NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - NFL ATL: Week 5 recap

Episode Date: October 7, 2013

A room full of heroes, Gregg Rosenthal, Dan Hanzus  and Chris Wesseling recap all of the Week 5 action. Don’t miss the analysis and key takeaways from each game. Join the conversation on Twitter: @NFL_ATL or #NFLATL.Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. The Around the League podcast, dropped out of the school of hard knocks. Welcome back to another edition of the Around the League podcast. My name is Dan Handez, and I'm joined by a room filled with heroes. Chris Wessling and Greg Rosenthal, no Mark Sessler, a little bit under the weather. Not as full of heroes as usual.

No, we're missing 33. No, we're missing 25% of our heroes, if I include myself, which I don't normally do. But Mark, hang in there, you know, never give up, and we're going to be planning to benefit for your recovery. And you missed the game of the year. Is that the game of the year, Broncos, Cowboys, so far? I think it absolutely is. Yeah, I think so.

I think that's a game that you will remember 10 years from now, not maybe as some type of iconic game, but you'll remember, oh, that shootout game, that was crazy. Because it was, it was a wild game. It was, you know, it flirted with a potential double 50 burger, which had never happened. The final score ultimately was 5148, 48. the Broncos moved to 5-0.

You know, there's so many storylines with the Broncos right now, but to me, the biggest storyline is Tony Romo, because he was having the game of his life. He was actually having one of the greatest games of all time. He threw for 500 yards, five touchdowns, and then he did it. He threw an interception at the end of the game that cost him, and that led to all sorts of hell breaking loose on Twitter as expected.

What do we take out of this for poor Tony Romo? Well, I can't kill him for making that pass. We were talking about this in the newsroom. He's tripping over an offensive lineman's feet while he decides to throw the interception. How do you process that information that quickly to say, oh, no, maybe I shouldn't throw this pass. So I can't really kill him for that. He thought it was a bad pass that he should have led the receiver more. It was a bad throw.

I mean, it's a bad decision, I think, more than anything. But he played such a great game And let's give Danny Trevathan some credit That was an incredible interception I don't think that play is intercepted More than once out of 20 times when he throws that pass I mean he dove he cut across the receiver After the ball is thrown

But of course it all comes back to before the possession even started You know people are saying uh-oh in our newsroom It's Romo time here's where the big mistake comes And then the big mistake comes First of all Danny Treveithin, all he has to do is make like seven more plays like this year, like that this year, so we could forget about the drop six. But, yeah, he is a good player.

And, yeah, that was not a terrible pass. But on the other side of the ball, Peyton Manning, he's doing it again. He actually threw an interception, so he's not perfect. They're 5 in 0 now. They have what I like to think of as a half-by next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars at home. That will make them 6-0. Are we starting to get excited yet? Because winning a game like this, and Greg, you know this very well from the 2007 Patriots,

winning a game like this, you have to win a couple like this. And this is one of them. It doesn't excite me that much because it's only, you know, five games into the season. And this showed what I've thought is going to show up, which is that the defense is mediocre. Now, they were missing a lot of people in this game. But they haven't been great this year. They've been okay. They're not going to get all these special teams touchdowns and Trinden Holiday.

going crazy all year. They're a great, great offense. I don't know if we've seen an offense like this. They're going to be one of the best of all time. I don't think they're going to challenge going 16 and 0, though. You don't? No, I don't think so. That's just, this is what happens.

You lose a couple along the way. They easily could have lost today. But they didn't. Yeah, this offense is a cover-all for so much. You could be really, really dreadful on defense like they were today, and they could still win. I have to bring it back to Romo, though, for a minute, just because I don't. think the narrative of him choking late in games is fair at all. But I do think if you're a Cowboys fan and you're a Romo apologist and Romo defender, you have to admit lately it's an

organizational thing that they can't close out big wins. They have a chance and they get close to having that big win and it doesn't happen. You know, the regular season ended last year with Romo throwing picks. Week one, not week one this year, but the game against the Chiefs, I thought he played great for three quarters, had a really bad fourth quarter. And then he throws the interception today. So that's a trend. That's three of your most recent losses that they haven't been able to finish out. Here's one thing also with Romo, and I agree there is a trend here, but they are, in this game, it tells you that they're the best team in the NFC East. There's no reason why the Cowboys should not win this division, and he's going to get a chance

to fix his reputation, hopefully for Tony's sake in January. But barring a big run in the playoffs, This is always who he's going to be known, how he's going to be known, and he doesn't do himself any favors because he always chooses the biggest moments to make these one plays that wipe out usually stellar performances before that. Jason Garrett called it the best game of Tony Romo's career, and you can make a case that's true, but that kind of says a lot because you could say that after a game where you had such a bad ending. Yeah, I think one last point on Peyton Manning,

I was covering the Carolina-Arizona game while also watching this game, And the difference between Manning and Newton was striking. Newton is, he's got a cannon, and he's so athletic, and he's so inaccurate, and he doesn't anticipate. And he's got that Brandon Whedon problem where there's no touch on his passes. And then we were talking in the newsroom about what would the draft Nick say about Peyton Manning's arm if he was coming out of the draft this year? Right. His arm is, I think it's now the weakest in the NFL of any starter. But he's winning with, you know, blitz recognition, timing, accuracy, touch.

and he's just playing like he's playing quarterback like we've never seen before. He's playing like Chad Pennington dreamed of ever playing. Right. Like the greatest Chad Pennington of all time. He's a rich man's Chad Pennington? He's the richest man in the world, Chad Pennington, yes. Okay, so we have a lot of games to get to on Sunday. Let's start in Chicago where Drew a breeze was nearly perfect again. Jimmy Graham continues an historic pace right now.

He's four straight 100-yard games. a tight end. The Saints are 5 and 0, 2618 win over the Bears. Greg, you watched it. Just another piece of evidence that this Saints team is great. It's weird to think about, but they're one of the most complete teams in the NFL, which is strange because they don't have a running game. But unlike the Broncos, they have a difference-making defense. And we kept waiting for it to, you know, turn into a pumpkin and it's not as great. But today, they were dominating that game. Now, in the end, if you look at the box score, Cutler put up numbers. Alshan Jeffrey goes over 200 yards, but the Saints defense dictated that game for three quarters.

They didn't blitz much most of this season, but they blitzed a ton today, and it really worked well. Cutler got hit a lot. He was confused. And the Saints' offense, even though they don't have a running game, controls the ball. This short passing and a time of possession, they entered this game number one in the league. They held the ball for 36 minutes. They played keep away today, and it just shows they can win different sorts of games. This is on the road, on grass against a tough opponent, and it really wasn't that close. I was excited to see after the game, we got our chance to see Brandon Marshall Talent Evaluator called Alshan Jeffery could be one of the best receivers ever and expects him to break all the Bears receiving records. This is the same

Brandon Marshall who also said last year that Devin Hester was going to be the best wide receiver on the Bears team that he was on. You could take some positives if you're a Bears fan. Jeffrey was sensational in this game. He is so good at taking the ball out of the air on a tough throw by Jay Cutler. So that's the positive there. They didn't take the ball away at all. This is the first game this year that the Bears' defense didn't force at least three turnovers.

They didn't force any. This is what kind of happens to the Bears' defense when they don't first turnovers. They're not that great. Let me ask a question of both you guys. It's kind of an unfair question, but, you know, whatever. Who do you think deserves more credit? it for this 5-0 start, Sean Payton being back or Rob Ryan coming in and kind of redoing this defense? Of those two options, I'd say Rob Ryan. I can't disagree with that. Now, I would say

Drew Brees and Jimmy Grand deserve the most credit. I mean, Graham, how many tight ends are the biggest vertical threats on the team? They can't throw it to anyone deep. They started Robert Meacham and Kenny Stills today, I believe it. No, Nick Toon and Robert Meacham, we're in the starting lineup today. This is not a good wide receiver group. Graham's the only guy that made any plays down the field, and yet they're still dominating. Yeah, I mean, we talked about it before the season. I remember thinking that if they could even become a middle of a pack defense, Rob Ryan, that'll be a huge career boon to him, and if he has any hopes of being a head coach in this league.

I mean, he's doing, none of us ever pictured that the Saints would forget about being mediocre. They're legitimately a good defense right now. Yeah, I'm shocked. You guys know, I doubted them, and I don't do that anymore. but they've proven me wrong. Kenny Vicaro is another key guy for them. He had a sack today, another pass defense, a tackle for loss. He's making plays.

He might be the best player other than Cameron Jordan on that defense. Junior Glet. And I'm done picking against the Saints. I'm totally sold on them now. This was a really nice win for them. So congratulations, guys. I'm on your side. Let's move on to Indianapolis.

Here's a nice win. I watch this game, the Andrew Luck. They're a team to be reckoned with. But they handed the Seahawks their first loss of this season. Luck's only been around for less than a season and a half, but this was his ninth fourth quarter comeback, a 3428 win. The culture now 4-1, and I think they're a worthy, true AFC contender. Fact or fiction.

Oh, that's fact. Yeah, I thought that going into the week, although I picked them to win. Tell us a little bit about the Richard Sherman, T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne Factor. I haven't got to see this. Well, I wouldn't say that Sherman played a terrible game, although it should be said, maybe another look at the game tape, maybe he did have a bad game. What I do know is that T.Y. Hilton went off. T.Y. Hilton, who we're big fans of here around the league, he went for 140 yards, targeted six times at five catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns. This guy is a star. He might even be the best wide receiver on this team at this point. Easy there. Easy there. He hasn't done anything this year before now.

No, I think he's just a guy. I've got to watch them a lot. I really do think he's on the verge of just exploding for a long stretch of big games. And, you know, Sherman talks a big game, but he got beat on a key third down conversion to Reggie Wayne as well. I mean, it was just a great game by the Colts. And it was a great quarterback battle between Russell Wilson and Andrew Locke. They both made a ton of big throws. Russell Wilson ran for over 100 yards for the first time in his career. and I was really impressed by his ability. He just has an uncanny sense to when to bail on a pocket, and he killed the Colts all day that way. So this is just a great game between two very good teams,

and the Seahawks are still good on the road, but they're not great like they are at home. Past rushers can't have a more frustrating matchup right now than Russell Wilson. You get pressure on him, and he just leaves the pocket and gets a first down. I know you are a big Trent Richardson fan, Dan. What is the Trent Richardson update? Dan loves to tell us all with glee in his eyes about how poorly Trent Richardson is doing week after week.

Well, that's not quite accurate, Greg. Because I do, I'm fascinated by the Trent Richardson trade because I think it's one of the more interesting mid-season moves in recent NFL history. And the funny thing about Richardson, he did actually, for the first time, in a long time, get to the second level on a defense a couple times. I think he had a 16-yard run,

which was almost a little bit jarring to see happen because it's been so long. But at the end of the day, you look at the stat line, 18 carries, 56 yards, 3.1 yards per carry. I feel like he runs for 3.1 yards per carry every game. And I understand it gets the Seahawks defense. What do you expect? But wait a second. You traded a first round pick to get him. That's three games now where he's a three yard per carry rusher.

I will just say that he would kill to have the running lanes that No Sean Marino has. That's fair. So with Lashon McCoy. Yes. Okay, let's move on. Chris Wessling, you watched the Carolina Panthers continue to go down in flames. Cam Newton sacks seven times, including once for safety. He got picked off three times.

Cardinals win 226. What are we supposed to take from this game? Well, on the Cardinals side, you know, their defenders came out this week. And I kind of raised my eyes at this that they said Darrell Washington is the best player on their defense. over Patrick Peterson, over Clayus Campbell, Darnel Docket, and Darrell Washington made a big impact today. He had two sacks, he had a really athletic interception in the red zone that basically kept the Panthers from any hope of coming back in the game.

This defense is the reason why the Panthers are only one game out of first place in the West. And on the Panthers side, Cam Newton started sharp, they dropped, Steve Smith dropped a touchdown, Brandon LaFelle dropped a fourth down in the red zone. And then after that, Newton kind of went in the tank. He just didn't pass well at all in the second half of the game. Ron Rivera, watch, that has to be starting up soon, right? Right.

This team isn't really doing anything on offense. The defense played fine. Carson Palmer had a bad game. But Newton, I mean, I think probably more quickly than we expect it, we're going to start to hear about whether he should be benched or not. Wow. Come on. Who are they going to bench him for?

I'm just telling you. I don't think he's playing well. Well, I'm just impressed that the Cardinals managed to survive the Levi-Brown trade. I mean, it's like the emotions for them. Palmer was only sacked twice. So the Cardinals' offense, though, were they any better at all? I mean, I still feel, even though the Cardinals are three and two, and Ariens doing great job, I feel like the Panthers are the story here at one and three.

The Cardinals' offense was terrible today. They didn't do anything. Andre Ellington was the only player that stood out. They're using him pretty well. I imagine he will eat into Mendenhalls' touches soon. With the Panthers, you kind of see why bad organizations are bad, because Ron Rivera has done a great job building the defense that he always wanted. It's taken him a few years, and now he's a defensive coach,

and now that defense is there, and it's ready, and it's ready to win a Super Bowl. I mean, the defense is good enough to do that. But he has no clue what to do with the offense, and he's going to get fired because of it, and then the next guy is going to come in, and he'll switch everything around, and then three years later we'll be in the same place. It reminds me of the Levy Smith era of Chicago Bears,

which Rivera was part of that coaching staff. And the Bears never could figure out their offense during that era, and this seems exactly what's going on with the Panthers. You know, I was wondering why Mark Sessler came down ill, but then I just realized one of the games he watched. He had to watch a Jaguars, and it's becoming something within the ATL group dynamic. Nobody wants to be stuck with the Jaguars.

He fell on the grenade though And look what happened to him now He's bedridden And this was a particularly grim Jaguars afternoon They lost 3420 to the Rams We expected that But it even gets worse

Blaine Gabbard injured his hamstring You know so Mr. Glass has hurt again But even more importantly They trade Eugene Monroe In large part so they can move Luke Jokle from right to left tackle And what happens Jokul breaks his ankle

He's out for the year It's just like everything they do turns to hell. I feel bad for Jaguars fans. They deserve better. Chad Henney came in for Gabbardt, but after the game, Gus Bradley, the coach, said Gabbitt will remain the starter if he's healthy.

So I just don't know how this is going to change. Justin Blackman gave him a shot in the arm. That's good. I guess Zach Stacey is the big hot fantasy pickup if you didn't grab them before the game. The Rams starting running back had an okay game. I don't know if we learned too much from this one. The first time all year,

the Rams have been able to run the ball. So I imagine we will see Zach Stacey going forward. First Zach Stacey mentioned on the podcast. It's clear the Jaguars are going to be an elixir for a lot of teams. The Rams needed this win, but I'm not ready to get back on the Rams bandwagon at this point. All right, let's move on. Greg, this is a tough one for you. The New England Patriots lost their first game of the season.

Tom Brady lost his streak of 52 straight games throwing a touchdown past the Bengals. Snap that, a 13-6 win for the Bengals. What did you take out of it? See, this was the opposite of the Broncos Cowboys game. It was all defense, no offense, but I thought it was a great game. No one's going to say this was a great game because it was no one scored until a couple minutes left in the first half. But the two defenses were just dominated.

It's one of the better Patriots defensive performances in a while, but the Bengals just physically overwhelmed the offensive line early. Mike Zimmer threw a lot of blitzes at them. Brady got hit early and often. reminded me a little bit of the Super Bowls where he gets rattled. He missed a lot of throws. When they were there, he missed the throws and no one's going to give Andy Dalton any credit

in this game because the stats weren't unbelievable, but he made three or four really big plays, one with his feet, a couple throws on third and long in the second half, and those were the game-winning type of play. So I give him credit. I give Marvin Lewis credit for going forth and goal at the half-yard line, and it was a great win for the Bengals.

Do we think the Bengals are just one of those teams that's much better playing at home because they've given Aaron Rogers and Tom Brady basically the worst games they've had in the past few years at home, but then they lose to the Browns on the road. Well, the defense played pretty well against the Browns. Did not have, and it wasn't quite this great,

but the defense has been consistent. So if I was a Bengals fan, I'd pretty encouraged after this one. It was kind of a win they needed to get, and they got it. And I think for Brady, this is a couple games he hasn't played too well. He didn't play great in the win against the,

the Bucks, I thought. He's missed some throws early this season. You know, they need Gruncowski back. They're a different team with him. Are there, I remember the the Jets game was a great example of this where Brady was very visibly upset. Were there a lot of miscommunications with the receivers

today, or is it just he was off? Yeah, there was a few of that. On the last drive, there was one with Dobson. He went one way. Brady expected him to go to another, but there were more missed throws. There was a couple drops. It was a little bit of everything. But I think this one was more on Brady. He called it

inexcusable execution errors. I think he was really talking about his throws are my guesses, but he probably was frustrated with the young guys too. And, you know, they can't wait until Gruncowski. They needed a guy like Vareen today, and they just didn't have them. All right, moving on in Miami, the Ravens had a nice bounce back win over the

Dolphins, who 3 and O seems like a long time ago already now. This is typical resilience for the Ravens in the John Harborough era. They are now 21 and seven after losses, 26-23 win. The biggest takeaways for me, both offensive lines are crappy, especially, you know, Ryan Tannahill and Greg, you've got to be a little nervous about this.

The only thing that could stop Tannahill from continuing to progress as a quarterback is if he takes an injury, and, you know, he got sacked six times today. That's 18 and 5 games, excuse me, 24 and 5 games. That's a recipe for disaster. Two other takeaways. Terrell Suggs is all the way back. He had three sacks today. He's got seven for the season,

and he has won at least every game. That's a franchise record. And Ray Rice, he's playing with a bad hit behind a bad line. He's not himself right now, but he did get in the end zone twice. But he lost another fumble, and that's five lost fumbles in the Ravens' last eight games. I see Ray Rice's longest run went for seven yards on 27 carries.

Yeah. He came into the game averaging 3 yards per carry and 4 yards per reception. Do we think that's all the hip? There's just not a lot of movement on that line. There's not a lot to go from. And then when you factor in that he's not 100%. Bernard Pierce, who Greg and I chatted a little bit, so he saw a negative tweet about Pierce that he's not hitting holes well.

I mean, they're just not getting a lot of movement in the ground game. Flacco had a nice bounceback game after his five-pick performance. He didn't throw a touchdown and did throw a pick six, but that was on Bryant McKinney who got killed on a rush, and it led to a deflection. I mean, it was a nice win for the Ravens, and on the Dolphins side of the ball, you know, you have to wonder now after that 3-0 start,

is this team going to really go in the tank right now? Because I'm not that sold on it right now. Also, one more thing, Cameron Wade. They're in every game, though. They got killed in New Orleans. This game, to me, isn't any different than their wins. It basically came down to the last possession, right? Yeah, no, it certainly did

But, you know, yeah, it did It actually came down to a field goal attempt Tanahill through a beautiful pass Like a 48-yard pass to Brandon Gibson that got them around the 35 And then the drive sputtered out And then they missed the 57-yard or so Yeah, it wasn't a terrible performance by Miami

But at home you've got to protect the turf And they didn't 27 rushes and your longest is 7 That's not the offensive line I mean, that's hard to do Let me ask you guys this since, Dan, you watch this game, and Greg, you've watched a lot of Tannahill this year. He's on pace to break David Carr's record for most sacks absorbed in a season.

Is this all on the offensive line, or is he holding the ball too long? Is his pocket awareness not good? Well, today there was, he did not have a lot of help on that line for sure. But the last sack, which was particularly costly because it made a very tough field goal, almost impossible, where he kind of stepped into the rush and got brought down. I think there's that part of his game. If there's one aspect of his game that needs a lot of work, it's there. It's that awareness in the pocket.

Yeah, it's largely him. It's always largely about the quarterbacks, or it's a function of both the offense line, but he has to take a lot of that blame. I picked the Giants again this week. That was five weeks in a row, and I am 0.5 on Giants games. They, at home, they had a lead late in the third quarter against the Eagles, but then Eli just completely self-combusted, and they lost. 3621.

Michael Vick also got hurt. Nick Foles came in and led the Eagles on four scoring drives. I don't know what that says about Nick Foles or just the Giants being absolutely dreadful. Well, I saw after the game, Chip Kelly said that Vic will get his job back, but I also saw a report from Howard Eskin before we came up here that they expect Vic to be out at least one game. Yeah, we'll see. Vic said he's had a similar injury like this before and he missed one game. He didn't think it was too serious.

I mean, for the Eagles, they're right there tied for the first place in the NFCE, so it's a get healthy win for them. And I think everyone can finally admit, like you, Dan, I was saying this is the worst team in the NFL, them and the Jaguars, and they continue to do it week after week. They've completely cratered, and this was one of Mark games also, so I didn't get a chance to watch it closely, which I will later in the week. But I am a little bit, I don't know, like this Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning, we can't. take the two titles away, but if they completely crater and go 2 and 14 this year, that says all sorts of bad things about both those guys, right? And again, I'm not trying to take anything away from these guys, and I know Giants fans especially are hyper-sensitive about criticism, especially with Eli, because

of what he's done. Oh, you mean because he has Justin Tucks two MVP trophies? Well, it depends on how you look at the Giants. If you look at them as a two-time Super Bowl champion, like most two-time Super Bowl champions, then that's fine. if you look at them a team that goes 9 and 7 every year or 8 and 8, then bottoming out isn't that crazy. They're a 9-win team every year, even when they win the Super Bowl.

So it's not like they were ever some dominant team. I think they'll find a way to win more than two, but man, it's ugly. They're not even really competitive, and it's just amazing. And I'm wondering when Tom Coughlin's head explodes on the sideline. They've given up the most points in NFL. It would be a good GIF right there, your GIF, however you say that. They've given up the most points. over five games, I think, than any team since the 1961 Raiders?

Yes. I think it was they've given up the third most ever, which is just insane. That's crazy. Well, maybe Davy and Clowny will fix that problem next year. You know, that would be so typical Giants, by the way, as a Jets fan. I hate this. Watch them, crater, lose 13 games, and then they get Clowny, and then they're once again a superpower, or at least a Super Bowl contender for another 10 years.

Whatever. Whatever. Kay Rich, how are you behind the glass? You know my Eagles one, so I'm fantastic. Oh, man. And even better news. Do you have any takeaways? Giants are 0 and 5. How could I not be ecstatic right now?

Is that the team you hate most? Is it the Giants? No, the Cowgirls. Oh, wow. Oh, girls, because they're not boys. I like that. And Tony Ono has proved himself once again. Oh, wow.

Just you and Lashon McCoy just sending sniper shots all around the NFL today. I'm sorry, but they're not America's team anymore. Did you see what LaShawn McCoy tweeted today? He said that No Sean Marino sucks. See, I can't completely agree with that because he's on my fantasy team. Yeah. Conflicting emotions there.

It's a tough spot for Kay Rich. It happens sometimes. Kay Rich, can you get Kevin Patcha, our ATL correspondent in Chicago, on the line? Sure thing. Yeah. We're going to pull him away from his chess game with Kanye West in a park in Sugartown, Chicago. Kevin Patcher on the line. How are you, Mr. Patrickra?

I don't know much time. My clock, my timer's running. We'll keep it quick. All right, so we have Kevin watched two games today. Why don't we start with in Green Bay. The Packers, they did not light it up on offense. They settled to five field goals and one touchdown. But that was enough. No Calvin Johnson for the Lions.

Bad news. 22-9 win for the Packers. Yeah, the Lions just a little good team, shell-shocks, not having their best offensive weapon on the field, just didn't look like they were done from the get-go, to be honest with you. They got a little, it should have been a blow out a lot earlier. The Packers, you know, really struggled in the red zone early.

It's had to settle for field goals, like you said, and we're moving the ball past the 50-yard line, but just stalling out. This game should have been over in the first half, to be honest with you. So was this another up-and-down Matthew Stafford performance? To me, this was a big test for him because you're playing without Calvin Johnson against a defense. that I think can be pretty good.

Yeah, he didn't have much time. The offensive line, he gave five sacks. You know what? He just looked to me like, I meant the joke. He kind of looked like my four-year-old niece does when somebody takes away her favorite toy. Like, I'm going to do this, but I'm going to do what you want me to do, but it's not going to be good. Like, playing with his top two receivers, he didn't make anybody better on the field

that said even to me, and that spoke more than anything outside of the game. Hey, Kevin, I know you watch every Lions game. Have you noticed that DeAndre Levy is playing? at a higher level this year? Like, he seems like he might be, like, a Pro Bowl type this year. He's all over the field. He made a few plays today that, you know, kept it close. There was a couple third downs.

He made a third one. They tried to have a swing pass wide open. He deflected it to force a punt. He's been all over the field, though. I mean, he's got the three interceptions, should have two for a touchdown. It's not for the two penalty. He's been all over the field this year. He has played at a very high level.

How was the matchup between Detroit's defensive line and, you know, the Packers and their offensive line, because Rogers, you know, they didn't put up a lot of points, but then you look in the box score, he threw for nine yards per attempt, which is pretty good, which is great. Yeah, he was getting, some of those were catching runs, flipping tackles, and a few real deep balls, like 83-yard touchdown to James Jones, and he had another deep ball later in the game kind of skewed at that.

Rogers was getting the ball out of his hand pretty quickly, especially early in the game. There's a lot of quick, quick throws, not letting the pressure get to him. The line only had one sack, and it was one time he held the ball. they didn't get the same amount of pressure they have in other games, but I think a lot of that had to do with Rogers' capability as well. So everyone in the division has two losses now, so that's got to be, they've come back to the pack quickly.

Yeah, it's going to be, I think this is one of those things, like winning in the division at home is key. The Packers took care of that today. All right, so let's move to your second game. The Chiefs are now 5'0 after their best start since 2003, when they won their first nine games. this came, despite blowing a 13-0-0-half-time lead, but they ended up winning 26, 17 over the Titans.

Yeah, if you like six-yard in completion, this was a game for you. This might have been the least... Oh, boy, do I. This might have been the most ignored game in NFL history between a 4-0 team and a 3-1 team. Three-and-one team, yeah. And, you know, Andy Reid's got his first team in NFL history to go 5-0 after losing 14 or more games the year before.

So they got that record underwaps for now. But I thought this game was going to be a blonde early. The Chiefs got a touchdown off a muffed punt, but a punged off a defender who shouldn't have been there for the Titans and went in the end zone. And then, but, you know, Alex Smith didn't really do anything. They had a bunch of opportunities settled for a boatload of field goals. They had field position all first half, and they only were up 13-0-and-half.

And Ryan Fitzpatrick was just more awful the entire first half. And for most of the game, to be honest with you, He actually ended up with more yards than Alex Smith passing by about two. But most of that came out of like a broken flip to Chris Johnson and took her the house. The Titans' offense just really couldn't get anything going in the whole game. And then Ryan Fitzpatrick made a few Houdini plays where he just scrambled out of him. He should have been swallowed up and he got it, got free. And there was nobody spying him.

And he ran for a first time yards. He actually ended up being a leading rush for 50 yards. This is the same. We need to know about Chris Johnson's again. This is the same Ryan Fitzpatrick that signed a $63 million contract a couple of octobers ago, right? I'm sure Bill's fans would love to be reminded about that. Chris Johnson's longest run went for six yards. I would like to hear Lashon McCoy's thoughts on that.

It only 10 carries for 17 yards. There was no holes for him at all. I'm going to go aside and say it's a bad side when the quarterback from Harvard out gains Chris Johnson by 33 yards. I understand there's going to be more guys in the box. when the Harvard quarterback is playing, but what happened to the preseason narrative about the rebuilt offensive line in Tennessee yielding big results

for Chris Johnson? Well, it's been five games now, or the Kansas City Chiefs, the best defense in the NFL? That was really, that to me spoke more. I mean, the defensive line right there, Poe and Houston were getting pressure up the gut,

and they just didn't, they only didn't get in the ball 10 times. They just weren't really opportunities. They went three and out in their first, like, five possessions. They didn't get a first. down until the second half, I mean the second quarter, I'm sorry. Now, I know this might have upset some Chiefs fans, but let's look at the opponents that they faced at least. Jaguars, enough said, Titans today with Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Giants, those are three pretty bad offense. Then you got the Eagles and the Cowboys, and they played

really well against them. I think the Chiefs game to game probably, gosh, I would give it to Seattle, but the Chiefs are probably number two. Hey, Kevin. Panthers have a pretty good defense, too. The Buccaneers would be right there, yeah. The Buccaneers would be right there. It sounds crazy, but they would. Hey, Patrick.

I have one more stat. I have one more stat for you. After a three-run Detroit Tigers' first inning in game one of their ALDS series against the A's, they have now been held scoreless for 17 consecutive innings by the Oakland A's. Are you nervous? I appreciate you rubbing that.

And this hasn't been tough enough of a day. I appreciate that one. I mean, you can't hit the ball. You can't win it. Yesterday, it was, you know, great pitch at performance, both sides. But, you know, I knew that wasn't going to end well. Can you can get guys on base? Yeah, I'm just more like a bitter Yankees fan that just wanted to throw something in there.

I got Greg, he's all overconfident about the Red Sox, thrown in little digs next to me. You know, Wes got his Reds got beat, so there's nothing going on there. But, yeah, I would be a little worried if I were you. This is why you tune into Around the League podcast. For analysis, like, if you can't hit the ball, you're not going to win in baseball. Sure. Well, you know, best hitters have been hurt, the whole, you know. And Prince Fieler hasn't, it's hitting like 120 in the playoffs in the last two years.

So that was great. Well, good luck to you with that, Mr. Patra. And thank you again for joining us, and we'll do it again next week. All right, I'll get back to my chest match. All right, later. Okay, so there are two more Sunday night games. We will talk about one of them now One we won't be talking about

That is the late late show Chris Wessling will be Watching the Raiders Chargers We wanted to stay and do the podcast During at the end of that game But K Rich's backup singers Would not show up So we just couldn't do it

They charged by the hour guy I'm sorry We have a very very minuscule budget But there was the earlier Sunday night game What you would call the proper Sunday night game What can you say about the Houston Texans They lost again, and you know what? Their quarterback didn't even give them a chance.

Matt Schaub threw another pick six. That's four straight over four games, which is almost impossible to imagine happening. They got wiped out. They are now below 500. T.J. Yates came in for Schab late in the game, and you have to wonder, is this something where did Matt Schaub lose his job on Sunday night? Shab gave Kubiak no choice. You know, he had the two interceptions in the first half. I mean, he scored three points in the last five-quarter.

that Shab's been on the field. And the Broncos and the Cowboys will be that game. Dan, you mentioned that we'll remember 10 years from now. We won't really remember this. But this development, to me, might have been the story of the day because it went from bad to even worse. And this is a team a lot of people thought was going to be a Super Bowl contender. The last thing Kubiak wanted was to take Shab out,

and he gave him no other choice. And you just wonder where do the Texans go from here? After seeing this game, I can't believe I picked the Texans to win. That was a faulty hero pick. I was guilty of one of the things that I always try to avoid, which is judging the player's name instead of his game. And Schaub just hasn't been the same quarterback since that blowout loss to the Patriots last year. I think he's 4 and 8 now in his last 12 games, and that's on a team that's loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. He just isn't the same guy.

Yeah, and I know you were saying downstairs, West, that, the possibility that he might not be the same guy physically from last season going back as far as around that Patriots blow out in December. Yeah, it makes me wonder if he suffered some type of shoulder or elbow injury in that game because he looks now like Carson Palmer did after his elbow injury and Jake Dallone did after his Tommy John surgery where he's throwing these sideline outs. These are the ones that are getting picked and he's just not putting enough mustard on the ball. And the Texas offense just looks a little too predictable right now too. Here's my question to both you guys. Okay, we all understand that the Texans are Super Bowl or bust.

Does T.J. Yates give them a better chance to win the Super Bowl or at least get back on track and get into the playoffs? I'm not so sure he does. I think you're in a tough spot. He had a hard time beating out Case Keenham for the backup job. That was a story in Houston all offseason. I don't think Kubiak's very happy with Yates' development. So if he had a guy that he was excited about on the bench, then I think it's a no-brainer. You see what he can do.

but he's kind of in a no-win situation here. I do wonder if he thinks maybe it would do Shab some good to be on the bench for a game or two. And we'll see what Yates does and we'll try to win. And there's always the option you can go back to Shob. I mean, this is a guy you gave almost $30 million to over two years just last year, just last September. So it's a tough guy to bench for the whole season. I hate to say this for Texans fans. And I think that the playoffs will be more entertaining if the Texans were in it

because I think they're a good team. But if you don't have a quarterback, you're not a playoff contender. And I don't think they have a quarterback. And you can't just count on winning an easy division anymore either. It's not an easy division. They might be the third best team in that division. And then on the Niners side, it was an interesting game because, you know, kind of like last week with the Niners, I don't know how much I really learned about them.

At one point, Kaepernick completed a long touchdown pass to Vernon Davis in the fourth quarter, and then Al Michaels told us that that was his first completion since the first quarter. So obviously isn't an offense at least that's humming at this point. But they're running the ball and they're getting back to the things that made them successful when Alex Smith was their quarterback and they're playing good defense. And granted, it was against Bradford and Schaub, but that's what good defenses do. They stomp bad quarterbacks and that's what they've done. And their schedule gets a lot easier. So I think they have to be thrilled with how they came out of this one and two start. Okay. So that does it for tonight's podcast. Thank you

for listening. We will be back Wednesday, as we will be looking ahead to week six. Wes, have an enjoyable late night watching football. Thank you. Insomnia Ensomniac theater. We'll be back Wednesday. And Mark Sessler feel better. I know he's listening. Hang in there, buddy. We will get through this. Stan Hansis, signing off for the mailman, the boss, and K. Rich behind the glass. And, of course, Lyle, the intern, until Wednesday. In the heat of battle, your squad relies on you. Don't let them down.

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