Herbert from the right hash mctaukee in motion settles in a slot right Herbert looking to throw and now shovel passes has.
Haskins Paskins on his horse, twenty to the ten, to the five, to the end zone Touchstowe Hudgers Posson Haskins with some wolverine magic parking in back to his college days when he rushed for twenty touchdowns.
Under Jim Arbaugh.
Somebody forgot to tell Justin Herbert his ankle's hurt.
That was our friend Matt money Smith and our Friendemy Danielle Jeremiah on Ky Sr. Yes, the Chargers with a second half comeback. Great performance by Justin Herbert puts it away. Thirty four to twenty seven. Welcome to NFL Daily, presented by Uber Eats. We start the show with friends on the radio, and now we welcome one of my friends, one of my favorites in the business, Mina Chimes of the Mina Chimes Show featuring Lenny and many other programs we can get to later. Thank you Mina forgiving me
and given the show some good luck, some juice. This Chargers Broncos game.
Yeah, this is a good game. I think at one point maybe in the first half. Actually, I texted you, this is actually fun.
I guess.
I don't know why I didn't think it would be, you know, I guess coming off of the dud that the Chargers put up last week against Tampa and even though Denver wan it didn't look great against Indianapolis Boeniques had a tough performance. So I was a little bit underwhelmed headed into this. But I mean, you know, Stefan voice, this game had everything. It even had a free kick, which I feel like we could spend They're all thirty minutes just talking about that.
Yes we should, and we will get to that. And as great a topic it was for Blue Sky and just a bizarre moment. It was the first free kick since nineteen seventy six, so most of the people listening and watching were not alive for the last one.
It actually was a key moment of the game.
Kind of a mistake by Sean Payton gave the Chargers a chance for that free kick, and then a penalty did as well. We'll get into that more, but that was three free points right before halftime. That absolutely made a difference. But I think we just have to start with our guy Herbo because we thought he came into this game with an ankle injury. I'm sure he did, but his legs were a huge part of the story.
Before he took about negative twenty yards during that weird final sequence where they're trying to run out the clock, he had over forty five yards rushing and really key moments of the game, and his mobility on some of the throws he made just reminded us of why we
love Justin Herbert. And not to get too weird about it, but it's like one team had a great quarterback having one of the best games of his season and the other team had a rookie quarterback, and it really did feel like a difference on a night where these two teams look pretty even.
Otherwise, Yeah, it impacted how the two coaches approached the game, and we can get to the fourth down decision at the end, but overall, was a very conservative game plan for Denver, unsurprisingly that's how they've approached a lot of
the season. But so many throws behind the line of scrimmage in this one for bo Nicks, whereas with the Chargers, you know, they I think at one point had a play action rate of almost sixty percent, which I love because they kind of it was like Greg Roman was like, wait, I don't have to run the ball. I can just keep calling play action over and over and over. And it was working. But it was also working, Greg, not
because the linebackers were full. There was a point in this game, not even like pretty early the second half, where the Denver defense was clearly like they were like, oh, he's not getting this off. But Herbert was using that mobility you talked about to evade the rush on play action, including on the final touchdown. Like a lot of those play action passes were not him in a NIXE and pristine pocket. It was him evading pressure as he so often does and getting off really difficult passes.
Yeah thought, I thought his health, his relative mobility ended up being such a huge part of this game because the Broncos ended up only pressuring him on thirty percent of their dropbacks.
They only blitz them.
According to next Gens, that's twenty seven zero point eight percent, and that's because when they did blitz him, sometimes you're playing into his hands, and that happened in their first meeting, where it was more long, slow drives. But he's so smart and they're well coached. And he went six for six for over one hundred yards against the Blitz and it made Vance Joseph back off for a lot of the game, and I thought the pass protection really hold
held up. This was a great game for the Chargers offensive line, which to me has been up and down. It's been flat out bad in the running game, and it wasn't rate tonight, and they didn't try to run that much, but they at least did what they did earlier in the season where they popped one big one late with Gus Edwards, and they really protected Herbert well when it was four man rushes, and for the most part, he did find enough open receivers. We got our guy
lad going crazy. Josh Palmer made a couple of plays and they made an eleven point comeback. They were down twenty four to thirteen in this game. That was not a game that the Chargers would have won, I think at any other point in the Justin Herbert era.
The receiving chart for both of these teams is hilarious because I think you and I both follow the NFL pretty closely. You host an NFL daily podcast. There's guys I haven't heard of hand up on both these teams, like who we're catching passes, Tucker Fisk anyone the Chargers?
Did you know?
Was that A I'm not. I just just don't spart by this point, I'm aware of And these are.
Guys that we learned in like the last two weeks basically where they've had to come up, which is true of this team, like on both sides all it's a little while.
Yeah, neither side I thought had a real edge in terms. I mean, Broncos have Courtland Sutton, who's very different style of player from lad McConkey. I would maybe put them have them comparable in terms of like usefulness though obviously very different players. But beyond that it's been flimpickens for both of these guys. I do want to go back to the Herbert playmaking and mobility thing though, because you know, I've always really been a huge fan of Herbert's games game.
Pardon me, I am a Herbert defender. Even during the Great Herbert two Awars of twenty twenty two.
Not everyone survived.
There's some bodies, but even I missed my love for his game. While I always believed in him and his unbelievable talent and his processing. As you said, watching him at some point it feels like you're like watching a football terminator, going like what four boom boom boom. There have been moments and I felt this way at times last year, like where I just wanted him to go into fit mode and be a bit more of a
playmaker because he's such an incredible athlete. He's gigantic and he's fast, and that's one thing I really just loved about this performance of his is I feel like this is the Herbert that maybe some of us have been waiting for for a while.
Ooh, that's a good call because the situation of the game, how much they needed it, and we can finish with all the playoff probabilities, but the Broncos missed the chance to clinch their playoffs and they could be sweating out depending on some other results, and the Chargers are now really in the driver's seat. They only need one more win or potentially even could get in this weekend if
they get a bunch of losses. I totally agree, because they're trailing in this game and the passing game is okay, but it's a little erratic and it felt a little Mahomes that he ran when he absolutely needed to run, and they got fortunate. They had a couple penalties, one on a late hit on Herbert, but that was after
he ran. If I'm I'm right, Yeah, sometimes that happens, so he helped force that, and then another on just a horse collar on what would have been a sack, which was a big play in this game.
But he absolutely went into fit mode.
Let's actually listen to our friend Matt money Smith again on the go ahead touchdown.
Edwards in the backfield, Darius Davis in motion Herbert to throw.
Pump fakes s out of the enzode pot touchdown shotgers sterious Davis a whole shot from justin herbert left sideline of the episode twenty yards.
Oh that was so sweet?
Can you I just want to hear Mina Kaimes Cook on that play because that that was kind of the play that put this game over the top for him.
Yeah, it was supposed to be mesh concept. I think McConkey was running because they had hit him on the overs and the crosses a couple of times, and immediate pressure forces Herbert off of his spot, so he's rolling left. And this is so important to emphasize the difficulty, the physical difficulty of what he did, going full speed to his left with a defender bearing down on him, sort of half flipping his hips and then hitting that whole shot. A tear drop of a throw, a perfect pass over
another defender. That is like a point zero zero zero five level of difficulty throw. I was so glad they showed it from the end zone view immediately after, because you kind of you could see that right when it happened, but you, as with so many Herbert throws, you really have to see the end zone view to appreciate how difficult it is what he does, and it was unbelievable.
That's one of the best throws. I mean, I've seen him make him know, he's made some of the craziest throws of the last five years, but I would put that up there with a lot of his best throws.
Yeah, and considering the situation, this has been one of the best. Yeah, that was one of the I think that was the biggest play of the game. I think this was the biggest moment of their season thus far. To me, as I wouldn't call myself a Chargers fan, but I went from Philip Rivers to Justin Herbert. I'm always kind of pulling for them as kind of one of my teams. This felt like a game they wouldn't have won in the past, and the first real moment
where it's like, yeah, it's different. They're building something in the Jim Harbot Chargers are just a little different. It's only their second win against the winning team, and the only other one was against Denver. These two teams have been scheduled merchants. They were combined two and ten. I saw the Amazon graphic against winning teams, which is crazy, and now it's three and eleven, I guess, and two of those are against each other, so I know they
have more to do. But I just think there was like a toughness and an intelligence to the play calling on both sides of the ball because you mentioned not knowing the receivers and both these offensive coaches are great, but one of them has Justin Herbert to work with in the other has a rookie quarterback who's working through it. What do you think about bo Nix's performance, because it's funny. It's such a perfect example of box score scouting because
their lines are very similar. You know, Knicks threw nine more passes for less yards, twenty nine for forty, but he has two touchdowns. Like you know, if you care about quarterback rating and completion percentage, he's off the charts with that tonight. And Herbert was similar, except he's the one that actually made the one big mistake in the game. He had an interception when they were trying to go
score and it was a great, great defensive play. But he ends up with two hundred and eighty four and two touchdowns. So I thought Nicks it was a conservative game plan, Like, how did you think though he played within that game plan and beyond it.
You know, in the first half there was a point where I think when they were up twenty one points, and I posted this on Bluska, he had something like two point one air yards per attempt, right, And I guess I didn't mean that as Nick Slander. Actually meant it as a too complimentary of the Broncos offense, because at that point, greg I was feeling like, certainly that the Broncos were in control, but I also felt like
Sean Payton was calling a hell of a game. I mean that first drive, they just ran it down their throats, which has been a vulnerability for this Chargers defense their worst defensive performances. I've been against teams that could run the ball well against Tampa recently, Baltimore, two very good rushing teams come to mind, and Denver's been, you know
a little bit up and down the run game. But at that point, I thought, oh, okay, they're kind of following the formula for that, and I thought mc nicks. He didn't make any super high degree of difficulty throws, but as he has all year, he made some good throws on the move. That's definitely when he's best. Peyton
leans into that. He made good decisions. There were a couple times in the first half where he turned down covered throws and I thought it was the right call, and you had checked downs and swing passes that were going for significant yardage. The Mims swing, I think was the one where it was a great play call from Peyton where he came across in motion I think went for like fifty plus yards or whatever.
But fifty four and that was such a like typical sequence. They had just picked up a third and long on a dump off. Like their third and long's or third and mediums were so easy for them against this Chargers defense, which is short a number of players.
And then I think what happened in the second half, there was a few things. I do think they kind of abandoned the run a little bit at times, particularly in the third quarter. I thought Mentor started turning up the heat, and that's when you kind of saw a little bit more of the rookie come out some you know, hesitation, a couple of misses here and there, and those are the moments when a veteran quarterback of certainly one of Herbert's caliber, can kind of make the plays rather than
just executing the offense. And he wasn't able to do that. But as we've said, he's a rookie quarterback.
Now are we being like twenty six percent nicer because we're so fearful of Broncos Twitter, I mean, Bronco's blue Sky. I think they're fine, that they're cool. But yeah, the bow Knick's brigade is gonna calm down a little bit after the last couple of weeks, just because I think last week was his worst game since September, maybe his worst game of the season, and tonight he was fine, but he just they needed more. And you're absolutely right to point out that he's throwing the ball to Lucas
Kroll and who was Watson? You're right, there were some crazy name Nate Atkins, like, yeah, there was. He's not playing with a full deck either, So it.
Was like a lot of sure, another Broncos running back. They have like five hundred running backs, are sorry Blake Watson?
Yeah, that was the guy I was thinking, Blake Watson, who was doing a little bit of full back, a little bit of running back, and tonight was a reminder to me that their offense, while efficient, is not good.
Enough to.
Totally expose a beliee Like what is a really banged up in Beliaguered Chargers defense, I think is vulnerable and you saw that in the first half. They were pretty dominant in the first half. I'm I'm pretty shocked that they only ended up with twenty seven points in this game the way that it started.
Yeah, I don't know if like if they'd, like say, they had to run the ball more, and maybe if Nick had hit on a couple of throws, I don't know if the result would have been that different because justin Herbert just kind of went into terminator mode.
In the second half, but.
I didn't come out of this just go to your mo next question, whether I didn't come out of this with like a reduced opinion of him. I just kind of felt like Water is fighting his level a little bit in terms of him being a rookie and being one who has you know, executed this offense competently. But if you're gonna let me put it this way, as we sort of turn our eyes towards the playoffs, I don't have an expectation that he is going to have some kind of a linear progression to ascent to new heights.
I think that would have to come probably the following season.
Right, And.
This performance was a very typical bonnickx perfo Orman's The biggest difference between this year's Broncos and last year's Broncos Who was it that sent that tweet out? In terms of their offensive stats were so similar as last year?
Who was that? Do you remember?
Oh?
Yeah, I saw the post you're talking about Ian Harte?
Ian Hartee.
I always wanted to give him credit. The offensive numbers were so similar. The difference is the defense has been fantastic this year, and it just wasn't tonight.
They weren't consistent enough.
They they're thinner in the secondary, you know they you have certain but without their starting combination, their thinner in the secondary, and the Chargers were able to take advantage of it.
More.
Should we talk a little about the free kick, because yeah, this is wild stuff. It really reminded me of the Doug Flutey drop kick, which I happened to be watching live, so I remember it well, but not much of you know, America was because it was a week eight seventeen game for a Patriots team that wasn't playing for anything because they had already clinched everything, and it was late in the fourth quarter at like a one pm game. This was this was prime time and it was the first thing,
you know, in a meaningful game. It helped swing the game, and it was the first time most of us have ever seen anything like it.
What was the experience like for you?
I was shocked when they approach the possibility. I was like, I can't what, Like, I can't believe this is happening. Where I want to remember where I was in this moment to see history being made. I was relieved that it was Dicker, who's a really good kicker, right because it introduced the possibility to actually make it because it was fifty seven yards correct, So it's not a very difficult kick.
And you don't practice that as a kicker, so it didn'tn't just feel weird that there's no one in front of you. I guess I should set up what a free kick even is, because I had to go back to school.
To it on the you know, when and when someone punts the ball, when you call for a fair catch.
Or if there's a penalty, which was in this case where they didn't allow you to have the fair catch, you have the option to kick the ball, and you could drop kick it as well, but you know that's not a thing that happens anymore. You have the option to kick the ball with no field goal blocking team trying to stop you. They have to be ten yards away. Now, in theory, you could do that anytime of the game that you want. You could do it on first down early in the game, but it would make no sense.
So it really only comes up in situations on the last play of the half or right at the end of the half. And the Broncos had some weird play calling where they weren't really trying to score at the end of the second quarter, and they certainly weren't thinking about this scenario. And then they threw and they had an incomplete and Harbass smartly took a time out to
possibly set up this punt return. I don't know if he was thinking about the free kick, but suddenly the Broncos are punting, and even as it's happening, I'm thinking, oh, this is a free kick chance, but they're going to be way back. It would be like a sixty five seventy yard kick. It ends up being a penalty on the Broncos. It sets Dicker up. Let's listen once again to Matt mndy Smith.
This is wild right on top of the bolt logo. You got to cover it right, So Dicker for three man, this kick is up and it is good.
A free kick field goal camp Dicker from fifty seven yards. All of his teammates rush the field to celebrate. Eight seconds left on a punt and the Chargers get three out of it.
Man, that was good from seventy or so. I mean, that was worth there, dude.
I feel like I know he's been He's probably an All Pro last year. I can't remember who was first team in sexteen, but I feel like all his kicks are always like split the middle too. He's like very directionally accurate. He also was I didn't notice this in the moment because I was immediately taking to social media. He was really chill about it. I'd be losing my mind, Like that's NFL history as a kicker, do you even consider that possibility? Does it even something you think might
happen to you? The other thing, I so while I was while this happened, I was on the Wikipedia page for the very catch row because I just like to revisit the history of it, and Curly Lambeau looks identical to lad with Honki. Oh wow, yeah, pull that up.
Yeah, I love that. I love that.
The record for the longest free kick previously was by Paul Horning, which you know, not many people may know Paul Horning's name, but he was probably the biggest star in the history of the NFL at the time that he played. He won the Heisman and was the best player in the league. Vincelbardi famously said he's the best player ever. He would have been the equivalent of if Tim Tebow actually was the best player in the NFL.
That was Paul Hornig. I mean, what a guy that he kicked a fifty two yard field go back then, I mean, adjusting for inflation, that's like seventy five. That's outrageous. And he was leading the league in touchdowns at the time too. But for for it to happen, it really touched like a football dork bone for a lot of us. And you could hear it with DJ Daniel Jeremiah was just laughing with absolute glee.
That's how I felt too.
Yeah I didn't. I didn't know it was a kicker.
I didn't.
Oh yeah, that was what made him crazy, Like he would lead the league in points every year because he was a badass kicker and would score all their touchdowns even if he had like a vaguely disappointing career, even though he was a Hall of Famer. It was like one of those where like people thought he'd be the gress anyway. So I will absolutely shut up. Now, what do you think about the Chargers moving forward? They finished
with a couple easy games on paper. They're in Foxborough, not a total gimme, but you know they should win that, and then they're in Las Vegas for the last game. They only need to win one of those two games to make the playoffs, and because of the tiebreaker, now they're in a good position to possibly be ahead of Denver for the sixth seed, which we have to see how it all plays out. But that might mean you avoid Buffalo. That would be you know nice, I think
you would want to play for that. Do you think they have like enough because you talked about not knowing some of the pass catchers, what about this secondary? Like, what about this defense? It's pretty wild who they're putting out there right now.
I really don't like them against teams that can run the football like Buffalo at Baltimore can. But when you throw those out, you're looking at a lot of teams. I mean, the Kansasy is an efficient running game, if you know at that point. But Denver JA saw Pittsburgh, Houston. I think he shot in all three of those games. I mean that, you know, just structurally, think like, again, you're this game reminded you like, if you have one
of those dudes, you can win any game. That sounds like such a simplistic reduction of what we just saw so much happen, But it's true.
So it's true. It is true.
Happened, and a good coaching staff because he has been that dude before and he's not always been healthy.
But I think that's held him back.
And even though the Chargers defense is on a downward slope and we had a disagreement before the season, we put it on the line of whether they would finish top twenty in DVOA, they will fall further. They are about ninth going into this game. They'll they'll fall down to like eleventh or whatever. But they're fine, but they're
they're getting worse. There was a point in this game where they had a dime package out there with First of all, Tony Tony Jefferson is is like a stone cold starter at this point.
Now.
He was out of football last year. He was in the Ravens scouting department. Marcus May just joined the team a couple of weeks ago, and then they lost him. During this game, I'm here thinking, man, they really miss Elijah Molden, who was good for them. But it's like when you're really missing him, they miss Alohi Gilman, and they were playing a guy named Kendall Williamson at safety. They're just playing players that have barely played at the NFL level.
Who was the other one? Leonard DeAndre Leonard?
Who Yane Leonard? He was he really struggled last year.
Four.
Well, he's been and he's bounced around the league for a while.
But right so it's it's kind of a ragtag group.
And then I'm being a little bit of a homer here in terms of like getting more frustrated with the Chargers than I maybe would another team.
But Joey Bosa.
Has not been healthy apparently all year and has not helped them, although in this game he did make a few plays.
Give him credit for that.
But Bosa and Mack have not been great towards the end of the year. They've been running right at Khalil Mack last couple of weeks.
Yeah, it's a rag tag unit for sure. I didn't know Marcus May was on the Chargers. That's why I was like, Marcus May when you mentioned that he ran in He says he was cleaned off waivers on November twenty seventh.
I think he got a game ball in his first game as a as a Charger because he got you gotta pick in that game.
It's great, super quick twenty second Marcus May story. I said next to him on a plane once I was across country flight, talked a lot of ball. He was really awesome, and he was back on the jets at the time because he was like a third round pick, right, heerarquically. He was usually hi and oh thirty ninth overall, okay, sickon round and Well, while we're on the plane, an elderly woman who went to Florida was singing in front
of us and passed him a note. We just saw like a hand come through the seat and had a piece of paper and when he opened it, he looked so profoundly uncomfortable.
And he looked at me.
He was like, I don't know what to do with this. Anyways, I think about that every time.
Well, I want to know, but did you ask what was in the note?
I think it was solicitous.
That is awesome. I mean, that is a wild story.
I'm so glad Marcus May came up on this podcast just so you could tell that story.
Did you know that? Did he know who you were?
I came up in our conversation because I think I was going to actually ESPN, and he was like, oh, you were at ESPN, And we started talking about a couple of stuff.
He was great, that's awesome.
The Broncos, by the way, just like stepping back a minute, have a much more realistic scenario that the percentages would say they're pretty safe to make the playoffs. And yet when it comes to this stuff, I think how I would think as a fan, and I would suddenly be worried. I'm looking at the next gen stats. They're back to the seven seed. They're at eighty five percent. That sounds great, but if they lose out, If they lose out, they have They have the Bengals next week, and I am
definitely trusting the Brons over the Bengals. But it's in Cincinnati. It's Joe Burrow in a big spot. Like, the Bengals are watching this game and they're loving this. If they can beat the Browns this week and then they beat the Broncos, if nothing else, they get to Week eighteen playing meaningful football, which I think as a Bengals fan, that's a win. The Broncos are playing the Chiefs in Week eighteen. The Chiefs could very well be playing for
the number one seed. They could not either, depending on what happens in between against the Texans and the Ravens, and then you could see Denver fall the way out. And perhaps the most annoying scenario for the Bengals would be they actually do win out, and it's not going to be easy for them. They play Pittsburgh final week, It's going to be pretty tough for the Bengals to get through. But they could win out and actually it'd be the Colts who sneak in at nine to eight.
I've done all the scenarios. If the Colts tie there, the Colts would actually be the one who get in over the Broncos. And the Colts have the easiest schedule possible over the last three weeks. So I do think this result kind of opened it up just a little bit, and the Dolphins are also happy.
Just I guess the tricky thing with the Bills and the Chiefs is if the Chiefs win sixteen seventeen, they have nothing to play for in week eighteen, so then Bronco. Yeah, so that would be tough for the Bengals.
There's a lot though, as you know, I'm not trying to just be a company man, but usually this time of year it's not just about me loving Justin Herbert. I do want the games like I wanted the Colts to win last week too, because whatever can give us the most meaningful games so that the games aren't dead down the stretch, all right, I meana before we let
you go, Look, it's been a long day. When I was driving in at Sofi Stadium earlier today, the Broncos buses were right in front of me with the police escort. And we actually have some sound from some other gentlemen still in so Fi Stadium's listen, all right.
I'm here with the voice of the Chargers, Matt body Smith, Greg Mina. Hope you guys are well money.
Big takeaway from the game.
Big takeaway is the first time they faced adversity and we wanted to see him answer the bell. A lot of people saying they couldn't win a big game. They had only been teams with losing wrecords. They come out in the second half, shut out the Broncos offense, and justin Herbert goes to town.
Yeah.
I thought, Herbert, you know, just kind of took the game over. I wrote it down. The run he had in the third quarter, it could have slid, stays up, gets the first down. Then you have him extending plays to Darius Davis for a touchdown, extending plays on the little flip to Hassan Haskins and then the run he had on third down with third and eleven or something like.
That, and he takes off and gets first down as well.
Ten different receivers. Darius Davis first career touchdown, Hassan Haskins first career rushing receiving touchdown, Hayden Hurst hadn't played since November tenth, and he gets a huge third down touch. He just spread it around. He did what Justin Herbert does, you know, he just he finds the open man and it worked.
Yeah, sometimes you have to have someone carry the load.
Mina, you know what I'm talking about. Uh, it's it's just what you gotta do.
You got to step up and you got to cover up some of the sins of the others that may be sitting next to you.
And that's you me.
No, no, no, that's just Mena with Gray.
No.
No, we're no, I took, I took.
We're on a different thing.
This is more of an equal level.
Partner, Okay, perfect, not what's going on with so I look a little taller.
There we go.
That's better, all right, all.
Right, let's lean up the booth. We don't want Maurice to get mad at it.
Oh yeah, exactly.
Yeah, all right, Hey see you guys.
Thank you to Daniel, Jeremiah and Matt money Smith.
Yes, you gotta, you gotta check out the show on YouTube so you can just see how young all that surfing at five am every morning is keeping Matt money Smith.
I don't know how he doesn't.
I don't know why they wasted so much time, you know, until the point where Jeremiah took a shot at me, it just all felt like, you know, four player or something like that.
Oh man, I feel like, yeah, we they kind of sae takeaways as us, which makes me feel good.
Yes, Mina, you've been very kind to join us tonight. It is Mina Kime season. I know you don't want me to talk too nice about you, but you were on the Simpsons outcast, which changed the game in my house. Walker's watching Simpsons all the time now that the allcast actually got him more onto the Simpsons.
He loved it.
And obviously you got the Mina Time show featuring Lenny. It's almost annoying. You're getting better and better as a podcaster or not that you weren't always great, but I'm always thinking like, damn, she's always improving. And then NFL Live and then you're going to be on Netflix, which is really cool on Christmas, Like, how excited are you about that? And you're coming on this show and like a million other Friends shows this week. You can say, no, Mina,
but you are that kind of friend. I appreciate that I.
Sell Chargers Broncos on the schedule, and I thought that's the game for me. Interesting brought me on before the Seahawks game, by the way, which might be it might be kind of over by then, but uh yeah, no, I'm excited for Christmas, the Christmas games, especially now that you know Mahomes is healthy. It's really fascinating because they're they're flipping right there. They're playing on Saturday and they're just flipping opponents, which I love as an analyst, just
because it makes my life a lot easier. Last the two games and you get, you know, a few days to think about it, but I'm really pumped. I mean, that's it is like a legitimately great slate of games with Raven Sextans and Chief Dealers. So I'm looking forward to it.
And it's cool. I think it's a cool opportunity because.
I came up thinking in this business, like what it would be great to have some non players up there just as analysts. We basically only see non players as reporters or as play by play guys or whatever. And I think it's awesome that in a spot like a freaking Christmas Day game, which those will be, you know, among the most watched games of the year, that ner that you're don't be nervous. It's not about that like you've already done it, you've already done all the work,
but that you're you're out here repin. You're out here reppin for the analysts, and you're you're gonna be awesome because you do such a good job.
Thank you. I appreciate it. I hope people enjoy NBS much.
Yeah, thank you.
Mina chimes before we're quite done with the recap, and yeah, I should have mentioned this. This show is going to be a little different. I'm really excited. We have an interview with Rams running back Kyron Williams after the break. We taped it a little earlier in the week with Jordan Rodrieg of the Athletic It's a really great interview, so so stay for that. But before the game, we pulled some fans. We were outside Sofi Stadium to find
out who would have a big game tonight. In this edition of Who Will Deliver presented by Uber Eats, where you can get the best deals on game day food all season long.
Let's see if the fans were right.
River's gonna have a good connection with Ladd McConkey tonight.
I think the scores twenty seven twenty Chargers come out on top of all the.
Khlil Mack two sacks today and I got Lad mcconkee.
For one TD in the third quarter.
Broncos are gonna be on the thirty five and hit a d ball to Marvin Mims sixty five yard touchdown.
Lad McConkie tim reception is for one P thirty two.
Bone Nicks going for three passing touchdown. Man, I think that bone Knicks is coming in hot, dude. He has what it takes, has the poise today against Denver, Herbert's gonna shine like amazing.
He's coming back for the finish and we're gonna be cheering him on the whole freaking game.
So everybody what do you think chargers?
All right, that was Who Will Deliver, presented by Uber Eats, the official on demand delivery partner of the NFL.
Order.
Now will be back on the other side with Kyron Williams. All right, I'm so excited to be welcoming in pro bowler kyn Williams, the running back of the Los Angeles Rams, also the Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee of the Los Angeles Rams. But it's not just Kyron Williams. A little peek behind the curtain. If you're listening to the podcast version of this, I got Kyron and Jordan
rod Rieg of The Athletic with me. Of course, my co hosts' NFL Daily, and we were going to do it in three different windows, but the RAMS like sound.
You know, the room that Kyroen was in wasn't that great.
So now Kyroen's on Jordan's computer and we're just doing this all together because we're a non traditional podcast. You know, Kyroen, you came late in the draft. You know, you're a non traditional superstar running back. So hopefully it feels comfortable to you. Welcome to NFL Daily. Appreciate you coming.
On appreciate you guys for having me.
Yeah, I'm used to uncomfortable, uncomfortable situations, so this is all normal.
I want to go more on that, like this is John McVay a coach that puts you guys in uncomfortable situations? Or are you talking more about Sundays and the games you're playing?
Well, just I think there's the way that I kind of approach life.
You know, you know you expect comfort, but you know, in thosecomfortable positions is where you really learn who you are, what you're about, and like the things that you're made of, and so you know, little things like you know, God's gonna throw you curveballs every single day and you just got to expect to hit them and you know, roll with the punches. So me, it's whatever. I'm always ready for whatever.
It is.
One of the things that I think watching you kind of grow into your career over the last couple of years, is you seek those situations out like you go looking for them to the point where sometimes your coaches have to pull you back or pull you away, almost protecting you from yourself because you put so much into everything.
How have how has that balance gone for you this year?
Because you want you want everything all the time.
Yeah, I mean, I mean that's kind of like I take it as a complement.
But also that I you know, as I'm further go on my career, I realized that I got to be more careful and be more you know, aware of what you know I do to my body and.
Just what I do physically.
But for me, like you said, I've always grown up to just you know, accept those uncomfortable, uncomfortable situations, you know, whether that's in life, football or you know, even school when I was in school, And so.
For me, it's it's all normal. But you know, you being able to learn, You're able to learn from those things. And I learned this year. You know, I learned that you know, I don't have to go hard all the time. You know, I can slow down, take a step back, take care of.
My body, listen to my body, and it just that just allows me to be able to be set up and you know, where at the position position I'm at today where you know, I feel like I'm I'm only getting a stronger as a season going.
You know, it's week sixteen and I just peaked in the weight room today. So it's like stuff.
Stuff like that, you know, allows me to be able, Like you don't got to go hard all the time, just be smart and you know, do what you gotta do when the time is you know necessary.
Well, you peaked in the weight room today. What are we talking about here?
You know in the force force play jumps?
You know do we do those every every Wednesday when we work out, and so today we just you know, you had your hands on your hips and it was a vertical jump.
You know.
You know there's a trend that's among going like this, and so I beat last week's jumping, you know, So I just credit so you know, the work that I'm putting in, the smart work that I'm putting in after practice, and you know, the things in the weight room that I'm doing.
I'm jealous.
We get to holiday season and I'm like, my body's falling apart at this time of year.
I'm like, I used to watch all these coaches.
They come into training camp and they're always in great shape, and then by December that was like the old NFL.
Now now all your coaches are are in great shape.
I gotta admit, Like Sean and everything, I wanted to ask you a question so I was thinking, what's a signature Kyron Williams run I have? I kind of had my own answer. I gave it as a like kind of a thought experiment to myself. But I'd rather hear you answer it first and then I'll give you my take, like, what's the signature Kyroene run Man?
Honestly, I wanted to say I like it all, honestly, But you know, this past three two years, three years i've been here with the Rams. We've been really honing it on the twelve duo and whatever that is, you know, actually thirteen to twelve whatever, but you know, having those double team blocks and be able to press the line of scrimmage and you know, make those linebackers pick where they want to go, and being able to jump cut from a gap or from c to sea, from sea
gap to sea gap, you know, either way. And so for me, that's kind of what we've been you know, what we've been known as here at the RAMS. But you know, I really feel like any run as a Karen Williams ran, I just got to get the opportunities.
Yeah, especially if it comes with your favorite the doom block or the blast block in front of it, and that's something that the RAMS and particularly behind you Kiren, have been working to install an overhaul over the past couple of years, with you being very much the heartbeat of that.
What's that been like for you?
I mean, you know, you were a big deal in college, but to have after the starts your career, I know you hit some adversity, but then coming in the last two years and this is built around you, It's built for what you do. Well, what has that been like for you?
Man?
It's a blessing, you know, because I've always wanted to be in this position.
I've always wanted to be right where I'm at playing professional football at the highest level and being being successful at that. And like you said, I you know, I ran into a diversity, but like that's what that was my test, that was my calling, that was my really like are you ready for the NFL?
Do you want to be?
And so when I went through that stuff like that's just like the we talked about earlier, the uncomfortable positions or situations that you know, I was able to be in at the early stage of my career that allows me to be able to set up to where I'm at now. But just being able to have all, like like you said, offense kind of you know, run game built around who I am and what I do best. It's a blessing because you know, I love this game. I love being able to play football, and like you said,
I want everything. So whenever i'm when coach McVay is thinking about me in the run game, that's just all. That's all I've ever wanted, you know, while playing football.
Yeah, you gave me a very x's and o's answer, which I appreciate. It's pretty close to what what I thought about too, although Jordan picked up on more of it than I could.
Because that's why I have her onside. I can't. I can't do an interview by myself.
Oh that's you're a good teacher.
You know.
I just can't do it by myself. I gotta have her sit. And you guys are cracking me up watching this. People should check this out.
I told Kyen, he's too young for this. But this is like a Collinsworth slide situation, like I should split into the frame like this.
It's true, and so what I was thinking, like signature runs, because like Derrick Henry a signature one of his runs, you know, it's going to have a stiff arm minute. My favorite running back of all time, Frank Or If I'm thinking of what a signature run would be, it'd be him being so patient behind the hole that you can't even believe, and then he hits something so hard before it even opens, and you're like, how did you know that was going to open?
When? When it opens? And and for you it would be a little bit of that. It'd be what you said it would.
It be a run that would have great vision, that would have great footwork, where just the lateral agility, and that, to me is what separates you and and a lot of great running backs over there, the lateral agility to
hit that hole and know when to hit it. But the one thing you didn't say is that, to me, a signature Kyen run would be get low at the end of it and you'd run someone over because I think the physicality that that you bring at your size and everything that like, I didn't know about that until I saw it in your second year. Are you still surprising defenders with that? And do you think I picked a good signature around?
Yeah, but you know I like to be physical.
I just like that nature of you know, people that expecting me to come and really hit you or come and really trying to run you over. And so like being able to have that in the bag, it creates a lot of opportunities for me to be able to also find that safety make them, you know, line them up and beat them one on one.
So that's kind of like when I.
Say when you say signature, yes, you know, being patient hitting that hoole one and when he's not even there. But I also want to get into being able to make that safety mission, you know, create those big because and then I'm still working for those and I'm still gonna I'm gonna get those they coming soon, I promise you that, because uh, that's just what I see.
But like being able to have that ability to when people know that you.
Weren't scared to lowerer Lowerer had and to run them over, because that was the talk of me coming to the NFL.
He's not big enough or he's too small, Like, who's too small? I'll run you over. I'll be putting DMS on there.
But it's all doesn't matter. That's that's out of the story now. And so you know, being able to you know, set that early on in my NFL career. That was huge for me, and like you said, seeing that in the second year, many people didn't know that.
And I think one last thing on the signature run we have to finish it with a flourish right, whether you get hit or not. And whenever you do get hit before you're ready to go down, right, he gets up and you will like stomp your feet and you will you have that emotion and you can see you're often facing you know, the end zone, and you can't see your linemen running behind you. The lineman they feel that and they come running up to you and they reset the line and you're ready to go again.
How do you transfer that energy? That's part of your signature too.
Is that energy that you transfer.
Among that I think that's part of the biggest thing. Honestly, what I bring to this game is I'm able to put I'm able to bring the people around me with me. And that's just by my play play style and who I am as a person. Tell you I love his game.
I love this game.
I have so much joy going out there and being able to play this game, and you know, be around these with these professional athletes who you know, I once slipped up to and now I'm with them and you know, practicing with them and going to war with them, Like that's to me, that's just what it's all about. And so when I'm out there having fun, everybody can feel it's affectionists and it's not anything that I try to do.
That's who's who I am.
Like, I remember when I was younger, That's how my dad was like when he was coaching us, and literally he was always the hype man.
He was always screaming. He's always you know, getting us rowdy to go, and I just feel like that's how the game of football's played. And the other thing too. In high school.
I remember my freshman year I got I was a freshman playing varsity and I got hit super hard on the sideline.
I caught the ball, got smack, and everybody was like, woa, wow, he's got hit.
But my one thing, my coach said is you know, you bounced up so fast that it made the defender feel like he didn't even do anything. And so you'll see me now like I'll be the first one ab off the ground like I'm not staying on the ground because you didn't do anything to me. You didn't affect
me that that hit. I didn't feel that and so that's another mental cycle thing that you know, I tried to bring to the game that allows you know, me to have the edge over the fenders and allows me to have that energy, you know, for my team.
So we're talking to you before you head to the East Coast Jets this week, big game, first time all season. You guys are now tied for first place, and I'll be I'll be real with you. You know, we're we're unbiased here at NFL Daily. But I've been living in La now a little bis. I've been here for eleven years now, and I didn't know what my daughter was gonna decide to do as a football fan, or even if she would become a football fan. But she went out to the coliseum when the Rams were playing the
Cowboys in the playoffs. You know what was that six years ago now with Jared Goffet, you know, in his second year, and.
She became a Ram fan.
So she's you know, early on this season, she's a huge Kyraen Williams tin Early on this season, you guys are struggling there at one and four, and I'm like, I'm sorry, Ellis, you know, I know it's disappointed. She spends her whole Sunday building around I'm just like, this might not be the year and just like, oh no.
They'll be there at the end. Like that's what they do. They improve as it goes.
And I was like, yeah, but you know, Stafford's getting a little older and there's a lot of injuries and all that.
She's like, oh no, they'll be there at the end. That's what they do. And it is what you guys do.
Like what is it about this Rams team, including when you've been there, especially these last two years that it's it does seem like you guys are peaking at this time of the year and just kind of what are you looking forward to the rest of the season.
Yeah, I mean, I couldn't tell you a pinpoint example or a situation that you know happened to us. I honestly think coach mcvaigh he's a great coach and he's able to verbalize. I don't think many coaches are able to verbalize what we need to do, and he was able to do that. He sat us down and he
told us that we needed a sense of urgency. We told us that we need to really you know, come together as a group to go compete our bus off because sitting at one and four, we knew we weren't that type of team.
You know, we were better than what we were putting out there on the field and when we're not there on tape.
And so did him be having that realization of him being able to be real with us and show us with the reality of the situation was. And like you said, we did have injuries, we weren't we didn't have Cooper Cup, we didn't have Coooker, we didn't have Steve, we didn't have you know, the people that we needed to you know, have to also be the.
You know, the explosive offense that we always werere to be.
And so, you know, just being him being able to you know, be real with us but still put that confidence in us, still be able to move us and motivate us to be in the right direction. I feel like that's what the biggest, you know, turning point for this team was because he sat us down and told us that we had thirty six days left together. And when you think about it, thirty six days is a lot and when you think about it, you know, you
don't want to lose in those thirty six days. You don't want to come in December playing losing football, Like that's just no.
Fun in the NFL. And so you know, having that, having him do that, and in the creator the response that he, you know, he created on his team is you know, it's hats off to him, and then you know, hats off to you know, what he's about, what he's what he's doing. But you know, I just feel like right now, like you said, we're here at the right time, and we just got to continue to stay tight, stay focused, and.
Not worry about who's in front of us. You know, I always tell everybody, anybody who plays faceless and nameless, like.
It don't matter who it is.
Every Sunday, we know that we got a game, but it don't matter who. So this weekend it happens to be the Jets, but it doesn't change anything that we do as offense, defense, and special teams continue to keep, you know, focusing on us and what we do to make us who we are.
I think the thing that's so crazy when you talk to elite competitors such as yourself and players across the league, is that switch that you flip for opponents. Right then you flip another switch when you get into the community. Yeah, and it is so personal to you. I mean, this Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination, I know is so deeply personal to you for a number of reasons.
Inclusive to how you found out about it.
Can you kind of remind us and take.
Us through that moment, I mean the whole story, honestly. So growing up in Saint Louis, you know, I've always you know, my my parent, my dad was a football player, My uncles were football players, and so that's football was something that I love to do. And my mom she wouldn't let me play because she's always nervous about me getting hurt.
So I had to wait. I had to play flag football. I had to do that first.
But like I said, football is my love and my passion, and so being able, you know, to have the Saint Louis Rams in Saint Louis and have a professional team to be able to look up to, that's all I wanted to be. And so in eighth grade, I was blessed to be able to have friends who whose parents were able to take me to games, take me to the Edwards Jones domes and be able to you know, really put eyes to what it was to you know,
live out that dream. And so one day my grandma, my mem and she she had tickets to like the Stephen Jackson Foundation of thirty nine Wishes, where I was able to, you know, go to the stadium, be on the field and meet every single player on the RAMS just like you just walk up to the table and
they signed autographs. And so when I got to Stephen Jackson, I knew who Stephen Jackson was from just being you know, loving football so much and watching the Rams so much, and so when I got to Stephen Jackson, it was like it was just a real moment, like me putting the real eyes to somebody who I wanted to be. That's what, you know, changed my life. Honestly, I was able to picture and I remember going home and telling my mom, like, I'm gonna be an NFL player, Like
this is what I want to be. And ever since that moment, you know, I fell deeply in level of football, and you know, I was still at every Rams game and I was still just just wanting to be that person that you know, I saw that one time when I was eight years old, you know, with Steven Jackson and so, and I was always at the games. So when Stephen Jackson he came to the you know, our team meeting, I was like, oh, wow, Stephen Jackson's here.
What's what's he gonna tell us about? Like I had, I had no idea. And then the picture popped up.
Of you know, the picture of me and him when I was him and I when I was little, and I was like, Okay, maybe he's just showing like the connection.
That we had, Like you know, I met Stephen Jackson before, like.
Nothing no, nothing about Walston Payton man there nothing, and then he, you know, he told me what he told me, like, you know, he told me like, oh, your buddy here, he's a Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. And I was shocked because I thought what I was doing was something I was supposed to do, like that's what put me in his position to be to be able to be a blessing to a blessing, you know. And so I know how it feels to be impacted. I
know how it feels to be inspired. I know how it feels to really put eyes to the person that you want to be. And so that's that's just my main focus, like my main focus to inspire the youth because what Steven Jackson did for me little did he know, allowed me to be where I'm at, allowed me to be able to him again in the position that I am as an NFL running back, and you know, he
gave that kid a dream that was no reality. He told me to dream big, and I dreamed the biggest, and you know, so just being able to have that and being able to know who I am and how I got to where I'm at, it's only right that I, you know, I continue to inspire the youth because you never know who who was going to take that and run with it. And so that's kind of why, like I'm always if I see a kid and they see me and they know who I am, I'm always like yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes to anything. That's why I throw the ball before games because you just never know who you're going to touch on them, who you're gonna impact, because you know, Stephen Jackson didn't and I'm blessed enough to be right here because of what he did.
Now, have you watched the video back, y'all? Okay, because we had it already now you talked it through.
Let's put it on.
I'm gonna put it on for our listeners just to check it out. And this was that moment where he introduces you.
This guy right here, I had a chance to meet him in this year. At that time I met this young man. No, I did not know he would become a Ram and all his ways to being a great. So when you leave it all on the field, you help people forget and you getting them inspiration. And that's why I'm here this morning because one of our brothers here have done that. Our buddy here is a Walter Payton Rams nomin knee for this season.
And it goes on from there. Very cool moment. And yeah, all the work that you do in the community, people should check it out. But you served as a captain for the United Way of the Greater LA's Walk United LA to help raise over a million dollars to fight cycles of poverty. It's a long list. It's amazing all the different things that you've been a part of. Met with members of the La Rams wheelchair football team. You're
involved in the school district out here. We work at Inglewood too, at the at Sofi Stadium, and you're you're involved in the l a USD, the school district trying trying to help kids there, and in the Inglewood school system and in different local children battling life threatening medical conditions, all these different events and it goes on, and Yeah, what what it made me think reading all this stuff is, yeah,
you must be saying yes to every opportunity. And the thing that stands out to me, not knowing you, Kyrien, was just I watch how this Man of the Year stuff goes, and it's always almost like a thing that they reward veterans that have been around a long time for because it's such a hard honor to get that, you have to wait. Steven Jackson talked about it too. He got in twenty twelve, and I'm thinking, yeah, that's that's at the end of his that's towards the end
of his RAMS tenure. So for you to get that as such a young player in your third season, I think that that says a.
Lot about you, No for sure, And like you said, I just it's a blessing to be where I'm at and I know how I got to here, so it's I'm gonna be a blessing to other people, you know, to make sure that whatever it is that they're going through, they know that it's gonna be okay, you know, because.
And everybody, you know, we're all human. Everybody's going through something, and so you know, I just try to be a blessing to for a blessing for sure.
But you're blessing to NFL Daily. We appreciate you.
And you're blessing to my friend Jordan rod Rieg here, you know, sharing the screen with her, and hopefully we helped you out too.
I am though, I'm just here. He's the one who's on the screen. Yeah, and thank you, Kyen, because we know we hit a sudden change at you here with the location and everything.
So thank you so much for you got to stand. You never know what's going to happen. You gotta be ready for whatever.
Yeah, I appreciate it, And uh it's cool.
Maybe do like an honor of Stephen Jackson this week and like do one of those Stephen Jackson runs just running through.
That guy was a beast. You West loved him growing up.
Yeah, I got you. I wish he had a I wish he had a signature celebration that I could do. Yeah, thanks, I hear that.
He was one of my favorites, one of the most physical, exciting running back. So you've been rammed for life, ram back in Saint Louis and now ram now. Appreciate you, Kyroen, Thank you Jordan. We'll catch you next time.
Thank you so much.
Appreciation all right, Thanks again to Kyrone Williams of the Rams. Thanks to Jordan rod Riege of The Athletic Fun Show, star studded Show.
Thanks to Mina Chimes for joining and.
Talking about a Chargers team that just feels a little bit different when it fit time games with good coaching.
In December, Man.
Only one more TNF game left. When that's true, you know football is back. We'll see you Friday with Cynthia in the pic show