2023 Week 16 Preview

00:00:00
Speaker 1: The Around the NFL podcast. All they want for Christmas is football.

00:00:08
Speaker 2: Well, if that's the case, we're getting everything we want this year. Thanks Santa from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's Around the NFL. Dan hands us with heroes, Greg Rosenthal and Mark Sessler.

00:00:23
Speaker 1: Can you believe it?

00:00:24
Speaker 2: Week sixteen preview in Bulk.

00:00:29
Speaker 1: How are you boys?

00:00:31
Speaker 3: Feeling good? It is a lot of football this Christmas. This is the most football Christmas there has ever been and forever more will be right though, because next year can't top it.

00:00:41
Speaker 4: It will be more somehow, No, because that will be more next year. The football Sunday naive, Greg, it will move, it will move to Monday. And then it's just it's it's tough.

00:00:50
Speaker 2: What point does the NFL have the power to just move days themselves? That's a fair point, Like affect the calendar in a like a granular way. I think that's coming.

00:00:59
Speaker 4: It's like NFL one Birth of Jesus see round right, being shoved into the background.

00:01:03
Speaker 1: The day is literally just about a sport At this point, I.

00:01:06
Speaker 3: Feel like it's less about the assault on Christmas and more of the assault on the NBA. They're like, oh, you had that that was cute. We're going to try to take you out in a big way.

00:01:14
Speaker 1: I feel like that ended all was completely different than.

00:01:17
Speaker 2: The NBA schedule they've Their counter attack was I saw their schedule now they had like forty games on Christmas five games. Yeah, yeah, it used to be like basically it was just like Michael Jordan's playing today. Everybody tune in, right anyway, yesterday's show was with Connor or by the way, but I want to address something Greg.

00:01:37
Speaker 1: You you got on me a little bit.

00:01:40
Speaker 2: You said, my common man ranking came down because we had to take another set of photos because yeah, Mark's dentist named Krentis. Yes, so I was a little bit sweaty the first round because they didn't have a fan in there.

00:01:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, so I took the photos. He said, she I could surgically or whatever. I didn't like that. It's in a service for you.

00:01:58
Speaker 2: Then I helped you. I lifted you on. That feels strong. You're still on our list, Mark for what chant to us. But uh, you said my common man ranking went down. Well, it must be stated that we did get a photo in the prep yesterday for our photo shoot. Oh you're right, Oh yeah, and this watches on the fast channels, watch this on YouTube. Let's check out and this is a normal curren. So what we have here is Greg Rosenthal in the makeup room and it's always multiple that you know, make up people working on Greg.

00:02:30
Speaker 1: Yes. And you wonder what that's about.

00:02:32
Speaker 3: Product and container, Well, it's the same as you guys. You guys can make up very often. I don't get any any hair, but she did it today. But it's important. People should watch this on You can watch it on the Fast channel, you can watch.

00:02:44
Speaker 1: It on a seg to a plug on YouTube.

00:02:47
Speaker 3: And I got nothing today, and just look at what a monster I am today, no makeup, no hair, and it's just I actually am like seventy five years old now. So when you see the difference, you'll you'll appreciate.

00:02:59
Speaker 1: We yus used to have a on site barber here. That's what this track's back.

00:03:02
Speaker 2: And Greg was one of the people, or it might have been the person because he didn't have enough clout, but he still was give me a haircut. And then the boss saw Greg getting a hair Now this is my theory, and they shut down the whole operation. I was gone, like we'll give Kurt Warner a haircut. But the guy from the podcast, No, this whole thing is over.

00:03:18
Speaker 1: I mean we needed to save money. I liked my guy back then.

00:03:22
Speaker 2: And if you didn't check out the Holiday Special and Fearless Predictions from Wednesday, you missed Connor or so go back and check that out. Connor reached out to us this morning and he has a charity endeavor that he's It's really a really nice thing that everyone should check out. It is the Holiday Fund dot org Greater Newer Holiday Fund. They've been doing that for over eighty years, serving the Greater Newer community. We put the plug out there and multiple donations pouring in from around the NFL listeners, including multiple like one thousand dollars donations, which is, let's get hip hop Santa back here.

00:03:59
Speaker 1: Eric, Yeah, come on, thank you.

00:04:01
Speaker 2: Do we have a chance to get hip hop Sada back in the mix. He's got to show up.

00:04:07
Speaker 3: Formed the heart of Connor, and it is awesome how much our listeners showed up.

00:04:12
Speaker 2: So donate at Holiday Fund dot org slash donation slash Connor with one end hyphen or two ours.

00:04:20
Speaker 4: I mean, it tells me that among our listener fan base, I mean wonderful people, you know, wire to wire mostly but mostly a giving group of people, but also many of them wealthy.

00:04:32
Speaker 1: It's so it's a nice comedy.

00:04:33
Speaker 2: Well that wasn't And you know what I thought. We learned a lot from the Hallmark conversation yesterday. Mark, It's not just because someone gave doesn't mean they're wealthy. It might just mean they're wealthy of heart, I mean wealthy spirits. And I don't know where you were going with that.

00:04:46
Speaker 4: It's like I'm saying that inside there's a lot of abundance.

00:04:50
Speaker 2: An abundance of football to get to, so let's get to it. Week sixteen, we we previewed the Saturday games and TNF And speaking of TNF, Mark and I will be handling tonight's recap of Rams Saints Mar.

00:05:05
Speaker 1: Greg, you have your Christmas. We don't want to touch anything about religion with Greg after.

00:05:10
Speaker 2: The not No, we celebrate Christmas, but you are going with your family is sidewalk.

00:05:15
Speaker 1: This isn't our big celebration.

00:05:17
Speaker 3: Yes, Ellis and Emica both diehard Rams fans at this point, and we're going and then yeah, they get on a bird tomorrow night, so this is our last night together.

00:05:25
Speaker 1: It'll be really fun.

00:05:26
Speaker 4: I mean, the celebration could go utterly south that the Rams were electrocute.

00:05:29
Speaker 3: That would be sad, but it would be fun. It's still fun to go to a lot. It'll been to a regular season game in two years, so you know it's it's fun to go in.

00:05:36
Speaker 2: Honor, in honor of your family having a wonderful night before they head to Japan. I'm locking them up. I'm locking up the whoo, which might be a curse that worries me. Let's go, let's go, Rams. Whenever you could lock up a Thursday night game involving a five hundred team, you gotta.

00:05:54
Speaker 1: Do it, get it.

00:05:54
Speaker 3: I considered it very strongly, and I only didn't do it because I'm going, and just.

00:06:01
Speaker 2: Because you know what part of my bad season I'm having is you saying it's good luck, it's good lock And then cut to seventy two hours later and I'm in a ditch.

00:06:10
Speaker 1: With like seven. I do like them a lot tonight. Squarely in last place, I believe squarely is strong.

00:06:16
Speaker 2: Actually, actually I've never been what you have done multiple times mark, which is finished last.

00:06:21
Speaker 1: So my new goal is to be you out.

00:06:24
Speaker 2: I will not be finishing last and it starts with the Rams of Los Angeles tonight.

00:06:28
Speaker 4: Well, you give me something, let's go game behind. I'm a game out.

00:06:32
Speaker 1: That's squarely. That's called squarely.

00:06:35
Speaker 3: You're at seven eight, mark at eight and seven West Bros. Eleven and four and fourteen and one. That I that is historically.

00:06:41
Speaker 2: I told you I was saying this Greg two months ago that you had some magic going on. Admit that there's magic. Fourteen and one is absurd in this season. I'm not admitting magic. Some luck and eight weeks to go.

00:06:55
Speaker 1: And cystog seven, so you know, tipe down. I've done I've done that work eight of those weeks. All right, Let's get to potentially the game of the year.

00:07:05
Speaker 2: And and I mentioned this on Wednesday. This game Ravens at forty nine ers is so important to both conferences, both in what can happen at the top of the conference and determining the number one seed and what happens at the bottom of the conferences, and how it can affect the Niners specifically, but really the Ravens as well, potentially from whether they rest their regulars in week eighteen, because someone is going to be in a very good position after this game, and it is gorgeous.

00:07:41
Speaker 1: And we'll start with this, Greg.

00:07:42
Speaker 2: There are members of the Ravens who are unhappy.

00:07:47
Speaker 1: This is the game.

00:07:48
Speaker 2: The spread is the Niners are given five points at home and the Ravens and I thought about locking up the Niners because we have a chance to lock the Niners at home, like you go and do it, and maybe one of you guys are.

00:08:00
Speaker 1: But I don't like.

00:08:01
Speaker 2: The Ravens getting all this where underdogs were disrespected, y but John Harball leading the fight call. So the people in the desert like the Niners here. But the Ravens have been finding away all year long to win games.

00:08:16
Speaker 3: They have been and I look to the run game right off the bat for both these teams, but especially thinking about how can Baltimore keep up with San Francisco. There's only so much you're gonna be able to stop this forty nine Ers offense.

00:08:29
Speaker 1: Lamar is gonna have to have a great game.

00:08:31
Speaker 3: They're both gonna they're gonna have to be able to score in this game. And I think they look a little bit to the Rams game, you know, and the way the Rams were able to run the ball on San Francisco. Some of the numbers San Francisco has against the run overall very mediocre. They just gave up two hundred and thirty four yards on the ground to the Arizona Cardinals. They've missed a lot of tackles this year. The Ravens are really good at breaking tackles and getting yards after contact. I think they'll they will miss keep Mitchell because you lose that explosiveness. But a down to down running game from the Ravens and certainly from Lamar Jackson, gives them a chance.

00:09:10
Speaker 1: To me, these two teams Mark are like, are kind.

00:09:12
Speaker 3: Of old school because, like one of the big analytical precepts as well, running backs are somewhat replaceable and off ball linebackers are somewhat replaceable.

00:09:21
Speaker 1: And to me, these two teams got.

00:09:23
Speaker 4: There here because they're so varied running the football. And for the forty nine the Ravens, it's less about the running backs itselves. It's more about Lamar and they're they're here because they're off ball linebackers are fantastic and can actually shut down opposing passing games. So they're kind of old school teams and I'm really excited about I'm with you that you can puncture the Niners on the ground, and to your point, we just saw it last week with a pretty floating away offense in general in Arizona. For me, it's like Baltimore's defense, which has been it's been the number one scoring defense and it leads to the league in sacks, and that to me, if you can disrupt brock Purty, which which we saw rarely but in that one little downstreak he had, pressure was part of that. But the offense, the way that it's operating right now in San Francisco, it's like I used to always try to compare teams to like the eighty nine nine ers. This team is better than the eighty nine nine ers in so many different ways. They really are, and it's like that was one of the best teams I've ever seen. But what we're seeing right now over their last six games, they're winning by eighteen point eight.

00:10:25
Speaker 1: Points per game.

00:10:26
Speaker 4: There's no been no way to muzzle them on offense. So like we can talk a lot of it is like how do you score and keep up with the Niners?

00:10:36
Speaker 1: How do you stop the Niners?

00:10:37
Speaker 4: Like if no one's been able to do it, And like I think Baltimore gets good as good of a chance as anyone, just based on how they've.

00:10:44
Speaker 3: Kept I did. I thought that was part of the sea.

00:10:48
Speaker 4: Was like a legit weather game to me, But Cleveland did do a nice job. That Cleveland defense is a little bit different than what the Niners have faced before.

00:10:55
Speaker 1: Ravens have a bit of a different defense.

00:10:58
Speaker 4: I think it's like the Niners are the had been close in every one of their games, even when their three losses, they've been close. But this is like historical outlier, like you have to go back to the nineteen seventy Merger, Okay to find games like this where it's the two teams in December with the best record in the NFL. The last time this actually happened in December, and it's you'd think it would be more frequent was the nineteen eighty one Niners Wire's the eighty one Bengals, which wound up being a.

00:11:26
Speaker 1: Super Christmas Night.

00:11:27
Speaker 3: I feel like Monday Night football has been hitting home runs with these games.

00:11:31
Speaker 2: I don't I feel bad because they might be listening those guys that would just smoke the cigars in Park Avenue and figure out the schedule. But schedule has been outrageously good. These last six weeks or so, with these Island games and these big time matchups, and yeah, I think I'll point it out again because it can't be understated. Like they lost three games in a row of the Niners, and they did it with Deebo Samuel injured basically the whole time. Got hurt in that Browns game. Williams franchise left tackle out during that time. I think Christian McCaffrey got banged up in that Browns game too, so that was such an outlier. Deebo Samuel has seven touchdowns in the last three weeks, and so you could you could look at Baltimore and say, well, they've been doing it all year. They find ways to stop teams. They're so athletic in the middle of their defense. They they got a lot of depth they can they can figure out ways. I don't think you could slow down this offense because a brock Perdy is playing at this level and he stays healthy. I don't see this team scoring less than thirty points in any week for the rest of the season.

00:12:31
Speaker 1: I think we are looking at something historic here.

00:12:33
Speaker 2: And if the Ravens Greg who I haven't liked as much as you have from the start of the season. If they go to San Francisco and win like that is incredible. I just don't see it. But that would tell you so much about that team.

00:12:46
Speaker 3: I agree, and yet I don't think it's gonna happen. I'm locking up the forty nine ers in this one.

00:12:52
Speaker 1: I think there's a path.

00:12:54
Speaker 3: You know, it's wholes it's doing the whole thing where you limit possessions.

00:12:57
Speaker 1: That's how you keep it under thirty.

00:12:58
Speaker 3: Is just these long drives by the Ravens, Purties numbers are so good against everything.

00:13:03
Speaker 1: Mean, it's gonna kill you for this.

00:13:04
Speaker 2: By the way, why thick Wesson is gonna kill you locking up the Niners at home?

00:13:08
Speaker 1: This is not gonna I am here. I'm over. I'm over like legislating what is a good lock?

00:13:14
Speaker 4: It was.

00:13:15
Speaker 3: I'm just saying, when we when we do great teams, right when we started this, the idea of locking one eleven and three team versus another eleven and three team would somehow be anything.

00:13:27
Speaker 1: But like, that's what the lock competition is for. Not gonna be happy, That's all I'm saying. Well, we're not here to have to legislate that.

00:13:33
Speaker 4: But I did Olden one thing I did tell Madison behind the glass before the show. I'm locking the Niners too. No, I don't really care what anyone says. No, I'm not coming in last in this thing. Yes, there at that business. Yes, well let's saddle this one first.

00:13:47
Speaker 1: Here we go. This worries. Yeah, this is quite the conundrum. Guys, go ahead. Oh this annoys me. I love this.

00:13:55
Speaker 5: Hey, heroes, we squeaked out another win somehow last week. We've done that a lot this year. A lot of sweating going on in fourth quarters. This week, though, it's not gonna be so close. The forty nine ers are gonna roll over the Ravens. If Greggie had any marbles at all, he'd locked the Ravens for the tenth time this year and go bono imano.

00:14:18
Speaker 1: True.

00:14:18
Speaker 5: I doubt he'll do it, because he's gonna say I don't really see that happening. Nick, I can't do it. But take a chance, live a little go with your boys. Lock up the forty nine ers, and I have news. Christmas came a little early for the Westling brothers this year. Baby brother Larry had a little boy. OH named him Ezekiel Christopher Westling.

00:14:45
Speaker 1: Real.

00:14:46
Speaker 5: Yes, the middle name is after his uncle. Mom and baby are super healthy. We're all happy. I want to wish you guys all to marry Christmas. I hope to see you soon.

00:14:57
Speaker 1: Good day.

00:15:01
Speaker 2: How about that congratulations to Larry Ezekiel Christopher Westling.

00:15:05
Speaker 1: That is wonderful. There he is. You're watching on your tube. You can see Larry. That's awesome. And well Larry and ezek I call him.

00:15:13
Speaker 2: Zeke, Yeah, Zeke Zeke quest Yes, congratulations and Merry Christmas to the whole Westling family. And that is you know you're all locking the Niners. Well it really good about the right for you though, because oh yeah, I wonder what's gonna happen here Niners by thirty.

00:15:29
Speaker 1: Seven, I don't know. I don't as the Rams flyil away on Thursday.

00:15:33
Speaker 3: In fact, we're all the fact we're all doing it, yeah, the the fact we're all doing it, and probably all of America is doing it.

00:15:39
Speaker 2: But how about win how about what Nick said there? What I mean, you've been riding the Ravens all season and now you're gonna.

00:15:44
Speaker 3: Tur The point of the locks is to is you're not as emotional. That's what you say to me, And I don't think they're as good as the forty nine ers.

00:15:52
Speaker 1: Ye, don't, Greg, Can I count it? Like the point of everything? Yes? Is the show entertainment? Yes, so it isn't just sim's been missing. The point is for the show.

00:16:02
Speaker 4: My point as Miss Knight Wesleyan versus Rosenthal showdown, just like the.

00:16:06
Speaker 1: Amazing for the listeners.

00:16:07
Speaker 3: Actually this works out well for you. My point has been to destroy this competition. I have said for years, and I've kind of done it right now. If I win for the fourth time in five years, it's it's it's kind of over.

00:16:19
Speaker 1: It's just like it's lost.

00:16:20
Speaker 4: And you imagine I'm gonna I'm gonna do it for the show. I'm locking the Ravens. See what happens man Christmas Night? That's a man there, you go.

00:16:29
Speaker 2: I'm gonna do it for Nick and I see one man on this side of the table.

00:16:32
Speaker 3: But the best thing here is, like now I can enjoy the Ravens pulling off and upset because because Nick's with me. I didn't even think of that. That was not on purpose, you know, come on.

00:16:42
Speaker 1: I'm disgusted by the whole thing. Anything else on this game. We're gonna lose this.

00:16:47
Speaker 3: Luck I do think the Ravens love the disguise coverages Brock party.

00:16:51
Speaker 1: What if I moved to the I will assess me.

00:16:56
Speaker 3: Rock purty versus disguise coverages sometimes this year, like that's the way to beat him is get a couple well not flukey turnovers, but get some turnovers. Can you confuse him a little bit? And Ken Kyle, who kind of makes a living building this whole thing around McCaffrey. That the way defense is just ke on McCaffrey in every single way as a runner and as a passer and everything in motion and all that like they do. If any team had the linebackers to try to slow them down, and probably be the forty nine ers, but the next team would be the Ravens that Shanahan picks on those linebackers every week. Maybe Rocan and our guy Patrick Queen, who's really improved. Maybe he's the guy that was my way option as they tried to think of his name.

00:17:37
Speaker 1: Did they pick yeah, rokwan Is? Really did they not even pick up Queen's option? I don't think they did. I think you're right he's started out different players since Rokelands.

00:17:45
Speaker 2: So anyway, that game we'll see if that's a preview of Super Bowl fifty eight, and that is a lot of fun. All right, let's move, let's work backwards through these other island games. So it is a triple header on Christmas, because why the hell not NFC East a fair Giants at Eagles, let's give and this is Eagles give n twelve points here to the g men. So very clear that in the desert the idea of Tommy Cutler Mania distant memory.

00:18:13
Speaker 1: I tend to agree with that.

00:18:15
Speaker 2: I also tend to agree with anyone out there that agrees that something doesn't seem right about the Eagles.

00:18:20
Speaker 1: And you had Jalen Hurts, the quarterback who, by the way.

00:18:24
Speaker 2: Did you know he he blew off Drew Locke after the game. There's a shot of Drew Locke looking for Jalen at midfield after the game and he goes, I guess he's sick, and he taught him on the mic.

00:18:34
Speaker 1: I don't know.

00:18:34
Speaker 4: That doesn't sound like everything we've heard about Jalen. I'm just telling you what happened.

00:18:38
Speaker 1: He wasn't there.

00:18:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, And after the game he made a comment about, you know, people not necessarily being all in. He clarified himself or at least did some damage control leading up to this matchup with the Giants.

00:18:50
Speaker 6: When you think about holistically about one of the things you want to accomplish in everything that we're trying to do a range through me that it starts with me. And so when I say we, I mean me, because you know I'm the point guard out there. I'm the one that makes everything go and I'm gonna I'm gonna guy that everyone trusting to do. It's at the pace for everything that's in how I play, that's in my leadership, that's in every aspect of the game, and that comes with the shoes that I walked.

00:19:23
Speaker 2: And just to be clear, Herd said after the loss last week that he was questioning the team's commitment level. So we've kind of been poking around this, like what's going on with the Eagles. You know, they they dumped the d C, moved promote Matt Patricia, and now they're on a losing streak. This feels, though, mark like a perfect get right game at home against the Giants.

00:19:46
Speaker 1: Uh yeah, I mean I think the point spread is a little rich.

00:19:50
Speaker 4: They they've been very successful, This roster has been very successful against this most of these Giants players in recent history, and I think that matters.

00:19:58
Speaker 1: They know each other really well.

00:20:00
Speaker 4: But I think Herts is on point about the Eagles, and you're right, we've been poking around, We've been seeing it.

00:20:06
Speaker 1: It's been a real skid.

00:20:07
Speaker 4: They've had a tough schedule, and I don't just chalk it up as just l's It's like they've been losing to very good teams. Who are you know, viewing Philadelphia as the number one target in this three game skid though, it's been a real disaster, and I thought that we saw like James Bradbury really melt down in the last game and it victimized the team. They also as a group ranked thirty first, and defensive epapers dropped back over the three game losing streak. I mean teams are getting the best of them. They have not been able to run the ball since Week four, and I think early on when they're trying to figure themselves out. Although they can run still, they can still be like that team from last year. They average less than seventy two yards per game on the grounds since Week four. Hearts has the most interceptions from the pocket of any quarterback in the league.

00:20:50
Speaker 1: This season. Turnovers this year, too many turnovers season.

00:20:54
Speaker 4: It's almost I think that there was an assumption and it wasn't like an incorrect assumption that his rise last season and doing QB and next like he hung it one or two all season long. For me, after after you saw what he was, he's not been that player. And it's a lot of other stuff happening around him too. It's not just him, but they've just looked a step or two down, you know, from who they.

00:21:16
Speaker 1: Were, and it is part schedule. I do.

00:21:18
Speaker 4: I still do trust them, but you don't find teams like this firing leaders and coordinators in December. That's atypical and it tells you something that is going on more than we would even realize behind the scenes.

00:21:30
Speaker 3: Yeah, I still think that as a monster red flag. And I you know, I listened to some Eagles coverage the phl y podcast on the Eagles with Bo Wolf. I always enjoy and like they that team they don't think they're even some super Bowl contenders anymore in Philadelphia, and I I'm.

00:21:49
Speaker 1: Pretty close to that point too.

00:21:51
Speaker 3: You know, their plus eighteen scoring margin for the year, so they that is closer maybe to how they've played in terms of UH week to week than the record. Nick Sirianni said something this week, Make no mistake about it. And when blame is going on, you know the offensive coordinator. This offense has run the exact same way the offense was runned last year and the year before that. This offense is my offense. It should go on me. I think it goes unfairly on Brian and I thought right there he kind of hit on it, like you got so close to it right there. The offense is running the same way, and I think it's very predictable at this point because they run the same concepts over and over. And I think you're seeing this a little bit with Arthur Smith too, like what worked last year. And I even remember when when Bever Patriots teams with Brady were coming off their best years. If they didn't change it enough, teams would catch up to what they were doing. And it's a boomer bust type of offense where he is hurts, attempting very difficult throws and he actually hits on a lot of I think he's playing very well, and by very well, I just mean he's a top eight or nine quarterback. He's a fourth year player, who's a second round pick, who's the top eight or nine quarterback. But he's down quite a bit, like you say, from where he was a year ago. And I think the biggest thing is like game management. Like there's been a lot of talk like, oh, are you a game manager? Are you a difference maker? It's like parts does not managed games well. He's made bad decisions in the biggest spots over and over, even that Jets game, some games that they won, he's made like in the biggest spots, he's made bad decisions. So I think he's playing well, but he's been a little scattershot late in games.

00:23:25
Speaker 4: But Dan, do you think that there's an element where, like we find out after that we know he's overtly not been fully healthy in a bunch of games.

00:23:31
Speaker 1: He was literally ill in this lest playing he's playing. I mean, I think he's.

00:23:36
Speaker 2: Seventy percent of the league is on their backup quarterback. The Eagles have had him week after week. Yeah, last week.

00:23:41
Speaker 3: I don't mind him skipping the interview though, because I don't know if you happen to see him in his postgame press governance on Monday, I was like, he should not be doing a postgame press Carver. He looks so disastrous and sick. I was just like, keep them away, keep them away from everyone.

00:23:54
Speaker 1: It wasn't an interview.

00:23:54
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's you know, it's so you're in the fraternity and I just to lock out a big moment there you go and dap him up because that's easy.

00:24:03
Speaker 1: But maybe he's thrown up. I don't know. I don't care.

00:24:05
Speaker 2: I'm just pointing out that Locke was looking for him, he couldn't find him. Seventeen turnovers for Hurts so far this year. He had eight all last season. So it's that's been a big part of the offense. It's just not as clean. Nothing's been as clean with the Eagles, the Giants. I don't think we need to say too much about them. Let's move on. Raiders at Chiefs. This is the first game of the Christmas Day coverage. This is the Nance Romo Wolfson. You know they listen, they got big paychecks, but you got Nance Romo, Buck Aikman all working on Christmas Day.

00:24:39
Speaker 4: You know this is officially and I look this up, he's seventy eight. Patrick Mahomes game that Tony Romo has operated as well.

00:24:46
Speaker 2: I can't tell if that's a joker on it sounds right seventy eight. I think that's right. That's impossible. I feel like he's time traveled and done multiple games repeatedly. So yes, we're at the same juncture once again. The Raiders, of course they're coming up. Is this an episode of a rest stop? What is this? Is an episode of restop with Greg Rosenthal?

00:25:09
Speaker 1: Greg?

00:25:10
Speaker 2: The Raiders feels like they haven't played in a long time because they played Thursday night. They got the Chargers organization blown up, so now they get extra rest against the Chiefs.

00:25:20
Speaker 1: Is it gonna matter?

00:25:21
Speaker 3: Thank you for that, sound unridd four extra days couldn't hurt?

00:25:26
Speaker 1: I do remember thinking couldn't hurt? I need more than that. Well, we built a whole segment around here. You're reporting from the Vince Lombardi rest stop.

00:25:33
Speaker 3: Chiefs are favored, Chiefs are favored by ten and the Raiders first game against the Chiefs, they jumped out to a fastar. I thought a O'Connell played quite well in that game. He also played quite well while helping to drop a sixty burger on the Chargers last time around. And I'm with you, Dan, I'm sick of waiting for the Chiefs no offense to get better.

00:25:57
Speaker 1: Is he gonna no, I'm gonna lock up the Raiders? Uh? There, come on now.

00:26:04
Speaker 3: I think the Raiders could keep it closer than ten, and the Chiefs offense has actually gotten worse since their bi week. I oft, oh, maybe they would reset their thirteenth in EPA since the by eighteenth with the pass And how about Antonio Piers. I know that the schedule is a huge part of it, but they were literally twenty sixth in defense when they fired Josh McDaniels EPA. Since that moment and they're three and three, I believe in terms of win loss their second So I don't know if he's gonna ever keep his job, but if you somehow beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead, that would be a way to keep your job.

00:26:41
Speaker 4: I really think that he should be considered. I mean, I think a lot of it. This has been kind of a case study and like the human side of coaching matters, Like Josh McDaniels like just lost this team a long time ago, and it was like every little nook and cranny you heard reporting wise was like more and more issues between former coach and teammates. Everyone wanted out of there. This has been a different experience. That said, I mean, the Chiefs under Mahomes have dominated this matchup. They have absolutely dominated. But this is a different Chiefs offense, you are. We are seeing it week after week and the numbers start to become remarkable for a Patrick Mahomes led operation. They have the most drops in the NFL twenty six that They've had four plus drops in three games, and I mean some of them have been on an island performances where it's like these guys are melting down.

00:27:27
Speaker 1: It's like I am over.

00:27:29
Speaker 4: I'm with you, Gregor with the sense like I am done expecting them to do anything else.

00:27:33
Speaker 1: He leads the league.

00:27:34
Speaker 4: By a large margin over the last couple of years of touchdowns to running backs and that's what half their passing game is in the red zone.

00:27:40
Speaker 2: Now, I want to a couple of things here, and I'm still smarting. It's one of the great fantasy teams I ever built, and it was Mahomes in large part that got me picked off in Round one. So it should be obvious that he's going to do what he's done literally all season long. He's gonna throw for two hundred and one yards two touchdowns. Maybe pick but or because this is just the way I think. Now he's going to become Mahomes against the Raiders. For everyone else, it's still in the playoffs, he'll throw for four hundred and six touchdowns.

00:28:09
Speaker 1: Totally could see that.

00:28:11
Speaker 2: My guy, John Boy, Jimmy O'Brien I talked about he's a great lip reader, and he does baseball stuff.

00:28:17
Speaker 1: He's doing more football stuff apparently.

00:28:19
Speaker 4: Like literally just after you suggested it. I feel like he's you might have given him an idea there.

00:28:24
Speaker 2: I don't know if that's quite accurate, but I like the idea that he read the lips of Mahomes. After the latest Cadarius Tony meltdown, he goes back to the sideline after Tony drops it and it becomes an interception that leads to a Patriots touchdown. He plops down on the bench Mahomes and he goes and apologies. But this is journalism. I just don't get it. Man referring to Tony like everything, and you know exactly what he means when he says that. And here he is still targeting guys like Kadarius Tony. So the frustration around this team is real. It makes sense that they're going to figure it out, but they haven't yet, so I don't think they will, and it's going to be a closer game than people realize.

00:29:04
Speaker 3: This was the Jarrett Stidham game last year where he made it interesting in a weird like Holiday Raiders Chiefs game.

00:29:11
Speaker 2: Jared Sinam's so annoyed because it was like, I'm supposed to be the quarterback of the Broncos. That made so much sense that I was the quarterback by Halloween. But he is still I don't think is he taking a snap up there this year. I don't think he has.

00:29:21
Speaker 1: Well, it didn't go according to what we predicted.

00:29:23
Speaker 2: Let's be yeah, all right, let's go to the I can't even keep tracking. Oh this is Christmas Eve night, Patriots at Broncos. Broncos A nice segue, like those accidental segues. Broncos given six and a half to the Pats here, which is technically within our lock zone. So this is you know, this is easy money if if one were so inclined. Rich Eisen on the call with Kurt Warner and Jamie Erdall of Good Morning Football. Greg, Yeah, the Broncos feels like this is like reluctantly to this is just like a back pocket w that keeps him in the playoff race, or or because I know you think Russell Wilson is still bad the average.

00:30:08
Speaker 1: The Patriots have a chance to make this game close.

00:30:12
Speaker 3: They have a chance because I don't think the Broncos are so unbeatable and they sort of play a type of schedule or a type of football that invites close games. They only have a twenty four percent chance to make the playoffs the Broncos, according to the New York Times predictor.

00:30:30
Speaker 1: But if they go three and oh over the.

00:30:32
Speaker 3: Next three weeks, which on paper sounds like okay, that's a big ass to go three and o, it goes up to eighty percent. So I'm I'm torn here because they got the Patriots. The Broncos are the Patriots at home, the Chargers at home, and then their toughest game left is at Raiders. That is that is invited, that is doable, and they are I apologize to my uncle Dave.

00:30:54
Speaker 1: Uncle Dave take a heat. He used to listen to the show. Maybe he still does.

00:30:59
Speaker 3: Justin uh, big Broncos fan, my cousin, you know, I don't want it. This is the team I don't want to see in the playoffs because it's just the same thing every week. It's like Russell Wilson, hold, hold, hold, checkdown, hold, hold, hold, checkdown, and then you have the long passes the Sutton and that's all fine. But I watched this team and we saw him on on Saturday night against the Lions, and to me, they're they're middling, but they're middling enough where they remind me of old Patriots teams. Is well, they just beat the bad teams on their schedule, and the Patriots are one of those.

00:31:27
Speaker 4: They've got a good defense, the Patriots. I mean, they're allowing about fourteen points per game since Week ten and that's been legit, and that's been against a.

00:31:33
Speaker 1: Cut scoring thirteen points. Again.

00:31:35
Speaker 4: I think it's like they're all the issue your offense like was I would have described it as dead months ago. We have to come up with new terms and new words describe what's happening now. And like war that Bailey Zappie was going to come in and change the world. He was seventeen for nineteen in the first half last week, then they go out.

00:31:51
Speaker 3: He's definitely been an upgrade. He's been better, but that has the twenty ninth best court.

00:31:56
Speaker 4: Like as a team, they put up fifty seven yards in the second half. I don't I don't love their injuries situation either, Like Ramandri Stevenson has been out for a while, still don with an ankle injury, not out practicing dated day. They're saying, so that's that's possible, but you already have nothing in the passing game. Juju Smith Schusters banged up with an ankle injury. Hunter Henry didn't practice, blah blah blah. So it was like, it doesn't matter. All those guys are one of these, don't. I mean the Patriots Dome, there's several. We're now at the point of the season where these teams are playing out the string, the Patriots and every fan wants them to lose this game.

00:32:26
Speaker 3: Will they matter if they can get Sean Payton to start screaming at Russell Wilson in a manner that when I rewatched it, they talked about it was almost almost uncomfortable because Russell just sits there and takes it. And to me, this was I'm fine with like coaches yelling at players, of course, but he was just from he's just being a bully oot out.

00:32:50
Speaker 2: That's not uncomfortable. That's this is what everyone's like. Everything needs to be sanitized. Now that's a fire up coach and the player who his job is to listen to the coach or.

00:33:00
Speaker 1: Yell assessing it, maybe yell back a little bit.

00:33:02
Speaker 3: But here here's here's the reason why I hate it is because Peyton's not mad at Russell will He is mad at Russell Wilson in that moment. But the reason he yells is because he's mad at the call in the in the situation, and he's mad that he didn't just call a touchdown that all he had to do was challenge it and he had a touchdown. Sean Payton had just cost them seven points in that exact moment. He had totally blown it, and he's mad about that, and he's yelling at Russell.

00:33:29
Speaker 1: You're yelling at him. It just was like, come on, bro, do you how do you want him to respond to you? Now you're you come at me, bro.

00:33:37
Speaker 2: It's it was saying Mike McGlinchey on Sean Payton yelling in the direction of Russell Wilson last Saturday.

00:33:43
Speaker 1: I think it's been completely blown out of proportion.

00:33:45
Speaker 2: All that is is competitive fire and frustration of certain things that go wrong. Like that's I'm more to.

00:33:53
Speaker 1: It just was saying that this doesn't matter.

00:33:55
Speaker 3: I agree with that, but it just was unique in that moment that he and even Peyton tried to say, I was mad about the call.

00:34:00
Speaker 1: Well then what are you talking about? What are you? Why are you?

00:34:03
Speaker 2: Here's good news, by the way, The Holiday Classic that see, we have this branded now. The Holiday Classic is back on NFL Network Christmas Eve. Watch a special night of primetime football as the Patriots take on the Broncos the NFL Holiday Classic. It's Sunday, eight pm Eastern only on NFL Network and streaming on NFL Plus.

00:34:22
Speaker 1: What Mark, What could you possibly say here?

00:34:24
Speaker 4: I'm just going to say, we've got we've scattered like fourteen games on little literal holidays.

00:34:28
Speaker 2: I'm reading a promo for our network.

00:34:31
Speaker 4: Well, Holiday, We're doing a great job. I'm excited about them. Have a nice time.

00:34:35
Speaker 1: What do you want? What kind of discourse?

00:34:38
Speaker 4: Readearly games on Christmas are not part of a Holiday Classic.

00:34:41
Speaker 1: This is our special Holiday Class. It's like Mark, It's NFL Networks game Those other games. I technically get it. So it's their holiday class. It's an annual tradition. Maybe.

00:34:55
Speaker 4: Well, I think it's more fitting than either of you do. I couldn't be more in favor of it.

00:34:59
Speaker 2: Let's take a break and we'll get to the draft. All right, welcome back. It is time now for the first overall pick in the ATM Draft, presented by Draft Kings.

00:35:13
Speaker 1: GREGGI, you are on the clock. I will take the game of the day that day. This is December twenty fourth.

00:35:22
Speaker 3: This will be Christmas. It will be Sunday. It is the Cowboys at the Dolphins. The Dolphins favored by a scant one point. Uh, they're minus one oh eight over under is fifty.

00:35:36
Speaker 2: Look, I think this is gonna be a score fest. Let me ask you a question, and I like that more. If the Cowboys comport themselves in a more competitive manner against the Bills. This is probably This is Cowboys by three, right. I think people are freaking out about them on the road. Now it's not They're three and four on the road and undefeated at home.

00:35:54
Speaker 1: I think you're right where nobody's underdog.

00:35:57
Speaker 3: That last week's results had a direct impact, not just the Cowboys losing the game, but mostly that and also the Dolphins winning thirty to nothing in such a convincing fashion because you start worrying about this Cowboys defense specifically last in the league in success rate allowed. So I mean there's one thing to like, Okay, we're kind of bad, or there's this there you can find some weird stat. Success rate is a very down to down stat of like do we give up four yards very regularly when the other team runs it? You know, on third and two? Do we ever get stops when they run against us? And they were thirty first in the league going into the Buffalo game. Buffalo took advantage of it in a way that other teams haven't. You have to stay close, you have to get the lead, and the Dolphins are a very different running attack in terms of how they run it. They also might be missing their entire right side of the offensive line, which really is a bummer, Austin Jackson and Robert Hunt. They might be down to one starter left on their offensive line, which is Toron Armstead, and even he's banged up, but I think he's gonna play. But they're running game. Miami's has been really good this year. And as great as Waddle and Hill are and they'll make some plays here. I actually do think the way that Miami can win this game is to stay patient with that running game and attack like the Bills did. Marquispell and Damone Clark two names I don't know if we've said once all year on this show, and they are the weaknesses of the Cowboys. They are the Cowboys off ball linebackers, and you get that outside zone working with moster Ah Chan was back at practice Thursday, Like I can see them having a lot of success on the ground against the Cowboys in a way that I don't really see the Cowboys doing it.

00:37:38
Speaker 1: On the other side. What happened against Buffalo.

00:37:40
Speaker 4: It's like I think sometimes you get games where it's a fair question to say, like did Buffalo put like a blueprint out there? Or other teams that can run the ball well to try to mimic, and the Dolphins are one of those teams. They lead the league and yards per rush three point five yards after contact, so they're like automatic effective on the ground. But a lot of it is like some of the runs we've seen from a Chan from most or all year long. When it's working it's working, and I think like what it allows you to do if you're Miami, and especially with all these like offensive line injuries, I'd rather try to like engage our run blocking than our pass protection if we can to offset, you know, Micah Parsons like two.

00:38:20
Speaker 1: Is good at getting the ball out.

00:38:21
Speaker 4: But if you can run like they did last week with Buffalo and James Cook, it kind of takes Micah Parsons out of the picture. It takes that whole side of their defense out of the picture. They are really banged up. But I really think this is one way where Miami can do it. I don't have a problem with it being favored by three. I mean one by one or three, but one's even nicer.

00:38:41
Speaker 2: If the Cowboys lay another egg on the road here, they'll they'll have done it again. They'll have snookered everybody because they'll prove to me that, oh, okay, I know what's gonna happen. And whether it's the wildcard round of the divisional round, you really are a team that you're kind of a front running type team that can bully teams in your building, but you're vulner on the road. I still don't think that's who this team is. I think this is a different team.

00:39:04
Speaker 1: I like them.

00:39:05
Speaker 2: I already said on Wednesday, I think the Bills can steal this division.

00:39:09
Speaker 1: That's a fearless prediction.

00:39:10
Speaker 2: However, However, let's also keep in mind the Dolphins still have a two game cushion here in the East, and they could put a choke hold the whole goal for the Dolphins. And I know every Dolphins fan, even though we don't always see I I I'd do the same way as you do. We want to do everything in our power to not have it come down to Week eighteen, because I hate that situation. If the Bills keep winning here, and what a bummer it would be to let this division get away after you've had such a great year. You can beat the Cowboys at home and then hell, the Bills could slip up one of the next two weeks, or you can go beat Baltimore next week and then the division's done. But I'm just saying you, for a team that's ten and three, we should give it or ten and four, we should give them the credit that they could pull that off. Uh, and we shall see. So the Dolphins here, I think the goal here is make week eighteen not matter because of it?

00:40:00
Speaker 1: Does I don't feel good.

00:40:01
Speaker 4: I like Greg you mentioned this to some degree, but it's like I a lot of teams, it's December going through this. They have seventeen players on the on their injury report Miami, and like a bunch of those guys will play right.

00:40:11
Speaker 1: Tyreeks was as of Thursday, is not practical right.

00:40:14
Speaker 4: And I guess it's like Tyreek will also feel like I feel like there's been four games where I thought he broke his ankle, but like ten minutes later, he's running faster than ever, so he's a quick healer, and like maybe you get the version of him you expect, but maybe not. And like their offensive line is about his banged up outside of maybe Cleveland and a few others, as any team in the league. And so it's like that does affect to it, like to a missing offensive lineman last year was there were big sample sizes that showed the difference. That's why I think this ground game with a minus Jonathan Hankins for Dallas is the way to.

00:40:42
Speaker 3: Get you missed the thrower to in that Tennessee game that McDaniel in a clip that's been circulated pretty widely from Hard Knock called out and I love that clip because McDaniel starts by pointing the finger at himself, showing the team like, I have accountability.

00:40:56
Speaker 1: Look how much I messed up.

00:40:57
Speaker 3: I should have had better play costs here and the other two players he all that Very interesting to me was Tua and Jalen Ramsey for specific plays. And he did it in a very like constructive positive way. But that was almost BELICHICKI and kind of calling out the best player, saying, you know you do, Yeah, so the good coach does.

00:41:12
Speaker 2: And and Jalen Ramsey has really been incredible this year, way better than he was last year. Even though he's a year older coming off surgery. He's a better player. He kind of erased Garrett Wilson last week. You look at all his data points. He's been one of the best cornerbacks in the league. So that was a major acquisition by Miami. That is fort to five their back end.

00:41:34
Speaker 4: But a match on G defense requires a cornerback like that in a lot of cases. And since he's returned, and I think we saw it right away, they've allowed they've allowed seven touchdowns and had nine interceptions. Like he really changed their past Tea.

00:41:45
Speaker 3: His matchup against Ceedee Lamb and he could travel with them a decent amount.

00:41:50
Speaker 1: Is as good as it gets.

00:41:51
Speaker 3: And the other thing I'm just watching is was it just a bad week for Dallas offensively? Because this is a very tough dolphinse defense. For the last two months, they've really come into their own, their defensive lines playing great Wilkins, Zach Steeler, Bradley Chubb.

00:42:06
Speaker 1: Is you know that that game against the Jets.

00:42:08
Speaker 3: I know it was the Jets, but it was the most dominant defensive performance I saw from many team all year. I know it was against the Jets, but I just mean the level of ferocity and dominance was kind of next level. So now it's against an offensive line which has been great until last week. That's a really good matchup win when the Cowboys.

00:42:25
Speaker 2: There wasn't a better more impactful pass rusher than Bradley Chubb last week either. So like, if he's going off, uh, that's major problems for Dak. I'm picking the the Dolphins in this game. What do you guys got, you know what? I want the Cowboys to show us that they're different, you know, Like, so I have my I have some doubt that crept in after last week, but that was also a tough spot in Buffalo.

00:42:47
Speaker 4: Like the Cowboys, I tick Miami by a field goal, meaning they're gonna win three nothing a Miami.

00:42:58
Speaker 1: I'm not moving on to like a Miamy Miami. Tell no.

00:43:06
Speaker 7: The Draft Kings sports Book now with code a TN new customers can bet five dollars an NFL action to score one hundred and fifty instantly in bonus bets only on Draft Kings Sports Book with code A t N.

00:43:18
Speaker 1: The crown is yours.

00:43:20
Speaker 2: All right, let's move to the second pick. It's mine. Here's a here's a tricky situation. Oh tricky, dicky situation. Because I want in I like watching the games live, Okay, it matters to me. I will I want to in on this Browns magic. But then I think to myself, well that Mark doesn't does Mark Kerry?

00:43:42
Speaker 1: Did he? Or said?

00:43:43
Speaker 2: He's historically a Browns fan? But I don't want to take that game. I want in on the magic, but I don't want to take that from you. So I'm going to say to you, Mark, do you want the Browns game?

00:43:55
Speaker 1: Yeah? I do, Okay, So then I will go in a different direction. Now, Christmas. Thank you. Let's then go to the team of around the NFL, and this is a.

00:44:11
Speaker 2: I think this is telling that when I'm looking at the games, I feel most comfortable with picks.

00:44:16
Speaker 1: It's the last two weeks.

00:44:17
Speaker 2: I'm looking at the Vikings and I'm thinking, oh, they're a team that's going down.

00:44:21
Speaker 1: And yet they really did.

00:44:23
Speaker 2: They were up seventeen to three late last week, and they looked like they had kind of figured some things out and gotten some swagger back. And then they let that game, of course get away, lose to Jake Browning late, so now their backs are against the wall. And I like that on one hand, Minnesota at home desperate for the win. But I also wonder if the Lions are shaken out of their funk and the Vikings are now getting the Lions when they are in a good spot. And you got Jared Goff playing indoors coming off a five touchdown game, And this does feel potentially to me greg the kill shot of them around the NFL.

00:45:02
Speaker 1: I don't want it to do that.

00:45:04
Speaker 2: I'm pulling hard for the team of atl but I don't like this matchup for them.

00:45:11
Speaker 1: I just don't like it.

00:45:12
Speaker 3: Well, they have them twice in the last three weeks and the Lions, I mean, the Vikings can probably make the playoffs.

00:45:20
Speaker 1: If they split those.

00:45:22
Speaker 3: If they lose this game, their chances to make the playoffs go down to still thirty five percent, which isn't bad. So they basically I ran it a few different ways. They got to go two and one in the final three weeks.

00:45:35
Speaker 1: When you say I ran it a few different I mean, what does that mean.

00:45:38
Speaker 3: I mean I just on the little playoculation. No, I don't do anything New York in this case New York Times. But there's a few different ones ESPNS one two, where you like, do the combo of Okay, they lose this game and not a game you do a three, and oh you do one and two?

00:45:52
Speaker 1: Does it matter?

00:45:53
Speaker 3: In this case, it doesn't matter much because they have all Division games left. They got to win two out of three is basically the end of the story to have a chance. They'll have a good chance, so they could afford one more loss. But at some point you got to stop the bleeding. This is that point. I'm just fascinating to see Flores versus Jared Goff in this matchup and that Blitz going after him. The offensive line played really well last week. Detroit's with Frank Ragnow back at center. They're healthy as they've been all season long, and they really handled what Denver tried to do. I think Minnesota is a more aggressive, better version of that defense.

00:46:27
Speaker 1: But if they can block it up, forget it.

00:46:30
Speaker 3: I think they'll start going up and down the field like Browning did at the end of last week.

00:46:34
Speaker 4: I think that's the matchup because they're the numbers that are out there show that obviously on our floor as we know that they're blitz happy. They rushed six plus guys more than any team in the league. They rush you know, four to five and other variations pretty much more than a team in the league. And Goff has actually been successful in that situation when that when he's dealt with a four or five man rush. This season, he's got twenty three touchdowns, which leads any other quarterback in that situation in the entire league. And like, I like a couple things for the Lions, Like I thought they got out of their funk last week big time. We got the pristine version of golf. They're running the ball really well. They to me, essentially they don't play outside again for the rest of the year that matters. I think the kind of team that you don't want to stick them in the elements, and this game in general, it's like this division in general, if you look at the Packers too, are just littered with young Like the future of the division is happening right before our eyes, because like Jamiir Gibbs has been statistically one of the best running backs and visual running backs in the league since he came back from his injury. Sam Laporta is a star. Jordan Addison for the Vikings is a future star. I mean, it's like there's a lot of young talent. Jamison Williams is kind of finally showing it came off at one of his best games.

00:47:40
Speaker 1: You want to see more, but that's the start.

00:47:42
Speaker 4: Like Daniel Hunter, who they finally kept in this cost cutting offseason, like leads the league in sacks right now. I mean, there's a lot to like here from a two team billion perspective.

00:47:51
Speaker 1: And also, I like, let's think about this.

00:47:53
Speaker 2: Brian Flores basically runs the type of defense that I play in Madden.

00:47:58
Speaker 1: I thought, I've played Madden for a few years.

00:47:59
Speaker 2: Now, but he either blitzes the house or he has this drop eight concept where it's like one or the other. They say, he's like one of the more extreme ways to run a defense in the league. It's like a popular college concept and I'm just curious to see how that affects or how they can get burned. There is a crazy stat out there that the Lions have a chance to be the first team in a long time. I'm trying to think who would have been to have two one thousand yard receivers and two one thousand yard rushers.

00:48:30
Speaker 1: Wow.

00:48:30
Speaker 2: So they don't get talked up as enough as much as the Niners, for instance, for having infinite weapons, and maybe the Stars aren't quite as bright, but they have so many ways to beat you, and I think that makes Minnesota vulnerable too, to get beaten by their aggressive blitzing.

00:48:47
Speaker 1: GoF is not Joe Montana.

00:48:49
Speaker 2: Gov's not going to the Hall of Fame, but he can read a defense and get the ball out quickly.

00:48:53
Speaker 1: I just hate this matchup. I hate this matchup for a team of eightm I'm worried tod I did pick the Lions in this game. By the way, the Lions.

00:49:01
Speaker 2: How about this Detroit fans that have been listening to the podcast from the very beginning and you already know it, but for those that don't know, it's been thirty years since the Detroit Lions won a division title. Only your Brownies mark this is fun the sandwich between the Browns and the Jets. Eighty nine for the Browns as you know, two thousand and two for the Jets and Raiders as well. Nineteen ninety three and the last time the Lions won their division, which means they actually never won the NFC North, which was reconfigured in two thousand and two. So here is their chance to do what all they got to do is win. They win the NFC North and that will be a well deserved division title. And as a former team around the NFL, I feel proud because the idea that we would have got them the year before they became mainstream.

00:49:47
Speaker 1: I wanted to do them again.

00:49:48
Speaker 4: You guys were again just another I'd be having fun with him right up the avenue of Flashpoint Focus.

00:49:53
Speaker 2: We write it's not as fun though, Greg, because we've set them off and they were a good team from the jump.

00:49:58
Speaker 1: This year we like to, okay, find a team they've set behind. They've still exceeded expectations. They're way over the uh what they favored the win litvision.

00:50:07
Speaker 3: Sure, but like they're over under for wins was like nine and a half, I believe, and they're already a ten.

00:50:12
Speaker 7: Uh.

00:50:12
Speaker 3: They're by the way minus three in this game minus one seventy, so they are favored to win their division. And I think your points about all the stars in this game are right. We keep we've said, like Gibbs and Laporta, what a great combination. But I'm I'm not sure we've quite circled like how good they are right now. I'm with you, Jamir Gibbs, other than Kristin McCaffrey, I'd like to I'm trying to think of which running back I would rather have this week. Yeah, like Jamir Gibbs, the explosiveness is just crazy. Just the combination of skills is just crazy. And Laporta is doing things in terms of his numbers that haven't been done since Mike Dicka. It's one of the great rookie seasons by a tight end in history. That's like, these two are among the very bad I was thinking about all pro tight end. Okay, it's it's probably Kittle one who would be number two, Like, it's very possibly. Sam Laporta, I don't no problem with us. It's pretty amazing prety across.

00:51:11
Speaker 4: The way, like people were killing them for trading away T J. Hawkinson. It's like, well, you just went and got a better player.

00:51:16
Speaker 1: Well he's actullent.

00:51:17
Speaker 4: I like Hawkinson too, but it's like it was. It was just like they both kind of won that trade win.

00:51:22
Speaker 2: I agree, all right, let's uh, let's move up next, Mark, and I think we know where you're going.

00:51:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, I will go Cleveland at Houston. I think this is a classic case where I had if Houston were healthy, this would feel like not even trap game because they're tied to top.

00:51:40
Speaker 1: They're a great game, absurd.

00:51:42
Speaker 4: Division, right, it would be like it would be a very intriguing matchup. The problem is it just does not sound like we're getting CJ.

00:51:48
Speaker 1: Strauts. I hate that.

00:51:48
Speaker 2: By the way, when you have a head injury, you miss a game and playing it's smart. When it's still hanging around now into week two, you start to worry about when we see this guy.

00:51:58
Speaker 4: Yeah, because I I thought, like, like watching that when it happened, because you're waiting to find out how serious some of these concussions are if you're gonna come back next week, it looked bad.

00:52:06
Speaker 1: I mean he looked completely at it, sensitivity the lights still like a week later.

00:52:11
Speaker 4: Yeah, so he's like, that's not great. Nicol Collins did come back to practice. Jimmy Ward for the Texans came back to practice. Will Anderson does not that he did not, So I don't know what's gonna happen with that one. And that's a big deal against the Browns offensive line that is completely battered right now, like Will Anderson and this defense in general for Houston, like with or without Will Anderson, I think kind of what we saw last week when you got guys like Jonathan Grenard and Derek Barnett, Jerry Hughes, Derek Stingley, like they're really well coached, interesting defense, And because Cleveland is so banged up along the offensive line, that that's the version of what Joe Flacco could be put into that I don't love, because you know that was It's been a great story and last week was a heroic performance to kind of come back through the mistakes that he made. But there were a lot of turnover worthy players from Flacco last week, like they aren't.

00:52:58
Speaker 1: They're one of the worst.

00:52:59
Speaker 4: Like he's made them better, but statistically over the course of the year, they've been one of the worst.

00:53:03
Speaker 1: Passing attacks in the league.

00:53:05
Speaker 4: But I think his connection with n Djoku, with the Maury Cooper has been legit and like immediate. And so this is a game where if you're the Browns, I don't think you can it couldn't. You couldn't get the Texans at a better time. And if you can just have your defense do what it normally does against case Keenum and friends, you then would move to ten and five. Yeah, and at that point, like you're pretty locked in for the playoffs, Sparring an absolute disaster.

00:53:31
Speaker 1: Hurrently, you're only one back in the division, right.

00:53:35
Speaker 2: I am not going to say it again. I said it last week. Everything kind of makes sense that the Flakua thing comes down to earth. And sure enough he made those big throws at the end. He had a mistake filled game. And why did he have a mistake filled game? In large part because the offensive line wasn't as good and he was hurried and he forced throws. So is there a reality here where Flacco now he had his little run and it runs out perhaps, but the matchup is good, like you said, they they they're getting a Houston team that's in a bad way physically, and maybe this just is a special run here with Laco, And he keeps up, don't like that he shaved his beard.

00:54:11
Speaker 4: I like it.

00:54:11
Speaker 1: I don't get why you do that.

00:54:13
Speaker 2: I don't think you change anything when you're having a little magic carpet ride moment. And I just want to also say, and I don't think I formerly have done this. Mark so the a buddy of mine in my fantasy league, texted this morning. He can't believe he's in a place where he's in a semi final matchup and he's trying to figure out whether to start Travis Kelce with Patrick Mahomes or David and Joku with Joe Flacco. But that has been the connection of connections these last couple of weeks. I do formally have to make David and Juco and Joko you're my guy.

00:54:51
Speaker 1: Oh wow, it's officially your guy.

00:54:55
Speaker 4: I you know, I think that just how to put that on the red getting your guy thing is typically kind of a ahead of trying to get ahead of the curve on that. But you've been talking about the joku who's been more ahead of the curve. No for you for a long time, and I and I have like I was caught in a place where I found him to be very frustrating for a long click. You can see the potential, but it's all there. It's happening right now. He's been awesome. His story in general this season is like one of the better stories for a player around.

00:55:20
Speaker 1: So enjoy your guy.

00:55:21
Speaker 2: I mean, I think Merry Christmas mark for this game again.

00:55:26
Speaker 1: That was you can watch it. We'll be at our homes. You know you can. I can watch it. I can't. I don't want. I don't want to take this from you in any way.

00:55:34
Speaker 2: This is your world, and I'll need to do a very clean reporting job if I'm going to come in like you. Like you've said, you like to have the game on an isle where no one else is watching it.

00:55:42
Speaker 1: I don't want to watch it. Take that.

00:55:43
Speaker 4: Don't require it. I don't require it, But I do like to have my own beat. I guess, yeah, anything else, Sorry about nothing. I've been enjoying this and I like the return of my guy. Dan's got just like he's got all these segments in his pocket. And you never know he's going to bring one out from like the four years four years ago.

00:56:00
Speaker 1: By the way, this is a rematch.

00:56:01
Speaker 2: It's the Long Fields four years ago, but I think it was last year. Yeah, okay, but we've been doing this a long time.

00:56:06
Speaker 3: It's the longest gest stating revenge game in history. It's not even a revenge game, it's just a rematch. Joe Flacco starting for the Ravens, lost the game twenty five to thirteen to Case Keenum and the Houston Texans. That was back on December twenty first day were taping here twenty fourteen, back when our friend Chris wesse.

00:56:30
Speaker 1: Line years ago was Latin is Case Keenum flag flies.

00:56:34
Speaker 3: And here we are, yeah, nine years later, and the two guys are starting against each other.

00:56:39
Speaker 2: Kum Back often utter, let your case Keenum freak flag fly.

00:56:46
Speaker 1: He was a fan. I think he loved Keenan.

00:56:48
Speaker 4: Came out of the gate hot like he liked to throw the ball deep down field. It wasn't always perfect, but there was something alike about him.

00:56:54
Speaker 3: I did not think Keenum played played great last week, and I do think the Browns defense has now separated and this is obviously a great matchup for them with anyone else as the very best defense in the league. And they've gotten a little healthier on the back end the last few weeks. And just like they're so so good, I just especially against the past, I just trust them to win any game. Is he gonna No, But I will point out their favorite here by three the money line one forty eight.

00:57:22
Speaker 1: I am picking the Browns though, okay, good, good, Mark, it stays with me.

00:57:29
Speaker 4: I'm gonna take Jaguars at Bucks is my late game. The Bucks are given a point there with the money line of minus one eighteen. Jacksonville. I'm kind of like I was lost, Like do I want to watch this game?

00:57:41
Speaker 1: Like?

00:57:41
Speaker 4: Am I not tired and slightly fed up with the Jacksonville Jaguars at this point. But we will press on. We will press on. Trevor Lawrence like progressing well. According to Doug Peterson from the Concussion Protocol, that is good nested in at the moment.

00:57:56
Speaker 1: No, Kirshan Kirk is a Jones hurt.

00:57:58
Speaker 4: I think they've been really affect by the loss of Christian Kurt last week. This such a frustrating watch because first of all, don't get in your own way they had that drive against the Ravens that melted down inside the five, no points. They missed two field goals, no points, no points. It's like that's the difference in this game is just simply kind of go do what we'd be asking you to do, and we're in a different place and we're thinking about them differently. They can't rush the passer. They're going up against the Bucks team and I know that, you know, we want to talk about case Keno verus Joe Flacco, like CJ. Bethard, that's what we get versus Baker Mayfield is not the matchup you'd think in December would be a stirring showdown between two potential playoff teams, but Baker Mayfield has been. It isn't, but Baker Mayfields has been really, very very good. And we saw what he did against Green Bay. He had a career high nine completions of twenty plus yards last week against the Packers, a bad Packers defense.

00:58:57
Speaker 1: But no other player this year has done that. He's the only one that has.

00:59:00
Speaker 4: So it's like his highs are high, like they're own sex against winning teams the Bucks, but they are ninth in pass EPA. So if they were sitting there at twenty seventh or twenty eighth, and you have one Baker Mayfield game, kind of like last year. But they have been productive through the air, and Chris Godwin is coming off an awesome game Mike Evans as well. The Jaguars defense has been falling apart before our eyes. So if this game is in Tampa, I wonder if this is sort of a fatal blow to the Jaguars, who suddenly sit tied in the AFC South with two other teams. Why why is it only a one point? I think people don't believe favorite. Maybe they well, they want to see what's happened with trouble for Lawrence. But we're taping Thursday. Lawrence hasn't practiced yet, so that that's a bad sign.

00:59:39
Speaker 3: And you mentioned yet A. Jones is definitely gonna miss this game too. And yeah, defensively, like the Jaguars don't have a great pass rush, which is how you bother Baker. Some of the numbers behind Baker is really interesting. I mean, he throws the ball downfield in terms of his average depth of target deeper than anyone in the league except CJ.

00:59:58
Speaker 1: Stroud.

00:59:59
Speaker 3: So this is a verse artical offense. They found ways to get Godwin open. I like that Polls finally kind of stood up for himself and bench Devin White last week. It sounded to me and to people there like Devin White felt a certain way about it and essentially benched himself and decided not to be a backup. I don't know what's going to happen this week, but people that I trust, John Ledyard, who covers the Bucks, was saying his replacement kJ Britt the last couple of weeks has really been out stabilizing force in terms of not making the types of mistakes that Devin White, because their defense isn't great in Tampa, but the offense has been good enough.

01:00:33
Speaker 1: To beat bad teams. And I think the Jaguars right now are a bad team.

01:00:36
Speaker 2: They're playing poorly and if they don't have Lawrence, their borderline unwatchable. I think I like the Bucks to keep rolling here that I will say the Jags fan knows Jacksonville's been much better on the road this year. They're five to one on the road this year, so they're not going to go into Tampa and blink. So I just hope Lawrence plays. Come on, let's make that a good game. Let's move on. I have the next it's getting dicey. Oh it ain't so spicy. I'll grab a late game Cardinals at Bears.

01:01:09
Speaker 1: Bears given four and a half on this one.

01:01:12
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is gonna be I see, you like to have a nice, good focus on one of the games of the season.

01:01:22
Speaker 1: What is the game? Cowboys Dolphins?

01:01:24
Speaker 2: Cowboys Dolphins. So you wanna this will be just an eyeball on this game? Watch it in There's some things going on that you knew just being real one eyeball in the game the Bears and the Cardinals. So Justin Fields is to me the biggest storyline here. How he finishes this season for the Bears really matters because it's gonna affect a lot of things.

01:01:45
Speaker 1: It could have like a butterfly effect.

01:01:47
Speaker 2: Obviously on the draft, I think at the end of the day, when the Bears inevitably picked first, you know there's a good chance they move on from him. But Home Arizona, Home Atlanta at Green Bay. If he balls out, it gets very interesting and you can look at it the same way on the other side. And Greg, I know you've said that you've been very confident or you're more in the camp of the Cardinals are going to stay right where they are at quarterback and build around Kyler.

01:02:16
Speaker 1: I'm still not convinced.

01:02:17
Speaker 2: I think there's still a lot of you know, I know they've changed leadership there, but there's a lot of bad blood with Kyler and some things that have happened in the past, and I just wonder if they want a fresh start and think they could gather good resources in return. But either way, Kyler finishing strong puts them in a good spot in either situation.

01:02:35
Speaker 3: Right then, this affects the draft so much when you know, as a Patriots fan kind of watching their draft position, this is probably the Cardinals' best chance to get a win the rest of the way. That's true also of the commanders this week who play your Jets. Maybe the Jets could help out the Patriots because otherwise there could be ties and who knows, the Bears could have a very high second pick if they don't win out. Eberflus needs to show a proof of concept. I think we've seen it. Defensively, they couldn't finish out that game against the Browns, but the combination of their linebackers and what they've been doing upfront with Montes what you would think their defense would be enough. But I thought Kyler played pretty well well enough against the forty nine ers too, Like I've liked what I've seen out of him, and the idea of maybe adding let's say they have the three pick a Marvin Harrison junior or a big time weapon to me, is more attractive considering his contract and just the uncertainty at quarterback.

01:03:28
Speaker 4: Yeah, I thought the like the interesting thing with Kyler Murray is like very few quarterbacks when they're drafted, are drafted specifically to be paired with their coach and their coach's system in Cliff Kingsbury, and so it's always like, what's he gonna look like in a in a new offense. He's been doubly accurate on deep throws this season. They're averaging five more points per game with them. They've been a great run team though, and I think that's the matchup for me. They put up two thirty four last week we mentioned against the Niners and the Bears of the number two run defense EPA wise league wide, So that's.

01:04:01
Speaker 1: Kind of like the inflection point.

01:04:02
Speaker 2: All right, next game, Mark, Greg, you got two in a row here. Oh you didn't want to go longer on that one.

01:04:08
Speaker 1: Pinch me.

01:04:09
Speaker 3: It's the like, yeah, it try to save our jobs. Bowl Cardinals, Bears for the quarterbacks, that is.

01:04:15
Speaker 1: I like the Bears. I like the Bears to play well enough down the stretch. There a lot of people trying to save their jobs. To maybe save some jobs. I am gonna take.

01:04:25
Speaker 3: The Indianapolis Colts at the Atlanta Falcons meaningful game here for both teams. Falcons still very much alive, only one back in the NFC South. As as much as it feels like they're dead, all they need to do is probably win this week and they could be tied for first again or or stay one back of the Bucks. They're They're not out of it. It's uh oh, just letting slip away.

01:04:50
Speaker 1: I want them to.

01:04:51
Speaker 3: In fact, I I noted this week.

01:04:54
Speaker 1: Float away fly away Falcons.

01:04:56
Speaker 3: There's only there's only been six teams, okay, eliminated from playoff intention so far, six teams this entire season.

01:05:02
Speaker 1: That's it. Twenty six still alive for the Super Bowl. It's a lot.

01:05:06
Speaker 3: The Falcons have lost to four of those six teams Panthers, Jets, Titans, Washington, I mean, give me a break, Falcons. That is not the Jets. Maybe it's not the Jets. I knew it was four. It's four of the six. Now I just ruined my nice lot.

01:05:25
Speaker 1: No, it was nice.

01:05:25
Speaker 2: Otherwise they stink you had it though you have the general vibe that they're.

01:05:30
Speaker 1: Not these version.

01:05:32
Speaker 4: It's good not to dig too deep because everyone's like, that must be true because Greg said it, so just don't.

01:05:36
Speaker 1: I mean, it is true.

01:05:37
Speaker 3: They've lost four it, but it was to the Commanders, the Cardinals, the Panthers.

01:05:44
Speaker 1: It's pretty rough and who am I You just stop there? I that's Titans.

01:05:48
Speaker 3: That's resume right now, right, and the Titans are the fourth one there.

01:05:52
Speaker 1: I did not get it wrong.

01:05:53
Speaker 2: I wonder if the owner was on a PBS or anything last night, because we got that of developing news out of DOORI to public television, public broadcasting, broadcasting.

01:06:04
Speaker 1: It's just doing the rounds. It's a Taylor off right here.

01:06:07
Speaker 3: I mean he's going with Taylor Heineke to save his job. Arthur Smith, we talked about it on Wednesday. Jonathan Taylor also might me back for the Colts. I think it makes sense to trust Heinikee in the biggest of spots, which is trying to save your job. But there's more to like with Indianapolis right now. They remind me of poor Man's Philly in that well, they've got stich in obviously, but that the lines are really playing well. And if your lines are playing well, your ceiling is a little higher than you realize. And their defensive line is really playing well. They protect pretty well, they run block pretty well, and that might be enough to.

01:06:46
Speaker 1: Win this division.

01:06:47
Speaker 4: It's getting serious, I think, like speaking of the two resumes for the coaches, like if you're Arthur Smith, you have to explain why, like John hus Smith is a bigger deal than Kyle Pitts. You have to explain why Bijon Robinson every feels like every third week like is not doing what you're asking at eleven yards rushing last week, they're twenty six on the ground in EPA, So the whole vision doesn't make sense. You're switching your quarterback while you're still in a playoff race. And on the other side, like the Colts have twelve twenty plus point games, which is tied with Miami Baltimore in Detroit, they've been really consistent and productive with a backup quarterback and Gardner minshewhere even in some games where he's you know, been a turnover robot, they're still finding a way to produce. And I think if you get Jonathan Taylor back, the vision becomes more into focus. I would rather see this Colts team in the playoffs. I know they don't do something for you, Dan necessarily, but like they're gonna give, They're gonna be the same team in the playoffs.

01:07:38
Speaker 1: I think too. I just trust them to go out at that last week they like dropped an a bomb.

01:07:42
Speaker 3: Yeah, but they're they're the they're kind of the ultimate. We know they're just there for it.

01:07:47
Speaker 1: That's half team, but that's half the playoff field right now.

01:07:50
Speaker 3: That's probably any team in the AFC South. But there is a world where Lawrence gets healthy and they just fine.

01:07:55
Speaker 2: I don't agree with your playoff take, Mark about what would be less playoff teams. Well, but I can't really go deep on that take and then be like, oh the Colts, we need the Colts.

01:08:04
Speaker 1: I think the Colts offer hope for the future. I really do. I think I didn't say that that's not the game.

01:08:09
Speaker 4: But I also think they I don't know, I feel like I've picked them a number of these weeks and they're watchable and like I I don't. I think kind of think Gardner Minshew when he's on and it's their defense too.

01:08:19
Speaker 1: I kind of just think they're a balanced, interesting roster.

01:08:22
Speaker 3: I would take the Colts in this game, but the way the NFL works and the money line is actually minus one or two for the Falcons, so the Cults are slight underdogs. Like the way the NFL goes this year, the Falcons will actually win them just to like muck it up and keep it all mucky, super.

01:08:37
Speaker 1: Super and mucky. And I think you had it right, Greg.

01:08:39
Speaker 2: With Arthur Smith, he kind of showed his hand by going back again to Heineke. He's basically thrown up his hands and like, I got it wrong, yep, And now I'm just trying to save my job. Like I put my entire head coaching career potentially on this Ridder kid, and I bet big and lost, and now I need a hail Mary from a career backup in Heineke.

01:09:03
Speaker 1: Yep.

01:09:03
Speaker 2: Could have sign Lamar to that offer sheet least, but no, Desnen Ridder was really good those last three weeks.

01:09:09
Speaker 1: He threw for two.

01:09:11
Speaker 4: Yards, so insistent on not doing that an excellent run.

01:09:14
Speaker 1: We're good.

01:09:16
Speaker 2: I'll have desmon ridder. All right, let's take a break and finish this out. All right, welcome back, Thanks.

01:09:27
Speaker 1: Back to you. Greg.

01:09:29
Speaker 3: Well, there's only two games unless I'm mistaken, and one of them involves the Jets, which means I'm taking the Packers, and I don't want to watch the Jets anyways. I'd rather watch this game, Packers minus giving out Christmas.

01:09:38
Speaker 1: Gifts all over the games.

01:09:40
Speaker 4: By the way, I'm surprised to see you're skipping over your precious little Seahawks.

01:09:43
Speaker 1: I missed that. My bad. You turned into your car to right. I'm sorry.

01:09:48
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'll just stick with Packers minus five at Panthers money lines minus two thirty.

01:09:55
Speaker 1: I don't know.

01:09:55
Speaker 3: I'm at the point with this Packers defense where I feel like anything is possible in a bad way like that, even this game, which where i'll, you know, definitely pick the Packers.

01:10:03
Speaker 1: To win, but I don't even know anymore.

01:10:05
Speaker 3: They're twenty ninth in defensive DVOA just feels like they they know they don't have answers and they're not able to adjust. Now you know, you shouldn't need to adjust much when you're playing the Carolina Panthers. But the Packers also now have no margin for error. They're really not dead here at six and eight. They have to win Wounded Animal. They almost have to, you know, go, you know, going through the systems, it's they're twenty percent to make the playoffs, but if they one out, they're more likely than not to make the playoffs. They're at Carolina, at Minnesota that's a big one, and then home for Bears. I think it'd be tough for this team to win three straight right now, but they're capable enough.

01:10:51
Speaker 1: To me.

01:10:52
Speaker 3: Jordan Love is symbolic of the team in general, which is man, there's a lot of good stuff to like, you saw that last week, a lot of really special throws, but he.

01:10:59
Speaker 1: Also was a little erratic last week.

01:11:01
Speaker 3: A lot of miss throws too, were just five or six where you're just like wow that, you know, I don't know if he's ever going to be mister accurate, and with a defense this bad, you kind of need him to just be next level.

01:11:12
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like I said, that was one of the worst defensive efforts you'll a team all year last week in that loss for Green Bay. And you know, this is the other game I was looking at as a lock, when you could lock against the Panthers, who already got now that little you know, gift of a second win last week, win last week against Atlanta. They're probably ready to pack things up at this point. But they're also not playing for a draft picks, so there's nothing there's no tanking going on here. They're trying to win this game. Yeah, this is I think the Packers are the more than any other team. Are are the epitome of why this season has been very difficult to figure out in a lot of ways. A young team right that struggles early on, figures it out and they're playing inspired, confident football and then that just dissolves.

01:11:58
Speaker 1: And now with two eggs in a row in a row at.

01:12:00
Speaker 2: The most critical juncture of the season here in December, and now you just don't know what to make of him. So while I wanted Mark to lock up the pack here, it's like, how can I trust anything about them after their last two weeks?

01:12:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's it.

01:12:13
Speaker 4: Like if you're gonna if you if you want to win a lock, like don't take a team where like I think there's a lot of a lot to like on offense, but they've been one of the worst defenses around over the last five games, giving up four hundred yards per contest, that's the most in the NFL. They've been beaten up on the ground, and I kind of like have a request for the Panthers because it's like, we're not going to learn a whole lot more about Bryce Young between now and the end of the season.

01:12:39
Speaker 1: He is who he is.

01:12:40
Speaker 4: Maybe next year will be better, that's what you hope. But why not like run the ball like forty four times and just keep Green Bay off the field?

01:12:48
Speaker 1: Like can they have?

01:12:49
Speaker 4: Tubebber's been pretty good on the ground, and they've had a couple moments where it was like even back when Frank Raik was there was like, there's these drives where they did they look like last year's Panthers on the ground, Like, just as an experiment, just go run the ball forty four times and see what happens.

01:13:02
Speaker 1: It can't be any worse.

01:13:03
Speaker 3: I mean, yeah, go get a win Carolina and put the Patriots in the mix for number one. Right now, their strength of schedule, which is the tiebreaker, is exactly tied which means it's gonna change. But if for some way reason that happened by the end of the season, they would actually flip a coin to decide who gets the number one picked.

01:13:20
Speaker 1: That would be an exciting coin flip. I mean the Packers still want to help the Bears, though.

01:13:25
Speaker 3: It won't happen. That's that's true. That's interesting.

01:13:29
Speaker 4: Packers could be setting the Bears up with the number one draft pick.

01:13:32
Speaker 3: We're helping by way, this is and hey, Bryce Young had his highest PFF grade of the season last week.

01:13:38
Speaker 1: Was only seventy seven. It was pretty crazy, which is a good game.

01:13:44
Speaker 3: A nice seventy seven grade from them is actually quite good.

01:13:48
Speaker 1: Who knows, maybe he'll play his best down the stretch.

01:13:50
Speaker 2: I think you're referring to the and you gotta be careful about following this person's offensive game planning. But there was a a Gino Smith Rex Ryan era Monday night football game against the I want to say about eight or nine years ago, where the Jets ran the ball fifty times in the game, you know, had eight pass attempts.

01:14:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, like two minutes to play.

01:14:08
Speaker 2: They lost that game, by the way, But I would think you don't want to if you're taking the ball out of the hands of the number one overall pick that often, that is quite an indictment. I say, let the kid throw it against the Green Bay defense. Let's go give him another He needs something going into this offseason.

01:14:22
Speaker 4: But see, that's what they do, That's what they'd probably be thinking. Of course, the Panthers want to showcase their quarterback who will look good and make them look good going to the off seas. But it's like, we want to win the game, flip it around and run it forty four times and to use a bunch of wildcat and like you know, old school nineteen twenties.

01:14:38
Speaker 1: Then at coach. So maybe he's yeah, he's a special teams guy. Chris Tables, all right, have a dog in the race here, I am.

01:14:44
Speaker 3: Packers would hurt the Bears, so I guess the loss, you know, wouldn't be the worst thing.

01:14:49
Speaker 1: I mean, he has a dog in the race. It's the Panthers, right, he's not going to be named head coach.

01:14:54
Speaker 4: I can I will ever know, but I wager my entire physical body on that.

01:14:58
Speaker 1: Life is sure he he might only have this one chance. Let's have some fun.

01:15:04
Speaker 2: We would take your body by the way if you were to lose this, Taber got the interim ripped up like the NFL, where would we send it?

01:15:11
Speaker 4: The NFL would just take it secreted away. Right, they already basically own it.

01:15:15
Speaker 2: They got you, bro, You're in the machine, bro, all right, I will grab Washington at New York Jets. This is a dead butt game. Nothing really on either side. I will point out that some of the rhetoric around Rogers this week has gotten on my nerves because it's already been such a lost, frustrating year. He's catching a lot of strays, and there's he's like kind of and I'm not defending Rogers because he is annoying and how he keeps going on McAfee, which is a paid engagement, and just talking all the time, and then that gets aggregated and he becomes a story even when he should be so far out the rear view mirror. And of course he's not going to play and he's not cleared, so we're not seeing that. I saw some kind of pieces out there that this is one of the most selfish things I've ever seen, that Aaron Rodgers gave hope and led to the Jets on some level, failing to get a backup quarterback because he promised he would be back. Let me tell you something that Aaron Rodgers or about the Jets. Really, if you think the Jets messed up because of Aaron Rodgers saying he thought he would be back, no, you're giving the Jets too much credit. The Jets messed up because the Jets have no idea how to evaluate the quarterback was a position or their roster. And they thought Zach Wilson was gonna be okay. That's why that happened. It's not because they thought, oh, Aaron will be back. That's why we're not gonna go get I don't know insert QB.

01:16:34
Speaker 1: Joshua Dobbs here had nothing to do with that.

01:16:37
Speaker 2: And the other thing is he was getting killed for because they moved him to the act of or they moved him off IR and it led to a full back getting taken off the roster and like, how selfish someone who called him a pig for that. It's like, no, everybody relaxed. I get it that full back was moved to the practice squad. He's fully, he gets vested, he gets his salary, and nothing changed for him.

01:17:00
Speaker 1: He wasn't gonna play anyway. I just doesn't get the game checks.

01:17:04
Speaker 2: Though he is there is it doesn't change how much money he makes. I saw that reported this morning. Okay, I just think it's been a rough season and he's a big target and I've gotten on Rogers a ton, But to paint these two things as signs of him being a bad dude, I'm not really about it.

01:17:22
Speaker 6: Whatever they said about A and Rogers on TV is a lie.

01:17:25
Speaker 1: You know, like with that would have got that far.

01:17:27
Speaker 4: But the Hard Knocks experiment, like experience kind of changed how I felt about Rogers. And I think you're stuck in a situation where you're you're in a very frustrating campaign, Like there's a lot being said about you. Other players would just kind of go away, but when you're doing these paid media things week after week, it's like it's inevitable that you're gonna get caught in the crosshairs of some of this, and like, I don't know that. I think the biggest thing is he's sort of saying next year won't be my last year, Yes, that I'm gonna come back and play, and I want to give the at least the Jets the two years I told him, I give him. That was the news for me.

01:17:59
Speaker 3: Yeah, but I think they're just in terms of reporting throughout, we didn't. The media also didn't need to make it out to be as probable as they made it seem and as like heroic, like I can't believe he's doing this, Like, whereas I've been saying on the show all all along, I never believed that it would happen, because it just why would you never happened? Right, It's never happened that it's about. And Rogers said as much this week. He said, like, I'm not gonna like gonna happen, and he tried like he tried great.

01:18:35
Speaker 1: I don't think that was untrue. I think he wanted to do it.

01:18:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, And he's a man who thinks very highly of himself and sees himself as different than others.

01:18:42
Speaker 1: And he couldn't because people are just like, this is so amazing that even got that close. Why do you know how close it got?

01:18:48
Speaker 3: Maybe I got exactly the same amount of close as like it always gets.

01:18:51
Speaker 2: And that my point is, I don't think that affected Jets strategy at the quarterback position.

01:18:56
Speaker 1: I just don't. I think they just were lost in the Woods in general. Quickly. The Jets are favored in this game.

01:19:02
Speaker 4: What I mean, how that's how bad Washington Trevor sibby Washington has been terrible.

01:19:06
Speaker 1: I get it. They are below them in DVA two.

01:19:09
Speaker 2: Simeon is the two worst quarterbacks that we've seen in the league this year. Tell me I'm wrong, Tim Boyle and Trevor Simeon. Simeon has been absolutely lost. I know that Washington Commanders have a horrific defense. The Jets will not score more than ten points this week, just won't.

01:19:25
Speaker 3: They are minus one sixty two. I think I would have to take the Commanders in an upset.

01:19:30
Speaker 1: There seasons that need to end. Yes, all right, last pick mark, all right?

01:19:35
Speaker 4: By default, I will take the Seahawks to Titans. Seahawks giving up two and a half points minus won thirty five money line for Seattle. Gino Smith just about an hour ago, announced that he could have actually played Monday night. He believes he could have, and it was it was rather nonplused when Pete Carroll let him know that wasn't gonna happen. So he's practicing. He's full going practice. So I think like no controversy. See there Drew Locke one of the better in game stories we've seen all year. I think that was a pretty great victory for Seattle to go do what they did. But no question Geno comes back. We don't know about right now, Like as of today, Ryan Tannehill took first team rep practices. That also was just a couple hours ago for Tennessee, So I I kind of think that's trending towards a Geno Tannehill matchup.

01:20:22
Speaker 1: We'll see. There's a lot of injuries in this for both of these teams. Here. I think I find all the AFC East class back in the Oh you're right, well, wait also.

01:20:32
Speaker 3: Eight or nine years later, little Tannehill Gina, Sure, maybe.

01:20:36
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, no way, the classic days of football, I think is what you'd want to call that you can run on Seattle.

01:20:42
Speaker 1: That's the one thing I'd say, Tennessee.

01:20:45
Speaker 4: You know, it's not been the greatest Derrek Henry season of all times, but that's your opportunity in this game. Titans have been a much different team at home. There's a chance here. But the one thing that I find with Seattle that's been that's been like hopeful, is that a couple months ago. I was wondering what was happening with Jackson Smith and Jiggbo, who I thought kind of was like the most short fire guy to come in and produce, and he was having an up and down years now only three catches less than DK Metcalf, which says something about the DK Metcalf experience as well, but to the only team in the league with three guys with fifty plus catches.

01:21:15
Speaker 1: So I liked that for them.

01:21:17
Speaker 3: You know, the first time these two teams, these two quarterbacks faced each other was in a game that Gino Sims split reps with Matt Simms. Someone I forgot ever took snaps at quarterback Matt in the NFL.

01:21:31
Speaker 1: Yeah, another of the uh.

01:21:33
Speaker 3: Oh it's ut guy, right, Sims dynasty. That was Chris Simms. Oh, I don't know where Matt came from. I assume he's related. Who knows.

01:21:40
Speaker 1: Uh, Pete Carroll didn't make it clear.

01:21:42
Speaker 3: You know, Geno is the starter if healthy, and I think it was one of those where it was like Gino would have been playing through an injury.

01:21:49
Speaker 2: It was like the Azzie Canseco of the Simms family.

01:21:52
Speaker 1: I think, so I kind of forgot it is a lot like Chris.

01:21:56
Speaker 4: I'm like, oh, yeah, they're related quarterback for a number of years.

01:22:01
Speaker 3: They I believe Gino was benched in that game for format seems tough ten years ago. Now he's back, he is going to be the starter. I like Pete Carroll making some bold decisions. I think he basically benched Jamal Adams. Jamal Adams wasn't even there at the game. It's we found out, I think because even though Adams was on the injury report, I think they were doing that to like spare his feelings a little bit.

01:22:26
Speaker 1: A little bit.

01:22:27
Speaker 3: They also benched Reek Wooland, which was interesting, and I thought the Geno lock thing, how the two of them have handled it together is enviable.

01:22:37
Speaker 1: That's what you want, yes, out of your quarterbacks. We have Drew Locke actually after the game given Gino some love.

01:22:44
Speaker 8: I appreciate him more than words can describe. Talking to me before that two minute. You know, you're the best player on this field. You're gonna lead us down this field right now, go get it done. You know, just things like that. Man, It's just it's really cool.

01:22:59
Speaker 1: Definitely cool.

01:23:00
Speaker 3: This is like a minute and forty second clip there, but it is funny more than.

01:23:03
Speaker 1: Words than can describe. Then I will go to use words to describe it, and Drew have said it all. I can't.

01:23:09
Speaker 4: So a little simple, a little you know, back and forth, you know What's like, I thought the one thing about Geno in that game was like absolutely on fire, pumping them up so.

01:23:16
Speaker 1: That the way they talk about each other, it's it's not I saw him. I saw him looking for the camera and then when he saw the cameras, Oh, you could do it, man, you got this right here. I was like, Okay, I see what happens. Like that's actually not true.

01:23:27
Speaker 4: What people are killing like this is a great situation for Greg, like especially that that Island game.

01:23:32
Speaker 1: I don't I don't even check the stuff anymore.

01:23:34
Speaker 4: For the most popular people are killing Dan and I for not being like sunshiny enough about the Seahawks. When that it's like, all I remember, you want to stop worrying about these people. Incredible, Like we couldn't have been wor talking.

01:23:47
Speaker 1: About the subreddit again.

01:23:48
Speaker 4: No, no, no, no, don't attribute to that specifically Twitter, that place, specifically Twitter specifically.

01:23:54
Speaker 1: I didn't get anything on Twitter.

01:23:55
Speaker 4: I did, and I was like, I think it's because I said, I don't like this. It went on that seventh playoff thing where it's like, I don't stop trying to tell me that you know this. So that's like if they make the playoffs, over them, who cares on offense?

01:24:06
Speaker 3: And this is a good matchup for it and I know we can get out of here. I do like them to win this game, of though it's a little Tannehill worries me that like he might be an upgrade there from will Lewis. The Sex are favored by two and a half money lines minus one.

01:24:20
Speaker 1: Mentioned that, oh my bad. The you can hammered home if you want.

01:24:23
Speaker 3: The offensive pieces are pretty exciting for whoever is playing quarterback at Seattle because ken Walker, I feel like, is going to another level when and he is really like if you need a running back to just make something out of nothing, which is often the case, he can do it. And this is a tough defense to run against. But he was special on Monday night and really, to me was the number one reason they won that. I think, yeah, he's a great backup. It's a great tandem.

01:24:51
Speaker 1: All right.

01:24:51
Speaker 2: That is Week sixteen, Like we said, this is the it's Thursday. It's thee around the NFL triple header. So you got this episode, you got an NFL plus, The Dreamatorium is open for business. Mark and I this week a two hander. Yeah what you got in store on the old Dreamatorium? Am I supposed to say? Or to be a surprise?

01:25:14
Speaker 1: Actually tease it out.

01:25:15
Speaker 4: We've got a little bit of Detroit Lions storytelling and something on Baker Mayfield.

01:25:21
Speaker 1: I like it, what about you and.

01:25:23
Speaker 2: Talk a little Drew Locke and we're gonna talk a little Romaissance.

01:25:29
Speaker 1: In the booth. I like this teeth.

01:25:32
Speaker 2: Also, yeah, hip hop Santa and also we will have the Thursday night football recap, so.

01:25:39
Speaker 1: Check that out. All right till then, uh, you know what you gotta do. Heat the call.