Week 3 Primetime Preview and 0-2 Powerless Rankings

The Around the NFL podcast pre show grade B minus sounds about right. From the Chris Westlink podcast studio. It's Around the NFL.

Dan Hands is here room just teaming with heroes, Mark Sessler, Greg Rosevedalt, and in her usual Wednesday.

Slot, a Wolf.

Guys.

I feel like we haven't all done a show together in a while.

Right, well, yeah, I missed last week's which was made oh right, abundantly clear to me over and over on Thursday show, Yes.

And Sunday night, and now we're all together.

We are, and it just feels right.

Very nice, very nice. You know what else is very nice? And we wait, So turn this up in my headphones.

I was playing this when I signed up for traffic school today?

Why do you need traffics?

Got a speeding ticket I had to pay bail.

I guess let's go back to school for that.

And now I must go back to school.

Good feel there's a wolf.

Hey, by the way, I I'm calling out, Let's get some more Connie theme song drops.

Yeah, be atm podcast at gmail.

Keep making them and send them in and we'll keep playing them forever and ever than ever.

What about Greg's We also need some video submissions. For the plus questions. Step step up your game there.

Let's go get weird, get fun, enjoy, enjoy.

We know you're creative out there.

Be created.

Doesn't question some of you.

It doesn't need to be like who is who is going to replace you know, the third receiver on the bucks. Now that Russell Gage is out right, we can We want something fun, We want some fun stuff.

Correct, show your personality a.

Bit and and this is this is a huge, a huge thing for us, and we're very excited. We announced just yesterday or Monday night during the mnf or recap and news that around the NFL is going back to London and we had a we have a show at the thought that the the Shaw Theater UH in London Town. Pre sale was today Wednesday and we sold out that bitch baby one day.

That's all we want to tell.

I mean, not exactly why why say that now? It's if you're listening to this, go check because we're not just saying this.

We got the ticket update.

There are some tickets available, but by the time you hear this, it might be sold out, or by tomorrow at this time it might.

Be sold out. So it's quick.

It's going If you haven't bought tickets yet. You gome you.

Need you need to come in with the factual element because I was doing that.

He's a showman.

We saw the people who are just hearing it for the first time. They're Connie fans. They're only listening to the Wednesday show.

I won't be at the show.

The pre sale code is West fortunately.

Uh and that'll be fun atn sells out and not just for the Toyota.

We'll do it in London for.

I think our fourth live show there and uh yes, I would say five or six listen. We could quibble over minor details, but if the venue was I believe based on our great friend Mike Burkwitz, who does so much awesome behind the scenes worked for us and the live stuff and beyond sure, Uh we basically within minutes, yeah, pack that play.

It was instant and Greg, I don't understand your angle.

I'm trying to help out for their all.

If there's old numbers, crunch Rosenthal.

Old left h Yeah, that's gonna be fun. It's a big return week by the way, because I'm just going to make another announcement. We're there for Ravens Titans. Why not Okay, go ahead out there. We're going to be back on Sky Sports that Sunday after.

I think that's exciting for that week throw it out there.

I have not been the same personally without the touch of Neil Reynolds.

Yes, so we'll be back to him for that game and that weekend.

We were on a planning call yesterday and we got to end and they kind of gave us our schedule and it was robust Calleen, there's a lot of things we're doing, and then Greg started like freestyling and volunteering us. That is extra opportunity. Greg, hang up now, please that.

Our great friend Henry basically is just there anything else, because once we hear no, then you can start planning around.

I'm sad that we will be missing each other by one day. Basically, I'll be in this the third October, third to the ninth.

We'll miss you. It's a sliding doors scenario.

And one more thing, one more thing that is amazing that we sold that venue out totally or came close to it that quickly. I also want to say that I see what's going on on Twitter. I know what's going on in this building. They send out tweets about oh look, our quarterly ratings are up on NFL network.

That's great, and I'm most supportive of the media group.

You know, I didn't see I didn't see any tweets about this show and the numbers going up in year eleven. And that is a testament to the the listeners and the support we've gotten forever and ever and ever on this show. So thank you for continuing to tune in.

We appreciate this time to check the stink on these podcasts, not pad for the bosos.

I see that guy around the hallways all the time.

You know, it doesn't matter how much success we have here, there is a large segment of the decision makers that will always be just oh, they're the bozos.

Doing their thing in the studio.

Yeah, but it's the connection between us.

Successful bosos that's what's special.

Okay, you could call us whatever you want, because we got a thing here.

First seven minutes of the show us talking about us.

We've been doing this for thirty seven minutes.

By the way, in this studio is city.

I hope it doesn't come up.

Just a love to the listeners, Yes, yeah, thank you for everything you've given us. A great life. Let's now get to it. Let's talk about what today's show is with Colleen. She's got a hard out.

Yeah, like ten minutes.

Now.

You got to get that we.

Had some minor issues getting the show set up this morning. Say that nath was involved. There's a really tricky situation where there was to add something addition, there was an extra number, and that just threw a lot off for me at least. Anyway, we're going to talk about there's nine to nine own two teams as we enter week three.

Wounded animals.

You could call them all them cornered animals, you can't.

And we love animals. So we're not celebrating, no, not at all. We're gonna rank them.

We're going to power rank them maybe power maybe power is not the word powerless rank from hopeless, too hopeful, powerless rankings.

Eric, by the way, used up. Eric Roberts does an awesome job as our producer. Absolutely, and he's patient with us.

Sure, and I'll take I'll take the fall here, used up all the patients we started today, So here to help guys. You're gonna just take try to take it as easy as possible.

Done this before the show, it would be the same you would be idea.

Guys, twenty minutes.

Into a sitting here, so appreciate you too, buddy.

Yeah, I'm loving it, having a blast.

Are you though? The Powerless rankings one to nine.

We're gonna say, you know what? Oh and two teams do we do?

We are?

We still hopeful? And who is hopeless? We also have let's count them. It's primetime Wednesday preview. We have a Thursday night game, a Sunday night game, and two more Monday night games. Hold your thoughts on that for a moment, Mark, We'll get to it in time. Okay, let's let's do some football. We're gonna get to the previews and then we get to have a conversation. It's been a tough week for Mark. Put it that way. All right, let's get to it. Why don't you want to just do it?

We're gonna hit the biggest news in this segment.

We'll couch it in other parts of the show.

So here are the own two football teams heading into Week three, The New England Patriots, the Cincinnati Bengals, The Houston Texans, the LA Chargers, the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings, the Chicago Bears, the Carolina Panthers, and the Arizona Cardinals.

How many teams?

That's nine?

It's nine. It's ten if you count the Vikings twice.

Right.

That was one of the errors that was made. Very tricky situation. So they're nine teams nine. Let's do some math now, and that's what led to so many issues before.

What's eighteen losses? That's good times two, got it.

So what we did, with the help of Eric Roberts, we all came up with our individual one through nine.

So let's start on the positive side.

Of Okay, okay, So number one in the powerless rankings of own two teams, which means we are damn hopeful that there could be a turnaround.

Who is that, Eric, So the number one team, assuming that we're working away from the top down, is the Cincinnati Bengals.

Three of the four of you guys gave them the number nine score.

I guess by the way you could hear from Greg Rosenthal Patnam that he is not the one that gave them the first grade.

I'm assuming he's the number seven on my list. Yeah, I am third. I am third among these really?

Oh wow?

All right, so let's start like talking about why majority ruled on this one. With Cincinnati, it seems fairly self evident that they started owned to last year. Now, the difference, I would say, Connie, between this year and last year was, yes, Borrow miss time in the summer, got out to a slow start, a couple of ugly performances on offense, and then I think they won ten in a row or something like that. But the Burrough health issue hangs over this seam in a really disturbing way.

Because last year it was they lost to Mitchell Trubisky and Cooper Rush those first two weeks, so that kind of looked a little bleak. But it feels a little different this year seeing Joe Burrow on the sideline with the THEO gun and his calf, and this offensive line is still a problem as it always is, but now with him not one hundred percent, it's even worse.

However, it did feel like in.

The second half of that game against the Ravens we did sort of see a little bit more of Burrow's touch and the scores to t Higgins that gave me a little bit of hope. We just really need to see how the calf works out with him. But of all of these teams, it seems like they have the biggest upside.

So they were like they actually didn't win ten in a row. They were five and four at one point, Oh really, And they were four and four after they got destroyed by the Browns in prime time and then wound up twelve and four, And it kinda is a reminder of how long the season is and like how much we can change our impression of GCS.

So the ten in a row was including the playoffs, the five and.

Short like they went on a streak after that.

But I but last year there was no reason not to completely buy into Joe Burrow and everything he was gonna do.

And I'm with you, like on this calf issue.

And it was just like talking about it all summer, like is this really gonna creep up after they gave him like a month plus of non activity and it's like, bang, we're in week two and he's limping off the field.

I mean, that is a major concern.

That's that's why journey of your team, that's why they were a third for me, is like there's a significant chance that this calf injury completely ruins their season. Now what is significant? Is it five percent or is it

You're very nervous.

I agree that it's it's a time of great consternation for Cincinnati fense. But I guess if if we had Zach Taylor coming out yesterday or today and saying he's not playing this week and it's a week to week situation.

I would have him down.

But there's also a chance this guy, you know, these guys are warriors like that, he's.

Gonna like he's gonna gut it out publicly. I get it him not saying anything. It's very different than week one. He wasn't limping off the field noticeably after Week one. That was week two. It was on a very specific throat where he was running to the left.

At the end of their run. Defense is a mess.

They're not they could have other issues.

Well, yeah, that's fair too, all these teams.

I mean, I know I've gotten on Zach Taylor some of that too. It sounds like, but you know, someone made the point. I think it was I wish I think it was Mike Sando talking about different coaches, like great coaches don't have the type of seasons that Zach Taylor had the first couple of years. So if you want to say Zach Taylor is not a problem, that's fine, But he's not a six or seven coaches in the league that makes a difference, or else they wouldn't have been the worst.

Even unfair that you.

Keep coming after Taylor when the franchise, the whole, the focal point of everything is hurt right now. He's not himself, which limits the entire operation.

But I don't think Joe Burrow as the reason they lost that game. I think he played pretty well in that game and they lost.

Okay, I just allow a lot of being put at the feet of Taylor, who's had.

Fair a lot of success.

I just mean, are you going to come up with solutions to like dig you out of a tough hole?

That's all we shall see all right, number two in our voting? Is it a vector voting system?

It might be.

We don't really know what the vector voting is.

Sure, vector voting system? Hanging chats.

Yes, there we go a little bit of data ref But I got it.

I love it.

Yeah, go look it up if you're too young to know what I'm talking about.

Number two guys, the Los Angeles Chargers. It looks like Greg is the only one that ranked them number one on the list.

I had him too.

Where did you guys have them two? Okay?

I had them three?

All right, it's fine, Colleen. Why do you have him at three as opposed to too?

Well?

Because I don't know why I like the Vikings after watching.

Right save that, But why do you have the charge?

What are you worried about the Chargers to the point that because but two, you know, with all the talent and the quarterback and whatnot.

Because I think the defense has been a disaster, and like justin Herbert can be great and put up all of these points, but like that's if the defense is not going to hold up their end of the bargain in the AFC, like that's going to be a massive issue, especially in that Division with the Chiefs two. I mean they gave up thirty six points in five hundred and

Yet you have two weeks in a row where you have a chance with a what we assume is a potential Hall of Fame type talent quarterback. Maybe maybe less, but like you love, I love Justin Herbert, and two weeks in a row, you don't get it done. I feel like that Brandon Staley press conference started to show some heat, Yeah, some pressure. I just don't like the the overall journey for this team. I don't trust them late in games. You're in a tough division, You're in

Yeah, the roster is great.

I just you're okay, okay.

I want to imagine this team with and I hate to say it, like with Sean Payton, would it look different.

They've lost two games by a combined five points to two decent teams. They Weren't's not like they were heavy favorites in Tennessee.

Uh.

The defense is very concerning, but the offense has been great. I mean they're top five and success rate, their top five and yards per drive, points per drive. I think Kellen Moore is pushing the ball downfield with Justin Herver, like I've kind of seen what I've wanted out of

You need to be too.

It is tough to be Op five by I don't like that.

Nobody wants that. All right, who do you have at number three?

Number three? Guys? Little tease from calling there the Minnesota Vikings.

Okay, I had the Vikings at three as well up on this. Okay, Well, we're both okay with them. Like, but here's the thing, here's a tricky thing. The Chargers and the Vikings are playing this week. Yeah, and you just said it, Greg, like the defense of the Chargers, how's it gonna fare when Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins Kirk o Chains and the Vikings need to win just as badly. But they're playing in Minnesota, like the Chargers.

So but I'm not like high on them, high.

The Vikings as my fourth team, but it gets foggy down in this at this point of the list. Anyways, I the Vikings tested Philadelphia. I mean, that was a weird game, but it's like you trust their offense like they can they can just do so much through the air, and Justin Jefferson gives you a chance every week Kirk

The To me, they're like, don't look any different than they looked a year ago when they won thirteen games and we were beating that boring drum for a while. That's like, there's not much separating this from like a seven or eight win tim and that's kind of what they look like to me. Defensively, I think they have chance to get better, but their interior offensive line was

The offensive line doesn't look good. I think they were dealing with some injuries against the Eagles, if I remember that correctly. But the run game, there's no balance whatsoever on that offense, so they need to find balance. It doesn't make sense really for them to try and run the ball this week against the Chargers, considering that the Chargers have given up six hundred and sixty six passing yards already. Sixty sixty six doesn't seem great.

The monitoring lie it is. Yeah, so could be super troubling.

Okay, so that we're gonna have a very good OH and three team, we're gonna have an O and three team that I wouldn't stick a fork in between the loser that game.

I'm with you on that. About number four on these rankings.

Our guys coming behind the Vikings is the New England Patriots.

Yeah.

I had them at three.

I had them at two.

Maybe showing some homerism here, but to me, they're a more complete, better team on a neutral field than the Vikings and the Borough thing I talked about. So they've looked like a better team than they were in twenty twenty two, but they're still They're still sloppy. There's still a notch below I think a team like Miami or certainly Buffalo in their own division. And even if that defense is great, they've had so many injuries now on both sides of all.

That's all concerning.

But they do have enough ingredients I think, including the coaches, that they can get better and better as a season.

Goal, I feel like they need to win games like seventeen to sixteen or seventeen fourteen.

Like I don't trust their offense.

We watched them together on Sunday night and I was like, visibly andverbally agitated by what they are on offense.

They feel poorly coached on like I.

Just feel like this is not this is not to me like a team that I trust to do anything more than maybe win eight or nine games. Their defense is absolutely solid, but that's it. You're on one side of the ball. Like I like, I think Greg, you like Mac Jones far more than I do. We will see I have him at number five, and that is like Yeah, what we've seen so far is kind of meh.

So we'll see what version of the patch shows up. But like I don't know, maybe it is with with with mac Jones a little bit at the disconnect, Greg, I see it, you see it, like he he is capable of leading drives, you know, putting points on the board if that's if the scheme is right, he could put the pass where it needs to be.

Sometimes it takes.

More work than a more athletic that guy, but he'll get out of the pocket and he'll hit the throw and they'll be able to move change. However, I think the thing that I was thinking about today is because he's not special, Like he's not a true playmaker, it kind of caps the whole thing. And since there's not so much talent around him, it's gonna be really hard for them week to week to put up points and and put so much pressure on the defense, which to me, they are a seven or eight win team.

Because of that.

It just doesn't feel like they have anything like special that like they need more Hootzpa. With the offense, there needs to be like another gear to it. So when I watch it just kind of feels like a little flat lining.

They're condensed. They need their special to be on defense. Yeah, and that's tough to do in twenty twenty two because suddenly you can be down to your top three corners like they were against Miami, and it's like you're not You're not gonna be special and they're thin on the offensive line. That's my number one concern. I think Max played pretty well despite it. I think they're quite well coached on offense because I think they're under talented and

What is it with your nose your face?

You're cutting off your keep your nose spite your face.

I don't know why anyone would would on that. Historically, where the phrase came.

From a narcissus Narcissus.

Narcissus said, I think I think they could rally though, I think they could rally.

All right, where are we at number five looking at himself in that pond? Yeah, it's getting bad now, it's getting rough. Now, it's gonna start getting uglier. But later it's almost like we're at the last spot for me anyway where I have any amount of hope.

What do you I.

Agree up next, guys around the Patriots is the Broncos.

That's exactly where I put that number fives across the board.

I think I flipped over in New England just because they've been proficient on offense that they've been, you know, they've had moments where they just look better.

Russell Wilson does look better.

What was that?

That was not the wound?

I liked it to me, that was I planned a little transition and make it a little more wounded at this point.

That was that I want that as part of the Broncos profile on this podcast all season.

It's like a nasally again.

Yeah, I think it's Kevin Saunders, their general manager. Poor thing.

It's like a little Gerbil like asking for water, like the water thing is. Yeah, there's a little more animal to.

It at the end.

It's like, Sean, can you stop playing Jordan and Little Jordan Humphrey and Adam Trautman from the Saints for fifty snaps a game.

That's what Greg would be as an animal.

Uh, there is, there is, There are things to be more hopeful about, like with the Patriots, quite honestly, where the offense looks like it's a little more professionally run than a year ago. Russell Wilson has hit on some deep balls, He's got some chemistry, and there's that side of it. But again I thought there were obviously also Greg, a lot of red flags about how that game played out and Week two.

Down the stretch and was like, oh is this team junk?

Is that what's going on here?

I think they're squarely in the middle to like the lower middle class. You know, they've lost two games by how many points? I've combined three points now one of them. You know, the hail mayor made that look better. But there there's there to me more what you guys are talking about. With the Patriots, there's I said this before the season, there's truly nothing special about this team. There's no unit, there's no group, on the team that's above average, they're all like hoping to be averaged.

The defense I think is well below average at this point.

I just went on a ESPN to check out some results for the Broncos their schedule, and one of the videos that popped up Jeff Saturday colon Sean Payton and Russell Wilson's partnership can work.

So did it happen?

Like, did Jeff Saturday actually leave ESPN and become the head coach of the Cults?

Yes, then returned huh are we sure?

Though?

Well, like, are we certain that that happened? Was that potentially?

It's like one of those I felt simulation. I was there for it.

It's like how did last night end? I don't necessarily remember. It's kind of that sort of situation, like a you know, this is like.

An honest question, did it? Can we say with total certainty that had happened? And if you if you say, I believe you. But there's also it makes way more sense that of course that didn't happen, because that would be insane. But there's also if we all collectively kind of remember it is that the st streisand effect, is that what they call it the strisand effected.

What is that effect?

You're heading into waters that I'm unsure of.

Yeah, Dan, But while you look up that the Broncos, Yes, now that they lost to the Commanders and the Raiders both at home, they have coming up in their next eight games, they play the Dolphins, the Bills, and the Chiefs twice, so they're going to be pretty rooted for a while.

The streisand effects is an unintended consequence of attempts to hide, remove, or sensor information where the effort instead backfires by increasing awareness of that information.

That's attached to Barber Striisan has anything to do with what you were talking about.

But that's an interesting.

Why did why did your brain go to this?

It's it's actually fascinating. Check out the wiki page. She had a beach side of state in Malibu, and it got super on her radar that somehow there was like either like photos of it that got out there, and she made a big deal trying to suppress those photos because she didn't want to, she wanted privacy, and instead by sending it up like legal back channels, it became a big story and then everyone knew where her house.

This happens a lot in sports media, you'll you'll hear a big time apology from like a mid tier coach or like an assistant or a player, like explaining something I'm so sorry about no one and like no one ever knew about it, and that actually ends up making it worse.

So you're right, that's not what it is. But by the end of this episode, I'll remember what it was.

Okay, well, next time we can look forward to that.

Yes, all right, let's uh.

I'm we'll talk about Rust Wilson plentying on the show, but I'm I'm not seeing it much different.

Okay, all right, number six, So now we go into the kind of like the area of the damned. We're moving from hopeful to edging towards hopeless potentially, which is.

I don't like that one. That's too much. Oh that don't hurt too much. I don't like that one. I didn't like that one.

We don't love it. I'm sorry, Oh.

What are we doing? All right?

Let's go number six behind the Broncos. Guys, the only team with a unanimous across the board all the same vote the Panthers number four. I guess four points.

I think it's tough to all have a team in the same place at this point in the exercise.

That's a good job by us or not.

I don't know.

I think it's because, like no one believes their offense is going to be above average at any point, even if Bryce starts playing better. But they have like a truly capable defensive roster, especially in the front seven. Now they keep losing guys. Shaq Thompson now is gone and we'll see when Jacy Horn gets back at quarterback, but like they have a legit frontline that's gonna like make games uncomfortable for other teams.

And that's that's what they got.

You remember where like when Steve Wilkes, like eight months ago or whatever had this team like destroying people with the run.

I'm sorry, there's seven people taking photos of us.

There is more of them before and I was able to ignore that.

Yeah, but now there's a whole other crew.

It's well, they wheel people in from these schools in these programs, Like they're often standing outside our cubicle people in.

It's like a tourist group.

But is it is a little bit so there you can't Also, the glass at the Chris Wesley studio is a bit tinted, so we can't really see them, but they can stare at us and try nice judging us.

They can judge us.

I judge you guys all the time when I walk past, I'm watching you.

Yes, wherever you got, go ahead? Mark, Sorry about that, though, No are they are?

They even more formidable than what Steve Wilkes had them doing down the stretch last year when they were blowing people away attack It's like the offense is more punchless. I do like the defense to some agree, but it's like cool, they're not as good as New England's defense. So it's like you if New England's gonna have a tough time surviving on one side of the ball.

This team feels a little lost to me.

I'm not sure Frank Reich is the savior some always project them to be.

They have no playmakers though, like they have no one at the skill positions. I mean, they're gonna have to win with Miles Sanders and their defense. And it's like with Bryce Young behind that offensive line, he's already been sacked six times, Like Annie's a rookie on top of it to throw the ball to really, you need to get their guys.

More, what is what are you subpower rankings? The early season hit targets. Okay, I'll go through all of us. I don't know Colleen yet. For me, Desmond Ritter, yeah, uh, for Mark, it's Frank right I second time, And I haven't.

Think it's a Zach Sailor. Yeah, would be for Greg.

We've met Frank target like a totally nice individual. Loved him as a backup quarterback. But like, I just think it's kind of like, oh, Frank Reich's there. There's all this stability, like is there? Like what's so stable about what happened to last year's Cults and what's so stable about this year's Panthers.

It could show it to me, It could take some time.

These two teams back to back reminds me a giro Everro went from the Broncos to the Panthers. That Broncos defense looks a lot worse, and I like what I've seen out of the Panthers defense. I think they have a nice coaching staff there.

Before we get to the very bottom, because I know there are a lot of people screaming at their listening devices. When I said strids and effect, They're like that's not a idiot, right, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking of the Mandela effect, an observed phenomenon in which a large segment of the population misremembers a significant event or shares a memory of an event that did not actually occur.

That's Jeff's Saturday.

How why what happened with Mandela that he I think it was that he died in prison.

It was something like that.

I like that you can't remember, and that's the whole thing.

That doesn't matter as much your syndrome with us here at this point, like symbion you know, Symbionese Liberation Front.

It was something like that.

You nailed it.

Everyone thought he died in prison, which you know, of course he didn't. He was a whole thing, was a release, Yeah, twenty plus years Well, it.

Was kind of a pre internet phenomenon.

I think the most part. All right, numbers tells hard out not looking good. We got ten minutes.

The final three guys up. Next is the Texans. Okay, it looks like Mark had them one spot below the rest.

I believe in a different team more than the Texans at this moment.

I'm guessing I can guess. I uh I think c J. Stroud's been promising. I think they're Will Anderson's promising, like the idea of their defenses promising. I don't know if it's totally showed up yet because of injuries. Like they're a team I'm more excited to watch. But I we're at the point where it would be shocking to me if any of these teams were close.

To a playoff run.

Right, I'm with you, Oh yeah, there's no way. This is a team under construction.

It's the NFL situ there's always a way good. I get c J.

Stroud was like taking shots downfield though, to Nico Collins and Tank Dell, and he like hurt his shoulder and he was behind a bad offensive line. And even when their offensive line is one hundred percent, they're still like not anywhere near one hundred percent effective.

So yeah, they need it's a nice premium.

I no, there's banged up as any offensive line out there with what they thought they'd have come in and like, but Bobby Slowick I kind of like this. It's a bit of a Shanahan system. And Stroud did a lot, I thought in the last game. But you're right, under construction, under construction.

But also the Colts aren't very good, even if they've shown a little bit more than some expected. You don't want to amount what was at their home opener to be down twenty eight ten to the Colts at the half in a game in which the starting quarterback of the Colts went out like in the second quarter. Like it was a tough start. Yeah, but it's just the start.

It's fair point that if you're taking moral victories out of a two score loss at home to the Colts, you've got a ways to go. But this season is all about just developing their young players and Collins Dell Stroud. If they have a legit passing attack this season like that, that's something to hold on.

Yeah.

So now here's where it gets said. Number seven, number eight on this list.

Narrowly edging out the last place vote. Guys, the Cardinals. There was one three votes, so I think that was I had them.

I had them up at three. I don't know like what you had them. I had the Cardinals above the Texans.

That's fine.

I don't think there's a big problem. No, no, no, no, I have just one on one notch above and it's like, look at like you so you got them at seven. Yeah, everyone, Like I think part of it is perception, Like everyone assumes like you're doing this like vague like ghost tank job snarrow, which you're not. Like the players and coaches can't pull it off in the NFL necessarily, But like, you've got to lead over the Commanders in the fourth quarter.

They're spicy to some degree.

You've got to lead over the Giants, a playoff team from a year ago, in the fourth quarter, And like, I'm not in love with Josh Dobbs.

But he played better. He played pretty well in the first half against the Giants. Start there.

Secondly, I think you've got a defense that has disrupted quarterbacks two weeks in a row, and I'm labeling them as like the third worst team in the NFL.

So that's not this is not a cell job.

I just think there's a little bit more going on than the Texans.

They are.

I mean, they are tanking, and the reason they are tanking it's not the players and coach's fault. But that's how you give up five score scores in five possessions, four touchdowns in a field goal to lose a game that's in your back pocket because they don't have enough players, they don't have the scheme. And Jonathan Gannon is their new head coach. He was the DC of the Eagles.

I just think that.

They're an easier watch than I expected. Like they are, They've they've been a little bit more fun. I thought it was going to be really, really bleak, and I actually enjoyed watching Josh Dobbs like muscle his way into the end zone last week.

He looked really good. I was like, wait, who what that's Josh Dobbs.

And that linebacker that they have, Dennis Gardak, like he's.

Pretty barbarian, He's pretty good. He's been great.

So they have a couple bright spots on there, Whereas I put the Bears number last.

And they've like terrible snapp for snap through two games, the Cardinals have absolutely played better than the Bears in the Texans. I don't know if that's going to continue. I don't know if there's much hope, so I put him last anyways, But yeah, Dobbs is actually a good example of them not tanking. That's the front office. They brought him in right before the season. He is miles better than I think Colt McCoy or Clayton Tune could

But why didn't they target Josh Dobbs and give him a full off season?

I think well, first of all, he might not have been as available U until the Browns. The Browns were super impressed by Dorian Thompson Robbinson.

I think that change.

I think that was part of it, and.

They probably were a little hopeful that the guys in house Cole and Clayton Tune would have been would have been better. But Daniel right, I mean, but it raises my point, the whole thing about I know it's a side point, but Watson tho, it's like, within two weeks, this guy is playing quite well for the Cardinals.

But but if you're going to bring any quarterback in like in late August, like, that's odd your week.

Yeah, that just is that doesn't happen.

Extremely odd.

It's almost as odd as when the Browns traded their Week one starter before week two Charlie Fry in the two thousands.

Well, Derek Anderson almost one off. Its weird, Yeah, dysfunction. You could connect those things and in the number of ways. Yes, And the Bears. Let's hit on the Bears quickly, because we've got to take a break and then we're gonna hit some previews. The Bears are a scary mess right now. Two losses. The offense is not looking good, the quarterback is not looking good or confident.

Do we have this in two parts?

Eric, all right, let's listen to Fields talk about the early struggles of the offense of the team.

Of course, you know things that I didn't like. I felt like, you know, I wasn't necessarily playing my game. I felt like I was kind of robotic and you know, not just not playing like myself. So you know, my goal this week is just to you know, say effid and you go out there and play football. How I know how to play football?

And that's not.

That includes thinking lesson just going out there and you know, playing off the instincts rather than just of you know so much. So to say info in my head, died in my head and literally just going out there playing football.

Some code language in there.

Perhaps let's listen to a little more where it becomes even more clear where he's going.

What do you say thinking last what do you think was causing you to think so much?

Maybe thinks much?

You know, could be uh coaching. I think, oh, you know, at the end of the day, it makes it. You know, they're doing their job when they're giving me, you know what to look at stuff like that. But at the end of the day, I can't be thinking about that when the game comes. I prepare myself throughout the week, and then when the game comes, it's you know, it's it's it's time to play free at that point, So, you know, just thinking less and playing more.

Mmmmmm good.

Sounds like someone got their nails done in that.

A lot of typing it's time to I don't have.

My nails aren't that long anymore, so it doesn't work.

I cut them.

I feel like film Twitter has been talking about Justin Fields more than any player in the league, and like JT. O. Sullivan, who does the QB School, which is great, kind of been talking about exactly what Justin Field is talking about.

Their words. He can see him thinking.

You can see him thinking through his his steps, his progress, and he's just not letting go of the ball. He's not always seeing receivers, but when he is seeing it, he's not letting it fly. And they haven't been doing any designed runs. It's just been very possible, right, It's been very confusing. It's almost like they're going to reach the same realization they did last year. It's like, let's build the whole ship out of the run game here and see what happens, because that worked pretty well.

But they build old play out of a black box now.

I think that with Fields, Like he said it, he said like maybe it's the coaching and he also said this week's going to be different. I'm gonna be it. I'm gonna be myself. Is the coaching staff on board with that? Is that a conversation they had that or is he kind of saying I'm going rogue a little bit this week because I don't I don't believe in you know.

The system that I'm in.

That's what I think.

That is an interesting situation, Connie. Yeah, you've said it all. You have a fitting to get to. But also a little teaser.

Here, men, stop to take care of back schedule today.

Uh teaser, Connie is going to have a prominent role in our Thursday NFL plus prematorium APU. So make sure if you're not checking that show out.

Uh.

If you need more Connie in your.

Life, this is the avenue Thirsday Crematorium.

Let's play this out into the break.

We'll be back and hit all the previews for week three prime time.

Bye Connie, Bye, guys.

There's there's.

A cash. Don't don't do stupid.

All right, we are back and we have.

Four games to talk about prime time on Wednesdays, we preview the primetime games. Let's start with Thursday Night Football, and it is the New York Giants, big Blue themselves after after a stirring comeback win over the Cardinals.

Crazy.

Yeah, they had a they had they had to win that game. Let's start here. They're going up to San Francisco to face a forty nine Ers team that's playing as good as any team in football on a short week in primetime without most likely their best player, Saquon Barkley. If they did not win that Cardinals game, this season feels like it's dirt nap time. So now you have a little you have a little bit to play with here, and Greg, you got the ten points spread here. So

I'm asking this question, is.

There any path to this game not being a three score difference by halftime?

Yes?

I mean the Los Angeles Rams I thought played the forty nine Ers to a draw more or less for three quarters. And so why can't the Giants, Well, there are many reasons why, but the reason they could keep it close would be Danny franchise Danny Dimes. I mean, you gave him all that money, he's your franchise quarterback. Can he be like a Matthew Stafford that lifts everyone around him? He did it against Arizona and everyone will say, Okay,

Yeah.

I think like I'm with you, Greg, I think like it's which team, uh, Which New York Giants? Is closer to reality? The first six quarters we saw from this season thought the Cowboys game was a weather game. It was a little fluky. The Giants just got caught in a vortex or it's like I don't buy that as their identity, or they the two quarters where they amassed two hundred and ninety four points converted six third yards in a row too.

Yeah, not points that I'd be picking the Giant.

I would say they would have a chance that they scored two hundred and ninety four points in the game.

But you saw everything that you just mentioned.

It's like Darren Waller like a summertime delight, like vanished early on in the season there were health issues. It's like he started to play Hyatt adds this big element to your offense.

Hee that fifty eight yard catch.

It's like I think Daniel Jones is a top three quarterback on the ground, like he really can.

That element matters.

And it's like that said, like the Niners have been extremely consistent. Brock Perdy has been answered a lot of questions like they've got so many weapons, Like I'm not in love with the Giants' defense now they did against the Cardinals in the first half of that game. It's like that version of the Giants gets wiped out on the road on Thursday night when teams just lean on what they do well or innately.

Brian Dable was the Coach of the Year last year and then Week one just felt so out of place. Because you're just in addition to getting horrifically embarrassed at home by arrival, they just didn't seem prepared for the moment. And but that feels like an outlier because the first half, again, yes,

What is it?

Twenty nothing?

At halftime and they call a bomb and Hyatt pulls it in and almost immediate they score pretty quickly after that, the whole scene shifts, And I thought that was another thing they added in that they kind of got away from in the first half was designed kind of runs or option runs for Danny dimes. And once you added that in and he was feeling good throwing the ball, that's where you see it. You see why the Giants

They're gonna be tough to stop.

They just really are.

Yeah, that matchup when the forty nine Ers have the ball is a little hard to imagine the Giants surviving. But through two games, the forty nine Ers are twenty ninth in pass blocking. Bertie's been under a lot of pressure. They have a new right tackle, Colton mckivitz, who's really struggled almost as much as their old right tackle Mike mclinchey, who's in Denver and has been one of the worst tackles in the league, is struggling, uh with the Broncos.

I mean twice your age plus a few years. That's concerning, Right.

You guys are on the way out.

Wow, that is a deep He really is the worst interview.

That is. That is not fair. I wasn't there.

Well, No, Greg, we lived bridge the generational gas.

That is the most Rosenthal response ever. No, that isn't fair.

I haven't Dan and he went through that personal Vietnam together. You know, well, you were home state side as you defend a total stranger football player. Were your buds You're supposed to go? Yeah, what's his problem? He was so mean to you guys.

This is what I was talking about. I'm the bad guy, you know. I mean, I play the heel. I'm just saying when he was here, we were all great friends.

Right.

No wait, he said we were. Just give me something cave on because I'm worried there's a more cavan.

I just that's fun going down memory lane with Kevon Thibodeaux.

The difference between me and you guys will feel it like, once I leave this, you guys are gonna feel like you know me and it's not because I'm I want to I want to be you guys as friends, but it's because I'm afany.

But you do want to beer problem.

I don't you were there for that one.

I thought that was great, great spirit. Yeah, we need more.

One solo tackle for cave On in two weeks.

We need more because their linebackers actually have played a little better than I expected, but their vulnerable Deontay Banks got lit up a little.

Are you?

You mentioned might not play in this game because of because of his shoulder injury. Sounds like an acy joint spring must but.

There's a matching situation if you're gonna talk about the Niners offensive line like the Giants offensive line up until there are four touchdown surge in the second half.

Last week has been a disaster this season.

Joe Than sacked ten times, and Steve Wilks, you have noticed a little difference out of him with forty nine ers definitely blitzing more. And he's just had a real nice knack in both games of getting free rushers to the quarterback.

So that that's concerning, all.

Right, Let's and we all like the Niners, I assume is Thursday Night's weird though that's one other thing. Maybe it's a weird Thursday night situation or watching a game.

But there's a lot of Giants fans in the Big Bell Bottom that that might be about.

That's a tough travel ask you're going on a Thursday night.

I just think they've lived at weekend the San Francisco and then drive like an hour and twelve minutes together.

I'm saying they live there.

They live there, you know the transplants, Oh giants travel in that in that stadium is Yeah.

Often that's a good visiting representation.

I will say.

My fear is that this will have a good, healthy deficit for the the Giants at halftime again and it might not be that easy to come back. But I'd like to be wrong. Yeah, where we had on al Michael's kirk kurb Street by the way, just I can't they can't seem to lock in chemistry wise.

I don't. I I don't.

I think I care a little bit less about the announcing team than you two seem too. At times they're they're kind of vanilla to me. Uh, they don't have a deep connection. But I don't think herbs. I think people keep people killing herbs Street.

He's fine, he's fine. He's fine.

I'm not killing it.

But I hear people saying like, oh, you could have been someone else. It's like, sure, it could have been someone else.

He's fine, he's fine. It's a primetime spot. So if you're doing the power rankings of different announcer groups, Al helps this group overall, although he's not the same as he once was, but they're they're more in the middle. And you want the prime times to be the best four or five groups, and to me, they're they're more in the middle.

Just a hair as much as he used to about Oh, I think he cares. I'm not saying he doesn't. I think he's He is one of the top two or three guys. Ever, at what he does, it's just like, is this a bit of a mail in for the whole scenario.

I don't know.

I'm not gonna go there.

I think it's why am I talking? I don't now.

I said you don't care. I saw anti El Michael. I think it's like a legend.

My moderate hot take is that even if Al isn't throwing a ninety eight mile a Howard heat or anymore, he could throw ninety two and he could look. Yeah, okay, I think Al should still be in the SUNDA and a football guy with Chris and I think Tarrico and Herb Street maybe even would have been a better team.

This is like that to Rico a couple years ago. I like Rico, Okay, I like just like almore. Al to me still is box office and I wish he was still on Sunday. I just don't like Thursday Night now. Michael's doesn't.

I will say that, you know, if the prime executives are listening, and I know they're huge fans of the show. Oh yeah, I mean I do love me a little next Gen Stats feed with Walker on Thursdays. I want it on more, more games. I just love that view good and you mix it in. It's a fun way to watch a game.

All right, Let's move to Sunday night football.

It is the Pittsburgh Steelers back in primetime against the Las Vegas Raiders. This is at Allegiant Elite Allegiant Allegian Stadium, and it's interesting. It's an interesting, interesting spot. You get the Raiders here in primetime. It's always a good vibe. I think in that building. I like that stadium. I like the vibe on primetime games. It's usually pretty hot and spicy. Pittsburgh fans are maniacs, so they will travel in there. You're gonna get some good vibes in there.

Is this team?

They can can put them in your own backyard at Akroshore or whatever that is, and with that crowd going ape poop, they can still get hot. They can make plays on defense and steal a game like they did. But are they going to travel and is this offense which has been a major question mark, are they going to be able to do enough on the road in this spot?

Yes, I think they can.

I mean, if we're gonna make an argument for the Giants against the Niners.

I absolutely think that Pittsburgh, he didn't really.

By the way, well, we're looking for ways they can you know, puncture on the road, and like I think, I think that the Raiders are very vulnerable. When I trusted the Raiders or began to trust them a year ago, it was based on, you know, a ground game that a couple of times. Well, but I'm saying why I

Thegain to do it.

No, because these are two strange teams.

Nobody's saying that the Raiders are expected to take care of business here.

The version of shockingly favored by two and a half. Maybe that shouldn't be shocked as.

Shocking at home.

That's a very I feel like shocked.

I think the Steelers are significantly I would better, I would.

Say based on what we've seen.

Just what we've seen from the Steelers, there's I don't see a lot of reasons because you're not going to score fourteen points of their.

Defense very often I've seen it.

I am very.

Concerned about their ability to go on the road and score points. Like what confidence should we have to take out of those first one weeks?

It's partly matchup base. They played the forty nine ers in Browns. There is not much confidence. Well, Kenny Pickett needs to calm down. Those are two top three defenses so far. Yeah, but their defense is it's so helpless. Though it's a division defense too that that knows them.

But he shouldn't be this bad.

He's he's thirty first the in PFF in terms of their grades in a clean pocket, I thought That was interesting because it shows it's not all about the pass protection. When they've protected Kenny Pickett, he's looked a little lost, and Troy was quite hard on him. Whenever Troy's hard on the QBS, it's on my radar because he knows and I don't think he wants to be. But he was more or less saying Picket is scrambled right now,

Put it this way, if the Steelers' offense tanks this week, you're very concerned, like it's it, it becomes a panic situation.

Well, you could have a coordinator switch at some point, like Tomlin is now getting asked about Matt Canada regularly and like what is special about Matt?

Literally?

I hate when the good blame like this, Like we just said that from a clean pocket, pickets not playing well, like but is it really like? And then and if every if Matt Canna is bad is like here on this podcast every year like Tomlin thought him well enough to keep him in the building. It was surprising and they looked spectacular this summer and through the preseason, and now it's his fault.

Well, I think he was the most surprising coordinator to be retained by any team. I think it was almost a FATA complee among Steelers fans and observers that he was going to go at the end of last year, and then they rallied and I think that saved his job. Offensively, uh, he's going against an offense a defense though that's not getting any pressure right now. Max Crosby is all worldly, but you saw last week the Bills did everything possible

Oh, this doesn't say forty seven.

I'm gonna say four percent.

Zero.

Okay, he's trying to be nice.

He's oh for forty seven.

He has a hurry, But if you go watch the hurry, it's just, uh, he loses the rep pretty clearly. And at one point, after like four seconds, Russell Wilson's just kind of runs over to his side and I guess that can.

I love about you, Greg, Yeah, you check that out.

I did want to see that one hurry and then I saw that zero percent. I mean that's and then they got this other guy, Malcolm Coons. They got it's tough. They said he was not much of a pastor.

Het reporters said that he was gassed in week one, like wasn't really looking to be in great shape either. So that's a concerning first round pick. I would say this about Pittsburgh. You played the Niners, you played the Browns like again, top defens is like you got the Raiders, you got the Texans, a week from now. Let's see where we are off the week four with Pittsburgh's offense. I just I think this was late. Need this for your twelve wins.

Well to the.

Twelve win thing is like what You're one and one, so it's not impossible, but like they're not looking the way I thought they would expect from Kenny Pickett on down.

I also want to keep an eye on Jimmy and Davante just he's getting the ball to him. Davante looks like Davante, but there's nothing over twenty yards, you know. I think of DeVante, I think a big place that's not really Jimmy's thing, and so that's just something to watch because the catches Davante's making are like, I feel like he's getting blasted every time he gets.

It, where those like Crosser, Yeah, he's a gazelle just going diagonally toward the end zone.

Would see some of that stuff would be nice.

You're right though, at Vegas at Houston, plenty of time to figure this out on offense.

But let's see it.

I like the Steelers to win this straight up two and a half point dogs. I do get what the Sunday Night people are doing here, though, I was like, this is the Sunday Naked, it's week three, it's early before the records are crazy if it happens to you, and these are two of the biggest audiences you got that.

Vegas, Baby Vegas.

That's the way they think about those things. All Right, Monday night got two games, Mark, this has been a tough Sessler week. You have been pretty fired up behind the scenes about a number of things. That night, I was, But on Monday you were, I would say, based on tax alone, fairly furious about having to watch two games at once.

So if I were just like out on the town, right, I'd be fine with two games on it once or ten on it once. But like, this is more of a personal work preparation type thing, which is like if you know, if you have a job you hate, like you're saying, shut up, you get to go do this, So I get it.

So I hate.

Complaining about the role in general. But it's like when you have two games on it once, like and we're we're trying to take notes on both games, make observations because we're going to talk about it ten minutes later. It's like, you know, you don't have a full night to go rewatch the kind of thing. So it's like, this is like Sundays at ten am here on the West Coast when you got ten games exploding. I've got an ear piece from one game, yep in one ear

I like to process visually, and like here trying to drive yourself games each year thing after we get out of Sunday's crazy.

It's crazy, but like on Monday choice, but we're used to on Monday night having like one game and it's like I can either watch it alone with friends and like take notes and we do our show after, and it's like this, there's something peaceful about focusing on one event.

It's interesting though they care they flipped which game is on ABC because that I think the Eagles game egles Buck. The earlier game is this week because this week if if Joe Burrow is healthy, they're both fun games. They're both pretty good games. But Joe, but.

No one expected the Rams to be like the Rams came in as a lower billing.

Yeah right, you're right. I'm with you.

I don't need to hear about the guy who's selling windows at a lesser expensive cost because his dad.

Did you know that? Right?

That commercial is happening twice at the same time, and if at that the apartment window opened, I would jump out.

I just like I would.

I liked when they did the Monday Nights where they were at different times. That's all one at a time, right, But.

I'd be fine with that.

I am.

I'm not saying more football.

Oh it's more football, So it's like I get it.

It's great, but it's just like when you're trying to hit your basically coming at me with two snowstorms.

A couple of things, A couple of things. This is all great. I understand where you come from.

You've you've had words about it.

You've so oh, I'm with you. So I'm with you too. One thing. I'll throw this out there. Yeah, Monday Night football. One of the games, the main game quote unquote Steelers Browns may be a little bit heightened Mark Sessler in that moment.

Uh.

And so the fact that there's this second game is leading to a level of agitation that maybe takes Greg and Dana back a little bit. And then you start, you know, piecing together some of the the logic. You know, the legos start clicking together. Yeah, Okay. The other part is and this is pulling back the curtain. My beloved puppy Captain gets clipped by a car in the middle.

Of this game. Terrible.

So I'm racing the dog to the vet and thankfully, by the grace of goad, he just got kind of banged on the snout and he had a laceration on his nose and he got stitches.

And the driver just took off, by the way, right.

Didn't run piece. I'll find you up. You're going down yep, Okay, but let's stay on topic. So I let you guys know that, Hey, guys, I'm disconnected from both these games.

I'm at the vet. Okay.

Uh And and the first the first text is mark from you. That's terrible. We'll handle tonight. That's I think trying to handle that, and we'll handle this. Yeah, love it.

Yeah, I mean that's not just a great colleague, it's a great friend. Yea.

Then some things go sideways in Cleveland world. And there are twelve consecutive texts on this thread while I'm in the waiting room waiting to find out if my dog's gonna live. I didn't know how serious it was at first, and I don't know. I don't need to read these.

I don't remember what I wrote. Do you want to throw in a couple of great I don't, okay, I.

Don't want to read it.

This is like it's PTSD for me too. Even though I didn't have the dog situation, I was trying to. I was do live on on Channel five in the UK, doing the game, trying to have fun. It's a long day for alls with very emotional right and I'm starting to feel this market gee, I'm sinking me down and I don't want that.

I well, I apologize for that. Greg. I forgot that you were on live television in another country.

So one guy's on live TV.

The other guy's on the vet, crossing his fingers that his dog still has a pulse.

And then you got me. It started out good.

I was a good professional out of the gate, and then it went south. It can't it's hard to you know.

You know what, though it was showtime, great attitude shows up.

Oh yeah, absolutely, very great, very good attitude.

It's like, sir, we're now ready to give you the information based on our tests about your dog and potential fatal internal injuries. Oh hold on one second, I've got seventeen text in row. Must be a major emergency. Oh never mind, Okay, go ahead.

All right, it's very fair. It's very fair.

You're very passionate. That's the mask slipped a little bit there. That's all to say the least.

Your passion is what makes you excellent, though, so you don't want to take away.

It's like Josh Allen's playmaking.

It's like that's a good You're going to get some interceptions, but you don't want to take that away.

From anybody else.

Anybody else is sending texts like that, knowing the situation I was in, I have an issue with it with you.

I was like, I know why. I also on my phone because.

It was the Nick Chubb night, and I said, I get it, you did, and you just want to shout it at something or connect with somebody about how unfair.

And cruel the world can be. Yep, I got it.

And I know you're quizzing me always about the Browns Fantom thing and like they're but something clicked in that night when that happened, and then you're losing on national television for like the eight hundredth time in my life to the Pittsburgh Steelers on primetime and everyone's giggling and laughing and your season's gone down the toilet. I started to get agitated and it started to dwell up of old emotions. Then it's like, what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna text my coworkers angry and Ray.

I'm gonna take my misery and you're gonna be part of this credit to them.

But that's I get that.

Yeah, I've been there, Yes, my friend.

Only a week ago.

You were there, so I if anything, now understand more where you were a week ago?

So I was the Rogers thing straight up catatonic, So there was no text thing.

Don't text me, I'm not texting anyone.

Yeah, I've been in that state as well, more of a rageful state.

I would say.

In the Rogers thing, we knew Greg and I like unspoken did we text you? Oh that's so terrible, what a terrible you guys got it too, total silences. We know what's going on there.

Nailed it. Let's get to these games.

So there's two games again Jesus Christ for Heaven's sake, but no, and it's happening again fourteen So last this once, uh, this year they're doing three times, and I do fear for you Mark that if they If it was once last year, it's three times this year.

Oh yeah, this this tank has no reverse gears, and I think it's going on.

That's probably where my agitation. That's it's like it's net. They never retract. The idea just grows and compounds the.

Amount of eye Oh high high Pandora's box if it opens and demons.

Fly out, Yeah, ruining our primetime follow.

Mark and the Covenant, Philadelphia, Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Yes, game two teams.

Well, yeah, this is a great this is great. You know why I like this.

I gotta say, of course I'm not as high on Baker's chances this season, but it's undeniable that Baker Mayfield has played well for the better part of I would say the last six quarters. Shaky first half in Week one, great in the second half, played very good football last week got ten, but by two and zero. I love it. Next, so you have two things that are great here. You have a great Philadelphia defense, defending conference champions, but you're sending him on the road, and you have Baker in

It's either gonna be feeling pretty dangerous.

It's gonna be Baker like exploding like a firework or going up in flames like a dumpster fire, where that confidence is either going to betray him or it's gonna take this team even higher. And then everyone's talking about the Bucks on Tuesday morning.

I am really excited for this game for that reason too, And I'm hopeful there could be a middle ground. And I've never been a big Baker guy. I think he's been very frustrating to watch. But what I've liked about him this year is with this offense and people saying, oh, you know, it takes a long time, he he looks more comfortable in this offense than I've seen him in a really long time. On time showing in anticipation. That's what I've never really seen, not a Baker like throwing

Is his backup.

It was a guy Zach Macpherson who's also out for the season. So they're they around their third slot corner. They're you know, the middle of the field is a little mushy there, and I think the e Buck's gonna attack him that way.

I really like.

What Philadelphia did on the ground last week after they got they've been they I think them coming out of the gates slow has been one of the more surprising elements of the season.

You have a double coordinator switch.

I thought on offense there'd be a lot of seamless transition because he was the QB coach a year ago.

He's known jail and hurts for so long.

But last year in a or last week in a jam, like to come out and run for two hundred and fifty nine yards, to own the ball for twenty one minutes in the first half, and really like the Vikings climb back into that. But it's you're doing that on offense and then on defense they completely two weeks in a row. Patriots held to seventy six yards on the ground Vikings twenty eight. The Vikings were a one dimensional attack.

Evans looks better. I won't lock this game that.

I thought about it for a second and I was like, no, you know, I'm giving the I'm giving the Bowls Sons enough credit. Where he's going against a quarterback that's struggling. To me, that's the number one story in this game. It's one of the number one stories in the NFL so far this season that Jalen Hurts has looked uncomfortable, little indecisive just when he's back there in the pocket.

You know.

This is the Bucks team that really made him struggle in that playoff game and had everyone wondering if Jalen Hurts could really make a jump going into last season, and he did it.

And Bowles will throw a lot at you.

And I think that's a good challenge for Hurts early in the season when he's he's definitely not playing that well through two games. Only two games, but it's two games. It's quite surprised.

You know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna I am gonna do it. Oh wow, I'm locking up the Eagles on the road.

This could be fatal. I'm owing to in the low You're you're a wounded animal yourself. Yeah, and the Locks need this. I'm a tense I'm a tenth team on that list. But here's the thing, because I I was thinking the other.

You imagine me if I lose my lock on Monday night while two Monday night games are happening, this timmer I.

Made Oh no, no, oh god no. And it's the earlier the earlier game.

My thought here is I like the Eagles bringing the Bucks down to earth.

Here, what's the spread? Is it even lockerwer in a half?

Yeah?

But I don't want to root against Baker. I I don't want to be like, oh god, I don't want you know.

I hope he.

Doesn't continue playing well because I want a fun, like crazy game. I'm staying away from time time this week. I'm doing a lock on the Sunday games.

Yeah.

Uh, let's just get back to that world.

But you will be now actively rooting against Baker, which I know you always like Baker.

So that's a toughie. You're in it.

You're in an interesting spot yourself here.

I don't see it as a it's a lot of energy anti Baker.

I fear.

I fear for Monday Night. Maybe take there. I will not take that dan catatonic approach.

I vowed Greg, I will not text you at all on Monday.

Now, it's fine, I will not. You're on live television in another nations, Fine, all right.

The other Monday Night game.

Is the Cincinnati Bengals at home against the LA Rams.

Yes, yes, the Mangles zero and two.

It really helps schedule wise, a little bit of a break here that Burrow is getting another day here, and maybe that that helps. We shall see if Joe Burrow plays or not. If Joe Burrow doesn't play, I mean, who's Jake Browning?

Yeah, I no think if he didn't play, I don't know if we'll have this information. I think I'd lock up the Rams, but at this point I'm not going to do that.

And here's the thing, like, because of the catastrophe with Aaron Rodgers, we have a whole bunch of jacked at primetime games coming up on the schedule. I do not need to see the backup quarterback of the Bengals on Monday Night.

So let's just hope Burrow plays.

And you know what, I'd like to see like a gutty Burrow effort where he kind of shreds and I think he can against the Rams in this spot.

Yeah, I think he can too. I think his struggles were overstated last week. There was a couple drives early and they just didn't have the ball much where there's a drop and guy was out of bounds.

I think Burrow played well.

I think it was a pretty normal Burrow game aside from the interception that's a big that's a big aside. He doesn't throw many red zone interceptions, but I think he played well. And I don't think this Rams defense is as much as they're doing as well as they can and they think they found a couple of rookies they liked in Kobe Turner and Byron Young.

That's what the seede's all about.

I think they're going to be a bottom ten defense at best, but I think they're Quarterback Matthew Stafford's playing so fast right now, making decisions quickly, and he's on the same page with Puka. He's like sending the same little pre snap signals to Puka that he would do with Robert Woods. We've been comparing Puka to Cooper Cup, but our friend Jordan rod Rigg's been comparing him to

I also but we like we like Captain Lou Yeah, I did get it together?

Are we like?

I just think it's it could sometimes be deceiving, especially given the offense is funk and why it probably isn't such a funk that I'm just not.

I feel like they're gonna kick.

It might be right that we're overreacting, but if he's not playing in this game, then they could be zero and three, and that's that's a problem.

I it's that injury just concerns me because it's just seems like there's such a realistic chance that that nags him all year.

Uh.

I kind of agree with Greg on some of the Zach Taylor critique because, yeah, you taking a T into a super Bowl, but this is two years in a row where like you've come out of the gate real slow, and it isn't all because of Burrow's health. It's you can't just pin it all on his calf and like that you put your team's been.

All right, that's it. What I wasn't gonna do it.

I was gonna move to Sundays, but Joseph Burrow plays this football game, and that's the coat I am locking up the Bengals.

I don't want to hear it.

I don't want to hear Captain Louslander Zach Tayler is up. Bum don't want to hear it. Joe Burrow will ever be the same this year. I'm I know what this team is made of. They are a tough bunch of tough sbs and they are not gonna lose in their building and go zero to three under any circumstances if that man is on the field at quarterback.

So yes, give me the Bengals Cincinnati Zoo on.

The same time decision.

Yeah, what if it's a scenario where you've not locked the game all week and then you've locked the Bengals and then Burrow on we find out it's sick tough sitch.

I'm in a tough stitch. You could flip over to the Eagles, I guess if you If.

If it comes down to that, I'll have to do obviously an emergency pivot to the earlier game.

But I don't want to do.

If there's such a tough team, why would you not lock them up with or without Brow?

I guess they have a top three quarterback in the whole league. I mean, is uh is more of a It's a good question.

It's fair.

It's fair to say that talked about the whole roster, not just you're right.

And yet I can't. I just can't ride with Jake.

Can't ride with Jake.

No.

I mean that would be crazier than what the Westling brothers did last week. In my humble opinion, the Rams have been a better team through two weeks than the Bengals, and then you throw Jake Brownie in there, forget about it.

And if if.

There's some discouraging reports come out in the next three or four days, I can get ahead of it and maybe moved back to Sunday.

We'll see.

But right now I think Joe barring a setback, even from where he was Sunday. He's thinking, I cannot not be on the field of my guys when we need this ball game.

I believe it's about heart too. I like your luck. It's about her.

We get hired, we gotta go. Hey, so again, thank you everybody. Uh, there are it's a technicality, but there are limited tickets still remaining. They might even be sold by now for the London show. Check our socials, the General on sales Friday. We have our Thursday preview coming up, Thursday Night Recap and also NFL Plus with Colleen Wolfe special guests.

You do not want to miss that one. I promise you heed the call.