Green Light with Chris Long - The Dallas Cowboys Are Dangerous, Packers Sweep Lions & Burrow's Return | Thanksgiving Reactions

Episode Date: November 28, 2025

Thanksgiving Football! Chris and Kyle Long run through the Thanksgiving games from Week 13 of the 2025 NFL season and breakdown the action. The Dallas Cowboys look like a team that nobody wants to play right now, a far cry from their lackluster defense early in the season. Quinnen Williams has been a godsend, with his defensive performances equaling the output of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on the offensive side of the ball. It is getting late early for the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. The Green Bay Packers have swept the Detroit Lions in their matchups this season. Jordan Love was dynamic against the blitz, Matt LaFleur dialed up a great gameplan and Micah Parsons is a game wrecker. And in Joe Burrow's return, the Cincinnati Bengals defense was incredible. Lamar Jackson was contained and Derrick Henry was held in check as the Bengals inched closer to a longshot playoff spot. (00:00) - Intro: Happy Thanksgiving (03:10) - Dallas Cowboys Beat Kansas City Chiefs (19:07) - Green Bay Packers Sweep Detroit Lions (33:35) - Cincinnati Bengals Defeat Baltimore Ravens Have some interesting takes, some codebreaks or just want to talk to the Green Light Crew? We want to hear from you. Call into the Green Light Hotline and give us your hottest takes, your biggest gripes and general thoughts. Day and night, this hotline is open. Green Light Hotline: ‪[phone]‬ Also, check out our paddling partners at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Appomattox River Company ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to get your canoes, kayaks and paddleboards so you're set to hit the river this summer. Green Light's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where you can catch all the latest GL action: Green Light with Chris Long: Subscribe and enjoy weekly content including podcasts, documentaries, live chats, celebrity interviews and more including hot news items, trending discussions from the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA are just a small part of what we will be sharing with you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hope is dangerous. Hope is not a strategy, but if you infuse a team with a little bit of hope, who, who, who, who, who, who, Yeah, bring them back to life. And Joe Burrow looked crap. Joe Burrow looked like Joe Burrow, bro. And so it was all about matchups to me.

You know, it just was like, Matt LaFleur was his best yesterday. Well, Kyle, we couldn't spend Thanksgiving together, but we do have Black Friday, so here we are. That's it. That's it. And that's what's important, right? We don't have to argue over which dishes we like or all that bullshit. We can just talk a little bit of football and hang out on a Friday. First off, how did your Thanksgiving go?

I know you had a lot of people at the crew. Oh, it was good, Kyle. Actually, we're going to start the podcast, Blind Ranking Thanksgiving Foods. I like that, actually. No, or not. It's just the thing I've been seeing a lot. You know what my favorite Thanksgiving food is? What is it?

The giant dip you take after whatever it is you decide to eat. Yeah, that little hidden nicotine. I really like Fomanda. Have you had that? It's one of my favorites. Let's start with the Jake Ferguson fisting a turkey up its ass after. Did you see this? Post game.

I think one of the things that's a turn off to me about turkey is like, if it's obviously penetrable, I don't want to eat it. They're all like. Like a steak, like a steak is just a cut of meat. There's no orify on the steak. It's just steak. Turkey, there's some freaks out there, man. And I was on display on Thanksgiving.

Dude, if you ate the whole, if somebody brought you in a whole cow, there would be, you know, you're eating the whole turkey. It's like eating a beer kit. Dude, beer can chicken's delicious. How is it made? Also something stuffed in a whole. up a chicken's ass. The Ferguson thing was hilarious because in all the years of doing this and seeing this,

and like this is the week that they've got John Madden on a patch on people's jerseys. Jake Ferguson's like, let me do something totally different with the turkey. I'm going to interview my teammates with my hand up its ass. That was pretty great. John Madden rolling over in his grave over that one. No, rolling over laughing, dude. I love turkey. Did anybody like turkey as much as John Madden?

No. Well, you could argue that he didn't like it the way it was. That's why he had to engineer the Turduckin. You're right. I mean, that's a great point. He really didn't like the turkey. Yeah, we could go all day about stuff that had nothing to do with football. The last thing I'll say is Jack White is a bad boy, dude. Post Malone also pretty cool. Yeah, post Malone's cool. But it's just the whole state TV thing there where it's like, are we get it? You love the Cowboys doing the Cowboys halftime show. See, I was going to say I really liked seeing that because usually when these people perform, they get the paycheck and they get the, you know what, out of their post Malone's like, hey, y'all, I'm just really happy to be here. This is a dream of mine. I love the Cowboys. God bless you all.

I'm like, that is awesome. Yeah, it seems like a nice guy. And we are dangerously close to, like, we're not in the 90s yet, but like a 500 Cowboys team has us feeling like they're America's team again, which is the wildest fucking thing. world and like you talk about all the monologues that we all did i sat here and did a stern jerry jones finger wag monologue after he traded micha parsons and the whole thing and i don't i don't think as there often is with other trades like there's you know not necessarily a clear winner and a loser but he certainly doesn't look like the loser right now because he doesn't have to pay micha parsons he can pay that spectacular wide receiver that he's going to have to open up checkbook for

And they got this three down look that features Odigizua, the guy they got from Green Bay, and then the guy they were able to invest in at the trade deadline because of that indirectly, that trade and other factors. So the Cowboys look fucking fantastic. And we could easily make this about the Chiefs, Kyle. And I want to hear what you have to say about the Chiefs. But I think this wins about the Cowboys. Yeah.

It is about the Cowboys because the Cowboys have just beaten two of last. year's Super Bowl teams in five days. On top of that, and this is the most impressive thing about watching them play, Kyle, and it was on display yesterday. They are a team that can air assault you and scare you shitless on the back end, but they're also a team that can, they can end the game on the ground. They're a team that can possess the football, like last week when they went down 21-0, during the ball 30 times. How many teams in the NFL can do both those things, and now they get This infusion, this $21 million infusion at the deadline of backers that can actually see the field, a game-changing defensive tackle whose pressure rate went from 8% in New York to 22% in Dallas.

Now that he's reunited with Coach White Cotton, it's a wild. That's terrible. I would argue that the production bump is just seeing light at the end of the tunnel as a player. Quentin Williams has been a very, very, very good player for a long time in the Northeast in one of the biggest media markets, but he's been on a shit team. And Chris, I hate to put it like this, but you've experienced the same thing. And for a guy like Quintin Williams, you would have to think getting an opportunity to be at the star every day and to play at Jerry's world and to be part of this swing and momentum for Jerry's team and the Cowboys and Shottie's new regime, which by the way, you and I have any even talked about, Schottenheimer. But here's my two cents. I think he's awesome. I love him. He's a lifer. He's been in the league for a very long time and his daddy did it for a very long

time. I'm not surprised. I am surprised by how explosive they are, but then when you really think about it, it makes sense. But Quinn Williams, his production went up because he's on a better team. And now the guys like Kenny Clark, who I felt terrible for when he had to clean his shit out in Green Bay and go down to Dallas in a week where I thought the Dallas Cowboys were burning, now who's got the gun. You know what I mean? But, I mean, the Packers are still good, but the Cowboys are rolling.

Would you rather be on a good Cowboys team or a good Packers team, Chris? Well, Kyle, I'm more of a grass guy. So I like to play on grass. I'd rather play in Green Bay personally. I just can't get over the Cowboys thing. But I got to give them their props, man. They look fantastic. They're the team going into yesterday that we were kind of like,

hey, listen, everybody's rooting for the Chiefs for a change. The Chiefs, as we've been calling them, Kyle. the Chiefs. If you just, if you just, if you took a kind of a poll in the NFL of NFC players sitting at home watching that game, guaranteed they want the Chiefs to win that game. Because people don't want Dallas in the playoffs.

And that's, it's a scary deal. Do they get in? I don't know, because it would be the most Dallas thing in the world to do that. And then, you know, shit,

you know, shit the bed down the stretch. I just am so impressed. You know, Kyle, you hit on something. I think it's the theme of yesterday. day. It really is the theme of yesterday. Maybe not so much in the first game. We'll get to that after this. But in the second game and the third game, hope is dangerous. Hope is not a strategy,

but if you infuse a team with a little bit of hope, you talk about Logan Wilson showing up, playing well for them in the middle of the field. He came from Cincinnati where they were getting ready to burn it down, right? Quinn and Williams, you talk about his pressure rate increasing, just walking in the building, just being on a good football team, just feeling like, hey, what I'm doing day to day matters. Okay, I can say that from experience. You might be trying your very best in that inopportune situation, wherever you came from,

but it just elevates everything around you. The players are better around you, and you play better. And then in the third game, Kyle, the Bengals, who have scored a lot of points without Joe Burrow, they look different in a lot of ways. But I think the main ingredient, in that game was hope. We got our guy back.

They were blocking their asses off in that football game. We're going to block for this guy. We're going to hustle. We're going to finish play. So we'll get to that game in a second. But I just think when it comes to Dallas, the duality of being able to air assault, you scare the shit out of you on the back end,

and grind you into a nub. Like Kansas City didn't get the ball back at the end of the football game. And that's a terrifying deal. The game for Kansas City, Kyle, came down to that. Rishi Rice drop where they're chasing points and he drops the football. They're close to being in field goal range. The next time they get the ball back, I think they're at this point,

middle of the beginning of the fourth quarter or something like that, they get the ball back down 10 the next time they get it. And the game's totally different with five to go. Kyle, the drought in the second and third quarter, what do you see when you look at Kansas City's offense? I'm going to go back to the Cowboys really quick, and I'm going to segue into the chase. The cowboys are having success on the ground and through the air because they have drafted offensive linemen.

They have prioritized bringing in guys who can play. Right guard, center, left tackle, all these dudes, left guard as well. All these dudes can play football. And I talk about the red zone in particular being an area where it's players rather than plays. And you and I can both attest to this. It doesn't matter what play you run. If I'm more of a man than you in the trenches, good luck getting in. And the same can be set for offensive linemen.

And I think they've grown together. There's a lot of youth in that room, but they've grown together. And the confidence of belief in DAC and Pickens and CD leads them to just elevate everything. And that's kind of the secret sauce right now is belief. And I'm glad you touched on that. And for the Chiefs, it's health. I mean, right now they're just not healthy. Their enforcer at the right guard position, Trace Smith.

is out and he'll probably continue to be out. Josh Simmons has been in and out of the lineup. Obviously, he was back out of the lineup yesterday with health, but he was out of the lineup with non-football stuff for a long time. And I think consistency, continuity is huge. And the Chiefs just don't have it. Patrick is unbelievable. And you can see him competing to the very end.

But this is just not the same Chiefs team. Third downs in particular on the defensive side of the ball hasn't looked like Chiefs football. The tackling hasn't been as good. The pass rush hasn't been able to get home on third down. Even though they've got good guys on the outside, we saw yesterday that they're no stranger to getting penalties called on them. Even they can get antsy. And a big point in the game, two back-to-back pass interferences. I thought there were tick-tac calls in that situation. You've got to really earn it as an offense if you're going to get a freebie. But, you know, the flag didn't fall in their favor yesterday. Yeah, you know, it's a couple things.

take away from what you said is like first off we have a bunch of people saying chiefs always get the calls they certainly didn't get the calls yesterday and that's part of the life in the NFL you know I'm always the one to say hey you don't like the way the refs called the game wait a week and you'll like it it'll be in favor and yesterday I thought and the cowboys made their own luck having those big physical receivers that's what I say coming to the game this game's going to come down to who can stay cleanest on the back end because on one one side you have these physical mismatches right we'll you Even if you put McDuffie out there, you don't feel great about it with CD Lamb, who they fed early and often off a week where he dropped the ball of fuck done,

which is a very smart thing to do. That's what you got to do, bro. You got to just give the guy the ball. But it was who was going to be able to avoid those penalties. And not only was it the penalties on the back end for the Chiefs, it was also the offensive penalties, which it ties directly to what you talked about with health and their offensive line. And I thought when Josh Simmons was drafted, this would be the best offensive line that they've had over the past three years.

And I still think in moments they've had that. But the fact is, he leaves for six weeks or whatever it is. He comes back. In a game like this, he leaves with a wrist and he's out indefinitely. Now, if he's out indefinitely, Kyle, I think you can stick a fork in this team because of the rate. They have to win out and they're 500 right now. They have one win in one score games. I do worry about this team at this point.

I was defending them right up until this Sunday, or this Thursday, rather. The problem to me, Kyle, is when you get in the middle of the game, shit, I got the down in distances right here. And it was crazy, okay? Possession three, their third and 20. Possession four, they're third and 20. Their third and seven midfield at the possession of that. So it's a lot of holds at sacks.

It's things that are. This has been the theme, though, with the chiefs. The secret sauce, as you and I know, is their ability to win on third down, cover anybody on the football field, get tough yardage and have magic from Patrick. They still have the magic from Patrick. They can get those tough yards still. But their team is just not good enough to be in third and 15 holes against teams that can put up 35, 30 points a week. It's just like it's not a survivable formula for them.

You shoot yourself in the foot, which they've been doing a ton customarily lately. And then the other thing is you can almost feel it. in this. You remember last week, the kid from Dallas gets punked. He's knocked down. He's got the hardest job in football. He's a gunner. So he's getting knocked down. He sprints down the field, forces the fumble in the Eagles game. That is not a Dallas Cowboys play. That is not something we're accustomed to see them playing with grit, toughness, finishing. And then in this game, going down 14 to seven after you dial up a zone pressure and DAC throws a pick and it looked like to me, Kansas City was going to run away with it.

This is, this is, it's like everything flipped. The way the Chiefs can't win a one score game, they can't hold a lead. The Cowboys have the resiliency to go out and make it happen in situations like this. Dak Prescott was fantastic yesterday. I just want to put a bow on this thing. You know, C.D. Lamb, when covered by Trent McDuffie, caught four or five targets for 44 yards, a touchdown, also drawing three penalties for 50 yards. McDuffie out at corner, had a tough day.

The other thing is, Dag Prescott, passes under pressure against the Chiefs for 108 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He did not take a sack. And Kyle, this is going to sink the Chiefs. It's the penalties. It's the stop, the start,

the no offensive identity, the no, and it's the defense, which is what I said coming into the season. This offense has an opportunity to be better than last years, and I think that's been proven out. They would need to be. There are people coming out of yesterday saying, fire Matt Nagy.

I say, guys, they scored 28. points on the road in a game like this. They fell asleep in the second and third quarter, but was because of procedural issues, right? Like execution and procedural issues and penalties. Okay. The calls are not the problems. Okay.

And Mahomes is not hitting all his throws either. So right now you got this team with a bunch of issues offensively, a lot of talent and a defense that is just not special and they can't rush the passer. In a game like this, Kyle, they've been let off the hook for years because the other AFC elites have not had pass rushers either, but this is going to hurt them this year. And so anyways, are the Chiefs dead? It's disrespectful to say they are, but I might be joining Dr. Fax in putting them on the grill because they've made their bed.

You know, they're a 500 team, and now they've got a win out and they've got a left tackle who's got an issue. The defense can't muster a pass rush. It is really a tough seeing, Kyle. I think it's important to keep context and understand that while we still have the Reed and Mahomes' marriage, and Kelsey is still one of the top five tight ends of football. And last time I checked, he hasn't declared for retirement. I wouldn't put an end on the dynasty. I would definitely say that this year, they just haven't been able to pick up their dribble like they have in years past.

And just go look at the commanders last year. I think it was nine games. They won by seven points. the Bears lost a handful of games by one possession. This year, it's the flip script. And for the Ken City Chiefs, their ability to win one-score games, find a way to detail the details like you're talking about, pre-snap, have a clean operation.

That's how you win football games in the National Football League. It doesn't have to be 45 to 21. We can win all our games by three points because at the end of the year, that's all you look at. Chiefs haven't gotten that done this year, and that's that. Yeah, and now they join the pack. And no pun intended, we're going to talk about the pack next. This football season, BetMGM is giving you deals that rival Black Friday doorbusters.

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So thank you zone. Y'all know a bit more selective about my nicotine pouches. I have cut down greatly since quitting dip. So it doesn't take much for me. I just kind of pop one in when I need to really crunch on some tape or you know I can't drink coffee. I'm one of those people. So for me this really works. You know, and they got the winter green flavor, which is good because that kind of reminds me of what I used to do, which was the bear. We don't do that anymore. One six milligrams all I need, whether I'm kicking back and watching ball on a Sunday, floating on the river with Cowboy and the rest of the crew breaking down film ahead of the show. Zone gets me locked in, smooth variety of flavors, always on my game day roster, whether you

like a fresh mint flavor or you're into citrus, check out their roster of options. Use promo code GL20 at nicokeek.com slash zone for 20% off at checkout. out. And, you know, the weekly reminder, if you are under 21, just don't. Just don't, you know, make that decision when you're old like me. And Kyle, I'm going to cook for a minute on this because I did take the pack to win the North. I took a lot of shit from Detroit fans. I still love you, Detroit fans. You guys have been calling me names in the comments all season long. The Packers have now swept the lions. We said this coming to the game, and certainly it didn't help to lose Armand Ross St. Brown. It didn't help to be on the ass end of a call that cost you four points in the red

zone. I have no qualms with you complaining profusely about the fact that Matt LaFleur did not get that timeout in before the right guard falls started. That is a four point penalty. But the Don Tavian Wicks catch for a touch on, you're going to have to just go buy some Kleenex because he possessed the football. And I don't, you want to put it under a microscope and see if the laces rotate. It's a catch. Okay. He got two feet down. You're You didn't see the first one. I'm looking at the end zone this morning. You know, 70% of the crowd is saying incomplete, you know, as soon as the ball is in his hands,

and they're looking at the feet. They're not even looking at the hands. So we get to five replays and look closer at it. Most people not living in Detroit or Chicago, for that matter today because they needed the Packers to lose, are saying that's a catch. So we'll get over that and we'll move on with the breakdown. And if you want to cuss me in the comments, you can. But I did not think that that was what lost you the game.

Respectfully, and I think Detroit still has a very good football team. I think Green Bay is better. And I think Green Bay... They're loaded. Green Bay took steps this year, and this is what we said from the beginning of the season, in physicality and areas where Detroit took slight steps backwards, Green Bay took steps forward. The guys developing, personnel decisions, what have you.

I just think, and you could make this about Detroit getting worse, I will make this about Green Bay getting better. Okay. And for Detroit, Kyle, who went one of four in the red zone in the first game, and that kind of defined the whole thing for them, you know, it felt like the red zone was kind of flip sides of the ball. You know, there were situations in this game where they just got beat, like the Wicks touchdown on fourth and two that I mentioned.

There were situations where they had bad luck. Talk about that four-point play. That definitely was a bad call. Okay. And there were situations, you know, where they were just out executed or, you know, or Dobbs fumbled and the ball goes right into his teammates' hands on three yard line. Like it just flipped for you guys in this game, right? We talked about size mismatches coming into this game. I thought that was going to be huge, you know, Reed and Robertson are five nine apiece, Kyle.

Now, Watson and Dobbs are six, four and six two, right? So size matchups. But the matchup. I always forget how big Watson is. Watson's huge. Because he doesn't, he doesn't, it's like when I see Steph Curry on the court. I'm like, oh, that guy's 6-1. He's 6-5, bro.

Isn't that funny, Watson and Steph Curry are the same height? You just pointed something out that I think is a wild sports stat. It's just nuts. No, it's crazy. So, and the matchup, we talk about these size mismatches, but the mismatch that actually ended the game and kicked the whole thing off for Green Bay was Don Tavian Wix. He gets a game ball for me.

It ended up being Wixon, Branch who played hero in this game. Like they were trying, they loved that matchup. I don't know. Branch looked lost last week. And sometimes when a player looks lost, an offensive coordinator will just say, hey, I don't know what it was. Let's give him some stuff to look at. We're going to check your temperature.

And they did in man coverage and they beat him. And Wix did a great job. A guy who kind of led the league. He was up there in the drops in the league last year. Just a big game for them to go to him on Thanksgiving. He bookended it with a fourth down touchdown to start the game. and then the fourth and medium to ice the game wearing one fucking shoe. So game ball wicks.

And it is a shame that that drive was marred with a penalty that was clearly the wrong, or it was a controversial timeout call that was the wrong call because I thought Jordan Love, it was a master class for him. That was a beautiful drive. You know, after that unfortunate overthrow on what would be a touchdown in the flat and then spring three balls consecutively. He finished the half with two touchdown drives, game ball, Jordan Love. And then the last thing I want to shout out, Kyle, Matt LaFleur, who's been embattled this year for good reason at time. I have been critical of the way they played against teams

that are lesser opponents, the pace with which they played the aggression. They came out, they ran on first down early, they kept it third and short, they kicked a field goal, and then they started to play these Detroit middle run pressures against them. They got out on the perimeter. They hit some play action on first down. There were money in the got-of-habit situations. They found their man indicators all day, Kyle. This was a, it was like Jordan Love had the answers to the test.

I mean, they dictating the sort on the goal line on fourth and one, motion, make them communicate, build a stack. You know, okay, we're going to comment. combo this. The switch release, that's a nightmare for the slot defender. Okay. So it's just like everything was so intentional for them. And then, you know, another one, they got Terran Arnold. You know, they built a little, a little bunch down there and they short motion wicks and then run Terry and Arnold through all the traffic. It was just like everything they did work. And, you know, stressed. The court is everybody. Press everybody. And you know they like that, that I talked about this damn Watson matchup. They need to find a way to get Watson the ball often down the,

down the sideline and outside the numbers. They did it in the second half. They were hunting that matchup with Robertson. It looked like a child on a grown man. And so it was all about matchups to me. You know, it just was like Matt LaFleur was his best yesterday. And the main thing is this, Kyle, they had to get out in front because I'm going to read you the deficits of the half in five of the last six Detroit games. 17-7 Detroit, 17-3 Detroit, 27-3 Detroit, 8-0 Detroit, 17-13 Detroit. They weren't fucking around with this group. They finally decided, hey, we're better, and let's just get a lead. And that's why they kind of played this game at arm's length for much of the game and the defense took over. Yeah, it just felt like the lions were suffocating offensively

throughout the course of the game just based on the fact that they were outmanned at the line of scrimmage. And when Micah Parsons was traded for, it was a Super Bowl move. And like, we're starting to see the tide that raises all ships in Green Bay and the expedited release of the football that is necessary to have success if you're playing against the Green Bay Packers. And Hathley's done a great job, mixing up ways to get these guys home. But it just feels like, it just feels like it matters who's on the field. And Micah, is starting to make that impact. People were wondering what, like, you know, people that may not have an appreciation for chaos at the line of scrimmage may have looked at the stats over the course of the last

12 weeks and said, well, Michael Parsons doesn't have, you know, X amount of, I'm like, go watch the tape, bro. This guy is within arm's reach of a quarterback on every play, on every play. And if he's not, He has a guard by the hip across the center's face, helping his buddies out. I've tried to get guys like these blocked before. The chaos, the anxiety, the fear, it overtakes you. This Packers team, and I just think about the guy who I consider to be the biggest threat for the Packers offense has been on IR for like six weeks, Tucker Kraft. I think about what this offense would look like with Tucker Kraft right now.

I'm glad you gave Jordan Love the game ball. His success and got to have a downs, third downs, fourth downs, unreal. His ability to make all the throws and throw a friendly ball is special. And I know he's been up and down and inconsistent, and he's had great games. And he's had games where Packers fans are even like, hey, what the hell is, you know, do something. They're poking them with a stick. Like, this is the team you don't want to get to hot because they are the most complete team, in my opinion. opinion. They can score 40 points. They can keep you under 10 points. They can beat you on third down with scheme or with dudes. They could just rush three or four and be perfectly content with keeping it all in front of them.

Dude, they're really good. And, you know, they kind of had that funk in the middle of the year about like a couple weeks ago. And, you know, when you look back at every team that makes a Super Bowl run, you say, oh, you know, there was a point in the season. Like last year for the Eagles, it was early. Like, you know, they lost the damn. Atlanta, they couldn't stop anything. And, you know, they end up being the defense that basically kind of makes Patrick Mahomes bleed his own blood by January. It's just like, and so the Packers, as bad as they looked in spots this year, being down Tucker Kraft, they have this defense. It's a great equalizer. And they do have the big bodies outside.

Not a lot of teams can match up with them. They have to adjust to losing their number one target. And they're going to get Jaden Reed back. And it's going to be fucking scary. The offensive line. I love that guy. Dayton Reed's incredible, and they've missed him. Here's what I want to say about the defense.

McDuffie was huge for them. You know, they were missing Quay Walker, who's been a really good run stuffer for them. McDuffie's the guy that makes the play that changes the whole game. When Dan Campbell's chasing 10 points, or I forget what the score was, it was 17, 14, or something like that. Out of the half.

Okay, they're at midfield. Dan Campbell wants to go. No problem. So you know third and two, it's four-down territory. So one-yard gain is a lot. loss, okay, for the defense. McDuffie knifes in, creates a negative, forces fourth down, fourth down. You got damn dwelly trying to block Micah Parsons, McDuffie again. There's a lot of whites on the field yesterday, by the way. Yeah, no, there was at one point out of the half. They built a stack

or like a bunch with three white guys for Detroit. And I was like, we're in, it's a bad deal. Avalanche, avalanche. Avalanche. Yeah, dude. Yeah, yeah. Damn, they're gentrifying this side of the field. Rent just went up by the hash. What fuck? All right. So anyways, I just think McDuffie was awesome. And I also think, like, watch Cooper string out a perimeter run. It is so fucking fun.

And the other guy who's a knife in this defense I talk about it all the time is Evan Williams. He tackled Jamir Gibbs in the open field. Jamir Gibbs is an 11 hat to the guy kind of player. And they just, they did a great job. I mean, he hit him some. But Kyle, to your point, and then we got to move on and give Sensi some problems. You see Jamir Gibbs helmet? it? No, what happened?

It was just yellow and green. That's awesome. It was just everywhere. That's what we like to be. But, Kyle, it was, you talk about Micah Parsons and his effect. And at times, I've said, hey, a little less fancy. I want to see him lined up. Park his fucking Ferrari in front of the right tackle and just abuse him.

Or stand up over the right card. Which he does. Okay, but the first third down of the game, they walk seven up. It's Parsons. it's Wyatt and it's in egg barre on the right side parsons has parked his Lambo over the left guard okay then Parsons is out of there he's dropping in coverage so is enegbore and what you end up with is full slide to all loan devante Wyatt or whoever the fuck that big guy was and he's standing there like look at all the attention that I have garnered on the other side you're four for three

defensively. And the third is Jermere Gibbs trying to block the A gap. Not going to be a win for you. You have manipulated them into protecting a certain way. And that is case in point, the first third down, why he is such a valuable chess piece. And he's covering the hook zone. He's the reason you get a sack. He's covering the hook zone. Kate and I are watching. This will be the real quick ending to Michael Parsons. But Kate has really gotten into football the last couple of years. And she's also, you know, marathoner and somebody who goes and pushes her body. And she's like, she sweats. She gets tired, all that stuff.

And she's like, I'm watching this guy, Micah Parsons. It's like he's not even sweating out there. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, he's different. Like some guys are just. Rassler, dude. He used to lose. That's what I said. I was like he could be like an Olympic wrestler.

You have no idea what you're working with here. This is a free show. That's Rulong Gardner, dude. That's Rulong Gardner. with a ghost. And then they show Mac Jones. Mac Jones is like, yeah, dude. He's great.

And, you know, I just, that's a four-point play at the end of the game. That's a four-point play at the end of the game, that sack in the red zone. And guess who forced it? This is more of a coverage sack on the rap. He beat Decker fast as fuck, but down the red cow. They want to go to Tesla. McDuffie absorbs that crosser perfectly

to make Jared Gough hitch. it's just team defense, man. He's a great player and he's on a great defense. And golf. I know some people are going to be pissed about the 143 where they go to JMO and JMO drops the ball, but that's golf. That was behind him.

It was behind him. How many times do this with Dan Campbell, OCDC, who loses St. Brown in the game, he's going to hit a million in cuts to JMO. They're working linebackers, the backside corner and cover three. Okay, they're playing peekaboo with crossers and that sort of thing. he's doing what he can. Don't get on Dan Campbell about the fourth and three.

I will. But that plays there. But that plays there. But this has happened too many times. Well, then get a better team. Get a better court. You know? So anyways, we...

That's why they got Frank Ragnall off the street. Yeah, he was in a fucking bass boat. He was in a bass boat. And they picked up on a gruber phone. It was like, okay, I'm coming. He had something on the hook and had to, like, What a pain in my bath. Yeah, exactly, dude.

I got to go back and play football. He might have second thoughts after seeing that. But anyways, Baltimore is an issue. You know, Kyle, I know you got to go here in a minute, but like Baltimore is an issue. We've been standing it for a couple weeks and really all season. Lamar doesn't look right. I have serious concerns about this team after seeing them play the past three weeks.

Whoever wants to win this division have at it. like and honestly 2.2% chance, Kyle, but here's what's in the way for the for the Ravens or for the for the Bengals. Here's what's in the way. Yeah, Shador. Nobody's talking about Shador in this thing, which is super disrespectful. This might be perfect timing.

But let's talk about the three teams that are in front here. The Bengals, they still got the bills, the Ravens, the Finns, the Cardinals, and the Browns. Now, I think they can win all those games, but will they win all those games? So they need help on top of that, okay? Here's what's interesting. The Bengals have won eight straight with Burrough as their quarterback since week 14 of last year. It's not something they haven't just done.

And I think week 14, correct me if I'm wrong, I think week 14 was charge for Bengals where McPherson missed. Week 14, 24. Yeah. No. They lost at the end of the season, and they needed to win, and McPherson missed three field goals. And Joe Burrow played his nuts off. Wait, this is an incorrect staff? No, no, that wasn't week 14.

So let me find out what it was. Chargers, Bengals, last year. Oh, that wasn't week 14, but that was terrible. He played his nuts off. That was November 17th. Okay, so, like, I watched that game. recently you know I'm like the Bengals invent ways to lose games so until until until I see that that's not what they're investing all their funds in inventing new ways to lose games I'm

I'm not going to feel good about them winning the next five wow that was before that was before week we week 14 when this stat starts Kyle so but what I'm saying is like who who who who yeah bring them back to life and Joe Burrell looked Joe Burrow looked like Joe Burrow, bro. You know what Joe Burrow looked like, Kyle? He looked like Joe Burrow. And here's what's so disappointing about the Ravens. Obviously, you turn the ball over five, six times in the game, you're going to lose.

And the offense is a disaster. Todd Monkin's got to answer for it. The Ravens are bad in two really important places. Pass catchers outside, right? And pass rush. And so they couldn't get pressure on Joe Burrow. The field past defense. At one point, Kyle, the receivers had 11 yards.

receiving in the third quarter. The receivers for the Ravens, for the Baltimore Ravens, Colar had more fucking yards than the receivers had. So that's a problem. But when it comes to the Bengals, I want to give a big shout to Al Gold and my college coach. He's been dialing up the pressure a little bit more in the last couple weeks. They got a lot of young players. Let him grow up, okay? Whether it's this year thing, next year thing, Knight made a big play last night on the pick. Osai had a couple sacks. I mean, the belief, Kyle. That's what that's what it is, the belief. And here's the biggest difference in the game, Kyle, is Joe Burroughs mobility. You know, like Joe Flacco's scoring a lot of points.

But Joe Burrow, you forget, off a fucking turf toe, looks five times more mobile. And he's extending plays and getting PIs late in the down, extending, you know, downs and possessions with his legs. Like, that's something that really helps them. And McPherson kick six field goals. He deserves a shout to. I just think it's a shame because people like me who pick the Bengals to win the fucking division were right. And the only thing that fucked it up

was Joe Burrough's porcelain tow. I will say this about Joe Burrow and something that I appreciate about his style of play before we get out of here. And I like your resuscitation of the Bengals. And if they can get all their guys back on offense, it's the same conversations

we're having last year. This is not the team you want to see. Joe Burrow does as good a job retracing his drop through the A and B gap to make hay in the running game better than anybody. He knows his limitations physically, and he says, what's the shortest distance between two points, a straight line. He can, he drops back, and if he doesn't like it, he can go straight into that A gap. That's where

you can make hay. People, there's droppers against Joe Burrow. He pushes the ball down the field. They're not sitting at three yards at the second level. He can pick up seven yards. He knows that. I appreciate that about his game. And he's got fresh legs, Chris. Come on. We know that. He does have fresh legs. He always reminded me at Brady, way he moved in the pocket. Like if Brady had like, you turn the athleticism dial up a little bit on Tom Brady, that's what you get with in Joe Burrow from a pocket mobility standpoint, Kyle. So it would be interesting. We're not saying they're going to the playoffs, but there is a path. I'll be watching. There's also a path for the Chiefs, for the Chiefs.

So, you know, Kyle Long, CBS Sports. You can catch him every Sunday with Antonio Pierce on the big TV. I know. Thank you, Chris. And he's as good as anybody in the biz, you know. Pretty same. Talk, let's do this again soon. Yeah, pretty soon I'm going to be dog cussing you as you call games. I'll be like, Kyle, you missed that, you fucking idiot. I'll be like, get in line. Write a letter. Get in line.

Everybody's got something.