First Things First - Chargers beat Eagles, Colts sign Phillip Rivers to practice squad, Brou’s Ballot, Mahomes Mountain

Episode Date: December 10, 2025

(0:00) Chargers beat Eagles, Who is to blame on the Eagles?  (28:15) Steelers ‘didn’t silence critics’, Mistake for Phillip Rivers to play for the Colts? (40:52) Brou’s MVP Ballot (46:10) Mahomes Mountain (01:10:35) Jalen Hurts blame, Did the Chargers win end the Chiefs’ season? (01:23:48) Patriots being disrespected by being 1.5 underdogs to the Bills?  (01:29:32) Danny’s Top 10, Impressed by Justin Herbert against the Eagles? (01:53:44) Colts sign Phillip Rivers, Ready to write off the Eagles? (02:02:46) He Said, We Said (02:11:18) Can the Chiefs still make the playoffs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from New York, it's a show that's starting with some bad news, allegedly. You said you had bad news for the start of the show. No, I shared, no. I thought you wanted that off the air. It was the fact that you sent out Christmas cards and me and Brew didn't get them. I'm sorry, is it Christmas Eve? I was around the tree tonight. I was saving.

That was off the air. Then he almost made it worse by saying I got one last year, which I haven't seen. You definitely. But you didn't get one last. You definitely got them last year. And then he did this weird thing where he's like, my wife has a list. Guys, you know what? You know what?

Christina, I don't know if you're on heads. Christina's a producer overtime. If you go to the post office for the butt list, pull my, pull my cards. You said they're not there. You said you haven't done your list yet. They're in transit. You started doing a weird tap dance about a friend in London and someone else who moved. Meanwhile, Brew and I live in the same place and see every day.

in the same place. You could just hand them to us. No. In an envelope, but hand them. No, you have to take them out of the mailbox. Take them up. Oh, look at the Wilds boys growing. Today, five turnovers for Jalen Hertz. Is he the problem or the solution to Philly's woes?

Meanwhile, after a great game from Jordan Love, can he crack today's edition of Bruce Ballot? Remember, you kind of put a hint out there. I like that. They call that an Easter egg in the MC. I didn't get an Easter card either. Okay. And finally, did Josh Allen get bonus points for having a four touchdown game in the snow? Against a great defense.

I know. A defense that is getting better. They just gave up 39 points in the snow. The bills gave up 34. They've got a great defense. Nobody has said they have a great defense. Everyone says it. Nobody says it.

Go up to Buffalo. See what they're saying. Go up to Picay. Kipsy and put your ear in by the way I might be going to Buffalo for a game I was invited I was invited yesterday by someone close to the team

I told you the never end up to the team again adjacent to the team a poker guy don't worry about all that we go he gave the guy's bio yesterday on the show I think he needs some that's not nice go ahead

I think you need some brands outside of the poker world I thought I had one but he He doesn't send me a Christmas card. I thought I was looking at him. Hey, this guy, I take his money or he takes my good friends. I don't know. We start with Jalen Hertz's turnovers. Five total, two and one play, one to end the game.

Not great. Eagles lose their third game in a row. Here's Jalen Hertz's diagnosis on what went wrong. I didn't play well enough. Too many turnovers, lots of opportunities, especially when we get on the other side of the 50, and I wasn't able to get us in the box. Winning is a point of pride to me.

That's why we play the game. And I got to find ways to lead our team to victories. It's not something that's foreign to us. We're just not able to do it at the moment, and it starts with me and now I play, our lead, and now I'll go out there and do my job. Okay, is it panic time in Philadelphia, bro? I know what you guys are expecting.

Yeah. Essen. As I said last week. Yeah. That if they lost this game, Esson Funk, also known as Supernatural Funk, would be joining them on the flight from L.A. back to Philly. But while he tried, they wouldn't let him on the plane. Big Don.

I am not Big Don Jalen, AJ, all of them left. Left, they kept him off. I am not ready to say that they are about to go in this funk that they went in two years ago. Here's why. One, I just don't think they're quite there. I'm not getting that feel yet. Obviously, the offense isn't playing well. But two, the schedule.

True. You've seen the schedule. Next up is Nick Wright's Las Vegas Raiders. Everybody's get right game. True. All right. And then they got the commanders who just got. got walloped by the Vikings twice.

Yep. So I don't think, I think they're going to beat the Raiders. And they're going to beat the commanders twice and go three and one at least on the way out. But at worst, they're going two and two. I just. Well, if they go two and two, they might miss the play. Possibly if Dallas obviously wins out. Dallas wins out.

But I think they're going to go three and one. Now, if they lose to the Raiders at home next week, then the funk is here. You told us I was excited to be back. I read the situation. You knew this schedule when you told us. Still. Still. I will say this.

If you, they are obviously asked Bob as the defendant. Thank you. And if you, for those obviously Eagles fans that want them to win the Super Bowl again, I mean, I haven't thought they were going to win the Super Bowl. I picked the Packers in the NFC. But I don't, I see nothing to think that this with this all. offense, they're going to win the NFC. Well, then that's why.

So I will give them that. But I think panic is, oh my gosh, the Cowboys are about to catch them and leave them out of the playoffs. So I, so here's why. And then if they get to the tournament, which I think you still think they will, again, I wouldn't pick them, but do they have a shot, win a couple games? Here's why I disagree with you. Because even the year of the famous supernatural funk, they made the playoffs.

Yeah, but they lost, what, six and seven? They lost five of six down the, they lost five of six. down the stretch. But here's the problem with even your potentially rosy scenario, if you will. If you throw that schedule back up. Yes, you're right. Maybe they could go into the playoffs having one

three or four. Because I think if they go two and two, I think there's a very good chance. They're just out of the post. But you think they're going three and four. Washington I thought with Jayden back was going to look different and said Jaden got hurt again. And so they probably, their morale's got to be lower than low.

three games left against two or three win teams. So that's really in their favor. But what you're saying is they lose to Buffalo, right? So that would mean they go into the playoffs, having not beaten a quality team since early November, right? Week 11. Week 11. Detroit.

And the other reason to panic is, and this is why I'm surprised you're not, is we were talking about if they lose the game and not writing the script with how they lost it, it might be panic time. Not only did they lose, they lost it in my opinion, in the most damaging way imaginable, which was all of their massive offensive issues

that have been percolating all year, but have been tamped down because they weren't turning the ball over, come to a head because of a cartoonish amount of turnovers despite that they are able to get to overtime. They are able to get to where they're a huge favorite. Well, I mean, no, I'm saying huge favorite. When you have down three and you're at the 15 and first and 10 in that moment, you're never supposed to lose.

Because a tie for them also, because Dallas has a tie. It actually, it's not great, but it's better than a loss, obviously. And for on first and 10 to lose the game the way they did, whatever simmering issues there have been in the locker room about the performance of the offense, those come to a head now. But you don't think a 34 to 7 pasting would have been worse than this? Well, okay, so maybe that would have also been all.

Sure, yes. I have so much respect for where the Eagles defense is right now that I guess I didn't even think of that as like a, possibility that they would just get run over like that. But where I feel about Philadelphia right now, Wilds, is I'm going to tell you blind who if they win the division, which again, I'm not convinced they will because sweeping your divisional opponent and commanders is tough. And if they go two and two, they can just miss the playoffs.

Whoever they play in round one, I'll pick that team. Because it's going to be a really good team. It's going to be the Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco. Green Bay, like, who is it? The team that looks the weakest is Chicago. How do we think Chicago would look against Philadelphia? There's nothing they can do over the next four weeks.

And I'm not saying you're wrong because obviously a good team could beat them. There's nothing they could do over the next four weeks, though, to change your mind on it. That's where I think the schedule works against them. But if you hammer the Raiders. Right. But if they. And they beat a lot of good teams. It would really be.

how they look, I guess, against Buffalo. If you hammer the bad teams and then play a great game against Buffalo, then maybe I'll feel like it. But for me, it's just there have been, and if you show the Eagles offensive numbers for the year, these warning signs all season long, that this is just, if we can show the Eagles offensive numbers, this is a bad offense.

Correct. There's no denying that. And so I just don't know when we think this is as strong of an NFC, playoff field as we've had in a very long time. And I know you probably feel, Brew, the weakest team that's going to be in the field as the winner of the NFC South. They can't play them in round one because they'll both.

If the division winners can't play each other, so you're going to be playing an awesome team in round one of the playoffs. I just don't believe in Philadelphia right now. So I would panic. Can I tell you why I'm pan-I'm not panicked, but why my panic antennas are up? Good teams are a reflection of the quarterback, right? The Kansas City Chiefs are a reflection of Patrick Mahomes.

Patrick Mahomes doesn't say anything wild to the media. No one says anything wild to the media. The Rams are sort of like a mature team. Devante is like an old veteran. Stafford's an old veteran. Where has been the drama about the Rams? Is there any? Like, Devante had some issues with the Taco Bell in his home.

That's it. Where's the drama around the Patriots? Matt Collins doesn't worry. There's none. Can we show the rabbit, Dusty? We thought this was fake. When you have to do strange stuff, like, all right, maybe. But for a season that started with Jalen Carter spitting on a guy,

two turnovers in one play, you got this big inflatable rabbit for vibes that A.J. Brown is talking trash on a mad insurm. and telling his fantasy football owners to drop him. Sequin's not, has an epic drop-off. Offensive line is in and out. Everyone dislikes the offensive coordinator. The Bears push them around on defense. There's not a lot of, you know, defensive issues.

There's just too many strange things to feel good about a team going into the playoffs. When you look around, like, what's strange about the Seahawks? Sam Darling went pumpkin mode one game. Nothing strange about the Rams. The 49ers had a bunch of issues, but they've steadied the ship. There's just too much weirdness. This is where I think you can be critical of Siriani.

I mean, you have to be critical to. And we've given him, when it comes to professional coaches in any league, I judge him by wins and losses, all right? And he is won, so I've given him his credit. But it just looks like it's a lack of leadership, period. It doesn't look like he has control. And not just this year. It's just kind of been the last few years.

It looks like he. Last year is okay. No, but even so during last season, we were wondering like, are things okay when you got your star wide receiver reading books on the sideline? So this is where he has to step up. Jalen does too, obviously. But he has to step up as the leaders of this team. That's big down. Yeah, that's big down.

Yeah. Well, that's. Siriani's job is not calling the offense call. Maybe he does it with big domy. behind him. Yeah. Telling everybody. This is too odd.

All right. Now we're going to get to see. Buckle up. Well, this is insane. With their third straight loss, the Eagles don't have the NFC East locked up. But as Brew mentioned, their four upcoming opponents have a combined record of 17 and 35. So this should be okay. I'm sure the Philadelphia media is having a measured response to this three game downturn.

Let's see here. Eagles Jalen Hertz hits his low. point, which begs the question. No, it doesn't. Should he be benched for Tanner McKee? Question mark. It begs the question. Are we serious? Nick. No. It begs the question.

No, but we can, that's almost what. That's embarrassed. But that's why I honestly almost didn't want that in the show. Because that derails. We all agree shouldn't be bench for Tanner McKee. A six round pig out of the same. Right. Even though Tanner McI had a nice priest. He's hooked in his one game.

Could fans play? The, okay, that's fine. I wish I could say that's a straw man, but it's not. It was an article. Nobody, I think, actually thinks that, and if you read the whole article, they say... It was only a small part of it. It was just... I'm sure the writers, like, you made the headline. You should have... Will you ask

the question, though, we agreed upon? Do the Eagles have a Jalen Hertz problem? Yes. And KW? Go ahead. I'm listening. Listen, I know you get... I know... I know, listen. I don't want to misquote, KW. No, I'm here to listen. But, but but what you can't have...

is the bells are a little. I mean, I mean, Deli order, okay. What? I mean, these are, Kevin Wilde's counted down our season. I got a far following.

My goodness. About how everyone in the league is chasing Jalen Hertz. They are. How everyone in football is chasing the quarterback of the Eagles. We can probably take those down. I like it. Those are all tweets. They're the same tweet.

like a fun follow. They're stuck up there. And now, they're stuck up there for good. And now we, maybe, we come to a place where the entire brand for J. Allen was, don't worry about my stats. I win and I don't turn the ball over. And win, if you are, I'll use Josh as an example, Josh Allen, a quarterback who, listen, I might cost us some games, but I am going to win us more games than I cost us with my amazing superhero stuff, then that's kind of the tax for most of those guys, the boom bus guys. But there are very few moments this year, very few. I think the Chiefs game might be the only one where like, man, they won that game because of Jalen Hertz. Probably the, not to derail you, but probably the Cowboys game as well. The first Cowboys game? Yeah.

He was really good. Oh, when he ran. No, that's, that's, that actually might be the game I'm thinking of, but more so than the Cheaps game. But regardless, maybe it's both of them. You can't go on this type of stretch of not only are you not winning, but they're losing because of you. Sure.

And last, Brew, you said it yesterday. that I have one thing that's been consistent with me is, you know what I don't like? Game losing interceptions. And that was a trademark, game losing interception, when they, it was not third down, it was not your trailing late and after desperation. It's first and ten inside the red zone.

And I think that what you saw yesterday, Wilds, was hurts, if we show his passing chart, trying to prove I can play quarterback the way everybody does. I can throw all over the field. I'm not just down the field or short. I can throw to the middle. I can do all of it. And he tried it, and he had the worst game of his life.

And I don't know how you look at what's going on with this team offensively, on the field and off the field. And this graphic, zero touchdown five turnover games. I mean, that's the Darnold seeing Ghost game. That's the Nate Peterman game that got was when they benched Tyrod Taylor for him. Those are like famous moments and not say Jalen Hertz is at the epicenter of the Eagles issues. To be fair, you know, a lot of the other five turnovers were five separate plays.

He did have two on one. He did have two on one. Yeah, that was an odd. I mean, seriously. No, but Wilde hated that. I hated that even more. The fact that... When he got it and fumbled again?

Yeah, I mean, just to add a little credence to your take that he's trying to do too much, look, you recovered the ball. Disaster has been averted. Why are you trying to pick up an extra yard or two? I don't think he was trying to pick up. It wasn't on the ground when he got it. He was standing up right there. Like, he's standing up.

He's trying to run with the ball. I mean, I think that's a natural instinct. Like, it's one thing if it's on the ground and you, you die for it, which you should. But that popped up to him and it's kind of like I'm turning. Okay, maybe. I would have dropped up and fell. I'm not defended five turnovers.

I expect like paramount decision making from Jalen Hart. But we've seen Mahomes put his, his body and their season in jeopardy by tackling defenders. But you know what I'm saying. But let's just call it four turnovers. Let's call it zero touchdowns. I'm not trying to defend it. I'm just saying, I'm just saying I don't blame me on that.

What do you want to say? The guy had five turnovers. I'm in a tough spot. I'm so, so like. Well, he's your guy. He's my guy. Can we have a little bit of a grace period? Are they in first place?

Are they in first place? Yes. Okay. Then what are we talking? Can he have a bad game? Yes. Okay. Then that's what happened.

It's a bad month. It's a bad. You have not. No, it's not. Show us since the buy. Because you, it's the same. grace period, I would assume Lamar Jackson has earned and you have had no problem

correctly, correctly waving an alarm about Lamar. This is him since week nine, bro. Seven touchdowns, eight turnovers, a 72 rating. I don't want to be, okay. Let me do, I got it. But if it's five last night, so it's seven and three.

Seven and three after being 20 and two. And the team having lost twice being six and two to two and three. You've seen the commercials with the backup quarterbacks. Let me, I got you. I got you. Thank you. They don't have a Jalen Hertz problem.

The dudes led them to two Super Bowl. Thank you. All right. And was great in one, great in both. Yeah, better in the loss. They have an A.J. Brown problem. All right. That's true.

They are forcing the ball. Now, you can say that's Jalen forcing him the ball, but it's because of the presence of A.J. Brown and all his chatter and all his complaining. By the way, haven't heard a peep from him during this three game losers. He's talked, but he's been good. He hasn't complained or anything.

This is, look, the first nine games when they were, what, eight and one, or eight and two? Well, seven and two in the first. Seven and two, I'm sorry. Look at the target, seven, four catches. Now, look at the last three.

The last three games are essentially the best three games. games of the season for AJ Brown statistically. I am of course not saying they shouldn't be trying to get the ball to AJ Brown. I am saying it has to be within the flow of their offense.

He is clearly forcing it to AJ Brown and that is becoming a problem. They're 0 and 3 when they do that. And if I'm going to force it to you, don't do this. Let me see the video. It's four of the video. This is the first

play of the game. You talking that junk and you're going to do that? Don't, you can't be, give me the dang ball and then doing all of this stuff when we give you the dang ball. That interception was obviously on him. That should have been the game. The defender did not even hit his,

hit the ball. He had it in his hands and just dropped it. So I can't, I get that, I get that Jalen did not play well yesterday. I'm not trying to give him credit for that. This is not a good pass. No, that is a fine. It's not a great pass, but this is beyond catchable.

It is beyond catchable. He didn't even have to jump as high as he could. He wasn't fully outstretched. He saw that that defender was about to clock him. Hold on. No, y'all talking to the wrong dude. And I'm not even comparing myself. I'm saying when I grew up watching NFL football, every single play,

a receiver had to worry about that. No, come on. Put it on his hip. You could have played back in the day. Put it on his knee. Like, it's a bad pass. It wasn't a great pass, but it was catchable. And you're one of the best receivers in the league.

And every week we hear from you how you should be getting the ball. And you dropping that. So listen. He even said it himself after the game. So, Brew, I think everyone agrees that that that Jalen hurts. I'm sorry, that A.J. Brown's time with the Eagles is approaching. He should be traded after. I think I mean, I think we were saying that before even the three-game losing streak.

I think that's true. But I want to know sincerely your, because you said it's a blip, but you didn't have your heart in it. Brew defended him more than you. I want to know your level of confidence that Jalen Hertz who you, we spent a lot of the offseason saying hurts, where he needs to be on Mahomes Mountain, where he is in the league, that it's not a big four in the league. You don't think hurts his beyond reproach?

Hold on. I don't think. I don't think he's beyond. I mean, I don't think a month of bad football ruins him. He's got two super. No, no, no, no. He's the only dude that can be Patrick when Holmes in the playoffs. No, no, no, hold on.

Again, I don't think he should be benched like the Philadelphia Inquirer. But we spent a lot of time talking about it's not a big four quarterbacks in this league. It's a big five. That he's a friend. I've never said that. So that's what I said that was my big thing. That is that he is a star franchise quarterback. Correct.

And I'm asking, do you still think that? It's becoming a harder position to maintain. That he's a star? That he's not a franchise quarterback? I think he's a franchise. No, no. You say a star franchise quarterback. Is he top?

My whole thing was he should be viewed as the best quarterback or at least in the conversation. It's the best. I can't sit here as confidently as I could after winning the Super Bowl MVP. And I'll give you, I do not think giving him 100% of the blame for the Eagles little blip is the issue. I wrote this down. New play caller, O-line, run game, Super Bowl disease of me a little bit.

You're right about that. And some regression. So however you want to divide those pieces of the blame pie up, sure, but he certainly hasn't taken a step forward. Coach is going to, look, he is off. comparing him to Tyrese Halliburton. He is not Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert.

He's not the guy to go back in the pocket and throw it 40 times again. And coach will probably talk about this later because we know that's his big thing. But they throw it 32 times or less. He's 8 and 0. This year, 33 times or more, he's 0. And 5. Last year,

they won 14 straight games, including the playoffs in the Super Bowl. He threw it 22 times a game. When they started two and two, he was throwing it 33 times a game. He is like, don't expect Tyrese Halliburton the average 26 points a game. He's a different type of player. And he's a different type of quarterback. But if they, the damning part of that is it can't be, and this doesn't really work with the basketball comp.

It can't be that every time he throws a lot, they lose. That's the, it can be that. Well, he's, I mean, he runs. I think that's an overs. But I'm just saying, I get, no, but he, do you agree, he's not the guy to drop back 40 times? But I, they took the ball to Josh Allen's hands and went on the run. Correct. But if you showed those stats, I think you might see for every quarterback in the league that when they throw a, their winning percentage is higher when they throw a little bit because it means the game is going.

But a lot of their games when he threw, didn't throw as much, those were close games. Or when he threw a lot, they were close games. Sure. The point I'm making is there is not, you're not going to find another guy that is a star quarterback. Like, no doubt that guy is the reason we win that every time he throws a bunch, they lose. You're just not. And so there, and this was the argument we got in over the off season that I value the leadership. But this year, the leadership stuff, that team doesn't have to me like, I don't want to say he doesn't have leadership, but it's a shaky lock.

Well, they, look, I know. No matter how great of a leader are, a grown man is a grown man. And if A.J. Brown wants to act up. Because you brought up. It's not AJ Brown. You brought up the drama, okay? There are three teams that we hear a lot. Look at all the great teams stumbling this year.

Kansas City, you hear nothing. Baltimore even. You don't hear complaining and all this backbiting about Lamar or whatever. Or even Harbaugh you don't hear from the locker room. Detroit, you hear nothing. Like Washington, you hear nothing. You heard about three teams. Dallas because of Jerry Jones, Philadelphia,

it is because of A.J. Brown and his complaining. If he had never said anything last year, I don't know that we'd be talking about. I disagree because I think that, I think the fact that no one in that locker room has stepped up and said, AJ's wrong. We've got our guys back at any point in this. And the fact that there is local, real local reporting,

talking about the Carson Wend stuff and talking about the disconnect between the quarterback and the rest of the team. That combined with the fact that he seems to be even more limited as a passer this year than previous years is a problem. And if you're a $50 million of your franchise quarterback,

that's a problem. If they're thinking about getting rid of him like they did Carson Wins, they're crazy. I agree with that. Rogers and Tomlin taking a victory laugh And silencing their critics. That's next on first things first. And we'll talk Chargers soon, too, I promise.

Check out the podcast. Is it the best in the world or top ten? I don't know, man. That's a pretty big run. We may have fallen out of the best in the world. We might have. However, sports Emmy committee, if you're watching. Oh, God.

Can you tabulate votes based on quote tweet comments? Most of those are bots, to be fair. Buddy, they are. Are they? Yes. People are, they're not. Giana is telling us they're not, first of all, second of all. People have never been nicer.

People like seeing me near death. Wilde's like, why did it do so well? It's like, well, they've got Nick. A week after his worst game as a stealer, Aaron Rogers had his best game. 284 yards, didn't take a sack, threw three deep balls for 121, and ran for his first touchdown since he played for the Packers. Tomlin was blowing kisses at the end of the game. Here's Aaron Rogers.

What does it mean to get a win like this after the week that you ever had and the week that kind of my talent was that too? Means maybe you guys will shut the hell up for a week. Coach, we talked a lot about Tomlin being on the hot seat and Aaron Rogers looking over the hill. Do you think the Steelers silence their critics? No, not at all. I mean, when you look at that game,

look, I think this was what Aaron Rogers was hoping for. so he didn't have a throw over 30 yards in the whole month in November. Then he has four of them. Then he has two throws that are plus 20. Then he runs the ball in. It was a really good game. He looked great. Yeah, it was a really good game for him.

So as much as he was trying to project like, hey, maybe you guys will shut the hell up about Tomlin. It was really about me. It's really like stop talking about me. And if you want to stop talking about Tomlin, that's cool too. But in terms of the game, they got ridiculously out rushed. there were two controversial calls that could have easily gone the other way. And collectively, you know, their one game ahead of Baltimore, but it was by no stretch a signature win.

Yeah, it was a positive game for it. But it was kind of a season saving win, though, is I guess why I would say it's, I don't think it's enough to silence the critics. But given how the previous week went, had they lost, it stabilizes Baltimore, it puts them in such, uphill battle to make the playoffs.

So I do think it was obviously a massive win, and I think Aaron deserves credit for playing great, because I thought he was great. He was great. I think if you're a steal, I think most Steelers fans probably know better, but maybe a young or naive Steeler fan, that game might end up being a little cruel

because it makes you think, oh, man, AFC is wide open, Our defense has been underachieving. And when Aaron plays that way, and it is, right. I felt like that. Oh, sorry. I didn't know you felt that way. You're an idiot.

I wasn't, I didn't know that was. I didn't know that was your opinion. Aaron Rogers, high ceiling. Oh, but. I just, I think Aaron is a great enough player that as long as his body's functioning, that game is in him, but an old enough player that that game can only exist three. times a season. You know what?

Like the, because I did think he was awesome. I just don't think that that is replicable more than maybe one time the rest of this season. I mean, those passes the D.K. Metcalfe, he should be able to make.

All right. But to answer the question, no. I mean, they're seven and six. A year ago with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, they were 10 and three at this point. Okay. And you look like you'll make the playoffs. I mean, it's still up in the air,

but they look like they'll make the playoffs. So they made the playoffs the last two years. Aaron Rogers was not brought in to make the playoffs. He was brought in for them to have a chance to get to the Super Bowl. I'm not sure if I agree with that. Maybe in his mind he's thinking I want to go out at least having made the playoffs. But I mean in Pittsburgh's mind, in the fans mind, it was, this guy can get us closer to the Super Bowl if not to the Super Bowl.

And I've seen nothing to make me think they can do it. Certainly break the no playoff win drought. That was. Pardon me, definitively the goal was to actually make the playoffs and win a playoff game. If they win a playoff game, I don't think that silence is Tomlinson's critics. Tomlin's critics. I never saw the Aaron Rogers, the Pittsburgh Steelers thing working ever. I know you felt strongly about it.

And now, you know, he had the game. It was a nice game, but it's sort of like a lunar eclipse. Like it just shows up every now and then. But it's nothing that you can count on. And the way the defense is playing to be. out rushed the way they were. What was it? 2.17 to 34.

That's a crazy number for anybody. That's a crazy number for Pittsburgh. Then the week before, wasn't it the biggest, the most rushing year ever for a home game? Yep. So like the Buffalo. It's just not. I like this.

Hard. So what? You think they're a legit Super Bowl contender? No. Not Super Bowl contender, but dangerous. And I feel like we have to have some symmetry, at least me personally. when Aaron Rogers looks like he's 42 years old and stumbling around and completing less than 60% of his passes, like, wow, he looks washed and he might look washed the rest of the year.

And then when he comes out and outplays Lamar Jackson, and if you want to open it up to AFC North, he outplayed Joe Burrow gave the game away in Buffalo. My rankings for AFC North quarterbacks were Shador, Aaron, Joe Burrow, then Lamar. So I have to give him credit. He was great last week, but we're to silence the critic, like, actually believe in him now? That's all I was supposed to believe him? He surprised me. I was surprised.

He played really well. Can I? He ran in. I was like, oh. He surprised the critics. Hold on. Real quick, can I do a little KW translation? Sure.

Because I think your take is, as you would say, directionally correct. Like, you say that about me sometimes. Like, directionally, like, I agree with most of what you're saying. Sure. But there is also a piece of KW has spent far, far too much time on the athletic playoff predictor to not know that the most likely first round playoff matchup we're getting is the Buffalo Bills at the winner of the AFC North. And Wilde is trying to prepare and prime his own brain to being like, oh, the Steelers can beat the bills. The bills are not that good. The Steelers and Aaron Rogers with that game,

I know they got beat by them, but they can beat the bills. Maybe partially. Also part of it is just the Ravens' like defenses in our DNA. Like when is the defensive DNA going to turn around for the Steelers? I'm waiting for it to happen. And maybe it's just late blooming. It seems like it's getting late in the season coach.

Or he's just writing off this dealers. defense completely. At 217 yards, yeah, I think you might want to write it off. Take the loss. So we have to get to another. We have to get to an older quarterback. Afternoon headlines brought you by Hilton, Hilton for the stay from one old QB to another. The Colts are adding 44 year old Phillip Rivers to their practice squad since Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard are all injured. Now Leonard might go against the Seahawks, but if he can't, it might be time for this guy. Rivers is reuniting with Stikin, who served as his QB coach and interim O.C.

For three years in San Diego. So he already knows how it rolls. Your reaction to this latest grandfather move. We'll go to the grandfather on the set, Nick. Thanks, KW. Listen, and I get it. I'm not on the Insiders Group texts, but luckily we all get to see him. He and Stuyken are such a mind meld that he was running Stikin's offense at his high school.

school and yeah oh the whole thing if he plays against the Seattle Seahawks yeah it's one of the most reckless things I've seen in pro sports in my lifetime he is on the ballot for the Hall of Fame right now love it he he last played a football game three weeks before Tom Brady won his Super Bowl in Tampa yeah like that way it was Three weeks before. That's the last time he played, and it was oddly. No meniscus. It was with the Colts, but not with Stuyken.

It was with the Colts under Frank Wright. 2020. The Colts go, the Seahawks defense, the Niners defense, the Jags and the Texans defense. Up next. Having a 44, I don't doubt that he can do the whiteboard perfectly. I think asking him to go play pro football is one of the craziest things I've ever heard and I'm shocked

anybody thinks this could be a good idea. I agree and we see and not last weekend notwithstanding because Aaron Rogers had a great game but we see him at 42 having played consistently and even if you want to say the year he sat out with the Achilles okay that's a year of where

and tear off your body. And we see he's not a shadow of what he used to be. And he was way more mobile than Philip Rivers at his prime. For Philip Rivers at 44, five years away, he probably didn't look good in the workout because beyond the whiteboard, I'm sure he can still sling it against nobody, all right? But coach, I got to think the speed of the game and the hitting, there's no way he can be used to that after five years sitting out and aging five

years? Yeah, the whole thing is just, it's an organizational Hail Mary. That's where they're at. But to understand it, so they have the start that they have and Daniel Jones does things that nobody expected them to do

and the owner is very involved. She's on the sideline taking notes, so there's that interaction there. Then they're going to go all in. They trade for sauce gardener and they give away two number one drafts. And here they are where they're talking about playing two quarterbacks that are really young, really inexperienced, don't give you much of a chance to win. And the alternative is the guy who was the last guy that took over for Andrew Luck and got you to the playoffs. It is a complete Hail Mary.

And why not go work out Cam Newton? I mean, why not bring him in? Well, I mean, to take your pick, I would say. He said he can't throw. I would imagine Cam is a little bit more mobile than Philip Rivers. I mean, Brady, I'm not saying they should have went through. But Brady's probably closer to being able to play football. Brady's closer, but Brady can't because he owns the Raiders

and because he works like he likes what he's doing now. But this is insane. I want to just be on the record about this. I think that this is one of the wildest things. if he starts the game against the Seattle Seahawks, I think everyone involved in that decision is out of their minds. And I think that it is reckless to the point of, I'm surprised, no one is stepping in.

They didn't get him out of an old phone. I mean, I don't know if you step in, Nick. I watched Phillip Rivers five years ago. Go 11 and 5. Correct. No, no, no, no, correct. And because he's always going to be able to throw it. And five years ago, he couldn't move and was a statue.

So who do you want to be the Colts quarterback? Literally anyone that's active in pro football, that's a quarterback. Like, that's the answer. I feel like that. I feel like the season's over. I mean, maybe the season's over this way too, but like some random guy. I just hope the dude is okay. Yeah, I think that's about.

Yeah. Micah Parsons spent Sunday chasing Caleb Williams, who was very complimentary to. We also shout out his current and former quarterback. Take a listen. I don't think there's, I mean, besides Stafford, there's a guy that's playing better football.

And I'm a dad Prescott. He's playing really good, too. Like, those two guys, I think, are playing the best football in the league right now. Okay, let's see if any of the quarterbacks make Bruce Ball. Well, there have been some shake-ups. Wow.

Some new additions. Coach, you might not like my first way. It's a Packer. Shocking. Jay-Lo! Or should I say, J-O. I like that. J-O. is cooking.

He's fourth in the league and pass a rating. 22 touchdowns, only four quarterbacks have more, and he's only got four interceptions. So he and Matthew Stafford are killing in that department. Last night. touchdowns, one interceptions. I think J. Lo is playing great football. Got him at number five.

Number four, I know he's only had two sacks in the last two weeks, but still very much on pace to break the record. He's got 20, one of the few players ever to get 20 sacks and doing it in 13 games. He also, in addition to probably breaking the sack record, he's got 31 tackles for loss. Second all time. Again, in 13 games, JJ Y has the most ever, 39. Now, this only goes back to 1999 since they've been keeping.

But I almost, almost beat the Titans. Yeah, how did they lose the Titans? Cedar played great that game. Chador was great. Garrett was pretty good. Tony Pollard went off. Tony Pollard. Who I like, by the way.

He's number three. On the ballot. All right, this one I think is going to shock you guys, but I think you'll, once you think about it, you'll agree. Let's go to Buffalo. Josh Allen. Don't hate it. Because here's the thing.

His passing numbers never looked like incredible. Even last year when he won the Super Bowl. One in the MVP. He's got his second, his second, yeah, with MVP. His second highest passer rating ever this year, 102.9 or something like that. He is second in the league with 34 total touchdowns. Stafford has 35.

Now, Allen only has 22 passing, but 12 rushing. Only Jamir Gibbs and Jonathan Taylor have more rushing. And his aren't just. tush pushes or whatever, like, as we saw last week. So, I mean, he's carrying that team offensively, so I think he can be number three. And then back to the, you know, what we have been. Number two, Drake May, you know, was just just gets it done. Yeah, and didn't play this week.

Yeah, just gets it done. This will be a big week. And then, of course, at number one, everybody's All-American. Another three touchdown. And a bounce-back game for him. Yes. Yes, after the wild side he should have moved. I actually did move behind me.

Where is it at now? On the official eyes. Oh, he's the favorite. On the odds, he's the favorite. Three touchdowns, 35 total. And they are just rampaging people. Yeah. Beating Arizona that bad is impressive because they're a pretty decent.

They hang with your eyes. You know what the only thing I'm worried about? Go. The Rams looks so good. And the bucks just lost to the Saints. We're getting close. to flowers and lipstick again. Coming around the back.

With a little bit of like, wow, I was in the hospital bed. We got such a great reaction on social. Be careful that you created a monster. So I have a question because we didn't talk of any. I would not put this person on my MVP belt, but I'm just curious if you gave any thought to Justin Herbert. Yes. I thought you might.

I did give thought. I mean, obviously, his numbers aren't phenomenal, but he's playing well under all. all this pressure. Like last night he was pressured almost 70% of the time, most in the league this season. Just some thought. And we're going to talk more about Herbert and Chargers later. I thought Herbert was actually that was a really good game despite the stats.

The stats were awful, and I thought that he is running. He ran really well. I thought that was impressive. Do you agree with the ballot? I want to, I. I feel like I would have had J.S.N. in Jordan Love's place. I thought about that. He had a good game, really good game, but he's way off the pace now.

He's not going to break the record, not going to get 2,000 yards. I was disappointed Michael Parsons was not. Coach, he's been great. I thought about putting Mike on. He's been great. I thought you were going to get upset. Micah's been unbelievable this year, and you're not giving us the sack stats anymore. What was his production last game?

You know what? He got a win. That was his production. Your pass rusher wins guy. One and two don't seem like anyone's cracking it. Josh could. Josh might. I'm telling you, if Josh.

Big game this weekend. Yeah. I mean, I don't think that would be fair, but I think that's on the board. Mom's Mountain next. Yeah, he could. I'll be interesting. Oh, happy holidays. Happy holidays.

Do I tell you I'm in the spirit? We don't. Big time. Coach. Did you get the White's family Christmas? You know what? Coach did not. Yeah, neither.

None of us did, bro. I sent one to Josh our research. Second hour first thing first. Today. He says you didn't. Well. You know, Bruce said, who said that supernatural funk was gonna be in the plane

and Nick yelled at me the other day to not step on Bruce jokes, so I didn't do anything and then nothing happened. It wasn't even though. I don't think they're in the phone or something. Let Nick Raiders beat them and then they'll be in that. That's a good point.

Meanwhile, with the Chargers winning, is the Chief's season officially over, kind of over, or a little bit alive? We'll explain. I'm excited for this. I was on the, I see a path. But right now, we're headed to where the air is rare. Well, week 14 is in the books. and we've received your letters.

We are not renaming the mountain after Matthew Stafford, no matter how well he plays. This is as best we could do. It's a little side mountain, but we're not changing the name of the whole segment just because the guy lit up the Cardinals. Find out where Matthew Stafford lands on this edition of Mahomes Mountain.

Thank you, Kevin Wilde. That was nice. It's a lot of AI, you know. Yeah. I'm gonna help out the elderly pretty soon. The loneliness, an epidemic. We just got an audible sigh from the members of our staff that are under 30. Why?

Thanks, because of your corny humor. I was like, oh, I guess loneliness, the epidemic loneliness is something to laugh at if you're young. It's not. They can't see it yet. Why do you have tears in your eyes? Give them a house brew. Because it's an epidemic. That's not why.

It's because you find yourself so funny. No. These robots need to keep these robots. Zoom in on his eyes. He's crying at his own. No, loneliness is an epidemic and you guys think it's a big joke. I've never met someone. He's saying I am hilarious.

I'm never met. I am killing it. Don't slays. Robots need to take care of the elderly. Everyone knows it. It's sad, man. You got to think of the hilarious. It's not.

As Wilde just in his own head being like, you killed that. He's high-fired with itself. Good job, K.O.'s off the mountain. KW. will do this. All right, so here's the deal. Top ford's due to injury. Now, I know Jaden came back, but he didn't come back for that long. Shouldn't it came back.

Yeah, and I mean, I was as shocked as anybody that he got banged up. Marks of Marriota, Kurt Cousins, Cam Ward and who they won. Cam was off? Yeah, I mean, he's been off, man, and he wasn't great in that game. And I'm just putting a Jets logo on there. Because Fields is hurt, and Tyrod was in, but he was hurt.

And then we got Brady Cook from Missouri. And it's just, Jets, I'm sorry. It would appear whoever's playing quarterback for you for the time being. It's going to be off the mountain. So we're just going Jets logo. I heard they were considering calling them Namath. Speaking of, bottom row of the mountain, because it's not left to right,

let's go all the way to the right. We put Philip Rivers on there. Sure. Now, again, I think this is not only wildly reckless, I think this shows a system arrogance, which is, I think Shane Seichen thinks, well, I could just snag a Trevor Simeon or maybe Bailey Zappi or I'm not sure who's on practice squads,

you know, an active NFL player, but they don't know my system. I'd rather take a guy who's been coaching high school football and retired for five years because he knows my system. Unfortunately, Mike McDonald's defense's system is going to be not Philip Rivers on the ground, see how it works, but he's on the mountain. To his stays where he is, Tyler's shot cost me untold dollars by beating the that was such an easy teaser. How did the Bucks not win?

He's on the mountain. J.J. McCarthy. He played great. Yeah. Was he off last week? He's been off his whole career. I think he might have got on there after week one to come back. He did play with.

Jackson Dart stays where he is by week. Gino, not great. He's covered. Jacoby Resett Falls. Now, this is a monumental row six. But I don't know what to do with a bad month of football. Oof. Bad month of football.

Lowest ever. Yeah. Bad month of football for Jalen Hertz. and a zero touchdown five turnover game. That's the full Peterman, guys. You never want to go to the full Peterman. He did it. Aaron Rogers moves up.

Brock Purdy, don't get mad at me, Prue. They didn't play. Just chilling. He stays where he is. I know we only talking about him when he's terrible. Brew, he didn't play. I know, but I'm accepted. And Shador moves up.

So we have from, you know, Purdy, the last pick of the draft, Bryce, the first pick of a draft. Shador, fifth round pick of the draft, but everyone pretends he wasn't. It's just perfect. Fifth row. Mountain's always fair. Baker's also had a shaky month.

Not quite as shaky as Lamar and Jalens, but a shaky month, and he's got to drop. CJ, on the other hand, I thought, obviously, had issues in the second half, but was awesome in the first having getting that 10-point lead. It was frigid conditions against a desperate chief's team. He moves up. Caleb, he couldn't move him up because he had a bad first half and through a game losing pick. Didn't feel like I should move him down because I did think he was awesome for, you know, the majority of the second half.

He stays where he is. Jared Goff almost moved up. I'll be totally honest. I think the fact that he played Thursday hurt him on the mountain this week. Because it feels far away. That's not really how it should work, but he stays where he is. And Bo Nix had the week off. Now, speaking of the lowest ever, I don't like this one, baby.

Just for a good. Wow. The mountain has to be fair. Joe Burrow. It's not about Joe Burrow. Oh. Trevor. Good week for Trevor.

Yeah. This is a comedy action. Trevor's right. This is a monumental sad moment that shows the integrity of the mountain and maybe hurts my interpersonal relationships. But fair is fair. I do not think Patrick was nearly as bad as the stats look. look, but the stats are the stats, they lost the game, he drops. Joe Burrow, I thought was awesome, except for those back-to-back plays that kneecapped the entire game

and maybe cost the Bengals a playoff spot. So he has to drop. Sam Darnold, again, nobody loves a 1 p.m. window that's only shown in tiny little pockets of the country like Sam Darnold. He relishes those moments and he cooks. And can we have a moment for the Prince? I don't know. I mean, he was awesome.

He was awesome in that game. All year long, the Mountain has been honest with the Prince. Even when they're winning, we haven't inflated him. But they are now favorites to win the division. He's playing great. They're doing it without Travis Hunter. Brian Thomas just came back. New coach.

Very tough schedule. Some great wins. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence, there he is. Road three. DAC drops because of the Thursday performance. Jordan Love moves up and Justin Herbert moves up even though the stats were awful. Because here's the deal. Those of us that have thought Justin Herbert was good, but not great, the knock on him was

the inability to make the high leverage plays that lead to win it. And so it would then be unfair when they win. in a huge game against the defending champs to come this close to locking up a playoff spot, to then be like, but his stats were bad. Just like, by the way, it will be ridiculous if folks who have loved Justin Herbert forever, because winning's not a quarterback stat. And look at most passing yards for in the first five years. If they love that game, I'm not talking about any names.

We'll see in an hour, Danny Park. I think that's a little hypocritical. Road to Josh Allen moves up with a brilliant performance. Again, I typically would grade performances against the Bengals' defense on a curve, but Kevin Wilde's is smartly informed me that defense is on the come. They are getting done. They are getting done. Drake Mays on a by, he stays where he is, and Matt Stafford for seemingly the, what is it,

the sixth consecutive week stays atop Mahomes Mountain with another great ho-hum, three touchdown. super efficient awesome game that coach is Mahomes Mountain week 15 mom's could have been lower well he could have been significantly lower what was this quarterback rating like 19 yes it's not it's not it's and what was it like two weeks ago wasn't it 50 something yeah it's been it's been it's been two weeks ago when he led the 11 point comeback and threw for 350 yards or or on thanks recently when he threw for four touchdowns and no picks you're very Very kind to have them on that level. What I'm going to talk about though is moving Sam

Donald up. And look, I chose Justin Herbert as my MVP candidate when Joe Burrow got hurt, you know, had that option to pick somebody new. So nobody wants Joe or Justin Herbert to do better or as good as possible as much as I do. But collectively, he hasn't played that well. I loved how tough he was yesterday.

I loved the fact that he went in and played coming off a surgery, you know, a week remove from surgery. I thought that was incredible. But when you look at him versus Sam Darnold, let's just look at him over the course of the season. And I get the knock on Sam is that if it's a big game, you know, maybe he's not going to perform in that big game. But it's not like Justin Herbert's performed in big games either. But when you look at over the course of the season, Sam's consistently had a better production. And I understand this is a rich tapestry. So if we just look at a recent snapshot, the last three years,

games, it's been a rough three games for Justin Herbert. And they won, I get it, they won last night, but they had five turnovers. And when the other team has five turnovers, you should win pretty comfortably. It shouldn't be as close as it was. But just take a look at where they are over this small window. And to me, Sam needs a little bit more respect. I get he hasn't proven himself in the biggest moments, but either has Herbert. No, listen, you're totally right about Herbert also not having proven with some of the biggest moments of both of them. I mean, Darnold, it's one career

playoff game for Herbert, it's two. And by the way, we might be staring dead at Jags Chargers round one of the playoffs. That's a very real possibility. Listen, I think Darnold, you are, the too long didn't read version is you are totally correct that I am probably

unfairly waiting the one game against the first. Rams for Donald. It just sticks out in my brain so much. And because I look at that team as players two through 53 and the coach and the record and all of it as, man, why can't they win the Super Bowl? And my answer to that is because I don't know if I trust Sam. So that, but over the course of the year, you make a very compelling case. And the fact that Herbert is averaging 130 yards passing over the last three games is compelling. I also, I don't think. I don't I think here would be my other defense of Herbert on last night.

I don't think anyone would have blamed Herbert if six days after having surgery on his hand, he missed the game. So the fact that not only did he play, but he played a particularly tough and vulnerable brand of football, I'm going to penalize him less for the bad stats. So, but Darnold's having an unbelievable year. Nobody's happier about that thing, Colin Coward, by the way. way. But Darnels were great. I coach, I'm going to piggyback on coach and go a little deeper in it because I agree

with you. Mahomes and Trevor should both fall. They're too high. Now, Mahomes, because here's the thing, a 19.8 passer rating in a must win game at home. It's unheard of. Zero touchdowns, three picks. You just got to drop further. And it's not like it was just that one game, because here's the deal.

Two times in his last five games, Nick, he's completed fewer than 45% of his passes. And we can't give him the receivers. No, I'm not. Right? The line, everybody seems to be battling with offensive line problems. They've lost four their last five games. And in those five games, Mahomes has five touchdowns, six interceptions. He's just not playing great.

We're giving him kind of, because we all know how great he is and has been, but he's not playing well. We keep blaming it on other people. We keep saying there's an eye test. Well, I mean, we all thought he played brilliantly the game before this one on Thanksgiving. But that's one game. I mean, that's what he's supposed to do. Okay.

Go ahead. Like I said, was it the game before that when he had? The game before. 44% of his fastest three or two games against Buffalo. Another huge game, 44% percent. The Buffalo game he was bad. This last game he was bad. In the middle of that was the Colts game

where he threw for 350 yards and let an 11-point comeback. They just ran in the touchdowns. And the game after that was the Cowboys game where he had four touchdowns, no picks, and then there is this game. There's one other. The Broncos game is the one I'm leaving out.

He got outplayed by Bonniz. And so where do you want him to, but the, but the, Drop a level. But if that's the case, then how are you? Jared Goff has to be up. Put him down with Lamar. They're playing about this.

Yeah, I mean, Lamar's numbers across the year are, I get it. He's probably playing a little worse. Lamar's numbers across the year are not better than more. They are better. They're almost across the board. And five interceptions. And Mahomes has 10 interceptions. And how many?

Marr has a higher passer rating. He's more yards per attempt. And Mahomes has almost double the touchdowns and double the yards. 22 touchdowns and 16 touchdowns. So we're not, we don't count rushing touchdowns anymore. Maybe as double total, but I know he doesn't have 30. He doesn't have 10 rushing. Yeah, 22 passing.

But then, but by that, if Mahomes has to drop because of recency, then how can Trevor not rise because of recency? Because here's why. Okay. Trevor is 29th in the league. I know it's a rich tapestry, so I'm looking at season plus recent. It's not like he's been Matthew Stafford recently. He's been good.

He's been solid. but they win kind of in spite of Trevor. It's kind of like Caleb, too. But he's 29th in the league and pass rate. 83.3. I mean, so he's got six interceptions in his last six games, 12 touchdowns, which for him, that's good, two to one, but that's not awesome.

I just think Jared Goff, who we, I get it. You're moving two of my guys down. Look, it could be any. Like I said, I think Lamar could move up there. golf for sure, and put a vacant. I don't know. I mean, but I just think Mahomes has to drop with the way he's played recently,

and Trevor just hasn't been that great all season. No, no. Trevor's been, Trevor's playing like top 10? That's 10, right? Yeah. He's not playing top 10 quarterback. Why do you think the Jags are right now nine and four? What do you think they're well coached?

I think the defense is playing solid. And I think the run game, you know, I mean, he's, he's playing okay. But to say, not a great division. Yeah. It's a great. What do you mean? He's not playing. That's a great division.

He has played well, Nick, the last two weeks. But I'm just saying he hasn't played top 10 quarterback. I mean, again, I think that it is unfair to just personally, when we're saying why Mahomes needs to drop four to only look at. the last month, and then we're saying why Trevor needs to drop to be like, here it is for the, for the whole season. That to me are two different. Why isn't Jared Gough up?

But I think the rich tapestry is like Trevor's whole career, right? I mean, you're looking at kind of. Well, yeah, because I do think, Nick, we're probably judging Trevor a little bit on a curve. Like, he hasn't been good, but last two games, he's been pretty decent. Golf does what he did the last two weeks every game. Listen, if the argument should be that golf should be higher, I understand that, and I said myself that probably him playing on Thursday that maybe I could have had him higher. I understand that.

I think that it is the, we are, we bang on Trevor when he makes these boneheaded mistakes, and he made far too many of them throughout his career and some this year. But when the team right now is nine and four, the defense has not been dominant. Their top draft pick did nothing and then got hurt. Brian Thomas Jr. was out for the, it was out for a long stretch of time, and he is now playing his best ball for a team that I disagree with coach. The AFC South, maybe we didn't think it was going to be good, but the cults were excellent, and everybody told me I needed to respect them.

The Texans are one of the most dangerous teams in football. They both are eight-win teams after week 14, and the, and the Jags lead the division. Go ahead, kid them. This guy's back in on Trevor. Never left. Wow. Never want. You're going to need the truffers.

Never want to get something else. All right, Patriots bills coming up on Sunday. And now the narrative you're going to see that I'm going to try to push back on is that Drake is, you know, trying to usurp Josh Allen the reigning MVP. And I would just like to establish that what I officially write, May out playing Allen this season and will on Sunday as well. So I think that people think like, whoof, you know, Josh Allen's Superman, you put on the cape. I just want to run through some of the ways that Drake is outplaying Josh. So this is just the basic stuff here. So things like completion percentage, yards, yards per pass, touchdown interception ratio, pass or rating, it's still Drake.

The rushing touchdowns, which Brew mentioned earlier in the show, goes to Josh. He's been great. And again, they're not all just tush push. Also, passer rating, because this is a little bit at you, Brew. You're like, ah, you know, the Patriots have a bit of a vanilla offense. We're second overall passer rating. Deep passes, he's number one, and under pressure, he's number one. May I ask a question before you move on?

Yeah, of course. Who are these people saying the Patriots have vanilla offense? Brew. When did he say that? He said it during a conversation. It was a little side remark. I just want to. I like the deep pass is the booty.

I just want to. We like those. He's like, oh, you know, they get the job done. I think that's what he said. Okay, all right. Fair enough. Go ahead. Also, I have a few more categories of the ways that Drake May outplays Josh.

So turnovers, red zone turnovers, air yards, completion, air yards are at 10. EPA, EPA per dropback, 10 yard completions, 10 yard completions, 20 yard touchdowns, 20 yard touchdowns, completion over expectation. Completions for first down, completion, 100%. Not under pressure. Yards pass when blitz. Yards pass when not blitz. And of course, head-to-head wins because Drake has already beaten Josh this year.

So please, this is the game where someone is trying to get back their crown. Because right now, the AFC East is back to being the Patriots. Drake is the best. And Josh is trying to. So hold on. So he moved left? No, there's no left to right. No left to right.

I tried to get. But I was shut down. Hold on. So this is, I'm glad we're doing this now because sometimes there's some ambivalence. and I've gotten on the wrong side of wilds a lot lately by what I thought was simply restating his well-established opinions. Do you think that right now, what is today, December 10th, December 9th, what is it?

I have no idea. December 9th, 2025. Yeah. 9th. Is Drake May better than Josh Allen? He's playing better than Josh Allen. That is, I think this season, he has had a better season. I think everyone agrees.

That is not what I'm asking. Right? If someone says to you, hey, who's the best quarterback that plays in the AFC East? Is your answer, Drake May? Yes. So he, so Drake May is better than Josh Allen. I just, can you put the graphics up again? Okay.

I'll do it again. No, that, I just want to, I just, because I don't, you think Drake May is better than Josh Allen. Well, certainly it's an oversimplification because there is a long resume that. I don't just want to throw his MVP in the garbage. No, no, no, no. I'm not saying. But he's playing better. Is he, is Drake Mays playing better than almost everybody?

No. But am I willing to say he's playing better than Patrick Mahal? No, no doubt about. I'm not willing to say he's better than Patrick Mahomes. No, I understand. I get that those are two different things, but which is why I'm really trying to make sure I understand where you're at, which is I know he's playing better than all these guys. Yes.

We get that. But there, but because it's the division and because you also said the division now goes through Foxborough again and the Patriots of the team and all that stuff. It's also a little forward looking. And so my question is, do you think from this moment forward the best quarterback in the AFC East is Drake May? Well, I just look at it. I think Drake May will be the best quarterback on the field on Sunday.

Okay. Does that answer the question? I mean, kind of. I don't. He's playing better. It's a hard, you know, calculus to do. It's not. It's just if you were like, hey, it's like, hey, Wilde, tell me your top, I'm not asking you to do this, tell me your top five quarterbacks in order.

Would you say Drake May's name before Josh Allen's? And not, the question isn't like, hey, give me your MVP list. Give me your best. It's like, hey, somebody, I haven't watched football and I'm thinking about picking them up. I want to know, you know, who's the best quarterback to pick? And would you say Drake May's name before you said Josh Allen's name? That's the question I'm asking. Yeah.

Okay. This year, yeah. See? I'm not going to say in North Carolina. No, but he's better. He's playing better than everybody except Stafford. But do you want me to say, hey, is he right now, is Patrick Mahomes better than Drake May? I'm not.

Right now? Right now? You have him listed above him. So the answer is for you. Yes. Okay. So no. So if you ask me, is Drake May better than Patrick Mahomes?

No. Is he better than, is he better than Jalen Hertz? Yes. Jalen Hurts, Super Bowl champion. Is he better than Joe Burrow? Maybe. Wow. Maybe.

That's what I think maybe. Wow. I like, I'm a resume fan too. That's the only problem. I love Drake, but I like to put some peltz on the wall. Tonight right here on FS1, college hoops doubleheader Villanova. At number two, Michigan, then it's Penn State against Indiana, which, believe it or not, was once a basketball school, once a basketball powerhouse. Worst Division I football program ever.

And then Cignetti gets there. Cigetti, wow, he's the man. I know. It's all tips off next right here on FS1. Welcome back to first things. First, Eagles lost their third game in a row. Justin Herbert completed 12 passes to the Chargers. Jalen Hertz completed four.

Here is AJ Brown. You can't just point a finger, you know. I think all of us, all of us has our hand in that pot. You know, we're trying to get better. Obviously, he's a quarterback. He's going to get better. He's going to get a lot of, you know, stuff for it, you know, but, you know, we in this thing together. Hertz this season, first 11 games.

These numbers are actually better than I think the games looked. 25 touchdowns, three turnover, his pass rating 106 versus the Bears, 2 in 284, and yesterday, 0, and 5, pass rating of 31. Is it fair to put the Eagle struggles on Jailen Hertz coach? I hadn't heard that sound from AJ Brown. It's so nice that he's now recognizing that it's sort of a group effort and maybe the quarterback gets so much. It's so nice that he's pushing this positive team message now that he's getting so many attempts or so many targets.

I don't think it's select. It can just be on Jalen Hertz. And there's a very specific formula. I've said it a bunch of times. I feel very strongly and the numbers back it up. When he throws over 30 times this season, they're 1 in 5. When he's under 30, they're 7 and 0. You know, when you're asking him to do more than really he's positioned to do,

it doesn't turn out very well. But what does that say about him as a franchise $50 million a year? Yeah, it was a concern when they signed him to a franchise quarterback number because I do think he has great leadership, and I think that with the right ingredients, he can win a Super Bowl, we saw that. But if you're asking him to be the name on the marquee and to carry all the water in these games

and to win the games himself, that's not really how he's wired and how he's positioned to be. They have a formula for winning, and when they deviate from that formula, they lose a lot of games. And it's this year, it's last year, it's the year before, and it's going to be moving forward the same way.

And I think they've deviated to appease A.J. Brown. Yes, 100%. That's why I think he's a big part. As great as he is, despite last night's drops, he is a great player. But running his mouth, that's why we talk so negatively about the Eagles, even when they're winning. We're always like, they're only a game away.

Even after wins, we've talked about them, falling apart. And nobody was happy. If their formula has to be beating Green Bay 10-7 or Detroit 16-9, so be it. It's about winning games.

And I do think Jaylen is a franchise quarterback and a star quarterback, but I think he's very different. He's not the guy with the golden arm that throws for 300 yards or 250 or whatever, three touchdowns. Running is a big part of his game, too. And I think I think a challenge with Jalen is as the season goes on and he takes more and more hits,

he's not going to run as effectively. So that can be a challenge for him. But I think the offensive line being banged up and it got banged up even more last night. And then the run game, which is related to that, not being that strong. But remember, he got to the Super Bowl without Saquan Barclay. Yes. So it was not that when they had DeAndre Swift and some other guys. And he has raised his level of play in the postseason and he's been awesome in both Super Bowls.

There's no doubt about that. But I think the A.J. Brown comments are a distraction. That's the wrong word. I think acting as if if A.J. Brown hadn't said a word all year prior to last night, we would have watched the Eagles and been like, yep, everything looks good. Yeah, that works. I do not, I do not agree with that. They went in.

I don't think we would have seen what we saw last night if he hadn't said anything. So again, this is... You're talking about they wouldn't have thrown it in. Yeah, it wouldn't have been that program. I mean, maybe. But there is, and I can't prove it. You know, it's circular to a degree. But this is a team that goes three and out more than any team in the NFL in the last decade.

Think of every awful offense we've seen. None of them go three and out more than the 2025 Eagles. This is a team that this year we have seen, multiple times have inexplicable halves of football where they just can't score can't move the ball

and it's a team that we saw up 21-0 just die 10 quarters ago and then the next week get beat up in a standalone home national TV game and then the next week come out

and have five turnovers and I am not defending A.J. Brown but what I firmly believe is that if the other players on that offense thought AJ is out of line and being selfish and pulling against us, it would have been policed. And instead, there was no reporting.

Everybody is furious with AJ Brown. They had the opportunity to trade him. They didn't. And they, it feels to me, coach, like there are other guys in that locker room that are like, man, I'm glad AJ's willing to take these bullets. because the offense doesn't work. You think it's Jalen's fault or Petulow's fault or some sort of shared responsibility?

I think that I have no evidence that Kevin Petulow is good. And I do have evidence that Jalen Hertz under the right circumstance can be good. So that's all true. But I think that there are massive limitations to Jalen Hertz the passer. And I think when we show his passing chart from last night, what you saw was a player attempting to play quarterback the way the best quarterbacks in the league can, not they always do, which is I can throw it everywhere.

Throw it every quadrant, deep, intermediate, short, left, right, middle, and it led to the worst game of his career. But he threw some incredible deep pass that his star chattermouth receiver dropped. So I don't, so again, I don't doubt, Brew that he, is, I'm not saying he can do nothing as a passer. And I know people are sick of hearing me use this comp. But as a player, he reminds me a ton of Russell Wilson in Seattle.

A great runner, a great leader, a great deep ball thrower, a good short thrower. But his limitations on other passes he can make. Plus, for Russell, it was a different type personality. But for whatever reason, wasn't considered one of the guys. led to real disconnects in the locker room even when they were winning. And now I feel like I'm seeing the same thing play out. Both guys who fell in the draft because of concerns about them as passers who overcame it through their own toughness and leadership and all and finding ways around it,

that those things then popped again. That feels to me, Coach, like what's happening in Philadelphia. Yeah, but when you look at this, you've got a rookie offensive coordinator, So he's feeling more and more pressure every single week. And that pressure has been heightened by everything that A.J. Brown continues to. So now he's trying to pacify that group. And then you've got Jalen Hertz. I'm sure Jalen wants to get rid of all this negativity too.

So now he's pressing to accommodate the guys who want the ball. He's pressing to try to take some of the negativity out of the narrative. And all that does, all that pressing does is result in what we saw last night and result in a three-game losing streak where if you just stay true to your character, and we've seen what that results in. A Super Bowl champion. Because, Nick, nobody was going to complain,

even if they're scoring low, when they're beating Kansas City, Tampa Bay, the Rams that everybody thinks is the best team of the league now. Green Bay, Detroit. They beat all of them with this broken offense. I don't think anybody would have come out and been like, man, our offensive. You can say, we're not playing as well offensive.

as we need to be, but otherwise, you know, we get, AJ came out and lit a fire to it and and then kept relating it. And met with the owner about it, right? On the other side of the ball, the Chargers are now nine and four. The Chief's playoff light gets a little dimmer. Their playoff chances before the Texans game was 37, then they lost, went down to 14.

Only 2% in the Grands game. Did the Chargers win end the Chief's season, or do you see a path still? Well, the... The path, oddly, didn't change that much with that Chargers win last night. And so I, and that's why it only went down. Listen, when you're only at 14%, dropping to 12%, another way to look at it is, it dropped by one seventh.

So like if a drop from 14 to 12 is actually, oddly, a 14% drop. That's just the math, but don't worry about that. So here, if you want to know how the Chiefs make the playoffs, it is all predicated on them winning all four of their last games, which again, if you've watched the Chiefs as here and said there's no chance they're doing that, I don't blame you. I am not sitting here saying, I guarantee the Chiefs are about to win the next four. But you only got really got to win two.

But if they do, the path really is, it's simple, not easy. The Chiefs win their final four. The Colts lose at least twice. and the Chargers have to now lose to the Broncos in week 18 and one other game to the Texans or Cowboys. You might say one other because

one of the Chief's wins would be over the Chargers. So the Chief's schedule is home for the Chargers at the Titans, home for the Broncos, at the Raiders. Again, if you believe the Chiefs are going to lose one or multiple of those games, they've earned your skepticism. The Colts schedule is a monster and they're starting a guy who's Hall of Fame eligible.

The Colts are done. So the Colts, if you believe the Colts are going to go three and one in this stretch, then the Chiefs are out. I don't believe the Colts are going to go three and one. Put a green check mark next to your thing, next to your scenarios. So that's the cult schedule. And then here's the thing, what the Chargers winning last night meant essentially was they obviously have to lose to Kansas.

city or else can't see doesn't want out. But they also, the chiefs, they have to lose to Denver. If they beat, if they lose three in a row and then beat Denver, the chiefs are out. Because then the chiefs lose the divisional tiebreaker. So again, if Denver's playing for something. Oh, man, we're setting up a week 18. Yeah, but so this is where your Patriots come in. Can your Patriots stay one seat eligible to where the Broncos need the win?

Yes. So like that's, it will take a turn. Chargers collapse, if you will, but that's a hard, if you think the Chiefs are going to beat them on Sunday, then it's really, do we think the Chargers are going to lose one? And by the way, it doesn't matter if the Chargers lose one or both of the Cowboys Texans. That's irrelevant to the Chiefs. It's all about if they lose to the Broncos. All four of those teams are playing for something, too. Yeah.

Broncos are number one in Sachs and the Chargers offensive line. Do you think the Chiefs are alive? I think they're alive, but they're on life support. Absolutely. A lot's got to go right for them to hit it. I think they are. Here's how alive I think they are. I started showing Hobbs, our producer,

memes about maybe having Nick in a graveyard and have his hand pop up like that. Like The Undertaker? Here's what I do know. If they beat the Chargers on Sunday, then no matter what, they will go into Week 17, totally alive. I think,

I think Denver could not play people just to spite the chiefs the last week. Except, so here's the thing on that. The Chiefs did the opposite for them last year that got Denver in. And the Broncos can get the one seed. That's more valuable than any. Pubs check how much a yard of dirt is. Huge SEC Big East battle on Fox College Hoops Friday. Texas.

Taking on solo ball, caraband, number five, Yukon. All tips off Friday. night eight Eastern only on Fox. Welcome back to first things first. Buffalo Bills, who the Patriots already beat. Visit Foxborough Sunday at one. Patriots coming off a buy. Bill's coming off of a superhero snow game from Josh Allen

where the defense held Joe Burrow to just 34 points. They are favored by one and a half. Does anyone think the bills should be favored? Yeah, I do. Yeah, go ahead, coach. Yeah, so when you look at the last time they played, It was completely reversed where we are now. So the bills had 11-game home-winning streak.

They'd won the division last five years in a row. They were the hunted. They weren't taking New England seriously. And you can tell, by the way, they played. Buffalo had three turnovers. They had 11 penalties for 90 yards. Stefan Diggs had, I think, 11 catches in that game. To me, that was the classic underestimating your opponent.

New England comes in, gets the win. And it's only by three points. And those turnovers were the difference in the game. So now you fast forward to this. The bills are fighting for their life. The bills want to maintain their dominance over the division. New England is the haunted team. And Josh Allen, there's nobody not taking New England seriously anymore.

And especially not Buffalo, which is radically different than what we saw before. This is where I feel confident like you do that Buffalo will win this game. But I do think New England should be favorite. I think it's kind of disrespectful for them not to be favorite. They're at home. They've won 10 straight. Some people, I've said they might be due. But they're playing great football.

They're blowing out for the most part, the bad teams that they play. Bills aren't playing great. They're coming off. You know, that was an exciting win over the Bengals, but you needed two boneheaded plays by Burrow to really make it happen. You're outplayed most of that game. And we see on the board the stats, I mean, the Patriots, you know, are better offensively, a more balanced team.

Drake May is playing better than Josh Allen. So I feel like you coach, because it's a division game, you don't want to get swept. I think Buffalo will win, but I feel like New England should be the favorites. KW? Yeah. You go. I'm dying for Buffalo to play a great game. I'd prefer if we win.

But Buffalo, please show up with the real Buffalo bills. Don't turn the ball over. Don't let our special teams run one back on you. Don't have a bunch of penalties. Give us a real stress test of a game. It's not granted we've won 10 in a row. But, Brew, I thought Josh run the numbers because we've been saying, hey, it's hard to beat a team three times in a row.

And it made me think, like, do I actually kind of want to lose this game to have playoff success if we have to meet Buffalo? not necessarily the case. So here's the graphic. If you play a team the third time. And you're 2 and 0. You're already beating them twice. It's always been a misnomer.

It's eight where you're eight and four. You score 27 points, 360. So you usually beat them again. So now I don't see any strategic advantage or sort of karma advantage if we were to meet Buffalo in the playoffs. But, and I'm not just trying to like, you know, cover my, Fannie. I do think the Patriots need a bit of a stress test, and we haven't gotten it.

So I'm begging Buffalo. I'm begging Josh Allen. Begging him. I know you're not playing as well as Drake May. I know your defense is not playing as well as the Patriots defense, and your special teams is not playing as great as the Patriots special team. Their offense, though, right? The Patriot, the bill's offense?

Yeah. I don't think so. It says it on the screen, so I didn't know. I mean, they scored more points. No, fifth offense. Fifth, seventh. X, great. I'm thrilled to see that.

Thank you. Please bring that offense to Foxborough and really give us a game. You know, people are there paying big money. The tickets have gone crazy. We don't just want to roll you guys. We don't want Josh to be throwing the ball to Christian Gonzalez. So please show up and make it a fair fight in it and let the chips fall.

Maybe we lose. I'm dying. I'm dying. case in there. If you beat them 31 to 10, you wouldn't be happy? That if that's a good point because that is on the board. That would be a disaster. I would hate that.

Can I tell you something? I hate it. No, I just, I've just never been more disappointed. Why, what do you want me to say? It's just such a self-serving, cowardly take. What do you want me to say? I mean, I thought you're going to say whether or not you thought they should be favored but you setting it up so certainly we should be that you that you

setting it up so if the Patriots win you get to take a victory law no and if the bills if the bills win you get to be happy about it no it's just cowardly I would not first of all it's just if the Patriots win if the Patriots win I'm gonna move this take down to Baltimore and I'll just yeah I'll do the same thing please Kyle Van Noit I know it I know you're a former Patriot please show up and try to stop Drake May. Please. You would love to blow to.

He's just not. No, it would be a disaster. We've been blowing teams out left and right. Live from New York. Show that's not thrilled with Justin Herbert's behavior. Let's just say that. During the game or post game. I love a huge fan.

You didn't love after the game. After the game is like, I'm trying to celebrate with my teammates. All right, 40 seconds for the TV interval. Zero out of 10 deal. Not a big deal. The internet just likes to complain. No. I was not on the internet.

Me either, buddy. I was, I swear you. You're not on the internet? Not at all during or after the game. I was watching it. It's watching the game. The only time I think that's acceptable is if you're in like the mashed potatoes bowl. Like quickly, you got to get mashed potatoes poured on you.

I'm like, you know what? Well, other than that, do the interview. Bruce so not on the internet. He does no idea what we're talking. The last night's loss, Booth the Eagles out of Danny's top 10. It's top 10 Tuesday, everybody. Meanwhile, are the Chiefs alive?

There is a path, and I am walking down it. Oh, my gosh, I'm like Thoreau out here in the Walden Woods. That's a literature reference. Wilde, you don't believe me, you do not want the Chiefs. I've never read a fiction movie. You don't want the Chiefs in the playoffs. Me? Yeah.

I actually don't. Hold on. That's what I'm saying. Were you just doing the voice you do to make fun of me? saying that I would say I did math instead of reading? Reading fiction. Let me just tell you something. This guy brought into work today, Brew,

an 800-page fiction book that he has on the center of his desk, and he's like, oh, I'm not trying to show off. It's just too heavy for my bag. I have a small backpack. And now all of a sudden, he's quoting throw, And on Walden Pond. And it's called Walden. Okay.

Oh, Starts. You're out of your mind. I was reading advanced. Every book you read is called advanced, something. Advanced and then just a math term. Head to SoFi with Justin Herbert. Well, he didn't stuff the stat sheet,

but he did walk away with a win to get the charges to nine and four. This is just, give me a break. Sorry. Give me a. Here's an interest. slightly hyperbolic harm. He's a superhero. He is a competitive maniac.

I mean, he was even stiff arming guys, you know, with a broken hand. He had surgery a week ago and out here tonight. It's it's it it felt like I was in a movie, like we were in a movie where, you know, the quarterback's doing these, and it's like, you get to the point where we go, okay, this is getting a little unrealistic, you know.

You know, that's what it felt like to me. He is just, he refuses to lose. Here's the statistical profile of that game where he was a superhero. He completed under 50% of his passes. He threw for 150 yards. He got sacked seven times. He had multiple turnovers, yet he still won the game. He's the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to do those things.

So Danny, you're in a bit of a pickle here. You're a huge fan of Justin Herbert's statistical. Most passing yards, the first five years, most completion. Who cares about win? Don't care about when he won and played like a superhero. Where do you land on Justin Herbert's performance? A battered superhero. Yeah, I mean, you think you've boxed me into some sort of take corner here?

Absolutely. You've boxed yourself. No, no. Nick has said with Colin and with you guys, you can't say it doesn't matter if he loses. because the eye test looks good, and then when he wins, but the eye test isn't there,

you can't really build that case. We've got you cornered. Watch me. That was wildly impressive. He's a football player's football player. I do like that. I'm with you there. I'm bringing you there.

I'm running there. Quote after quote after quote of players that said, there was never any doubt that he was going to play. He inspired us all. week and had surgery on a broken hand and then of his 60 rushing yards, like 33 of them were on the final drive of regulation to tie. Those were good. Those were good.

Or the winning drive in overtime on those two field goal drives. So he was tough, impressive. We all have respect for the Eagles defense. He got the win. And what I've been saying all year about Herbert is he has been overcoming an impossible situation around him. And it was again the case last night. Yeah.

Wait, but Nick, when other... I'm agreeing with you. No, okay, but when other people are presented with that situation, they don't win. Right. And he wins consistently. You're acting like last night was an aberration.

I'm not acting like anything. I haven't said anything. I've watched the show. No, I think... I think last night, Justin Herbert, go ahead, go. Go. I think last night, Justin Herbert, who you can say it's all about grit and toughness,

but the guy made one awesome pass the whole game that you texted me and tweeted about. Like, he had 138 yards passing. 70 of them were on a dump off to buy down. So they had 60 other yards, but in those 60 yards, it was enough for a text and a tweet, because of all of the arm talent eye stuff that we have been force fed with this player where the argument has been, man, winning. Finding a way.

Don't you understand that that is just the tiny piece of how you evaluate a great quarterback and how you really evaluate a great quarterback is eye test and most completions in his first. five years and most yards. And now in a game where the stats are awful where he turned the ball over multiple

times. He still passed the eye test. Okay. Okay. But when the stats are awful, oh God. It's what he found away. And so what I'm saying is of course I was

impressed by that. Because that type of game is what this player in his half-decade career has been to me missing. And this year, I have been impressed by him because he is overcoming. More impressed than I was by the 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns early. I think that's consistent. What I don't think is consistent is folks who are like, when his numbers are awesome and

the team's mediocre and it feels a little meaningless, he's great. And when the numbers are bad, but he makes the clutch plays and the team wins, he's great. It's a reverse Calvin ball that I don't buy into. Okay. Well, so if you've been impressed with him all year, then that's, I guess, news to me. But the idea, like, what has been impressive about Justin Herbert this year, yes, is that he has been overcoming it and winning. Last night he was sacked seven times.

If we drop the threshold to five, he's undefeated in games where he's sacked five or more times. The rest of the quarterbacks in the NFL are 9 and 38. That is impressive, overcoming, doing more with less. Last night he was pressured, what was it, 28 times? He's 2 and 2 this year when being pressured 20 or more times. All other quarterbacks are 3 and 25. The quarterbacks who have been pressured as much as he was last night in terms of pressure percentage, every other one of them have lost, as we've been dealing with this for the last decade.

He won the game last night. Well, he is. So that's the thing now. Yet he won the game. But Nick, when he broke his ribs in that game against the Chiefs in 2022 and had 300 yards and they lost 2724, he was still wildly impressive in that game. He just happened to lose it.

And it displayed his toughest. He's always been good enough to win and he has been let down by the things around it. Well, I mean, the big playoff game we all think about with Jacksonville, he had to get something done in the second half and he didn't. I get it, his defense was for him. It's a missed kick. And, yeah, there's always a miskick or an interception off someone's hands. And the other playoff game we think about to the one last year where he had four

turnovers. But it is, but it is again, go ahead, Bruce, sorry. I'm just saying, like, I've always been impressed with his toughness going back to that game you're talking about playing with the broker. Like, he is physically tough, which has baffled me because I don't think he's been incredibly mentally tough throughout his career. I'm not saying he's been a weakling mentally, but he hasn't been as great in big game. and playoffs and a few other regular season games.

This year he's showing it. I think some of that's horrible, but this year he's finally starting to show it. So what you won is both. The great individual numbers that he's had throughout his career, but now he's starting to win these tough games when he might not play that well and show that mental toughness. That's what I like,

and maybe that will be well for him in the future. And here's my frustration, as we argue about Justin Herbert for the sixth straight year. During the game, you're complaining about Harbaugh. You're mad. You're mad about the four-downs thing.

If it's not about a topic for the show, yes. If it's about the football game we're going to talk about, it's fair game. You're already crafting, you're already crafting the, here's why it's not his fault. And even when you just said,

you brought up the Chiefs game, I just think the turn of phrase very interesting. He played great. They happened to lose. He was tough and awesome. He won. It can't be quarterback wins for me, but not for thee. That's the point I'm making. And yes, I have been over the width and breadth of this year impressed by Herbert. Where we banged on him was when they lost 35 to 6 to Jacksonville and he was terrible. The last three weeks,

he's thrown for like 120 yards a game. That was the beginning of that. But one of those games, he broke his hand. And this game he came back in, and I'm not going to kill a guy for a mediocre, even if they had lost, wouldn't have killed him for a mediocre statistical performance for a game that most people expected he wouldn't play.

Like, I don't think that's... People expected that to be a Trey Lance game last year. Yes, absolutely. And he put up a Tray Lance stat line as a tribute, and they found a way to win. I mean, I just think... I'll tell you this. You guys have been talking a lot about Jalen Hertz today.

if Justin Herbert's on the Eagles, they are an undefeated football team. Like Justin Herbert is an unbelievable football player who in the past has been let down by injuries around him, bad coaching, missed kicks. He's been in himself. He had four interceptions last year in the playoffs. Danny, Danny, he's been in two playoffs. Two of them were off his guys in. I can say that about Jalen Hertz last night. Danny.

So he's been in two playoff games. One, he did precisely zero in the second half. I'm sure it wasn't his fault. That was the defense's fault. And the other one, he threw four interceptions. Somehow we're deciding the two of them were in his fault, but he'd still have thrown three all year. So those, I would say that that's him.

What is, and this is the last one on me. KW. You know what I think was, and I give Herbert a lot of credit. You know what I think was the most impressive thing about the Charter's, last night? Four turnovers from... The defense? Jalen Hurts.

Yeah, I mean, I think the defense. I think the Chargers defense. I think this, you know, he never... Not the guy with the broken hand. No, I think the Chargers defense... But they didn't defend the run well. That kept them in the... Well, there was the one Seqwan play.

I mean, they... Sequin ran pretty well all night on that. Danny? It was his best. How'd I do? Welcome to the quarterback wins club. See? It's a small fraternity.

I railed. He has this my whole life. He's just like, look at this, wins, and he wins. He wins. Yeah, perfect. All of those are wins. All just wins. I love it.

No points. Here's the thing. Whenever you see like a point, that's no. Get that out. Like 122 point something. That's not a quarterback one. No, no, no. Just like four wins.

I loved it. Yeah, well. All right. It's Tuesday. It's a 513, which means it's time for top 10 Tuesday. With the loss to the Chargers and really to Justin Herbert himself solo. What a play by Herbert here? It was a great play.

I mean, look at it. They were inspired by their... Fall out of top 10. Let's find out on top 10. It's not on top 10. It's going to come as no shock to you who comes in at number 10. The Los Angeles Chargers. Feels low.

Well, I don't know how sustainable any of this is with all the injuries around it. It was nice to see Hampton back last night. But Justin Herbert, you asked if he should be on Bruce ballot. Best question of the day. It was a great question. You think he should have? Absolutely. Really?

Yeah, in the top five? No. He's not going to win it. I told you guys a few weeks. ago. Good value on a losing bet of Justin Herbert to win MVP. Yeah, Danny Tulsa also bet him to win MVP a few weeks ago and is now bragging about it. I'm just saying. Sharp analysis. Coming into number nine, my Detroit Lions on the way back. Nice win over the Cowboys. Lead the NFL in points per game. This week we get Lions Rams. Lions Rams since Stafford's gone to L.A. We've seen it a couple times once in the

playoffs, once to open last season. Both spectacular games, both very close games. Both games, one. by the Lions. If they can win that game, they're still very much alive in the NFC playoff picture. Coming in at number eight, the Houston Texans. Nick, I've loved your take all year about how Justin, or excuse me, how Jordan Love is the most interesting player in the NFL. Because if he's good, the Packers can win the Super Bowl, and if he's great, they will win the Super Bowl. C.J. Stroud might be that version of the quarterback in the AFC. The Texans defense now has as many touchdowns, a lot. as takeaways.

That feels impossible. Considering the quality of teams they've played, everybody on their schedule has been a playoff team except for the Titans and the Chiefs, they have just been absolutely dominant. But this has been what C.J. Stroud has been this year. And these are all just per game numbers, not because he obviously has missed plenty of time, but he does qualify for all of these rankings. He's been average to below average.

If C.J. Stroud can figure it out, the Texans in a wide, open AFC could be dangerous. What was his passer rating? We put, I don't have it committed to member. It's right. You're right, we print this out. 20th, 90. 90?

Yeah. He's got to be better. I know. That's almost the same as Herbert's. You walked right into that one, buddy. I want to answer any questions. Passer rating. What do you say about?

Flops that. Number seven, the Denver Broncos. It, they have impressive wins. They have an incredible, potentially, historic pass rush. Everybody has questions about their quarterback, but it still feels like they have an opportunity down the stretch to prove themselves and justify all of it. They're a home dog of the Packers this week, and they've got a couple more opportunities in the regular season, yet they still could be the one seed in the AFC, but the record is undeniable. Coming in at number

six, my Chicago Bears, I'm not going to drop you that much for losing to the Packers, bad first half, much better second half. Obviously, I had a shot to win of the play at the end. You are a touchdown favorite against Shador Sanders at home this week. You win that game. Then a week from Saturday, prime time on Fox, you get the Packers in Chicago, where first place in the NFC North will be on the line. So take care of business and you can be right back in first place in two weeks. Coming in at number five, the aforementioned Green Bay Packers.

Jordan Love is playing Super Bowl caliber football. All credit to him. He has been great. The Thanksgiving game, I think was the best I've ever seen, in love four touchdowns, no turnovers for the first time in his career. He was also very good against the Bears with the exception of the terrible interception. Micah Parsons leads the NFL in pressures the last three weeks. He has more than three teams by himself.

Same number of pressures as the Chicago Bears as a team since week 11. Can't stop their run, though. No, the wide injury is big. Coming in at number four, I just dropped them one spot on the by week because all the teams in front of them won. The New England Patriots. And the odds agree with me. And we can just go right to number three, because the Patriots are a dog against Buffalo this week. And I agree with it.

The Bills are my Super Bowl team from before the year. Call it the old money. They've been great for five or six years. I just think Buffalo was better than New England. I know they played them. I expect them to win this week. And what I've said all year about Buffalo, it feels like their best is best. They have the most games above 30 points scored this year of any team in the NFL.

Coming in to number two, the Seattle, Cahaw. right where they were last week, a blowout performance. Their defense is dominant. Sam Darnold, I know the game against the Rams sticks with everyone with the four turnovers. These are all the categories that Sam Darnold is top six in the NFL. Completion percentage, yards, touchdowns, rating, yards per pass. He really has been great this season. So in that, by the way, with Drake May and Jared Gough.

And coming in at number one, no surprise here. Everyone should have him at number one, the Los Angeles Rams. They seven of their 10 wins are by 14 or more, by far. the most of any team in the NFL. They're just bludgeoning people. Rams, the best team in football right now. Brew, as always, perfect top 10? No. Okay. Well, as always not. All right, that was close. The Packers, I can't believe they're not higher. In fact, they should be number two. I think they're better than the Rams, but I'll settle for number two. Seattle, both of them have great defenses. Who's got the better quarterback? Well, this year, I would say Sam Darnold.

Because Jordan Love's numbers are better. Better pass or rating. Same number of touchdowns. But I think half as many interceptions. More like four interceptions compared to I think 10 for Darnold. It doesn't have the benefit of Jackson Smith in Jigba. But now that he's got back some guys who aren't as good as JSN, but Christian Watson and Jaden Reed,

that coincides with him kind of taking off and playing better. And it's opened up the run game. Josh Jacobs had his two. his best games the last two weeks. That's open things up for him. So the defense, we know how great that is, but now the offense is catching it up. And he's just, even if you want to say, which I think Love has definitely had a better regular season, but even if you want to say it's a wash regular season, we do know that

Jordan Love can get it done in the playoffs. Isn't always great but has had great moments. Sam Darnold, we've yet to see a great moment in a big game, let alone a playoff. game. So I got to put the Packers ahead of Seattle. Yeah, the Jordan Love playoff resume is he had the great game against the Cowboys, then he had three interceptions in the next game. That's not four. It's not like some people. It's not for. They went off the guy's hands. Listen, if Jordan Love is going to play like he's played the last couple of weeks, they are a tier one team that can win the Super Bowl. So I'm not going to, I'm not going to push back too hard against that. This team that

how they're playing right now absolutely can win the Super Bowl. I agree with you. Once again. Perfect list. Once again, a litany of issues. That's what I had them put on the bar. A litany of issues. So first I have a question. Okay. Because I think you have the Bears too high.

I agree. But you are treating the Bears Packers game like, I know they lost by seven, but like that was the fact that they played them down to the final play is carrying a lot of weight for you. Correct that those two teams played, it ended up being a coin. Each team had one sack. Each team had one turnover. They had virtually the same number of yards gained, virtually the same number of first downs.

It was pretty good. If the Packers had beat them by four scores or vice versa, it'd be different. Yeah. Okay. So why are the Jags behind the charges? I'm answering his questions. Yeah. The Jags have a better record than the Chargers.

I'll tell you. The Jags and the Chargers played each other. Yes, they did. Was it close, bro? It was not close. Is there a history of those two teams and those two highly drafted quarterbacks playing each other? Sure. Has one guy won all of them?

Sure. The Jags have played a brutal schedule. They have nine wins. They have beaten the Niners. The Chiefs, when the Chiefs were playing their best ball. Their losses have come to Joe Burrow before he got hurt. Your one in two teams in your top 10 Tuesday and a Texan team, who they also beat. And oh yeah, by the way, they clocked the Chargers. So why are they behind the Chargers?

Do you actually think that Trevor Lawrence is better than Justin Herbert? I just know whenever they play, he wins, and Herbert always has more talent on his team. I know that. Here's what I know. I know that in college he was better, and I know that in the pros, the three times they've played, he has played far better despite being the underdog consistently. That's what I know. You kept asking Wilds to make the same thing on the Drake May versus Josh. gallon answer, answer.

Who's better? Justin Herbert or Trevor Lawrence? Honestly, I think Justin Herbert is a better player than Trevor Lawrence. But I think the Jacksonville Jaguars, is this, am I tripping? Is this Danny's, is this a mountain? Is this about quarterbacks? Or is this about the teams? I think that what happened with Trevor Lawrence this past week is maybe the best

football game I've ever seen. That's great. I'm asking about the Jaguars being behind the Chargers. I think the Chargers are better. Based on what? Because I think they're better, Nick. They lost to them head to head. They didn't lose to them head to head.

They got plunged. They got annihilated. They got plunged head to head. I'll see in the playoffs. Hand-to-head doesn't really matter to Danny. You don't beat the Super Bowl champs. They didn't just beat the Super Bowl champs. The Chargers?

Oh, the Chargers. I'm sorry you're saying. No, your team beat Riley Leonard. Doesn't matter. Being Riley Leonard and being the Super Bowl champions. It's a little different. Patriots beat the bill. A little recancy bias.

But hey, it's a weekly list. I pray. A couple of QB wins guys. If the chargers don't collapse and they make the playoffs, please give us the Prince versus Herbert in the playoffs again. I welcome it. Please. The Prince never left.

You sold the tears. That was a show strategic decision. He didn't leave. You obeyed and try. I have a door. I have a door. And all of our market research told us the door ain't popping, guys. We need a little popping circumstance.

What the market research. Go all in on the Jacksonville Jaguars? The bosses had to fly out from L.A. Right. Which is why they made you give him the jac. They made me give him the trumpeter. They're like everyone loves the trumpeteers, but we shouldn't talk jaguars.

But jaguars are actually good now. The school he went to. That's Scholastic Sports America. I'm sorry. Clemson's not a big school. I'm sorry, Clemson. I actually thought I had been. Come to Trevor Guy.

No. Are we writing off the Super Bowl champs just because Jalen Hertz had one or two bad games? That's next on overtime. Go for it on fourth down, Harbaugh. Last night, the Eagles were handed their third straight loss by Justin Herbert and the Chargers. Thanks to a game ceiling interception in overtime by Jalen Hertz, he had a rough day at the office. Hertz was asked if all of the turnovers yesterday is considered an outlier. And I guess this would qualify as a response.

Take a listen. That's for everyone else to determine. For me, we lost the game, and I didn't play well enough to help us win the game. And so I look at it as like I look at every game in terms of when the loss, how I respond to what the game presented itself. So that's my mentality. Listen, I've been critical of Jalen Hertz in the past, and I don't want to be the word police here, but it wasn't outlier.

He doesn't often have five turnover games. That was a crazy game. Willie, you've been an Eagles guy. Are you ready to write off the Eagles? No, it's tough, man. Five turnovers, a fumble, and a three-game skid. It definitely feels like it's time to panic. I'm just struggling if this is Jalen Hurts having one of his worst games,

or is this a product of Nick Siriani and Kevin Petulow being predictable and out of rhythm. You know, the charges have the second best past defense in the league, and they threw the ball 40 times, right? They live in cover, too. And coach, you notice when you attack cover two, you just can't attack them vertically. You have to attack them horizontally with, you know, flood and cell concepts. If you're going to run the ball, it has to be with counters and doers. And everything they did yesterday looked predictable.

And it always looked like the charges had a beat on the Eagles offense. And so I don't know if this is Jaylor Hurts having once again a bad game or this play calling and Kevin Kulow and all these guys who are trying to get ready for this game. They just didn't get it done. There was poor execution all the way around. Yeah, I don't think we should be ready to write them off. The three-game skis is concerning, but they've got the Raiders left, they've got Washington twice, and really the Bills is the most challenging game, so they should make the playoffs. That I'm comfortable with.

What I'm not comfortable with is the way that they lost, and this is the way that they've lost all season. I've said this over and over again. When Hertz attempts more than 30 passes, it's very clear what the results are. There's 7 and 0 when he's under 30 attempts, and they're 1 in 5 when he's over 30 attempts. So that to me is problematic. And they were running the ball well yesterday. Saecombe Barkley had 120 yards. He railed off the 52 yard for a touchdown.

So those were positives as well. All the noise that's created by, you know, questioning the offense and A.J. Brown, you know, as vocal as he's been, I think it's created unnecessary pressure and guys are pressing in ways they shouldn't be pressing. Yeah, it's tough for me to quantify pressing, someone who never played, and I, to your point, with the schedule, I wouldn't write them off.

They're the champs. They'll be in the playoffs. They'll be the two or the three seed in the NFC. They'll have a home game and they'll believe that they can beat anyone. And we've seen, like, their best is good enough to beat anyone. They have very, very impressive wins this year. So I wouldn't write them off. But what I would say about Jalen Hertz is I've always struggled with,

and I've gotten into it with Philly fans, and they've got in the comments of like, you guys can't have a top five everything. And I do think that Sequin has been a top five back, and you've had top five receivers, and you've had a top five defensive line. And I think that that has propped up their coach and their quarterback, who have traits that I like.

He's clutch. He plays great in his Super Bowls. He's an awesome leader. He's very valuable in the running. He's all. He balls. Yeah, with the lights on. No question. But he's not a great passer.

And by design, they want to be a lower volume. passing team, right? That's when that tells me what they think of him as a passer. So if you're going to all of a sudden start making poor decisions, like the interception he threw at the end of the game, the last one. Yeah. Yeah. It was an insane decision. Which is crazy because of how that I'd I disagree with that though. Really? He's wide open in the flat. He gets all the first down. He got it right there. He tries to thread the needle. The corner's trapping right there in the flat. He's got he's got that corner route by the tight end. I can't tell who that is in the, is that AJ?

Well, so you've got the flat by the tight end. You got the corner right there. And, and the- So you think that's a fine, I mean. The issue here is you've got the defender in his face. So they're trying to get some pull, roll him out to the right. But the, but the defensive back clearly bites on the flat route. If he had a little bit of time and this defender wasn't in his face, he would have put

it over the top. And look, look at the green grass. It's right there if he could actually put it in there. But, I mean, he hadn't been doing it all day and field. goal to tie, touchdown the win. And wasn't that a first and 10? Yeah, first and 10. You're moving down the field with the run game and the underneath stuff.

And that's it. It just seems like a crazy risk when you have four turnovers in overtime. I get that. But with the way, he's reading that cornerback. And when the way the corner sits on this flat route, I mean, this should be a touchdown to the wide. But it seems like a high risk throw when you have a, you know, I know you're looking at the corner there.

But if he puts this on God or right in between the numbers, that's at least a stop. And you continue to drive. That's second of what? Five at that. point or an incomplete pass or incomplete pass you try to threaten between three people in and in a crucial situation i mean it felt like it was unnecessary yeah okay well so fair enough and i'll and i'll defer to you on film analysis absolutely so maybe reasonable minds can disagree here but if if you're going to take that piece away like the decision making and like i can trust you in a big

spot he becomes a very average football player that that's that that's see that drive right there was indicative of how to season it started off good bad and and then ugly. Like, that's how that whole last drive ended. There's a wild story speaking of quarterback play going around the NFL right now in Indianapolis. Daniel Jones, we know he's out for the season. Riley Leonard got banged up. Anthony Richardson is still obviously on IR.

So the Colts. Philip Rivers, he got the call and he signed to the practice squad. Yes, the same who is currently a semi-finalist for the pro football Hall of Fame. He and Shane Stuyken have a very close relationship. They've worked together before. For Tom Brady, he's defied father time. The question is, very clever. Can Philip Rivers defy grandfather time?

Get it? He's a grandfather. This strikes me as crazy. Borderline elder abuse? Like, he hasn't played, he missed the entire Biden administration. Wow. You know what I mean? He didn't play a snap of football.

This is crazy. I know that 44-year-olds have played. Vinnie Testa Verde, Tom Brady, five or six of them have played. But they played football continuously. Can he really stop playing with his grandkids, get signed on a Tuesday, and play against the top three defense on a Sunday at 44 years old? It is tackle football. It feels very reckless to me. Yeah, this is an organizational Hail Mary.

And that's where the Colts are at this point. They didn't expect to be as good as they were, I don't think, with Daniel Jones. and then they suddenly had the lead in the division. Then they make that huge trade for Sauce Gardner. They go all in thinking, okay, this is going to be our year. We just need to improve the secondary. Now they lose Daniel Jones. They're on the verge.

They've got this ridiculous run here at the end of the season. And they're looking at Riley Leonard, who's got very little experience. And then with Ripian, you know, he's another guy that's got experience, but not very much production. And now you're thinking, is there someone that can just steer this ship? and give us a competitive chance to win. And the last time it happened with Andrew Luck when he retired suddenly, Philip Rivers was the answer. And they're hoping to, look, it's an all-in Hail Mary type thing that they're hoping for.

I'm with you, D.P. I mean, he's 44 years old. I mean, you've got to, you know, the rush, the arm, who knows where he's at. You're talking about the offense right now. I think that should really lean on Jonathan Taylor, play behind the defense. And you're telling me you can't find a young British quarterback who could just steady the ship. Like, they have enough.

Reaching from Philip Rivers at 44 years old, this seems like, to your point, seems like abuse. He's, they play Seattle and Houston. Well, the other thing this could be, so Riley Leonard went and worked with Philip Rivers prior to the draft. He actually talks all about it. Maybe they're bringing Philip in.

He's on the practice squad to help coach him up a little bit to be sort of that in-house. That's fair. If he wants to be a coach or a broadcaster or a water boy. But there is a, is a relationship between those two guys. Maybe, maybe that's part of it. Yeah, I mean, they're banking on his IQ and grit.

I get that, but it's still 44 years old. And it's still tackle football, right? He's allowed to get hit. Oh, he only gets smacked. And you need to run? I'm going to sit in the house. Yeah, I think it feels very, very dangerous. Coming up, the Packers.

Oh, man, I guess I have to say it. Is the NFC North theirs to lose? There's an argument for it. I hate it for you. It's coming up. Thank you. He said we said. Time now for a little edition of He Said, We Said,

we said, we give you the best sound from around the national football league and then we give you our reaction to it. First up, I mean, this guy could be in this segment every week. Jim Harbaugh on last night's win. Take a listen. This is definitely, I don't, maybe the best, best feeling. Just a wonderful, wonderful feeling of winning and thrill of victory. It's certainly in the discussion. I put it in the discussion, the birth of my seven children, my marriage, you know, in the conversation. into conversation, just joyful, joyous. What I like about Jim Harbaugh is that he's understated.

You know, that's my favorite part about it. And I mean, seven kids, they probably all do blend together. How many times have you seen a quarterback be pressured 28 times and still win? Actually, if you're Jim Harbaugh, you've seen it twice. Because he's two and one this year in that circumstance. No other quarterback has a win. Only Shador Sanders last week against the Titans has been pressured that much in the game period this year. I was in awe of the toughness of Herbert.

Getting sacked that many times, getting rushed that many times, same time as having the surgery on his hand. I think he's just one of the five best players in football person. Yeah, I imagine he's really elated. Like, you ever seen your kid fall down the steps and he pops up? Like, oh, you're good? Okay, good. Nothing to see here.

Like, that's how he has to feel. Broken hand, your quarterback here's sack seven time and you win the game. Like, nothing's wrong with Justin Herbert at the end of that game. You have to feel like, man, we made it. Yeah, the great thing about Kim Harbaugh is he is he is exactly. that that's him that that is his sincere personality he's not putting on any any sort of act for the cameras he feels exactly the way he said he feels and he loves football and it's contagious and I think he was probably so proud of

Justin Herbert because of the toughness that he shows and how many guys are gonna come back surgery a week ago play and that for the rest of the locker room it sends a very powerful message to terms of what it means to him and the willingness the sacrifice that he's taking on. And he seemed to like, like we've seen like Aaron Rogers. And I know he's in his 40s, but like do things to avoid getting hit.

And it's totally understandable. You have a broken hand. You're in your 40, try to hit. Justin Herbert was like, no, I'm just going to run. I mean, over half of his rushing yards were on the final two drives of the game. The last one of regulation to get the game tying field goal, and then the one for the game winning field goal in overtime. Like he had been hit that.

much and he just kept coming back for more. Yeah, I mean, that just speaks to him as a competitor. I played with Ben Walsberg. He was the same way. Sometimes you just got to get out the way and let him do what he do. All right, now here is Matt with floor on the rivalry between Bears and Packers, which we'll get again coming up a week from Saturday. There was a back and forth battle, particularly in that second half.

It's Packers Bears. It's a great rivalry. And certainly with what was at stake in regards to positioning in the NFC North, I mean, That's the only thing that matters. I think that it's great when there's a, I always say less hate in the world, more hate in sports. Like, I'm totally fine. Smoke.

If Matt Lafleur and Ben Johnson have a frosty handshake at the end of the game and trade a little barbs and don't exactly like each other. Like, it feeds into the rivalry and they get to play again, you know, a week from Saturday, like I said, at Soldier Field and it was a great game. So I think Matt LaFleur kind of, hey, we won scoreboard. All that matters now is the division. I love it. Yeah, I think he's more a big picture.

I don't think he's trying to dive into the drama of it. I think the bears need the drama. I think he's like, listen, man, we got bigger fris to fry. We want to keep little brother in the baby seat. We're going to move along. Is this really a rivalry? I mean, what has it been incredibly lopsided? Listen, coach, I've said it many times.

For a lot of years. I'll say it again. It's a rivalry in the same way that a hammer has a rivalry with a nail. Yeah. The bears have been the nail. I get the barbs and I get the desire for it to become a rivalry. And it's a lot close. It seems like it's a lot closer to that now than it has been in a while.

And to me, when you look at the touchdowns that Jordan Love had, the bears, they were trying to do some things from a disguise perspective and attacking different ways. And then they kind of gave up those plays as opposed to the Green Bay really making them. And I think that's going to be different in a few weeks. Yeah. The other thing too, the NFC is so jumbled. good teams are going to miss the playoffs in the NFC. Could be Detroit, you know, depending on what you think of Tampa, Carolina,

and the NFC South, Dallas, like good teams are going to miss. The Bears, they should make the playoffs, but it's not a lock with what their schedule is. You know what I mean? They've got nine wins. You probably got to get to 11 to feel very comfortable. But you see the Packers in two weeks and you have to realize, like, you almost won that game.

Despite how you played in the first half, you came out in the second half, you rally. If Caleb makes the right play in the right moment, boom, you're out that building with a W. That has to feel like motivation. And to your point, as a bear's friend, then you have to feel like you're closing the gap because you have your quarterback. And you're not worried about anything else other than building this team up. One at Lambo, Week 18 last year, played him real tough at Lambo this year. I do think it's finally going to actually be a rivalry for the next decade.

But I've also felt that way before. We can only hope. I felt that way before. It would be a nice change. Last up, Josh Allen, the bill's second half was. very impressive comeback against Cincinnati and he's a believer. Take a listen. We stress with this team all the time is we don't blink. We don't panic. It doesn't matter if our defense is playing outstanding. We're not playing great and vice

versa for our offense. You know, we have supreme trust in each other that we're going to figure it out. We're going to play for each other. And that's all we try to do is just not ride the wave, stay as calm as possible and figure find a way to figure it out. So their defense has some serious problems. We know that. No question about it. But But Josh Allen, what I've said about Buffalo is, their best, I do think, can still be best. They lead the NFL this year in games where they score more than 30. And if you have the best player and the ability to put up 30 on anybody, you can beat anybody. And I think that's how Josh Allen and the bills are looking at this.

Well, at the same time, this wasn't just a win. They were able to flip the script, right? Because it's the same team, same weather, same Joe Burrow. And they was able to get it done late in the fourth quarter by rallying back. And I think right now, if you're the Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen and this defense, playing the way they played in this game, you have to feel like, man, we can do anything, right? The confidence they got out of this game, especially because Joe Burr being the boogeyman, Boogieman in Orchardt Park, they overcame that.

So now you feel like, man, and we can do this together, man, they're legit dangerous now. Yeah, I think we're going to be talking about a very different Buffalo team against New England. So the last time they played, New England was the hunter and the Bills were the hunted. Bill's had 11 game home street going. Yeah. They didn't take them very seriously. They had 11 penalties in the game. They had three turnovers in the game.

Stefan Diggs ended up having 11 receptions. It was all of those things like, oh yeah, we've beaten this team so many times. We're going to beat them again. Now everything's changed. Buffalo is trying to maintain their hold on the division. And obviously, New England is not sneaking up on anybody. So I think it's going to be dramatically different and we're going to have a whole, probably a radically different view of the division. after this. What's it like you ever coach a defense where it's like we're not good but our

offense is so good we just feel like we get one stop a half and and it's enough for us to win. I wonder what the impact is on the defense knowing that they've got Josh Allen on the other side. Yeah and sometimes that's why teams go to heavy blitz because it's how do you want to die. A lot of little paper cuts or do you want to go try to take a shot make a play, create a negative play, understanding that you're probably going to give up some big plays in the process. but at least you have a chance to land some blows while you're doing that, knowing that your offense can continue to generate points. Yeah, it makes sense because that's how I'd feel if I was a Bill's fan.

Just one stop at half. Because they're not going to win games 1710. Right, but you're talking about how they defend the pass. And right now with the run game, they control the time of possession. So they can be a balanced team and a complete team going against the Pats. So like if you're the Bills right now, you have to feel like, man, bring on the Pats instead of like, hey, let's see how this turns out. Last night was not a good result for the Kansas City Chiefs,

but not mathematically eliminated. We're going to put everyone on the spot on whether or not the Chiefs are going to figure this out before we're out of here on first things first. To Kansas City, the Chiefs sitting with a 6 and 7 record, real tough loss to the Texans on Sunday night. Of course, they're in a very vulnerable spot. Now more than ever, let's take a look at their odds

to make the playoffs to make five and a half to one. You bet $800 say they're going to miss. You only get $100 to return. So a heavy favorite that the Chiefs will miss the playoffs. Does anybody here want to go on the record and say the Chiefs are going to make it? Willie? Well, I do think they're going to make it. I don't see them.

Listen, they got to win out and they need a lot of help specifically from the Chargers. I think they land 10 and 7 they get in, honestly. So you got to they got to go 4 and O from here on out. And the Chargers need to lose specific games. They need to lose to the Chiefs and to the Broncos. So you need help there. I think it's too little too late. I think people just need to wrap their mind around.

And it's hard. Like I, you know me. This is hard for me to say. But I think people need to just. Well, they can clean up all the woes. I mean, the red zone, the penalties, everything they can do. Like, it's not, nothing, there's nothing that they're doing right now. They can't fix.

This isn't like a roster or a situation where they can't get to wait to the off season. Yeah, but it's too little too late because of who they've lost to. Patrick Mahomes at something this past week that Tom Brady never did, which was get a sub 20 quarterback rating. That happened. That did happen. That did happen. I just want to say we're seeing a lot of things that happened historically. happen with the Chiefs and I think it's they're going to have a nice off season. Yeah and I think

that they will be one of the favorites for next year and there's still a lot of things to like about the team but they've lost to the wrong teams. They lost they lost to the Jaguars. I'm shocked. I'm shocked. Because you've always said here as long as you have that man, Patrick Mahomes, you got a shot. I know, but I can read the standings. I can read the thing. The odds are the tough. Thanks so much to everyone for watching. We will see you tomorrow.