Burrow ready for the shotgun snap. Joe has the football, He'll look to throw. Fires a pass god by Joe twenty Simty Tad touchdown Bengals one on one.
To go.
A forty yards strike to Jabar Chase.
Oh, the Bengals finally got one late twenty seven to twenty. That was our friends Dan Hord and Dave Lapham on w c k Y. I'm Greg Rosenthal here on NFL Daily, and I've seen the Bengals blow so many games and so many big spots, including in primetime this season, that it was nice for once to see they're two great players. Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase hookup for a game winner. Jamar Chase ends up with fourteen catches for one hundred
and seventy seven yards and two touchdowns. And I don't know, Nick, if it means anything in the big picture, but the Bengals seemed extremely relieved to get their fifth win of the season in a weird game in Dallas.
At least it was entertaining, Yeah, entertaining.
Joe Burrow captured it best, I think when talking with ESPN's LEAs Assaulters after the game, which was we needed a break we haven't gotten many of those this season, and they haven't, and for a long period there I thought they weren't going to until the Cowboys screwed up a blocked punt situation that gave the Bengals second life. And it reminded me of the one constant theme that's on the positive side for the Bengals this season, which is death taxes and Joe Burrow to Jamar Chase for
a big play. He makes that catch, he scores that touchdown, and finally, even if it doesn't mean much in the big picture, because they're now five and eight, it at least prevents the Bengals from securing a losing season for at least one more week.
Hey, they're not eliminated yet.
Neither's Dallas for that matter, although both of them can be eliminated next week, and when that's even possible in week fifteen, it means you're probably not going to stay off elimination for long. Us give Jamar Chase some love for a second, and Joe Burrow. Jamar Chase has six hundred and twenty five yards after the catch that it's most in the NFL according to Next Gen Stats. He caught nine of the eleven targets tonight that he had on outbreaking routes for one hundred and twenty two yards
and two touchdowns. That is the most of anyone in the game all season. That is absolutely outrageous, and it points to something I was thinking throughout this game, which is that Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase make those opposite hash out routes look easier than any two people in the NFL. That should not be an easy play, and Joe Burrow makes it look so easy, and he only does it in part because Chase is so good and is exactly where he's supposed to be and gets so
open on those plays. And todight, even though we saw a lot of the reasons why the Bengals are five and eight, and we can get to those reasons, like we can just appreciate a little bit of greatness on our Monday Night football, even especially when on the other side it's like Cooper Rush is involved.
Yeah, I mean, that's not very intriguing, but you said it's the most in a game this season. It's the most in a game in seven seasons. An outbreaking route is not a route that usually produces a massive gain It's a throw that you make to move the chains. It's a throw that you make because the coverage dictates you to go there and hopefully you're gonna make it happen.
They make it look elementary, and they have throughout their career, and it speaks back to their time together at LSU and the rapport that they built in college and how they've cared at the NFL. And I might be talking about old news at this point, but their relationship and why it's so vital to this Bengals, you know, existence now in their future can be captured in one moment,
and it's right after the game. They hand Joe Burrow a box of donuts because it's Simpson's Night on the alternative broadcast, and he takes a donut and instead of eating it, he grabs it. He looks at it, He looks up at Jamar Chase, and he smashes it in his face because they love each other and that is
expressed on the football field with their great success. It is a tandem that I feel like we haven't seen produce at this rate in a long time, and it really bums me out that they're not a better and more complete team because they should beat in the playoffs, because this is them alone are fun to watch.
I want to wear my biases on my sleeve.
When Joe Burrow and the Bengals were punting with what was it a minute and fifty three left or something like that, after having a fourth and twenty six because multiple just boneheaded penalties from their teammates was forcing them to kick the ball back to the Cowboys, I was thinking, I can't freaking believe they are going to lose.
This game again.
And as great as Joe Burrow is and he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league, this game had so many elements of why this team is where they were. They were great in the first half. They come out a halftime. Burrow did have a curious interception as receiver gets bumped off he's anticipating it.
That's in the third quarter.
They have a field goal drive where they settle after like a ball hits Jamar Chase in the helmet and Burrow can't find t Higgins, you know, connect on a one on one in the end zone. So they settle for a field goal, and then they punt a couple times in the fourth quarter, including that punt and I'm thinking this is a travesty that this team is losing to the Cowboys, that they are wasting this quarterback and this receiver and t Higgins together, and it should be a five alarm fire in Cincinnati.
What's happening?
And I don't believe Zach Taylor is the right quarter the coach for them.
I really don't.
And I thought, you know what, I don't want them to lose in a way, but maybe they need to like get even worse to really get the ownership's attention, because to me, Zach Taylor feels like a good enough coach that is getting propped up by two first ballot Hall of Fame talents, And you shouldn't just be accepting good right here, smack in the middle of the prime.
It should be a five alarm fire.
But once again, like they get saved by the Cowboys ineptitude, and then they get saved by Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase's brilliance on that last touchdown. And maybe it's not the national conversation, but maybe it should be, Nick, what do you think?
No? I actually had that same thought right when the Cowboys scored that touchdown pass to Brandon Cooks. That was the first time it occurred to me that, like, wait, this Bengals team is nowhere near what they should be. Like, I'm watching replays of Rico Dabble ripping off big gains on the ground, and I'm just thinking, God, this is such a disappointment. This is a team that should have
been so much better. I thought back to our preseason predictions and how I raved about the Bengals, and if everything goes right, they have a solid roster and everything else, and it just hasn't worked out for them. And then I thought, maybe Zach Taylor actually is at risk of losing his job, maybe he isn't the right guy. So I think you're totally right in at least considering that, because how else do you explain You can't explain away
this entire season with all our defense was bad. That's an operational failure on the part of the front office and the coaching staff. And this is a team that also has a highly regarded defensive coordinator lou and Arimo who's just been grasping its straws trying to find answers. So I think you're absolutely right. And yet I tweeted it in the fourth quarter. It's really fun. It's kind of satisfying in a way to watch losing teams find
new ways to lose. And that's the only thing that saved them in this game was the fact that the Cowboys out ineptituded them. If that's not even a word, but I just made it up.
Even the final drive Cooper rush on the fourth down.
I mean, he has an open receiver and he's facing a little bit of pressure, but he just misses throws. And he doesn't make bad decisions, but he just misses too many throws for a guy who isn't physically talented, and you see it week after week, like he is a below average backup I would say, not the worst backups in the league, but not an asset. They need
to be looking to upgrade there. But I really believe that with Taylor, and it doesn't feel like it doesn't feel like he's held to the same standard as other places. If Ben Roethlisberger in the middle of his career just went five and eleven or six and ten one year with with Bill Cower, Mike Tomlin, like not that he had Bill Kower, but with Mcalin, Like you.
Think Tomlin wouldn't have been on the hot seat.
Like if if Sean McDermott was five and eight this year, he would be fired. Like we would just assume it because you have this infrastructure that you've been building. You have these guys at their prime, and yeah, like the margin for Aris small and he just maybe it's watching that nd season hard knocks, it just feels.
Like I know where you're going.
No, I don't know where I'm going.
He's fine, Like he's a fine coach, he's like the Kirk Cousins coaches. He's above the Dalton scale. He's above average. He's gonna make a lot of money. But you've had a franchise for how long whatever, forty fifty years. This is easily the best quarterback you ever have, might be the best quarterback you ever will have. And he's alongside Jamar Chase and you mentioned all the reasons. Who's you know,
maybe the best receiver you've ever had. And they have this connection and you have t Higgins there too, and it's just like why not you try to be as great as those players are trying to.
And I think for a long time the excuse is personnel, Well, we're not good enough, we don't have the quarterback. Well, then they got the quarterback. And I think the things that are saving them is a lower standard of expectation, because let's think back to the Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, Slash o Cho Sinco, TJ. Husman Zada teams that like were good enough and then always found ways to lose
in the playoffs. The birth of West of Us came from that, right And then you also think about the time that they made the Super Bowl a few years ago, and like that has won him enough goodwill for that to not be mentioned in the conversation.
It's also a.
Weird period right now where he's not the only coach who is safer than he probably should be. Just go up up North in the same state, Kevin Stefan. He's in a similar spot with the Browns where they're not good but he's safe.
He's he's shown me more though he had.
But he hasn't got to a super Bowl and Zach Taylor has. So like that's their argument.
I get it. I get it. Check.
I think Jack Zach Taylor's contract extension how long it lasted during this game, and I think it's through twenty six, So there's there's two more years on it. We're just talking here. I don't I don't think it's that realistic. But I just think Joe Burrow is that special and you just can't assume that like this is gonna last forever. You've had all those you know before, There's been excuses, there's injury plagued years, there's different ways that the season ended.
This year, they've been more than healthy enough. He Burrow has been healthy and that's the key. Let's let's circle back to that moment though, where they were bailed out a little bit by the Cowboys. So to just set it up again, like I said that, the Bengals had
punted twice in a row in a tie game. There a close game in the fourth quarter, and I was thinking, man, like, as great as Burrows been, there's been too many of these spots where they give the ball to the other team if Cooper Rush does it, That's where I was starting to lose my mind. But the Cowboys saved them, and only the way the Cowboys can.
Let's listen Rico punting for the third time. He's averaged fifty three and a half yards per punt. The snap is good here, comes the punt and it's blocked. Can you believe it? It's rolling forward. The Cowboys may have touched it. If that's the case, the Bengals would get the ball. They got it coloss so much steak by the Dallas Cowboys. They just needed to get out of the way after blocking that punt. One of their players touched it and the Bengals recovered a colossal blunder.
By Dallas oh Man.
Great call there by Dave Laughman, Dan Horde, Yeah, they blocked the punt. The game was just about over all they gotta do. The Cowboys is not touched that ball, and they're going to have the ball and plus side of the field. They've been moving the ball fairly well tonight, by the way, like everyone does against the Bengals. I mean they put up twenty points, They got three hundred
and twenty two yards. They actually average five and a half yards or play, which is an amazing but it's pretty good for the Cowboys with Cooper Rush, and I would have given them a strong chance of, you know, getting them in field goal right for Brandon Aubrey. They basically already were. But I believe it was Owarie who hit it. And you feel for him, and you give Joe Burrow one more chance, and this time they capitalized.
Yeah.
I don't like to revel anybody's misfortune because I think karma comes around for all of us. And I'm not trying to get caught like that. But I'll say, for as tough of a season as has been for the Bengals, it warmed my heart to hear Dan Hord be able to make that call because he was basically just absolutely desponded when he realized that they had the punt blocked and then instantly he's like, wait, they have the ball back, they have new life, and then he's able to call
the touchdown. Like, Dan's one of my favorite guys in this business. He's an amazing individual. So in a tough season, for him to get that moment, that was great for the Bengals to be to come away with a win, that was great. Even if it was weird, even if it was kind of gifted to them, they still took advantage.
I I if there's any Begals fans here listening and wondering, like, why you're going so negative when.
You're talking about Zach Taylor.
First of all, I know our friend spice Rack is not thinking that because he's won of Zach. He's thought Zach Taylor is getting propped up by these guys for very long.
It's more that's more important to me.
Big picture, We're not going to take this time to talk about the Bengals in this sort of way the rest of the season and them winning this game. Sure it's nice, their fans should enjoy it, but the bigger picture is kind of where is this team going. They have a lot of questions on their defense. I was thinking, how can a team with Trey Hendrickson have this bad a pass rush?
Like it makes no sense.
Hendrickson had four quick pressures tonight, seven pressures overall. The rest of the team actually did have a decent amount of pressures. They weren't terrible in this game, but there were just plays where because Hendrickson's double teamed, where there just nothing. And so I know they had a decent amount of pressures. The pressure it was okay tonight, but the plays where they didn't have pressure, it was like Cooper rush just there's no one anywhere near them, and
that's why they were able to move the ball. Michael Parsons on the other hand, we got to give him some love before we give him a little bit of grief.
My god, is he an amazing player.
He had nine pressures in this game, six quick pressures, which is under two and a half seconds, which is up there for the best performances of the season in terms of quick pressure.
So he is getting it done week after week.
And that's why you don't hold it too much against him when he makes a big spectacle of himself after that block punt that Nick I'm sure you saw on the telecast and if you're watching on YouTube, you can see it now, and he is just going absolutely through it on the sidelines, does not knowing what happened, so mad, and then at the end of the game he stomps
off the field. And I was watching this game actually with my son and his friend James, who's a great athlete, and Butt said, Walker's like, Oh, that's kind of like you at the end of the games.
You're a poor sport too.
I was like, PG moment, it's kind of true, like he is showing up his teammates a little bit. It's a little bit like, hey, look at me, I care more than you. But I do think it comes from a genuine place. He was in tears after the game too, talking about Demarvi and Overshan's knee injury. I think he really does care that much. It makes him good, but ultimately it's it's also kind of showing up your own teammates a little bit, maybe my being like an old fuddy duddy.
What do you think I mean?
First off, I would never use fuddyduddy to describe anybody, including you, So we'll take that away right now. Strike that from the record. Now, I understand. I do understand his disappointment in his frustration because he is one of the game's best rushers. He's a great player, and he's stuck on a defense that basically had maybe two other contributors on the field, one of them being overshown. He leaves an injury, and it's like it already got bad. The season itself is bad, and now it was just
getting worse because we can't even execute this. We make a great on special teams, we block a punt that we were able to block because the defense got to stop late in a tie game, and then you go and blow it like that. I understand. I totally understand why to be upset but as a teammate you kind of have to control your emotions to a degree because it is kind of showing them up at the end.
Of the day.
Yeah, I thought they were game, you know edric Eric Kendricks flying around. It's just disappointing because Overshown possibly has a serious injury, just based on Michael Parson's reaction how it looked in the moment.
There's no.
Word on it, but for Parsons to be that emotional and say Overshown doesn't deserve this, and he's battled through injuries, you have to fear the worst and we'll we'll probably have an update.
On that on our next show.
Cooper Bebe their their rookie center also got got injured in this scheme before we throw it to break, Like just little things like like why did it take the Cowboys so long to know that Rico Daddle was their
running back? Like this is this is one of the reasons why I can't trust you Cowboys, Like Rico data has been great the last month, and you were splitting carries between him and Lipke and Deuce Vaughn and Zekiel Elliott for the rest of the season and now when you actually give the ball the guy kind of everyone was like, isn't that just our best guy? He's reliable, he's solid. You do that to him for a month and he's great.
Yeah. He Actually he's reset his career high for a single season, their single game high in two games straight. He went over one hundred yards last week. He goes even higher than that this week. Like it's He finishes with one hundred and thirty one yards on eighteen attempts, averaging seven point three yards per carrier. And I know it's the Bengals defense, so it's a perfect time to have a career best.
He wouldn't be doing that.
He wouldn't. He wouldn't. He hits the hole with burst. He's a fast guy. And yeah, I agree.
I don't know.
It points to the Cowboys season in a nutshell. They're just making dumb decisions to start in the off season with their personnel moves or lack thereof, and it just continued through the season and now when their backs are all but I mean they're against the wall, they're basically done. They now find a way. Oh, let's give it to him. You know, enough times we're going to make a difference.
Yeah, we've probably spent too much time on this. Before we go, I mentioned how special it was to have Chase and Burrow together and Higgins as well, and the reason I'm not including Higgins as much as I'm just assuming Higgins is going to be gone because that's what the Bengals do. They sometimes let great players leave, and it's assumed that Chase is going to be the only one that gets his money. Joe Burrow after the game had some interesting quotes about that.
You know, those discussions are ongoing, and I'm confident that I think we're gonna be able to do what it takes to bring Tea back, and you know, I know that I'm going to do what it takes to get him back, and so is he. We've had those talks. So I.
Watched T Higgins get asked about it, and they were gentle kind of how they were framing it, not almost trying to not get too into his business. And he kind of said, Okay, you know, I never ruled out coming back here, and kind of like that's always been the hope and a little bit of like I'll believe it when I see it. But those comments make me
think there's a bigger chance than we thought. That Joe Burrow is maybe willing to push some money into the future or whatever that's going to be, and or it's Joe Burrow putting a little more public pressure on his ownership to get something done. Either way, good job Joe Burrow, because.
That's if I played the lottery with this type of confidence, I would be putting pressure on the lottery board to you know, grease the skids for me and give me the numbers. Yeah, okay, I don't know the Bengals the way they operates a franchise like that. We've known that they're not a team that spends a ton of money. Legacy ownership essentially, Like there's a number of reasons why, and it's hard.
I will make the point that Bengals fans are probably screaming right now. This is one of the most expensive teams in the NFL. It's one of the reasons why they're so disappointing.
But that's also one of the reasons why they probably won't pay him.
Their defense is expensive, Like they've been spending some cash and they got to pay you know, obviously they had to pay Joe Joe Burrow, and they got to pay Chase, and just the math makes it.
It makes it difficult.
Jamar Chase, by the way, going for the triple crown, and so he's going to be the highest paid receiver in the league when he signs that next contract. He has six more receptions than anyone in the NFL, one hundred and forty nine more yards than anyone in the NFL, and six more touchdowns receiving than anyone in the NFL. He has a great chance to do what Cooper Cup did just a few years ago and get that triple crown, which is which is pretty special.
That and the run after catchability is really what stood up for me the most this year. This is a guy who will catch a pass over the middle for ten or twelve yards and is a threat to take it sixty yards to the house every time. He's special in that area, among many others.
If you take just his best four games of the season, he has seven hundred and fifty yards and eight toiouns four games. Yeah, outrageous. All right, let's take a quick break. We are going to little news. We're gonna do our Offensive Rookie of the Year later and we're gonna give out our Players of the week right after this, back on NFL Daily, we highlighted some AJ Brown comments on the recap show Shook.
I thought they were notable. I thought they were from a player that wanted to.
Do more to help his team and was frustrated with the passing game. And it was all understandable on Monday. It remains understandable, but it remained and now it is a little bit more interesting of a story because of what one of the teammates of both AJ Brown and Jalen Hurt said about it. This is courtesy of the ninety four WIP Morning Show with the Camera and Richie. It's Brandon Graham on his regular spot on that show.
Courtesy of Odyssey.
I know that one is trying, and I mean Elevin could be a little better with how he respond to things. And they was friends before this. It's like, man, but things have changed, and I understand that because life happens. But we got to it's the business side that we have to make sure that we don't let the personal get in the way of the business. And that's what we got to do better as right now because we
know it's an issue. Everybody's seeing some things, but we need to be able to talk talk things out as men. You know what I'm saying, But we need to let personal stuff go and let's get right for this game, because man, it's like a lot of stuff. Most of the time, it's just a conversation that just need to be had. But the person with the problem got to want to talk to the person other than others.
It's a lot of talking around the matter without like getting the specifics, but also alluding to some internal strife and conflict between receiver and quarterback.
Look, he got right into it. My read on that is Brandon Graham. I feel for him because he's going to realize he opened up a can here. Was almost assuming that the public understood a little bit more of the subtext and what's going on in AJ Brown's statements than we actually did. And when he when he mentions that they you know, they have a friendship and you can't let the personal get in the way.
Oh well, that's that's interesting.
And after him saying that, you you just start thinking about it and there is frustration I think just on a football level that is understandable just from watching the film from AJ Brown specifically, and I would put them on to Smith in this as well of Jalen Hurts just not throwing the ball when it's there. That's like that he's open enough and he's looking at him and he's just not throwing it. So I'm taking away all the personal stuff that he kind of opened up. That
adds a different window into this. But knowing that you could see where some frustrations if you have some frustrations on the personal side and then the football side that I do think a close football watcher can see that creates some issues. And by the way, it makes people like me start thinking about how the way last season ended and all the weird stuff that they never really quite talked about what the issues were going on, and
they would talk around it. It's just like, oh man, here we go again.
Yeah, And there was the whole like does aj Brown want in a town or not issue as well that they had to kind of clear up wins cover up for a lot and let's you know, let's not beat around the bush. The fact that this is an eleven and two team that has been.
On an appence.
So they won here and they won Sunday, but the receiver is not getting the ball enough to make him happy. It's interesting. I thought the most interesting part was that they were friends, Like they're not friends now, Like that is concerning to me for a team that looks like it's on its way to winning the division wants to make a playoff push, Like what if that bubbles over in the worst possible time in the playoffs, Because yeah,
he's not getting a lot of attention. Sa Kwon Barkley is the star of the show right now, but at one point they're gonna need you, and they've needed you in stretches, and this is not encouraging for a team that record wise should be very encouraged right now.
Now, Brandon Graham, just as we were, like late as we're taping this, there was an update to a Tim McManus at AESPN spoke with Graham who wanted to clarify some of the statements and said, I made a mistake, and I assumed it was something that it wasn't. I just want to win so bad that I don't want to use the media when we need to talk about something and we can fix the problem ourselves. Ironic, I didn't add to it in a good light, So that's my bad.
Somebody in the pr department, got a hold of Brandon Grammont said clean this up now.
Well or aj or Jalen just texted him and we're like, what the hell man, because we don't know it could be Brandon Graham's interpretation of the situation. What I would say just is the chemistry on the field between Hurts and his wide receivers could be more consistent, could be better.
And this just added a.
Whole stew for the Philadelphia media crew to dive into for the next week or a month or season, depending on how.
It goes off.
Sason right, speaking of how wide receivers you know, weren't happy after Sunday's game. This is a sound from Garrett Wilson after losing to the Dolphins.
Losing period sucks, and you know, when you're up in the fourth quarter, all of a sudden, it starts to feel like you have a losing problem. It's like you have like a a gene. So it's not like we're just going out there and getting our butt be from start to finish, you know, No, No, we have a chance to go win the game. We're supposed to win the games in our favor, and we're finding a way to lose.
The game.
So it's just frustrating for sure.
O A losing gene is brutal.
And I bring this quote up because there was an article about it from Zach Rosenblat in The Athletic which said previously, there was some speculation among league source people inside the Jets that thought Wilson might want to ask out if things don't go well. And things have certainly not go well. So teams were actually calling about Wilson at the trade deadline, wondering if he's going to be someone that would be available and just something to watch
going into the offseason. I can't imagine the Jets would want to trade Garrett Wilson. If there's one part of their offense that they feel great about, it should be him.
No.
But my read on this, I don't think it's that uncommon, actually, because think about the program that Garret Wilson came from out of Ohio State, the only loser gene and that entire program as their head coach Ryan Day against Michigan. Otherwise,
all they do is win. All he knows is success. Yes, I know, I'm gonna let my Ryan Day Vendett out here and he's going to get to the NFL to a team like the Jets, who can't shed that, who haven't amble shed that in years, haven't been the playoffs in years, And he plays hard, he risks it all. He finally thinks he's going to get the quarterback in
Aaron Rodgers. It's going to get him there. And they continue to lose, and even in a game in which they played well enough to win, they had offensive success in the fourth quarter, that pressure mounts. It's a thing that's part of your culture when you It's like those losing teams that I think about the Browns, for example.
A year after year, you lose and lose and lose, and when he gets tight, you think, how are we going to blow it this time instead of let's go win the football game, which is kind of what he said. And ultimately it plays out like that because that's the mentality you have, and it's so foreign to him. I could totally understand his frustration, and I can understand if he wanted out too.
Well, see if he pushes that.
But I just thought that that was one thing just kind of put in the NFL Daily Listeners and you know, think about it in mind. We'll see if it becomes a bigger story. It is crazy how many times Garrett Wilson has been opening Aaron Rodgers has missed him. Aaron Rodgers has not been consistent, He has not always been accurate.
His completion percentage over expected is actually the worst in the NFL among starters other than Watson, and I'm forgetting, but he was third to last, and it basically among guys who had over one hundred and fifty, and I swear half of those are to Garrett Wilson. Like it's always Garrett Wilson that he misses, So maybe that's partly what he's frustrated about. Let's fly through a bit of news and talk a little offensive. Rookie of the Year Derek Carr is going to be out multiple weeks, according
to Ian Rappaport, likely the season. The Saints are not announcing who will start. Jake Hayner came in briefly for Carr, so it could be Jake Hayner, it could be Spencer ratt With the agenda, Yeah, well my guess it'll be Both'll they'll start with Hayner and they'll n Rattler or vice versa. Either way, it's not going to change our lives too much, except if you're assigned to a Saints
game on Sundays. Jonathan brooks Uh tore his ACL again, the Panthers rookie running back who was probably the number one prospect at the position coming into the draft until he tore his ACL at Texas and man, what a what a disappointing turn events. You just hate to see this, and you you always worry with these rookies that have the you know, another quick injury, whether they rushed back,
even if it's not a rookie like Jalen Phillips. This year seemed like he rushed back and then immediately got hurt again with a different injury, and it's really disappointing for a good runner.
Yeah, it's a barer because he had just gotten back and he had just started to show some flashes of you know and kind of proved why they took him and why he was regarded so highly before he had hurt his knee in his final season in college. And this is the type of stuff that does happen from time. It's it's super unfortunate because the one thing you don't want to do is watch these things pile up. I
think about Deonta Foreman. When he came into the NFL, he kind of experienced a similar, you know, turn of events. He didn't come in injured, but he experienced injuries. And now he's bounced around the NFL and had a promising start to his career before he got hurt. I hope the same is not true for Brooks, and it's it's one of those negatives in what has been a really kind of fun month or so for the Panthers. But you'll have those.
No one's having more fun losing than the Panthers. There's still three intensements like so close everywhere. The one disappointing part of the Brooks injury on a on a bigger picture level for the Panthers is they actually haven't gotten a ton out of this rookie class.
League at is solid.
I think he has potential, You're not really sure which direction he's gonna go. And they you know, Jatavian Sanders, their fourth round tight end.
Looks like I love him. Yeah, he's solid.
But man, when you're a team like that, you need to you need to really have some doubles and home runs in your draft class. Maybe this this class will turn into that, but disappointing for them. The Bucks got some bad injury news. Antoine Winfield is out again with maultaultiple weeks. Not for the season, but he's had an injury plague season, part of the reason their their secondary has not looked great. The Browns are sticking with Jamis
at least for another week. Kevin STEFANSI confirmed a O'Connell he might not be out yet. We got the Raiders in primetime next week and this Monday night doubleheader they got. We got Raiders Falcons as one of the two games. Vikings Bears is the other one, So we might be talking a little in O'Connell next week. Not Desmond Ritter, we'll see. And the Chiefs are checking on DJ Humphries. They're recently signed tackle got hurt right away. He's getting
an m MRI. And the Packers' safety Javon boulderd is week to week. That is your quick update. I wanted to fly through that shook because we got a talk offensive Rookie of the Year ladder. I think this one is fascinating. This might be the best offensive rookie class in my lifetime.
I like to go three.
I don't know man like the immediately I'm thinking, like, who are the other good rookies on offense in twenty twelve when it was you know, Luck, RG three, Russ and Tannehill. You know, Tannehills down the list, but pretty solid for a rookie quarterback. Like and that's just the quarterbacks alone. I'm trying to think who else was part of that class, like A. J.
Green.
Let's talk.
Let's talk two thousand and twenty four. I'm gonna go through it. You you you start out at five, and then I'll go, well, let's go back from five.
Okay, So it's I don't know if it's the best, like you said, but it's definitely intriguing. And really it's because there's like two tiers to this, and if we start at the bottom the second tier, I could throw like three different guys in here. In fact, I have I think a total of six players that I've written up here. Okay, and the receiver group specifically comparable numbers, they're like really similar. You have like the guys like I'm gonna say Lad McConkey and Molik neighbors numbers wise
very similar. But the guy that I have in front of both of them. Is Brian Thomas, and I'm gonna put him there fifth because he's playing in an offense that has had like no stability. Trevor Lawrence has gotten hurt a couple of times, and yet he's been able to make big plays. But he almost pops up out of nowhere. You forget he's there sometimes because they just have an issue with getting the ball down the field. But when he makes plays, man, it's special. Fifty four catches,
eight hundred and fifty one yards, six touchdowns. I would put him in fifth just because he's done a little bit better statistically, but like Neighbors and mccakey, both look different from him too. Neighbors is a guy who've got fed a ton of targets early with Daniel Jones, they've gone through the quarterback carousel. He's disappeared at times. He only has three touchdown catches. Two of them were in the same game that was against the Browns, so it's
been very hit or missed. But at times he's single handedly kept that offensive float. But I'm going to go Thomas over him just because I like Neighbors more as a player, but I like Thomas's production a little bit more at five.
Okay, so Thomas is in my top five as well. I came up with eight names that were really strong candidates to me, and that's it was. There was very little separate or nine names, I should say, there was very little separation.
For me between like four and nine on this list.
Yeah, am I gonna am I being a homer to put Drake May already number five?
I mean he's I feel it.
I heard in your voice right now, Actually, like, do I am I wrong? It's there a little bit now You're like, maybe maybe I'll maybe I'll wait four more weeks.
But yeah, here's what I think. He's elevating a team around him. I think if you just were saying who's playing quarterback at a better level like him or Bo Nix or Caleb, I think there's a pretty strong argument to say Drake May's playing paying better.
All Right, it's gonna get interesting.
Then I'm gonna not put man. I changed my mind off.
I'm gonna get really hipster here, and I'm actually doing it off of people that I trust. People Ali Connelly and John Ledyard have been banging this drum, Nate Tice. I've talked to people inside of the league a little bit too. They think Zach Fraser of the Steelers is one of the eight best centers in the NFL right now. And so I think, just because we have this platform too, and we haven't mentioned Zach Fraser the whole freaking season,
that to come in. And I know he missed a couple of games, but when he's been out there be maybe the best player on an really improving offensive line at a traditionally a very difficult position. Let's just give him a little bit of love. He is number five on my list. I will mention the guys that did not make my top that I think deserve a lot of mention is Neighbors. I can't believe Neighbors is not on my list. And then Joe Alt I think deserves a little bit of love play has played really solid
at tackle. And then Drake May And now now I'm really in a tough bind, but yes, I'm putting Zach Fraser there at number five.
I agree with the Fraser sentiment. Obviously, an offensive lineman is not going to get offensive Rookie the Year consideration. But here on show, we make the rules and we're gonna make it for Yeah, I agree we.
Can though, like, why can't they? We we can do it. The os will be listening to this.
You never like if people who have the articles and you write an NFL dock, I can just start putting it on.
Then maybe some people will put him four or five.
Oh okay, all right, grassroots campaign starts right here at NFL Daily. Okay, cool, it's I think it actually points to a really good comparison, at least an interesting comparison how the Steelers have drafted the offensive line because Broder Jones at tackle was a guy who I really liked the combine who has not fared well, has not lived up to expectation for the Steelers so far. Then they
come back and they double down. They say, we're gonna invest the offensive line again, but we're gonna start inside out. We're gonna sign Isaac sam Malow, We're gonna draft Zach Fraser, We're gonna draft Mason McCormick. And suddenly you have an offensive line that is working well enough for both Naji Here and Jalen Woarn in smaller spurts to find success and for Russell Wilson have time to throw. And that's a big reason why they are where they are. I
think Fraser is a key part of that center. Is really hard to come in and immediately find success. Usually if you do, you're an elite talent. And I very much agree with this. I just wish that offensive line got more love.
There we go, so we're going to give it to it.
By the way, I said twenty twelve, and that was what I was thinking because I thought about the quarterbacks, But the rest of that class actually was a bit of a disaster.
With Trent Richards and whatnot.
Two and eleven is the gold standard for draft classes in the modern era, and as rookies, they were outrageous on both sides of the ball. But let's give you some options of the players. Cam Newton one of the best rookie quarterbacks of all time. Jason Kelcey immediately stepped in and was at an extremely high level. Julio Jones is in that class. Tyrone Smith came in great in that class. Andy Dalton was a sneaky good rookie. He had his buddy AJ Green on that same team. That
is a nice little rookie class. Randall Cobbs in the mix. I might take that class over.
Yeah, I thought that was the green class.
Yeah, that's defensively they're even better, but even offensively it's good.
All right, go to number four.
Number four. I this is where it gets crazy. And this isn't biased, but I just love watching him play and I love the run he's had recently, and he also started as a non primary player. Bucky Irving for the Buccaneers back thirty seven rushes, seven and thirty five rushing yards, six touchdowns, has almost definitively taken control of the lead back role. Now, he got hurt in Sunday's game and Rashat White had to take over. But like, he's a guy who has proven to be capable of
sifting his way through traffic, ripping off big runs. He's been consistent. He's helped open up the entire Buccaneers offense, starting from the backfield. They went into this draft knowing they need to be better as a running team, and they went and got Bucky Irving for that purpose, and
I think he's delivered so far. He's another guy that's not gonna land on the radars of a lot of people, but like to avoid the whole wide receiver logjam that I encountered there and to avoid going quarterback too early. I thought he's a nice little pick there. He's players I've really enjoyed watching in that backfield, which is kind of a three headed backfield. If you throw Sean Tucker into the.
Mix, that's fun. I'm glad you put a player that I wasn't going through. Our lists are going to be very different. I struggled with what to do with bow Knicks, Like, in my heart, I'm trying to think of how to give this award. In my heart, I believe Brian Thomas Junior, for instance, is better at his position now than bo Nix's.
And it's not most Valuable Player.
So yeah, quarterbacks get a little extra credit because their positions more important, But are you excellent at what you do now? It's not the most valuable rookie. So I wrote down Knicks fourth because I'm afraid of the Broncos fans if I don't list him at all. But as I'm talking it through, I don't really believe it, and I got I gotta do what I believe. Shook, I'm putting Brian Thomas in here.
Okay. I thought you're gonna go Drake May for a second.
Now, May give him four more games. People act like he missed the whole season. He didn't miss that much. I think May is playing playing at a great level. But I'm gonna go Brian there. I'm going to go Brian Thomas Junior here at the at the fourth spot. This makes for great podcasting me changing my mind mid stream.
I just I just think as good as Nicks has been, and he's getting better and better, the first month counts when he was playing at a below average level, and he's for a starting quarterback, and he's very, very good for a rookie starting quarterback. But we don't have to give the award to a quarterback just so, and we have other options at quarterback anyways, in the in this class, if you really want to go there, and so I think Brian Thomas Junior is already a plus plus starting wide receiver.
He's going to go number four for me? What what? What? What's next?
For you?
I like that logic, and it kind of blows up the logic that I already laid out there because I'm putting Nicks third, and it's because of the way he's played recently, and I think a lot of these season awards, what you did later in the season ends up mattering
more than what you did earlier. I mean, look Lamar last year, he closed his MVP season with the last five weeks of the season, and because Dak Prescott blew a tire in that game against Buffalo, obviously different awards, but it just kind of speaks to the minds of voters. Recncy matters, and you're the voter here.
You can decide whatever you want. I don't want you.
What I like is that he grew. He's grown within you know, under Sean Payton's you know, oversight this season, and they're they're using him in most games where he's best, which is out in the perimeter. I think he's developing as a decision maker. He's an athletic player who can extend plays and pick up solid games on the ground with his legs. I feel like he's just trending upward and by the end of the season, like he threw two picks in that Browns game, they still win that game.
He didn't look great, but he still looks good enough. He was still spinning it at times. I think he's just going to continue on this path to where by the end of the season I don't think he's going to enter the top two conversation here, but people are going to look at him and say, bright future, he can be the guy for them. And that's really all I'm looking for at quarterbacks specifically, because it's so much harder to be a really successful quarterback as a rookie
that it is at other positions. And he's been on a good path for me, so I'm going there. Twenty eight hundred passing yard, seventy to eight touchdown intercept ratio, added three hundred four yards in the grounds, got four rushing touchdowns, doing a little bit of everything. I like him at three.
See TD in interception ratio. For a while on around the NFL, I would just rail against passer rating and just say it's useless, like we don't need to use pass rate, And then I just stopped even ever mention it, like that's the best way to just just ignore it.
Yeah.
Yeah, And now I'm getting there with TD to intercept ratio. It could just I mean, I know that's basically what informs the QB radio anyways, Like camleb Williams right now has a great TD interception ratio sixteen to five and anyone from Denver would get mad that Bo Nick's on this. So it's like Caleb Williams is not on this list either. His numbers are actually quite good, but it's it's partly
because of all the throws he's not making. That he's holding the ball and taking those sacks and he's avoiding mistakes and that's really important, but that does not an offensive Rookie of the Year make. So I don't have Nicks or Caleb Williams on my list, even though I had Nicks written down and I just wasn't feeling it. I have Lad McConkie three. I love it, talk about getting better throughout the course of the season. I did not think he could get as open on the outside
as often as he has. He's had to carry a big load in that offense, and he's made me rethink of whether he can be a true one, whatever that means. We heard this conversation about Nico Collins for a minute too. I don't think he's quite Nego Collins, but for him to be this good as a rookie, as long as he can stay healthy, you can keep getting better at
the NFL. That's what Nico Collins started to do. And when they gave Nico Collins that contract last year, I was like, well, he's definitely a top twenty twenty five receiver in the NFL, and that was after his second year. And I kind of think mcconkey's there right now, and so why can't he keep getting better and evolve really into a number one. He's better than I expected. I think he's just having a fantastic rookie season and is a plus plus starter for a team that's winning.
So McConkie gets my number three.
I love Lad McConkie.
He is.
In the last couple of years, I've had a couple of really favorite receivers that weren't in that like elite group that everybody was talking about at the combine two years ago. Is Tank Dell. This year it's Ladd McConkey. He was at Georgia forever, so if you follow college football, you knew who he was. But I also actually I thought he was going to make an impact pretty quickly
as long as he was in the right system. He's not in the right system, but he has the right quarterback and we saw how important he was to that offense when they went out and played against the Chiefs and they didn't have him and they had to turn to Stone Smart to move the ball down the field. He's fantastic. My comparison, though, talking about number one receivers, I made infamously made a comment to a former colleague who did not let me live it down over the
next four years. Terry McLaurin when he was a rookie reminded me a lot of Ladd McConkey as a rookie. Just the way that's a great colly is that they made And I said, great number two. Don't know if he could be a number one. Well, he's clearly a number one. He's clearly a number one. Can Lad be a number one? If if Terry McLaurin is the law, then yes, he could be a number one.
I think that's a I think that's an awesome comp I think they win in similar sorts of ways. I do think they also could be in the same sort of place in the NFL ecosystem.
Yeah, you're not going to be in.
That top five list, probably, but you really raised the floor of what your passing game is going to be and you're going to be a consistent top twenty receiver throughout your career.
So we'll see, all right, what's you're up to. Number two.
Let's go number two. Jayden Daniels, a guy who I thought was going to run away with the award. Earlier in the season, they ran into some struggles offensively. Everybody blamed Cliff Kingsbury or Jaden and daniels mysterious rib injury or whatever it was. He's gotten back in track in recent weeks. The numbers don't quite suggest it anymore because
of those lulls. Twenty one hundred passing yards, you know, fifteen to six touchdown in interception ratio sounds a lot like bo Nix, But visually we know the difference that he makes in this offense. He is a guy who is very much capable of handling all the stresses and pressures of playing quarterback in the NFL. He's got another five hundred nine yards on the ground in six rushing touchdowns. He opens up that offense. He's going to be a
star for years to come. And if they hadn't hit that lall, I think he'd be the leader in the clubhouse right now. But because they did, it's going to get interesting up there. But he's my clear number two.
Let's us have our conversation about Jaden versus Brock Bowers, because that's our that's our top two. I have Jadan Daniels one. I have Bowers too. It was close. You clearly have Bowers one. I respect it the whole I want to count the whole season, and Jadan Daniels was a top five quarterback for about a third of the season. Man,
that does hold a lot of weight for me. I know he took a step back and he could lose this award and in my rankings over the last month, but where we stand now, his EPA for play numbers are still fantastic, Like they're not that close with Nicks. His QBR is top five, Like that's not close with Knicks. No, and yeah, is he arguably the best player at his position in the league like Bowers. No, he's not there, but he's he's high enough where many he might be
a pro bowler or something like that. And as a rookie quarterback, that's enough where I guess I just said I have a conservative streak in me. I'm giving it to Jayden over Brock. But I love that you have Brock number one.
So convince me, well, yeah, because Jadeen his position kind of reminded me of CJ. Stratus. So CJ's finished stronger than Jaden has so far. Still have a month left, so we'll see. Brock Bowers, Greg, you have been the guy, yeah on the brock Bowers train.
I am.
I haven't like six weeks.
I was so happy he got that primetime Black Friday game against the Chiefs that everybody America who had nothing better to do than to watch a Black Friday football game got an introduction to the kid from Georgia who everybody in college has been raving about for years do the same thing in the NFL. He's got eighty seven catches, nine hundred and thirty three receiving yards. He's first in the NFL in receptions, by the way, nine hundred threy
three receiving yards, fourth in the NFL. It's got four touchdowns. He's third in yack. He's tenth in yack over expected. He's eleventh in receiving yards over expected. He's a tight end in an offense it's playing with eight and O'Connell, Gardner, Minshew Desmen, Ritter. They have no running game. He's doing incredible things. This guy is a fantastic player and he's gonna be around for a long time and you're gonna know his name if you don't know it by now.
And I think despite all the challenges that he faces, he makes enough spectacular plays in a terrible offense that he just may win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
I love it, and I'm with you. It really raises good questions about what is this award for if it's just for pure excellence at what you're asked to do. Bowers has a strong case because I think it's between him and kill as the two all as the All Pro tight end. I might lean Kittle still because of the blocking and because Kittle's having a great season two catching the ball, but those are the two. So you're telling me he is a top two at his position as a rookie.
That just doesn't It just doesn't happen. I'm sorry.
That's that's future Hall of Famer type of stuff. Without getting you two over our skis, that's like, that's the type of stuff hall of famers, do you know what I mean? And it doesn't happen too much at the tight end position. Yeah, you might have convinced me. I got four weeks left to think about it, and these are just written in light pencil that we can erase.
I love it.
You kind of did convince me, but commit Jayden right in pen Jayden's having a fantastic offensive rookie season as well. This is a great class. I stand by my statement. It's one of the best that we've seen. And it makes since because the first round and the early second round even of this draft were dominated by offensive players, especially skill position players. But yeah, some of the linemen have turned into studs right away as well, So yeah, get give them some love as well. Let's wrap it
up here with a little Captain's corner. It is time for the Captain's Corner, presented by Captain Morgan.
Get us going, Nick, All right, Well, we're gonna go to a guy who attracts a lot of attention in the offseason year round three hundred and sixty five days. But he hasn't had a great year this year, whether it's not having his quarterback, dealing with injuries, whatever, it is, just hasn't really quite been there. Like his fantasy managers
won him two. But fantasy managers be damned. Because Tyreek Hill had ten catches for one hundred and fifteen yards and a touchdown, and the overtime went over the Jets. And I know the overtime period was the Johnas Smith Show, but they got there in part because of Tyreek Hill. It made me really happy to see him break one hundred receiving yards and play a significant role in this offense when he hasn't been able to from this year.
Why we can unpack that later, but for one day, he was once again a captain for the Dolphins in a must win game.
Well, why is it like your fantasy team it got you, like into the playoffs or something like that.
No, it's just why. No, I'm saying, why hasn't he played as big of a role off Who knows it's up and down?
Yeah, okay, I'm gonna go with the obvious one. I try to go through my notes and who would be a fun guy to pick up all the games that I watched on Monday since we last talked, and I went through the Rams Bills game closer and I knew it's just one of It's just one of the best wide receiver performances as great as Matthew Stafford was in that game, and I'm sure we're going to talk about him with Jordan rod Riege in the studio on Tuesday.
Have of a fun show plan. As great as Stafford was, that was a special wide receiver performance by Puka Nakua, who in an age of just elite wide receiver play the way aj Brown is playing this year when he has a chance to catch the ball, the way Jamar Chase is playing. Obviously, the run that Justin Jefferson is on, Puka offers a different flavor and that game showed how much he's improved since his rookie year when he buy the numbers was the best rookie wide receiver in the
history of the sport. And when he's healthy, and he's healthy now, he belongs right there with those names. And I think he's still getting that fifth round tax just a little bit that maybe you don't think of him like right at that level. But he's so unique. He
has such good vision as a runner. Chase has this too, but they're both such fantastic runners in terms of setting up their blocks, and his hands and his body control, everything is just top top elite, and he's developed into an even better player than he was as a rookie, which I didn't think was possible, and I thought maybe he'd take a step back this year. It is the total opposite. So he is my Captain Morgan Captain of the Week.
Credit Cooper Cup allowing him to throw up on his front lawn during off season workouts.
For getting there. There you go.
That was the Captain squarter presented by Captain Morgan. It's delicious and Chris perfect for game day with your friends.
Spice it up.
Visit Captain Morgan dot com to find a Captain near you.
Please drink responsibly. That is it.
Let's get out of here. We've honked too long on this Monday night. We got to get shook to, you know, go watch some games.
What are you gonna watch? First?
Shook play their music. We're gonna watch Chicago San Francisco. Why not Rock Purdy back on the horse, baby.
This is always fun having Shook. We've done this every Monday night all season long. I've absolutely loved it. We've got three to go. We've got a doubleheader next week. That should be fun until Tuesday's show with Jordan and Colleen Wolf and then another little special guest. Yeah, When we're breaking down offensive Rookie of the Year, you know football is back.