PTI - More About Eagles or Chiefs?

Episode Date: September 15, 2025

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discuss Joe Burrow's injury, the Eagles and Chiefs rematch, NFL teams that are 0-2 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. It's national. Thank you, Daytony.

Anybody you'd like to thank Tony, Tony Kornhizer, definitely not my hair transplant surgeon. Look at this. Do you see any difference? Yeah. No. A little darker around here. That's, it's a transplant.

It's not air dye. Oh. It hasn't worked. I paid a lot of money. It hasn't worked. Welcome to PTI boys and girls. In today's episode, the Eagles beat the Chiefs. The Bears take one on the chin.

Not a Dame's O and 2, but we begin today with news that Joe Burrow, who led the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes last season, will be out for three months after he has surgery for turf toe. Burrow was injured in the second quarter of Cincinnati's late win over Jacksonville yesterday. Wilbon, what does this injury mean to the Bengals and to Burrow? Doom, temporarily, at least. I mean, I know they won yesterday. I know they're two and O, but I don't believe they're any good without Burrow. They weren't any good last year with Burrow, not just with him.

But with him being great, he was prolific last year, they didn't do anything. Now, they got, you know, $400 million worth of wide receiver. They too. And they got the pass rush. They're not, the cupboard is not bare in Cincinnati. So I don't want to paint it that way. Sounded like you just did. I know, but I know you agree with this because you are a bigger borough guy than I am.

I think he's great. He is great. He is great. But they're not, it's all built around him. And not only that, Tony, he's the emotional, center of that team. The diva wide receivers seem to come together around him. He's got the personality.

He projects. He's the whole deal. If you're telling me he's out until at least mid-December? So I think they're cooked without them. I do. And like you said, they're 2 and 0. But the teams they've beaten are very ordinary teams, Cleveland and Jacksonville.

And they beat them by a total of five points. So now you can look around at the AFC and you can say it's not particularly strong this year. And you can make the case, for example, that traditional powerhouses, Kansas City and Pittsburgh are off to slow starts. But I don't see where they're going without Joe Burrow. And they're six and eight in the last three seasons without him. Jake Browning comes in, and in the last part of that game has a lot of success passing, targeting the Heisman trophy winner, I felt on defense, targeting him. But he also had three interceptions.

And I don't believe, and you don't believe, that Cincinnati isn't spending this entire day combing the waiver wire and maybe calling it land to see if they can get their hands on Kirk Cousins. They should be. In terms of Burrow, it may be he's StarCross, Mike. It may be that he's one injury away from Andrew Luckland. It may be. I think he's a great player. Let me give you some of these numbers.

Except StarCross, Luck didn't have the success in college that Burrow had, which suggests that the star is still in a great, great, all-time season. So he's got the all-time highest completion percentage, 68.5%. He's prolific at making points. He's got 142 touchdowns as opposed to only 46 interceptions. But Mike, he's already been the comeback player of the year twice, and he's only 28. So he's going to be the comeback player again next year. I just, they are, he is so integral to that team that I don't know what they do.

He's the, people talk about face of the franchise. Sometimes it's exaggerated, not in the case of Cincinnati. And it even seems like, let me give him some credit here. There's some interesting and disparate personalities on that team. But it all seems to work around him. Like he has this thing that he can connect with all these kind of characters. Three months, a long time. It's a long time.

It's too bad. It's a downer for the NFL, right? We agree with that, too. He's a colorful guy. It's fun to have out there. Yesterday's Super Bowl rematch ended with the same team on top. The Eagles topped the Chiefs in Kansas City, though this one was a lot closer. the Chiefs had a chance to go ahead in the fourth

when Travis Kelsey bobbled away of Patrick Mahomes past right down near the goal line he shouldn't have taken it and gone in and it was picked off by Philly tone how does this result leave you feeling about each of these two? Okay so I think the Eagles are very good

I know that you along with other people have the Packers supplanting him. You know, you have them supplanting them and going to the Super Bowl but they got to beat the Eagles to get to the Super Bowl. The Eagles have won 18,000, 18 of their last 19 games. The Eagles went on the road to Kansas

City. It's a tough place to play. They beat a team that I believe has been in five of the last six Super Bowls. They beat at home. At home, they beat Patrick Mahomes who at home, let's get this number. Oh, I don't know. 55 and 14.

They held them to 17 points. I mean, I don't know what the Eagles have to do so the people proclaim them worthy because everyone seems to want to get off the Eagles bus. Well, right? I'm going to get on it.

All right. Well, I'll just give you one more thing. Last week in this spot, I was talking about J.J. McCarthy, thankfully, before last night's game, where he not only was bad, but he got hurt. And I had said, I looked at his record at Michigan and Minnesota, only one game in Minnesota, but it's 28 and 1. And I compared him to Jalen Hertz. I said, look, Jalen Hertz isn't flashy. He doesn't have a big arm.

He doesn't have overwhelming numbers. He wins all the time. Wouldn't you rather have the W? Yeah, I'm, I'm vaulting because of that victory. The Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the Green Bay Packers, it's the only thing to do. You watch the games. It doesn't matter what you said Friday or Wednesday or Tuesday. It doesn't matter, okay?

The Packers look really, really good. And if I did a power ranking of the entire league, even ahead of Buffalo, I would have now the Philadelphia Eagles, when you go on the road and you go into the home of the chance, once removed in the recent multiple former champion and you beat them. And here's the thing about the Eagles. They can do it any way you need it. I mean, Jalen Hurts can go out there and he can throw for 300 plus yards and the Eagles can run it up or just 100. It's okay.

And they can beat you physically. And I don't want to hear the whining Mike Greenberg, my dear friend about the tush, push, or brother Lee shut. I don't want to hear it. They go out there and physically do whatever is necessary and the Eagles are the best team in the league. So I don't think, I'm not going to ring the bell on Kansas City. yet. No. Because I'm with you. They're a championship team and the heavyweight championship

fight. The guy's got to go down before you count them out. That's how it works. But it's a very tough open. The Chargers and then the Eagles. And Mike, in the next seven weeks, schedule guy was not good to them. The next seven weeks, they have Baltimore, Detroit, Washington, and Buffalo. We're going to know by the midway point about the Chiefs for real this year. It's a different addition. Let's take a wider view now with the NFL. This was just a just. just a second week, but it is never too early on the PTI show to declare gloom and doom. We just spoke of Kansas City opening at O and 2, which they never do. But let's leave them aside, Mike, and look at the team that may be the most discouraged after two games.

So, Wilburne here are our nominees. The Browns who gave up 41 to Baltimore, the Jets who were rolled by Buffalo, the giants who lost agonizingly to Dallas, the dolphins who can't seem to get anything right, and your bears, who gave up a 52 spot to Detroit. go. The Bears. The other teams, nothing was expected of any of them.

Don't tell them about the Jets. Miami, they had the coach being fired in August, and that's probably going to happen, which is too bad. No, no, no, no. The Bears. It's the Bears. And it's not about,

the lazy, the lazy conversation is just about Caleb Williams. Caleb Williams didn't give up 52. Dennis Allen's defense, okay, paging Ron Rivera, some of us who wanted him anyway.

Dennis Allen's defense gave up 52 to a team who couldn't score last week up north. That's right. Packers. Yeah, 13. Caleb Williams was, again, so-so at best. And by the way, you know, am I feeling like as strong about him

as I was maybe coming into this season? Not so much you wonder about some things, but to me he should have time. We have no running game, okay? So the offensive coordinator, who was declared a genius, can't find a way to move the bulls. ball in ways he did in Detroit.

So the defense stinks. The running game is absent. The offensive line is no better than before the acquisitions of an entirely new interior. So what do the bears have to be happy about today? And the answer is nothing. Yeah. So I know you like to talk about in

Detroit, the brain drain. Yeah. Where Aaron Glenn became a head coach and Ben Johnson became your head coach. Apparently, you don't need to have brains to beat the bears because they put 52 on them with the brain drain. I'm going to disagree with you in this regard. I think it's Miami.

And I think people in Miami, and I have relatives in Miami, and they text and they go, what's going to happen? We know what's going to happen. And I would say that at the moment, there are people that want to fire Mike McDaniel, right? Now, here's an opportunity. On Thursday night, Miami plays Buffalo, Thursday night. So by Friday morning, you could get rid of that coach,

and the new coach would have 10 days. The new coach would have 10 days to orient himself to the team. and the defense there is bad. The defense has allowed 66 points. That's the most in the AFC. But if I can take 20 or 30 seconds here to talk about one of the greatest games I ever saw, oh, the Giants Cowboys. That was fabulous.

It was amazing. Just fabulous. All the talk all week long is when are they going to pull the plug on Russell Wilson and put in Jackson Dart? Russell Wilson went into that game like a guy who had staked the claim on that position. Here are some numbers. 30 of 41, 450 yards, three touchdowns.

He was terrific, except for the last Lollipop pass that got intercepted and led to that team losing. But you know what you can't? That passed to neighbors with 25 seconds ago. That's a winner. It is.

The game should be over. Here's what you can't count on ever in the history. What? A 64-yard field goal to tie. Come on. It hasn't happened. Come on.

It hasn't happened. Let me say this. The Dolphins coach, I root for him personally. He seems like a fine person in all his public representations and they thought he was a good coach a couple of years ago and now

we got to jail camp started and it was like and we know who the hottest seat among the coaches is. Must be. Must be. Let's take a break. Coming up, which NFL team more badly blundered on Sunday the Steelers or the Broncos? We'll tell you what the most notable result

was from this weekend in college football. I was glued to the red zone to watch the Cowboys and the Giants. 41 points. The Cowboys Giants on in Washington? I don't know. Yeah.

I was on the Red Zone. I'm going to the Red Zone. You can get the game. Oh. What are you doing? Trying to find out what's popping with the populace in mail time. Let me get the first one. Pop, Pop, Pop, put on my glasses so I can read it.

Who had the worst gaffe? The Steelers or the Broncos? The Steelers. It's not even close. I'm not even sure the Broncos will get. to that. I'm not sure that was a gaffe. The Steelers, Caleb Johnson, he's a return man. And I realize the return game is so, it's been removed from NFL play. So maybe this kid didn't even know. They're trying to bring it back. It's not about muffing it or touching it on a kickoff.

It's a free kick. That's the important thing. It's a free kick. You got to field it. You got to touch it down. You got to catch it and acknowledge the official he has to acknowledge you. I don't want to hear that the Denver play goes on. The game goes on and gets another chance because he vaulted himself. No, nobody vaulted anything. He might have had a swim move and gets his arm on. He didn't vault? What kind of vault is that gymnast who better vaults than that all the time at 104 pounds?

That's garbage. The Steelers had the bigger gap. Are you done yelling? Yes. But you're not going to like what I say. What? Denver had the bigger gap for this reason. What?

That field goal was missed. That game was always. No, the game was over. I know. The game was over. So when you call that penalty, you allow the Indianapolis to go 15 yards closer. So the zebra had the gap. I mean, I assume it's a legitimate penalty.

Let me do you know what? As long as I mention Indianapolis, let me take about 10 seconds here, okay? If you were voting for MVP right now, and I understand it's early, it's two weeks. You have to vote for Daniel Jones. You have to vote for Daniel Jones. Indianapolis, a team that isn't very good, is 2 and 0. He leads them down the field consistently. He's completing 71% of his passes.

It looks great. And you know what? They've never punted. No. They've never punted. So maybe the Giants were crazy in getting rid of him the way they did. And if I have five more seconds, say something about the Steelers and Aaron Rogers. Aaron Rogers yesterday, in when he was hurried, when he was rushed, three for 11, 36 yards, one pick, and a 2.8 rating.

And by the way, the Steelers. The Steelers great defense has given up 63 points. It's non-existent. Wait, wait, wait. The ref had the gaff. Okay. That is not a penalty. I'm just saying, but the penalty was cold and the game was no longer.

I know. It shouldn't have been. The game should have been over. What was the most notable result from the college football weekend? Okay. So from a winning point of view, I think it was Georgia. Oh, yeah. In Tennessee, coming back throughout that game and winning the game.

The second one, I would say, is Miami a four-real team because the Cinderella, South Florida story. That's over now. That was, wait a second, 49 to 12. It pounced. In terms of losing, Notre Dame is now O and two. Tough start, Miami and Texas A&M, but they are O and two. Clemson. Clemson lost to Georgia Tech.

I don't think in the way Dabo thought. I think in the last 15 years, we would never say that sentence that Clemson lost to Georgia Tech. am I correct? But the biggest loss. They had lost like was Florida. If you think the seat is hot with Mike McDaniel, the seat is hotter with Billy Napier. They are right now on pace

for last year's Florida state situation. You know what could happen to him? What happened to the Virginia Tech guy and the UCLA guy over the weekend? It could be third prize. You're fired. Virginia Tech. Let me mention, by the way, is an update.

The most exciting player in the country which most people have not seen yet. Don't even know him. I know because I watched him a couple of times already and he got hurt Saturday in a shocking loss South Carolina suffered at home to Vandy. That is a shocking loss. Lenora Sellers suffered a concussion.

He'd gone six for seven and gone right down the field. And without him, they couldn't muster anything. And I'm sure the shock from seeing that kid go into the tent and go away. But the news from Coach Beamer apparently is they think, expect he will come back and play. And they need him because we thought they'd be undefeated through this point. think they lose it home to Vandy where I think they'd beat 16 straight.

It's Georgia over Tennessee. That game, Tony, had all of the Giants Cowboys markings to it. Just up and down the field with drama, that game had had everything. Can I ask you a question? How do they get the choreography down in the stadium where some people wear white and some people wear orange? They send out stuff early in the week. It's fantastic.

I hate it. Oh, how can you hate it? Why? Because I didn't grew up with it. I didn't grow up with it. You should look at it and admire it. The choreography is really something. You want to talk about Northwestern?

No. Moral victory? They were 27 and a half point underdog and they were lost by 20. We played Oregon even in the first and fourth quarters in a 20-point game. Nobody cares about the second and third. I do. No, you care about the first and you care about the last.

That's the front theater. Enough female. Let's take one last break. Still to come is Terrence Crawford. Now the face of boxing. And Vikings' quarterback, J.J. McCarthy is likely to miss some time. I know. We'll tell you why.

I actually, I mean, maybe I shouldn't say this. That was a tough place for Georgia to go in and win, and they won. Yes, credit to Georgia. That's hard. Yeah, credit to Georgia. Happy time, people. Happy 74th birthday Pete Carroll. Carol's the oldest head coach in the NFL, but not as old as I am.

He's in his first year with the Raiders after 14 season with Seattle, where he won a Super Bowl. Carol also won a national championship while coaching USC. Carol has 171 wins in the NFL, which ties them with Sean Payton for fifth among active coaches. That number puts Carol and Peyton's 17th all time. Carol's Raiders will play Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers tonight on Monday night football. Harbaugh's career path is similar to Carol's, and that both have been successful in college and in the pros. And they are the coaches who famously barked at each other. What's your deal?

So great. When they were in the Pac-12. Pack 12. I'm Mr. Pac-12. I know you, we do. Me too. Pete Carroll, Hall of Fame, right? Oh, sure.

Right? Oh, sure. One of those young pictures, sneaky looking like Jared Levine, as an inside reference. Is that right? I thought so. Happy anniversary, Cedric Mullins. On this day, four years ago, the 5-foot 8-inch center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles went over the wall in Camden Yards to rob the Yankees, Gary Sanchez of a home run. I know we show a lot of catches, many of which are actually overrated, but come on.

Mullen's is 5-8. This is a great catch. That season, 2021, Mullins was an all-star and a silver slugger recipient, but this season, Mullins has been a disappointment to the New York Mets who traded for him at the deadline. Mullins is hitting just 188 with a 571 OPS since going to the Mets, whose recent collapse has left them in jeopardy of missing the wild card, though they won last night.

You know, I hate the Mets almost as much as I hate the Cardinals, but I'm conflicted because I like Mullins. He went full-spud web. I mean, he went up, up and up. I don't get tired of those catches, I must admit. No. Happy trails, the Saturday night's fight for Canelo Alvarez. Terrence Crawford defeated Alvarez in a unanimous decision. An upset according to the odds, but not according to Crawford, who said post-fight that he knew he had beaten Canello when he signed the contract. The 37-year-old Crawford jumped two weight divisions to fight the 35-year-old Alvarez, and Crawford looked quicker, but also exchanged blows when the fight called for.

He did. Crawford's record is up to 42-0 with 31 knockouts. He says he's now the face of boxing. Mike, do you agree? Yeah, but sadly, there's no more boxing. And this boxing was, I wanted to wake you up to watch this. You know what time this went off, Eastern Time? I was in Chicago. After 1 a.m., it finally ended. But, you know, it was a good fight, but not a great fight, but we need boxing.

It was so great in the fall when there's great boxing to fill out your weekend at the college football. And now there's no boxing. We have this other thing that you and I don't watch. No, MMA, not watching it. No, like Crawford. Melancholy trails to Eddie Jockeman. The Hall of Fame goalie has died at the age of 86. Jocuman was a five-time All-Star, won a Vesna Trophy for the Rangers across the late 60s and early 70s.

He was the Rangers goalie of my youth, and the franchise retired his number one jersey in 1989. Tony, Jean Rattel, Vic Hadfield, Roger Obert. I know they were his team. He's none of those guys ever won, right? No, no, no. They were in that real, that period of time. The period of time that lasted 40 years. Let's not make it seem I was old.

Let's not make it seem like his only Bo's career. He was so great. And look at the people he had to play against. Yeah. All the great Canadian players and Bobby Hull, who was setting records. He had to deal with these people every night. Sure. And some of it was in the pre-expansion era where there's only six teams in the whole league.

Let's see if we can go to the Big Finner. Let's do it. Jay-J McCarthy struggled in the Vikings lost to the Falcons. He is now expected to miss two to four weeks with a high ankle sprain. Your thoughts. I don't want this kid to be hurt. I want to be healthy in play. eight quarters seven good one bad one great one good one in my team Dennis Allen thank you on the wrong end of that early Monday night game features bucks Texans are you gonna watch I like to I think both quarterbacks are very good and I'm watching I think both teams are but Houston could be a really good very thick

Dennis Schrooter in Germany being Alper in Schengun and Turkey for the Euro basket title you had that going the other way I did because I'm I think shingoon is going to be a breakout star but good for Schrooter and Franz Vos Good for them. I'd like to have seen that. Cal Raleigh is tied Mickey Mantle's home run record for switch hitters with 54. I know you're impressed. He's a catcher. Nobody's, no catcher has ever done this. No. Come on.

It's amazing. Last one, Scotty Shepter won the ProCorp championship for his sixth win of the season. Is that a big deal? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Six is up there. I mean, that's a, I don't want to say the word. You know what needs to be said. I know.

I know. I won't even say the full of the nickname. I won't go that far. Yeah, the kid from North Carolina had a, like, a four and a head. half of five. Go to the playoff. Go to the playoff. He missed a letter.

We are out of time. We will try to be better the next time. I'm Tony Cornheiser. I'm Mike Wilbaum. We're back on the mothership tomorrow, you knuckleheads.