PTI - Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers!

Episode Date: January 17, 2026

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discuss Bills/Broncos, Niners/Seahawks, Kyle Tucker/Dodgers, and more. 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 in Chicago. It could feel like, you know, eight degrees when the Bears host the Rams on Sunday night, Tony. I'll be there.

I'm Tony Cornizer. What's the wind chill going to be like in your suite? Huh, big boy, if you were a man, you'd go shirtless and be outside with the fans. Yeah, well, Richard Dent always insists on opening the window to the suite. I don't get that. I don't understand that. You know, Richard. That's because he played in it.

I know you get a gold jacket, but enough, you know? Yeah. Welcome to PTI, boys and girls in today's episode, NFL playoff previews. The Dodgers land, Kyle Tucker, the Mets get Bo Bichette. But we begin today with tomorrow's first NFL playoff game, Buffalo at Denver. The bill's got there by beating Jacksonville at Jacksonville. Denver has been sitting and waiting as the AFC's number one seed. Wilbon, which way are you leaning?

Tony, you know, I'm leaning toward Josh Allen in terms of my rooting interests, if I'm allowed to have one, is Josh Allen, especially with what he did last week, where he just, you know, sort of flexed and said, I'm bionic. I don't care what you, you know, trying to put a hole in. I'm going to come back and play the next set of downs, and he did, and it was inspirational, I found. But I think Denver is possibly the most underrated and undervalued team of the entire season. I mean, there people have been talking about what a story the Bears are and the Patriots and Drake May and their, you know, and Vrable and that staff. And Denver, it never, the praise never gets to seem to roll around to Denver, which has this fabulous defense. And if you're looking for ways that you need to stop Josh Allen, having a great defense is one of them, Tony, and knowing how to sort of corral somebody of his talents, the past. or the quarterback.

I mean, Denver seems to me to be, I'm not going to say a big favorite. I don't know that any team is that great this year. But, I mean, let's face it, Denver really has to be a favorite over Buffalo at home. Yeah, so the people who created this show created it so that we could have opinions, and those opinions would diverge. But not today. They're not going to diverge.

Look, my answer to this is, who do I favor? I have the answer from my heart and the answer from my head. And the answer from my heart is I do want Buffalo to win. I want Buffalo to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time in, what, 30 plus years, something like that. And not just for Josh Allen, who's a great team leader, but for the entire Buffalo team, for the city of Buffalo and for that region of upstate New York that I am, you know, that I'm very familiar with. You know, I think it'll be a really great story if they got back there in a year when right in front of them, Kansas City and Baltimore did not make the playoffs. And I don't think they'll be bothered if it's cold in Denver, because they're Buffalo. They don't really care about Denver cold.

But I also think, like you think, I think that Denver is truly good. I think that Sean Payton is truly good, even though he's only one and four in his last playoff games. So three years he's been in Denver, they have gone steadily up. And I assume that Denver is ready for this. And I would go back to Buffalo for a second to say this. You know, what have they got? They've got nine parts, Josh Allen. They've got one part, the running back cook, who's really.

really, really good. But what else do they have? Not enough. You didn't pick them to win last week. You thought they were going to lose in Jacksonville. A lot of people thought they were going to lose in Jacksonville. So as much as I'd like them to win, my head tells me, you can't be confident in that. I cannot be confident in making that pick, right? I can't. Tony, you know, everybody says, well, this has got to be Josh Allen's year. No, it doesn't because the team isn't as good as the team that has surrounded Josh Allen in previous years.

when they had Kansas City beat and they won other. And so, yeah, Denver, man, Denver seems to be a solid favorite, if not overwhelming. Let's move to Saturday's late game where the 49ers hobble into Seattle as dogs. Niners star-tight-in, George Kittle out. Linebacker Fred Warner, not back yet. The Seahawks beat the Niners just two weeks ago. Beat him bad. But Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold has an injured oblique,

and he already flopped in the playoffs last year, as we all know. Tony's all the pressure on Donald and the Seahawks. No, I don't think it's all on Donald. I mean, I really don't. Though I did find out this morning, I hope this is a correct statistic, that he leads the league in turnovers with 20. Look, if he has a game like he had with the Jets,

where he says he saw ghosts, then Seattle is in trouble. But by the same token, if C.J. Stroud has a game against New England, like he had against Pittsburgh, then Houston is in trouble. I mean, did you see two weeks ago the way that Seattle beat San Francisco? Now, we're not, it's two weeks ago. It's not in August when Miami beat Notre Dame. It's two weeks ago, and it was in San Francisco, and they smothered them,

and they held them to three points, and they held Christian McCaffrey to a total of 57 yards. It's a very, very, very convincing win. Everyone tells us all the time what a genius Kyle Shanahan is and how his play designs are unique, and fabulous. And that's all true. But he's not coaching against an empty hat. The guy in Seattle knows what he's doing.

He knows what he's doing. Yeah, Tony, you know, it's interesting when you talk about pressure. You know, I spent some years in my life, some time in my life as you have in Seattle. Seattle's not Philly. They're not coming out booing because they didn't like

when somebody tweeted on Tuesday. That's not Seattle. So pressure is not on Seattle. to me, as relative to the other big markets in the United States of America, pressure doesn't even know how to get to Seattle. Pressure is the 49ers, because I know what it's like in the Bay Area when they expect the Niners to win. I don't know that you can expect them to win with all these injuries, even with the job how Shannonhan is done. Right. I can't.

No. But, Tony, I still think there's more pressure on the 49ers than there is Seattle. But like you, if Darnold, like which Darnold are we going to get? We don't know. That's why we tune in, right? If we get the Darnold that turns it over, the 49ers who can and we'll be back in the NFC championship game. They will be. No.

No, yeah. I mean, this is another head and heart thing for me. If you ask me, honestly, I'm going to root for the 49ers because like you, so much of the time that I spent covering football and writing about football and writing columns, so much of the good times were the 49ers. They were great to be around. But I cannot divorce that from what I saw two weeks ago. I know, and what I saw two weeks ago, the 49ers had nothing. The only thing I can go with is that I'm told Brock Purdy is 4-0 in games that he plays in Seattle. In Seattle.

Let's move to the stunning amount of money Kyle Tucker will get from the Dodgers. $240 million over four years. That is $60 million a year are what we hear called brand. Bradley Beal money. Tucker spent last year with the Cubs where he had 22 homers and 73 RBI, four-time All-Star, two-time silver sluggery, won a gold glove in Houston. Wilbon, what does this edition do for the Dodgers' chances for a three-peat? Well, it pushes the Dodgers off the charts. I'm sure you'll get to the vaguest of it all by the time we get to April and May. And this is what the Dodgers do. They assess what it is they want to do.

the dollar sign never holds them back. They're not worried about that in the least. They're going to do what's best for the Dodgers. And that's, I mean, you've got to envy that if you're any other team in baseball. Let me get to the Tucker of it all. Because he played for my team last summer, as you noted. He's a fine player, a terrific player even and overrated. I started saying in August, are the Cubs going to exercise?

Are they going to go or they're going to make an offer for Kyle Tud? No. I'm not paying Kyle Tucker $60 million a year. I'm not paying him $50 million a year. I'm not paying him $40 million a year. If you ask me who I want, Bo Bichette or Kyle Tucker, I'll take Boba Chet, who led the league in hits twice. I understand that because he's gone to the Mets.

I'm just saying, I'm just saying the Tucker, a fine player, Tony, but overrated, he's not great at any one thing. He's the jack of all trades. not great at any one of those five things when we talk about a five-two player. But more than one thing can be true, he appears to be great for the Dodgers. So, yeah, let's get to this thing. $60 million is an awful lot of money, obviously, for Kyle Tucker, a guy who only once finished in the top 10 votes for MVP in his league.

Yeah. Not the top three, the top 10. He's never bad at 300. He's never hit more than 30 home runs. So if he's worth this kind of money, what is Aaron Judgeworth? Okay? But let's get to the meat of this. It's a four-year contract.

It's not a 12- or 13-year contract. They're not going to be paying him when he's 39 years old. He's going to be 29 tomorrow. They're paying him, Mike, for 29, 30, 31, and 32. So as much as the money is, the length of the contract is spot on. I don't know how many times I have to say this here. The Dodgers have a pile of money, and they spend a pile of money, but they spend it smartly.

They bring in Otani. They bring in Yamamoto. They bring in Freeman. They bring in bets. Glasno, Snell. And now this year, Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker, you know,

Andrew Friedman seems to almost always get it right. This is why other owners in the league want there to be a salary cap to stop teams like the Dodgers from doing this. The Dodgers, if I'm not mistaken here, paid more money in the luxury tax penalty than the Mets and the Yankees combined. And they spent all kinds of money here.

So does it help the Dodgers? The Dodgers know what they're doing. This is why players don't want a cap because this guy, Kyle Tucker, just got $60 million. NBA money. Let's take a break. Coming up, which team do you trust more on Sunday? The Texans or the Patriots?

And do the Rams or Bears seem more inevitable? Sunday night. The Dodgers are inevitable. And by the way, Andrew Friedman, he ain't spending his money because the owner has the money. You know who the owner is? That's right. Yeah. I know you do. Yeah, it's a word Northwestern guy. It's time for toss up. Two men enter. One man leaves, finishes the show, then secretly wishes. He was also in Chicago this weekend, but would never admit this to Wilbon.

Come on out. Toss up, they meet on Sunday. Which team do you trust more? The Texans or the Patriots? So they have had remarkably similar seasons, right? New England won 10 games in a row in October. in November. Houston right now is on a 10-game winning streak. Houston is here because of defense. They're number one in the league in defense. New England is here because of offense. They're number two in the league in terms of points scored. New England is hosting this game because they were 14 and 3, although a lot of people think that schedule that they played was easy. And Houston was 0 and 3 to start. And since then,

I believe, is 13 and 2. It feels like a dead even game. My inclination is to go with Houston's defense, even though Nico Collins is out for this game on offense, and he is a big threat. That's a big threat. But curiously, I found out this morning the one statistic on defense where Houston is lacking is specifically against scrambleers, and Drake May is specifically good at being a scrambler. So I think that this game is going to be determined by the amount of points Drake May can put on the board.

See, and I think it's directly determined, which is saying the same thing differently, by the number of points that won't be, perhaps, put on the board by Nico Collins. I mean, he's the offensive threat for Houston. If you told me that college was going to be out there and ready to go, like we've seen him ready to go at times, I'd say Houston, just because I trust defense, I trust him in cold weather, I trust him on the road, I trust them when they are so arrogant even. They don't pay attention to the rush lanes, which is why they give up quarterback scrambles because they're too busy getting after you to beat your head in. That is, they don't have to pay attention normally to rush lanes, but they might with New England.

And so I think, Tony, the absence of Nico Collins and that trend where they don't really pay attention to quarterbacks rushing downfield for six yards here and eight yards there, that might be the difference in this game. And it might lead me, probably does, to trust the Patriots just a bit more at home. So you're going to take New England. I mean, because I would say I don't really trust either team, but you're going to take New England in this day. I'm going to take New England. Wow. It surprises me.

I did not think you were going to go that way. What's next? Toss up, they play on Sunday. Which team seems more inevitable? The Rams? Or the Bears? All right. So let me try and explain this in terms of inevitability.

That inevitability for the Rams is based on the notion that they have a thorough and complete roster in a really good team. and inevitability on the part of the Bears is based on the fact that they continue to win late every single week, every single week. So to me, the inevitability falls to the Bears because of the way they have played. I mean, I just watched the Rams last week almost lose again in Carolina. The team probably shouldn't even been in the playoffs. And let me talk about weather a little bit now. I understand it was 80 degrees today in Southern California where the Rams live.

Ain't going to be 80 on Sunday. The latest forecast says it's going to feel, I mean, it's going to be eight degrees with gusts up to 35 miles an hour, probably feel under eight degrees. So, I mean, those things shape up for the bears, but there's always a but, Mike, and you know this better than I. The bears do not have a good defense. The bears allow a ton of yards. And the Los Angeles Rams have the best offense in football. They are number one in scoring, and they are number one in yards at that point. So, I mean, for me, I think the Rams are probably the better team.

But all I want out of this game is a chance to get on that text chain. Is it Richard Dent and Tommy Waddell? Who's on this text chain? I want to get on this text chain. Yeah, yeah, I'm sure they'll let you in. Tony, the bears are more inevitable because of what you said. You and I, as the English major and journalism major, are taking this literally, the word, inevitable. And what the bears have done, it became, it has become inevitable.

these ridiculous fourth quarters which have taken, both taken months off my life and made me feel a joy ultimately that I don't think I've ever felt as a sports fan. Now, the weather is completely overrated. It ain't that cold here. I went past and waved

to some people playing beach volleyball on the way to the studio from my apartment. It just ain't that cold, Tony. It's in the 30s now. We had some flurries. Sunday's going to be like 21. It ain't that cold. I got here wishing for below zero. I

know the Dome teams are over for the last 15 in the playoffs. I know Matthew Stafford is 1 in 8 below 40. I'm wishing for frozen tundra. It ain't happening. The Bears are going to have to win this game. We can throw the ball against that Rams

secondary, but the Rams average 4.6 yards of carry, and we can't stop a nosebleed. So maybe a high-scoring game, even though it be in the snow. We'll see. That's it. I win. Let's take one last break. Still to come, the Australian Open starts this weekend.

Does Novak Djokovic have any chance to win his 25th major? Any chance? Of course he does. Any chance? And Jonathan Camingo, who I like and you don't watches as the Warriors win again and keep him on the bench, free Cammingo. I'm tired of the drama, Mike. Free him. Like, Kevin Durant shows up on the course. Gordon scores 40 and then there's drama.

This guy, there's drama, and where's the 40? There's the 40. Happy time, people. Happy 31st birthday, Trudevius White. The Bill's veteran cornerback broke up three separate passes in Buffalo's thrilling victory in Jacksonville last week in the wildcard round. White broke up one pass right outside the goal line

in the third quarter. It could have put the Jags up 1413. And White tipped Trevor Lawrence's last pass, which resulted in a game-sealing intercept from Cole Bishop, who took a couple of steps, then wisely sat on the ground. White began his career as a late first round picked by the bills out of LSU,

played seven years in Buffalo, making two Pro Bowls, then went to the Rams briefly, to the Ravens, and back to Buffalo this season. Buffalo's gonna need him to make those kinds of contributions again in Denver, Tony, because, I mean, with that Denver defense that doesn't figure that even the great Josh Allen is gonna put up a bunch of points,

mile high, that could be a close and reasonably low-scoring game, and Buffalo's going to need to defend. Happy anniversary, Larry Fitzgerald, on this day 10 years ago, in an absolutely thrilling contest, the Arizona Cardinal star receiver displayed his elite-level talent in overtime in a divisional round game against the Packers. Green Bay had forced overtime with a desperate 41-yard touchdown pass of the last play of regulation. In overtime, Fitzgerald took a short pass from a scrambling Carson Palmer, 75 yards. Two plays later, Fitzgerald took a shovel pass from Palmer into the end zone.

Fitzgerald is likely to be voted into the Hall of Fame this year. He was an 11-time pro-buller, and he is second all-time in career receptions. In the 2008 postseason, Fitzgerald had 30 catches, 546 yards, and seven touchdowns in four games. Wow. Wow. You know, there's been no more favorite player from me than Larry Fitzgerald. At one point he was Little Fitz, because his dad, Big Fitz, grew up where I did South, South side of Chicago. And it's just great to see a family evolve like that. And Little Fitz becomes Larry F. Fitzgerald, one of the great receivers of all time.

And now you can only find him on the golf course. Every day, a golf course somewhere. Good for him. He won't be doing that. Smart. Happy trails to Jonathan Caminger, seeing the floor for a 14th. straight game. Steve Kerr sat the forward again last night and a 13-point win over the Knicks, just two and a half months after committing to him as a starter. The seventh pick of the 2021 draft

has now not played since December 18th. And the Warriors are 10 and four in that stretch, including four and one in their current homestead. Comminga requested a trade this week. Am I the only one tired of this guy and wondering if he's any good? No, I think he is good. And I love Steve Kerr. You know that. He's a great, great, all-time great Coach, this is not Steve Kerr's best work of figuring out what to do with Cominga. I'd love to see the Bulls trade vuch for Comingga, but that ain't going to happen either. Big finish quickly. The lightning of 11 straight.

Are you impressed? Yeah, they got off to a slow start. Now they leave the Eastern Conference. Should be impressed. The Aussie Open begins this weekend. You excited for that? Sure. It's the first major.

And I mean, I think Djokovic has a chance. You've got to give them a chance. In Women's College Hoops, number two, South Carolina, edge number four, Texas. How'd you know that was going to happen? Close game, but I used out your thoughts out, I'd win that game. One time, Hysman Fade, John Mateer, returning to Oklahoma. You surprised about that? No, I'm not surprised. He was injured this year.

You get another, you make money in college, you get another year in college, and you go higher in the draft. He's not going to go number one because he was hurt. Last one, 17 and O Nebraska at Northwestern. Your people tomorrow, you're smelling upset? Yes, and when we win, I am storming the court. You want to watch for that? Good. See an old man storming the court in Evanston. That's what's going to happen. We're going to get knocked down like that guy in the

emu commercial. We're out of time. Try to do better the next time. Kathy Wesley, happy birthday. I'm Mike Will Bond. Have a great weekend knuckleheads. And now, your sports center.