Benny vs The Penny, Divisional Round

If you thought the regular season of Benny Versus the Penny was quality, wholesome podcasting, well you are in for a magical treat because we have arrived our first Benny Versus the Penny for the new year, and we ring it in with the second round of the postseason, the Divisional Playoff round and as always representing the Coin, a man who whatever I pick will go against me, meaning that many people think this is a rigged deal. David Gascon his stage name No I Don't play right, Don't

play right. He's known on social media as Dagon David gag on uh, and that is David Gascon sending the treasury and David Gascon full front and center. Now, well, all I know is that I have had a wonderful postseason so far, to one and one in the postseason, and I'm very excited about that. So I'm I've gotten back on track. And really a bad beat which was a bad tie in the Buffalo Houston game because the quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, Josh Allen, not a barbarian.

Not a gladiator, more like a little church mouse, a little church mouse that just played like vomit, gave that game away, gave that you needed smelling salts in the fourth quarter and overtime they're uh, double shot of espresso, something to wake him up. But so I really should have had a perfect weekend. I think most would agree with that. So it's a great weekend for me, you know.

And I'll be honest, I don't know how you got that time, considering the fact that you usually cap these games on Wednesdays or Thursdays, um, But somehow you found a way to have that line set at three. What's called buying. You can buy a half a point. I don't know if you know this. You're probably not that educated on gambling, and I don't know how we can

co exist if you don't know about gambling. But but when a line is either like two and a half or three, you know, you can a lot of people wait and most people buy points when it's three or seven because you want the hook, you want the three and a half of the seven half. But you can do it. You can do it at two and a half. You want to land on though either three or seven or above it. But when you're taking the underdog, either one of those. But it was a great job by me,

And I know there's some dissension. You're upset that I had a good weekend. Well, most people don't buy the points. They don't felt Most people don't. That's why. That's why you listen to podcasts like this, so you're not a feeble pushover like gag On. You've never actually disclosed buying it to three or buying it too. I've been doing this for like fifteen years. I haven't talked about on the podcast. I've talked about on the radio stupid, but

nobody listens to that show. They listen. Nobody listen to the show recording to you. Nobody listens to the podcast. And I agree because you're on the podcast. And here's the other thing, too, is most sharps that are involved in laying points, they don't usually look at two and a half as a bad number. Three is usually the magic number. If a home team is favored by three, more often than not they go with the road team.

And that's exactly what you did. Well listen, I know, I know you don't know this because you have lived your life as a follower. But I'm a leader. I'm an alpha dog, and alpha dog, I don't care what other people do. I do my own thing. I have lost my own battles here and so I have unquestioned the ability when it comes to gambling, and I have some things that I have done here when with underdogs. I always take the underdogs over a touchdown divisional games

or playoff games for that matter. That always happens. But that's just the way it is. I understand, and I think I'm happy that you acknowledge that as being a lead dog and gambling. And because of that, looking at our podcast downloads, you owe me more Tito's tacos next week. Well, I'm a very busy man, and I don't know that to be true. Now. I thought you wanted to, you know, talk about this in the other podcast, but we'll talk

about on this podcast. We had a wager we did the Seattle podcast, and I had a number in my head of how many downloads we would get. Uh. Gascon claims I did not reach that number of downloads. We had a bet. I said that podcast would reach a very high threshold. Gascon said, no way, not gonna happen in hindsight, though, Gascon, I believe I won the bet because that is an amazing number. We put that podcast

up on New Year's fucking Eve. Okay, that podcast went up when of people were preparing to go out and have a nice time, to have some drinks, to have a you know, a meal or whatever, so they were not ready to us into a podcast. That's one of the reasons I take my time off at the end of the year. The listenership numbers over Christmas and New Year's going the toilet. People are not listening as much as they do the rest of the year. So I

really believe we were amazing a company. I should get like Burrito out of this is what I should forget Tacos. I should go Burrito. Wow. Well, you see here's You've actually bet against your militia twice during this podcast, and I've won both beds. I'm batting a sharp and crisp

one thousand. Well the slugging percentage of two thousand, if I might add to yes, and you're on as many steroids as Barry Bonds was back into mad at me because I'm big and burly and have tons of Now listen that's not with the women that have told me. But that's that different conversation. Yes, now here postseason edition of Benny Versus a Penny. You have a special treat for us, I might add correct, Yes, we do now

because it's the postseason. There's only four games this weekend next we can the only be two games, but we thought why not. People have been asking for it. I don't usually do this on the radio show. I used to do it a little bit, but we are going to handicap as an added bonus on this edition of Many Versus the Penny. At the end, we will handicap the college football Championship. You have the playoff championship game which will be taking place over the weekend on Monday night.

The college football season will end on Monday, So depending on when you download this, you might want to fast forward through the first part of it because if you're downloaded on Saturday night, the first two games will be irrelevant. Uh. Some people like to go down and download the podcast to goof on me if I get picks wrong. Those are extreme zealots um that do that, But that's possible too.

But if you just want the new games, just depends on when you download the podcast, so you this this will be good by my knowledge, my logic here rather un till Monday, just before kickoff of Clemson and l s U. So I'm excited for this because if there's any indication of how this playoff run will be, it'll be a lot better than weeks fifteen and sixteen for you because that was well, again, you're focusing on the past. But the way I look at it, I had last

week at two one in one week. So let's focus on what just happened, not what happened a while ago. To one and one. That is a solid professional handicapping week. You win money on that, not a lot, not a lot, but you'd win a little bit of money on that. That's a six sixty seven winning percentage last week. Well, let's go. Let's do this damn thing all right. Here

we go. First game up, Divisional Round Saturday, the early game, it's Minnesota, NFC North representative eleven and six at Santa Clara, the big bad Beast of the NFC West at thirteen and three. It's on n b C. Can't wait to see what sweater Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth where So this game will kick off at four thirty five Eastern one thirty five local time in the Bay and the forty Niners opened a touchdown favorite. They are still favored

by seven. Now the public money is mostly even. There's a slight lean to the forty Niners. So slightly to the forty Niners. The weather mostly sunny fifty five degrees at kick off at Levi's Stadium on Saturday afternoon, so there's no weather playing a factor here at the start of the game. Now the pick is in, and I am gonna take my Minnesota Vikings to shock the world in this game and getting a touchdown on the road.

Now the reason why I may walk you through my thinking on this, and of course all of this is through theoretically, but hey, the Vikings are the right side in this game. I don't know how you could take the forty Niners in this game with that kind of number Minnesota. I don't believe in momentum. I do believe in confidence. If you beat the Saints in New Orleans and they controlled that game, the New Orleans offense had like a hundred yards other than one big play going

to the fourth quarter. Drew Brees looked horrific against that Viking defense. If you can do that, you can sure as hell go punch for punch with the forty Niners in Santa clar I think we agree on that. So it's going to be an intriguing matchup, especially to see if Kirk Cousins, which one shows up. Was last week's performance in the Biou gonna become the new standard or was that just a fluke in an isolated situation and he will go back to being the mistake filled mess

that Cousins has often been in these big games. Now the other reason, like the Vikings, they'll forget Cousins whether he plays great or not. Mike Zimmer has a ball hawking defense. The Purple People Eaters were back in that game. Now during the year they were one of four teams that have thirty plus takeaways. In nineteen they ranked fifth in turnover differential. But that defensive front for the Vikings, they had the macheese more work against No that was

in impressive, impressive performance. Now, the Vikings hold onto the ball as I said, right, they take the ball away, they don't turn the ball over. I think they were fifth as I said in turnover differentials, So possession is what it's nine tenths of victory. We learned that in court. So the Vikings defense we be able to man handle the New Orleans front line and the trenches. Can they have a similar day, not maybe as dominant, but close. If they do, they'll win this game going away. Now

Part B the forty Niners. Now they're the team that a lot of people like because uh not maybe not the number, but to win the game. Because the historically teams coming off a bye week have a great record in the divisional round. It's almost like a gimme show up, collect to win. They've had a week of rest and relaxation, getting healthy because of the bye week, and now the Niners get back to work with a roster that features

four players who were selected to the Pro Bowl. You've got Nick Bosa, Joe range Kittle, Richard Sherman among that group. But not on that list is Jimmy Garoppolo and he is making his postseason starting debut. He said, well, it's just another game, blah blah blah blah blah blah. Now it's not. Now it is not, and it's not only the quarterback. Garoppolo is making his first start. It's Kyle Shanahan who's making his first appearance as a head coach

in the postseason. Now, Kyle Shannon has most famous moment coaching is what he was with the Atlanta Falcons as an offensive assistant and they had the biggest choke job in Super Bowl history against the New England Patriots. That was under his watch as the offensive coordinator for that team. From George. But will Jimmy g be nervous? Will he be tentative? Will he be indecisive? Those are all qualities that generally happen when you're making your first appearance in

a playoff game. And if you look at the numbers and you go back to two, so the last seventeen years, we're not obviously counting this year. Actually actually we will put what we will come this year. But Jimmy Garoppolo going in there as a home favorite, since home favorites in their first playoff start are five and sixteen against the spread, that's a two thirty eight winning percentage. So now that tells you what has happened. It doesn't tell

you what's gonna happen. Garoppolo had a one to zero touchdown passes actually one one touchdown pass and uh or less. I should say I got the number. I've wrote this down in Chicken scratch one touchdown or less in nine of the games, so he doesn't throw the ball past twenty yards. They had that odd stat this week about that the forty Niners they can run. But again I got the Vikings defensive front. That's very very good, look

very good against the New Orleans Saints. A bunch of psycho pass out there on defense the way they played in that particular game. So all of the plays out, it's in the hands mostly of the Viking defense and running the game, running game as well. I expect Minnesota to take advantage of the nerves, a couple of early turnovers and the snowball effect will help out. But it's gonna be a tight game fourth quarter. I'm gonna take the Vikings to pull the upset twenty seven to twenty

six over the forty Niners. Oh Penny likes what you're driving right now, Real Vikings in the divisional round. You know what we call that? Guess tailing copycat is what we call that. I get that all the time on the radio show where I give a brilliant answer, and then Eddie and Roberto and whoever is producing just kind of copy whoever is producing? Well, we have a wheel of producers. We have since started. I've had a different

producer every night. The reason for that, why is that? Well, I mean getting off the Titanic I just said it week Yeah, train Wreck Radio, You of course are the Titanic of broadcasting. But we don't have time to do that here. Moving on, Why are you gotta throw a while in there? It's not we're on the clock. Yeah, what's wrong with that? I want to I want to are you naive here? I want to stay on the clock.

I I feel like you're happy that you got your full length of material in for that game, because I am. I do, like you know, I had to cut back. I get that much material on every game. But because you have anxiety when we do this podcast, I have to give you a petite version of the preparation that I do. But do we have any trivia this week? No? No, I don't have any. Well there's reasons for that, but lazy Ben Maller. I mean, if you want, I can come up with one on the fly, and we don't

want any pity. But you know what happens when you do a trivia you become trivial. I guess so, but will learn that from a program director of years ago. Yes, even though I still do it, But I shouldn't change the name of instant trivia on the radio show. That way, if a program director asked me, why are you doing trivia, I'll say I'm not I'm just doing something else, Like who am I? Game? Is just the who am I? That I could do? The what am I? Game? That

could be the instead of the instant trivia. You should realign your entire staff. I mean you're redoing second Who would you like me to get rid of Eddie? Probably at probably all of them. Yeah, it's very nice of you. I mean you've had staff die. I have. I've been to many funerals and whatnot to people that have passed. None, you've had colors die. Yeah, mostly callers have dropped dead, and a lot of them unfortunately. Yeah. I need to keep him alive. Is there anything I can do to

keep him alive? Anything I can do? I feel like I've done way too many you with gees for callers. I don't I feel terrible. I mean, every one of these stories breaks my heart and I have no heart because I'm a scumbag overnight talk showst at rips peep. Yeah, I got no answers for you. I only care about your female callers listeners. So I mean I got a letter from this girl, this lady woman and about her dad who passed away, and I did him. I did a tribute to him from I think St. Louis and

uh yeah, I mean I was. I was like really bummed out. Man. It was like it was very touching. I don't want to be emotionally. Was he a big listener super fan? In fact, this guy what a stud this guy was, because you know he's he's got brain cancer, he's not doing very well, but he loves the show. And apparently he would go to like, um, he traveled to a hospital just to sit in the parking lot and use the the WiFi to listen to the podcast because you know, if he couldn't listen live and all that.

And when I got when I got whacked from the company a while back, it's been eleven years now, this company not w e I. But no, I never got whacked from w E I. I left on my own accord, on good terms. Left on good terms from w e I and Boston, and I can go back there at some point, not right now, because we're on the Sports Hub at now. You didn't. You can't be on both the Sports Hub in Boston and w e I because they are blood rivals. All right. I don't know if

you know what blood rivals are guests on. But in the radio game they flip flop one one ratings book w e i's number one. Then the next time the sports hubs number one. It is a battle royale. So you can in Boston. You can't be the radio version of Alex Rodriguez. Then, yeah, they don't. They don't do that in that you know, a rock can work for Fox and ESPN, But no, that's not how It's not quite how it works, unfortunately. But yeah, that that tribute

that got me. It got me a little bit. So we did that the other night on the radio show. Anna actually was. The guy's name is Steve Williams, Steve George Williams. He was a mechanic and and uh he actually started a Facebook pitch when I got let go to demand my return, and uh it worked. I hope George, I hope Steve knows it worked because six months and twenty six la days after the worst decision the company ever made, they they begged me to come back, and

I came back. Who was your program director at the time, Uh, I don't. I mean, we've had so many I don't remember the one that everybody loved. What was his name, Andy, Oh? Andrew Ashwood? Yes, Andrew Ashwood. Yeah, he died from pancreatic cancer, but everybody he was he was a big, burly guy. And yeah, that was one of the sadder things watching him go down and all that stuff at work. And he kept trying to work right up until the end, which is I give him credit for what fucking flipping

podcast Right now? We have absolutely amazing You wanted me to waste time here. It's thought that I'm wasting time, but it's time. Well you you said, hey, are you in a rush? No? I said, now we're gonna have to be in a rush. You must be happy that you get all your materially and when you cap that Minnesota San Francisco game, well I have more material. Can I continue? Have you reached your goal where you want to annoy me already? Or what are we doing? No? No,

please continue, sir, oh, sir, that's respect. Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. You respect people that are more successful than you. I understand that. All right, Tennessee from the a f C South at ten and seven, they played the playoff game beat the Patriots last week at Baltimore a f C North, fourteen and two. It's on CBS on Saturday night, eight fifteen Eastern time. I

an Eagle and Dan Fout have the call. How about Dan Fouts? Last time Dan Fouts played in an NFL game was what the nineteen eighties, and he's still hanging out on TV. These are tough jobs to keep. Good job by Dan Fouts. His beard still flowing, so he's good. He's the color analyst version of Dick Stockton, right, Uh, Well, well, Dick's got him beat by a few years. But yeah, we don't have to do the Dick Stockton game for the playoffs, unfortunately, because last time Dick stock did the

playoff game I think was the nineties. Is that a cheap shot? No, it wasn't an NBA game or was it NFL. Know, he's good at the NBA though, him and Tommy Heinson calling an NBA game that is that is soul food. He's what that is? Like a Lakers Celtic game on a Sunday morning from Boston at the Parque and all that. Yeah that I hold that in high regard. I'll admit I was always a fan of Bill Walton and Steve Snapper Jones. Yes, Steve Snapper Jones, Mam. He passed away again. He was another guy who died

a couple of years ago. Yeah, he was really good. He was he was. So it was a Blazers announced and they worked well again. All right, So Tennessee in Baltimore. Can we talk about anyone else who died? Is anyone else we will know? Yeah, there's a guy and Iran we can talk about. Yeah, that'll be on the other podcast. I'm sure you'll bring that up. So the Ravens open to ten point favorite. They are favored by nine. The

weather cloudy sixty two degrees. That kick off at M and T Bank Stadium in the House of Sports with Coleman in Baltimore. Now, I am gonna take the Tennessee Titans here at plus nine. I I don't know how this is another one. I look at this line and so how can you go the other way? Now? I know everyone's all gung hole and excited. It's nauseating the admiration people are showing for the Ravens. They've had a fine year. But this game is a different animal. Now,

I'm gonna take the Titans. They ran the ball down the throats of the New England Patriots. Derrick Henry put on a show. He was electrifying, all right, kind of performance were like if he played for the Lakers, they retire his number and give him a statue. He was that good and um and he had to touch down. What will he do for an encore? Now the Ravens

are a different cat, alright, I guess a different bird. Uh, Because in New England, let's be on, they were skinning off the runway at take off or landing rather at the end of the year because they it just did not go well for them. As the season progressed, the Patriots looked like every game was a struggle. They lost to the damned Dolphins at home. Well, Baltimore. He's the opposite there's no tail wind against there's no wind pushing

against the Ravens. Baltimore went turbo time. No head winds there. Ryan Tannehill the quarterback. Now this is the interesting thing for me about Tennessee this week. He was mostly a decoy for a good chunk of that game last week by Mike Rabel and his co staff their game plan.

Now the smart money says that he is going to have a bigger role this week, which is equal parts exciting, nerve racking, and scary for Tennessee because if you look at the resume of Ryan Tannehill, there's very few people in the tabernacle of Tannehill that believe this guy is a big time quarterback. And I played like a big time quarterback this year, and you know these kind of guys over the years. I am of the belief in the conviction that they revert to who they had been

in big moments. Now, Tannehill was hidden by the Tennessee coaching staff in that game against the Patriots and obviously worked out. So it's it is nerve racking and scary, but also exciting because he could play the way he did during the regular season. But the Ravens defensively have been playing better than the Patriots have at the end of the year. So as an impartial observer, I don't expect Tanny Hill to be great, but I don't expect

him to suck out loud and play like Puke. So I think he'll be somewhere in the middle, which is where Tennessee. As long as he don't turn the ball over, then then they're fine. Now the second thing here, which Lamar Jackson is gonna show up. Now, nobody else is talking about this. Everyone else is is biased the prejudice.

They are convinced that Lamar Jackson is just gonna continue on la la la la, la la la with his crazy breakout season, a kind of a year for a dual threat quarterback that has put him in the book of legends. He's gonna win the MVP Award and he's gonna win by a mile uh the m v P race. But the postseason was not his friend last year. This

is not his first playoff start. Now I understand, you know, he's different, he's evolved and all that blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, But I still have the preconceived idea that this guy has some suck in him in playoff games because last year a lot of people have forgotten and the numbers got skewed. If you go back and just look at the box score in the wild card round against the Chargers in Baltimore, do you know what Lamar Jackson's quarterback rating was going to the fourth

quarter of that game? No, you don't. He had a two point seven quarterback rating. I don't know that you could go that low. He had twenty five yards passing, no touchdowns in one interception over the first three quarters of that game against the l A Chargers in the postseason last year, and then he went bananas in the fourth quarter and had like a hundred and seventy yards and two touchdowns whatever it was, um, And so which

guy shows up now? Everyone's always gonna be the guy that played in the fourth quarter the playoff game last year. But you're not so fast, my friends. I know Rabels got some tricks up his sleeve here as an old defensive guy and a disciple of Bill Belichick, to try to throw off Lamar. Now everyone says they have that, but we had actually worked the Ravens on the surface. Look unbeatable. They run and frow and have a grand old time. They have an opportunistic defense. Certainly late in

the year the defense got better. So what can the underdog Titans do well? I mentioned it already, play error free football. Don't give the Titans extra the Ravens rather extra possessions. You also got to get a few breaks, lucky breaks that go your way, meaning Lamar Jackson fumbles or Ingram fumbles. There's a tipped past that deflects off an offensive lineman and goes to one of the Titans linebackers. All of those things, if a couple of them go the way of the Tennessee Titans. The way I look

at it, nobody is infouiable, certainly the Titans opponent. Here. The Ravens look like they are unbeatable and the juggernaut, and they're the fat Cats of the NFL. They're the elite of the elite, and they should live at the taj Mahal the way they played. But any time you get a touchdown or more in a playoff game against plausibly teams that are pretty close, you take the points. Now, I'm not crazy enough to pick the Titans to win this game. Out right, but they will hang around, hang

around Ravens thirty Titans three. Uh, Penny again likes it and going with the Tennessee Titans. So what's the point of doing the podcast if the Penny agree with every one of my What do you want me to do? It's it's Does the Penny have any thoughts on the game? With the penny like the handicap the game? Does they have like a portfolio ideas that you can share in investments for the game. The Penny has the game at nine and a half, but it likes it either way.

Concerning the fact that Lamar Jackson last season against the Chargers in the Divisional round was not up to snuff and it was not good at all, he looks for a duplication of such. Well, he was good in the fourth quarter, but the Chargers played more of a prevent defense in the fourth quarter things assuming the game was over, and then Lamar started hitting receivers and and all that much easier to be in that kind of an environment when you're playing catch up at home, and of course

you can do all right. So we're gonna adjust the line of that because I just looked you are correct. The line is up to nine and a half the current line I had at nine, but we haven't made the bet yet, so nine and a half. The money on this game is pretty even. The money on this game is pretty even. I like Tennessee, man, I I and the Ravens can win this game by twenty eight points and that's you know, no one will be shocked

and all that stuff. But you gotta like going in a team that can run the ball the way Tennessee can and and keep it close to the best because you gotta keep the ball away from the Ravens. Right, doesn't everyone say that the key to beating the Ravens All any team is as dominant as the Ravens. It's like those old remember the Minnesota Vikings when they had Randy Moss and Chris Carter that these amazing offenses, but the way to beat them was to not allow them

to have the ball. Robert Smith was also on that team, and Atlanta got it done. That's right, that's right, one of the classic upsets in NFL history. So the Titans are the pick, and we also like the Vikings in the early game on Saturday, so we're taking both underdogs in that game. Sunday Sunday. Sunday Sunday. Now, this is good news for you. The penny being on your side for these first two games on Saturday is great because weeks fifteen and sixteen you weren't good, but the penny

was fantastic. So this is a good omen Well no, no, well, I'm going first. So really the penny is copying me. I don't think so. I think this is a good omen for well. The fact that you don't think, you don't have to say so. At the end of that, you can just say, I don't think. I'm not thinking about you in this instance. I'm thinking about the petty, the one, the money maker, the treasury, the bank, the

treasury exactly all right. Next up Sunday, early game Houston, a FC South team eleven and six had the playoff win over Buffalo last week. Cansa City, home of the Ben Mallard Chicken Finger in Liberty, Missouri. UH. The a f C West representative twelve and forts on CBS doesn't quite work as well as and be easy. Uh, CBS at three oh five Eastern, just after noon Pacific, and in Kansas City will be just after two o'clock. Jim nance and toe knee role, mole the golfer. We'll have

the call now. The line on this game, Kansas City opened up a seven point favorite. They are now favorite by nine and a half. The current line is nine and a half. In this game, where is the money? It's pretty even. There's a slight when I say slight, like between fifty and fifty of the cash is on Kansas City now. The tickets are about six in favor of the Chiefs in this game. The weather sunny, thirty seven degrees. That kick off at air Oldhead Stadium. The pick is in. I'll take the I hate to do

this the Houston Texas. I am gonna take the Houston Texans in this game. And I'll walk you through why I am gonna take the Houston Texans. First of all, because of the Ravens success. The Chiefs have been flying under the radar, and I get that. I am aware of that, and they they have a chance to get the spotlight back with a blowout, dominant win against the Houston team, which is already on borrow time. Patrick Mahomes,

how good has this guy been? He got hurt against the Broncos during the year, and he missed some time, but when he's played, he's passed for over four thousand yards, twenty six touchdowns, five interceptions, and yet perception, which is often not reality, but the perception is that this guy has not played as well as numbers have regressed from his m v P year. But twenty six touchdowns and

five interceptions, prettyep pretty pretty good for the Chiefs quarterback. Now, the Chiefs we're better than Houston both defensively and offensively this year. But you also can look and this is one of those matchups where if you look at the Chiefs and the Texans schedule and you go la la la la, la la la. Let me look at the schedule here and go down, all right? I mean in the week one, Week two, Week three, Week four, Week five, oh,

week six? What happened in Week six? Kansas City played host to Houston, the same thing that's gonna happen on Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead. And in that particular game, it was a thirty one, twenty four loss for Kansas City. They lost that game to the Houston Texas. How about that? So now I I do I think the Texans are going to win the game here? No, I do not. I believe Kansas City is a better football team now than they were at that particular point, and the Texans

are either about the same or a little bit worse now. Secondly, as we talked on Benny versus the Penny, so Bill O'Brien, this guy should count his lucky stars that he was able to beat Buffalo last week. Josh Allen handed that game on a room service card to the Texas with his stumbling, bumbling performance. By any calculation, the arithmetic tells you this guy stinks. This guy should be he should

be unhooked on Phonics the quarterback edition. He should be on their Josh Allen, with those mistakes he made, how dare him cost me money? It's a bad job by him. But lost in all that, what the hell happened to the Texans offense? Here about DeAndre Hopkins, the greatest receiver in the NFL, and the John Watson electrifying and all that their offense. I guess you could say it was frugal, was economical because they didn't score until late in the game.

Now because of the mistakes, they took advantage of it. I don't even they scored until late in the third quarter, uh and they got a gift field goal after a Josh Allen turnover. But the point of this is, right, you look at everything here and you're like, what happened? You know? I know Buffalo has got a good defense in Kansas City is not as good even though they're they're they're better this year. Defensively, they're not as good

as the Bills, who are wonderful. But Deshaun Watson he had some success in Kansas City back in Week six in that game. It's not like the Texans are gonna be intimidated like, oh, we can't beat the Chiefs. You already beat the Chiefs. Most of the roster has not turned over since that game. The issue for Houston, and it's the same issue everyone's got when they play Kansas City Chiefs, is how does slow down Patrick Mahomes right? How to have you know he's going from Josh Allen

to Patrick Mahomes. He's like going from driving a Toyota Prius on the four oh five Freeway in Los Angeles and rush hour traffic to driving a Maserati okay on the audubon. That that's the difference there. It's a big difference now that said, I expect this to be a nip and tuck game. You're getting almost ten points. What a gift from the bookmakers, getting almost ten points. So yet again I find myself on the side of the

underdog in this game. At Arrowhead Stadium, the house that Bob Festco built, the Great Morning Man at six ten Sports in Kansas City are home for this show on the radio, the radio version. So I'm gonna take the Chiefs twenty eight, Texans twenty three. Not this time, Penny is gonna Canauh City be sure to catch live edition. So the Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am Eastern Pacific. Well, that's a big number to put down guests, nine and a half for the penny. That's a lot of points there.

That's actually, there's a lot wrong with that. A lot wrong, is not. Penny likes Andy Reid as opposed to Bill O'Brien, likes Mahomes way better than DeShawn Watson. Why I like Mahomes better than DeShawn Watson too. I like Andy Reid more than Bill O'Brien. I agree with all of that, but I also believe in the theory that most games are decided by a touchdown or less between competitive teams that are trying to win the game. And so that

that that's the reason there. You take the underdog there and you enjoy and a vast in the after glow of victory. Didn't you just give us about nine minutes worth the crap on this game? Yeah? And I'm taking the taking the Chiefs to win in the Texas to cover. All right, it wasn't crap. Let the penny talk, go ahead, talk, I'm gonna go. I'll turn my mic, go ahead. A little sprinkle on this. Why don't you put a little icing on top, a little cherry. You didn't say anything

about the environment either. I mean, don't you love Arrowhead Stadium? Don't you just love it? But you want me to talk now, Well, yeah, I'm asking you a question. Well, I've been the Aarirhood Stadium. I've never been to a game at airhoods. Well, I've been to the Sports Complex. I was at the Royals game. The environment there is amazing at the Royal Stadium day or night game for the Royals. It was a day game. It was oppressively hot.

It was the Royals playing the Cleveland Indians. But fortunately my seats were under the overhang, so it wasn't as bad. But the humidity, oh my god, oppressively hot. It was. You know how humid it gets in Kansas City, and like in August. My god, man. Now I've only been there for December games to Bronco Chiefs games Sunday night football on both of them, and it was freezing, freezing, freezing. Any other humble brags you'd like to throw out. I mean,

I've been the arrowhead. I mean, I haven't had chicken fingers named after me, but at least I support their team. I think you missed somebody on your victory lap over there. I think you missed someone. You might want to go over there and slap their hand high five. For the other podcast. Oh that's right, that's for the other podcast where everyone hates you. They put up with you on this podcast, but on the other podcast, all the emails I get, how can you allow this guy to work

with you? It's you know, it's a bridge to nowhere. What are you doing? You know, going on and on. He's he's an albatross, he's deadweight. You know. Yeah, you think I'd probably drive some of these people to psychiatric help. But the reality is they're actually coming from psychiatric help to here we go, Here we go, really with your arms open, trying. You are someone that wants to be loved, right, you want these people to love you, and that's a

great strategy by you. No, I mean no, that's that's fine. Moving not even on my radar, Ben Mallory. Can I move on? Yes, you can, please move on, move along. I know you're a bottomless pit of silly concompetence, but I must move on. I'm just happy that you're awake right now, functioning somewhat upright. It's good. I don't know. I'm actually sleeping while I'm doing this. I don't know if you can tell you have you know corportty hackety hacks that come in and redo your studio. Well again

we will. We talked about this on the other podcast, but this is the maiden voyage of the new studio. I think it sounds freaking great. I those engineers at I Hearted Media, God love them. They did a wonderful job the wiring that went into this. That we had a couple of glitches that we had to work out, and it sounds wonderful. I was very nervous I'll explain you know again in the other podcast, a longer extended dance remix rather than the radio edit. But yeah, I'm

excited and so far, so good. It hasn't dropped one time. We're good. Everything is wonderful, hallelujah. Invoice is as good as it'll get. So let's go. The voice sounds wonderful. It's a all right, it's not that good. Well it's not. It's not The voice isn't that good because of my situation here involving sleep. Fuck has nothing to do with the microphone. See, your voice is impacted by the amount of sleep, or lack there of it, you get. Yes,

that's how it happened. What a fucking baby. That's reality. Listen, we got two more games to go. Well, we have one more NFL game to go, and if we don't have time, I guess we can't do the college. We have two games, I said, So you're listening is obviously impaired by your lack of sleep. So let's I work in talk radio. I don't work and listen radio. They don't pay me to listen, they pay me to talk. It's called active listening. Ben Mallory, No, no, it's talk radio.

I talk was taught that in the class before I was taking my glamour shots, and so I heard about that. Yeah, my my wife said, hey, hey, guess guy, he's got the glamour shots. I said, really, when's he having the big announcement? When is he having the big announcement? There's plenty of those. Yeah, you're gonna. Okay, now those going right up on grinder? Or are you waiting? I mean, I don't know. I mean, do you wait to put those up? I mean to see idiot? Okay, all right,

I just want to know. I don't know how that works. Moving on, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app. Search f s R to listen live Seattle twelve and five. As I said in Green Bay, Well maybe I didn't say twelve and five from the NFC West with the worst PR department in the entire NFL, the Seattle's Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers from the

NFC North. Thirteen and three. It's on Fox. You better watch. This game will kick off at six forty eastern five forty Local time at Lambeau three forty Pacific. And if you're in Hawaii, figure it out for yourself. And if you're in Australia or England, you gotta figure that out. Joe Buck, Buckety Buck, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. We'll have the call on Fox. This is the only Fox game this week. And the Packers opened a three and a half point favorite in this game, and they are

now favored by four. The current number is four. Where is the money. There's a slight lean to the road team, the Seattle Seahawks that that four is a big number because if you can get over three, anything over three, you like that. You like that a lot. Now the weather, Remember last week after the Seahawks playoff game, Russell Wilson, who played college football briefly at Wisconsin, said, Oh, I

know it's gonna be snowing. Well, spoiler alert, No snow is forecast at least at the start of the game, but it is gonna be frigid. Is the frozen tundra after all. And the Seahawks will leave their hotel in Appleton, Wisconsin, where my brother lives, and then drive over to Green Bay. It'll be cloudy and twenty one degrees at kick off

at lom Move Field in green Bay, Wisconsin. Now the pick, I'm taking my guys in Seattle, the Mallard Man March Crew, and I'm gonna take the Seahawks here plus up four points. And I tried to find a way to pick Green Bay. I couldn't do it. Green Bay, to me, is very fortunate to be hosting this game. When I watched them play, and I watched them play several games because football establishment loves to put Aaron Rodgers on TV. I was unimpressed with the Packers this year, and so how can you

be unimpressed? Three schmuck listen. They look to me more like a ten and six team then a thirteen and three team? Am I wrong on that? Will find out? The factors could come out here and win this game. Going away, I saw a lot of bland, lackluster, rather ordinary football, mainly from Aaron Rodgers. But there's nothing that gives me the wow factor about Green Bay. The name teams, many of them sound good, the performance is not, especially for Aaron Rodgers, has not been breathtaking. So is he

gonna step up in the playoffs? And and Matt Lafleur makes his postseason coaching debut for Green Bay. Lambeau Field at one point when I was younger, was seen as a house of horrors where road teams never left with a win. But the intimidation factor is not gonna be there against Seattle and really has gone away. I would say in the last decade, I recall the Packers under Mike McCarthy losing several playoff games at home. Uh. These teams are very close. It's it's one of these things

where you're you're splitting the hairs. Uh. Now Seattle also does not have the wow factor. They don't. I mean, let's be honest, you about the Seattle Seahawks in their situation. Uh, they lost it to the Umpa Loompa. Do you know what guests got. They lost to the Umpa Loompa at home. They the year that's stupid fucking ran on Monday when you came back from vacation. I'd prefer that you wasn't vacation.

I prefer that you address him as NFL Rookie of the Year, Kyler Murray, address him and have some respect behind it. I fell apart at the end of the year. The NFL figured him out. Alligator Arms Murray, he sucked in the last five games of the year. He led the Cardinals to a victory at Seattle a couple of weeks ago. So the last five weeks of the year that was embarressing, Babe sing. But but Seattle, you got Pete Carroll, who's living a charmed life as well to

still be alive. They had a fantastic gift of good fortune. Uh from the football got's there when Carson Wentz did what Carson Wentz does and got hurt in the first quarter compliments of Jadevan Clowney and he's hit, which should anything was anything horrible? I know the media in Philadelphia a bunch of dopes. They're fanboys in the media, like, oh, this is terrible. Clowney should be thrown in jail. I'm stop.

Uh So, essentially, what I'm saying is that the Seahawks, even though they didn't have to buy, they had to play about fifteen minutes. Carson Wentz got hurt I think at the nine minute mark, and for the rest of that game you had Josh McCown, a high school football coach. Moonlighting is a backup NFL quarterback who was playing so against common opponents. The Seattle Seahawks were five and one, the Packers were three and two. I expect this to

be a back and fourth type of game. Uh. The Seahawks, while they don't have the wow factor that they haven't overly impressed me. I DK Metcalf was a man among boys. He was doing the monster mash at wide receiver last week. I after like that, and Russell Wilson played better as the game went on. I think he had three seventy yards passing as the game concluded there against that Philadelphia defense. But I like Russell Wilson more than I like Aaron Rodgers.

And Seattle again, another one of these games is gonna be like, how did they win that game? You mean, like, I mean DK Metcalf will make a play or something like that. People like, how did they win? I mean, they didn't play all that well. But it's been that way all year. And you know, Seattle's twelve and five gives a playoff win. Seahawks Packers three. Typical of you to grab ankles Penny is going with the Green Bay Packers. What are you talking about? I should pick against Seattle

because it would happen at Century Lake Field. I should pick against them every time, and it's called grabbing ankles because as opposed to pick, you would know about that. According to those those photos I saw there, Yes, I watch you Week seventeen with those photos outside the stadium is about oh yeah, that was great. We were chanting your name there. We're trying to get people to Seahawk fans to listen to you when you get denied credentials

of a week seventeen primetime affair. I had a great time. That was one of the most fun days I've had, weekends I've had and the inn many many years. That's by my top five weeks. I had a great time eating the fans of the show. And you have no fans, so you don't have to worry about doing those kind of things. But at a wonderful time. Was great. That says a lot about your weekend. I almost got a photo with the Seahawks mascot. I think it was it

was either Boom or Blitz, one of them. But I almost got a photo with the bird, the Green Bird mascot, but I missed it. That would have been fun. That's just great. I wish I could take three weeks worth offication to have someone fly me up to the Pacific Northwest, all expenses paid. It wasn't all expensive today. That number one, number two, very generous offer was made, and I chose not to turn it down. You're supposed to be a national media host and you get rejected from going to

a game with me. Amazing. Alright, I bought the Seahawks PR department. They'll get there in the end. Is that one of the most embarrassing things that's ever happening in your career? No, actually working with you, he's more embarrassing. Seahawks PR department. Every every day I have to go into confessional and say, why have I any Please help me. You're not even Catholic. I know. That's what makes it

even more interesting than I'm not even Catholic. And the priests are very kind to me, and they say, okay, yeah, tell me what's wrong. Okay, there you go, Packers, our father, our father who aren't heaven? There you go. I would be the name, keep going, keep going. No, I think we need a hail Mary nouto. Are we done? And all? We have the college game? Right? College ball? Yes? We do? Alright, A very special treat. The final college football game of last year is being played. I believe in what are

we in July? Now? Yeah, seems like it's so. The college Football Playoff Championship game taking place the Clemson Tigers, the number three seed in this Gas football playoff at fourteen and all versus the number one seed Louisiana State University at fourteen and otherwise known by their gangster name, as Looney would say, L s U. Now the line on this game. It's an all Tiger matchup. L s You opened a six point favorite. Wait wait, wait, you can't even set the table rent for this game? What

do you? What are you talking about? Ball games on ABC? Chris Fowler? And who cares about that? You're you're such a fanboy of broadcasters it is. You're gonna serve us dinner. You might as well bring out the instruments with the two right now. Nobody wear a glass some wine, nobody killed give us this? Come on, Ben, alright, so so fucking lazy now, lethargic Mallard. I guess what your finger?

I'm holding number one? Yeah, you are number one? So L s U. I mentioned they opened up as the favorite lines at five and a half right now, and most of the public money is on Louisiana State. Now. The weather will be light rain seventy and one degrees at kick up, but that's outside. That's the fans coming into the game will be in a light rain in Louisiana because the game is being played at the Mercedes is Band's Superdome. Uh. In Nolins now, l s U

is the side here. We can't say Tigers because both teams are Tigers, so I guarantee a Tiger team will win the game. Uh. But I I love ed Orgeron coach oh the Cajun Fred flint Stone, and I admit that I am openly cheering for Louisiana State. I have no connection to Louisian I have some friends that live there, but I I have no real connection to Louisiana other than a couple of people I know that live in the state. But every time I watch l S you win a game. You know what I do. Let me

tell you what I do. I flashback to a conversation I had with a very powerful University of Southern California booster. Do you know what that booster told me? When ed Orgeron was the interim coach at USC. Do you know what that person told me is not a good coach. No, I didn't say it was not a good coach. Said he's a good coach. He's a competent coach, and and and the players love him. But he doesn't look in sound like the USC coach is supposed to look and sound,

so we can't hire. How about that he doesn't he doesn't look and sound and and the other thing. I ran into one of these boosters at the at the Laker Clipper game on Christmas and one of the boosters was there and fat cat Christmas Day, nice seats, the Laker game, the whole thing. And he again, even though l s U at that time was in the playoff, we didn't know they're gonna win or not, he said. I I we still made the right call. Enjoy Clay fucking helping USC. He looks and sounds like the USC

football coach, except the coaching part is a problem. Yes, who is the fat Cat? Yeah, that's a booster. I don't need to say that. You wouldn't even know the name anyway, You don't know boosters. I'm pretty well connected to the US family. You are not connected. Please all right, Now, the real reason to like Louisiana's version of the Tigers here the Joe Burrows show. Now he has a chance, Joe Burrow to become the sixteen Tisman Trophy winner to

also win the National championship. This has become common practice in the last decade. We have had Cam Newton, Jamis Winston, and Derrick Henry all win the Heisman and win the National Championship the same year. So it's not like it's impossible to do. It's happened a lot over recent years. And in terms of this game, I expect the fairy

tale finish for Burrow. I also believe that that L. S U is better in other areas the L s U defense quietly if you've watched them play as the year went on there, they have put it together over the last month or so that they've been playing football. And this is essentially a home game here, not a neutral psyche game. The game is being played in New Orleans, which is what eighty miles away from Baton Rouge Louise, Sienna.

It's an hour and twenty minute drive with no traffic for the people of Baton Rouge to go hang out in in New Orleans. They do it all the time. Now. Secondly, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Now this is the problem taking L s U as a five and at point favorite. This guy Lawrence is good. Ah, he's good. He's not some unsavory quarterback, uh, some outlaw from the dark web. This guy is legit and he can be the villain here.

He can spoil the party. He can be the bad guy and lead Clemson to a win with an amazing performance. But the boys from South Carolina are gonna have trouble defensively containing all those playmakers on the L s U side. Good luck to Brent Venables, who I believe is the highest paid assistant in college football and in the weapons. Now this running back for L s U, this little guy Clyde Edwards Hilaire, who should I? I hope the Rams draft this guy. They got a trade up probably

to get him. But Clyde Edwards in there do you see against Alabama when he had that amazing leap. He's built like Dred Sprowls. He's five eight and he is faster than a speeding bullet. I believe he's more powerful than a locomotive and he's able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, considering what he did to Nick

Salmon in Alabama. So the dominutive running back who should have a very long career, if you can stay healthy in the NFL against that at defense, you have the ability a little back with the quarterback Joe Burrow, toss in Justin Jefferson, who's a stud at receiver. But wait, there's more. Uh Now, In a positive note, I did try to find a positive thing for Clemson, and if you believe in trends, then this looks pretty good. Dabbo Sweeney.

If you look at the history here, of the five title games in the college Football Playoff era, the Vegas favorite has only one twice and has never covered the spread. Now does that trend continue here? I say now? I say now, I'm want to take the L s U. Bengal Tigers thirty eight, Clemson's version of the Tigers thirty and the Penny picks to cap it off. The Penny is going with the Clemson Tigers. Yeah, well, that's an irresponsible pick. Hack Trevor Lawrence and oh as a starting quarterback,

it doesn't last forever. He will feel the agony of defeat to mention that in all your prep doesn't matter. Piling. It's funny. But by what stockpiling? What you say, big boy? What might my what your paper stockpilot paper stock? Have no paper here? That's I have my laptop open, but I have no paper. A great way for you to go out with the college. I know a print paper at the Mallard mansion because it's not free here, but at work. I print up everything at work because they're

part of the illuminati and they can afford it. Right, No, that's true, the New World Order. I gotta know where the money is so I can use their papers. No, wonder your globalist hut that all right? You done? Are you done? You're part of the caball right? You gotta go back to a meeting or something like that. Wish Yeah, all right, well there it is now amazingly with only five games this podcast. The length of this podcast is

rather shockingly long. Yeah, I wonder why, wonderfuck why? Well, because you would not shut up, and you told me, you said, when I was trying to hurry through this and I was gonna get this done in about twenty minutes, you were like no, no, no no, no, no, no no no, no, no no, that's slowed slow down. So I slowed down and the trapdoor open up and we ended up taking forever to do this day. We have a great weekend. Enjoy the games. Hope you want a lot of money.

If you win a lot of money, remember us. If you lose a lot of money, pretend you didn't listen to this. Okay, yes, all right, we'll catch you next time and try the other podcast. Enjoy the radio show. We're back on the radio Sunday night in the Monday on the Ben Mallard Show on Fox Sports Radio, I Heart Radio, Serious XM Satellite Radio, the American Forces Radio Network. Anywhere you get radio, you can hear our show. Muhallow