Welcome to NFL Daily, where our toe is always in bounds. We are here on the very first game of the year, Chiefs win twenty seven to twenty. I am Greg Rosenthal, so lucky today to be joined by Jordan Rodrigue. We are going live on YouTube, so hello to all the people out there watching on YouTube, but most of you listening to us in your ears. Jordan, I apologize to the gods at the NFL for ever doubting that this should be the game. I was like, oh, why you
want to burn Ravens Chiefs right off the bat. This was an incredible way to start the season, and I'm so happy to be starting it with you. I know.
It lived up to all the hype that I had in my brain about football being back, and to use my Greg impression, I'm so happy. We texted in the third second quarter about halftime. We tacked on my phone for a minute halftime just to catch up on just ideas and thoughts, and both of us just took kind of a moment and just thought, oh so happy right now, like football being back, and it's this this, these steaks and toe, My goodness, we're here.
We're back.
We're We're such dorks, And yes I'm a dork. I'm like sending out the link as we're actually.
I know I'm trying to like avate my screen here, sorry, etp behind the glass, and it might be fit.
I am so excited to go through this game, but I think the easiest way to do it is, Yes, we'll start at the end, but we'll also take a lot of lessons from this game and talk about what we learned in this game. And you know, the first thing I'm gonna say I learned in this game is something we've known, but I think it's even more true now than ever, which is that the Chiefs can win in so many different ways. And yes, you could say
they got a little fortunate. At the end of this game, Lamar Jackson missed a couple open receivers in the end zone. Ravens are trailing twenty seven to twenty. They get the ball with no timeouts, with one minute and fifty seconds, they have to drive the length of the field. He makes a nice throw down into the red zone. They waste a lot of time on a Za Flowers catch, and then he misses a couple receivers and then yes, he delivers a ball to Isaiah Likely who is just
out of the end of the end zone. Let's listen to Mike Turrico making that call and then unfortunately the call by the referee right afterwards.
It's four your bar trying to make that happens throwing.
In zone my way took me down. Yes, touch, So Runners told hit out of bound.
It's a hand to prepay.
The game is over. Here's the city's long.
Twenty seven to twenty the Chiefs.
We're not opening night by a choke. So that was the call from Mike Tarico. What like a rollercoaster of emotions there. This felt like a game to me, Jordan that the Chiefs should have won, that they probably were the better, more under control team throughout, and yet at the end everyone is gassed. Week one is so much different than other weeks, and the Ravens are going to look back on this as a missed opportunity.
Yeah, a couple of missed opportunities here, I think, particularly in the second half. You know that the new Zach orr led defense when they said he was thirty two on the screen.
I knew that this is not a lesson.
This is not something I didn't know, but I had an existential moment thinking about that. I'm thirty two, I have not done anything like this is and I was impressed with his defense. The first half they had some busts. A second half they had some issues. Obviously, the Xavier Worthy second touchdown was a huge one in that regard.
Looked like Marlon Humphrey was seeking some safety help there and Xavier Worthy got behind him, and it just it reiterates how if you leave the door a crack open, or if you miss a throw, or if you have you know, a size you know for fourteen and a half shoe instead of a fourteen like the Chiefs will make you pay for it. This is not anything we didn't know. But man, was this a good game. This
was a fun game. I'm heartbroken for Isaiah Likely. He had an incredible, incredible game and seemed to really get hurt at the end there landing on his shoulder, comes back back on and really gritted, gutted it out and made such a gutsy play and it just, you know, by that much, just it kills you.
But that's football.
So I was planning to talk Chiefs to start the game in general, because they're the defending super Bowl champions back to back, they won the game. For a lot of this game, they felt like they controlled it. And yet I actually do want to start here because we're on it with Likely, because to me, he was a
revelation in this game. Nine catches for one hundred and eleven yards and absolutely sick forty nine yard touchdown catch and where he just makes an absolutely ridiculous heavy and it was just a strange night from the Ravens offense that they were waiting for insane individual plays by a handful of players. So it was Isaiah Likely, Zay Flowers, and Lamar Jackson, and Lamar ran for one hundred and twenty two yards in this game. He threw for two seventy three and a touchdown, and yet it felt a
little scattered, a little uncomfortable for him. I'm curious if one of your takeaways from this game, because this is another thing that I'm going to say that I learned in this game was it was almost too reliant on Lamar Jackson's legs. That this formula, at least on Thursday night, running the ball sixteen times for one to twenty two and taking a lot of hits was probably too much like they were counting on his playmaking too much in this game.
Yeah, I think that.
You saw him at times check into runs as well. I thought that it was Honestly, I think that once he irons out the rest of it, I think that this will be really special to watch for him, a really special season to watch for him, because you saw him take that ownership of this offense. And you don't just check into runs because you say so. You are allowed to do that because you're collaborating with your coaching
staff to do that. So it's not like he was just playing hero like this was the game plan right to give him the option to do so if he saw it. He clearly saw tons of space one hundred and twenty two yards, like you said, in seven point six yards on per carry on sixteen carries, and and you know they had a hard time containing him if he had. This is the thing that I that I am stuck on because Isaiah likely is such a great partner for him. I mean the ad libbing that they
did together on that touchdown. You know, I called it the Mattador move where he sort of stood at at the at the goal line and just allowed the defender just whish right by him and then walked in for
the touchdown. But that was an ad like Lamar made a spot throw on that play, he was working out a structure and escaping pressure like he was often and particularly you know, through to a spot that he knew Isaiah likely would be because the two have worked at it together and they've ad lib But but I think once he gets another one more element that shows up, one more element that that comes alive, gives dimension to this passing because they you could tell they were trying.
They thought they were going to come out and run the ball a lot, but they couldn't at a certain point becase because they fell to a deficit. And then Lamar took matters into his own hands. And again he's given the autonomy to do that, and he had the space to do that on the field. It's just you need one more dimension here.
Yeah, let's listen to Mike Turrico on the call for NBC on that long Isaiah likely touchdown which got the Ravens back in the game when they were down by a couple of scores in the second half.
Quarter begins with second and seventeen and the Chiefs leading by ten. Lamar and Jackson case by snel parlopis to likely down field Hi sa I likely with a clock down a sideline, likely totally.
Up town touch down bare.
Lamar kept it alive and likely finished the run. And the Ravens are right back in.
So yeah, that came when it was twenty to ten. Very first play of the fourth quarter. Likely is what a third year player. And I think any one that took him in fantasy leagues, and anyone that took Mark Andrews in fantasy leagues is wondering like who got the one and who got the two? Because when I'm watching this Ravens offense, I'm thinking, man, they are so reliant on Zay Flowers to be big time and that likely could be the next most dynamic player, and tight ends
take a little while to develop. I would caution Mark Andrews very quiet in this game. He was on the field a ton. He just missed two entire weeks of practice after a pretty serious car accident. So this is kind of a preseason game, except you have to play sixty snaps for a lot of players, So just hold off on making too many takeaways there. But I will
point out we talked twelve personnel. If you were with us on NFL Daily, like back in mid July one of our very first shows with Nate Tice where we just totally dorked out and Jordan, you talked about how many more teams are going to use twelve personnel more. Well, I've got some numbers for you from next Gen stats. The Ravens had two tight ends one running back on the field in over half their snaps tonight fifty two percent,
which would have led the league by far. And I don't know if they're going to do that every game, but I do think we're going to see more heavy sets. It's certainly something the Chiefs like to do too. They had two tight ends thirty six percent of the time. Noah Gray was really big for them. I want to throw it to you to give me more of a Chiefs takeaway and lesson because we should give the two time defending champs. They're flowers. They got it done the
toughest matchup possible in Week one at home. It's I know it's a tough spot for the Ravens, but ultimately like it's a tough spot for the Chiefs too. To start this way, so a great, great way for them to start their season.
Yeah, and segueing into that too, like I want to give Dave Merritt, the Chiefs defensive backs coach, his flowers here because I think a big, a big you're like, I didn't see that jersey of it, you know, he he, I think deserves some flowers here because there was a clear you know, there's a clear plan to try to get some of these downfield guys at least try to
get them open, get them looks at. There was at least some element of that from the Ravens game plan, particularly once they set up some of the play action and those types of things. But you saw pops and flashes from a couple of these Chiefs corners, a couple of these DB's. I'm thinking in particular of a play where I thought, I need to go make sure I know and reiterate who the DB's coach of this football
team is. Obviously Steve Spagnola deserves a ton of credit for his game plan, but specifically with that position after Lugarius sneed leaves. You know, I'm looking at Jalen Watson that play he made downfield against I believe it was Zayflowers, So ironically, I'm saying, give Dave merritt As.
Thrown there, ye Lamar. That was two straight throws in this game, and it was a bit of a trend that Lamar had an up and down game throwing the ball down the field. Missed a lot, I think missed a few throws down the field, but you're absolutely right, great closing speed there by Jalen Watson, and it's just like what they do is they uncover these cornerbacks, and it.
Was there was a second awareness or a second effort by a lot of these players on the Chiefs that comes with experience and playing together as a unit and also coaching in the same continuity for a long time that sometimes in the second half you were a little bit concerned about, and even at point in the first half, the second effort push for Pacheco that touchdown the rollover. I mean, that's a really hard play to be aware
of in the first place. But you just saw some of the Chiefs defenders and the dbs particularly make some of those second effort plays, and I'm actually sure you know I would I would imagine the Ravens are going to be talking about tomorrow morning or Friday morning in the film room about okay, well, you know what we how do we follow through here? What do we do here? I was like to put a cap on the Ravens here. I was impressed in the first half with that defensive unit.
They looked a lot tighter than I thought they would be. But then obviously it's Patrick Mahomes.
What are you going to do?
I mean, the guy is rebounding his own bad at pass.
I thought Trenton Simpson was going to give the Ravens a chance, and he kind of did there.
He gave him a chance. But Patrick Mahomes like, want a contested catch?
You know, Okay, let's stop you right there. Let's set it up for the listeners of the situation. Very interesting. The Chiefs get the ball back. The Ravens have no timeouts at this point. We'll get to that later because it's one of my big takeaways. But the Chiefs get the ball back. I think it was with over five minutes to go, but they have a first down with about three and a half minutes to go. They run
the ball in first down two yards for Pacheco. Get a little conservative, perhaps run it again on second down with Carson Steele am I getting his like, do I have this name memorized by now? Since he was a fun presence in this game. But he had no chance on that play. Rokwan Smith breaks into the backfield and gets him for a two yard loss. Suddenly you're third and ten. It's one of the reasons why I love Andy Reid. A lot of coaches in that spot would
call something safe to keep the clock moving. It's two minutes and forty seconds left, it's third and ten. You're on your own. Thirty calls a regular drop back. Mahomes doesn't see anything. Finally sees a receiver flashing over the middle. And here's what we hear on the call.
First down here funk just one up for k she It's my Homes under pressure, stepping up the flat and it's just gonna be a game of a yard Looks like Lamar caught his own deflected pass the AFC Championship game.
We talk all off season about these teams and blah blah blah and all the different thing and sometimes games come down to trent Trenton Simpson, who I thought had a really good game. He's Patrick Queen's replacement. I'm looking forward to rewatching this on Friday. But to me, he flashed and showed a lot of the athleticism in the running game in a couple times in the passing game, and that could have been the game winning play off. The ball just bounces a little different and he's able
to catch it. But instead you see a quarterback with a contested catch. I've never he's got to finish with the highest contested catch percentage in the NFL this year. Mahomes should finish one for one and that not only you know, kept the ball with the Chiefs, which was massive, but kept the clock moving to the point where the Ravens only had a in fifty seconds left after the Chief's punt to go down the field or else you know,
who knows the Ravens are in great shape there. So that was just a fun athletic play by Mahomes in a game where like he finishes twenty for twenty eight for two ninety one, one touchdown, one interception on a truly bad decision which could have cost them late in the second quarter. He also has you know, two rushes for three yarts and you think like, oh, that's a pretty pedestrian game, and yet he was awesome in this game, you felt like, other than that one interception, he had
total control and he had Patrick Mahomes. Are you more optimistic? Do you have any like takeaways about this Chief's offense after watching them in this game?
Oh my god, yes, so many, so many, because this was a team we talked about all freaking off season about oh, what are they going to do with this new group of you know, with receivers, and oh, what's
Pacheco gonna what's his role going to be? And oh, you know, is Kelsey washed and get a ton of action this game he was blocking a lot, but he and then he had that ad lib play speaking of you know, tight ends and quarterbacks ad libbing together a great ad lib play, one of their classics that you know they throw out once every couple weeks or so between Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. But you know this,
this was Xavier Worthy's debut into the public. I he had two touchdowns off his first three touches and like, let me hedge for a second or caveat or whatever their correct word is that you know, late at night when we're when we're recording this, but one of those was a blown coverage. You know Marlon Humphrey was looking for help in the back, the deeper part behind him in the field and fine, but.
That was on the thirty five yard touchdown in the second half that gave them a two score lead. Again, that was kind of their answer to that likely long touchdown that we just talked about.
Yes, yes, but I think more proof of concept of what the Chief's offense is really going to exploit and try to do this year was evident on the first play his first touch of the game, the touchdown, and it was the fake handoff to Pacheco.
And it was a reverse Xavier Worthy.
He got an escort block from Noah Gray and who just signed an extension by the way, and that speed and navigation through his downfield blocking which was prodigious at that point and really started with that tone setting block by Noah Gray. It just was and it was it was a short It technically was a quote unquote short
yardage play. What a lot of people have talked about with the Chiefs all off season is the explosive pass, so air yards pass and explosive pass play and getting behind the defense, which again on the blown coverage, he did get behind the defense quite literally but in stuff like what I've been sort of honking about all off season is I think you're going to see some of this dolphins s combination of speed and timing footwork and quick throws in order to exploit the middle of the
field in ways that deep passes actually can exploit it, just depending on if your receiver can actually get to the spot of the throw or in this case, use the speed and the downfield blocking to take a what is a short technically a short concept this reverse and turn it into a huge gain and in this case a score.
And I want to go to a statistic that I was.
Sort of monitoring throughout the game, because this is where speed really matters.
Sometimes we look at throw time and we're.
Like, ooh, throw time, Oh my god, you know all he does is check down. That's actually not the case here. I looked in the third, like late in the third quarter, because I felt like the way the game was trending, maybe you're going to watch the Chiefs try to close things out in the fourth quarter.
I thought, I thought this game was going to end quickly, and the Chiefs were going to quickly. We were texting, and I was wrong about that. It did end quickly, but it was a lot of action.
But okay, so at that point late in the third when I when I checked in, I'm looking at my piles of notes here. By the way, you can you guys can all laugh at me for what a nerd I am. So in twenty twenty three, Patrick Mahomes was throwing his aver time to throw corder the next gen was two point nine to seven seconds. That was the above league average, which was two point eight through this those three quarters of this game, he was at two point six to two seconds per throw on average. However,
his yards per attempt was ten point five. So and for comparison, Lamar Jackson at that point was also at at that exact moment, was also at two point six to two seconds per throw, but was at five and
a half yards per attempt. So basically afraid of their so's it's a total it's a total difference in what they're doing is they're using the sort of what the Dolphins have showed, and that that reverse was, by the way, looked like a very Dolphins ESQ play And I'm sure other teams will now borrow it from Andy Reid because that's just how this goes, he got to go first,
and now people are gonna steal from him. But this this is about exploiting the way that defenses drop from back to front or the way they have to backpedal from front to back, depending on the type of footwork and the type of throw they see the quarterback making, depending on the cadence, depending on the motions, and if you have speed players the way that the Chiefs Now do and the way that the Dolphins do, but the way especially the Chiefs Now have showed that they do,
you can basically make the plays look like they will require either a deeper drop from the defender or it's the type of footwork that makes you think that they're either going to go or they're going to go quick game, and then all of a sudden, the speed of the player whips them around behind the defender because they've dropped too deep. You can disguise things when you have speed like that. You can disguise the type of throw and
speed throw or not that you're doing. And that's what you could kind of see Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense do because you're seeing them open up the middle of the field less. So maybe even the deepest parts of it, but actually the middle of the field. Using all of this game changing speed in combination with some of the ways they're layering their concepts and also some of the misdirection that they're using pre and at snap,
and all of those things in tandem are great. But if you have that game altering speed like we saw with exavier space on the field that would not otherwise be opened with the exact same concepts are going to be open and the player is getting there faster, the quarterback can get the.
Homes talked about it to Mike Tarico. I thought that was very telling that and I know you were excited about this because this is something that you were talking about in the off season, how the speed can open up some of the shorter routs, and that was exactly what Mahomes. So you Patrick Mahomes roughly the same football minds,
and it's telling that he said it. But to your point, some numbers on that the only deep throw he had all night was that busted coverage touchdown, but it was actually one of the only three touchdowns that he's thrown over twenty yard air yards since Tyreek Hill left, which is totally insane. Three and two years in a game that's insane. But he was four for seven in the intermediate area. He did have that interception there, but they had ninety four yards on those seven throws and a
lot of the biggest plays came on that. Noah Gray is gonna be involved. We'll see about Kelsey. I'm not worried that he had a quiet night. It's to me, it's cool to see him out there blocking his ass off at thirty four As someone that was always a Travis Kelcey is not even in the same ballpark of Rob Gronkowski in terms of how dominant a player is. It's been pretty awesome to see how Kelsey has evolved and it's just a total dog and there will be
some games where he's quiet. You only have thirty four yards receiving in this game, but you mentioned Worthy and we don't even have Markis Brown in this game. He's injured and it's probably gonna be back in week two or three. It does not sound like it's going to be longer. And that was my takeaways. Just as the Chiefs juice is back, Reid spit in the dial, a lot of funky, fun formations, a lot of creativity. I think Worthy's helping that. I think Carson Steele's gonna help that.
I think Noah Gray getting better and better it is gonna help that. And obviously Mahomes can handle everything, but Worthy is the key to everything. And it's not about like all the Bills gave up Worthy and what a dope we'll see. I think Worthy's gonna have a great year. I said it. I was high on Worthy coming into the draft. He was one of my one of my you know guys. I thought he was underrated because he just wasn't a speed guy. Uh but he is also a speed guy and he can be set up on
touchdowns where he doesn't have to do that much. Let's hear the first one, because that was to me kind of his welcome to the NFL, but in a positive way. Moment his rushroom touchdown early in the game. Take it away, Mike, grab at the name plate. There, I get you the fifteen.
It wasn't inside the opening.
This is the speedy man.
Say if you're working to.
His first touchdown, Tansas City touchdown man.
We dated our auto racing guys here to call this one. Watch him take this turn four point two one seconds no more worries about whether or not Chanceas City has any speed feed.
Very cool. Oh you can honk about Chris Collinsworth and you could you could be Oh, this guy's two folksy or whatever. I love it. Hong kong golly, I'm into it. And by the way, you don't have you don't have to use the word honk. I saw when you say you said honk. You said it with a little smirker almost distaste on your face, as if like it's a rule that we pass out when you, you know, sign up with NFL daily, that you have to say honky.
You have to seek, must honk this much to participate. So okay, so we are again too, We're.
Going to go deep on this show. Keep going. I'll take it. By the way, great rookie class, great rookie class performance by the Chiefs and Brett Veach.
I want to talk about that in the highlight when people go back and watch this game again, watch number eighty three, the at snap motion slash movement that he does in order to basically he basically moves open that hole with the immediate movement of that motion, and then he flips all the way around and comes back across as almost like an escort blocker, but he already opened the gap, so basically a pre escort blocker, and so he and then he sets the first part of that
gap with his block. So that's this type of stuff that happens in the middle of these plays that like Andy Reid is a mastermind of, because it's not just about Xavier Worthy and.
How that was a fantastic moment.
By the way, I saw a clip of Patrick Mahomes making sure going into the stands, making sure he got his ball for him. That was his first NFL touch and it was a touchdown. Patrick Mahomes ran all the way down to celebrate and then also ran like looking around for the official just to make sure the Xavier Worthy can keep that for the rest of his life. That's so special. That's a great quarterback, a great leader
right there as well to do that. But that type of mid play or in play movement that just in space, just a little bit more in sequence.
It's boom boom, boom, boom boom.
And you're watching Patrick Mahomes and you're watching where he's going with the ball, so you're not even noticing that this other gap opens up. Because of the movement that Noah Gray is doing. That to me is what makes this so electric, this Chiefs offense. It just it does not get old to me. And and man, we haven't even talked about it.
It's always different. Like Kingsley, Sue of Matea is a rookie left tackle out there looking like a solid starting NFL tackle in his very first game. If they found a left tackle and Xavier Worthy in this draft, that is how you keep dynasties going by paying the Chris Joneses, who had a nice game, you know, first half, he's picking on the Ravens guards. He's picking out matchups that
he wants. So you have your stars show up, of course, but you're going to need to have some cost control younger players to keep this thing going, like the cornerbacks you mentioned Jalen Watson and like these rookies. And yeah, if Sue Matea ends up being an upgrade, it's a little early. It's not the toughest pass rush in the world to go against Baltimore, but a really promising start
for him. I do think the defensive coaching though for the Ravens, it was like a little bit of a concern They had to take the timeouts early in the second half because they weren't ready. I think there was one in the first half actually like that too, and those timeouts really ended up hurting them. That's a situation where you might want to just let them run the play whatever is your problem on the field, the timeouts are actually worth more. It's like when Sean McVay burns
timeouts on offense. It's the same principle you had the busted coverage. There was some confusion where it just wasn't as tight as the Ravens defense. But I will warn anyone wanting to overreact here. The Ravens defense tends to start slow and really figure things out as the season goes along. That was even true with Mike McDonald. Wasn't as dramatic certainly last year and a year or two of mcdumb. But there's a lot going on and so they had a lot to deal with tonight and talent.
I think they're gonna be fine. I'm not too worried about the Ravens defense.
I want to ask you, did you notice how much.
Drama and theater and razzle dazzle that the younger Hockily put into his calls particularly, you could see him like almost start to get annoyed by the fact that he was calling so many penalties for that pre stap alignment for Ronnie.
Stanley that was crazy in the very first drive of the game and the Ravens get a touchdown and it was so impressive because they had to overcome three formation penalties where they got on Randy Ronnie Stanley. And this was a priority in the preseason two of guys lining up off the line of scrimmage or not you know, aligned with the guard. And it was almost like they told them going into the game, like make this a
point so everyone watching stops doing it. And I saw it in the preseason two and I yes, I find it very interesting that they put Sean Hockeyly in this big spot. Uh, it's the first game of the season. They know what they're doing. Sean Hockeyly is kind of like the next ref. Star has a lot of buzz actually as a as a really good ref, maybe maybe better than his dad. Some people are saying.
Some people, yeah, some people, some people close to Sean Hockey are saying.
But no, I think so.
I think that I love a dramatic ref. Frankly like, as long as the calls are good, Like I love a dramatic rep. My other sort of subtly favorite non football moment Waspags going running down the field to call to try to call one of the timeouts, and only a head coach can do that. And I put out a post on on Twitter. I was like, go Stpags, manifest it, man like, because you know he's gonna he's
he deserves to get the poppy. What you know, he was a coach and defensive coordinator, one of the best every year and and really certainly is his unit, as you know, missing a couple of personnel. I was, I was impressed. Chris Jones is Chris Jones. I mean, I don't really know what else there is to say. I also am curious that this got a little gas.
Though at the end of the game, Like I went and looked at the end of the game. Though he only had three pressures in this game, they were memorable, you bet.
But he forced the FuMB forced the fumble, which I thought was was a really good play. And then you know, you're you're aware of him knowing this, covering aardonald for so many years, Like you're just so aware of where he is at all times. You could tell it was affecting even some of the tight end usage that the Ravens were able to deploy being in twelve personnel so much because of just having to account for him and give some of their own players a little bit more help.
I'm curious about I want to ask the Sports science department for the Chiefs. They will never tell me, but I'm curious about how many miles total leos Chanal actually ran today.
He was all over the field, twenty five rushes.
As you know, obviously as a blitzer, then he was kind of the spy sometimes. I mean, obviously that was tough because Lamar ran. For what he did, I mean it was incredible, but being used as that at times he had three pressures batted the ball could have been a touchdown the past. The Lamar pass that he batted. But I really am curious, Like man, that dude look gassed at.
The end too.
I would be, I mean, I don't know who wouldn't be that. I'd like to know how many miles he actually ran today.
Week one is such a different game. These guys are really building their bodies up. Week two. I think you can see that as well, But you mentioning Chanal like linebacker every year was such a bugaboo, including in the Spagnolo era in Kansas City. They couldn't get it right. They tried free agents, they tried draft picks, and they've just hit these last couple of years. Dude, Tranquil, I don't know if he was hurt in this game. No, he played a full amount of steps. I'm looking at
the next gen sets. I'm geeking out that a lot of the next general we live dots. Now, Yeah, we have participation, but him and Shanel are out there every snap basically in this game, and they played fantastic and Nick Bolton was out there even more. He was there really every step. So they had three linebackers on the field most snaps and again cost controlled guys. Tranquill signed a contract there, but it's pretty reasonable, and then you
have two guys that are affordable, especially Leo Chanal. I think Nick Bolton's going to get a nice contract in the offseason. I do want to just circle back to Lamar because I know there's going to be a lot of conversation on Lamar in this game, and I don't know if he had like he had a great fantasy day and he made it happen. At the end. It was a little up and down in terms of his passing.
I mentioned the deep passing. He was one for five throwing the ball over twenty yards down the field and and most of those he had a chance to make a big play. But other than that, he completed a high percentage of his passes and they did move the ball. They start the game with a where he has to overcome his offensive line and he runs for over one twenty like he was sick. But I thought he went
out with a per to do that. And I didn't see these quotes from the Washington Post until the game had started, but I want to read them to you, Jeordan. I don't know if you've you've heard it.
I don't think i've seen Yeah, I probably have.
They put this game into context. He said how I'm feeling right now? And this was back in June actually, when when Kent bab was really good to the interview. Said I wish I was feeling like this body wise in the AFC Championship game, we would have won the game. I would have been able to move round for my guys with me just hurdy and can't move. I didn't. I know if my legs were good, like we would have won that s word, we wouldn't even have to
thrown the ball. F throwing the ball. So that's that's pretty interesting to have that comment F throwing the ball.
I mean objectively, overall, he is a great thrower of the football.
So that's wow.
I had. Although if he has one bugaboo, it is probably the vertical throws, and that he came into this game almost with a mindset of like, if the throw is not there, if the play's not there, just run. And he did take a lot of hits in this game. But the whole idea of like Lamar lost weight and Lamar is quicker this year and the old Lamar runner is back, It's like, yeah, that wasn't just a phony narrative. Whether he can keep that up for seventeen weeks, I
don't know. But to my eye, he did have more juice today. I like, maybe don't take quite like he is usually so great at avoiding big hits, and he took two I would say two to three today that we're a little dicey. He was hitting that spin move button and it was a beautiful thing to watch, but it was it was a lot on Lamar's play. It was like a little too much, like he wanted this
game so badly. You could tell I don't think you want to do that week after week obviously, and have him carry the ball like three hundred and twenty five times.
Yeah.
Like I said before, I thought that the Chiefs defense played good, a good relatively objecting sort of overall a good game against this receiving specifically receiving core. Isaiah likely obviously found his spots at tight end, but I also maybe pushed back just a little. Although I don't think we're disagreeing at all. I don't think he was always
running with just running in mind. Like a lot of these plays that he made, he was running looking to throw first and looking for the opportunity of the moment. The All twenty two coming out tonight or tomorrow will reveal a lot more about where receivers were because on your broadcast, RECEECI no, no, and like he's escaping pressure,
he's escaping pressure. He found Isaiah as a person. I think this was a really great moment for the two of them to understand that they in live action like this, they really can add lib together like that, because it seems like if pressure is like this on a regular basis against this group of linemen, and they're going to need they're going to need that to happen, similar to how we've seen at times Patrick Mahomes escape pressure and
extend plays with Travis Kelce. I mean, this is this was sort of that moment for me where I was like, Oh, these two are going to be great partners for a long time if they keep it up like this. But at the same time, you know, I don't think that, uh, I think that he just you could see he was looking. He was looking to make sure okay, especially if the
pocket was pushed around the outsides of him. He's like, yeah, that's obviously a lane right there, and I can get ten yards or you know, seven point six yards per carry. I can get an easy eight. Pick up an easy
eight right now. But he was lowering his shoulder into these hits, and he was really trying to I think, set a tone as a captain, as a leader on this team that this is the brand of football that they're going to try to play, this physical style of football, and I think they would have run the ball with pure running backs, you know a little bit more had they not been in a deficit, had they not wanted to try to push the ball a little bit as well.
Yeah, before we go, just any little nuggets.
That you have, Oh, let me get my let me flick through.
I appreciate it, We appreciate it. But when you brought up I'm glad is that. Yeah, Justice Hill had a lot of buzz in Raven's training camp that he was going to be a key part of this team. We actually talked about that on NFL Dailysis. Sometimes we're on the things. He played more than Derrick Henry in this game. He played third downs primarily, it was very close the snap count. He only had one carry to Derrick Henry, who was thirteen for forty six. Didn't have a ton
of room. But he's on the field for all these third down six catches fifty two yards for Justice Hill, third most amount of targets on the team. Flowers ends up with ten targets for thirty seven yards, and I mentioned likely with twelve Mark Andrews very quiet in this game. But yeah, more Justice Hill in this game than Derrick Henry. Are you at all concerned about the offensive line for the Ravens. I would say that that was probably if I had to choose one thing from either of these teams,
that would just concern me. And it's Week one. I think both of these teams are going to be great, but just like this needs to improve as the season goes along or else you're not going to be in the AFC Championship Game. It would be the Ravens offensive line, pass protection poor overall, the new guards rotating at right tackle, and then the running game, like they need to be great,
I think, and they're not gonna. They're not great and cohesive yet, so I think they have a little ways to go for the Ravens offensive line.
Yeah, it's not like and again to bring up Lushanaligan, it's not like his pressure stats specifically are you know, out of this world. He was sent quite a bit, but a couple of times, especially late in the game. I mean you saw especially coming around that that right side, you just you saw that there was a struggle there and that's you know, that just can't that can't happen. And you also saw again you saw they had to
use tight end help quite a bit. I think they want to stay in twelve personnel because their tight ends are good players, but they want to use them as weapons in the passing game, a little bit quicker at the snap versus having to stay and chip and then roll out things like that that just kind of take time.
They just sort of in a way, if pressure is getting from the other side, if the guy you want to throw the ball to has to wait a second and chip for you on the other side, that actually helps the pressure on the other side because you're holding the ball.
You know, it's just that kind of thing. It just there's a ripple effect. And yeah, that's long story short.
I am concerned about that, but it's one game, So.
All right, we're gonna wrap up with one final play that we want to listen to because I don't want it to get lost in the shuffle. This is one of the greatest teams of all time, in a run that rivals any team's run over a four year period, and now they're trying to extend it out for one
more season, not just three in a row. But you know, having that Super Bowl appearance, having the Super Bowl a few years before that, it's it's just incredible what they're doing and It's incredible that tonight Patrick Mahomes, in only seventh year, is now the all time leading passer for the Kansas City Chiefs. And he did it on this throw to Travis Kelce and twelve Trump beholds.
Runs away the fire Trump run count.
Too line a perfect play for Patrick Mahomes to set the Chiefs record for most passing yards passing the legendary Lenny Dawson.
I mean, you got the shot right up to the booth with Taylor. Well, you have the Ravens defenders crashing into each other like the Keystone Cops as Mahomes runs away from three guys and throws it on a hop. Just what an incredible player. Yeah right. I never want to take it for granted. And it's a big deal that they won this game. If they lost it, we would say, you know, it's not that big a deal. And yet they're trying to get home field advantage in
the playoffs. They have an easy division, they have an easy schedule. They have probably the easiest schedule of any of the truely elite Super Bowl contenders coming into the year, and they just won one of the toughest games and have the tiebreaker over the Ravens. So the way season ended is the way this one started, Jordan. You know, it feels different for me how this season is starting,
so that's familiar. But I'm so excited that you were here for this first show, and obviously you're gonna be a big part of the show on Wednesdays all year, and hopefully we'll do some more T and F recaps. This was fun. Let us know, by the way, everyone in the in the comments and it certainly everyone listening if you like doing it live, and we'll try to do that more often. Thanks, Thanks Jordan.
I was terrified to do this live, but I had a blast.
It reminds me of when I'm covering, you know, covering a game and thinking through everything and talking about my notes and looking at my charts and flipping through a billion pages. And I just had and I actually got to like talk to someone else and not just to myself inside my own head.
So thanks Greg.
That is it for the recap of an incredible kickoff game, Chiefs win twenty seven twenty Thanks again to Jordan Rodrieg for joining me. I'm gonna throw to a new section of the show that we're gonna try each week I'm gonna pick some games against the spread with my friend Cynthia Freeland right after the break. Okay, I am here
with Cynthia Freeland. She's done maybe seventy four different shows for NFL media during the week, including NFL Game Debut, which you should watch, where we pick all the games. But this is the most important one because this is the one where you're going up against me one.
On one, you versus me for the Smug Picture Awards.
Okay, so do we do? We call this model versus machine? You talk a lot about your statistical model, whereas I'm just kind of going off off vibes, off feelings. We're gonna pick three games every week. I'm very excited about this name against the spread. We're gonna keep track. The number three felt right, just like we don't want this to be too long. We're only picking our best games. It can be man versus machine, which is you know, complimentary to me, man, that's nice, machine. I don't know,
like you're more than just a machine. You're you're full of.
I feel like, I mean, the machines are amazing because they're reliable, right, and I feel like I'm gonna be more reliable in these game picks. So man versus machine works totally fine, okay, or isn't the model's good too?
Right?
Okay, so you don't get confused what a model is. But I'm not like an Instagram model, my got computer modeler.
It is a little confused. So we're gonna maybe we'll let the listeners.
Yes they can, they can tell us what they can tell us.
And I'm really excited. So we're gonna pick three games every week against the spread. We'll just throw out what we like. We'll keep track, and I'm gonna start with the Bills. This was the one early in the week I knew. I saw that it was six and a half, and I liked it as my survivor pick. I like them to win the Super Bowl. I'm trying not to just fall in love with like my season long pick, because that's not a good thing to do in Week one. But I look at this matchup and I think.
Who is rushing the passer for the Arizona Cardinals food a Baker? I mean, who is stopping the for the Arizona Cardinals, the Baker. I just think it's gonna be such a high number that the Bills put up but I like Kyler Murray in this game. I drafted him like it's gonna be a high score. But they are so thin and the Bills have a sound enough defense that, yeah, they have some problems that I think they give up twenty five twenty eight points.
I feel good about this. I am not going to take heavy favorites too often, I think at the end of these weeks. But we'll see. But in a week one where there's so much uncertainty, I feel good about the Bills minus six point five as my first pick of the year.
What about you, Well, I mean, I have like nine or almost ten points in that game, so I clearly agree with you on that one.
But I'm going to go.
Someplace that feels a little bit more. Oh, I don't know, like a Monday night barn burner where Mark Jets come in to Santa Clara.
And upset the forty nine hours.
So in other words, if you're telling me I can also have three and a half points to go with them, then.
I have or in some places it's four and a half in some places. Who depends where you get in. But yeah, I don't even know. I feel like it, come straight up, I like them.
To just win.
Jets end up one to zero after this weekend, Why, well, they're O line completely retooled. That is a huge, massive deal, especially when you already have a runner in Breeze Hall.
That's I know.
Everyone is like, oh, Christian McCaffrey's a great Yes, we understand he's great too, But I'm talking about why the Jets could have this upset. The Jets team top to bottom, their starters are really really good, and you've got Aaron Rodgers coming back. I understand it's a series injury, but you know what Aaron Rodgers.
Likes to do. He likes to prove everyone wrong.
All this petty Aaron Rodgers is one of the best Aaron Rodgers to see. This is like an MVP year, right, Like you think he comes back and he looked a little rusty in twenty two, didn't play in twenty three.
This is it feels like the model for how you would come out and be an MVP in twenty three.
Right. So on game debut, we have to pick every game against the spread. I was with you that the Jets covering this game. I don't even feel that strong about the forty nine ers winning the game. So we're in agreement. But the Jets are not going to be one of my three picks. So we'll see there.
I go big or go home.
Yet, Steelers plus three and a half. So I'm taking two favorites this week, which I don't love. This are the one underdog I'm taking. I kind of like taking the points in Week one. In general, there's just so much uncertainty. I would love to take a team that has more than three points that I think is gonna win the game. That's the case for the Steelers in this I don't care who starts at quarterback. We're taping this on Thursday afternoon, and it's uncertainty. If Justin Field starts,
I think they win. If Russell Wilson starts, I also think that they win this game straight up. Like the Atlanta Founts. Yeah, no, straight up. Atlanta Falcons were like a four win team last year. I know there, I know they won more games than that in reality, but if you look at this, it's almost profile they were very lucky. They they played such a bad schedule and
they barely won a lot of those games. And to me, uh, I look at the Steelers defense as like the one group in this game that I know what I'm getting. I don't know what I'm getting with Kirk Cousins. I don't know what I'm getting with this offense. I do think I'm getting a pretty bad Steelers offense overall and a pretty bad Falcons defense overall. So give me the front seven, give me Dealers plus five.
I love it.
We are plus minus three and a half.
We are completely not aligning this one because I have Atlanta winning by five points, so.
That would mean that I'm on That's not one of your three picks.
No, no it's not. I'm just telling you where I stand on this one.
Before we were aligned kumbayam moment, Greg Andson, happy little campers.
Now we are staunch opponents.
Okay, my third one and New Orleans I'm not I'm actually surprised that you didn't take this one. But okay, so my model is very conservative. We can talk about this because this is a different format. There's certain breakpoints that become where things become more kind of known and more more kind of stable, And fifty eight percent is where where it's at. This one's fifty five points seven, So New Orleans to win is like way up over sixty, it's sixty four.
Point nine percent.
New Orleans to win by at least four points happens in fifty five points step. That's a very high number, Carolina. Just first of all, Brian Burns is now in New York, right, And I also didn't know what was going on their defense.
I don't know if they did not sust it. Like I think this is going to be a situation where we see New Orleans people like, oh, like all these rumors we hear, like, oh, how mu Kamara is back and Crystal Lave is wonderful and obviously and then you know, it's just kind of part of it is a function of.
Who they're gonna play.
I just don't see that there's anyone on that Panthers defense that's going to stop them.
They're so thin in the secondary. I thought this number was a little crazy too. It's funny because we're a green so much, and that means essentially, I'm rooting for your picks, but I'm really not.
This is.
Like the man versus machine. Yeah, and versus model is very rainmaker versus the model, Like I want to win.
You're the rain Maker. Now you just branded yourself the rain maker, Come.
On, get up to speed. Been the rain maker, been making it rain for years, and it's not going to be raining in the in the Superdome. But I had this game seventeen ten, like I think it'll be a low scoring game. But either way, I trust the Saints in this matchup, all right. My final pick is going to be Bucks minus three and a half. Huh against the Washington Commanders. So are we saying with that three and a half and in some places it's three that
the Commanders and the Bucks are even. Really, I think we're getting a little too over our skis here with I'm not Jayden Daniels in the town. I just mean that number. I love this one. Maybe I would have picked it first. If I'm putting it in order of confidence, it's right there for me. I think this is an underrated team. I think they have great continuity in terms of their players versus a Washington team which really doesn't
and doesn't in terms of the coaching staff. I feel good about Bucks minus three and a half.
I mean, look, I completely agree with you on that one.
I think part of the reason that.
Maybe it's so low is because there's a history of Cliff Kingsbury starting off seasons really strong.
It's like he pulls.
Yeah, they re mode't go into that.
Oh I'm just trying to.
I'm just wondering. Does Vegas get into that?
Yeah, well of course they look at who the players are. My model gets into that big time, which is why season long. One of my strongest things is that Jayden Daniels is gonna throw for at least threeenty twenty five yards, so more than that.
So just just keep that in mind.
Put that one a little feather in your cap right there, and you stole my other one, So I'm gonna go.
Wait, now you can pick it too. I like it if we agree on our third two.
Agree, but I want to talk about the Lions.
Okay, then go for a different there, Okay, So.
I'm taking I'm having my my Motor City kiddies to also win. I understand that your daughter is a massive fan of the Rams, and this is not a pick against her because I love her the most. But I love my Lions too, and I think at home, I love Matthew Stafford.
I keep saying love, but it is true.
But I'm looking at the Lions and I'm looking at this old line and there's no Aaron Donald. The defense is completely retooled. They're missing pieces in the secondary. So I think this is going to be a high.
And a half against a good team or forward or whatever. Then three is it depends what you know, It depends where you get it. You know.
I'm just I want to at least pick something a little more spicy.
Okay, okay, why not?
Have we got a little spices. We can't agree on everything, all right? So because we're best friends, you are going because we're best friends, is they're gonna need to agree on everything.
I don't have a best friend friends. We're friends, I mean best that's like a wow. Well we've been doing this show six years. It's fun. I am excited to pick some games against the spread against you all year. So to recap, I have Bills minus six and a half. I have the Steelers plus three and a half. I have the Bucks minus three and a half. You are taking the Jets, the Saints, and the Lions. I don't really disagree with any of yours, and yet you know
we have different picks. The Saints were on We're probably the next pick I was going to make. Yeah, if you're out there, and you're looking for other ones, like I kind of like the Colts, kind of like the Chargers, kind of like the Jets, but I didn't like them as much so Bills the point Bucks. Okay, so we just not straight out on that one. And for just this one week. And yeah, if you're watching on YouTube, you'll see that we're in a nice Stage five studio.
It's it's strange taste taping a podcast here. I've never done it before, but for Justice one Week kind.
Of feels like we're like in our house, you know, like we just sit awkwardly in chairs facing the same direction, not each other, like that's how we normally talk.
Justice one week because it's going into the season and I got a lot of tweets, and I figure, like, why not just throw it out there. I'm not going to ask you to do this.
No, it's fine.
Some of my season long over unders before we get into it.
Now.
If you are a listener and you heard me with Mina Kimes and Kevin Clark, this was three or four weeks ago. I heard the draft picks where Bill's over nine and a half. Huh, I went bears under nine and a half. That was a little spicy as my number two pick. I feel a little weird about that, honestly now, but I do like it. Texans over nine and a half feel great about that, and forty nine ers under eleven and a half.
Fout off a few of them. I've done my win total.
Okay, I'm gonna get to you. So those are the four I took, and now that I look at it, that was going maybe a little extra spice more than just confidence, because I gotta say I feel even more confident in Seahawks over seven and a half. I feel even more confident in Cowboys under nine and a half. That's one of mine, too, Okay, so we're in agreement. The other two, I like Brown's under eight and a half. I'm just fading that defense being as good this year
and Deshaun Watson maybe making them worse at quarterback. And in the Bucks. We just talked about the Bucks over seven and a half. So those are those are like my eight favorite. I don't know if you have any takeaways.
Okay, So off the top of my head here, I know I like the Seattle one.
I have a full game ahead of that's for me.
A full game is like never, you know, my like I said, models very conservative, but I think that one's a great one. I also think that I have I have the I'm on the other side of that bears angle from you. I have the Patriots to have.
It's one of your favorites to under four and a half.
Wow, I'm sorry, it's not a very nice one.
I had that in my super duper long list that they'd be over because that just seems rude.
But I just seems low.
But I but I but you trade away Matt Judohn this late in the game, Like it's just hard to reproduce that kind of pass rush.
That's I know, But four and a half it's a crazy, crazy low number. I also on my longer list went Chiefs over eleven and a half. Like every year the Chiefs kind of get that. I know they didn't like.
I think I have eleven point four for them, But to me, that's not strong enough to to say it.
I have. I have the Eagles winning the NFC.
Though you have the Eagles winning the Super Bowl, which is crazy. So you like there over as well.
I do like their over and I like the lines over there at ten and a half. I have them at ten point eight. Or ten point seven.
We're gonna dork out on this every week. Yeah, Vikings in that division, I like them over six and a half.
Yes, oh, and the other one I like a lot. This doesn't sound crazy. The Broncos over five and a half. That is that is bananas?
Okay.
You know why because the Broncos get to play the NFC.
South and they get to play in the AFC westoosh On Thanes never had a season close to that bad that one. I'm with you, I'm not really that high on the Broncos, and yet I.
Feel, no, no, you don't have to be that high. Five and a half. Yeah, five, it's it's six. They have to win. That's it. Six.
So we're going to dark out. I like the NFL daily every week. Different flavors.
Thank you, you're like crushing it. This is a lot of work.
It's a lot of work. It's a lot of fun. But I like that there are different flavors to each show. We've never done a pure sort of picks almost word gambling. Oh the g word, you can say it. It's not because we don't gamble. We're saying games against the spread, that's what we're doing. A game within a game. I think that's more fun than picking it straight up. So we'll see how we do over the course of the season.
We're going to do this each and every week. Tell us what you want to hear, but that the three picks each and every week. She is the best in the business at doing it. It has been a blast all week on NFL Daily, but the week's not over. I will be back on Friday night recapping the game. Yes, the only Friday night recap of the You're Adam Lethgo of TNT, who is a great dude, a great broadcaster and an Eagles fan, is going to be joining me, so you can catch us on YouTube live Friday night.
We will see you then wrapping up Eagles and Packers, saying thank you, Cynthia. This is We're going to be doing it every week. We'll see you then