take brains at risk program that would like the listeners, they could fast forward through this, we can't.
He was he was the highest paid free agent a year ago. This is just sort of a.
But Greggie, then why was what's the story then? Because if the story isn't what happened in Massachusetts in twenty twenty one, then if we're going to be talking about this, I need to know why he was inactive because right now what we've done here in the media is we've smashed together two perhaps unrelated situations. Yeah, that have been.
Sort of like J. C. Jackson's in the air. So this got a little extra pop, and I think it's good as a reminder don't be driving one hundred miles an hour and if you get it, you got to show up for the class.
That's what I did the sport.
So yeah, it's a service for you know, whether you're in England or in the States, you don't need to be going one hundred miles an hour. If they even have him on one hundred miles an hour in England.
And if you must go one hundred miles per hour, wear a seatbelt. Where that's that's speaking of scary stuff and safety belts, but it's not going to save you. That's the other thing when you're on a plane and they're like, oh, here's here's the buckle, you know, here's the mask that you're gonna put on. Here's heads up, your seat's a flotation device. No, if this, if this ends in the way we don't want it to end. It's ova Johnny, we gone, and no seatbelt is gonna
save you. You know. Well maybe maybe it's a bumpy landing. Whatever, don't don't come for me. The Pittsburgh Steelers charter plane from Las Vegas made it an emergency landing in Kansas City early Monday morning. A Steeler spokesperson posting on social media that everyone on the plane is fine and that the team is quote making necessary plans to arrive back in Pittsburgh later today. I'm sure they are there by. Now. This is where this freaks me out a little bit.
It landed three fifty five am Central because of oil pressure failure in one of the engines. No thank you, No, I'll take the mat in bus. That is terrifying. Yeah.
I think this was tied to a sandwich prop that I had a couple of years ago. Obviously not act an active prop, but came close.
This is where you find out a lot about your teammates, Like there is one guy that just made this experience I bet better for everyone but his good attitude, maybe some jokes and whatnot. But there's also one guy and that just that just won't stop complaining and or just made it worse, like the whole time, Like you landed at four, everyone's unhappy and he just won't shut up about it. Because you're still there eight hours later. No
one's happy. But there's one person I bet on that team that the rest of them are whispering about being just like, ok, can he just give it a rest? We get it. It's all in the same situation.
He's probably the guy that's screaming we're all gonna die, like and the pilots on like, hey, you know, we got like multiple engines here, so we're gonna be fine, but we're just gonna take this down. And he won't stop screaming that everyone's done anyway. The Steelers are okay, but that that's never that's never good. So emergency landing's bad. In other news, also bad. You don't hit a guy in the junk. You just don't do it. I don't.
There's no reason unless there's a your life is on the line, or some other scenario to hit someone in the private parts. And that, according to Sauce Gardner of the Jets, is what mac Jones did to him during Sunday's fifty fifteen to ten Patriots win at MetLife Stadium.
Sauce responded by like pushing mac Jones, who then theatrically flung himself backwards, did not get the flag he was looking for, and then Sauce sent out a video saying, hey, look, just NFL realized before you find me for pushing your beloved quarterback, this guy tapped me in the nards. Here is Sauce Gardner when asked about it on Monday.
Yeah, I got tackled. He reached his hand up to try to like give me to help what and I just like moved his hand out of the way. So there he get up. He just come out to me like but job. But while he's saying that he hit me in my he hit me in my private part.
So it was like.
I didn't react how I really wanted to, but that was just like the reaction that came after that. But I definitely wouldn't expecting that first time. You know, it's the first time or everything. I guess, I don't know.
Man. Also, he almost said the D word and he stopped himself, So it wasn't the nards, it was the other thing, which is interesting. Good job, Sauce.
Yeah, well you're probably like wearing a cup in general, so it's that kind of all Its all in one central area. But I don't know, it's like another little tiny chapter in the Mac Jones might be slightly annoying, Like there was some stuff that bubbled up last year and it's like really like I can't remember the last time if it was, like you know, we have then dominic ensues adventures from years past, but like, uh, you know how many quarterbacks have been tagged with this accusation.
It's so specific that I believe it from Sauce Gardner.
Yeah, even like the way he walked up to the podium when he got drafted. There's just something a little something about Mac And it's so funny because Patriots fans today are all just like, oh, he's just got this dirty reputation. This was nothing. People just get in their corners. It's like, first of all, it's not that serious that you need to like feel like you're defending a political party. But the second is I find Saus's explanation pretty convincing.
And even the video where it's like people are like you can't really see anything, it's like you can kind of see that. It looks like a game a little tap, and Sauce wasn't taking it too seriously ever, but it looks like a game a little tap.
Everyone knows he did it right.
It's like the way Sauce said it, I fully believe Sauce Garden.
It's not the first time that Mac Jones has done kind of questionable, like wrestling heel type moves. I likened him on Twitter today the like like the bad guy Jock in the eighties movie who's just kind of a bully and a jerk and underhanded and gets his in the end. I kind of think that's probably how Mac Jones's NFL career will play out in general. But at the same time, I can't. I mean, he's a dirt bag but you know, that's not the worst thing. It's good to have a like a you know, like a
little treacherous heel, Yeah, playing quarterback. Like it's it's fine. It's good to have a couple of those guys. I think it's good. It's a he's like a character actor in the NFL at the quarterback position. The character he plays is a dirt bag, and that's fine, that's good. And Patriots fans just own it too, like, you know, he's a dirt bag. You know he did it.
It's just funny because it's just like all teams, it just seems it's like he's made it just as crazy. It's the Patriots. And it's not like he had took a full swinging kick to the groin. It was like a totally ridiculous thing to do in this situation, this little tap walking by. It was like, what are you doing, man, what are you doing?
I don't sure there's I mean, yeah, like a severe kick would be to a different degree. But the entire concept is in a really rough place.
To begin with that.
Year where he did a QB slide with like his foot up trying to hit a guy's yards like he I mean I don't know. He fights dirty and you just don't see that at the quarterback position. It's like the glamour position. But there's nothing glamorous about mac Jones. And maybe it's just like maybe you can respect it because there's a lot of pluck there. Like he'll do what it takes. He's that guy that in the fight, like he'll guide, he'll he'll gouge your eyeball out if
he has to. He does not care. He'll use the broken bottle, He'll do anything he could do to get away with it and win. He's a real patriot.
He's a great I mean, this is like a great symbol of the post Tom Brady era patriots, Like, hey, we might be mediocre, but we'll tap your on the way by. It's like, what's going on.
He's kind of a Dan Campbell kind of guy. Like Campbe would be like, yeah, that's that. That's what when Campbell talks about will bite your kneecaps off. You'll do anything to win, even if it's underhanded. That's a competitor that you like. I bet if you asked Dan Campbell about this, he'd be like, that's I'm totally cool with
it all right right. Finally, in other Patriots news, Bill Belichick was on the Greg Hill Show on WEEI in Boston and he was asked and I got a kick out of this because it's just funny, like imagining Bill Belichick is like a real person who has takes, Like what are his thoughts? Like does he find Taylor Swift physically attractive? For instance? Oh yeah, hubba hubba. Bill likes
him some, Taylor. Because this is what he had to say about the reports and almost the confirmation that chiefs tight End Travis Kelcey and Taylor Swift are now an item. Dish sister, where do.
You fall on that Travis kelce Taylor Swift power couple in the NFL.
Travis Kelsey has had a lot of big catches in his career. This would be the biggest.
Now, I don't want to get into Bill's personal business, but he's had he had a very public long term girlfriend, Linda Holiday, and I think that relationship ran its course
this year. That means Bill's single, ready to mingle, and maybe this is his I'm just throwing this out there as a theory that he knows that the Swift Kelsey romance is probably more fling than a serious and now he's be known his thoughts about Taylor Swift in terms of what she is in terms of like where she stacks up as a romantic partner, which apparently to Bill Belichick is very high.
This is a disturbing theory. I did not see you taking it in this direction.
But like it checks out, like you don't want to think she's a great catch, the greatest catch he ever made. This is a one of the greatest tight ends who's ever lived.
Did he pre write that though, because that was a pretty good line. If did he know the question was coming and men had that ready?
This is a pretty good question. Listen and watch again because you could see maybe are his gears turning where he's looking to recite or does it seem like it's just rolling off his tongue. Let's let's watch again.
Where do you fall on that? Travis Kelcey Taylor Swift power couple in the NFL.
Travis Kelsey has had a lot of big catches in his career. This would be the biggest it.
So it feels it does feel like he's operating almost off like a que card or a mental cue card. But I am on trying to imagine a world where Bill Belichick agreed to go into any media situation with a pre planned answer to something playful and Joe he just looks Jovie like that. It just doesn't seem like Bill Belichick would do any of that work. I thought it was I'm taking this whole Taylor swift and being like,
I'm kind of buying it at face value. Like I got up super early this morning to watch like Travis Kelcey's like SNL appearance.
And I was like, these two kind of like fit together.
They just fit together, Like I kind of think this is great, and I know there's some is it real?
Is it not real?
Like I heard people saying they didn't think that was actually Travis Kelcey leaving the locker room, whether that's that is an idiot's commentary, it they are.
I think on the conspiracy theory, Mark doesn't believe in I.
Don't believe in plenty of them, and that's definitely one of them.
It's like I just think that, Look, there's something about the way she operated up in that suite with the mom where I was like.
I kind of buy this.
I think she I think they dig each other and I think that you've got Jason Kelcey kind of confirming it verbally too, at different time points in time, and it's like the whole family seems kind of excited about So I don't know, I want to believe in it.
I think I think Bill's with you, and I think Bill just he just loves love, and I think he just loves beating the New York Jets. He's never in a better mood than the twenty four hours after beating the New York Jets. I'm not even joking. I have noticed this. He's just it's just true. Watch is pres conference yesterday, he was glowing. They're like they're like one in two and could barely do anything in that game.
And he was like, tell me about over the Moon. You know what's worse than the getting beat all the time by Tom Brady's Patriots. It's getting beat by the Patriots when they stink that's not a good team, but they still win. And tell the shift that has that song Cardigan, And when I felt like I was an old Cardigan under someone's bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite. Imagine imagine the next t Swift tour and she changes the lyrics to Sleeveless Hoodie.
I'm telling you Bill put his hat in the ring with that comment. Oh she's into jocks are and I'm the greatest coach of all time. See what she thinks about that. You say it's disturbing. I say he's a man.
No, No, I mean he might need Andy Reid you know before.
It's almost like something she.
Has this equation.
I'm not saying that that that now she must be with Bill, I'll check. I'm saying sometimes we view these larger than life legendary NFL figures, it's almost like human statues and not men of flesh and blood that have feelings and desires. And I think Bills Bill's in the ring.
I mean, I know what We've been to enough combines and owners meetings to understand that many of these coaches are flesh and blood and have desires. I would just say from a distance, that's overtly, that's very that's verified.
Yeah, all right, we should move on from the story, because.
This should be the way we we wrap up every at n after dark Monday night, is with the story just like this.
Just like talking about just talking about Bills, like single life, the town I live in that like the singles bars the Purple Orchid and just imagining Bill belly up at the bar getting a rum. Did you watch the game on surveying the scene?
Hey, look, there was a time and Mark might remember this where he was on the wrong side of the New York tabloids for some stories went back absolutely giants that he was not appreciating that sort of coverage. But that was a much younger Bill Belichick.
Yeah, this would not be a new concept to Bill Belichick. According to the tabloid reports from back then.
He's a man of flesh and blood and desire. All right, that's what's happening in the news. If you like celebrations of all time NFL moments, head over to NFL Plus where Greg and I broke down the Dolphins complete dismantling of the Broncos seventy to twenty down in Miami Gardens on Sunday. We did our Game of the Week on the Dolphins, just studying all the madness and all the trickery and the precision on display in that all time effort by the Dolphins offense. So check out NFL plus
our game of the Week Dolphins v. Broncos. We will be back on Wednesday with Connie Fox and the wheel keeps turning. Anything else, that's it. Everybody, enjoy your Tuesday and until Wednesday. His hat's in the ring. Hats in the ring. Heed the call.