Welcome in What Driving the Right? Episode three seventy eight. This episode of What Driving the Gright is brought to you by our friends at boost Mobile. As always, and listen, let me just get right to straighten the voicemail, because before we even get to the actual show, I have to get to a little rant about something I just saw. Straight to voicemail brought to you by your friends at boost Mobile. Travis Kelcey evidently sings an album insert with
Taylor Swift. I don't really understand a lot of the words in that sentence of signs. That makes so much more sense, guys, Okay, I was so excited. I was like, he sings on her album. No, he signs. Okay, that's actually kind of cool. That makes a lot more sense. Titans Fire, Brian Callahan, how about that we can bet the Titans again? I might this week. If I'm telling you right now, right now they're getting seven against New England coach Bounce that it's to seven and a half.
That could be in one of Knick's picks, Red Hot Knicks picks. By the way, four and one. I told you I promised on Demanday's life, I'd never bet on the Titans again until Callahan was fired. I didn't realize. So he finishes his head coaching career, and I think it's fair to say career because I don't know that he's getting another shot. Four and nineteen straight up, which is horrible but somehow worse than that four and nineteen
against the spread. Vegas Is knows the Titans are bad, and it like that's bad, and Tua, we might actually do more on this. At some point in the show, Tua holds this press conference and it's the I don't I think the guy's name is Nathan Robinson. There's that meme where a hot dog car drives into Ah, I.
Think you should leave, and the guy's wearing a hot dogs suit and then the guys wearing the hot dog suit.
He's like, who did this? That's does to it not realize when he stands at the podium and he's like, lead our players only meetings have no leadership. That he's the hot dog suit guy, like, Buddy, you are the quarterback, which makes you a leader, the highest paid player on the team, which makes you the leader. You are the leader.
That was crazy M and McDaniel like that tandem, like quarterback coach tannem has got to be the funniest one in like memory. Huh man, shout out.
To Big Cat who made a point other people were afraid to make but he was correct, which is much like I don't know if you guys remember when it looked in twenty sixteen, when it looked like the Cavs were about to get dusted by the Warriors in the finals, before the greatest three game stretch by the greatest in history of the league. Lebron went to one of the
press conferences. He had bought matching suits for everyone on the team, but they were Tom Brown suits, so they were suits that the pants were shorts, and he's and he's and so now they're down three to one, it looks like they're gonna lose again, and he's doing this press conference in this kind of odd looking suit, and it was like, man, like, it doesn't really play as well coming off a loss. That's what Big Cats said about Mike McDaniel and his Capri pants. And I gotta
tell you, I only he's wrong. Let's shout out to Big Cat. Yeah yeah, all right, here's the thing before we get to the actual show, So I you know, there is a there is a great actually, you know what.
I don't even know if it was the Chief's Receipts account that tweeted this, but regardless, I'm scrolling Twitter and I sees one of these aggregators has posted the latest ESPN NFL Nation Power rankings for the NFL, and I'm so certain that it's bad information that I and just go to the website myself Google ESPN NFL Power Rankings.
And again, I am not trying to take a shot at the good folks at ESPN, and I don't want to overstate anything, which is why it pains me to say this article that was posted at six forty five this morning that leads with welcome to Week seven of the NFL season. Jets are still winless, Chiefs bounced back, The Buccaneers are shockingly still atop the NFC race. How do all these teams fit in our updated power rankings? We restacked the NFL heading into week seven. Goes onto it.
Our panel of more than eighty writers, editors, and TV personalities evaluated hal NFL team stack up against one another, ranking them from one to thirty two. Late breaking eighty person sample watched the NFL this weekend, saw what the Kansas City Chiefs did to Detroit. They had them at seven going into last week and dropped them to nine. They've watched football this weekend and said, the Chiefs are going into the Lions game. We thought they were the
seventh best team at football. We've now seen it their ninth. Detroit is two. Buffalo, whose wins have come against teams that are combined three and twenty one is three. I don't want to overstate it when I say this is the single worst power ranking the history of sports media. Seeing like it. Week six result beat the Lions thirty to seventeen. Week six ranking seven, and then a little red arrow down what is happening? You had eighty people
on this Nobody threw their body in front of this bus. Like, guys, I don't think this one's gonna pass the smell test here.
I don't.
It's not an error. Green listen, green Bay, Green Bay last week was eight on this thing. The Chiefs were seven. They watched Green Bay eeke past Joe Flacco and the Bengals, and the Chiefs dog walk the Lions and they're like, green Bay, you're six, now you jump them?
What are we doing?
Don't. I don't so Okay, amazing night of Monday night football, but we're not starting there. We're starting with well, go ahead, Demons.
Well yeah, sick doubleheader last night and that led to two upsets. But yeah, you wanted to start with the Chiefs, who were three and three, lasted Rashid Rice's suspension state afloat, but they still have some ground to make up as they are.
Here's the reason where, here's the here's the deal. All is right in the world again.
Yeah, pretty happy this one.
He's And it's just everything's back the way it's supposed to be. You guys, check the latest MVB odds. Who's the favorite? Patrick go on hard Rock bet check the latest SUPERWL odds, who's the favorite the Chiefs? Everything's everything is the way it's supposed to be. And one and what is so gratifying about this is we don't. I thought the way this was going to go was all the folks that wrote the Chiefs obituary three weeks ago.
We're going to have to answer for that commentary in January instead, because of how even with the loss nine days ago by the Chiefs, because of how the rest of the league has looked, and how Kansas City looked on National TV Sunday night. All those folks have to eat it immediately. We're not to Halloween yet, and they all have to be like, all right, I'm dumb, you're right,
I'm wrong. It's so good, it's so much fun. And the fact that they're winning this way with the offense humming back to you're shocked when they don't get a touchdown Patrick doing Patrick things and they don't have their best offensive weapon not named Patrick Mahomes yet, and then you just you watch the rest of the league and and we'll get to these games. But you watch the Broncos do everything they can to try to lose to one of the worst teams I've ever seen in the Jets.
You watch the Chargers do everything they can. Great play at the end by the Chargers, but the Chargers struggle with a Dolphins team that seems to actively hate each other. You watch the Bills what they did last night, the Eagles that are ripping themselves a part of the seams, the Lions, we saw them play. And the other reason I'm happy is, you know, the one team, Demonsey that you can hold up next to the Chiefs right now and be like, hey, what what are you? What's the
what are you gonna say bad about this team? And I'm gonna say no, there isn't anything the box the Bots who were going into the year, I'm feeling good. I had to eat it a lot those first couple of weeks. I had to come on here talk about all these concerns. I had to listen to the great my beloved Kevin Wilde's act like Andy Reid and Travis Kelsey are not essentially family and worry about the fact that Andy bumped Travis. I do all that, and less than a month later, you know the other way, I
know we're back because we're back to the refs. We are the Chiefs are okay, So let's talk about that real quick before we get into the actual game. Zero penalties zero in that game there, so there were Let's talk about the penalties part first, because that's what people are whining about. Five penalties were called in that game. One was called on Kansas City. For the record, it was declined, So they did throw a flag on the Chiefs when Chris Jones jumped off sides. It was declined.
The four penalties called on Detroit were as follows. They didn't know the rules on their stupid trick play, and that was a black and white you were not set after being under center, have to call it. Then the Lions were so thrown off by the fact that that penalty was called. They got a delay of game on the extra point attempt because they didn't know what they were gonna do. So that's two. The third one was a clear as day took three steps and hit Mahomes
in the head by Aiden Hutchinson. And the fourth one was a judgment call, but obviously the right call a past interference on Detroit. So it did the most subjective calls that there are illegal contact, defensive holding, offensive holding, illegal man downfield, those ones where you can be like that happens every play or whatever it was. There were zero called on either team the entire game. So the level of whining I expected from some of the media
and certainly fans. But did you see Kirby Joseph First team All Pro last year. Kirby Joseph for the Detroit Lions sent out twenty four tweets after the game whining about the refs. Get it together, Detroit.
He's one safety study that came out.
By the way, I have never seen Can I just say something that that that UTEP I paid the eight and here's so that UTEP study that, by the way, no one has read. Everyone has just read the news article about it. You know how I know because to read that study you got to subscribe to that journal, which either is going to cost a couple hundred bucks or you can pay eighteen dollars for twenty four hour access. Guess who paid the eighteen dollars for twenty four hour access?
This guy hand up. Guess who didn't everyone else. It's one of the most ridiculous studies I've ever seen. The too long, didn't read version of it is the Chiefs have played the most playoff games, and therefore their opponents have been called for the most penalties. That like, give you it is, but I don't even give it. I don't care about that. I do care about high leverage spots. Again, the games you're on TV, thirty million people watch him, find me, find me the the call we're all mad about.
But I don't even want to talk about it. I don't I'm gonna get I'm gonna get mad. That's not what today is for It's not for the idiots in El Paso. The so one Lion's safety took the loss so well, he went on tweet storm tweeting out photoshops of Mahomes kissing a RAF. The other lion's safety took the loss so well he hit Juju smith Schuster in the face and now he's going to have to miss a massive game against Tampa and then goes in the
locker room. And I don't know if you guys watched that video, but it sure seemed like he was about to cry while saying and I quote, they were bullying me out there.
And quote are you gleeing?
Now? What you were bullied out there? Is this Sunday night football with the big bad Detroit Lions or a great recess? What are you talking about? You got bullied? Should Juju have to sit by himself at lunch? Is Patrick gonna have to miss the not get a juice box tomorrow? You got bullied. You're supposed to be the bullies.
And instead of being the bullies. On fourth and goal to set the tone on your first drive of the game and handing the ball to David Montgomery from the six inch line, you pop Jared Goff out wide on a play because you're that you don't even know the rules on and throw them a pass. You got bullied. That's a bad look, buddy, that's a bad look. And if you are listen, the Lions are obviously a good team.
I thought Chris Collinsworth made a correct point, which was there's a lot of cracks in the foundation if they're not playing from ahead, if all of a sudden it becomes a drop back passing game, and Jared Goff and those hands, the ball is put there, it's it's shaky. I think they're a very good team, don't get me wrong. And I think Dan Campbell was absolutely right when the way he said, I love Brian Branch, but that's unacceptable.
Of course it's unacceptable. It's the professional football is very unique in this regard tomanse. You almost never see post game fights during the game shore and pregame occasionally, but the moment the game's over, what you normally see is embracing.
The guys pray together, they come together, and it's it is similar to boxing in that regard, where guys can be going at it until the bell in the twelfth round and then immediately hug because there is an element of this shit is dangerous, man, and the you know, we have to get it right, the respect factor of all right, game's over, and so what Branch did and for it to be that level of cheap shot was bizarre.
It was really bizarre. It started with Patrick trying to shake his hand he didn't want to, and then Juju. I don't know what Juju said or what happened, but he hit Juju in the face.
Go ahead, Yeah, no, I mean he shouldn't. He shouldn't have done that. I didn't really see it as a chief shot. I think Juju knew that Do is probably coming up to hit him in the face.
Dude, No way, no way, never see it. Yeah, I mean I don't think so. But all right, I want to talk about the chief side of this quickly before we move on. The only listen officially worried about Harrison Bucker. There's no way around it, and I and that makes me very concerned for a high leverage playoff spot. Oddly for the regular season, and I think you saw it last on Sunday night, there is a benefit to Buckker struggling. It is going to force Andy into being a little
more aggressive on fourth down. So the Kansady Star had an article since Patrick took over, going into Sunday night, the Chiefs had faced eighty six different fourth and three or longers inside their own thirty and they had kicked a field goal all eighty six times, and then they went for it Sunday night. Now, part of that might have been because the Lions are such a potent offense, but the other piece of it is Bucker's not automatic at the moment, and I think the Chiefs being aggressive
on fourth down is a net positive. I still think they need to trade for a running back. But Patrick now has full confidence in his offensive line, and Patrick with full confidence in his offensive line and its semi competent much less, what is about to be an excellent receiving corps immediately makes the Chiefs the most dangerous offensive football again immediately.
Yeah, go ahead. And with that, Kelsey's had probably arguably his best game of the season. What do you expecting to see you from him?
When Rice gets back and you got the whole game?
Well, so that's so, now you're gonna listen. Juju has been awesome in his role. Yeah, but that's gonna be Rashie Rice's role, and now you're gonna have Rashi Rice doing some intermediate stuff, Kelsey doing intermediate stuff, Xavier and Taekwon Thornton both being deep threats, and Patrick with protection dialed in, being able to hit any quadrant on the field. Again, the Pacheco's gotta be better and I wish they had just a common again.
I think I think Pacheco is who scat Scataboo is who Pacheco thinks that he is. I think that when he runs and how he feels, he feels like Cam.
Scataboo, by the way, and Pacheco's faster than Scatabo or he was and Pacheco was Pacheco was that and then he broke his leg. Yeah, and he just hasn't been the same, uh ever since then? Also not This isn't me being a pedant. And I don't want to be annoying, but I just I don't have it. You combined oddly, you combined the two bones in the leg into one. It's no, no fibula and tibia. I think it's tibia
and fibula. And I think you did tibula, which is actually not terrible because I don't know which one he broke of the two, but they are two different bones, tibia and fib you I.
Think it was I think it was I think it was fab but who knows.
But regardless, the so no, the offenses going. They need a little bit more consistent pass rush, but they're just the best team and they now get the incredibly rare I think the I think the first time all not yeah,
definitely the first time all year. The Chiefs play a non descript one PM Sunday game Week seven, and they still get Nanton Romo because they're the Chiefs, but they have gone from Friday Night Brazil, Sunday afternoon Super Bowl rematch with Tom Brady in Casey, Sunday Night UH Football against the Giants prior the four point thirty PM CBS game with Nanton Romo, Monday Night against the Jags, Sunday Night against the Lions. Now just a regular one PM game,
but it's still Nanson Romo. And then it's back to normal for Kansas City when the next weekend they're on Monday Night Football against the Commanders and the next weekend they are on the Big four to twenty five CBS game with Nanton Romo uh, and feel sure feels like they're gonna be five and three going into that Bills game, and I feel really good about it, all right. Uh, Tailgater says that I need to stop bowling Brian branch. I I did feel a little badly about that.
I'll be honest, Like just now, like on the Blake what you say the pod.
Yeah, when I was doing it, I was like, the guy really did seem sad.
Even more like you're actually bullying him.
Now, Yeah, I am, But I don't know, maybe that was maybe that was mean, but I really didn't like him hitting Juju in the face. Yeah I was. I mean, that was like a real hit man. And what I really didn't like was Patrick seeing it and then running to the fight. And then there was a moment where like Patrick gets loose invisible some bodies. Yeah that was I I didn't love. I tell you, I didn't love that. Today's show is brought to you by representing sponsor hard
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Oh yeah, So who would have saw Atlanta upsetting Buffalo. I guess you kind of did, and you were right, well.
I mean not entirely. To be fair, you saw it about it, I would have. I didn't even include Atlanta plus the points is one of my picks, but I did. I did think they were live. And I also thought Atlanta was the hardest team in the league to kind of get a beat on because week one they play, you know, a tight game comes down to a field miss field goal against the Bucks. They there's they get annihilated by Carolina. But Carolina's oddly been a good team
at home. They beat Washington, but Washington doesn't have Jayden Daniels. And then there's one other game they played. I forgot what it was, and then they had a buy and so I just thought Atlanta was a little bit of a I don't want to say unknown. Oh they beat the Vikings twenty two to six in a weird game when wins started like no, when JJ McCarthy was in and then J J. McCarthy's been hurt since then, but go ahead.
Sorry, Oh yeah, so Beijeon and Drake london encounted for three weeks ninety six of four hundred and forty three yards at offense. Buffalo has dropped their second straight and Josh Allen's and VP odds are up to plus three hundred. He's number two by On Mahomes. Is it time for the Josh Allen as the best player in the NFL chance to come to a simmer? All right?
So again, hold on, let me find the exact quote.
Let me see you.
I should have looked this up beforehand. Okay, so this is you guys know that I actually have been pretty pro Bills the last couple of years. Last year, I when everybody thought they might be in a rebuild, I thought they'd make the AFC Championship Game. I thought they'd be really good. They were this year. I once again picked them to go to the AFC Championship Game. And I've been pretty consistent that I think Josh is the
second best quarterback in football. I with that said that Josh allen hyperbole on some of these things has always mystified me. And the example of it this year is three weeks ago after a Monday night football game against the Dolphins, when Josh was good. Don't get me wrong, but it was against the Dolphins. In that game, if you remember, was really close late and it was coming on the heels of a Jets game where they annihilated
the Jets. But it was a James Cook game. Josh had thrown for one hundred and forty yards and no touchdowns. Greeney on Get Up says, quote, I'm watching that game last night, and no one has ever played that position better than Josh Allen. Again, the quote is, no one has ever played that position better than Josh Allen. And it just seems like.
We are so eager to anoint the next guy when we're in the midst of the guy that we sometimes you know.
Get a little ahead of ourselves. With that said, listen, Josh, he's had a rough couple weeks. I still think he's the second best quarterback in football. I also think that it was likely unsustainable the streak he was on on not turning the ball over, and now all of a sudden you've seen he's turned the ball over four times in the last three games. And the Bills, in my opinion, have real, real question marks. They have four wins. They beat Baltimore, which at the time we thought was an
awesome win. The defense allowed forty and they needed that late comeback to beat the Baltimore has won one game since then. They beat the Jets in one of the weirdest games of the year because they outscored them thirty to ten, despite Josh not and they out gained them for it not weird, but they it was. They just ran all over them. They outgained them four hundred to one fifty four and the Jets had no shot. The Jets,
by the way, have won zero games all year. They beat the Dolphins in a game Josh played great, but in a game that also was tied with They were tied with the Dolphins with seven and a half minutes left. The Dolphins have won one game all year. They beat the Saints in a game that the Saints thought they took the lead in the fourth quarter, only to have a touchdown overturned they had to settle for a field goal, and that game was a two point game in Buffalo
with seven and a half minutes left. The Saints have put won one game all year. They then lost to the Patriots and got third handled last night by Atlanta and were, in my opinion, lucky to have a shot to steal that game because Atlanta, after doing anything it wanted for the first three quarter, first quarter and a half,
the offense kind of went comatose on them. And the Bills are now in a spot where they have squandered already demanse what was supposed to be their biggest edge for this season, which is an incredibly soft schedule that would lead them to their first one seed since Jim
Kelly was the quarterback. And now they wake up this morning and they're not even leading their division, and they still have games left against the Chiefs, against the Bucks, at the Patriots, against the Eagles, at the Steelers, at the Texans, and you just wonder, is this going to be be another year where Buffalo. I still think they're gonna win the division. By the way, Like I don't get me wrong, I I wouldn't put.
You wouldn't put a taste on New England winning the division at plus one eighty five.
It's only plus one eighty five.
Is that why Vegas thinks so too?
No?
I mean no, that's I might put something on Buffalo at minus two thirty. I like, I know, I still think Buffalo. I would have thought Buffalo's minus three hundred to win the division.
New England.
No, but but no, I mean I think New England. I picked New England make the playoffs. I just think Buffalo is still gonna win eleven games at least. And I don't see New England, you know, and so but regardless, my point is this, it sure looks like it's gonna be a season like we've seen a lot with the Bills where they win the division but they don't get the bye. They beat the hell out of the team in the wild card round, and then they play someone in their weight class in the divisional round or the
conference championship game and get beaten. And that was It's really crazy. How bad that defense has looked this year. The Again, the Panthers only scored I'm sorry, the Falcons only scored twenty four points. They move the ball.
It will.
Drake Mayett is coming out party against them. They they seem to even though I don't know that the stats back it up. They just seem to be a defense that can get got. And Josh is Josh is a great, great player. But the conservative, low risk style that he's been playing the last year and a half really doesn't fit if you don't have a defense that you can rely on to get stops. And I don't think they have that defense this year. And so I I right now, if I had to pick it, Demonse, I would still
say Chiefs Bills AFC Championship game. But now we're staring at a very real possibility that game is going to be an arrowhead. When the chap the Bills were four and oh, with the Chiefs at one and two about to face the Ravens, life comes at you fast man. And the Bills also need a good win. They just need a good win. What are you laughing about?
You gotta get on top of your division first. You gotta get the.
Same with Buffalo Buffalo like, and I am, well, we'll get to the Chargers and the Broncos in a minute. Let's talk Falcons just for a second.
Yeah, So it's if it feels like Michael Pinks has kind of gotten lost in the shuffle as far as quarterbacks in his drive class, what do you what do you make of Michael Pinnicks as now?
Yeah, I mean, I guess he's gonna still be a little lost in the shuffle with me, because I like, there are certain things you really like. There's also like last night, when that game was wrapped, essentially all Atlanta need do was run the ball three times kick a field goal. With two minutes left, they called a pass play that Pinnix made a horrific decision and it was this close being a pick six tie game when the game was basically over. So some of that concerns me.
But Drake London is really good and Bijon is just sensational and yeah, I mean, listen, I picked him to win Offensive Player of the Year as a rookie. Here's what Bijon's done since he came into the league. His rookie year, he had nine hundred and eighty rushing yards four hundred and eighty receiving yards. So he had fourteen hundred and sixty yards with eight touchdowns. Really good, not
not super elite, but really good. Last year he had fourteen hundred and fifty rushing yards, another four hundred and thirty receiving yards and fifteen touchdowns. Elite. This year he has four hundred and eighty rushing yards and all ready three one hundred and thirty receiving yards, only three touchdowns, but is on pace to shatter I think the yards from scrimmage record for a season. He's got eight hundred yards from scrimmage through five games. Like, where.
My god that was?
I had to score the most rushing touchdowns.
Oh that's a bad beat. I mean it's not a bad beat, but it's so crazy. Get all the yards year right exactly? Yeah. So like just for context on what he's doing as a receiver, he has three hundred and thirty eight receiving yards. Again, they've already had their buy so he's played five games. Jamar Chase, who is fifth Chase and a Buka.
Yeah, a Buka.
Have four hundred and sixty eight and four hundred and sixty nine receiving yards in an that extra game. So he's averaging. I mean, that's crazy. He is on a yards per game basis right now? He is where is Oh? I can't sort by that, but I mean he's sixty eight receiving yards a game. He's top twenty in the NFL. He's so good. He's so good. By the way, the Falcons my NFC playoff picks demons going into the year, and not in order, but just the seven Eagles, Commanders, Lions, Packers,
Bills aren't bills. Hold on, wait, I'm gonna have something wrong. Oh no, that's right, you know what. I take it back. It was Eagles, Commanders, Lions, Bears, Packers, Bucks Rams. I had the Falcons in, and then the Pinnicks trade happened, and I took them out and put the Packers in. So that's what it was. The did I say the Pinnis trade the Parsons straight happened? Pardon me? The when the Parsons straight happened? I put the Packers in because
I had them out. That's what it was. I was like, wait, did I have eight playoff teams? But no, I think Atlanta's I think Atlanta's at least semi legit all right, let's talk about the other Monday night game.
So the Bears pulled out the upset in the in that inclement weather, a lot of turnovers to Washington, Washington. Some of it was the weather, some of them were just turnovers. So we now have two good games between these two teams. What did this game mean for either one of them? Did it mean anything for anybody?
Well, listen, No, for the the Bears, I don't think played great, but they gotta win. And this is you know, last year the Bears deserved some wins they didn't get. They've now had back to back games where they got wins, by the way, in one of the most unlikely occurrences, totally meaningless, but one of the most unlikely occurrence is probably in NFL history, the Bears have won back to back games by the exact score of twenty five twenty
four like that. You know that. I don't know if that was a score of gami, but that is that's not a score you see often, and they've now done
it in back to back games. So the Bears, they lose a heartbreaker in Week one to the Vikings, they get annihilated by Detroit and then play great against Dallas, play poorly, but win against the Raiders, and play okay and win against the Commanders and had some tough calls go against them, you know, so maybe they felt like they deserved it, but it would have been demand's a a crushing loss. Yeah, you can't win the turnover battle three nothing, It would lose that game. You just can't.
So the Bears, now they get the Saints at home, like all of a sudden, what was supposed to to be a very tough stretch in the middle of their season. Look at their next four home for the Saints, then back to back road games, which going into the year you would have said, oh my god, that's just tough of a back to back road game as any team has all year. At the Ravens, at the Bengals, and then home for the Giants. Now the Ravens will.
Have yeah, yeah, he will be back.
No, no, no, he will be back. But it'll also be Lamar's first If you're going to have to play Lamar, playing him in his first game back would be the time to play him. And the Bengals are just stone dust, like the Bengals are drawing to nothing. And then you get the giants like the Bears now have a chance. I thought the running game looked good coming out of the by. I thought the run defense looked good. They're,
you know, lucky for them. McLaurin didn't play again. I'm not trying to overhype the Bears, but they they have started zero two and now they're three and two out of the by feeling like, all right, we're playing for something. And Caleb is again up and down, but you're seeing some progression. Here's what I will say about Jaden. And I don't know how closely everyone watched that game last night. I know there were two games going on. Jaden. It
takes some tough hits, man. And I know I'm gonna sound like a broken record on this, but he's coming. He's he's played two years or year.
And a half.
He has suffered an injury that made him misstime both years. Not a lot of time, but he's miss time both years. And yes, last night, he didn't seem to like be protecting himself. That worries me. I the the interception was a terrible throw. That's gonna happen. I'm not gonna kill the guy who's take. He's taking care of the ball throughout his career and the the fumble.
Yeah, I mean.
It's the rain. It's it's not good. I mean it cost him the game. You could argue, I'm not going to kill.
It for that.
Oh yeah.
They would have cooked him, Oh yeah.
Especially in that spot with the lead late in the game. And so, but here is what's crazy right now, demons about where the command the commanders are. There's obviously sixteen teams in each conference. The commanders are three and three. Where do you think don't look, where do you think they are right now? Standings wise one through sixteen in.
The NF in their division.
No, in the in the conference or in the conference.
One through sixteen, call it.
Eighth, ninth between that, I want to say eight and ten. I know that's three answers that.
No, no, no, it's fine. They're twelfth, three and three and twelfth in the conference.
NFC's loaded.
Well, here's what's true about the NFC versus the AFC. The NFC has one team with less than two wins, the Saints. And the Saints are oddly like frisky right the Saints. The Saints lost a close one of the Cardinals in Week one, lost a close one of the Niners in week two, got annihilated by Seattle. In week three, lost a close one of the Bills. In week four, beat the Giants, and lost a close one of the Patriots this week. They're obviously not good, but they're not horrific.
But there's they're the only one win team in the NFC. The AFC demanse has five one or zero win teams. Now. One of them's Baltimore, who we think is not really a one win team because when Lamar gets back, but Miami, Cleveland, Tennessee and the Jets are horrible. There's then also a two win Bengals team which is a zero win team since Joe Burrow came back or since Joe Burrow got hurt, and a two win Raider team that, while I'm rooting
for him, have not looked good. So it just feels like the AFC is shockingly just that all the bad teams are there. So the reason I'm mentioning that in this conversation is for Bears commanders. The other reason this matters is if I either of these teams gonna make the playoffs, it's probably gonna be through the wild card, and that head to head loss for the Commanders is
a big one. And speaking of playoffs in the AFC, let me ask you this because the only team that is in the AFC that I don't know like, I'm very confident. And again the Raiders thing makes me sad because I put so much take equity in them. But all of the two or one or zero win teams in the AFC are just bad. That's Cinci, Raiders, Ravens with an asterisk, Miami, Cleveland, Tennessee, and the Jets. The only team that has two wins that I'm not including in there is Houston as a bit of an unknown.
Let's call it Houston something of an unknown. And then the three or more win teams are Chiefs, Broncos, Jags, Bill's, Patriots, Chargers, Steelers, Colts. So here would be my question for you. I just listed eight teams. Let's assume so the playoff picture if we just instead of even including the Steelers, we say, if the Steelers fall out, it will be because Baltimore went like that division is gonna get one team, Pittsburgh or Baltimore the AFC North. That leaves for the other
three divisions six playoff spots. Here are the seven teams vying for it Colts, Chargers, Pats, Bills, Jags, Broncos, Chiefs. Which of those seven is most likely to be odd man out?
Do you think.
You say the Broncos?
Yeah, you said Colts hit Denver.
I'll say it again. I thought you were maybe gonna say the Jags. I will also say the Broncos.
I believe in that. I believe in the Jags and our defense. I mean, Trevor Lawrence is these little goofy, but I believe in that defense.
Yeah, and with the Jags also have going for him is two games left against the Titans, a game left against the Jets, a game left against the Raiders, a game left.
Against the weaker division right as well.
I agree with you, But one of those teams is going to be out all right before we get to maybe not maybe, definitely, I think the best game of Sunday afternoon. I want to talk to you guys about Chad Powers and our walk on Mount Rushmore. Eight years after flushing his promising college football career down the toilet, hot shot quarterback Russ Holiday tries to resurrect his dreams by disguising himself as Chad Powers. A talented oddball walks
onto the struggling South Georgia catfish sidebar. This was something I always wondered pre Achilles surgery. If this was something that with the new Nil stuff and everything I always had in the back of my head. I'm like, if Demondsey had like twenty seven, wanted to be like, hey, I want to try playing college basketball again, could he have done it? I don't know. Chad Powers did it.
You wouldn't have had to wear disguised demonse. Based on Eli Manning's Eli's Play segment for ESB and Omaha Productions. Make sure to check out Chad Powers now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for Bundle subscribers. We're in week three of my Mount Rushmore of college football walk Ons, paying tribute to the legends who started no scholarship, no spotlight, and still carved out unforgettable careers. The first two were just stone locks, JJ Watt and Baker Mayfield.
Today we add another guy that I think is a lock. And maybe it's a little recency bias, but Stetson Bennett is my third on walk on Mount Rushmore. Stetson Bennett was a walk on at Georgia and it didn't take a snap his whole freshman season because Justin Fields committed to Georgia and Bennett decides to then transfer, so he doesn't play as a walk on in twenty seventeen obviously,
and then transfers. He then goes to Jones College. He then goes back to Georgia and he sits behind Jake from He then takes over the team in twenty twenty one, and I had these numbers up before. The numbers are good, don't get me wrong. I mean they're not unbelievable. He did lead the nation in passing yards though his senior year twenty nine touchdowns, seven picks his junior year, twenty seven touchdowns, seven picks his senior year. But the reason he is on walk on Mount Rushmore is his junior
and senior year. They won the NASH Championship. Those two years. As a starting quarterback, they lost one game. Both of those years, Stetson Bennett was the National Championship Game Offensive MVP. He goes to Georgia and despite being five to ten maybe is the signal caller for two of the greatest college football teams of this era, winning back to back national championships, winning back to back offensive MVPs in those national championship games. He is our third person on Walk
on Mount Rushmore. Make sure to check out Chad Powers, a new episode streaming every Tuesday on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for Bundle subscribers. All right to Monte, Let's get to Bucks Niners.
All right, so the injuries keep piling up and sold to the ws man, Your guy Baker is defying logic out here here. How worried are you that they're peaking too early?
I'm not worried at all because this was if you guys, remember in the preseason when I picked the Bucks to go to the Super Bowl. The logic was, I think that they can be the one seed, and they are right now on hard Rock bet the favorites to be the one seed, and you're about to see why if we throw their schedule up and then we'll get to the actual game they have. The next six weeks are tough at Detroit, Detroit angry coming off a loss, is
tough at New Orleans, hard place to play. Should win a bye week than home for New England at Buffalo at the Rams. But because they've already booked Demon's a five wins. Let's be pessimistic here about that middle stretch, okay, and say they go two and three beat New Orleans and then go one in three against Detroit, New England, Buffalo and the Rams. Right, that would put them at seven and four going into a final six games of home Arizona home, New Orleans, home, Atlanta at Carolina at
Miami home Carolina. They they easily can get to thirteen wins this year, even if they struggle the next month. I think that they have a real shot at fourteen wins. And Baker every week, every week makes an MVP play third and fourteen. This past week in a one point game or whatever, I think it was a one point game when he did it him somehow escaping the rush and final scramble for fourteen yards and then hitting the little weak guy from body Tez what's his name, Tesz Johnson?
Tess Johnson, who demands weighs one hundred and forty five pounds hits him for the touchdown, Like I mean he was the one sixty five yeah, oh yeah. Worthy's a lot taller than the Worthy is my height and is one sixty one sixty five tes is a legit one
forty five. I don't care what he's listed at. And I mean, so no Mike Evans, no, Godwin Abuka goes out is injuries on the offensive line, and I understand you're playing the Niners, and they're like, we don't want to hear about injuries and poor Fred Warner and that and the the Niners, by the way, are now done. That's not recoverable. Uh. It was unbelievable what they've been able to to overcome so far. But you the defense is now going to be terrible every week and Brock
Perdy or mac Jones aren't gonna save you. So the Niners are to me because of the injuries across off. I do want to talk about Baker and MVP because this was a great You should go to my Twitter and check the replies to I sent out last night the moment the Bills game ended, I sent out, Uh, and just like that, your Vegas favorite for NFL MVP is dot dot dot Patrick Mahomes And the responses to that are just folks that literally can't read or idiots. I don't know, not every lot of them, because that
was not an opinion that was a statement of fact. Now, to be fair, the odds hadn't posted yet. I just know how gambling works. And with Josh Allen being the favorite and Patrick already being ahead, like going into last night, it was Josh Allen one, Patrick two, Baker three, and so Josh having that type of game was gonna knock him down. Baker wasn't gonna leap Patrick when not, you know, Week six for them was already baked in. To be clear,
right now, the MVP is Baker Mayfield. But that's different than they don't vote right now, but right now, if they did vote Demons day, I don't think it's debatable. If they voted right now, Baker should get every vote. His team's been awesome. They've dealt with a ton of injuries. He's been sensational, he's been clutch. He is right now the MVP. The odds are saying they think Baker's is gonna come down to earth a bit and Mahomes is
only going to get better. And the other thing the odds are incorporating now is could the Chiefs end up with a really good seed, which is really helpful with MVP, And so that's where you know, but right now Baker's the MVP of the league. What a story, man, what a story. I'm so happy for him. I'm so happy for Baker. All right, I want to get to the other games, including the Eagles loss on Thursday night, which at this point seems like it was a month ago.
But first, let me tell you about my friends at boost Mobile. You're thinking about upgrading the all new iPhone seventeen Pro. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever, but you're also thinking about all the traffic on your way to the store, the hassle of transferring all your data.
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Giants defeating the Eagles thirty four to seventeen. Last week, you said if Saquon doesn't is quiet on Thursday night football football, It's fair to say that it'll be quiet all year.
He didn't break sixty yards, so we're.
Here and he had thirty on the first two plays.
Weird.
The Eagles are teetering. They're teetering. Now, what does teetering for the Eagles mean they'll miss the playoffs?
No?
But could they be staring out a year similar to the one the last time they made the Super Bowl? Where they make the playoffs and then get beat up in the first round of the playoffs because they're a team that really was never together all year. Possibly, and the Giants just flat thoroughly outplayed them. And one of the concerns for Philly all year was this really tough schedule.
We gave them a ton of credit because despite the tough schedule, they found a way to start four and Oh but then in what was supposed to be a bit of a softer portion of the schedule home for the Broncos and then one of your Giants games. You give those wins back, and you still have on the schedule at Green Bay home for the Lions, at the Chargers, at the Commander at the Bills, another Commander's game, a
Bears game at the Cowboys. Like not a lot of soft spots for a team that right now can't throw the ball and right now doesn't have an offensive identity. So I think that that and they don't have Saguanda leen On, So yeah, I think it's and for the Giants, listen, Jackson, Dart's gonna get himself killed. It's fun, it's exciting. He's gonna get himself killed.
And I really did not like how Dable did in that game. I've never been like a huge I felt really bad for Russell Wilson. And also, on top of it, you yelling at the guy whose job it is to look out for the player's safety. What if the guy's actually still like messed up. You're just trying to throw him back in the game. Oh, Jamis Winston in the game or something if you don't want to see Russell out there. I thought that was really I didn't like
how they did Russell Wilson that night. I thought that was crazy.
That is perfect. Take everything you said there is one hundred percent correct, every piece of it. For I think Dabele should be fined a lot of money for that. I think screaming at the doctor when you're checking a guy for a concussion is crazy. And also listen, Dable, Dable, None of it made sense. First of all, to your point, if you are that horrified at the prospect of Russell
Wilson coming into the game, Jameis Winston's on your roster. Now, they couldn't put Jamis in because he's the emergency third quarterback. So if you put him in, you can only use your emergency third quarterback. If you if you use your emergency third quarterback, your previous two quarterbacks cannot go back in the game. They're done. It's like a baseball player gets taken out. But you could have just made Jamis
the backup and third quarterback. That's first of all. Second of all, if you if you don't trust Russell Wilson that much, then don't on the second play that he's in there call a pass play. And this was the most damning you saw. Once Dart and then I'll get to the doctor part. Once Dart went out of the game, you got a real test of how terrified you were without him. Yeah, on the next drive he was back in,
he called quarterback runs, like what are you doing? So there that's the football piece of it, The ethics piece of it is the head coach screaming at the team doctor can simply never happen, especially when they're checking the guy for a concussion like that just can't happen.
And I thought that was.
A terrible look. Correct, I I agree with every single thing you said. All right, let's quickly go through the other games.
The London we got the Broncos defeat the Jets team to eleven. One of the worst football games in recent memory. I guess that was pretty bad.
Truly one of the worst football games. Play and listen, the Bronco Nick Benito is one of the best players in the entire NFL. That Broncos defense is awesome. Every single thing I've said about bo Nicks not only as correct, it might have been too nice. And the Jets game management is just Aaron Glenn is not covering himself in glory on this and but in his defense, Justin Fields was unplayably bad in that game. That's one of the
worst games I've ever seen. And there is no one in the world that with a straight face can say they feel better about the Broncos forgetting that win. That team's offense is really a problem for one of the seven teams. Sean Payton's ever coach that he thought could win the Super Bowl.
Next, Oh, we got Panthers defeated the Cowboys thirty to twenty seven.
All right, we just have to accep this weird fact for the moment. The Panthers at home are a decent team. I don't know what to I don't know why, and I don't know what the explains the discrepancy. But on the road they got annihilated by the Jaguars. They lost to the Cardinals, they got annihilated by the Patriots. At home, they beat the Falcons thirty and nothing, beat the Dolphins and beat Dallas and Rico dudele all of a sudden is unstoppable. So and the Cowboys, on the other hand,
they have the worst defense in the league. Yeah, and every day you see more example of how much Micah Parsons was holding together by himself.
Next, speaking of that Charger, No, No, we got Seahawks defeating the Jaguars twenty to twelve.
Yeah, the Seahawks are probably the best team that I haven't really talked much about. They're just a good team. And this was a weird game. The Jags games have been so weird because they only scored twelve points and they lost, and it was I think one of Trevor's better games. Like they've scored more points than one, and he hasn't played well. But Seattle's just good. Now, Seattle's wins before the Jags game. No, that's not true. They beat the Steelers, they've beaten the Jags. They beat the
Saints and the Cardinals. They lost a game to the Niners that they had a chance to steal late, and they lost to Baker in one of Baker's crazy late game heroics. Like the Seahawks are just a good team, and Donald's playing awesome. Credit to him, Like, Donald's playing really good, and the Jags, Brian Thomas just hasn't been right. Trevor hasn't been right. The defense is really good, and they're not getting enough out of Travis. They haven't figured out how to use Travis Hunter yet.
Next we got the Chargers. If he the Dolphin twenty seven, that would.
Have been a horrifying loss for the Chargers. Justin Herbert made an unbelievable play late in that game to shake off the rush and find McConkey, And that's a great win for the Chargers. You know, I I do think that last AFC playoff spot Chargers Broncos, Jags, two will be in, one will be out. So all of these games matter. And then after the game too. We talked at the top of the show, but to his press conference where he's like, who's responsible for team leadership?
Is he like the reason?
Yeah, that's the me. That's exactly right.
Is he the reason mcdale's not getting fired right now? I don't know.
It's like, oh, if the quarterbacks, how can we really blame the coach?
But I don't know. But Tua's lack of accountability is jarring and I.
Every time he gets up there, it's a deflection, like every single day, it's deflecting towards the fans.
Is this an unfair take? The media gives to a something of a pass for these postgame and pregame comments that we wouldn't give other quarterbacks because we all kind of feel badly about his concussion history. Yeah, I mean you're shaking your head. You're shaking your head, So maybe that means you don't think that's a fair take.
I mean I think, yeah, I just feel.
Like criticism of Tua it almost falls to me in my brain, like if there's a weird almost like Damar Hamlin feeling to it, which is like, man, this guy is we have seen this guy go through so much and the so it like criticism is unfair. Like can you imagine if someone like again he's not a quarterback, but like nobody would go on TV and be like, I'll tell you the problem with the Bills, that's safety, Like nobody's gonna come after Jamorrow hanmis guy like we
saw him. And I feel like there's an element of that with Tua.
Yeah, and yeah, it can't be I mean I don't want to say it can't be like that, but at the same time, like there has to be some type of accountability and if you can't grade them on the same scale.
Constantly throwing his teammates under the bus constantly in games where he plays terribly, he threw three picks all right.
Next game, Uh, we got Rams defeating the Ravens seventeen to three. Oh my god, Lamar Jackson means a lot to this organization.
You think, Yeah, now, I mean glass quarterfall, the defense finally had of balls.
Yeah, yeah, because I definitely thought the Rams were going to carve them up. Yeah.
Last three quarters empty one in five might be.
Unrecoverable, and kept saying like our path is to win the division. Pittsburgh.
It weird, It's no they need My point is they need Pittsburgh to fall apart. Yeah, you need Pittsburgh fall apart.
Now. Colts defeat Cardinals thirty one.
Yeah, listen, I guess the culture the other good team that I don't talk a lot about with the Seahawks. I mean, the Colts have just been really good. And by the way, I now have a new kind of ideal. If the Chiefs can't get the one seed, which they it's gonna be tough. I hope the Colts do. The Colts getting the one seed means Arrowhead Invitational is back on the table. I think I'm serious. Colts get the one seed loser first playoff game, Arrow and Invitational back
like that that exists. But the Colts up to this point look really good. Now, flip side to the flip side. Jacoby Brissett scored twenty seven on him, so that's not ideal. But the offense in Daniel Jones look good. Next.
Patriots defeat the Saints twenty five nineteen.
The story of the Patriots right now is mac Jones deserves real like bottom of the ballot MVP consideration, like fifth place right now. He's been awesome and he's a dude man, and so I don't think they have a ton of great weapons. And he is chucking that sucker downfield and carving up defenses. The Patriots got a horrific whistle in that game, had some phantom calls take away huge plays. They overcame it.
Next, Steelers defeat the Browns twenty three to nine.
Credit the Steelers man off of by continuing to win. Dylan Gabriel looked terrible, like really bad.
And do you see the thing that he did when like I hit him, He like like they got the guy hit him. It wasn't really elated. He threw it and then he hits Gabriel and then Gabriel grabs him by his shoulder pads and like MUSHes him into the ground. He got like a little angry.
At Dylan Gabriel. Size. Yeah, I didn't see that. The Browns are terrible Steelers. I need to pay more attention to the Steelers. I have thought it's kind of smoking mirrors, but they're now four and one. They have the second best record in the AFC. I got even credit.
Next, a Raiders defeat the Titans twenty to ten.
That's just a horrible game. I mean, good for the Raiders for winning it, but the Titans are just like we'll see what the Titans look like now that Brian Callahan's been fired.
Next, Packers defeat the Bengals twenty seven to eighteen.
Not a great win by the Packers. Yeah, I mean a win's a win, but coming they haven't bought great off of Bye. They haven't won a game. They hadn't won a game since September twelfth or something. And I mean they controlled that entire game, but not great. And now this from Lebotard show these sons of bitches go ahead?
Oh wait, is this a vampire or a werewolf?
How dare Dan LeBatard send this tweet?
You kind of do like Hotel Transylvania a little bit?
Okay?
I sent Lebotard's crew a video recapping my long story. Short is this Dan and I bet five grand on Chiefs Lions. He then, for some reason, thought we were betting a white Corvette because the guy does I don't get it. I then wanted my money that I then felt bad because it seems like he thought it was a gag. But I made the point of if I wasn't betting with him, I would have bet that elsewhere. So like now all of a sudden, am I gonna
lose money? But I had told Dan I was playing in a huge poker game last night, and so I said if I won in the poker game, he could distribute my winnings from him to the rest of his staff. And I sent him a video saying sadly I lost in the book. Need that money. I'm gonna need that. Uh, I'm gonna need that money. Uh. So that's the that's the long story short of that. If you haven't been listening to my you know, okay, I don't even occasional
appearances with the Levatard crew. All right, let's quickly do some listener questions before I go.
Uh Korn says, if Chiefs ended only getting if Chiefs ended only getting a wild card and went all the way and won the Super Bowl, what would the media's take on it be?
Well, I mean, in the mean, in the very short term, it would once again be you can never doubt the Kansas City Chiefs. And then come about mid September. Next year we'd get new round of is the dynasty now over? Like they're just gonna step on that break every year.
Next, Christopher says, no talk of Seahawks in the discussion for top teams despite number two quarterback this season, number one wide receiver, and number one defensive line.
Listen that Chris, that might I don't think I would quite have Darnold's the number two quarterback. But he's been excellent and that's an obviously, Jackson Smith and Jig has been unbelievable. The d line under Mike McDonald's been really good. The Ravens Stephen Teden in the same since he left. That's a fair critique, man, it's a fair critique that we've been under discussing the Seattle that's fair.
Next, uh Norf asked, do you still have the Ravens winning the division?
No, I mean the Demond it's not. The Ravens have better odds right now to win the division than the Patriots. Yeah, like that's crazy.
He's come back and scorch it, but.
Come back and just got to get in on like an instant five game winning streak.
Next, Yeah, uh Naki says hi Nick follow you from Spain. I have a question, what's more looking for you watching the sports? Compared to two thousand athleticism of almost any quarterback or automatic fifty R field goals.
No, the quarterback stuff, I think I would have thought that. You know, field goal kicking is going to continue to progress. But these, I mean, these superhero quarterbacks are unlike really anything we had in the past. All right, last one?
Uh Kafrika ass Should the Bengals have traded for Jamis Winston instead of Flacco?
That's what I would have done.
It's more fun I.
Think it would have made more sense. I think Jamar and T would have liked it. That's what I would have done. But that's not what they did. And Mike Tomlin didn't like that the Browns traded FLACCOH that was funny.
That was funny.
I was he's like Mike like. Evidently Andrew Barry knows more than me. I wouldn't have done that. All right. Reminder like rate subscribe review that helps us out a ton. Again, the subscriptions matter a lot more than the liking and the rating, but we'll take it all. But please subscribe on itubes, Spotify, YouTube, all of that and huge thanks to our sponsors hard Rock, bet Boost and of course our friends at Zen and Hulu and Hulu Plus with Chad Powers. Thank you to the Volume, Thank you to
Blue Dock. I will see you guys on Thursday, talk to you then.
What's right