PTI - What's at Stake in the Rams/Seahawks TNF Matchup?

Episode Date: December 18, 2025

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discuss this week's matchup between the Rams and Seahawks, the potential Bears move to Indiana, and the current spike in CFB QB portal transfers. 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 Wilburne. A naked man in Colorado broke into a police cruiser, took it for a joyride. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

I'm still not sure how I got to Colorado. I don't remember that. All these stories are either AI or they're, you know, a takeoff on a Florida man, and I don't believe it yet. I think they're all real. I think the Florida man. I think all of these are real. and I don't really understand your insistence that they're not real, but okay. Welcome to PTI, boys and girls.

In today's episode, the Chicago Bears threaten to move to Indiana. Another college quarterback enters the portal, and Booger McFarland joins us to break down this weekend's college football playoff games. But we begin today with tonight's Thursday night game, a really good one. The Seahawks hosting the Rams. The Rams are 11 and 3. Currently are the number one seat in the NFC. Seattle is also 11 and 3,

At the moment is the number one wild card. Five weeks ago, these teams met in L.A. And the Rams won 21 to 19, intercepting Sam Donald four times. Wilbon, what is its stake for each team? The number one seed. A division championship, you know, more than likely, although the RAM schedule is so easy. You can just sort of paint theirs in.

And a better road to deeper in the playoffs. I don't want to say Super Bowl. But that's what we're talking about, Tony. These are the two teams that sort of hold all the cards right now. And I know that at the trade deadline, I said I thought that Seattle was going to win and be the number one seed in the national football conference. Well, that's at stake. That's what's at stake tonight. And so even though, you know, they've got a harder path.

So I think that Sam Darnold holds all of Seattle's cars. He can't go out there and get picked off multiple times. but Seattle, and I know you remember that game, because you did pick the Rams to win that game. Seattle nearly won that game despite Sam Darnold's performance on the last second field goal they damn near did. So I got Seattle, I got Darnold playing a lot better, and I got Seattle winning at home tonight against the Rams.

So I'm not going to disagree with any of that, and you know that I have the Rams in the Super Bowl. And I believe that the Rams are the big. team in the NFL right now, but I'm not sure I like them tonight. Because as you say, they intercepted Donald four times and at home still only one by two points. And there was a 61-yard field goal that didn't make it. But if it had, Seattle was going to win that. So it just doesn't feel like they can do that again. Mike, we have spent this whole year. If we isolate on a team that we think is a really good team in week A, that team seems to always lose in week B. I could go through

Detroit. I could go through Green Bay, Philadelphia, Buffalo. Some people thought New England. I think this maybe is, it's the Rams turn to be in that box and lose. I mean, their second best receiver, Devante Adams, who is a touchdown machine. I don't think he's playing. He's got a bad hamstring. His status is unclear. And the other part is, Seattle, I think, is the loudest venue in the league that's outdoors. The Rams haven't heard anything like that. So even though I think the Rams are a better team, I don't like them tonight. Big game.

I don't. Big cool game tonight. Yeah. Yeah, let's move to a story that has your name all over at Wilbon. It's about the Chicago Bears, maybe becoming the Indiana Bears, on the verge of their most important home game in years, hosting the Packers Saturday, a game you went to Chicago to see in person. That's right.

I'm here. The Bears, your good friend, Kevin Warren, your boy, said the Bears are looking into the possibility of a new stadium in Indiana. Wilbon, how do you feel about the timing of this? You see, the clock up there says a minute 30 or so in ticking down. You can bring that down to about six seconds. The Bears are not going to ever have their home games played in. They're never going to move to Indiana.

Never. Did I stumble? Did I stammer? Never going to play in Indiana. I don't care about this. They announced they were going to play on the lakefront. They had renderings I can show you. Oh, wait.

They're not on the lakefront yet. That building is not being constructed. Oh, wait, the McCaskey family bought all the lands in Arlington Heights, and they're going to move to Arlington Heights, and it's been announced to Arlington Heights, but they're not playing there yet. And now this is politics. This is the second most political city in Chicago in the country.

Behind Washington. I live in both. The Bears, let me say it one more time for people on the West Coast. are never moving to Indiana. You got that? You took a lot more than 15 seconds. You said 15 seconds and you went along. We had to fill.

I don't know what to say about this because the Chicago Bears to me are the Chicago Bears. They've been there for 100 years. The governor of Illinois basically said, what is going on here? Of course. I mean, I could understand if you were moving out of the city of Chicago to something nearby in the city.

state of Illinois. But Indiana is another state, right? I have my geography right. That's another state. Yeah, but it's closer than Arlington Heights. The site of Indiana is I can walk there from where I grew up. It's not about geography. They're not planning in Indiana. You can't have it in another state. You cannot have it in another state. We had the same thing where I'm sitting in Washington, D.C. last year. Yes. Yes. We're Ted Leonces attempted to move the Wizards and the capitals to Virginia. out of the capital of the United States of America. And he announced that while he was in negotiations with the District of Columbia.

Right? At that time, I used the word villainous. I can't believe you don't feel the same thing about this that it isn't villainy. No, because it doesn't matter. It's not villainous. I understand people need leverage. People need to do what they need to do

to get the wheels churning to threaten this group to make that group move quicker. Listen to me. This story, which is getting a lot of run here in Chicago, it's a non-story because it ain't happening, okay? Okay. Just like I told you that night. Huh? That was never going to happen.

In Washington. They weren't leaving Washington right now. In Washington right now, they're moving the football team back in, inside the line, and people are rejoicing as a result of that. As it should be, okay? I'm not even sure Arlington Heights. I don't believe that. Now, let's turn to something that matters.

College football and a growing number of quarterbacks hitting the transfer portal. Missouri's Bo Pribula is now heading into it, joining Nebraska's Dylan Rayola, Florida's DJ Lagway, and Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby. Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mazzosa, he was a transfer as you remember.

As was runner-up, Diego Pavia. Tony USA Today's Matt Hayes wonders whether the quarterback carousel now rivals the coaching carousel. What do you think? Does it rival it? No, it's left it in the dust. Are you kidding me? The last three Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks were all transfers.

Mendoza is a transfer, Jaden Daniels, Caleb Williams. Before that, Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, they were all transfers. The three quarterbacks who were finalists for the Heisman this year, all transfers, Mendoza, Pavia, and the kid from Ohio State saying, the last three coaches to win the national championship, Ryan Day basically came up the system in Ohio State. Jim Harbaugh didn't transfer from another college. He came in from the pros.

And Kirby Smart, I don't think, was a head coach before he got the Georgia job. So, yeah, so, no, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of people in the transfer portal. the college stuff, this was an anomaly year. This was a freak year because all those coaches, big-name coaches, were fired in the middle of the season. It doesn't touch the quarterbacks.

The college quarterbacks all transfer, who gives a damn? 80% of them transfer. Well, Indiana cares? They all transfer. They all do so it doesn't matter. Let me tell you about a coaching care. Let me tell you about two guys that can be on the coaching carousel or two schools that could be in the coaching carousel

after tonight, okay? Because when Alabama loses to Oklahoma, let me say it again, when Alabama loses to Oklahoma, the coach of Alabama, half the people in the state will want to run him out, and he'll be on a carousel, oh wait, that's a G5 being flown to Ann Arbor, Michigan,

where he has said, oh, no, I ain't got no interest in that. He'll have interest. later tonight. And then Alabama will be in the coaching carousel. Because they'll be, tomorrow. They'll be looking for our coach.

Friday. Friday. Friday. Friday, who cares? Right. Right. The Alabama coach is going to have a job on the line situation in 24 hours and then headed to Michigan once he loses.

And then Alabama's looking. Then what are you going to say? This is, your anger is voluminous. It is. Let's take a break. Coming up, should Alabama be favored Oklahoma over Oklahoma and Norman tomorrow? I will ask him, Mr. Farloom, team he favors. Obviously, Wilbon doesn't think so.

Obviously, he's going to win. We'll also ask him if either Tulane or James Madison has a chance of pulling off an upset. Sari, I'm angry because of this stupid Indiana story. It's stupid. It's lame quarterback. lame and it's not going to happen. And we just spit an hour of a minute 50 on it. You are watching, part in the interruption, presented by Gray Goose, part of Happy Hour.

We've got football questions for our great friend who has chosen to celebrate part of his birthday, talking to two old Muppets. The SBN NFL and college football analyst Booger McFarland running a shirt from Press and Trails in Dallas. Let's start with this. The college playoff kicks off tomorrow night. Oklahoma beat Alabama at Alabama early this season. And yet until today, I think Alabama was favored in this game. They're not right now.

Do you see the Sooners as having the edge again the second time around? Yeah, I don't know if the Sooners have the edge. And I think I can understand why Alabama's favorite. I think, you know, the odds makers and the betters look at Alabama's offense and the ceiling has been higher for the offense of Alabama. When you talk about Ty Simpson, Jeremy Bernard, Ryan Williams, that offense has been really explosive. Now, I know Alabama can't run the football,

but they're going to be going against the best part of the Sooners team, which is their defense. And I think if you're a better or you're an odds maker, you're looking at the Sooners' offense, and, man, they've been abysmal ever since John Mateer broke his thumb in the Red River robbery against Texas. The offense really hasn't looked the same.

So am I surprised? Not really. And if you also remember the last time they played in Tuscaloosa, Alabama turned the football over three times, Tony. One of them was the pick six. So can you really count on getting three turnovers from Alabama again? I don't know. I'd probably favor Alabama again also.

I think their ceiling is a little bit higher than Oklahoma. Although we've seen one thing in these playoffs, home field advantage does matter. It's going to be an amazing scene in Norman, Oklahoma, tomorrow night. Okay, so we go from tomorrow night. bugger to a super Saturday of football from dawn until

midnight it seems. Starting with Miami heading to Texas A&M, you see a clear cut advantage for one or the other. You know, Texas A&M has been the better team all season long. When you look at what they've done, Mike Elko has done a fantastic job.

Marcel Reed, Casey Concepcion, Mario Craver, like, it's a very explosive team. I think the issue for our Texas A&M is going to be what happens if Miami plays to their ceiling? Because Miami has been Jeklin High. They've been up and down all season long. Carson Beck, I don't know what he's doing down in South Beach.

Sometimes he's good. Sometimes he's bad. He's throwing four or five picks in the game. If he plays a clean game and plays to the level that Carson Beck can play, this game is going to go back and forth. I'd favor Texas A&M because they're the home team. But let's not forget, Miami has two defensive ends. Mesidor and Bain, both.

both of them are going to be drafted probably on the first two days of the NFL draft next year. If they can contain Marcel Reed, they're going to put the pressure on somebody else on A&M to make a play. And then it gets really dicey for the 12th man in college station. I like how you have that one potentially going back and forth. Nobody has the next game I'm going to ask you about going back and forth. The two G5 teams to Lane playing Old Miss. and, of course, James Madison's Tony's favorite playing Oregon.

Yeah. Bougar, do you see a possibility for either of the G5 team scoring an upset in those matchups? You know what, I would love to come on here and say it's going to be an upset, but listen, I think, first of all, Oregon can name their score against James Madison. Nothing against JMU. I like Bob Chesney. He's leaving to go to L.A. to coach UCLA.

he probably should have went ahead and went right now because this score is going to get ugly up in Alston Stadium in Eugene and Oregon. As far as Ole Miss and Tulane, I'm not saying it's going to be an upset, but here's what I am saying. I think the game is going to be a lot closer. The last time Tulane went to Oxford,

Ole Miss beat him about 35 points. And you've got to know that Tulane is going to come in there and they're going to be sitting up there saying, you know what, they can't do it again. John Summerall, the coach at Tulane is now the coach at Florida. He's a very, very good football coach. I think he keeps this game close. And here's the key.

This is the Ole Miss's coach Pete Golding's first game. Remember, Lane Kiffen is in Baton Rouge. He allowed the offensive coordinator to go back to Oxford and call plays. So there's a lot of back and forth and a lot of confusion maybe potentially there for Ole Miss. This game is going to be close. I would still favor Old Miss, but I think there's a chance this game could be really close in the second half.

I have to say how happy I was to hear Wilbon start talking about the G5, which a term I'm sure he heard just this morning. And that's because he's so familiar with flying on a G4 that he understands G5. We'll get you out of here on this. We have a very big game in the NFL tonight. It really is, the Rams and the Seahawks. What do you think the key will be in this one, Booger? I think the keep's going to be Sam Donald. Remember the last time we saw Sam Donald in one of these games where the winner is probably going to be.

to be the one seed. The loser is going to be the five. He was playing for Minnesota against Detroit and Sam Donnell wet the bed. So now we get another opportunity to see Sam Donald in one of these games because in all likelihood the winner of this game is going to be the number one seed and get the buy. The loser is going to have to go on the road to take on either Carolina or the Buccaneers. And I think if you're Sam Donner, you've got to play a clean football game. You can't go out there and see ghosts like they said you saw four or five years ago. You got to be clean because I think if you're Sam Dono and you're Seattle, with no Devante Adams for the Rams,

I think you should win this game. But it's going to be up to him to play a clean football game. They got to run the football. But I would favor Seattle in this game, especially with no Devante Adams with the hamstring. I don't think he's going to play tonight, at least I wouldn't play him. I'd set him down, and he would get 10 days rest. I think Sam Donald is the ultimate key, Tony.

If he plays well, I think Seattle wins. If he sees Ghost, I'm going to favor L.A. Now, Booger, thanks very much. And happy birthday. Happy birthday. Well, appreciate it. Appreciate it, gentlemen, as always, enjoy spending my birthday with you guys.

Yeah. Good. Let's take one last break. Still to come, the NBA reportedly considers holding the NBA Cup championship at Cameron. What? At Cameron?

That would be, that judgment would be about like Booger enjoying spending his birthday with us. And Oklahoma City returns to the court tonight for the first time since losing to the Spurs. They're not playing that thing. Stop it. Stop it.

Why would you play an NBA tournament on a college gym? They're not. There are all kinds of stupid venue questions out there today. We, of course, had one earlier. Pardon the Interruption is presented by Gray Goose. Make Time Wait. Please enjoy responsibly part of Happy Hour. Happy time.

People, happy 25th birthday. Jayden Daniels. Last year's NFL rookie the year has had nothing but trouble this year. Daniels has missed seven games with three different injuries, a knee, a hamstring, an elbow. Daniels has thrown eight touchdown passes and three interceptions and has a two and five record this year as Washington starter. Last year he was 12 and five took the commanders to the NFC championship game. This week, Dan Quinn said Daniels would be shut down for the rest of this season. So Daniels has gone from Heisman Trophy winner in 2003 to rookie. of the year in 2024 to a season fully lost in 2025, but happy birthday.

This just means next year, Tony, he can be comeback player of the year. How about that for titles? Are there a trophy for that? You know, I hope he's healthy and I hope he's right there. Joe Burrow did that. Right there playing for it. Joe Burrow did that twice, actually, Burrow. Happy anniversary, Wayne Gretzky.

On this day, 42 years ago, the great one scored his 100th point of the season in Edmonton's 34th game. A 7-5 win over Winnipeg. Yes, I said 100 points in 34 games. Gretzky had two goals and two assists to get to 100 points faster than any player in NHL history. He finished the season with 205 points and was only good for his fourth best scoring season ever. Gretzky is the only NHL player to get to 200 points. He did it four times.

Gretzky scored over 100 points 15 times, 13 of them consecutively. Mario Lemieux. knew his second with 10 100-point seasons. Connor McDavid is working on his ninth. Nobody owns a record book in a league like Wilt owns the NBA record book. But there are places, Tony. There are chapters, as you know,

where Gretzky has a Wilt-like hold on some of those important numbers. He's the greatest player of all time. I think we all know that. Absolutely. Happy trails to Kevin Garnett's separation from the Timberwolves. Garnett has reportedly agreed to join his old team in an unspecified off-court role,

and will have his jersey retired in the next two years. Garnett's frigid relations with the organization have thawed under new owners Mark Lorry and Alex Rodriguez. Garnett told the athletic in 2020 the previous owner Glenn Taylor had broken promises made to him, adding, quote, I don't do business with snakes. I don't do business with snake mother bleepers. I try not to do business with people who are openly snakes or people who are snake-like, unquote, fascinated with snakes, is he not? Yeah, none of that has any deal with doing with Kevin Garnett.

Look, there are people in that state like Kirby Puckett and Harmon Killebrew and Tony Leva and Fran Tarkington and the Purple People Eaters who may have had a greater hole for longer, but Kevin Garnett ought to be associated with that franchise in Minnesota. Big finish quickly. The NBA is reportedly considering hosting the NBA Cup title game at a college arena like Duke's Cameron Indoor. Do you like that? No, it's dumb. College Towns don't care about the NBA.

Back-to-back to Cy Young Award winner, Terrick Scoobel, announced he will play for Team USA and the World Baseball Classic. Your thoughts? That's great. Is he going to play for the Tigers, or is he on the block? 24 and 2 Thunder hosts the 6 and 20 Clippers tonight. You're not smelling an upset, are you? The upset will be if SGA plays at all in the fourth quarter.

That'll be the upset. Nationals hired 31-year-old. Ani Kilambi as their new GM. You excited? 31 there, 33-year-old manager, 35-year-old GM. They're like kids taking out their dad's car. Last one, Xbox Bowl tonight. Missouri State, Arkansas State, which state do you prefer?

I got a game on Amazon Prime. I'm going to stream just like you. I don't stream. Time, time, Tony.