The Fumblerooski Podcast - Naughty Or Nice -Ep 322 The Fumblerooski Podcast

Episode Date: December 25, 2024

Are the Ravens a shoo-in for their division? Was Jayden Daniels' victory over Eagles his signature win? Who takes Christmas Day games between Chiefs @ Steelers and Ravens @ Texans? Annual Naughty and Nice segment-which big offseason contracts have worked out and which ones haven't? CJ Medeiros, Adam Wright, Chris Costich, and Justin Tucker debate these topics and more!

It is Christmas Eve and tomorrow we have been blessed with two football games, even though I might not quite like it. We have some interdivisional matchups as well. Jaden Daniels showing out. Lamar Jackson showing out. And our naughty and nice list. This is the Bumble Whiskey Podcast. It may not have always showed it in the stat sheet,

but you can see him making throws when he needs to make the throws. Back-to-back games where he has three touchdowns. Someone's got to get that six or seven spot. He's an elite wide receiver as a rookie. Truly a lose-lose scenario for both sides. Good evening. You are listening to the FumbleRuski Podcast, powered by Powered 8 Dean Radio and, of course, Secret Web Consulting. I'm your host, CJ Medeiros. With me, my good friend Adam Wright, my good friend Chris Kostich, and my good friend who has emerged from slumber, Justin Tucker himself, our favorite Ravens fan. You know, he's been in college. He's, you know. He's a good student. We love him.

I'm seeing a pattern of him showing up when the Ravens win. Yeah. I can't help you. It just coincides with the schedule. That's all it is. Suddenly

the schedule's up. Kicker, Justin Tucker in cahoots. You know, it's like, all right, my schedule allows this. Can you win? But is that happening? Probably not. But either way, we have a lot planned for you tonight. As mentioned, Caden Daniels beats the Eagles.

We've got two Christmas Day games. We've got our naughty and nice list that we do every holiday season. But first and foremost, we are going to talk about our former game of the week, Steelers-Ravens. Ravens finally broke whatever voodoo curse Mike Tomlin has on them, walloping them 34-17, doubling their score. So there's a lot to talk about with that, specifically with the Ravens. And it looks like the Steelers clinching the AFC North isn't a shoo-in as we once thought. Adam, what do you think about that? We're going to start with you. Well, they have the same record, but based on

conference record, that is what separates them and the Ravens. So what's going to have to happen is the Steelers are going to have to lose some games, obviously. That's going to have to happen regardless. And I mean, this is for the Steelers, if the Ravens have a rooting interest on Christmas Day, you are going to be looking at this game between the Chiefs and the Steelers. And I mean, again, so we've said it all season long, the Steelers are that one team where they could beat everybody and you wouldn't be surprised and they could also lose to anybody and you also wouldn't be surprised at all. As for the Ravens, I think they have a great shot to win this division, but I also think this is going to, them winning the division and getting a higher seed is going to bode well for Lamar Jackson's chances at winning league MVP.

Because statistically, let's face it, out of all the quarterbacks who are currently in the playoffs, I say in the playoffs because Joe Burrow, I think, has been the best. Statistically, he has been the best one who is in the playoffs. Oh, brother. We thought that this guy was going to be a slam dunk to win league MVP, but the Ravens fell a little bit in the standings. They lost a couple of games. And Josh Allen has been and still is the odds-on favorite to win league MVP. This is an argument I disagree with because it's based solely off what CJ says

narratives, yes, but also based off seeding. And this happened, I've pointed this out a couple of times, this happened back in 2021. Tom Brady, up until he lost the number one seed, was the leader in league MVP. Aaron Rodgers overtook him for two reasons. Number one, higher seed.

Number two, narrative. They said that he's a more accurate quarterback. aaron rogers overtook him for two reasons number one higher seed number two narrative it was they said that he's a more accurate quarterback i don't think interceptions are the end all be all when it comes to good quarterbacking i think you see a lot of quarterbacks who turn the ball over a lot maybe 10 to 12 interceptions a year but also are able to have productive seasons and win super Bowls. Patrick Mahomes did it for all of his Super Bowl victories. Tom Brady has done it routinely. You see players like Joe Burrow and Josh Allen always having productive seasons. So why is that the end-all be-all? I just never got that. And it's the same thing here with Josh Allen versus Lamar Jackson.

Why is it that seeding is the reason that Lamar Jackson is going to be the runner-up in league MVP? I never understood it. I think it's a stupid argument because if you take your team to – let's say they stay at that wild-card spot. If you take your team there, with the way this defense has been playing, which is not good, and your wide receiver won, I don't think he's a real one in Zay Flowers.

Like, why? And Mark Andrews is kind of a little bit washed up. So why is he not league MVP, but Josh Allen is? Interesting point. Tuck, would you like to respond? You're our resident Ravens fan. I don't know where to begin. First things first, congratulations to my team for finally fighting off those damn demons

known in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the Steelers. It's about damn time. I'm sick and tired of hearing the warm and cold remarks when it comes to Lamar Jackson against the Steelers. So getting that and actually tying it up within the division, I'm happy about. I think we have a more likely chance of winning the division considering the Steelers have to go up against Kansas City. And then I believe week 18 they have to go up against Cincinnati as well.

So I think that's going to be a little bit tougher for them to hang on to the division while all we have to do is face Houston, again, tough, and then Cleveland. So I think we have a better chance of winning both those games than Pittsburgh does against the Chiefs and Cincinnati. So I like our chances as far as ASU North is concerned. As far as the MVP discussion is concerned, I've given up on that because regardless of the stats, Dan Orlovsky has made it very clear with like four games left within the season. He said the MVP race is over. And I'm convinced that Josh Allen has the greatest PR team of all time.

You saw what I put in that in the group chat about the NFL on CBS. That great that that punt he threw. What a great arm punt. What a great. And Dan Oravsky said the same thing i'm like i can't fight it anymore i'm not going to discuss lamar jackson stats even though he's the better quarterback for this season and he's the best quarterback in the league right now not the greatest but the best playing right now i'm just not going to discuss it if you want to give josh on the mvp just give it to him we got bigger fish to fry. And as far as Joe Burrow is concerned, I agree. He's putting up great numbers, but he's not a playoff team. And Lamar Jackson has

outplayed him head to head. And they both have had bad defenses at that point in time. I can't help that. I don't blame Joe Burrow for the position he's in. His defense is just horrendous. But at the same time, the two MVPs, caliber players, went up head to head and they lost. And Joe Burrow lost. So I can't. And he's facing an uphill battle to even get to the playoffs. So all in all, I like the position Lamar Jackson is in with the Ravens and where we are. I'm happy if we get the division. I'm not going to be hurt if we don't get the division. I'm just happy we're in the playoffs right now. And as far as the MVP is concerned, hey, just give it to Josh Allen. We got bigger things to worry about. Understandable.

I won't argue on whether or not Burrow was outplayed in those matchups. I'm not even going to argue whether or not one's having a better season than the other. What I will say is between Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, if they sneak in the playoffs, and the Baltimore Ravens, if they don't win the division, if you're a playoff team and you have an MVP caliber season, I find more value in that as a valuable player than being the best player on the front runner in the conference, right? The Buffalo Bills have their problems,

but I think they're a much better team, top to bottom, more balanced than the Bengals and the Ravens. Fair enough. And I think there's more value to being able to carry a team barely in the playoffs than being a front runner. Interesting. Chris? You guys have been talking a whole lot about the Ravens, and I mean, for good case,

I mean, they finally beat the Steelers. And first time that they've put up more than 20 points on the Steelers in, like, three years. I don't know what the actual stat is, but it's been a while. But in the case of the Steelers, this whole offense basically revolves around if George Pickens is alive or not, which is a problem. It seems that George Pickens is the only receiver that can be a deep threat. And if you eliminate George Pickens, then that's it.

That's basically it with the Steelers. So we're going to talk about them and the Chiefs, but that's going to be a problem going up against a pretty solid Chiefs defense if they can't figure out how to get more people involved than George Pickens and just rely on him to be your passing game at that point. So Steelers are going to be in a little bit of trouble these last two weeks. The Ravens are in a great spot. I wouldn't be surprised if the Steelers drop at least one more, and they're most likely going to drop one tomorrow,

which would give the Ravens the division lead if they can pick up a win, of course, on Sunday or on Christmas Day against the Texans, funny enough. But Ravens are in a great spot. I say they take the division at this point. And in the case of the MVP, Lam lamar and josh allen i don't know there's the losses that the ravens have had like against the raiders against the browns against the eagles where lamar looked kind of piss poor in those games. Now you can also say that they beat the shit out of the Bills

earlier this season where Josh Allen also didn't look good at all. And that was in a two-game losing streak stretch where they lost to, A, the Ravens and the Texans. And the one other loss that they had was against the Rams where Josh Allen broke records in that game. So I think that this is going to really come down to if the voter to voter fatigue at this point, if the voters want to vote for Lamar Jackson to go back to back,

or if they want to get someone new on the docket, I feel like that's what it's going to end up coming down to because obviously like both Lamar and Josh Allen have had some bad losses where both did not look good in those losses. But I think the way that Josh Allen has played in specific games, such as the two games against the Rams and the lions, where it might end up settling the debate because Josh Allen basically carried the Bills in those games.

He was the one that kept it competitive against the Rams, and he was the one that basically won it for them against the Lions. Not to diminish anything that Lamar has done. He's been fantastic. But I think that when you have a running back in your backfield like Derrick Henry that takes off all the pressure. I feel like Josh Allen has more pressure on his back to do stuff with this offense than Lamar does.

And there's been times where I feel like Josh Allen has done better with that pressure than Lamar has been. But not to say that Lamar obviously doesn't have the better stats. I feel like that it's going to end up coming down to voter fatigue at the end of the day. And we're going to get a new MVPvp we shouldn't we should this isn't me being this isn't me being a lamar jackson which i am i will be honest here but again if he has the better stats and it's just a matter of record but he's putting it playing better than the person you think is going to be the MVP.

To me, I think if we're just going by stats and what you see, I think Lamar Jackson is obviously the MVP. Yeah, and honestly, you can even look at Josh Allen's game against the Patriots this weekend. Josh Allen got outplayed by Drake May. He got outplayed by Drake May. Less yards, less touchdowns, same amount of interceptions. Might not have been

the same amount of turnovers. Oh, no, it wasn't an interception. It was an arm punt. Arm punt, pardon. But, less turnovers than Drake May, unfortunately, because they gave that stupid fumble to Drake May when it should have been given to Ramondre Stevenson

for having... Yeah, he hit Stevenson right in the hands. That's the worst part. I will say Drake May when it should have been given to Ramondre Stevenson for having Rick Stevenson right in the hands. That's the worst part. I will say Drake May doesn't need to throw that one on a laser, but you shouldn't be running a fricking swing pass from your own 11 yard line. That's, that's how it can pelt for you. Um,

the hands though. Yeah. But it honestly, in my opinion, it's a toss up, but once again, voter fatigue is going to come into play, just like it did when Joel Embiid won the NBA MVP over Jokic. Jokic should have 3-P'd the MVP.

But this is an NBA podcast, so we're going to leave it at that. According to DraftKings,osh allen has a 900 point lead on see i feel like that's a little ridiculous but i feel like it should be closer than that yeah it should it should so it's all of them though that's what i'm saying they're they're all around the same so it's not it's not particularly close right now yeah fair enough now whether we agree with that or not, we can talk about MVP all we want, but for me, I think we actually need to talk about the game itself

and the implications for the playoffs they're in because I will give Tuck some credit when he says, because I think you're right, MVP is like icing on the cake. He got bigger fish to fry right now. So first, like I said, I'll congratulate the ravens for breaking that weird mike tomlin magic that they had over him for a solid bit because the last time the ravens won

it was over two years ago december 11 2022 and the last time the ras dropped 20 or more on Pittsburgh was back in 2020. Did you know that? Yes. It was November 11th. I mean, no, no, no. November the 1st, back in 2020. It's been over four years. And this time, you can tell that pent-up frustration spilled out on the field.

They spanked Pittsburgh 34-17, literally doubling their score. And yeah, so now it's tie, but you know, Pittsburgh is the better divisional record, so they hold tiebreaker. And you saw Pittsburgh basically completely fold, you know, and don't, Steelers fans, don't give me that excuse. Oh, but we didn't have George Pickens. Because, sure, George Pickens being there would translate to an additional 17 points and your defense playing better. That's not something I believe, let me tell you. And for the Steelers, the Ravens are flying right behind you.

They're nipping at your heels. They're smelling blood. And I got news for you, Black and Gold Brigade. It's going to get worse before it gets better. We mentioned, and we're going to mention this during our Christmas game segment, you are hosting Kansas City next. And like I said, sometimes against Kansas City, calls just don't go your way. You're going to have to bring your A game.

No, your A-plus game. And that's not something that I believe they're going to do. And we need to also talk about who they're playing week 18. They're hosting the Bengals. Statistically speaking, I'm not talking about MVP race. I'm talking about on pure statistics alone, Joe Burrow is the best quarterback in the league, statistics only. And you can disagree, but I feel like all the disagreements I hear are framing it in the MVP context.

But I don't care about MVP context. Statistics alone will tell you that you are going to have to go against the best quarterback and statistically the best wide receiver in the game right now, this season alone. And that's going to be tough because, you know, once again, TJ Watts banged up. He doesn't look like himself. George Pickens is banged up. So Steelers, you're losing the war of attrition at just the right time. So you could conceivably end, if you're the Steelers, you can conceivably end your season with three straight losses, which that is an awful streak to be in, you know, considering the playoffs are right around the corner. And we'll look at the Ravens. You finally beat Pittsburgh. That's good. However, you also play on Christmas Day. You're going to be traveling to the Great South to play in Houston. That's very winnable.

We saw what happened to Tank Dell, prayers up, of course. And the Texans, once again, they're another team that's just starting to lose the war of attrition at the wrong time. And I wholeheartedly think the Ravens should clamp them up. And then your final game, it's the Browns in Baltimore on January 5th, 2025, the new year. You should win. But didn't they lose to Cleveland earlier in Cleveland? Yes, they did.

24-29. That is the one game I was angry about Kyle Hamilton. That was the one game, and he was playing so well, and he dropped the game's winning interception. I was mad at Kyle Hamilton. I was mad at Eddie Jackson. I was mad at everyone in that game. Interesting, yes. I guess you were mad at kyle hamilton understandably so but you should win because you're not dealing with deshaun weinstein you don't have to deal with famous jamis and his world famous turnovers odds are you're gonna be putting up with dorian thompson robinson or bailey zappy huh or bailey zappy or bailey zappy oh Robinson. Or Bailey Zappi. Huh? Or Bailey Zappi. Or Bailey Zappi. Oh, imagine that. But overall,

I can see a world where the Ravens win their final two and the Steelers lose their final two. And I would argue it's more likely than not. So the Ravens, I would say, should be the favorite to reclaim the AFC North now that Pittsburgh's sputtering and the Ravens, I would say, should be the favorite to reclaim the AFC North now that Pittsburgh's sputtering and the Ravens, you know, finally went to the Steelers and said, no, your voodoo magic shan't affect us. But I digress. We've all had our say. Now we got to move on. We do have to move on. Just one final detail, and we don't even have to discuss it. George Pickens is playing. He's off the injury report. I don't think that matters. Respectfully, I don't think that matters. And I think we can all agree that's not going to matter against Kansas City. Because you know how the KC refs are. We all know. And I can see George

Pickens getting thrown out of the game. Because that's not about the refs loving the Chiefs. That's more about George Pickens, if I'm being real. We can argue that all we want. All I'm saying is on Christmas Day, the world will be rooting for Russell Wilson once again. Unless you're Justin Tucker. How'd you like to be a Ravens fan right now?

You gotta root for Mahomes, but ugh. Let the Steelers lose the next week. As Patriots fans, we need the Bills to have reason to play in Week 18. Oh, yeah, it's about those picks. But I digress. We will be moving on.

So up next, we're going to be talking about the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles. That game went down the wire. Jaden Daniels, did he cement his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year? We're going to debate that next. This is the FumbleRoski Podcast. It may not have always showed it in the stat sheet, but you can see him making throws when he needs to make the throws.

Back-to-back games where he has three touchdowns. Someone's got to get that six or seven spot. He's an elite wide receiver as a rookie. Truly a lose-lose scenario for both sides. Welcome back to the Fumble Rooski Podcast, brought to you by Powered 18 Radio and Secret Weapon Consulting. I'm your host, C.J. Medeiros. With me, of course, as always, Adam Wright, Chris Kostic,

and Justin Tucker, of course. As always, Adam Wright, Chris Kostic, and Justin Tucker, of course. It's great to have him back. So we are moving on to our next segment. Jaden Daniels tosses five touchdowns in a clutch win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles' dreams of NFC East supremacy put on hold for just a bit. However, old Jalen Hurts is in concussion protocol. Well, well, well. Adam, unpack this.

You take it the way you want it, but we're starting with you. No ditty. I meant do with the subject what you want. That's what I meant. Just go with it. I like taking it the way Jaden Daniels takes it, and you look at – No ditty. And so, listen, the way I understand that Kenny Pickett was in the game,

and I've heard a lot of discredit for this game for Jaden Daniels and the Commanders because Kenny Pickett was in the game. But they still scored 33 points within that. And I know I'm hearing, well, if Jalen Hurts was there, they would have scored 40. We don't know that. Also, Jalen Hurts and Kenny Pickett don't play defense. That has no effect on the fact that the Commander scored 36. Also, based on game flow and a butterfly effect, how do we know that if Jalen Hurts was in the game and did score 40, that the Commanders could have matched that as well. We'll never know.

You can't play the what-ifs game. We're going to play the game of what just happened. And what happened was the Commanders did win 36-33. Jaden Daniels led a game-winning drive in the final seconds getting that touchdown. And wow. This was, I mean, this was Jaden Daniels. This was his Mona Lisa. This was his signature game within this season. Five touchdown passes. I don't care if you threw two picks. A lot of quarterbacks throw interceptions. Jaden Daniels threw five touchdowns. And, yeah, he threw two picks, but he has eight on the season.

Bo Nix has 11. Have we ever come at Bo Nix for throwing 11 picks? No, because everyone throws interceptions. If you only throw 11 on the year, or eight, as Jaden Daniels threw. I mean, this not only put Jaden Daniels further in the lead for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but it kind of sealed it for him. And now he has the same amount of touchdowns as Bo Nix. He has less interceptions, more yards, higher QBR, higher passer rating, higher completion percentage. It's not close.

Jaden Daniels has had the better season. That's no knock on Bo Nix. If you put Bo Nix in any other season in the last few years, he'd be Offensive Rookie of the Year. The problem is that we are in the midst of one of the better rookie quarterback seasons as far as how many have showed out in recent memory. I mean, look at Jaden Daniels. He's playing well.

Bo Nix is playing very well. Caleb Williams has some work to do, but he's shown some promise. Drake May, despite playing with an awful roster, the statistics will fool you because if you give it the eye test, he looks like a clone of Josh Allen out there as far as play style goes. So this is a really good draft class. That is my takeaway from this. Not that Bo Nix sucks.

Bo Nix is having an incredible year. But everybody has been playing very well as far as starters this year. And depending on how Pennix and McCarthy look once they start, this could be one of the best draft classes of all time as far as quarterbacks go. And this was a great game by the Commanders. This was good for playoff positioning. This was good for Jaden Daniels' chances at being one of the better quarterbacks in this class. And listen, there's not much to take away from this Eagles team because, again, your starter was out. But the fact that you still danced with the Commanders,

a playoff team, without your starter in, it should tell you a lot about the depth of this team and how they're still able. I think if this Eagles team is going to be a tough out in the playoffs, I think most likely they're going to be playing in the conference championships. They have their head to it on straight now. And depending on when Jalen Hurts is back, let's see when he is,

they can make some real noise and get some good playoff positions. I think the Eagles completely fucked themselves. Sorry, I didn't know if you were going to... No, I wasn't going the way you were, but you know what, Chris? You got it. Okay.

What are your thoughts? Say that again. I think the Eagles are fucked. They're a little fucked right now. Why? Hold on. Let them finish. Because you lost Jalen Hurts for at least this week, maybe week 18.

Let's assume that you've lost Jalen Hurts for week 17. You've already have basically lost your chance at the number one seed, because obviously at this point, the number one seed is going to come down to whoever fucks up first, the lions or the Vikings and no Jalen hurts.

Now I will say in particular to this game, you can't say that Kennyny pickett is the reason you lost this game i don't think there's any way that you can say kenny pickett lost you this game he he did his job he played a solid game and like you said adam they ended up putting up still 33 points at the end of the day granted six of, six of those points, or pardon, 12 of those points being in the second half compared to 21 in the first half. But it's the 22 points that the defense gave up in the fourth quarter that ends up really screwing you over at the end of the day.

Saquon Barkley still had a great game. But Jaden Daniels, down 13, leading your team back to win it in regulation mind you as well I for some reason I thought that they won an OT but your division hopes are still alive but now you got to go up against the Cowboys who defensively is alive again this is a Cowboys team that is alive defensively again so that's why I say that they could potentially be screwed. Maybe lose themselves a spot or two in the playoffs, or in terms of playoff seeding. But I doubt it because you're also dealing with the Rams and the Bucs

and the Falcons that are going to be battling for the 3-4 spot as well. The Rams are the three seed right now. They're nine and six. Even if you lose out, you have the two seed. Okay. Either way, two seed is out of reach. But really, you're looking at a momentum clause, though. It's the momentum clause that I'm putting in.

Momentum is everything, especially going into the playoffs. So that's why I say that the Eagles could potentially be in trouble. But obviously Jalen Hurts is not a two-a-like concussion, I'm assuming. So he's probably going to be back in time for the playoffs or Week 18. But this Week 17 game, you're going to have some trouble in this Week 17 game against the Cowboys, that's for sure. And it's not like you've kicked yourself in the nuts over the NFC East division anyways, because Washington is still two games back from you.

And I don't think that Washington would have any tiebreaker over the Eagles anyways. Either way, Jaden Daniels, I think he did pretty much secure himself the Offense Rookie of the Year slot, though. Tuck? First off, I want to say congratulations on Adam. I believe he did pick this game for the Commanders. Is that correct? I did. Definitely not for the commanders. Is that correct? I did. Definitely not for parody purposes.

Well, the games, as I was watching the game, it didn't start off that way for you. It was actually looking all Eagles. And then slowly but surely, the commanders were fighting back, and then the Eagles would pull ahead. And then that fourth quarter happened, and Jaden McDaniels showed us what he was made of and i think he's going to be a future mvv caliber player in the future if he keeps playing

like the way he played now i would say bad eagles defense but on all he still performed out of this world against that he still picked up that fourth and 11 when he absolutely needed to get it, and he still gave them crucial touchdowns when they absolutely needed to have it. So I'm not going to take anything away from Jaden McDaniels. I think he played phenomenal. I think he played well. I think he deserved to win that game, regardless of who the quarterback for the Eagles was. They still put up 33 points.

You should be able to win that game. But all in all, I think the Commanders deserved to win that game outright, and congratulations to them. That was a phenomenal game from Saquon Barkley. I think 24 carries, 150 yards, and two tutties. Impressive. I'm happy for him but sad that Derrick Henry can't catch him. I'm just – I have to accept that at this point.

And the reason I brought up Adam picking the command is because when my mom saw who you picked for the game – She commented. She lost her shit online. I can't believe Adam picked the commander. So I was like, hey, we'll see. And then it turned out the way it did. She's been silent ever since. So maybe.

An apology, perhaps. I'll take it in MLA format. She will not give you an apology. She just won't. Understandable. No, just the final thing is congratulations to the commanders. I think they could be a tough out when it comes to if they make the playoffs, but all in all, I think they're a good team,

and they've made strides in the right direction. Daniels has been awesome. He really has. Listen, the way I look at it with the Eagles, yes, they lost their quarterback, and it will be hard for Dallas. It will be hard for them to beat Dallas. The thing is, they're very lucky that their schedule is as easy as it is. Dallas has not been a good team this year. They've not been close. And if Kenny Pickett plays as well as he did with the supporting cast around them, a good offensive line,

good targets to throw to, an awesome running game, a great defense. It's going to be hard for Philly to lose regardless, especially with the games that they have left. Dallas and the Giants, wow. This is a good time to lose your starting quarterback. Probably the best time you could possibly lose him. And if it's just for one game, you lose him, you beat Dallas, you come back, you have the Giants,

and that first seed is still kind of there. Technically, it is there. If you look at the last couple teams that are in contention for the number one seed, the Lions, they have the Vikings coming up soon. And the Vikings have not just the Lions, but also the Packers. So out of the last couple of teams that are in contention for the number one seed, you have the easiest schedule, the Eagles.

So it's still there. The possibility is still there. Can Kenny Pickett still play well and beat this Dallas team? As bad as Dallas has been, their defense has gotten healthy, but that's going to be a big question mark. And if they can win this game, then that number one seed is back. It's back in the question. Yeah, just when it looks like the Lions injuries were going to catch up

to them and Philly might grab that one seed, the gods of concussions had other plans. They were tired of beating up on Tua and went to his former teammate at Alabama, Jalen Hurts. And we could say, yeah, but if they had Hurts, they win. Let us not forget that even though he got hurt early on, he was not playing well.

He was like, what, one for four, 11 yards, something along those lines? Garbage. And here's the thing. This was a Saquon Day. Averaged over five yards a carry. He had 150 yards and two touchdowns. And then, you know, you got Jaden Daniels, who despite having two picks, threw for five touchdowns.

And honestly, Philly, even without Hurts, I don't care that it's like, oh, well, we would have won if we still had him. I, Philly, I need you to hear me here. I don't care. I don't, I just, I don't care. And I'll tell you why. Your defense forced five turnovers. You recovered three fumbles and you grabbed two interceptions.

And the offense only turned over the ball twice, lost a fumble and threw a pick. So you forced five turnovers and you lost. And this is something I always say however adam beat me too well we would have won if we had hurts hurts doesn't play defense hurts so if you still have hurts your defense still is getting gashed by jane daniels through the air that is that is just ridiculous i would also like to mention yes I would also like to mention Devonta Smith also dropped a crucial pass and gave it all back to Jaden Daniels after Jaden Daniels had thrown in his second interception, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson got tossed out of the game. Well, that's just normal C.J. Gardner-Johnson things.

You got outgained by 30 on the ground. It's not a big deal. But here's the thing. They dominated time of possession. They had the ball for 36 minutes and 18 seconds. Washington had it for 23.42. Well over 10 minutes more. You had more penalties.

But that's the thing. You also had more penalties. That's the thing. You had 10 10 10 penalties submitted on the day to washington six but i can't even you know point to that as a reason because washington surrendered more penalty yardage you had 91 they had 93 so just don't even give me the excuses, Philly. Yeah, injuries suck, but I'm sorry. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Jalen Hurts doesn't play defense. Your defense got gashed, and Kenny Pickett, he was okay. 14 of 24, 143 yards, a touchdown, a i just i don't know this seemed like a trap game from the

beginning and now you're hosting dallas and dallas i can't even count them out because it's a division game and don't and cooper rush has strung some pretty interesting plays together, some pretty interesting games. Has he not? I mean, you saw what he just did to Tampa. And then I'll give you this. Week 18, you're hosting the Giants. If somehow you lose this game, Jeffrey Lurie should sell the team. If you lose to the Giants, but I highly doubt you will. And for the Commanders, the division's in reach,

but it's still a slim chance. I mean, it helps your odds, but either way, I'm not going to say, oh, it's back in play. You know, not like that. I mean, is it in play? Yeah, but in the same way that in the AFC, the Colts and the Dolphins' playoff hopes are alive. Is it possible? Yeah, but is it going to happen? No.

You know what I mean? Because next, you're hosting Atlanta, and that's a grab bag with Michael Penix. Sure, Penix didn't play that well, but he didn't make mistakes. I don't hold that pit against him. It was a rookie mistake thinking that Kyle Pitts could catch a ball. Kyle Pitts cannot do that. He is a bust. And then you're in Dallas, which once again, you're in Jerry World.

Cooper Rush decides every so often to play well, so you don't know. So I wouldn't say those two wins are necessarily gimme's for Washington. I expect them to win both, but you never know. But overall, I still think Philly will win this division. It's just every so often a game gets away from you. And do you still win if you have hurts? I don't know. Probably. But we'll never know. You just have to move on you win next week and washington loses you're you're gonna you're you're either way you're still probably

gonna win the division however if you collapse then that's gonna be something worth talking about isn't it but hey hey we'll cross that bridge when we come to it you know and uh we're gonna be moving on and not because adam just gestured me too because i was going to regardless now with the lime green headphones calling the shots but we love the headphones don't we so up next we're gonna be talking about our christmas day games we got chiefs at steelers and ravens at texans Two interesting matchups to be sure. Don't go anywhere. This is the Fumble Rooski Podcast. It may not have always showed it in the staff sheet,

but you can see him making throws when he needs to make the throws. Back-to-back games where he has three touchdowns. Someone's got to get that six or seven spot. He's an elite wide receiver as a rookie. Truly a lose-lose scenario for both sides. Welcome back to the Fumble Rooski Podcast brought to you by Powered 18 Radio and, of course, Secret Web Consulting. I'm your host, CJ Medeiros. With me, of course, is Adam Wright, Chris Kostic, and Justin Tucker.

So we have not one but two Christmas Day games, and we're starting out with the 1 p.m. slate. Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers. So we're going to go around the horn here, and I just want you guys to give me your overview of the game and your prediction. Adam, go. I'm going to take the Steelers.

I think the Steelers, they're finally healthy, and I think we're at a point where, again, the Chiefs, they have just one loss on the season. I've already stated they've had still a pretty solid season. They've worked through some adversity. They've won some very shaky games. Some luck. That doesn't mean they're going to finish with one loss.

I think this one, the Steelers need it bad. They know they're in a division race. This has got to have a game for them. For a team that, you know, the Steelers, they're at a point where they really, they need that seeding. They're not as good as the record says. So I do believe that this is a game that they should, they need to win. And I think they will. I think it's going to be a close one. And I think for once, the world is actually going to be rooting for Russell Wilson. For the first time since the Seattle days, when everyone loved Russell Wilson. Now we're at a point where everyone is rooting against the Chiefs and for the Steelers, including some guys in Baltimore too, right, Tuck? Mm-hmm.

Give me the Steelers. All right. I'm not really sure where to go with this game, to be honest. There was one thing I wanted to touch on from at least the Ravens-Steelers game, but I wanted to wait for this one so you know cj mentioned the steelers if they want to beat the chiefs have to be on their a plus game a plus plus game no doubt about it and one thing that needs to be known is that the steelers or some fumbles on the Ravens this past weekend. But they didn't hop on any.

They didn't get any fumble recoveries in that game. Maybe one. I'm not really looking at it right now. But the ball did not bounce their way. They're going to need the ball to bounce their way in this game. Badly. Badly. And they're going up need the ball to bounce their way in this game. Badly. Badly. And they're going up against a good Chiefs defense that I'm going to be sure as shit

is going to shut down George Pickens in that deep ball if Russ wants to go with that deep ball. Can Jalen Warren and Najee Harris get it done in the run game? I don't know, man. I don't know. I don't know.

Give me that Christmas magic. Give me the Steelers. Give me the black and gold. Get in the dub against KC. Give me the second loss of the season for the Chiefs. Rusty's going for 250. Retug. Okay, then. Well, that's going for 250. E-Tug. Okay, then.

Well, that's two for Pittsburgh. Tuck? Give me Chiefs by a million. I refuse to pick the Steelers. I refuse to pick the Steelers for anything. I did it once, and it backfired. I refuse to do it again. Absolutely not.

Give me the Chiefs 5 million. Interesting. Alright. This game the only prediction I think I could say with any form of certainty is that I expect it to be ugly. I expect it to be a rock fight and I do expect

the Chiefs to pull another win just out of thin air because that's apparently what they do. And honestly, if TJ Watt were fully healthy, look, we saw him last week, and we saw that he wasn't healthy. I hope he gets healthy, but I don't know. Watch that injury to his leg in real time. That didn't look good. That suddenly might need a few weeks to shake off. But unfortunately, if you're Pittsburgh,

you don't have a few weeks, do you? He really is the catalyst that makes that team go. He's the whole reason why they never go below 500. And therefore, I am picking the Chiefs. Because even if you do have George Pickens back, I mean, what's it really going to matter? Because the Steelers also struggle to run the ball. I mean, Najee Harris. In fact, I once saw a YouTube video about him. It was called the Najee Harris trying to pick up four yards in a single run challenge. Impossible. But yeah, once again, I'm not thinking too hard on this one. Give me the Steelers. So we're going to be moving on.

Up next is the Baltimore. I want to say real quick, Najee Harris averaged more than four yards a carry, by the way, this past weekend. Okay, and what's it on the season, funny man? Still didn't get him anywhere. Still got him that big L. No, I didn't get him anywhere, but I just want to say that he averaged four yards carry. So, challenge was won by Najee.

Erm, erm, erm. Okay. So, we're moving on to, what did you say? Who was the lead rusher in the game? Jalen Warren. Jalen Warren. Yeah, Jalen Warren, exactly. And, by the way, he's averaging 3.9 yards a carry on the game. Jalen Warren. Yeah, Jalen Warren, exactly. And by the way, he's

averaging 3.9 yards a carry on the season. Don't play with me like that. You might as well call it four. Round it up. Round it up. One of the most inefficient elite running backs in all of football. Maybe

ever. It's unbelievable how this guy's still in the league. I don't know why i'm defending him i'm not even a big nausea guy but he got 1200 yards once by averaging 3.9 yards a carry yeah i remember that i was there when it happened but on that happy note we are moving on to the baltimore ravens at houston texans so'm going to break some orthodoxy here. Talk here, resident Ravens fan. We're going to be starting with you.

Where do you stand on this game? Can they get it done on the road? Short schedule. Houston's also on a short schedule, so it doesn't really matter. I believe the Ravens can get it done away against the Houston Texans. I think we're overall a better team. They just lost – the Houston Texans just lost Tank Dell. CJ Stroud has been struggling as of late, and I believe he's just going through a sophomore slump.

I think the Ravens take this, not easily, but I do think they take it in the end as they start to pull away in the fourth. Adam? Yeah, I think the Ravens are playing with a vengeance, and they, just like the Steelers, they have something to play for. And the way I look at that, and the way the Texans, not just the way the Texans have been playing, but also with how they've been slammed by the injury bug this season,

particularly in their pass catching court. Two of their three big three receivers in Stephon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins are gone. Two out of those three big three receivers in Stephon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins are gone. Two out of those three guys. And C.J. Stroud is not nearly the quarterback he was last year. He's regressed just a little bit. He's just a sophomore. Sometimes it takes more than two years.

Remember Josh Allen, his second year in the league? He was not his complete self yet. So a little regression. I'm not worried about Stroud, but I do know that he's not quite what he was last year. Because of that,

I think the Ravens, they're coming in with a full head of steam. Give me the Ravens. I'm also going to go to the Ravens here I'm also going to go the Ravens here. And I'm going to throw some cool analytical stats at you as well. Joe Mixon is terrible against top 10 defensive DVOA teams. Terrible. He gets under 50 yards rushing per game when he faces a top 10 DVOA team in terms of defense.

Especially rushing defense, I should say. Rushing defense. And that's what the Ravens have here. A top 10 defensive DVOA team in terms of the run game. And you don't even need the advanced analytical stats to tell you that. Just total yards in general. They're a top 10 team. So you're not going to do much in the run game.

CJ Stroud has been asked this year. So what are they going to grant? The Ravens don't have a great pass defense, but realistically, like what is CJ Stroud actually going to do in the past game? You're going to tell me that he's going to all of a sudden throw for four hundo when he hasn't even come close to breaking 300 all season. I just don't see that happening.

This Texans O-line garbage. It's this, the offense says we've said this repeatedly over and over again, this has been the most undersold offense this entire season. It's been terrible. Also, I want to make note of this. We brought up, Tuck brought up the short week, and I'm surprised we never really even spoke on this.

You got four teams in this game that are playing three games in a lot in what? 10, 11 days, 11 days. Yes. 11 days. How is that allowed? That's some,

what was that high school team that was playing like three games in one week or not high school that like fake college team? Bishop. Yeah. Yeah. It was a fake high school team bishop sycamore that that's that's what that's what bishop sycamore did they played like three games in in one week this is like getting to those levels it's ridiculous yeah well that was a

whole thing with bishop sycamore i think yeah and like another part of it another subject of this as well, you've got a guy like Patrick Mahomes who has a quote-unquote high ankle sprain, also Mahomes' biggest fucking faker of all time. Him getting carted off with a high ankle sprain is almost as bad as Mac Jones crying while getting carried off the field, and he actually missed a game or two with that yeah so I mean look I mean at this point if you fell for it's your fault Mahomes is notorious for faking injuries and yeah I said it he's faking it we all know it we all see

it this happens every year and honestly the league has to step in because it's actually against like league protocol of fake injuries but you know it know whatever he's allowed to do whatever he wants but as for me but as for me well let me tell you something right now about like three games in 11 weeks or three games in 11 days i don't know that's stupid i just think it's ironic how the league will huff and puff about player safety. They will create and impose upon us the deceivingly named dynamic kickoff. They'll add games to the schedule. They'll pull stuff like this. They'll ban the hip drop tackle.

But then they turn around and do something like this that's my point they'll do all this stupid stuff they'll preach player safety they'll be like oh the hip drop tackle is scary uh we need a dynamic kickoff that's how they talk and then and then what happens and then they say hey why don't you why don't we add another game to the schedule why don't we play three games in 11 days the league is so inconsistent with itself that it hurts my brain or here's another one for you here's another one for you just having a thursday night game on a short week in general is terrible just having thursday night football be a thing is terrible that's the truth so that is why i i well it's not why but i'm going with the ravens i am i gotta go with

the ravens because the texans once again i mentioned this before they're just losing the war of attrition at the right time cj strJ. Stroud is going through a sophomore slump. I don't think it's going to be indicative of his career, but hey, it happens. That's why it's called a sophomore slump. Teams get film on you, and it's up to you to adjust, which I think he will. And you mentioned the big three.

With Diggs, he's done for the year. Dell is done for the year. And even Nico Collins missed some time. Joe Mixon can't do jack against elite run defenses. And Dalton Schultz has been extremely hit or miss. The defense has been fine, but they kind of get sold out when the offense can't do anything. And if you're the Ravens, feed Derrick Henry. That is all. Just feed Derek Henry. You'll be fine. Lamar will sprinkle in some of those nice passes here and there.

And that is how you get yourself a nice victory on Christmas. So that does it for our Christmas slate. And now we are going to move on to our yearly holiday segment naughty or nice we will explain that when we come back but in the meantime don't go anywhere this is the fumble risky podcast it may not have always showed it in the stat sheet but you can see him making throws when he needs to make the throws back-to-back games where he has three touchdowns someone's got to get that six or seven spot. He's an elite wide receiver as a rookie.

Truly a lose-lose scenario for both sides. Welcome back to the Fum Ruski Podcast brought to you by PowerD8, Dean Radio, and Secret Web Consulting. In case you don't know by now, I'm your host, CJ Medeiros. With me, of course, Adam Wright, Justin Tucker, and Chris Kostic. So it really is the most wonderful time of the year, which means we get to do our yearly NFL Naughty and Nice list. If you're new, which there's a chance a lot of you are, so if you're new, we take a look at the last offseason,

last free agency period, and we look at some of those big free agency contracts that were doled out and we decide who's naughty or nice. Nice being, did you live up to your contract and actually play like you earned it? Or were you naughty as in you robbed this organization blind and you have played quite poorly? So we are going to start out with offensive lineman Robert Hunt of the Carolina Panthers, who signed a five-year $100 million deal, which at the time was an overpay. But if I'm being real, he hasn't been bad. He's actually been one of their better linemen, if anything. And that is a guy who's a great locker room guy, week in, week out.

He doesn't miss really any time. So that being said, I'm actually, even though it's a ridiculous contract, I'm still putting him with nice because let's be real. If you notice an offensive lineman, it's because they're playing poorly. And if you haven't noticed Robert Hunt, that's probably a good thing. I'll leave it open to comments. Yeah. Well, So what I have preached for most of this season is the three keys to lasting success, the three most important aspects to lasting success in the NFL is number one, the elite quarterback, number two, the offensive line, and number three, coaching. They have a quarterback who's actually developing very well,

and I think a big part of it is because their offensive line has played much better. And, again, I think $100 million for a guard, again, that's ridiculous. But he's playing well. So I'm a little indifferent. I'll go with nice. He hasn't been very naughty this year. Maybe he was a little naughty for taking a little money. But if he's playing well, I mean...

Yeah. I think five years, $100 million would be a little better for a wide receiver or maybe a quarterback, but for a guard, let alone a tackle, this is still ridiculous money. I mean, let's not get this twisted here. This is probably the only – I don't know what the list is looking like right now. I don't have eyes on this list that you're looking at, CJ,

but this is probably going to be the only one that's going to toe that fine line of naughty and nice, but it's going to lean nice because – what? Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps. I don't know. Right off the bat, this could potentially be the only one that toes that line because like you guys said, production is there.

So you have to lean nice. Like, yeah, it's an overpay, but at the end of the day, you're also building a good foundation to help your young quarterback be successful in the future. And if you can have at least some sort of stability to start off with on the O-line, that's a good start. So I guess for now, we might as well leave it at nice, and then we could reassess it like next year this time.

Yep, I think so. And for Mr. Hunt, you're definitely getting some presence in your stocking and under the tree good for you bud so i didn't ask tuck what he thought it he didn't ask tuck what he thought oh yeah well tuck he didn't say anything so i figured he would have but no i'm fine with it he hasn't done anything to make me jump out and it's like he doesn't deserve his money but at the the same time, five-year, $100 million. He better be doing something. I think nice is fine.

I'm going to get this one out of the way. Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins signed a four-year, I want to say $120 million deal this offseason. I have decided he is exempt from this list. He played five games before going down with a season-ending injury. It's way too early to judge. He looked pretty good in his five games as a defensive tackle. 17 tackles, two sacks as a nose tackle. That's pretty good. So, like I said, he is exempt in case anybody was wondering. Because I didn't want, so you didn't talk about Wilkins. Well, that's why we're not.

Next, here's another one that I would argue might toe that line between naughty and nice. Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Four years, $92 million. And it is worth noting Ridley's stats are as follows 56 catches 857 yards but four touchdowns and on top of that the Titans have been playing terribly is that because of him I don't know that's not up to me so what do you guys think with the quarterback play that he's been working with I'm going to give him a nice I'm going to give him a nice um he's been working with, I'm going to give him a nice, I'm going to give him a nice, he's been, the fact that he's going to get close to a thousand yards with the situation that he is in, I don't think he's the type of, he's the caliber of wide receiver to be receiving five

years, 192 mil, but at the same time, he has been playing well enough so that, you know, he's been good. He's been a good wide receiver this year. And I think if he's on a better team that has a better quarterback, let's say, you know, a guy like Drake May on the Patriots, I think he has a better season statistically. The problem is he's on the Titans, so his stats are a little bit diluted from bad quarterback play.

It's been a revolving door. You have to develop relationships with two different guys. That becomes a problem. So I think given the circumstances, he was a good boy this year. I'd have to agree. I mean, like last year with the Jaguar, I feel like giving him this contract was going to be a little bit risky anyways because he had the problem of the drop sees last year with Jacksonville.

Granted, he broke 1,000 yards. He had just under 80 catches. And this year, if he had better quarterback play, he would have been projected to probably exceed that. But yeah, I, for what he's been doing on the situation that he's been working with, with Will Levis playing like shit and having to rotate through with him and

Mason Rudolph, who by the way, is getting the start this week. I would have to give him the nice spot on this one as well. But again, that's one of those that I feel like is going to toe the line. But I think outside of stats, if you look really closely at what's really going on, then you have to lean towards the nice. I don't want to lean towards any way with this one.

I think he's played well considering the situation he's been in. With the Titans, he also had to share targets with Tyler Boyd and DeAndre Hopkins when he was there. So the fact that he has these type of stats, even though he's a little lacking in the touchdown department, the fact that he has these stats are impressive. So if I have to lean one way or another, I'll give him nice, but I think the jury's still out on that four-year deal because he'll be 33 by the end of it. Yeah. This is one where I feel like with a great argument, you could really convince me, Naughty,

but overall I'd have to go with nice because, come on, his quarterback is Will Levis. Your favorite. That's pretty much it. Next up, we're going with the edge rusher of the Minnesota Vikings. Got a four-year, $76 million deal, Jonathan Grenard, formerly of Houston fame. So, let's be real. Is he naughty or is he nice?

Because his stats right now thus far, he has 52 tackles, 11 sacks, four forced fumbles. I think this is pretty cut and dry. Adam? Yeah, he's having an awesome season. Him along with the entire Minnesota Vikings defense have had an amazing year. Brian Flores has really whipped this team into shape on the defensive side.

17 quarterback hits, 16 tackles for loss. This has been an unbelievable season. He's on pace to set career highs in both tackles for loss and quarterback hits. He already has in the tackles for loss department. 36 of his 52 tackles are solo. This guy up front, and he's a big part of why this Vikings defense has been electric. And listen, I think if you have a good pass rush and you have a pretty solid secondary, regardless of what your run defense looks like, that makes you a good defense.

Because it's hard to run when you're playing from behind all the time. Chris? Yeah, pretty cut and dry. you're playing from behind all the time. Chris? Yeah, pretty cut and dry. It's a nice list. Another stat that hasn't been mentioned, four forced fumbles, which no one else has more than one on the Vikings. So he's been a big catalyst for this Vikings defense and has been a big reason as to why

they only have two losses on the season and battling for the one seed. Nevermind that I've seen North. You're right. And talk. Not hard to see why he's on the nice list. He's had an amazing season. He's helped turn the Vikings defense around from where it was last season. He's one of the main catalysts for that.

So, yeah, I think he's deserving of his contract, and he deserves to be on the nice list. All right. Up next is Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Bryce Huff. Three years, $51 million. So I'll give him the scotia credit he got hurt at like week 11 but he played 10 games

which i think is more than enough to judge however big red flag he only started five and even though we played in 10 games he has 10 combined tackles four qb, two and a half stacks. Adam? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the Seahawks' defenses looked pretty good. Wait. No, Philly. Eagles.

Philly. Bryce Hoffman. My bad. pretty good wait no uh philly eagles philly bryce hoffman um this is definitely a naughty gonna roll with naughty really not much sorry i thought you i thought you said leonard williams for some reason uh which we'll which we'll get to but uh yeah if if you get that much money and you can't produce that, it's going to be a naughty end. Chris? Can't hear you.

Pardon. I'll go naughty as well. He's been hurt, but lack of production when he's actually been on the field so i mean who knows what's going to happen with year two on his contract but yeah gonna have to put him on the naughty for now fair enough i think he's naughty this year but i'm not sure if it's his fault or the way they're using him when he was on the judge last year as a linebacker he had 10 sacks this year they haven't as a dn and he was only able to get two so i'm not sure if it's just a matter of out of position or what but yeah as of right now it's naughty for me

yeah like i said the real red flag for me was that even though he played in 10 games he only started five which that is bad and even though he appeared in 10 games only two and a half sacks after getting that contract injury aside i feel like he was going to end up on naughty regardless so yeah i think that's pretty cut and dry i'm not getting cole in his stocking i'm chucking cole at him it's's what Roger Goodell would want. Next up, Adam already mentioned it, so let's go there. Leonard Williams of the Seattle Seahawks. He's a lineman. Sometimes they put him on the end.

Sometimes he is an offensive tackle. But now that he's with Seattle, he has had 54 tackles, right? Seven sacks, 22 QB hits, 12 tackles for loss, three passes bad at the line. He even had an interception, which he took 92 yards to the house, in case you were wondering. And yeah, overall, he's got a pretty solid missed tackle percentage as well, missing less than 10 at 6.9%. And his contract, three years, $64 million. Adam?

Very good boy this year. Very, very good boy. I mean, they can rotate him anywhere and he'll produce. He's a good run stuffer. He stuffs the stat sheet. He can get to the quarterback. He has 12 tackles for loss, 22 quarterback hits. This is a no-brainer.

This contract's kind of looking like a bargain for Seattle. Chris? Yeah, I'm going to put him on the nice list, and he's been a big part as to why the Seahawks are still in the running for one of these wild card spots. In more particular, during this four-game winning streak that the Seahawks were on prior to losing back-to-back, ended up having a multitude of tackles,

averaging around six tackles per game, four and a half sacks, along with that pick six that you had mentioned, CJ. So, big, big hand in keeping Seahawks' playoff hopes alive. Give me him on the nice list.

Justin? Justin? Sorry. uh sorry mike was muted uh he's one of the very few ups on the seahawks in their up and down season i think he's played solid for him whatever they ask them to do he's done and as a big man he has a 92 yard touchdown he deserves to be on the nice list this year. Yeah. If you can make over $60 million look like a bargain, you're definitely one of the nicer ones. I think up next, we got someone from green Bay, Josh Jacobs running back. Now you're not supposed to pay them, but he got four years, 48 million.

And believe me when I tell you, he has been one of, in my humble opinion, the best running backs in the league this season. 278 carries for 1,216 yards, along with 13 touchdowns and 4.4 yards a carry. I think it's pretty cut and dry, but I'll leave it up to you. Adam? Very, very nice. I mean, wow. With Josh Jacobs, he's getting to that age, and he's about to be 27. This is the problem with running backs, with paying them,

is once their contracts are up, they're getting into their late 20s. And I've said this before. I'll say it again. Running back is the only position in professional sports where you can be still in your 20s and be considered past your prime. They always fall off around this time. And I did not rule out a big season from Josh Jacobs coming off of this contract. In fact, I thought, you know what, I'd say it's likely. Problem is, we're at a point where

we're taking it year by year. And this contract is for four years. Do we think he's going to put up this kind of production? So this opens up the door for a very complicated answer. Because if we're talking about this year, yes, he's been a very good boy. But he's getting four years. So three years on top of this one. Do you think when he is 29 years old that he's going to be putting up 1,400 yards? I don't really see that. Uh, problem. It's very possible. Packers have a good system around them, but Chris,

what about you? If you were to ask me this back on Halloween, then we would probably be really towing the line on naughty or nice and maybe leading naughty, but Holy moly, ever since the month of November hit, especially speaking as a Josh Jacobs fantasy owner that traded for him halfway through the season, good God.

He didn't win me my playoff game this weekend. He got taken out way too early. What are you going to do? What are you going to do? It's not his fault, though. But but honestly this second half of the season alone puts him on the nice list like we're talking all but three of his rushing touchdowns being on this half of the nfl season he's been an absolute force to be reckoned with you guys see that stiff arm he had in the first quarter last night? Yeah.

Against Teran Matthews. Get off me. Get off me. But, yeah, nice list by a billion. Nice list. He's been the prime example of running backs going to a new home and just going stupid. It's insane.

I love it. He's one of three prime examples this offseason of going to new homes and producing. Yep. True. However, for those wondering, Saquon and Derrick Henry aren't on the list because they're making less than 40 mil. So, yeah.

Sorry, Tuck. I feel like you're waiting for Derrick Henry. You got like two years, 16 million. I don't consider that a big deal. It's not a big deal. Next, we have another boy from Green Bay, Xavier McKinney. Four years, $67 million. 64 tackles so far.

No, no, no, 77, sorry. He has a sack. He has a fumble recovery and seven interceptions. Yep. Well, Adam, I think it's pretty simple. He's been

good. He's been good. This contract looks like a bargain. Listen, I don't... I think safeties are fairly easy to find, at least good ones. I think safety is a position that if you don't have elite safeties, you can still win championships. But it doesn't mean it's useless to have good safeties. And this guy's been pretty good.

Four years, $67 million. If you saw Buda Baker's contract that he just got recently, you're going to realize this is a bargain of a contract. So it's fairly simple. He's been good. All righty then, Chris. If you're listening on any of the streaming services that we offer this podcast on, you wouldn't have seen me hammer the nice button on Xavier McKinney.

Packers went off in free agency, and there was a point where Jair Alexander was out for a little bit as well. And it's guys like Xavier McKinney that stepped up in the secondary and made things happen. As another reason why, you know, a team like the Packers, never mind them fighting for a playoff spot, but they're still alive for the division as well. Hammering the nice button, give me Xavier McKinney nice by a billion as well. And Justin. Definitely on the nice list. He deserves it.

Seven interceptions on the season. One of the league leaders in interceptions. Yep. Deserves it. Absolutely. Absolutely. And there is one more. A certain quarterback signed this offseason by the Atlanta Falcons.

I'm, of course, talking about Captain Kirk Tober himself. Kirk Cousins. Four years, $180 million. Has a completion percentage of 66.9. We'll call it 67%. Not big on rounding.9 we'll call it seven 67 percent not big on rounding but we'll do it here uh 3,508 yards passing uh 18 touchdowns 16 interceptions a seven and seven record with a loaded falcons offense and and recently benched for Michael Penix. I think the verdict is obvious, but I want to hear your takes.

Adam? Naughty. Oh, I thought we were all doing it. I thought we were, but then Naughty else seemed to be. Surprisingly, I'm not sure if I even want to put him on Naughty. I'm there with Kirk Cousins. Excuse me. It was bad enough.

It was bad enough. Sorry. Go ahead. Well, I think that if we're talking first half, like Kirk Cousins had a great first half of the season. It didn't really start going bad for him until this 20-17 loss against the Saints. And even then, he had a pretty solid day, 306 yards, only one pick. But after that, it's just been terrible.

Like there was that four-game stretch where he didn't throw a single touchdown pass. Like up until then, he had 17 touchdowns to nine interceptions, which isn't bad for that. So for where you are at that point of the season, the Falcons were competitive. And then he went on a four game losing skid where he didn't throw a single touchdown pass in those four games.

They looked like dog shit against the Raiders. Yeah. Like, I don't know what the hell happened. It's weird. Maybe it's the play calling. I did see that, you know, Kirk Cousins during his time with the Vikings had a million touchdowns off of play action, and that was his bread and butter. And now Atlanta's barely running any play action.

Which is a problem. Maybe play calling's a problem. But, good God. I'm going to go. It was my turn. I'm sorry, Adam. It's my turn. Sorry, Adam.

I'll let it go back to you. Thank you. Adam. It's my turn. Sorry, Adam. I'll, I'll bring it. I'll let it go back to you. Thank you. Uh, listen, a lot of people were in right now. And right now we're, we were seeing a lot more blame for the, the Kirk cousins contract than the Michael Penix pick,

but I'm not falling victim to the recency bias. Everyone loved the Kirk Cousins contract at first, and then they hated the Penix pick. I didn't, listen, I didn't like, I didn't like Kirk Cousins for what he was. I thought Kirk Cousins, if we're talking about a franchise quarterback, I don't think Kirk Cousins, I think he's a very good quarterback, but I don't think he's the guy who's winning you a Super Bowl. Certainly not worth $180 million. So, that being said, he did tear his Achilles, and he does not look like the same guy. Not even close.

So the way I look at it, obviously this is a naughty. Obviously this is a naughty. Obviously, this is a naughty. And they should have looked at Kirk Cousins' Achilles injury and been more hesitant about this. They should have at least had a conversation about just going into the draft and going and getting pennants. If you really wanted this kid, you should have just done that and went and signed a bridge quarterback. Go get, I don't know, go get Drew Locke or something. Go get a guy who can be a placeholder, who's on a cheap contract. But right now you just had a, you basically just signed yourself in a very expensive bridge quarterback, which makes no sense.

No sense at all. I liked Kirk Cousins for what he was. I didn't like Kirk Cousins for the contract that he was given, for what he was at all. I didn't like, I obviously didn't like the fact that you took a quarterback in the draft. But now it's looking a lot better. But you should have been planning for that the whole time. Which means not signing Cousins to a massive deal.

Even if he ends up being what we thought he was going to be, that contract still sucks because by the time Michael Penix is ready, he's like 28 years old. And at that point, I mean, you're almost past Penix's prime. You're at the point, you just wasted time with Penix, who could be a superstar if he really pans out at age 26, 27? Why are we having him sit those years and having Kirk Cousins play? So in a complex answer, this is a very, very naughty list, very, very naughty contract. And it became naughtier once we figured out that Kirk Cousins isn't the same player anymore.

You can go, Chris. Yeah, I'm going to go naughty as well, but never mind the contract, but I just feel like they're just not using Kirk the way that Kirk should be used. I love Kirk so much. My Kirky-poo. My Kirky-poo. No, I'm kidding. That's a little so much. My Kirky-poo. My Kirky-poo. No, I'm kidding. That's a little too much.

No, but I think the whole situation at Atlanta just screwed up. Adam, as you mentioned, if Kirk ends, like, these next two weeks, they're obviously for Michael Penix and maybe the playoffs if Atlanta makes it to the playoffs. But in terms of next year, Kirk could easily win the starting job back. So once again, Penix is probably going to, like you said, Adam, probably not going to play until he's 28. And the way that quarterbacks are going back now,

I don't think there's going to be a lot more quarterbacks that are going to be playing until they're 40. So maybe you have five to seven years left with Pettis. Kirk Cousins is about to get released, by the way. Yeah. Oh, Tuck, did you not know that? You look surprised. Yeah, it was.

They're going to release him before his 10 million dollar sign bonus kicks in i'm like what is that march 17th yeah so he's out so tuck knowing this how much of his money is guaranteed probably too much it would have been a lot of it it would have been 100 mil it's guaranteed i believe they restructured his deal so that they could release him, but it would have been a smaller – it would have been a much lighter dead cap hit if they had just traded him. But I think they looked around the league and they realized that nobody wants this guy. No one wants his contract.

I think a lot of it is the Achilles. I don't think it's the Achilles. Atlanta just didn't know how to use Kirk. The guy's hurt. No, I don't even want to hear the injury thing with Kirk. You can't tell me that this is a guy early in the season that threw over 500 yards and was swag surfing in Atlanta to where he is right now. It can't be that.

No, it has to be how they're using him. It's not the Achilles. If he's not comfortable, that's one thing, but he looked comfortable against the Buccaneers when he threw over 500 yards. I don't understand what it is. I don't understand how they're using him. I don't even understand why he's there to begin with if they're not going to use him properly and they're just going to score him over for pennies. Tuck, look at the track record of a lot of the players who have torn their Achilles. A lot of them play very well. It's weird.

A lot of them play very well immediately after coming back. Look at James Robinson a couple years ago. Put up some amazing numbers right when he came back. Then he fell apart and it looked like he didn't even know how to play football. He's been a journeyman ever since. You see a lot of players who tear their Achilles. They come back, and at first they play awesome. But then it falls apart, and it falls apart fast.

I'm sorry, but Kirk Cousins kind of fits that bill this year. He played very well at the start of the season. Well, where does Aaron Rodgers fit in that bill? Because he hasn't played well all season. He's coming off. Exactly. I mean, he's also 40. So maybe he just doesn't experience it.

No, he's right. Stop it, y'all. This isn't an Aaron Rodgers talk. No one has been more supportive than Kirk Cousins than me. I remember being on this show defending him, saying he was a top 10 type of quarterback. I would say he was a top 10 quarterback too.

And yet he's still on the naughty list, isn't he? That's the point. I believe they're just not using him properly. That's all it is. I believe he's on the naughty list, but it's not his fault. Yep. I agree he's on the naughty list, but it's not his fault. Yep. Okay, cool, buddy.

I agree. He's still there. And that contract. 11 interceptions in a span of like four games? Again. I don't think that has anything to do with how you're used. That's just inaccurate. And here's the thing.

There's no player. Yes. There's no coach who's putting it in a certain way. Yes. I don't even like that one interception. And you're doing it a certain way. And that makes it so that you're throwing. Absolutely not.

I refuse to believe that. It's not even like the interceptions he's throwing were the ones that that one Penix threw in his first star where it hits in the hands. Kirk was just air mailing it right to defenders. Some of those balls, defenders literally had time to, you know, do a fair catch before grabbing it. Again, maybe he's not comfortable. Maybe it's something, but I'm telling you, he can't go from 17 to nine and then all of a sudden he's 18 and 16 with 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Something happened. I don't know what it is, but something happened along the way.

You can't tell me he was playing phenomenal at the beginning half of the season, and then all of a sudden he just, as Matt Kellerman would say, fell off a cliff and became a bum. That's not how it happens. He did. I agree. Here we are. It happened.

And either way, he is on the naughty list. Getting benched and now getting cut in the first year of his stupid deal, which even then was probably an overpay, I think says a lot. It really does. But we're going to have to leave off there.

Before we end this show tonight, does anyone have anything else to bring up? Sam Darnold looks like a completely different human being. He really does. But we're going to talk about that for the Vikings-Lions game whenever that comes up. So that will do it for us tonight. Thanks for listening. We have new episodes out Tuesdays, 7.30 p.m. Eastern time and Fridays at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. And we also have all our episodes available on wherever you listen to the podcast, places like Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio,

Google Podcasts, and so much more. And while you're with us, be sure to follow our Instagram at fumble Ruski underscore podcast to keep up with our podcast and the latest coverage from the NFL. Otherwise we will see you next week. I'm CJ Medeiros for Adam Wright, Chris Kostich and Justin Tucker over and out and Merry Christmas.