NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - 2025 NFL Schedule Release Reaction!

Episode Date: May 15, 2025

Gregg Rosenthal is joined by Patrick Claybon and Cynthia Frelund to react to the full 2025 NFL schedule. The crew breaks down the season's holiday games (01:40), Week 1 (08:10), the Vikings primetime schedule (12:20), the overall primetime slate (19:26), the divisions with the toughest schedules (21:59), the Ravens' tough schedule (31:40), teams with under-valued win totals (33:14) and more! Note: time codes approximate.NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to NFL Daily, where we've seen all the schedules. We got it. And all your teams are going to have a winning record in 2025. I'm Greg Rosenthal. I'm here in the Chris Wesleying podcast studio with my friends, Patrick Claibon, and Cynthia Freeland. Hi. Hi, guys. We got the schedule. The schedule.

It's right here. My hot little hand. It has been released. Yes, into the world. Peek behind the curtain for the first time in a long time. We're actually taping this type of show a few hours before. It's actually released. So it feels very clandestine right now.

No one in the building is allowed to watch this closed circuit show. They are the only ones. They have to cut off their left leg if they watch it. That's the sign something. It's in the document. Yeah, we had to sign some. crazy NDA. So yeah, your left leg is gone if you distribute this to anyone.

And it's great. That's how much we love the NFL daily listeners because we wanted it to get in their ears as soon as possible. Patrick said about this day earlier that he lives for this. This is it. Use expletives. Yeah, that I will not use here out of respect to Eric and everybody back there. This is a. It is fun.

If this is a show that's just for us because, like you said, nobody can watch this. This is where some, there's the naysayers out there, but I am, I am a fan of the schedule release. I believe that this isn't a tent pole event to me. It's a flagpole event. Whoa. I love it. So everyone has different processes with which they look at the schedule when they get it. For me, I immediately go to the holidays.

So let's just start there. Let's go to Thanksgiving. Because to me, that's the most important football day on the calendar, maybe with the exception of the Super Bowl or Conference Championship Day. I don't really know. I would go Thanksgiving. And it's a great one this year. We're going to start in Detroit, as always.

They actually move the time to 1 p.m. It's not 12.30 p.m. It's like a real big deal in Detroit. Eastern, yeah. They're going to have to just wait a little longer. But we got bangers on Thanksgiving. We have Packers, Lions in the early window. we have Chiefs Cowboys in the CBS window, which is a change.

I feel like lately they've been giving the Cowboys. Sometimes it's not like the sexiest team ever because that's the most watch game of the year, no matter who they put in that spot, and they put the Chiefs in that spot. So we're getting the Chiefs on Christmas. We're getting the Chiefs the day after kickoff. We're getting the Chiefs everywhere,

but we're getting them on Thanksgiving. And then it wraps up with your Baltimore Ravens. I feel like they've been on Thanksgiving night a handful of times. hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. That is our Thanksgiving schedule. Our Christmas schedule, and it's a triple header this year because it's on a Thursday. So you get an Amazon Prime game

in addition to two Netflix games. Is Cowboys Commanders early, Lions, Vikings at 430, and then Broncos and Chiefs in terms of the primetime game? Let's just start there with your Thanksgiving Christmas. Any thoughts that you have? have here. I mean, I think like the power of the chiefs is so interesting because not only do they become the like the you have to, you know, they do, they test them out on like the, the NBC Plus,

like peacock, stuff like that's, right? So you know the chiefs are going to rate. We just know that, right? But I think those are great games. I don't mind the later start. I'm on the West Coast. So it's totally fine by me. But, you know, for the for terms of the Lions, it's only half an hour. I mean, it's not a huge deal. I understand. But like, you know, in Detroit, that's like a thing, man. You know, We've got parades. We time our turkey the specific way. So it's ready at halftime, the whole thing. Famous last words, but that's the best Thanksgiving slate I can ever remember.

You could all three of those games, Green Bay, Detroit, Kansas City, Dallas, since Baltimore. They could all anchor the holiday. That's right. They have to split time with each other. And they're going to be sequential. People are going to have to make some choices because normally there's that game where, hey, I can step away and monitor things, go outside and base the turkey and the smoker. here. No, this, you've got to be locked in and you should be because these are all great.

Yeah. And it's a quarterback league. And it's why I don't mind Dallas like in the kickoff game. We already went through some of the early games that had gone out on our last NFL daily went through the international game, went through the kickoff game. But I love that they're doing big time division rivalries there in week one. And then of course on Thanksgiving, Bengals, you know, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson. And that has been one of the reliable, like, best games in the NFL every time they play, basically. And then the Chiefs have decided they want Christmas to be their thing. And they are going to be the Christmas team every year. This time the Broncos get, you know, a tough, a tough ass to go on a short week and go to Kansas City. I seem to remember a Raiders team that beat the Chiefs on Christmas right before the Chiefs went on their run to win Super Bowl.

So it's not like they're infallible on Christmas. Okay. I do think the holiday dynamic for both the lions and the Cowboys. And the Chiefs, yeah. And the Chiefs where it's just like, okay, you guys are the official holiday representative. Yep. Yep. I don't know if it's, yeah, from here on out, but this year, the fact that the Lions and the Cowboys are also on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I mean, you do see, and it's not a surprise, certain teams are established as truly national teams.

And it's, some of it's about the audience, like cowboys, and some of it's about just how good you are. And that's your lions. How weird is it that your lions are like a truly national team? I hate their schedule. Why? It's awful. It's so hard.

It is insanely hard. Yeah. And even, I mean, I guess like the only redeeming thing is, and you could kind of take this both ways, right? With two new coordinators, maybe it goes the other way. But perhaps you can say, hey, at least they won't be, 17 deep on the injury report by the time they get to the hard teams because they start with the hard teams.

Right. They start at Green Bay, week one. Let's talk about week one. That's the other part of the schedule. I immediately go to. Right off the bat, you get Lions and Packers, week one. That is a fun one. By the way, just to round out the Lions when it goes, Packers, Home against the Bears.

Then it goes Ravens, Home against the Browns, but then it goes Bengals, Chiefs, Bucks. I mean, it's just not. I mean, not great. That's true of the entire NFC North. I just feel like... We start off with the main ones. Because the NFC North has to play each other, I think it ultimately has the toughest schedule of any division.

Out of division, they also play the AFC North, which has, of course, you know, three of the best quarterbacks in the league in Lamar and Joe Burrow. and then you've got to deal with the Steelers, I guess, not one of the best. But I also don't like the back to backs

of like, like the back to backs are where I hate it. Like, you know, Joe Burroughs, then you got Patrick Mahomes and then you got the Bucks who like, you know,

they've had this thing with, right? And then you go back to back commanders and Eagles, not fun. Yeah, there's all these rematches and then there's the dichotomy of, like, you play in the Thanksgiving game because you're Detroit.

Right. You play in the Christmas game because you're good. Right. Right. So it's the combination of all these things create the schedule. I would like to put it out right.

now there for all the lion's brass who are listening. If you'd like me to come to the game here in Los Angeles on December 14th, I'd be happy to come. I'd be happy to be a guest of the lions. Rory, I love the mascot. You know, love it. That is where the lion schedule gets particularly hard. Like that Rams game, for instance, that's when the rest of the division, you know, doesn't have to play. That's a first place game. Yeah. It's not great. And they're living in primetime. So five primetime games plus the two holiday games. So they're, they're maximum. out there. But like I said, I immediately go to look at week one. Because right now we are all

just prepping for week one. So we knew what the kickoff game was, Cowboys Eagles. The Friday night game was what everyone thought it was going to be, which is Chiefs Chargers. So another big spot for the Chiefs. Although I do think it's an edge to get one of those early games. You get to start training camps a couple days earlier

if you're on the kickoff or the Friday game. And then you also get just a little extra rest until week two when everyone is tired. I think that's a nice edge. Other week one games, eight division games in week one, which is weird. They really loaded up division games. You have Gino Smith's debut with the Raiders at the New England Patriots in Drake May.

That is the game I'm watching in the early window. You have a potential Aaron Rogers at the New York Jets in the early window. If he does join the Steelers, Dolphins Colts, Cardinals Saints, kind of a nice start to the season for either Tyler Shuck or the Cardinals. Cardinals got to be thinking like we're really happy. And then you got Giants, Washington, Carolina, Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Atlanta. And then like some hot late afternoon games, Detroit at Green Bay. And then Houston at the Rams is a CBS game.

That's a sick game, which I'm going to try to get my family to because my son is a Texans fan. My daughter is a Rams fan. And this is like once every eight years in theory, the Texans are coming out there. And that's not even going to be the national game because it's opposite. hit your kids against each other starting the football season. It's not my fault. That's not even the national game because you have Lions Green Bay. That's insane.

And then Sunday night football week one, it's Ravens and Bills, Josh Allen Lamar Jackson. That's the game right. Perfect. That's the game right there. Can you imagine like that's, that's so interesting because you kind of have the two sides. Like we, we, you know, the defense is where the bill spent five draft picks and they reeded that defense. Good luck.

Congratulations. you get Lamar Jackson first. Enjoy that. What do you think about that, Patrick, as a Ravens enthusiast. And this has happened to them a couple times recently where you have such a massive game on the schedule, like, right off the bat. Well, considering the way things started last season and the things that had to transpire to get towards the end,

it's all cumulative, right? And so it's all going to come out in the wash, and they're all important every single one of them. No, but you're not really the team you're going to be in the first month. As long as, well, like Cynthia said, there's more changes on that side. There are. The bills have had to do a little more shuffling around. It is at home.

Mark Angels will have a chance to catch a ball potentially in the end zone. And maybe people will stop giving him grief about the most worst moment of his career. I already forgotten that. It is in Buffalo. Just to clarify that Ravens' Bill's game week one. Yeah, just looking at the Ravens quickly, you know, they get the Browns week two at home. but otherwise, their first six games before the buy is crazy. They're just really important games for them.

At Buffalo, home for Cleveland. Then you have a Monday night game against the Lions, which is like one of the best backups of the year. You have week four at the Chiefs, which is in theory one of the biggest games of the year for them. And then you're back home for the Texans and Rams, two teams that are going to be favored to go to the playoffs. Like that is a wild starting.

I don't like that when you load up like the, what looks like the most important games early in the season. We're really going to go with Mahomes versus Lamar and Alon Lamar, like weeks one and four and get that lion's game out of the way. I don't like that. I want to save it. I get that.

But it's actually, if you think about it for the way the Ravens play, it feels like you're setting the Ravens up for a really nice finish because that is that middle part. But their defense always stinks at the beginning of the year. Well, what am I? I mean, listen. Or era. Nope. Um, let's talk.

a little bit too about that Monday night game. That's week one. It's Minnesota at Chicago. And I wanted to just point out that the Vikings are the new America's team. If you... Are they? Okay.

Give me your logic. Here it comes. Here comes. He's done the math. Four of their first five games are in national windows. Five of their first seven games are in national windows.

Not just like, standalone windows. So we're talking Monday night at the Bears to open the season. We're talking Sunday night football, the biggest spot in the sport week two. That's against the Falcons. You have the two international games back to back. We knew about Steelers and Browns in Dublin and Tottenham. And then you have a Thursday night Chargers game in week eight, which is their seventh game. They have a buy. The other two games that are not in standalone windows in their opening stretch are home for the Bengals, Big Spot, Joe Burrow. And then home for the Eagles, the defending champions.

Every single one of those games is going to have the top broadcast crew. Like, it's a standalone game or it's the best, you know, non-standalone games of that week. So I'm just saying, expect the Vikings good, bad, or whatever to be just like a huge part of our lives in September and October. I'm not being a hater. Yeah. But like here's the, well, first of all, there was two games that are international that by default isn't in America. So just curious about that. And number two, and number two, maybe that means that they're worried that, like,

maybe like J.C. McCarthy gets off at this start. And then we don't have to want to have to worry about them late in the season. I should have kept reading because the next two games after where I cut it off is at Detroit and home for Baltimore. I just mean they're putting those in the national small. You know what I'm saying? Maybe they're worried they're not going to be good. I did go through and while we're just kind of spitball and look for teams that, you know,

didn't have too much national windows. The Jacksonville Jaguars, they do get one primetime game. It's the Chiefs on a Monday night. And then they get their international game. The Panthers, they got one primetime game. I don't know why I am focusing on the negative here. But I am curious about that sort of stuff. The Cleveland Browns, their only solo window is their international game.

So they don't technically have any primetime games. The Panthers did get one. I was surprised to see the New England Patriots got a primetime game in every primetime window, one on Thursday night, one on Sunday night, one on Monday night. Including like a week,

11. It doesn't want to believe you. Weeks 11 and 13. They're going to be, they'll be the second best team in that division. Bill's, Pats.

Bill's Pats. And I'm not even going to go the next two because I don't know, I actually could flip-flop on the other two. Jets, Dolphins or Dolphins. I don't know. You could go either way,

but it goes, Bill's, Pats. I think it goes bills. Bill's. And then the other three teams are about the same. If you're being generous to the Patriots. Greg's saying that. I think Greg agrees with you.

He does agree with me. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to believe it. I really don't. I really don't. I've been saying all offseason, I like what the Jets have done. The dolphins ultimately have more proven

good NFL players and the Patriots. And they've won a decent amount. When you left tackle retires, you're going to have an issue. I don't care. Like, it's hard, man. Okay. The Saints.

Are you okay? Yeah, I just got a little cramp. Oh, no. This is why you got to check us out on YouTube to see Patrick in a lot of pain. Do we need to take? Are you okay? No, we need to take a break. No, we're good.

Are you sure? You are truly playing with pain. You mentioned the Carolina Panthers. Yes. And I would like to tell you something that you brought to my attention a while ago about a man named Vic Fangio. Oh, wow. It's all connected. Let's go back to 1997, Greg.

The Chiefs have just extended their head coach, Marty Schottenheimer. But down in San Diego, there was a departure. Bobby Ross was no longer the head coach. A couple of coordinators interviewed for that job. Jags, D.C., Kevin Gilbride, who ultimately became the head coach of the Chargers. And Carolina, D.C. Vic Vanjillo. It's all connected. 10 years later, Marty Schottenheimer was in a power struggle with A.J. Smith and lost.

Dean Spanos said there was dysfunction in the organization because A.J. Smith wanted Ted Cottrell to replace Wade Phillips. But you know who Marty wanted to interview? Who? Vic Fangio. In week one of the 2025 NFL season, it is Vic Fangio against Marty Schottenheimer's son. Oh, let's go.

It's all connected. Are you okay? I'm just very worried about your back here. That was amazing. It was amazing, except for the whole, like, I was very fearful that at any moment you were going down. I love the revenge. I love that it all comes back to Fangio and the Schottenheimer. It's true with these family names, the Kubiaks. Like, there are so many different connections of coaching staffs and the Shanahan's. Man, if you want to try...

It's like nepotism is like rampant in the NFL. It exists. If you want to try even just like a little bit harder. Let's go, Philadelphia. I was like, what? Speaking of revenge, like that, those Rogers games are great. Assuming Rogers does play for the Steelers, which I am assuming at this point. That's a great week one that they put him in New York.

That was intentional. And then there's a week eight against the Packers. And obviously Rogers versus Packers, they put that in Sunday night football. I believe that Mike North, who makes the schedule. said it, you know, it's not all about just Rogers, you know, versus his old team, you know, if the Steelers and the Packers are playing, those are two great franchises. We would put that in Sunday Night Football. But, you know, it wouldn't be a bad thing. I think they knew making this schedule. Not what Rogers was going to do, but that if he does play for the Steelers and

the Roonies are literally on record saying they expect that to happen. And I'm sure they've said that privately as well that that's a great Sunday night game in week eight it doesn't hurt the attention but also that especially with the with regards to the Packers and the Steelers like that game was going to be there people were going to pay attention to that one eventually no matter what in the event that we do get in 12 days an announcement that Aaron Rogers has made a decision about playing football then we have to wait until 15 days after that he's going to be announcing that he's playing with the Steelers we can when's the day where all the things are done, like all the camps and stuff. You know what I mean? Like, I just don't think

he wants to participate in anything until I, I buy that theory. I just don't, like, he was in Egypt last year and he took a lot of flack for it. I think he's like, I've been doing this for like more than half my life. I don't owe you guys, whatever. Like I'll, I'll come when I'm ready to come. Like, I just, whatever day do the math backwards to figure out whatever day that is, that's when we'll hear. Yeah. Let's go through the prime time schedules a little bit. Like the Thursday night, Sunday night, Monday night. I mentioned some of the things. things that stuck out to me in terms of stand-alone games. The Saints were another team that had zero standalone games.

Not a surprising terms of where they're at. One thing in that division that stuck out, Atlanta Falcons, in Sunday night football, the biggest spotlight in the sport, twice in the first seven weeks of the season. So Atlanta Falcons fans, who I probably feel like they have been ignored sometimes over the years, that's a nice spot for them.

And they have another early Monday night game against the Buffalo Bills. Anything stand out to you, Patrick, in terms of the Thursday, the Sunday, the Monday night. Generally, Thursday night, I'm going through and looking at these weeks. I would take the Thursday night game over the Monday night game of that, of all of these weeks, almost 85% of the time. Okay. So you're going, you're just saying big picture, TNF better than Monday night.

If we go to, if we go to week, week two, you get Washington versus Green Bay on TNF. And then on Monday night, Tampa Bay Houston. Kansas City. That one's kind of equal to me. Chargers at Vegas would be the Monday night game that week. We get the, of course, always fun, revenge in division Thursday night game, week five, San Francisco at the Rams. And then Monday night is Kansas City at Jacksonville. It does feel a little more evenly distributed.

Even Sunday night football doesn't seem like it's miles better on paper. They have some really big spotlight games. but there's a couple weeks where it looks more like a TNF Monday night football game I think they're trying to spread it out one thing that was interesting though there's four Monday night

double headers this year so if that that's more than than ever as a shield robot obviously I celebrate all events of the National Football League I would like these stand alone games to literally stand alone

it defeats the whole purpose of having Monday night football if you're having to flip the channel and you know divert your attention from one to the next it's just it's not good All right, let's take a quick break. We'll wrap up figuring out this entire schedule right after this. Hey, this is Matt Jones.

I'm Drew Franklin. And this is NFL cover zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts Pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining.

And twice a week, that is exactly what you're going to. again. Listen NFL cover zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. What's up everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game from scouting reports and player development to team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. Every week we study the tape, talk to decision makers, and share the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots, from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow. We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate

how teams put it all together on game day. Plus, we dig in the coaching strategies, roster construction, and the trends that shape the league year after year. Whether you're a diehard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level, we give you the full. picture. If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Six podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Back on NFL Daily. Yeah, your lion's all over primetime. You know what? Stand out to me a nice little Cowboys Lions late in the season on Thursday night. They're just everywhere. Great. That's one of their easier games.

I mean, compared to the rest of that stupid schedule. Stupid. Well, let's talk about, like, if there's trends in terms of general schedule thoughts. I did a very rough thing where I tried to pick which divisions I thought had the easiest schedule. And it's obviously the NFC West. Yes, 100%. They play each other. And it is a very tough division.

Arguably the second or third best division in all of football, I think NFC West. Like, it's balanced. But out of division, they play the AFC South and the NFC South. I know you run a lot of numbers in terms of totals and everything. Did you have that effect and help the NFC West? 100%. Yeah. I mean, the Niners getting a fourth place schedule and that, it's like, here you go.

I mean, no, their defense is completely remade and they've got a lot of things going on and Brock Purdy needs to get paid, et cetera. But it feels like it sets up very well for the Niners to go from, you know, we always have people who go from worse to first. So playing that fourth place schedule for them. especially is extremely valuable. And that actually narrowly edges them over the Rams for me to win the division. Because Rams have a harder schedule.

Yeah, the Rams in terms of their first place schedule, it is harder. But ultimately, I think the Rams and the rest of the division just has to be happy. Because I went through and I just did my own little division rankings, my own little strength of schedule, because I don't really believe in the strength of schedule, just out of division games. And for the most part, most of them are similar. but the NFC West just stands out as way easier than the rest. The hardest, I thought, was the NFC East.

Now, I would argue the NFC North maybe even has it tougher because they have to play each other. And then out of division, the NFC North still has a very tough schedule, AFC North, NFC East. NFC East, though, has to play against the NFC North. So that's that gauntlet with the Packers and the Vikings and the Lions, even the bears are better. And then in the AFC, they have to play the Chiefs, the Chargers,

and the Broncos and the Raiders are thrown in there too. So to me, that's probably the toughest out of division schedule, NFC, East. For sure. Yeah, outside of the division. Inside of the division, they all get to play the Giants. Wait, wait, hold on. Can we talk about the Giants schedule? Sure.

The Giants are playing a one, two, three, fourth place schedule. And they have from October 19th until they're by in week 14. So October 19th is week seven. They're away at Denver, at Eagles, hosting the Niners, at the Bears, hosting the Packers. So that's two times at home. at the Lions, at the Patriots on a Monday night, and then a buy. So they have two home games from October 19th until December 14th.

What? You're asking. I never know what to do with those. I agree with you. That's a brutal stretch. But that means they get it back on the other end. The problem that they don't get back is that they just have to play all these good things. So you're asking, you're asking, okay, so you're asking a new quarterback to figure out the

commanders, then they, this is how it starts. at Washington at Dallas. Dallas is fine. That's an average first two weeks, except it's too road. Washington? Yeah. You're going to need.

Then you got the chiefs and the chargers. Okay, fine. You know what? Fine. It's easy. You're right. You're right. I'm not saying it's easy.

It's just, um, the first two games didn't scare me as much as, as that other Eagles at Broncos at Eagles. That is absolutely brutal. October 19th to December 14th, you were home twice and it's the Niners and the Packers. And even the game before that is home on a short week against the Eagles. Like it's, yeah, that's brutal.

Maybe it's great that Abdul Carter has no idea what's about to hit it. They've never played any schedule in the NFL before. So, you know, like maybe they won't know what you don't know. Well, the problem isn't Abdul Carter, right? The problem is because Jackson Dart at some point is going to have to come in to try to save everybody's job. And the opportunity, I guess, would be October 5th at the Saints, right? But the problem is if you start Jackson Dart on October.

we're fifth, then you have to play them against the Eagles, uh, against the Broncos at the row on the road. Yeah, I'm not doing that. And then the Eagles and Broncos in a row. Eagles, Broncos, Eagles. N. O. N. Oh. And your first three starts, Jackson Dart. Enjoy. So much about, like, if you're going to have a better than expected season or a worse than expected season is just in the divisional. 100%. And it's an injury luck and other stuff like that in terms of the

teams that you play, whether they have injury luck at the time you play them and not. But a lot of it is just these division schedules, either rising, you know, helping out a lot of teams or crushing a lot of them. But let's just compare. Okay, so I told you how the Giants start. Now, here's how the commander start. Giants, we know.

Okay. At Green Bay, that's hard. But then they get Raiders and then at Falcons. That's their first four. Not bad. So like maybe three wins out of that one. Right. Like that's, and they're playing the second place schedule.

It's also, I think if you're a bad team or you're in a, you've had a couple tough seasons, you do want a softer early part the schedule. Now, this is one thing where the NFL says, they try to have the teams that have struggled play against each other early in the season to help them out. So, for instance, the Panthers start with two games on the road, three out of four at Jacksonville, at Arizona. But the best team that they play, like in the first seven weeks is Atlanta or in New England or doubt. Like, they don't play a team that you expect to have 11, 12, you know, wins this season in first seven weeks. So they're saying to the Panthers here, here, before it gets tough,

here's a chance to have a good start. I think the Patriots got a similar start to their season. They open with the Raiders, which like no game is going to be easy for them. They open. They're at Miami and then they're home for the Steelers and the Panthers. Now, it's not like they're going to be favored by a ton in any of those games, but it's three out of four at home. And the best team you play in that group is either Miami or Pittsburgh. So that's what you're looking for. Just to just avoid that superhumans, like Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. I think also, like, avoid the people who are going to be extremely tricky. And the Raiders defense, as much as the front of it is very nasty.

It's not like they're going to give you false leverages. And Drake May is not going to have to be like, hmm, is this man or zone? That's not going to happen. You know, like, they had to read, like, their corners are still an issue. It's not fixed yet. So perhaps it'll be easier. What are you laughing? I don't know.

No, I just love, I love Mike Variable. and Pete Carroll in completely different scenarios with completely different players and we expect a certain thing. I don't know. Oh, so you're going a record now and taking the Raiders? I just don't know what.

Why not? I don't know what I'm expecting because the last time I saw Mike Ravel coach a team, they were terrible. And for the most part, his defenses in Tennessee were fine. They were like average. And the best thing about those teams

was weirdly an offense run by like, Ryan Tannahill and Arthur Smith. No, by the way, Derek Henry. Yeah, I guess he mattered just a little. Seems like he might have played a role. He probably was like the most underpaid player in the league in hindsight at the time. Yeah, yeah. I'm like, not today.

Yes, we might as well throw some news in there. Derek Henry signed a two-year contract for a reported 30 million, according to our NFL media insider, Ian Rappaport, with $25 million guaranteed. So I like it. It's the most apparently any running back. back over 30 has ever made, which is a pretty big caveat. But I think it's a fair deal. Running backs are getting paid again, a little bit.

I mean, between he and Saquan and Barclay, they should. Like, those guys prove themselves and they're still, you know, they're not in a situation where, you know, the team actually is like, maybe we have like a substitute one that we could put in for you. They don't have substitute ones. Like, it helps Lamar Jackson having Derek Henry. It helps everyone having Saquan Barkley on that Eagles offense. But for context, they essentially, for two years,

Derek Henry is going to make 2025 Daniel Jones money. Correct. Right. So like, well, it is hard to compare though, quarterbacks with. No, but it's true though. Even he's getting like last year for instance, he was getting like Jordan Lewis,

the nickel back for the Jaguars money like 10. you know, and even that was like he did not have a strong market last year and they got a bargain out of it. Multiple things can be. True, though. At some point, Derek Henry has to not be a bionic superhero. And next year, like, I would like to see them maybe take the load off just a little bit so that that 2026 guaranteed money, all that they gave them, is well used. Because at some point, it has to. Well, yeah. But on some level,

are you, like, I will say, when it's a team like the Ravens, they're so smart with their cap. There's probably the way that it's structured. And I don't know, because I haven't looked into it and I don't have the information necessarily, but like the way that they structure things, perhaps they are paying him basically like a bonus for what happened less. Yes. Because the way that's how other players get paid. Let's be fair that this isn't happening with, you know, the Bengals. They have to figure out how to rub two pennies together to figure things out sometimes. This is not, with the Ravens, you can look at that and say, well, what, however they're guaranteeing it, I can pretty much say that they're being fair with how they're paying someone probably for his past performance and not necessarily into

future like you know and the volume doesn't necessarily have to be a certain thing to justify the contract like you said and like the best case scenario uh for baltimore and for derrick henry is you know around 200 carries around 20 touchdowns the best case scenario for some of these backup quarterbacks is them never playing right uh yeah actually that's in many cases the best thing about it every time with the chiefs you're like great backup quarterback is their best case scenario he never sees the field These north-on-north battles, just thinking about the Ravens, they're just awesome all-season.

Like, part of the reason that the Ravens feel so front-loaded with awesome games is, like, because there's awesome games throughout. Even without, with all that front-loading, they have the Thanksgiving game against the Bengals. They actually play the Bengals twice in three weeks. You hate when that happens. I know the NFL tries to avoid it.

It's really hard putting everything together and avoiding stuff like that. But they play twice in three weeks between weeks 13. I love those division games at the end though. And then they also have they have an at Green Bay on a Saturday,

which just as a quarterback lover is like Jordan Love, Lamar Jackson, you get the Joe Burrow versus Jordan Love. It's just these matchups that, you know. The benefit of playing the Bengals for the Ravens two times in three weeks

is Jamar Chase may be tired of running down the field box by that second game. Stop, but you got another safety. Malachi Starks is there. It's going to be good. Everything's going to be. Although speaking of news,

Ardarius Washington, tore his Achilles this week. I hate that. I hate that injury. A really good starting safety who was going to be part of a, you know, three safety rotation starting. Well, at least they got Malachi's darks, though. Like, in general, can imagine if they went a different direction

in the draft now? It would be very different. Why are younger athletes tearing their Achilles more often, says the Boston something. Yeah, it's a rough week for Achilles. You know what I'm not surprised about with the release of these schedules? What?

is that the bears who you're always looking for to get into big spots are in big spots. They get the week one Monday night football game. They get the commanders Monday night football game. They get the Black Friday game. They get a cool Saturday game against the Packers. Cool. And they get a week 17 Sunday night football game

assuming that hangs out against the 49ers. Before we go, is there just any other kind of takeaways? I know you run the numbers with your win totals once the schedule is put in. Is there anything that came away from all those numbers that were interesting to you? Yeah, so there's two things that are action items. Not for us because we work for the NFL, but I believe that the markets are undervaluing. You're going to get a good stock price on if you want to, ideally in the stock market, you buy low, sell high, right?

So you want to be buying the Seahawks right now. I think they're undervalued in terms of how Las Vegas believes that they will finish. Not me. I don't know anything about that. but fine. And then the other one is the Patriots. They're undervalued as well. Those two teams, I believe, are last year.

Isn't there over under like an eight and a half or something, seven and a half? The Pats? Yeah. I think it was seven and a half. Yeah, I guess it depends on the spot. But man, that seems fair. You, I'm Greg. I think the Patriots are going to be bad.

Listen, we all work together for enough years now. My lion, like the lion luck stuff, I get it. I'm with you. But for everyone else at home, the Patriots are undervalued per Las Vegas. Fair. Shout out to the Seahawks. I kind of thought they might be ignored in the Sam Darnold, you know, post Pete Carroll era. And actually, they're in a lot of fun spots. They have a Thursday night game against the Cardinals.

They have a Monday night game against the Texans, although that is an ESPN plus game. They have a Sunday night game against the commanders. They have a... I don't think we're calling it ESPN Plus anymore. It's just ESPN. Thursday night game. Okay, good to know. Thursday night game against the Rams like a.

Saturday game. So the NFC West is in a lot of big spots. So that is your action items. Okay. Those are my two action. Last year, my action items were the Broncos and the Seahawks and both of them were already actioned by like week 11. So those are my two. Not only that, Cynthia, you have not made a big enough deal about the show that we do together. We're doing it today. Game debut. We do it. We pick the games every week all season. Before the season, you had the Eagles. winning the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. You hit the exact Super Bowl result.

You know, thanks. I appreciate you, remembering that. At a time when not a lot of people were picking the Eagles to win the Super Bowl last year. In fact, I had picked them to win the Super Bowl like the previous two years and then got off of it, like an idiot.

That's what's going to happen to you again this year with your Super Bowl pick. I just know it. I'm keeping that close to the best on this show. We have a long time. time to talk about all these games. I think we've done a good job here unless anyone has something just, they have to get out here. It's been a great week here at NFL Daily. Thank you guys I'm glad to see you. I miss you. It's weird because I don't, you know, during the season,

I see you guys so often and then feel like it's been like a long, long time. Well, you know what? You're going to really enjoy the show we do in just a little bit together too. Thanks, everyone for listening all week on NFL Daily. We will be back on Monday morning. Overnight. We're actually going to have a fun one, some ranking. Overnight? That's going to really like

What does that even mean? You're like late night? It's like late in your box. When you're staying up late and you're listening to the new schedule. Well, late night time with Greg. I see how it's going. Football's back. Hey everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks.

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