Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - NFL Squad: NFL Divisional Playoffs, Bold Predictions, Coaching Carousel

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

In this week's NFL Squad, the crew discusses this weekend's NFL Divisional Playoffs and shares their Bold Predictions including why the Los Angeles Rams will upset the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend and the latest news surrounding various NFL head coaching vacancies.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Turbo TaxReady for stress-free taxes and the most money back, guaranteed? Head over to TurboTax.com today and get matched with your Expert—who’s ready to take your taxes off your plate, so you can focus on your day.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.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.FanDuelFrom the first whistle to the final drive, FanDuel makes the NFL Playoffs even more exciting!Right now, new customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get THREE HUNDRED BUCKS in BONUS BETS – if you win your first 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)

The Dallas Cowboys want back in primetime while the best of the best take the stage in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. That's coming up on today's NFL squad. You are talking ball with the NFL squad sponsored by Game Time. From the Chiefs to the Bills, Falcons to the 49ers and everyone else around the NFL, 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 football with our harder-hitting takes.

Buckle up. It's the NFL Squad. Then we have a seat for you. No hurt feelings allowed. Squad up. You're part of the NFL Squad. Welcome into the NFL Squad. Sit back, grab your favorite drink, and join us as we get you ready for another wild week in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

We are part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. And today's episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use the code LOCKDOWNNFL to get $20 off your first purchase. And I am joined on this squad today, in this squad today, by great gentleman Landon McCool of Locked on Cowboys, Kevin Ostriger of Locked on Ravens, and Mike DeBay of Locked on Pagers. And joining us outstanding men is also Ross Jackson of Locked on Saints. He's giving me way too much crap before we hit record

to get any love from me in this episode. I thought you surprised I got you to click record. I thought you surprised you actually hit record. That's the one that's pushing the button. Look, Cody Rourke is not here for this episode, and things are already off the rails before we even got started. But we're going to talk today about, obviously, the divisional round of the NFL playoffs happening this weekend.

But, of course, there are other things happening. Even for the teams that aren't competing in the playoffs, Landon,on they are busy they are busy trying to find coaches who could possibly compete with the likes of the Washington Commanders next season um and apparently the Dallas Cowboys aren't satisfied with just getting prime time slots for no reason they also want to get prime time spots in their coaching department what is up with Deion Sanders to the dallas cowboys land well first of all i'd like to point out that we beat the commanders with mike stop living in the past this is 2025 catch up with modern times yeah well yeah speaking of catching up with modern times let's let's talk about prime time as the cowboys coach uh look we can put this to bed right away

by just going ahead and mentioning that in order for Jerry to get Deion Sanders from Colorado, somebody's going to pay Colorado $8 million to get him out of his contract. So considering how cheap Jerry has been these last few years, I don't think Jerry was willing to pay any one coach $8 million for a total contract period. one coach $8 million for a total contract period. I doubt very much that he's going to pay $8 million just to have the, the, the option to negotiate with Deon Sanders on his contract. So let's go ahead and put that out.

But if you want to go down that road, it just doesn't seem like a very feasible thing. Anyways, the things that make Deon Sanders a viable and good college football coach are not necessarily translatable to the NFL. And I think that he's not necessarily looking to get into the business of coaching grown men. I think the thing that he likes to do is he likes being a coach

that shapes young men. His life was shaped when he was young by coaches. So I just don't know that he's a interested in doing this be it's feasible and see that Jerry's gonna pay the money uh that it's gonna take to get it done anyways yeah listen I mean I like Dion and I hope he has a lot of success with Colorado I'm kind of in the same in the same boat like it's not that I want to have a doubt in him I just feel like his brand of coaching probably works better with with with young college players versus nfl pros but you know who knows i saw i saw it may have been a fan but it's still a relative opinion especially in a platform like this one uh dallas cowboys hired

deon sanders trade up to number one pick and draft shooter sanders i mean why not trade up to draft the quarterback number one that a lot of people think is now a day two prospect listen jerry got exactly what he wanted out of this story because everybody was talking about this at halftime of a playoff game they let it off with nfl this morning talking about deon sanders and the dallas cowboys not about the playoff games that were played last night so jerry is is a genius at getting his name in people's mouths and clearly he another victory for him here well to be fair there wasn't a lot to talk about during the playoff game on monday night so you know that's fair i would also say every quarterback needy team that's the dream is if dallas trades up with

dion and takes your derby because who are the quarterbacks available this offseason i mean there's no one and then obviously dallas would have to find some way to move off of deck. If that's the case, I mean, Pittsburgh and all these other teams are dreaming of that scenario because if it's, if it's not that it's Sam Darnold, who that's a whole different conversation now, as opposed to maybe three weeks ago and Russell Wilson, you can get some danger,

which is in high knees with that if you want to. So I don't know what teams are looking at if you're talking about quarterbacks this offseason. Ross Jackson of Locked On Saints. I can't stay mad at you forever, so we'll let you talk about the team that you covered. They need a head coach as well. What's the latest? Did you misplace your anger button?

What? You're the one pushing the button. I need a mute button. Where is Tony Reale when you need a mute button? What's the latest down in the Big Easy, though? Where is Tony Reale when you need him? I need a mute button. What's the latest down in the Big Easy, though? Yeah, so actually the latest here comes down to what's going on in Dallas as well.

So there you go, Jerry doing it again. But really, I mean, you know, we've looked at it here for a while now that the two favorites to become the New Orleans Saints' next head coach would be Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, as well as Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, both of which have some ties here to New Orleans. Glenn more so than Joe Brady, whose ties probably run a little bit deeper with LSU, but still Louisiana ties in that case.

But when it came down to what happened on Monday, then all of a sudden the conversation changed, and now it's looking like the New Orleans Saints will definitely be interested in at least having a conversation with Mike McCarthy. I think it's fair to call him a frontrunner now, not necessarily maybe the frontrunner at the moment, but probably a frontrunner along with Glenn, along with Brady to potentially end up as the New Orleans Saints number one option. Of course, Mike McCarthy's looking at other opportunities out there and everything as well should. Uh, but I think the saints are going to be some big time competitors, uh, forum, uh, general manager, Mickey Loomis, as well as former general manager, now senior assistant, Randy Mueller, both of which were general managers

at the time when Mike McCarthy was offensive coordinator here in new Orleans, many moons ago, There's a time when Mike McCarthy was offensive coordinator here in New Orleans many moons ago, 2000 to 2004. They love Mike McCarthy. And so I could see them really going to bat to potentially bring him here to New Orleans. And instead of going with a first-time head coach, going with a guy that's done it before, going with a guy that sits with them better than 60% win percentage and kind of bring a safer approach to the new head coach position uh in in a veteran coach that's done it before yeah a lot of conversations that surround coaching jobs you know especially when guys are getting fired after one year comes to how patient is a franchise

going to be when it comes to hiring a new coach ross the saints are you know i think historically one of the more patient franchises do you think that is going to be the case with this next head coach? Because while, again, and I'm going to trust your word there, but they're also talking about interviewing guys like Cliff Kingsbury, who when you look on the surface, like Derek Carr, Cliff Kingsbury, not really a fit. So it might take a couple of years, find a different quarterback to really maybe get things rolling.

Are the Saints going to be a team that whatever direction they go is going to have patience to let that coach really kind of take a hold of the roster and get things right. Yeah, and look, this is an organization that's proven sometimes to a fault that they will have that patience, especially with the guy that they have decided. I think you look at the fact that they're $50 to $60 million over the salary cap, the fact that they have no long-term quarterback, proven long-term quarterback option on their roster right now. They could get one of those guys with the two young guys they have on the roster, but they don't have a multi-year starter on a rookie contract at the moment. That's what I look at when I look at the criteria of like, ah, your future is solved, that quarterback for right now.

And they're also an aging roster with six players carrying over $140 million in dead cap that are all over the age of 32 and so with all of that taken into consideration uh they a have proven that they will be patient and b kind of have no choice but to be patient in terms of turning over that roster and getting into their new era and then mike debate of lockdown on patriots i want to ask you this there's there's three other kind of front runner, favorite type of headlines kind of going out there right now. The Las Vegas Raiders,

apparently Tom Brady loves him. Some Ben Johnson, New York jets. Aaron Glenn seems to be a popular pick there. Jacksonville Jaguars, Robert solid. That interview is done of those three jobs, three openings or three candidates.

Mike, if you were, if you were picking, which one of these do you think would be the best fit for where those organizations stand today? Well, I mean, in all of the recon that I've done on Ben Johnson lately, I think his fit in any system right now that's looking to revitalize their offense is going to be very, very interesting. And look, I think it's also very interesting that Tom Brady is very interested in what Ben Johnson has to do. Look, you look at the track record that this guy brings to the table. For the last three years

that he's been offensive coordinator in Detroit, that team has consistently exceeded expectation. Three years ago, before he took the reins in Detroit, you weren't talking about this team as an offensive juggernaut. Yes, they've got great players around, and the job that he's done with Jared Goff and Amon Ross St. Brown and these guys that have really come up and come up big for this franchise is very much on the players. But Ben Johnson's ingenuity, his ability to be able to take players and make them play beyond their capability, in my opinion, makes him, I think, the most coveted free agent out there if he's not already. It's going to be interesting to see where he ends up.

Is the Raiders necessarily the best fit for him in his offense? Yeah, I think the argument can be made, but there's something to be said about catching Tom Brady's eye who's seen it all, done it all when it comes to offense and worked with one of the best offensive coordinators in the last couple of decades in Josh McDaniels. I think for him to have that kind of praise for Ben is something that's really interesting to me. So I've got my sharp eye very closely on the Raiders potentially pursuing Johnson. Sala right now, obviously, if you're looking to revamp your defense, he is the guy. I think he brings a lot of energy and a lot of experience.

And I think he was given a raw deal in New York. I think he's looking to shed that type of um image that's around him right now and i believe he deserves every opportunity to do it so it's interesting to see and what a difference a week makes the team that i cover had no coach last week now all of a sudden they've got their job figured out all we need to do is make sure that mike drable understands that teams that are ahead late in games run the football. And that's the reason why they're running the football, Mike. All we have to do is make sure he understands that Patriots got themselves a great guy here.

Correlation versus causation. The classic. I faced that all year here in Baltimore with Derrick Henry. And I'm like, yes, duh, this is what it means. This is all difference. All deference like, yes, duh, this is what it means. This is not what I'm going to say. All deference to Mike Brable, though. Having the chance to get to interact with him on Monday was truly great. And having him back in New England has a lot of people excited up here,

saying the right things, looking to do the right things. I think he's bringing a level of accountability back to this franchise. Yeah, I think it's going to be a slow road for New England, but I think they're on the right path. Yeah, look, man, I'm with you. I like Ben Johnson and the idea of him going to the Raiders. They've got a lot of cap space coming. They've got a lot of draft capital, four picks in the top 100, I think four picks in the top 80 picks, actually, and they've got no quarterback. So if Ben Johnson's got his eye on a quarterback out there that can be traded for or signed, even if it's a placeholder uh the

Raiders have that opportunity to go and do that so you know it's going to be interesting to see if that's what happens and what works out and you talk about Vrabel I want to ask you this Mike he says he's very comfortable I think I don't know that's the exact quote but he's very comfortable with Elliot Wolfe I know not everybody is comfortable with Elliot Wolfe what is your thought you know and I know it's just starting right but Elliot Wolfe Mike Vrabel how do you feel like those two guys marry together i think they're going to learn to coexist i think there will be some input uh i do believe that mike rabel is the guy right now in new england he's going to be the one that's going to have final say and i do believe that that was essentially the understanding coming in right along if this is going to be rabel's team he knew

that he wanted to put his own stamp on it i think think it's very interesting bringing in Ryan Gowden from the New York Giants, a guy that he has a tremendous amount of synergy with and history with. He's going to be intricately involved in some of these decisions. So I don't see Elliott going away. I actually think he's going to stick. I think he's going to understand his role. I think he's going to play a big role in scouting when it comes to the draft. I know people in the Patriots organization are very high on the grading system that he has that he's looking to implement year after year. But when it comes to a lot of final personnel decisions, I think the buck stops at the desk of Mike Rabel. And I think that's the way it's going to be for the foreseeable future. Yeah, very interesting. Elliot Wolfe, the GM of the New England Patriots, for those who don't know. While Ross and Mike and

Landon have been on vacation, Kevin and I are still hard at work, so we're going to talk about some of the work that we've got coming up this weekend. Divisional round preview coming up next on this NFL squad episode, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. And today's episode is brought to you in part by FanDuel. From the first

whistle to the final drive, FanDuel makes the NFL playoffs even more exciting. And right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win your first bet. That's $300 to keep the action going. The FanDuel app is easy to navigate, and the variety of bets keeps every single game exciting. Plus, when you win, you get paid instantly. No waiting around for your winnings, whether you're betting on your favorite team or just looking to add some extra excitement to the playoffs. FanDuel has you covered, and they have you covered,

especially this weekend when the Houston Texans visit the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday afternoon, 4.30 p.m. Eastern Time as 8.5-point underdogs, or the Washington Commanders visit the Detroit Lions at 8 o'clock p.m. time as eight and a half point underdogs or the washington commanders visit the detroit lions at eight o'clock p.m on saturday night eastern time again nine and a half point underdogs on the road against the detroit lions then on sunday we've got even more divisional round action los angeles rams visiting the eagles the ravens visiting the bills so whatever you want to get that action on just go to fanduel.com to join today and get started with three hundred dollars in bonus bets that's fanduel.com to join today and get started with 300 in bonus

bets that's fanduel.com make this playoff season unforgettable with fanduel an official sports blog partner of the national football league continuing now with this week's nfl squad episode we're gonna dive into the divisional round playoff matchups we're gonna start on the afc side of things i think that's where most people think the most likely Super Bowl winner is probably going to come from if the Detroit Lions continue to suffer from injuries, although they do have a guy coming back this week, so we'll see how that turns out.

We're going to start off. Kevin Ostreicher, LockedOnRavens. You're covering the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Buffalo Bills for this illustrious network, as Aaron Freeman would say. Lamar Jackson versus Josh Allen. It's the sexiest josh allen it's the sexiest game on sunday probably the sexiest game this weekend uh two mvp candidates uh how do you how do you see this one matching up yeah this to me is a thousand percent the game of the week and one

that i think a lot of people both in baltimore and in buffalo wanted now the first time around i don't think this gets talked about enough the first time around baltimore was able to run buffalo out of their city 35 to 10 win but obviously we're four months removed i mean that was in september you know two different teams the bills didn't have three key defenders the ravens had some people out and the ravens defense was terrible at that point in this season their past defense was awful they've removed some of their not-so-friendly locker room presences from their team, to put it nicely. We just heard with Deontay Johnson that happened again with him. And I'm sad that Chris Carter isn't here,

so he and I can have our weekly Deontay Johnson vid on the squad show here. But I think the thing with Baltimore versus Buffalo, it's going to come down to how well Baltimore can run the ball against Buffalo's defense. And Baltimore struggled with some physical defensive fronts this season. Pittsburgh earlier in the season, although that wasn't an issue last week, they certainly were able to run the ball on Pittsburgh. Kansas City, Philly, like those physical fronts.

Buffalo's a smaller defense. They have smaller defensive linemen. It's funny because when you look at the top three season, the AFC, people almost think it's like a triangle of teams that match up with each other. People think Buffalo matches up great with Kansas City. Kansas City matches up great with Baltimore, and Baltimore matches up great with Buffalo. It's like that triangle solving equation. So with Baltimore versus Buffalo, I agree with that. Buffalo's run defense wasn't great all season. They were 19th in the league in terms of net yards per attempt. And while they did miss some key guys at times this season,

Derrick Henry is just a dude. Derrick Henry's a beast. And I think, in my opinion, the way that Baltimore wins this game, time of possession is going to be huge. The Ravens held the ball for 40 minutes against the Steelers, and the Bills held the ball for 41 minutes against the Broncos. What's the best way to stop a great quarterback from beating your team? Don't give them opportunities. Keep them off the field. So if you're the Ravens, you're saying don't let Josh Allen get possessions. If you're the Bills, don't let Lamar Jackson get possessions. I think time

possession can be overblown in some aspects, but I think that honestly it might come down to it in this matchup. Yeah. And, and just like my screen, for some reason, it's going to be very frosty out there in Buffalo. Baltimore's got to get to Buffalo first. We'll see what happens with that lake effect snow. But I do want to ask you about that because weather, you know, it's always a factor when you go play the Buffalo bills in this type of weather. So how do you think, I know the Baltimore Ravens, like, you know, Baltimore is not exactly, you know, the most tropical environment.

So it's not like they've never played in the cold or the snow. But just looking at these two teams, how do you think that could could could play an impact? Yeah, I think when it comes down to it, Lamar's been very vocal about the fact that he does not like cold weather. And he's a Florida guy. So like in the Ravens or the Florida Ravens, essentially, they have a bunch of guys from South Florida and Lamar's been very like, yeah, I'm not. There was a video I think of him a couple of weeks ago. The jacket guy was trying to take his jacket away during a like TV time. Oh yeah.

And Lamar was like, no, no, I'm every, give me the, I want every second of this. Like warm me up, please. So I don't, the thing with Lamar is I think rain and wind impacts him more than cold in general and that has been on display at times over the course of his career as well but I think it helps Baltimore is going to be frigid and freezing when it comes to the run game which by the way both teams can run the ball really effectively James Cook is awesome Derrick Henry is awesome but James Cook admittedly is not Derrick Henry and so I don't know about you guys, but if it is 29 or 18 or 15 degrees

and you have this hulking guy, Derrick Henry running straight at you, you might want to make a business decision or two, which we did see the Steelers do many a times. And they're a much more physical defense. So the Bills have talent on that defense. I think all three levels, they have talent. I just think it's matchup.

And sometimes that's what it comes down to, right? Where you just don't match up well enough with a team, but if you advanced, maybe you would match up with the team and these AFC championship game better. I just don't think it's a great matchup for Buffalo's defense, but that doesn't mean Baltimore is going to win the game. I mean, there are clear paths for both these teams, whether I honestly think it might favor the Ravens in a lot of different ways. I think, I think it's your, it's a standup move by you, Kevin, to be think it might favor the Ravens in a lot of different ways. I think it's a stand-up move by you, Kevin, to be willing to admit that the Buffalo Bills running back is not as good as the running back

that you cover. When Derrick Henry is Derrick Henry, and again, we're talking about Jerry Jones and his sheepness, I want to send a personal thank you to Jerry for not signing Derrick Henry when he clearly, that was a big destiny. A huge problem. He was busy getting ready to bring Ezekiel Elliott back for a second.

Yeah. That's right. What a move. What a move. All excited. And as punishment for that, Landon McCool, Texans versus Chiefs, what do the Texans have to do to stop the Chiefs' three-peat attempt? Well, I guess this thematically makes sense.

The Chiefs used to be the Dallas Texans, and the Houston Texans are the Houston Texans are the Houston Texans. So I guess I'll cover this because I cover the Texas team. Look, I mean, I think we're all trying to find ways to spin this to look like this isn't going to be Kansas City running rough shot over a young Houston, Texas team on their way to a 3P championship. I think that there are definitely, you know, we saw Texans kind of have some success against a very difficult defense and be able to move the ball and be physical. I thought obviously if they can get Nico Collins going the way that they got him going

against the Chargers and they get Mixon running the ball well and they can get physical and move the ball and play keep away. I mean obviously it's the traditional kind of pathway of, of playing an elite quarterback, just trying to play keep away and just control the clock, control the ball. I mean, ultimately at the end of the day, though, the thing that's different this year, maybe more than other years is maybe, maybe the Kansas city offense isn't quite as potent as it has been in the past, but the defense has got more teeth than it ever has had. And it's going to be be really really difficult to move the ball for houston and i think ultimately it's going to be about you know patrick mahomes making the few plays he needs to at the end of the game to win

the game uh and advance on and i think you know this is not going to be an unfamiliar tune you know for for folks who are watching this game yeah yeah uh potentially another game i don't know we'll see because chiefs have been in some some close games that they probably weren't predicted to be close in on paper but we'll see this might be one of those games where i can go to bed at halftime again and and be okay with uh knowing what the outcome is going to be uh jane daniels and the washington commanders are go ahead what was it just just houston pass rush i think has to be a big part of the conversation too right like dino hunter and will anderson like two of the top or or the top tandem of pressure getters according to next in stats they put uh they were a part of getting uh justin

herbert under pressure over 52 of the time if i remember correctly against los angeles chargers and it's not to say that it's a perfect formula in terms of beating patrick mahomes or anything like that but if you want to do something to him, pressure's the way to do it. And those guys don't just get pressure, but they get home. And so I would say that's one piece to the equation as well for Houston's defense, that if that starts to cook, then all of a sudden this game

does become a little bit closer than maybe we think it is. That's all. Yeah, I think they have all the elements to pull this off. The question is, can they do it against a guy who's one of the best of all time in the playoff?

That's where it becomes difficult because I absolutely agree. They have all the pieces you want The question is, is that can they do it against a guy? Yeah. One of the best of all time. Right. Yeah. That's where it becomes difficult because I absolutely agree. They have all the pieces you want to execute the game plan that you need, but, but it'd be difficult to pull off. And I think that's a, it's a good point Ross because the chiefs have had some tackle issues this season with injuries and guys having to like, you know, performance. And Jawan Taylor, someone who we know he likes to get a little bit of a little bit of a head

start on some plays. He'll catch them flags, man. Yeah. Well, less than he deserves, but less than he deserves. But then when he does,

he gets them three in a row. And then all of a sudden it's like, all right, when it rains, of course. Yikes. All right. On the NFC side of things,

Jane Daniels and his Washington commanders have the biggest spread going into the weekend against the Detroit lions. I'm going to tell you why that's BS and totally disrespectful. Coming up next on this week's NFL Squad episode, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Don't raise your eyebrows at me, Landon. This episode is also brought to you in part by LinkedIn Talent Solutions. Growing your small business in 2025 comes down to how well you can hire.

And let's face it, better hires start with smarter insights. Well, that's where LinkedIn comes in with the strongest hiring data available. LinkedIn helps you identify the right candidates, giving you the confidence to make the best decisions for your business. I've used LinkedIn jobs myself, and I can tell you it's a game changer when it comes to hiring the right fit. Small businesses are wearing a lot of hats, so every hire is crucial. LinkedIn gets that. That's why they connect you with the best candidates using data you won't find anywhere else. From unique skills and interests to connections, you share LinkedIn helps you find the right person for the job.

In fact, 72% of small businesses say that LinkedIn has helped them find high quality candidates. I know from experience how important it is to make the right hiring decisions. So having access to insights like that is incredibly important. So hire smarter this year and find your next great hire on LinkedIn. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Wrapping up today's or this week's episode of NFL Squad, we're going to get into the NFC divisional bracket,

and I'm just going to be greedy here at first. Washington Commanders facing the Detroit Lions Saturday night. Myself and my good friend Marshall Mathers will be in attendance for this game. I'm looking forward to seeing Marshall again. We haven't had time to sit down and watch a game since the divisional round last year when the Lions beat the Buccaneers. So, you know, basically best friends. Look, here's the thing. I'm not even going to sit here and tell you that the Washington Commanders

are going to beat the Detroit Lions, okay? But the Washington Commanders have a top six scoring offense in the National Football League. Their defense just held a top five scoring offense during this season to 20 points in a playoff game on the road tampa bay buccaneers are not as good as the short lions got it jameer gibbs better than bucky irving i'm gonna say brown i don't know if i say better than mike evans but certainly a different type of dynamic player james williams all that stuff uh oh my god i got it okay yeah however the fact that the washington commanders are nine and a

half point underdogs when the houston texans are eight and a half point underdogs against kansas city chiefs is absolutely that's kind of why i know that the chiefs but that is where the disrespect comes in here um landon mccool i will give you the opportunity to tell me why i'm wrong why i'm wrong uh I think, you know, the oddsmakers know. I think that they have a good tap into this. No, look, I do think, listen. They also knew the Buccaneers were going to win by three, by the way. That's fair. That's a fair point.

I do think it's a lot. I think, you know, in a playoff game, in any point, like these two teams are not that far apart. I do think that the Lions should be favored, and I think by a healthy amount, but it is still a playoff game, and these are two teams, and it's a divisional round too, so it's not even just like a wild card where a team snuck in.

These are battle-tested teams. It is a little bit disrespectful, I would say. I would say, though, it's probably more about respect for Detroit, and they're playing at home. It's going to be a very kind of one-sided affair, and I think that the oddsmakers are trying to express that. But I do agree that it is still a playoff game. This is a team that has earned the spot that they've made their way into,

much as I hate to say that out loud. earned the spot that they've made their their way into much as I hate to say that out loud uh they deserve uh uh you know less a touchdown I would say is would would would be fair yeah I was going five and a half like I was actually talking some other beat reporters today like five and a half would be like you know what I mean I don't think you'd flinch at five and a half I think that'd be be fair which is pretty much touchdown right but yeah I mean look the Lions are coming off the bye the commanders have a short week they just played sunday night they're playing saturday night uh the lot detroit i mean ford field um the most electric uh environment i've ever been in um i can't wait actually to get back out there um and express their experience that again so yeah lions favorite got it eight or

nine and a half points the biggest spread of the weekend no that's bs um eagles versus rams mike debate we're gonna let you take this one what are your thoughts on this exhilarating nsc matchup coming up uh wow how do i follow that yeah absolutely um look i actually think this one can be a pretty good matchup this weekend look you've got the rams coming in and obviously they're playing right now with a lot of spiritual lift. They're playing for everyone in Southern California right now. I think I speak for everyone on the panel right now. Our thoughts, our hearts are with you.

Continue to stay strong in what is a horrific situation for so many people out there. Wishing you all the very best. And, you know, that uh that they've been through is has really been just horrific but bottom line i think sports can be a distraction and it may be for people in southern california right now this weekend look the rams have the talent on both sides of the ball to come in and make this a game not just make it a game but win the game and anytime you have matthew stafford at quarterback a quarterback that's seen it all done it all you always have the puncher's chance so in that regard the Rams can make this one

extremely interesting provided they do one thing they maintain gap integrity that's something they did not do in week 12 and boy did they pay the price for it if the Eagles are able to take advantage of missed opportunities and missed assignments then they're going to be off to the races we already saw that in their previous matchup. Saquon Barkley ripping off 70-yard runs. A.J. Brown being on the opposite end of Jalen Hurts, and those bombs coming from 20, 30 yards, 10 yards. Those chunk plays are so important to what Philadelphia does well. Look, they had seven plays that went for 17 yards or more in that previous matchup. So obviously if the Rams are going to keep this close, they have to be

able to contain that. I don't know if they're going to be able to do it this time around. As much as I want to say that the Rams are going to be able to give everyone out in California a little bit of a lift, I just think that the Eagles have far too much talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball and on defense. Definitely. You know, you want to make sure that you're trying to contain that potent and very aggressive Eagles defense. To me, the matchup of the week in this is going to be whether or not the Rams defensive front can control the Eagles offensive line. If they can do that, this will be a tight one. And I think a very good game. If it doesn't, I like the Eagles probably in a comfortable one this weekend. Yeah.

Look, I didn't mean for that to sound as disrespectful as it did. I like the Rams. I just think they're a pretty good team. I actually predicted them to win their wildcard round matchup, so I didn't mean to say that. You're a good man, David. We all know that. I mean, look.

Former Commanders receiver Jahan Dotson going up against former Commander of Safety Cam Curl, so it's probably the matchup of the weekend. Everybody's looking for it. Nobody. And A. point fully rested after not playing basically in the wild card round one catch for 10 yards um kevin i do want i do want to get your opinion here before we let ross take us out of this thing what is your favorite non-ravens bills matchup and why is it the Commanders versus the Lions? It actually is the Commanders versus the Lions. It actually is. And the reason is because I think Jaden Daniels is electric,

and I think that this Commanders team – look, Detroit's special, too, in that offensive side of the ball, and we talked about it. They have so many weapons there, and it's hard to stop them. But I feel like this matchup of Jaden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, and that commander's offense with the Detroit defense that has faced so many injuries this season, it's injury after injury after injury.

I think we could be in for a very high-scoring game there, and I think that that will be, again, Ravens and Bills game bias aside, I think that's going to be the most electric game we see this weekend. I mean, that's what the NFL wants. The NFL doesn't want these 9- six playoff games, 10 to seven. They want Rams chiefs from all those years ago, 60 to 70. I think that we could see, you know, both teams put up anywhere from high 20s to low 30s in that game.

And maybe it comes down to another doink for the NFC championship. Maybe that's what happens here. Zane Gonzalez. And, you Gonzalez, he made it happen. And maybe he does it again this week. In is in, baby. I mean, look, Jane Daniels, Zane Gonzalez, two legendary Sun Devils just making it happen for the Washington Mariners. And you know, every DMV football fan wants to see the Beltway Bowl

go down to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. We'll see what happens. Ross, that's where you come in we need a bold prediction from you sir before we wrap this thing up i'm going to give two my my first one is that the rams are going to win comfortably over the philadelphia eagles i think they're playing for something bigger i think they're playing for something better i think they're the better team i think they're the better defense. And I think that what Philly did up against and to a young and still very much in need of improving Jordan Love, they won't be able to do to the veteran quarterback in Matthew Stafford. So I think

that the Rams are going to walk away big winners this weekend. But my other one is that in a weekend where we watch Lamar Jackson go head tohead with Josh Allen, we see Patrick Mahomes, we've got all these other quarterbacks, that it will be Jaden Daniels' name that we will be discussing on Monday after the division round the most for the most impressive performance in the divisional round weekend. Doesn't necessarily mean he's going to win. Which means I'll be booking tickets to Los Angeles. I mean, listen, obviously it's got to be earned because the NFL is not scripted. I don't care. But that's a real good way to celebrate.

I mean, Los Angeles hopefully could be in Los Angeles. I mean, come on. Yeah, come on. That would be pretty cool. So we'll see how those bold predictions uh come out if it doesn't happen and uh i'm i'm on vacation like ross jackson is currently i will i was gonna say i'll be like much scruffier than i am right now but i don't know if that's why anyway thank you everybody for joining today's NFL spot episode we will be back here each week each of us are here

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