2022 Week 13 Recap: "Show Me Sunday" showed us a lot

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Speaker 1: The Around the NFL podcast already used all three timeouts and that terrible clock management. Gregg thinks he could handle the clock, But when you're doing it on the couch, Mark Sesler, it's a little different. I mean, I'd be the first to tell you that if I were thrust into a coaching situation that sound yeah. In the final minute or two and Greg is spouting off like forty five thousand verbs and words about what do you do with it? I did, like, just shoot me with shoot me in the head with an arrow, like I don't belong here, like, I mean, it's the one thing I could do. But I have total confidence you put me in the I'd actually be more focused and more on top of it. I'd take time outs that people would never see coming. Andy Reid is going to the Hall of Fame, Mark, and he's no better than us at this. Well that's that is comforting, But then you have to be a genius and n I also not motivating. I can motivate. I think talent management and also procuring talent with the eyes the motivating part. The rest of it. There's a reason I'm sitting here instead. Even that could be a questioned. Dan hands is here with Mark Sessler Greg Rosenthal on Show Me Sunday in the NFL. We talked about this on Thursday, that this schedule, this Sunday schedule, the best of the season Week thirteen. We were gonna learn much about teams that are on the quest for the Lombardi and a lot of big matchups. We're gonna get to all of them and uh, including and this is a bummer, a big injury that will impact the NFC race to Glendale and Super Bowl fifty seven. Uh in just a little bit. But why don't we start in Cincinnati? We love the Bengals here on the podcast, Well do we love the Bengals. We love Cincinnati, We love Chris Westling, we love the Westling family and Lakisha and links. So seeing them succeed and not being a flash in the pan right last season, seeing them become a superpower, it's bitter sweet. They're easy to love. I think I think it's bitter sweet. You know. I used to famously long time listeners know always needleless and say are you gonna come back, Chris? You're gonna be a Bengals fan again? And he would always say nah. He never even never even hesitated. When I watched this man at quarterback, Joe Burrow, I still wonder what West would have thought today. Let's get to it, Chiefs bangles the two minute warnings stopped the clock with one togo. The Bengals face a dilemma here. Burrow dropped back to throw, wants to throw his past car in traffic half the fourteen and that has propping now and Joshua William, welcome to the National Football League. You had great coverage, bond Man, but Tee Haggins just better Dave Lapham going a little zolec but also at least gave the young man in coverage credit for doing his job the best of his ability. Just wasn't good enough, because Higgins is a star, just like Jamar Chase, just like Joe Burrow. On a third and long, when maybe the move greggy and the man with the polo on the sideline, I don't see him in a polo late league. It's getting colder. Run the ball there and then kick the ball away and hope your defense gets to stop. No, the Bengals say we're gonna win this game because we got Joe Burrow and he's gonna throw a dart he did, and victory was clinched by the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat the Mighty Chiefs in a rematch of last season's a f C Championship game. And Mark Sessler that his three consecutive wins for Cincinnati over the Great Mahomes, they are ready to roll three wins in twenty wanting two because the first of those happened in January. So this is like they you know, they propped this up today is this is the rivalry that is starting to equate with Buffalo and Kansas City. Well right now the Bengals own this and it has a lot to do with Burrow. And I really this this was this lived up to it. Burrow said it with his own words. This lived up to the billion. And I really loved that Cincinnati worked their way out of some real fixes in this game, because they had a long drive where Trent Taylor on fourth and one was stuffed at the goal line by Carlos Dunlap. That's snuffed out points right there. You lose the drive. On downs, there was a we all watched Tyler Boyd have a terrible drop on third and three from the Kansas City eighteen and the right and that forced them to go for a field goal. That's just leaving points on the board. This game went from a fourteen a three Bengals lead where you're thinking, maybe they can just continue to do this all drive to a four to seventeen Chiefs lead. But then you got un characteristic Kansas City eras and who's the guy you count on week after week? It just feels like a He's like a video game character to me. Travis Kelsey had a killer fumble that allowed the Bengals back into this game. It's set up a ten play, fifty three yard really resilient touchdown driver Chris Evans, who's been invisible all year because of their depth scores, for them to put him up twenty seven to twenty four. Then you get to my homes. You're thinking, this time for my homes just to march down the field. And on third and three, I thought this was a huge play third and three, Patrick Mahomes was sacked by Joseph Asai. That's set up a long fifty five yard Harrison Butker field goal and unbucker like it's sailed wide and said, right, isn't it crazy that the state of the kicking game in our league now, is that when a guy misses a fifty five yard or you're like, oh man, he's gonna want that one back. Yeah, it is. It's interesting because like we're used to seeing that and then and then that was the final score because the Bengals were able to convert on that third and level, the third and eleven yard pass to Tee Higgins and Higgins other side of that drop has been so wonderful the past couple of weeks, and Chase Jamar Chase had a big game in this too. You just see the Bengals team and you're thinking, you know what, Yes, they can beat anyone in the a f C, they can beat anyone in the NFC, and as long as they don't get in their own way, this is a team that I think a month ago we still had questions about. I do not have questions about these Cincinnati Bengals today. No. Joe Burrow said in Tennessee, this is the type of game that great teams win, and I think he was right. And I think what they're showing is they they are a great team right now, and they can be a great team in January because they've learned how to protect Joe Burrow, and they've learned how to call their offense with the the early down passes they are able to run even without mixing. And that play call on third and eleven after Burrow took a curious sack that Tony Romo was on him about in terms of clock management, he could have thrown it out of bounds, but he got a little mixed up with the clock and took a seven yard check to call a pass in that situation. Zach Taylor's graduated. I mean I put the polo away. I don't know what's next. I think you you put on a tailored suit, Zach Taylor suit where whatever you want? If you just want to be comfortable in a big hoodie. It's a wonderful world out there where like huge hoodies are fashionable. Do that? Do whatever you want, Zach Taylor, You've graduated. His team is He's basically saying, where would I wear? Can I just counter? Um? He doesn't have to change anything. It's just your opinion was wrong. But this man a good coach. He's he's evolving and we're all evolving. Greggy, But I think what's happening here is in money time in December against the Mighty Chiefs. He's smart enough. I guess it doesn't take. I don't know what it takes, what you have to wear. But when you have Joe Burrow there, it's common sense. I would have been with you. I would have been if they would have run the ball and then gotten beat by Mahomes, I would have said, damn it, Zach Taylor, you gotta trust trust that guy like he's Joe Montana, because sometimes that's what he's like. And he did so. I give credit to Taylor for realizing what a great talent he has here. Man, this is this is such a and a fun wrinkle here. The a f C is wild because you have the Chiefs now. Um, the Bills didn't play today, and they went from the fifth seed all the way up to the first seat. They're back on the top of the a f C East. They passed the Dolphins will get to them in a minute. The Chiefs Now fall back, but the Bengals are right there. Greg And it's like it's hard to when when this thing gets to January and hopefully everybody stays healthy, something you can never take for granted. Today being a perfect example, why not the Bengals getting back. I would love to see a fourth match up here, and if it happens, it'll probably be an arrowhead. The rest of the chief schedules very favorable. Wouldn't surprise me if they win out uh and get the one seed, I consider them still the favorite. But that's secondary to me to the development the fact that p Ryan can get a hundred and six yards on the ground, and you mentioned West that that really hit me talking about that because it just reminds me what we're missing in our newsroom watching these games. He would absolutely be about this Bengals team because he's just about great football and great football players in great quarterbacks. And it'd be strange because it's the Bengals, but it'd be undeniable. It Joe Burrow is undeniable well, I mean whatever uniform this team was wearing. He would love the way they're constructed, the way that they showed faith in Joe Burrow. And one of the thing about Zach Taylor, I think one reason that you were on him a year ago and I was too, was that their offensive line continue to be a problem from wire to wire. There never seem to be any ability to adjust and the offensive line. Yes, they made their improvements over the off season, but they started out as a bit of a disaster and it has not been a liability the same way. And I think that allows you to show more confidence in Joe Burrow too. Um Mark, You've always been on the ball sharp as attack. When it comes to earning the general public about the difference between the two sports basketball and football, I'd like to think I that I do do that, and then Tony Romo goes and throws just a Molotov cocktail into your entire Oh he did the Michael Jordan up on top of the ball, stretched out fumble comes out. But I think the Michael Jordan of the sport maybe just got over two guys unbelievable, most completely different than basketball, right, and I and I picked out Justin Herbert before the season. But I would point that Wes made multiple comparisons between football players and Michael Jordan's, starting with Odell Beckham. You could throw others in there, and so this has been going on for a while. You know, no one invented this, right, but you've always maintained that it's a completely difference. I do maintain that they're not the same sport. And I think you're right. Yeah, I think history will approve you correct. I think it's already well on its way to doing that. Um, let's hear from Joe Burrow just because he's a bad man, and he spoke with Rachel Wolfson after game. Tracy Wolfson after the game. We just have guys that know one it takes to win, No. One. It takes every week in practice to grind work your ass off to come out here in a moment like days in front of this crowd, to come out with a big win like that. Being said, that's all it is, is a big win. We got several more coming up, so that was a fun one. But I know what we're seeing them again. All I talked about coming in about the rivalry with you and Mahomes, How would you describe what is taking place? And I thought I lived up to the hype. I would just say also that we'll get to the Ravens and what happened to them today as well, that the Bengals team that lost seventeen nineteen seventeen to Baltimore back in Week five, that team doesn't exist. This is a such a better football team than the Baltimore Ravens, and the idea that anyone but the Bengals are winning this division is absurd to me. All right, well said strong take. Is it a great game? Uh? I mean it's correct. I think they are. I mean, who's there aren't many teams playing better than the Bengals period right now, Um, let's now move to another marquee matchup. So show me. Sunday, Cincinnati showed us that once again they are the real deal. Casey, They're gonna be fine, Like Greg said, they'll probably, but when the dust settles, they might be a top dis conference and be ready to make another run to the super Bowl. Cincinnati is gonna be right there. Miami and San Francisco. Interesting intra conference battle. Let's check in with that game. Tyre kisot laugh, gonna run a deep route Chow. We're gonna step up behind the polisad. It is preped up. Rat there right upon, Troy three Law scoop thankscrap touched said, sets go big play, Dre. Unbelievable that Niners defense does not quit. Greg Papa with the call k and b r Dre green Law with that fumble recovery or a touchdown and rookie quarterback Brock Purty through two touchdown passes after replacing an injured Jimmy G. The Niners ride that d with thirty three seventeen win over the Dolphins. That's five straight wins for the Niners. However, Greggy Jimmy G exits this game with a foot injury. It's announced after the game that he will need surgery on that foot. It's broken. He has done for the year. So a cattle cataclysmic event here for San Francisco that overshadows a huge victory. Yeah, let's start with a Jimmy G news because the fact that they overcame Garoppolo's injury in this game is worthy of talking about for a while. But the fact that Brock Purdy is going to be their quarterback for the rest of the season is a is a huge letdown. And we've been looking at this team as a potential Super Bowl contender. They're eight and for the way that they played this game in one this game with Purdy, I think proved that because they did it in different ways, running defense and also pretty making enough plays to win it. The way he played it, though, Dan does give me a little hope that we can keep this thing going. I don't know why I'm saying we haven't been at forty nine. Well, you're loyal to football, yeah, we're We're just like hoping that the football can be good. And his football was good. He looked a lot like Jimmy Garoppolo, to be fair, it was weird there was after his touchdown past the Christian McCaffrey he actually even did the Garoppoo like fist down pump thing that. I don't know if that's a thing behind the scenes of the San Francisco qubis, but you know, it makes sense. I mean, speaking of Jimmy g let's hear from Kyle Shanahan who discussed with the media the unfortunate prognos prognosis of his QB and that is the second QB one that San Francisco loses for the year. Unbelievable um and Jimmy um foot he'll be out on them needs surgery, um for a few things in there. So I'm real unfortunate to have that, so obviously, I mean, just hearing it, it's it's pretty crushing, it is. You know what Jimmy has been through, how hard he's worked at this. You know, I got that news a little in the second quarter. Um, so it was a little different for me, even just how happy we were with that game. That was a really cool game just as a team and all the stuff that went on throughout the game and just be able to overcome some things and it was so such a special win. Um. But definitely mixed emotions hearing about Jimmy. Um, I told the guys right after the game, and so I know that gave them some mixed emotions fast too. But um, it was a hell of a job I Brock coming in stepping it up. He um did a real good job today, and um, we're gonna be ready to do our best overcome this. I mean, you think about it that no, and they he's super emotional. I think number one, it's it's clear to all of all of us that like Shanahan, there's something special between him and Jimmy g. I mean, this is if you think about this is a team that's lost two starting quarterbacks. They were in that situation because they lost the first one, and now you're out down to Brock pretty who I think twenty four hours ago, it's safe to say very few people in this room or behind the Glass had much context for yeah, and the and the fact that he looked so upset. I think maybe he's thinking the same thing, Greg, that we've been talking about, because, uh, you know, when they lost Elijah Mitchell to another MCL spraying, I said on Thursday, Man, they had two games where they had all these guys on the field together and they were unstoppable. And now look, not only is Mitchell gun you see CMC looks banged up. Greg. You you pointed out on that big gainer he had near the end of the game, he didn't wasn't moving as well, and I think maybe he's a little slowed. And now to lose Garoppolo, you just wonder, like, is this is that how we're gonna remember this team now? Most likely? And yet I still give them a good chance to win this division. To to go on and run and and be dangerous Garoppolo and the like, the supporting, it just reminds me how messed up football is. I mean, the fact Shanaghan knows that in the second quarter that everyone was so jack for this game. The two sides were talking trash during the week were he Moster had to go on to San Francisco radio and kind of talk down these comments that he made that the Dolphins were way more talented than San Francisco and he was upset about how it was. And everyone is just so fired up for this game, and almost immediately Garoppolo suffers that injury. It was on the last play of their first drive, which ended in a field goal, where you know, he kept extending the play and ended up getting sacked and a couple of guys fell on him and for the team to respond and trail seven three because to a tongue of Voloa hits a seventy five yard touchdown on his very first play and then to outscore the forty niners the rest of the way thirty two. What ten with Brock Purty in the lineup, It's just football is like a crazy sport. And proc Perty is also a guy who was Mr. Irrelevant in this draft, Right that's gone, and that they cut Nate Sudfeldt, who they had given two million dollars guaranteed to be their backup behind Tray, and so it was supposed to be Trey Lands and sudfeld it ended up being Garoppolo and Purty and Purtty did enough things in this game in terms of getting out of the way of pressure. It wasn't all about the Miami tackles being gone in this game. That was a factor, and Nick Posa made it a factor, but Miami's pass rush was after Pretty way more, had way more quarterback hits uh, and pretty actually got out of the way a number of times, made good decisions. Uh, hit some big time third down throws to Deebo Samuel to John Jennings to extend drives. It wasn't just him being kind of a caretaker. So it did give you a little hope here that they that they can be effective offensively. I guess if you find out in the second quarter that there is no more Jimmy g for this season, that you start to show immediate trust and pretty because you have no other choice. And I thought they did. Like on that fourth down play that you mentioned that they you know, they're dialing and up. I mean it's like at this point, you're it's over a three hundred pounders Zach Seelers on a three d on the fourth down play. It's on Shanahan too, and I think he's done this before. I think they did it last year when they were playing around Jimmy, you gotta find in different ways to move the offense. Just that they aren't banged up at running back to It's like depths suddenly out of nowhere became a massive issue for a team that I thought was essentially heading to the Super Bowl. I'm with you too, I I thought we were screaming. And this is why I can't assume anything. Um, Eagles Niners, NFC Title game. NFC just got a lot more wide open to me right now. And I think spinning over to the Dolphins side, Um, this was show me Sunday for them because they mowed through some of the worst teams in football during their five game winning streak, and this was a big test. And then Jimmy g goes out early and you're against the third string rookie quarterback and this score is misleading. Thirty three seventeen is not really how this game played out. So they didn't get blown out in this game. But some of those questions about the offense resurface here because two uh was for the most part inefficient and ineffective for the first time of his accuracy has been so locked in for so much of this year. This is, in fact the first game that they lost that he started, and I guess he didn't technically finish because they brought in his backup, so that stat will live on with an asterix. But I thought that the turning point of the game here is UH they're down, Um, they they wake up and they marched right down the field. They get a long touchdown pass UH to Tyreek Hill forty five yards and they cut it seventeen and then force a punt. They get the ball back and they had a chance to in this offense, to wipe away a bad day at the office with one more big drive, take the lead and maybe steal this game. And it ends in painful fashion. Greg on a fourth and two at San Francisco's thirty six with six oh three to play to uh targets Mike Kasecki, who looks like he's open, he's gonna catch it, but Drake green Law, who had a huge game, closes out of nowhere, gets his hand in there and forces and it was ruled to catch overturned on replay, and that was the game. Ultimately. Yeah. Tah talked about that play after the game, indicating there were some mistakes on that and I think what he meant was people not being in the right spot, and he more than once in his press conference alluded to some communication issues where either he he had some inaccurate balls like his interception he had two interceptions in the game and and that fumble late. Uh, but he also said that there were misscommunications where he thought guys were going to be in a certain place and maybe and then then they weren't. And that explained perhaps some of the inaccuracy because it was and three and the fourth and to that point there had been seven straight drives where to and the Dolphins offense looked as bad as they looked all season too, is missing wide open players all over the place. And I kept thinking, man, this is a bad sign for the forty niners. Guys are just running free and two it keeps missing him. But eventually their defense that we expected kind of showed up. Green Law and Warner make this team special. That is the best linebacker combination in the league. Green Law also had a catch in space, a tackle on space on Tyreek Hill that helped set up that fourth down stop, and Warner had a cup of past deflections. I mean they are special. And then both with three sacks like they have superstars, so to at least give themselves confidence. But to uh, it was a concerning performance to say, I mean in boast is the new sack leader, and I think you have Damiko Ryan's who's gonna be a head coach a month and a half from now, number one. I mean, it's gonna get a job off of this. If this is how the defense carries the team down the stretch, and it's like that's the part of it. It's like San Francisco, Yes, you lost your quarterback, but it's not the same thing as the Chiefs losing Patrick Mahomes or Team X losing someone that they simply cannot operate without. I I think that Jimmy g though, to be fair, was the last month and a half playing about as well as he's ever played, and so you were getting a good version of him. So now they become a team of mystery. Here's the case. What we know about the Kyle Shanahan offense, the fabled offense and his father and all that, it's it's quarterback friendly in terms of his design. If you're not asking the quarterback to make a ton of reads, maybe you could spin this. Brock Pritty is ready for this and he can make the throws. He can find a way to be efficient because you don't need to your point, Mark, I think what you're saying is, you don't need a guy to be a superstar back there. You gotta have a guy that could get the ball into the hands of the playmakers. Kind of how I see two a little bit in Miami. Uh ken Brock be that guy or is their season over now? I think? And when we're gonna find out as this goes on. And Greg one more thing, West Bros. Back in the win column locked up the Niners. Nice McCaffrey. Keep an eye in McCaffrey. Of course, they don't have a lot of depth back there anymore. He had that thirty yard run, which is a big run late in the game that set up the field goal that kind of put it away. But if you take out the thirty yard run, that's seven sixteen carries for thirty six yards. And yeah, on that run, he wasn't you could tell he wasn't as explosive. But it was a gutsy game by McCaffrey, who ended up with a hundred and forty four yards from scrimmage, eight catches, eighty yards in a touchdown, like you could tell he was playing at less than a percent and like took one for the team. And you're gonna need to do that a lot more. All right, So huge developments, two big games. Let's take a break, then we continue to spin through. Show Me Sunday. All right, we're back. Show Me Sunday rolls on, and now you have a game here between the Jets and the Vikings. The Jets looking to show the world they can knock off a top team in the NFC, and the Vikings saying, respect us, we're more than just a good record. Let's see what happened. More from ten from the Vikings nine team Minnesota leaves by five. So Darius Smith comes flying up the center, Mike White hit his de prons prose to the gold strike and it's been intercepted by Cam Bynum and that is your full game. Cam Bynum with the second interception for him this season, and the Vikings are going to win. If you hear in Paul Allen's voice or k f A n uh, he's a little bit almost seems exhausted. It's because if you're a Vikings announcer or end or both as Paul Allen Is that was an exhausting win for the dollar for the Vikings, who had control of this game against the Jets badly out play the Jets in the first half, and then in the second half the offense does what the Minnesota offense does at times, which is fizzle, UH go through ruts, and the Jets kept chipping away. However, Minnesota's defense hung tight and got stronger in the red zone, and that was the key to this twenty seven to twenty two win. You heard that Cam Buying Hum interception at the one yard line again and again, boys Um. In the second half of this game, the Jets and even UH in the first half, they would march down the field, Mike white Um connecting with his wide receivers, get into the twenty, get inside the ten, get inside the five, and then not have an answer and that leads to Greg Zerline hitting five field goals. Meanwhile, Minnesota's offense three trips to the red zone, three touchdowns, and that was a major difference in this game. It It doesn't leave me Um with anything to be honest, but more hope for the Jets. I we can get to the Vikings part of it, but like they will only allowed a touchdown in the second half. There's a different type of Jets team that collapses down the stretch and instead I thought they'd they toughened up. And I to me, you look at what the a f C playoff field right now. The Patriots are nothing to me. The Jets take them much more. They are. The Jets take much more seriously. And I don't know why you need like Mike White to throw the ball fifty seven times with twenty six in completions, but I still saw things from Mike White today and the way that the offense moved in general. And you've got Garrett Wilson becoming an absolute star. Eight catches a hundred and sixty two yards that's the most by a Jets rookie since when Rob Moore, another phenomenal player put that up. Corey Davis had big catches down the Strets. I mean this they are playing. I know a lot of people don't believe in the Vikings because of the regression heavy one score uh you know victories this season. But that said, they found a way that I look at the Jets defense that held Justin Jefferson to forty yards. It's a missed opportunity. I think opportunity because you do have a game in Buffalo, you have the Lions who have have been playing well, you have a game at Miami. You just don't know. I I tend to agree that if you look at the playoff field, the Jets still feel like a likely playoff entrance because of the competition and where they stand. But you out gain the Vikings four eighties six to two eight seven and you lose the game. That's that's a missed opportunity, absolutely, and that I think there are two ways, um to look at it. Yes, the Jets are proving week after week. By the way, this team is fun, is hell to watch, one of my favorite Jets teams I can remember. Um. But at the same time, we are trying to break a playoff drought here and you're gonna have to steal a win like this, uh um to get there, to get to that tenth win. Let's say, remember we don't need to respect the Patriots, but they're also one game behind the Jets, and they swept the Jets, so they have the tiebreaker. When you look at all this, so the Jets are kicking themselves. And I didn't love all the play calling down near, down, in close, but you also have to factor in some things with Mike White um and and gaining comfortable getting more comfortable between O C and QB on the on the Minnesota side, I don't know what to take from this game because because it's no no matter what I say, Vikings fans will listen to this just be like, oh Dan's being a hater because his team got beat. But my honest feeling on the Vikings is it doesn't change like they're winning these games. And I just think to myself, am I impressed by what I saw in this game? I'm impressed by their ability to stand strong uh near their goal line and end this game and win this game. But Kirk Cousins has not had a good year. He was sub Gabbard zone in this game, and in general, it's just this team does not seem to be a tenant to team. Are you a bigger hater of the the Vikings or the Dolphins? Because I did see that tweet against the Dolphins UH, and today was kind of the end of and it was it was a tough day. The Vikings have a chance at some point. I feel like because of their players to play better than they have and then they'll be playing better, potentially having already one ten of their first twelve games. That's that's the idea. Like as much as we're putting them, I agree with you that I don't believe in them. And yet they only play one team with a winning record the rest of the way, and it's the Giants, you know, So it's like they have a chance to get the one seat this way. This is why they're I know there's Vikings fans out there, like your buddy Mark, that are absolutely going to agree with me. At halftime, you're thinking, all right, not only are we winning again, look how we're dominating in all phases. We really are that team. And then they played a second half that was so uninspired that it kind of, in some level just put you back to where you were before this. So there will be some Bikings fans I will just say we're tenant too, that's all that matters. But they still to me have to answer questions, Uh, this did not do it well. I, being a level headed fan of any team, could look at a record like this and say, okay, we're not that record compared to that record in years past with other teams that forged it in a different way. They had six drives that went for less than six net yards in the in the in the second half, out of seven drives. So this thing that they could say it's tired that we talked about a team that will take naps during games, but they simply do do that. They also, I think fine ways to get into these situations where they're winning these one score gapers. Yeah, I think there's something to that. I think they're I think they're there. I like their ceiling better than a year's past because I really think that the change away from Zimmer and what was going on with Zimmer in the overall offense is much healthier now with this team under the occonnell that played by Jordan Hicks, the linebacker who ultimately knocked the ball out on the What was that a fourth down to Arios which would have won the game. People people saying it should have been caught, but he I think he he hit his hand and he hit the ball. That was a nice play by Jordan Nicks. That was the game. When you play, Yes, the Vikings defense deserves a lot of credit the Jets when I believe three for sixteen on third down one for six in the red zone, and we talked about San Francisco and what happened there. I think anybody that's really watching this conference closely before what happened today for the forty Niners would have had the Eagles clearly ahead, San Francisco should be seen as ahead. Then you slot in the Vikings and figure some things out. Maybe the Cowboys ahead of the Vikings. Now I think San Francisco drops things down, and this is I mean, this is a big positive day for the Vikings, who I think they're chanting into the super Bowl. Also have increased here. So there you go. I'm not this isn't any I'm not bitter about that. That that was. It was a good effort by the Jets and they just did not execute well enough. But there are a lot of good things to take away from it. Look at this thing. We've never watched the Jets team like this during the ten plus you're run of this show. No, all right, let's move on. So what do the Vikings show me? I don't know that they know how to win. They are the Vikings, they've been all along. This feels like I showed me confirmation game. Okay, let's now head to Philly where the Eagles are Like, what else do we need to show you? And the Titans say, we're still looking for some respect. Will show you or will they? Justin shaking his head, J Brown Brown, J Brown tuck it away from pray A Bith had scored stuck a touchdown of the game. I'm telling you they gotta get these boys in the weight room. You talking about mossing. Somebody that was mossed. That is the exact definition of mossing. A dB great digger, Mike Quick putting your dvs in a body bags and Buddy is going up over their head. Now, I mean that was an amazing catch, but that was where to be questioned for their physical statures is low. It's been a bad two weeks, two weeks sil rees and Mike Quick w I p man a. J. Brown. This was his revenge game. He he he wanted to stick it to the Titans, and he did. He scored three times, one was overturned, then he scored two that counted. Uh and the Eagles just ran away from the Titans thirty five to ten, and uh man, it could have been worse. This was a a really great effort by the Eagles Mark Sessler. I mean, starting team wide. It was a week ago when they ran over Green Bay with three hundred and eighty yards rushing, and they showed they could do that. Today they really didn't even emphasize the ground game the Eagles. You know, after a hundred and fifty seven yards on the ground from Hurt, so we go he had three hundred and eighty before he was pulled. Really far before this game ended. I mean, they just show that they can be so dominant, and it was I think a game plan completely designed around if it works, we're gonna showcase a J. Brown because he wants this. He called the game personal. The forty yard touchdown strike he was the most wide open a wide receiver has been since seventeen according to Metrics. The twenty nine yard touchdown his long defensive He drew a defensive essentially a d p I that's set up Hurts for a touch on as well. It just was one thing after the next when it wasn't him DeVonta Smith at a hundred yards to their passing game today, I thought put it on a Titans team that look at the Titans. I will say this they were banged up. They lost trailing Burke's in this game, which left them at wide receiver down to essentially Nick Westbrook, A Kina, Robert Woods, and C. J. Board. They lost David Long, they lost Christian Fulton. So it banged up already banged up Titans team that was out physical by the Bengals a week ago. I thought they got taken to them by the tight by the Titan or the Eagles today. And I think, you know, coach called about him leaving them at a crossroads, and and we talked on Thursday about how they dropped this game. What kind of team are they here? They go? Here is Mike Rabel. I mean, I think we're at a crossroads. I told the team, I think we're at a cross roads and kind of how we you know, I want to want to continue down this season. It sucks losing, It sucks getting beat the way we did um, but but we have to, you know, we've got to make a decision. You know, how much are we willing to invest uh and and trust in what you know the coaches are doing, trust and what each and other players are doing. So I just I think it's a critical time for Uce justin obviously this is a bad uh day for the Titans, bad day for you, and you locked up the Titans. That was That was a rough one. Um. Also, Traylon Burks, who's the guy they drafted to replace A. J. Brown, has what I thought a brilliant touchdown catch and gets knocked out on it, um, So you have that on top of it, just a bitter, bitter pilvious games. I think Traylon Brooks was literally knocked out. The way the players were reacting, like calling over to the sideline immediately. I think he was out cold on the field. Was unpleasant to watch. Ruled out pretty quickly with concussion. And yeah, the Titans are in at a cross roads for sure. I think Mike Vrabel has coached around some talent deficiencies all season and through the injuries and everything. But when you come up against a team like the Eagles that are just so complete in all aspects of football, you reach a point where you just can't coach around it. And with Denico Autry missing the last two games, the Titans pass rush has been almost non existent. And I know Denico Autry has been a great player. He has been playing at a Pro Bowl level this year. But before he missed these two games, I didn't know he was this valuable. But it feels like the Titans defensive line really misses. They also might just be running out of gas here. They can't run the ball on offense, so you're getting dominated physically on offense and then on defense. Yeah, Autry is a good player, but the whole point of the Titans is they've had players in and out of the lineup up front and they've still manage to win. The fact that Cincinnati really took it to them up front followed by this game, it is a crossroads and yet a little bit like the Vikings, it's like they're gonna win their division. They know they have the game against the Jaguars next week, which would basically all but win their division if if the Titans win that game, their schedule is not tough the rest of the way. They're gonna settle in hopefully for the Titans to this third or fourth seed and get ready for the playoffs and try to get healthy. That's fine, but I think that they're the team that in a totally wrong way, because we usually mean this positively, the zigged when everyone else zagged. These other teams went out and like, we're going to find that wide receiver that changes our offense entirely. And I'll never forget the night of the draft where suddenly Grave Digger breaks away from the work stuff to hold his own mini podcast on you know what was a Instagram? Well, I mean because you were you, but but you actually was. You were prophetically annoyed because for the record, Erica put the phone in my gad but it got about his dark as you could have possibly imagine if you have to head towards the schedule in this game, it was as dark as possible for the time. Some more darkness maybe, I don't know an expensive And by the way, before I te up this, a J. Brown quote, let's not throw too much dirt on the Titans because they will win the division and you know they're gonna be a tough out in January. But right now they look vulnerable and weak and they should have a J. Brown and they don't, And a J. Brown is going to make sure the Titans don't forget it. To be honest, it in personal sense sence the tray. To be honest, I just been trying to keep it down just because, like I got stated like that's where I wanted to be, and they just kind of just I'm not even trying to get into aut it, but uh but that's why I want to be. And you know, things didn't work out, you know, and uh, it was just kind of just all right here, you know, here you go. You know, we don't want you anymore. You know, you just kind of give Puss to his side and and that's joys for me. And like I said, I had to grow up, you know quick as a fan, justin I empathize with you, because that hurts even more. He's he's saying I never wanted to go, but they just didn't keep me around, and that makes it even worse. It's just weird because it felt like the negotiation went sours so quickly, and the reports that he cut off communication with the team reports probably a negotiation tactic to just like get a better offer or whatever. And it's also that one controlling every one of these wide receivers that exploded financially at the price they didn't want to pay. It. It's super frustrating that the Titans were just like, okay, fine, we'll just trade you away. We can replace you with a first round draft pick or whatever. I don't know. Was it was Rabel for once doing a Belicheck move that was not smart, like we are not going to pay him. It was develop someone else. Come on, I mean, Rabel and Mike and John Robinson are joined at the definitely worked together. But Vrabel said a month before they traded him, as long as I'm the head coach, we will never trade a j But today's point, that is a Patriots type move. We're not gonna suddenly drop a huge contract organization, you know. Of course, then they worked together for sure. It's not like, say Brown has nine touchdowns this year. The entire wide receiver group for the Titans have four combine. And I'm so impressed by this Eagles team. Sometimes you know, these games are close and one of the little parts of their team aren't perfect, and they often respond with an outstanding game, like every game is not gonna be perfect in the NFL season, but like they've had enough of these games that man, they are a game. One thing about them too, they out of the gate. I'm sure watching this that they had an aberration game penalty wise, where their offensive line it had five false starts before halftime. And like eight or nine penalties and it was very Uneagles like and they didn't panic. They worked the way out of it. And you're pulling Hurts midway through the third because they're so explosive. And I think one thing about the Titans. If when they can't run the ball, if you get them into these third and four or five, six, seven, eight yard situations, they have no way out. And Tannehill again was hobbling around. That's what I don't like about this offense right now. Six sacks for the Eagles today. I'm not throwing the dirt though I'm not. You don't be back. We're not throwing the dirt. But like the you're a little concerned. It is a measuring stick type of game. I mean, they got blue the Bills, they couldn't bumble around with the Bengals, and they got their Winless against playoff teams current teams in the playoff field, Titans are and five. Hey, what is okay? I mean there? You think they're gonna win multiple playoff games or maybe I just don't. This is the lowest. Remember before these two games, we're all saying, Wow, unbelievable of the Titans. Respect you juked on their bands. That's it's been since. This was the one game where I thought for able scheming from opponent to opponent did not matter at all. Do you want do you still want him on the Titans like you think that I had the power to remove. It's the tightest Monday saying, we're gonna talk about the quarterback another team if you like Tom me Um. And one last note, Jalen hurts to me is in the lead now in the m v P. With all due respect to the great Mahomes. It's close, but I think as he continues to stack these monster games for this very special UH Eagles team, that's why we get this new voting process that Greg and others are so fun to think that that will be UH. That's a great point that those second place votes. I would stop my homes to the Desert because you picked them before the season and you want that Dub I'd be the same way. That's a great point to the Desert. I did say anything to the Desert. Ross Jacob seventy four yards on thirteen carries, and he gets it again, pitches it back to Derek Carr looking down field for a to have it shot. The more glorious, true, Derek, I love the word the third quarter, and both have been long touchdowns of Davante Adams, this one from forty five yards out and the runs lead the Chargers. I'll tell you one place, mark Edward Sessler, where there's plenty of room is on the Raiders bandwagon. You want to join me? No, there's not that. I mean they are heading towards the on the hunt part of the playoff picture. In the a f C. Jason Horowitz and linking Kennedy with the call Davante Adams. This dude is unreal. And there's so many dudes that are unreal on the Raiders that you know, well, there's three, There's Max Crosby, there's Josh Jacobs. This year there's Davante Adams. Shouldn't that be enough to make this team a player? In the f over the Chargers, Chargers um the game that the Chargers jumped ahead early, and uh, it feels it felt like, Okay, the Raiders are going to quietly fade away and the Chargers will get a big win here and they start start to gain some momentum. But instead, from basically the second quarter on Las Vegas took control of this game, and I thought that Derek Carr played a good game again. Davante Adams, he is worth every penny and every pick that they sent because there are that you could count on one hand how many wide receivers can make the difference that he can, and he's one of those dudes. And every week he makes plays that very few players can make and he's consistent. Um So he has a big day and the defense is getting better for the Raiders, they sacked Justin Herbert five times and that's three straight wins. They split the season series with the Chargers, and for the Chargers market is just like more of the same. Here we are six and X, just kind of going through the motions of another season where you're an also ran well and Brandon Staley's calling card was his defense, and we talked about the fact that before this season they have an injuries, no doubt about it, but they brought in a lot of pieces that would have fit really well players. He knew and you're getting smoked by Davontae Adams for a hundred and seventy seven yards and two touchdowns. Josh Jacobs, you knew this was coming at you. He still gets a hundred and forty four. Just feels like every week for the Charge. This is like I mentioned Greg during the game. Greg does his great free agency. It's sometimes it's one oh one, sometimes it's ninety nine. You never know. We're where does a guy like Josh Jacob's fall Because we know running backs don't tend to get paid and aren't valued on the same level. But he, I mean, he's starting to creep into the offensive player of the year conversation to me, and and he's about to hit the open market if they don't tag him involved to do this next year. I think the Raiders hopefully will find a way to keep him because he just belongs in this system. He's such a good fit. I just hope he holds up to the end of the year. He had twenty six carries in this game. Uh, he hasn't had a workload like this, coming off another big workload last week. I mean, in terms of a season workload, it's crazy that Adams had one seventies seven. Jacobs had one forty four. The next closest skill position player at thirty five. So it's like a three person team and on defense it's been a one person team, all your Max Crosby, but today you've got three sacks out a Chandler Jo who came into this game with half a sack on the season. And I really think Corey Lindsley is a Jena piece for the Chargers. When he their center has not been in their lineup, their offensive line has gone from okay to just terrible, and it sounds like they were terrible today. One reason you could believe in the Raiders, Dan, I know you already do, but just that they're they're kind of the mirror Vikings in the a f C, the reverse mirror, because they were owing six and these one score games last two weeks. They're now two and six because of two closer wins. If they can do this with Jons Jacobs regularly at this time of year down the stretch, I believe in that kind of team because you have a couple of stars that do this on a weekly basis. You just knocked the Chargers and Patriots charges another team. I do not buy in for this playoff race to get them out of here. So I don't quite remember everything I said on Thursday because I was half alive, but I said this was a huge game for the Raiders and this this pipe dream of them being in the mix. Now that they have it, you look at their schedule and you say, we're at Rams next week, that could be a dub. Then you host the Patriots, you should be able to be there. I don't think the Patriots are very good teams. And also they then you jump them in the standings and you get the tiebreaker if necessary. If you get that win, then you're at Steelers, who are know are they're competitive right now, can win that game. And now all of a sudden, the Niners quarterback one at a time, but they're saving mc daniels. I don't know if his job was gonna be in danger, but it's definitely not in danger now. Derek Carr is playing well enough to raise his trade value so that they can bring in debt Tom Brady next year to reunite. Because also, you like you looked at that Niners Chiefs conclusion of the season, the Chiefs could be sitting players that week, and you're passing. You're passing your little Patriots, Greg and the Charger the wild card round. I would say, like, let don't worry about who the Raiders have been all year. If they are who they like the last two weeks. If you get this team, every every squad that Dan just mentioned could be felled by the Raiders. Chandler Chandler Jones is speaking at Jenga pieces. He's been the opposite of that this year. But if he turned turned it on and was Chandler Jones opposite Max Crosby, there's just a lot here after some heartbreaking losses for this team they profile is a very interesting team. They profiled as a team that should be close to five hundred, and now they're getting there. But can they pass the Jets. That's what they'd have to do to make the playoffs. So I didn't think of that to get off that. Alright, let's and we'll be right back. All right, here we go, Welcome back. Sometimes the real shows what happens during the break absolutely, I mean, these guys, it's like they're just buddy is. It's like that's the show. Well, now Greg revealed something that I would categorize it's it's disturbing. Uh interesting, all right, we're gonna share that at the end of the show. Yeah, well we will. All right, let's move on to Houston, where a certain quarterback made his season debut. At the two on the punt, Donovan People's shoves back and back and catches at he's forty five. Now where is he gonna go? Hut's right out of a tackle, lot of another tackle. Thirty. That's fun. He's gone touchdown this year. There it is Donovan People's jones with the punt score. So yeah, Deshaun Watson returned first game in seven hundred days. But it is that d p J score plus two defensive touchdowns by Cleveland that was the difference in win over the woe begone Houston Texans who fall to one ten and one. They don't want anything to do with the dub because they want that first pick Nick Shook and now it joins us from Ohio Shook. Uh. Let's start with the obvious. The game we knew was that pumping was able to do two things at once. The Cleveland Rounds better beat the Texans. Everybody better beat the Texans. But everybody wants to know how did DeShawn Watson look in his first game in seven hundred days. Predictably rusty, maybe even more than people anticipated. Left a lot of throws short, every pass, almost every pass he had had a diving down effect on it skipped a lot of balls at the feet of intended targets, and you can see their frustration throughout the game as they they knew they're open. He just wasn't delivering the ball. But there were glimpses where you saw the Deshaun Watson of old where it's like, hey, maybe if he gets more comfortable and more in rhythm and this offense, he can complete passes. It's just the fact that he hasn't played in nearly two years. The speed of the game was visibly affecting him. He looked skittish in the pocket. He looked like he wasn't used to being, you know, pressured by a live pass rush. And he also has to fit in this offense over time, so it was rusty. It wasn't a great game from him. And I'll tell you what guys against like twenty nine other opponents in the league, the Browns probably lose this game because Houston's own deficiencies and just struggles in general or what produced a lot of these points of the Browns. Uh, and the fact that Kyle Allen's playing there. I can't imagine the Kyle Allens any better. Than Davis Mills. But I know they're working, they're worried about so it doesn't matter either way. If they weren't playing the Texans, they probably lose this game because they don't get those opportunities. But credit to them, they had capitalize. Most of it did not have to do with the Shawn Watson, uh little glimpses of potential being better. You know, first game back, it's it's pretty expected. Nothing surprising. There, nothing shocking, stunning or impressive. Either. They're lucky that they scored in every other possible way a team can score. And basically, I mean every time I looked up, they were showing cut ups to your point of Watson's ball like throws essentially landing the feet of receivers. It looked a little bit like his very brief preseason action. So I think you're right, he's just extremely rusty. And it's a hard ask to go. I know that, you know they're essentially out of the playoff race barring a major surge, But to make this transition right now off of a Jacoby Pricette led offense that seemed to just be working in different ways. I thought that Watson's presence in there. Took away from the ground game, It took away from everything, and it's like, all right, so what's the rest of the season. I mean maybe when when do we expect him to look kind of on board and fresh here? I mean, this was not the player that traded for the guy who saw today. Yeah. I think this is one of those instances in which, if you got a full length of a season to get your feet under you, that by the time they got to this point in the year, they'd be humming. It's just the fact that, you know, you drop them into week thirteen. This is the guy who hadn't seemed live reps in close to two years, You're gonna have issues. It just looked like he wasn't comfortable. He wasn't used to the speed of the game. And the only thing that cures that much like a rookie quarterback, is more game reps. So like a again, like I said, you can't be too surprised by the fact that he struggled there. Uh, if you expected a lot from him, I think you were. You know, if they were playing the Texans, like this is the worst performance by any quarterback against the Texans this year, probably by a lot they had three points offensively essentially because one of the two field goals they got were just off of a turnover where they go three and out. So he played absolutely terribly. And then after the game, you know, they asked him questions. The Browns media arm don't let anyone from Houston ask any questions, which is wild. They they the Cleveland media and some national media asked them the questions, but no one that was there from the Houston media got got called on you have to raise your hands to ask him a question. And they asked a question from Jenny Renzos to whether he feels any remorse, and he just you know, of what goes on, and he decides not to answer it at all, just saying he's happy to be back on the field, and it just sort of kicks the can. I know these questions are gonna slow down, but I think it does kick the can down the field that like, people aren't going to move on when he's strict like that. I think he's gonna keep kicking the can until people stop asking. But people would here's the thing, people would move on so quickly if if if he had even the a modicum of feeling like he did anything wrong or admitted that he did anything saying that his his his legal team is telling him not to say anything. Some of this stuff, sure, but some of them have nothing to do with legal questions. As Jenny Brenton, I think you should be allowed to answer the question. Well, think he's cynical. Maybe he's waiting to turn it into a pay day in the offseason and do some type of big interview or something, or we're expecting him to have a reaction that he's simply that's not who he is. But he wasn't ready for the moment today, like on the field, like going to Houston and playing like he was not ready, and he got bailed out. And you know, they do get the win and get to five and seven and and Baltimore loses their quarterback when you get to that later and you almost almost were like, oh, what's going on in the a f C North. But the Ravens do get that win. So the Cleveland is still very much kind of in play out the string and Watson is going to use the rest of the season same record as yours. The Browns just for what it's worth it. They do have to play in Cincinnati next week and how was the response from the fans in Houston. Obviously that's another subplot with this return. Played his whole career until this point in Texans, before everything that went down. Yeah, it was a subplot that was covered plenty on Twitter. Um, you know, videos of him signing autographs for Browns and Texans fans before the game. The only real reception I noticed the entire game was his first few snaps. There was some audible bowl booze on the broadcast. There was audible you know, just like that kind of like low roar from a fan, you know, the fan base that we're booing him as he took his first naps. That was it. I mean, there weren't that many people at this game, right, not exactly like a rowdy fan base at this point, Like you have to pay anything if you were expecting seventy thousand people able to pour into that building and just boo him from start to finish. Well, the fact that the Texans are one ten and one take some of the air out of that balloon as well. So anyway, let's move on, Shookie and head to the meadowlands. Let's move on. Five seconds to go it over time and grabbed you know, could send his team home a winner or both leaving with a toe t Get there, get there, Get there, and Washington and New York are gonna settle for a twenty tie in round one. See him again. It's not a weird, but it's not a loss. He's covered all those bases, some of that analysis there. Yea. All that was absent was the kissing your sister portion of it, which is thrown around. It is like kissing your sister. I don't have a sister, so I can't. I have no reference. It's a good it's a maybe a bit tired, but it's spot on because there's nothing to celebrate. Ram Weinstein, London Fletcher, Julie Donaldson, w B. I g you not to argue it's not a defeat though either, is that? Yeah, it's a tie, all right. The Giants end to two game losing streak. The Commanders their winning streak ends, but they are unbeaten. And this is gross. I hate all that hype in one for Boll teams shooking. It's disgusting, it's gross. It's the worst part about it, if you're a fan of uniformity, is looking at the standings and seeing the number Dash, number Dash. It's the worst. I mean, it just ruins everything. Four teams mard our schedule, especially when it comes to like the playoffs scenarios when we get closer. Because of this, it's gonna be so messy with with two weeks ago and you're tying and nobody, nobody complicates matters more than the Commanders done in the last six or seven weeks. They get the great Yeah, they should be the Washington complicators, not the Commanders. Come on, let's get the branding on track. I mean, you know what, I give them credit because they fought their way back in this game. It was Taylor Heineke leading a touchdown drive within the final two minutes, you know, earning more compliments from his teammates who want to talk about his courage and his onions and everything else that he carries around. But at the end, they couldn't get the job done in overtime. The Giants couldn't get the job done in the second half. What do you say about a tie? You can't lead toward focusing on one team more than the other. The only good thing, though, guys, the Giants offense started to figure it out again. You know, they've been pretty bad for the last month. Daniel Jones had his most rushing yards and since weeks seven, uh, that became a feature part of their offense again it's been gone for a while. S Quon under four yards to carry but made a difference, and Danny Danny Dimes throwing the ball around the field a little bit. They just couldn't come up our buddy, friend of the show, best friend of the show, so might say. Cavon Thibodeaux has the blindside sack of Heineke at the Commander's one yard line in ot and that sets up a fifth the eight yard field goal by Graham Gono that we heard that fell short. It's like, man, that's on a platter to go win a ball game. Moved down the field twenty yards or so, and they and they just couldn't do it. They didn't have time though. That was after Brian Dable essentially played for the tie, both coaches playing for Yeah, they played for the tie. The Washington clarification, I you know, it wasn't. It was a little annoyed by Dable's decision to punt. There they we this game, you're right, shook was It's very hard to come up with what to say about it, because we had two punting decisions on fourth down in opponent's territory. In overtime, Rivera was a fourth and nine, but still they had a point where it was six second and seven at the forty one of the Giants in overtime. You think this game is just about over because they're moving the ball. Then they go backwards a couple of plays, they decide to punt, Table decides to punt as well. I think it was fourth and five after they botched a couple plays. All so there was one in the backfield where where it was third and one and overtime, and two of their players in the backfield run into each other. I disagree a little bit with you shook on their offense. If only, the Giants said, is if only because, like I thought, Daniel Jones played near perfect for three quarters and was coming up with a lot of plays where he really wasn't protected very well. Alan and Payne really dominated, and he had to play perfect for them to just be up a touchdown against the Commanders. The Commanders to me look like a better team, a more talented team overall, and yet they were in a position where if they could get one fourth dound stop, that's the Giants. The game is over. And Taylor Heineke, who did not play a good game until that point, gave the other team a lot of chances. Is rolling left and throws a total dime on the run, sprinting left and another dime after that. I have to admit Heinech like just shows up in the biggest spots, Like I was impressed by Heinech. If if nothing else, I'm picking the Commanders the next time these teams play in two weeks. I feel like the Giants got a little lucky. So how does it work for Key with the nikes? By the way, does he get one air Jordan's? Does he need to tie in them the other? Stay off that charade this week? Right, Chook? Take us through it? I mean, I hope. So what are you gonna walk around with one shoe on and a sandal on the other. We can't do this. But no, to your point, Greg, I think you know that we know the Giants are operating in a bit of a talent deficit. That's why their story has been so compelling this season. I was really disappointed in Brian Dable putting them in the situation that they did that led to the punt, which was that confusion in the backfield. I don't know if there was a communication issue or they were trying to get a little too complex. Pick up the first down, Take it in small bits. You need three points. You don't need to go try and be a hero in this game. In games like that, that's gonna matter at the end of the season. When you end up tying in this game, not only is gonna make us mad about the standings, it's gonna matter overall with where you can actually go, whether you can reach the player. Can I argue though, that like a tie between Washington and that this year's New York Giants is perfect. I don't see one is clearly better. Another tie. We need another in two weeks when they play again, that would be even even even it out. And I think for the Giant in the NFC, especially where that seventh seed, you might not need. Maybe you do, maybe you don't need to have a great record. Like avoiding another loss. I almost feel like it was a moral victory somehow for the New York Giants. All right, so let's go. Let's just set it up real quick, then, because the Giants get the Eagles next week, and let's just let's give him the L. Who knows, You never know, but let's say they get the L there. That sets up a rematch with Washington. It feels like to me, whoever wins the Battle of seven five and ones is going to get that last playoff spot because you're gonna have the win there and that will be in the mix. We've got five weeks to go here. One that hype and one is going to cause a lot of respect because these are two teams that everyone refuses to respect, including the Taylor Heineke slander. He's just a guy coming in doing the best Deekennony through. Actually those throws were incredible, But I tried to give the Giants respect here. I was rooting on the Giants in the lock, in the uh, in the newsroom like they were my team. Every Giants fan is always saying, like, you're so down on the Giants, admit it. Mark Every Giants fans for the Giants, and they let me down. Um, your Heinekey analysis there, I loved it after just three words. He's just a guy. He's doing exactly what they asked him to do. He doesn't get the money that he wins. Uh. I think he gets an incentive for every win, and so he doesn't get that they did in the face by your sister. They asked Ron Rivera what his message was to the team after this, and he simply said, I wasn't quite sure what to say. I think that's sometimes just own it as a coach. This was a weird one go home eat dinner point number three and by what we learned, Yes, what do you write about a tie? That's meta and that's why you're the best in the business, Nick Shook. Check him out at NFL dot com and check him every Sunday on the Around the NFL podcast. Thanks buddy, all right, thanks guys like that best in the business, that's uh. I mean when we talk about the A T M writers that we have so many good ones. Kevin Patrick, who has been a stalwart for years coming at you on the morning side, Shookie holding it on, I mean holding it down in the PM, gets a little frisky at night with Chokie. Yeah, I'm more thinking if if he is the best in the business side to deny that NFL dot Com might need to open up the purse at some point strings a little bit more money. I would imagine he could use you the representation for one Nick Anthony Shook be happy to if if he's the best in the business, that would be a nice side hustle. Get nice. I don't know if middle name is Anthony, but then he could go by nas and that would be awesome. All right, let's take a break. We'll be right back. I mean, the conversations during the breaks are just mean, not for the entire family. All right, let us move on. It is coming like a freight train. This team, this team, this team of a t L golf up under center, turns fakes to get the swift thrones and Tom got open the last stay brown, touch down the truck lines. Handle your business, boys, handle your business. That's exactly what you've done today. No hand it take bags. Who will be the team lazy? The lights are flash lady, this is your line mark Here you go go on Team the right. See it with your chest lan team e T Yeah. Song that Jamal Williams, he got some bongos. I'm sorry, I don't need to catch from the song to the bongos. It's almost too much for me. Bongos, come come, come. Jamal Williams ran for his fourteen touchdown cheese early in the first quarter. If you had Jamal Williams fourteen touchdowns on December four on your Bingo card, I wonder why you have a Bingo card with NFL results. But also that's crazy. The Lions blow out the Jaguars, who were we were just throwing roses at the feet of the Jaguars last Sunday, and yet they could not even hang Greg Rosenthal with the team of a t l who win again to see their offense go up and down the field put a forty burger on him in a game where they only had eight offensive touchdowns. You know how many punts they had in this game? Damn how many zero? You know many turnovers they had in this game on offense? Zero zero. It's a perfect game. Four touchdowns, four field goals. That's what it takes to get Mark Sessler, they would have. I already told you I believe it after the Bills game. They had to do is win. But now we feel it. I feel it starting just the creep out of you. Mark, I feel like you're really starting to understand what's happening with this team that they believe in each other. Dan Campbell, do we have anything from Dan on this? She agreed with that, do we have anything we have Jared Goff, let's hear from Jared Goff. Um taking care of the ball on offense, causing turnovers on defense, and and cleaning the kicking. That's a pretty good formula and we've been doing that and UM, it feels good. That was as complete team win as I've been a part of, UM and it was really really well done. And Jared who there I understand Jared Goff never took home the big ring with the Rens, but he did go to a Super Bowl and was on some really good offenses in Los Angeles, and that was the best team win he's ever been a part of. He's sticking into Sean McVeigh range impressiveness. It started with just a bit of good luck for Jared Goff in the in the Lions offense where he had a tip pass at the goal line that could have been intercepted and ended up leading to a touchdown. After that, it was perfect. And it's partly because we got everyone back here, not everyone on the offensive line for for the Lions, but offensively. DJ Shark is healthy again and Goff hit him on a beautiful goal ball for about forty one yards. He ends up with five for ninetyman ross st Brown been healthy most of the year, but he's fully healthy now. Eleven for one, fourteen in two. DeAndre Swift is finally actually healthy. Maybe it was the mini buy for the Thursday night game for for forty nine in the air, fourteen for sixty two and a touch. They look different when they have everyone on offense. Golf was feeling it. This Jaguars defense hasn't been there, and I think a lot of a lot of the credit has to go to Ben Johnson, I think, the offensive coordinator for the Lions that has done as good a job taking the talent that he has in making them into a really inventive top five offense this year. Ben Johnson might be getting some interviews I think after this season, which they were I mean statistically for the early part of the year too. I mean, I think the thing is, like you look at the Thanksgiving Day performance by Golf, the meltdown, the team meltdown, and Golf missing that throw at the end overshadows what was a really strong performance. Three plus quarters. He's done it. Again today fits really well into this. And if I'm on ros st Brown were on the Dallas Cowboys, he'd be leading the league in like Jersey Sales. I think it's just because he's kind of couched away on the Lions. This guy has been unbelievably as consistent a young wide receiver is there is out there right now, and I think him crushing this line I mean Jaguars secondary is sort of, uh a reminder of coaching because I don't think the lines are that talented offensively, and the Jaguars have the second highest paid defense in the league. They have a very few spots on their defense where you're thinking like, oh, this is a young you know, up and coming player. There's injured I mean injuries. They do have young up and coming players, I should say, but it's guys who they want to build around or free agent acquisitions. And they've been pretty terrible this year on defense. And this was another game. And then you watch the Lions defense on the other hand, who have really played with great energy since thereby. They've been an average defense statistically since thereby, and this week they were even a little better. They are a team on the come up in the NFC Doug Peterson summed it up a lost day for Jackson. We talked about how great that win was last week, dramatic and Lawrence playing out of his mind. We were kind of shocked to start the game. We were not ready and greggy. If you are indeed as you have been, I think it's been absolutely authentic your passion for these Lions. But if you are a true believer, I look at the NFC playoff picture. We see the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh and final spot at seven and five, and we see the Lions at five and seven in the nine spot. A true believer wants those two teams to flip spots. Are you a true believer? I would love to see the Lions in the playoffs. Let's get the Lions and the Seahawks in the playoffs over the Giants. Can that work? Now about your true beliefs? Can they play the Vikings next week? The Lions? So, of course it is. But then if you're a true believer, they play the Jets the week after. Don't turn this around him? Well, I'm just asking you. You just did that to Greg, so I'm asking you you. Suddenly you're in a bit of a log jam spiritually, of spiritual log jam in that situation. But I think we understand that I get a one week exemption, as we do not understand have to play each other. They already did. Gino won that game forty five. It was a while. Remember Greg's only been the biggest Seahawks fan you know for about three months. My fan Greg and his favorite teams, because there's roughly thirty two of them. One last note quickly about our The team of A T. L. Jamison Williams returned in this game, their first round pick. He only played about six or seven snaps. That's interesting. This interesting that he's coming back, A great young roster and their best, the best pass rusher on the field today. This is why the draft is funky. Number one over, I'll pick Travon Walker at some point. Can we ask for Trayvon Walker to make a point. I don't know. I don't anybody whether he was profiled. Aiden Hutchinson been a solid season. He's been up and down. The best pass rusher that was a rookie on the field today was James Houston, the same guy mentioned a week ago who came out of nowhere. Dion Sanders is program. I think James Houston is my guy, mart marking career game, I believe, And he got another sack and another couple. That's what I'm saying. All right, let us move forward. He's both of the Seattle Seahawks. They had the Rams should be a cake walk across the sidewalk. Let's see what happened? Man down? Stay? Are you kidding me? DK Metcalf Ranty was all over him. K put some big mits up and says that ball is mine and the Seals take the lead, big pumped up call there by Steve Rabel of k I R O as DK Metcalf comes down big day from Metcalf with a big catch there, and the Seahawks are able to get out of Sofa with a seven three victory over the Rams, who started John Woolford in place of Matthew Stafford, who, by the way, was moved to I R. And it was reported by Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic that it's a spinal continue usian uh and we won't be seeing him again this season or maybe at all. That's something to talk about down the line. But anyway, this game, Greg, I'm not gonna beag on the Seahawks during the season. Uh, there are games you're supposed to win that turn into dog fights and you just gotta find a way. And it looks like that's what happened today. Yeah. This was also a Rams team under Sean McVeigh, that's own Pete Carroll I think have one eight out of their last ten. They blew them out, I think their last three times. And the Rams offense, for the first time in a long time, including when Matthew Stafford was playing, looked quite good. John Walford using play action, moved the ball well early in this game. Cam Akers ran for six years to two at Wells, making plays, powals, making plays on the running game. It all felt like a little smoke and mirrors and trick plays. But it's concerning for the Seahawks defense that once again they do not look great and once again they don't have a running game. But they do have a quarterback day and you guys can huckle and chuckle and you could have your little fun. But when you need a game winning, big time drive by Geno Smith, a touchdown to win the game at the end of the fourth quarter, you get it. Nothing else was really working well for the Seahawks today and maybe that's true for the balance of the season. He ends up with three sixty seven and three, and that was a dime to Dk Metcalf. Dk Metcalf was awesome in this game. He beats Jalen Ramsey there the rest of the day. Jalen Ramsey wasn't really on him, but half of Metcalf's catches were in tight quarters, using those strong myths, and he goes one for he was. I looked up at one point when we were watching this and your beloved Geno Smith. And by the way, I feel like I've been praising Geno Smith for like eight You got him in your top ten, and you're he keeps doing a weekend the week. But suddenly he's out there jawing with rookie running back Kenneth Walker. What was going on there? Let's not bring up John Genos Smith, but go on. I'm not sure because Kenneth Walker left the game with an injury, and I don't know if it was something where on the play in question, whether there was a protection breakdown, that was my guess. But Gino wasn't happy with Kenneth Walker, and then was they were yelling at each other and Kenneth Walker was pointing on him. But at that point, Kenneth Walker did not return to the game. He had an ankle injury and left. D J Dallas, their backup running back had an injury and left. They were already short Travis Hormer Homer had an injury, so at that point there was one player left on the running back depth chart. That was Travis Jones, who went seven for fourteen. So it was truly all on Gino and he got it done. Um I was thinking about this this morning before the latest Gino heroics and a big performance by him today, that when the Seahawks traded two first round picks to the Jets for Jamal Adams a deal and then paid Adams like a super duperstar, a deal that almost immediately backfired, it just felt like it's set the organization back. And now you fast forward a couple of years, the fact that they were able to offload Russell Wilson right before you fall off a cliff, get back the draft picks that are gonna be premium draft picks, and now Gino has stepped up. The entire organization has reset itself and no longer is in a hole. They not only they dug out of the hole, they've now marched up the mountain here. So you've gotta be feeling really good about Seattle who I think their defense Greg and I'm gonna watch this game, but I don't think the defense is at a championship level. But certainly anything that involves this Seahawks team going to the playoffs is a huge success. And they are knocking on the door. Yeah, and after two straight losses, I think any win is a good win for them. I do look at that picture and don't think it's gonna be easy for them to get to the playoffs if their defense is playing like this. Tariq will and though and the young players that they have playing this well. He had another interception in this game. Does give you a lot of hope for the future. And it was tough. This wasn't the same Rams team we've seen, not just on offense but on defense. It was a revenge game for Bobby Wagner, who had an interception and two sacks. He was going everywhere. Him and Jalen Ramsey were jawing at DK Metcalf and John with each other on the sideline firing each other up. They played with a ton of energy today and it felt like that this was a heartbreaking loss. Even though the Rams, you know, this is a dead season, they really seemed to want this one and we're playing lights out for most of it defensively and still wasn't well. They also a week ago against the Chiefs, they shut him down to the red zone and forced field goals. So it's like, it's not they're fighting, all right. Let's head two Soldier Field where the Bears got their young quarterback back and they were fighting against the Packers. Two minutes to go in the game, Rogers under center, single back offense, motioned by watching to the left side gift but Christian watch, there goes thirty th fifteen ten five. He late to the end top for the dagger touchdown. Christian Watson, the rookie, delivers the dagger, his second rushing touchdown of the season, sporty six yards speed kills a down Tom Okay Larry McCarron puts a button on it with Laye, Wayne Laravy w R n w Um. The Christian Watson development of the past six weeks has been remarkable. He went from a guy that we talked about throughout the summers. Oh man, he needs to step up and fill the void. And he drops. The first play from scrimmage is seventy five yard touchdown and disappears. And it now he's turned into everything they could have hoped for and more. Every single week he's making multiple impact plays and finding the end zone. And he did it again twice in a nineteen win for the Packers over the Bears a game. Greggy, you and I locked U up? What do we now? I think we what do we say? If we locked this one up? We are? You said we are the lock daddies, zad I mean you guys escaped by the you know, the hair skin of your teeth father, he would be the lock Daddy's. And then Dan and Mark are the lock zaddies. Is what you said on on Thursday show because we were the lock Bros and you wanted to dress it up and becomes Zaddi's. Yeah, I like that better. Okay, Roses like from daddy is is a is an insult because we're lower than the Zaddies. Well, but that was assumed. Dan and I have like a nine and one records, luck, Zaddi, I mean what we are is a father to a comeback victory. Here this this game, and I know Mark you were watching it closely. Was setting up very poorly for the lock daddies, because the Bears came out and Justin Fields coming back, and a lot of people said me one of them, why are you playing this guy? He's on you got the buy next week. He's got a bad shoulder. You're just playing for draft positioning anyway, he's your future. You gotta be careful. Well, he felt good, he practiced all the week, he didn't have an injury designation. And then he goes right through like a knife through butter on the Green Bay defense for a sixty yard touchdown run, and you blink and it's a double digit deficit. Sixteen three. Bears are up late in the first half, but there it is Christian Watson from Aaron Rodgers for a touchdown to kind of change the tone of the game going into the half, getting into sixteen ten, and then the Packers kind of just take control at that point um and win the game. It's interesting that you heard the end around there the second touchdown from Watson. I'm thinking, man, he's got to go down before he goes into the end zone, because that was setting up a situation where, uh, you give Justin Fields the ball back with three time outs and potentially a seven point lead if they don't hit the two point conversion. And Greg, you know, I'm thinking I've been hurt in the lock competition this year with some stunning losses. I'm thinking Green Bay goes for two misses the two, then Fields goes down, the field gets the touch, and they go for to and we somehow lose the game. But instead Aaron Rodgers calmly completes the two point conversion in the game nineteen. And uh, you know, I just think the Packers are despite their record, they're a team that still could be seen as dangerous. They have too many losses now I think to be a player in the playoffs, but they could be a berserker. Yeah, I mean, I think it's in context. Look at the Jets did to the Bears a week ago and other defense, and I think the Packers, if anything, and there's a place for them to have a monster game on offense, and I wouldn't say that happened. Aaron Rodgers through for two, they run for hundred and seventy five. They're balanced, I like them when they do that, but in context, it's not a big win, and they don't have a lot of big wins, so I think they're gonna kind of float around and be a team that ultimately teases us for another three or four weeks and winds up with seven or eight wins. Well, they just finding Watson that he's this big of a game breaker is that's huge them, such a huge deal, and this will allow Rogers to start at least a few more games. In theory, if they ever go to Jordan's Love, they're gonna wait till they're officially out of contention, and this kicks the can on that. I don't think the Bears have to feel too bad. Their draft picks stays good and justin fields two fifty four, I know he threw the interceptions late. You you don't want that in the big spot, but before that, by all accounts like it was one of his best days as a past he looked good. In fact, well, here's the thing. He looked very good throwing the ball and like I said, running on that, especially obviously in the fifty five yard or um. And he was fortunate and played smart. He didn't take any big shots. Um, so you just hope he gets through the season without having any setbacks with that shoulder. But yeah, the Bears know what they need to do to improve. In the Packers, I just think they're gonna I think what we saw in this game, especially the way it was falling behind the way they did thirteen, their ability to come fight back. They're not gonna mail it in on their head coach. I think sixteen three, and I'm going to read a little text exchange. Dan was worried. He said our luck is terrible, and I said, yeah, behind the scenes, yeah, uf yeah, maybe not best to lock up a team having lost seven of eight. I wasn't feeling great then. But the very next text at sixteen three, but I bet they still win at the Faith. And that's what happens with the luck Fathers. The lock Fathers a little classier. Yeah, they kind of like that. The luck Father, well, I suggests you to continue to operate while you while you breaking balls of the luck fot you know you and your Zaddi's can go do what you need to. You're tellings paying his taxes, he's mowing the lawn and sounds exciting and things done. Go live on the edge. By the way, you didn't say a single thing about the fact that you told me not to lock the bills. They had that game in control. From that good doctor the end. Good luck. Can I read a it's a great luck, it's a great lock. I can't refuge. Can I read a quote from jail Alexandres quickly? Because I mean you're going to so you're going to of course. Uh. He gave up a deep ball to Equonymius st. Brown at some point, and then he made up correct with the late interceptions, and he said, man, he is scrub. I can't believe I let him catch it out in me like that. But hats off to him because he did make a good catch. Man. That's that's Mr. Universe's son there, Equonymilous st. Brown. Now I messed it up. That's Alan Rod's brother. I mean, give the man some respect. Calling him a scrub, you don't you know hear that too much. You don't disrespect the other man that way. That's all I got, Thank god. The luck Father's all right, we're taking a break. Let's take a break, a permanent one. Be right back, all right, welcome back. Let's now head to Atlanta where the Falcons, you know, they're on the periphery of the NFC South Race, but they had to take care of business against the Steelers on Sunday, foreboding subtext Atlanta from there to the Steeler Nation is responding with decibels. Shotgun snap. Marioder from his end zone throws that pass and its accepted, turn to the five yard line and dinning out of bounds. Here's Rica Fitzpatrick and that seals the deal in the Mercedes bench Stadium and the Steeler Nation is celebrating. He's so smart, you're going to retain. That's just heads up football. Ah, you can't, Falcons fans, you can't. I know it's expensive going to a game selling those ticket but you make money selling the tickets and all of a sudden, maybe your Christmas from the stadium where that happens quite a bit. But that's a lot of Steelers fans, a lot of black and yellow in the stands there at the Mercedes Benz Stadium for a nineteen sixteen win for the Steelers over the Falcons. And uh, Grave Digger, you had your eyes on this one for us, I imagine I understand. Arthur Smith, he knows in certain situations deep in their own on n they need points to tie or steal a win. I gotta ask my quarterback to make some plays. And like last week, it was an interception late in the game that sealed the Falcon's fate. Yep, wait, is that what using grave digger before you speak? Yeah, that's what we do. But you did that earlier in the show. So does that now? Cancel it out and thinks to himself he's respecting himself, was like, okay, yeah, I don't want to just like talking and yall you say whoa whoa, whoa, whoa whoa. So well, it's fair. It's fair, and I promised you from experience you can't win on this show. So whatever you do, you're gonna get picked apart by Greg and Dan. So enjoy it. What's happening, what's going on there? I feel like we're doing this for two and a half hours. Father, you did predict this on the Friday Fun Show. You said you'd be sufferable that because of lack of sustenance, you would be in a tough way late Sunday evening, and I think the whole company's suffering on that anyway, there's another Falcons game, another game, losing interception slash turnover by Marcus Mariota in the final moments. Yeah, I mean it was a horrible throw. It was into like triple coverage as he was taking a hit. You saw that many times in Nashville. I did see. I mean mari was over at that point though, right basic how much time is left in the clock? I think there was like a minute left. It's a little different than Mariota scenario. They only needed a field goal, so I mean, you complete a couple of passes and maybe you have a chance. But this game, it was it didn't feel as close as it was. Like when the Falcons get the ball back with what are forty seconds left and a chance to kick a field goal, it was like, oh wow, they actually can salvage something and maybe go tie this game. Because the Steelers, I mean, they were winning nineteen to six I think in the third quarter, and it just felt over and the Steeler's offense kind of stopped moving the ball and the Falcons finally put some drives together. They didn't convert a third down in the first half. The Falcons offense, which it's really hard to score points in those situations. Um, but at some point, you know, the Falcons are the only team in the league to not have two d and fifty net passing yards in a game this season. That's per our research team. And uh, it seems like Desmond Ritter time might be around the corner. You know, this is the first postgame press or from Arthur Smith where he said, we will evaluate to that exact question about desn't Ritterer, we will evaluate everything. Every job is open. He's been over there going over the week, gets right, And I think that makes sense because you're, you know, whether you're in this race, so not for the playoff, and you're not gonna win a playoff with Mark Smurriody're not gonna get there with Marcus Marioda. I believe I predicted that exactly, that they would get to the by and then move to Ritter. It was by you one of the more Christopher Ball crystal ball e scenarios on on the history of the show. Didn't you did a great job with that? Mark? The sarcasm is noted. No, I mean you you did any anything else? What about Kenny Pickett, how do he look? Is he continuing to show some signs here for Pittsburgh. Pick It looks good the star. He was spitting some balls into some tight windows there. George Pickens was strangely absent from most of this game, but Pickett looked good. He had hit a connection going with Pat Firemouth. Their biggest play of the season was a long completion catching run by Pat Firemouth. That and you know he was converting third downs to Firemouth early in the game. Also, Naji Harris had maybe his best game of the season. It was his first time this year averaging over five yards of carry and he had a nasty stiff arm on one run in this game. That just eye opening play. He looked a lot better. The Steelers team, I don't know, Mike Timlin never been under five. I feel like they're trending towards at least five hundred. They're they're dangerous, They're a berserker. They've won three or four. The only one that they lost to that was a close loss to the Bengals where they put up thirty points, which to me looks more impressive as by the week. They they're frisky. The whole five thing, it's a thing. They have a chance here if they had just you know, reversed one of those heartbreaking losses they had early in the season. You know they'd be in the mix, but they are not. I went to like Connor Hayward like had a touchdown this this is where his father played in Atlanta, gro when we were young, and that was thank you for bringing that up. I had. I actually want to set that up, Mark because we had um. Cameron Hayward. Also in this game the brothers. Connor had his first touchdown catch of his career. Connor anchored that defense only allowed a single touchdown and uh ironhead. Hayward is buried in Atlanta, and the two sons before the game visited his graves. Pretty crazy story and then both had big days. Let's hear from Cameron this morning, me and went to my dad's grave and you know we got to share a moment there um and so I was pretty emotional when uh, you know he got the touchdown. Uh. I don't like to be Mr. SAPPI, but like that that like really hit me. Luckily there wasn't a camera on me because I was a mess. Then he's wearing his dad's jersey with the Falcons. One of the more memorable players of the nineties, especially during the holiday season. That dad's stuff hits hits hard sometimes. But that's a really nice, uh nice story there, which takes us to our final game before Sunday Night football. Let's head to the Raven's nest. So this will be a sixty three yard dry for Brandon mcmadis mcmaddison. The wind kick on the way and he is down the middle and no good big kicking short hard is expired. The hay in the bard and the Ravens the Broncos ten done. I M well, how about that Jerry Sandusky calling a field fill goal that's short? Does the hay in the barn thing? And the Ravens escape with a ten nine win over the moribund Denver Broncos. Once again no show on offense, Mark Sessler. Why do the Ravens just barely escape with the wind with just ten points? A lot of that goes back to what happened with the quarterback today, phillis in. Mr Cesler. Yeah, they lost Lamar Jackson early to a sort of lower leg scenario. There. It's the good news is because when I saw it and Greg and I are both watching, you just thinking, are we about to lose Lamar Jackson in the middle of a heated playoff derby for the rest of this season. The it came back a little more optimistic. He's gonna miss some time, but we know undetermined, but it sounds like that could and you know, we'll just have to see. But I do think the one thing about the Ravens um probably what I thought, in a way tested their medal a year ago, but also grew Tyler Huntley their backup and he kind of fits in this offense in a lamar Ish way, in his own little way that he's had experience, he's had started experience. A lot of the guys on this team are used to him, and you know, they did not look good. There's no doubt about it. They have not looked good with Lamar Jackson on offense for a while. Either. It wasn't like Lamar's out of the lineup and it's all new problems were developing. They've been a terrible team in the red zone. Tyler Huntley, though I will say this, this is a largely faceless game and it's you you you know that's gonna happen when the Broncos are involved. But the Ravens did not look a whole lot better when it came down to it, with two months two minutes left, the Ravens were down nine to three. I thought Huntley did a couple of things to kind of take over this game. There was a big fourth and two with a minute six left where Huntley executed a perfect fake hand off to Devin DuVernay and ran for three to convert first and ten. Then with forty seconds he hit Kenyan Drake on a really wonderful throw on the move that went down to the Denver two. They call a time out, and then from first and two in the Denver two, obviously Huntley ran it in. They go up ten nine with a nice twenty eight seconds left. Russell Wilson then had a chance. This was maybe one of Russell Wilson's I don't I don't need to call it better games. He just wasn't a flat out disaster because they scored nine points. Well, it's just that he made a couple of throws and he ran the He had a couple of big scrambles like in fact, on this final drive he had a big seventeen yards. There is no bar I mean, it's just sort of he is what he is and they are what they are. Um. Then they had a weird play where he ran out of bounds where I I don't know what he was seeing on the field, there were no options open. That's what set up they executed a better play there. The Brandon McManus field goal would not have been from sixty three. There was very little time. It just was sort of a microcosm of everything we've seen from Denver's offense. And you put McManus in that situation and he barely there's another kick run. Like again, every week, it's like, oh, I think that might be good, and then it was like nope, nope, it's not. They've they have lost so many games for four of them. They've lost four games this year that they really shouldn't have on some level with big leads, and this is one maybe they shouldn't have won. So it was like one coming kind of losses. They were a little in those ways, certainly last week. So this is one just sort of on the whether they deserve to win or not, you know, side of the leisure. It's like one one they didn't. They didn't probably deserve to win this game, but they got. They should lose actual points because of these style points they refused to generate. I will say this about Baltimore because now if you're in the thick of it, you've got You're at Pittsburgh next week, then you're at Cleveland. Then you've got those Falcons maybe with Desmond Ritter. Then you have Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. So it's four division games that really matters. When Lamar comes back, I mean, the whole like easy scheduled thing is over now if Lamar is missing time in Pittsburgh, is no longer an easy game in Cleveland. Will see that stealing this win and and it looked like, uh, they were gonna lose this game. In addition to losing Lamar would have really not only would have dropped him out of the first place, tied with the Bengals. Then you start wondering, like if he misses time, are they gonna fall out of the playoffs entirely, this was a state of the wind stabilizes things. And now you just cross your fingers that you know an mcl sprain. You see guys missed six weeks. With that, you could also see a guy come back and played next week, so we shall see. I forgot about Greg it is the Christmas season, it's the holidays, and what are you doing? You're taking money at a people's sabbataur. I'm glad I forgot about this because I was thinking, who get up on Christmas morning and head to the tree and guess what daddy spent Santa's money? What's under the tree? Pine needles and literally nothing else? You know what? They won't get like that, they're getting every advent calendar under the sun already purchased. With the five and two record we got here, I mean that's a winning percentage that would go down as one of the great teams of all time. Five And you're often on people, uh for not taking accountability, for taking responsibility. Where is your accountability slash responsibility in this situation. I'd take full responsibility for Lamar Jackson's injury today, and you're skirting, you're starting the topic, and I take the responsibility for the loss. But we're we're like a long term operation here, the rainmaker five and two on the season. We have to think about the Let me try this. Weren't they losing six? Three or six? Was the first quarter got hurt? It was a first quarter injury. Greig help me out this way because I know you're a great dad. Yeah. Imagine Walker comes up to Christmas morning and says, Daddy, there are no presents under the tree. Was that bad this year? Now, think about some of these people that got behind you. Is traumatic? I would I would say to Walker, find me another investment opportunity that hits at seventy. I mean, if that's not the greatest Christmas gift you can give about you that you can give to someone. My father said the weirdest thing to me you can ever imagine when I was seven. All Right, we have fun. Let's move to Sunday night football. Ryan will play fank and under pressure e strange a right to the tumble and by the time let's pick up guy hock hock god touchdown. Can you believe h have a night? Malie Hooker, Mali Cooker, the former first round pick of the Cults, discarded, collected by the Cowboys and now a playmaker on a very good defense. And my goodness, Mark Sessler. We said, Greg Rostal, take a blow head home. He's like, what I want to talk Bart Paul? He said, no, go home. I mean he actually he actually made the request to leave early tonight just to be I ideal. In fact, yes you do. Anyway, the Cowboys defense, after a competitive start to this game, a first half that was very close, it devolved into just the theater of the surreal. Uh thirty three unanswered points by the Cowboys in the fourth quarter. Five don't score fifty four nineteen America's team air quotes over the cults and mark your a little Jim Saturday. Oh that team, they're trying their hardest and they're playing better. Well for two quarters they did today. His name is Jeff start there, Uh, Jeff Saturday. But the look on his face as this game ticked off into its final second set it all because this is when suddenly this Saturday. Yes, I'm sure that there is a listen, this fourth quarter did something to everyone that watched it. I think it's something like a what the Beatles were doing in the sixties to make their records a little different. That's how it feels like right now. It's like when the lowest version of the Colts offense meets the highest version of this Cowboys team, you get an absolute torna know, in the fourth quarter to nineteen insane. I mean this Cowboys team, I we I have been ripping on Dallas for the extent of this podcast because I thought that they were a lot more style than substance. Everyone felt that way about this Jerry Jones operation for a long time. Right now, what they're doing is an argument as the most dominant team around outside of Philadelphia. They put forty nine on the Bears, forty on the Vikings, fifty for Tonite. Over the last five games, they're averaging a hundred and eighty yards rushing. They're dangerously balanced. I thought that, you know, Dak Prescott did not have his best first half. He had a costly interception, but none of it matters in the end. They're so explosive in their defense is generating points turnovers. Matt Ryan had three picks. The Colts lead a lot of this is the Cults to They lead the league in fumbles fumbles lost. Matt Ryan completely melted down and not look healthy at the end of the game. It couldn't have ended quick enough for Indianapolis, which would also go for their season. Yeah, I mean, like you were saying. And by the way, the Cowboys, on top of all the defensive stuff we're talking about, are averaging thirty nine point eight points in their last five games. Um. It turned into the you know farce in the fourth quarter because like you're saying, Matt Ryan, who can't throw anymore, He just he doesn't have the arm strength being asked to throw every down against a elite Dallas defense. And by the way, they lost an important player to their defense potentially for the season here Anthony Brown was carted off to the locker room. We were watching the game with Maurice Jones Drew who knows the thing or two about the game, and just the way he was being card and how the ankle was being the leg was being held looked like potentially a broken ankle or but serious injury. And that's going to impact Dallas against better competition. But when you take this version Dallas and against the Colts, the way the way it turned it, it didn't feel like you're watching the NFL anymore. UM. And that's a credit to obviously the Cowboys and what they've built up. And uh, you know, like you're saying, we have been we've been hard on the Nbecy East the times on this podcast, and I think some of that comes from a place of love. Mark. We've talked about it many times on the show, how those eighties teams Washington, the Giants, Cowboys, the Eagles, John Madden and Pat Summer all calling those games. It just reminds you of a simpler, more innocent time. Uh, and for so much, so many of the years of this show, it's been the division has been kind of a drag, and they still get all the prime time games and now a little like peek behind the curtain. When you see the power rankings on Tuesday morning, you're gonna see the Phillida Philadelphia Eagles at one and the Dallas Cowboys at two. I think these are the two best teams in football. And the fact that Dallas doesn't claim the number one spot tells you everything you need to know about how good Philly has been this year. It's just really interesting. This division, well, they're similar to each other in the sense that I Dallas has become this I don't think that they started the season this way, but the emergence of Tony Pollard and their willingness finally to play both of them Zeke Elliott and Pollard. Their ground game can absolutely devastate teams. Prescott only through for a hundred and seventy yards to night and you didn't need to do it all through the air. And this used to be a boom or bust operation on the ground. If Zeke wasn't healthier having a good year, then you became air only and that's just not the case. And then their defense, just like the way the pressure that they put Matt Ryan under and they've been doing this week after week. It's there are only a couple of defenses like this in the league. And I also think that Mike McCarthy, who was widely viewed as a bit of a liability in general, has been coaching absolutely beautifully because he's there's such a weapon's rich off. They really need Odell Beckham right now. We really need to do that. I mean, I almost wouldn't mess with the what you've got going on here in terms of the chemistry. UM. This is something we talked about while we were watching the game, joked about UM a little bit, but I was fired up and prepared when they felt like a game that was competitive. And it was late in the third quarter when Isaiah Rodgers appears to intercept a Dak Prescott pass. Uh it was setting up a scenario where the Colts had a chance to take the lead. They were down I believe two points at the time, like this game got away quickly and um, and this is no sense piloting on Jeff Saturday or even his brother Jim Saturday UM for this. But I don't know how you don't challenge that. I don't know if it gets overturned. But there was certainly no evidence that that ball hit the ground. I know you needed clear evidence that it was a pick because it was ruled an incomplete pass on the on the field. But this is the second straight week where I thought Saturday made a pretty obvious mistake in terms of game management. But we don't need to see much more about the cults are really this game in general. This was two teams going in opposite directions and now the only thing really left to see is if the Cowboys can catch the Eagles in the NFC East, and if they could do that, they might even be able to grab the number one seed. Um. As we look at the I mean the look goes NFL playoff picture, this is pretty interesting, this NFC bracket. It's at the top. Of course, we talked about what happened Mark with the with the Niners, UM and their quarterback. But Eagles eleven and one, Vikings tenant to the Cowboys at nine and three, sitting in the five seed. That could flip, just like the Bills went from five to one today, right and and if you're the Cowboys, this couldn't be lining up any better because you've got three of the four teams remaining from the a f C South. You've got the Texans next week, have a feeling I know who will win that one, then the Jaguars. Then you play the Eagles on Christmas Eve Saturday at four eastern. Then the Titans will see where the Titans are at that point and Washington. So this is this is a team right now looking at that schedule, they could run the table. I mean, things can change. But you beat the Eagles and that one and the Eagles drop another one somewhere else, everything changes. For the Cowboys. I almost don't mind if they don't get the numb one seed because I think for them to exercise some of the ghosts about can't win in January this or that, like maybe you're just one of these teams that wants that extra game and you just like you know who they would get. By the way, this is where your logic might collapse in on itself. They would get the worst division winner, which would be the NFC South team, which you've already guaranteed will win at least one playoff game. So you have already been on record predicting that the Bucks or another team will defeat the number five seed, which is currently the Cowboys. So your logic has just collapsed in on itself and you're floating into the evening. It wouldn't be the first time on this show, or even within this episode where that's happened to me. Um, all right, there we go, by the way, Um, of all the shows for me to miss. You know, I was under the weather last week and sat out the Friday Fund Show. Is very thrilled to see that I missed the annual segment that I hate more than any other. Uh, you did escape. I think a personal train app that would have haunted you over the weekend. Of course, greg Um was stuck tweeting out about Mary Ingalls Wild are going blind in theed I think the so just for the audience that maybe missed the Friday Fun Show, yeah you, I created tweets that other people had to tweet out that I made the content for and so Clai Bonne was victimized. Graver had to send a tweet out to Derrick Henry talking about how manly he was and what a brutal runner he was. And then, uh, you know Greg at the little house in the Prey one, I can tell you what yours was? What you got out of what? What was it? Because you remember, Uh it led to me writing over seven MS to our listen because you said, hey, my d you knows one of the people like, hey, my d ms are open if you want to like talk to me about life. It's like, all right, whatever, And so this time it said, um, and I didn't think this was mean spirited by the way. This just make you look good to a lot of people. But in by the way I did like interfacing with our listeners during no doubt, I don't doubt that on any level. Um, I'm spending December focusing on parts of my life I feel gratitude for. I am very thankful for my friends and family as well is my love of music nineties especially then paragraph break, Um, what's something you're thankful for? Be specific, Let's celebrate life together, and you would have gotten you know, I think The problem there is I love people would have thought that was a really nice thing by Dan to reach out to people with that, and it's it's for whatever reason, it's it just like your inability to hear like people chewing me. It's like sending super weird tweets that appear to reveal something about myself that's not really revealed. Now it would not be I I just was going to go I was going for Dan level discomfort, and I think that you really hit it. It would have hit the nail on the head. But then you did, and I really was feeling pretty bad on Friday. I feel much better now. You did then privately text me to give me a head's up that this was something that happened, and I think maybe you throughout the possibility that I sent out by on your My My response, well, you got and you ghosted me entirely on and I thought, how do we were we going to communicate about anything over the rest of the weekend. It's sealed the fact that you just avoided me the entire weekend because he was like, I'm not responding to this was like sometimes and this is a lesson to everyone as we say goodbye, sometimes the best response to a text is just like, oh, we're gonna sit on that one forget. And that's exactly what I did. I was not surprised that you handled that correctly. I just want to say the dumb tweet that Mark made me send that sounds like nothing I've ever tweeted in my life. Got two likes and fourteen retweets, which is like, that's a pretty good tweet for me. I don't know volume there, people liked it. I don't know, they didn't really stupid, but Henry responding any fat on him And if you want to have Mark tweet for you going forward, that's certainly. I'm sure he would be open to it. Help out my numbers a bit there like me, and I guess the people have spoken what they're what they're looking to, you know, like a Mark Sessler x Justin Graver collab. I think that's what people are looking for right now in life. All right, that's enough. What a ridiculous game that was. By the way, Brad Sham, the sham god of k R L D if I didn't say that on the call, and um, that is not we're all talking about. Was that the biggest blowout of the year. The Cowboys. What they just did to the cults? Uh no, because the Cowboys beat the Minnesota Vikings by thirty seven points a couple of weeks ago. This is who they are now. Just to think, how what would the Eagles have to do to stay ahead of the count. And we're getting the Cowboys super Bowl. It is the second biggest blow out of the year, tied with the Bills beating the Steelers thirty eight to three in Week five. So the Cowboys owned the two biggest blowouts of the season. Yeah, but fifty four sounds a lot different than Yeah. See that shot at Jim are saying the box. He's got to not be thrilled. This is sort of what he was going for initially. Jeff Saturday wishes he was Jim Saturday right now? Yes he does? Did I? I still my lease available West Hartford. Jim's home eating. You knows this guy put your money down. People love to see it. All Right, we'll be back on as a group. We'll be back on Tuesday, Tomorrow, Monday. We'll put the final touches on week thirteen with Greg handling Monday night football duties with a guest to be named later Thank you to everybody for listening until Monday night. Football. Please he the call. Yeah,