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Welcome. In episode one oh six, What's Right with Nick Wright breaking down Week fourteen in the NFL with little World Cup mixed in an amazing NBA weekend as well. We will not be getting to it, and in fact, let's get right to what we're not discussing because one of the little mini takes I had on there, Burrow finally beating the Browns Deshaun Watson. Listen, it's a lot
of rust. But right now, if you're a Browns fan, you got to be very nervous about how he's looked in his first two games in seven hundred days and that's just the on the field stuff. The Lakers defeat the Mighty Pistons. That's a little more sarcastic than it needed to be. Year twenty, Lebron James on the thirty five point performance Patrick Beverly in that game. By the way, talk trash to the guy who I hope his future
Laker traded for Patrick Beverly, boy On Bogdanovich. Boyon then immediately hit five straight threes to make it a closer game than it should have been. And then the last thing that I that's on that list, Zion entering the MVP discussion. Damn straight. He did last there on a seven game winning streak. He's averaging thirty a night in those seven games, back to back thirty five point games against the previous top seeded Phoenix Suns. It is now the top seeded New Orleans Pelicans and a kick ass
three sixty wind mill. They got Chris Paul and campaign of all people all in their feelings. So all of that not on the show. It is the stretch run of the NFL season. Also the NFL once again you know, testing us and testing our marriages. As I don't know if you saw, but next Saturday, which is really the final shopping Saturday before Christmas because the following Saturday is Christmas Eve. I don't know if you saw it next week,
Deman's Saturday NFL tripleheader. It's real nice. They keep doing this where they put these they stack these games on the last shopping weekend before Christmas. It's just a brutality. But that'll be week fifteen. This was week fourteen. And by the way, we're live on YouTube. We appreciate if you're viewing our YouTube subscribers have slowed a bit. We're still not at ninety thousand, and we were hoping to get to one hundred thousand by the end of the month.
That doesn't look like it's gonna happen, which is bad news for Demonse's checkbook or Demonse's bank account. To bummer, he was gonna get a thousand dollars bonus, but you guys don't like him enough. I think it all turned when Demonse and our and our social media team started tweeting about quote Demanse stands unquote. I think it turned people off. But that's either here or there. I now invite Demonse in. I think we're starting with Sunday Night football. Let's get right to it.
All right, justin Herbert got his revenge against the quarterback that was drafted one spot ahead of him last night. Remember when everybody was on the Dolphins bandwagon and we're saying toua for MVP.
Who wasn't saying that? Demonse?
Uh you?
And who so just uh you?
Yeah? I was, I like not everyone was saying was on the Dolphins bandwagon? But who reserved the right to never change their opinion about too of?
But go ahead that I didn't see the reasoning behind that. I feel like you didn't have that much evidence to I had.
You know why you think I don't have that much evidence? And I don't say this rudely.
Or disresp because I just started watching football this year.
Exactly right, Because if you'd only watched football this year, you think Tua was awesome and you were and I'm not taking a shot before you got this job, you weren't a big NFL guy. What is so vexing to me? So many of my colleagues pretended they had just started watching football this year. Colleagues in sports media a pro
tip on when it comes to certain things. When it comes to certain things you want to be more like Demanse, but on other things you definitely want to be less like Demanse, and your long term NFL analysis probably less like Demonse.
But go ahead, all right, when he faced off against the second best quarterback in football, you're reminded us why man and he tried to try to move on from the guy. So, even if it makes you a villain, are you willing to say Toua is no better than a backup quarterback?
Okay? No, So that's where I was wrong, and that I said to as a backup who is clearly not a backup. He is clearly simple, a middling starter. And I said yesterday on Twitter that everyone I think knows that Tua is, by the way, I love the fit today, that Tua is far closer to the Derek Carr tier
of quarterbacks than the Justin Herbert tier of quarterbacks. Yet folks tried to pretend otherwise because he has a nice win loss record prior to this year, and people love him some quarterback wins, and because the other reason is this year his numbers were sensational, but yesterday was one of the worst quarterback performances of the season.
Yeah, I was about to say as that, because what was it was the final? Was it four for twenty that was the end?
Well, no, six, It ended better because once the Chargers went up ten or went up nine, they were improving on that final drive where Miami ended up getting a field goal. So we finished ten for twenty eight, but my guy started three for seventeen. That's a bad shooting night the NBA. That should never happen with a quarterback, Flatley should never happen with a quarterback. The Dolphins got a gift touchdown on their own fumble that bounced to Tyreek Kill and Tyreek was super sharp and saw it
and scooped it. He's the fastest man in the world. And then Tyreek beat the Chargers corner on a sixty yard bomb. Aside from that, for the first three and a half quarters, the Dolphins offense did nothing, nothing, and there were opportunities to be had. The Chargers were out Derwin James, they've Joseph Day, they've been without Joey Bosa. This was a very banged up Chargers team. And what the Chargers and to their credit, and this is where the concern is about Tua and the Dolphins and what
they were doing. Much like with young quarterbacks, it's like, oh wait till there's film on them. With an offense where everyone seems to be running wide open, there's going to be a moment where some sharp defensive mind unlocks something and then you have to adjust. So for the Dolphins,
that moment was last week. That sharp defensive mind was the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco forty nine ers for a long time great linebacker with the Texans, Tamiko Ryans, where he said, what if we just jam the hell out of their receivers at the line of scrimmage, throw off their timing. Teams are afraid to do that.
Because they're so fast.
Because they're so fast, if you don't get a good jam, they're gonna beat you. And even if you do get a good jam, if two has enough time, they're gonna beat you. But what if we jam them to throw off their timing, plus try to create some pressure onto a so even if our guy gets beat, he doesn't
have time to hit him downfield. Yes, there is a risk, like the Tyree Hills sixty yard touchdown, but the reward what teams had been doing is playing these guys so far off that it's like, okay, we'll just take these twelve yard games wide open, first read boom, second read boom. The Niners did that and Tua was in shambles. So the Chargers with the question there was though, oh, well the Niners, that's the best defense in football. Can someone
else do it? Well? The Chargers JV defense, which has is banged up, was without Derwin James, as I mentioned, guys missing from that game left and right. They did it too, and the Dolphins offense was totally inapt, totally inapt. So you're the Dolphins, there is real level of concern. Now you are eight and five. You know the Dolphins play next week. It's it's the Saturday night Saturday night games. Nope, this is a good guess. I don't know why I threw that out to you, but you were in the
right vicinity. It's the Bills, Okay, So the Dolph Bills team that right now, yeah, a Bills team that right now is leaning heavily or on its defense. So the Dolphins have the Bills, then they have the Packers, then the Patriots, then the Jets. Bills Patriots Jets defensively, yeah, are all far better than the team the Chargers tried it out there last night, far better. And so do I think the Dolphins are gonna miss the playoffs? I don't do. I think, though, this thing could turn south
on them quick. I think it already has, because now if they finish with the same record as the Chargers, they lose that tie breaker. When you look at the playoff seedings right now, the Dolphins are sixth at eight and five, the Chargers seventh at seven and six, with the Jets and the Patriots also having six losses, and the Jets and the Patriots don't play each other again
this year. They both play the Bills one time, and they both play the Dolphins ones, so there is going to be an odd man out of the AFC playoffs. Let's assume Baltimore and Cincinnati are in. It would take a real collapse for either of those teams to fall out. Let's assume there's only one AFC South playoff team. And the reason I'm not simply assigning that to the Titans is because Princeville was promise is pretty good yesterday. So let's just but it'll only be one team either way. Okay,
that means there are three spots available for Dolphins. No, I'm sorry, I misspoke. Two spots available for Dolphins, Chargers, Jets, Patriots. The Dolphins right now are a game up on all those teams in the lost colon. We'll see what the Patriots do tonight. Could be the Dolphins eight and five and they're all seven and six. Of the Patriots loose tonight, you can't crate. You can't write them off. And but it's close to it. Assuming the Patriots win, Dolphin's got
their work cut out for him. And by the way, the other concern was always going to be what does this offense to a most notably look like in the cold? Yesterday was in La so the cold was not a concern there. Let me, I gotta look again, I said, who they were playing. But I want to see where these games are being played. For Miami at Buffalo next week that feels cold, ye, home for the Packers that's fine, at the Patriots that seems cold, and then home for the Jets. So two of the four games are in
the cold Miami. Even when it's cold there, it's not you know, it's not cool enough to where it should affect the game. All right, Now, I want to talk a moment about the Chargers from last night. That game last night is why. And I'm not ready to call Herbert the second best quarterback in football that was in the read right now. I think Joe Burrow has earned
that distinction. But justin Herbert is in the same conversation as Joe Burrow, as Josh Allen as I got to give him credit, and I think we'll get to him later Jalen Hurts as guys that are playing at that level. And there is a sickness going around where people in the media get so wrapped up and quarterback wins with no context, they decide not to believe what their eyes are clearly telling them, which is that Herbert is a
special talent. And Herbert yesterday finally for the first time all year, or at least the first time since week won it might have been now I think it is all year, started and finished the game with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, and the guy was out there dealing. It also should be noted the Chargers are seven and six. They are zero to three by a I'm buying twelve points, so four points per game against the Chiefs and the Niners,
two losses to the Chiefs, one loss to the Niners. Those, in my opinion, are two of the three best teams in football. So they're seven and three with all those injuries. So a few coaching issues against the whole league except for my Super Bowl pick Chiefs Niners. Chargers are good and they're scary. And I'm telling you this right now, I, as an arrogant Chiefs fan, want nothing to do with the Chargers in the playoffs. I don't want to have to beat them a third time, so I would have
rather the Dolphins won last night. But that was Oh, we got a right move, right, I just realized in the gambling showed Chargers getting three and a half went out right, all right?
Next are we the Chiefs putting that Hackett Russ and the Broncos out of their misery?
But they did give us a game after going up twenty seven.
Oh, on classic vintage Pat plays, most people turn the game off. Then Mahomes played terribly and the Broncos had a shot at the end. Do you think Mahomes is playing bad against bad teams and just you know, filling himself a little bit too much? And does it concern you that the Chiefs don't play another real team into the playoffs.
No, it doesn't concern me like the Chiefs. Right now, I texted are the TV producers because I want to do something with this. Let me see if they text me back. This stat. No team in the league has more victories against playoff teams teams that are currently in the playoffs. The Chiefs are five and two against teams that are currently in the playoffs. The loss is no team has played more games and has a winning record against teams that are currently in the playoffs. So the
Chiefs schedule very tough. We've talked about it. They're two to zero against the Chargers. They beat the Bucks, they beat the Titans, they beat the Niners. There's the five wins. There are two losses are to the Bills and Bangals. Okay, so no, I'm not worried about the Chiefs not being tested. Yesterday's game was a pain in the ass in this regard. Kansas City played for twenty five minutes and then thought they could just coast home. And they could have, but
Patrick was caroless with the football. But this it is a bit of evidence of how spoiled we've become with the Kansas City Jeeves and Patrick Mahomes in this regard. First of all, he is now an utterly impossible fifteen and oh in his career in road divisional games, fifteen and oh. No fan of the Chargers, Raiders or Broncos has ever gone to one of their home stadiums and seen Patrick Mahomes do anything other than beating them ten and ohero in his career against the Broncos. Okay, Furthermore,
he had maybe the single best play of the season yesterday. Yeah, the blind flip, the no look, I'm not off. Demanse bet the under in that game and had under Mahomes passing yards and Demanse. I gotta tell you, I I don't like demands betting football, not because I think you've been responsible with the amount of Like you lost all your bets yesterday and did you lose even one hundred dollars?
Oh? Did you?
No?
It was less than right thereabouts.
Yeah, there be.
Maybe you pressed a little late and didn't tell me right, which is so My point is, even when you have a terrible day, you're being responsible with the amount that you bet. Yeah, So that's not why I hate you gambling. I hate you gambling because you start the day with such excitement and in such a great mood, and you're into all the games, and then because all your bets
are these seven or more legged parlays. As soon as as soon as a parlay is dead, all of a sudden, I look over demon day's half watching the game playing Clash of Clans angry, and then that the four o'clock windows starts, and that excitement is back. Briefly, He's like, Oh, I've got all these things going, and then the moment one of them's dead, he's just gone, just disappears for hours, and it's just a bummer. It's like, oh, this is fun days. But the days you win, you're with me
the whole time. You're into it all right. But back to the game, Mames is flicked to Jerck McKinnon. It's one of the best plays of the year by anyone, and the touchdown pass that sealed the game to go up thirty four to twenty one when he got annihilated was another one of the best plays anyone has made
all year. Now, with that said, he was very careless with the football and the three picks irritate you But where I say we're spoiled is Mahomes is leading the league in passing yards by more than four hundred and fifty yards. Jalen Hurts, who everyone wants to give the MVP two, Now he has one thousand more passing yards than him. Now, I'm Hurts been excellent running the football. When it comes to touchdown passes, Mahomes is at thirty three. No one else has more than twenty seven. He leads
Hurts in touchdown passes by eleven. So this idea that Mahomes now, was he careless with the football? Yes? And did the Chiefs think after the Mahomes flick and then the Russell pick six to go up twenty seven nothing, the game was over? Sure? Go ahead.
I got a question for you.
Yeah, how do you think that game turns out of Russ doesn't get his concussion because it seemed like they were they were starting to get things going.
So here's where I think that's I don't think it changes it at all, because the Chiefs were never in risk of losing that football game. And this drive where Russ got a concussion, they scored a touchdown anyway. Now they had to do it on fourth down Like, that's to me a better argument if Ripping comes in and they because they were down at the goal line after Russ is scramble if they don't score there, But they scored there anyway, And so I fair enough, I'm not listen.
The Chiefs were never losing that game. Is it a little irritating that Mahomes was careless at the very end of the first half, Sure, but does it concern me at all? Not in the least. The most important thing for Kansas City the rest of the season is to avoid what happened to the Niners yesterday, which is, in a game you're blowing somebody out, one of their best players gets injury. So I know we're talking about the Niners in a minute, Deebo Samuel. I know everyone's like, oh,
they don't think it's broken. He's a high ankle sprain. A high ankle sprain can knock a player out for two months. High ankle sprain can be as bad as a minor fracture. So the Chiefs got out of that game healthy, and I'm sure irritated. Now I'll tell you one last thing about the Chiefs. That defense got to step up. The defense is back to well below average in Mahomes' career. One year they have had a league average defense and they won the SUPERWL Like the defense needs to play better.
Did Denver get their season high on the Chiefs yesterday?
Well by a mile? Yeah? Absolutely? Four touchdowns offense is looked all year? All right?
Next? All right? The goat showed up in the Bay yesterday. No, not Brady.
We were talking about rock Party, not to mention the best defense in football. They look better than they had all years. So here's your shot to go to about the forty nine ers?
Uh?
Is this the most confident you've been in San Francisco since pinking them to win us to.
Go to the Super Bowl? Sorry?
And is it time to talk about Brady the podcaster or are you still are you still holding out hope for Brady the forty nine er?
Well, I don't know if it's gonna be a forty nine er, but Brady's playing next year, and I don't know, so I am certain. I've been saying that all year. There's some people weren't even convinced he was finishing out the season. Now there seems to be a lot more discussion that Brady's playing next year. Now, where is it gonna be. I don't know. San Francisco's on the board, New England's on the board. There's a lot of teams that are on the board, but Brady's playing. I don't
I still believe the Bucks are scary come the postseason. No, you're not gonna be able to talk me off of that that the Bucks are. They're gonna be the four seed. They're probably going to be playing the Cowboys in that first playoff game. Now, the Cowboys, you know, didn't exactly have an overwhelming game themselves yesterday escaping again to the Texans. But to me, the Cowboys, the Bucks are still scary in the playoffs and the playoffs only people are once
again what'd you say exactly? People are once again trying to convince themselves that Tampa might not win that division. They're gonna win that division even if they lose next week to the Bengals. The end of the season, they play the Falcons, the Panthers, and one other bad team. Let me see, Sorry, I just have to check Tampa into the season. I know it's Falcons and Panthers, and it's oh and the Cardinals, So they're gonna be fine
when it comes to San Francisco. This is why I picked them to go to the super Bowl with a quarterback I'd never seen because when I picked them, Trey Lance was their quarterback and that was before they had Christian mccaffe. They have the best defense in football. Their skill position guys are as good as anybody. They have an awesome offensive line, and yesterday looked bleeping awesome. Rock Party was not just you know.
Uh after getting lit up on the first play of the game.
I mean he got he he was dropping dimes. Rock Purty played a better game. The best quarterback game the Niners have had all year was by brock Purty yesterday. That's better than anything Jimmy Garoppolo did all year. Now, do I think he's gonna keep up that level? No, If brock Purty's awesome, they will win the super Bowl. That that's even exactly right now. I do think that, you know, he'll have some bad moments. He hasn't had bad moments yet. He'll regress somewhat, but all he has
to be is baseline competent. They have made the conference championship game and the Super Bowl in the in the three seasons prior to this with a quarterback who's never had a single good playoff game, Jimmy Garoppolo in his career in the playoffs is four touchdowns, six picks at seventy five rating and averages one hundred and forty five yards per game or one hundred and sixty five yards per game, so that they don't need great quarterbacking in San Francisco.
I think I'm gonna be the brock party guy.
What does that mean?
You said that, You think that he's gonna regress and everything I'm calling it.
He's not gonna regress.
It will stay great.
This is just gonna be one of those situations, like one of those you know, odd man out.
A Cinderella story. Yes he got of nowhere, Kurt Warner situation. Okay, I again, I'm I think he will continue to look pretty good in that offense. I do not think he's gonna play the lot. Yesterday he played unbelievable, and I mean he might win NFC Player of the Week like he was unbelievable yesterday. All right. Last the Eagles.
Became the first team in the league to lock up a playoffs spot after crushing the Giants forty eight to twenty two, Jalen Hurts played a perfect game with three total touchdowns while the guy in Kansas City threw three picks.
Uh.
Sounds to me like the MVP conversation is opened back up with the best with the best record and most dominant team in football? Are the Eagles going to lock up Coach of the Year and MVP.
Okay, they're gonna win Coach of the Year and Hurts right now is in the MVP discussion? But can we please stop? I told you guys when you guys tried a few weeks ago to say, oh, Mahomes is locked up MVP because Josh Allen's fell off the map. Hey, it was Allen, then it was Tua. Now it's Hurts. Hurts.
I feel like the one that should that should have been the one right after Mahomes the entire time.
In fact, nobody thinks he's better and he's not having a better season. Here's a question, Chiefs Eagles. Who is the better offensive line? Eagles, Chiefs Eagles. Who is the better running game? Eagles? Chiefs Eagles. Who is the better wide receivers? Not even close Eagles, Chiefs Eagles. Who is the better defense at every single level Eagles, Chiefs Eagles. Who is the better quarterback Chiefs? And it's not debatable.
And yet, because the Eagles are eleven and one or twelve and one and the Chiefs are ten and three with the Chiefs having played a tougher schedule, We're gonna say that win difference is the difference if they both if the Chiefs finish fourteen and three and the Eagles finish fifteen and two, both of which I think are like, are you telling me that one win is going to be the reason we deny the best player in the
league league MVP. Nobody can argue that anyone has been more valuable to their team than Mahomes has been other than Kelsey and Chris Jones. Who on the Chiefs is having a great season. Nobody, nobody. They're number one running backs on IR, They're number one receivers on IR. Their defense is starting four rookie, four or five rookies. Give me a break. They've played seven teams that are currently in the playoffs. Give me a break. I'm not taking
anything away from Jailen Hurts. And you said you want to be a rock party guy, you really want to be a Jailen hurts kid. Yeah, you were watching yesterday and you were you were kind of shading this. But when you were still optimistic, you weren't gonna lose money, you were gonna throw in a little shade my way about my Eagle skepticism a little bit. And they looked awesome yesterday. Uh. But and if we want to talk about how I underrated the Eagles, so be it.
So this might be a very stupid question.
The whole the whole MVP thing, Like when the MVP race is over, is that after the Super No, that's so that's right before playoffs.
Yes, they will announce it until right before the Super Bowl, but the voting happens after week.
I was gonna say, that's that's the difference. I mean, you already think it's one, but like.
No, I don't think it's one. No, no, no, they're listen, they're there are there's almost twenty five percent of the season left. We've played thirteen games. There's four games left. So it used to be so much easier with sixteen game season. So just under twenty five percent of the season left. There's let me put it this way, more than twenty percent of the season left. Things could change
and Mahomes obviously did not help his case yesterday. However, I would argue this, this is my other Mahomes MVP argument any other quarterback that is judged by a regular quarterback standard. When you get to ten and three, you're up twenty seven to nothing on a team on the road, and you have those two highlights in a game you throw from nearly four hundred yards and three touchdowns, people would have said those were his MVP moments, the insane
player Jack McKinnon. But were so numb to it with Mahome Holmes that we try to find reasons that that's not the case. And listen, I'm not taking anything away from Jalen Hurts. I do not believe he's the league MVP. He is right now the favorite right now. Hurts his minus one oh five Mahomes is plus one fifty. All right, Oh, did Jalen Hurts lock up MVP or pull? Answerers? What's the respondents? Forty percent say yes, sixty percent say no. Saying anyone locked up MVP is idiot.
Oh geez, sorry.
Well, you saying anyone locked it up at this point is crazy.
Okay.
I'll just remind people in twenty twenty. Mahomes at this point in the year was the defending League Super Bowl MVP. The team was twelve and one and he had unbelievable numbers. And then at the end of the year, when they had everything locked up, his numbers trailed off a bit. He sat in week seventeen and they gave it to Aaron Rodgers a lock and change in the final four weeks.
And for Philly, let me just see what their national TV games are, because all it's gonna take, fairly or unfairly, is one really bad Jailen Hurts game, and folks are going to Mahomes. I don't think it's gonna be on national TV again all year. And so the numbers are so overwhelming in Mahomes's favor. So if Jalen Hurds struggles in two weeks from the four point thirty kickoff on
Fox against the Cowboys, Mahomes will run away. If they finish sixteen and one, they'll probably give it to Jalen Hurts. All Right, a little FETA forecast plus more Week fourteen in the NFL Next What's Right Live on YouTube.
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All Right, welcome back in episode one oh six What's Right with Nick Right? Podcasts and YouTube show like rate, subscribe, review, click the bell on YouTube so you're notified every time we're going live. By the way, uh, we typically go live every Monday and Thursday at ten thirty am on YouTube. We also post on Friday our gambling show. We're gonna
have a slightly different schedule this week. I'm not sure exactly what the schedule is going to be because Thursday there are some TV obligations that conflict with our podcast recording time. So I'm not sure exactly what the schedule's going to be this week. But that's another reason to subscribe and to hit the bell, so you know, if we're kind of in PROMPTU going live with any of the shows on YouTube. But I want to get to
the FIFA forecast in just a moment. First though, I just want to say before we get to the World Cup there. Obviously I shouldn't say obviously, but many of you may know, there's news this weekend that great longtime American soccer journalist and many not just soccer, but he focused on soccer at this point in his career. Grant Wall died while covering the World Cup in Qatar. There was over the weekend an outpouring of support for he and his family for what was seemingly a truly shocking death.
There was also what I thought was some very uncomfortable and really irresponsible speculation, and I'm not going to engage in that on any level other than to say, you know, thoughts and if you're the prayerful type, prayers with his family.
Guy was in the fifty years old, had just celebrated his birthday, was covering the sport he loves and was a brave, fearless journalist, and had run into some resistance while he was over in Qatar and still did what it seems like he always did at every level of his career, which is do his job, do it at a super high level, and do it fearlessly. I will I so it's truly sad and truly a tragedy. And
you saw. I mean Lebron was asked about it because he wrote the cover story for Sports Illustrating Lebron was in high school. He wrote some of the best Sports Illustrated cover stories ever, so he didn't just cover soccer, but he had focused on soccer later in his career. I will say, on a personal note, I always feel uncomfortable. I shouldn't say uncomfortable, but I was on Twitter. I saw when the news came across from US Soccer that
this had happened, and I I didn't. I never know how to handle those things when it would have felt perfunctory to send a tweet, but it also would have felt ridiculous in the moment to tweet about anything else. But I also, I think sometimes people when there's a tragedy, like do a weird thing where they I think, unintentionally like almost make it about how it relates to them, Like oh, I interviewed him like that was, you know,
and so I kind of just sat out of it. Uh. There were a lot of people though, that knew him really well. He worked for Fox, he worked for ESPN, and they were clearly deeply affected by his passing. And he obviously was a great writer. And it's a loss for everyone. And I, like I said, I don't want I don't want to engage in any of the the speculation. I know that his brother had some very concerning or
you know, damning concerns, I should say. I feel like it goes without saying if any of those concerns are valid, it's one of the greatest sports tragedies and crimes of our lifetime. I I don't I guess that is me engaging in the speculation. I don't mean to I have no reason to believe though I don't know that anyone has any reason to believe that what that those things happened. However, so I I probably shouldn't have even said that part
of it. But it feels like a bit of the elephant in the room when a direct family member of his UH was saying that he did not believe that Grant had just passed from being sick and So the whatever it is, I hope his family it's you know, comes to it, gets the truth, finds peace, gets the full truth of the circumstances. And I would say one other thing about Twitter in that moment, I it's okay to sit things out other than if you want to give condolences, and it's certainly not only okay, I would
say recommended to not recklessly speculate. I'm not talking about his brother, I'm talking about the people, just other people on Twitter recklessly speculate about something that none of us have any way of knowing anything about, right, and just adding to the noise of something that's totally unnecessary. Okay, sorry to bring everyone down there, but I would have felt odd talking about the World Cup without doing it without at least acknowledging that. So, okay, Demonse, get us
back on track. Let's do a little feed for forecast. All Right.
The quarterfinals came and went, and one thing is clear. You need to stick to betting, congressional election and stay out of football. Okay, Brazil got knocked out, and you still ow mom a trip to Brazil. They're gonna show a tweet, I'm assuming.
Oh okay, Yeah, So what's that about? All right? Well, had I bet on Brazil to win the World Cup?
Yep?
And I had tweeted that if they win, I'm going to use the money that I made betting on them to go to Brazil. Your mom been tweeted, We're still going to Brazil, getting itick right, you were gambling isn't my problem and so so okay, so it looks like we're still going to Brazil. It should be noted, though, while you throw shade at me, yes, I was wrong about Brazil winning it. I have been outstanding, super profitable betting this World Cup. You were sitting with me Saturday
morning watching me win the France bet. I bet Morocco live once. Once Morocco went up won nothing. They were only like minus one fifteen, uh to win. To win the World Cup, or you're not to win the World Cup? Pardon me to win that match against Portugal in ninety minutes. I bet France to win in ninety minutes at plus one fifty. So I'm doing quite well gambling on the World Cup.
But go ahead, all right, before you get into going down on guitar, what's going down in guitar?
Sorry, let's talk about the star of the World Cup.
France's Kallian Embape Killian Imbape, that's his name, That's how you say Kallian Killian Killian Kie Killian Andmbape is aletticism and speed is unlike anything else. The Chiefs maybe the highest scoring team in football, but there's still lacking a true deep threat since Tyreek Hill. How many catches is Mbope receiving if he if he signed with Kansas City.
Listen, I don't know. He is an unbelievable athlete and we talked about last week. We talked about what Imbope has if they win the World Cup. Nobody's won back to back since Brazil and Pele. When Brazil did it, they had a teenager be kind of the star and score in the final. When France one four years ago, they had a teenager score in the final. There's a lot of similarities here, and that they're doing it without
Pogba and without Benzoma France is it's really special. But what we have in this quarter final, in this semi final is unbelievable. France Morocco. There's a long history between France and Morocco and our book club book Little History of the World has you know, Morocco once upon a time went and about fourteen hundred years ago, fifteen hundred years ago, went and conquered Portugal, then Spain, then into France. In this World Cup, Morocco has beaten Spain, then Portugal.
Now they're trying to beat France. There's also some colonization history. It's really fascinating. Morocco being here is phenomenal, utterly phenomenal. The first African nation ever to make the semi final of a World Cup. Okay, it's spectacular. On the now, I think France is gonna be just to be totally candid.
On the other side, you have Argentina and Croatia. Argentina, which made a final eight years ago, which is won a couple when they had Maridona, and Croatia, which never leads in any of these games yet keeps winning the games, either an extra time or in penalty kicks. Croatia has fewer people than Chicago, and they made the World Cup final last year and then the semifinal this year. So what would be Listen, I am rooting for an Argentina
France final. Okay, it would just be utterly spectacular to see messi and in Bape, Messi trying to you know, like I said, he made the final few years ago, they lost in they losing penalties or extra time. They lost an extra time I think to Germany. Messi didn't score. I shouldn't say few years ago, two World Cups ago, if Morocco were to do it. Though, here's the thing about the World Cup. They've been playing it since nineteen thirty. They skipped that there were no World Cups in the
forties thanks to World War Two. It hasn't been. There's despite all of that, there have only been how many is it eight nations? One, two, three, eight nations to ever win it? Because here's and there's only been how many nations fourteen nations, fifth, thirteen nations to ever even make a final? Okay, so let me just go through the history of it real quick. I had to pull it up because this, unlike our list of NBA MVPs, I don't have memorized. Brazil has won it five times,
came in second twice, so they've made seven finals. By the way, it should be noted Brazil, what a total disappointment for them since winning it in two that is, in the World Cup since o two. They've been past the quarterfinals only one time one so ninety four they win, ninety eight they came in second, two thousand and two they win. Since then six knocked out in the corners quarters,
pardon me, twenty ten knocked out in the quarters. Twenty fourteen in Brazil make it to the Semis, lose seven to one to Germany seven to one at home, twenty eighteen knocked out in the quarters, and this year not doubt, in the quarters in a game they had no business losing up one to zero with minutes left, and find to create a steal a loss from the jaws of victory. But they've won five, runners up twice. Germany has won four and been runners up four times. Germany's unbelievable run
was the seventies into the eighties. Germany one in seventy four, runners up in eighty two and eighty six, and then one in ninety. Italy, which didn't even qualify for the World Cup this year, has won it four times. Kemlin second twice. Argentina I mentioned to you with Maridana they won it twice, runners up three times, including eight years ago.
Then there's France, which has won it twice, including a twenty eighteen runner up, one other time and now, and that's really it in modern us in modern World Cup history, A died from Spain's victory in twenty ten. Spain also won the Euros the four years surrounding it, it looked like they were gonna be dynastic. They've done nothing in the World Cup since then. England won it in sixty six, hasn't been back to a final since. Uruguay won it twice pre nineteen sixty haven't been back to a final
since the Netherlands has been to three finals, lost them all. Czechoslovakia, which is in the country anymore, has been to two finals in lost. Netherlands has been to three finals, lost in mal I should say Czechoslovakia went to two finals a thousand years ago, same with Hungary and Sweden. And then there's Croatia. So Croatia would be just the ninth
team to ever win a World Cup. Morocco would be just the fourteenth team to ever make a final, or the ninth team to win the World Cup if they finish it all, and then France with a victory, would move behind only Italy, Germany and Brazil. France or Argentina, by the way, would get to three, which would move them solo possession of the fourth most World Cup titles of all time. I hope we get France Argentine in the final. There was a good eight minutes on World
Cup history. Now let's get back to football. What game are we playing?
All right, we are playing all inner fold today.
Okay, everybody told you to sell your Baker's stock, but you held on strong.
Now business is boomy.
Yeah, Baker will be a franchise quarterback the game.
I'm not ready to.
Go that far.
However, he gave himself a real shot at being the quarterback in Los Angeles long term. Yeah, nobody knows what the future roads for Stafford with a scary injury spinal cord concern. It also, I feel a little awkward talking about this, but I think it's worth noting his wife four years ago was having aches, went to the doctor, they found out she had a brain tumor. Now it was benign. They did twelve hour surgery and she's fine.
But that's like, I don't want to I don't want to call that a brush with death, but that is something that level sets your family. It's like, oh, my god, you have a brain tumor. You're gonna have to have this surgery any You know it all obvious and that plus now Stafford is a spinal cord condition, call it. That's made a bunch of money, played for a long time, won a Super Bowl. So I'm not certain how much longer Stafford's going to play. So I think Baker's in
a good spot. And if you can play well over this last month with this terrible Rams team, even if it's not there, he has a decent chance of being back in the mix for a starting quarterback job. But I'm neither all in norfolding. I'm disobeying the rules of the game.
Next though, before I start this next one, guys, don't forget to answer or put questions in the chat for after the break.
Oh yeah, absolutely add some questions to the chat. We'll do those in the sea.
So Bubblo got lucky at home versus the Jests this week, walking away with an eight point win. They hold on to the one seed for now, but they have to beat panicking after Josh Allen's seventh straight bad game. I know you're happy about this, all in her fold. The bills aren't easy out in the playoffs.
I'm gonna fold on that they're not an easy out. But can everyone please acknowledge I was right about Josh Allen? Please? What do you throw for one hundred and fifty yards yesterday? Now that Bill's Devens looked awesome and kicked the hell out of poor Mike White. He went out of that game multiple times with an injury. One of the times right when he went out, they stupidly called it Joe Flacco pass he fumbles. The Bills were incredibly did you throw? I don't think he threw a pick. I think it
was a fumble. The I don't think because flacouldn't in long enough throw a pick. Maybe I'm wrong, producers and drinking, I'm wrong, I doubt I am. I'm rarely really wrong about anything. I think it was a fumble. Uh. But for the second straight year, forget m VP. Josh Allen is not a Pro Bowl right now. If we were listing Pro Bowl quarterbacks in the a f C, it would go Mahomes, then Borrow, then in my opinion, Herbert, then Tua and then Josh Allen and you only get three. That's five.
So wait, what what was that? List that you just gave.
Mahomes, then Burrow, then Justin Herbert Pro Bowl. It's like all Star team. It's like all start.
So Jalen hurts.
No a f C. Oh no, sorry, do it by conference like Eastern Conference All Stars. Yeah, so the the n f C is a trickier one because it's Jalen. And then it's like, who are we putting? You know what I mean? If you were in the n'd be a pro bowler. Yeah, but he's not. And so the he last year wasn't a pro bowler either, and Pro Bowls are not everything, but it is my little snapshot of how good are you? And I tried. Everyone's like, oh,
you're scared of Justin. It's been the let He hasn't been awesome since the Chiefs game or the first half of the Packers game the week after that really was it? And then they scored twenty points through for one hundred fifty yards, like enough but not unfolding. They're not an easy out.
Would you like the Chiefs to draw them in the playoffs?
I'd rather play them in the Bengals Yeah, of course, tell you that much. I might rather play them than the Chargers even though the Chiefs have beaten the Chargers. So hard to beat a team three times, and all those games have been close, you know what I mean, Like the so no, they're not an easy out, but they were wildly over rate. Josh Allen was wildly over rated, and I told you guys that he's not gonna get They've now expanded MVP voting to where you vote for
five guys. He's not on a ballot right now.
Yeah, he's not.
Be mahomes and hurts at the top of everyone's ballot, right Burrow probably third, and then maybe people throw in like Micah Parsons, you know, a defensive player. Maybe somebody gives Geno Gino Boys terrible yes Day a fifth place vote. Will see all they finished. He's not gonna show up. See how what if the Chargers went out Herbert shows up? Who knows? But I told you guys about Josh Allen. Next, all right.
The Cowboys entered Sunday as the biggest favorite all season against the one win Texans. It took a last minute touchdowns for America's team to put it. Put off the comeback, pull off, the comeback, sorry.
All in their fold.
This proves that the Cowboys need O'Dell Beckham to compete in the playoffs.
No big pat on the back to your boy though for what good?
Oh yeah, because you had the Texans.
Yeah, that was like my that should have been my lock of the week.
Honestly, that should have you know what, check real quick in the doc. I want to know because I had a winning week. It wasn't as great as it could have been, but I had a winning week. Demons, it was plus sixteen and a half. That's a winner. Minnesota minus two and a half, that's a loser. Tennessee minus four, that's a loser. Denver plus nine and a half. That was a winner. But you went against that in real like, in real time.
What do you mean?
That doesn't make it. I'm so confused. You bet so you didn't you bet the Chiefs in real life? Oh? I bet money line? Okay, So two and two. That's terrible. All right. Now to the Cowboys, whether they need Odell or not, he's obviously not playing this year like that, He's nobody.
Is available come playoff time.
I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't think he's playing for anyone this year. The Cowboys issue was not. They need another receiver. They took that game lightly, dack Threw made some terrible decisions and they still escaped with a win.
And Millis was dropping some dimes in there. Who Millis or mill whatever, Davis Mills.
Yeah, listen, I'm not. I'm not. The Cowboys overlooked the Texans. If they had lost, it would have been devastating. But they didn't lose. I'm not that worried about it, all right.
Next, the prince that was promised once again had the best game of his career against the division leading Titans. Too bad, you lost your confidence in them all interfold.
It's time to ban Jack's betting bands.
I'm really mad at the proofer. They have cost me so much in on the Trevor Lawrence stuff, so much. They because what they've done is they let you go. They haven't they they let me better them, and they lose all these games. Then they banned me right when they start covering. They've really just screwed me so far this year when it comes to betting on the Jacks. With that said, we just mentioned the Cowboys. Okay, very intriguing game this weekend Cowboys at Jacks. Okay, now, I
don't think the Jags are gonna win that game. What do you think the line is in that Demanse Cowboys at the Jacks.
Let's call it Cowboys plus.
Three and a half given this recent performance against the Texans. Favored by three Cowboys minus three Cowboys minus five.
The Titans play the Chargers this weekend. Okay, if, and it's a big if, but if the Jaguars are able to beat the Cowboys, they'd still have the Texans left and they get the Titans the final week of the year. It's a two game separation between the two. If the Jags were to beat the Titans in week eighteen, okay, they would hold the tiebreaker by virtue of sweeping them in the division. I'm not saying the Jags are alive. I'm simply saying they are not quite totally dead. And
you know what is definitely not totally dead. Let me find it. Where is this from before the season? NFL preseason Jags over six and a half, one of my strong overs. How are we looking? Oh? Five and eight, only need two more wins.
You think Trevor Lawren's gonna be able to finally beat the Texans? Yeah?
I do think it's gonna be able to beat the Texans.
I think the game is gonna be really interesting.
Let's see how my preseason bets are looking real quick. Baltimore over ten and a half looking great. They're at nine. Indy over nine one and a half. That's a loss.
Yeah, it's a loss.
Jacksonville over six and a half. Needn't go two and two down the stretch, we'll see, but still alive, right, Kansas City over ten and a half, that's a lot. New England under eight and a half, gonna come down to the wire. They're six and six, the very tough schedule at the end of the year. Giants under seven and a half, they would have to lose out. The fact though, that that is back alive by the by the littlest of bits, because the tie doesn't count as half a win when it comes to this. It's just
so they would have to lose out. But that one's gonna lose. San Francisco over nine and a half, that's they need one more win. And Tampa under eleven and a half already locked in. How about that? How about that? Also, let's keep looking at this real quick. The Kansas City, Baltimore Indie, San Francisco parlay to'll all make the playoffs A plus four forty. That's a loser because of Indy. Indy's not getting there. Seattle, the Jets, Atlanta, and New
England all to miss the playoffs. Alive again. It's gonna be hard, but it is alive again. But that one's not looking great. Cleveland missing the playoffs minus one seventy locked, Denver missing the playoffs plus one twenty locked locked locked ye, New England missing the playoffs. We'll see. It's gonna come down to the wire division winners. I'm gonna lose that parlay I did Buffalo, Indye, Kansas City, Indy. That was way too is on Indy. Indian screwed me on three
different bets. They're over there, make the playoffs and their division winners. So that's three of my bets. And then the Casey San Francisco super Bowl at fifty to one my preseason wagers.
Yeah, that one's looking could look thirty good right now.
Fifty to one. Denver missing the playoffs. That was plus money plus one twenty on Denver missing the playoffs all right.
Last one, USC quarterback Caleb Williams took home of the Heisman Trophy over the weekend. It has one more year of eligibility, but his talent is obviously out of this world. Should team start tanking for him next season?
All in her fold.
Caleb Williams is the Victor Wimby of the twenty twenty four NFL dress.
I'm gonna fold on that because there are no the NFL. Football doesn't work like basketball, where it's just like transcendent prospect, can't miss, absolutely won't miss, never misses. That doesn't quite exist in the NFL. Even the can't miss guys sometimes miss. But I like Caleb Williams a lot. He's the first college quarterback to remind me of Mahomes since Mahomes, So I do like him a lot. So I'm folding on him being Wimby, But he might be the closest thing
in the NFL to a Wimby. All right, answer listener questions Next What's right? All Right? Welcome back What's Right with Nick Wright? Episode one of six. We are now answering questions from our live YouTube audience. Demons, go ahead.
Joe says the MVP race is tightening. Hurts has eight more rushing touchdowns than Mahomes. So don't say Mahomes has eleven more passing touchdowns. Mahomes also has six more turnovers. This is all that matters.
All, this all matters. Sorry, don't be such a homer, nick.
Guys, I'm not listening. I said that obviously Hurts as better rushing numbers. Now, do I value quarterback rushing touchdowns as much as I value quarterback passing touchdowns?
I don't.
I'm just gonna tell you, flat Lee, I don't do. I think that a lot of those, not all of them, but a lot of those Hurts rushing touchdowns could easily have been Miles Sanders or a different running back. They hand the ball off to it the goal line. Sure, but listen. Of course, the MVP race is tightening. But I reject the premise that Hurts us pulled into the lead. Now Vegas says he has, but I the biggest Hurts fans. I will make the point earlier.
I will.
Mahomes is going to throw for the most yards of anyone in football, and add Hurts rushing yards to his passing yards, put them, combine them, and Mahomes still has more the total yards. But the Mahome's gonna throw for the most touchdowns of football by a mile. Ad Hurts rushing touchdowns, Mahomes is still gonna have more total touchdowns than him by a mile. Does anyone think Hurts is better than Mahomes?
No?
Does anyone think Mahomes has a better team. No, Hurts has the better offensive line, the better running backs, the better wide receivers, the far better defense. So don't give me the eleven and one versus or twelve and one versus ten and three. Don't give me that. Does anybody think this moment that the Chiefs would swap Mahomes for Hurts? Not in a million years would the Eagles swap Hurts for Mahomes in a second? Now? Does that make him
the MVP? No? But that, plus the fact the team is tied for the best record in the conference, had tied for the second best record in the whole sport. It's not like the Chiefs are eight eight and five. They're ten and three, and Mahomes has been utterly sensational. So let's all pump the brakes just a bit, all right?
Next, All right, Grand minister, ask, is it time to keep that safe?
Yeah?
Is it time to keep that same energy, and finally admit that the Titans are good with their own with the only wins that aren't good, with only wins coming against teams who or at least or last or a second. You want to start this one over, chev Yeah, Grand minister asks, is it time to keep that? Saying it's about time to keep that, save energy, and finally admit that the Titans aren't good with their only wins coming against teams who are last or second in their division, second to.
Last in their division. We're not going to do this a third time. But I got you, buddy, I listen. Uh, I don't think the Titans this weekend are that good. I do think that they have an excellent coach, and I do I hadn't thought about what he said. So let's look at the Titans victories. The Titans beat the Raiders, they beat the Colts. They beat the Commanders. Now, that's a little unfair to call the Commander's second to last
in their division. They are, but the Commanders have proven to be a good team or a good ish team. They beat the Colts again. They beat the Texans, they beat the Broncos, they beat the Packers, or these are fair points say no, no, no, those are fair points. But when he says keep the same energy, who hears ever capped for the Texans Titans? No, I haven't thought the Titans are great. I thought the Colts would win that division.
They haven't. Could the Titans fall apart? Chargers, Texans, Cowboys, Jags? I mean, here's the thing on the Texans. They're gonna win one game, like one more game, so they've got the Chiefs, then Titans, Jags, Colls. They're gonna upset one of those teams and they'll still get the number one pick because everyone else in football has at least three wins. So if the Titans could fall all the way out of it, I don't expect them to, but they could. But I never thought they were great. All right?
Next, all right, Trey Keasey said, Hey, Nigga Devantze love the show. Win is Nick's disc golf car Disc Golf Corner coming? And do the Patriots have a chance of making the final wildcard spart Spot Thanks.
They definitely have a chance. They have to win tonight and what they and then they have the Raiders. Their problem is their final three games Bengals, Dolphins, Patriots, So they need to win these next two, get to eight and six, and then I don't know. If nine and eight doesn't, they might have to get to ten and seven.
Oh boy, I don't think they're gonna make it. I just I think they're probably gonna have to go five, four and one down the stretch, and I don't think they can go four and one down the stretch.
Okay, all right, last one, fair enough? Jack Ash?
Has Nick ever tried Call of Duty? And will he ever make an appearance on Right Upside Downs Exquisite stream?
All right, that's Demanse's twitch stream was doing it this weekend. People heard a little bit from me on it when I was watching the World Cup game. So here's my question, Demanse, can you twitch? We can twitch stream anything, right.
Yeah, it's about anything on the screen.
All right. So I'll never make an appearance on Call of Duty, But if you want, and if you think it'll help the buzz for your twitch stream, all crush some fools and Madden on there. I'm an impeccable Madden player.
Yeah, I don't really know how that dude does for content? What do you mean does for have you just play? You're not gonna play me that it'll.
Be I don't want to embarrass you, it'll expose your lack of football strategy. Act.
They actually watched me play a pretty I lost, but I played a pretty good game of Mad with the Ravens the other day.
Did you just say I can't use your platform on Twitch? Is that what you just implied? Like?
What would what would.
Were you saying? What would that do for you?
I just it's just like here's it's like, so it's at that point it's your twitch stream.
No, it would be I would be doing a guest appearance. Listen. I'm no media expert.
Yeah, but I.
Would think that if I were to like tweet out, hey, hopping on Demonsee's Twitch stream, here's the length to beat some people in Madden, and maybe even some FIFA people might tune in. You could be on the headset if you wanted, You could talk to him, and then maybe it would raise awareness for your twitch string. That's all.
I'm totally no, no, no, totally down for that. But hopefully you know.
Those guys are willing to come back and watch me play Call of Duty later later course.
That's the idea. That would be the idea. Also, if you just want me to stay out of it. I'll stay out of it.
No, no, no, I want to play you in Madden because I think that i'd be able to beat you in front of it. Like I think that if there's like a crowd watching, i'd probably like, i'd probably beat you.
Okay, well we can set that up. I really really really don't like your chances, and I think that it will make the audience, it will make it harder for them to take your football analysis seriously when they see how you call plays on Madden. I'm just telling you only have Lamar Jackson drop back and roll out to throw a pick. That's so crazy. You just had this.
You just had to be there. You just had to be there.
What do you mean, I just had to be there.
I'm really like, I'm really good at running the football. I only ran the ball with Lamar like twice. Like the people that were on the stream that just commented on here, they saw the game. It was a great running game, very effective, might have thrown a pick, but also caught a couple of picks, played stellar defense, scored
on the first drive, forced turnovers. We were doing all of it, man, the whole nine Okay, I've picked up a little bit more skill with this whole band thing since we last played.
Okay, well listen. So if you're a twitch streamer I've never done it, subscribe to Demanse's twitch stream. His name on there is right with a no W like just the direction right up side down is his twitch stream. You can also just go to his twitter at demanse bird. It's the pin tweet if you want to see the link to that. All right, again, we've got a little bit of a we're not sure about the schedule the rest of the week. We're gonna figure that out. But so subscribe and it hit a bell on YouTube so
you get updated when we're when we're live next. This was episode one oh six, What's Up.