Super Wild Card Weekend Recap - The Browns is the Browns

how about this? The Cleveland Browns in a playoff game, not just appearing in a game, Mark Sessler winning a playoff game, not just against any team, but against the Pittsburgh Stealers. Are you feeling, Forday that that aged me? Um? And yet it also d aged me at the same time. I don't know how that's possible. And Wes, I really thank you for coming on because I know you know, Um, we've been through a lot regarding to Cleveland Browns on

our show and our own conversations. So um, I you know, if it is like the game ended four minutes ago for me to come on and offer um tangible rational thoughts will be a challenge. I will attempt to. I'm just beginning to realize what has happened. I can't imagine what percentage of our listenership thought of Mark Quinn. It was about three minutes left in the first quarter. Brown's

already had two interceptions of Big Ben. They scored on the missnap over Big Ben's head, up twenty one to nothing, about to go up twenty eight to nothing, the most points ever scored in a postseason game in the first quarter, and Chris collins Worre says, I don't think there's a single person in Cleveland who feels comfortable right now. And it was. It was very impressent by Mr Collinsworth because

things did get interesting. Uh. And we're gonna get to all of that, including all the other games in Super wild Card Weekend six in total, three Saturday, three Sunday. We're gonna cover them all one by one, and we'll go in reverse chronological order, which yes takes us to Heinz Field, the site of a massacre and the sham coach high over the head of Big Bed, all the way back to the tone to the one of the props have it in the end zone and they dig

on the wall and recover it. Alright, touch own, Carl John Ship's got it in the end zone. Touchdown. Not a bad start. Ship's nothing Brown, not a bad start. That great Brown's Radio network with the call the ound,

scored twenty eight unanswered points in the first quarter. White knuckled their way through the inevitable Steelers come back, then got big plays and their best players that close out a forty five to excuse me, a forty eight to thirty seven win over the hated Pittsburgh Steelers, the biggest win for this organization since it's reboot. By far Mark, You've waited a long time for this moment. How does it feel to watch your Browns beat the Steelers in

fantastic fashion? It feels um, I don't know. It's uh. The one thing I'd say about the Cleveland fan base, and I really felt this over the course of this week, Um, because you knew it was it was win or lose, and it was fans interacting with like Ernest spiner In, Eric Metcalfe and Bernie Kozar and uh players of old and um Butch Davis chiming In and Joe Thomas and Andrew Hawkins that so many people, I feel like, over the years have wanted to make the Cleveland Browns a

fun experience have tried. Um. Players have gone there and toiled and to no results, no, no playoff results. Um. And the fans have been through um utter hell. And there. I you know, I certainly I think highly of other fan bases that go through the same thing, and they showed the same loyalty, and UM, it's settling in for me.

I'm just one person that roots for this team. But I I knew that I never wanted to walk away from them, and I didn't know if there would ever be a reward, and I don't know as an adult that it could ever really would it be the same as the seven or eight, seventh or eighth grade version of me that lived and died so hard by this team. It cracked through a little bit, it did. I can't if I love it too. And it's it's not the same as maybe when you or seventh and eighth grade.

But I'm just looking at you right now, I mean, Mark is being mean. The dichotomy right now between Mark's face at this moment and like its oozing out and the look on Mark's face at the end of the third quarter when he was conscripted by our jobs at Sky Sports to come on. Happened to be me and Mark in the rotation. Although they were definitely gonna have Mark in the rotation, they weren't gonna miss that opportunity. Uh. And at that point it was fourth down for the Steelers.

They had already um, you know, cut the lead, I think to twelve. It's at midfield. Um. And Mark, you know, handled it all very professionally. When when our friend Neil Reynolds uh goes to him, you know, you know, just just trying to put this how are you feeling right now? Mark, It's like, please, you know, unpack your pain and anxiety for all of us and Mark. Mark kind of white

knuckled through it. But you know, he took some shots at people who were premature celebrating, and he said his confidence level was at about one in one hundred and uh. And you could feel the anxiety and everything building up to that moment. And it's great to look back to it because that was a turning point. Right after that Mike Tomlin, you know, christ for Sessler and all the Browns fans there they've been some weird Yeah, there's been some weird punts this weekend, and that that might have

been a height of it. And Greg, you you said, put it on Nick Chubb, And soon after Nick Chubb scored. And I think that's the first moment that I started to feel like, um, even my own pessimism and anxiety in twenty thirty plus years of fandom, um might not be enough to get in the way. And and and you know, if anything, the sky Sports crew are total allies, and like so I you know I was it wasn't I didn't want to expose my total um, the real meat, which is like I don't feel positive until like the

final whistle of these games. Um, not a great time to be podcasting myself to the United Kingdom. But uh, it was like five in the morning there, so probably twelve people saw it anyways, Like, um, it's a totally surreal experience. So yeah, we did. We did a bunch of stuff with sky Sports this weekend. And I I was doing the hit with Mark after the first quarter when it was twenty eight nothing and I get maybe Mark was taking shots at me. At the end of

the third just I said, I declared it over. I mean, twenty eight nothing. If they would ever ever blown that game, that would have been maybe the end of the Browns. I don't know what would have happened. That's certainly the end of Mark Sessler. To the point where I was texting Greg in a nervous manner, uh like, I don't know what we're going to do with the podcast if something bad happens here, Because West, I know you're watching the game as well, and you you're noticing the same

thing everybody else is. You know, it's twenty eight nothing, and it's seven, and then oh then it's thirty five, seven, sixteen, thirty five, twenty two, and all of a sudden, it's like, Okay, what's going on here? Did you ever have a doubt? West? Or did it always feel like it was in the bag for Cleveland? I had doubts? I did, um, just because of who the Steelers are, what their DNA is, and who the Browns are and what their DNA is through the years. It's like the little brother big brother thing.

And um, I think you tip your cap to Alex van Pelt, who is not the regular play caller and who kept passing the ball and they kept scoring to answer the Steelers scores. Tip your captain Baker Mayfield who came through on those passes, and Nick Chubb, who is a difference maker. Like you know, I think Greg said it well, put it on Nick Chubb because all season long, you no matter what you think about Baker or O'Dell or Kevin's Tefanski, when you play the Cleveland Browns, you

have to deal with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. That is a championship pack field. One is a rushing champion, is rookie year. The other might be the one or two top one or two best running backs in the NFL, and you had to deal with him every time you play the Browns. Cecler, do you want to hear the Jim Donovan Doug Deacon call of the uh Nick Chubb forty yard touchdown in the fourth quarter? Yeah? I would

love to. All right, let's hear that. Mark looks post second to got a bridge coming there, tree pass right side, Here comes job, he's going, He's going in touchdown. Great job, great play call. Right there you go, Mark. I'm happy for Jim. Think imagine you know, um, I'm one who has occasionally complained about long NFL Sundays, and we've seen a few, but I mean Donovan please, I mean, hey, how often is he featured on our show? Because it's he's typically um, you know, broadcasting an l so this

is quite different for him. And on the and on the Pittsburgh side of things, was obviously a terrible loss. The fact, I mean the fact, just the way it started for those of us that we're lucky enough to be at the game and everyone else who watched the famous Seahawks Broncos Super Bowl where the first snap of the game went over Peyton Manning's head for a safety and that's set the tone for a blowout victory for the Seahawks. This was like that, but worse because somehow

it goes over Big Ben's head. Pounce, he fires it over his head and then it gets recovered by the Browns for a touchdown and just the avalanche of points. But even after Pittsburgh got things stabilized, and bad job by everybody on the offensive side. Ben Roethlisberger, despite throwing for five yards, had four interceptions in this game, including some truly wretched picks when the game was hanging in

the balance. But you have to put it on the defense a little bit too west, I thought, because there were times when, yes, they strung together a couple of stop stops to get the game close, but when they had a chance to really squeeze the Browns in the second half and really put the pressure on and give the Steelers offensive chance to steal this game, they never could do it. And this is supposed to be one

of the best defenses, if not the best defense in football. Well, you know, Collinsworth pointed to some miscommunications because of the injuries they've had there, but still had t J. Watt, still had Cameron Heyward, they still had Stefan to it, they still had all these great players on their defense. There's no excuse for for kind of laying over time and time again when when the offense wants to get back in the game and you can't get a stop, right I I give so much credit though, to to

Fan Sky and what you know he's installed. I think you only win by adjusting your game playing week to week. It's very much a Patriots thing and like like everyone does it. But they came out with a totally different game plan than they did a week ago. I mean, Baker next Sense Stats had some good stuff about how he was throwing the ball faster, uh than he did the entire season tonight, And so that's partly why Van Pelt stayed so aggressive while Mike Tomlin is punting on

a fourth and one. If that's anyone else, I mean he he was the first coach to punt the ball in that scenario, which is over the forty yard line um and down by at least ten points on a fourth and one in a decade, and the last person to do it was playing a meaningless Week seven team game before that, it was fifteen years. That was it

was crazy. Whereas Van Pelt took that punt and he's calling passes while a lot of people on Twitter and sky Spire was Neil's question to me also in that in that break was like why aren't they just you know, pounding running the ball because they know who they are. They're the Cleveland Browns. They're an offensive team. And you know what was working tonight is those short passes. And

they did that. They're adjusting week to week. They changed their game plans, and they do it based on their opponent, and they're smart and they went for and you mentioned like people got to deal with with Chubb and Hunt West. I throw Jarvis Landry in that mix, man. I mean every night, every game, when there's a big play to be made, whether it was the touchdown early to set the tone or the third and five where Baker absolutely needed someone and and things are falling part, Jarvis Landry

makes the play. That guy's at dog. Week after week, the Steelers are the first team since two thousand fifteen to punt when Dan at least eight from inside their opponent's forty yard line. There were eleven suns too. That wasn't not even the one I was mentioning. There were eleven such punts in the last twenty seasons prior to

Sunday Night, and none happened in the first half. So, like you know what I I said that you get on Big Ben for four picks and Market's pouncy for five that ball over his head, and the running game for being stuck in mud as usual. Uh, and the defense we're not getting to stop on accounts. But hey, Mike Tomlin too. It was just a wretched night for the Steelers, dark knight for that organization that now has

to figure out where they are going forward. We have plenty of time to talk about where the Steelers move on from here. Where we What we do know, Mark Sessler, is that the Browns move on to face the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead. And listen, I'm not I will not play this card, but it's worth saying. This feels like a house money game for the Cleveland Browns. Now, this is a huge success this season. Uh You're now twelve and five with a playoff win over the hated

Steelers and you're going into Kansas City. You get killed. Hey, listen, you got beat by Patrick Willhomes. You win, you blow the roof off the place. Uh. So it feels like a good spot for the Browns to show up loose and ready to play. Well. I feel the same way. I think that this the Brown Steelers thing. And in West you mentioned it. It's a big brother, little brother. It's trying to play your dad in the driveway and

you know the basketball hoop, that kind of thing. And at some point in life, um, you you find a way to to to squeak out of victory. Um. The Chiefs are a whole different matter. And I I watched this entire game standing up. I think I sat for maybe two seconds the entire game. That game, I'm not trying to say it's I'm with you, Dan where it's just like, I'll appreciate that they've got to that point,

and well that's a great test. But the last thing I will say is that I hope each of us um find happiness, rude for or being agnostic UM and enjoying football and whatever way we do in each other's presence. I didn't think this would happen un till I was seventy two. I always thought it would happen when I was like near the end and i'd be texting you guys from like an island in the Caribbean or something. That it's happening while we're still doing the show means

something to me. It does mean something that we were on sky during all this, because they've been our allies, and so I feel thankful, um, And I'm not. I know that I don't like uh raw Rod jump around in a jersey and all this stuff, but I inside I do feel it quite a bit. The men still wearing a sports code right now. He is a perfect I was going to change my clothes at all. I wasn't gonna change you know what, you might have sent Big Ben into retirement. Either way, you sent him into

infamy those interceptions. How about and before before I turn it over to west for the final word, I want to give uh this quote which will be etched into stone of this rivalry. Juju Smith Schuster. I think they're still the same Brown's team my play every year. I think they're nameless gray faces. They have a couple of good players on their team, but at the end of the day, I don't know the Browns is the Browns

not anymore? Juju Wes, thank you for coming on. Any final thoughts before you sign off and hit the Hey, Uh, I had my pain pumping planted, hopefully rounding a curve here, Hopefully be able to be on the on the show a little bit more frequently in the coming weeks. Um. Thanks to everyone who's reached out. Appreciate all the all the fond uh sentiments in the past few weeks. Very nice looking, good West sounding good. Thank you for joining us. We love you, buddy, Love you guys too. There we

goes Chris Westling, the King of West Cincinnati. Let's we're just getting started here, the Browns advance. Let's see who else gets to move on to the NFL's version of the Elite eight. Next stop, Super Dome, cann Gold from the sixt Murray the tail back, Beyonce Harris motioning open the left side, now back to the right breeze, fakes it, looking for someone to throw two under pressure, He tumps it underneath. They'll tell you it's Murray at the five

across the gold line touchdown. We'll tell me it's Murray. Zach Strief and Deuce McAllister w w L. It wasn't the cake walk we all expected, but the Saints took care of business on Sunday at the super Dome, getting two touchdown throws from Drew Brees and another rock solid

performance from their defense. Nine win over the Bears. New Orleans advanced to the Divisional playoffs for the third time in four years, where they'll meet Tom Brady and the Bucks and the most hotly anticipated showdown between two forties something quarterbacks in the history of our league. Greg They say, it's what they had to do here, and greater challenge is a weak right. This felt like the most knock

it out playoff game I can remember. I think this's gonna happen sometimes now with the seventh seed, and don't say that they need they gotta lose. I know it's big money for the NFL to add playoff games every once in a while. If that's what this is gonna be, where we lose the second seed, the bye on week seventeen and the drama and then we get dogs like this every year. Well here's here's the flip side. Um, the best game of the weekend, I would say was

Bill's Colts. So that was the other two seven and that that helped uh in eleven win team get into the playoffs with Philip Rivers. Uh, you know, like so so you never know how it's gonna go. Now that's said, I think we have these playoff games anyways in a normal year, it does feel like a come down. After this nice moment we all just shared, west Is on

the show. We're celebrating the first Brown's victory in the playoffs since we got to talk about, you know, the Saints winning a game where they had five point one yards per play against the Bears. It was it was a little much. Uh. It proved what we've said all year about the Saints that they can win different kinds of ways. And I personally believe player for player, it's

the best team around Drew Brees that they've had. I mean, they'll there'll be some others that are close, but it's a really good defense, it's a it's a good offensive line, it's a good running game. Now Michael Thomas is back, Drew Brees may or may not hold them back. I think that that's gonna play out over the next couple of weeks. We'll see. I think they have to be thrilled just that they moved past this and that they get an opponent that they're very comfortable with UH in

Tampa in New Orleans next week. So I don't take too much from this game. It's almost like it's almost like when the teams were playing the Jets. I know it's a playoff team, but it's like they did what they needed to do when they moved on. I'm with you, and they ran into a Bears team. That unnecessary to bring up the Jets in any context there, but go on, Telta little felt a little in this. I just meant we kept saying that during the year, like what did

I learned team? This week? My point was, I don't know what I learned about the Saints this week then, so all, yeah, I think that's fair. It's like they just had a sort of white knuckles through this thing, you know, and and and they did and you were the Bears. To me, um, you know, bigger picture, I I'm kind of glad this game happened because for the Bears, because you don't come out of the season with um hopefully like delusions of grandeur about who your coaches, your

general manager, your quarterback, your offense, your scheme. Bears gave them a tough fight early on, they really did, but they're also sloppy. There were unnecessary penalties. Uh. To me, it was a meltdown moment to have Anthony Miller um get disqualified um for falling for c. J. Gardener Johnson's antics, which every everyone knows that c J. Gardner Johnson, Um, that's what he does. And I mean he's gotten three guys, he's gotten three guys, he's gotten two guys kicked out

of the games, and he's got Michael Thomas suspended. I don't know if anyone's ever had a run like well, and who was who was the player? Um that a dropped the uh trick play bomb that would have completely changed the complexion of the game. Javon Wims right, and he's the same player that threw a punch at Gardner Johnson earlier in the year, one of the most unnecessary Um.

Gardner Johnson was wearing a helmet. No less sure. I mean, like, just so, it's like the Bears to me, Um, are they a team that you could say, wow, they If anything, they they're a team built up composure. No, it's the opposite. And on top of it, like the offense, you know, played a real defense today and that Greg, You're right that the defense surrounding Drew Brees right now is completely different than in years past. And and so you know they match up well with the Bucks and this game

fades into the distance, as does the the opponent. Yeah, I thought the mirage of the Bears quote unquote surge was exposed last week in Green Bay, um or in Chicago was when the Packers put it on Mitch Robinsky and you you saw, you know, how the Bears looked when they weren't playing the worst defenses in football. So

this was just kind of an extension of that. And from just the pure game standpoint a cause I agree I think it helps them perhaps in the long term, because you know, after these last two weeks, there are no questions about Trabinsky. You know, maybe we should keep him around. It's like, no, you should start fresh. You didn't pick up his option, and now he didn't show you enough to change your mind on that. Um, Matt, Naggy,

that's a decision that needs to be made. Um. You could you could argue, I know Naggi is not a very popular figure on this show, but you could argue, um that you know, the fact that they were down four points late in the third quarter in this game showed uh something you know in Naggie and his ability to keep this team competitive. But there's there's such a razor thin margin of error in this type of matchup.

So when Javon Wims drops that pass and Tripisky didn't do much of the whole day, but that was a dime to a wide open receiver and it's one of the worst drops you'll ever see. The die was cast on the game at that point. It's like, Okay, the Bears aren't here to do something special, and New Orleans kind of played their partner. They're like, all right, we know there's nothing really dramatic or fun going on here. We're just gonna grind this thing out, and that's what

they did. I we will have a chance to talk about them in the preview show and on Tuesday, But it's a concern. Their first six drives, they had seven points in a turnover, and they weren't playing the Bears from the first half of the season. They were playing a Bears team missing there what I think was probably their best player this year, real Kuwan Smith. I think he had a better year even than Kleo Mack. They were missing Buster Screen and Jalen Johnson, two starters, and

so that's a concern. Mooney who was an important part of their own right Mooney on offenses, So I think that's a concern for the Saints offense. But like he's working hard for yards. Breeze through thirty nine passes for two sixty five um reminds me of a couple of weeks ago where you threw about fifty to get to three hundred. You know, eight they're working, they're working hard for yard. It's a different type of team, but they

also their coaches are so good. Like when they came out a halftime, they did totally adjust and then they got the touchdown touchdown to win the game. You know, going away, this should have been twenty eight to three, Like if they didn't take you know, overturned breezes touchdown right at the goal line, and then Mitch puts up a garbage time one at the buzzer, it was three. So the score for he even feels a little misslea. There was also crazy. There was also a crazy punt

in this game. I mean the Bears are punting down three scores with like seven minutes to go in the game. It's like, I guess I'm asking with some of these scenarios. It's like, if you're Matt Neggi and that's sort of been your like you he's been critiqued for that kind of stuff before. What are you doing? What are you suggesting to your own team when you're punting the same thing. But it's the same thing we say about Sean McVeigh. We don't give him heat for it. It's like, I'm

not I'm not talking specifically game management decision. I'm talking about Sean McVeigh doesn't trust Jared Goff and he coaches that way. That's exactly I think the way Naggie feels about Trabinsky and it affects his decision making in terms of being aggressive because he simply doesn't trust his quarterback to to help him out. I just don't like these teams that have to just trust their defense. It's like

it's all in our defense. Because the Bears defense honestly played a really good game and they still they still in the end, it wasn't nearly enough. I think this is not how many teams, I mean, again, not to give Naggie too much credit, but how many teams down three scores with three minutes to play have a fourth, uh fourth and goal stop. You know, they kept the

Saints that they played hard that whole game. They just get help and I think Pagan and they play hard for Pegana, who was all pumped up in this game. I think that's the other takeaway, Greg, what you hit on that much was made of Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara finally all on the field together. But ultimately, you know, it's become clear now at this stage of the game with Breeze, who's almost certainly in his final games of his career, that the this attack is just not.

It doesn't pack the punch at once did, So you're just not gonna get the thirty to forty point explosions of yesterdayear most weeks. And it's gonna be a defense. Even the Saints are going to be a team there, I think relies more in their defense than the offense. Yeah, Thomas looked good though, so I think that matters. They just and they haven't played many games together, to be fair to them, so you know, as they work through this, you know, in their mind, hopefully they get better each week.

When when the Bears just decided to run the ball before halftime instead of trying to score in a seven to three lead, to just kill the clock, that that to me was like the ultimate game over and I don't trust my quarterback. We should mention um. Then the Nickelodeon broadcast. I think that's the only thing that saved this game, at least in terms of June. I don't know what that is, but I like it. I don't know either. I didn't I was I watched it alone because my wife and kids left the house, so I

had no reason to put on the children's program. But Twitter was all I only did a little but Walker loved it. My son, he they were watching in the room. I was back in the bedroom, but you know, I went and checked it out and and they were they were the time the SpongeBob and they were like learning things like it was good. We watched about an hour of the game that way. And UM there were clear advantage, like clear wonderful things for you like young viewers learning

UM football. And they threw a lot of little animation in and they in their first down UM stripe was very defined in a way that kids would would love. UM. There was also in the game though you know you've got a player punching someone. Um, there was a there was a very audible f bomb dropped on Nickelodeon, which I don't think they were planning for. So you know, I give Nate Burlison and friends a lot of credit for um, you know, getting them out of some tough corners.

To burl Liston is just clearly good at this too. I mean, you put them in any format he seems to succeed and explain the game for it. Don't put Lewis Riddick in the booth for Nickelodeon. By the way, that was SpongeBob. It just came out so loud. I couldn't really like, I know what SpongeBob sounds like, but I didn't. Con Lewis Riddick dropping the brown word out of nowhere in the middle of a telecast today was one of my favorite. You know, it was an interesting

day from a broadcasting perspective. You had Riddick um saying this is electric. You had the Nickelodeon broadcast and everything that was going on with that port He had port Tony Romo, Uh, you know, in a closet somewhere and parts unknown looking pale and struggling not to talk over Jim Nance who's from at the Superdome? Uh? In the latest COVID nineteen madness. Uh. It was just, you know, these little details of a very long weekend of football.

We felt their pain. That the talking over each other when you have a delay and you're in different places on TV. It's like if if it happens to Dunny Ramo, I don't feel as bad. That's true, all right. Let us keep moving to the first game of Sunday. On third and nine, Jackson of the Row steps up pocket to lapsing. He escaped piece of the forty yard line thirty five thirty, Lamar Jackson to the twenty leg race ten five and he's pushed out abound at the one

yard line. No signal is touchdown Lamar Jackson on third and nine he takes into the house and the Ravens an extra point away from tying it up. Jerry Sandusky with the call w B A L. The Hey was not in the barn at that point, but that was the turning point. Lamar Jackson shot through a muddy pocket, entered open space, then used that four three speed to outrun half of the Titans defense on a forty eight yards score. It was the big turning point a win

over the Titans at Nissan Stadium. It's the first playoff win of Jackson's career, so he gets that monkey off his back and it sets up the Ravens for a Division round class with the Bills next week in an Orchard Park. UM. I believe Jackson deserved a lot of praise for his play in this game. UM, But when I was watching this game, what I couldn't get over was what Don Wink Martindale and the Ravens defense did. Um.

They've been playing better all season. I mean the back half of the season, they were there, they were cresting along with the offense. It was the whole team was

improving vastly as things played out down the stretch. But you wondered, what would happen, uh when you played a big time offense, and what was a bigger offense this season than the Titans to completely shut down the Titans offense as they did, holding Derrick Henry to forty yards on eighteen carries, Uh, to harass Ryan Tannehill to the point where he just was not himself and was never able to get clicking with A. J. Brown, And of course the Marcus Peter with that Peters with a huge

interception that essentially sealed the game. That was such a unforeseen development to me. Is I thought this game had shootout written all over it. But the Ravens, again, that organization has run so well that they always find a way, even when you think that they won't, they always do. And their injuries on defense throughout this year kind of we're overlooked compared to the offense. But they had problems there too, and they had COVID issues too, and you're

right there. They they always find a way to improve. That was the lowest yardage in any Titans game since the game that Marcus Mariota was benched for Ryan Tannell, which to me is like that's the inflection point of this organization. So for for Baltimore to dominate it like that defensively, they're they're really hard to prepare for. But it's also partly you know, you give Lamar Jackson in the offense credit because they're part of it. Is they

only had nine drives. It's like there wasn't much time the Ravens. It wasn't their peak offensive performance, but they once they got it going after the first quarter, ultimately they went on these five minute drives, whether finished in a touchdown or a field goal. It's shortened the game. And I love the end of the game. I always

love this more than anything. The Browns are great at this, but it says so much when the other teams like knows you're gonna run at the end, and you and you do run and and that's how you finished the game. When they know it's coming. Man, I just it feels like as a fan, there must be nothing more satisfying because when the when the Ravens got the ball back after that interception which by Tannehill, which everyone's gonna remember. It is kind of like, oh, that ended the game.

There was like two thirty left in in some time outs, like there was no rule that the Ravens couldn't go three and out right there, but they basically just ran it down their throats and the game was over and that was that was a Ravens type of statement when well, and I would I would point to how, you know the first quarter went, how this game opened that you know, a J. Brown and Tannehill run fire, And I didn't know if if if Baltimore had an answer for a J.

Brown early on, and you know he's a little streaky, he'll be he'll be super electric. And then um, you know, Tip get like an ankle injury and vanished for a quarter. It seems like I feel like that's eight games in a row that seems to happen to him. But he you know, Baltimore fell into the same corner they did

a year ago. And I think the playoffs are just a little bit different where it's not Week eight um buried on some you know B team network of feed where where everyone's watching and it's like the same questions are being asked about Lamar Jackson. And I thought that the Titans did a really good job early on a bottling up Lamar Jackson, forcing him to run um horizontally. And but when his runs started to become vertical and we saw that incredible touchdown run and um, but that

wasn't the only one. There were a bunch of um. He just he gashed them over and over that you could feel the tight that the Ravens working their way out of that tend nothing hole, working their way out of what happened last year and simply seizing power. And I think they've they were they came an inch away from being broken, and then I think they broke the Titans. And everything that you'd want out of a Titan's win in which would be get up early, have Derrick Henry

start to take over. Because even in the last year's game against the Ravens, it was Derrick Henry late in the game in the fourth quarter where he went nuts. Um, he never it never happened to day he had like forty yards around two point one yards per carry or something like that. And um, they did their job, And so I'm so with you Dan that like in this coaching carousel that seems to, you know, discard people from

a year ago. Greg Roman had a great second half coaching, Wink Barton Dale had an incredible four quarters in general outside of the first couple of drives. So these Ravens assistants are as great of a candidate as you could find. You know, Arthur Smith is every day he's like loading up on interviews. Everybody wants to talk to Arthur Smith.

And meanwhile, Martindale out coached him in this game. And it I think the reason why because it was tend nothing at the end of the first quarter and Lamar had thrown a truly hideous interception, the ugliest interception we've seen in the playoffs so far, I would say, Uh, And it all seemed like it was playing out all over again, the nightmare for the Ravens. But the differences is like the whole team came to play. So when Lamar slumped early with a throw and wasn't making plays

with his legs, the defense kept things under control. And then when Lamar found his footing and again it was third and long at midfield. Uh, They're down ten three at the end of the first half and that forty eight yard touchdown run changed everything. And after the game, here's what John Harbaugh had to say about that room. It's one of the best runds I've ever seen, But it's the best run I've ever seen by a quarterback. I mean, I think it's even greater than the Cincinnati

run you had a year or two ago. I mean, that's just a phenomenal play. What effect it had, I think it it had a big effect, aren't It just got us back in the game we needed, we needed points at that point. We got us back in the game. Psychological, I really don't know, but it made me feel a lot better and tell you that. I don't know if it was the best run ever by a quarterback, but I get why he said that because it almost in addition to tying the game and and putting Baltimore back

on its feet. Uh it, it seemed to almost exercise some of those Lamar demons at that point. So he had this impact special play that just changed the game. And then just purely from like the uh, pure athleticism of it. That's what makes him so much difference. So anybody quarterback Tyler Heineke, for instance, not to take anything away from him. We'll get to him a little bit. He could escape from a muddy pocket and get into

the second level of defense. But Lamar's ability to then hit the turbo button and just run away from five different defenders who all have an angle on him is something that we've never seen. And I guess that's why Patrick claybonds in love, right. I mean, Kenny Karo, the Titan safety, like Jackson hadn't even passed him yet, and he just started jogging after him. It was one of the funniest replays. Like he didn't even he it was.

I mean, they should make fun of him for that, but he was just like, okay, I'm I'm along for the show. You almost take it for granted. I mean, he ran for one thirty six, you know they they ran for two thirty six. He was one thirty six of that, and he started getting the outside in the second half. But but it throws to the outside were really big today. You know, that's he busted some narratives,

not that these should really exist exactly. We know, you know he has strengths and weaknesses, but you know, they hadn't come back from down ten with him Okay, you did that. You know, you don't throw it to the outside today. That was where they really did throw it well to the outside. Oh Hollywood, Brown's kind of you know, it doesn't show up in the big moments. Well, he went seven for one o nine on a lot of

throws to the outside. So it was like a lot of a lot of good narrative bustings for Lamar to just move past. And I love seeing guys, I mean, I love Lamar too, just because no one's no one's ever, There's never been anyone quite like when John Harbaugh says that it might be like the you know, it's got to be one of the most important runs quarterbacks ever had, because it's not like it's not like there's any other quarterbacks running for fifty yards in a playoff you know,

in a key moment in a playoff game. Just that hasn't happened before. We haven't seen that. And it's a bitter way for the Titans to go out because all season their offense was special and and you worried, oh man, this defense is gonna get him killed in a big spot, and for them to lose in the game is we're singing the praises of Lamar, but still twenty points. The Ravens scored in this game. Like the Tennessee defense as

bad as it's been all the year. That's that was a good performance from them, and they and they got they sacked him like they got. Everyone said they can't watch the past, and so, I mean, I think the thing that just it flipped like sixteen seventeen minutes into the game. I mean, it was all Titans early. That's frustrating for the Titans because you would think if you would have told the Titans fans, oh, your your defense is actually gonna hold Lamar Jackson to twenty points, You're

you're planning in the division around playoffs. So the fact that it didn't work out that way, that was a big surprise. Yeah, I mean they didn't in some key spot. You know, they get to touch on late in the second quarter and then they come out after after him. You're right, Roman, I think brought out you know that they did a good job on the telecast talking about some concepts. You know, they saved it for the second half.

I do wonder if the fanski did that too, Like more teams are doing that where they're scripting the start of the second half, before the game's even start, like let's let's save using you know, Patrick Ricard as our our main option suddenly for the second half. But you got, I mean very able, drove me crazy here the punt that that vary able hadn't get me started on fourth and two. It's not just that like, of course the number you know, and the analytics say, of course you

go for a fourth and two year year. I think right right, right about forty down that you're an offensive team, like your right, you've been an offensive team all year, and they showed very little faith in Derrick Henry all day. That was not the only time that they couldn't convert short yardage. There was about three other drives that ended on them getting stuffed on not getting stuff, like getting stuffed one a second and three and then throwing the ball.

They didn't give the ball to Henry in those situations. It was wild. Not not a great performance by Artie Smith there, or really anyone on the Titans connected to the type his office offense. Tough loss um all right, good stuff. That was Sunday. Now we move two. Been along couple of days, marks like get me to that beer Saturday Night, Give me some Gene. Decker Off, Dropping deep, Brady throws the ball on the white side. He's gonna be hoping at Tonio Brown. Preach one touch stop, Tampa

Bay Bucketeers. Brady five, Tonio Brown again, Ricky, I gotta hear what what is? What was going? Dropping deep? Brady throws the ball on the white side. He's gonna be a Tonio Brown preach one touch stop, Tampa Bay Bucket. It's Antonio Brown. Remember that from the television broadcast, was going absolutely nuts and there's no crowd noise to drown Antonio Brown out. It kind of sounds like Cessler in that old back shed that he had in his previous resident.

It doesn't. That has gonna sounded like an animal being tortured. Jean Becker off w f US with a call. Tom Brady played his forty second playoff game on Saturday night, and as first without Bill Belichick on the sideline. The performance visage. Brady yards two touchdowns in a win over the Washington's football team. Mark Tyler Heineke made this game more interesting than it had any right to be, but the Bucks move on to face the Saints next week

at the Superhowl. They took care of business. Um. This game was one where you know, we went you know, we were on Skyle weekend and I went on and called Tyler Heineke. Um just sort of a the kind of a quarterback patch that would be attached to like a Thursday night, meaningless Thursday night game, UM with very few eyeballs in it. And then he proceeds to electrify

Um Tampa's defense. And I don't know, to the point where you've got people wondering if he might be Um the quarter back of the future for them or at least like well, I would just say, at least pulls them like a cult McCoy type move where he will be in the league for ten years because there's something about us. You're the guy. I I thought about that when I don't remember who called this game, but someone said, well, if nothing else, Tyler Heineke just got a job for

the next decade. It's like that's Marks corner. He's the guy that declares which backup work for the next I think it's fair though, because I don't think it takes too much to get into that circle. And you know, he's sort of a coach's dream and and and they gave the Bucks a fight. But I think kind of lost in the Heineke um verve was that Tom Brady was lights out and you know, and this at this point,

this is tired at this point. But um, how different of a world we live in with athletes because they show that, um side by side comparison of Tom Brady with George Blanda and and Tom Brady has been um getting microderm abration and uh, you know, is well hydrated, and George Blanda smoked cigarettes and drank like know, low grade forty ounces. So that shows you what happens to our body depending on how we treat it. And Tom Brady is thriving and looking to me as good as

he has. I mean, the Bucks are a little streaky, but they're real dangerous. And I'm not I know everyone like the Saints have knocked him out twice some I have no idea what will happen next. Yet the game went so counter to two expectations. I mean, because the Bucks offense did whatever they wanted to. They could have had more than thirty one in this game. And Washington offense you kind of put it to Todd Bowl. So I think got too cute, too aggressive to Boomer bust defense.

They had some bad luck like the Washington offense, or they could have scored even more too. There was that tipped interception that you know, they had some opportunities. I think they moved the ball well, like they weren't ready for Heinuki. It was really an offensive game, but man, breeze some of those early throws, like there was a third in tent of Miller to keep a drive alive. It's just like a bullet and a diet. I know, Like there's other old quarterbacks playing well, but none of

them look like Brady. I mean, Brades doesn't look like Brady. Ben doesn't look like Brady Rivers playing well, he didn't look like Brady. I mean, if you protect him, and he's got a really good offensive line. Who really for the most part shut down Washington. He's spinning it, you know, as well as anyone really. He sends the latest guy that to talk talk talk, Uh. And you know, I guess some of these these pass rushers coming into the combine for their interviews of Colleen and and others. Uh.

It's become almost part of the game. Who do you want to sack the most, and then that person inevitably says Tom Brady because he's the most famous quarterback, and then that gets play played up when the two sides eventually meet um, only in this case, Chase Young kind of doubled down on it and had fun with it. But then you gotta you gotta do something about it. Chase, you can't do not much at all, and then lint to the sideline with the sprained ankle. I think that

has been UM. I think Brady is so savvy and how he handled everything UM. When he didn't he saw that the Patriots weren't doing the right thing to build up around him in a way that would allow him to finish his career in New England, he said, I'm leaving, and then he found the perfect offense. Not just that everybody latched onto the skill players and there were plenty for him to play football with, but the offensive line, which has allowed him to still be Tom Brady. I mean, unbelievable.

That's what the and I when I was trying to figure out what the upset of the week was and it turned out to be the Browns, I thought, Washington, Okay, they're gonna get and they're gonna, you know, cook up some heat on Brady and he's gonna get Piste off. But then that never happened. That never materialized, and once that happened, I was like, oh, this is gonna be a blowout. So to Heineke's credit, and he kind of looks like Ryan Phillippe and he's got some arm tats.

Also there's a little edge to Heinek. I'm kind of into Heineke, not in a physical way, but just kind of been like, oh, he's kind of interesting to me. Um. He had the bad tweet like the next day after think everyone found not he didn't have any but they they found he has been in some hot water. Yeah, okay, that that makes perfect sense because he looks like Ryan Philippi with all the ink. But good for him for

for keeping that game interesting on a Saturday night. I want to give if Taylor Herneke does nothing else, you allowed that game to be interesting in prime time on Saturday. Yeah. The one last thing I want to say on this game was, you know what, it didn't look like the Bucks offense anymore though they had they were playing like two three tight ends the whole game. They were doing play action the whole game. You know, it look like

the Patriots offense. I don't know if they're going to continue that, but I think if you're a Bucks fan, you gotta be encouraged that it was. It was a pretty hard left turn. They have not played with that like heavy personnel, and that's what they thought they needed to do to protect the gronk. Grunk barely went out on a pass route. I mean, and um, that that sort of flexibility to me screams Patriots. It does not. It does not look like the normal chuck it up

Bruce areas. I like. I like the Brady Cameron Brad connection last night and getting a few more people in bold. I mean, I don't love their ground game. That's the one thing is that they get stuck in that situation. But look at we were talked about Antonio Ranald Jones is healthy. But if you're if you're depending on Leonard Fournette, it's not gonna be I mean even with him, it's

just not it's just not their signature to me. But like, um, but then you've got Antonio Brown getting better and better every week, and it's a dangerous team. Since Tampa Bay's week thirteen by Brady is thrown fourteen touchdowns one interception over five straight wins. Compare that to the four games before the bucks by when Brady had eight touchdowns at seven picks and the Tampa Bay lost three or four.

It got pretty dark there for a while, but now it's feeling really good and this is gonna be a great game again next week between New Orleans and Tampa Bay. A lot of fun. All right? Oh, did we talk about the extremely flattering for Tom George blanda side by side graphic we've mentioned. I mentioned my my take on that, but you could if you have anything to add. I don't have anything to add. I was doing some behind the scenes work with Ricky while you guys were having

I'm sure breathlessly awesome conversation. The blended thing did come up, so I don't need to add anything to it. Good box checked. Let's move on longer away from Ramsey again. The public picks pits. Darius Williams jumped in and he's gonna house it. I'll pick six. I beat that's a touchdown and the Rams extend their lead. Oh yeah, you know that is JB. Long, friend of the show, Caspn with the call, Darius Williams jumped the route in a way that you just don't see on a wide receiver screen.

Uh picked off the Russell Wilson past forty two yards for a score. Cam Akers rush for a buck thirty one in a touch and the Rams beat the Seahawks thirty to twenty. It was Seattle's first home loss and the Pete Carroll Era mark. The Rams are moving on because their defense is special, maybe the best in the league. Maybe definitely, definitely, Maybe, I'd say definitely. And I'm not typically someone that you know in mid January is gonna, I guess, increase my faith in a team with an offense.

I don't trust a whole lot um with quarterback issues um and a strong defense. But the Rams, the Rams, I do. I I really think that they. I think they'd be a hot candidate to upset whoever they deal with down the stretch because of what because of Brandon Staley, the way they're organized, because Aaron Donald, if he's going to be healthy, he's got issues health wise going into

the next game, and what they did to Seattle. I mean, I think that you know, the Seahawks could not stop l A's ground game, but on offense they could not convert third downs. Um, they made the biggest mistake in the game. What we just heard the pick six? And I was sitting there watching this thing and this game also, by the way, I I don't know if it was you guys, or it was just the time of the day. Was this game seven and a half hours long? I don't know how long it wasn't really it was literally

a long game. I think it was the longest game of the weekend. Remember we we Yeah, it went almost all the way until the next kickoff, It really did. And and look at I get that Jared Goff. First of all, I mean I have been really hard on Jared Goff. I think a lot of people it's it's chic to be down on Jared Goff right now, um, for for good reason. But he had he does have like pins that were justin sort of do his finger

less than a couple of weeks ago. So I don't think that he was in a good position to be doing what he was asked to do. But I cannot remember a playoff game between two quarterbacks that led their teams to Super Bowls. Um, And in this game, like the most putrid offensive output that I can recall between two quarterbacks of that nature. It was. It was a hard watch. It was a long game. It was a

hard watch. And Greg, I thought you had one of the tweets of the weekend when you talked about you know, everyone like you're say, everyone says they loved defensive football until they have to correct me if I'm misquoting you, but until they have to actually sit and watch it. It's like, these are two defensive teams where they want to be and it's like this game was, um, wait, but aren't you the same I not to throw up, but like, aren't you the same guys that I slapped

my forehead at seven seven Arizona? Whatever game you like, that's one of the best games. I look like Tennessee Ravens today had some great defense. Um, but you've got to have real offense sprinkled in and it's got to go back and forth. This was great defense against two inept offenses. That's that's asking a little bit more. And Russell Wilson, like, listen, he's going against the Rams defense

and they're no joke. But he doesn't have any pins in his thumb and he played poorly forty two passing yards, a completion percentage of second lowest mark of his career. And this was all part of a larger story about the Seahawks season, which, by the way, it was a strange season. They go twelve and four, they win their division. They had stretches where the offense was awesome, stretch along stretch for the defense was great, but they never were at the same time and they so because of that,

they were never special as a team. And now they're one and done in the playoffs. Um, that's frustrating as well, because there it should be there. You would think that Russell Wilson is gonna find a way to make those plays. But even when Aaron Donald goes out of the game with the rib injury, and thankfully for the Rams, it doesn't look like a serious injury. Same thing with Cooper cups uh injury late in that game. He seems to be um possibly able to play next week as well.

Even when Aaron Donald exits a game, Russell Wilson does not have a chance. And that's where I'll put more more on Seattle's offense as a whole, and maybe Brian Schottenheimer has something to answer to because Russell Wilson was pressured on exactly fifty of his dropbacks. That is not sustainable and that needs to be fixed. And and some of that's on Russell Wilson. It's been the case throughout his career, and then in this case, some of it

was not. I heard some whispers people who watch this game closely, who thinks that the Rams height is a is a problem for him. There like a huge defensive line with Brockers and every everyone, and and you get some pressure up the middle with you know, Brockers like six six or something, but you know most of them are pretty tall, and like he's not seen. He was not seeing the field for whatever reason, especially against the Rams. But really since week nine, they were just a bad offense.

And I would say the Rams were a bad offense. But it's the reason I picked the Rams, other than you know, I'm gonna root for who my daughter is rooting for. And the same reason why Mark was locking up the Rams before he jumped off of it to a successful Ravens lock. It's like, okay, if they're both bad offenses, at least it was the Rams lock, then a Seahawks lock, then yeah, that's right, I forgot it. We haven't yet like sat down and decided whether that sanction.

That's We're gonna get to that a little bit later. No one has any You didn't change it, you've changed it beforehand. But like, at least the the Rams have the special group in this game, which is two of maybe the four best defensive players in the entire league and a really great coach. So that's like, that's gonna be a lot for Aaron Rodgers to deal with next week. Now. I find it very interesting Sean McVeigh will not give any indication early in the week who might start at quarterback.

So we're gonna go through this song and dance again. Um, John Wolford, you know, we haven't even mentioned you know, left on the first drive with what turned out to be a stinger. We didn't know what it was at the time. And like a lot of people who were, you know, thinking the Rams would win rooting for the Rams, I thought, oh, this is this is a bad development for the Rams. Like I think Sean McVeigh chose John Wolford because he thought they gave them a better chance

to win. Nick sit up a little bit against the defense that knows you really well, and you just played, so that's that's part of it too. And and Golf came in. He he did just enough. They didn't really average any more yards for play than the Seahawks, but he avoided the big mistake. And it's just it's just such a strange situation that like, Okay, golf goes and wins the game, and still mcveigh's not saying he's he's

the starter next week. It's fascinating and uh. But they also seemed like with that defense, I think they could almost beat anyone. I thought they would have loved to play the Saints. I think they could have shut them down. It'll be a little tougher against the backers. Wolford was mega piste at Jamal Adams um after that play. Adams wasn't listening to Initially they threw the flag and then they picked it up and I believe I think it was Collinsworth. No, I don't know who was doing the call.

It's too scrambled in my mind. But said that was a bad no callum Aikman. Aikman said it should have the flag should have been thrown um. So Wolford that that was a tough break for him because that was such a huge stage. Maybe, yeah, maybe he ends up getting more of a look because the other thing Aikman said, and you know, you these guys that are plugged in that call the games, you learn a lot during the telecast that you know, people that were close and watching

the Rams practice. And the reason why Jared Goff wasn't even starting, wasn't supposed to take a snap in this game was because every every fourth ball he threw came out of his hand weird and fluttered, So you know, and yeah, I mean, I'll give credit Shan Shan a very credit to on a day where it's it's hard to trust golf and his struggles and also his injury. Now when they ice the game on a third and short, they let Goff throw the ball and that resulted in

the game clinching touchdown. So just a really nice win for the Rams, and you hope they're at full strength um physically for that game with Donald and Cup. Yeah, it feels like their seasons kind of a success. Now they've they've checked the box of like a lot of things. In the McVeigh run, he made the playoffs this first year, you make the Super Bowl, now, Okay, you get a playoff win, you obviously want you have higher aspirations, but

it feels like they've kind of over it. I I do think what Aikman was saying, though he also was just saying how frustrated they were with golf before the injury. He what he he made a point to say that, and you can kind of pick up that he's been saying that they were getting really frustrated and they were talking about golf's confidence so that they you know, they just didn't feel like golf was was confident right now. And it's crazy, but man, the the defense is playing confident.

I the last thing, sorry, He's just like when when the Seahawks got the ball back at the end, it was kind of like when when the Ravens run the ball down your throat like it was garbage time sort of, and the Seahawks really had no chance to win, but they still get sacked and they didn't they didn't get a single first down and they got sacked two times, and that's how you end the game like that. That

just was like a show of force. But one thing about the Rams, like last thing is like Brandon Staley um his star is rising, and he's sort of anyone that's gotten close to him sees like this football lifer who is um, you know, may not be there a couple of weeks from now. He's he's interviewing with the Jets, Um that Chargers are interested. They're interviewing him, and and that's if you're a coach. And we don't ever really

like see this side of it. But if he ever could become the coach of the Chargers, he doesn't have to move. Um. I don't know what his parental situation is, but his kids don't have to do move. It's like you've got a franchise quarterback potentially. But Brandon still he may be a head coach um a fortnite from now, which is a tremendous development for a guy that no one knew about a year ago. Aikman also said on the telecast that what he has heard is that he

might be a year or two away. Still might be seen as a little green on that he's only thirty years old. But at the same time, what there's what they are doing, what they did yesterday, what they could do next week against Aaron Rodgers, that's better than any job. Interview on a zoom call Brandon Saleley could take part in, so keep an eye on it. My final thought, ce Il Seahawks, thank you for the number twenty three overall pick in the draft, and good luck in your negotiations

with Jamal Adams. I'm sure he'll be fair. Might be might be doing Brian's Schttenheimer update on Tuesday. That's what my Spidey sends to Temmy. No, no harm to the man, but it just feels like that could be coming. Good luck, John Schnyder. Let's move on. Four seconds left to get one play to make it. The Bills have lost a game on this, Murphy, this is a hail Mary situation. Behind the snap, rivers back to throw, waiting, waiting, going for all of it down the right sideline to pass

up in the air. It is knocked down and complete. Knocked down and complete. My god, I'd knocks it down and the clock showed zero. The Bills advance, The Bills win it. The Bills win it in the last second. The Bills win it. Unbelievable finish. There you go. Great called by John Murphy and Eric wood W g R. Two guys who obviously waited a long time for that and like a hide batted down Philip Rivers desperation heave as time ran out the final play in a win

for the Bills over the Colts. It was Buffalo's first playoff win in twenty five years. Josh Allen was at it again, passed with three four yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing score, and the Bills it wasn't easy, but they found a way and it sets up a great, great matchup next week against the Ravens and Orchard Park. Greg the culture up for the challenge in this one. They really really made the Bills earned. They missed so many chances and even then it was it comes down

to the end. I thought this was the best game of the weekend. I thought, you know, they both played well. I thought the craziest take I heard of the entire weekend was like it was an anti Josh Allen take here that they almost blew the lead at the end, and that he had the fumble in the fourth quarter

and they could have blown Greg and at all. Honestly, you're the guy who's always like it doesn't matter who recovers the fumble of fumbles of fumble, and that was a huge fumble Bowl that they were very lucky that the offensive line fell on no doubt, But I think to watch that game and not come away with what I believe was the reality that Allan was the best player on the field by far and had one of his better games on a day where he didn't get

as much help, where the defense wasn't that good, where the run game wasn't there, where he was having to create on his own. That that's all I mean is that I think it was a great Josh Allen game and that if he had had like a B game, because I think the rest of the team, did you know that they might have gone home. Yeah. There were a lot of times in this game where Alan, you know, he takes a snap, drops back and it's not there, like and he you had you he had to go

through his progressions. He had a bye time. He made those type of plays all games. So while the numbers, by the way, we're still great, three and three touchdowns, it was ran and a touchdown too. Yeah. Yeah, it wasn't on par with the you know, fan see gold Mine of December for him, but still, you know, another big performance by a superstar. Yeah, I mean, whether or not,

like the overall performance matched some of the others. He's still he's becoming one of those quarterbacks that does four or five things a game that, um, you know, leave you dazzled. And my one takeaway you know from the cult side was um and it was sort of a note to self, Um that I spent the week essentially sort of dismissing the Cults um as a balanced but

unremarkable team. And and yes, that maybe what they are, but um, they came so close to knocking off Buffalo, which would have been a huge story here that I think I just sort of underrated Frank Reich. And they may not have all the pieces they need on offense, but you know, they for them Like they had that one drive that went all the way down to the Bill's two yard line and then they're stuffed. They had a drive with a killer miss field goal, and it really was just um. They had a stuff to point

conversion as well. It was just like little tiny things that the Cults couldn't do well enough. And there were a couple of killer off sides this weekend that might have been the worst. It was dropped interception. You know that that sequence at the end of the first half was Bruto because they really it was very similar to the Steelers game and that they really outplayed, uh, their opponent in the first half. But yeah, that sequence at the goal line where they go for it, I don't

mind them going for it. It's like if you can't score on four straight plays from the three and there was another short yard of situation, they were bad in short yard of all year. Your boy's gotta make that throw. I mean, you want to talk about difference beween Philip Rivers and his legacy as a playoff performer. Uh, that throw where he just overshot Michael Pittman is exactly a type of throw that that was so close. That was

an inch. That was an inch like if Pittman and stays you know, some people would say if Pittman stays on his feet and just runs under it, you know what I mean? It was just like that. I'm just saying that that was an inchest through he had a Rivers had a solid but not like amazing game. I mean the numbers actually look look crazy, but man, like they here's the stat they cross midfield every possession, every they so to only end up with how many points

did they get? Twenty four in the end, they crossed midfield every single possession of the game. I'd be a little worried that if I was the Bills fan, that

they gave up four d seventy two yards. That's true, but I would point out that like in the first half, like the Bills started at their three yard line, therefore their six, they're eleven in their fifteen, and I think that caused some of their early issues, where the Colts in the first half started on average at their own thirty six and then it, you know, changed a little bit, but they were there was a field position issue going on early and the Bills were too powerful to put off.

I mean, like the missfield goal drive for the Colts was a fourteen play drive. Again, I think there's something a little bit different in these playoff games where if you go fourteen plays the way that they did and you come away with no points and that happened on two separate dribes, that is a mental killer. Yeah, and we we touched on it, so I don't want to belabor it. But when they cannot convert on that fourth down pass to Pittman, you still have the Bills backed

up to give up. Then a nineties six yard drive that includes stopping the Bills on fourth down uh and holding him to a potentially long field goal only to get drawn off sides UH and then give up the score. And there were two plays too long completions that Gabriel Davis where he was inbounds by blades of field turf.

I mean, it just felt like it just wasn't meant to be for the Colts, and that I would say, like, there's no worse feeling than seeing your season end on a day when you felt like you were the better team.

Watching that I thought the Colts were on that day, I would say they were better and they just in those in those moments, they just could not make the play, whether it was the Rivers throw or the a ball on the ground not falling on it, or being disciplined to stay back on that Offside's called like the inability to just make one or two plays was the difference. Uh. And really a tough loss. Yeah, it unfortunately, It's would kind of be a fitting way for it to end forever.

You know, he got the ball at the end with the chance. Felt like every Charger's game. It was a game where like it looked like I'm I am with you. I think they kind of looked like the better team that they very similar to the loss they had against the Steelers, where I thought they kind of like and just throw a bunch of losses. And with the Chargers and Philip Rivers right like just through just like a number of things. You can't put your finger on all of them. But it was just like a little crazy.

I put Frank you know, Frank Reich's time out usage was insane. I mean, these coaches, they they spend all year looking for edges and little things and then they they used timeouts for like avoiding a delay a game at the beginning of the third quarter and on terrible challenges and and it kills you at the end. I mean they needed those time. McDermott was throwing him around

like like lollipops too, and it drives him crazy. Yeah, I mean it's it's I love Rivers, I love watching him play, but this is just another game for him, and in this time of year, we're just left kind of scratching your head. They had they had first and ten at the Buffalo forty five yard line with twenty eight seconds to play, needing a field goal. And they never moved the yard at that point and ended with Rivers heaving one dawn. He can't he can't reach the

end zone from fifty yards. He couldn't do it. I wonder where they go. I think Frank Wright already right, already came out and said that he wants Rivers back, but it would make sense to me for him to be in a role where it's Rivers And like, I don't like a Darnald type or maybe a rookie that you really like, um, but would Rivers a want to be in that type of Ryan Fitzpatrick said, up and be Will Philip Rivers take the pay cut that would go along with that type of one A B type role?

It will be interesting to see what he does here. Man pork buck, poor pork cols. Uh we we should give a little love to the Bills fans here. They just ended a streak that was as long as uh quarter century longer than the Browns, right, or just a little less long. I guess what was? It was about a year, So think about that. The Browns ended it. Since ninety four, no playoffs win the Bills since with your stars stepping up like Stefan Diggs. He was awesome too.

We should give him some love and the Bucks since oh two, those were three of the sixth longest in h including two of the three longest streaks in the entire NFL. It's nice to see a little new blood in the win. New England doesn't make the playoffs for the first time, and you know this entire My favorite image of the weekend, in fact, was the Bills fans sobbing openly. It's like a forty four year old father

of six. I love that, and that means that that meant a lot to Bills fans to be able to be in that stadium uh and witness uh quite frankly, a juggernaut team like that you haven't seen since the Jim Kelly glory days. So good for the Bills. You know they they'll have a tough matchup next week, but I just like their chances. It just seem like a

special team. Um, all right, I have to write a throwaway Well I shouldn't label it as that they don't want They don't want me to say that, but I have to write an article about which fan base deserves a Super Bowl title the most, and where would I go with this would I I mean, I know, but what do well you wrap it up by noon and you move on with your day and then it you know, it gets released on the internet. But I mean, your passion for internet writing is as all time high. It

is occasionally high, um it is not always. But I I just I don't know how to pick between. Buffalo feels like it's it's it's right there in Cleveland too. But I'll I wonder who's gonna who's gonna in this? Now it seems absurd that I would be writing this. If you think about it, like now you'll go counter

just now you should just go Browns. Anyways, why should I should do it one through five and make well they haven't been they haven't even been at the super Bowl, so you know, at least the bill's got to I would say, like the Ravens. Ravens really feel like, well, how about the packers. You like the Packers. It's they've had a lot of playoff heartbreak actually you know that stuff. Yeah, I'll put tremendous amount of thought into this and um,

you'll see it up there soon. And just for people that that don't know like throwaways, like it's like an industry term. You know, it's like it's like, um, it's just something people using the industry throw away. It's like the clock puncher, you know that's it's a type of way to describe your own work that you just hope your boss is never here. Yeah, it was like, this is a good place to discuss that they're dead about it. Well Brown, Well, Mark, this was a special day for

your Browns and for Browns fans like you, Ricky. I think we should play Mark out with a song we found on the internet that I leave originated around the time the announcement was made that the Browns were re entering the NFL after the Ravens debacle of the mid nineties. Uh. The name of the song is do you know It? Mark? Is it America? Wake Up? Is it? Um? I'm gonna guess it might be here we go again. That is indeed the correct s Michael Stanley and the Cleveland Browns

All Star band I believe in n song. Drew Carry's in the video We get it. Drew Carrey, you're from Cleveland? Did you like sports? All right? Mark? Congratulations, thank you, You're very happy for you. Listen, I locked up the Steelers don't even feel a little bit bad that it eventually as takes me out of the competition. Don't care. I'm happy for you, Thank you both, and best of

luck going forward. House Money Baby. All Right, we'll be back on Tuesday UM with another episode and we'll break down everything that's going on the league ahead of the Division Round playoffs, which are Cleveland Browns are playing in this Dan Hanson signing off for the Quiet Storm, the Maleman, the Old Boston, Rooky Hollywood until Tuesday, cracking up Ricky in a brand for you And when they shout it out, now game we go Brown the game. The game se