NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Chiefs-Lions Week 1 TNF Recap

Episode Date: September 8, 2023

In a room full of heroes - Dan Hanzus, Gregg Rosenthal, and Marc Sessler recap the Thursday night NFL season opener between the Lions and the Chiefs, breaking down the action and Dan's sandwich prop.��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. This is third and six. Mahomes throws the cross. He is intercepted out of the flexion. Brian Granks, the rookie ties the game with this first NFL touchdown. From the one left-hand catch by Mahomes on the snap. Scanning.

It opens in a touchdown. It's race. By nine of the drum. Montgomery with some momentum to the end zone for the touchdown. Mike, the only time you can get a ticket for a Lions game this year is when they're on the road. That's right. That's it. You've got to be happy for this team.

You've got to be happy for this organization. They have old school techniques with modern play design. The Detroit Lions start the 2023 season in. style going to Arrowhead and coming out of there with a 21-20 win over the defending champion Chiefs, a short-handed Chiefs team that looks short-handed when it mattered most. And how about this? Dan Hans is here with Greg Rosenthal and Mark Sessler. Boys, the site of Jared Goff running out the clock, waving his arms, imploring,

fans who have traveled from Michigan and other areas of the Midwest to celebrate a Lions team they believe in. That is a hell of a way to start the season for the Detroit Lions. I feel like anything is possible. This 2023 season couldn't open any better. Seeing that, I mean, that's something we'll remember forever. I'll remember that week 18 finished forever. And I know that we had a whole playoff run after that. But that was the last time we saw these lines for the first time in a big spot on NBC and they come through and they end Aaron Rogers' Packers career. What do they do the next time on TV? They go to Kansas City and their fans show up in such big numbers that at the end of the stadium, at the end of the game, they're

chanting. I will never forget that moment. We can get to all the particulars of how it happened and the X's and O's, but I'm just saying the lion saw us try to take away that team of around the NFL and they said we're not letting go of your heart we're too good i think you know gregg like um i was thinking during this game uh how this conversation would go based on everything you just said but this this is sort of what i have always wanted in football where i think that you know i bumped at times against the inevitability of patrick mahomes and the Travis kelsey chiefs where it's like in another world in most worlds we lived in, like they would have marched down the field and found a way to win that. And then tonight, what happened, what an emphatic start to the season kind of made me think

that this year can be different because this Lions team that even 700 days ago, we thought were nothing but the lowest storyline in the league, have become one of the most joyful storylines. So, I mean, the Chiefs, they'll bounce back, but what we saw tonight from Detroit was really a continuation of what they built last year. I think that's the most hopeful thing for a Lions fan, what they were good at last year. We saw that and more tonight.

That is, we were at a counting crow's concert, Mark Sessler, 24 hours ago. And I think you kind of accidentally maybe hit on a Durrett's lyric, one of the greats. Maybe this year will be better than last for the Detroit Lions. And last year was fine. Last year was a big growing season. Wake up call.

I think it's a wake-up call for the chiefs this game because it's a wake-up call that you can't rest on your laurels in any way, including your fan base who let Honolulu Blue invade Arrowhead. But beyond that, listen, they survived Tyree Kill leaving that team. Why? Because they still had Travis Kelsey, and then Kelsey had his best season, arguably, last season. Kelsey doesn't play in this game. Hyper-extended knee. you think maybe he'll get out there because he hasn't missed a game for injury since 2013 he doesn't Chris Jones Chris Jones isn't out there and yet he's doing the Liam Gallagher

at Oasis Unplugged 96 move going up and sitting in the suites looking down on his own group of guys which I thought was very odd and strange and I'm not taking anything away from the lines because this is what's great about this Lions team I love the way Dan Campbell coached this game I loved how they leaned on their running

game and closed out the chiefs who clearly looked gassed and were losing at the line of scrimmage. But even with all that, and maybe this is a little magic dust on the line season, and this is just the beginning, it was, it took Kelsey out of the mix. It took Cadarius Tony having one of the worst games I've ever seen a wide receiver have in prime time. If he catches that ball after they get the ball near midfield late in the fourth quarter, the chiefs have first in 10 from the 25, and it's probably a wrap, but it didn't work out that way. And I think thought the chiefs seem very vulnerable and the wake up call is with if Travis Kelsey is not superhuman who can Patrick Mahomes trust on this team because I didn't see it tonight I mean Tony

that was one of the worst games you said it on on Twitter Dan that a wide receiver a skill position player can have five targets one catch a couple of massive drops a couple of miscommunications a play where probably wasn't on him but they they ran one of the their sweeps kind of a trick play on a second and one where he ended up losing three yards and they ended up not getting that first down and that continued a second half of total discombobulation really an entire game of discombobulation they had a couple plays at the end of the first half that got them a quick touchdown and one of those could have gone differently too but for the most part they were out of sync and yeah anyone that started tony or sky more uh who didn't drop passes but he didn't

make tough catches, and Mahomes missed him a couple times. Anyone who started them in their fantasy league, like, good luck. I think this Lions team, we know who they are, but they're a different team. The combination of their pass rush with Hutchinson, who was there, and their secondary, making Mahomes hold the ball is different. But part of that, as you mentioned, Dan, is the receiver group for Kansas City. And to me, they're a little different, too. You know, they lose Juju Smith-Schuster, who's a good player, and they're different at their

tackle positions. and their tackles weren't good tonight for the most part. It was half of the conversation during the game. So I'm not worried about them long term like Nick Wesleyan is texting us that they're going to miss the playoffs. But I think they are a different team and those differences showed up tonight. I think Kansas City will, this is like this will be the week of overreaction to everything we saw tonight.

Fair enough, let that week progress. But I trust them to figure the situation out to some degree. But yeah, if you don't have Kelsey, they were. were a completely humanized operation. The one thing that surprised me a little bit, like I think at halftime Mahomes had, and again, I think if he's going to grow in one way, like his mobility continues to be a problem for defenses.

And I think at half he had like 27 yards rushing, but no one else on the team had more than 10. And I thought with their interior line, this chief's team would be able to run the ball. And we've seen the, you're right, Greg, that the Detroit defense and the secondary with Gardner Johnson and the rest of them, the pick six, like they did those elements were not part of their team a year ago and they were in these shootouts

where what they what we saw the night was a team that for the first time in a while kind of controlled the chiefs confused them they had that one drive before halftime where mohomes had three 25 plus yard completions but outside of that spurt they just couldn't really get on track they just looked like they didn't have the personnel tonight to deal with detroit's defense which is not really what i thought going into this game would be the storyline just he Mahomes had to run because he didn't have a choice. So it's a great point mark, Daniel Jeremiah, original. Six runs for 45 yards by Patrick Mahomes in this game.

But I thought multiple times it was kind of because they didn't, it couldn't do anything else. There was actually one specific play in the middle of the third quarter where they did go on for, I think it was a field goal drive, where in most situations, I swear in a third quarter of a game, Mahomes would have gone down. But instead, he stayed up to try. to get that first down running. He ended up taking a big hit. And it was because he was their

whole running game. That was a difference. Like neither team could really run the ball for most of the game. But at the end, the lions ended up mashing them. They passed protected well and they ran well at the end. And at no point did the Chiefs ever run the ball. Yeah, Mahomes leading the team in rushing. That shouldn't happen. Isaiah Pacheco averaged less than three yards to carry. Clyde Edwards-Aller continues to be a non-factor for the most part. But let's give it up for the lines because I liked what I saw and I know like for instance fantasy managers especially the first game of the year but he just freaks out about stuff like Jemir Gibbs people are annoyed he only got seven carries in this game but I liked what it looked like I like that David Montgomery Jemir Gibbs

won two punch and things I'll take out of this game is I'm not I don't see the lines as now a game wrecking force who's going to roll through the league because I really do think this was a Sheaf's team because of the injuries and I should have gotten out of the lock. I, when I made the lock, nice, nice job by you bringing that up. Wow. It was a tough night for the old Zuster. Couple of things. When I made that lock, I honestly thought Chris Jones and Travis Kelsey were going to play.

I just, I just figured, or at least why did you think Chris Jones was played? Travis Kelsey, I'll totally give you everyone thought he was playing. I mean, well, both of us. these holdouts these holdouts you know there was reports right before the game it doesn't matter but like oh he'll he might even play in this game if they could get something nothing gets done and he's liam galliger in the suite um but like the one thing that i i think will hold for the lines and they'll continue to win games because of it is what we saw and what we talked about all through the end of last year uh leading into this game that offensive line is going to wear teams down

they are going to run the ball well and jared goff who has had an incredible kind of journey where he came in as the number one overall pick. He was down bad. And then he was up real good. And then he was down bad and cast off to Detroit. Now he's up again. He's going to have another big year, I think. I think he's this offense is going to eat with Ben Johnson. So yeah, there's a lot of reasons to be excited as a lion's champ. Did they get away with one a little bit in some ways tonight? They get some breaks. Yes, absolutely. But they made the most of them. So good for them there was a moment where i got concerned for the lions because it's like i think mentally if you're a fan or if you're anyone that's observed tape or watch the chiefs it's like

you're just if you give patrick mahomes even you know a minute and a half to operate you're sort there's an assumption by many that he's just going to go down the field and score the touchdown and it was i think was about like two 30 left in the game it was 21 20 and the lions got in the situation where it was like a big like third down call and they go they try to throw the ball where it's like this lion's team their line just gets stronger and stronger is that as this as the game goes on which is why i think they have the basic like infrastructure to win 12 games i really do and i i i just think in that they i hope they learn from that their run their ground game is going to be the story of their season i really do i think like david montgomery i was never really

excited about that signing we'll see what happens but gibbs to me like from what from what we saw of him I think he's going to be a massive problematic entry for the rest of that division, the rest of the NFC. I just love the way they're built. And I think the reason that you're going to see Goff have like another season, like why last year wasn't a mirage is because he's protected well. They've got a great system around him, a good ground game. Guys like Josh Reynolds making big plays, Amon Ross St. Brown. At some point you get Jameson Williams. It's like it is a huge arrow up because of what they went and did tonight, it's like this is what the lions were built to do.

and they went and did it successfully against the Super Bowl champions. I don't know how you start the season on a brighter note. Right. I mean, they didn't get a good game from Goff. They didn't get a bad game from Goff. They got a normal game from Goff. He had some frustrating moments. And that fourth down that you mentioned, you're right.

As someone who is, you know, rooting for the Lions here, I was dying watching Jared Goff step in the pocket, which he did a couple times nicely in the night. And 25 of the starting quarterbacks in the league just go run for that first down there's no one in front of him it's just not in his big yeah drawback of his game it's not in his mo and it got knocked down and he made a few really nice throws he had a few misses it all sort of balanced out they protected him well like he he did his thing but he doesn't need to be the starring guy he's now got gibbs who you guys are right i mean his burst was just crazy laporta showed up their

rookie branch is a rookie gets the pick six i like that defensive rookie of the year pick right off the bat It turns out when he left, it was just with cramps, so it sounds like he's okay. They're a deeper team, and Campbell's going to do some things that you don't know what's going on. He calls a fake punt inside his own 20, five minutes into the game, he gets it. It leads to seven points. But then later in the game, they punt on a pretty clear go-for-it situation on fourth and three at the 40. And I think he was thinking in that situation, and I understood it that his defense was playing so well, which they did for most of the game.

he was really trusting his defense there to go pin Mahomes down. And that happened to be the one drive in the second half where the chiefs looked like the chiefs and they made him look bad. And so that decision didn't work out. But for the most part, I love that he stayed aggressive. Yeah. Let's talk about some of the coaching decisions because I think obviously the one that was always, you know, it's the tone setter, as they say, all that. Fourth and short, like you said, inside their 20, they call the fake punt. It works.

and even better, they then turned that into an 80-yard touchdown drive. And that got, I think that set the tone for the game in a really positive way for Detroit. Even though Kansas City then kind of took control the game, it seemed. They scored the next two touchdowns. And I thought Campbell made a bad mistake, actually, near the end of the half when they had the Chiefs fourth and about two right around midfield. And there was a holding call. And instead of keeping it fourth and two, they elected. take the penalty, Detroit. They back up Mahomes to third in, I believe, 15 or so. And then that

began the Mahomes ding, ding, ding, touchdown that put the Chiefs in control. And then the last one that jumped out to me. Well, Greg, Mark, you already brought it up. I was really surprised with 2.30 to play on that fourth down that you don't run the ball down the throat of the Chiefs, because I thought the game was over there. If they run the ball, they pass incomplete. But maybe it wouldn't have mattered because maybe, like I'm saying, the running game of the lines would have ended it either way. But I am not down with Andy Reid, fourth and 25, deep in his own end, down 2120, deciding on a day. No, no, no, no. There's living a little, Greg, and there's being completely just a suicide mission. When you have an offense that is completely sputtered out and you

don't have anybody to trust if you're Patrick Wilhelms, it's not fourth and 10 or fourth and 15 or even fourth and 20. There's another penalty. It's fourth and 25. That was a suicide mission. as that's an incomplete pass, you don't even give your defense a chance because they're in field goal range and the letdown to me was obvious. It was over at that point. I did not have a problem with fourth and 20 because just because. How about fourth and 25? No, fourth and 25 got a little extra, no doubt about it. And I think we, you know, we texted about that a bit. But fourth and 20, when you've got Patrick Mahomes and there had been a number of big, bigger passing plays by Mahomes in this game where it's like everything about them tells me you don't give the ball back if you're

Patrick Mahomes, you go for it. Fourth and 25, I'm with you that it got, it got perilous at that point. And there's a sense of desperation, which you don't really get from the chiefs that often. I think they realized they were in, it was sort of their last gasp. And it was, maybe you punt the ball away. But I mean, with the way that the lions were running in the ball at that point and chewing up the clock, like that first, when they went for the fake punt, that drive was what, eight plus minutes? Because I was in, I was in my world, we're like, whoa, this game, it's like, it's like, 555 on the west coast and we're done with like we're like midway through the second quarter it's like i know that we'll get to a point where like the third quarter's an hour and 47 minutes long for some

reason it always evens out it always evens but it does but it's like they but their their ability to kind of like take keep the ball out of kansas city's hands i think might have led to that decision where it's like we've got to hope the mahomes does this but i'm with you that fourth and 25 got a little bit bizarre yeah i i don't have any because of what you said they they probably aren't going to stop me either way and they didn't. They knew the run was coming. They did stop them on the previous drive, Greg. It should be said.

Not on a three and out, though. They needed a three and out. They got him on fourth and out. They got him on fourth down. They got them off the stop. They needed. It's fair. They only gave up first down. You put them back in their side of the field.

You put 10 in the box and you get stop and give them a home as a real chance. It's kind of beside the point, though. I don't want to dwell on it because I think at that point, the chiefs had their best chance and not to bring it back to Tony too much longer, but it's crazy. Tony had a drop right in his hand that that was the pick six that changed the game. And then that final pass when they got the ball back after the fourth down stop, he is wide open. That's why you go for it because you had you found a way to get one guy open one play and you think maybe you can do it one more play. But there wasn't many of those

plays either. There weren't many plays that they missed. You know what I mean? Like they they were they were fighting uphill and uh someone's got to take dan zyer here and it makes sense and chiefs fan's ier it makes sense for it to be uh cadarius tony that was yeah it was bad it was bad that was brutal because i think you know you didn't just lose the lock to start the season i think you are the first person to ever lose a prop on kickoff you said the lions wouldn't be in sole possession of first place they want to know baby listen you got to live wild there's a lot of ball game ahead of me and I'm the all-time leader in the locks challenge or in the go get my lunch challenge for a reason.

He had this ready. I'm not going to let this bother me. It's annoying. It is also, though, what I love about sports because the fact that everything, I felt like five different things had to line up for the chiefs to lose their home opener here, and they all did, and then credit the lines

for taking advantage of it. Really a good way to start the season. Not for me. but whatever, it's early enough in the year where I could handle this and I'll move forward with my life. But like, that was a good game. Like, there's been some slogs in the Thursday and I opener. There's been some sloppy games. That was pretty crisply played and a nice, like, back and forth game, it's a good way to start the season. Can I, like, one thing that bugs me, and I know that, like, if you're PFF and, like, they look at interceptions differently,

but, like, that interception by Mahomes, which wasn't by him, Like, why is that called an interception? Why isn't there like a secondary stat that's like not quarterback related? Like, thank you, Cadarious Tony, but it's like a Patrick Mahomes interception, but it's like what's happening here? That's a great call. What if it's Cadarious Tony that has an interception? Well, or at least something where it's like the turnover transfer. It's like an error in baseball almost.

It's like, how do we correctly, you know, attribute who made the mistake here? I guess that's what they'll say, PFF and the like will say. That's what we're for. They do, but then if we mention that, we seem like giant nerds. So that's a positive graded throw by Mahomes who put it right on the money and his receiver Gack. And to be fair to Tony, by the way, the previous game they played was the fucking Super Bowl. And he was a badass. And he made big plays, including the huge punt return that basically set them up for glory.

So I hope he bounces back. But that's going to be, I don't know what the media and the fans seem to be overall. a more kind lot than maybe where I grew up or where we grew up in the Northeast. But Tony, I would imagine, will get roasted in this game. That's a tough spotlight. It is. And they are, uh, they're nicer there. But it shows maybe, maybe training camp does matter because he was injured the whole time.

He basically didn't practice at all for five or six weeks. And they, they kind of forced them out there because they need as many weapons as they can. There is something awkward about having seven, you know, receiver one Bs or whatever they are, three Bs. I mean, but you get Kelsey back most likely next week, according to the NBC broadcast, and you get Chris Jones back at some point, and it will feel a little different.

But the rest of the NFC North, like they're all going to have to play the Chiefs too, and we'll see if any one of them beats them. That's one game up that the Lions probably get. Anybody else get a little burned out on the NBC cover of Joanne Taylor's deep sets and early moves? That was like, it was a fair point, but I felt like it was the only thing

that we were like getting in depth the only thing that I liked less was the completely wasted wired up Hutchinson family just no pop no heat nothing worth you don't you don't need to go to him if it's not singing no no more than once is it weird to have the dad call the son Hutch I don't know what a game though

Aiden Hutchinson what a game I mean he was one of the best players on the field he's very good we should note that was a great job I do want to point out just one last point of order before, you know, if we're wrapping up here because, you know, this team, the Lions team, they stole our heart last year. They had our heart. And I've been saying all off season, you know, why not run it back? Right off the top, I said that. And at first, how I remember it, you guys were like, oh, maybe, maybe it was that night they won the game. That was probably it. We were all in our fields. And then quickly, you guys just stopped it. cold as a as a possibility randy i don't know if you got the song back there right now but i don't think it's ever too late to change our minds and open our hearts back up to the detroit lions as a team of the around the NFL podcast this isn't sanctioned by anyone we're playing this

just for old good times come on bring them back danny bring him back this is the sometimes Greg, how do I put this? I'm annoying? I love you. But sometimes a lighter touch would be more effective. And I feel like you're coming so hard. It's like the guy that likes the girl, but like he's being so aggressively forward about it

that he's almost smothering her and it's making her push him away, even though he's a good guy and maybe a catch. I love those lines last year. You know, I... Team! In a lot of ways, Greggy, I was on the bandwagon first, covering them on hard knocks with Colleen. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I, I'm open to it. You know what I'd like to see?

Let's see what happens against the Seahawks next week. I'm open to it. I'm not shutting it down, Greg. Okay. That's all I ask. I'm open to it. And I think your analogy is really well put and can explain, you know, a lot of my college struggles with women. But I think in this case. So many mixed CDs. We're the girl that you're smothering where it's like, I want to be part of this relationship, but like you're absorbing all the energy in the room around it where it's like I actually do like the lions and I was walking around my place tonight being like, what a fun, interesting, fascinating team to do what they went and did tonight. But I was like, but Greg is going to be so gregarious about it that like there's no room for Mark to.

I bet leave some space. I'll dial it down a notch, and we're lucky here. Even if they don't become the team, we still have Dan Campbell on these lines in our lives, and they are a big value add to the NFL. But I'll keep both of what you said in mind and look for a path forward. And while I am keeping my mind open, it's more just in general. It's like, is there a team of around the NFL out there for 2023? Because you never force it.

But there could be a team over the next, you know, a couple of, weeks this month really is where it's nomination season that we all collectively kind of gravitate toward maybe the lions do the lions make more sense as a repeat offering than any organization that we've run into in a long time so open minds and like just but gregg just remember it's like if we're going to go on this journey it's not you tugging dan and i on you know studded leashes through a field. It's like we walk on the journey together. I mean,

that sounds like something you might like there, Mark. Yeah, but not with, not with you. That would me hold in the leash. Wait, what are you, what are you precious boys going to do in week three when it's Lions v. Falcons?

Ooh, that's fine. Ooh, that could be a team. Yeah, there's 30 other teams to still see this weekend. Honestly, if the lion spank Gino next week and then kick the hell out of your beloved

But Falcons, I am in. Team of ATL. So if they can start 3 and O with those wins, with those dubs, you got my vote. Notable. I'll say it right now. You got my vote.

But they got to do that. Anything less than that, I'm not going to, because I don't really like running it back. I like the idea of it being one and done. The sequel's never as good as the original. Well, Godfather 2 is probably better than the original. There you go. Notably.

but that's an outlier richer deeper this is kind of a sequel getting back on the horn with you guys on Thursday nights it's been a been a couple years since we did this yeah this was a big big a day for and then we're gonna it's going to be part of our rotation we did three shows today so we had the preview episode of all the week one games that were not island games that is available now for you obviously this episode which will we'll have a Thursday night recap every week and the NFL plus premiere of around the NFL and NFL Plus, that is available probably by the time you hear this as well. So those of you with an NFL plus subscription or international fans that have Bazone, go check that out. We had fun.

That was good. I really enjoyed our NFL Plus premiere where we looked in the mirror. I did as well. I had the game. I had it on, I had like three screens going. I got the U.S. open. of the game on the big one and the other there was a lot going on but one of them's on the

nfl plus game it's all happening i just hope like you know our employer if you're if you're anyone attached to um like the hierarchy above us that um you know tracks what work we do we are working hard i just please know that understanding it's proof it's proof and that you know the trade off for me is like every time i see eric ed holmes name on the scroll for nfl network and i think wow he just had a right power rankings for eight more hours i think to my myself. I like what I'm doing now. Everybody wins. Very fair. All right. Thank you everybody for following everything we do. Sincerely. That's pretty cool. You've given us a great life. All right. Until Sunday, the flagship show, heed the call.

Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move to Six, 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 you. 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.

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