The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Bills-Chiefs reaction, Chiefs Magic, 49ers-Lions

Episode Date: January 22, 2024

John reacts to the Chiefs once again taking down the Bills and despite Josh Allen looking like the best player on the field they can't get over the hump and beat KC in the playoffs, and will the Chiefs magic continue next week when they take on the Ravens. Also, will Brock Purdy and the 49ers show up against the Lions and if not, can they win another ugly game. 4:33 - Bills can't get over the hump 19:32 - 49ers are winning ugly Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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See dkng.com slash football for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, everybody, John Middlecock, 3 and Out podcast? How are we doing? That's me. That's the show, obviously. I went on with Coward for about an hour as I do every Sunday. And then I realized, I still had some more stuff to get off my chest.

I was just still thinking about it, kind of pacing around the house. I'm like, why don't I just do like 20 minutes on a couple quick thoughts, dive in a little bit more to what we just witnessed Bill's Chiefs, because I feel for you, Bill's fans. I really do. That one stinks. That really stinks. We will also touch on the Niners.

and the Lions. Conference champ, we only got three games left, so we got to enjoy football while we have it. But I wanted to get up a little something here on this Sunday night, and then we'll be full steam ahead all week. A lot of football content, nonstop, right, leading in these conference championship games, obviously Super Bowl a couple weeks. If you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to three and out. Appreciate everyone that has. The YouTube channel, John Middilcoff, three and out. All of our content is on video. So go check that out as well. Hit that subscribe button. And the volume.com, we got merch. I got three and out hats. so go get yourself one.

But first, at my friends at GameTime, download the GameTime app. They are the official ticketing app of this podcast, GameTime, download it, concerts, comedy shows. My brother just went to a concert, sat front row. He's like, bro, I'm never going to a concert again unless I'm sitting on the floor. I'm like, yeah, that's why you download GameTime, promo code John $20 off. Download the GameTime app, promo code John, $20 off.

I was just thinking after I got done with Colin about the bills. And when I was, I'm born and raised in Davis, California. It's right by Sacramento. And most of my life growing up, I mean, there was only one, obviously the Niners and the Giants were hour away. But the Kings, where the Sacramento Kings played was probably less than 15 minutes from my house. And they were shitty most of my life. And then at the end, basically when I was in junior high entering high school, they got really good. and they got really good.

You thought they were the best team in the league. And then they had the crazy stuff happen in the conference finals to the Lakers, and they lost. And something that's still in that area has talked about all the time. And those guys, Vladi Divak, Bobby Jackson, Pages Stoyakovich, they're just huge members of the community, the way they're talked about, the way they're thought of. But they're just always known as not being able to get it.

The team that came so close. We had them on the ropes, but we just couldn't get it done. But there is like something that unites people that all root for the same team that when you can't get over the hump, but you were good. It's one thing when you just suck, everyone's just negative. But when you go, God, we were just as good. God, we should have beat them. Like, were we better? It's something you never get over.

Honestly, you never do. And, you know, I see it now with this 49er team going back to Harbaugh and now with Kyle. like, are they ever going to win a Super Bowl? Like, they're getting there a lot. They're getting in the mix a lot, but are they ever going to win it? And then there are the teams like that Laker team with Kobe and Shaq, when every time that they laced them up and every series they played in the playoffs, even the ones they lost, they never believed they were going to lose.

Andy Reed and Patrick Bohomes never play a football game where they think they're going to lose. Why would they? They fucking win them all, especially in the playoffs. And now they're proven they can go on the road. and you saw tonight the Buffalo Bills who took the lead multiple times and even when they got down late

with like five minutes left and he's driving them down the field making big third downs and you're like do we have the best player on the field this guy's playing remarkably like it doesn't get any better than Josh out we wouldn't trade our guy for anyone else that wasn't true you know the Kings obviously Kobe and Shaq were better anyone the Sacramento Kings have

but the diners are a good example like obviously we take some other quarterbacks I'll promise you that but if you're a Bill's fan you're like like this is just a remarkable environment. It doesn't get any better in this. We have the champs on the ropes. They're, you know, our rival, and we talked about it last week,

that we can't beat when it matters, but we're finally going to beat them. Our quarterback's going to lead us down the field and score a touchdown. And then you're forced to kick a field goal. You're like, okay, well, let's kick this field goal. We'll get a stop. We'll find a way to win.

This is our year. And then the dude misses the field goal. And it's just one of those things where you leave the stadium and I've left stadiums in all sports. after devastating losses for teams that I've rooted for, where you just kind of look around and you go, is this ever going to happen?

Are we just destined to never win? Are we destined to never beat this team? And listen, you would always rather be relevant and good and important and have Josh Allen and be winning this division for four straight years than not being in these games. Like it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all or whatever. but that sucks. I mean, there's nothing I can say.

It's weird, right? I know the head coach, the GM, I literally could text them and Andy texts back. I don't know about Veach. But like I should in theory be rooting for the Chiefs. I have other close friends

that work for that organization. My mom loves the Chiefs. She never stops texting me about them because Coach Reed had me over for Thanksgiving 10 plus years ago. She loves them. She's a diehard Chiefs fan in her mid-send.

70s in Davis right now. No one watches and talks about the chiefs more than my mother. But I found myself gravitating and rooting, I know Sean McDermott too, but for Josh Allen and the franchise and the fans. It feels like they deserve this. Like they deserve this win. And when that guy missed the field goal, your heart just sinks. But in a weird way like that's why we watch sports. It doesn't get any better than that game. Like that game, in my opinion, in my opinion, opinion is as good as it gets. They score going into halftime, then the Chiefs come out and score, then the Bill's score. That it felt like, listen, I throw this analogy out.

It's not like I ever saw this fight beside like YouTube and the Will Smith movie, but like Ollie Frazier. Like the thrill, it just doesn't get any bigger or better than this. It'd be like if Mike Tyson would have fought Muhammad Ali. That's what it felt like watching that game. These two quarterbacks that are just, I was born in the middle. mid-80s, so I can't claim to, and I always believe this as a sports fan, I feel very comfortable arguing for people that I watched. Like, if you want to argue with me about Peyton Manning or Aaron

Rogers or Tom Brady or LeBron James or, you know, you name it, players that I have grown up watching, even back to the 90s, Brett Farf, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, I feel very confident arguing. But if you go back and argue with me about guys that I didn't watch, you know, after like 15 years old, like, it's going to be impossible to have a fair argument, right? So when I was growing up, you just heard so much about Montana, Marino, and Elway. And obviously, those guys played a huge role in the expansion of the NFL. And Montana was winning all the time. Dan Marino got to one Super Bowl, never went back. And up until Mike Shanahan and Terrell Davis showed up, Elway was going to Super Bowls and losing. But it's one thing to make it there and lose. It's another

thing to struggle to get to the conference championship game. It's like, how do we have? How do we have this guy who's doing this and our team is playing well, we're at home against a team that's clearly not as good as they once were and we still can't beat them? Like that's something, the 13 second game is something like the Robert O'Rey tip out shot from Vladia hit. You never forget. That's something ingrained in your memory as a sports fan, whether you're not even rooting for one of these teams for the rest of your life. If you're a Bill's fan, that scar is something you carry with you forever. But you hold it in these big moments and you almost almost kind of crossed your mind like is this the year that we shake that and the problem is when

you face these championship level people that have one countless championships whether it's mj or patrick mahomes or tom brady or tiger woods and you get them up against the ropes they're not going to flinch they're not going to fade now they might lose you might beat them but you got to knock them out you have to knock them out they're not going to tap out it's not going to happen and the bills had their moment multiple times, and they couldn't do it. But listen, we can justify it all we want. There were enough plays to be made for them to win that game. And they just didn't.

But you get to the point where you go, well, we can't beat them in Kansas City. We can't beat them in Buffalo. And this is what I said. To have a rivalry, like forever I always heard, Red Sox Yankees, Red Sox Yankees. Well, up until 04, the Yankees owned them. It was a rivalry based on they were in the same division. and they played each other a lot, but the Yankees were doing all the winning.

The Red Sox never were, right? And then once the Red Sox beat them in 2004, that rivalry got amped up tenful. Like, in a weird way, this is what I mean. Like, if the Chiefs and Niners are in the Super Bowl, for me personally, or professionally and personally, that's by far the best situation for me, right? Yet I found myself honestly really rooting for the bills

there in the fourth quarter. just because, like, at my core, before I knew anyone in any of these professional leagues, before I ever thought I would be able to do this for a living, I'm just a die-hard sports guy. And the stories, and you root for certain people, and I just found myself pulling for Josh Allen. Like, I just want to, and those fans,

and how fucking much they care. How much they deep down love that football team. And they just couldn't win the game. And I feel for you, Bill. fans. And I think, listen, man, the Chiefs, there is, and I saw this about a decade ago with some of the Bochy San Francisco Giants teams. Championship blood is a real thing. And I think the Chiefs just have it in spades. And me and Colin talked about it. And I think next week, you know, the Chiefs are going to be the underdog. And listen, I think the Bravens are fucking good. I mean, they are really, really good. I'm amped up. I've dropped a couple of F-bombs. I know some of you guys have little kids in the car, earmuffs.

but I just have a hard time. And listen, to me, the Ravens should win the Super Bowl. Right? If you're just based on talent, momentum, coaching, the Ravens. But when you got Andy, when you got Patrick Mahomes, and you just got that blood inside the locker room, when every single human being, especially all the guys now, their young defensive players,

they've all been in these moments. They never don't believe it's going to happen. It doesn't mean it's always going to happen. But in these key spots, in these games, games, when they're down a field goal, when they're down four points in the fourth quarter, it's like they ain't going to freak. They'll just stick to their fundamentals. They'll stick to the play call. They will make the play. They will be in positions to make the plays. You're going to have to beat them. And it's the best part about the highest level of sports, like the true, true champions.

It's like they just get to this level where it's like, we're on the top of the mountain top and we don't want to leave. We do not want to budge. We want no part of climbing back down this mountain. We like it up here. We like this spot. And you're going to feel it this week, right, for half of football, as someone that had money on the Ravens at minus nine and a half, you felt like a tenseness with the Ravens. And even Lamar admitted it. They cuss at each other at halftime. Then they loosen up and it was a route. And they showed their talent all over the field and they kicked the crap out of the Texans, 24-0-0 in the second half. And it wasn't even, it felt more like 50 to nothing. They destroyed them. There is just something that they,

the Chiefs have left, like the Niners don't have it. Like, they've never won the Super Bowl. The Lions, you could say, are playing with little house money, but once you get to this spot, like, you're not, you probably think, like, we can win the Super Bowl. But they don't know they can win the Super Bowl. There is one group of men that all look when they show up for film study, getting ready for the championship game this week to go, we're the champs that we plan on being the champs again.

Now, doesn't mean they're going to win it, but there is something to the Chiefs and this, and the Patriots had this forever with Belichick and Brady. And Andy and Mahomes have this. That's why a lot of people go, did you see the rumors with Andy Reid? I've said over and over. And I said this yesterday, and I've said this, I think, in the DMs for anyone asking,

I do not believe he's going to retire. If there's nothing health-related and everything's okay with his family, like I would be stunned. Because you don't retire when you have this built. Andy doesn't play golf. Like Belichick, their lives are football

because they've mastered the craft. of coaching leadership, of building the culture. And when you have Mahomes in the peak of his powers, like, let's face it, as they transition through Chiricill and then Kelsey and maybe Chris Jones, as long as you got that guy and the culture with your coaching staff and the quarterback kind of breeding it down through, like, listen, I think Josh Allen is one of the most remarkable athletes

and players in any sport I've ever seen. Truly believe that. The way when I was growing up, people talked about Marino and Elway, just the talents, that's what he feels like the combination of it all. But there's something missing in his organization,

right? And I don't even blame him. I don't even think he could do that much more. He's literally laying it all on the ground. But I'd say his organization's letting him down a little bit. Like I told Colin, they went all in for Von Miller. It's one of the all-time disastrous moves

when you're a player or two away. When you're a player or two away and you sign a guy to a huge deal and that guy immediately tears his ACL and then becomes really old, it fails. And it screws you because you have so much cap space and so much capital invested into one guy.

And I guess this is a long-winded way of saying, like, I'm fired up for the Chiefs. Like, it's cool to watch greatness. I say it all the time. Like, I come to sports. Like, my favorite two athletes of all time easily are Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Right. So what the Chiefs and Andy and Mahomes are doing is incredible. It's absolutely incredible.

but there's like this weird you know sports letdown travesty I don't even know the right way to describe it with the bills that kind of makes you feel bad unless you're in the division you like hate the bills if you're someone like me kind of indifferent

and I naturally root from guys of places I know and I'm a Northern California guy and my dad was a farmer and I spent some time in Fresno State in Fresno lived there for a couple years or the valley like if you're from the valley

you're from Northern California I'm going to root for you. If you're from Southern California, you know, if I know you and like you, maybe, but if you're from the Valley in California or Northern California, I'm going to root for you. I'm going to root for Jared Gough throughout his career. I'm going to root for Josh Allen from Fireball. And that sucks. So I guess this is a long-winded way of saying, I feel for your Bill's fans. I've been there. We all have as sports fans, even Patriot fans, I guess a time or two have been there, but they usually lost those games in the championship. It sucks losing in the second round and start questioning, like, are we ever going to

make to the Super Bowl? Are we ever going to go back to that place again? Is it ever going to happen? Because I think it's very fair to start questioning that. So we'll dive into the Chiefs Ravens matchup coming up. That's a fantastic game. The other game is really good too. And I think all the pressure, like I said last week on the podcast, was all on Purdy and Kyle Shanahan. And I put it on Purdy first because his contract is not much money. He was a seventh round pick. That game yesterday was, and I talked about it on the pod yesterday, was pretty ugly. Now, luckily, in the division he plays in, in the place he lives, he doesn't have to play in inclement weather, but he's proven. He can't play in the rent. Period point, blank, end of story.

And there is just a weirdness sometimes with Kyle. Listen, every coach has a bad game. Andy Reid has bad games. Belichick has had bad games. Like, welcome to a football. Welcome to life, right? I don't care how, Bezos, not every deal he's ever made worked. Right? I mean, Steve Jobs, He got fired from Apple once upon a time. Sometimes things don't go your way. But there's something with Kyle where there's a tightness in some of these moments when things aren't going well that can pop their head up. And listen, I think Kyle's a stud.

I think he's an unreal coach. The Niners couldn't dream of doing better. Andy Reid ain't available. But it just makes you a little nervous. And I think the Lions, in the Bill's Chiefs game is a good example. Everyone had a lot of the line, right? The bills have a ton of the line. The chiefs have a ton on the line just because you got Andy and Mahomes. It's all about every single season. And the bills, you got to get over the hump. The Ravens have a ton of the line. This is the

playoffs. But the lion, someone sent me this, my cousin Kenny, who, former Fresno State Bulldog, long snapper back in the day, sent me this. The last team, things that didn't exist when the Detroit Lions last played in the NFC championship game. I'm not going to list them all, but I'll just list a couple. Amazon, Facebook, Gmail, Google, the iPhone, the iPod, Internet Explorer, Netflix, PlayStation, Tesla, obviously, text messages, Uber, Wikipedia, Xbox. I mean, some of those are a little newer, but Internet Explorer,

Internet Explorer. Amazon, it feels like Amazon's been around for 20 plus years. Honestly, it's been around longer than that. Obviously, there have been different iterations. But I mean, you're talking about a franchise, and this is why I give you more credit. If Antonio Pierce goes to the Raiders and is successful in like two straight years,

I'm not even saying next year. I'm just saying like it has a stretch where he wins like 10 games, 10 games, goes to the playoffs a couple times. That is an incredible accomplishment. Because like Kevin Stefanskii, winning in Cleveland for Jimmy Haslam should not happen. You're not supposed to win there. Detroit, you're not supposed to win with the Detroit Lions.

That team sucks always. And now to be in the NFC championship game, and kind of rightfully so, what an incredible job. Like, the 49ers get a lot of credit well-deserved for building a really good team, drafting players, finding different ways to get quarterbacks, trading for guys, being a place that guys want to be. Like having a really good culture. I think the Lions deserve very similar credit what they've done in a short period of time.

The trade for Goff, using those picks to get Gibbs, Leporta, Branch, Campbell, you know, signing Montgomery, their offensive line, how well Goff is. Anyone in their late, you know, 20s, early 30s, you still question, I don't care what profession you do, how good you are, unless you're just an egotistical maniac and got fake confidence. you need people you're either working with, playing for, working for to believe in you, and to instill confidence in you. And the Lions and Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson, what they have done to Jared Goff in terms of the confidence, the uplifting, and turning him into a high-end starter, has been pretty eye-opening and been pretty awesome to watch. And like I said, I'm naturally going to root for the guy because of where he's from.

but he has been really good. And he's an easy guy to root for. Easygoing, nice guy. No one ever has anything bad to say about him as a person. Just seems like a salt of the earth. Easygoing dude, who can sling the football a little bit. Can't run a lick, doesn't matter. He throws some dimes, and the Lions deserve a lot of credit.

And listen, in theory, it should be Ravens 49ers. Those two teams should win. Just like last week. It was like the two-one season hosting the game. I haven't even thought about gambling this week who I'm going to take, but obviously the Niners make me really nervous. And I get very nervous betting against Andy Reid and Patrick Mahom. So initial would be like I think all four of these teams can win these games.

And that's what makes a great conference championship is when you got a lot on the line. All these teams can win a championship. I would say the Ravens are probably the least flawed team. This Chief's team is probably the worst iteration of the era of the dynasty quote unquote. You know, the 49ers are kind of leaking some oil. And the Lions DBs can't cover me or you, but holy moly, they can score. They can rush the passer. They have a physicality to them.

They can control the clock because they can run the ball. They have a true identity. Both their coordinators are just fantastic. And it just has a chance to be a really, really cool conference championship weekend. and get some new blood in there with Detroit, which is just a, it's sometimes like when you get the little engine that could, and when you get like a story that really resonates with people, this franchise has been so bad for so long.

And now they're like really good. And, you know, people are going to naturally kind of root from them. You know, it's different than Buffalo. But it's the same type feel where it's like kind of rooting for these people. You know, I just kind of rooting for these people. Now, I want the Niners to win, but I don't feel great about it. My first reaction was like, I'm pretty nervous. I definitely think Detroit can win this game.

I mean, they're built, good offensive line, they can stop the run. I think the 49ers right now have some questions that they've got to answer these next couple days. Take a deep breath, figure out why the quarterback can't grip the ball if there's a little water on it, and figure some things out. But we only got three games left. I'm already, I always get emotional thinking that football is going to end. Like, what the hell am I going to watch?

Desperate Housewives or that stupid like Southern Housewives show that my girlfriend had on the other day? I don't think so. So I'm going to really enjoy these last three games like all of us will and we'll talk about them all week. The volume.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that experience. excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.