NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Steelers-Vikings Recap - 2021's Best Comedy?

Episode Date: December 10, 2021

Dan Hanzus and Marc Sessler recap the hilariously wild game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL 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. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents.

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. Here's Cook. Bouncing it. End zone. What a start. Touchdown.

Vikings. First down from the 30. Robisberger with protection. Downfield. Caught. Touchdown Steelers, Washington. Cousin's Keeps, airs it out. Osborne downfield, he's got it.

Touchdown Vikings. And coming away looking for a push-off, is Cameron Sutton, no flag? Touchdown, Minnesota. Two more shots, maybe, to the end of. Underneath, it's Johnson. And he is able to break a tackle and get out of and give Pittsburgh hope.

And zone. Fire move. Incomplete, Vikings win it. It was the greatest comedy released in 2021. And it makes sense because it is award season now. December is when they start rolling out the prestige pictures. And comedies don't usually get that pop that the dramas do. But this was high comedy.

Because if you thought. that the Minnesota Vikings, up 29 to Zilch in the third quarter, we're just going to coast to victory. And if you thought this version of the Steelers, the Steelers who are basically a zombie that doesn't know it's dead, like no one's done the headshot yet, so it still wanders around, it stumbles through the darkness, it eats some people, but ultimately it's still dead.

It just needs to be told that and it hasn't learned yet. They're going to keep coming and keep coming late in games, and that's what they did, but they could not finish off what would have been one of the craziest comebacks in primetime NFL history. I will go that for. Final score, 36 to 28 Vikings hold off the Steelers. Mike Zimmer may be alive, maybe not alive at the time of this taping. I don't think he had blinked in about an hour and a half. So we'll check on his status later on this weekend.

I am Dan Hansis. Joining me now is Mark Sessler. We're going to two-hand this one, buddy, Mike and the Mad Dog style. And I know you were really enjoying yourself for about two and a half quarters, Mark, because no one dislikes the Steelers more than Mark Sessler. And then things changed. Were you surprised even by the standards that these teams have set this season? Well, no, I shouldn't be.

I mean, if you've been, you know, observing what we've, you know, witnessed throughout the season, no. I think it's funny just that, like, star performances get buried by a game like this, like Dalvin Cook. basically, you know, totally injured, carrying the team on his back for 205 yards at 7.6 yards per carry. It gets lost in the folly of this. And I found myself, to your point, enjoying this game. At one point, I tweeted that Big Ben's final move is Terry Bradshaw's money, that there's nothing left for him to achieve at this point in his career. It was absolutely what we'd expect. Stop doing that, Mard. You got to stop doing that. Well, no, the biggest, you know, you talk about a zon, like,

someone that has been eaten by a zombie at this point. It was my own, my own self. Because how did I fall for this again, thinking that the Vikings would storm out as they are want to do to a very clear and, you know, definable, huge start and then totally crumble. I mean, we got the worst Kirk Cousins game of the season. At one point, late in the fourth quarter, he had three completions in the second half, two interceptions. None of it should be a surprise to us at all, right? I mean, it just seems exactly almost what we thought would happen. Yet in the moment, I fell for it like a giant rube. Well, take me through it because I'm curious.

At Sessler Manor, as the game gets tight, as it goes 297, 2914, 2920. And then the big touchdown from Kirk Cousins to KJ Osborne, 62 yards. Okay, it seems under control at that point. It's 3620. And then they get off the field, the Vikings defense. And then the Steelers force an interception. Kurt Cousins throws an interception in that spot. And that's when I thought Zimmer's head was going to explode because we know

Zimmer does not like his quarterback. It doesn't matter that Kirk Cousins is on pace for 4,000 yards and 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions this year. The guy drives him crazy because that interception changes the game there again. And the Steelers, of course, then go right back down the field this time. at the two-point conversion. They make it a one-score game. And the Vikings have one last chance to ice the game. I thought cousins did it. I thought cousins stepped up when they had third and 21, I believe it was, and he dug him out with two big completions. But then they go three

and out. Steelers get the ball back and they take it all the way down the field. So where are you, Mark, as that all is the last, let's say, two minutes of game time. What's going on at Sessler, men? Are you throwing things? Are you, is anyone around you? Are you in the garage? Is a door lock, take me through it. Largely dead inside. I started the game in the garage. And, you know, when things are going well, very systematic, had a nice, my laptop set up on a folding table, very organized. When things got really comfortable and I was tweeting out, you know, anti-stealers, bizarre tweets that, you know, I thought I could never be failed on, I moved into our bedroom alone and just curled up. It's a cold, dark, uh,

rainy slash windy night in Los Angeles, the rare one, just curled up under blankets. And I thought, I've got this. I finally felt confident that maybe the Vikings were going to hand us what we thought. But to your point, as the game just got uglier and uglier, I started to peel the blankets off me. I'm sitting up. I'm starting to get flustered and annoyed. My wife was nice enough to bring me, I get avocado toast, which I just threw to the side

at one point. I mean, it just, I should have known this was what this is exactly what's going to happen. I honestly did think that the Steelers were going to pull this out when that interception happened, though, the Witherspoon interception seemed like the ideal set up for this. I think that we've watched enough football where like when you get up the way that the Vikings did, that KJ Osborne connection, that touchdown seemed like it just, they just needed to make one big play. And Kirk Cousins, yes, it might have been like his least successful game of the year.

That was the one play that needed to be made. and it put them over the top. But these Steelers, man, I mean, you've got to give them some credit. They fought to the very end. I mean, at this point, they are six, six and one. The eight, eight and one dream is totally alive in my book. That's one of the last few things I have to cling on to in this season. And the Vikings, you're on the fringes of the NFC wild card race.

And you're the weirdest team I've ever watched. I know, aren't they? And that, I mean, that's why I've kind of loved them all season because, you know, Troy Aikman said it. Now, naturally, everyone is kind of on the same page. Like, they are box office. You know, you sit down for four hours to watch one NFL game. And if you want one that's going to be close, that's going to have highs and lows and a lot of action, it is the Vikings.

Every game has come down to the final score for Minnesota, even the game when they were winning 29-0 in the third quarter against a old quarterback who looks like he is ready to join Terry Bradshaw. And I, yes, Ben Rafflesberger said old quarterback deserves a lot of credit. There is something about Rathlisberger and a lot of this, it's hard to believe this comeback happened after T.J. Watt went out. But when you looked at the first half, when the Pittsburgh Offensive line was so bad and non-competitive, uh, that the game had turned into a farce and it all changed. It all just like, it flipped a switch. And I don't know if you, if that's Tomlin and the coaching staff making big time adjustments or if it's, the Vikings just failing to keep the momentum and keep the pedal to the metal.

But I think there's some DNA at play. And I think that's why we got to where we got tonight with this game between these two teams. The Vikings' inability to close games and their seeming inability to avoid these calamitous collapses, that's part of who they are. Like it's in their heads. You saw it. As soon as that second touchdown scored, everybody tightened up. on that sideline, on that field, the coach, everybody.

And on the flip side, the Steelers are this, like, flawed, imperfect team. But like the zombie that doesn't know it's dead, it still has this muscle memory to be able to fight back in games. They don't quit. They never quit on their coach. And they fought back and took advantage of the Vikings tightening up. And that's like championship DNA, even if the Steelers haven't won a title a little while. So it's almost inevitable, it got where it ended up, but still like 29-9.

nothing, Mark. It's unbelievable. It came down to the last play of the game. And yeah, that's that's 2021 NFL. Well, I think you nailed it right there. I think that both teams are emblematic of this particular season. Not that we haven't seen games like this before, but it doesn't even feel especially rare. You know, at one point, I thought the Steelers had been impregnated with the baby of Satan at one point that it was over for them. But it wasn't because that's the Steelers and And that's the Vikings. And it's disturbing what we watch tonight on some level because like when you're up 29 nothing, you should just lay into it. And especially when they were running the ball the way they were. And the Steelers had been terrible against the run the past

couple of games. The formula was there for the Vikings to go on and win this 48 to 12. And you and I are doing this recording 25 minutes ago. Instead, it turns into an anti-drama of the highest nature um but but you know what i at this point one thing i've learned because i have essentially failed at my job this season i am not counting out either one of these teams on any level i'm done tweeting about anyone i'm done tweeting like anything can happen at this point the steelers probably will become a wild card team and take that wild card game down to the final minutes too so here that's your preview of the wild card weekend obligatory ad break here because shocker alert we talk too long Hey, this is Matt Jones.

Now, 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 get. Listen to NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, 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. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast.

Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. 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. I mean, the Steelers, see, I'm more confident in the Vikings finding way to the playoffs.

Just looking at the Steelers. Maybe. Home Titans, at Chiefs. Oh, Mark. Oh, Mark. Oh, Mark. It's prime time, too. We got Steelers hosting Browns in week 17.

Well, that way, you know that will turn into something very ugly. You have to go full of any test of Bertie's dad on that one. You got a VCR tape that sucker. Is that Monday night or Thursday? I'm not on assignment, I hope, on that evening. January 3rd, I believe it is ESPN. So it must be Monday night football. The last Monday night game.

Oh, Margie. I don't know about that. I will, I literally, I'll take a one-way flight to Mexico for that game. And for those that don't know the reference, because we do bring it up from time to time, when the Jets had a great run in 1998 and they went 12 and 4 and went to the AFC title game, lost to Elway and the Broncos. Vinnie Testivardi had a career season. And it was like this big story in the tri-state area because Vinny Testivardi's father was a huge fan,

obviously, of his son and followed his whole career, but he had a bum ticker. You see, Mr. Testivari had a bum ticker. And it was such a bum ticker that it wouldn't be able to hold up watching a game. an NFL game with his son at the quarterback position. So what Mr. Testiverty would do was he would tape the game. This is back in the days of the BCR, tape the game. Someone would then alert him after the game whether the Jets had won or lost, whether Vinny had been successful or the team had been unsuccessful.

And then knowing that the outcome was already decided in his mind, he then could watch the game and his ticker would be safe. That's what we need to do for Mark in week 17, Brown Steelers, because that feels like a heart attack platter. just a minor footnote i think that is the um the dichotomy of our fan interest because all that literally same exact um series of anecdotes were pounded into my head over and over during viny testiverty's 1994 season with bill bellichick's browns when they went to the playoffs it's like i don't know if this was maybe a highly um a well-run PR campaign because it made it was like

every pregame show ever but you're right um when that by the way they're playing on Are you saying it's like a Mante Teo's girlfriend situation? Like there never was. That's exactly right. That's what I'm saying. I love that. Anyway, the parallels there.

Let's get back on track. The Steelers lost T.J. Watt to a groin injury. He was in street close in the second half. I don't know if that was for precautionary reasons because the game seemed over. And if that's the case that was done by the Steelers or if he's seriously injured and can miss extended time. But either way, a defensive player of the year, once again, wide open. The Steelers, if they have any chance of making that run to 8-8. and one or, you know, nine, eight, what's a winning record for them then?

They got to go, what was it carrying three? Would they be nine, seven and one? Nine seven and one. Yeah, that makes my head, that hurts me. I don't like the sound of that. They need, they need Watt on the field. As for the Vikings, it doesn't change how I feel about them at all. It's the same stuff with Minnesota.

They could beat anybody. They could lose to anybody. It doesn't matter how far they're ahead because they'll always let the team back in. And I think that DNA, ultimately, Mark, is going to get them killed and it's going to break the hearts of the entire Vikings fan base. But I think the only solace to take out of that, it's kind of like a Mr. Testiverty parallel, they already know. Like, everyone knows that this season is going to end horrifically for Minnesota.

So maybe that helps when they do host the Bears in week 18 and it's winning in and they lose on a field goal as time expires after a hideous Kirk Cousins fumble. like they know that's coming they are yeah they um i think viking fans all along have sort of been the john the baptist um you know persona here telling us you can get into this experience you can uh you can flee it uh but either way we know we're telling you now what's going to occur and i frankly the steelers feel very similar to me too where it's like they they are as you said they are zombieish they're unkillable um i i mean i think you're right that the vikings pattern is not a super bowl pattern And it's a January heartbreak low ebb where it's like you're going to have a lot of Vikings fans in Minnesota hitting the dive bar after that game very hard.

It's going to be very ugly. We will be far from it. Thank you. And all your tweets, uh, well, I mean, that's, poking the bear. What a joke. I know it was bad because when I tweeted about it, people were like tweeting, uh, your boy Mark's not feeling so cool anymore and stuff like that. Like people, you must have really gotten some critical tweets from, uh, the, Inzers.

Do you want me to read you? Let me see if I can find you. Yeah, I would love to some negative tweets. While you look for that, I'll just let everyone know that the Vikings now six and seven right in the thick of the NFC wild card race. And they get the bears in Chicago next week. So, oh, by the way, we get the bears on Sunday night football this week. We get them on Monday night football next week against the Vikings. But we know it will be a close fun game because the Vikings are playing.

So I guess there's the positive catch 22. And then they get the Rams at home the day after Christmas. So this is going to get very interesting because the Rams potentially could lose to the Cardinals this week and be in a potential desperation situation. So the NFC is going to be a lot of fun. All right. Did you find any tweets? I'll read you too. The first was I'm not sure Steelers fans can read this, but your team is incomplete.

I mean, suggesting that was your tweet and I liked it. Well, that's, it is largely a known fact that many Steelers fans have never read a book. So I just put that out there as a, that was the baseline comment there. Then I said, TNF aside, Steelers fans equal golden encrusted newbies to what comes next, colon, QB reboot, then in all caps, total mystical evil chaos. Look at me, totally feeling myself as if, you know, this was real. Then the final one, the Steelers are a filmic projection this evening, not with us in real life. Oh.

You know what? I may stop doing this. Any replies during the comeback that really stood out or? Oh, of course. Well, here's what I do find annoying. It was the very sixth grade argument. Yeah, but the Browns really suck. It's like, but that's, I'm not taught.

I already with you that they are problematic. The, the AFC North is big and sloppy and I enjoy it, you know? Yes. We're not getting a, probably not getting a Super Bowl team out of there, but they're going to, they're just going to just fight to death. It's like squid games in that division. It's just like one team's going to come out of it alive. the others will be dead and the one that survives will never be the same.

And it will probably be the Bengals, which like nobody on earth predicted. That would be very 20-21. Okay, there you go. That is Thursday night football. And I'll give it to Greg Rosenthal. He predicted all the, I guess it wasn't a tough thing to predict this. Again, the Vikings have done this 13 straight times this season, close game going down to the very end.

He said, I think you guys are going to have a lot to talk about. We did. And on the subject of Greg Rosenthal, Mark, He also said he listens to the TNF recaps, which both struck us as a little bit, maybe a stretch of the truth. Little suspicious. I mean, just because I never would. He said on Friday morning as he's driving into work, he religiously listens to what others did with the TNF recap, but also claims to have never listened to any of our other podcasts. You know, he's a former debate club guy in high school.

don't he's going to take that and use it against you by saying you're using overly flowery language i don't think he said he listens religiously uh well you know but he said i think he says he does he he's known when he can he checks it out so how about a test okay i like that let's test what if hey gregg if you're listening right now if you would do indeed listen to these podcasts on thursday night that you're not on when i introduce you on sunday show the flagship program i want the first thing you say strawberry truck I think that's the perfect way to do it I also Greg

I don't know if you know this damn but he'll often I think he finds that I'm a I'll listen to him and his inner thoughts I don't always respond but he told me that he went ice skating alone tonight just to enjoy the sensation of that so if you wanted to tweet at him about that

if you're listening about you know I think it's fine for a man to go ice skating alone in Los Angeles on a 9th of December It's such a good call. Positive reinforcement to Greg, because he let himself be vulnerable to his friend, Mark, sharing that he goes solo ice skating just to kind of clear his mind. And he said, you know, he said to me, he shot me a text a couple weeks ago. He said, Dan, it makes me feel graceful. So I love that sensation for him.

send him some positive tweets supporting his solo ice skating ventures let's lift him up rickie do you have anything dad i think you guys really nailed it rickie's just pissed because she had like a hot yoga class she was going to try to go to early tomorrow she thought the cnf game was going to end quickly uh and then the fact that it turned into like this epic barn burner uh is going to cost you a workout in the morning yeah now i got to now i got to go hard in the morning wanted to get it over with so see now now imagine being a viking fan uh take that frustration and multiply it by roughly one trillion yeah but at least they got the win they got i mean it sucks that how they came back and i get it and i'd be furious too because the vikings do this every single

game and what did i think it was you know troy and joe were saying that like in the two minute drill the vikings are like legitimately the worst ever and so it's like here we are in the two minute drill and like the Steelers marched down the field and I'm not doing, you know, down. Yeah, they've been terrible. They've been terrible in the last two minute of halves. Yeah, and unless you're a Vikings fan who is also a toddler, you know, you know that a dark day is coming.

I mean, I think they're wise to a final chapter. And just because I don't, I don't want this to get lost to the sands of time. Chase Claypool, how about we like chill out on the knucklehead act? I don't know what, that guy's fantastically talented, but he does something stupid almost every week. And posing and for the first down on a running clock with no timeouts and the games on the line. And that led to an offensive line and scrambling over and like, bro, and then the ball falling on the ground. That might have cost them one extra play down at the goal line. Like that is not an exaggeration.

Like an extra 10, 9, 10 seconds off the clock. That is something that Ricky would absolutely pull the same exact stunt. Were she in the same position? I think you're projecting. I think that I'm projecting I think I would be disciplined team player and when you we've got to know where you are at situational football mark you got to know I would be highly you got to be disciplined in the nerves you got to clock it you're not doing anything mark marks me either if we're first of all I wouldn't make the catch so let's I mean that would be the first problem we know if we're if we're if we're being generous mark would either be like a hard nose Dwight safety um or a super quirky kicker Yeah, like a Rodrigo Blankenship type. Excuse me, you're talking to someone who played running back and when they didn't know what to do with someone who was. Like, they didn't even have real helmets back then.

Right, like the real roots of football. By the way, you know, at least 100 years after that. And you're absolutely right, Mark. Erica is a diva wide receiver and there's no other position that she could be playing. Yeah, well. This piling up personal fouls and, you know, all. off the field team penalties of fines and suspension. You know what?

The team can't get rid of me because the numbers prove it. Yeah. Well, or your dad probably owns the team. Okay. That's. All right. The show is now longer than the preview show earlier. Yes.

Absurd. All right. So again, Vikings fans, I hope you're okay. Deep breath, deep breath. You're still alive. I don't know if you're coaches. Steelers fans, I hope you're okay. Steelers fans.

You know, the zombie, there was always one memorable zombie, especially memorable zombie from the Michael Jackson Thriller video where he's walking down the street and his arm just straight falls off. Yes. And he just keeps walking. That's the Steelers. Now they only have one arm, but they still got two legs and probably they're still searching for brains. So that's that you're alive. You're undead. You're alive.

All right. Let's go. Until Sunday in the flagship show, heed the call. Strawberry truck. Hey, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 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 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 Six podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael F. Florio, and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast.

Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL fantasy football podcast on the IHeart Radio Out. 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.

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