Divisional Round Preview: Titans plan vs Bengals, Bad matchup for Packers, Rams will be aggressive, Bills visit the Chiefs

then get to the Sunday games. But looking at the weekend as a whole, Guys, we talked about Super wild Card weekend in the episode, talked wild Card Weekend and come on, I don't know, but you know what, and the way that it played out this past week's Super is definitely an air quotes because of what's not so Super. But the one thing that all of those blowouts gave us, I think you can make an argument the Cowboys from a talent perspective are probably one of the eight most

talented teams in the NFL. Although you know, I don't know that many of us were surprised by the result of their game. But what I love about these matchups this weekend, the eight teams that we've got left, we have at East six, if not seven. I think of the teams that we all would have said moving through the season coming into the playoffs are definitely the best teams like we didn't get any monumental upsets last weekend. We didn't get one seed you know, obviously not one seeds,

but two seeds or three seeds knocked out. I think it sets up this weekend for four games that could all be really good because looking at all four of these matchups, I don't I don't see a lopsided game among this group. And I think the funny part about the games on Saturday, and let's start with those. I think you've got quarterback matchups where the team that's home and the team that's the one seed. Um, you know,

let's start with Bengals Titans. Like I would certainly if I were choosing between the two quarterbacks, take Joe Burrow over Ryan Tannehill. I don't know if you guys think the game could come down to that. The Titans have an identity how they play, They run the football, their physical Can they play that way against the bank goals and make Bryan Tannehill that we win with you quarterback rather than win because of you? Or is Joe Burrow gonna go out there and be the we win because

of you and knock out the one seed. Yeah? So I think first of all, to answer that question, we have to know the health of Derrick kennright and in the in the like like the is Derrick Henry sevent does Derrick Henry feel like? That's a huge kind of domino in this I'm gonna live in the world where Derrick Henry is at like Okay, I'm just as the way things have been trending. You know, I think a couple of keys for this this football game, for both teams.

Number One, if I was Tennessee, You're obviously going to live in your world of running your zone scheme. And I think the thing that people need to understand with the zone scheme, either inside zone or outside zone, is I'm committing to running that twenty times over the course of a football game. If you win seventeen of those snaps on a defense, meaning I get three or four yards, I'm cool with that. I need you to not win

three of them, four of them. That's that's when I got you with a twenty five yard run or a forty yard run. And then the commitment of doing that twenty times. Because the zone scheme, I don't need four guys to get out of place, I need one. I need one guy to get reached. I need one guy to get cut down on the back side, I need one linebacker to overplay the play. So that's why I'm committed to that zone scheme. And then obviously it allows me to utilize my play action pass. So Tennessee is

gonna do that. I think the more different ways I would do this if I was Tennessee, I would look at the corners for Cincinnati, who loves to play single high safety specifically man, and go all right, well, um two is playing good football. Twenty You're gonna get my work, Eli Apple. You're gonna I'm gonna go to work on Eli Apple if you guys are gonna play sing high and it's gonna be shots with a j Brown or possession throws with Julio Jones. How successful Tennessee is in

regards to now offensively, I think is huge. And then for Cincinnati offensively, it's gonna all be about how well Joe goes pre snap the post, that pre snap the post, that pre snap the post. Now, because Tennessee's coverage rotation and coverage disguise from what they tell you pre snap to what they tell you post snap is star wars now a lot of it is zone, but it's still you know these zones are are they? They They're chameleons. You know, they can look one way and they're very

different in in in another situation, they change quickly. So I think those are like the two keys between both of those offenses to have the success that they want. Yeah, you know you mentioned it, Um, what world are we

going to live in with Derrick Henry? And you know, after watching Monday Night's game with the Rams and seeing Cam Akers come back from an injury that I didn't think he had any chance come back and perform, now leads me to believe that Derrick Henry right where we're seeing players were cover skilled players in particularly recover from injuries on a level and in a time speed like we've never seen before. So I'm going to live in

that world. To the other world I'm gonna live in is that you know Mike Rabel spent all those years together and you know, eight in New England, two in Kansas City. Something that Mike is really smart. And the other thing is he often goes back to some of his New England experiences and he knows, as we learned in New England, the best way to slow down in offense like Joe Burrow is like trying to slow down

another explosive offense. I'm not going to compare him to Peyton Manning, but the Colts back in the day and some of those other explosive teams that were faster than us and maybe had more skilled players on offense. Is your best defense sometimes is your offense keep Joe Burrow off the field. So if they've got Derrick Henry, I can see them doing a lot of things for ball

control and also to eat up clock in time of possession. Now, the other thing is this interesting is we're now in January, as we all know, and I know that Nashville isn't the Northeast, but it's also not the southeast, and well the deep Southeast, I should say. They play on a grass field. They're going to try to mitigate the speed of the Bengals, which is outstanding by playing big guy football. And to me, this is what I think this game is going to turn into. And then what I think

Mike Vrabel is going to try to do. If I was Tennessee and trying to mitigate like the the speed is so to speak for um Cincinnati's defense. Yeah, it's all gonna be dependent on how he fishings you are on first down because if you get into some of those blitz packages that Cincinnati does have, that's when I get a little bit concerned with Tennessee. Yeah. Yeah, Tennessee's offensive line is a little bit similar to me, like to Indianapolis is they're really good in run game, they're

not that good in past protection, they're not. And Cincinnati's blitz packages are really good in the way they move Sam Hubbard around and Hendrickson getting one on ones for those guys. Like the efficiency that Tennessee is so here. Like this is also the challenge for Cincinnati vice versa, because everybody always goes, well, we've got to go into

this game stopping Derrick Henry. Cool, That's exactly where I want you as a play caller, because I'm gonna just play action play action play action, play action play actions. So you know it's gonna be that that back and forth of who guesses on first down? Really right? You know, defensively, can you can you anticipate playing against play action pass so to speak? So um, I think that that that's another huge challenge in relation, like staying on the field,

Scott will be a big deal. And then you know I talked about Josie and things pre snap and post snap. It's also gonna be fascinating what Tennessee does defensively with Jamaar Jamaar Chase. I I don't and I know I like to say things that are extremes sometimes, like I don't know how many times you could feel okay, just putting one cat over there, like one guy. I there's just you don't have the human beings did just I don't care if it's man or his own, just match

up against them. It's not a good situation for you. You You know, something I kept hearing about us we change gears to Chiefs Packers as well, um or I'm sorry forty Niners Packers was when the forty Niners beat the Cowboys and Dan, I think I heard you say this on ESPN on Monday morning, that this was like the worst possible outcome possibly match up wise for the Packers. Okay, so why I'm like, Dan, let's let's let's dive deeper into that. Why is this such a bad matchup or

bad result? You know, if you're a Packers fan, why were you rooting so hard for the Cowboys to win that game? Why do you not want to see the forty Niners. Starting point is it's the teacher versus the mentor. You know. You know, Kyle Shanahan taught a lot of Matt Lafleur, a lot of the things he knows. The way to study tape, the way to attack who who

you are is a defense. Uh, not only your defense, but how to attack people within your defense, how to attack scheme, the things that give defenses so many headaches. You know, so the understanding that that everything that you know, a lot of the stuff that you know comes from the guy that you're playing against. The overall weakness of Green Bay defensively is their ability to play physical at the line of scrimmage and stop the outside zone scheme

when motion is being used. The team that uses motion with outside zone scheme more than anybody in the NFL the San Francisco forty Niners. The second challenge is this, the Green Bay Packers, personnel wise, defensively, are not built to play against the positionless people on San Francisco's offense.

If you watch what Kyle does, Kyle will take twenty one personnel two backs in one tight end, and one of those backs is Kyle us check So he'll call twenty one personnel and when that happens, you as a defensive coordinator are calling your twenty one personnel defense as well personnel wise, and then Kyle is going to give you what looks to be eleven personnel formations. He'll put use check out as a receiver. So how like that. That's a challenge for green Bay that doesn't have versatility

at the lineback position. They just don't and so you know, the how are they going to handle that is a huge deal. Or they'll sometimes Bob Scott, they'll they'll go in twenty what looks to be twenty two personnel, they'll put two tight ends and Deebo Samuel, and you check up, how are they treating Debo? Because then they'll go in two personnel and it's lined up like ten personnel spread, or they'll go and line them up and it looks

like jumbo goal line. Green Bay does not have the personnel flexibility to handle all that stuff, and that's the big challenge. And then you know, flipping it up to the other side, green Bay's offense versus San Francisco's defense. We gotta remember the last time these teams play, we needed a once in a generation type of throw from Aaron over Fred Warner. The San Francisco's speed in their front seven, both burst off the football by their defensive line. Okay,

Bay runs the zone scheme. What's the number one way for me as a zone scheme offense for you to ruin my play penetration? It makes everybody on my offense worse. The speed and the burst off San Francisco's defensive line is is just not a good matchup for their zone schemes. So that's a lot in this game. That's a lot that I just went on. But it's just not a

good matchup for them. Yeah, and the key to the speed for the forty niners front seven in that group, it'll be interesting to see where Nick Bosa is this week because he is going to be a key whether or not he's there and whether or not he's healthy and ready to go. You know, we don't often talk about the Shanahan tree, and I'm not talking about the Kyle Shanahan tree. I know you mentioned Kyle Shanahan, but right now, with the four teams that are left in

the NFC. Three of those coaches come from the Mike Shanahan I love when you go bald spot, old school, like, you know, take me back three decades. That's that's what I'm talking about. Hey, no, Mike in a hand. When he was coaching at at Washington, he had I mean, obviously Kyle was there. Obviously Sean McVeigh was there, and so was La Fleur, Um la Fleur's brother, Matt jet

Here we go, general general. You know, Mike was there, and so to me, Um, You're right, they know a lot about one another, they all respect one another, they all like one another. These are the kind of competitions that I love when it's it's like this is a good, good old fashioned backyard family fight at an outing, and that's what it's going to be. But you know, everything

that Dan said I agree with. And to me, you know that I love the phrase position list people Deebo Samuel Samuel is and he is an issue for everyone. And you know because like I said, from a personnel grouping standpoint, they can't match up. But I don't know too many teams that can match up. Because when you get into games like this, good defensive coordinators are going to say, Okay, when they've got Ebo on the field, we are going to make a distinction based on where

he lines up, what he is. But the bottom line is they don't have they may not have the right personnel grouping out there, and they're going to be weak somewhere in trying to defend what they can do. It's a fascinating matchup schematically. One thing I will, obviously as kind of the simplistic guy circle back to is and Dan talked about the fact that there are moments where you need Aaron Rodgers to make a once in a

generation throw. Guy makes a once in a generation throw every week, right like every third down, he makes it once at a generation throw. And I actually threw this out there on Twitter during the Cowboy game this past week. The Jimmy Garoppolo can be such a tragic figure. He is the quarterback where everyone that doesn't watch him all year will watch a playoff game and we'll be sitting there going why did they draft his replacement? Here they are in the playoffs. He took them to a super Bowl,

he seems to win. They're winning again, and the Niners fan in the room looks at that guy and says, just give a time, just wait and then and think about the huge interception that he threw. Again, that was that was the spark that could have lit the fuse to actually make the comeback happen. I don't think that we never get to that last play of that Cowboy game on Saturday if not for Jimmy Garoppolo throwing that

interception that gave the Cowboys hope. He is a quarterback that's so often seems to make the mistake that gives the other team hope. I've got Aaron Rodgers all of those schematic questions being asked. Well, I don't know. I would have a hard time seeing Aaron Rodgers the Packers losing this game. We'll see how it plays out this week. We've got Sunday's matchups to talk about. We've got Rams Bucks and we've got Bills Chiefs, Bills Chiefs. How fascinating

is that game? We're gonna talk about that we come back on tape. Its back here on tape, Its Bobo Shoes and Dani Orlovsky, Scott Pioli. All Right, Sunday games to talk about on the divisional weekend, and let's get its start with Rams Bucks and guys. You know, we talked about on Tuesday all of the different things that the Rams did schematically on defense beyond just beating up the front for the Arizona Cardinals. But they confused Kyler Murray.

I mean, I don't know how much they're gonna have to do to try and confuse Tom Brady if Tom Brady is even confusable, if that's a word, because you know, I mean he obviously reparates Bards at a totally different level. Um Mentally, I don't know what the health situation is going to be of Tristan Worth's didn't look good this past week. Could that physical matchup be enough to maybe

determine the outcome of this game? Because if there was one team this past week that I thought physically was getting beat up and still found a way to win the game and lopsided fashion, it was the Bucks. I mean they were getting beat up on the defensive line or defensive line of the Eagles, their offensive line, Brady was getting hit a lot, and they still won. Um But having said that, how do we see this game playing out? Yeah? I think if their works doesn't play

that the Bucks can't win this football game. I think he's that important. I think he's that important to them because if I mean, the Bucks five offensive linemen are the best unit in the playoffs, They've got the best continuity um. But the Rams are also the defensive line that is built very similar to these New Lands Saints. They've got plenty of pass rushers and they're plenty physical enough, and that I think is that big a deal now

that the weapons are gone. I here, here's where I stand with regards to like what I think are the keys for this game. So I think that if I were the Los Angeles Rams and Raheemore is their defensive coordinator, who, like context, I think should be probably in the head coach conversation carousel right now with kind of the adjustments that he's made. I'm I'm focusing on Jalen Ramsey versus Rob Gronkowski. I'm gonna give Mike Evans his. Mike is

going to get his. I'm not going to become obsessed like so how they kind of try to match up with Gronk is going to be a huge part of that. Because right now, all Tampa Bay is doing is living in a trips world or a who by two world. Now, in the trips world, it's basic. They put Mike Evans backside or Grounk at the three. Front side Mike one on one, we're gonna work him. Gronk at the three, and then it's middlefield open, we're gonna work him or in two by two. That's when they move Mike Evans

around a little bit. Sometimes he's outside, sometimes he's inside. So I think how they handle Gronk is going to be a huge part of that. But the fact that they can probably deploy coverage forced the bowl underneath tackle really well and get after tom is is a huge deal. And then I think for the Rams offensively, if you go back and watch these teams play and this is three plus months ago, but it was bombs away, man,

it was bombs away at this secondary. And if I'm Sean McVeigh, I want my team to settle into the game. But I actually think it's the vice versa of what we saw on Monday Night football against the Cardinals. I think Sean is going to come out and be crazy aggressive at this secondary that you know is is still

deal with some health issues with Sean Murphy bunting. And I also I agree but here here's my question, Dan is, after what he saw he's got with cam Akers, do you think he maybe comes at him a little bit more with the running game. Well, I would say this if if it's going to be a running game that is built upon like pushing the ball to the edges, yes, I just think it's with Veden ask god. I just think it's so hard and it's it's kind of ignorant, to be honest with you. It's kind of like, what

are we doing? You know? So I think I think he's smarter than that. Just a poundaball at him, but on the perimeter shirt, I can see that. Yeah. And then as soon as I think that and say that, you know, now that they've got both Devin White and Labonte David healthy, you know that becomes a little bit different because they can get to the edges maybe a little bit quicker. So you know, I want to visit this.

You haven't mentioned uh your gout Matthew yet, and you know there's been a lot of um uncertainty about Matthew a lot of people publicly right, and the big thing and the weight that was on his shoulders is past Monday about you know, he's got to win a playoff game. He's just got to do it. And you know, I was thinking about this. There's so many people that support

him and love him for all the right reasons. He needed to do that, and it was making me think of an old Parcels story, and Parcels you say, you know, a great trapper doesn't have to go out and tell people that he's a great trapper. He doesn't have to have people go out and tell the world what a great trapper he is. He just shows him the pelts on the wall. Matthew finally has one of those pelts, and I'm happy for him. I'm excited for him because again, he's the kind of person that you want to see

have success. I didn't like the idea that he had been saddled. Well, he puts up, you know, with that whole idea that he puts up great numbers, beautiful throwing motion, all that stuff. I'm really happy for him that he's now going to the divisional round because he has one playoff of under his belt and guys, maybe the most fascinating matchup of the entire divisional round of the postseason

his Bills Chiefs. Right, I mean, we talk talking about where the Bills offense is right now and how they look. All my money, Bobby, take all my money. And you know you made an interesting point. Chiefs Steelers this past week, final score, final statistics, all the guys that score, the avalanche of offense that finally arrived for Kansas City. We were almost through the entire first half, and it was

enough enough in game. I mean it was it was basically sooner or later the damn was going to break. The Chiefs can't have a sputtering offensive start against this team this week because that avalanche for the Bills seems to start right from the kickoff. Yeah, So I think for Kansas City to win this game, it's got to be a Pringle game. If you want, I love bring you know what, Actually, I'm not a huge fan of them. Scotty, not a big guy, bub not a big chip guy.

Goldfish cheeses. I'm with um. So the reason I say it's gotta be a Pringle game is because I think that Buffalo is going to continuously roll their coverage to Tyree Hill and Travis Kelsey. That's what they did the last time they played. It was very successful. Now, now the caveat I have is oftentimes they would roll to the side of thirty nine and leave Dradebuts White solo on the number three receiver, very Durrell rievous ish in

the thought process. You know something that that Patriots and the Jets used to do with him, So I think that it's they've they've really gotta get a a an impact from him when it comes to that. I think Buffalo's run defense is so disciplined nowadays, and when they play in spread run games, they don't play smash mouth run football Kansas City, they play spread run game offensively, So I think that plays into Buffalo's hands defensively. I think that the Orlando Brown is going to have to

play better football. Wiley is going to have to play better football because the edges, even against Pittsburgh, we're getting tight. And I think that the pass rushers for Buffalo, when you're playing that coverage that's gonna force Patrick just to hold it for a second or two has got to

be big. And then for Buffalo offensively, you know the my initial reaction as well, you don't want to play man coverage against Buffalo offensively because you don't have the Cats to cover them, and then Josh Allen's running ability. But Steve Spagnolo, who's a tremendous defensive mind, is going to play man coverage. That's just who he is and

who he believes that they're gonna be. So how well do they do kind of not not just playing man coverage, but playing in the right positioning of their man coverage I think is going to be paramount. Are you supposed to be inside leverage and you gotta keep inside leverage bub Are you supposed to be outside leverage the funnel with cats somewhere to extra help, then you gotta play outside leverage to funnel and extra help. Uh. That that is for me the huge key for Kansas City defensively

this game. Uh yeah, this is one of those games that's happening during the playoffs that could be a super Bowl matchup because it's quite possibly the two best teams in the National Football League. And I know Packers fans are gonna get mad and Rams fans are gonna get mad. I'm not saying that to be disrespectful. I'd say they could be, but this is this is one heck of a matchup. And what's interesting to me watching Buffalo again through the month of December, watching them last week against

the Patriots, watching the confidence this team believes. I think they went into this season thinking they were gonna be a good team, and everyone was telling them they we're gonna be a good team. They're starting to smell themselves a little bit, but they didn't have the facts for themselves.

I'm watching. We've seen this transition of the of the personality and the outgoing personality of Josh Allen to me has been fascinating, and I mean all in a good way because his confidence is so real right now and it's there yet he's kept this humility again. I'm finding him to be one more fascinating players in the NFL right now. But this is a Buffalo team that has genuine conference. They just beat the Patriots twice that they were the king of the Mountain. They know now that

they are a good football team. They believe that they're a good football team again. I think we've seen the growth and the the evolution of Sean McDermott, their head coach, since that last you know, since that first Patriots game, And to me, we talk about you know, the master versus the student and or the teacher versus the student. And you know, this is Sean McDermott going against Andy Reid, who he cut his teeth coaching and learning under. And to me, this is gonna be one heck of a

matchup for so many reasons. You know, there's one crowd to a couple of crowds, but at the top of the list of crowd that I think is as impactful in the first five to seven minutes of a game as any in the National Football League, and that's Kansas City. Yet. Yeah, right, I know it's just that, you know, sometimes there's an alley oop and sometimes there's gotta slam at home and I think that was well executed. Uh, do you do something strategically if you're Buffalo? Do you take a risk early?

Do you take a shot? Do you do anything to try and see if you can maybe schematically do something that might be a little on the edge offensively, defensively, whatever, to see if you can make a big play early, knowing that if you take that crowd out of it early, that could be a big advantage. If this was me, I don't mind being aggressive. I'm certainly don't think I have to be reckless. You know what, I'm saying like, I feel like I've got a really good football team,

and I feel my football team has been tested. The guys that are important to us have been tested over the last two years. We're ready, and candidly, I think Buffalo is probably a better team. I think if both of these teams play their a game, Buffalo is a better foot ball team. Um. But I don't feel like I have to go out and be conscious of taking the crowd out of it, Bobby. I don't want to

do anything to give the crowd momentum. You know. That's what Gary Kubiak used to always say to us when we would go on the road to a place like Indie and whatnot. We gotta do everything we can to make sure we don't give the crowd stuff early. You know that that that pass rushing, that crowd early stuff. So it's not necessarily of taking it out, in my opinion, it's just making sure that we're not giving them anything to start to get absolutely dominant and raucous about Here's

what I'd say. I don't think you can no matter what you do early in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead. I'll say this, I don't think you can take their team out of the game or get them out of the game. They are gonna come for sixty minutes. And the truth is you can't take the Kansas City fans out of the game. There's nothing that you can do early in a game that's gonna take those fans out of the game or get them

distracted or get the Trust me. You know, I've seen a heck, I've had to go against me while I was working there, But you can't take the Kansas City crowd out of a game. And no matter how much early success you have, they are um, they are special. Well, we're back on Tuesday to look at how all the games played out and we will be set with conference championship matchups to talk about. Please rate, please subscribe, find us on social media. Thanks for being a tape in