Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - BENGALS SQUAD SHOW: Bengals' O-Line a STRENGTH? Chase Brown EXTENSION? DIVISIONAL ROUND PREDICTIONS

Episode Date: January 16, 2026

For years, the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line was one of the biggest liabilities in the NFL. After a slow start this season, the offensive line seemingly got a lot better. Is it now a strength of this Bengals team going into 2026? Alex Frank, Mike Santagana, and Art Valero discuss how the Bengals' offensive line has shedded their liabilities and what makes them now a reliable unit going into 2026. A player who benefitted mightily from the offensive line improving was running back Chase Brown. While most of the focus is on DJ Turner and Dalton Risner when it comes to contract extensions, Alex ignites the conversation on Chase Brown and the importance of the Bengals to get him re-signed. This weekend, the NFL Divisional round of the Playoffs features four great games. The guys break down each of them and give their picks for the four games. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Rocket Money Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at http://RocketMoney.com/LOCKEDONBetterhelp This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. Sign up and get 10% off at http://BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON. DripDrop Right now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to http://dripdrop.com and use promo code lockedonnfl. Ultimate QB Ultimate QB is totally free to play, has no ads, and works 100% offline — perfect for when you want to sneak in a quick game or two on the go. Just head over to http://ULTIMATE-QB.COM. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. So before tip-off, check the FanDuel app and see what’s dropping during NBA Happy Hour — every Friday from 6 to 7:30 PM Eastern. A little basketball, a little action, and a whole lot of Friday energy. PrizePicks Download the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LO... Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. Zocdoc Stop putting off your doctor’s appointments and get the care you need. Go to http://Zocdoc.com/lockedonnfl to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For almost a decade, the Cincinnati Bengals have had trouble fixing their offensive line. But it's better late than ever. They appear to have found an offensive line that is good, Mike's antagonist. The Bengals' offensive line, good? I think it's pretty good. And room to grow with the young players. And don't forget to give credit to Scott Peters the offensive line coach, too, who I think's done a heck of a job. And, coach, you know what most benefits from an offensive line?

running backs Chase Brown breakout this season, high expectations going in the next season. Oh, no, without a question. You know, those old line guys have really done a great job with him. He seems to be starting to get in sync with the more reps he takes. He understands now, I think, how things are being blocked so he can read the soft spots on the defense. And between that and him being an extension, of Karras in the middle is really helping him in protection as well. He hasn't, you know, he's missed a few, which they all do because they'll,

they'll get too excited about one thing or the other. But you know what? He's come a long way and it's done a great job. A lot of players on this team have come a long way, including in the secondary plus our divisional playoff fix. All that and much more coming up on Bengals Squad. Today, it's the Bengals Squad. Everything Cincinnati Bengals.

week. Breaking down all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Queen City, the way only the lockdown podcast network can. From the jungle to the playoffs, the Bengals Squad Show starts now. Happy Friday. Happy to have you start your weekend with us. Welcome to the Bengals Squad show on this Friday, January 16th. I'm Alex Frank. He's Mike Santagana. You can see all of his work on Twitter at Bengals underscore Sands and on all Bengals at Sports Illustrated. You also hear him on lockdown Bengals with James Rapine and Jake Liscoe, Coach Art Valero joining us, as always longtime coaching veteran. Super Bowl champion with the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A Super Bowl is just over three weeks away, and the Bengals were in the Super Bowl just four years ago with an offensive line that's,

let's just say, wasn't very good. But now all of a sudden, after years and so much money poured into it, investing in draft picks and free agent signings, the Bengals offensive line at the very least gentleman is not a liability. And for the first time going into an offseason in the Joe Borough era, I don't really feel like we have to worry about the offensive line as much. No. I mean, what? You re-signed Dalton Reisner and I feel like you're set. You have to be a little bit worried about age. I think it'll be the one thing. You got a couple of guys that are older, Karras, Reisner himself, and Orlando Brown. And it's always kind of when are you going to follow, you know, you're walking. You don't know when it's coming, but when is the downward

slope and hopefully not a cliff drop coming for their play? Is it something you can predict? Not always. I feel like it sometimes creeps up on you. Sometimes you can predict. I think a lot of people were looking at Alex Kappa with the injuries in his age and thinking like, I'm not sure we should rely on this. And if you had to look now, I'm not sure you would look at anybody the same way you did Alex Kappa then, but you look like, Lander Brown had a good end of the year. didn't have a great beginning or the injuries catching up at all, but I think he finished strong. So I don't think I'm ready to just move on outright,

similar to Ted Karras, had a slow beginning, strong finish. So Dalton Reisner was actually the exact same too. He had a slow beginning and a strong finish. It's kind of the entire offensive line under Peters. So I would think this offensive line is pretty set because they feel fine to me. I think in the draft is what you look for somebody who either has versatility

or maybe you're just looking for a left tackle of the future depending when you're drafting, but they could really use an upgrade at their swing tackle spot. Cody Ford, as fun as his catch and run was and everything he's provided to the team, I do think you can get better in that spot. And they didn't really face any interior. I guess Jalen Rivers stepped in for the couple of interior injuries they had. They haven't had a center injury in a while. And it makes you wonder, what are they going to do if the center does get hurt?

because Matt Lee's always on their IR or their non-designated list or something that he's not active. He's active for like the last game of the year every year it seems. So do they feel good about Matt Lee being the backup center? Do they feel good about Jalen Rivers after his performance being the backup interior piece? I think those are all things you look at more than you look at, okay, should they make a big splash here? Should they go after Tyler Linderbaum? I'm not going to kill them if they do, but it does feel like you don't have to. And that's the first time, I think, in a pretty long time that you could say that about the Bengals.

It's a great point because I think truthfully, for the first time, you don't have to prioritize offensive line in terms of finding starters or multiple starters. You can go into this offseason and say, okay, we need to find some depth of the offensive line position, which is fine. But you feel pretty set with the guys that you have up front. Dylan Fairchild rookie was really, really good this past season. Amarius Mim's second year right tackle. He came in in the third game of his rookie season when Trent Brown went down.

And he has been really solid since then. Coach, it's such a huge advantage. And for an organization that values continuity and for an organization that is, for the most part, remaining status quo this off season, it is so important when your offensive line is going to return, I think. And we don't know yet, Mike, to what you're saying about Orlando Brown Jr. But coach, when you have continuity along the offensive line, that makes a huge difference. Oh, without question.

You know what? My hat's off to Coach Peters. Done a fantastic job, not only on the field in that practice because you can see it, but also in evaluation. You know what? They have spent, if you look at the past since 2001, how many old linemen they've taken in the draft now being later, and even they've taken a couple earlier,

and they just haven't panned out. And here they've got a right tackle and a left guard that were draft choices and are now starters. The others, hey, they had to go out and get some free agents. You know, 60% of them are free agents. So they've been that round. So it's nice that with those draft choices, they're not just getting practice fodder.

They are actually getting guys and developing them into being starters. It's great to see because the development of the offensive line, which for years after Andrew Whitworth left, after Kevin Zitler left, Clint Bullying retired, it's kind of been a revolving door. And yes, you can make changes to the position which the Bengals have. But at the end of the day, an offense is going to benefit, coach to what you're saying, from having continuity up front and particularly a franchise quarterback like Joe Burrough.

So finally, we can go into an offseason where offensive. Offensive line is not a huge priority and I think a good thing, not a huge talking point. Bengals squad on this Friday is brought to you by a Fandul if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit fanduel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. The other thing, too, is I think what is going to enable the Bengals going into next season with this offensive line that took some strides last season. And I kind of felt this way going into week 18 against the Cleveland Browns, even with my. I was Garrett going for the sack record, even with Mason, Graham, McCarsons, Schwessinger. I feel like for the first time, there is a genuine confidence in this offensive line to, at the very least, not get overpowered by an opposing defensive line.

This is not the same offensive line that played in Super Bowl 56 against the Rams and Aaron Donald and Bob Miller, who you're going to see Bust and Canton of them one day. This is not the same offensive line that got wrecked in the AFC championship that gained zero yards in the first quarter against Kansas City the following season. This is not the same offensive line last season where Joe Barrow was constantly under duress. This isn't even the same offensive line in 2023. This offensive line can impose their will on teams like Pittsburgh like they did on Thursday night football this year.

They imposed their will at Baltimore on Thanksgiving. They, for a while, I mean, Miles Garrett didn't get his record setting sack until the 55th or 56th minute in that week 18 game. So I think for the first time and a long time, there was a confidence at least. that I have that this Bengals offensive line is going to go into any game and not and fans for me at least are going to feel like they can they're going to get overpower. Do you guys feel that same way? Yeah, I feel pretty good. I do think there are certain defensive lines that may still give them an issue. I think if they played the Texans, I wouldn't yeah, after watching what they just did,

I would think I'm not going to give the advantage to this offensive line. They're not yet in elite unit to get there you would need some big leaps maybe from like don't uh dylan fairchild or amarius mims and i think omarius mims made a big leap and i do expect dill and fairchild to make a leap coming up but uh when you face against like two extremely high end edge players usually a team like the bangles that want to be five out five and what i mean of that is five guys in the passing pattern maybe send chips along the way and stuff it's hard it's hard to So like, yeah, there's no disadvantage. Now, I do think with the Browns, that was interesting that obviously you're worried about

Miles Garrett, they still kind of ran their offense. They didn't turn it up into everything's quick game. There's a little bit too much quick game. That's how Devin Bush had the interception. You know, you're throwing so many quick passes. Deo's linemen just start getting their hands up. They don't care about rushing the passer at that point. So maybe just a little bit too much.

But I do think it's much better than it used to be. I'd also think, though, like, yeah, if you look back at that Rams team, you have two Hall of Favors on the defensive line, I would still be worried. That would still worry me personally. Yeah. I think you're so right. And look, I'm still going to cringe every time Joe Burrow drops back and he's under pressure because of the injuries that he has had.

But again, at the very least, you can go into a game and think, okay, how can the Bengals' offensive line get a push-up run in the running game? How can they keep Joe Barrow upright to where he's only sacked once or twice? Coach, when you have that with the offense of weapons that the Bengals have, it's going it make it even harder for opposing defenses to slow it down than it has been over the years. Well, you know what? Let's go back to the Super Bowl year you were talking. You know, going into that game, you said, okay, the Bengals got to have a chance if Joe Burrow is not under duress. I mean, and you're kind of holding your breath every time he does take a snap and you're saying,

hey, please put him in the gun. Today, I wouldn't put him in the gun. Today, I wouldn't put him. this group in the top five in the NFL as far as collectively as a group but they are ascending. So if I was a stockbroker, I'd buy stock in this old line, hopefully to the point where you have at least nine on the roster and then couple extras in practice squad that you are developing to be that guy so you don't have to go down the road. And practice squad guys aren't necessarily just guys to practice against. It's guys you want to keep and you want to hide under the radar until it's their time. They're just not not ready for prime time players yet. So you know what? I buy stock in them. I think they're on the rise. I think they continue to

grow and play together. You know, Scott's going to have a great, great group of guys to work with. Yeah, and I think there was a lot of criticism directed towards Scott Peters in the beginning of the season, rightfully so, because I mean, the Bengals offensive line got wrecked against Minnesota. They got wrecked against Denver. They didn't really play great against Detroit. But I think what we saw was, you know, Lucas Patrick went down, Don Reisner had an injury. Obviously, Joe Burrow was out. They couldn't run the football. It was just, there was just so much happening and moving parts that once they find, finally got settled. Once Dylan Fairchild settled in the left guard, once Dalton Reisner came back, this offensive line really, and Mike, you were praising it a lot, even after losses, because you saw the Bengals be able to do more things offensively because the offensive line was holding up in pass protection. The other thing that I think is so important here is when you talk about offensive line continuity, think about the other three teams in this division, the Ravens, the Browns, and the Steelers. All three of those teams are going to have new head coaches. So how,

How does that impact what they do on the defensive line? How does it impact what they do on the offensive line even? So it's going to be a whole new coaching staff. It's going to be new communication, new verbiage. The Bengals are already a step ahead and they have an offensive line that coaches. You said if you were a stock broker, you'd buy that stock because it's ascending. So continuity here. While yes, there are question marks, there actually is some upside to it.

Yeah, yeah. You've got the young guys. And you're, you're hoping maybe, and like I mentioned, I'm not sure if Rivers would be that guy for the third interior spot or the fourth interior spot. But you're hoping he gets better. You're hoping Scott Peters is able to, you know, mentor him into becoming a guy that you could trust to fill in all three of those spots. I would think he's going to, I would think if I was jailed Rivers, I'd want to learn how to snap and play center too. I want any opportunity I can to get on the field. So if he could take that spot, that, you know, that brings.

brings you up a leg. They had good health this year. I think that's another thing we have to point out towards why it works so well is that continuity is important. And we saw that early and late, early on, they didn't have continuity. And I think they were missing a lot of stuff together. Later on, they all had that continuity. And they were able to pass off stunts, work in the run game. I think there was some stuff Peters did on the technical side too that in the run game, how they dressed it up that helped that as well. But the continuity is huge. It's another reason. why you have to worry a little bit about like, well, if they don't resign Reisner, you're probably going to have a ramp up period where whatever guard you got is going to

struggle just a little bit in games early on, maybe the first four games or so, learning how to play next to Amarius Mims and Ted Karras. Or if you're getting a center and moving Karris over, that guy's got to learn how to play next to Karris and Fairchild, et cetera. So, well, I think sometimes that can be, you know, fun and exciting. I like the continuity of this team. I like this offensive line. I think it's important.

I think you can look at them hitting the season strong with that continuity this coming year, rather than having to ramp it up and having some disastrous weeks like the Minnesota Vikings game. But overall, I think they are ascending. And I think I would expect them to add somebody in draft. I'm not saying first round, but I think they see how many guys are nearing that age 30, maybe just a little bit over 30 years old and thinking, we should be prepared for a scenario where this guy who's a little older might be a little banged up during the season. Or maybe their play starts to deteriorate.

And you want to have a guy that's ready to go if that situation happens. So I would expect them to look into maybe adding somebody. And that only helps. Competition is going to help them. Yeah. Where I don't think Fairchild and Mims will face competition, but all the other three guys, they should feel like they'll win it. being put into some type of competition, or at least having a competent backup that's there,

should help them, should push them forward. What coach thinks about that, but I'd like to get his opinion. No, you know what? I think absolutely. Mike's exactly correct. You know what? With a group that's older,

and for that matter, when you're playing up front, their body's everywhere. So you never know you could be the guy that gets rolled up on. You could be the guy that takes one from the sides. And you could be a young player or an older player, you have to have,

because you know what, you dress seven on off on game day. You have to have somebody. And I would say, you know, if you go lower in free agency, maybe not a really expensive guy, but an inside three help. You know, who can play and who has played center

in the national football league. You know, the only thing really different between garden center is you got a ball between your legs. So you get that third piece who can play all three, and then you can go out and get a young tackle, say four or five in the fourth or fifth round and develop him into being that particular guy. I really like the idea of, hey, you go get yourself a tackle,

and if he can't make it there, you move him inside. Yeah. Or you go get yourself a left tackle. If he can't play left, you move him to right. If he can't play right, you move him inside. And like, kind of like the big guy that Philadelphia had last year, the kid from Louisville. Mackayette. Oh, yeah, Mackay Beckton.

They found a spot for him. And so, you know what, if you're going to have a lengthy contract, let's not make guys pigeonhold as one position guys. And I think that, you know what, it's exactly what. Mike was talking about. You never know. You never know. And so you better have a backup plan. You better have a contingency plan if all of a sudden the doors start falling off. Dave Lapham once played the same all five offensive line positions in the same game. So that tells you how much versatility. And coach, you're an offensive line. Coach, you understand as well as anybody, how much that matters. All of this, what we're talking about here,

when it comes to free agency, when it comes to this offensive line, is when you get to the draft, then when you get to coaches, you said rounds four through five, you want to be in a position where you can pick the best player available because then it makes your pick easier. And that's what you're trying to do all across his football team. James Rupin, when he talks about the Bengals draft in a guy like Jeremiah Love or Cardinal Tate, or he's even mentioned Jeremiah Smith. That's because James loves wide receivers.

But I'm going to defend him here because if he's the best player available, take him. It makes your pick user. When you pick BPA, you have a better chance regardless of position. for it to hit. When you're drafting for needs, that's where, and I'm going to go human nature here, psychology, second guessing comes in, doubts come in, all these things come in. But when you take care of your needs and free agency with established guys that are developed, you can go more BPA in the NFL, in the NFL draft. So we mentioned in the open, the Bengals offensive line, having much improved this past season, it's going to heavily benefit Chase Brown. We will talk about him and if he will receive a

contract extension this offseason, why he should, and the one benefit that he has that Joe Mixon did not have. We'll get into all that coming up next right here on the Bengals Squad Show. Today's edition of the Bengals Squad Show is brought to you by game time. So NFL season is in full swing, divisional round playoffs for this weekend. I can't wait. And there's nothing like being at the game, the crowd noise, the energy, and cheering alongside other fans. Watching at home is great. But being in the stadium hits different. The frustrating part has always been getting tickets, waiting in queues, dealing with logins, and watching prices change right at checkout. That's why the GameTime app gives the advantage back to the fans.

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visit lockdownpodcast.com slash everydayer. One more quick thing about the offensive line, I was going to mention that previous segment. and coach you bring up that 2021 Bengals team. Let's think back to, and Mike you remember this vividly, going back to that offseason leading into that magical season. So the Bengals obviously the offensive line was a huge priority. So what do they do? They go out and hire Frank Pollock. They bring him back as the offensive line coach.

That move was great and it paid massive dividends. Okay. But let's think about what they did in free agency. They only really brought in Riley Reef. And Riley Reef was a solid right tackle. He played in the NFC North and other physical division. he got hurt towards the end of the season and the Bengals were starting Isaiah Prince in the Super Bowl. That tells you how far this offensive line has come right there.

Also in the draft, they drafted Jackson Carmen, never really panned out, although he did have a good showing at Buffalo in the playoffs, and that does matter. So think about also in 2021, you had to fix the O line and the defense. They went defense. It worked. They drafted Jamar Chase. Joe Mixon got a contract extension to previous offseason. So now we're in 2026. And Zach Taylor has said, it kind of feels like the end of 2020 going into 21, where, yes, you have massive cap space.

The offensive line is good, though, and that is going to benefit Chase Brown. And he should absolutely get a contract extension, whether that happens this offseason, next offseason, it should happen this offseason. How important is it for the Cincinnati Bengals to extend Chase Brown, who had a thousand yards rushing this past season and was the second leader in receptions on the Bengals this season? Personally, I would give them the extension. I think I'm a little bit lower than you in terms of half to do it. I think it's a want to do it because I hate this four running backs personally. There's a lot of good running backs available. I mean, we'll see how it shakes out in free agency, but you look at the list.

Travis E.TN., who just had a great playoff game, Javante Williams, who had a very good comeback season, RICO Dowdell, Brees Hall, Kenneth Walker, J.K. Dobbins. I mean, you can even go Kenneth Gainwell down to Eishon Robinson's going to get a contract extension. He's going to get an extension, so I'm not listing him. But these are guys that are free agents next year that you can look at to pair with Chase Brown or maybe to pair with him next year. And then he's the guy the following year. I don't know. But I look at that and I think, I want to see how that goes before I give him an extension.

Like, could you get one of those guys for cheap? Could you end up getting somebody? And I think the guy would have to pass protect is the big thing. But could you, let's just say Kenneth Gamewell, who I think is pros pro, who was playing for the Steelers and was the Eagles Super Bowl champion before that. That guy pass protects, that guy receives, that guy runs. I think that's somebody you look at, do you sign him?

Is it cheaper than you might think because how many guys are in there? How many flashy names like Kenneth Walker and Brees Hall? And then you look and see, okay, how does Chase Brown comparing to this guy we just brought back. Do I expect them to do that? No, I kind of expect them to just maybe keep Somaget around and roll with it. But I do look at how many running backs are available in free agency. It's just there's a lot of good guys. There's a lot of good players out there. And the thing that's going for Chase Brown is he's a good receiver. And I think he does a really good job in pass protection for a running back. I think there are moments where he gets a little

lost in the sauce and everything is going on up front. Every running back does. So I don't hold that too much against him. He gives a lot of effort. He really uses some pretty good technique when he's doing it. He's improved a lot as well. So I think all that's going for him, and I would want to give him an extension, but I don't think I'm bending over backwards. If his demands are way out there, I'm looking at bringing in somebody and going, okay, it's not, it's not impossible to replace a Chase Brown in this offense, more like it was a Jamar Chase or even a T. Higgins, which gives you a unique advantage. I think you've given me something to think about here, Mike, because I feel like I came into

this show today thinking, okay, at least from my perspective, Chase Brown's a guy you have to extend because he's one of your core players on offense. But with what you're saying is, if you bring another running back to compliment him, then it's like, okay, you don't have to prioritize him when you have Dalton Reisner, DJ Turner, Jordan Battle, even if you want to go that route, you got Dax. he'll fifth year option going into this season. So don't forget about Miles Murphy too. So they're definitely, Chase Brown, like running backs, it's a, it's a very complicated

position. I mean, there was a, there was a group of running backs a few years ago that kind of united because they were not getting the same amount of money that, let's say, a quarterback or wide receiver, other positions. And running back has been revived over the last couple of seasons, three seasons, with Bejon, with Sequin Barkley, Derrick. Eric Henry, all those guys. So let me ask you this, Mike. And coach, I'll go to you here in just a second. Is Chase Brown a guy, Mike, that the Bengals should not, like, I'm not saying he has to be priority

number one. I'm not saying he has to make top of the market running back money. But I'm asking you, is Chase Brown a guy to you that the Bengals really can't let leave the building? I don't think he's somebody. You cannot let leave the building. Interesting. I think he can leave and you'll be okay. But I also want. to resign him because you never know bringing these guys in. How are they going to fit with this specific offense with the amount of dropback that they like to do, the amount of shotgun that they like to do, even if we call for maybe they should change that.

How are they going to do? We know Chase Brown is good. So that's why I'm in like, I want to resign Chase Brown, but I don't think it's an absolute necessity where with DJ Turner, to me that feels more like a necessity. You don't have guys on defense. If you let DJ Turner walk, there's not a list of corners. that are as good as Kenneth Walker and Brees Hall and all these names that I just rattled off. There's not a list of corners that are going to be able to give you that high level of talent coming in free agency.

Whereas running back, they're out there and it would stink, but I would look at it just a little bit. He's not low on my priority list. He's not below, you know, he's not way down there. Like I think some analytics guys talk about running backs. But I do think just the amount of talent there is at running back, you can find it. You can find a guy like Chase Brown. He's not, I really like Chase Brown, but he is not Bejohn Robinson. He's not a guy like that where I think, man, you can't let him leave the building

because he is maybe the best in the league at his position. Absolutely. Another running back that's up for a contract extension this offseason, Jemir Gibbs, who for my money's worth is the best running back in the NFL. Coach, your thoughts on Chase Brown and where he stands and the Bengals priorities for extending this offseason? Well, you know what? I think that Chase had a, he had a very kind of a breakout year.

I think he is good for the team in terms of, okay, take the Florida part out of him. He grew up in the cold. He understands what it's like to play in the cold. And he's a big, strong kid, strong hands. So he can play later on in the season when the weather isn't ideal, you know. being that Florida black background he can go ahead and play early on when it's hot as well so he he's got that in him um I wouldn't put a priority on him I would put him let's see if we can get a free agent uh that has slipped because there are so many and the need might not be there and I want I

I'd like to visit with the old I or excuse me with the runoffback coach and say how you in this room. Because right now you've got three guys that play that are all similar. Okay, with, I mean, I was with Taj at Texas Tech. Good running back, right? But he's not a lot unlike Chase Brown. And neither is P-Rine. They're all kind of the same. So if you can find somebody that's kind of a slasher, you know, guy with great juice who can capture. You know, the edge and a heartbeat and it's good coming out of the back build with some speed you take that guy now you've got different pitches or different tools in your tool bag and now you can call we used to call all or john used to call all the time he'd say hey i want you know zebra michael pitman

i want regular carnell williams give me you know uh you mike allstadt We had different guys that had different pitches. They were all good players and all got playing time because the idea there was one back and not last 17 weeks. You need at least two and maybe three and maybe a third down specialist. Yeah. You know, that comes in on when Nickel comes in the game and he's a great protector, number one. and then he's great out of the backfield and can make those things happen.

I think if you build it that way, you go out in free agency and find out, okay, who is that other guy? And what value does he bring to this backfield that these other guys don't have? I think when you build it, and I think once you find out through free agency, hey, next off season, or excuse me,

this summer, you start working on Chase's contract, track because you know where your money's going. And you can build it and sign him before he ever hits. It satisfies him. It satisfies his agent. And you know what? He is bought into the team totally. I think one more thing to add here is just you don't know how the draft's going to shake out either.

With Chase Brown not being a free agent this year, but next year, if you have like that, I don't know what you would call it in the building, but basically the Jamar, Chase type of grade on a Jeremiah Love and he's there at 10 and you end up taking him, you're kind of screwed if you just signed Chase Brown too, because now you put a lot of resources into that where a top 10 pick on running back is still happening and I think it's still okay if you have that high grade. Like I'm not mad about getting a Bejan Robinson at 10, but you don't want to be in a situation where you can't do that either, where you go, man, that guy's going to be a Hall of Famer. We can't draft him. We just resign Chase Brown,

who's a good player. I don't think there's anything wrong with. keep you chase brown around but i do think you look at this draft and you go what if we end up getting a running back and he comes into the building and he just blows you away he just yeah this is the guy this is a guy that's going to take maybe he's not a guy that takes you know 400 snaps a larry johnson role which i think what they you know that you don't want those anymore those those type of guys as much but you get a jemir gibbs of your own kind of you get a guy that comes in and he's just a really good receiver he's really fast he's really making all of this happen and and he's actually a better runner than you thought or maybe something along does.

Or you just drafted Jeremiah 11 at 10. That's B. John Robinson 2.0. That's a Jonathan Taylor type where he's going to get the rock. That's the guy, a Derek Henry or prime Zeke Elliott type if you're drafting them that high. So I think that's the other part is leaving yourself open for everything that you could add at running back and kind of waiting on the Chase Brown extension where after this offseason, if you don't have any prospects going on, like none of these things really came to fruition. Now you're looking at Chase Brown going like, okay, we would like to get,

we would for sure like to get a deal done with you before you hit free agency. It's very reminiscent of, for me at least, with the whole Chase Brown situation. And if you bring a guy like Jeremiah Love and, if you bring a free agency and a coach to your point, it's about having options. It's about not backing yourself into a corner to where you have to sign Chase Brown. And then if negotiations don't go, well, then you're really in an unfortunate position. Think about when the Bengals drafted Jermaine Burton. I think at that time, the thought process was, okay, they're going to move on from T. Higgins.

Let's make sure they have someone else in the building that can do what T. Higgins did. Burton obviously didn't work out. I'm not saying the Bengals signed to Higgins because they had to. T. Higgins is a great player. That signing was great. But again, it reminds me a lot of that situation. I think too with Chase Brown, it sounds like from what you guys are saying, and I agree with you. He's a nice piece to have on the offense.

What he does and what he did from week seven on was make the offense harder to defend, make him more unpredictable, which is really key when you have a guy like Joe Barrow with quarterback and then Jason Higgins and wide receiver. Chase Brown for me, I don't know if he's a true bell cow running back. Is he a running back that you can hand the ball off to 30 to 35 times a game? He's normally around the high teens, low 20s, carries kind of guy. The Bengals have not had a true bell cow running. running back, I would argue, since Rudy Johnson in the mid-2000s.

Joe Mixon could have been that, but the problem where Joe Mixon was, and this is what I teased in segment one, Chase Brown has an offensive line that is really good going into the prime of his career. Joe Mixon did not. And Joe Mixon never really had a great offensive line. Now, the Bengals did give him a contract extension. You could debate, or actually not debate, you could argue that the Bengals kind of had to. Now, that was a very good extension, because Mixon had a lot of really good seasons here in Cincinnati. But at the end of the day, it's about how you view Chase Brown. But bring in, as you mentioned, coach, some options, whether it being free agency,

whether it be in the draft. You want to have options. You want to have flexibility. That way you're targeting all these areas where, as you say, buy a team and build a team. Speaking of building a team, this position group was kind of symbolic of the Bengals season. Very disappointing, but there were some positives. We'll get into that particular position group coming up next right here on the Bengals Squad Show. Hey guys, the draft positions are set, and so many teams are looking for the franchise quarterback.

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You know, we'll get free dessert for life, and then we'll take one of your oranges back there behind you and add a little sweetness to a little tropical fruit flavor to it. Well, that's just to make sure that you don't get scurvy. You know, too many sweets, that'll crush you. me, look at this body. Listen, I'm heading to Publix tomorrow on my way back from Knoxville, Tennessee, and they have the best cookies besides my grandmothers.

So, yeah, that's going to be, I'm going to be feasted on those during the playoffs this weekend and watching a bunch of able-bodied men and unbearably cold conditions. We'll get to that in segment four because there are four great games this weekend. But another position where we saw improvement, we saw growth, and I think there's some positivity, and I think a lot of it actually going into 2026. is the Bengals secondary. Now, I know those of you listening are going to say, oh, Frankie, did you not see Gino Stone last year? Yes, I did see Gino Stone last year.

Gino Stone was not very good. But just like the Bengals weren't very good, there were some positives in the secondary. DJ Turner. He looks like a stalwart back there. Dax Hill even has some upside. Heck, Jordan Battle flashed at times this past season. So going into this offseason, I think you can work with some pieces in the secondary. Yeah, I would feel okay about the secondary, if they add it just a little bit.

Go into free agency and can you get somebody to be an upgrade of Virginia Stone? You're probably yelling. Yeah, you could. But how much of an upgrade are you looking? How much are you looking at a guy that's going to be a plus starter on this team? If you get, let's say, Cam Curl from the Rams, formerly the commanders, and he takes the place of Gino Stone, one, Are you going to have him do the exact same things as Stone? And then two, or two, are you going to blend it more into like what the Rams try to do in their coverage?

I think Al Gore was trying to figure all of that out what he wants to really be at the NFL level because it was so different from his college experience. You look at that and you think, okay, does Jordan Battle work really well with this free agent we brought? Or does he not? And then you look into the draft. If you get into the draft and let's say we're talking about that 10 spot again and Caleb Downs is there. And let's just say the Bengals draft grade is something like, I think this guy is the next Earl Thomas or Bob Sanders or whoever. I haven't watched these. I haven't actually watched these guys in depth.

But you look at me, you think like that, that's like a Hall of Fame level talent. We have to take him at 10. I don't care if the position isn't as valuable. Now you're looking at another piece you're adding in. But if you add a guy in France, you add a guy in the draft, where does Jordan Battle fit in? Can you figure out a way to do three safety type of sets, like what the Ravens love to do with Kyle Hamilton, Alohi Gilman, and Malachi Stark's? I don't know. But what I do know is, one, DJ Turner to me, is priority number one in terms of their upcoming free agents over the next two years.

That's a guy I would be working on extension now. And I understand there's some risk there where it's one good year. It was a great year. And I think he's improved in a linear path this whole time. His rookie year flashes overall very inconsistent play. His second year, when he started, when he moved into a starting role, I feel like he was fine. It wasn't good, but it was more consistent than the year prior. Then you hit this year, and the real change is he started playing the ball much better.

And I think obviously you go in practice against Jamar, Chaser T. Higgins all the time, who are some of the best guys at the catch point, you're going to improve. but I look at that and I can see how he improved. This doesn't feel like a mirage to me. This feels like DJ Turner just keeps getting better. And you can see the skills that are getting better with him as well. So I'm not just thinking, oh, DJ Turner got lucky. He didn't get picked on because they got Cam Taylor Britt over there and they don't know

who their nickel is through the first 14 weeks of the season. I think he got better throughout the season. And I think he got targeted too. So he got to show that he's not just not, you know, not just being ignored for other guys in this coverage. They tried to go at him. They didn't later on the season. He took the tough assignments and he won those. He wasn't a guy that is the cornerback two type where you've got your other guy going across the field and playing all the difficult stuff.

And he's doing a great job on the lower difficulty assignments. This guy was taking on the number one target on third downs. He was the guy that they would put on the best player. of the opposing team. So to me, I'm trying to get out ahead of that extension because if he plays like this again next season and he's already made a little bit of a name for himself, you're going to look at a possible all pro, a pro bowl where this was getting his name out there, I feel like. He didn't get those awards, but he's on a lot of, you know, best guys to miss or the snubs

list on my snubs list for the pro bowl for sure. So now you're going to look at that next year. If he does the same thing, he's going to then get those awards. and then that's going to drive that price up quite a bit. And maybe that's why DJ Turner also might not want to sign an extension at the moment. He might say, hey, I get a Pro Bowl next year. It's going to cost you more. The other guy is Dax Hill.

I think Dax Hill played very well outside of that Patriots game down the stretch when he got moved to outside corner. I think those two, to me, are pieces I would like to see playing quite a bit of snaps next year. Then you move into the guys that I'm like, I'd be okay with this. Jailene Davis on the inside. I'm a little worried about him being so close to 30. He's going to be 30, I think, next season, going into age 31. That's tough for a corner, but in the nickel, it's a little bit more manageable. That's one.

If he plays, I hope you have a guy, a good depth piece behind him just because there is a lot of unknown there. I feel kind of similar about Jordan Battle, where I'd love to see him next to a really good safety. I'd like to see him next to a safety that is playing at a plus level that's giving you, the level of play that you expected when you sign Gino Stone. You're thinking this guy's going to make ball production. He's going to do a good job ranging from sideline to sign line when he's put in the post. He's going to do a good job communicating with everybody around him and keep everything, keep the whole coverage unit in sync with each other. I don't think they got that. And I'd like to see Jordan Battle with a guy like that because I think Jordan Battle does work

fine around. I think he would be a guy where the talent around him is how he's kind of playing. I think there's flashes right now, but it's inconsistent. He needs to wrap up a little bit. I like the big hits. I would love to see him wrap up a little bit more. But I do think if he had the talent around him at the other safety spot, at the nickel or whatever, I'd like to see them make some upgrades. Definitely at the one safety spot from Gina Stone, maybe at either Jordan Battle or Jalen Davis

at the nickel or the other safety spot. I don't think it needs to be an overhaul, though. I think, like, it's a people talk about the offensive line as a weak link system. The secondary is too. There's actually quite a bit of similarities with the offensive line and the secondary, despite body types. They're moving backwards all the time. They only get their name called when they're getting picked on.

But on the other end, they have to communicate a lot. Like that's another piece that makes them so similar in a way. So it's kind of a weak link system. Can you make it so that the weak link, maybe you just have one week link and you can provide help? Can you make it so that your weakest link was your third weakest link last year? I think all those things help. And then also depth is important because you also face a lot of injuries with those types of players and just the NFL in general. But I would like to see some upgrades.

I don't think it needs to be an overhaul. But I think you've hit on something here, Mike, because I think safety is your target in the secondary. And if you can find a game changing safety in free agency or game changing safety in the draft coach, that's going to help this secondary a ton. You know what? That's my prediction from the outside looking in. hey at number 10 go get yourself the best safety that's out there because that's where they'll be

they'll be right about 10 and you can if you really do a great job of whether you want a box safety that you can roll down and can be physical or you want a free safety like Thomas we had in Seattle who can cover

the entire planet from back there and he can break on it he's got so much range I think that right now as you look at it, you have to look at the stats. And I sent you the stat this morning where Alex fit, the two safeties ended up missing like 47 tackles. And there's nobody else behind them.

And Gino Stone was, he was number one, well ahead of battle. So you look at that, you're saying, okay, we know and have identified. where we have to build and where we have to get. And now is that guy a communicator? When we had Thomas in the backfield and all of a sudden we had Cam Chance, who was a late rounder, I think, or a free agent, he was your box player.

He was your big hit guy. So you could play some different coverages with those types of guys. And I think as long as like in baseball, be strong up the middle. Be strong up the middle. let them go ahead and work outside, and that's why you've got all those edge players that you've been drafting for the last three or four years. That's where they come into play. Well, Coach Camp Chancellor, as you know, I mean, he was this big bodied safety.

I mean, they don't make a lot of safeties like him anymore. I mean, that dude, that dude could come screaming at you for a big hit or to step right in front of you and intercept it and run it back for a touchdown as he did in the 2014 divisional playoff game. So that, he was John Lynch. How about that for a name? In comparison. Probably the best modern combo of safeties, too,

because they matched up with each other's weaknesses. Oh, my gosh. Couldn't even get close to picking on one of them because the other one. Earl Thomas, maybe he wasn't the biggest hitter. Camp Chancel was the biggest hitter in the league when he played. On the other end, Camp Chancellor, maybe he don't know if he can range Silas out. Earl Thomas could cover two fields if he needed to.

Oh, I'm telling you. I always said, coach, and correct me if I'm wrong here about the C-Ox. Legion of Boom. Richard Sherman was its voice. Earl Thomas, I say Earl Thomas was their best player because of his range at safety and his playmaking abilities. Cam Chancellor was the enforcer, and then you had other guys like Jeremy Lane and Byron Maxwell and what they could do. I mean, there was, try throwing on that defense. You couldn't. Yeah. Well, you know, as crazy is when we were in the draft period at that time, and Earl was out there and everybody wondered, okay, where's Pete going to go? Is he going to

Is he going to draft his safety, who is a high hitter? Or all of a sudden, Earl came out, and he drafted Earl, and where the SEC safety go? I think he went to Cincinnati. He did. Taylor Mays, you got drafted by the Bengals. Oh, gosh. Didn't do much. That was the correct call from Pete. There's a reason Pete Carroll lasted 14 years in Seattle and ultimately won a Super Bowl.

So what she sent me this morning, coach, for those of you listening, and they missed tackles percentage-wise in the regular season. The Bengals were dead last. They missed 170 tackles. So that's about 14% mistackle rate. The next closest was Washington at 10.4. I mean, that is embarrassing, to say the least. And you look at your top teams, New England, Kansas City,

the Giants, Lions, Rams, Packers, Broncos, Bills, Niners, Bears. Notice a lot of those teams are playing this weekend. A lot of those teams go. You know what's crazy about that, Alex? Is that if you cut the Bengals in half, they'd still be in the middle. That tells you how much this defense needs to be fixed. And I think that that's the silver lining of this season. Is that going into this past season, we all said, okay, this can work.

Now you know it didn't. So you better fix it. And again, when it comes to the safety position, you better have, Find somebody in free agency that can come in and help Jordan battle, or B, find someone in the draft who was already looking like, is drawing comparisons to, let's say, Earl Thomas or Kyle Hamilton or somebody. Because I think what's interesting with DJ Turner at Corner is, you know, you mentioned, like, the one good season he's happened in year three.

I'd rather be year three than year two, because year three is when you're supposed to be hitting your stride, full, full strike. You're supposed to be hitting it then. Cam Taylor Britt hit his in year two, and you're, three fell off a cliff and now he's completely falling off a cliff. So it's better to hit it in year three than it is to hit it in year two. And that's why DJ Turner absolutely worthy of a contract extension. Same two for another third year player. And Miles Murphy will save that conversation for another show during the offseason. Up next, we will react to the news of Mike Tomlin stepping down. We kind of did this

on Tuesday, but we'll go a little more in depth today. Plus, John Harpaw has a new head coaching job. You may have seen that. And our picks for the divisional round of the NFL We'll do that next. Coming up right here on the Mango Squad Show. The Wild Card round is come and gone. The divisional round is here, and Fandul is officially in playoff mode. Every game day during the NFL playoffs,

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Mike, it has been a while since we have had you on this show. I think the last time we had you on the show was January 2nd, our first show of 2026. Since then, three teams in the AFC North have fired their head coaches. Actually, I shouldn't say two teams fired their head coaches. Mike Tomlin stepped down on Tuesday. Your thoughts on Tomlin stepping down, John Harbaugh getting fired, and the Browns once again deciding to change course by firing Kevin Stefansky. I think in order.

Tomlin stepping down. it kind of felt like time where sometimes continuity leads to complacency. And it feel like the whole Steelers organization. This is not just a Tomlin thing. The entire Steelers organization seemed to be kind of competing just to be competitive, but never a Super Bowl contender. They didn't, it feels like Tomlin was tired. He didn't, to me, have the same exact level of juice as he used to.

Now he still brought plenty of it because he's a great coach and he still was a very energetic guy. but he didn't have that that 2015 era or even earlier type of Mike Tomlin juice, I feel like, where he could make any team competitive, but it was, it just wasn't enough. As impressive as the, you know, the record of however many seasons, I can't even remember, the in a row of his entire career of winning seasons or at least non-losing seasons. It's also he lost some games. He was Owen, I think he was one three. and won in his last five games to teams that were eight games below 500.

So that's like how. If you've got a competitive team every year, how are you losing to the bottom of the bottom, which is the NFL, any given Sunday? But the other end lost seven playoff games in a row matched only by the listeners and everybody knows Marvin Lewis. And what was the end of the Marvin Lewis tenure? Felt like complacency. Felt like he was tired.

And I just feel that way for Tomlin where he's a great coach, but it felt like he was tired, It felt kind of like it was time. The Pittsburgh fans definitely wanted him out, but I don't know if I would go that far because there is a certain unfamiliarity with not knowing who your coach was, or who your coach will be and how good they'll be. You could have always known there's going to be a solid floor

with a Mike Fomlin team. You knew they were going to be competitive. So that's the one thing about that. We'll see where they go. I feel like they're like a Brian Flores type of hire. They don't feel like a different organization. This doesn't feel like an organization. type change to me.

We're like, we're stepping down from Mike Tom because we don't want a defensive hard-nosed head coach. Tomlin stepping down because he's, to me, tired.

It feels like if he wanted to be back next year, he would. But yeah, and I believe Art, you coached with Tomlin. So you probably know, young Tomlin was extremely

energetic. Yeah, he had that juice. He had that juice. And could command a room. I think he still, he could still, definitely do that. Well, you know what?

It's crazy with Mike and the whole Pittsburgh situation is nobody knew Mike when they hired it because he was only a one-year coordinator in Minnesota for Brad Childress and then he got the job. But Mike was hired because they had two great coordinators already. You know what I mean? They had Bruce Ariens and they had

Dick LeBoe. And so there was an established offense, established defense, and Mike came in and ran the team, which he was totally capable of because when he came from the University of Cincinnati to Tampa, he took over a room with John Lynch, with Ronde Barber, with, you know, all of these veterans in it and commanded the room. So it was a natural fit. And they have changed over the years. And a lot of that has been, because of management, they've gone different ways on offense and defense, and now they're playing with a lot of different guys that aren't necessarily that Pittsburgh Steeler guy.

You know, so when Mike talked about the standard and the standard being the standard, that was something that was instilled, that I think that those older players still believe in, you know, the Cam Haywards, the, TGA Watts, those guys. And I think that as they get older, and all of a sudden, their contracts are starting to come up, I think it was the right time for Mike. And again, he's got a great family. He needs to enjoy him.

Yeah. Because he's done more for this game than this game's done for him. Go do T. Yeah. My hat's off to Mike. Yeah. Go do TV. Go do something. Don't make a control off there, Mike. John Harbaugh going to coach the Giants, great higher, home run higher.

The Giants have needed something since they won Super Bowl 46 14 years ago. They have that now. And what's John Harbaugh walking into? Jackson Dart. Hopefully Camp Scada Boo is healthy. Malik neighbors. That defense is very talented. So the Giants for the first time in what feels like a long time have

something going for them. Yeah. And to me, Harbaugh, this is where Thomas kind of fell off towards the end. I feel like Harbaugh hires really good coordinators. Zachor not as much, I guess, but the Mike McDonald hire, he had, you know, this, and he brought him with him, the offensive coordinator from Todd Monkin. I think he did a great job, bringing him with him to the Giants. I think he's finding a different defensive coordinator. He's not rolling with Zachor. I think he was going to be fine moving on from Zachor if he stayed with the Ravens. But yeah, I trust him to be the type of CEO head coach that is bringing in highly talented coordinators, seems to have a pretty good eye for them and letting them run the show while he inspires

the football team and gets the best out of each individual. So I like that hire for the Giants. That one does feel more regime-changing for me with the Ravens. That feels like the organization probably doesn't want another John Harbaugh. I think they want to go a different direction. Whereas the Steelers, I think they'd be fine getting another Mike Tomlin. They'd like a younger Mike Tomlin to be their head coach. And I don't know these things, like I don't have any info, just kind of reading tea leaves on how

everything went. And then the Browns, the Browns are the Browns, man. Like they're changing head coaches. This is not shocking. I think Stafansky is a pretty good head coach. Wouldn't be surprised if he was, you know, hired to be a head coach again, not move down to an offensive coordinator type role. We'll see what they try to do.

It seems like I don't know what they want to do. They hire everybody. They hire anybody. And I don't mean that even a negative way. I think, like, they hire, you know, young offensive minds. They also hire older defensive minds. I think Romeo Cronnell to Kevin Stefansky and Eric Mangini the Man Genius. And we'll see if anybody can make it work in Cleveland because it's been hard.

But that, that to me wasn't surprising at all. And if I was going to look at these opportunities as if I was a prospective coach, like the Ravens might be the best in the entire NFL. And then I don't know how much I want the stuff. Steelers are Brown's jobs. Where the Steelers comes with, you know, the history, the job security, everything you get. They also don't really have a quarterback. And everybody's getting kind of old and expensive. And then the Browns, similar issue, don't have a quarterback.

A lot of holes, especially on offense. I can't think of a wide receiver I want to keep. I can think of the tight end, Harold Fanon. I'd like to keep him. Offensive line. All old, injured and expensive. And some of them are leaving for sure. It's tough to look at the Brown's job and see, like, that's a great spot for a head coach.

Yeah. But we'll see. Maybe next time I'm on, we'll have some hires that we could talk about. But that'll be interesting. But, yeah, I'm not shocked by this to Fansky one. I was surprised a little bit by both Harbaugh and Tomlin. I thought it was whoever lost that game was getting let go. But it sounds like, yeah, I think.

And it was for a week. And Tomlin stepped down. He wasn't exactly fired. Maybe there was some mutual pushing of like you should. But it feels like everything we've heard is Tomlin wanted to. and he wanted to go spend time with his family. And Ronde Barber actually did a lot of that. Talked about it and talked about how good Tomlin was for him and his career.

Well, I mean, and how this relates to the Bengals, all three teams in the AFC North, not the Bengals, are changing head coaches. So the Bengals are ahead of that. But again, it all goes back to the pressure now being on this organization to make sure that they are making the right decisions. And Jake Liscoe brought this up on Tuesday, coach you and I were with him. some organizations in the NFL move at different speeds for better or worse than the speed that Bengals move at. If you're an organization like Mike, as you mentioned, Cleveland, they're making changes just to make changes.

Sometimes it's not the best thing to do. Philadelphia is good at making changes because they have a great front office and they get it right. But organizations like Cleveland, Miami, Tennessee, Arizona, Vegas, they don't get right because their front offices are not very good. So sometimes continuity is good. The Bengals are going that route. we'll see how it compares. Coach, NFL playoffs this weekend in 60 seconds. Tell us why 49er Seahawks is such a great rivalry. Oh, you know what? I know that when I was there, we hated the guy.

They're the nearest plane ride away. Plus it all, it started, you know, way back when Jim Harbaugh and Pete didn't like each other because one was at Stanford and one was at SC. And it became a very, very physical game from that point on. And then all of a sudden you got the Seahawks who were really ascend. I mean, they were on the rise. And then they were able to start talking some serious trash, which the Niners didn't. They weren't that California cheese eating, wine drinking group.

And they clashed in terms of their preparation for games. So, you know, you talk about a great NFL rivalry. It's much like, you know, everybody against the, the Cowboys, you know. I mean, everybody hates them. Why for what they stand for, you know, and what they are and how they think that they're, you know, the Cowboys have won and who knows how long, you know. So, but everybody looks at it again, just like that. I brought this point up.

When Seattle joined the NFC West in 2002, San Francisco, I mean, they had everything Seattle wanted, Super Bowls, Hall of Famers, Legends. Seattle then became that. They won a Super Bowl and that San Francisco wanted to become them. Now it's like with this playoff game tomorrow night, where does this rivalry shift to? It's going to be a very, very interesting game tomorrow night.

Mike, your favorite game of this weekend is what? it's probably Seattle and San Francisco. But I think the one that I have the hardest time trying to pick, to me, is the Texans Patriots. Yeah. Because the Patriots, good offense, but man, that Texas defense looked really good on Monday. And plus, Patriots offense was getting kind of beat up by the Chargers Edge duo. I can only imagine what this Texans defensive line does if they give that same level performance. So that's one that I'm looking at.

I'm not sure it'll be the biggest scoring game, but that's where you've got the unstoppable force meets the immovable object. And I want to see who comes out on top. Two-A coaches that played linebacker for the respective franchises leading their teams into an AFC divisional battle. Let's go through each game. Pick who we think is going to advance to next weekend's conference championship games. We start tomorrow. 430 CBS Bills. Broncos, who do you guys have in this one?

I think the bills. I think I can go with the better quarterback in a playoff situation. Good pick. Coach, how about you? You know what? Having a couple of weeks off is really hard on a team. Sure, you get healthy, but you know what? Those teams exit really fast, and you become the healthiest team not in the playoffs anymore. And I think that Buffalo is on a role right now. They know who they have to saddle up to take the team where they got to go, and I got to go with Buffalo.

I'm going to make it three for three. Mike is right. Josh Allen's the best player on the field. I think it's going to be a very back-and-forth nipp and tuck game. Bill's 30. Broncos 26. Niners Seahawks. I'm going to go to Seahawks. I think they're favored for a reason.

The Niners, it was amazing they beat the Eagles. I actually did bet money on that. I was like, I think the Eagles stink kind of. So I looked at that, but man, they're too injured. They're too injured to take on the Seattle team to me. I wouldn't be shocked if San Francisco wins, but I'm going to go Seattle.

Coach, how about you? I got to go with my friend, Kyle, Shanahan, because I think that you give him, time up from an offensive standpoint to dissect them. I think they will score points. They will score points and they will control the ball game in terms of offensively against Seattle's defense. The key for me is whether San Francisco can keep Seattle's offense under control to allow their their offense to win the game. But I got to go with Kyle.

I got to go with 49ers. Wow, picking against your former team. I'm going Seattle. I just don't know how the Niners are going to move the ball tomorrow night, offensively against a really good Seahawks defense. I'll take Seattle 2721. Texans Patriots, very difficult game. Mike, who you got?

I think I might go Texans. And I know that that is the underdog here, but I was very impressed by them in round one. I was reasonably impressed with the Patriots, but the Texans to me was kind of a statement. Now, the caveat here, if C.J. Straub plays like he did. I don't think they're going to face a team that is like the Steelers

where they can't capitalize on three turnovers inside the 50. I think this is a team that will capitalize on those turnovers, but I kind of expect him to play just a little bit better. and I expect the Texas defense to really give this Patriots offense trouble. Coach? I've got to go with the Texans as well. I think their defense is just too good. And again, I'm just like Mike.

You can't turn the ball over and expect to win, especially in the playoffs. And C.J. Stroud has got to secure the football and play small ball if you have to, but allow your defense to win it. I'd be much more confident the Texans, if that knew, Nico Collins was going to play. He's dealing with a concussion that he's sustained on Monday night football short week. I think it's going to be a very, very physical game. I'm going to take the Patriots.

I'm going to take Drake May. I trust him more right now. 2317 Patriots win. Best for last. Rams Bears were in ungodly light cold weather conditions in Chicago where that stadium is going to be rocking. Who do you guys like in this one? If it wasn't so cold, I would be way more confident in this.

But I feel like I'm going. Rams despite the cold. The Bears really interesting. They've won a lot of games. It feels like they kind of just don't really play good football to the fourth quarter. It hasn't matter. They're like the best fourth quarter team we see. But the Rams to me feel like a team, unlike the Packers, that can put them away if they do that this week, where if they kind of just mess around for three quarters and you go into the fourth quarter down a couple of scores, the Rams to me feel like more of a team that's going to finish that job off and put them away. So I'll go with the Rams. Wow. Coach, how about you? Well, I think the Rams will win the first half. I think that now,

if they win the first half and they get enough lead where they can hang on, I think they're going to be fine. But you get that other team that believes they're a second half team. Now, do they show up in the first half or not? You don't know. But I, you know what? They've got some magic going there. and the one thing that they do very, very well is they take the ball away. And Matthew Stafford has been known to turn the ball over and throw it to the other guys every now and then. If they can do that and get some turnovers, I'm going to go with the Bears and probably if the Bears win it, then Matthew Stafford's out of the MVP voting. Yeah. I definitely agree with you there.

I'm going to take the Bears 34, 28. I think the Rams, Mike, you're right. When they're at their best, they are a Super Bowl contender. But for me, they did not put Carolina away. I mean, they had to go to the 12th round to put them away. So I'm taking Chicago in the cold. I think Stafford's finger is going to bother him. If I'm Dennis Allen, Bears' defensive coordinator, if I'm Dennis Allen,

I am bringing four when they are passing, and I'm blitzing on third out. Yeah, I think the finger injury is huge too. If Stafford comes out and you just see balls sailing left and right, that's it. That game's probably over if he can't play quarterback because I don't think they're going to be able to have enough to put the bears away. Coach, final thoughts? Have a glove on. So you got a broken finger with a glove on and it's taped.

That's a different animal as well. Tell you what. Four great games this week. Two great shows coming up next week. Thank you so much for being with us for the. the two shows this week on Bengals Squad. He's Mike Santagina at Bengals underscore Sands. Coach Art Valero and Arthur Ballero 54. I'm Alex Frank at Frankie underscore Nattie. For more on how to become a member of the Every Dare Club here at the Lockdown

Podcast Network. Visit lockdown podcast.com slash every dare. Lockdown podcast network is the number one sports podcast network in America and the world, your team every day. Lockdown Bengals is back daily next week. We are back Tuesday and either Thursday or Friday next week on the Bengals Squad show. Have a great weekend. Enjoy all the playoff games. and we'll talk to you next time right here on the Bengals Squad show. Part of Lockdown Bengals and the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.