PTI - 49ers Injury Concerns Mounting?

Episode Date: September 11, 2025

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discuss the 49ers injuries, the NFC North, and Commanders vs. Packers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network and service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.esPN.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now. Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. Scarlett Johansson showed off a big back tattoo on the red carpet. Tony, when did you come down on back tattoos?

I'm Tony Kornheiser. I regret mine. It says, Levitard for Life. I barely talk to the guy anymore. Yeah, you should sue somebody. I'm not sure who was a mistake. The tattoo parlor, you should take them to court or something. I can sue Levitard.

be fun. That would be fun. Don't you think? Yeah. Yeah. I'd go in with you on that. I mean, we could hold it in a hot courtroom. He'd sweat. Get all wet. Be fantastic. Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. In today's episode, Dan Campbell predicts a win. The commanders face the Packers and Booger McFarlane joins us for five good minutes. But we begin today with the report by the NFL network that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will be out between two to five weeks with what is being described as a turf tow variant, whatever that means. The 49ers will now turn to Mac Jones, who they signed this past March. The 49ers barely won their opening game against Seattle.

Next up with the Saints in New Orleans. Wilbon, how much uncertainty does this bring to the 49ers? A ton. A ton of uncertainty. Look, it's week one. There's so much we don't know. I go back to last year when New Orleans scored like 150 points in the first two games, and then where were they?

Yeah. I mean, this happens, right? So we don't, we're not jumping to conclusions on this show. But let me just mention the people who are not with San Francisco who were there, you know, a couple of years ago when the 49ers look like, okay, they got a nice window to go after a championship. And they did to a degree. You got no kiddle now because he's injured.

You got no Iute. You got McCaffrey is Anthony Davis. He's great when he's out there. But you don't know how long he's going to be out there, how consistently. You got no Debo Samuel because he's 3,000. miles away and now you got no Purdy. To me, that's not even like, that's a certainty. You're not going to be very good.

Now, they can still beat New Orleans, which we know is not very good. A lot of people have New Orleans being the worst team in the entire NFL. They might be 32 when somebody's power rating. But this is not good for the 49ers who thought they were going to rebound, be healthy and challenge, and they got tough division games ahead of them. Yeah. So I like Brock Purdy. and I don't just like him because he was the last guy picked in the draft.

I like him. I think he's a really good quarterback. His record as a starter in San Francisco was 24 and 13, and that's really good. But the 49ers slumped last year, and Purdy couldn't pull them out of it. It's about injuries, as you say. Kittles out now, McCaffrey is out now, Purdy is out now. It feels like they're living under a dark cloud. And so now they have to turn to Mack Jones.

Mac Jones was ineffective in his last two years at New England. He was ineffective last year. in Jacksonville. His record as a starter the last two years, Mike, is four and 14 with 18 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions. Those are bench warmer numbers. If you want any sort of silver lining here, you have to go back to when he won a national championship at Alabama and then went to New England was 10 and 7 as a rookie and got them to the playoffs. It's there, but you've got to dig really deep to find it. So, yeah, here's what I would be optimistic about if I had to be their schedule. New Orleans, as you said, New Orleans isn't any good. Okay. And then they have the

Cardinals, the Jaguars, the Rams, so the 49ers beat all the time. You don't know. And Tampa Bay. But it's not Murderers Row. So the boat may still be floating when Purdy gets back. May. May. You know, a lot of guys out. A lot of guys you don't know what you can depend on. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions lost two coordinators in the offseason, and now they hope to avoid losing their first two games. Dan Campbell's team lost to the cheeseheads now faced former offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, and his new team, the Bears. Campbell told reporters, quote,

we're going to win this game, we have to, close quote. Tony, what's the stake for Dan Campbell and the Lions against Ben Johnson and the Bears? So in my house, this game is referred to as a Wilbon special, and you can understand that. All right, so you would not normally expect a head coach in the NFL, a veteran head coach in the NFL, in the second game of the season, to say, we have to win this game. We're going to win it, and we have to win it. Like, I don't think Andy Reid is saying that in Kansas City. Philadelphia is at Kansas City, and Kansas City is 0-1. I don't think Andy Reid is saying out loud, this is a must game.

But Dan Campbell is a different kind of guy. He's sometimes more like a player than he is a coach. And he probably feels this is going to jack up his players. There is a statistic here that is relevant, Mike. Since 1990, teams that start out one-and-one make the playoffs 41.6% of the time. But if you start out 0-2, that's down to 12.2%. I think that the Lions are better. I think the Lions should win this game.

but as you know, Mike, nobody knows Jared Goff as well as Ben Johnson. The current coordinator does not know Jared Goff like Ben Johnson knows them. So if there's a way to attack Jared Goff, Ben Johnson's going to do it. Yeah, Tony. Also, the Bears played the Lions really close at a time. Nobody expected. And that would be Thanksgiving Day last year, 2320 game. Bears should have won that game.

And so I don't know that there's the disparity. and there is disparity. It doesn't necessarily show up in division games, as you and I have seen over all the decades. They're just division matchups which you go, wait a minute, I know this team seems a lot better. Dan Campbell's playing to that. He does not want to get off to O and 2.

That's clear. But, you know, Tony, I also think Dan Campbell, who is a player's coach, there's no question. You mentioned that, how he sounds like a player, comes off like a player so much of the time. and that works to some degree,

but he's sort of rolling the dice. If you take this risk and you go out there and you say to your team loudly and publicly, I'm betting on you in the division game. Let me just say this. I'm worried about Dan Campbell.

I got two games this weekend. I got Northwestern hosting Oregon, and I got the Bears at Detroit. I'm actually worried that the Lions are going to have a bigger win over the Bears. That's how worried I am. Really?

that Dan Campbell is going to reach his team successfully, and there could be a beat down. They certainly already missed Ben Johns. They scored 13 points last week. They were smothered. They averaged 33. They averaged 33 last year. Let's go to tonight's Thursday night game. This is a truly attractive matchup.

It's Washington, which got to the NFC championship game last year at Green Bay, a team that you, Willbon, you think they will be in the Super Bowl. Yep. Both teams won their openers. Wilbon, of these teams, which one do you think more highly of? Green Bay. I think the Packers are the best team in the NFC. I think it's quite possible the Packers are the best team in the league. And I know that Philadelphia is right there.

And unlike some other dopes, I'm not about to start to discount the Kansas City Chiefs yet, even if they were to go on two. So I think the Packers, though, have it all, Tony. And I think they know that. And that's why they went to get 11 from Dallas. They needed that completing peace. They've got all the pieces on offense they need and they know it. And they needed that future Hall of Fame piece on defense.

And Jerry Jones was dangling it out there and sort of daring people to come take a shot. And the Packers did. And they put this together. And sadly, for me, it reminds me of other times the Packers have put together the right team. And it's nothing against Washington, which I think the commanders are one of the top six or seven teams in the league with Baltimore and Buffalo and Kansas City and Philadelphia and, of course, the Packers and a couple of others. But I got Washington below the Packers, and this game is in Green Bay. Yeah, yeah, let me go to Micah Parsons fairly quickly here. I mean, I live in Washington,

D.C. I am sitting in Washington, D.C., and the Washington team is a daily part of my life. I don't think that they are going to win this game. And I think Jaden Daniels is, a great player. Last year, Michael Parsons sacked him personally four and a half times in two games. Michael Parsons is going to be out there. Mike, do you know the last time that a Washington quarterback won a game in Green Bay? It was Jay Schrader in 1986. That's 40 years ago. And let's look at the tail of the tape here. They both won their openers last week. Washington beat the Giants and Green Bay beat Detroit, smothered Detroit, Detroit's a much better team than the Giants.

That's a point for Green Bay, right? This is a travel day, a travel week. You're going on the road for a Thursday night game. That means you only have one day to practice for this next team that you're getting it. If you're the road team, that's a point for Green Bay. And here's another small thing in the last five years. The home team has won Thursday night, 42 to 34. 42 wins, 34 losses.

That to me is another point for Green Bay. Yeah, yeah, but it's still, it's an advantage. Let's take a break. Coming up is the Ravens Pass Defense fixable. We're going to ask Booger McFarland. We're also going to ask him whether Miami and Notre Dame is more vulnerable. This weekend in big matchups, Tony, I was at one of those Packers' then Redskin game. I think it was 38-0 Packers, cheeseheads.

I think. Well, look it up. 38-0 is in my head. If Washington wins this, it changes the equation on the Super Bowl team from the NFC. Pardon the interruption is brought to you by the all-new ESPN app. All of ESPN, all in one place. Your home for the most and best live sports. In a story we broke in our first segment, week two of the NFL kicks off tonight,

which makes it a perfect time to welcome back our great friend ESPN NFC, NFC, and college football analyst, Booger McFarland, wearing a shirt from Yeoman Hall, which is in the low country of South Carolina. And we will start with this. Washington plays at Green Bay tonight. Washington had 22 pressures on the Giants last week. Do you expect them to have similar success against Green Bay? I think they will, Tony, because that's how they got to get after you on defense. Those guys up front, Doran Payne, Dietrich Wise, Doran Armstrong, Von Miller. those guys have to get after the quarterback because on the back end, I don't know if they can hold up.

Marshawn Latimore is not what he used to be. So if Dan Quinn in this defense is going to pressure Jordan love and make this Green Bay Packer offense feel something, they got to dominate up front. Anytime you put your resources in your defensive line, your defensive line has to be dominant. And if they want to win, that's what they have to do. Well, let's stay with the topic of past defense

for one more question book. the Ravens host the Browns the week after they lost to the bills, of course. You posted, and I quote, Ravens Pass, defense, still hot garbage, close quote, which Tony and I love, do you feel is something fixable? Yeah, well, you know, they tried to fix it this offseason. They went out and got Jair Alexander. You thought that was going to be an upgrade,

but he was getting cooked by Josh Allen in the fourth quarter. And the reason I said it was hot garbage, they gave up a ton of passing yards last year. Josh Allen had almost 400 yards passing on Sunday night. And I understand this is a proud franchise, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, all the guys they used to play there. So they hang their hat on defense. But this defense is not what they used to be. They don't get the pressure up front.

They can't cover as well on the back end. And so now you have corners who are out on an island and they shouldn't be there. Jaya Alexander, Marlon Humphrey. Those guys aren't playing up to par. And if you're a quarterback going against this Raven defense, man, you got to be licking your chop like Tiger Woods on a par five back in the day, knowing that you're trying to make Eagle. They got to feel really good about that. And so I think that if you're Baltimore and you got hopes of getting to the Super Bowl and you got hopes of getting to that last game, your past defense has got to be fixed. It was an issue last year.

And based on one game so far this year, it's still an issue. Wow. At least they get the brownies this week. That might help cure something. college football we're going to jump to, Booger. This weekend we've got number six, Georgia at 15th ranked Tennessee. Do you see a clear favorite in like the first Titanic SEC matchup? It's got to be Georgia, right?

I know everybody is not talking about Georgia. We're talking about Ohio State and LSU and Penn State. And little old Georgia is just down there, minding their own business. They're the higher ranked team. And they're that way for a reason because you know exactly what you're going to get with Georgia. Kirby's Marce going to have a really good defense. They're going to be physical on offense.

They're going to run the football. The key to Georgia might will be, can they throw the football down the field? Gunner Stockton, the quarterback that took over for Carson Bet, he's only averaging like 5.6 yards per target depth down the field. He's got to push that football down the field. Tennessee, Josh Hyper, in this offense, they're going to want to go up-tempo and run the ball also. So I think this game is going to be more of a physical game.

I would lean toward Georgia, even though they're on the road, because of the style and the identity. Anytime you have a team that wants to spread it out and kind of throw the ball around a little bit, I favor the defensive team that can be more physical, and that's the Georgia Boredogues. I will stay with college football for you here. Fifth-ranked Miami hosts number 18, South Florida. South Florida's got two very impressive wins, I think. And eighth-ranked Notre Dame host number 16, Texas A&M. consider Miami or Notre Dame, which one do you think is more vulnerable?

You know, it's probably got to be Notre Dame, right? Because they're playing a better team. They're playing A&M from the SEC. They got a little revenge factor because Notre Dame won the match up last year down in College Station. So how are they going to be this season? I think if you're Marcus Freeman and you're the Notre Dame fighting hours, you have to understand that Texas A&M is coming in. Marcel Reed, the quarterback. They're going to try their best. best to impose the SEC will on Notre Dame. And I think they have to be able to deal with this running quarterback and the physicality of the Texas A&M Aggies.

But I think if you're Notre Dame, you better be on an upset alert because you're playing against a team that has revenge on their mind. You're playing against a team that has a mobile quarterback in Marcel Reed. And if you don't watch it, Notre Dame could start 0 and 2. And nobody, I mean, nobody saw that coming when the season started for Marcus Freeman. We're going to give you one more question. one on this. Wilbon will be in person at Oregon at Northwestern. Oregon last week, what did they win? 69 to 3. Give us a one word prediction of what Wilbon will feel. Miserable.

Oh, God. Booger, I can't even argue with that, not now, but I want to be able to argue later. We can shock the world. Let's take one last break. Still to come, a superb streak comes to an end for Eraldus Chapman. And the brewers do something very rare for them. They got swept. The cheese has got swept. They can be concerned.

I'm happy. Suppose we shocked the world, Tone. Huh? I'm texting booger right away. The first text will be the booger. The second text will be to you. Happy time, people. Happy 25th birthday, Zay Flowers.

The Ravens wide receivers given for. name is Zavian with an X. He was the Raven's first round draft pick in 2003 and quickly set franchise rookie records with 77 catches for 858 yards. Unfortunately, Flowers fumbled at the goal line in the AFC Championship game two seasons ago after catching five passes for 115 yards in a touchdown. He's on the road to redemption, having caught 74 passes for 159 yards last season and seven passes for 143 in a touch last week against Buffalo. We usually don't think about wide receivers on an offense with Derek Henry and Lamar Jackson running the ball.

Yeah, well, they're still secondary to me. I know what happened last week in Buffalo. I'm still handing it to Derek Henry, particularly late in the game. I am. Prove me wrong some more. Happy anniversary, Franco Harris. This is now posthumous, but on this day, 42 years. years ago. The Steelers Future Hall of Fame running back rushed for 1118 yards and a 2521 win in Green Bay to become only the third NFL player ever to rush for 11,000 yards. In the ensuing

years, we now have 23 players with 11,000. Harris is still good for 15th all time with his 12,120, and here's who's ahead of him. Emmett Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore, Barry Sanders, Adrian Peterson, Curtis Martin, Ladanian Tomlinson, Jerome Bettis, Eric Dickerson, Tony Dorset, Jim Brown, Marshall Fork, Edgian James, and Marcus Allen, Wilbonne, Who's Who of All Time? The leading act of Russia, Derek Henry, is 18th all time, and he's climbing. And Tony, when he retired and when he got to 11,000, and there were only two guys ahead of them, you mentioned, you know who those two were? Jim Brown and O.J. Simpson.

And Jim Brown did it, boys and girls, in 12 games. Not 14 in a season, not 16, not 17, not soon to be 18. Jim Brown, 12 games, huh? Shut up. Happy trails to Aralda's Chapman's hitless streak. The Red Sox reliever had not allowed a hit in 16 appearances since hello, July 23rd, until last night. Shea Langaleers of the A's led off the 9th with a double ending Chapman's streak at 50 consecutive batters. Langalears later scored on a Lawrence Butler single,

so Chapman took the loss for the Red Sox. Even so, the 37-year-old has a 1-4 ERA on the season, 81 strikeouts in 55-plus innings. Butler, meanwhile, said in the post game that there was a $500 reward promised to any Oakland hitter who broke Chapman's hitler streak, so someone owes Langalear's $500 bucks. More importantly, somebody could owe Chapman

a third World Series ring with the Red Sox. He's got a chance. They've got a chance, whether they are a division winner or wild card team and you get out there with a lead at the end of eight, you got to face him, he's got a chance for another ring. One correction, Green Bay beat Washington 37-0 nothing in 2001,

not 38, nothing, as Will Bon erroneously said, with old age come a mistake. Sure. Let's go to the big finish. Let's do it. The Brewers got swept by the Rangers. Is that significant? No, because I know they hadn't been swept since the season

opening series, but the Cubs can't catch them because of two stupid losses to the nationals. We can't catch him. We're going to win the division. Greg Norman posted, he has stepped away from Live Golf, your thoughts. As he stepped away or was he pushed aside? I mean, I think people could see this coming.

Usain Bolt, who you love, says he doesn't see any of today's competitors breaking his record. Does that make sense? Yes. If Usain Bolt hadn't looked over his shoulder at dopes like seconds behind him, no one would touch him.

He would have run in like a 9-2. He's the goat. Jim Brown, Usain Paul Skeen's top 200 strikeouts on the season. Is that significant? I think he's the best pitcher in baseball. Last one, last night of the WNBA regular season. Will the Aces win their 16th straight?

I don't see why the Aces would even like really tee it up. You just want to go into, be ready for the playoffs. So I don't know. They might win their 16th straight against the Sparks who have cheated in 500, but they don't have to. We are out of time. of time. We will try to do better the next time. And I am Tony Kornheiser. I'm Mike Wilbon, same time tomorrow, knuckleheads. Tony, you say Bolt, huh? Is he the goat?

He's the best. Anybody want to argue against Bolt?