¶ Intro / Opening
Welcome to Sharper Square, presented by hard Rock Bet. We're part of the Volume podcast network. This is the show that makes the squares sharper and makes the wise guys pay attention. I am Chad Millman, I am joined as always buy, my co host, my bff, my companion, my campadre professional better Simon hunt Ella.
Simon, Chad, how are we doing, boy?
I mean it was crazy in the first first games. Today, I mean we're gonna We're gonna dig in the second half. At one point in the early part of the second quarter, the combined scores of the games the three games was seventy eight to three. So I just spent ninety minutes waiting for the game for their show to start. Listen, Simon, we loved the Jets all week. We didn't put them in the final five. We loved the Texans all week,
did not put them in the final five. Unfortunately, there were others that we did love and we never waivered on our record for the day. Right now, I was two and two. We won with the Ravens minus three and a half. We won with the Dolphins. Kudos Simon for forcing that one in at plus nine and a half. You were hinting at it all week lost with the Bucks minus two and a half. We got warned we couldn't walk away, and we lost with the Cardinals plus six and a half. That was a dead bet. Even
I knew that was a dead bet. The eternal optimist knew that was a dead bet. We have the Eagles plus two and a half against the Packers on Monday Night Football, Last Ones in where the Eagles last ones out with the Niners plus three and a half. All right, we're going to get to our early leans, our review of how we did in all our picks. Your live comments from the chat send them in. Let's get into it. Minnesota out ball Baltimore. Baltimore was three and a half. Listen, dude,
that first series. We both know enough to know, like, you don't win a bet or lose a bet on the first series. We saw that throughout the day. JJ McCarthy was three for four for seventy six yards on the first series, seventeen of thirty eight for one hundred and seventy two yards the rest of the game. The reason we decided we liked the Ravens was because we didn't like JJ McCarthy. I feel like that generally came true today.
Yeah, we knew this was probably not the best spot for jj Rick coming off a big win in a game that we both agree it was felt very flukey, but like he had a bunch of things go his way in that matchup. He actually didn't play that great and the flip side couldn't get around good. The Vikings defense played, And I said, I don't know if that's something that can happen again back to back weeks. Like I just I thought Detroy missed a bunch of opportunities
in this week. The Ravens just going to miss it, right, even if they were sloppy, Like you said, that was
¶ START
the only way that could be come out slow, a little sloppy off the bye week. You know this Ravens team, And they did.
By the way they did like that opening drive, JJ looked great and the Ravens really couldn't tackle, So it's not like they came out perfect. But as the game went on, they continue to get better and better, and Lamar Jackson got better and better and Derek Henry got better and better, and the Vikings could never find their ground.
Yeah, it's just interest though, like these teams up by a Thursday. The many Bie weeks. It's just how are they gonna come out perform early on the game because it is an extended dress, right, a lot of these guys do go away for a couple of days and take a little break. They just didn't look like they were in it in that first half. Defense luckily was they played really well. Yeah, but then that second half Lamar started making this key throw, started connecting in the
red zone and it was it was over right. They steamrolled them. So we were a little nervous about it and not gonna lie. We just couldn't understand why these books Sunday morning were still at minus three and a half. I could not believe it, and we both bet it and joked about it and put it in. We're like, man, hope this doesn't bite us. It just feels way too easy. But you saw lay money came in. This number jumped
to five. Had a lot of books before kickoff. So that was unlike the Tampa Bay game, which that number did not move an inch.
It got close. It got to like two and a half minus one twenty. We'll talk about that in a second. To me, McCarthy, it's going to be interesting how we manage and handicap McCarthy because in that second half he threw the pick on the opening drive. It was basically a punt, but it was a third down and he just let the ball go and it ended up in the hands. I forgot who it was deep in the Ravens secondary that led to m free wasn't hum Yeah, it was Humphrey that led to a field goal to
put them head twelve to ten. And then look right after that, the Vikings fumble a kickoff. It's nineteen ten and the Ravens basically took control from there. Derrek Henry played great. The one thing that I wonder if we have to think about Andrew van Ginkel. The last two games has been really good for the Vikings, and it has been a difference in the first half. He made some really great plays last week get the lot against the Lions. He was making a lot of really good plays.
We don't like the Vikings rush defense, and they were not very good today. But Van Ginkel can make one or two plays over the course of a game where that challenges and stresses the opponent. The Vikings cannot figure out how to capitalize on those is the problem. I
¶ BALTIMORE RAVENS VS. MINNESOTA VIKINGS
don't know if you recognize that when you were watching this game, maybe a little bit.
I just honestly thought if the Ravens played better in the red zone, we would have won and covered this by twenty points. They just moved the ball up and down the field, and like you said, JJ was making stupid mistakes. Lamar. Not that I thought he wasn't trying, but felt like he had opportunities to run the ball. He said, I'm not wasting my body in this game. Am I taking hits? I'll just throw it away or pick take that pass down field instead of taking those
opening lanes. So it was pretty interesting.
Yeah, the Vikings had eight false starts in this game. Eight false starts. So at home, at home, Yeah, at home New England at Tampa Bay. All right, let's talk about this one. It never moved. It got up to minus one twenty. I thought it would get to three. Like we were talking about it all week. We were nervous all week about this number. We got warnings from
the wise guys. We never backed off, and honestly, even to the first half, it looked it looked like it was even, it looked like it was going to be a field goal game. Baker was perfect in that first draft. He was accurate. They ran easily a mecha you know, made a nice catch, just scored a touchdown. I was feeling pretty good after that first drive and the way they were playing in the first half overall, except for the very last play the first half. Then it became a verbel coaching win to me.
Yeah, honestly, I feel like I came down to one play and Vrabel almost outsmarted himself. I don't know if people saw it, if you were watching this New one Tampa Big game. It basically they had a first down at the one, and Drake May fell on the ball at the one to run the clock forty seconds before they took their second snap, so basically used their first down as a nothing like took that risk, and it came down to a fourth down play in the back of the end zone, insane throw in saint catch by
dig So. Yeah, this this whole Drake May thing, I said to you, he's giving me major major Carson Wentz vibes from twenty seventeen, in the year Eagles won the Super Bowl. He is reckless with his body. He is not consistent as a thrower, but in big moments with pressure in his face, he's deadly accurate downfield like anything over ten yards whatever it is, he is beend money for them and continuing in this game, he had a
couple of huge throw that saved us. But this really is a Josh McDaniel's game, Like what they did with Henderson, the rookie that you know it hasn't been seen the fiel because he can't pass block and they're forced into it with an interesty to Stievertson. They were in a spot where they the lead, so they knew that, Okay, we're gonna run it anyway with the kid needed two insane runs that totally flipped the game. Ye I mean just breakaway insane speed so bad. Bet should have trusted
our gut on it when it wasn't moving. We should have known better, like we said, had a ton of warnings and yeah it's it's a tough loss.
Well look that What might be the most fun, interesting, exciting play of the year is Traveon Henderson, who's been getting bashed all season because he's so talented, but they can't put him in for all the reasons you just talked about. Breaks away for what a fifty nine yard
run that can seal the game. And he's so far ahead of everybody on the Bucks defense as he's running for the touchdown that he has time to start veering to the middle of the field from the sideline and look over at the Patriots bench to ask if he should score the touchdown with less than two minutes left and put them up by twelve I think, or if he should slide and end the game, and all the coaches waved him in and told him to go score the touchdown. I love that it was heads up. I
love that he's paying attention to the coaches. I love that he got to score the touchdown. I love that he was so far ahead at everybody else that he had time to actually do this. That was remarkable. That just shows how fast the kid is.
Yeah, and just if he gets going, my god, maybe we need to start taking this Pager team a little more serious, because, like we keep saying, between the coach
¶ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS VS TAMPA BAY BUCS
and the quarterback, it's hard to find a better combo right on the AFC, which is insane to say, but this Drake may Vrabel combo right now is like we always talk about, there's bad spots it's supposed to be a bad spot in the weather, in the element, they played like the more veteran team and that was the most shocking part of that game.
That was a sixty nine yard run by the way, and this was nice. You know, I've said this a few times before the year began. We set the line on Vrabel coaching wins to two and a half. I feel like he's at least at four, if not five, And today was another one of those, just with that sort of thoughtful strategic clock management and then going for
it at the end of the first half. That's fourteen points they manufactured because they got the touchdown instead of going for the field goal at the end of the first half. And then they open the second half and the second play is the Travon Henderson run. So now all of a sudden, it goes from fourteen to ten to twenty one to ten and that's the ball game for them. They never look back again, and it's all because of the wave. Rabel managed the game. Just brilliant, brilliant guy.
Love them, Yeah, I will say this. Newton Patriots next three games Jets, Cincy Giants, then their bye week. So if they can get to eleven and two because then after their bye week it is brutal. They got Buffalo Ravens Jets and then they finish off with Miami. So yeah, this is pretty surreal. There is a path for them to the one seed. Now, like after you win this type of game, oh yeah, you drop only one or
two more games the rest of the year. There's a real chance New England's got that one seed and we are going to get some amazing value trying to fade them in the playoffs.
Well, look, they're two and a half games up on the Bills, because we're going to talk about the Bills next. But they've beaten the Bills and now they're up to games in the win column. They're a much better team right now than the Denver Broncos right who are have a similar record. They're a much better team right now than the Kansas City Chiefs, who are multiple games back
of the Patriots right now. So this is getting and it'd be an interesting conversation about the Colts and the Patriots right now, because I do not think the Colts were that impressive today and beating up the Falcons. We can talk about that a little bit later, but first let's talk about Buffalo at Miami. Buffalo was a nine and a half point favorite. You were insistent all week, flowers for Simon, Flowers for Simon. It's not flowers for Charlie,
not from always sunny, flowers for Simon. As you were insistent that we put the Dolphins in it was the right spot. The one thing you said again and again, Devon h Han running the ball. The guy had one hundred and seventy four yards rushing today, Like this was not a two A game. This was a divan ahang game.
That was part of it. The big part two is the Tua being comfortable whatever it is. When he is comfortable in these homesteads, that stat's crazy. Now now he's up to four to oh and there's the exact spot as a dog straight up and against the spread, which is just crazy because I think they showed the last time he beat Josh Allen was in like twenty twenty, so really unique spot for them. And yeah, it's the
dream bet. Everything went our way in this game and everything I've been saying that it looked like a fool last week because Josh Allen played so well against the Chiefs. I just there's just something off about him this season, and I saw it in this game. Again. Yeah, he just isn't what he was last year in the MVP cow level, which again that's impossible love up to, but that's the level he needs the playoff for this team to win. They just have so many deficiency not only
at wide receiver but the defensive side like this. We talked about this run game for h H and everything like that. It matched up great for them, but you know, I think it was sixteen to nothing heading into the fourth quarter. The Bills defense didn't play that bad. It just the fumbles, that turnovers. Everything just went so bad with this Bills team. So yeah, dream scenario, you know, get the big win, big upset, looks good for survivor pols. Unfortunately I got
knocked out on Carolina so it did even matter. But this was a big play. Not many people gave Miami a chance here and I got while you hated it, you felt gross and I had to bully into it. But it's like it was such a spot for this Dolphins team and you saw it before kickoff. We did the show. I think at nine am it was plus nine.
It was plus seven and a half by kickoff. Yeah, and this is with all the teasers parlays, all the suckers are going in late hammering that Bill's side, and it's never good you get that much reverse line action, especially in a big blog dog like that. Yeah, that was a good one. But yeah, like that's we joke all the time. That's the dream for betting a dog. You start the game a thirteen zero lead, and everything kept going wrong from the Bills from that point forward. So yeah, needed that win.
Uh, Tua was ten to fourteen for one hundred and thirty one. I think in the first half the Bills had ninety total yards. In the second half, how many times do you think Tua threw the ball three? He threw it seven times. Yeah, that's it.
In the entire I mean, they didn't need it.
They didn't need it, right, And then the Bills finally driving the middle of third and Josh Allen throws that pick in the end zone that made Matt Mitchell want to drink a can of paint while he was sitting in his basement painting the basement after all this water damage, and like it was just he he had made so many plays to get them in a position to score
on that drive, and then through this weird pick. They had a weird fourth and one where they were set up in that sort of snowplow formation where they go for it, and then instead he rolled out and threw a pass an alley oop into the middle of the field that fell to the ground. He fumbled the ball
¶ BUFFALO BILLS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS
with seven minutes left, down ten while fighting for extra yards after getting seven or eight on a third and one.
I mean, everything went wrong.
Everything went wrong. It was just nothing. Nothing went right. They could not get close. In my head though, going into the fourth quarter, I'm still like the Bills could still score three touchdowns and cover this number. I was like, I had so little faith in the Dolphins that I
just was doing the Gambler's math. You know what I didn't do Gambler's math for Arizona plus six and a half against Seattle because, oh my lord, down twenty one in the first quarter from a opening drive touchdown, Brissett sack and fumble and eighteen yeard drive that leads to a punt that leads to another long Seattle drive, and then the first minute of the second quarter, the same guy who forced the first fumble and scoop and score
on Brissett. Tyrese night for the Seahawks and the same guy who scored in that first fumble to Marcus Lawrence. They bite it up, did it again. So it was twenty eight nothing fifteen minutes into this game.
Yeah, we obviously picked a really bad spot to back Brissette. They flashed the record as dominic Seattle's defense has been this year. They had zero touchdown scored, like you said, they had two in the first quarter. Just terrible, terrible. Bet totally walked into it. I was hoping to avoid this game or the forig Niners game when the forty
nine ers game. Couldn't avoid this one. We'd loved it all week, I'd bet it all week, and uh yeah, it's it's the worst, right when you back these dogs and they're down twenty one to nothing in the first quarter, even when a lot of yourself there's just no scenario like you need a total melt that from their team, and even the Seahawks try to give it back.
Yeah, they did a few times, a lot of turnovers.
And like, yeah, they just kept couldn't They kept going for it on fourth down and the red zone and just failing on a couple different times where they could have got back into we had a chance at the back door and just slam shut on us. So bad bet. Like we said the afternoon, it was non contest in all three games, and we happened to be on the dog and two of them they got absolutely rolled.
It was thirty eight to fifteen when Sam Darnold threw a pick in the third quarter after the Cardinals had already had already scored a touchdown on a two point conversion. I'm not gonna lie like when the Cardinals got that pick, because it was deep in Seahawks territor, I'm like, okay, I started doing some math, like maybe they get the touchdown, maybe they get the two point conversion, thirty eight twenty three, like with you know, a quarter and a half left
in the game. Not impossible, and then they just couldn't convert on fourth down and it was over.
Yeah, you don't. You don't want to waste any of your luck on that game. I'm glad we got rolled. That would have been a waste to try to use some of our you know, after your luck on just because it was, like you said, it was beater than dead in that first quarter.
That's right, and honestly like we also at least I did. Let's do it. Let's actually let's do a quick word from hard rock and then we'll go over the rest of these crazy games. Today's show is brought to you by our new presenting sponsor, hard Rock Bet. It's that time of year when every day feels like a big game day. You've got Pro football, college football, NBA, college hoops, hockey, it's all happening, and on hard Rock Bet, there's always
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¶ ARIZONA CARDINALS VS. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
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three three playwise. In Indiana, if you or someone you know as a gambling problem and wants helped, call one eight hundred and nine with it gambling problem called one eight hundred gambler on Arizona, Colorado, Illinous, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia. All right, so we got the Eagles plus two and a half tomorrow night. We do have to address the Broncos, which was Simon says. And when we ended the show on Thursday, we were pretty confident
that was going to be a final five pick. And then we talked this morning and it wasn't a final five pick. I think you and I didn't communicate or actually we just decided it wasn't going to be a pick after the show and never made it into the final five. And so we that's really what happened.
Yeah, yeah, we got done the show. You were very non committal. As much as I liked it, I think you were just being nice and You're like, I don't know, I don't know if I wanted to do into the five, and I was like, well, we can figure it out. And like I always say to people, if we do do our Thursday game, I will tweet it out beforehand, just because I know people are working they can't catch
a show. I have no issue for Sunday show obviously, we don't want to be tweeting our picks, but Thursday, that's a tough spot to try to get people to listen and know where our picks for that game. So I didn't know that. I didn't know we talked about it like that. I thought we just said we were thinking about putting them as a possibility. If it makes people feel better, they want a lot to themselves. Just
act like I switched out Denver in the Bucks. I mean, it's the same thing, Like it's I get where they're coming from. We should be two and three right now. But I don't know. I never there was a high possibility of us putting in the Broncos for sure, but I definitely since you were not on Middle and putting it in. And yeah, like you said, we never even discussed put it in after the show and in the future Thursday Fridays Saturday games, I'll try to tweet it
out beforehand in case people don't catch the show. For are putting a pick in those early games.
Honest miscommunication. Matt Mitchell actually was adamant this morning before the Sunday show that we did it, and then we overruled him and decided that we that We ultimately just didn't want to put it in, or at least I didn't want to put it in, and so Simon was noncommittal on it, and so it just it didn't make it in.
And again we would own it. These people, they know the deal. We own our losses. We look to a show recap in our picks every week. So I get it a huge apology if people did think we did say that, but yeah, it's usually get a bed in. Chad needs to be all in on it. I need to be all on it, especially if it's going to be a Thursday or Friday game.
Yeah, apologies, many many apologies. We obviously exercised as much transparency as possible, so when we screwed up, we want to make sure everyone's aware of how that happened and pulled back the curtain. Lots of bad actors in the betting space. A game that we talked a lot about today and was the last one out Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco. San Francisco was a six point underdog. By the time this kicked off. Niners went down early. Rams looked like they were playing seven on seven. Niners
went down fourteen to nothing. They're finally driving. Mac Jones is looking like he's the best quarterback on the Niners, and Juwan Jennings fumbles and Niners territor. All of a sudden, they're down twenty one to nothing, and like they kept coming, they kept coming, they kept coming. The Niners did. Mac Jones at one point was like twenty seven of thirty or something like that. Christian McCaffrey was slicing and dicing. But this defense, they just I felt back for him.
They couldn't they couldn't make the plays.
Stafford, Yeah, awesome, Yeah, like you said, the I mean this we talked before, and the reason I wanted to get out it's just I knew all the pros, the smart guys were on the other side, and I heard their dvantage point of it, which did make sense. Stafford right now is just he breaks the rules. He's yeah,
he's just on a different level. I think they said, I don't know how long it's been, but I know for a fact he's the first quarterback in the last two years that has three straight games with over four touchdown passes in each game. So he's on a roll right now. That offense about the Adams Puka fully healthy Williams running back. It's just all clicking and like you said, that point and defense, they gave us nothing. Mac Jones played pretty well. Get rate passing. Yeah, they had two
or three passing touchdowns. Was really getting Kittle involved, you know, to just it's just one of those days. So yeah, it's I'm glad I gotta still avoid it and take it out. I had a bad feeling about it, just the noise I was getting about this one, and I was just like, Okay, I gotta do something here because I can't let it. Like last week, I didn't say anything because we had been on a little bit of a role. I'm gonna try to speak up whenever. It's just like, Okay, we gotta we gotta make a move
here and get this one out. So would have been brutal if the feign Airs came back and covered and the Eagles lose the next night, I obviously would feel like an idiot. But thank god we're senior. Two and two still have a chance of three and two rather than two and three. So yeah, the Niners team and we'll see next week if the seesaw continues. They just that trend is insane since Christmas twenty twenty three. They're now one in fifteen against the spread after a straight up win.
Yeah, I'm sad for this team because they could be so good and they It's like, how do the Rams not have the same kind of injury look as the Niners. Like every year it's these two teams battling, and every year it feels like the Niners are trying to overcome and come from behind because of some catastrophic injury and it's happened again this year, and it's just it's just
a bummer. Every year they lose another year of opportunity for someone who's brilliant I think and Kyle Shanahan, Christian McCaffrey. It's just devastating for that team.
I'll tell you this much. Whatever the billionaire billionaire owner did of the Rams with Stafford for that month before the season, remember he was just like inside an oxygen tube or whatever you go on for like a month and they were like, he's just resting for the season, genius. I mean, give me one of those.
Just give it to me.
Yeah, I could use it.
I could use it, especially when it's like four point thirty and the sun is down and I'm already exhausted and want to go to bed and just get under the covers. So give me something, and whatever Stafford's got, I want it.
It's seriously that I worked, whatever it was.
Guess what's working the Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson and their ability to score in the final two and a half minutes of the game, no matter what the scenario, and win. Because today, with two minutes and seventeen seconds left, the Bears were down twenty to ten seventy seconds. Seventy seven seconds later, they were up twenty four to twenty. Comprehend that they scored a touchdown with two minutes seventeen seconds left, down twenty seventeen, Literally, with one minute left,
they scored the go ahead touchdown. That's ridiculous. And it was Caleb running it from eighteen yards out for that go ahead touchdown. Look, I'm glad we had to put in the contest because the contest line was three and a half. It was four and a half most of the week. I loved it. At four and a half, you were against you liked the Bears, especially when it was the contest line of three and a half. So I'm glad we didn't put it in, but these Bears are crazy and they should not have won this game.
I love it though. It's just there's such a fun team. Like you said, fourteen points in that no sense five minutes and yeah, this is the way they play like. They just never give up. And that's what souks fun. When you have a winning culture, you always believe even when you were having a bad day. And like you said, Dart was doingever he wanted, right, he kind of got into that mode with using his legs and like you said,
they just couldn't stop it. He's just such an asset using his legs and that's what bit him though he took a hit. They had to bring in Russell Wilson and he is just atrocious. Yeah, totally terrible. So Bears incredible win. Like you said, the number was four. A bunch of people pushed out there the under which we talked all week weather under got scared at the end there, but it covered every number, even the closing line. I think it closed at forty four and a half covered
that number as well. So yeah, a really really fun game. And yeah, the Sparres team's magic. Like you always joke, even if you limp into the playoffs. Who cares? You Just get Caleb into the dance. Let him get a little taste of the speed and how different it is, and something to build on heading into the offseason. And yeah, you guys to me our year early, really exciting times for the Bears, And yeah, the hope is you don't fall off a cliff here because this is the exact
running point of last year. You did, but with a new coacher regime, I just think this is another jumping off point to keep pushing forward. And you have a lot of divisional games at so we really excited to see how this desbarassing closed the seasons out.
We are three games beyond the turning point from last year, because last year we were four and two, lost of the Commanders, lost ten in a row. Season was over. We're six and three, buddy, we're three games beyond last season's debacle. But boy, we got away with them with Jackson Dart because he was basically winning that game for the Giants until he scrambled, fumbled, was concussed deep in the Bears territory. That would have put them up at least twenty three to ten. And you know it never
never turned around for the Giants again. How about the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Houston Texans, who we loved all week. Unfortunately they were not in the contest for us. Davis Mills was picked on the opening drive. It led to a field goal. The Jags scored a touchdown on the next drive punt return. Then Texans down twenty nine to ten in the fourth quarter, and the Jags jagged, and man,
¶ LA RAMS VS. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
it was freaking glor ree us to see the Jags do exactly what we thought they would do the entire freaking game, only have it all compressed into fifteen minutes.
Yeah. Mcduffitely a game, Like you said, it feels like you stole one there because Davis Mills did everything in his power to give it away to start the game. And then special teams told disaster Like you said, this kid, you know, this Jaguars team was out Travis Hunter and Brian Thomps Junior. It's like they were down there, two receivers, they got no name guys making plays against you know, the number one defensive football and it's just I was
killing myself. It's like, all right, that was a bad bet. How do I keep trusting this Texas team when I should have known better. But you know that was a crazy line movement game. That number closed minus one on the Texans thirty to twenty nine.
It opened minus one and a half, bounced to two and then closed it bounced to plus two and then closed the minus one.
And like again we always talked about it. I love these type of games because Eland's run the one, they go for two, they don't get it, and goes, oh my god, this is gonna happen, like this is gonna be the type of middle people dream of. Like people took the Jacks plus one and a half, they took Houston plus one and a half. They're going to hit a one on the one on both sides and just Trevor Lawrence, Trevor Lawrence in the book or in the in the together, terrible turnover. Then the game guy walks
in for a touchdown, they cover the number. I think they won thirty six. Pretty insane for anyone that.
Second time this year after that Eagles game. Yeah, a cover turned on a last second fluke play.
By a four hundred pound guy, by a four.
Under pound guy who just didn't stop. He's just like, I am freaking scoring a touchdown. Here, what's crazy is in that fourth quarter the Texans scored twenty six points. They outscored the Jacks twenty six to nothing in the
fourth quarter, including that last second touchdown. In between that, other than that last drive, between the start of the fourth and when the Texas took the lead, the Jackars had what was it, three plays for minus four yards three plays for six yards, so they had six plays for two yards with a Jack's touch with a Texas touchdown before between and after those two drives and Davis Mills, by the way, the drive, the game winning drive ninety three yards on fourteen plays and they ended it with
a Davis Mills fifteen yard scramble and they were only on the fifteen yard line because they had been on the two and then had multiple penalties and plays for a loss that pushed them back to the fifteenth so it was like third in goal when he scrambled for their game winning touchdown. Total miracle by Davis Mills and the Texans. Kudos, thank you. We didn't get into the contest, but it certainly did help our ledger for the day.
Another team that helped our ledger for the day, the New York Jets plus two against the Cleveland Browns, and listen, we said all week this wasn't a bet on the Jets. It was a bet against Dylan Gabriel as an NFL quarterback, and that's kind of how it played out.
He did all right. It's also just about stupid football, is right. We got a special team's touchdown filed like a kick return followed by a punt return.
It's right now.
You can't make it up, so I'll take it. Like we said, that was a Jets spot. Jets number came
¶ NEW YORK GIANTS VS. CHICAGO BEARS
through another game. We're both kicking ourselves. We didn't play in the contest, but it was. It was minus one and a half, so it was tough to get there. But we screwed up. This was we almost made this Rock and a hard Place this morning.
We took that and we almost made it brass balls and we took it Arizona instead.
So bad miss on us. We just we loved it all week. We just always wanted the two and a half and hard Rock never got there. We stay at the two. So you know, this Jets team is terrible. They're inconsistent, they're up and down, but they have won two games. In a row at this point, and that's you know, like we always seen in the NFL, that's really hard to do. So we might have said this was a spot for them to steal and win it.
But you know, as much crap you like to give, Justin Fields, he did enough to win this game, and the defense shockingly got stops when needed too. It's just I can't believe it because I was worried the Jets were gonna roll over and die after they sold off all their defensive players, and they didn't. They fought really hard in this game. And kudos to the Aaron Glenn keeping that unit unified.
Justin Fields did enough. Is strong get eleven attempts. Justin Fields was six of eleven, Yeah, for fifty four yards. Forty two of those yards came on a screen pass to Breese Hall, who ran forty two yards for a touchdown justin Justin Fields like, he had a couple of nice runs he made. You know, he didn't make the big mistakes. I don't know if he did just enough or he just stayed out.
Of the way stah the way. Honestly, though, he had a couple of big third downs for us. That that's why we covered the storm, but it's the OC like as Wuch I want to blame justin fields. He basically was said to him, you're not losing this game for us. I don't care if there's a guy wide open ten yards downfield. Yeah, you're not throwing it downfield because the one time he did, he threw a pick. So it was a game where they just knew the Browns that
beat themselves and they got very lucky. Their special teams just dominated this matchup.
This was the beauty of back game. The Jets went forward on fourth and four from midfield with a minute left. The Browns had no timeouts, so if they went forward and they got it, the game was over and they didn't have to worry about it because they drew the Browns off sides and they got the first down. Go Jets, go. Good for them. They managed it brilliantly. They got all they got the Browns to make all the mistakes they
needed to make. That Browns team is just dreadful. Can't wait to better them at plus eight and a half at home against Baltimore in Week eleven. Shame, shame, shame, Simon. I'm going to go with the Cardinals. Offensive line. Same on you, because when you've got an immobile veteran second
¶ JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS VS. HOUSTON TEXANS
string quarterback, the one thing you have to do is try to keep that immobile veteran second string quarterback upright or at least give him more than zero point seven
seconds to get the ball out. And when you in the first drive of the game and then in the first drive of the second quarter, allowed the same guy to get pressure to create the same fumble and the same guy to scoop and score, that is an abject failure on the part of everybody, from the interior offensive line to the offensive line coach, to the offensive coordinator, to the head coach, to the quarterback. But mostly it's
the offensive line. So shame shame, shame on the Arizona Cardinals offensive line.
I'm gonna shame Todd Bowles and that Bucks defense. Same same. I can't get over the scheme, the decisions he made in this matchup with Drake May You should have beat him and he even though they gut to turn a row from they got to pick off him, he still is having an off dat and they couldn't take advantage of it because they couldn't stop Henderson, the guy we talked about a guy that was in the doghouse for this team. They let him average ten point five yards
per carry. The Buck crazy, a team that hadn't given up one hundred yard rusher in like thirty straight games at one point. It's just I can't believe scheme wise, they just let that go. They got beat by the run game in a game, but once again that Drake May struggled, maccollins had over one hundred yard receiving against them. It's just just an atrocious game plan by that Bucks defense.
On a day that you know, as bad as up and down as Baker was, still threw for over two hundred and fifty yards and three touchdowns like they should have been in this game, shouldn't be able to win it, especially in that bad weather, and the defense just could not get key stops, and it all comes down to that fourth down like you talked about before half. Shame on you, Todd Bowles and that Bucks defense.
That's a good one. I wish I had thought of that one. That's a good one because mac collins getting open in the middle of field and having multiple third down conversions and Drake May finding miracle ways to spin out of Vita Vea's hands and then reset and hit mccollins. But that's a failure of the secondary and their ability to cover. And that's that goes to scheme. And we love Todd Bowles and we thought this would be a great coaching matchup, and Mike Rabel just beat him. He
out coached him in every sense of the word. He's been doing it all season to everybody he's coached sharp or square. Hero of the week? You know who my hero is, Simon? Tell me last week you graciously made me the hero because I chose Atlanta. Yeah, I am making you one of the heroes of the week forgetting us to choose the Miami Dolphins. Here's what I know.
We've been doing the show long enough that when you start like talking about a game early in the week, like the Dolphins, and you keep bringing it up and keep bringing it up, and like you're not being adamant, but you're not walking away from it, and then all of a sudden you get closer to being adamant. I know enough to make that bet, so I may the bet,
¶ CLEVELAND BROWNS VS. NEW YORK JETS
and I know enough to put the game in the contest, So we put it in the contest and that's because you did your thing. That was very impressive. The other guy who did his thing, who you said would do his thing was Devon h Chan, who I mentioned earlier. I had one hundred and seventy four yards rushing, multiple big gains, multiple touchdowns. It looked like he was playing against a pee wee league team out there. They just could not tackle him when they could catch him. They
couldn't tackle him. When they couldn't tackle him, they couldn't catch him. It was it was an impressive performance, for sure.
I came I'm gonna give it to him, but I have to already give him enough praise. But I keep got to go back to it. Just Stafford Hero of the Week. I just can't get everybody did in this game, Like we should have back doored that game in a million different ways, and the guy just killed us, wouldn't. Let's get back into it. Twenty four of thirty six, two hundred eighty yards, four touchdowns, no picks. Just he's
out of this sport right now. Got to be if we wake up tomorrow, he's got to be the favorite for MVP. It's just incredible what he's doing at his age, staying upright staying healthy and he as an Eagles fan. Definitely, my biggest fear right now is this Rams team. We talked coming into the air, like I put them and the Egles at the top just because of how well the Rams played last year and everything's improved. Their defense is tough for their offense is just the machine right now.
So my only hope is, just like the Patriots, maybe they're peaking a little too early. So we'll see coming down the stretch.
Right now, Drake May is plus two to eighty seven as MVP. Matthew Staffords plus three hundred, so we'll see in the morning, like it could easily turn that way. It feels to me like everyone just wants it to be Drake May.
It's the new toy. I'm about it. He deserves it. I agree with that, I guess.
But look if the if the Rams are the number one seed and Matthew Stafford leads the league in passing and leads the league in touchdown passes and he set a record today, he got set a personal record, got to four hundred career passing touchdowns, So good for him. Man thirty seven years old, gray Beard, freaking Ballin' love it for him. He just looks like he's having so much fun. He's playing an entirely different game. They had a great Tom Brady, who I think is actually getting better,
not getting better, he's just good. He had a great comment about when you're that old, the number of times you've seen every defensive coordinator, the number of times you've seen every matchup, the number of signs you've seen every scheme, you have an answer for it every single time. There's nothing that is confusing for him. You never saw him get rattled today. It was amazing.
Yeah, it's one of my heroes. Favorite saying from Bain. I was wondering what to break first, your body or your mind, and with him, it's all about the body. If his body doesn't break, you can't not break Stafford's mind. This man is seeing it all. Like you said, he's got plays for days when the players don't work out. He always knows where the next guy is and who is open on the defensive scheme once he sees a playout. So yeah, if they can keep him up right, he
stays healthy. This is gotta be odds on favorite right now in the NFC. They're just so dominant on the Rams team.
Very good team, Simon says, was Denver minus nine and a half. We've worked through that tragedy. Chad's choice was Tampa minus two and a half. Brass Balls was Arizona
¶ PITTSBURGH STEELERS VS. LA CHARGERS
plus six and a half. Terrible rock and hard place with San Francisco plus six, sharp versus square. I at San Francisco, I got it at four and a half. You in Miami plus nine and a half. Whoo, you are my hero?
Yeah?
Did I ever tell you Yoma he our favorite? Parlay Panthers, Lions, yes, Ravens yes, Box No, Bears, yes, Underdog Parlay Jets yes, Houston yes, San Francisco no. I'll take you though, Yeah, totally, totally all right. We talked a lot of the questions tonight. Where about the Broncos Again, we apologize we didn't manage that well. We will manage it better going forward. Early Leans for you, Simon, A couple, a couple stood out to me already.
Yeah, we were so hot last week on these early Leans. Let's see if you can keep it rolling, buddy. Last week.
Remind people last week, yeah, remind people what we did.
We had Rams minus three, uh, Ravens minus three, and somehow we had the Lions minus three. That was before obviously Daniels got hurt in that game. I I like the Dogs. I'm not gonna lie to each other. I like the dogs this coming week, and there's some really gross ones that just jump out instantly. I'm gonna take what should we start with? Commanders? They're plus two right now on the road against that Miami team.
Well, don't forget that game is Madrid.
Okay, I'll still like the Canyons a little bit. But again, well, I've been very lucky. I've been bet like I bet Atlanta last week plus six and a half, and somehow that hit. I got very lucky on that one, even though I thought it was home. So yeah, I just that one jumped out for a gross dog that people are gonna hate. Jaguars are gonna be plus one and a half right now at home against this Chargers team.
We'll see how they perform tonight, this Chargers team. But I just I feel like the Jacks front would actually give that Chargers team a lot of problems. I think you nailed it when you said Cleveland plus eight and a half. I know, how can you not? And I know we're all bitter, we're all very bitter to this Denver Bronco team. Denver Broncos plus four plus three and a half right now against the Chiefs at home.
Do you feel like the Cleveland number is going to move up? Because I mean, I don't know how it doesn't. With Baltimore winning at Minnesota today and Cleveland losing to the Jets, it just feels to me like that number is going to get bigger.
It could, but that's it's It's gonna be an amazing spot for this Cleveland team. So I mean, it could be like Miami. I hope, like I got a couple of tens on Miami. That's how high that number got. Yeah, you could be right here. This Kigut pushed the ten bec is no one only pros are gonna be taking Cleveland here totally. I keep saying it. I know it's lazy if people hate it, but this Cleveland team is totally different and it keeps proving to being out true
on the road and at home. So that feels to got a great spot, great match up for them, just like it does with Denver. Yeah, next week, these games aren't credible, Like I I don't want to give an opinion yet but I kind of like Detroit against the Eagles. They're plus one and a half on the road against this Eagles team. I'm not rushing to take it because
the Eagles play really well. I think we could get a two and a half three, because again it's it's golf on the road, outdoors, playing against a really good defensive front. So that one intrigues me. Where it's like this right now is an Eagles number, But I could see us getting two and a half three on this Lion's team, and I had to take a position on them.
Arizona, there are threes available. Arizona plus three at home
¶ SHAME ON YOU / HERO OF THE WEEK
against San Francisco. Obviously we're talking about blowout versus blowout ish, but I'm not afraid to back Arizona again. I think this was.
A you know, I can't do it right now because I'm just so bitter, but that's probably the right read.
That was the to me. The big games, unfortunately that stood out were Cleveland plus eight and a half and Arizona. If you can find the three, it's two and a half most places.
But if you can find that, no, I like the Dogs. I would say I like the Dogs. This upcoming week there's some some juicy numbers there.
So frustrating, so frustrating, all right, So a reminder, we won with Baltimore minus three and a half and Miami plus nine and a half. We lost with the Bucks minus two and a half and with the Cardinals plus six and a half. We have the Eagles plus two and a half remaining for tomorrow night. We are two and two for the week. This has been Sharper Square presented by hard Rock Bet, part of the Volume podcast network.
We will be back with Sharper Square on Tuesday. To go over the entire NFL slate, watch or listen on YouTube at Sharper Square. Like the video, subscribe to the channel. Download us from Spotify, Apple Pods where we get your podsit rate review, subscribe, leave us five stars say if you want feedback as a gift until next time, Love you, Hey, let's be careful.