PTI - The 49ers Upset the Rams!

Episode Date: September 11, 2026

Tony Kornheiser and Frank Isola discuss Niners/Rams, Miami/Florida A&M, Ohio State/Texas, Bills/Texans, Tiafoe vs Shelton US Open semis + more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You gotta try breakfast at you gotta try. And what better way than with a delicious Pratt organic coffee, starting with just $1 all day, every day now until December 31st? You gotta try breakfast at A&W. At participating A&W locations in Ontario. Part of interruption, but I'm Frank Isola and I'm thrilled to be joining you today, Tony.

We must be on ESPN too. Why else would they have him? Hi, how's it going? Wow. Thanks for coming in. Is this an hour-long show today? Are we on for an hour? No, that was yesterday.

I had to sleep 15 hours. I just woke up to do this one. Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. Wilvon has a day off, so I am joined by our great friend from the starting lineup on Sirius XM Radio, Mr. Frank Isola. That's a beautiful. And we begin today with the end of the end of the day. NFL game last night between California arch rivals, the 49ers and Rams somehow played in Australia.

Much was made of the differing travel plans by each team. Apparently, the 49ers plan worked better. They gave up just seven points to the Rams early in the second quarter. They won 27 to seven. Frank, is your focus on what the 49ers did or what the Rams failed to do? You know, mine is going to be on the 49ers, because first of all, that performance was outstanding. That was an emphatic win. That's a terrific way to open the season for the team that everyone's already putting in the Super Bowl. To me, they made it pretty simple. It's easy to have a game plan, but they execute it. Neutralize Miles Garrett accomplished. They rushed the ball 30 times 174 yards. And you know, you mentioned the travel. And I'm not second guessing.

When I first heard this, I'm not so sure you can go from L.A. to Melbourne and make it a day and a half business trip. I just don't agree with that. You and I have flown abroad. When you land, Tony, it takes you a couple of days. Your head I'm out. I'm out. Exactly. So give San Francisco credit. I thought, I think

the Rams were trying to be a little too cute and it backfired on them. Yeah, I was surprised that how lopsided the game turned out to be by the end. I was surprised, and you mentioned Miles Garrett, how ineffective Miles Garrett was. He had no tackles.

I was surprised at how ineffective Matthew Stafford was. He threw the ball 25 times, only got 155 yards, had no touchdowns, and had a pick. And let's remember, this is the defensive player of the year and the MVP that we are talking about. And so I sort of tried to come up with a reason that this happened. Then the first thing I came up with, honestly, was Kyle Shanahan. Kyle Shanahan, who today, either coincidentally or not coincidentally, got an extension. I mean, if you watch this show, you know that almost every football guest we have on this show says they would like to play for Kyle Shanahan. Now, Sean McVey is great.

Sean McVey has won a Super Bowl. Kyle Shanahan has not won a Super Bowl. Sean McVeigh knows what he's doing. But I think amidst, and you alluded to this, amidst all the celebratory talk about how great the Rams were going to be, Kyle Shanahan knows what he's doing. And there's a quote here from Sean McVeigh. This is a humbling day for us. We can talk about the travel being a big deal.

The 49ers essentially took up residence in Australia, like applied for citizenship in Australia. And the Rams got there so late in the game, it was like they were hale in a cab. We're going to find out in three or four weeks what this is about. But, Frank, essentially what the game was about, I think, is that 49ers are healthy. So Kittle played and Bosa played and McCaffrey played, Fred Warner played. And they picked up, I think he's a whole, I think Mike Evans, the Hall of Fame receiver. I totally agree. I think he's, I think he's really going to help them. Here's a quote from Warner. It was definitely a matter of us feeling like we got stronger as the

game went on. The opposing team, it felt like they kind of wilted away, unquote. And that seems reasonable to me. Maybe that's the travel. I'm not certain. Yeah, you know, you mentioned Mike Evans, and it's amazing. He plays a position where they seem to get a lot of attention. And somehow he kind of always floats under the Raider. He's a terrific player. And, you know, the end of the third quarter, stopping them on fourth down, marching down the field 99 yards, that change. And Tony, you and I were on the show last Monday.

You asked me, who should be favored, should the Rams be favored to win the Super Bowl or be in the Super Bowl? I'm not so sure about that. But I have a funny feeling a team from the NFC West could end up in the Super Bowl between Seattle, the 49ers and the Rams. What a division. I mean, it's incredible. Yeah.

All right. Let's move stateside where number, seven Miami beat down FCS school Florida A&M last night 77 to 7 and it could have been worse. Miami was up 49-0 nothing at halftime and bench, many of

its starters in the second half. Tony, this was a big win by the Canes but considering the opposition, wasn't an impressive one? This is a game where if you're watching on television you turn your head away pretty early in the game. I think it's an embarrassment to everybody

who was out on the field. You know, the fourth quarter was supposed to be 15 minutes, and they cut it to 10 with the agreement of both schools. Frank, I don't see how this helps Miami at all. I mean, honestly, when people get in a room to evaluate Miami, I don't see how this helps. So here's what happened. I know they got records, 856 yards worth the offense and 42 first downs, 49-0, as you said, at the half. So what? It's a 1-A-School.

You know, the first 13 times Florida A&M got hands on the ball. It ended up punting. So the only guy really got good reps was the point. hunter on that squad. I mean, I get it. The answer to all your questions is money. They paid Florida A&M $720,000 to take this beating. They gave them $40,000 more to bring the band. And I get that. But they have no business playing. Miami has no business playing this game. They scored on 11 of their first 12 possessions. They never went to third down in the first half when the when the playoff people get in the room, they're going to laugh at this. They're going to say, play Central Florida. You want to

play in state. Play South Florida. Play Florida Atlantic. Don't do this. That's one double A. Don't do this. Yeah. It's the classic pay for Slay. You're giving you a school money, and I understand why Florida A&M wants it, because like you mentioned, nearly $800,000. I'll tell you what, if you're going to do this, Florida A&M, try to play the Big Ten because Rutgers paid UMass $1.5 million. that's to try to be bowl eligible, it backbired on them. Western Michigan, Tony, got about a million and a half to play against Michigan, and they should have won that game. So I understand why those schools are doing it, but this isn't worth it.

Let me just interrupt you. Let me interrupt you for a second, because that is the counter argument. It's two words long. It's Western Michigan. But Western Michigan is a 1A school. Western Michigan is in a competitive conference. This is a different situation. How are you helping Florida A&M?

other than the money, you know, at 77 to 7 when you, Frank, it wasn't a game. It was a scrimmage. It wasn't a game. But let me, all right, so how about the quarterback, though? It probably helps him in terms of the Heisman. How about the fact that on the season, he's 41 to 45 with eight touchdowns? He has twice as many touchdowns as incompletions. Yeah. I mean, come on.

It's, yeah. I just think when they're in that committee room, this is not going to help Miami, a team that was in the finals. last year. We'll stay in college with a real matchup, a matchup between the number one team in the country, Ohio State, and the number four team in the country, Texas. This game will be in Austin tomorrow night. It's a rematch of sorts from last year when Texas was number one and Ohio State was number three. That one was in Columbus. The Buckeyes won 14 to 7 Frank. Which team do you favor tomorrow night? You know what? I'm going to say Ohio State and, you know, Bill Belichick and Michael Lombari had said that North Carolina will be the 33rd NFL

team, it's Ohio State. They had four guys going, the top 11 picks, and they're still a loaded team. And with all due respect to the NFL, I think this is the best game of the weekend. And Arch Manning, I think there's going to be a lot of pressure on him. Last year, that was an early start to play a great team on the road. You have Matt Patricia, the defensive coordinator, so they're geared up to play a young player like that. So I think for him, we'll see how he plays. But Ohio State, they just come at you in waves. And the stats are that the winnings, you're The winning team from this game has a 90% chance of getting into the playoff. I just trust Ohio State more.

Steve Sarkeesian, his team doesn't even have a lead when they've played Ohio State. They lost him in the national semifinal a couple of years ago, and you mentioned the 14 to 7 game. So I understand it's a road game. I still favor Ohio State. Yeah, I think the game means more to Texas. They were reeling after they lost that game last year. They never quite recovered. Arch Manning stock took a hit.

Steve Sarkeesian stock took a hit. And they reloaded this year. They went into the portal. I believe they got 26 people and nine of them are starters. So it seems to me that they are aiming at this game. Ohio State has a great quarterback as well, Julianne's saying. They got the best receiver in the country, right? Jeremiah Smith.

You know, they're rebuilding a little bit on defense because I think five of their defensive players were taken in the first two rounds. of the NFL draft. But I like you, I would not be surprised. I would not be surprised if Ohio State were to win this game. I mean, I'd point out that when I say that it doesn't mean that much, it's because Ohio State, with this coach, already has a national championship. And the Big Ten has three in a row, right? They got Ohio State and Michigan and Indiana. So, I mean, I think SEC teams are wondering what's going on. I suppose I'm going to find myself rooting a little bit for Texas.

But Ohio State is loaded all the time. There's a statistic that you will like about Sarkesian. Since 2024, Texas has played Georgia and Ohio State five times. Sarkeesian is 0 and 5 in those games. And against everybody else, he's 24 and 1. What's that telling you? But, you know, Tony, if you look at for Texas, think about the schedule. You know, we're talking about Miami playing for A&M.

You know, Texas has Tennessee. Then they have to play LSU. They have to play Ole Miss. Texas A&M. I mean, their schedule is insane. And then they get Ohio State tomorrow. Let us take a break. When we come back, Josh Allen's bills visit the Texans on Sunday.

Which team has the edge? And will Francis Tiafo or fellow American Ben Shelton advance for the U.S. Open men's final tonight? I think Texas probably needs to win the game. I mean, because that, when the people are in the committee room, 12 weeks from now, they'll remember if they won this game and lost three others, they can still get into the playoff. You've got to try breakfast at A&W. What better way than with a delicious Pratt organic coffee, starting with just $1 all day, every day now until December 31st. You got to try bread at participating A&W locations in Ontario.

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You're richer than you think. Time for toss-up, two men enter, one man leaves, then curls up on his couch in front of his one TV set, to watch 52 straight hours of football. First. Toss up. Who has the edge on Sunday? The Bills or the Texans?

So, Frank, I'm going to disagree with something you said earlier in the show here when you were comparing college games to pro games, and you thought the pro games this weekend weren't necessarily that great. I thought when I first saw them, you know, New England, Seattle didn't turn out to be great, but I thought it was a real big deal. Same with the Rams and 49ers on paper. It looked great. I would say Denver, Kansas City looks great.

And this one, to me, looks great. I mean, it does to me. Josh Allen is one in four against Houston, including playoffs. He's been sacked 15 times in those games. Houston has a terrific defense. They're just waiting for C.J. Strath. Buffalo fired a coach in the off season. I mean, they appear to be in almost urgent, if not panic mode.

I think it's a tough place to go on the road in week one and play a defensive team. The defenses are ahead of the offense. So to me, if Buffalo wins this game, that's a great win. Oh, I agree with you. And I think, you know, Houston went out and up, they believe, like they upgraded their running game, which they needed to do.

The last time we saw both of these quarterbacks, C.J. Stroud just wasn't good enough. I mean, that playoff game against New England, he should have been taken out of the game. And then Josh Allen's performance against Denver was really disappointing. And I get at the call in overtime with the interception, which I didn't think should have been one.

that ends up costing the coach his job. So there's a lot of pressure on me. You brought up the stats. Last two games against the Texans, Josh Allen, 13 of 34, two interceptions, nine times he's been sacked. So they've done a really, really good job against him. And I think, you know, we're talking about pressure in college football.

I think between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, those are the two quarterbacks that have a lot of pressure on them. Can they help their team get to a super? Not even win one. We're talking about getting there. And the last time we saw Josh Allen, And I love him. He wasn't good enough. Again, I mean, you're opening up on the road against the team with a great defense.

This is the kind of game. If you do poorly in this game, it resonates for five, six, seven weeks. People are always, this is what happened to Drake May. If you have a game like that for the next five weeks, everybody wonders, is this guy any good? What's going on here? I mean, it's not as severe with Josh Allen because he's been around a long time. But it's a game. If he wins it, I think it's a big deal. What's next? Toss up, who do you like at the U.S. Open tonight?

Tiafo or Shelton? Okay, so I'm going to be rooting for Tiafo. Tiafo is a local for me. He grew up in college park. He learned to play tennis at the courts at the University of Maryland, where you might have played when you were in school there. That's very possible. He's 28 years old.

He's never been to a major final. This may be his last chance. Shelton is 23. Sheldon has a higher ceiling. Shelton hits the ball 300 miles an hour. I mean, you can see the potential greatness in Shelton. And Shelton is three and one against Tiafo all time. But as I said, I'm going to be rooting for Tiafo.

I mean, I heard Shelton was great against Alcrest. I didn't see it because it was three in the morning. I'll be rooting for Tiafo, even if he wears that pink and gray stuff, which I really can't stand. I don't like looking at that. But yeah, I'll lose for him. I will. Yeah, it's got a little Andre Agassi, that outfit that he wears.

And you know what? I'm in the same boat as you. I could not. I heard my ESPN, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-go up at 3.30 in the morning. I said the match just ended. I cannot believe that they played in Flushing Meadow until 3.30. That's insane. But that is, and the disappointing part of it, I hope we get a great match tonight.

Because for me, the featured match is Alcarez and Shelton, an all-time match. That basically not a lot of us get to see. And you mentioned the record. three and one, but they are, they did split their only two meetings at flushing. So Tealfo, I think, has a chance. The problem is Shelton is just too big and strong. Just listen to what Alcares said after the match. He's difficult to beat. But Tealfo, in 28, as you know now in tennis, it's not like it was 20 years ago. You're not ancient. No. But how many chances, Tony, do you get? Sinner's not here. That's the point. You didn't have to beat Alcarez. That you hope that this is the

time for Teoff. Joevich went out early. Exactly. I will mention as a side note, that whoever wins this match will become the first black American man to reach the finals of the U.S. Open since Arthur A.S. in 1972. That is, that's really a long time. I remember, I covered Arthur A. I should remember him with great fondness, you know. I want to see this one. And again, I mean, will you root for Tiafo?

You went to Maryland? I am. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And I think the age thing plays into it. You feel like Shelton is going to have his time. By the way, the one who wins tonight, first ever trip to a major final, so a lot at stake, obviously. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's it. Another win for the at home team. I'm at home. Let's take one last break with coming up. Cocoa Gough and Jessica Pagula go out in Flushing that off. Just like Wilvon said they would not. He got that wrong. Got it wrong.

And Anthony Volpe's return to the majors was a big hit. He got that wrong, huh? They got that one wrong. I'll watch the final. I'll watch that final. I think Savalank is fabulous. I heard you talk about it. You think her power is so evident.

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to earn twice with every Tim's run. Terms and conditions apply. Visit Tim Hordons.ca.ca. slash triangle for details. Happy time, people. Happy 48th birthday, Ed Reed. The Hall of Fame safety was a late first round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2002

out of the University of Miami. Reed played most of his 12-year NFL career for the Ravens and was on Baltimore Super Bowl champions in 2012. The Ravens' calling card was defense, and Reed and Ray Lewis were the most celebrated of their defenders. Reid was a nine-time pro bowler, first team all pro five times, and the NFL defensive player of the year in 2004.

After leaving Baltimore, Reid finished his career in Houston and then with the Jets. Reed holds the NFL record for the longest interception return, 107 yards in a pick six against Philadelphia in 2008. And do you know who has the second longest interception return ever? Ed Reed, 106 yards on a pick six against Cleveland in 2004. Yeah, he's got 64 career interceptions. Loved him as a player. His Hall of Fame bust and Canton is awesome

because it's got the great head of hair on it. And I think about that defense with him and Ray Lewis. I'm not so sure it's the steel curtain. It's probably not the 85 Bears. But that was a pretty dominant group there for a while. If they had a name like Legion of Boom, maybe they'd be up there. It's having the name.

That means something. You're right. Steel curtain. Happy anniversary. Mike Pantackett. On this day, 31 years ago, the proud Chicago North Sider jumped out of the stands to catch an extra point in the middle of a Bears Packers game. Not only did this guy survive the leap without injury, but he was also allowed to go back to his seat and get interviewed by Lynn Swan on a national audience. If this happened now, not only would he be arrested, but he would likely be caught by authorities before he even hit the ground,

thanks to the monumental increases in security measures throughout the years. He was an overnight celebrity in that society. He made National lose. Sat down with David Letterman. This is Wilbon City, Wilbon's team, Wilbon Stadium, soon to be in Indiana. I wish he were here so I can stick it to him. I mean, it was a pretty remarkable thing he did. You certainly don't advise anybody else to do it.

But I find that interesting. He jumps out. Bartman stayed in his seat, Tony, and did what everybody does. You reach for a ball. Right. Why is he still the villain for doing that? Yeah. And he can't cut anything.

any games. No, we'll let him to the games. Happy trails to Jessica Pagula and Coco Gough. Both Americans are out of the U.S. Open after falling in the semis last night, despite the fact that Wilbon picked them both to win. Pagula fell 7562 to two-time defending champion Arena Savalanka, and golf was eliminated by Elena Rabakana in the nightcap, 366464. It sets up a women's final of the first-seated Savalanka against the second-seated Rabakana tomorrow. No matter what happens, Bacchina will move past Sabaelanka into the number one overall ranking on Monday, which will seem a bit odd, wouldn't it, Frank? If Saba Lanka beats her, how can you justify that? Yeah, that whole system is so complicated.

You know, Pagula had her chance in the first set last night, and Coco's a terrific player, but she's got to work on her forehand, Tony. I mean, the players keep hitting into her forehand, and she's spraying shots all over. Her back hand, off the charts. The forehand, she needs to work on that, though. Let us go to the big finish if we could. Yankee's second baseman Anthony Volpe had a grand slam and his return from the miners. Is that significant?

Oh my God, it was huge for him. And I think next season, the Yankees want to start him at second. George Lombard Jr., who took Wolpe's place, will be at short. Tua will miss the Falcons opener after suffering an oblique injury. Your reaction. It's that I always worry for Tua. He's had very serious injuries. Cooper Rush will play's won some games for Dallas.

Jalen Brunson, who hosts the season. season premiere of Saturday Night Live. How do you think he'll do? Ah, he's a ham. He'll do really well. You call him a King of New York a few weeks ago. You know, Derek Dieter's done it before, hosted Saturday Night Live, as has Eli Manning.

So there you go. The Sondheim Cup is all square after day one. Your thoughts? It's a good event. It's the Women's Riders Cup, like watching it. Last one, Jerry Jones says he always gets a tingle when the Cowboys play the Giants. Do you?

Oh, that's that feeling I have. No, when I was younger, I used to always think Robert Starbacks It's going to beat them. And all you ever do on this show is talk about the cowboys. Not good. Yeah. I like the word tingle.

We're out of time. Try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser. And I'm Frank Isol. Thanks for watching. A new podcast series from ABC Audio in 2020 goes inside a case that has captivated the nation. To many people, Luigi Mangione is a modern-day Robin Hood. People were cheering.

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