NFL Cover Zero: NFL Parity, Vrabel revenge, and Mayfield MVP

00:00:06
Speaker 1: NFL Cover zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and iHeart podcast.

00:00:20
Speaker 2: It is NFL Cover zero, Matt Jones, Drew Franklin Back with you, uh for a little midweek getting into week seven. Drew, I see that Titans gear over there. We're gonna talk about you got a new coach, you got some new swagger walking in. How's it going on. I'm still proudly wearing my Titans gear.

00:00:40
Speaker 3: But they were big in the news this week, and they have a big game on Sunday that I've got my eyes on.

00:00:45
Speaker 2: What is the Patriots? Is that right? Vrabel's coming home? That's good? Well, we will we will get to all of that.

00:00:50
Speaker 1: I want to thank everybody who's been listening here on NFL Cover zero. Our listeners continue to grow every week. Make sure you tell your friends about it, or you know, just people that you meet around the way. We it's a Wednesday. So one of the things I like to do when we start the midweek show is talk about what happened on Monday night football. Because we didn't get to talk about it two games. I think we got to start with my Chicago Bears okay, folks that I said going into last week, Drew, this is the game that that this is a big night for Caleb Williams and he comes through, gets a field goal, they win at the buzzer. Are you now, like, did Caleb make the statement he needed to make?

00:01:34
Speaker 3: I think you did. I said going into it. If you can win that game, that's a big breakthrough primetime win against a team that haunted you last year.

00:01:41
Speaker 2: Was that three in a row? Now three in a row just one week one? You should be four, be four and one right now.

00:01:46
Speaker 3: But it was a fun game to watch neutral observer here of a just a nice dramatic finish. Commanders obviously had it, let it slip and you get the big field goal in.

00:01:55
Speaker 2: The middle of the weather. So it was fucking out. I know you were excited.

00:01:57
Speaker 1: A northeaster hit towards the end of the game, which, as I have learned in the last few days, just means win from the northeast. Feels like it shouldn't get its own name, but it does. But they kicked the field goal. Jake Moody, who had been sent away by the forty nine ers, kicks it. I knew he was excited because in the postgame interview he didn't even take his helmet off.

00:02:18
Speaker 3: That was one of my favorite parts of the whole night, as you know, just yapping right through the face Max.

00:02:24
Speaker 2: Did he not want to be seen? Has he never been interviewed in the football game before? He was like, I'm sorry, helmet on the entire time the mood.

00:02:31
Speaker 3: He played hero at the end, but there was a stretch there in the second half where DeAndre Swift was going wherever he wanted to.

00:02:36
Speaker 2: He was the real star of the night.

00:02:38
Speaker 1: I used to have for the Bears or running back like that, but I think this was huge for Caleb Williams. We talked about that was where the Hail Mary was last year. That kind of changed the fortunes of each of those teams. Troy Aikman just was harsh on Caleb all night. Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson both said they went back and watched the game footage to see how much Troy Aikman had criticized them, and they both were like, what's up, Troy, What do you think you're doing? Did you think as watching it, the Troy Agman was too harsh on Caleb Williams throughout the game.

00:03:13
Speaker 3: I noticed a couple of times because he's on the road on Monday night football in his second year in the Rain. I don't know what you're expecting of him. I just saw today. Actually he's on pace for four thousand and nine passing yards. The Bears have never had anyone throw for four thousand yards, So I.

00:03:28
Speaker 2: Don't know Troy. He's kind of on a decent pace chase in history than Troy was so harsh to him.

00:03:33
Speaker 1: I mean they showed some moment like he threw a pass and it like, for those of you watching at home, Troy the past with the receiver caught it right in front of his face, but he dropped it, so he like it hit right in front of his face, and Troy was like, you can't throw it there. And in my mind, I was like, that's exactly where you throw it right here. He's like, can't throw it there. It did feel like Troy. You think he Caleb beat him at warcraft or something being grumpy. He didn't have a turnover either.

00:04:02
Speaker 2: Did He didn't blame Jayden Daniels when he fumbled, when he was like, eh, it's raining. Things happened and he had a pick.

00:04:10
Speaker 3: Also, I think it was zero turnovers to two turnovers in that second year QB battle.

00:04:15
Speaker 1: Now do you think it's weird though, that Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams got up the next morning to listen to the commentary to see how many was to him?

00:04:23
Speaker 3: Nah, they're both young, new in their positions. They have their doubters, whatever fire you need. Somebody probably tipped them off like, hey, they'd be a little harsh on the broadcast, and you wo that.

00:04:32
Speaker 1: But the story was that Ben Johnson said he came down to get cereal the next morning and his kid was listening to the Troy Aikman commentary.

00:04:42
Speaker 2: That doesn't strike me is how old is this kid? I don't know. I mean the kid was two years old. I need I need to see how they're disrespecting Caleb Like, so, I didn't know if I bought that just to own up. You wanted to see what he said? Yeah, well it doesn't shock me.

00:04:57
Speaker 3: It does shock me that his child was in there playing with toys saying come listen to dad. But the fact that he would take that personally, want to hear it. I saw his postgame speech in the locker room after.

00:05:06
Speaker 2: What is that about it. He's passionate. He is. Yeah, he's yelling, don't blink. And it was about two and a half minutes long. I mean, you've Ben Johnson, new guy had to playbook and with the Lions forever, but didn't know a lot about his personality. He set some passion. We're getting more of these postgame locker room speeches like I remember you used to you'd hear it, like once a year, you'd hear how about them Cowboys?

00:05:27
Speaker 1: And now every week we are seeing what the coaches saying.

00:05:31
Speaker 2: Do you like it? Yeah? One more thing I just thought of. It popped in my head.

00:05:34
Speaker 3: I think they have like eleven takeaways in the last three weeks, and he's like, don't let anybody.

00:05:38
Speaker 2: Tell you takeaways are lucky. They're not lucky.

00:05:41
Speaker 3: Let's go get more of them so you are fired up on your turnovers too.

00:05:44
Speaker 2: He likes it. They're a little lucky, but.

00:05:46
Speaker 3: It is a little I don't want him to know. I said that after hearing how he Sander Stumble.

00:05:50
Speaker 2: At the end was lucky. But do you like these speeches in the locker room? Yeah?

00:05:53
Speaker 3: I like all the access we're getting now. Players miked up and practice and.

00:05:57
Speaker 1: And do you think the coaches are now knowing it's going to be there, They're coming in feeling like they have to.

00:06:04
Speaker 3: They got to performatrix. Also, it's not lost on me that they cut these up. What are we cutting out? I want to hear that part I did too.

00:06:12
Speaker 2: Well. We don't see the losing ones. Yeah, maybe some language subsalted. I would like to have seen Mike McDaniels last week.

00:06:19
Speaker 1: I want We don't get to see the losing ones, unfortunately, but as a Bears fan, I'm very excited. You know, I've been a Bears fan my entire life. I started as a little kid in nineteen eighty five, and since then it just hasn't been good. This is the quarterback we've been looking for since the punky QB know Nas McMahon and I believe an him. I believed an him before, yes, before Monday, But now I'm in. I'm not being delusional, am I?

00:06:45
Speaker 2: No?

00:06:45
Speaker 3: And He's it's not just that it's him. He's got a great young coach, offensive minded in Swift's got a little age on him, but a lot of pieces around here that you own that he's building chemistry with. You can see it you can see it forming right now.

00:06:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, your guy, uh, your guy. Sorry, Luthor Burden got a big catch about to see awesome.

00:07:03
Speaker 2: Yes, I know he's right. So that was one Monday game. Their money game, which I didn't watch any of, was the Bills and the Falcons, and the Falcons kind of dominated that game from start to finish.

00:07:14
Speaker 1: They were up early held the league. You know, Josh Allen loses to Michael Pennox Junior. Are you working like the Bills were? Are my Super Bowl pick? The Bills and the Eagles both are have taken losses with to have two losses. Surprisingly, they were the definitive favorites. Are you worried about them?

00:07:34
Speaker 2: I am.

00:07:35
Speaker 3: I'm shocked they dropped that one having lost one before it. Robinson for the Falcons was just unstoppable here. I think he said, I think you said, a record for yards from scrimmage in a single game. He also had a nasty block on Ed Oliver. That's what we were talking earlier in the our season here on cover zero about how running backs can't win MVP. But he's putting up an MVP like performance for this Taylor. Yeah, he was the star of the game there, but a shocking result. I didn't think there was any way the Bills would lose that one.

00:08:03
Speaker 1: I'm kind of shocked by the NFL as a whole, and this game showcased it about how wide open things are. I mean, it does not feel like there is any team that is definitively even close to the favorite, right, I mean when you have the Bills and Eagles losing two straight weeks, and not just losing two straight weeks. The Eagles lose to the Giants, the Bills loose to the Falcons. If there was ever a year that a random team could sneak up and win a title, isn't this the one?

00:08:31
Speaker 2: Definitely? It's kind of twofold.

00:08:33
Speaker 3: Of the teams we thought were elite are losing, and then some teams like the Colts are five and one, and then the odds up there with the Super Bowl favorites now, so a lot of this has just been.

00:08:42
Speaker 2: Flipped on me.

00:08:42
Speaker 1: Just look, if you were to say, Okay, when the season started, most people believe there were maybe five teams that could win a title, right, you would go, Bills, Ravens, Chiefs, then maybe Eagles, Lions. Okay, Bills and Eagles, back to back losses, but for both teams, Ravens are one to five. The Lions were kind of not really competitive for much of the game against the Chiefs, and the Chiefs their first two games they've won three straight. It's I can't remember a year ever that the favorites have struggled as much as they have this year.

00:09:13
Speaker 3: Well, think if we were just talking Ravens Colts before the year and I said two teams, one will be one in five, the other will be one will be five and one, what would the odds be on the Colts being the five and one? Like, no one would even believe a scenario where that could happen.

00:09:25
Speaker 1: And who would have believed that if you had the playoffs right now, the one seeds would be Tampa Bay in Indianapolis exactly. But that's what you have. I like it, though, I mean, this is the NFL's dream. I mean I know that because we work for the.

00:09:39
Speaker 2: NFL, so like I talk to them all the time, all the various people at the NFL.

00:09:43
Speaker 1: Like, what's up, Bob, But this is what they want. They want paired. They wanted to wear every team that's not the Titans or the Jets. Feels like they can win in a given week, and they have that right now.

00:09:54
Speaker 3: I was watching Good Morning Football this morning and one of the segments was redoing their power rankings.

00:09:59
Speaker 2: You know, four or five panelists up there.

00:10:01
Speaker 3: What made it interesting is like their rankings weren't even close to each other. I mean there were teams that were in some top fives that probably weren't another top ten.

00:10:08
Speaker 2: So who would be your top five?

00:10:09
Speaker 3: I think somebody had the Seahawks in their top five, which is crazy, but it just shows how the parody of your mention.

00:10:14
Speaker 2: Well, let's just do our top five? Okay, who would be? Who would be your top five? Right now? I can't believe I'm doing this here, I'll do it since I'll put you on the spot.

00:10:22
Speaker 3: Let me give you my one because I'm ready. I can't believe, but I'm putting the Chiefs back. We gotta quit running from it. The Chiefs are still the Chiefs. They get Rashi Rice back this week. We saw what happened when they got Worthy back. They're back to my one.

00:10:35
Speaker 2: I actually really liked that pick.

00:10:37
Speaker 1: I think for me today, if you said the game was gonna be tomorrow, who would you take. I'm putting the Chiefs, So I was gonna go Chiefs one, and then I was gonna go Bucks two. For me, I'm gonna go Lions three because they lost at the Chiefs but otherwise had looked really good. Maybe I'm silly, but I'm then still gonna go Eagles four, Bills five. I know though, that I'm leaving out the Colts, and I'm leaving out the Packers and other teams, but I'm gonna go. So I will go Chiefs, Bucks, Lions, Eagles, Bills. But I don't feel great about any of those.

00:11:12
Speaker 2: What are yours?

00:11:13
Speaker 3: And Chiefs won I agree with you on I'm torn between Bucks and Lions two three, and that's our Monday night football game this week.

00:11:19
Speaker 2: So that will look at you. That will answer, and that will answer itself here in a few days. I think it four. You're not gonna take the Eagles. I'm going Colts. Colts, They've been tested, they keep answering. When they play a bad team, they pummel them. I had Colts.

00:11:35
Speaker 3: Ranked dead last beginning of the year. It wasn't me being a hater. I really thought the Colts were going to be terrible. With Daniel Jones, who didn't think they'd be terrible. I gotta give them credit because when they play a bad team, they destroy them. They could be undefeated right now if you don't have that fumble at the go line. So I have to put them there and then I'll go bills. But I'm leaning I'm limping in to putting your tough no, just nuts.

00:11:57
Speaker 1: It is interesting, though, that's a hard list because you're right, you're leaving out the Seahawks. I left out the Colts. Then you throw in the Packers, although they've taken a couple losses. It is a I can't remember a year that this has been harder. All right, let's go over some other things here. We mentioned the Chiefs and the Lions. We taped our podcast the other night and did not get into the fight. What do you think of the fight after the end of the game, Branch is suspended for one game.

00:12:38
Speaker 2: Did you feel like that was fair? Yeah? Crazy fight. Really.

00:12:41
Speaker 3: The craziest thing is that photo that came out of it, where Juju's helmet is off and Branch his fists is just a few inches from locking on that nose that I guess got busted open. But you know a lot of times you see guys pull on helmets in the wrestling, it's rare you get a fight to that extent where he actually had a fist to face.

00:12:58
Speaker 2: Why was he mad? It looked like Mahomes just tried to shake his hand and then he didn't want to show it.

00:13:06
Speaker 1: And then Juju's like, I think, sir, that you should have accepted the congratulatory Like, why do.

00:13:13
Speaker 2: You think he was so mad?

00:13:14
Speaker 3: There was a block early in the game where Juju it's not that in the back or illegal, but he did get him a good pop when he wasn't you don't think Mahomes had anything to do.

00:13:23
Speaker 2: And I don't think so.

00:13:24
Speaker 3: Juju even said in the post game that I could fill throughout the game brand from ad about the block. He was getting a little shitty, Yeah, he said, I want to keep it between the whistles and the and the horn. I didn't think he think was gonna blow over like it did, but it seems to stim with Juju hit him pretty good.

00:13:39
Speaker 1: Dan Campbell seemed pretty mad about it. He said, we don't do that. That's noth I like Dan Campbell's standing up and saying that, But I don't know, I feel like punched to.

00:13:50
Speaker 2: The face he's on the ground.

00:13:52
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I don't know. I might have gone two games. Yeah, and it being I guess it shouldn't matter the scene. But you're on the big stage playing the Chiefs. You represent the NFL right there with all the as on.

00:14:04
Speaker 2: No, I mean that matters.

00:14:05
Speaker 1: I often think the suspensions for these things, it's inherent. It'll be worse if everyone's watching, you know, it just it's just it's just natural, like when everyone's watching that when two on that one Thursday night game when he got hurt and we were all sitting there watching. I think the DeMar Hamlin thing was on Monday night football. I think it's just natural. People tend to gravitate it more if the whole country is watching that moment.

00:14:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, like if the you know, Titans were playing the Jets. She brought that up earlier and this happens probably yeah.

00:14:33
Speaker 2: No, No, one's not even a word. Yeah, I know other people in the stadium are not watching it at that point. Being the Chiefs in.

00:14:39
Speaker 3: That moment, Mahomes being the one that doesn't shake his hand, there's a lot to it.

00:14:42
Speaker 1: So you're you're like me, now we both have the Chiefs at number one. They're back yep, right this week, like they're back.

00:14:50
Speaker 3: And they've already said like, we're not going to ease him in. He's a big part of our workloads, so they're going right to him.

00:14:55
Speaker 1: And Travis Kelcey looks like Travis Kelcey again, Xavier Worthy doesn't.

00:15:01
Speaker 2: I mean they're three and two. They should be four and one, right, they could be five and zero.

00:15:05
Speaker 1: I mean they could have won that game against the Chargers down in Brazil.

00:15:09
Speaker 2: I mean they are. I think they're they're back again.

00:15:13
Speaker 3: Well once we what we've seen Worthy since he's been back, I think if Kelsey doesn't.

00:15:17
Speaker 2: Run into him, and it really could be undefeated. He's a big part of what they do.

00:15:21
Speaker 3: And even though Rice only played like four games last year, he had good stats last year, so they have high hopes for him.

00:15:26
Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, I give you the floor again. You're Titans fired, Brian Callahan. I know that that was something you thought should happen. Were you happy?

00:15:35
Speaker 2: No, they managed to even mess this up.

00:15:37
Speaker 3: I wanted to watch Vrabel beat him by fifty on Sunday, but these cowards wouldn't even let Vrabel bend him over and spank him in Nashville and stuff him in a locker.

00:15:47
Speaker 2: We all know one more embarrass wanted Vrabel.

00:15:51
Speaker 3: We already know that letting Rabel go was a dumb move and Callahan wasn't the right move. It's not like, you know, can they compete? But I just wanted to see it. I wanted able to have his moment. He never should have been fired. Rabel's played it nice in them all week. He said nothing but good things. I can't wait to get to Nashville. But I know between his ears he's thinking, I want to pummel them, And I wanted Callahan to have to sit.

00:16:14
Speaker 2: There and take it. Other than that, though this needed to happen, it was not it, And who did was it? Riley? Is that who they picked to be them?

00:16:24
Speaker 3: McCoy McCoy who was hired as an analyst earlier this year.

00:16:28
Speaker 2: I always get Mike Riley and Mike McCoy confused. First of all, is there a person named Mike Riley? How do I know that name? I don't know who that is. Wait a minute, hang on, just a second.

00:16:39
Speaker 1: Mike Riley was just called up by Mike Carolina Hurricanes last night and he had an assist against the Sharks.

00:16:45
Speaker 2: He's Mike McCoy. Oh, you think he's better than he could coach, better than Brian Callahowe.

00:16:52
Speaker 1: So wait, mat, you're saying the backup third string defenseman from the Carolina Hurricanes last night, veteran Mike Riley is better than Brian Kellay.

00:17:04
Speaker 3: Brian Callahan was four and nineteen against the spread. Wow, and they were mostly underdogs.

00:17:11
Speaker 2: Like, you couldn't even get close nineteen against the spread. Yes, they just lost to the Raiders.

00:17:16
Speaker 3: An anonymous Raiders coach said, that is the worst football team I've seen in twenty five years. There have been teams that have not won games. There have been teams that can't tire.

00:17:23
Speaker 2: Shoot. There was an anonymous Raiders coach that says that he said he say it to is this the sources tell covers it. He was like a CBS story, Okay, but said they do not have a single player on their roster that makes a difference except for Jeffrey Simmons, our big defensive lineman. Worst team in twenty five years he's ever seen. But you won a game. It took none doubles in them.

00:17:45
Speaker 1: Tripping over this, I mean, I would argue that makes the Jets worse if if they if they haven't won a game.

00:17:50
Speaker 2: So do you believe in Mike McCoy Well, I had to google him. Former Chargers coach the Charge Yah and played for Carolina Hurricanes. Yeah.

00:17:58
Speaker 3: I think he's been in the league like twenty seven years as a journeyman coordinator. We hired him in March just to be like, hey, are you come in here and look at some of this tape and even have a real coaching position, And now he's coaching the team. I mean whatever, anything's better than Brian Callahan. I was really ready to go to just let the players coach themselves.

00:18:14
Speaker 1: He was that bat are you would you now like to see them lose every game and get the number one pick? Or do you feel like we have our quarterback so he might as well have the number two pick.

00:18:24
Speaker 3: I wanted them to lose to Arizona. We've already messed up tanking. We fired Callahan right before we wanted to see him get his boat whooped on Sunday. Let this Sunday, Rabel is going to get that. Whole stadium is going to cheer the opposing team. That'll get ready to watch. That'll happen. Absolutely, Titans fans love Rabel. He's going to get a large applause. And if it had been Callahan and said we were gotting the booze, I don't know if they'll boo Mike McCoy.

00:18:50
Speaker 2: Interesting. The timing on this just adds to it, all Right.

00:18:53
Speaker 1: So, Billy, you were telling me that the NFL the viewership numbers, right, So we're through six weeks of the season, basically through a third of the season. The viewership numbers to the NFL are like crazy, right.

00:19:07
Speaker 4: Highest viewership at this point of the season in fifteen years. NFL games are drawing on average eighteen point five million viewers per game, and the Bucks forty nine ers game last week was the highest. It averaged twenty seven million viewers on CBS.

00:19:21
Speaker 2: Twenty seven million viewer during that Bucks forty viewers game. Wow.

00:19:24
Speaker 1: So they've changed the way they do these writings. Now they it's something called big data.

00:19:32
Speaker 2: What are you laughing at? I'm not a conspiracy there. Big data. It's not like it's not like big pharma. It's big data.

00:19:39
Speaker 1: And I think the reason they're now including sports bars and they're including they're trying to include like every way people watch it. So all the numbers in a lot of sports are bumped up a little bit because of what they call big data. But still it's kind of amazing how much bigger the NFL is than everything else, right, Like, it's I mean, when you talk about one seven million people watching a game, that is crazy. I mean, there's what eight thousand watching these playoff baseball games. It's kind of unbelievable.

00:20:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, they're they're picking whatever day they want and they're dominating the viewership whatever network they're on. Netflix. Now they're going to other countries. It was London, now it's Mexico City, Ireland. They'll sell out anywhere.

00:20:30
Speaker 2: They want to go. Madrid, yeah next week.

00:20:32
Speaker 3: It really is the way they've separated themselves in the last couple decades from the other leagues.

00:20:37
Speaker 2: They're winning across the board.

00:20:38
Speaker 1: It also doesn't feel like and I know we're going to sound like company shills here, but it also doesn't feel like that.

00:20:44
Speaker 2: It's like people don't think there's too much of it.

00:20:48
Speaker 1: You don't hear anyone, Yeah, you don't hear anybody saying well, because like I like hockey, there's too many games I like basketball, there's too many games. I like baseball, there's too many games. But nobody thinks that about the NFL.

00:21:02
Speaker 2: Right, No, I want more of it.

00:21:04
Speaker 3: And you know, if you're attached to team, you're never gonna once a week is all you're gonna get, So you're not gonna get overloaded of your own team. It's to the point other leagues are changing their schedules because they know if the NFL puts a day a game on their day, it's over. NFL is getting attention.

00:21:19
Speaker 2: Yes, no, they are. They are changing.

00:21:20
Speaker 1: I mean they the NHL debuted their season at five o'clock in the afternoon one day so that they wouldn't have to uh, so they wouldn't have to go against the NFL.

00:21:30
Speaker 2: Those numbers are nuts.

00:21:32
Speaker 1: My question for you, though, is do you like including the sports bars in the data? Do you like big data?

00:21:40
Speaker 2: I guess it should. A big data is a wrestler that's really good on the minor circuit. Okay, data, you gotta watch out here comes big data. Big data cool? Uh.

00:21:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, it needs to be factored in somehow because I've wondered when they're talking about ratings and you're at a sports bar, there's.

00:21:54
Speaker 2: Hundreds of people in there. Do you count them? And needs to be factored in.

00:21:57
Speaker 3: They're they're probably they're more excited about what's going on in a lot of cases than the people watching at home.

00:22:03
Speaker 1: Yeah, one of the teams you mentioned that got such great ratings was the Bucks.

00:22:08
Speaker 2: Yes, I love this story. So, first of all, for Bill people who don't know Billy is a Bucks fan. The Bucks were had their game last week and Teses Johnson, who's a rookie, caught a touchdown pass and when the game was over, he said in the locker room that Tampa fans were chanting MVP during the game, and Tess Johnson said he thought they were chanting for him as the MVP, and he was very happy, and then he realized it was for Baker Mayfield. This was great. He's a rookie. What do you make of that?

00:22:40
Speaker 1: He genuinely thought the crowd after his first touchdown pass of his career, thought he was the MVP of the league.

00:22:48
Speaker 3: Do you like that level of confidence? Yes, this is one of those we're talking about. Were getting the mics up now. There's a clip of him sitting on the bench with Sterling Shepherd and He's just so confused while they're shanting MVP.

00:22:58
Speaker 2: He's like, but I haven't even done anything yet. I'm a rookie.

00:23:02
Speaker 3: And then Sterling Shepherd's like, wait a minute, you think this is for you? And then he runs and tells the other receivers. But it's hilarious, like it was a great touchdown. He's like a forty five yard touchdown pass, but that is pretty much.

00:23:13
Speaker 4: All he's done this season. And he's like, wow, they're cheering for me. It's very genuine. He definitely thought it was him that they were chanting for.

00:23:20
Speaker 1: That's sweet, But wouldn't you love him? Wouldn't you like to live your life with a level of delusion where you would believe after one touchdown everyone's chanting for you for MVP, Like there's got.

00:23:36
Speaker 2: To be some you know.

00:23:37
Speaker 1: The people say, like you're the center of your own story. That is the definition of being the center of your own story, where you're like, well, everyone's chanting it has to be for me. Who else could it be?

00:23:48
Speaker 3: Seventh round pick rookie, He has six catches this season, and he thinks the stadium is chanting MVP.

00:23:53
Speaker 2: So well, the others I can get for ten Johns an MVP right now. Let Ts have his moment, let him dream.

00:23:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, but it was Baker Mayfield. I've been saying for three weeks on this show. Baker Mayfield is the MVP. He is now the second choice in the betting market behind Mahomes. It's Mahomes and then Mayfield. Now I'm the biggest Mahomes guy in the world, but I would pick Mayfield over Mahomes right now, wouldn't you?

00:24:19
Speaker 2: I would too.

00:24:20
Speaker 3: Got one interception, like twelve or thirteen touchdowns, You've got the comebacks, you got the swagger.

00:24:26
Speaker 1: It's not gonna be Lamar No, and as of now, it's not gonna be Josh Allen. I mean that could change, but for right now, I wouldn't be Josh Allen. So to me, if it's Baker or Mahomes, Mahomes is won a couple maybe three in the past.

00:24:42
Speaker 2: I think Baker should be the favorite.

00:24:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would vote for him right now after last week when he did that, which is a depleted roster, he didn't have his running back, his receivers. You got a guy named Tess Johnson coming in there making plays for him.

00:24:54
Speaker 2: Where would Daniel Jones be on your list. He's in. He's got to be in the top five.

00:25:00
Speaker 3: In the top five Baker until he cools off, it has to be his I'm thinking, like last week, there's like a third and fourteen, he gets that fifteen yard run. I actually saw Todd Bowles today.

00:25:10
Speaker 2: He was yelling get out and you're gonna get yourself killed, and then he gets the first down.

00:25:14
Speaker 3: I think that was one play before the Test Johnson touchdown. He's just so fun to watch.

00:25:19
Speaker 1: You think the only reason he's second in the odds is because people think he's.

00:25:24
Speaker 2: Like gonna not play that well all year, because I think up to now he would win.

00:25:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, and people probably wonder if the Bucks will level out a little bit with their record in Mahomes is only gonna keep winning.

00:25:35
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:25:35
Speaker 4: To that point, Baker has more passing yards, touchdowns, and less interceptions than Mahomes. But Patrick's getting Rashi Rice back and this got maybe an easier schedule.

00:25:44
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:25:44
Speaker 3: I liked Baker had a good quote this week. He was like, I've been doing this exact same thing with the same attitude since Cleveland. But in Cleveland I was cocky and arrogant, and now I'm a dog and I play with swagger like this is just what I've always done. Cleveland was just really bad at using and evaluating me and threw me away.

00:26:01
Speaker 2: For Deshaun Watson. Got to frustrate. It's got to frustrate Cleveland fans that this is happening, right, this was the guy you had, and not just Cleveland.

00:26:13
Speaker 1: I mean the Rams had him. Uh, the Panthers had him. But still I think it's got to frustrate Cleveland people.

00:26:18
Speaker 3: The most right I went from that was it went from Baker to well we should go get to Sean Watson.

00:26:24
Speaker 2: So and that move alone is like what are we doing?

00:26:27
Speaker 3: And then now he's We're doing MVP talks while they are on their forty second quarterback. Since Tim Couch, it's got to be killing him inside. That was their draft pick.

00:26:36
Speaker 2: It has to be and it has to be very very Uh well, it's just sad. I mean they got the number one pick.

00:26:43
Speaker 3: They think he's the guy that I got crap another bus, not our guy. And now he could go win the MVP another team.

00:26:48
Speaker 2: Well, I think he's gonna win it. I don't see any reason. Now. Their schedule I believe gets is it a little bit harder, a little bit.

00:26:54
Speaker 3: I came remember the division, they said the Saints twice, the Falcons twice, and the Panthers.

00:26:58
Speaker 2: Twice, and they haven't played any of those games. They played them at the Falconlanta.

00:27:02
Speaker 1: So they have still Saints Twice's paid well, I mean, he's gonna win it. What what are the It's like plus three eighty or something right for.

00:27:09
Speaker 4: Baker abb I'm not sure the number he's I think it's plus three eighty.

00:27:13
Speaker 1: To me, that's a really good bet right now, because I.

00:27:17
Speaker 2: I mean, who are the lamar Is out? Alan is close to out, Mahomes is Mahomes Matt Stafford's having a pretty special year if they go on a big run.

00:27:27
Speaker 1: I will note I was telling people to bet it when it was like plus twelve hundred two weeks ago.

00:27:31
Speaker 2: Of course I didn't bet it.

00:27:33
Speaker 4: It's a Mahomes plus one seventy five, Baker and Josh Allen at plus three hundred, and then Drake may Is tied first third.

00:27:42
Speaker 2: A good year.

00:27:43
Speaker 1: Their schedule is so easy. We went over it last week like their schedule is insanely easy. Now, Dylan Gabriel, did you see his quote what do you saying this week? I want to pull it up because you know, I don't know when you were a kid, did you ever did did your grandmother ever spank you?

00:28:06
Speaker 3: Typically your grandmother, But yes I did get spanking because it wasn't grandmother doing it.

00:28:10
Speaker 1: Because Dylan Gabriel had a had a quote, I want to read this to him. They asked him what it was like to get hit so much by the Steelers last week, and he said, quote, my mom used to beat my blank when I was a kid, So I don't think anything will be as bad as that.

00:28:30
Speaker 2: Wow. Now I don't know. First of all, if i'm his mom, I'm like, hey, you were another one. I'm just kidding. Mom's got to be like con those were out of love. Yes, this is not the same as TJ. Watt.

00:28:54
Speaker 3: He's trying to rip your head off. I was trying to giving you a love tag discipline. But he didn't say spank. He used stronger words. I don't know what do you think about?

00:29:04
Speaker 2: This is a rookie's still getting used to the mic, the phone. I've seen his mom, she said, she just looks like a sweet person. I think we need an apology. I think he should I think mom should have to go. Look, it was, it was it was just meant to be nice. He should have done the mind thing on that question in the Cleveland locker room. Yeah, and now Chador was named the backup. Okay, that's big. So uh do you expect? I mean, dial Gabriel did not look good? He's got it this this week they play the Dolphins. Okay, if he's.

00:29:36
Speaker 3: Ever gonna have his hey, give me a chance game, a little bit of a breakout.

00:29:40
Speaker 2: This is an opportunity.

00:29:42
Speaker 1: They're at home. Dolphins not good. Their defense is if the Browns beat them, does Mike me Daniel get fired.

00:29:50
Speaker 3: I was still watching the newswire right now, thought a little bit of Yeah, he's gonna he's up against it already, I think, even though they're probably phil go underdog at Cleveland. But yeah, if you can't beat the Browns, are you gonna beat?

00:30:04
Speaker 2: Now?

00:30:04
Speaker 1: The front the Browns four quarterback Joe Flacco is taking the Bengals. They're playing Thursday night football against Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. It is being called the Icy Hot Bowl since both quarterbacks are over forty. It is the second oldest meeting of quarterbacks ever both guys say that they would like the game to be called the Icy Hot Bowl. So I'm going to go ahead and say it. Do you like seeing two men over the age of forty years old playing quarterback? They say sports is a young man's game. Apparently not when you present it that way, I would normally be like, no, I have no interest in that, but I.

00:30:44
Speaker 3: Kind of want to see another run of Flacco with some pieces around him.

00:30:48
Speaker 2: You know, he got that as that game went on.

00:30:51
Speaker 1: Jamar Chase helped him, I know, but like, ultimately Jamar Chase is good, So the goal is just to be able to get.

00:30:57
Speaker 3: Him the ball. That's what I mean. He finally has weapons around him. In Cleveland, he didn't have any wee and in.

00:31:01
Speaker 2: The first half. I mean, he'd only been on the team for four days, so you know, he probably didn't even know the playbook. He's probably drawing it up in his hand. You go left and then take a right. That's a play by the way, it's like Thanksgiving, Yeah, you got yeah to say about it, Go left, then take a right. They're baffled. He draws that up and then by the end of the game he was playing really really well.

00:31:25
Speaker 3: Yeah, I saw in the Bengals press conference to day. You know, I'm just watching random team press conference?

00:31:29
Speaker 2: When did you do that a lot? I did this week. You don't need a long time. I never knew you as a guy watching random in until this week.

00:31:35
Speaker 3: I watched a couple of them. But they asked Joe Flacco. They're like, what you know, you're still figuring this out.

00:31:40
Speaker 2: You're new.

00:31:40
Speaker 3: What if Jamar Chase comes up to you. It's like, I know this is the play, but I'm gonna do this instead. And Flaco was like, I'm gonna say, yeah, man, sure let's do that. Like I'm just he's the star. I'm here to get him the ball. If Chase says he's doing something, I'm going with it.

00:31:54
Speaker 1: I always wonder Jamar Chase gave a quote that was like, it's been nice to have someone who can put the ball in my hands. He said something like that, implying that Jake Browning could not put the ball in his hand. I always wonder what it's like when you say something like that when then you see Jake Browning.

00:32:15
Speaker 2: Because he's he's still in the locker. Presumably Jake has his phone number.

00:32:19
Speaker 1: I mean, Mike sit next to it. Do you just go hey, man, like you have to say that right here.

00:32:27
Speaker 3: Like Jake said, be like, dude, this was pretty close to your hands A few of those times, like I'm trying.

00:32:32
Speaker 2: I'm doing the best of tam and well, remember Jake Browning was the guy who did the press conference who He's like, I'm trying, man, I'm I want to be good. Every night I look in the mirror and I tell you to go left and then right, doing my best. But here comes Joe Flacco. And if you're Jake Browning, and it's got to be a humbling thing. You've been playing football your whole life. You've been the backup on this team for a while.

00:32:56
Speaker 1: Joe Flacco comes from an AARP meeting and watching Matt Locke to come on the field and be better than you.

00:33:04
Speaker 2: That's got to make you a little Sad's got the gray hair, gray not great gray hair.

00:33:11
Speaker 3: He's I mean, he's just kind of a statue right there. You know, he's taking talent all at every turn. He's just old feeling it and you're Browning. Browning has a little swagger about him. He didn't till losing the last few games. It looks like he's losing it.

00:33:23
Speaker 2: Got the got the model girlfriend that goes viral. He's young.

00:33:25
Speaker 3: He thinks he's just gonna step in and be Burrow two point zero Texas woman. Flaco can't do that.

00:33:32
Speaker 2: Then he's looking at Flacco, who's own.

00:33:34
Speaker 3: Flacco's own kids are wearing rival teams jerseys and little players on it.

00:33:37
Speaker 1: And that's the guy that would be tough if he Flacco takes. I mean, she already likes back up quarterbacks. Flacco is the Flacco and Gardner minshew, that's that Cooper rush, That's that's her type.

00:33:52
Speaker 3: This has to be one of those moments for Browning where it's like, you know this, I thought I was gonna this was my moment.

00:33:57
Speaker 2: I think I'm learning. Maybe it's time to seek some honey. Do you winter grad school applications? We might see that.

00:34:19
Speaker 1: The Jacksonville Jaguars offense coordinator says they will work during this off week to give Travis Hunter a greater role on offense for a team that's good, and Jacksonville's pretty good. Don't you feel like they worry too much about what Travis Hunt like?

00:34:37
Speaker 2: Is it?

00:34:37
Speaker 1: I mean, I feel like we hear specific Travis Hunter things every week they're good. Why do they do this?

00:34:45
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:34:45
Speaker 3: I guess they traded to get him, and he's your big asset. But you're what four and two? Four and two got a lot of good things going for you. It seems they are focusing on that a lot. He's made a few big catches, but then there's some other games where he's disappointing. It seems like he'd just be like any other who's.

00:35:01
Speaker 2: More disappointed him or Bronny. Are you saying this because Bronni's bigges fan is in the room. Yeah, Mario, who's sitting over here shaking his head, Oh loves Bryce. You see just a little side note.

00:35:13
Speaker 1: In a preseason game last night, Bronnie was minus fourteen plus minus in a game the Lakers led by twenty.

00:35:22
Speaker 2: He was thirty four points worse. I know it's a preseason game, but I'm just saying, I take Travis Hunter there, you take Travis Hunter over Bronny.

00:35:32
Speaker 3: Yeah, they got saw a Skip Bayless went on some rand. I think Travis Hunter got batized up before the game.

00:35:38
Speaker 2: He did. Yeah, that makes Skip Bayless man. Well.

00:35:40
Speaker 3: Skip Bayless has like a thirty minute video talking about him getting baptized. I think it's positive, but he like does a whole show on the baptism or something. I saw it online.

00:35:48
Speaker 2: What's there to say? I don't know.

00:35:50
Speaker 3: That's why my I can't commit thirty minutes. Skip bellis Skip Bayless has ran here, but he's felt very strongly about it, but very very good on Travis Hunter. He had the moment last week where he brought the woman he met on the plane as his.

00:36:01
Speaker 2: That was nice. Seems like a great kid. What was the baptism was like? Was it the morning of the game of the team the game?

00:36:08
Speaker 4: Bayless called Travis Hunter checked out mentally because.

00:36:12
Speaker 2: He got baptized. It wasn't possible. I couldn't give it there.

00:36:15
Speaker 4: Deciding to get baptized the morning of a team game for me.

00:36:19
Speaker 1: For me to suggest that there are things more important than the Bucks Seahawks game in the regular season. But I don't think that would mean he was mentally checked out. I do ever think that there's too much Travis Hunter distraction. I mean he had a big drop at the end of that game against the Seahawks, like they were the Jaguars were driving and it went off his hands. This continues my belief that he should have just picked one side of the ball and played. I think there's way too much focus on getting him involved rather than just winning games.

00:36:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, and there's the physical angle where you wish you can control a little bit with his snaps, But he also has to memorize what he has to do at two different positions, and that's got to take a lot out of him also in addition to having to play both ways. So it's too much task of an NFL player. It's neat that they're trying it.

00:37:09
Speaker 3: I enjoy watching it, but I don't think it's gonna be best for him long term.

00:37:13
Speaker 1: Then ultimately they probably should not have traded up to get him.

00:37:18
Speaker 3: That's a little that's silly at the time. Even if he does turn out and play both ways.

00:37:21
Speaker 1: Although that trade, if the Jaguars stay good, they won't lose as high a pick, you know, the Browns. The Jaguars are bad. The Browns could have gotten like a top five pick. It'll probably be a little bit lower. Speaking of teams that are not great, Will the Jets win a game?

00:37:38
Speaker 2: I asked that last week and you said yes. But now you got Garrett Wilson's out for a little while. Oh, they're fighting with his coach.

00:37:46
Speaker 3: I saw Justin Fields has like some of the worst stats in many years. Their schedule helps him. I'll say they get one, but I think they're gonna end up taking the number one pick for my Titans.

00:37:58
Speaker 2: I Justin Fields is is just awful and it's not totally his fault.

00:38:05
Speaker 1: His off defensive line has been bad. But I watched him a lot of years in Chicago and he seems like a nice fella. Which, by the way, anytime you start a sentence with he seems like a nice fell whatever comes next is not good.

00:38:18
Speaker 2: You know nobody ever.

00:38:20
Speaker 1: So it's not like people say about Michael Jordan, he's a nice fella, but then you just go ahead and talk about some good So when he say he's a nice fellow, that what's next is not going to be good.

00:38:29
Speaker 2: But I think there's no reason to play Justin Fields. They should put someone young, someone with potentially a future there, or you just lose every game and say we're gonna get the number one pick in a year where it's not clear who the best quarterback is.

00:38:42
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think Justin Phils was supposed to do their move like let's try this young guy and see what he has even though it didn't work in Chicago?

00:38:48
Speaker 2: How long did you get to be young? Maybe a reset? Yeah? What is he like? Twenty five? Twenty six? Now, no, he's.

00:38:54
Speaker 1: Older than that, just because like twenty how is Tyron Taylor still there?

00:39:01
Speaker 2: Tyron Taylor has been there. Tyron Taylor has been with the Jets fifty years. Justin Fields is twenty six. Man, I thought he was older than that. Yeah, I mean he was your your future just a couple of years ago.

00:39:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, well longer than that. This was like four or five years ago. We mean the Bears. Yeah, oh, I thought you were talking about something else. Know, I'm saying that he was the young because like four years a couture was not that long ago.

00:39:28
Speaker 2: Now this is this is a while. This is like four or five years ago.

00:39:30
Speaker 1: I met a woman and and like we were talking and I said to her, you know how you'll go be like, oh, when's your last relationship?

00:39:39
Speaker 2: And I was like and she was like, uh, I was like, oh yeah, when's the last? Right she goes. She goes, well, I went out on some dates with Tyrod Taylor, and I was like, well, you and I'll probably have a lot in common because I mean Tyrod and I very similar.

00:39:55
Speaker 3: Right, Well, if I think about his career history, you both like to travel the United States.

00:40:00
Speaker 2: He's played out everywhere. You like to see new cities. He likes new cities.

00:40:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, and she at the time was like ten years older than him. So Tyrod, he'd be my quarterback. Actually, if I was the Jets, why not. I just don't see any.

00:40:13
Speaker 2: Reason to keep throwing justin fields out there.

00:40:15
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, he's one to go young. If he's the only backup, I don't think that's going young. He's got to be up there pushing the Flacco.

00:40:22
Speaker 2: Aaron Rodgers range. As long as he's been in the link.

00:40:24
Speaker 1: I think they are on alert for not winning any games. I'm gonna go ahead and say I think they are on alert. Now we have a new segment. Would you like to know the new segment.

00:40:35
Speaker 2: I'm excited about us. So we have a new segment.

00:40:38
Speaker 1: We continue to add advertisers and excitement here to NFL cover zero. This is known as the Victory Bundle, presented by Liberty Mutual. It is time so every show I will get to say this.

00:40:54
Speaker 2: Are you ready?

00:40:57
Speaker 1: You'll get to privilege. It's time for the Victory Bundle presented by Liberty Mutual. And the victory Bundle is you and I will pick three three games, uh, and we'll pick who wins and we will give you our victory bundle. Now we're trying. We're going to try to pick things where we agree so that we can be like we can bundle together.

00:41:16
Speaker 2: Are you ready?

00:41:17
Speaker 1: So I'm just gonna pick three games randomly and then we'll pick the winners in London nine thirty am Rams Jaguars two four and two teams, maybe the best game London's gotten in a long time. As part of the Liberty Mutual Victory Bundle. Who do we take in London?

00:41:36
Speaker 3: This is a tough one because this is the Jaguars home field at Wimbley. Was it thirteen straight years they've played there?

00:41:42
Speaker 2: Yes?

00:41:42
Speaker 3: But Billy, unless there's been recent news pook Is there anything on Pooka Nakua right now? Because he's he could be out questionable. So I'm leaning Jacksonville depending on Poka did not practice today?

00:41:55
Speaker 2: All right, I'll go with you.

00:41:56
Speaker 1: The Rams are a three and a half point favorite, though, so we'll take it against the spread.

00:42:00
Speaker 2: There we go.

00:42:01
Speaker 1: Our victory bundle against the spread is, if you want victory, take the Jags on their home field. Uh in Uh there, I think this one's at Wimbley. I'm gonna take the Jags. That's part one of the victory bundle.

00:42:13
Speaker 2: Now.

00:42:14
Speaker 1: Can I like this one a lot? The Panthers and the Jets. Panthers on the road to the Jets.

00:42:21
Speaker 2: What are you laughing at? Just the fact that this is a mashup.

00:42:24
Speaker 1: Panthers and the Jets. Panthers are only a one and a half point favorite against the Jets. I'm taking the Panthers as part of my victory bundle. Are you with me?

00:42:34
Speaker 2: Absolutely? We just talked about the train wreck the Jets are right now, the star receivers out Panthers have have they won two in a row? Yeah, they won two in a row. Just keep riding this wave, all right?

00:42:48
Speaker 1: So you're you're gonna ride on the the victory bundle, right? And then finally I really like, uh, it's the Eagles at the Vikings. The Eagles only a one and a half point favorite, and we don't even know for sure who's gonna play quarterback for Minnesota. I love the Eagles here I'm gonna take the Eagles on there. I'll only get one and a half.

00:43:06
Speaker 2: If you set this spread two weeks ago, it's gonna be six and a half. So give me the Eagles to join. I like that here too. I will say, though, if their offense doesn't click here in a little bit, I'm gonna start selling the Eagles. But I'm gonna give him a little longer.

00:43:22
Speaker 3: But I think they are gonna have some serious concerns if they don't fix that soon. Their run game and half is dominant. Was a year ago we got aj brown poutin. This could be a long term issue if it doesn't get cleaned up soon.

00:43:33
Speaker 1: So we're going all animals for our victory Bundle. It is the Animal Victory Bundle. Give us the Jaguars, the Panthers, and the Eagles. That is your victory of a bundle presented by Liberty Mutual. You can start your quote at Libertymutual dot com. All right now, time for our Survivor League and our and well, first of all, our Survivor League and our touchdown picks. Now, Drew is not in the Survivor League because he did not survive. So it's me and you Billy. It looks like do I get to pick first this week on the Survivor League?

00:44:09
Speaker 2: I think I do.

00:44:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, go ahead, So it is the I've taken the Packers, the Broncos, the Ravens, and the Lions. So Packers, Broncos, Ravens and Lions and so to try. I've sitting here looking this week, and you know there's a couple of different choices. The biggest spread is Chiefs Raiders. But I've kind of learned over the years, don't pick that game, right. I mean, the Chiefs and the Raiders have won that game surprisingly quite a bit, so if you don't take that one, it becomes a little difficult. I'm gonna take the New England Patriots to beat your Titans on the road.

00:44:46
Speaker 2: What a lock.

00:44:47
Speaker 1: So I'm going with the Patriots. They will join That is my pick for the week in the Survivor League. I'll take the Patriots. Now, Bill, you've taken the Jaguars, the Cardinals, the Bills, and the Colts.

00:44:59
Speaker 2: Who would you like this week?

00:45:00
Speaker 4: Well, first of all, I love your pick of the Patriots. That's a home game for them in Tennessee. With Frabel coming back. I've flipped on this pick a couple of times, and you mentioned it. I'm taking the Chiefs versus the Raiders. I know there's that stat of I guess Las Vegas now not Oakland playing Kansas City close in the past. It just seems like Kansas City has hit their stride with Rashid Rice coming back.

00:45:22
Speaker 2: Give me Kansas City in this.

00:45:23
Speaker 1: So we've now hit five straight weeks or we have a chance to hit five weeks. I will take the Patriots on the road against the Titans, and you will take the Chiefs at home against the Raiders. We have a chance to go to week six here of the of the Survivor League, Drew you unfortunately don't get to participate. Now it's time for the touchdowns.

00:45:46
Speaker 2: Last week I got one with with Daniel Jones and then no one else did.

00:45:53
Speaker 1: So Drew went first last week, so he's he will not go this week. So Billy, you get to go first? Who is your or no, wait a minute, yes you do. You get to go first. Who would you like?

00:46:05
Speaker 4: I am picking a guy that is taking the league by storm. Give me is Cam Scatibo to score a touchdown against the Broncos. I mean, how many touchdowns did he score in the last game was three against against the Eagles. I know Denver maybe have a decent run defense, but Cam is going to do it very well. For only a few years, he'll do it very well.

00:46:28
Speaker 2: We're gonna do it very well.

00:46:29
Speaker 1: You're taking the running back Scatabo okay, which means I can take I'm next. I can take either a quarterback or a wide receiver. I've taken three quarterbacks, so I think I'm gonna have to to lay off the quarterback. So I'm going to take a wide receiver. I'm going to take Xavier Worthy against with your Chiefs against the Raiders. I think he gets a touchdown, so I will go with Xavier Worthy. That means Drew, you have to pick a quarterback. You have not picked a quarterback all year, so people can have any of them you want.

00:47:00
Speaker 2: Who would you like down the Hurts Allen. I'll go with Hurts.

00:47:07
Speaker 3: Take to get that offense on track, and when they're playing their best, they're to pushing and running. So I'll say Jalen Hurts gets win in Minnesota.

00:47:14
Speaker 2: All right.

00:47:14
Speaker 1: So Billy, who all year has taken weird picks but is still tied for the lead. He scatter bows it up against the Broncos. I'm gonna go with Xavier Worthy with my wide receivers, and Drew goes with Jalen Hurts.

00:47:28
Speaker 2: I forgot the rule.

00:47:29
Speaker 3: Could I have picked a tight end or is it tight ends? Tight ends wide receivers? Because I got my eyes on Harold Finn and Junior from Bowling Grad all week and Joe, Who's hurt?

00:47:38
Speaker 2: Dylan Gabriel gets you picked it? To Joe, why do you want Brown's tight end so much? The times I've done it? But this is only week five of us picking and you've picked it? You want to pick Browns tight ends twice? I would have done. He's like four to one. I'm just I'm only one one on my Browns bets one loss. And I told you on week one Harold Fannon is the future of that position in Cleveland. Now, Joe, who's hurt? You got Dylan Gabriel trying to make a statement against Miami. I'm just saying, keep an eye on Harrold Fan and Junior from Bunker.

00:48:21
Speaker 1: All right, Let's run over some other games we haven't mentioned yet. In the Icy Hot Bowl, does Aaron Rodgers go to five and one, against Joe Flacco.

00:48:31
Speaker 3: He does saw Rodgers has the it's either the fifth or sixth best quarterback.

00:48:36
Speaker 2: Rating of his career right now. I don't like that. I wanted this to be a miserable failure too.

00:48:40
Speaker 3: Unfortunately, four out of the five one MVP when he headed Betters.

00:48:44
Speaker 1: Unfortunately, next thing, you know, he's going to be like the surgeon General because of how he's playing right now.

00:48:50
Speaker 2: It helps that he has DK Metcalf, who's also killing it with Pittsburgh. Yeah.

00:48:54
Speaker 1: I mean both those guys consider washed up. I think they win too. But I would just say Thursday night foot this this this feels like a game that could surprise Flaco on the row.

00:49:06
Speaker 2: An old rivalry in the AFC North. If you're the Bengals, if you can find a way to win this game, okay, get to three and four, then all of a sudden, you've got the Jets next week, Bears, Steelers, Patriots, Ravens.

00:49:23
Speaker 1: Like, you can make some movements here. But I think if you if you look at the Bengals to make the playoffs, I kind of think they need to win this one.

00:49:30
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, this is a desperation game because the Steelers would just further their lead, and they're already up a couple of games on.

00:49:36
Speaker 2: You as it is, and this is your home too. Yeah, you can't if I mean, you're pretty much mathematic You're not mathematically eliminated, but you're pretty much eliminated if you let Steelers get another one on you in a headhead another battle of terrible Dolphins Browns. I'm gonna I'm gonna fade the Dolphins. Neither one of these teams I want to say I have confidence in, but it's it's in Cleveland, like you, like Dylan Gabriel. Here, it's more of the Browns.

00:50:02
Speaker 3: Defense is the only elite part of any of this. So I'll trust their defense and hopefully Gabriel can find the end zone once or twice.

00:50:10
Speaker 1: I'm telling you what I'm worried about. In Chicago one o'clock Bears Saints. This feels like a letdown. You'll go in on Monday night, you go win against the Commanders, then you come home against a bad Saints team and you think, well, of course we're gonna win this one to go four and two. I would stay away from this game as a game where I kind of am a little worried about the Saints here.

00:50:32
Speaker 2: You don't think four straight wins for Chicago.

00:50:34
Speaker 1: No, Saints are plus two hundred. The Bears lose a game like this every year and short rest. I am worried about it. I'm gonna take Saints have played web last few weeks, even though they've lost.

00:50:46
Speaker 3: They have I'm gonna take the Bears. I think you're you're just being a fan. You gotta keep your guard up as a fan. It's not my team, so I can look at it objectively, so you'll be all right, and I hope you're right. Colts go to the Chargers. You don't have to worry about road atmosphere in La. Colts could go to six and one. However, if the Chargers win, they would be on pace to be the one seed in the AFC. So this is a game that could swing.

00:51:11
Speaker 1: I don't think people think Colton's Chargers is a huge game for the playoffs, but.

00:51:15
Speaker 2: It might be.

00:51:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, this game on paper a month ago looks silly. And just to add to it, I don't know if y'all saw the Chargers are wearing like all yellow color Rush uniforms.

00:51:26
Speaker 2: They want to see those. I think they're called Charger power.

00:51:29
Speaker 3: Just imagine as much yellow, as much yellow as you could get on your person.

00:51:34
Speaker 2: That's what they're going for for this game. I want to see this Charger power. That is yellow. A lot of yellow, A lot of yellow. Okay, whoa, So they're they're fired up. They want the yellow going. Wow, they've been disappointing lately. They had to win.

00:51:48
Speaker 3: I know you said they're in good standing in the playoff race, but they took some losses they shouldn't have.

00:51:52
Speaker 2: Oh, that is yellow. It looks like a banana does. Look like Herbert's gonna be out there in a banana suit. Yeah, but I kind of like it. Do you think they have hoodies?

00:52:05
Speaker 3: But yellow is just not like it doesn't motivate me. If I'm a football player, I'm not gonna be walking.

00:52:10
Speaker 2: Around and yellow. I kind of like it.

00:52:12
Speaker 1: I think the Chargers their thing, because they're so boring, should just be have the ugliest, brightest colors.

00:52:19
Speaker 3: They're doing like a retro field, maybe some retro field, Like they're painting it yellow and the old bolt and like they're going back and going to be all of it. But the end zones they're they're going it's a throwback game.

00:52:33
Speaker 2: Throwback to win. They're extra yellow. I don't know. I'm just tell you.

00:52:37
Speaker 3: Yellow going to have the old logo in the end zone and okay, they'll probably have Antonio Gates out there flipping a coin. Ladani and Tomlinson flyover. They're just all the throwback chargers you can get. You should, you should bring all those people, famous charger. You know, you get Mike McCoy, bring him back. Once the Titans are down thirty, McCoy can get in the jet and being.

00:52:55
Speaker 1: Sent san exactly. That's exactly right. Let's make it. That's make it a fun yellow day. The Commanders are playing the Cowboys. This is kind of an important bounce back game for both team. Cowboys lost the Panthers, Commanders lost at home.

00:53:10
Speaker 2: This is a big game. This will be a huge audience. Who do you like? Commanders?

00:53:16
Speaker 3: Dak's been awesome, their offense is awesome, but they have a bad loss to the Giants, a tie and then that loss to the Panthers.

00:53:23
Speaker 2: Your boy, your bears got iber Flus. He's the defensive coordinator. Why the people aren't very happy with him? Right now?

00:53:30
Speaker 1: Eyen, when a bad sign the sound knew it was a bad sign. I saw who was it that Jerry Jones I think said you want to be in the fox hole with Matt Iberflus. When someone says they want to be in a fox hole with you, I'm worried about you.

00:53:47
Speaker 2: Billy Gillespie said that to his player fox hole.

00:53:49
Speaker 1: First of all, people who the first thing they think of as a fox hole, they're probably they're probably a little too into war analogies for me for football. But the moment, I don't want to be in a fox hole with eber Flus. I was for three years and a fall foxhole with Eberflus and.

00:54:07
Speaker 2: It was never pleasant.

00:54:09
Speaker 3: Well, they have the worst defense in the NFL in like several categories. Their thirty second Jerry might have even called him out a little bit. It's like, we're fine, the defense just has to improve, like putting some pressure on him. So I'm gonna take the Commanders. They're a wreck on Cowboys are a wreck on that side of the ball.

00:54:24
Speaker 1: Falcons go to the forty nine Ers. Sunday Night Football. Kind of an odd game on Sunday Night Football. Michael Pennix versus Mac Jones. This might be one Sunday where we can type a little early. I guess when good dinner after the show on Sunday night. I'm just kidding, who do you like in this one?

00:54:44
Speaker 3: This will be one of those where I have to see who is not in street clothes for the forty nine ers. But I I lean San Francisco regardless of their health, just because of Falcons getting a big win a week aldgo and then having to travel.

00:54:57
Speaker 2: Out to I'm gonna take San Francisco, but don't bet on the What'd I say bet on the Bills last week?

00:55:04
Speaker 1: But then what did I say? Never pick a Falcons game? I feel that way again. So I'm gonna take San Francisco, which means Atlanta will win.

00:55:12
Speaker 3: And we have no idea who will be on that injury report for Sinfrance. They could lose four more players before Sunday.

00:55:17
Speaker 2: At three through. I think Kittle is trending on returning. Okay, what do you mean you think like sources to Cover zero? Say that who you've been talking to? Hey, I can't reveal my sources. That would defeat the purpose. I need an in wrapaport tweet from Billy from Cover zero reports Billy rap report. Yeah, so you are you willing to stake your credibility on George Kittle.

00:55:42
Speaker 4: Yeah, Kittle coming back, but not party and I haven't heard enough about him yet.

00:55:47
Speaker 1: Billy r Sports reports it's part of his victory bundle. Then George Kittle is returning. Monday Night football. We got two games again. First game is a great one Bucks Lions. For the fourth straight week. The Bucks are playing for playoff seating against the Lions in Detroit. I think the Bucks, the Bucks luck falls here and we get a Detroit victory. What are you bout you?

00:56:13
Speaker 3: I agree the spreads five and a half. I might take the Bucks to cover that. This seems a little hot for two teams that played so well. But the Buck's gonna have to take some losses somewhere, and add Detroit seems like the place to do it.

00:56:24
Speaker 2: What do you aint?

00:56:25
Speaker 4: Yeah, they're struggling. I mean Abukah is going to miss some time. Mike Evans trending in the right direction. But no, I don't no guarantee.

00:56:33
Speaker 2: Billy parlay. Kittle and Evans play injury parlor. They both play. That would be a good parlay.

00:56:39
Speaker 4: But I agree road game Detroit is a formidable foe.

00:56:43
Speaker 2: But if Baker wins this one. I'm ready to crown him in week seven. You are a formidable foe. The fits General Campbell, I will meet you on the battlefield. Is a formidable foe. Bill. Are you a foxhold guy in the but.

00:57:07
Speaker 3: Really a banker goes and wins this and doesn't have an interception as like through three touchdowns or something. This is gonna be an unbelievable season for him already is there's.

00:57:15
Speaker 2: A ten o'clock Monday night football game. At least they're offsetting him a little better. I like that. Who you got?

00:57:22
Speaker 3: I'm gonna go with Seahawks. The Darnold Smith and Jigba connection has been insane this year. He's the leading the league. He's been better than pookin Nakua and he's got I think he's got a pretty big lead on him in receiving yards. So I'm gonna trust them to be able to throw on the Texans.

00:57:36
Speaker 1: I think I forgot the Texans were a team this year. They started really bad. Like I think about it, We've gone how many shows has it been since we talked about the Texans?

00:57:46
Speaker 2: Oh, they were on a bye last week. They're a bye. They played the Titans, which is like a bye before that. Yeah, I just I don't think I've thought about the Texans this year. Give me the Texans highlight this season on long rest Monday night night game early. Wait a minute, seriously, give me one thing that's happened with the Texans this years? Okay, but that can you think of a moment? Has there been a headline?

00:58:13
Speaker 3: They lost their first two games, so people were questioning them. Then maybe three games. I can't think of one thing that's happened with the Texans.

00:58:21
Speaker 4: Yeah, they lost their first three games and then beat the Titans and the Ravens before they're by Yeah.

00:58:26
Speaker 2: I'd say shutting off the Titans. Wow, so they played both of your two teams, which is why you two know? Yeah? Yeah, I don't know.

00:58:34
Speaker 1: I don't think I know anything about them. Well, and the Seahawks are going to win.

00:58:38
Speaker 2: Drew at home. I'm really racking my brain for like a Texans memory from the first six weeks. Well, I watched an entire game that they played. I don't say this to be rude.

00:58:49
Speaker 1: But I can't think of a lot of Texan memories from my lifetime. They always play the first playoff games Saturday.

00:58:56
Speaker 4: And noon against Cincinnati Gats, Cincinnati or the Dolphins. Texans always play at noon.

00:59:03
Speaker 2: It's the game.

00:59:03
Speaker 1: You're like, what channel is it on? And there are announcers that you've never seen before. That's the Texans every single year. Yeah, this year they I keep focus on the Titans. That's the Texans game.

00:59:15
Speaker 3: When cam Ward said, if I'm keeping a buck weep, I won't say Billy Centimore.

00:59:19
Speaker 2: Works by that. I don't know what they've done.

00:59:22
Speaker 1: I do have one last final thing, since we were talking about the Texans, Spirodidas said he's one of the guys who does announcing and always gets assigned an AFC South or NFC South game. He said that he knows his assignment so often that his group chat for his broadcast crew is called NFC South Boys.

00:59:48
Speaker 2: He knows his role leaning into it. I've decided I like him.

00:59:53
Speaker 1: If you know exactly where you're gonna get assigned, I am going to get the Panthers this week.

00:59:59
Speaker 2: You have to give him credit. And just that it's that conference adds to the joke. That's the I am a big groove chat. Does he have beef with your boy Chris Myers, who also likes well, he might be in the groove chat place all the rotator. I just looked at are you New Orleans? I just looked up I just looked up Spiro's name on Twitter, and the first thing that came up as a tweet that goes nothing says a New Saints season like Spirodidas and Adam Arschaletta, I like Archi LETTA good ram. There you go.

01:00:32
Speaker 1: Well, Uh, thank you folks very much for listening. We will be back Sunday ninth. Uh for following the forty nine ers and Falcons. Enjoy your week, and uh tell your friends this is NFL Cover zero. NFL Covers Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcast. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio is the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts