2025 NFL Week 14 Early Games Preview

00:00:05
Speaker 1: Welcome to NFL Daily. Where we've done it. We have reached the best slate of the season. I'm Greg Rosenthal here in the Chris Westleyan podcast studio with my friends Patrick, Claybond and Steve Weisch. I've done a scientific breakdown. No, it's just off vibes. I think this is it. I think this is the slate I'm most excited for all season one.

00:00:26
Speaker 2: But let me ask you this, Are you more excited for the slate or the fact that Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft?

00:00:33
Speaker 1: The answer is no, our finalist.

00:00:35
Speaker 2: Together to go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame potentially.

00:00:40
Speaker 1: Okay, let's start here in January. Do you know a lot about the voters?

00:00:45
Speaker 3: I do.

00:00:46
Speaker 1: Do you think that they'll be more likely to vote him in together because they want to see that messiness or less likely because it's weirder distraction.

00:00:58
Speaker 3: No, I think they would bring them together.

00:00:59
Speaker 2: I honestly can't see how they would put in one, knowing the voters put in one and not the other because Robert Craft should have been it right.

00:01:08
Speaker 1: I could see how they would because to me, Bill Belichick is, you know, one of the greatest coaches of all time. And Robert Kraft has been waiting to get in yere after you're he's an owner, you know.

00:01:17
Speaker 3: I think I think they both will go.

00:01:19
Speaker 2: If you're going to put in one, I think you're going to put in two scoops. The Patriots will play in the game. So if Abel can be there, it could be a you know, a whole weekend and can't full of mass.

00:01:30
Speaker 1: I would like to request officially to iHeart Matt Schneider, whoever is out there listening, I want to go to that weekend. Steve still needs to go, everyone else still needs to go. Just tack me on. I will go in Steve's luggage.

00:01:44
Speaker 4: I can fit a perfect summnation of all of the circumstances where it's a great accomplishment by the New England Patriots, just adorned by a whole bunch of mess. Everybody will ignore ye and we'll talk about it. It's like, oh, yeah, this team's dealing with the distraction. It's chaos, like people punching each other, houses on fire, and it's like, yeah, the Patriots win again.

00:02:05
Speaker 3: Perfect, perfect way to sum it all. How awesome would it be?

00:02:07
Speaker 2: Like you got first ballot guys, like you know, Drew Brees and Lady Gerald. You know, Luke Keigley should be going it, Tory hold all these guys, can you imagine being like overshadowed m by that?

00:02:18
Speaker 4: I think I think that group of guys can absolutely imagine being overshadowed by the New England Patriots.

00:02:23
Speaker 1: Yes that's fair and yeah true. You know what, more for real, hey, let's be real. More attention on that weekend in general, I think will be even better for the great like Breeze and fitzro. But yes, the slate and it's not about having every game one to sixteen perfect, and in fact there's four by by teams this week, the last bye week. It's more about having great games at each part of the schedule. So we started off with a banger Cowboys Lions on Thursday night in the early window, which we're going to talk about on this show. We got Steelers Ravens, we got Burrow versus Josh Allen, and we got a battle for the top of AFC South, three really good ones all at once. In the late window, one of the biggest, most interesting games of the year, Bears and Packers, a real test for the Bears to decide that division and then the next two primetime games Texans Chiefs and Eagles card It's just spread out where this is it? I'm all yeah.

00:03:17
Speaker 4: Even when right because obviously the direct impact on the others playoff hopes for these games in the division, but the non divisional games having direct impact as well, So looking forward to it cannot wait. We start with a team that is moving the wrong direction, at least on offense, the Baltimore Ravens favored by six though, because the Pittsburgh Steelers are also moving in the wrong direction on offense. We're talking meetings and hands signals this week. Greg jim Nance and Tony Romo on the call, Ken Aaron Rodgers and Arthur Smith and the Steelers offense get it sorted out against the Ravens.

00:03:50
Speaker 1: Stephens, I don't think so, because the most consistent side in this game right now, and I'm counting over the last four to six weeks, this is the Ravens defense.

00:04:03
Speaker 3: It is crazy.

00:04:03
Speaker 1: It's funny how seasons just change. This happens all the time too. They're the group I kinda trust to stifle a struggling side, and that's what the Steelers offense is. So they're the group that makes me feel good about the Ravens in this game.

00:04:17
Speaker 3: First off, I can't see the sick. I mean, this is a rivalry game.

00:04:20
Speaker 2: Neither one of these teams has shown any type of consistency like which makes you think even if you say the Ravens defense like they're gonna get a pick six, like, you just don't. You just haven't seen it. I think it's gonna be a closer game. It's interest tho when you say about the Ravens defense, you look at the stats of that game against Cincinnati and like that was a disaster. I mean they allowed the Bengals to run ninety plays. Remember they turned it over five times. That's not gonna happen again in this game. And I do think that Greg Roman got a talking to, like get the ball to twenty two. And based on what we just saw the Bills do to the Steelers running the football, why wouldn't you. I mean, you give up two hundred and fifty rushing yards and most ever at Acrasure Stadium since back when it was three Rivers or Riverfront, whatever which one it was. I just think it's it's going to be an ugly ball game. I'm gonna be covering this game for NFL Network. I'll be there with Baldy, but I just Pittsburgh.

00:05:22
Speaker 3: Man. There's nothing about them right now that looks good.

00:05:25
Speaker 4: Patrick, Well, the thing that would you would hope to have right for the Baltimore Ravens is you'd like to be able to win a boring game right where you average five yards. The Ravens don't do that. The Ravens live on explosive plays. Lamar is going to hunt explosive plays even when he's not one. And when they don't get those, they press, they do weird things. They turn the ball over like they did against the Cincinnati Bengals. The bright side is the Pittsburgh Steelers on offense have completely forgotten how they're going about things. They have a goal to go situation against Buffalo and Aaron's throwing the hand signals. They're having conversations about Hanson, why don't you hand the ball off? Just kidding, why don't you give the ball to Jalen Warning then, and let's get another touchdown. They're in that game instead, like we're having these weird discussions. Aaron holding all the ball. Aaron hasn't held onto the ball all season. Long where I don't know, like you the bloody nos does that convince Aaron to change his ways in this game? It's it's two offenses where I don't feel comfortable either way.

00:06:28
Speaker 1: I I don't either, but I just trust it. Like I said in the Ravens defense a little more. The only problem with what you're saying about Derek Henry. You're absolutely right, and they're not gonna have Justice Hill in this game. He's gonna be out maybe up to a month. According to John Harbaugh. He's, you know, a good backup, but so is Keaton Mitchell. No Derek Harmon in this game either. Who has really helped out the Steelers run defense, And some of the people that cover the team believe that was a big factor last week why they struggled without you know, Derek Carmon. I don't know if I trust the Ravens running game because I've seen some stuff. Like you look at the yards perk, it's pretty good. If you look at success rate, if you look at consistency. I drop all the different numbers that you could whether it's EPA or success rate. Everything over the last four weeks. Divide a pass run and it's all very consistent. It's all very consistently mediocre. It's all a little below average. Everything is like you're the twentieth best offense in the league, no matter what type of metric you want to use. And man, that that's an offensive line problem, that's a play calling problem, because I don't think it's a Derick Henry problem. Well maybe a little.

00:07:34
Speaker 2: I don't want to say it's a Dereck Henry problem. But and Patrick, you're Raven's fan. This is as finesse as we have ever seen them. Look, I mean their offensive line gets reset, That's what I mean. They just they don't have any just let's just line it up and whoop them anymore. And it's you know, again, this is a rivalry game. So maybe we'll see some of that a little bit on both sides. I'm not sure. Because the one thing about the Steelers when you watch them like an every other week thing, their defensive guys can't get off blocks. I mean, when you watch the game, you gets to Buffalo, they were locked on like they had Velcrow and what Buffalo did with two backup offensive tackles whipped them.

00:08:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, but Mike Tommon says they're going to go back to being physical this week, they're going to focus on They're going to double down on physicality.

00:08:20
Speaker 4: How does that? How does that work? I'd I'd really be interested in like the follow up question. So it's it's try harder. Yeah, like you guys didn't try to be physical last week. Like so the twenty sixth zone run carry for for James Cook is not like a point where it's like, hey, guys, have we have we considered effort? Like no, I think they have, especially because Steve mentioned getting off the blocks.

00:08:43
Speaker 3: I don't think it's as much.

00:08:44
Speaker 4: Of a problem because you know, we've talked about the Roser Garden Rose and garden Flele adventure over on the right side, where anytime they're required to move things go wrong, and you want you want Derrick Henry to build up that speed because like he and Lamar typically like they are home run hitters. If if the option is maybe lose a couple of yards or get twenty five, those guys are going to try the twenty five yard every time. But when things are so uncertain on the right side of the line, it makes it tough for me.

00:09:13
Speaker 1: So I think Lamar looked better last week. He certainly ran better. He didn't play well at all in that game. I'm that was one of the worst games considering where he's at, having won two MVPs like of his career, considering his stature. But what I mean is just physically he moved pretty well. There were a couple plays where he let it go and he ran by people. But I think it's a great point you make, Patrick of just hunting the big plays. He just don't have anything beyond Zay Flowers that's consistent for them, and even today Flowers there's a miscommunication every game where you're not exactly sure where his day Flowers is going, but at least he produces. Otherwise you have no idea who's going to be that second leading receiver.

00:09:52
Speaker 2: Right that the tight end play has not been what has been the receiving game as well, So that's that's an issue. But all that said, I still think the Ravens offense, looking at what the Steelers defense was last week and several times this season, that's an issue.

00:10:08
Speaker 1: I feel like it could I've seen these seasons, they are so long. I still think it could change. I just believe it needs to change.

00:10:16
Speaker 3: That the Steelers defense could ramp up, or.

00:10:18
Speaker 1: That the Ravens offense can rant. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, that it could still happen. You've you're covering this game, You've you've been rallying, you know people inside these buildings. How confidence are you that John Harbaugh would be back? Let's say if they went very nine and.

00:10:33
Speaker 2: Very It's one of these things like who you got? I mean, this is the one thing, like with the Tomlin conversation, like I'm not going to sit here and say that he should stay or should go, but you better have a bird in the hand, right.

00:10:45
Speaker 1: But Harbay, I think is a more interesting one. They've gone twelve seasons now since that last Super Bowl. I think the front office isn't going anywhere. Would they ever think that, hey, is this the guy? Do we ever want to see Lamar Jackson with a different head coach in his entire career? This seem like a time if it would have to.

00:11:02
Speaker 2: Go out would be yeah, yeah, that would be an interesting dynamic because those two have.

00:11:08
Speaker 1: The relationship and I know we it's time to move on. But I did want to point out this is the highest playoff leverage game yet of the entire NFL season, based on Aaron Shotz's numbers. If the Ravens win, they have a seventy percent chance to make the playoffs. If the Steelers win, they have a seventy five percent chance to make the playoffs, whereas the loser is in the low twenties. So it really swings. I guess it's not too shocking because basically, these two games between these two teams, if one of them sweeps them, they're going to the playoffs, right if they If they split, we'll see. And so whoever gets that first one has a monster and.

00:11:45
Speaker 2: There's no wildcard coming out of this division, agree, and a coach's job is on the line.

00:11:49
Speaker 3: Perhaps, according to Greg Rosenthal.

00:11:52
Speaker 1: I think more likely in Baltimore, I think it's possible.

00:11:54
Speaker 4: Yeah, they did, you know, if we're talking about matching up with the quarterback, they did't play foot see with the quarterbacks contract not too long ago.

00:12:01
Speaker 3: So perhaps not anything is out of the realm of possibility.

00:12:04
Speaker 4: Let's go to the team that beat the Baltimore Ravens at home on Thanksgiving. Joe Burrow is back in the next team in the AFC. That's a contender that's worried about Joe Burrow, which is a yearly tradition. Late it is the Buffalo Bells who are five and a half points favorites. The over under is fifty two and a half. Steve after they ran all over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Is a test to see if this Bengals defense is what they have shown us the past couple of weeks. Is it real or is it a mirage. I think Buffalo will have a chance to show us the truth.

00:12:35
Speaker 2: Buffalo will have it and the offense is going to have to have a chance because that defense is still leaky. Even though the Steelers couldn't do some things now, Joey Bosha looks like he's gonna be out with a hamstring injury.

00:12:44
Speaker 3: I look anytime Joe Burrow.

00:12:47
Speaker 2: Is in the game, that change the dynamic on both sides of the ball for the Bengals.

00:12:52
Speaker 3: I just it's the game's in Buffalo.

00:12:55
Speaker 2: This is one where I just think, Josh Allen, this run game continues to go, and they set some things up, you know, in the passing game. I just think they feel very confident they're gonna be able to run the ball on Cincinnati, which they should be able to do.

00:13:07
Speaker 1: I think people slept on that Buffalo win as a potential like galvanizing, season changing type of win. I mean, they just slapped around another like Destroida team in a like a very just muscular type of way. I feel like that's something that you can build off. Eric Roberts. I know they're not high flying passing like they used to be, but that's something. And they've been a good running team all year and there's every reason to believe that they will be in this game despite the Bengals, yes, Patrick having pretty solid numbers since to Buy, their defensive numbers are like okay, and that's that's all I think Bengals fans want, is the defensive numbers since the Buy in those three games against some pretty good opponents, including the Patriots, you know, are around average, a little lower than average, but not not terrible. And all you got to do is keep it close now for Joey b because Buffalo's defense is not one hundred percent. That Bosa injury to me is really important for them.

00:14:06
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's I talked about the Baltimore Ravens being you know, big play hunters on offense. The Buffalo Bills on defense rely on the big play as the sacks, the turnovers to get off the field and have had trouble going back a couple of years and dealing with explosive players on offense and Jamar Chase.

00:14:24
Speaker 3: It's a problem for a lot of people.

00:14:25
Speaker 1: T Higgins is back at practice.

00:14:27
Speaker 3: Jiggins back too.

00:14:27
Speaker 1: We don't know that for sure, right, It's most likely he will be out of the protocol by the time this game happens because he's on that track. Joey b again, it's a good pass defense.

00:14:38
Speaker 4: So on paper, yeah, on paper, a good pass defense, and you want to talk about paper. I went into the numbers to try to find a good a good comp because on off stats can be kind of revealing, especially late in the season. A very good wide receiver, for like Puka Nakua, the success when he's on the field is fifty one point nine percent in the pass game, forty four when he's off. How about the much malay Keon Coleman.

00:15:01
Speaker 3: The Bills have.

00:15:01
Speaker 4: Fifty one point six office of success right when Kean is on the field. When he's not, it's down to forty one point six. So the tisk tisks this is he got back on the field.

00:15:12
Speaker 1: Greg.

00:15:13
Speaker 4: It turns out the Bills are better when their best wide receivers play.

00:15:17
Speaker 1: This is just where if you throw enough numbers against the wall, like trends happen. That's just random. It's based on the opponent.

00:15:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they played they played the Texanskulski's your best wires here.

00:15:29
Speaker 1: I mean you could they played the Texans with Coleman by that lot. You could say, uh, hey, the Bill's running game when Brandon Cooks is on the field is awesome because they're one for one when Brandon Cooks is on the field running the back.

00:15:42
Speaker 4: I just think because we talked, we've talked about the button in the past few weeks.

00:15:45
Speaker 3: Uh, and so when when your past game.

00:15:47
Speaker 1: What's the button for the uninitiated.

00:15:49
Speaker 4: The button for the uninitiated is when the Bills are struggling on offense and it's hey, Josh, yeah, we need you right now, Joe Brady in his ear, all right, we're gonna snap the ball to you.

00:15:59
Speaker 3: Go for it.

00:16:01
Speaker 4: Because there was there was a goal to go play it. The Keon Coleman touchdown where nothing was there. Josh has to do one of his patented pump fakes, gets a defender to jumping rolls runs for three or four seconds and hits Keon Coleman in the back of the end zone where if you're watching on YouTube, you see they're lifting them up celebrating with Dawson Knox like that's it.

00:16:19
Speaker 3: Other than the zone run game, it's.

00:16:21
Speaker 4: Just Josh and sometimes Josh is the run game where he has like a weird play where he's running over people, goes in the end zone straight up just being used as a touchdown scoring weapon by his offensive lineman.

00:16:33
Speaker 3: Great where yeah it's it's great, but no team has more of their quarterback, seriously.

00:16:38
Speaker 1: And he's shown the weight of that. I think at times this season even recently, where he's not been at his best because I think he's hunting, he's trying to do too much and he knows he has to do it all.

00:16:51
Speaker 3: I always at that game in Houston, I was in the Bill's locker afterwards and he was beat up. Man. Yeah, they roughed him up.

00:16:59
Speaker 1: We probably aren't getting Trey Hendrickson back though for this game. And yes, the Bengals are only two games back. They will in the in the division, they will stay two games back with four to plays. That's that's hard to could be a ton catch up on it could be a Ravens Steelers tie, but they will only be won back.

00:17:15
Speaker 3: Like hey, very well could be zero zero.

00:17:18
Speaker 1: They could be angling to that second place schedule. There. It's a fun considering the records in this game, like this is still a fun game, and it's.

00:17:27
Speaker 3: A great game. I love especially Burrow.

00:17:30
Speaker 1: Doesn't Burrow get the best of Josh In general? The Bengals have had their share of success, especially you know they did it in the playoffs two against the Bills during these two coaches tenures.

00:17:42
Speaker 3: Looking forward to that one.

00:17:43
Speaker 4: But we also have a great game in the AFC South, which people might have forgotten about a few weeks ago, but the Texans and the Jags have made things interesting. It is the Colts who are favored still by one and a half points greg against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Duvall. Forty seven and a half is the over under Iron Eagle and Justin James Watt are on the call. We wish Dimes was healthy and moving around, but the team that's looking healthy and moving up the standings is the Jacksonville Jaguars right now.

00:18:14
Speaker 1: You know, I think I'm going to have to get this game. I got to watch this game. I gotta love this division.

00:18:19
Speaker 3: I'm fast become very, very great.

00:18:22
Speaker 1: I think the Colts are not the profile of a team in collapse. No, They've been close in these games. Daniel Jones practicing fully on Wednesday. When I saw that they were favored earlier in the week, I just assume that games in Indianapolis. Not a lot of belief apparently in terms of the numbers with Jacksonville, and I get it because the Jaguars are just so unpredictable, inconsistent. Despite Daniel Jones's injuries, and the running game hasn't been as good lately. I still do think that this offense is going to have it's share of good days. They're not playing the Texans this week, and that's the that's the side of the football I trust the most. In this game, I.

00:19:06
Speaker 2: Thought they look good against Houston, and I thought Daniel Jones look really good physically against Houston. I mean, they were heating him up with four, but they were heating him up and he I thought he played well. Thought Jonathan Taylor ran the ball well at times. You know you're seeing Patrick's favorite player right there, Alec Pierce.

00:19:21
Speaker 3: All he does Boston. Two people you know him and Tyler Warren. I mean, I'm with this.

00:19:26
Speaker 2: I like the Colts in this game, and frankly, the Colts have to win this game, the first of two. They have not played Jacksonville yet, so they got they play him later in the season. But the Colts schedule brutal. It is brutal the final five games. They cannot fall in a game like this and to which they're favored seeing as to who's coming up, because it is a murderer's row, which is why now I think, especially if Houston beats Kansas City Sunday, two teams from the South are going to go and one of them might not be the Colts just because their schedule is so rugget.

00:20:00
Speaker 3: They've got to.

00:20:00
Speaker 1: Get this game, and both these teams should be happy to play each other because that you have a chance if you could sweep the opposition, basically, that punches it ticket to the playoffs. I do worry about the Colts defense not being able to do as much cool things as they would if Sas Gardner was on the field and DeForest Buckner's on the field, and I know there's the Jaguars have had plenty of injuries a lot of teams have injuries, but the Colts, there's just a drop off from their like star players, and those were two of their best players obviously on the defense.

00:20:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, the acquisition of Sauces is what helps you. It's like, Okay, that's the piece, the piece on defense where they get a big opportunity for a playmaker, and they don't They don't know how long term this calf injury is going to be. And you have to be concerned anytime somebody's got a lower calf injury of how things are going to go. No where on the officiality of the time frame.

00:20:50
Speaker 1: Yet they're not going to put them on injured reserve according to Ian Rapp.

00:20:53
Speaker 2: But but I mean I'm saying this jokingly, but also seriously, a team from Indiana who's got a star player with a calf injury. We just saw it in the NBA Finals with Tyreez Alibert. They're not trying to have this much calf trauma going on with their athletic teams. So, and I will say this, I'm glad you mentioned sass Gardner. One of the best trade acquisitions we have seen at Jacoby Myers has done of Jacksonville. So now they've got two threats on the outside that could really stress out this Colts defense.

00:21:21
Speaker 4: Yeah, perhaps it's a friend of the pod, Liam Cohen listening to our conversation over the course of the season about the struggles by these Jags receivers on inbreakers where you had the best inbreaking receiver on the team in Britain, Strange goes down for multiple weeks in the middle of the season.

00:21:40
Speaker 3: The offense looks lost.

00:21:42
Speaker 4: I tried to find an on off split for Britain Strange, it didn't match the agenda, so I left that alone. But the wins come and Jacoby Myers has the career long on an inbreaker where trev looks more comfortable. The run game is not what it was during those stretches. Maybe I'm wish casting here. I'm starting to worry about my pick of the Jags, but I want to see those things working right Unison.

00:22:07
Speaker 1: But it's weird. The running game, you're right, has after a great start has been mostly Mia, but two weeks ago it lit up like they were awesome. And I do on Etn and Tooton are a good combos. So you just don't know what you're gonna get from a week two week basis with this team. But they're a team in Jacksonville that can can look across the field at the Colts and they can say this team has been on the field or it's around one hundred and sixty five snaps the last two weeks. That is outrageous. First of all, they just be tired. I mean that's just a lot. Second of all, it shows a team that just can't get off the field, that's just giving up third down after third down, short yardage situations. And think that's the way to beat the Colts because I think it's been effective against them the last couple of weeks, where you know, Daniel Jones, they'll have a three and out or two and suddenly it's like that's the whole half. You cannot get the ball back for this Colts team.

00:22:56
Speaker 3: That's a great point.

00:22:57
Speaker 2: That that's a great point because you saw it get Houston, I mean Houston, and they weren't third down so many times, and whether they ran it, whether Stroud did something with it, they made the play, which is so defeatist to a defense like man, we had him, We had him again here again, especially the guys up front. You know, we're getting you know, pounded on layout two Loatzi's playing well, but you know, you saw so many tackles on third down that were followed by this, you know, the first down signal, you know that stuff. But I think this is gonna be a really good game because it is a must get for the Colts because their schedule is no joke.

00:23:30
Speaker 1: The defensive players. If I was trying to think, like, what can we count on for the Jacks, their defense has been playing better lately. It's been up and down throughout the course season. But Josh heinz Allen and Devin Lloyd are playing really well.

00:23:41
Speaker 3: Lloyd coming back helps set the table.

00:23:43
Speaker 1: For Yeah, he's really helped them and hinds Auen the last two weeks combine eighteen pressures.

00:23:50
Speaker 3: That's a season.

00:23:51
Speaker 1: That's a crazy what two weeks with a couple with three sacks and a couple more quarterback hits like mixed in. It's not just it's not just hurries. The Jaguars were down a couple offensive linemen in that game. I'm looking at the practice report on Wednesday, and uh, it looks like Walker Little, their left tackle is out. Patrick McCarry is on the field, so that would be good to get one guy back. He's in a non Contactors eat. Parker Washington is out and you mentioned that Myers fifty yard catch. You know what, I cut my eye on that one. How about Brian Thomas Junior sprinting down the field to get a great block. He's back on the field and he's playing hard. I think it's a matter of time before he has some some big moments too. I know it's been a quiet season, but I like I like Brian Thomas.

00:24:34
Speaker 2: Hey man, those so others can elevate you, especially if they play in your position.

00:24:37
Speaker 3: Group.

00:24:38
Speaker 1: Man, Colt's gotta win this game out, they have to win this game.

00:24:41
Speaker 3: Nervous I'm telling their schedules.

00:24:44
Speaker 1: Jaguars have been surprising us all year, and both these teams are great stories. They're both eight and four. We would have never expected that. But that's the problem of winning early. It raises the expectations. And that's what we did on this show. We won early with Steve White. Yeah, just a you know, just a been beautiful part of the show with Steve Wish. This time we're gonna say goodbye to you. Appreciate you having me, but we loved having you. Patrick and I are going to talk about the rest of these early games, and I can't wait. One of the best teams in the NFL, Seattle Seahawks, after the break back on NFL Daily, said goodbye to our great friend Steve Weisch. Another big time segment with Patrick Clayback, and then the afternoon games. In the primetime games, we got Bill Barnwell coming up. It's a cast of thousands on this previous show.

00:25:41
Speaker 3: It's there's quality individuals on this show.

00:25:43
Speaker 4: And me, now, I think that's that's a fun note, the fun personal note.

00:25:48
Speaker 1: Where this is where I need you to shine because the back half of the early games not as shiny as they may have looked back in September.

00:25:56
Speaker 4: You know, the the sheen is coming off of the gleaming armor. It is my shield robot status. So I will cape for every single games, including Kirk Cousins at home where the Seattle Seahawks are a seven point favorite the over under his forty four and a half. Kevin Coogler and Moose Johnston on the call. We saw Kirk having a lot of success in the short passing game against the Jets.

00:26:19
Speaker 1: Wow, Wow are their.

00:26:22
Speaker 3: Yards available against the Seahawks defense.

00:26:24
Speaker 1: Greg, Look, these first few games actually in this section are important because Seattle's got to keep winning to keep up with the Rams. And one thing, you know, when I was thinking about like big picture Seattle is not only have they taken care of all these games, they haven't been close usually Like that is one of my definitions of a truly great team, Like they don't even make you sweat it. Minnesota last week obviously was an example. But if you look in all these games where they were significantly favored, it's a rare one where they even had to sweat out the fourth quarter. So I think about, like, what do they need to work on. I don't think Kirk Cousins is going to be munch problems for the defense. It's more about the offense that's a tougher matchup. Can we get another Sam darnaldin Can we get back to the guy that in this very studio Patrick, We awarded him the first half of the season MVP just for his play.

00:27:15
Speaker 3: Oh, I mean you go, and he earned it.

00:27:17
Speaker 4: Do you look at those first ten weeks of the season, Yeah, it was legitimate. You you start in the Rams game and you go back to that point where you've got four interceptions two touchdowns through the air over these past few games, and now it's you know, we wanted we were at the point where Jackson Smith and Jigba was well in the conversation, but because.

00:27:36
Speaker 1: He's still there, he's still there. There one bad week and that wasn't his fault doesn't kill.

00:27:40
Speaker 3: But that's the thing. One bad week when we've got when we got.

00:27:43
Speaker 4: This Drake made situation going on is rough, at least in terms of my model in that conversation. But now it's a matchup against a J Turrell who's one of the best in the league win target in terms of yards per target allowed. So if we're gonna snap out of the dulgrums of whatever this is going on for the Seahawks passing game, this will be the one that shows the people, Hey, everything's.

00:28:06
Speaker 1: Okay, and I don't think anything's overly wrong. Like I say a lot, it's often about the schedule. He played two of the best defense in the league and this is what happened. But I did find it interesting that Brian Flores said before that game, We're gonna blitz the hell out of them, like that's what we do. But we're gonna really do it against Sam Darnald, and they did sixty three percent. They blitzed against him. And that's a guy who knows Sam Donald as well as anyone having coached with him, and Atlanta is a team built to possibly do that, So I think it's a tricky matchup. The Falcons defense actually played for the most part pretty well against the Jets. I know they have been great, but they've been very good all season. And I do want to see that Seattle running game keep it going too, because I made a play on this show. I don't know if you remember this, there was a drive I'll remember get the Cardinals, Yeah, and I said, this is the drive that maybe turned around their running game for the season. So this morning I went and checked. Since that game, they are top ten in EPA per play and success rate nin ninth tenth and those two stats, So maybe that drive really did turn around. They've been a little more consistent with our guy, Ken Walker. There's a lot of fun to watch.

00:29:10
Speaker 4: I'm glad me giving you grief after the disaster against the Rams for the Seahawks run game, where it has caused you to go back into that because you didn't even remember, but.

00:29:22
Speaker 1: I don't remember where he said.

00:29:23
Speaker 3: No, I was right, I was right and Patrick was wrong.

00:29:26
Speaker 1: Do you remember the show as well, because Jordan will like say, oh, I said this then or you said that then, And I only just let it all wash over me in the moment.

00:29:35
Speaker 4: I guess I only remember when we disagree. That's the only time I remember that, you.

00:29:39
Speaker 1: Know, small, because hard to disagree on this one. Yeah, no, opidly.

00:29:44
Speaker 3: We're in lockstep. Yeah, let's let's see.

00:29:46
Speaker 4: Let's get the Kirk Cousins game because it did not necessarily happen against the New Orleans Saints a couple of weeks ago. Now did New Orleans Saints are on the road against Baker and the Bucks. The Bucks are favored by eight and a half. Kevin Harlan and Trent Green are on the call. They opened Mike Evans twenty one day practice window.

00:30:05
Speaker 1: Nice.

00:30:05
Speaker 4: Not sure if we're gonna get Mike back in this one, but there were some late flashes from Tyler Schuck in these Cardiac Saints enough to scare Baker and company.

00:30:16
Speaker 1: Correct they could. This Tampa team is so confusing. They have won four out of their seven games. In those games, they've been out gained. Okay, they have been outscored this year by twenty two points. They are not a profile of a team that's normally seven to five. And yet Mike Evans coming back, Jalen McMillan coming back, maybe end of the season, Elijah Knty could be coming back. They already got Hassan Reddick back, and yet last week it was another one of those games. When I went back to rewatch, it was just like, what is this team? It was great to see Bucky Irving, he really helps him out, but it's another game where you know, the Cardinals outgained him by about one hundred yards, and there were like a lot of things too, like I think there's a possibility that this Bucks team, and they've actually done this a few times, are considerably better and that they're the team that we thought they would be all season in the playoffs when it matters, which is what you want if you're the Bucks. That they've kind of gotten lucky to get this far, and yet none of it might matter because they're scheduled. The rest of the way is a lot of games where they would be heavily favored. They're getting healthier and maybe they kind of crank it up at the last second, and they're still right in the mix.

00:31:32
Speaker 4: The one place that's most concerning though about the health status is Baker Mayfield and that left shoulder. I can't help but think about the torn labram and his left shoulder that almost ended his career because for some reason, the Browns kept running him out there when he was hurt, and then the opportunities were limited. After that, He's been scrambling at a career high rate.

00:31:51
Speaker 3: Look good.

00:31:52
Speaker 1: Last week. I thought he moved around.

00:31:53
Speaker 3: It's worth moved around. Well.

00:31:55
Speaker 4: I know folks are concerned about Abuka. Buka's got one of the lowest catchable target during this rough game stretch for him, and I know people credit that to this alleged rookie wall and all these things. Now, Baker kind of has started spraying the ball a little bit at least when it comes to targeting too. And when Abuka is clear and far away the number one option, you know he's going to get attention paid to him where you know this will be the third game back for Chris Godwin. And yeah, the Saints aren't necessarily a problem, but to get through and do what you said, the Seattle Seahawks have been doing to win a game in a convincing fashion where it's not there's no come from behind necessary against the Saints.

00:32:39
Speaker 3: I think that would make all of us feel better.

00:32:40
Speaker 1: Yeah, the Bucks are favored by eight and a half in this game. I mean they shouldn't be favored over by eight and a half. Ever, I don't think right now, but offensive line like they look good. They have one replacement still in there in Dan Feeney, who didn't play too well last week. But it wasn't just that Chris Godwin is back, because early in this I don't think he looked right. The first game back, we didn't really see much last week. I saw a little bit of pop. I saw a little bit of the old Chris Godwin with some yak. I thought Baker, for what it's worth, moved around well and probably had a better game overall than he did the week before when he first suffered that injury. And Yeah, the Saints don't do a lot that like really confuses you. Shout out to our podcast colleague. Though, Kim Jordan two more sacks last week. I was annoyed that I didn't mention that on the recapture he's up to six and a half. I think like he's starting to put up numbers where in the end there's gonna be a good conversation about him going to Canton, and I think that's meaningful. Yeah to anyone we.

00:33:41
Speaker 3: Get to we pass one, okay, right, that was the number.

00:33:45
Speaker 4: Right, So yeah, we like nice concise numbers in terms of evaluation for career awards and that that means something.

00:33:55
Speaker 1: Wait, I did want to talk about Chuck for a second. Yeah, because I.

00:33:58
Speaker 3: Have the let's have the time.

00:34:00
Speaker 1: I hadn't watched the mask closely until this, you know, the previous week. Last week, I did. You know, he's a little better like pocket presence and a little more playmaking than I expected, a little more excitement out of the Shuckster. Whereas when you watched him in college, I felt like when pressure was near him, he'd kind of panic, and he had had so many injuries it almost seemed like he was just trying to get to the NFL draft. I don't know, I'm just putting thoughts into his head. That's probably not fair. But he's been pretty good against pressure, at least he was last week. The numbers have been up and down, but last week he made a lot of plays and he's doing enough so far where I think he's getting to where Spencer Rattler was, which is like, oh, I think this guy's going to have a career. He's going to be an NFL quarterback. Now, is he like a high level backup? Is he a bridge quarterback? Is he better than that? Obviously the Saints would hope he's better than that, but like it kind of feels like worst case scenario. Now he's like a good backup quarterback, which is not bad like to have, and so you're building from there. He could make it difficult for them to decide what to do in the draft.

00:35:03
Speaker 4: Yeah, to be fair to him, because that was and looking back in hindsight, it's probably unfair to say, oh, well, shuck out all these clean pockets to throw throm everybody would love to play in this offense. Well it he wasn't in those situations. So why am I dging him for situations that he wasn't in? And now that he's in him, you know, he's surviving those bullets in.

00:35:23
Speaker 1: There pretty good test. This week, He's had a relatively soft schedule. You get, you face all the blitz is this is a new challen It's a small sample site. I don't want to go too crazy, but so far I was a doubter, and I would say I think he's been a little higher than expectations. So I'm watching you Tyler show. Oh I'm joining you.

00:35:42
Speaker 4: Greg's got your eye on Tyler. So congratulations on that. That and it's up is an accomplishment. What about an accomplishment at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings for perhaps JJ McCarthy. His Vikings are favored by one and a half points, with the Washington Commanders coming in still questioning the availability on their offensive side of the ball, Adam I mean and Drew Brees on the call. The commanders gave the Broncos every single thing they had, including extra time? Are are they Should you be looking at that one and a half a little bit sideways?

00:36:17
Speaker 3: Greg?

00:36:18
Speaker 1: In which way that the Commanders should be favored?

00:36:23
Speaker 4: You know, considering the way things went against the Denver Broncos. I'm starting to believe.

00:36:28
Speaker 1: There is a case to be made, based on an extremely small sample size, that dan Quinn has helped out the defense in terms of the play calling. They've been certainly more competitive. The two weeks that he called plays. The offense has been fine throughout. You know, I want to see if Jayden Daniels is playing in this game. We don't know as of now, but yeah, the Vikings are not a team that probably should be favored over anyone.

00:36:55
Speaker 4: Just about I do think because the Brosmer experience, for better or worse, at least people have an answer for as of right now, this idea that you know, I'd.

00:37:06
Speaker 1: Like to see one more Brozner game. I'm serious. It was a tough situation you first started against Seattle before saying we have an answer. But yeah, I wasn't expecting him to be like, way better than JJ McCarthy or anything. But you know, if we're going to be fair about sample sizes, you know, he only played one game.

00:37:25
Speaker 3: Okay, I'm with Greg.

00:37:26
Speaker 4: Let's let's let's just let's have more this snuff film that was the Max Rosber experiencing against the Seattle Seahawks, where yeah, I think you know, I'm not going to say dan Quinn has completely fixed the circumstances over there on that defensive side of the ball, but I would feel better for the for the opportunity for JJ McCarthy at the very least to feed targets to Justin Jefferson in a way where last week when the targets were there, it was an adventure. Even there was legitimately one rap where JJ felt like he was questioning whether or not the ball was actually going to get to him. Yeah, and folks were wondering about his effort because it was so scattershot. Where you know, for the sake of Vikings fans, Greg, yeah, let's get Max Brozmer in a better situation.

00:38:17
Speaker 3: But JJ McCarthy is, yeah, that's fair.

00:38:19
Speaker 1: And having a week off maybe that calms his mind a little bit. Certainly the matchups shouldn't be as tough in general. I did want to get this quote right, and that's what I was searching for, and it was on hard knocks in the locker room. Have you seen this after the game and Dan Quinn says, we may have lost, but we are no longer lost. Wow, that's pretty good. But we're not lost anymore. That was the quote again. He was this is a team that's been a drift all season. They're not lost anymore. They're going to be rallying to the home stretch. Maybe Jayden Daniels by the way, not you know, taking any contact practice anyways. You would expect him to wear a non on contact jersey. They'll determine his status on Friday. He is practicing. Just my gut, based on how they're talking, I think it's going to be another week. I do think he's gonna place multiple games this season. I don't. I don't think it's going to be this week. But that's just my guess.

00:39:15
Speaker 4: I have a huge question about this game before we go. Okay, Jeremy McNichols has the second best yards per carry average in the entire NFL right now.

00:39:23
Speaker 3: He's over six and a half yards.

00:39:26
Speaker 4: Why do they not give Jeremy mcnicholls more opportunities when he's running the ball.

00:39:30
Speaker 1: He's not maybe like as like rugged runner as Chris Rodriguez. Chris Rodriguez is good. I mean, they're all pretty good. He's not an every down guy.

00:39:39
Speaker 3: I don't know. It's definitely not if you don't give him a ball that I don't know.

00:39:42
Speaker 4: I would like to see it, Cliff, I would like to see it, That's all I'll say.

00:39:45
Speaker 3: Okay, let's see more Jeremy mcnicholl.

00:39:47
Speaker 1: Okay, let's let's keep it rolling.

00:39:49
Speaker 3: Let's do it.

00:39:50
Speaker 4: Another running back who has huge numbers is Devon ah Chan and his Miami Dolphins, who have a path. Greg, As you said famously a few weeks ago, the path is still there, although this becomes less likely. Two and a half point favorites against the Rod Taylor and the Jets, the over under forty one and a half Bureaudidas and Adam Archiletta. It has been ad Ni Mitchell. Greg you called that the explosiveness. Does that power the Jets for another win? For ag against the adult.

00:40:19
Speaker 1: I kind of think it will. Who are you going to take? You're now in first place on Game Devut, which is our weekly show on NFL Network people should check out, and Patrick is trying to pull off the impossible and defeat the computer model of Cynthia Freeland. Right now, he's winning.

00:40:37
Speaker 3: Eventually on the show with three people.

00:40:39
Speaker 4: Eventually, I would have had one chance over the course of these past few seasons, and so we're here.

00:40:45
Speaker 3: This is this.

00:40:45
Speaker 1: I think I'm going to take the Jets. They've been playing well lately.

00:40:47
Speaker 3: They have been playing well.

00:40:49
Speaker 4: I am scared to death by the hot air balloon that Tua tongue Baila threw the Jayalen waddle last week. Perhaps you know the ball slipped out of his hands. I don't know, but that one piece of tape. I'm I'm still picking the fence here because I think the run game with a chance specifically allows them more explosive opportunity. But you know, the tailor experience is back. I'm glad to Rod is back playing. He's made the Jets better and he's given hope like long term viability to add.

00:41:18
Speaker 1: That Mitchell right, Adie Mitchell always looked like a talented player. If you're watching on YouTube, we Love You, Like Subscribe, do it All, and you're seeing Adie Mitchell get open down the field, He's probably gonna be a guy that has his Sara dropped and I don't know what the other issues were, but he, you know, is becoming a pro. He's a young guy. I think that's gonna go down as a big part of that trade. I don't think he's going to be a number one, but I think he's going to be a starting caliber. He's clearly the most talented receiver on this roster. When Garrett Wilson is hurt, which has been the case for most of this season, and it does make it a dangerous game for my vision of the Dolphins coming back. The problem with that vision is everyone in the AFC keeps winning. You know that the idea was, Okay, they're going to be six and seven, they could be they could have a game where they have a chance to pass the Steelers. Was the vision a month ago that all is going to happen. But passing the Steelers might be for tenth place in the AFC. So I don't think it really is going to make any difference. And I don't trust this Dolphins team in particular. I don't get the arguments that I've seen out there of like, I don't know, like McDaniel is kind of making the case for why he should be back. Why because they're doing the same thing that they would have done anyways, but just in a different order.

00:42:39
Speaker 4: I hate that, well, Greg famously, Yeah, the end of the season is more important than the start of the season. And now the Dolphins were winning, so that logic would say that Mike Max's doing great, he should be brought back because this is when it means more.

00:42:52
Speaker 1: You know how the everyone's been noting that the Patriots have one of the easiest schedules in NFL history. The Dolphins and the Jets' schedules aren't that much harder. So if you get to seven or eight wins in year four of your program with one of the easiest schedules and you don't even get your over underwin total, they were expected to be decent. They weren't eight and a half before the season. I'm not giving you any credit that happened at the end of the season. I do like, though, Chop Robinson, who had a total of one sack and quarterback hit combined going into last week, at one of each. It was very active throughout the rest of the game. And Devon h Chan I noticed fourteen hundred yards from scrimmage right now, two hundred and forty touches. He is a Bell Coow type of guy if you count the receptions, ten touchdowns and his ability to like skip forward while he's he just like skips on an NFL field while everyone else looks slow around him. All my doubts of Devon eh Chan have been proven stupid.

00:43:50
Speaker 4: And yes, that dude, and thank you for attaching the bellcal to a smaller yeah, because you know the smaller guys don't get bell coal.

00:43:56
Speaker 1: But if you get over three hundred touches your bellcoal, I think they can win this game. The New York Jets.

00:44:03
Speaker 3: That is all right, a fun matchup.

00:44:05
Speaker 4: What about a fun matchup that we were previewing back in the draft and we thought Shador Sanders was gonna go significantly higher. And it's a matchup of two quarterbacks that really built their relationship during that draft process. It is Shador Sanders playing host to cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans, and the Browns are favored Greg by four and a half points. Chris Myers and Mark Larat on the call. The thing that everybody should be watching because the quarterbacks are going to get a lot of attention here.

00:44:33
Speaker 1: You should.

00:44:33
Speaker 4: Miles Garrett is getting close to this record Greg. He may get significantly closer this week.

00:44:40
Speaker 1: This is a huge week for him. I think to go get it because cam Ward holds onto the ball.

00:44:45
Speaker 3: J C.

00:44:46
Speaker 1: Latham has not played particularly well this year in general. The Titans offensive line, whether you want to go on the interior, there's an injury at center as well, you know, and they move him inside. Sometimes this is a time to go back up some numbers because what I don't want is going into the last week or two and he like needs one more. It's hard the other team doesn't want to. You're not gonna have Brett Favre laying down for you. This is, by the way, the all time Chris Meyer's mark player. At the game, Titans Browns combine four wins. That's where it's at. Oh, I'm taking shots. Did you see Deshaun Watson is practicing. They opened up his twenty one day practice window. If in case you wanted to feel worse about this Brown season, I would be stunned if he played football this year on you know, in a regular season game. I would be very surprised if he was even on the active roster. I think what they're doing is letting him practice and kind of continue his development and reward him for what Kevin Stefanski said has been a great attitude and doing everything that they want. But he's just practicing just to practice. I would be beyond shot if they let Deshaun Watson play football.

00:46:02
Speaker 3: Do you the Browns do you feel.

00:46:03
Speaker 4: That Deshaun Watson should have been playing like just purely football wise.

00:46:07
Speaker 3: These past two seasons? Well, no, exactly so I would.

00:46:11
Speaker 4: I would not be shocked if the Cleveland Browns put Deshaun Watson.

00:46:13
Speaker 1: We're in a different place because because.

00:46:15
Speaker 4: They've been doing it for no reason from my perspective, So what am I why? Why would I expect them to behave rationally? You're in twenty twenty.

00:46:23
Speaker 1: Five, there's just no point, like, what is he going to do? Be the backup over Dylan? No?

00:46:29
Speaker 3: If you're making sense to me, yeah, yeah, like that makes sense to me.

00:46:32
Speaker 4: But considering what we've seen from the franchise and the decision makers involved, I don't know.

00:46:38
Speaker 3: I would not be shocked.

00:46:39
Speaker 1: I also would be shocked if Kevin Stefanski is back next year. So I don't know if the decision makers that are involved will be making these decisions. To me, the ownership is most important out of this entire group, and the Titans should count their blessings by the way that they are not chasing what that poor Browns did last decade. You remember the one game that the Titans won. Yeah, it's the flukiest game in the history of the NFL. I have never seen a flukier ending to an NFL game than that Titans game, and they have not been that competitive. It's not like, oh, well, yeah, they almost won this game and almost won that game. They are like there is this idea the Raiders are worse. I've kind of thrown that out there, but like they're one of the worst teams ever. The one game that they've ever won that they won was the luckiest game ever. And if you look at DVA overall efficiency, there's a pretty big gap between them and thirty one on the list, Like four and a half might not be enough, like the brown I like the Browns to cover this.

00:47:43
Speaker 4: I got to assemble a list of the luckiest games ever so so that we can defeat this theory from Greg.

00:47:48
Speaker 1: It was a crazy it was. It was a crazy performance. You know what, I will say, Keyboard should bounce back because that was like his maybe his worst game of the season last year. Last week, it was off coming off of one of his best games of the season. It happens. And when you got Mike McCoy on the sideline, just the last guy I won as an interim head coachy to dig just like refuses to go for just there's no nothing there, there's nothing that's not what you want out of your interim head coach. He is a fill in, and I would never call Barnwell that, but this is a week where we've got different personnel in the mix and so we decided to take advantage of a friend do a little home and home. So we're going to say goodbye to Patrick right now. We thank Steve Weisch for his excellent contributions and I want you to check out the show with Bill Barnwell hitting all the late games, great primetime games. We will see them