Welcome to NFL Daily, where Teddy Bridgewater was never far away for us. He's back and we're back here in the Chris Westling podcast studio. Yes, it's your favorite time a week. It's the Man Versus Machine Pick segment with my good friend Cynthia for you.
And yes, we have Teddy Bridgewater back on your lions and we've got you back. How was your Christmas? It was great.
I'm still full. I try to button my jeans and that's more to do. Okay, ye all gross today?
How about you?
I feel fine, I'm doing well. I was the best gift? Oh, the best gift for the kids. I already mentioned this on our previews show in NFL Daily. The best gift I got was Walker said he listened to the podcast they did on Monday night with Nick Shuk and he said it was great. So I can't think of it. What about the kids?
Like? What was the best? Like when the kids like? For kids, what was the best opened gift?
It's kind of predictable, but it's like just like a video game, you know, got it?
Yea college? Oh my god? A little bit.
They're getting they're getting older, but it's not quite as crazy we're getting too. We're in week seventeen. We were just little babies back in Week one. Let's put up the records for last week. We both went one and two. This is the first time this has happened in a while where we both had losing weeks. Overall, we've been We've been picking well in the second half of the season. I'm at twenty seven in twenty one. It's about a fifty five percent.
Uh.
Cynthia's at twenty five and twenty three. Couple games back. But I'm feeling better about this week than I did last week. There were four clear games. I liked a lot this week, and so the only hard part was picking, you know, which one to eliminate?
But I like these. Maybe maybe I'll just.
Start, Yeah, you start, you start? Okay with you? I mentioned Teddy up top. I know it's an off the field story, but Teddy Briddy going to play is now part of the Lions organization.
Line back.
As if this team didn't have great vibes at as it was, to throw Teddy Bridgewater into the mix in Week seventeen put him over the top. That's not the reason I'm taking the Lions three and a half but I do like it, and I wouldn't be surprised if he is their backup by the playoffs, whether they passed Tendon hooker or maybe it'll just be around for now.
I assume at Tendon hooker. Okay, minus three and a.
Half this week, for sure, Attendon hooker last week?
Yeah yeah, last week.
I told you Lions minus six and a half was one of my favorite picks all year.
They absolutely cruised.
I feel like this is a very similar match up here to the forty nine ers. Yes, the forty nine ers are better, and it's on the road, but I look at a team that's in the dirt in the forty nine ers and a team that's playing for everything, possibly playing to clinch the number one overall seed on Monday night. I know some things could happen in between.
Dan Campbell says they're going to play to win no matter what, even if even if the Vikings won on Sunday night, technically the Lions game kind of wouldn't matter for them, but that doesn't matter. The Lions always played a win, all right. There's the forty nine have no pass rush anymore. I know Nick Bose is out there in spirit he's not out there making any difference. So zero pass rush whatsoever against this Lion's offense, which is still plenty healthy. Drey Greenlaw is out, Fred Warners out
there with a broken foot. I just feel like the over under on their points once again is about thirty five.
I love that team total for the Lions.
And then on the other side, four of the forty nine ers five starting off offensive linemen are out and they're not like big names other than Trent Williams. But two more offensive linemen got hurt their guards last week that are out and they're like looking for a tackle. So I know the Lions have some problems.
Do you have a defense Island, see if I can get your.
Job sure, or just see what he'll lie to you about in terms of the injury reports, Like the forty nine Ers don't have a running game anymore. I know the numbers say they're a better team than most six and eight teams or whatever they are, but I don't care. The Lions are gonna win this game. Easy love me some Lions minus three and a half.
Your lips to whoever's in charge. That's what I say. You picked my team, I'm gonna pick your daughter's team. I love I love the Rams. Okay, this week, I think that their opportunity Saturday night against the Cardinals here evening night, it's evening our time. I've right around dusk sunset with a sunset, a NFC West tilt where the Rams are in charge of their own future. Basically, I think that they win. What's the line like, six and a half? Right, yeah, okay, six and a half, it's
a great number. They just gotta win by a touchdown.
I think so too.
That's a game where the Cardinals are missing their top two tackles that I think, as you always tell me, offensive line in your.
Huge matter a lot huge. I think the only thing, you know, the only thing in this game that I'm keeping an eye out for just because I'm I'm very interested in this looking forward, because like I would like to see the scenario so Thursday night, if the if the Seahawks win Thursday night, it could set up a Week eighteen where things matter for the NFC West. I kind of want to see, like some mayhem.
I want I want more things to matter in Week seventeen. The problem is it comes down to this strength of victory tie break with the Rams could clinch by the end of week seventeen. We won't know until after Saturday night. They have to wait for the Sunday results to happen. All right, my next two picks, yep, or my next pick?
I was about to say, you're going to go to Well, they're.
Similar to me.
They're both underdogs that I think can win straight up. In fact, I'm picking them to win straight up. I'm gonna go second with the one I feel better about Denver plus three and a half in Cincinnati. To me, this is one of those picks that you're building towards all season picking games, and I know you and Patrick Claybon are on the other side of me on this one.
I'm on the other side of you. For who winsky on the other side of you the numbers.
That makes me feel better because for this purpose win all I need is Denver to cover the three and a half, so we both win.
In that way.
I have a feeling won't the public be on my side? Which is a little worrisome in general, Like won't everyone say, yeah, the Broncos plus three and fl That seems too obvious. But it's been a public kind of year. The public is doing well. I looked at my record against the spread this year, because we pick all the game debut one hundred and twenty six to ninety nine. I mean, and if I'm doing that well, I have a feeling
the public is doing that well too. It's about the same percentage as our picks on this show, about fifty five to fifty six. Okay, So I think everyone's overreacting too much to recent games. In terms of the defensive performance, the Bengals have forced a lot of turnovers. Since Week eleven, They've definitely been better on defense. The Broncos defense looked quite bad in primetime last week, and I think people are overreacting. I care more about the whole season. I
don't trust this Bengals defense whatsoever. I think Sean Payton, with a little extra rest here, can scheme up some great plays. Bonix doesn't have to be great. And then I look at the other side, where the offensive line for the Bengals has been banged up. I trust this Broncos defense to at least be good enough. They just need to be sound. And even the Bengals last week against the Browns, they were struggling to score in that game.
Joe Burrow is awesome. It's not about that. It's just one team has been better all season long, and I know Bengals have been like a Vegas team all season long. And apparently even for your numbers, they're they're decent that you have them winning this game. I don't think they win this game. I think the Broncos clinched their playoff spot on Saturday afternoon.
I have a one point win for the Bengals. So it's not like I'm saying, really, oh, now you're with me.
You're two and a half.
Points with you, two and a half points with you. The one thing that's really interesting about this game is the fact that I was trying to find something good about this Bengals defense, which trying right, because there's been a it's been a tough season. Short passes, which is actually not a strength of Bonnicks, is also a strength for this On short passes with sub ten air yard passes, they have seven interceptions, which is the most.
In the league.
Just just a fun fact. I mean, it doesn't really it's not super predictive. It's not like I'm saying and that is the reason that they're not gonna win this game.
The cases against the Broncos is the quarterback matchup Bonnicks coming off probably the two the worst two game stretch that he's had since the first two weeks of the season against a guy who's going to be on some MVP ballots in Joe Burrow.
So I mean, yes, Brush should be low key. He's been. He's taken the most hits this season at one oh five. Like people don't talk about that because he's doing such a good job of escaping being sacked, and we like to say sacked totals or whatever, But hits are a problem too. One hundred and five is a lot, a lot of hits.
That is a lot, which is I think he'll he'll hit, He'll get hit some more, hit some more.
All right, your second pick?
All right, so my second pick. I feel like I'm scooping you on this one. I want to be we.
Can join sides. We did last week to poor effect. Now Jalen hurts his injury that did not help us there.
We should get an asterix there.
I know they were up fourteen nothing app before he went out.
I think we're on the same side of this one. But I think that I want to pick the Raiders against the Saints.
That's funny, that is that was my fifth pick, So I was not gonna make it. Okay, I wrote down four I loved and one I liked, and that one was the one.
I all right.
Well, in large part because the Raiders, they don't seem to be mindful of their They don't care about where they're drafting. In some ways, some people get mad about this because they're like, we need to get a quarterback. Well, you do need to get a quarterback. However, it is also very, very very important that you evaluate the current talent on this roster. You don't get to just pick higher and then not make any other moves, right, You
have to deal with free agency. They need alignment, we know, you got to deal with what's going on in defense. They need corners understood. There's a lot of needs. What they do need to understand is who they currently have that they want to focus on keeping. So I mean, okay, we know Max Crosby done, Rock Bowers done, but apart from that, namely who else that I mean, Jacoby Meyer's good, but not like so over the time, what if he's
trade bait? Like they need to figure out exactly what they have here and how to map it going forward. I think they try to win the game. Antonio Pierce does not care. He wants to win the game. He doesn't want to sit here and try to play this game of I'm gonna try to tank to be worse than No, he doesn't.
They've played hard all year.
I've enjoyed how hard they play. The Saints could get Chris O Lovey back, but otherwise the injury report for the Saints is not pretty. I'm with you. That was That's an extra pick for mine. It was the same thing last week was a Greg stra I wish I had made that one of my top three picks.
The Raider.
You loved that one last night, but no, I'm into that one.
It didn't hit, okay.
My third and final pick, similar to the Broncos pick, is a road underdog that I think will win straight up. I feel less strong about the winning straight up than I do about the Falcons plus four. I don't think there's much of a difference between these two teams, and I know they have the home field advantage, and so in theory, that's a little edge to the Commanders. The edge for the Falcons, I think is that their defense is playing their best ball of the season right now.
I don't really trust Washington's defense. If you look at the overall efficiency, these two defenses are just about the same in terms of DVOA over the course of the season.
But the Falcons are trending up.
The Commanders are trending up relatively, but they're just mediocre. And I like what I've seen out of Raheem Morris and how he has that group playing finally at the back end. And then I look at the two quarterbacks, and of course you favor Jayden Daniels over Michael Pennix, but Michael Pennix played really well last week and he
has way better and deeper weapons. The best player in this entire game, and the best thing in this entire game is Bajohn Robinson, and the Falcons running attack lately has really been good, and I think Pennix helps to unlock that. He has Drake London, he has Darnell Mooney. I actually think he's working with more than Jayden Daniels is, even if the coaching isn't as strong. Either way, I think this is a coin flip. I'm going to take the Falcons in that coin flip if I'm gonna bother
to pick them to cover. So plus four love it that it's more than a field goal. Like I said, this is a week where I'm really feeling my picks. So if I if I don't go at least two and one this week, then I'm losing my touch on what's been a good season because I feel very good about all three of these.
What do you got for your third? Okay?
So I'm going to stick with the same theme, and that's the theme of the NFC South because I root for like you know, I like some chaos and I want the Bucks to win. But also my mat says that the Bucks beat the Cardinal, I'm not Carls the Panthers by the number more than the number.
Nice.
There's a couple of reasons why. But you know it comes back to you said this theory last week, and I think that you're talking about how when two teams who won is about the Bears? Right? Yeah, few teams and you're talking about the Vikings and the Bears, And it was when two teams replay each other and they have a close one the first time, and they did have a close one the first time, the better team in the second one beats up on the on the
other teams. So I think that's where this comes into play. And as good as we've seen Chuba Hubbard be like, I'll give credit where credits due, I still am concerned about some of the things have seen at the quarterback position. Solved, no, improved, Yes, And I think this is a hungry team where Baker
Mayfield alone will anger this team into a win. And like just Baker Mayfield, he's gonna take forty passing tips out of you know, Mike Evans will hit that ninety one yard number to keep himself in full running so to get that to reach his you know, eleventh season with a thousand yards. So I think that that one's I feel really good about that one as well.
All Right, I like that.
So the review Cynthia's got the Raiders as a one point favorite in New Orleans. I love that you're going with that dot was one of yours. And then the Bucks. I like that pick because it's a team coming off a bad loss that absolutely needs horrible for the playoffs, and I trust their offense minus seven and a half. I don't love that pick. That's why I didn't pick it, but it's a good pick. Rams minus six and a half.
My three picks Atlanta plus four, Denver plus three and a half, and then the Lions on Monday Night minus three and a half. I mentioned how I loved four picks, and then I liked one more. I was with you on the Raiders as the one I liked. The other one I loved that just got boxed out. Here was Bill's minus eight and a half, and I was on the other side of that correctly. I might add about the Patriots last week. I think in a way it was almost like they lost that game to the Patriots
and this is gonna be their response game. I think the Jets have been competing and improving, but this is a Bills game where everyone on the team knows if we win this game, we're gonna take next week off. We clinched the two seed, we'll have nothing to play for. Everyone wants to get Josh Allen as MVP, and obviously they're just a much better team overall. They're getting a
little healthier on defense. They were pretty banged up against the Patriots, so I like them to cover that eight and a half and have that be a blowout.
So I'm with you completely on that one. I consider doing that one. My only problem is that there's a potential for freezing rain there, and freezing rain just sometimes means slop which sometimes and if I'm and if I'm the Bills and it's freezing rain and I have this lead that's like seven points, I'm just gonna run the air of the football and like try to blow the clock up as opposed to try like that was my only thing.
Just I didn't even know that.
It's kind of overthinking the freezing rain situation. But point being is, it's just such a big number that freezing rain makes me mad.
I didn't even know that. And that's why I'm glad to have you here because that would have been my tiebreaker to make it the fourth one. Anyways, although they so.
Good, it's a great I think they're so good on the.
Ground with their heavy personnel and everything that they could be great in the freezing rain.
They're a bunch of fine in the in the there a bunch of water. I'm not saying it's wrong, it's just when I was picking three, they're just a couple more that like that was way up there. The weather was gonna be just nice and crisp, like a crisp winter day. I would have done it, but I think I just I don't know freezing ranges.
And crisp bedtimes here.
I mean, I'm freezing dip it into the forties at night.
We're summing it here in Los Angeles.
Dogs were on the porch this morning and their breath was I could see it. It was wild. I was like, you guys are nuts.
All right.
So we we did it. We were gonna nail it. We're almost there till week eighteen. Yes, thank you, believe it again. Check her out. I can believe it.
It's because they got you working every day.
I just mean it.
It seems like it was ages ago when we were kick starting this season.
So I am ready for the playoffs. Everyone. Check out Cynthia's YouTube page.
Numbers game. It's the hottest with the younger demo. It's really going off right now. And yeah, you said it week seventeen. As we tape this, As you listen to this when there's only twenty nine regular season games and nine days left until it's playoff time, you know football is back