Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - AFC Squad: Will Only One AFC South Team Make NFL Playoffs?

Episode Date: October 30, 2024

In this week’s AFC Squad, the crew discusses the Cleveland Browns win over the Baltimore Ravens, recaps from the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos wins. They also discuss the Anthony Richardson benching in Indianapolis and preview some of Week 9’s biggest games including the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Bilt RewardsEarn points now by paying rent right now by when you go to joinbilt.com/lockedonnfl5 Hour ENERGYWhat’s your Fan Fuel this week?! Whatever it is, do it with a 5 Hour Energy!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.Hillsdale CollegeAll of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started.PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload 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.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.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)

Do the Steelers belong in the Bills and Chiefs conversation as contenders in the AFC? Plus, could the Broncos play sports with the Baltimore Ravens this week and really reset the AFC? We break it all down on today's installment of AFC Squad. You are talking ball with the AFC Squad. From the Chiefs to the Bills, the Ravens to the Texans, and everyone else around the AFC, it's the local experts of the Locked On Podcast Network bringing you scoops, breakdowns, and the most comprehensive preview of the upcoming weekend for hard-hitting AFC football with our harder-hitting takes.

Buckle up. It's the AFC Squad, and we have a seat for you. No hurt feelings allowed. Squad up. You're part of the AFC Squad. Welcome in, everyone, to another installment of afc squad sit back grab your favorite beverage and join us as we get you ready for another wild week across the afc week nine of the nfl season is here today's episode is brought to you by fanduel

place your first five dollar bet you'll get started with two hundred dollars in bonus bets guaranteed visit fanduel.com to get started we're joined today by an awesome cast of folks around the afc and folks just a disclaimer as always if we don't talk about your team or if your host isn't on here encourage them to come out of the show because hey we're all trying to break it all down have a good time here obviously let's welcome in jeff lloyd host of the lockdown browns podcast mike debate host of lockdown patriots Mike DeBate, host of Locked On Patriots, Kevin Ostreicher, host of Locked On Ravens and also Locked On NFL. Chris Carter joining us this week, Locked On Steelers bringing it, the Renegade in the fourth quarter, and Chris Clark of Locked On Chiefs.

We have some of the top heavy AFC teams here, some teams that have played spoils. Let's open things up, though, by going through a quick recap of everyone whose team played this week that is here. Kevin and Jeff, I feel like we probably can talk about the game between the Browns and the Ravens being the game of the week here. We don't have to. We don't have to.

It went down to the wire. It was entertaining. But the Browns coming out on top. Jameis Winston eating W's after the game. Jeff started off on your end. What happened there in that Browns game? Then we'll kick it to Kevin. Look, there was so much that went into that week. Look, one in six.

You know what one in six means, just to say that number. We can't lose again. Not that anybody really thinks they're probably going to go on a run that may save this, although the AFC is a little quirky so far this year. But when Kevin and I did the crossover, I'm like, look, this change needed to happen a month ago and it only needed to happen to put Jameis Winston in to see if, hey, was it just the quarterback?

And look, not everything was going well. Not much of anything was going well. But the offensive line was starting to get healthier. And I told Kevin, I said, look, this is the first time we know what the unit is on Wednesday. Normally, it's like Sunday morning when we know who the starting offensive line is. And Jameis was going to go out there and just throw the ball. That's what Jameis Winston does. Good, bad, and very similar to the guy that everybody got upset

they didn't bring back in Joe Flacco. I'll continue to throw the ball. I will throw it. He's not going to make plays with his legs. He knows he's not. But they all collectively just played better. Defensively, look, they know Lamar. They know him well.

They've played him 1,000 times, and they got into some situations where they broke them or only got field goals also to keep in mind if Justin Tucker didn't miss the earlier field goal it would have come down to another Justin Tucker field they would have never had to go for the touchdown on that last drive but look they're feeling better about themselves they're about to get out of an error that was comically bad I don't even know what phrase to use for almost three seasons they're going to be beyond that. And, you know, they were kind of tipped their hand probably to do it,

but you're already looking to the rest of this year and 2025. And what was one of the worst acquisitions in the history of professional sports will be behind them from here on out. Kevin, your thoughts on the Ravens. How do they respond? What's the, what's the mood after a game like that? Obviously a disappointing loss where we've talked about here on the show one week, the Ravens look like the best team in football one week. It's like, Oh, how did they barely pull that one out? What's

going on with the Ravens? They dropped the ball. Literally they dropped the ball and we can do a whole demonstration right here, guys. This it's the Orioles theme ball for the Baltimore Orioles. You catch the ball. That's how you have to do. Three to five dropped interceptions. Three to five dropped passes. I got a five. Yeah, just brutal all the way around. And look, I mean, credit to Cleveland for coming out and playing that game and doing it the way that Jeff and Obi talked about it.

Like, okay, well, now you kind of have a little more structure and a little more, oh, is this the belief type deal? But for the Ravens defensively, their secondary has been terrible all season. They were down two corners and Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins. And the surprise to us all was that Marcus Williams, who had been playing very poorly this season, was not even a healthy scratch.

He was active, but did not play a single snap. And for those who don't know, this is Baltimore's five-year $70 million man a couple of years ago. And after the game, John Harbaugh said that's an internal-type situation. Keep it in-house and you never want to hear that. I mean, you don't really know what's going on there. So now you have a situation in Baltimore. You're 5-3.

You're the only team in the AFC above.500 with three AFC losses. And those obviously can come back to bite you in a big way in a couple of months. And we're talking about playoff seeding and playoff just expectations. But at this point, the offense, and I'm sure we'll get to it. The Ravens acquired Deontay Johnson on Tuesday to bolster their wide receiver group. But they need more than that. I think in the vacuum, the Deontay Johnson move is great. But it's how do you bounce back from that?

And Deontay Johnson's not rushing the passer. He's not lining up and covering Courtland Sutton against Denver on Sunday. You have to kind of find ways to get better as a team, but not on the offensive side of the ball for the Ravens' defense, I think, where everybody in Baltimore is looking right now. Well, let's get over to Mike. Go ahead. I was just going to ask him, do you think that they overlooked the Browns?

It's possible. I mean, I think the thing with the Ravens, Chris, and this is all the way across the board for Baltimore, is, look, you put together a team of all pros in the regular season, the Ravens are whacked from 540. You put us six out there, the Ravens are losing. Like, that's kind of been the M.O. with the Ravens, is they will play, quote-unquote down to competition I think look Baltimore's roster right now is in a

better spot than Cleveland's but you know Cleveland played with a lot of heart in that game and Baltimore just didn't make the plays to win so I think that overlook it's possible but I just think that yeah in general they just didn't come to play those are one thing one thing Kevin and I talked about in the crossover was, I said the one advantage the Browns have is there's no tape on Jameis Winston being the full-time quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. And it probably certainly didn't help Kevin that three out of four, whatever you're going to clarify, Marcus Williams,

three out of four starters in your secondary didn't play. Some confidence there. But I chalked it up too as well. Those AFC North showdowns, they're brutal. It's a bloodbath between all those teams there. Even if one team's got a great record, one doesn't. So we'll see how they bounce back. Well, let's kick it over here to Mike DeBate, host of Locked On Patriots.

I think the NFL world is smiling at the Patriots right now because of what we saw on Sunday. Obviously, taking it to the New York Jets, winning, obviously, 25-22, another L in the book of Aaron Rodgers. And once again, I have to say it, Robert Sala continues to find ways to lose, you know, here, even though he's not coaching it. Man, I can't believe they're doing as bad as they are. And it's all Robert Sala's fault there.

I mean, there's got to be something there. Mike, obviously, what's the vibe, obviously, for the win for Drake May? Obviously, he goes out in that game. I know that was a little bit of a concern. Is he going to be back this week? Do you think, think obviously concussion protocol is a little bit of a different animal but how big was that win for the jets i mean for the patriots that was huge for the patriots i mean there's a lot of bad west side story going around right now in foxborough people saying when you're a jet you're a jet all the way and yeah look the jets shot themselves in you know they really did they didn't contribute

to their own they really contributed to their own demise I guess is the best way for me to put it Cody eight penalties really poor game management missing kicks uh this is the type of things that teams look to capitalize on but look I want to give the Patriots some credit before this game the narrative here in New England was that this team was soft. They were essentially called that by their coach on the podium following their loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. So what did they do? They went out and they out-toughed, in my opinion, a more talented team. They played them straight up. They dared Aaron Rodgers, Devontae Adams, and Garrett Wilson to beat them through the air one-on-one.

Garrett Wilson had a pretty good game. But Christian Gonzalez was able to hold Devontae Adams in check. Aaron Rodgers was not Aaron Rodgers because the Patriots were playing him much more single coverage than the double that he was eating up the last time these two teams played in that regard New England essentially took it to them and look when you're in one in 16 any type of win is going to be a good win been a long time since the Patriots had won on their home field at Gillette yeah the vibe in New England is very good but Drake good win. Been a long time since the Patriots had won on their home field at Gillette. Yeah, the vibe in New England is very good. But Drake May right now, definitely a concern.

He's still in concussion protocol. We want to watch how he progresses throughout the week. My guess is he probably will not suit up this week against the Tennessee Titans. But stranger things have happened. If he can get out there, I know he wants to be. If he's medically cleared, he will be. But if not, Patriots may may go again with jacoby brissett oh we'll see how that plays out here let's throw it to locked on steelers host chris carter monday night football against the new york football giants chris russell wilson like i said hey final ways to win naji harris was going

off there in that first half obviously you know an impressive win for the steelers right now you look at the afc they are tied for the the Steelers right now. You look at the AFC. They are tied for the second seed right now with the Houston Texans. Houston's got, obviously, the conference record tiebreaker over them right now. Everything going on with the Steelers, what's the vibe there? The vibe is that they still aren't close to their ceiling, and I think that that's a good place for what is relatively a young team. You look at all the guys that are young and contributing right now,

and guys who are hurt, you know, they're playing without Zach Frazier, who was playing lights out for the first month and a half of the season, and he got hurt. And then they got a guy, Ryan McCollum, and he's now had three starts, and he's been pretty solid, you know, at the center position. But you look across the board, they're finding the balanced identity that they've wanted to have since Ben Roethlisberger retired, even when he did retire uh but now with the new investments in the offensive line they've been able to get a push in the run game naji harris three straight games with a

rushing over 100 yards first stealer to do that since james connor in 2018 um and you're seeing when with russell wilson and a move to bring him in that a lot of people questioned a lot of people were like oh this is a dumb move mike tomlin's in over his shoes and he what he's doing is he's bringing the balance to the offense he's got he's average you look at deep ball passing right now he's on 20 yard passes that travel 20 yards or more uh you know right now in the nfl he has he has the the best yards per average on that of quarterbacks that have called that have thrown 20 passes out of play actually is the harder the longest uh yards yards per attempt on that. What he's doing is he is allowing them to stretch the field a little bit

more into actually unlock different parts of the passing offense, not to make the Steelers some top tier passing unit, but to do enough to say, Hey, you have to honor Pickens over here and Austin over here and Frymuth over there and Darnell Washington over there. And then when you're, while you're busy worrying about that,

then the run game is coming and now they're able to hit you with different ways. And you saw that in this game. And, and as I talked to Russell Wilson at the podium after the game, there were several plays that they were like this close from having a touchdown that were execution wise, you know, as far as the structure of the play was exactly what you want. The first pickings touchdown callback because Broderick Jones got called for a face mask.

There was a play where Van Jefferson, if he just sits in the right spot instead of trying to run into the defender, it's a touchdown. And then George Pickens tapped his right foot twice, just couldn't get the left foot down. Missed the blade of grass there. I mean, three plays right there where you're talking field goals into touchdowns. And this game is an entirely different thing. And I think that the thing is, is Russell Wilson not only sees sees that but he gets that and he gets other guys to get that and the vibe in the locker room is just so much different you look back to last year when Mason Rudolph was blowing up the Bengals on on uh on on Sunday night football and you saw Kenny Pickett

kind of just like sitting there just kind of like on the sideline with the hood up and just kind of like taking it in not really reacting looking kind of emotionless and then you look at this game justin fields who just got just got benched after six games we scored 10 touchdowns only through one interception and he's laughing with russell wilson they're piling around that's the environment that that that that mike thompson wanted to see russell wilson help recreating the steelers offense they have that on the defense they have leadership there's no question there when ben roethlisberger retired along with marquis pouncey david de castro and a number of other guys that set the tone there for many years, there was a vacuum that no one was able to occupy,

and they've been trying to get that for years. I think Russell Wilson is helping with that, and I think it's helped the Steelers realize, hey, we can be a good football team if we do these things, and we can be a serious contender when we start checking off those boxes. Yeah, it's nice to see Russell Wilson having some success there in Pittsburgh. Like I said, he was always great to me in Denver covering him. Nice to see him have success.

You got George Pickens dropping to Shawn Michaels' elbow on people on interception returns. That dude is wild, man. We're going to continue recapping that. We'll obviously recap the Kansas City Chiefs being the lone undefeated team right now in the National Football League. We'll do that. Plus, we'll also talk about how Anthony Richardson got himself benched here on today's AFC Squad.

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Continuing on here is AFC squad episode this week with Jeff Lloyd, Mike debate, Kevin Ostreicher, Chris Carter, and Chris Clark. It's a battle of the Chris's here today. As we continue on here, we'll highlight a couple of the other games. So I want to say thank you so much for making all of us your first listen here once again. And as always disclaimer, if you're're in the comments you're mad that your team is not getting talked about please hassle and hound your host to jump on here the afc squad show chris carter's listeners came through for him a couple weeks ago my man appreciate that as always

chris clark we had an opportunity we went through everyone else and talked about it the kansas city chiefs the lone undefeated team coming off of a win against the Las Vegas Raiders obviously uh you know some of the storylines building up to that game were based on what happened last year on Christmas uh definitely not I think we the outcome we expected but more so like Patrick Mahomes isn't playing his best football still and yet they're still finding ways to win it's the most puzzling thing that I've seen this season in the NFL. What went on in that game? Well, I think the big thing and the big story for the Chiefs is they make a move and they go get DeAndre Hopkins.

And you bring him in and he is there for all of two days of practice and gets three targets in the game, gets two catches, one set up a field goal, another one got a first down on the first third down of the game. I mean, he came in and showed why he is one of the best wide receivers that's played in the NFL for a very long time. And that's exactly what the Chiefs needed. I agree with you, Mahomes hasn't played great. He continues to struggle at times.

But I also think that the talent around him needs to step up a little bit. And I think that you're going to see a little bit of a different offense with DeAndre Hopkins uh now in the offense now in the fold and hopefully Juju will be back maybe not this week but I think next week uh and that will give you another option you know in receiving then you look at Hollywood Brown late in the season coming back I think that's going to be a big thing but watching Hopkins on the field get open and get open in against man coverage is something that Kansas City hasn't had a lot of. So I do think that that's going to help the offense. But, you know, props to the defense. I mean, you know, they get a goal line stand where it's fourth down.

You know, they hold them four straight downs, don't allow a touchdown to the Raiders. And, you know, the defense kept them in it the whole game. So that's how they're winning right now. And I still feel great about it because I still think Mahomes is going to play better down the stretch and he'll get better as the rest of the team kind of gets better around him all right well we'll see how it continues play they obviously have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week banged up no Mike Evans no Chris Godwin and then next week they'll host the Denver Broncos we'll break it down probably next week here but

shifting gears here as we focus on some of the larger storylines around the afc right now obviously today very interesting news came about anthony richardson being benched in favor of joe flacco come to find out it's just based on something that he admitted in a press conference that he absolutely shouldn't have admitted he tapped out of the game there you know everyone's wondering okay hey is he banged up what's going on he said no i was tired i needed a break i want to throw it around here get your guys's reaction to that starting off with you chris carter uh it's something that i don't understand what he needed a break from this guy's a heck of an athlete is he is he mentally strained

is he physically strained what's what's going on there um you know i i think the one thing that mike tommen says he says i always want to have to say, whoa, not sick him. Or no, I want to say, and that's the whole thing, is that if you – I have to come out here and try to say, hey, do you feel like being a dog today? Do you feel like going and whooping the snot out of whoever's right in front of you? If I have to coach that out of you, I don't want that.

And I think that's what, in general, coaches don't want to have to deal with. And if this guy's questioning whether or not he should be in right now, something's wrong with his head. Now, he's a first-round quarterback. You want to give him time to figure it out. Everyone's got different mental challenges. You don't know what's going on in his personal life. There could be a lot of things that explain those reasons.

But as of right now, the Colts are a team that is not out of the playoff race. They have every reason to be fighting right now, and they've got to put in someone who's going to give them the best chance to fight while they work on the mental health of their quarterback who is pulling himself out in that situation. I think it's – I know that there's a lot of people that, oh, he's soft, he's this, he's that. Maybe he is.

I don't know. But whatever it is, the Colts need to have their medical professionals, their mental health professionals work with Anthony Richardson, see what the root of the problem is, and hope that you can come to a resolution that helps him play his best football again. Yeah, and Mike DeBate, I'm going to throw this to you just real quick. I want to get my piece in here.

I don't feel like they should close the door on him just yet. He's young. That was a mistake that he made. But obviously, I think, Chris, you made a lot of valid points about some of the things that maybe could be going on behind the scenes that none of us are privy to. We obviously hope he's going to handle this okay and maybe bounce back here. But, Mike, debate your thoughts here on the Colts quarterback situation.

Yeah, I think Chris really summed it up very, very well. I mean, you look at a situation on its face, and it does not look good. It looks like a player is tapping out, a young player that should be full of vigor, should be full of vibrance and want to get out there and lead his team to the playoffs. Taps out is not able to go. We don't know if there are things that are going on behind closed doors that none of us are privy to and if that is the case then you have to give him his just do at that point but look this flies in the face of what the uh indianapolis colts have been saying all along anthony richardson needs to be out there to develop a synergy with his teammates. And the more he's not out there, it's a detriment to this team if he's going to be the long-term solution.

44.4% completion rate this season. Fifth worst in a player's first six games of a season since 2000. You need to get this kid out there on the field and need to help him work through it. If it's not going to be a situation where it's a quick fix and he's going to need some time away from the field by all means give it to him but they need a commitment from him that once he steps back on the field he's ready to go go jeff we'll go kevin and then we'll go chris clark look

this probably isn't a situation that you just pointed anthony richardson i mean this is where we're at now quarterback play and look cody you're going through right now, Bo Nix is, you know, the darling. I mean, had the rookie month of October. But some guys, it just doesn't go that well. I mean, people were leaving Caleb Williams on the side of the road at the end of September. Like, you know, you got to adapt to NFL lifestyle. And look, there's no rhyme or reason on who hits, who doesn't.

And all the time that's put into this, I mean, look, it's great, and we all love covering the NFL draft, but at the end of the day, is the kid going to hit or not? And I don't think anybody truly knows. But Anthony Richardson, let's be honest, there was a very small amount of time playing college football. And what are we seeing now? Because of NIL.

And I believe, I think, like the top three or four quarterbacks we're already talking about in the 2025 class are all older than Anthony Richardson, who's now in his second NFL season. So, you know, you base these things and make major decisions. And, you know, look, again, we don't know what the kid's personal situation is. But basically the Indianapolis Colts took a kid who threw what was like 400 passes in college, 445? And basically said, you are hopefully the next decade of this franchise. So it's tough because, and look, Bryce Young's going, I mean, all of these kids, so much is put on you. And what do we all talk about?

Oh, he needs to play. Oh, well, he needs to sit. And you can talk to 12 people and six of them will say he needs to sit. Six of them will say he needs to play. But look, for the Coltsts it's a really difficult situation I'll be honest the way the AFC is kind of looking I'm not sure it's going to matter either way who the quarterback is for the Colts you're probably only going to get one team out of the south probably um but you know look you don't like to see this for any young athlete and you always

worry about how much is put on a kid's plate too fast. Look, we all know he is an exceptional, exceptional talent, athlete. And maybe years ago it would have been you have to sit for a little bit, like the plan was maybe for a Lamar Jackson, obviously. But when you make a decision at 10, I think it was overall in the drafts, he's got to play and he's got to play right away. And if it flames out, it flames out. Coach's jobs are even shorter than quarterback's jobs. it's crazy the way it is with the quarterback position right now in the league because there's not enough good quarterbacks and people are basically bailing

and running way too quickly yeah i i agree jeff you have to nail right on the head exactly where i was going it's the state of young quarterbacks in today's game where you know bet you know however far you want to go back it was guys would sit behind guys draft picks would sit behind young players or older players unless you know they were this top pick and then you play right away but now we're seeing you know second round picks start and then get thrown away i mean drew a lot what was someone that obviously has moved on to what cody's on his third team now with the with with the giants have to go into Seattle and that Russ deal. I mean, you know, it's, it's difficult.

Mac Jones Mike is now in Jacksonville after he got a shot with the Patriots and the Patriots said, all right, it's time to time to go. You're not, you're not the answer. Some of that's just right. Guys didn't work out, but the way that we have seen this develop for younger quarterbacks is they get a shot. And then if it, if if it works great if it doesn't then they're benched and all of a sudden there are questions about is this really the guy should this guy get traded i mean cody it's one of the reasons why sack wilson is now in denver is because the jets were like all right well we tried this out really didn't work now get out of here we don't know it might have been better with him this year

the timeline just it shortens up would have been better yeah yeah but the timeline shortens for these younger quarterbacks now and for anthony richardson who clearly needs development is all young quarterbacks do coming out of college it's not just an anthony richardson thing you know it's definitely a learning experience for him because like he's not the only one that's tired out there all of his teammates are tired all of his teammates are putting their bodies on the line and making sacrifices. And Anthony Richardson quarterback is obviously the position that you look at to be a leader, look at to be the leader of the team in a lot of different cases and him tapping out like that.

And then, you know, wasn't, he just, all right, I'm tired. Well, I mean, everybody else is too. And I think that he'll, he'll learn from this, but it's certainly a pretty bad look. That's a fantastic point, Kevin. That's exactly where I was going to go with it is a quarterback you cannot tap out. I mean, if you're injured, that's one thing. If you're tired, I'm sorry, you can't tap out. And it was the third down.

That makes it even worse. He tapped out going into a third down. They ended up kicking a field goal. And they probably wouldn't have been able to get a first down anyway because it was like a third and 20. It doesn't really matter. At the the quarterback position you were the field general of that offense you were the you know the leader of that team you're supposed to be the leader of that team you can't tap out in that situation injuries happen and i get that but being tired is an excuse

for it and you're right you have other young quarterbacks desmond renner is now with the raiders he played a couple snaps with the raiders. You know, Kenny Pickett's elsewhere as well. So it's a not-for-long league, and that's happening at the quarterback position as well right now. I think you could blame Patrick Mahomes a little bit for quarterback development and how a guy should look. You know, Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Strouds of the world have kind of amplified that.

Organizations, if they're terribly run, don't have patience for a plan for it. And look, I think you look at the Steelers, for example. They realize, hey, Kenny Pickett isn't it? They made a different plan. Is it going to be the long-term plan? We don't know, right? But it gives them time to evaluate their options in the next year,

two years from now, depending on whatever window they have, especially with the defense that they've got. But there's other organizations. I think Carolina is a great example. I know that's NFC, but how terribly they are ran which quarterback wants to go play for that ownership down there in carolina that's where we're at now i was just gonna say when you start looking when you start looking at nfl quarterbacks across the league look at daniel jones in new york they made the horrible decision of giving him a long-term extension and you're stuck with with that

extension he has to play yeah obviously you know deshaun watson in cleveland he has to play because of that contract i mean there's lots of different guys that that's happened with but the young guys that start getting money that shouldn't be getting the money you're going to be stuck with those guys for the next two or three years and the nfc guys yeah the nfc guys were just debating about whether or not malik will is going to be the better quarterback option for the Packers here going forward. So, I mean, you never know. It's all fun. Make sure, folks, you go check out the NFC squad as well

after you listen to the AFC squad here. We're going to continue our conversations here on today's show. Obviously, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. We're going to take a quick glance at Week 9. What are some of the biggest games? And if the Broncos somehow find a way to spoil a road win here against the Baltimore Ravens, how does that change the landscape of the AFC? We'll break that down much more here on today's squad.

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an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Is the Baltimore Ravens season on the line this weekend, as well as a handful of other teams around the AFC, depending on these matchups in week nine. Welcome into another episode of Squad Show here, Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Obviously, a lot to get to. Let's not waste any time, gentlemen.

Obviously, looking at some of the bigger games right now for the AFC in general, we got obviously a road matchup here. The Denver Broncos traveling to take on the Baltimore Ravens. Obviously, right now, Denver is eight and a half point underdogs in that game, but you have a battle between one of the NFL's top defenses and one of the NFL's top offenses in terms of what Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry have in store there. There's that game. Obviously, Kevin, I'm going to open it up to you here. Ravens in a position right now coming off of a disappointing loss to the Browns. Hung know, probably looking to get back on track here. Denver's a tough test there defensively.

The biggest question mark I feel like in this game, and we'll get everyone else to chime in. I feel like is Denver's offense, the lack of consistency, even though the bone Knicks is playing well right now. Yeah. Look, I think if this Ravens defense, like they let Jameis Winston go out there and look like prime Lamar Jackson himself.

So if they do this to Bo Nix and they let Bo Nix throw for 300 plus and secondary still struggles I mean you have so many other issues than just though if they lose that game to the boss because the Ravens had a tough stretch early in the season right they go up against Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Baker, Jaden Daniels. This next month tells you a lot about the Ravens season and Denver, look, credit to them. I mean, they've turned it on and they've been a really, really good football team. And that's a game at home in this defense just is looking for answers. And historically under John Harbaugh, rookie quarterbacks, second year guys, younger players struggle with the way that this Ravens defense operates because they throw so many exotic things at you. And that has carried over from coordinator

to coordinator. But a lot of the issues this year, it's not everything with Baltimore's defense has been Zach or the new defensive coordinator, first time played caller, no high school, college, pro experience, and that inexperience certainly shines through. So, you know, I'm not going to go as far and say, you know, if the Ravens lose this game, it, you know, alters their season or their season is over. You know, there's still – Conference record is the tricky part.

But that's the thing. What I'm going to say is if they have four AFC losses by the time week nine is over, if they don't win the division and if they lose this game pittsburgh comes out of their bias the biggest winner of week nine i mean i feel like at that point you might be in a tough spot and if they're fighting for a wild card look conference record if it comes down to it you might be looking at a six or seven seed which is tough but again here in baltimore with the way the regular seasons have gone versus playoffs you want to baltimore just wants to get the playoffs but of course you got to actually get there first

Chris Carter I mean your team's on a buy thank you for joining us this week even though that you know you don't have a game to cover this week your thoughts obviously on that situation as well and then obviously we'll throw it to Mike debate because the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills face off that's an AFC showcase right there. Your thoughts on this one real quick. I think that the Ravens are in a position. Listen, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, we did our season previews. My two Super Bowl teams were the Ravens and the Lions.

I thought those were going to be the two teams facing off in the Super Bowl this year. I had the Lions winning it all. But I have a lot of confidence in the Ravens team as they're constructed. And I think adding Deontay Johnson for as many head cases he can give you sometimes, he's still a heck of a player, one of the best route runners in football. He's going to get open. Lamar Jackson is going to find ways to use him and make him dangerous. But like Kevin said, you know, I'm worried about that defense and the lack of ability to take advantage of opportunities.

Davis Winston threw the ball to them several times. And, again, I counted five times that they legitimately should have had an interception, including the one that Cal Hamilton should have had to close out the game there. If they can get that unit to be better, they can still win this division and be the thing. I'm still not, you know, I still don't have the Steelers. I know we talked at the top of the show, are the Steelers in the same tier as the Bills and the Chiefs? No. But I do think that they have put themselves in that tier right under them where it's like, hey, they can be a threat. All the Steelers have needed for years.

They've had a top-tier defense. They've had T.J. Watt, Cam Hayward, Baker Fitzpatrick. They've added guys across the board. All they needed was an offense to be middle of the league to balance that. That's what they had when they last were Super Bowl contenders. That's what they have right now.

They're the 15th-ranked offense right now, 23.4 points per game. I don't know why Jeff Lloyd's laughing. He predicted them to finish last, and his Browns are in last place. I'm laughing because it's a Ravens question, and you're talking about the Steelers. I thought we were talking about where these two teams are in the AFC North are right now. I thought that was where we were going with this.

So I'm comparing are the Ravens, and I led with the Ravens. Thank you, Cody. And you did it eloquently. Look, Chris, I think Pittsburgh are the Ravens, and I led with the Ravens. Thank you. Thank you, Cody. And you did it eloquently. I'm not – look, Chris, I think Pittsburgh's playing really well, and they're playing exactly the dream scenario we talked about in the offseason. Are we really worried about the Baltimore Ravens? Are we really worried about Lamar Jackson? Yes.

No, Kevin, a week ago it was Lamar's about to win his third MVP. That's true. Look, they'll figure it out. This team is 5-3. They have Lamar Jackson. Look, they'll figure it out. This team is 5-3. They have Lamar Jackson. Oh, they do. But if you can drop 30-plus. I agree.

They're still my favorites. And look, for the North. Look, I'm not trying to pick a bad pick. For the North, it's going to honestly probably come down to the two. You know, you guys playing each other. That's what it's going to come down to. I think, you know, you're in your own zone. Pittsburgh's obviously better defensively, not better offensively.

Baltimore is really good offensively. They're still working on whatever this defense is. It's a whole lot of new moving parts with a new leader, and it doesn't go very well. You just, so you go simplified. You start playing your cover two, your cover three, keep people in front of you. You know, hopefully get to play four out of four starters in your secondary but i mean i don't know

if we're ready to blow up the baltimore ravens because jamis winston beat three you know three out of four backups for the ravens secondary you know i mean i think it's a little we're pulling out the crash card a little early in my opinion maybe cpr still gets nobody's saying blow him up yeah but i think we are saying that like look i had these guys cruising to to win the afc north and right now they might be in a dog fight and a dog fight with the steelers if there's one team in the nfl that the ravens don't want a dog fight with oh absolutely absolutely like that that's my hope and that's what i'll say about pittsburgh in in Chris, I know you know this more than anybody here, you and I both, if there's one team Lamar struggle with over the course of this career,

it has been the Pittsburgh Steelers. And so look, are we worried about the Ravens offense? We were worried about Lamar Jackson. We were worried about Derek Henry. No, no, we're not worried about those guys, but defensively, they have too much talent to be this bad and yet they are this bad. And that's the issue where it's like a defense with roquan marlin kyle hamilton etc you would hope that okay you could string some stuff together run defense has been fine past defense and past rush have been pretty

bad over the last month plus well the biggest problem that that uh the ravens are gonna face is they still have the steelers to play twice and they got the bangles to play again and that was i mean i know the bangles are great this year but they still have the Steelers to play twice. And they got the Bengals to play again. And that was, I mean, I know the Bengals aren't great this year, but they're better than their record, I think, would say they are right now. And they already lost to the Browns, and they have to play them again. So, divisionally, you still have a tough division to go through. Yeah. Yeah. They get a big win against Denver.

And, Cody, Denver's playing good football right now. It's a tough situation for them to be in because even, like, for Denver, the stakes are high you know they they lost to the steelers early on the season in week two and you look at conference record they're two and two right now everyone else above them the bills have four and two conference record the steelers four and one texans five and oh in the conference right now and then chiefs obviously four and oh undefeated right now and then ravens they're at two and three charters right behind them with the two and two conference record the AFC is very chaotic right now I feel like but it also presents some

opportunities because you look at the Cincinnati Bengals where they're at at three and five and this really is going to kind of segue the end point of our show here is this the final shot like this week against the Raiders if they lose is that the final shot for the Bengals season in terms of getting to the postseason Joe Burrow is putting up tremendous numbers this year, but none of that seems to matter because they're not getting enough stops, and the defense is just kind of like a sieve. Everyone's running through it right now. Is this the last chance for the Cincinnati Bengals this week? If they lose it, is it over?

I don't think there's any way they lose to the Raiders. I think the Raiders played one of their best games last week against the Chiefs, and I think that it's going to be a letdown week for the Raiders. That's personally the way I see it, but I also don't think the Bengals are going to rally off or going to rattle off eight wins, which is basically what they would need to have a good chance to make a run. So Mike debate,

I want to ask you, cause there's an AFC East game, obviously between Buffalo, Miami Buffalo right now looks like the clear cut favorite. They've got a really good cushion in that division right now to a tongue of I lower return last week. We highlighted that. They lose to the Cardinals on a last-second field goal.

Even with the return of Tua, like this game here, if the Bills win this one, is it over on the Dolphins' season as well, their playoff aspirations? Yeah, I think it actually may already be, believe it or not. I think that was a heartbreaking loss for the Dolphins last week. Look, there's a lot of talent in Miami right now, and if they can somehow figure it out and rattle off some wins, this is a team a couple of years ago that went on a pretty historic run

and ended up making a pretty good playoff run. I'm not saying that they're identically constituted, but it has happened before in Miami. If they can do their job this week and really upset a team in Buffalo that everyone expects to roll in this game, then that could be a signal that maybe there's something there in Miami for them to build on, because they do have the talent to make things interesting. But Buffalo is playing at a much higher level right now on both sides of the ball. Josh Allen right now is continuing to have a good

season. I think they're coming into their own a little bit more offensively. The addition of Amari Cooper is very good for someone like a Keon Coleman who needs that veteran presence. I think it's going to be a tough one for Miami, but if they lose, yeah, I mean, you're looking at right now Buffalo cakewalking now into that division title because none of the other teams in the division are even close right now to snipping them. Yeah, the Ravens right now.

You look at conference record, I was just going to say, two and three for the Dolphins. I mean mean you're in a situation just like you are with the other teams with baltimore being two and three you lose another conference game you're gonna have a hard time uh you know climbing out of it to try to even make the you know the back end of the playoffs yeah it's not gonna happen but well i think everyone right now too like if you're looking at the playoff picture you're looking at the standings as it is today. I think if you're the Ravens, if you're the Broncos, you're hoping that the Browns take care of business this week

against Justin Herbert and the Chargers. It's always tough to play in the dog pound. So there could be some good credence to that. You look at some other games as well. I mean, Chris, your Chiefs, they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Who knows what Tampa Bay team is going to show up, even though that they're banged up. But then that's going to set up a matchup next week, AFC West showdown.

Just so many different storylines right now across the entire AFC. Obviously, Mike, your Patriots will travel to take on the Tennessee Titans in one of those games there. We'll see if it's Jacoby Brissett or Drake May on the day. But hey, a lot at stake. And as always, every single

week, we will be here on the AFC Squad Show on the Lockdown Podcast Network, where you know it is your team every day. If you want your team to be talked about a little bit more, a little more representation, where, hey, if we say something about your team, make sure, like, hey, like, encourage your host to jump on

because we like to expand the conversation here. We can get up to 10 people in this show. We're trying to make that happen here. But obviously, you know, we're going to say some controversial things from time to time we appreciate you taking time of your day for jeff lloyd mike debate kevin ostreicher chris carter and chris clark i'm cody work we'll see you next time for another squad show here on the afc